Cats Herd You

Laugh. Learn. Love cats.

Manscaping

Newton has a glorious tail. He also has luxurious armpit hair that waves in the breeze.

orange tabby cat swats at heart-shaped beads

His armpit hair is cottony soft, which gives it a tendency to mat, but he absolutely refuses to let anyone brush it. So occasionally, he needs a manscaping. Last week’s manscaping appointment was his first in over two years.

Newton’s girlfriends at the vet were very gentle with him, and they made sure he was not afraid of the sound of the clippers before they started clipping the mats off of his armpits.

orange tabby cat preparing for armpit shave

They shaved plenty of fur off, but not so much as last time when he ended up with completely bare armpits. This will be much more comfortable for him. And less embarrassing, too!

orange tabby cat getting armpit shave

Getting Cozy with the Art of Paws Heated Pad

It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, whether it’s cold out or not, Pierre’s feels better when he has some extra heat. And let’s face it, sunbeams can be hard to find. What he needs is his own little patch of sunshine no matter what time of day it is. So when our friends at Art of Paws asked if he would like to try one of their heated mats, Pierre said he was the cat for the job.

gray tabby cat loungest on heated pad

The Art of Paws heated pet mat is about two inches thick, and unfolding it from the box, I found it had a nice, removable cover that will make cleaning easy. The cord, which has a protective cover to prevent chewing, extends through the cover at one end, and an inline switch so you can turn the mat on and off. The covered cord connects to the shorter cord attached to a little power brick, and the power brick, of course, plugs into an outlet.

I really liked that the whole cord assembly was over six feet long, so I was able to put the mat just about anywhere I wanted instead of having to be really close to an outlet. Setup is easy and common sense, no manual needed.

gray tabby cat curled up on heated mat

Once the mat was set up, it took no time at all for Pierre to find his little patch of sunbeam-like warmth. I’m not sure exactly where Pierre’s arthritis is, but there was room on the Art of Paws heated pet mat to warm all of him so he’s sure to get comfort from it. The mat so big that you could fit two of him on it when he is curled up. Or he can sprawl across it and really soak in every inch of its warmth.

gray tabby cat lounges on heated pad

The Art of Paws heated pet mat proved so popular that it when Pierre wandered off to use the litter box, a line formed to use it. Newton claimed it, and he immediately spread out to absorb the warmth.

orange tabby cat lounges on heated pad as black and white tuxedo cat looks on

There was still a little bit of space left on the Art of Paws heated pet mat, even with him spread out, and Cupcake saw her chance to get some of that warmth. She stepped onto the mat right next to Newton, but Newton made it clear he wasn’t in a sharing mood.

orange tabby cat prevents black and white tuxedo cat from joining him on heated pad

Cupcake decided she would wait in line for her turn. Getting a chance to hang out on the heated pet mat would be totally worth it!

All of us are big fans of the Art of Paws heated pet mat, and we give it enthusiastic paws up.

If your cats want their your own heated pet mat, you can get 15% off your order at the Art of Paws US or UK site with discount code catsherdyou.  The discount is also good for their cool wall shelves and scratching posts, too!

FTC Disclosure: We received this heated mat at no charge from Art of Paws. Receiving the free products did not influence our review. All reviews on Cats Herd You reflect our honest and unbiased opinions.

Fishing in the Sink

When we make batches of Newton’s food at home, we bulk freeze some of it into 2 lb bricks because that is the most efficient use of or limited freezer space. That isn’t a practical size for everyday feeding, so the food that we thaw for him to eat every day is in smaller containers. As a result, we periodically have to semi-thaw the bricks to portion them into the smaller containers.

Over the weekend, Cupcake, decided that the containers of thawing food in the sink were absolutely fascinating.

black and white tuxedo cat looks at objects floating in sink

She didn’t seem interested in the food in them, but she wanted to get to whatever was under them.

black and white tuxedo cat wets paw in sink

The problem was, there was nothing under them but a lot of cold water in the sink.

black and white tuxedo cat wets paw in sink

The result was a soggy kitchen.

black and white tuxedo cat wets paw in sink

And some very wet cat paws.

dripping wet white cat paw

Check out Cupcake in action below. If you are on mobile and the video doesn’t display, you can visit it directly.

Rescued, Volume 2: A Special Giveaway

You may remember that Ashton’s story is included in the anthology Rescued, Volume 2: The Healing Stories of 12 Cats, Through Their Eyes. Her photo is on the book’s cover.

Ashton tells her story
Each story in the book is told from a cat’s point of view, and each story is its own special tale of how cats help their humans heal.

Ashton’s story is about what happened to a lost kitten afraid of humans. It shows how the love and trust of a tiny cat can heal a broken human heart.

Rescued, Volume 2 cover

Cats like Ashton are lucky that they end up in safe homes, but many don’t. So the sale of every book during March benefits Candy’s Cats, a central Florida-based cat rescue organization. Candy’s Cats finds homes for hundreds of cats a year, and they are putting finishing touches on what will be greater Orlando’s only cat-only adoption center so they can find homes for even more cats.

We heard from lots of people that Ashton’s special saying, “Humans are scary” touched them. So we have a very special giveaway. If you purchase Rescued, Volume 2 during the month of March, you are eligible to enter our giveaway for some exclusive Humans are Scary gifts not available anywhere else.

Humans are Scary - Rescued 2 Giveaway
Both the tote bag and the mug feature a drawing of Ashton and the saying “Humans are Scary. Hang out with cats instead.”

To be eligible to win, all you need to do is buy a copy of Rescued, Volume 2 during the month of March, and then let us know about it in the Rafflecopter widget below. If your name is drawn, we’ll ask you to send us a copy or photo of your receipt that shows you bought it during the month of March. It’s that easy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It doesn’t matter where you buy Rescued, Volume 2 during March, they are all eligible to enter the drawing. You can purchase a pawtographed copy of the book directly from us. You can also purchase from Amazon in paperback or for your Kindle reader. All of these will benefit Candy’s Cats, and all of them allow you to enter the Humans are Scary drawing this month.

This post contains affiliate links. I receive a small commission when a purchase is made through these links. Commissions earned for the sale of these books during March will also be donated to benefit Candy’s Cats.

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There are no veterinarians here. All health-related posts are the result of research and observation, but educational information is not a substitute for visiting your veterinarian. Do not self-diagnose your cat. For more information, see our disclaimer.

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