What A Slacker!

Pet Food Fest Being Held in Exton, PA

Add comment June 6th, 2008

Are you looking for something to do on June 14th? Want to win a years supply of pet food? Head to the Pet Food Festival being held by ShopByBreed on the 14th for your chance to win either a years supply of dog food or a years supply of cat food.

Besides this awesome chance to win a great prize you’ll also get to meet and talk with representatives of the best pet food manufacturers out there like Wellness, Innova, Nutro Natural Choice, Nature’s Variety, and Royal Canin. They’ll be on hand to field your questions about the quality of food you feed your bestest-best friends as well as hand out samples. Who doesn’t love free stuff?

Before you go head over to the Nature’s Variety website to get yourself a coupon for a free bag of dry kibble or raw food for your pet. You might as well go prepared, right?

from PetSaverCoupons.com: Pet Food Fest in Exton, PA

Hello Kitty

Add comment May 31st, 2008

Fellow cat lover over at Pantherkut.com has loads of interesting stuff on his site. The information ranges from house cat tips to big cat classifications. If it is about felines PanthurKut will eventually hit upon it.

But I have to admit that my guilty please over at PanthurKut is the fat cats section. One of the kitties over there looks a lot like my big fat boy (who I call moose all the time because he is so big). Mind you my cat is not near that big but if he keeps eating like he does he will get to be that big. Maybe I will print out the picture and hang it over his food bowl for a while.

The Litter Box Wars: Littermaid vs SmartScoop

Add comment May 28th, 2008

Littermaid vs SmartScoop - it is the self-scooping litter box wars I’m talking about not a review of the expensive cat boxes. (But if you want my opinion the SmartScoop wins the review hands down so lets hope they win the legal battle too.)

For a quick run down OurPets, a company that makes great pet products introduced a self-scooping litter box, the SmartScoop last year and the makers of the Littermaid box, Salton, Inc. felt the need to squash any competition before word got out that they don’t really care about pets they just want your money over and over again.

OurPet’s was founded in 1995 by Dr. Steve Tsengas with the goal of promoting pet health, well-being and owner & pet interaction. [taken from OurPets.com]

While Salton, Inc. and its subsidiaries are leading marketers and distributors of a broad range of branded small household appliances. Salton markets and distributes small kitchen and home appliances, pet and pest products, and personal care products. [take from Salton’s website]

Which of these companies do you think has your cat’s best interests in mind and which one do you think is only out to make a quick buck? If the company’s mission statements alone don’t convince you maybe you need to take a look at the products themselves.

The SmartScoop as a large litter area it is two inches longer than the Littermaid’s usable area, which is rather important if you have a huge cat like mine. The SmartScoop is also a little higher, which can reduce the litter scattering from your cat’s digging.

The SmartScoop has a much less expensive waste bag to replace over the Littermaids plastic containers. Which raises the whole environmental issue. SmartScoops bags are biodegradable Littermaids are not (nor are they recyclable, but who would want to clean them out to recycle them any way?).

The most noticeable differences lie in the motor and the fact that it is outside of the box and removable on the SmartScoop not on the Littermaid. Which one do you think is easier to clean? I’ll tell you from experience, the SmartScoop! Since the motor is removable it is also replaceable too. That’s right if the motor goes bad you can replace just that part not the entire box.

OurPets stands behind their products, does Salton? I don’t think so. A friend of mine had gone through 2 Littermaid boxes in two years yet she could not get them repaired or replaced through the company. She finally gave up on self-scooping boxes as her experience with the Littermaid has soured her to any automatic box even one of superior quality like the SmartScoop.

This brings me to the costs. These boxes are not cheap, especially when you have to replace the entire box a $200 a pop. The SmartScoop retails for around $150 and the replacement costs are much less than that. Supplies for the SmartScoop are much more cost effective too.

As you can see the SmartScoop wins that battle but can it win the war? Maybe with our help the little guy can come out on top. Spread the word, let your congressman know how you feel about the waste of money and resources this type of litigation can be, above all else express your opinion to Salton and ask them why they are so afraid of a little market place competition. If they are as good as they think they are they should welcome some competition.

Besides I thought a person or company could improve on a current invention or patent and then claim the patent on the new and improved item (at least that’s what the infomercials tell me). So how can they really claim an infringement unless the product is exactly the same? Personally, I think they are over reacting and should go sell George Foreman Grills and forget the lawsuit, which will cost them more then if they simply welcomed the competition. Perhaps someone in their corporate offices did not do the math right or maybe they can simply throw away 1.5 million in the hopes of saving a half million dollars from a little healthy competition. Heck, if they have that much money why not throw some my way? Or better yet replace my friend’s boxes!

Boris says: What’s All The Fuss Over A Place to Poop any way?

Schrödinger’s Cat is Dead or Is It

Add comment May 19th, 2008

Okay, my limited physics classes did not teach me about Schrödinger’s Cat, or if it did I did not retain the information.

Oddly enough two different TV shows this evening seemed to think the average Joe would know just who Schrödinger was and what was so god awful important about his cat.

In quantum mechanics atoms can exist in two or more different quantum states. But the question was raised whether a complex object made up of large numbers of atoms could exist in more than one state. In comes the cat.

The thought experiment takes the cat and puts it into a box with a vial filled with poison. The box is sealed. Since you cannot see the cat and do not know whether it is alive or has fallen victim to the poison. Therefore the cat is both alive and dead at the same time. Existing in both states. Until you open the box and observe the state of the cat.

First show I saw this in was Big Bang Theory. I have to thank the guys for geeking out and telling us what they meant when they used the term. In fact it was very relevant to what they were discussing.

The second show was Bones. Unfortunately they did not explain what Schrödinger’s Cat was and left their viewers in the dark. (I know, I know Google is a handy tool to have and so is Wikipedia, but when watching a show sometimes they need to fill the audience in on the science jargon.)

Get your geek on (I half expect to see Sheldon wearing one of these t-shirts on The Big Bang Theory some night) with the Schrödinger’s Cat tee.

 
Get this cool geek shirt at ThinkGeek.com

Surpisingly Good Morning After A Hellish Day

Add comment May 17th, 2008

As you can see I am up and posting this morning. This is a good thing trust me. In the past when I would get as upset as I did yesterday I would not have felt like doing anything for days. I would have spiraled down into a pit of depression so deep I would think there was no way out. And last night I really felt like that is where I was heading. Now I have a bit of hope.

I did get a fairly good night’s sleep although I did give myself a little medicated help. (I had to or I would have lain in bed all night long staring at the dark ceiling unable to quiet my mind.) I woke up this morning feeling a little better about things and surprisingly no headache (with my sinuses and the way I was crying all day yesterday that is a BIG surprise). I tried just lying there relaxing with my cats (they had all come up to say feed me), but I could not enjoy the morning. Once I was fully awake my mind kept returning to yesterday and how bad I felt and how awful going to work on Monday will be.

So I dragged myself out of bed, fed those darned pusses and here I am typing away. Perhaps if I can keep myself busy with other things today and tomorrow Monday won’t be such a hellish Monday after all. I hope.

Cats and Learned Behavior

Add comment May 13th, 2008

Not all cats are scardey cats. At least not when they start out. Our big boy Boris never was overly afraid of things like trucks driving by or even the vacuum cleaner running. He would just lie there looking around like he was saying, ‘what the heck?’ Yet he never got up to run and hide.

Our other three cats always scurry and hide as soon as the slightest noise starts to spook them. Well, we have noticed that Boris would get caught up in that hurry to leave the room along with the girls. Because of them he has now learned to hide at a loud noise that would not have bothered him before. Thanks a lot girls! (To be honest I do have to say he learned how to be afraid of kids all on his own.)

Pet Expo in Reading

Add comment May 3rd, 2008

In March I went to the Pet Expo here in Reading. I know it took me long enough to write about it. It was very interesting and pretty much fun. I went with a friend of mine and her husband. We walked through the entire thing. It was huge. My favorite were the reptiles. Not that I want any it’s just the bunch of them together were fun to watch. Especially the bearded dragons.

There were lots of rescue groups there too for just about every dog breed. Tons of stores with loads of stuff to buy. Mostly dog related but there were things for other pet lovers too. Beside the dogs there was also loads of ferret groups.

There is also a huge horse arena, a dog agility arena, dogs doing fly ball (that was fun to watch), cat show, pet costume contests. People could bring their pets along too. There was even a big old tiger there. Below you can see a few other pictures I took like the smiling potbelly pig and the over dressed little yorky.

Now My Cat Has Fleas Too

1 comment April 29th, 2008

So your kitty has put up with the combs, she’s put up with the shampooings, she’s even put up with the drops. Now it’s her turn for revenge on that little pest that’s bothered her so long.

Get your kitty this adorable little plush flea catnip toy and watch her go crazy. The flea catnip cat toy is 3” long and filled with genuine organic catnip from the fine folks at Multipet who know pets just wanna have fun.

Give your kitty one of these and she won’t mind you asking her in your kitty voice, “Whose got fleas? Who’s the kitty with the big bad fleas?”

Your cat will love getting the bite on this cute critter.

Last week I told you all about the dog toy I bought without having a dog just because it was so darned cute. Well now my kitties get to have fleas too and they just love it! Thanks to the fine folks at CatToys.com.

Earth Day is Going to the Dogs (and Cats Too)

Add comment April 22nd, 2008

Today is Earth Day and it’s going to the dogs. I have already written about my favorite eco-superhero Captain Planet and his trusty sidekicks the Planeteers the other day listing a few helpful things you can do every day to make our planet a better place to live.

Today I want to write a little about our pets and what we can do to help them help us on our quest for a more environmentally friendly planet. I just think it is important that we make changes in every aspect of our lives and this includes our pets.

First and foremost are the toys besides treats this is what we buy the most of for our furry little friends. Pet toys vary in product types and the materials used to make them.

Look for toys that are either recycled or can be recycled. These can include plush, rubber and plastic toys. Remember to recycle the packaging too. Most packaging is made of recyclable cardboard and plastics. Be mindful of what you send out to the landfills.

Try to find all natural alternatives to pest control instead of using harsh chemicals. This is better for the environment and for your pet.

Organic treats will not only be healthier for your pets but will not add unwanted chemicals and fertilizers to the soil thus reducing ground pollution.

AKC’s Green Planet Collection of toys are made of recycled materials and so is the packaging.

West Paw Designs Eco Toys are made from recycled plastic bottles. Not sure how they do it but the material and the stuffing used to be plastic bottles. Pretty cool huh? They also make beds and rubber out of the recycled materials too.

EcoPure Naturals makes natural products for your pets from flea and tick spray to aromatherapy for dogs.

Robbie Dawg makes tasty organic treats for dogs and cats.

Whole Life treats are freeze dried treats with basically one ingredient. Those ingredients come from free range or wild caught animals.

These great toys, treats and other fine products are available at DogToys.com and CatToys.com check them out today!

My Dog Has Fleas

Add comment April 8th, 2008

Okay, so I don’t have a dog, but I do have nefew and niece dogs not to mention friends with dogs too. I came across this very cute flea dog toy and I just had to get it for my favorite little white poodle fondly known has Pooper Scooper [his real name is PC aka Prince Charming, but he has been Poop D. Scoop since he was a wee little pup and thus he will remain].

The dogs live with their family [my sister, her hubby and thier kids] next door to our folks so they come down to visit all the time. Even having sleep overs at Grandma’s house. So I dropped the toy off there knowing that eventually the doggies come down and get their reward if they aren’t there when I stop by.

Well the other day I stopped in and Mom had the FLEA on her sofa nestled in the throw pillows. I don’t think the dogs will be seeing this toy for some time. He is awful cute. The flea dog toy looks a lot like a Muppet more than a dog toy. I love him! He is twelve inches high which seems big but he isn’t really. Even little dogs will like biting back this flea. They can bite until he squeaks or just grab a leg and shake him. It is a nice little revenge toy for your dog. Let him get back at the pests who bother him [and you].

I just found out that they make a cat version too! My favorite online store for cat toys does not have them yet but I emailed and they say they will look into carrying them. Yeah!

 Update: Like I said the catnip flea cat toy is now available at CatToys.com.