Book Review... The Rules: A Guide for People Owned by Cats

I might be behind the times, but I must say I have not done as much reading lately as I was a while back. That changed yesterday. We were lounging around yesterday getting our easy on and HH found this book we hadn't heard of. It's called The Rules: A Guide for People Owned by Cats. The author's name is Max, just like mine, but his name is Max Thompson. And another similarity is that he has a blog too.  Some of my pals are following him too.

Anyway, she saw that book while she was on line and she downloaded it to her Kindle... a bargain at 99 cents. And it came really fast, so the boys sat at her feet and she started reading it to all of us.  The points Max T made were really right on the money.  Like the part about not feeding us so much dry food and feeding us straight from the other animals... and that every cat should have a tower .... and that we should have all the toys we want... You catch my drift here.  Max T got it all right.

Pretty soon, HH was chuckling... then she started laughing out loud. We all hope that means that she's taking Max T's advice to heart.  The boys will know if she does, cuz she should start giving them more stinky goodness than they get now and she should ease up on some of the rules around the condo, like waking her up in the middle of the night should be just fine with her if she takes what Max T wrote to heart.  We'll see.

Anyway, I'm recommending this book to you, cuz, even if your bean doesn't take it to heart, it'll make her/him laugh. And there's nothing wrong with our beans being in a good mood. Right?

Enjoy your day, pals. And thanks to Max Thompson for his words of wisdom.

It's Sunday.... Have an Easy One...

You know, you'd think that after the early rise yesterday, the boys would be ready to sleep in... Not these guys.  At the moment.  it's 5:22 AM and we've been up for over an hour.  Knuckles is sitting on top of the computer unit and giving HH The Stare... you know the one. It's the unblinking-time-to-feed-me-or-else stare.  Bugsy is sitting on the desk waiting semi-patiently.

Now, this plea for breakfast seems oh so urgent right now, but you know what?  As soon as HH feeds them, they'll head right back to bed and sleep most of the day. Meanwhile.... she's getting sleepy from being up too early.  Today.... yes... it's in the stars. We will be observing... Easy Like Sunday.

Have a great day everybuddy...

Happy Saturday, Everybuddy

Good Saturday Morning... Here are the boys (collage style) with Bugsy in the top two and Knuckles in the bottom two...

The boys are full of it this morning. Got HH up at 4:00am... Cracked me up... Knuckles bounded across the bed... lunging at Bugsy. In the process, he landed square of HH's tummy... She WAS sound asleep... I think she'll be sleeping curled up in a little ball for a while.

Anyway, Saturday fun started early over here.  Hope you have a great day... it's gonna be interesting.

Remember...  Max loves ya!!

TGIF.... Yep... The Weekend is Here!!!

Okay, Pals! Knuckles here...  It's Firday. What a wonderful thing!

HH has had a week. She's been home each night, but since she's self-employed, she is usually home most of the daytime too.  Not this week.

We're not sure all what she's been doing, but she has not been here.  Usually, we sit and watch her work and she stops to play with us a couple of times ... but this week. she has been out.  We did get some good play in during the evenings, but we like all day access to her much better.  So, HH if you're reading this... Cut it out!

Does your bean work from home? If so, do you help?  I mean like Bugsy for instance. He helps because he's a paperweight. His job is to keep all the papers from falling on the floor. Me, HH says I'm comic relief. I don't know what that means, but that's what HH calls me and she's always smiling when she says it, so I must be good at it...

 Well... that's how it works here anyway. So, usually our weekdays are fine, cuz HH is here working, but weekends are still the best. So we're always glad to say it's Friday...

Here's Bugsy in that great card he made in honor of Fridays...

Have a great day and weekend everybuddy.

Cats and Hearts...

It's almost Valentine's so I decided to steal this picture from HH's collection to show you... I was thinking today was Wordless Wednesday but I missed that by a day. And, I missed Tooona Tuesday by two days. I really hate missing Tooona Tuesday. I gotta get myself a calendar... Maybe I've been working too hard on my book...

Oh, Well...have a great day everybuddy.

Max on ... New Year's Resolutions... How You Doin'?

So, how you doin' on those New Year's Resolutions?

Usually by the middle  or end of January, those who are gonna slip on their resolutions are ready to throw in the towel. That's how it works for the beans as far as I can tell...

Now, in the dog and the cat world, it's a little different.  Our beans make resolutions for us that we can't keep.  I mean, we are animals after all.  Here's an example.

You know about the Great Food Experiment of 2011, don't you?  Well in case you don't... here's a recap...

When Bugsy and Knuckles first came to live with HH, they were just little guys. HH was feeding them  kitten food a couple times a day, and all was going well. But, soon enough they seemed to be awfully interested in their food.

Bugsy and Knuckles on Gotcha Day... Tiny, right?

Now, in the old days, I was known for my interest in food too, and HH wanted to make sure that the boys didn't start to obsess about it too. So, someone told her that it was better to not draw attention to their eating habits and to just put a few days worth of food in a gravity feeder. The theory was that the boys would regulate themselves.

Well.. it didn't work. Oh, Knuckles did well enough.., but Bugsy loved to knock the thing around and eat and eat and eat....


Long story short.  HH had to resume portion control feedings with them.  So, Bugsy's New Year's resolution is to lose weight and to stay at his optimum weight.

To that end, HH is feeding them in two dishes, so Knuckles will have his own portion. Otherwise, Bugsy would eat it all and Knuckles is so polite, he would let him.

As it is, Knuckles always does save some food for Bugsy.... It's a brother thing?  Am I right?  As a result, Bugsy gets bigger and Knuckles gets smaller.

So... HH heard about this cat door (it's called Sure Flap)  the other day and she's thinking of getting one.  It seems that it operates by microchip.  In other words, the bean programs it to recognize the chip of each specific pet.  So, essentially you could use it in the door that goes to the outside to keep the varmints out of the house as it'll only open when approached by a pet with the right chip in it.

Demonstration cat going through the Sure Flap door

Or...  here's the idea with Bugsy and Knuckles, for WEIGHT CONTROL... HH could use it on an inside door (say maybe the door between the office and the bathroom) and program it only for Knuckles' chip.   At feeding time, she'd put Knuckles' food in the bathroom and close the door.

Bugsy (hee, hee, hee) wouldn't be able to get to it, cause his chip wouldn't open the door..What a brilliant concept!!!

Pretty cool huh?  We're thinking of giving it a try?  Now, Bugsy doesn't think it's such a great idea, but the rest of us do.... We'll let  you know if we try it out...

If you want to read more about it, you can go here ... Sure Flap.  They have all the details.

Anyway... that's how we've done on our resolutions... How about you?

Have a great day...
                         love, Max

Max on.... preparing for a cruise...

I am so excited.  I mean: EXCITED!!!

HH is in the process of making a new Flat Max today. (You might remember that the old version of me as Flat Max got a little spotted and warped when Toni and Mike took me to Niagra Falls -- the mist got me)

Anyway, Toni told HH last Tuesday that they would like me.... Flat ol' Max... to go on a cruise with them in February.  HH gave permission and now is in the process of not only making a new Flat Max but making some other Flat Max items, such as a raincoat, so I don't get warped and misted again and maybe some snorkling gear... Don't know if Toni and Mike snorkle, but I want to be ready.

Anyhooooo... just wanted to tell you the big news... As you can see... I'm resting up for the trip.

Have a great day pals.  More about this as the time gets closer.

Easy Like Sunday

Knuckles has been assigned the arduous task of demonstrating how we spend Sundays over here.  Looking at him... he's doing a great job.

Have a wonderful day everybuddy... and if you live where the white stuff falls from the sky, stay warm!

pawhugs, Max

Max on... Almost Unsolved Beeping Mystery

The boys are never far from trouble. You know that. I mean, who remembers the pumpernickle bread party they had in the middle of the night shortly after HH adopted them? Or the many escapades that have resulted in the boys popping out of cupboards or HH having to tape the cupboards shut with duct tape?

When Ann sent around the news about the Unsolved Mysteries, HH thought maybe we wouldn't have anything to talk about since the boys have been quite good lately. But,the boys never want to disappoint and one of them came through just in time.... And.... let me assure you ahead of time....no kitties were hurt during this mystery..

The other night in the middle of the night, HH was startled out of a sound sleep by an intermittent beeping sound. Knuckles was fast asleep in the crook of her arm, so she knew immediately that if the noise was caused by mischief, it was Bugsy; but she thought maybe it was the battery going bad on the smoke detector.

First, she opened her eyes. Without her glasses, she saw a yellow diffused light simultaneous with every beep.  Knuckles reacted first and jumped to the floor and rounded the bed to the other night stand where HH keeps the charger for the cordless phone. HH grabbed her glasses and followed him.

To her surprise Bugsy (seemingly) wasnot on that side of the bed.  Or was he...? The beeping continued and Knuckles looked under the bed.  Nothing there. Then he peered under the night stand.  Just as he did, out popped a tail.  HH was shocked that Bugsy even fit under that table, but she reached under and sure enough...there was his little body and he was working hard to sever the cord to the phone charger.

Now with this story we know who-dunit.... the unsolved part is.... How in the world does Bugsy keep biting through cords without getting all electrified.....? That's what we want to know.

Well, rest assured, pals, HH has once again gone through the house and checked to make sure that all the cords are hidden.  This one just slipped by her, but now she has hidden it so he can't get it. As extra security, she has posted the Pelican beside the phone charger, so she'll know if Bugsy tries to mess with it.

We got a package form across the water!

OMC... The boys received a wonderful package in the mail yesterday.... You see, they won the contest over at Kjelle Bus  and Mom Camilla mailed a package to them a long time ago.  It probably took so long cuz it had to come from way across the ocean. The boys have been watching for it and to them it took furever.... but the mailman gave it to HH today, and the boys are so excited...

First, HH put the package up on the counter under the new spotlights. That's where we take all our important pictures since Joe fixed the kitchen lights for us.  The boys started by sniffing the package. Before taking out the toys, HH took out the postcard so they could read it.  

 

Here's the front of the postcard. How great is that?

And look at what was inside the package...

And you know what else was in the package?  A donation to the Humane Society of South Brevard where our sponsor cat, Robert lives.  What a wonderful thing to do.

Thanks so much Kjelle Bus and Mom Camilla for all the wonderful toys and for the donation to the Humane Society... We love you...!

Wordless Wednesday: When HH woke up from her nap, this is what she saw?

Time for dinner?

Pampered Pets on a Budget by Jeffrey L. Barnes and Kristen M. Levine Pampered Pets on a Budget by Jeffrey L. Barnes and Kristen M. Levine

It's been a long time since I've done a book review, pals. The authors sent me this book and wanted me to take a look at it for them and to let you know what I thought.  Of course, I was glad to do so.  It's called Pampered Pets on a Budget: Caring for Your Pet Without Losing Your Tail. Jeffrey L. Barnes and Kristen M. Levine wrote it.


The book is a short one.  As far as I'm concerned, that's a good thing.  I always say that it's a good writer who can get to the point. Anyway, it's a quick read. Now the other side of it being short, is that it doesn't give detailed information about many of the topics included, but it does point the reader in the right direction with resources to find more information.

I must say that it's an important topic. We all want to be pampered and have our care held to the best possible standards, but you know and I do too how expensive that care is becoming. This book will give you tips on how to save some money and still give your pets the best care.

The authors included this list with the book. It tells you what it covers and I thought you might like to know that it says...

In Pampered Pets on a Budget, pet owners will:

• Learn the benefits of the human-animal bond to your life and your pocketbook
• Discover your pet's "must-haves" versus "nice to haves"
• Understand the important, irreplaceable role of your veterinarian
• Receive tips on how to save money during the lifespan of your pet
• Obtain great information on pet adoption
• Know the in's and out's of proper pet nutrition
• Properly position yourself to buy your pet the bet lifestyle possible.

The beans who wrote this book are Jeffrey L. Barnes. He's a business advisor, consultant and business intermediary,who strives to give veterinarians and business owners business advice in their day-to-day operations and represents them when they buy or sell their practice or business.

Kristen M. Levine founded Fetching Communications, the nation's first marketing and public relations firm wholly dedicated to serving the pet industry. She is also a frequent contributor to pet and veterinary magazines nationwide.

If you want to take a look at this book, it's available at LuLu.com and at Amazon.com as a Kindle.

Gotcha Day for Bugsy and Knuckles

Today is our Gotcha Day.... Bugsy and I have a little something to say....

Thank you HH for capturing us from the SPCA of North Brevard and thank you Suzanne for encouraging HH to capture us (and for the wonderful photos on this page).  

We can't believe that it's been a full year since we came to live with HH. We love our new home and all the adventures here, and we love all our friends on the Internet...

And now a word from HH..

I can't believe that it's been a year, either. We are celebrating over here and want to thank all of you for your friendship over the year.. It's been wonderful to share this first year with you.

Here's to many more!!!

Now here are a few pictures Suzanne took on Gotcha Day... 1/15/11. Thanks Suzanne. (I haven't looked at these pictures in quite a while. I can't believe how dark the boys coats are now. And, of course, there are a bit bigger too.)

Bugsy in the car on the way home

Bugsy on his first day in his new forever home.

Knuckles (top) and Bugsy in the car on the way home

Knuckles in the car on the way home

Knuckles on the first day in his forever home.

And now a word from Max... Congratulations on your Gotcha Day, boys.  I'm very proud of you! And to all of you out there on the Internet... Remember, Max loves ya!!

Bugsy.... on TGIF and trying to be good

Ever have one of those weeks where.... no matter how hard you tried you just couldn't stay out of trouble?  I can't tell you what kind of trouble I was in because it's gonna be part of our Mystery Story, but let's just say I wasn't my usual, halo-wearing self.  So, I'm very glad it's Friday and I do promise to do better next week.  First, just let me rest up over the weekend... 'kay?

Oh and one last word... If anyone wants to send me treats... I'll be setting up a separate mailing address for that.  It seems (according to HH) that the great food experiment -- you know the one where HH would fill the bowl and we were on the honor system to eat the right amount for our bodies -- failed.  Or I should say, I sorta failed at it.  Knuckles did great and looks as slim as when we started.  Unfortunately, I didn't understand the instructions... thinking I was supposed to keep the bowl empty, I did gain.

So, I'm on a diet..... and so in my own defense, my less than angelic actions this week were not entirely my fault. I was a bit driven by hunger...  'nuf said.

Anyway, I hope all of you have a great weekend... and HH, I do promise to be a good boy... I do, I do, I do... so pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease give me back the big bowl of food.......

Wordless Wednesday... Togetherness