Friday, January 31, 2014

Cuteness Overload with Feline Rescue's Momma Freyja & Her NINE Kittens (!)

Freyja
©2014 Kristin Kaiser
Hi everyone, Katie here.

For the past 10 weeks, a very special Momma-Cat and her litter of NINE (yes, you read that right) kittens have stolen the hearts of thousands of cat-loving social media fans.

We didn't even know about them until we hosted a special Thanksgiving giveaway sponsored by the generous kitty lounger people at Peach Industries. The winner's prize was a beautiful kitty lounger to donate to their favorite rescue shelter. The winner chose Feline Rescue, Inc.,  a shelter very near (really! it's just a few miles away) and dear (we love them) to our hearts.

When Glogirly contacted the shelter to share the news, they knew JUST who needed this lounger the most.

Freyja
©2014 Kristin Kaiser
Meet Freyja
Only three days after giving birth to nine kittens, she was in need of a miracle. Her previous owners' landlord said the kittens had to go. And we're not talking a one month or even two week notice here. They needed a home and FAST.

Enter Feline Rescue, a no-kill cat shelter located in St. Paul, Minnesota with an amazing outreach program and a network of loving volunteer foster homes. A sweetheart guy with a heart of gold, offered to take in Freyja and her 3-day old kittens. We haven't met Jon Bidinger, or even spoken to him, but we hold a very special place for him in our hearts. It can't be easy fostering a brood of nine...10 if you count Momma Freya.

We first shared Freyja and her furry family on December 29 in a Squeee-ful Sunday blog post. Since then we've received so many requests to share an update.

A Model Momma
Jon, the head cat herder and foster dad, describes Freyja as a great mother. "She was always patient and made sure everyone got fed." After two weeks though, her body just couldn't produce enough milk so Jon helped out by bottle feeding 4 or 5 times a day until the kittens stared to eat kibble and gushy food on their own. "Even with the gushy food, Freyja waits until the kittens are done eating until she eats. She is amazing!"


Freyja with the pink shades & her kitens
©2014 Jon Bidinger
The Kittens!
Everyone wants to know... "Girls? Boys? Names???"
Freyja is mom to 5 girls and 4 boys.

♥︎  Bjorn (bear)
♥︎  Turtle
♥︎  Sunna
♥︎  Brunhilde (Hilde)
♥︎  Knute
♥︎  Thor
♥︎  Sven
♥︎  Astrid
♥︎  Ingrid

The kittens are just about big enough to be adopted... and many have already been pre-adopted! Once they reach 3 pounds and their spay/neuter surgeries are complete, they're ready for new forever homes.

Turtle
©2014 Kristin Kaiser
Little Girl Turtle
Turtle, in particular, has really stolen hearts. In fact, we just learned that foster-dad Jon is adopting her. Turtle is a very special girl. Always the instigator, she was the first of the kittens to climb out of the enclosure. She's brave, active, playful... and just a little bit naughty. (sounds like someone I know!)

Turtle and Freyja have a very special bond. They play together and have a close connection. Turtle and Jon are going to have a wonderful and happy life together.


Thor & Sunna - Still Available for Adoption!
©2014 Kristin Kaiser
Waiting for Adoption!
Only two kittens, Thor & Sunna, and Momma Freyja are still waiting to be adopted. After everything sweet Freyja has been through, after all the love she's shown her kittens, she deserves a loving home with ALL the comforts!

Do you have room in your heart and home for these beautiful cats? Just contact our friends at Feline Rescue for more information on Freyja, Thor, Sunna and MANY other wonderful cats and kittens just waiting for a forever family to say, "I love YOU."


Knute
©2014 Kristin Kaiser
Mmmmm, This Camera Strap is Yummy!
I bet you're wondering where all of these beautiful photographs came from! Glogirly had the pleasure of meeting Kris Kaiser, the photographer extraordinaire who volunteers her time photographing Feline Rescue's cats and kittens living in private foster homes.

Freyja and her kittens stole Kris' heart too. She says that no matter how bad your day might be, when you can end it with kittens, all is right in the world.

Ingrid
©2014 Kristin Kaiser
Photos Make a Difference 
Professional quality photos of shelter cats can make or break their chances of being adopted. Kris Kaiser's photos have certainly made a difference for the Feline Rescue cats. Her images are used on their website, Petfinder.com and Feline Rescue's Facebook page. With social media playing such a significant role in raising awareness and finding homes for shelter pets, what Kris is able to give is priceless.

Kris' adorable photo of Knute (The Cute) just took second place in Animal Rescue Site's photo contest. She won $500 for Feline Rescue!


Baby Ingrid
©2014 Kristin Kaiser

And today, WE all get to enjoy an overload of cute!

Thank You
Purrs, headbonks and thank you's to Feline Rescue and their amazing network of volunteers, including Jon & Kris. And special thanks to our generous sponsor, Peach Industries. You are all making a difference in the lives of homeless cats and you make our hearts smile!




About the Photographer
Kris Kaiser shares her home and heart with Kitty Whompus, a beautiful 17 year-old tuxedo girl. She adopted Kitty from the St. Cloud Animal Humane Society when she was only 6 weeks old. When she decided she wanted to help homeless cats, she contacted Feline Rescue to offer her photography services. They were of course thrilled! In less than a year's time, she's photographed almost 60 cats and kittens.


This post is sponsored by Peach Industries, but all thoughts are our own.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Back on the Litter Box Track with #PreciousCat



Hi everyone, Katie here.

We all know there are far too many cats in shelters, just hoping for chance at a true forever home. It’s particularly heartbreaking to hear about cats who’ve been surrendered to shelters by their owners. We always want to ask ourselves, “Why?” One of the most common reasons cats are turned over to a shelter, or worse yet abandoned, can be traced back to the litter box.

Dr. Bruce Elsey, the veterinarian behind Precious Cat and their line of revolutionary litter products, understands and empathizes with cats and guardians facing this dilemma and has created solutions to help overcome these behavioral challenges. 



Abused, Abandoned & Shelter Bound
Wow. Just that headline is chilling. According to Dr. Elsey, “Over nine million cats suffer from Litter Box Aversion. In fact, it’s the #1 behavioral reason cats are abused, abandoned and placed in shelters.” 

Because of this, Dr. Elsey knew he just had to come up with a litter formulation that would be more acceptable to cats, especially those with litter box problems. Working with local shelters and using his own clinic for testing, he created and fine tuned a litter formulation called Cat Attract that's been incredibly successful and well received.  His goal and the company’s mission is to provide products that help cats live happier, healthier lives in a home, not a shelter. 



Stress & Change
Waffles and I are no strangers to stress. A change in environment, including a NEW HOUSEMATE (i.e. Waffles,) can be a game changer for cats that have never strayed from their litter box before. 

As with any problem or concern, it's important to first rule out underlying medical conditions that may be a contributing factor. The good news is that many litter box problems do not involve a medical condition at all, instead, it's all about behavior. This is exactly what the Precious Cat's products are intended to help with. Dr. Elsey has some super-smart tips for EVERYONE's litter box.




Seven Tips for Getting Cats Back on the Litter Box Track:
#1  Keep it Clean
This means daily scooping! Everyday. 

#2  Big is Beautiful
The litter box needs to be large enough, in fact it sould be 1.5X the lengh of the cat so he or she can easily turn around in it. 

#3  Do the Math: 1 + 1 = 3??? 
The magic number is one litter box per cat plus one extra. We’re a two cat townhouse here. That means one for me, one for Waffles,  plus one extra for good measure.

#4  Plastic Isn't Forever
A plastic litter box can eventually pick up an odor that cats may find objectionable and subsequently they can develop an aversion to it. If you use plastic, just remember it might have an expiration date.

#5  Location, Location, Location
Position litter boxes in quiet, safe places. Not next to noisy washing machines and rumbling furnace rooms. They should also be kept separate from eating and sleeping areas. It seems like common sense...after all, when's the last time you saw your human host a dinner party in the bathroom? Surely they wouldn't want to curl up in there with their pillow and blanket either. So why should we?

#6  Go Topless
Most cats prefer an open top litter box as opposed to closed styles.

#7  Food Matters
When it comes to health, Dr. Elsey promotes canned food. This will dramatically increase the amount of water a cat gets each day and in turn can cut back on the incidence of urinary issues. …which can also lead to trouble at the litter box.



About Dr. Elsey
Dr. Bruce Elsey has been a feline only veterinarian for over 30 years and his practice cares for over 8,000 cats. While attending a conference in college, he was inspired by a veterinarian who had a unique cat-only practice. At the time, there were only 13 cat practices in the entire country. In 1978, he opened his first cat-only practice in Denver, CO. He felt it was impotent to focus his skills on one species as a way to become truly knowledgeable. 

Dr. Elsey is a member of the American Association of Feline Practitioners, American Veterinary Medical Association and the Denver Veterinary Medical Association.





COMING SOON!
Waffles and I are going to have an opportunity to try out Precious Cat's Cat Attract litter formula over the course of the next month. We'll be sharing the results of our testing and hosting a cool giveaway, so stay tuned!

Find Dr. Elsey and #PreciousCat on the WEB.
Like them on FACEBOOK too!








This post is sponsored by Precious Cat on behalf of the BlogPaws Blogger Network. We are being compensated for helping spread the word about Precious Cat's Cat Attract formula, but GLOGIRLY only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Precious Cat is not responsible for the content of this article.


Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Waffles Wednesday: Roasting Marshmallows in the Polar Vortex

Peek
WAFFLES:  Hi everybuddy, Waffles here.

It's been really cold here while the Polar Gore Tex has been visiting.  I've been hiding out in my super-secret-HEATED-mancave.


WAFFLES:  Hey Boss.  Wanna come in my super-secret-HEATED-mancave?

KATIE:  Uh yeah, NO.

WAFFLES:  C'mon, Boss! What's the password?

KATIE:  How should I know??? Considering it's a SUPER SECRET mancave and all. *rolls eyes*

WAFFLES:  What's the password, Boss?

KATIE:  The password is I'm going upstairs to sleep on Glogirly's pillow.

WAFFLES:  Awww, c'mon Boss! What's the password?

KATIE:  Waffles, didn't you hear me? Or has your brain completely turned to marshmall–

WAFFLES:  That's IT! That's IT! Marshmallow! That's the password!



WAFFLES:  Guess I'll just have to roast by myself.






Kritter Kondo GIVEAWAY!
Enter to win a Limited Edition Kritter Kondo Cottage!
Deadline to enter: Monday, February 3, 11:59pm EST

Enter Giveaway HERE





Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Kitty-Kool Kritter Kondo Giveaway!

KATIE:  It takes a lot to get me excited, what with my usual dry demeanor. Well TODAY just might be the best day of my nine lives. And if you're anything like me, it could be the best day of yours too.


WAFFLES:  Hey Boss, check it out! It's like our own kitty playpen! 

KATIE:  Waffles, this is no ordinary playpen. It's a Kritter Kondo Cottage

WAFFLES:  You mean like cottage cheese?


KATIE:  Did I SAY cheese??? It's an indoor cat enclosure, silly. 

WAFFLES:  Cool! It's got doors and everything! Is the cheese on the inside?


KATIE:  There's no cheese. It's an INDOOR CAT ENCLOSURE. Open the door, push you in, close the door. VoilĂ ! It's a beautiful thing.


KATIE:  Who knew how fun this would be from the OUTSIDE!


About the Kritter Kondo
The Kritter Kondo Cottage is a great fort and playpen for cats and even kittens. Us cats like to have safe spaces to call our own, and as long as we can keep Glogirly outside the net, that's exactly what this is. A purr-fect kitty oasis. 

When we're not having -50° wind chills, the KK cottage doubles as an outdoor cat enclosure. Waffles and I are really excited to try it out on our deck. It'll be like getting window whiffs on steroids!


WAFFLES:  Hey Boss, look at ME!!! I'm up on the roof!  And you're –

KATIE:  Inside. How did THIS happen?!


Easy-Peasy, Assembly is a Breezy
Transport and setup couldn't be easier. In fact, it's so easy, Glogirly had it all put together in minutes without a single HBO word to be heard.  

This KK Indoor Cat Enclosure measures 2½ feet wide by 4½ feet long, making it ideal for small spaces, yet roomy enough for two adult cats to lounge and play. A herd of 6 kittens would have a blast in the Cottage. It comes with a Shade Canopy Roof made of Sunbrella fabric. The Cottage collapses flat with the release of a few pins to fit purrfectly in the carrying case. Handles and a shoulder strap make it super mobile. The collapsiblity makes it easy to store and travel.  


Glogirly's Aha Moment
The biggest surprise to Glogirly was how much Waffles and I dig the Kritter Kondo! We've never tried anything like this before and honestly didn't know if we'd use it or enjoy it. We LOVE it. We bring our toys inside, we lounge, we play... the netting is super fun to poke our paws through. Waffles loves lounging on the rooftop.  And of course there's the doors. (Waffles IN + Katie OUT = AWESOME!)

Other cool Kritter Kondo products can be viewed at www.kritterkommunity.com.


The GIVEAWAY
One lucky GLOGIRLY reader will win a Kritter Kondo Cottage of their very own! Shipping is limited to the Continental US, but anyone anywhere in the world can enter and donate the Cottage to a US rescue shelter. This would be perfect for a shelter with a kitten foster program!  The cottage is valued at $144.99 plus shipping... what a fabulous prize!

How To Enter
• Leave a comment telling us how you think you're kitties would enjoy using it the most. 
• Make super-triple-quadruple-SURE we have your email!
• FYI... at least 20% of entrants don't provide their email or make it available in their commenting profiles!

Get Social & Earn Extra Entries 
Just let us know in your comment which extra entries you've earned and we'll take care of the tallying.
Follow @glogirly on Twitter
Follow Kritter Kondo on Pinterest
Follow GLOGIRLY on Pinterest
Like     GLOGIRLY on Facebook



DEADLINE TO ENTER:
Monday, February 3, 11:59 PM EST


The Rules
Giveaway is open to GLOGIRLY readers in the Continental USA. Readers in Hawaii, Canada & overseas are welcome to enter and gift their prize to a US friend or shelter. Winner will be randomly selected using Random.org. Winner will be notified via email and must reply back within 48 hours to claim their prize and provide a shipping address. Winner will be announced in a separate post following the drawing. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited.




FTC Disclosure: We received these products for review at no charge from Kritter Kondo. We also received a fee to cover the time it takes to test, take photos, and write the review. Receiving the free products and the fee did not influence our review. All reviews on GLOGIRLY reflect our honest and unbiased opinions.


Sorry, this giveaway is now closed.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Channel Surfing Cat

WAFFLES:  Hey Boss!  I can see you!

KATIE:  Just remember, Waffles... no matter where you are or where I am,  I'm WATCHING you.

WAFFLES:  Ok, Boss. But where I am ...


WAFFLES:  ... I have the remote.



Sunday, January 26, 2014

Dinner Party with the Cat Sitter

Hi Everyone, Katie here. 

I know what you're thinking. "Where's Katie??? All I see is that orange-what's-his-name-cat, Waffles or whatever." Well last night was the big dinner party at the Townhouse. Although I was invited, so to speak, so too was the CAT SITTER.

Yes, you heard that right. Glogirly wasn't even going out of town or anything. She actually invited the cat sitter AND the cat sitter's BOYFRIEND over for the FUN OF IT. 

Although I tried to warn Waffles to steer clear of the insanity, he eventually made his way downstairs, showing off as usual. Kissing, playing with feathers, eating treats OUT OF THEIR HANDS.

I kept a reasonable and safe distance from the mayhem, making sure NO ONE crossed the line and came under the bed. Good thing too, because from what I could hear things were getting really kinky downstairs.

The Cat Sitter's boyfriend was giving RIDES to everyone. 



Saturday, January 25, 2014

Caturday Art Hop with the American Gothic Cats


WAFFLES:  Hey Boss! Whatcha doing in that funny apron?

KATIE:  You should talk! You're the one in the baggy overalls that smell like farm.

WAFFLES:  Can I touch your rickrack?

KATIE:  Not if you want a date with the business end of that pitchfork.

WAFFLES:  So how long are we supposed to stand here?

KATIE:  As long as all the other cats want to look at us. Today is the Caturday Art Hop.



WAFFLES:  This is going to be a loooooong Caturday.


Caturday Art Hop
We're joining a new blog hop called the Caturday Art Hop. It's a chance for cats everywhere in the blogosphere to show off their own cat-art creations. We had a little help from Grant Wood, the painter of the famous 20th century masterpiece, American Gothic

Learn more about the Caturday Art Hop and check out all the creative cats on Athena Cat Goddess Blog.

Friday, January 24, 2014

Waffles Has a GIRLFRIEND???

WAFFLES:  Hi everybuddy, Waffles here. I have a new girlfriend!!! 

Meet Angie Bailey. She's the talented funny-girl-author behind the cat blogs, Catladyland and Texts From Mittens. And she's also sort of our neighbor. We reviewed her latest book, Whiskerslists: The Kitty Classisfieds recently and just last night, took a field trip to our local bookstore for a special signing event.  I got to meet Angie in purrson! She has pink cat ears. I bet you didn't know that.

Oh, and I was the MOST POPULAR cat there!!! 


KATIE:  Waffles, you were the ONLY cat there.


WAFFLES:  I've never been in a bookstore before! There were lots of cool smells and the people were super nice. They all wanted to talk to me and take my picture. 


WAFFLES:  I rode through the store in my Waffle Wagon. Everyone wanted a ride! ...and a kiss too.


Thank you to Angie, fellow cat writer and CWA member Catherine Holm and the nice people at Magers & Quinn Booksellers in Minneapolis for making me feel so welcome and special.

You can check out our review of Angie's book HERE. ...yeah, we LOVED it. Though it gave Katie a few too many ideas on how to put ME in a kitty classified.


Thursday, January 23, 2014

Food Crimes Caught on Camera

Hi everyone, Katie here.

Let me just start by saying, this ISN'T what you think. What you are about to see is is not evidence at tall. It's misleading, circumstantial and taken completely out of context. Not to mention, these so-called *photographs* were taken without my knowledge or consent.

Yes, this is me.
Yes, this is Waffle's food tower.
Yes, those are his food dishes.
I am merely stretching.


Ok, yes this is me again.
And I am indeed on Waffles' food tower. 
I am only conducting a cursory investigation of his dish.
There is no eating or actual food-contact involved whatsoever.


Uh, yeah.
This is not how it looks.
I didn't enjoy it.
And I didn't inhale.



Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Waffles Wednesday: Free Smells


WAFFLES:  This is almost as much fun as smelling the Boss' but–

KATIE:  WAFFLES!!!

WAFFLES:  Um, almost.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Waffles is Speaking in Tongues


KATIE:  Good Cod, Waffles. Are you OK???

WAFFLES:  *unintelligible tongue flapping*

KATIE:  Jeez, Waffles. Get a hold of yourself.



WAFFLES:  I was just meowing in tongues, Boss.

KATIE:  Do you even know what that means?

WAFFLES:  Yeah. It's when you meow when your tongue sticking out.



KATIE:  That doesn't explain those EARS.


Monday, January 20, 2014

What Do You MEAN This Cat Bed is a Mobile Device???


KATIE:  Hey, Waffles. What are you doing in there?

WAFFLES:  Just hanging out in our cool new bed.

KATIE:  Say, Waffles. You realize that's a MOBILE pet bed, don't you?

WAFFLES:  Cool! You mean like an iPhone? Can I check my Facebook page in this thing? 

KATIE:  It's MOBILE as in it's a bed that doubles as a pet carrier. You know, like what we get hauled off to the VET in.  

WAFFLES:  *silence*



KATIE:  Didn't I see a postcard from the vet on the kitchen counter?  With YOUR name on it?



WAFFLES:  I liked it better when it was an iPhone.


Our cool new bed is from Sleepypod. And despite the fact that it's a PTU in disguise, Waffles and I are both loving it. Not at the same time, of course.


Sunday, January 19, 2014

Sunday Table Manners FAIL

Hi everyone, Katie here.

Etiquette is important to me. I'm fastidious. I'm clean. I'm organized. Not a fur out of place. 

Breakfast or dinner, Miss Manners would be impressed. No flapping tongues, no flying food. A dish for everything and everything in it's dish.



You should SEE the pile he leaves on the floor. That is before I clean it up.

Who's the messy eater in YOUR house?  
And more important, who's on clean-up duty?!



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