"Cats Gone Wild" with Pet Fit For Life Teaser Toys - Plus a Giveaway and Shelter Donation!

WAFFLES:  It's a swing and a miss– And the crowd goes WILD!!! AAAAAAAHHHH!

This post is sponsored by Pet Fit For Life®

WAFFLES:  No miss this time! The handsome orange mancat is the MVP of Wand Toys. 

WAFFLES:  Just look at that form, ladies. He must work out.

WAFFLES:  Let's hear it for–

KATIE:  Get ahold of yourself, Waffles. And quit talking in the third person. You're not the only cat around here who can play with a feather, you know.

WAFFLES: Whaddya mean, Boss? I thought it was just you and me here. 

KATIE:  Exactly.

KATIE:  So, Waffles. Now that you're done hogging that red feather toy, we need to talk. 

WAFFLES:  You're not breaking up with me, are you, Boss?

KATIE:  You understand that just because this wand toy has two feathers and two balls, that doesn't mean we're going to play TOGETHER. You got that?

WAFFLES:  Two feathers. Two balls. Play together. Got it, Boss! I'm so glad we're not breaking up.

KATIE:   No, Waffles. Two feathers. Two balls. ONE toy. That I'm going to play with. You just have to wait your turn.

WAFFLES:  But what about all that together stuff you were talking about?

KATIE:  Two feathers. Two balls. ONE toy. How about you go find your own feathers and toys?

WAFFLES:  Nailed it.

Introducing Pet Fit For Life Cat Teasers & Exercisers

We had no idea that when the big, puffy envelope addressed to Katie and Waffles came in the mail, we were about to hit the wand toy jackpot. And did we EVER! 

Our friends at Pet Fit For Life asked if we'd like to try out some of their toys and share our experiences with our readers. Somewhere along the line feathers were mentioned, and that's all it took!

About Pet Fit For Life

Pet Fit For Life is a brother and sister team with a vision to create products and toys that inspire pet lovers to interact and bond with their furry family members. Their toys are designed to keep pets AND their people moving, active, and healthy. 

Active play is not just about exercising your cat's body and stimulating their mind, though those are very important and wonderful things. It's about connecting with them on a much deeper level and strengthening the human-cat bond. Time spent playing is never, ever time wasted. 

The Pet Fit For Life team has taken what might be considered ordinary, everyday wand toys, and added unique features to make them more interesting to cats, easier to use, and more fun to play with.

Our Take on What Sets Them Apart from Other Similar Toys We've Played With 

Multiple Feather and Toy Attachments

Each toy comes with two or more attachments that can be played with at the same time or switched out and used individually. Not only is this fun, it will add to the longevity of the attachments.

Unique Attachments

We really love the variety of attachments offered. It's not just about feathers...though don't get us wrong, we LOVE feathers! There are SO many fun options to choose from and many of their toys come with a variety so it's almost like getting two or three toys in one.

BELLS!!! 

This just might be one of our favorite features. If you look closely at some of the photos, you'll see there is a tiny bell attached to the tip of many of the attachments. We love that it provides an audible cue in addition to the visual. Katie's eyesight isn't quite as sharp as Waffles, but she can hear a cat treat drop from over 100 feet away. So for her, this is an added benefit that has ignited her inner kitten and enabled her to play more actively than she has in a while. 

Sturdy Wands & Easy to Store

The wands/rods either telescope down or come apart in two pieces making them easy to fit into a small drawer for storage. Assembly is super easy and they stay strong and don't come apart even when Waffles is playing with them.

Comfy Handle Grip

The handle is cushiony and very comfortable to hold onto. Again, even when Waffles is playing with them.

Value

We didn't realize how reasonably priced these toys were until we visited the Pet Fit For Life Amazon Store. We must have bee too busy opening up all the exciting packages of toys! When compared to many other toys we've either been given or purchased ourselves, we were very pleasantly surprised at how much you get for your money. Just take a look below at what are only a few of the toys they offer and you'll see what we mean. Each toy with all its attachments range from about $7.95 to $11.95. And if you're an Amazon Prime member, speedy shipping is free.

TOP LEFT: Multi Feathers & One Soft Teaser/Exerciser

TOP MIDDLE: Two Fish & Feather Teaser/Exerciser

TOP RIGHT: Multi Feather Teaser/Exerciser with Snake

LOWER LEFT: Retractable Wand with Two Feathers

LOWER MIDDLE: Two Ball Feather Teaser/Exerciser

LOWER RIGHT: Five Piece Worm Teaser/Exerciser

So What Do We Think?

It doesn't take a kitty rocket scientist to look at the photos of Waffles and Katie and figure out that they love the toys. Glogirly loves them too. 

And we love their story and the thought and care they've put into making them. Toys are a remarkable thing. They bring people and pets together in a way that creates a lasting and loving bond. 

Plus, FEATHERS!

It's a Giveaway!

We're so very excited to be able to offer these wonderful toys in a special giveaway for our friends and readers! Three lucky winners will receive THREE Pet Fit For Life toys! The prizes will be a random mix of some of the toys we've featured here today. 

Just enter via the Rafflecopter widget below. Though prizes can only ship to US addresses, we're opening the giveaway to our readers worldwide so that if anyone outside the US wins, they can gift their prize to a friend or shelter here in the US.

But Wait, There's More! 

A Special Shelter Donation

Pet Fit For Life will be making a generous toy donation to one of our favorite, local, cat-only rescue organizations here in Colorado. Angels With Paws Cat Rescue and Adoption Center in Lakewood is a small but powerful rescue organization that works hard to make a difference for cats and the people who love them. 

Funded strictly by private donations from caring people like you, they are a mostly cage-free rescue shelter that has provided over 10,000 cats with care, rehab, and safety until finding them loving forever homes.

Good luck, everyone...and thanks for entering!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FTC Disclosure: This post and giveaway are sponsored by Pet Fit For Life^®  which means that we were paid to create and feature this content. Regardless of the payment received, we only feature products and services we use and/or feel would be relevant to our readers. 

When Being a Brat is Normal: 6 Tips for Dealing with Displacement Aggression after a Vet Visit - Plus a FELIWAY® Giveaway

WAFFLES:  Whoa, whoa, whoa...is that you, Boss? 

This post is sponsored by FELIWAY^®

KATIE:  What do you mean, Waffles? Of COURSE it's me. 

WAFFLES:  You smell funny. Not ha-ha funny. More like...I-don't-even-know-who-you-are funny. 

KATIE:  Seriously, Waffles. I spend one afternoon at the vet and it's like you've lost your head. Not to mention your sense of smell.

Our Experience with Displacement Aggression

Years ago, after Waffles was just past kittenhood, we noticed that every time he or Katie would go to the vet, there'd be a period of time after we got home that Waffles would exhibit some very out of character behavior. 

Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky, (a.k.a Waffles), who'd ordinarily follow Katie around like she was his best friend, was all of a sudden stalking her, staring at her, hissing, and even blocking her when she'd try to walk away. This would often last for a few hours and sometimes even into the next day. Katie's behavior toward Waffles never changed, though we're sure Waffles surprising behavior caused her stress. 

Our vet explained to us that displacement aggression is quite common, even among cats who ordinarily get along great. 

It wasn't until earlier this year, when Katie underwent extensive dental surgery, that we realized how intense and long-lasting this unwanted behavior can be. Katie had three of her canines and one incisor extracted. It was a difficult and long surgery that required general anesthetic and a day-long stay at the vet. Katie did great by the way, and has since been getting along fine with her lone fang. But the aftermath of her surgery, when she came back home, was extremely difficult for Waffles. 

Katie came home smelling nothing like herself. She was on pain medication and antibiotics for about a week, which likely affected how she smelled to Waffles. But the biggest contributing factor to the way in which Waffles was acting out was the fact that Katie wasn't able to groom herself for nearly 10 days. Her mouth probably felt very different to her. She had to get used to her new normal. Even Glogirly could tell that Katie didn't smell anything like she usually does. And with a cat's sense of smell roughly 14 times more sensitive than a human's, it's no wonder Waffles was dramatically affected. 

It's easy to become frustrated when a cat is acting out and presenting unwanted behavior. This was really a test for Glogirly's patience. She had to remind herself that Waffles was confused, scared, and probably wondering what happened to his friend. Between getting used to her new mouth and getting hissed and growled at by her longtime feline companion, Katie was also confused. 

Glogirly pulled out every trick she could think of in her book to get everyone through what was an incredibly long week. 

With so many of our friends and readers going through similar veterinary procedures with their own kitties, we hope our experience and how we dealt with it will help. 

Dealing with Displacement Aggression: 

6 Tips to Restoring Peace & Harmony

1. The Ride-Along

Whenever Katie or Waffles has an appointment at the vet, they both go. This way, both come home smelling like the vet clinic. Even if Waffles never gets out of the carrier.  It's not a 100% perfect solution, but it can lessen the animosity once everyone is home.  If your clowder is much larger, perhaps bringing only the kitty who is most prone to displacement aggression along for the ride would lessen the unwanted behavior once home.

2. The Quarantine

Depending upon the degree of aggression observed once we return home from the vet, sometimes a quarantine is in order. We've never experienced anything verging on physical harm, but it's extremely stressful for all involved. In this situation, a time-out can be very beneficial. Our home office is a perfect place for a quarantine. It's a kitty-comfortable room with a litter box, food and water, plenty of windows, and a place to scratch, nap, and play. Most important, it has a door.

For regular vet visits, the quarantine may only last a couple of hours. But back in January, when Katie had her dental surgery, the quarantine became necessary for a few days. Waffles spent his time in the office, Katie had the rest of the house, and Glogirly split her time between the two.

3. Room Swapping

When it's necessary to separate cats for an extended period of time, like a day or two, a controlled room swap can be very helpful. After Katie's surgery, Waffles spent a few days in our office, separated from Katie. Once it looked like Katie was feeling up to it, Glogirly put Katie in the office for a couple of hours while Waffles could explore where Katie had been spending her time. This helped him become acquainted with her smell again. Once Waffles was done investigating, Glogirly swithed them back. 

4.  FELIWAY^® MultiCat Diffuser

If you're a regular reader of our blog, you probably know we use a number of FELIWAY^® products in our home. When it comes to displacement aggression or even just stress or tension between Waffles and Katie, we've found the FELIWAY^® MultiCat Diffuser to be extremely helpful. 

It's important to understand the difference between the FELIWAY^® CLASSIC Diffuser and the MultiCat Diffuser, especially when dealing with displacement aggression. 

The FELIWAY^® CLASSIC Diffuser provides a sense of comfort and security by creating "happy messages." The kind of comfort and security a cat feels when they rub their face against furniture, people, and even other cats. It can also give cats a sense of security when new visitors come to the house or when strange noises can be heard. 

The FELIWAY^® MultiCat Diffuser helps to reduce conflict between cats living together by creating "harmony messages." It may help decrease fighting, chasing, blocking, and even staring, which for us is the perfect storm of displacement aggression behaviors. 

5. Yes, Socks!

This is a simple and effective trick that has worked wonders for us. After vet visits, Glogirly rubs Waffles' head and mouth area with one of her unwashed socks, then rubs that scent onto Katie, and vice versa. It's all about Waffles and Katie getting comfortable with each other's scents again. Glogirly's scent is familiar and calming to them as well.

6. Patience

This is by far the hardest part. Every cat and every situation is different. When it comes to displacement aggression, it may just take an hour or two, a day or two, or even a whole week. Slow and steady wins the race. 

Enter to Win!

Have you every experienced tension, stress, or displacement aggression between your cats? If you have, we've got something special for you. We're giving away a FELIWAY^® MultiCat Diffuser Starter Kit to three lucky readers. Just enter below via Rafflecopter. 

Though prizes can only ship to US addresses, we're opening the giveaway up to our readers worldwide so that if anyone outside the US wins, they can gift their prize to a friend or shelter here in the US.

Good luck, everyone. And thanks for entering!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FTC Disclosure: This post and giveaway are sponsored by FELIWAY^®  which means that we were paid to create and feature this content. Regardless of the payment received, we only feature products and services we use and/or feel would be relevant to our readers. 

We are not veterinarians or animal behaviorists. We're just sharing our experiences and solutions to challenges we've faced in hopes of helping other cat families. Please seek professional veterinary help if faced with a situation you are not comfortable handling.

Kitty-Cute Flour Sack Towel

 This post contains affiliate links

WAFFLES:  Hey, Boss! Glogirly's got a new kitchen towel. With CATS. Now I can help with the dishes.

KATIE:  You do know that means getting your paws wet, don't you Waffles?

WAFFLES:  I'm just going to dry.

KATIE:  Oh yeah? Well I suggest you get the hello-kitty out of that sink before it fills up with water.

WAFFLES:  Hello-kitty what?

KATIE:  Water, Waffles. WATER!

WAFFLES:  That was a close one! This dish drying stuff is dangerous.

Our New Flour Sack Towels from Counter Couture
Isn't this kitty flour sack towel just the cutest??? What you can't see in this photo is that one of the 55 kitties on it is daydreaming with his eyes shut.

Glogirly has been known to go through paper towels like they're jelly beans. So she's been trying to curtail her Bounty and Brawny obsession. And what better way to trim back on her paper towel hoarding than with beautifully designed flour sack towel?!



She found it on the Counter Couture Etsy Shop and couldn't resist. Just before she was about to check out, another one caught her eye. It has a simple line outline of the United States and you can choose which states your heart is in. So of course, she chose Colorado and Minnesota.

KATIE:  Even when Gloman is apart from us, I have his heart right here. 

WAFFLES:  Until he sees you're on the kitchen counter.

The flour sack towels are 100% cotton and hand screen printed. They're just the right weight for drying those pieces Glogirly doesn't put in the dishwasher. They're the best for cleaning eyeglasses too. It turns out that Counter Couture is right here in Colorado. We knew they were something special.

If you'd like one of these sweet towels for yourself, you can find them here - 

>Cat Flour Sack Towel

>US Map with Customizable Home State Flour Sack Towel

*FTC Disclosure: GLOGIRLY is a participant in Etsy’s affiliate program. This means that if you decide to purchase through any of our links, we get a small commission. We only spread the word about products and services we’ve either used or think you'd like to use too.

4 Simple Ways to Make Vet Visits Less Stressful - plus a FELIWAY® Giveaway

This post is sponsored by FELIWAY^®

WAFFLES:  Wow! Look how cute I was at the vet when I was a kitten. I'm pretty sure she had a big crush on me. 

KATIE:  Yeah, that was before you figured out that it's not always a party at the vet.

WAFFLES:  Whaddya mean, Boss? They still tell me how handsome I am and what a good boy I am.

KATIE:  Uh huh. And that's right before they pull out a needle, or share the news that you need a "dental." 

Take Your Cat to the Vet Month

Take Did you know that August is National Take Your Cat to the Vet Month? Though it's not something Katie or Waffles has high on their calendar radar, it IS a big deal to Glogirly. It's an important reminder to make sure everyone is current on their annual wellness visits. For six-year-old Waffles, that means a yearly date with our vet. At 13, Katie is considered a (shhhh!) senior cat, so she sees our vet two times a year. 

But some cats don't see a vet at all. And given how masterfully they can disguise illness and pain, many cat parents may not realize something is wrong. That's just one of the reasons we're big proponents of regular wellness exams. 

When Visiting the Vet Means Anxiety

We've all been there.

Act natural the morning of the vet visit while you calmly lure your cat into his or her carrier. A quiet and peaceful ride in the car, followed by a zen-like calm in the veterinary clinic waiting area. Yeah, right.

It doesn't matter how hard you try to hide the fact that you're going to the vet. 

They know. They know. They know.

4 Easy Tips for Creating Calm

Even the most easygoing of cats can experience stress and anxiety. Waffles is a purr-fect example. Come over to our house and he'll be showering you with love and head butts in no time. Try and get him to the vet and his sweet and fun-loving demeanor goes out the window. We've got 4 easy tips that make a big difference for us in lowering the stress level on those vet visit days.

Half the battle of getting your kitty calmly to the vet is getting them comfortable with their carriers. We leave ours out and open in the house 24/7 and as shocking as this may sound, both Katie and Waffles have gotten so used to them now, they LOVE hanging out in them. They nap in them and sometimes will even sleep through the night in them. 

How to create a friendly bond between your cat and his carrier:

1. Leave the carrier out and open in a quiet room of your house. We keep ours in a large walk-in closet.
2. Make the inside of carrier cozy with a comfy pad or blanket.
3. Use FELIWAY^® CLASSIC Spray in and around the carrier. The spray leaves an odorless message called a Feline Facial Pheromone. These happy messages provide comfort and security. Just what you want to help them feel comfortable and safe in their carriers. Be sure to let the spray dissipate for about 15 minutes before letting your cat in the area. 

FELIWAY^® CLASSIC Spray is also our secret weapon for car rides. About 15-20 minutes before we're leave the house, Glogirly will spray the inside of the car and then leave it with the doors open for the spray to dissipate. 

We're not going to say our car rides are 100% peaceful, but it sure does help. 

Another tip that has worked wonders for us is to take a few car rides here and there where we don't really go anywhere. Just a drive down the canyon road and back helps Katie and Waffles to realize that not ALL car rides end up at the vet. 

Sometimes the anticipation is the worst part. Katie and Waffles are usually silent in the waiting area. But that doesn't mean they're not feeling anxiety. They're just quiet about it.

Here are a few tips to help with the wait:

1. Keep your cats inside their carriers in the waiting area. It's where they will feel the safest, especially with other animals and people coming and going. 
2. If you have an option to visit a feline-only veterinary clinic, go for it! Our vet is feline-only and the difference in the overall energy and vibe in the clinic and waiting area is night and day compared to what we were used to. There actually is a zen-like calm. No hustle bustle of dogs on leashes, no barking. Cats are so much quieter and pretty much keep to themselves inside their carriers.
3. If you don't have the option of visiting a feline-only practice, suggest to your vet that they create a cat-only portion of the waiting area, separate from where the dogs wait. Our previous vet had cat-only exam rooms and dog-only exam rooms. Though still not quite as good as a feline-only clinic, it made a big difference.

Ok, now that you're done ooohing and aaahing over our vet's gorgeous exam room, you can stop to take a peek at what's plugged into the outlet. LOL!

Every veterinary practice we've visited have all used FELIWAY^® products to help create a safe and calm environment for their feline patients. In fact, that's where we first learned about them.

There are FELIWAY^® CLASSIC Diffusers plugged in inside each exam room at our current clinic, as well as one in the waiting area. With so many foreign smells, unfamiliar people, and activity, it helps to provide a sense of comfort and security. 

You've probably seen your cat rub their face against corners, furniture and even you. As they mark their territory, they leave an odorless message called a Feline Facial Pheromone. These happy messages provide comfort and security. The FELIWAY^® CLASSIC Spray and the FELIWAY^® CLASSIC Diffuser mimic these pheromones. It's almost as if your cat has already been in the room, marking things up with their own scent.

Now for the FUN - It's a Giveaway!
In celebration of Take Your Cat to the Vet Month, our friends at FELIWAY^® have a super fun giveaway for us to offer. Three lucky winners will receive a FELIWAY^® CLASSIC Spray and their adorable Nuzzle Buddy toy.

The Nuzzle Buddy is tested and approved by Waffles. He love hiding his toys under things and then stalking them and pouncing on them. The Nuzzle Buddy is perfect for this. The plush kitty head is attached to a small blanket that you can drape over things or hide toys under. 

Though prizes can only ship to US addresses, we're opening the giveaway up to our readers worldwide so that if anyone outside the US wins, they can gift their prize to a friend or shelter here in the US.

Good luck, everyone...and thanks for entering!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FTC Disclosure: This post and giveaway is sponsored by FELIWAY^®  which means that we were paid to create and feature this content. Regardless of the payment received, we only feature products and services we use and/or feel would be relevant to our readers. 

Frenzied Feline Fun with OurPets Electronic Interactive Cat Toys

This post is sponsored by OurPets.

WAFFLES:  *garbled chortling*

KATIE:  Jeez, Waffles. You look a little...crazed.

WAFFLES:  *more garbled chortling*

KATIE:  Not that you don't often look, you know...crazy. But this is a whole new level of crazy.

WAFFLES:  GOT.

WAFFLES:  TO.

WAFFLES:  CATCH.

WAFFLES:  FEATHER.

WAFFLES:  OMG, Boss! There's another feather in here! 

KATIE:  You're scaring me, Waffles.

WAFFLES:  And it's spinning!

WAFFLES:  There's feathers and toys and chirping stuff EVERYWHERE!

KATIE:  Don't eat the bird.

WAFFLES:  I'm gonna eat the bird!

KATIE:  DON'T eat the bird!

WAFFLES:  I'm totally gonna eat the bird!

KATIE:  Tell me you didn't eat the bird.

WAFFLES:  Got to.

WAFFLES:  Catch.

WAFFLES:  FEATHER!

KATIE:  See? I told you he was crazy–

WAFFLES:  MOUSE!!!

Born to Hunt, Pounce, & Play

Cats are natural hunters. And play that mimics that natural instinct exercises a cat's body AND mind. What we love most about the OurPets electronic toy collection is how each toy engages Waffles and Katie in fun and healthy play by tapping into that innate hunter instinct. 

The nice people at OutPets send us their entire collection of interactive electronic cat toys to try out. Waffles and Katie really hit the jackpot. In fact, Waffles is still recovering from the frenzied photo shoot. And he's still playing - morning, noon, and night.

Each of the toys has either movement action, sound, or both. They take regular batteries, which we love because they're easy to get and we usually have extras on hand. (AAAs, AAs, and Cs, depending on the toy.) 

They're designed to shut off after 10 minutes and Waffles made sure Glogirly knew exactly when they shut off. He'd find her and start meowing, getting her to come over and turn them on again. 

Waffles' Signature Game

Waffles was SO enthralled with the toys, he even created his own new game by combining two of them: The Catty Whack Sound and Feather Action Toy and the Pounce House. 

When the little feather poked out one of the holes in the Catty Whack toy, he grabbed it with his mouth and actually dragged the whole toy inside the Pounce House. Then he stalked the Catty Whack feather while hiding outside the Pounce House. He'd peek inside the house, around the openings, just waiting for the right opportunity. When he dove inside to catch the Catty Whack feather, things really went wild!

Our Take on All 5 Toys

When we received the cornucopia of OurPets electronic toys, we were pretty sure a couple of them would be a big hit. Little did we know, they'd ALL be winners. But they really are. Kudos to OurPets for coming up with a variety of interactive toys that cats can really connect with!

Here they are, with our own description of each below–

1. OurPets Bird in a Cage Electronic Action Cat Toy

The little bird wiggles and tweets. The base is made to tip while kitty paws at it, but not tip over. It will right itself and stand back up on it's own. This toy was Katie's FAVE.

2. OurPets Pounce House Electronic Spinner Cat Toy

There's a little pocket on the top of the house where the feather spinner is placed. It's spins around, pauses, and spins some more. Waffles really enjoyed pouncing the feather, but he also loved just hanging out in it. Sometimes to rest, and sometimes to stalk one of the other toys. He really loved pouncing on top of it too. Hence the name! It will squish down and collapse when pounced on, and then it pops right back up into place.

3. OurPets Twirl & Whirl Electronic Spinning Interactive Cat Toy

Ok, this one sent Waffles into a scratching post FRENZY. It's easy to set up. Just strap onto any scratching post and turn it on. Waffles went so nuts with this one, he had to lay down and rest. ...watching it every second. As soon as he caught his breath, the frenzy continued. 

4. OurPets Mouse in Pouch Electronic Action Cat Toy

Both Waffles and Katie love stalking and pouncing on something they can't see. Like when Glogirly is making the bed and wiggles her fingers under the covers for them. This toy is similar in concept, but not nearly as risky when it comes to fingers! Just turn on the little mouse toy and slip it inside the pouch through a hidden opening. He scurries, spins, and squeaks. 

5. OurPets Catty Whack Electronic Sound and Feather Action Cat Toy

This one was a HUGE winner with Waffles. As we mentioned before, he even invented his own game with it. The little feather pops randomly out of the holes on the sides, while making a chirping sound. It's very fast. Half the fun is just stalking it. When Waffles caught it, he didn't want to let go! 

Rebate Gift Card for PetSmart

Click HERE for a $5.00 rebate gift card from PetSmart when you purchase an OurPets toy at your local PetSmart store. (E-commerce/online purchases do not count.)

Learn more about OurPets electronic interactive cat toys on the OurPets.com website.

You can also find OurPets on Facebook.






FTC Disclosure: This post is sponsored by OurPets®, which means that we were paid to create and feature this content. Regardless of the payment received, we only feature products and services we use and/or feel are relevant to our readers.