Going Nose-to-Nose for Shelter Cats

KATIE:  Personal space, Waffles. Remember our discussion about personal space? NO nose-touching.

WAFFLES:  But Boss, aren't we supposed to go nose-to-nose this week?

KATIE:  Waffles, the BlogPaws Nose-to-Nose awards are accepting nominations this week...but I'm pretty sure it's got nothing to do with you and me touching noses.

The Santa Kitty Toy Hop Comes to Minnesota's Feline Rescue

WAFFLES:  Hey Boss!  Today's the day, right?

KATIE:  Today's the day.

WAFFLES:  COOL! I've been waiting ALL week for today.  Uh... what's today again?

KATIE:  The Santa Kitty Toy Hop, Waffles. How could you forget?

The Santa Kitty Toy Hop - Bloggers Helping Homeless Cats

Cat bloggers around the world have come together to make the holidays brighter for shelter cats and the wonderful volunteers that care for them. Of course the best gift of all is a loving forever home... but while these kitties wait for that special moment when their human comes along and says, "I'm going to love you forever," we want to give them some special things to add some fun into their days. 

We're very lucky here at GLOGIRLY. We've had the pleasure of working with and featuring so many wonderful products and brands. We combined some of the cool stuff we've written about with some donations of our own to come up with a very special Christmas surprise for the cats at Feline Rescue in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The LOOT!

We had to make sure Glogirly hadn't forgotten anything before she loaded up her sleigh. 

•  Kitty Kasa cubes, check.

•  Kitty Meow cubby, check.

•  Litter Lifter scoops, check.

•  Glogirly gift bags, check.

•  Tickle Pickles, Fat Cat Mice, Pricilla's Catnip Pillows, check, check, check.

•  Treats and brushes and litter, check and check and check.

Let's Meet the CATS!

All of these beautiful cats (and many more!) are currently available for adoption at Feline Rescue in St. Paul, MN.  Feline Rescue.

Founded in 1997, Feline Rescue, Inc. is a no-kill companion cat rescue organization focused on providing rescue and relief to the homeless and endangered cats in our community through programs that offer shelter, foster, social and medical rehabilitation, feral and stray management, spay/neuter subsidy and community education. WOW. You love them already, don't you?

Feline Rescue is completely volunteer-based and is funded exclusively through donations and grants. They receive no municipal, state or federal funding. 

Tiger Lily is a striking black panther! Her eyes absolutely glow. She was the first to take a turn in the Kitty Meow cubby.  

It wasn't long before Bon Bon made her move and homesteaded inside the big white cat cubby. Though she did allow the others to take turns, she was clearly claiming this popular nesting spot as her own.

Fuzz the tuxedo tried to negotiate entry, but Bon Bon was claiming squatters rights.

Fuzz held onto his new Tickle Pickle toy with a firm grip. Can you say "mine"??? 

Blossom and Jeanette were the two resident orange GIRLS. They were endearing and full of personality. Did you know that only 20% of orange cats are girls? 

Glogirly fell in love with sweet and petite Tauret. She sat and observed all the action like a perfect lady. And nuzzled up for plenty of love too. Those PAWS!!! Love.

Miss Tennessee and Bon Bon look like sisters with their beautiful markings. But it's just a coincidence! Tennessee was oh so comfortable striking a pose by the new cubes.

Giving & Smiles from 2014!

The best part of the holiday season is giving. As much as Waffles loves jonesing for more chicken, what really makes our hearts smile is being able to help cats in need and their people.

A little over a year ago, one of our favorite pet brands, Peach Industries... the kitty lounger people.. came to us with an idea. They wanted to do a giveaway that would benefit shelter cats. It was a huge hit and the inspiration for nearly every giveaway we've held on our blog since.

If you've visited us regularly, or even just entered one of our giveaways, you know that we often double the prizes so that winners can choose a shelter to also receive a prize. Sometimes the prizes are big, sometimes it's just a toy. But that single toy at the shelter is often what brings a shelter cat and their new forever person together.

There's no such thing as a donation too small.

We want to take a moment to recognize all of the generous sponsors we've had the pleasure of working with this year and tally up just how much they've helped to make a difference in the lives of shelter cats across the country. 

$11,000 in Prizes Donated to Over 40 Shelters

♥︎ To say we love our sponsors is truly an understatement ♥︎

A Pet's Life

Alice Hannah Fashion Accessories

ARNI Says

Canidae

Crazy Cat Lady Ceramics

Cat Ball

Davie's Decor

Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat

Freekibble

Halo Purely For Pets

Holistic Select

Hollywood Psychics

KitNipBox

Kittyo

Kritter Kondo

Laughing Cat Jewelry

Lilly Brush

Mark Poulin Jewelry

Neko Flies

Peach Industries

PetBox

Pets Can Play

Pioneer Pet

Seabuck Omega 7

Simple Solution

Sleepypod

Splendid Beast

Tagg Pet Tracker

Tail Therapy

Tipsy Nip Tickle Pickle

Triple T Studios

Wolff Den Press

1800PetMeds

Can YOU Help?

We hope we've inspired you to reach out to a cat shelter in your own community. Donate a toy, food or litter. Make a financial donation. Donate your time. They need you.

Don't know who to help? Well, we've got an idea for you! Donate to Minnesota's Feline Rescue! DONATE HERE

Neko Birbug Giveaway!

Win NekoFlies newest (and Waffles-Approved) toy, the Neko Birbug and Telescoping Rod for yourself AND a Neko Kiticatterfly for your favorite shelter. 

CLICK HERE

Making our List and Checking it Twice

WAFFLES:  Hey Boss! Do you know what you're getting me for Christmas?

KATIE:  Oh I've got a pretty good idea, Waffles.

WAFFLES:  COOL!

KATIE:  Almost, Waffles. Just swap out the O for an A.

WAFFLES:  Boss! There's no A in COOL!

KATIE:  Waffles, we don't have time for a spelling bee. We've got a LIST to attend to. Remember?

WAFFLES:  Oh yeah! Today's the first day of the Santa Kitty Toy Hop! I'm holding up the sign just like you told me to, Boss.

Santa Kitty Toy Hop Starts Today!

Cat bloggers from around the world are coming together over the next week to make the holidays a little brighter for shelter cats. Waffles and I are very lucky cats. We've got all the toys and treats and kitty loungers we could ever want. More important, we have a wonderful forever home and a family that loves us. But there are so very many cats in shelters, waiting patiently for just a little bit of what we have. It's those cats we want to help.

Bloggers participating in the Santa Kitty Toy Hop will be donating some wonderful presents to a cat shelter in their community. They'll be taking photos as they drop off all the great stuff and wish the kitties a Merry Christmas. There's bound to be lots of feathers, catnip and smiles. Each blogger will be sharing that special visit on their blog so you can celebrate with them. It's a way of helping out some of the smaller shelters that are often forgotten and inspiring our friends and readers to do the same. 

Our friend Summer, at Sparklecat.com, is hosting a blog hop where all participating bloggers will be posting links to their Santa Kitty Toy Hop blog posts. 

Giving Does the Heart Good 

And as cat bloggers, we're very fortunate to receive a lot of cool stuff over the course of a year. We can't think of a better way to put it to good use than to share it with our shelter cat friends.

We'll be delivering our gifts to Feline Rescue in St. Paul, Minnesota and sharing the fun with you next week.

Next Up on our Christmas List –

We're hard at work getting ready for Christmas here at the Townhouse. We've got a very special Christmas card we've made this year and we've got LOTS of envelopes to address. We're participating in a holiday card exchange with other cat bloggers all over the world and the cards are already pouring in. 

Here's the official card count as of December 11, 2014:

Glogirly & Gloman - 1  (from the dry cleaner)

Katie & Waffles - 20 

Would YOU like to receive a card from Katie & Waffles?

Just send us an email at glogirl@visi.com with "I Want Katie & Waffles for Christmas" in the subject line. Please include your name and snail mail address and we'll make sure you get on Santa Glogirly's list. 

THIS WEEK ON GLOGIRLY!

URGENT: Only 4 days left to vote for Rasta Kitty Cocktail!
Voting is just about done in the latest mike's HARDER design contest.  We are embarrassingly behind... probably because we've been sipping a little too much Mad Kitty Cocktail!  We'd be ever so grateful if you could help spread the word and drum up a few more votes for our can design!

HERE'S HOW TO VOTE:
1.   Just click the voting link below and login either with Facebook or your email. The site you're going to is called ZOOPPA.
2.  Once you're logged in, click the back button twice to return to our Rasta Kitty Cocktail page. (if you've been to the site before, it will probably remember you and you won't have to go back.)
3.  There's a voting "slider" on the right hand side of the Rasta Kitty Cocktail page. Slide it ALL the way over to cast 5 votes. That's the maximum number of votes. You can only do this once.
4.  Then just click the VOTE button. That's it!

VOTE HERE FOR RASTA KITTY COCKTAIL

LAST DAY: Lilly Brush Giveaway!

Enter to win! Two lucky readers will  a Forever Furless Lilly Brush AND a Save Our Sweaters brush! We're doubling the prize so you can choose a shelter to win too! 

CLICK HERE

Holistic Select Giveaway!

Enter to win! One lucky ready will win $50 worth of Holistic Select's new canned cat food recipes. We've got a great review of this new favorite of ours too.  

CLICK HERE

Ground Control to Waffles: We Have a Winner

WAFFLES:  Uh, hello Boss? Come in, Boss?

KATIE:  I read you, Waffles. What's your 20? Over.

WAFFLES:  20? What do your mean? Like chickens?  I haven't seen 20 chickens, have you?

KATIE:  No, Waffles. Not CHICKENS. Your 20 is your location. Where are you? Over.

WAFFLES:  How come you keep saying 'over'? We're just getting started, aren't we?

KATIE:  Waffles, hurry up and get down here. We've got a winner to announce. Over.

WAFFLES:  Did somebody win a chicken dinner? 

KATIE:  Waffles! Last I looked, KFC was not a sponsor of our blog. So enough already with the CHICKEN. Over.

WAFFLES:  You can never have enough chicken, Boss.

KATIE:  *sigh* Over.

Winner, Winner, Splendid Beast Awesome Oil Painting Winner!

Congratulations to Nancy Blue Moon and her kitty, Rascal. They are the lucky winners of our Splendid Beast giveaway!

Rascal, Nancy's beloved tabby-buddy, has been missing for a few months now. Though Nancy is heartbroken and misses him terribly, she prays he was taken in by someone who just might see one of the many ads and flyers she's posted. Nancy describes her Rascal as a sweet kitty that can win you over with just one look and a tiny meow.  Oh, and it looks like he's a napping champion too.

We're keeping them both in our thoughts and pray for Rascal's safe return.

Splendid Beast is Helping Shelter Cats

Our friends at Splendid Beast are making a difference in the lives of harder-to-adopt pets in the most unique and beautiful way through their Splendid Friends program. Currently they're working with Minnesota's Feline Rescue, a shelter near and dear to our hearts. Every two weeks, they choose an older or special needs cat who's been waiting to be adopted. 

The hope is that the portrait will help the shelter to promote adoptions, especially of those cats, who for one reason or another, are harder to find homes for. Then when the cat is adopted, their portrait goes home with them!

Nadya's photo by KrisKreativ

Who Decides What Kind of Portrait They'll Paint? 

YOU DO! They post the cat's photo on their Splendid Friends website and Facebook page, along with a selection of costumes and backgrounds. Then you get to choose which painting template you'd like to see them in.

You'll also be able to read about the cat, learn their story and what makes them so special. Right now they're featuring Nadya, a Mother-of-the-Year cat we introduced you to on our blog just a few months ago (here.) Be sure to stop by Splendid Friends and choose the painting you think is just right for Nadya!

Cast Your Vote for Nadya's Portrait Pick HERE

The Space Cadet & His Special Offer

When the man in brown shorts rang the bell just a few days ago, we had no idea that Waffles the Astronaut was coming in for a landing. Glogirly is OVER-THE-MOON with delight! Splendid Beast's "Space Cadet" is just one of 24 fabulous painting template choices they offer. 

YAY! The 15% GLOGIRLY discount is extended through July 31. Just use promo code: WAFFLES & SHOP HERE.

Special thanks to Tom & Ben of Splendid Beast for sponsoring our fantastic giveaway and using their  amazing talents to help shelter pets find homes. 

We received our custom oil paintings at no charge at no charge from Splendid Beast. We also received a small fee to cover the time it takes to photograph the paintings, write the review and administer the giveaway.  Receiving the paintings and the fee did not influence our article or anything we say.  We only feature products and services on GLOGIRLY that we love, believe in and use. All sponsored posts on GLOGIRLY will always reflect our honest and unbiased opinions. ...and if you haven't guessed by now, we LOVE Splendid Beast.

Voting is open through July 31
...we're trending in the top 5!

HUGE thanks to everyone who has voted for us! You can only vote for each can one time per email account. But in case you're just tuning in... we still need a few votes to seal the deal. (FYI - voting site does not play nice with the iPhone & iPad)

VOTE HERE FOR DRAGON KITTY COCKTAIL

VOTE HERE FOR DRAGON KITTY COCKTAIL 2

Psssst! When you're voting, be sure to slide the "voting slider" all the way over for the maximum number of votes!

Googie Cat Bed Giveaway & Shelter Donation!

WAFFLES:  Hey Boss, check it out! I'm KING OF TOWNHOUSE!

KATIE:  Well you may be king of the Googie Cat Bed, but the TOWNHOUSE??? I don't think so.

WAFFLES:  Googie? You mean like on the computer and stuff? I don't see a computer. Do you see a computer? 

KATIE:  Not Google, Waffles. GOOGIE. 

WAFFLES:  Ok, Boss. What's your Googie password? You need to login if you're going to come in here.

KATIE:  I'M not sharing my – wait a minute! Waffles, you're being ridiculous. Now don't get too comfortable in there. Remember, we're only test driving this. We're going to be donating it to the shelter cats at Feline Rescue, remember?  

WAFFLES:  Can I go visit it?

KATIE:  You just say the word and I'll call you a cab. I'll even pay your one-way fare.

Introducing the Googie Cat Bed

We first saw this cool bed at BlogPaws in the swanky Hauspanther Cat Lounge. Of course Glogirly is a sucker for anything that looks cool and modern so she was instantly drawn to it. The design is inspired by the Googie style of architecture. Think 1950's coffee shop with those curvy, amoeba-shaped signs and the hip boomerang patterns. Think George Jetson. 

More than Just Hip & Cool

The Googie Cat Bed is much more than a cool looking place to hang out. It's a finely crafted piece of furniture. Incredibly solid construction, NO assembly required by the way, it's made to stand the test of time. The frame is thick and smoothly sanded plywood covered with funky formica. The two ledges are wrapped in a tightly woven carpeting made from 100% post consumer recycled bottles. Padded on the inside, it's cushy comfy and also very roomy. Strongly reinforced, even the plumpest fluffiest of cats can curl up with ease. It comes in three color/pattern combinations.

We TOLD You it's Not Just a Bed!

Waffles put the Googie bed through some rigorous testing. To say he LOVED playing in it is an understatement. Despite the crazed look in his eyes, no treats, catnip or other incentives were involved in the taking of this photograph. Seriously.

Pricing

As we mentioned, the Googie Cat Bed is an extremely well-crafted piece of furniture. It's not made from cardboard and plastic and is therefore an investment. Based on it's quality, we're convinced it will outlive most of the competition. The bed sells for $250.00 and now through August 31, you can get free shipping, valued between $30-60.00, on your order using promo code: googiepaw1048.

Googie Cat Bed Reader Giveaway & Shelter Donation!

Davies Decor has generously offered to give one of their cool Googie Cat Beds to a very lucky GLOGIRLY reader! ...and, the bed you see here in our photos will soon be gracing one of the community cat rooms at our local shelter, Minnesota's Feline Rescue. ..that is if we can pry it out of you-know-who's paws. Though prize can ship only to a US address, giveaway is open to readers worldwide who may gift their prize to a US friend or shelter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We received the Googie Cat Bed at no charge from Davies Decor and will be donating it to Minnesota's Feline Rescue at the conclusion of the giveaway. We also received a small fee to cover the time it takes to photograph the bed, write the review and administer the giveaway.  Receiving the the fee did not influence our article or anything we say.  We only feature products and services on GLOGIRLY that we love and believe in. All sponsored posts on GLOGIRLY will always reflect our honest and unbiased opinions. 

We're trending in the top 5 with BOTH of our can designs! 
Please help us get Waffles on the new dragonfruit flavor from mike's® HARDER next spring! You can only vote once for each can design. HUGE thanks to everyone who's already voted.

VOTE HERE FOR DRAGON KITTY COCKTAIL

VOTE HERE FOR DRAGON KITTY COCKTAIL 2

Help us Help the Shelter Cats

Your vote for GLOGIRLY's Best Video Post in the 2014 Petties could help us win $1,000 for Minnesota's Feline Rescue. Money can't buy love, but it can fill some hungry tummies. VOTE HERE

Shelter Cats WIN & Waffles Needs a Math Lesson

KATIE:  Ok, Waffles... we need to figure out the results of our Happy Birthday Comment-A-Thon so that we know how many green papers to give to the shelter cats at Feline Rescue. I've got all the math calculations laid out here. I just want to check my work. Do you have the calculator ready?

WAFFLES:  Yeah, Boss. Ready.

KATIE:  Good. Now don't screw this up. It's important.

WAFFLES:  Important, Boss. Got it. Important.

KATIE:  So if  x + y = z,  and  1 + 2 = 3,

WAFFLES:  Boss, I got this.

KATIE:  I don't know, Waffles.... are you sure???  I don't want any fuzzy math.

WAFFLES:  I GOT this, Boss!

KATIE:  Okay, if you say so.

WAFFLES:  500 CHICKENS!  

KATIE:  Not CHICKENS, Waffles! DOLLARS!  

WAFFLES:  500 dollars???

KATIE:  That's right Waffles, $500.00.  Glogirly had a surprise up her sleeve. You see, she wanted to share some of the prize money that we won in the mike's® HARDER design contest recently. So we're taking our comment-a-thon donation and adding a little something extra.  

WAFFLES:  COOL! I like this kind of math!  

KATIE:  If it weren't for our awesome friends and readers, we would have never won that contest.

WAFFLES:  But what about the chicken? Can we still give the shelter cats some chicken?

KATIE:  Ok, Waffles. I think we can round up a case or two of chicken cat food. We'll make sure the shelter kitties know it's from you. 

A Very Special Thank You

Thank you SO much for helping make our COMMENT-A-THON a huge success! Last we checked, there were 120 comments, more than we've ever received on a blog post like this. And an extra-special thanks to you for coming here everyday to smile with us, casting a vote every once in a while, and filling our days with sunshine. You're the best!

We've Got Winners!

WAFFLES:  Winner Winner Chicken Dinner???

KATIE:  No, Waffles. Winner Winner, Policecat Card Winner.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Deb the Cat Sitter

The Kitties of Purring Pines

Amy O.

meowmeowmans

Cathy Keisha

Kristen

Susan from Life with Dogs & Cats

Julie from Sometimes Cats Herd You

Cool Mom from Stanley & Katrina

Ingrid from Conscious Cat

If you're name is listed and you haven't heard from us, please send us an email.

News Flash!
We're trending in the top 5 with BOTH of our can designs! 
You can only vote once for each can design. HUGE thanks to everyone who's already voted.

LET'S GET WAFFLES ON THE NEXT CAN CANS!!!
You helped us before and we WON! "Mad Kitty Cocktail," featuring Waffles, will hit liquor store shelves this fall. Now we need you again... Please help us get Waffles on the new dragonfruit flavor from mike's® HARDER next spring!





VOTE HERE FOR DRAGON KITTY COCKTAIL













VOTE HERE FOR DRAGON KITTY COCKTAIL 2

LAST DAY TO ENTER!
Splendid Beast Portrait Giveaway!

You do NOT want to miss this one! Enter to win a custom oil painting from our friends at Splendid Beast. And be sure to check out how they're helping hard-to-adopt pets find forever homes!

ENTER HERE