Cats and Coupons

With the holidays approaching people are shopping for friends and loved ones. I work outside of the home as well as inside the home. At the end of the day the last thing I want to do is pack everyone into the car and go to a store to fight crowds and wait on lines. So for the past seven or eight years I have done the majority of my shopping online. One of my favorite stores is Amazon. I can shop for anywhere from two to eight people all on one site. I always check out Amazon books, toys and housewares before shopping anywhere else. They’ve also got a great bargain and clearance section. I compare prices using their site and they offer free shipping on lots of items.

How can you not love online shopping? I click, I pay, I open the door and take them from the delivery guy. It’s definitely my favorite way to shop! What do you think of online shopping?

I have a bunch of membership tags on my key chain. Some are for stores here, one’s for a store in Florida when we go to Walt Disney World and yet another is for a store in upstate New York when we go camping every summer. It’d be great not to worry about carrying all of them all of the tine. I’d love to see all grocery stores use one common club card. They could still run their sales and people would still be able to take advantage of specials, but it would make it easier on the customer. But since that day isn’t likely to happen soon, a site like Just One Club Card is a useful one for people like me.

Just One Club Card allows people to enter card membership numbers for up to eight stores. It’s free to use. After you enter your numbers you print a new card that contains the numbers for all of the ones you entered, allowing you to carry only one card to all stores. He’s even made it possible to add in pet store cards, and other stores. The guy that thought of this had a great idea!

I’ve mentioned once or twice before that pet clothing amuses me. I don’t dress my cats now, but as a child I could frequently be found putting baby doll clothes onto my cat and then pushing the cat around in the baby doll carriage. I came across formalwear for pets on a site called CozyPetClothes that made me giggle. Yes that’s right, formalwear! I’m not talking about Oscar de la Renta or anything, but I am talking about gowns and tuxes. I thought the little outfits were pretty amusing until I saw the prices. I can’t imagine ever spending $50 or more dollars on a pet outfit. Can you?

Did you know that the ASPCA has an assessment that strives to make the perfect person/pet pairing? I’m talking about the ASPCA Meet Your Match program. There’s one assessment program for dogs and another for cats. Dogs are assessed based on their friendliness, playfulness, energy level, motivation and drive. Cats are assessed based on level of interest in play, exploring, talking, and being the center of attention. After completing their evaluations the pets are assigned to colors. When a person goes in they give information about their ideal pet and are directed to one of the color categories. Shelters using this system have reported increased adoption rates and decreased return rates. I think this sounds like a terrific idea. What do you think?

When we got our first Himalayan kitten Nikki we wanted to get him a scratching post. All of the simple little ones I saw were $20-$25. I saw one that was almost six foot tall which was covered in carpet, built on a tree limb and had four levels that was priced at $125. It seemed the better buy so I got it. Nikki loved it. He played on that thing for years, and used it for scratching his claws. There were actually threadbare areas where he’d demolished it. We got rid of it after he passed. I would recommend any cat owner have recommend some sort of scratching furniture, to protect their home and to provide their cats with their own space.

I was surfing today, looking at different cat trees and forts. It’s amazing what’s out there now compared to twenty years ago. They make all sorts of cat furniture now, about the only thing I didn’t see was home theater seating for cats. I really like this really cool looking one, the Savvy Tabby Tree House Fort, at FreshPets for $206.99. If I were shopping for a cat tree now and had two or more cats, there’s an excellent chance I’d get this one.

Sites just for pet owners are becoming quite popular. I recently learned about another community just for pet lovers called Animal Attraction. It’s free to sign up for membership. Once you’ve joined you can create a profile for you and your pets. There’s a search enging to help members find new friends with common interests. Members can communicate with each other using chat rooms, message boards and instant messaging.  On the site you can share photos and stories, as well as look for and offer advice. Every day that a member logs in Animal Attraction makes a small donation to an animal charity. If someone joins as a new member on your recommendation Animal Attraction will donate $1. The site is a terrific way to meet others with the same interests while helping animals.

 I am not a shoe lover. I despise shoe shopping because my feet are big and I can never find styles that I like that fit. I will be needing a pair of boots for the winter and will almost certainly have to shop online. With it getting colder here I’m starting to see people wearing their UGGs. I’ve always thought that Uggs look pretty warm and comfortable. The ones I like are shorter and have no zipper, I believe from their website they’re called the Short and the Mini. How easy are they to put on? I saw a new style with a zipper called the UGG Knightsbridge that has a zipper but they’re too tall and I don’t like them. Are they comfortable and durable enough to justify the expensive price? Also I have another question. Are UGGs comfortable and durable enough to justify the expensive price?I’d love to hear your replies, they might help me make my decision.

When I went to the grocery store last week I noticed banners all over the Marty’s Shoes store windows saying they were selling everything and going out of business. I have never found anything in my size in there, but know they did have some good bargains. I went past again this past Friday and the stock is dwindling. Now is the time you’re likely to find really good bargains so if you have a Marty’s Shoes near you go take a look. I checked the martyshoes.com website and it says they’re not selling because they’er liquidating and that they’ll be back in November.

Thanksgiving is less than a month away. It’s the beginning of the holiday season. People visit each other more, increasing traffic in the home. Here are some tips for pet owners.

• Don’t give your pets bones such as turkey bones. They splinter and can harm your pet.
• Some people might not notice a small pet near their feet when they’re entering or leaving your house. Be sure your pet is put safely away somewhere in the house if your door is going to be open for a long period of time or frequently.
• Do not allow your pet to get in the habit of drinking from glasses, particularly alcohol.
• If you’re going to be out for a long day make sure your dog has someone to exercise him while you’re out.
• Do not allow your pet to eat candy, especially chocolate. Candy, especially chocolate, is dangerous to pets and potentially fatal. Make sure it is stored out of reach from your pets, as you would be sure to store ephedra diet pills away from children.

Dogs love to play with toys. Not all toyson the market are created equally, so be careful what you buy. Here are some tips on safe dog toys.

• When buying a new toy consider what it’s made of. Some toys contain materials or small pieces that should not be ingested.
• Choose the right size toy for your dog. Large dogs could swallow toys made for a much smaller dog.
• Don’t give your dog people toys, they’re made of different materials and have more parts and would be dangerous for the dog.
• Throw out toys that become worn or broken, before they fall apart and your dog swallows pieces.
• Speak to your vet about the difference between rawhide and other edible treats. Some vets feel rawhide isn’t safe when swallowed.

If you have an electric blanket, you might or might not be aware that pets and electric blankets don’t mix. Never put an electric blanket in your pet’s bed and don’t let them get too comfortable on yours. Your dog or cat might chew on the wire and cause electrocution. Or, a nail might accidentally damage the covering of the wire or the wire itself, making it unsafe to use. Be warm, but be safe.

 Inkubook is an online photo book creation service. You can create your own photo book or you can collaborate on one with friends. The Inkubook service is an Author Solutions brand and it became available for the public to use in July. In order to let everyone know about their service Inkubook is offering a free photo book to people that sign up for a free account by November 3. After signing up you’ll be able to create your own photo book and all you will be asked to pay is a small shipping charge. Nice deal! To get in on this run, don’t walk, to inkubook.com and register for a free account. Remember, you must do this by November 3. Be sure to use the code TVL655 so that you get your free photo book.  Be sure to let your friends in on this offer so they can get a free photo book too by using the “invite friends” feature within your account.

I’m not making any money by writing about this, I’m just passing on what I think is a terrific offer. I’ve signed myself up for Inkubook just like I described above. I’m pretty excited and I’m already playing with a few ideas on what to put in my book. What are you going to put in your book?

If you’re a cat person and want to get a bit more exercise, consider bringing your cat along as an exercise partner. Walks are the best fat burners there are. You can train your cat to walk outdoors with you. Get your cat used to wearing a harness inside the house. Then add a leash (or rope) to the harness and let the cat walk around with it on for a few days to get used to the change in weight and feel. When he’s comfortable wearing the harness with the leash, pick up the leash and walk him around the house or yard. When your cat does well walking on the harness in the house try it in the yard during a quieter time of day. Once they’ve got that down you can try the side of a street. Bring treats.

If your pet was on my porch, would I know that he or she belonged to you? All cats and dogs should have identification, whether you think they need it or not. pets that are always indoors can get out accidentally and may not be able to find their way home. There are different ways to identify your pet. The two main ways are with a tag and a microchip.

• A tag is attached to the collar. It’s the least expensive way to identify your pet but tags can fall off, as well as get dirty, old and hard to read.
• A microchip is tiny electronic chip that is implanted under your pet’s skin by injection.The microchips are registered in a database that shelters and pounds check when an animal comes in. They are more expensive than tags but last longer.

No matter which way you choose make sure there’s a way to identify your pet if he or she gets out.