Barkday Prezzies from Jasmine the Eskie

Yay, my "barkday" present arrived from Jasmine the Eskie! I am friends with many eskies because my Angel Sister is Hana the Dog and Hana was an eskie. I adopted my new family on November 14, 2009, didn't come with a birth certificate, but the vet estimates my age to be 5 years old. In honor of my sister, Hana, my parents gave me the same birthday as Hana's. So, I will turn a big 6 years old on February 5, 2010!

Let's open this present up!



My nose tells me this smells yummy! They are salmon treats!


Even when Mom takes the presents out of the box, I still want to sniff the salmon treats.


In addition to the freeze dried salmon treats, there are 2 cartons of Whiskas CatMilk Plus, 1 package of Temptations natural yellow fin tuna treats, 1 package of Temptations creamy dairy flavor treats (only 2 calories each, says the package... do I need to lose weight?), a 3 pack of "weeble wobble" roly poly mice, and a 4 pack of soft colorful balls! Hope I didn't miss anything.

Wow, that's a lot of loot from Jasmine!! This is a great sampler barkday present because my parents are STILL in CAT training. Jasmine is a smart Eskie and knows what cats like.


These Temptations look pretty awesome.


Wanna play roly poly mouse, Mom? (by the way, the hole in my head is filling in a bit. There's a little scabby next to the hole which is about to fall off. Otherwise, my hole is getting better each day.)


Remember that photos add an extra 10 pounds. I have actually lost weight since I adopted my new family.


I'm getting a bit hyper now... I'm really into playing mouse!


Mom is only going to let me try one new treat at a time just so she can make sure I'm not allergic to any one item. Is that smart? Some of my smarts have been escaping from the hole in my head, so I guess I gotta trust my Mom.

Dad said the first treat to try was gonna be the Whiskas CatMilk. He really loves feeding me milk because he knows how much I love milk.... I always say "Mao mao mao mao" when he gets the people milk out, but he says I have to kick the habit and lay off people milk. Jasmine's timing is excellent for me to try the Whiskas Cat Milk now! Mom didn't get a video of Dad feeding me the new Cat Milk, but I really wolfed it down! We will have to get a video later.

Here's a video of me checking out the package. I am so interested in the salmon treats!



This video is of me playing with the roly poly mouse! This is fun! It's a shame my Mom doesn't have 3 hands else this video would be of better quality.


Jasmine, you are the bestest dog friend ever! Thank you for the barkday gifts! We will hopefully be able to post more videos of me sampling the new treats and playing with all my new toys. I think Mom is going to get me a nice toy box so I can put all my toys in them.

Training Success and a Traveling Pillow

It's certainly been a busy, but rewarding, two months training my new humans. I think they've finally "got it!"

Most people just stick the vacuum cleaner as far as it'll go under the bed, crossing their fingers they are getting all the dust and dirt out, but not my parents. I have them well trained. Last week my parents cleaned UNDER the bed by COMPLETELY REMOVING THE MATTRESS so they could get at ALL the dirt and dust they have missed all these years. I give my parents 4 paws UP!

Here is the "before" pic... look at all that dust I was choking on!



Sorry, I was so excited they were cleaning that I forgot to take the "after" picture.

And here's another example of training success. My Mom AND DAD, went to the fabric store and look what they came back with. Fabric for ME! Mom made another bed for me. And she did this on her HOLIDAY from work (Martin Luther King Day). I've got the best Mom!



I have to snoopervise.


It's pretty good... very thick and warm. She used the best batting to go in the pillow.


Mom wanted there to be "walls" but instead she accidentally made "flat walls." She was going to fix it, but I told her I was happy with her work and didn't want her to exhaust herself. Even if her sewing skills aren't the best, she still is a really good Mom!

Here I'm just testing it out:


My new pillow blanket goes in the bay window in the kitchen, therefore my pillow is GREEN to match the outside foliage... Not only do I get a great bird's eye view, but I get to observe the outside in COMFORT AND STYLE!


Even though my pillow is supposed to be in the bay window, Mom moves it around for me so I can use it when I visit other places in the house. I guess it's a Traveling Pillow!

My New Best Friend

I sidled up to my new best friend yesterday!


I sat by him for a long long time. Then I decided to lie down next to him, my body against my new friend. Mom came and turned him off, and moved him a few inches away from me. She also noticed I was just about to rub my head up against him. After she moved him, I went to sit next to him again, and then she moved him AGAIN. Parents! I'm just trying to make a nice warm new friend with him.

p.s. My parents are avidly observing and monitoring the hole in my head. If the appearance gets worse or it does not heal up, it will be off to the V E T later this week! Dad thinks he had been giving me too much people milk lately, and that this is an allergic reaction. He knows he is not supposed to give me people milk. Maybe he will give me special cat milk then, once I get a few strands of fur back on my bald spot. I sure hope my hole grows closed so I can get special cat milk.

Hole in My Sweater, Hole in My Head

Hm. Why do I have a hole in my head? Can someone offer an explanation on my bald spot? My parents are worried about me. Help. This hole came rather suddenly, almost overnight it seems. My parents are constantly petting me on my head or kissing me on my head, and today they discovered the hole, so they are fairly certain this came about suddenly. Today my poopie was half solid and half yucky, if that helps any. Otherwise, things have been hunky dorky. No flea/tick meds either this week.



Hope nothing is wrong with me. What do you think? Is it common? This morning my parents saw a bunch of fur on the carpet. They now think the fur came from my head, perhaps.

World's Best Cat Litter

The mail man must like me. He delivered this free box of World's Best Cat Litter (WBCL) addressed to ME, Prints the Cat. I have Jelly Bean to thank. She contacted Drew at WBCL and requested he send me a free package, pronto, to try. JB told Drew that I am brand new at my adopted home and that my parents are in cat training and are deciding which type of cat litter is the best to use.

On day 1, since my parents were caught unaware, we tried the cheap litter which cost like $2, but it does not clump and is very dusty. Cough, cough, cough. If it does not clump, then my waste stays in the box. Yuck. My parents learned very quickly that is not the type of litter to buy.

For test number 2, it didn't take my parents long to learn that clumping litter is the best thing in the world! But, they got various brands of clay litter and they were all dusty. I guess we got the scented type because the scent is extra overwhelming. People were starting to ask my parents if they were wearing cat litter perfume.

But this week, we opened up the World's Best Cat Litter and it is pawesome!




JB cautioned us that maybe we should gradually switch over by mixing my current litter with the new World's Best Cat Litter. JB wasn't sure if I'd like it because of the unique corn scent and the different texture. So, we first put in a layer of the clay litter.


Then we put in the World's Best Cat Litter which is CORN based. My mom immediately took to it because it was DUST FREE! Yay for dust free litter. Who wants a cloud of dust in their face when they are pottying? Not me!


Here I am inspecting the new corn based litter.


After Mom put the roof back on my litter box, I peed in it that evening. I am happy to further report that I've used my new World's Best Cat Litter multiple times already!!!

Here's a few facts about World's Best Cat Litter:

• it is the ONLY litter made from whole-kernel corn. That means the naturally microporous structure traps nasty ammonia order, not that my pee stinks like ammonia. I pride myself on being thoroughly clean on the inside and out!
  
• it clumps the quickest! Moisture does not seep or sink to the bottom. No cat parent wants to discover their cat has torn the plastic liner and pee has seeped through to the bottom and down into the plastic. This won't happen with WBCL.
  
• made from all-natural ingredients! It is totally safe for cats and the whole family. There's no silica dust to breathe in. No more holding your breath and passing out while you pee.
  
• it is 100% biodegradable and isn't mined, drilled or artifically produced. Yay, go green!
  
• they say WBCL can last up to 2-3 times longer than other clumping litters because the special quick clumping on contact keeps the rest of the litter dry. Then you save time and money. I am a busy cat. What cat isn't? My time is precious and yours is, too.
  

Thanks, JB and Drew at World's Best Cat Litter! It was smart of WBCL to send me a package to try. They must have been really confident a FREE bag will go a long way with customer service, especially since it's the best litter there is, being DUST FREE, green, and all.

p.s. WOWIE ZOWIE! Lookie... I am FAMOUS! I've already been tweeted about on the WBCL Twitter and I'm also on their WBCL Facebook!

Superior Scribbler Award with Emphasis in Training Humans

My new friends at Brian's Home honored me with the Superior Scribbler Award for my excellent skills at Training Humans. I am so humbled by this award, as I am a beginner cat blogger and have so much to learn from all my new cat friends. Thank you Brian, the beautiful Sascha, Gracie, Zoe, and Dolly!



For those of you who are new to my blog, I will recap some training categories my humans have recently worked on since I adopted them in November 2009.

1. Litter box - Upgrade quality and quantity

My first litter box was nothing fancy. To express my outrage, I flung litter outside the box.


My parents then bought me TWO new litter boxes. Note I live in a ONE cat household. My parents check the box very often and dispose of the waste before you could say "boo." That's good service!




2. Clean glass windows and window sills

Before I came into the picture, my parents didn't clean the windows and sills. How embarrassing. They have now cleaned off the areas I frequent. That's a step in the right direction.



3. Pillows and beds - show some effort

My parents have learned that cushy round beds may be cute and easy to buy, but as you see below, this bed is EMPTY:



And this is the bed my Mom made by hand. I am pleased when she puts in more effort and caters to my needs.




4. The Outdoors

My parents know that sometimes the outdoor elements can be harmful. In my neighborhood there are raccoons, ticks, scorpions, turkeys, and other cats, just to name a few of the wildlife. There are also animals that howl during the evenings and they sure sound close by. My parents realize the gravity of this issue of curiosity (curiosity killed the cat?) and wanting to explore the outdoors which can be dangerous at times.



So, even though it isn't easy, I accompany my parents outside and put them on a leash!


5. The Importance of a Dust Free Environment

Cough, choke, cough. Need I say more? My parents have gotten their act together now. What would become of their house, if it wasn't for me?


6. Garden Buffet

The lady is now used to thinking about my needs and wants. That is how it should be. This training is going quite well when you have reached this point and you know you are well on your way to success.

My Mom planted a garden buffet for me! It took about 12 days for her to tend to the garden to produce the bountiful grass which is supposed to help cat digestion. I nibble on it when it pleases me.





7. Laps

My parents are now accustomed to me sleeping and sitting on them when it suits me. They, by themselves, are quite useful, even if we did not have success with items 1 through 6 above.



So in summary, Brian, thank you for the award! It has been a long and hard road, but my parents have gone from being "dog people" to "cat people" in a matter of two months training. This is better than anycat could have imagined!

I will keep these two people of mine. :-)

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As with every award, there are some rules that need to be followed:
1. Each Superior Scribbler (SS) must pass the Award on to 5 deserving blogger friends.
2. Each SS must link the author and name of the blog from whom he/she received the award.
3. Each SS must display the award on his/her blog and link to the post which explains the award.
4. Each SS is asked to visit the post which explains the award and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List.
5. Each SS must post these rules on his/her blog.

We are passing the award on to:

1. Jelly Bean at JB's Small World and JB's Big World - JB and crew keep us well entertained between all the cats in their household and it is fun learning about other critters in the big world. JB was also instrumental in helping my Mom come around to liking cats.
2. Joplin and Hendrix at DIY Catcare - They have been successful at having their person (Laura) do all the blogging for them! We should all be so lucky.
3. Princess Isis at Princess Isis of course - the photographs Isis' sister displays on the blog are awesome!
4. Teddy Bear at Teddy's Tales - such a great daily blogger and he even sometimes allows his sister, Sierra, to have a say in matters.
5. Siku Marie at White Dog Diary - she, and her parents, have such good hearts and remind us to always be thankful for what we have.

Eating My Garden Buffet Bar

Mom said it was finally time to harvest and eat my garden buffet. Today is day 12.

I first inspected the goods.


Then I chowed down!


Here's a video of me munching away. Mom hopes I enjoyed it. We will let you know if I went back for seconds later... and whether garden buffets agree with me! But, so far so good!

Favorite Person

Do you have a favorite person? My favorite person is my Dad! I love to sit on him and nuzzle with him! My Mom thinks she is not my favorite because she is the one who clips my nails and I don't like having my nails clipped. Even so, I think I will keep her.

American Eskimo and Animal Shrine

We happen to have a mini temple to eskies and other animals. If you look at this photo below, you will see LOTS of pictures of eskies and a few cats, some reindeer, a lhasa apso, a polar bear, and a teddy bear. There are even 3 pictures of human critters.



Food offerings are made to all the critters in the altar. Sometimes my parents eat the food offerings, but then my mom restocks. I bet there is no other household that has food sacrifices to critters like my household does. :-) My mom and dad are definitely a special bunch. 8-)

p.s. Thank you to everyone who sent us holiday cards! This photo is a bit outdated. We have a few other holiday cards that are missing from this photo.

See How My Garden Buffet Grows, Day 8

Gromit T. Cat and Duffy, have your Moms bought you your garden buffet yet? My Mom purchased mine at Pet Food Express, which is a west coast pet supply store.

My indoor buffet is coming along very nicely. My Mom showed it to me today. It looks yummy! But she says I still have to wait for it to grow more before I can eat my buffet.



You think the garden looks good? Wait until you see the roots! It's all very impressive to me.



Mom says that at some point she might have to transplant my garden into a larger container, especially if the roots keep growing and start to come out of the pretty container, which would kind of be a shame because the container looks so decorative. But, she also says she will(1) wait to see if I enjoy eating the garden buffet; and (2) if my buffet makes me throw up. But it is supposed to aid in digestion and help prevent hairballs.

p.s. For those of you who are interested, my kitty garden was $9.99 at Pet Food Express. They are also sold on Amazon. There are vendors on there that do free super saver shipping on purchases of $25 or more.

Blankets

My Mom made a paw print fleece tie blanket. But she says it's for her, not me. That's not nice. I was even helping her make it. See?








This is the finished product. How dare she tease me this way when it's not for me.


She even made this other tie fleece blanket, and it's got DOGS on the material! I wonder what that's supposed to mean. Doesn't she like cats? Doesn't she like me? Anyone want to trade Moms?




Mom here: Princey, you forgot that I made you your own fleece blanket when we first adopted you. You sleep on it ALL the time. How could you forget? And I even take pictures of you sleeping on the blanket, not doing a single thing. That's love!









It's me, Prince again. Mom is right. I forgot about the fleece blanket she made me. I LOVE the blanket! I sleep where it sleeps! I guess I'll keep my Mom.

Day 6 of My Garden

Look at all those sprouts!

The Importance of a Dust Free Environment

My mom is still in cat training. It is wearing my patience. A few weeks ago she learned the important of clean window sills. NOW I am teaching her the importance of cleaning under the big bed. My mom is not a good duster. She will do anything such as cleaning the big people litterbox, but neglects to dust under the big people bed. Cough - choke - cough! It's filthy under here!



And you know what? It's a catch-22. I can't win because if she cleaned under the big people bed, then she brings out that big torture device called the carpet eater, which I despise. It darn near gave me a heart attack the other night when she turned it on 2 feet away from me when I was under the bed but she didn't know I was right there in the same room! I skee-daddled outta there faster than you can say "Boo!"

My Mom has a lot to learn regarding cat housekeeping.

Second Walk

I am not a fan of being outdoors yet. Can you tell?

Day 3.5 of My Garden

Yay, I got sprouts!!!

Happy New Year!!!!

May the new year bring good health and happiness to everyone around the world!