Product Review

YUMMY IN OUR TUMMIES

November Chewy Review

Disclaimer: As part of the Chewy Blogger Outreach Program we were provided with a 2.1 ounce package of Purina Pro Plan True Nature Protein Crunch treats in exchange for our honest review. The treats were free. The review represents the opinions of Kitties Blue.

We are pretty certain you can tell by the title of our post that we liked these treats. In fact, some kitty may have enjoyed them a bit too much but more about the later.

The Purina Pro Plan True Nature Protein treats we received were made with real shrimp, and shrimp is the first ingredient listed. The snacks are high in protein at 45 percent to give us kitties lots of energy, strength and lean muscle. They have no added artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. And did we mention: They are yummy?

Purina recommends that a kitty should receive one treat per pound of body weight, not to exceed ten treats per day. Each piece has 1.6 calories. Some kitty (no one is confessing) ate way more than ten. After Mom gave a few to Lily Olivia and Fiona she put the package on the kitchen counter. Her intention was to give a few to the remainder of us for a taste test and photo session. That didn’t happen, and our humans went to bed.

This is what the humans found the following morning with only a few treats left in the package.

Due to some kitty making a piggy of themselves, only four of us got to try these treats. But the four of us who did, found them to be super yummy. Obviously the treat thief did as well.

Check out the bottom photo. Mom finally found what will bring Astrid and Lisbeth back together…yummy treats!

Mom wasn’t too happy to see rice, corn gluten meal and soy on the ingredients list for the Purina Pro Plan True Nature Protein Crunch treats. However, axtra Taurine has been added to help prevent serious eye and heart diseases developing as the result of our eating too many grain products.

The Purina Pro Plan True Nature Protein Crunch treats are available at Chewy.com. These treats also come with turkey or lamb as the main ingredient. A 2.1 ounce pouch is currently on sale at Chewy for $2.79.

Chewy.com offers everything you need for your cats and dogs and has free one- to two-day shipping on all orders over $49.

Thanks Chewy for giving us the opportunity to try the Purina Pro Plan True Nature Protein Crunch treats.

Stark Raving Cat Santa’s Rocking Stocking Giveaway

We all loved the nippy goodness emanating from this stocking and catnip joints. You can read our review here and leave a comment for a chance to win a Santa’s Rocking Stocking Catnip Joints. Giveaway ends Friday, November 20, at 5 p.m. EST.

This limited edition Santa’s Rocking Stocking Catnip Joints from Stark Raving Cat is designed for hanging on the Christmas tree or mantle. A red-and-white pair of catnip joints (topped with tiny Santa hats) peeks out from a traditional red stocking. From the ribbon on the front hangs a silver-tone cat-and-mouse charm. It’s perfect to add to your cat’s collar, a key chain or a necklace to wear as a pendant.

Santa’s Rocking Stocking Catnip Joints would make a great gift for all the kitties on your Christmas list including your Secret Paws recipient. It sells for $15.

Purrs ad paw-pats, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo

STARK RAVING CAT CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY

Nippy Goodness Can Be Yours!

Today we got to sample a holiday product from the new company, Stark Raving Cat. We received their Santa’s Rocking Stocking Catnip Joints. Mom teased us for a while before she opened the brown paper bag packaging. We could smell the nip right through the package. As you can see in one of Lisbeth’s photos, she was not to happy with mom for making her wait. (Raspberry!)

This limited edition stocking is designed for hanging on the Christmas tree or mantle. A red-and-white pair of catnip joints (topped with tiny Santa hats) peeks out from a traditional red stocking. From the ribbon on the front hangs a silver-tone cat-and-mouse charm. It’s perfect to add to your cat’s collar, a key chain or a necklace to wear it as a pendant.

It is evident from our photos that we liked this product. The nip is so potent it permeated the stocking and it’s hang tag. Mauricio wouldn’t let go of these items or stop licking the tag. Lily Olivia liked the easy-to-hold joints the best. We think this would be a great gift for all nip-loving kitties. Stark Raving Cat’s Santa’s Rocking Stocking Catnip Joints also would be a great present if you are participating in the Santa Kitty Toy Hop or Secret Paws.

About Stark Raving Cat

StarkRavingCat.com, located in Texas, specializes in small batch, artisanal gifts for cats and cat-lovers. According to company owner Kate Heyhoe “Our products are not mass produced, each is designed in-house, and made by hand with love and care, so you can pretty much guarantee your gift will stand out, and put the ho-ho-ho in the holidays.” And all products are cat tested and approved in house by Tamale, Pookie and Wolfie.

Stark Raving Cat has a huge variety of unique products, including one our mom is putting on her Christmas Wish List: Maneki Neko earrings and kitty collar with a Maneki Neko bell. She collects these lucky cats so cannot resist this product. We are wondering which of us will get the new collar.

Kitties Blue are giving away one Santa’s Rocking Stocking Catnip Joints. To enter just leave a comment on this post prior to Thursday, November 19, at 5 p.m. EDT. We will ship worldwide. If you don’t win, you can order your own Santa’s Rocking Stocking from Stark Raving Cat for $15.

Disclaimer: The Cat on My Head received two Santa Stockings from Stark Raving Cat for the purpose of review and giveaway. We were not compensated monetarily for this post and the opinions expressed are entirely our own.

Two Days Remain to Enter Our Other Giveaway

We are giving away two copies of the book, Women Who Still Love Cats Too Much, by Allia Zobel Nolan. It is 80-pages of fun and oh-so-true one-liners with colorful illustrations by Nicole Hollander. I guarantee if you’ve ever had a relationship with a cat, you will recognize yourself in this book and LOL as you do so. For an opportunity to win, click here to read Mom’s review and leave a comment. The giveaway is open to readers worldwide. Comments must be left by Friday, November 13, at 5 p.m. EDT.

Purrs and paw-pats, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo

November 12, 2015 by Janet Blue Christmas Giveaway Holiday Kitty Written Blog Nipheads Product Review Thankful Thursday 45

CHEWY REVIEW: PRIMAL TREATS

Primal Beef Liver Munchies

We finally nagged and whined at Mom enough to get her to select something good from Chewy.com for this month’s product testing. We kept seeing all our friends try out food and treats and lounger/scratchers and other good stuff. But our mom kept selecting litter and cleaning products to try. Pffft! And we heard she was going to try litter again this month until she read reviews that said it was super dusty.

So we finally scored some noms. Mom selected Primal Treats for our taste test. These treats are for both woofies and kitties. They are freeze-dired treats, which we usually love. The ones we received were Beef Liver Munchies made from antibiotic-free beef raised without added hormones. The treats have no added salt or sugar, no preservatives and are grain and gluten free. The Munchies are quite obviously healthy treats.

When Mom said treats, we all came running and were gathered around the kitchen as she opened the Chewy box. Dad sat ready with the camera as she doled out these rather large treats. Both Lisbeth and Astrid licked at a couple and picked them up in their mouths but didn’t try to eat them. Fiona and Giulietta (the finicky girls), sniffed and walked away. Lily and Mauricio didn’t seem to mind the large size. Lily ate one and Mauricio ate two but neither wanted more. Calista Jo licked at a couple and after Mom cut them into much smaller pieces, she ate about one and a half and walked away. Misty May was upstairs and didn’t try any.

After the official testing, Astrid started pawing at and trying to get into the bag. Mom took out another one of the Munchies and cut it up into small pieces. Astrid watched attentively but only pawed at the pieces when Mom put them in front of her. She did not eat any.

Mom thinks our problem with the treats was 1) size (they really are more a size for the woofies), and 2) we don’t eat a lot of beef. We prefer chicken and tuna. Primal makes a variety of treats, and the Munchies also come in turkey liver which we may have liked better.

In conclusion, three of the seven who tried these found them yummy. The others not so much.

Disclaimer: We’d like to thank Chewy.com for the opportunity to taste test the Primal Treats Beef Liver Munchies as part of their Blogger Outreach Program. We received the treats for free in return for our honest review. The opinions expressed are strictly those of Kitties Blue.

My Pet Human Giveaway

If you have not entered our giveaway for the adorable book, My Pet Human, written and illustrated by Yasmine Surovec, it’s not too late. To read the review and leave a comment for the opportunity to receive a copy, click here. Comments must be received by Friday, October 16, at 5 p.m. EDT.

Purrs and paw-pats, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo

October 15, 2015 by Janet Blue Giveaway Product Review Thankful Thursday 16

KITTIES BLUE HAVE FOUND THE PURRFECT LITTER

Disclaimer: We received a 40-pound box of Tidy Cats 24/7 Performance litter free of charge from Chewy.com for our fair and honest review as part of their Blogger Outreach Program.We received no monetary compensation and the views expressed are exclusively ours.

If you follow our blog regularly, you know that we have been testing litters to find one that actually performs as advertised and that all the cats like and will use. Thanks to Chewy.com we believe we’ve found it. As part of their Blogger Outreach Program, I selected the Purina Tidy Cats 24/7 Performance clumping litter for multiple cats to test during the month of July.

We received this Tidy Cats formula in a recyclable cardboard box. At 40 pounds, this is not a lightweight litter.

It claims to be formulated specifically to neutralize odors. It maintains that the litter forms tight clumps that lock in moisture and provide triple odor protection for urine, feces and ammonia. And it does just that! Even the urine forms clumps that do not break apart when being scooped. And I was not assaulted by that pungent ammonia odor when scooping.

It also claims to be 99.6 percent dust free. And it is!

Tidy Cats makes a variety of litters and we have tried many different ones throughout the years. Prior to trying the 24/7 Performance variety, we were using the Tidy Cats Scoop Glade Tough Odor Solutions Cat Litter in our three upstairs litter boxes. The listed benefits for this litter are:

Glade Tough Odor Solutions Clear Springs scent
Strong clumps; easy clean-up
Locks in moisture; powerful odor control
99.6% dust-free

It does none of those things. Urine does not clump at all. Clouds of dust engulf you when scooping and cover everything in the room. And the ammonia odor will stop you in your tracks when entering the room with the litter box. With this failure in meeting promises and expectations, I wasn’t sure what I would get with this newer Tidy Cats. What I got was 100 percent satisfaction. And the best part…the cats use it!

Finally I have found a litter that both the cats and the humans are happy to use. Thank you Tidy Cats and Chewy.com. This litter will now go into all six of our litter boxes.

Don’t forget to check Chewy.com for all your pet needs. All orders of at least $49. are shipped free.

August 3, 2015 by Janet Blue Product Review 16

KITTIES BLUE REVIEW NEW LITTER FROM SMARTCAT

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Pioneer Pet. We received a jug of Smart-Cat® lightweight, clay-coated litter free of charge in exchange for our honest review. The opinions expressed are entirely our own and not influenced by Pioneer Pet or any of its representatives.

In April, Kitties Blue reviewed SmartCat® plant-based litter from Pioneer Pet. I thought it was the Best Cat Litter Ever and titled the post just that. You can read that review here. Unfortunately Kitties Blue did not agree with me. Only Astrid and Calista Jo used it.

While at the BlogPaws conference I spent quite a bit of time talking to the Pioneer Pet representative about the SmartCat® litter. She shared with me at the time that a new litter was in production and promised to send it to us to try when it became available.

This new SmartCat® product also is a lightweight (50 percent lighter than regular clay litters), clumping litter. It has an all-natural grain core with a clay coating. Unlike the original SmartCat®, all Kitties Blue went right too it without hesitation. I attribute this to the clay coating. As we normally use a clay litter, it felt familiar to them when they stepped in the box and covered their deposits.

Pioneer Pet claims that this new litter has multi-cat odor control. As with the original plant-based litter, the clay-coated litter is supposed to absorb liquid so quickly (forming a hard clump) that odor does not have the chance to be released into the air.

Though this new litter does clump, it did not make the “rock-hard” clumps like the original, and thus the odor is not controlled as well. This is mostly evident when scooping the box. By just walking into the small room where this box is located, I am not assaulted by the over-whelming ammonia smell so many other litters emit.

Though I may get some odor when scooping this litter, I am not engulfed in and gagging from clouds of dust. Pioneer Pet claims this litter is 99 percent dust free and that is not an exaggeration. After several days of use, there is a light layering of dust on the items in the room, which I would expect.

It’s light weight does make it easy to scoop. And the kitties do not track this out of the box as they do with some other brands, which makes me very happy.

The litter comes in a jug weighing 10 pounds. It took an entire jug to fill a litter box measuring 13 X 16 X 7 inches to about a depth of three inches.

If I had my choice, Kitties Blue would be using the original SmartCat® plant-based litter without the clay coating. As a good cat guardian, however, I have to give them what they like and will use. And they are very happy with the SmartCat® lightweight clay-coated litter.

A jug of this litter will sell for $12.99 when available.

July 28, 2015 by Janet Blue Product Review 16

OUR FIRST CHEWY.COM REVIEW

We were contacted recently by Chewy.com and asked if we would like to become members of their Blogger Network. You know what we said, “YES, PLEASE!”

We were given several products from which to choose and try for our first review. As Mom had recently discovered that we enjoy freeze-dried treats, she selected Orijen Tundra cat treats for us.

These treats are made from meat only: boneless venison (ranch raised), elk (free range) and quail, elk and venison liver and steelhead trout. All of these flavors are new to us. The other freeze-dried treats we had were chicken. Most of us are always interested in trying new things; though, a couple of us (Giulietta and Fiona) are a ~~bit~~ lot picky.

Lily Olivia, as always, was first in line and gobbled up the bite-sized treats. These have no big chucks that need to be broken up like the other freeze-dried treats we tried. You can see their small size in some of our photos.

Everyone had the opportunity to try the treats on more than one occasion. They were a hit with all of us, as you can plainly see, except for the two picky girls. Giulietta ate one and walked away. Fiona looked at them and walked away without even sniffing or tasting. She doesn’t know a delicious and good for her nom when she sees it. Of course, that means more yummy treats for the rest of us!

Though Orijen doesn’t give a calorie count for these treats, either on the package or online, they do give a content analysis: Treats include a minimum of 45 % crude protein and 35 % crude fat and a maximum of 1 % crude fiber and 2 % moisture.

Orijen Tundra is manufactured in Alberta, Canada, in the company’s own kitchens using fresh, local meat, fish and poultry. The treats contain no preservatives or carbohydrates.

So what was the final results of our multiple taste tests? Kitties Blue give Orijen Tundra freeze-dried cat treats a 75 % approval rating. And you can bet that Mom will be getting more of these yummy, nourishing treats for us from Chewy.com, who Kitties Blue would like to thank for this excellent opportunity to try something new.

Note: Orijen also manufactures dry cat food and dry and freeze-dried dog food and treats.

Purrs and paw-pats, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo

Disclaimer: Kitties Blue received the Orijen Tundra treats free of charge from Chewy.com in exchange for our fair and honest review. We received no monetary compensation, and all the opinions represented are ours alone.

June 26, 2015 by Janet Blue Kitty Written Blog Product Review 21

THE SUGAR SHIP PRODUCT REVIEW

The Sugar Ship is a new company (started in 2015) with a unique product. They contacted us a couple of months ago and asked if we would like to sample and review their product on our blog. We jumped at the opportunity to try something new. We never know when we might find a new food, treat or toy that becomes a favorite.

We kitties, however, were not the only ones excited to try it. So was Mom. The reason: This is not just a product designed for cats or dogs but for humans as well.

So, what is The Sugar Ship’s product? It is a treat-filled, high quality, reusable, canvas tote bag measuring 18″w x 11″h x 3.8″d. The bag features a front pocket with either a cat or dog silhouette imprint. The tote is packed with people snacks and dog treats/dog toys or catnip/cat toys/treats. Totes also can be purchased with only cat or dog products.

This is the purrfect house warming, hostess or holiday gift for the family who shares their home with a furry friend.

People snacks may include nuts, chocolates, hard candies, sweets, pretzels, bagel crisps or artisan snack chips. Many of the products are all natural and organic.

Kitty recipients will enjoy an assortment of brand name cat toys that may include feathers, balls, mice or stuffed birds, as well as edible cat treats and catnip. All cat treats are 100% natural and made in the U.S.A.

Doggies will receive brand name dog toys that may include rope toys, stuffed animals, rubber chew toys and tennis balls, as well as edible dog treats. All dog treats are healthy, natural and made in the U.S.A.

Totes with treats are priced between $25.99 for a pet only tote up to $49.99 with treats for both humans and pets. Shipping is free.

Here’s what the humans received in our tote:

Our humans don’t eat a lot of sugary sweets, and they prefer dark chocolate so the two center items were gifted to our kitty sitter, Chris (to her delight). The rest of snacks didn’t last long. Mom really enjoyed the tea candy. She’d never had anything like it before and found it tasty and refreshing.

The kitty items in our tote were the bomb!

We of course enjoyed the toys and catnip, but our very favorite thing was the Pure Bites 100 percent natural, freeze-dried, chicken breast cat treats. In fact, some kitty got their paws on the closed packet after we’d tried them, and helped her/himself by tearing the package apart. But we give all the items a gold star.

Every purchase supports pet adoption.

All tote bags include information on the charity that has been supported through your purchase. The Sugar Ship donates five percent of proceeds from all tote bags to humane societies, no-kill animal shelters and rescues working to save lives through pet adoption and spay/neuter initiatives.

We encourage you to visit The Sugar Ship’s website to learn more about the company and try their products. You also will have the opportunity to meet their adorable, rescued pets/mascots: Pirate Pawpaw, Shipmate Shyly and Sailor Sweet.

Disclaimer: Kitties Blue were not monetarily compensated for this review. We did receive the products pictured above at no charge to us. The opinions expressed with regard to the product are ours alone.

Purrs and paw-pats, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo

June 11, 2015 by Janet Blue Animal Rescue Kitty Written Blog Product Review Thankful Thursday 20

THE BEST CAT LITTER EVER

…in my opinion. I only wish the Kitties Blue agreed with me.

I was contacted by Pioneer Pet and asked if I would like to try their Smart Cat All Natural Clumping Litter. I jumped at the chance. And I have not been disappointed.
It claims to be:

No Smell – √
Ninety-nine percent dust free – √
Chemical, clay & fragrance free – √

Smart Cat litter is all natural. It is made from 100 percent grass. It is super light weight, biodegradable and renewable. The litter absorbs liquids and clumps so quickly (totally encapsulating both urine and feces) that no odors have a chance to release into the air. This is absolutely true. Both before and after scooping, I have put my nose very close to the litter in the box and detected absolutely NO ODOR!

Who could ask for more in cat litter? My cats!

I absolutely don’t get it…only Astrid seems to like this litter; though, I have seen Lisbeth and Calista Jo use it a couple of times. I also caught Calista Jo snacking on it twice. As it is made from only 100 percent U.S.-farmed grass, this can’t hurt her. I did, however, discourage her. She hasn’t returned to munching.

If you have only one or two cats, the 20-pound bag would probably last you all year. When I scoop, absolutely nothing is left but totally clean litter.

If I have any complaints, it would be that it does seem to hold static electricity and stick to the sides of the plastic litter box. And it is more easily thrown from the box by enthusiastic buriers.

Otherwise, Astrid gives this four paws up and I give it two thumbs up. I would recommend everyone give it a try. If your cat(s) like it, you cannot go wrong with this product.

Smart Cat is the creation of Betty Lipscomb, cat behaviorist and founder of Cats International, and her husband John. The goal of their company is to create products that enhance cats’ mental and physical health.

A 20-pound bag of Smart Cat sells for $29.99 on Pioneer Pet’s web-site. Smaller sizes are available. Pioneer Pet currently is having a 15-percent-off sale through April 30, 2015. Use code: Spring15.

Disclaimer: I received one 20-pound bag of Smart Cat free-of-charge to review. I received no monetary compensation, and all opinions expressed are mine alone.

April 17, 2015 by Janet Blue Product Review 16

THE PETBOX LOVE AFFAIR CONTINUES

We recently received our second PetBox filled with some exceptional goodies and treats. More than one of us tried to claim it before we even knew what was inside.

As our humans opened this PetBox, Lily pushed all of us aside just as she did with our first PetBox. She immediately climbed inside and had a hissy/growly fit when any of us tried to come near. Once she was able to get her paws on the contents, she settled down.

So, what did we receive?

Wellness Kittles Tuna & Cranberries Recipe Treats – These are 100% all-natural, grain-free and made from whole-food ingredients like tuna, cranberries and blueberries. The crunchy treats contain no meat-by products, wheat, corn, soy, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Some of us can be treat snobs, but seven of us gobbled these right up. Only C.J. turned them down.

PetLinks Carpet Clawz Hanging Scratcher – This was one of our favorite things in the box. It doesn’t hurt that the attached ball has nip in it. The minute Mom hung it on the door, we started working out.

Yeowww! Catnip Heart Attack – We have a Yeowww nanner which is filled with nipilicious goodness. Lily Olivia would not even let Mom take the nippy heart out of the box before grabbing it. After some others of us got a turn, Lily curled up with it in the box for an afternoon nap. Since then, Mom has seen each of us love on it and bat it around the kitchen.

Wobble Nip Catnip Diffuser Toy – A small amount of nip is included with this egg-shaped, plastic toy. It is very easy to swat around as it pops back upright again and again. It has some nose-tickling feathers in the top, one of which came dislodged rather quickly. Calista enjoyed playing with the single feather as much as anything else in the box.

Priscilla’s 100% Natural Catnip – This nip is ground super fine, and it will be perfect when we need to replace what’s currently in that egg. Ours went straight to the freezer to keep it fresh, after C.J. juggled with the bag for a bit.

Royal Canin Indoor Adult 27 Food Sample – We haven’t had an opportunity to try this yet. We’ll let you know what we think once we have our nibbles.

Mom put together a little slide show of us enjoying our goodies.
[slideshow_deploy id=’14177′]

PetBox can be ordered in any one of four sizes at prices of $9.95 (Snack), $19.95 (deluxe – 2 to 3 items), $39.95 (Premium – 4 to 6 items) and 59.95 (Multiple Pet – 7 to 12 items) per month. These options are billed monthly and can be cancelled at anytime.

PetBox also can be ordered as a three-month option at costs from $26.95 to $164.95 or for 12 months at costs from $95.40 to $599.40.

After our first review in January (which you can read by clicking here), we were delighted to accept an invitation to become a Brand Ambassador (like so many of our friends) for PetBox. As Brand Ambassadors we will receive a free PetBox each month for the next year in exchange for our honest review of the items enclosed. And we have the opportunity to offer our readers, who use the promo code KITTIESBLUE, a 10 percent discount on their first order. You can click on the PetBox graphic on our sidebar at anytime to be taken to the PetBox site.

As with our first PetBox we are delighted with the high-quality items included in this month’s shipment.

Purrs and paw-pats, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo

Disclaimer: We received our petbox free of charge. We were not compensated monetarily or in any other way for our review. The opinions expressed are totally our own.

March 5, 2015 by Janet Blue Kitty Written Blog Product Review Thankful Thursday 17

OUR REAL PETBOX REVIEW

Last week we did a non-review of petbox, which you can see here. Lily Olivia had hijacked the petbox and all its contents making it impossible to share about the items we received. We had seven items in our petbox:

Smart n’ Tasty Dental Treats (chicken flavored, all natural, grain free)
Spot Catnip Candy – 100% compressed catnip
Spot Catnip Animal Print Fish Bone Teaser – Fiona’s Favorite
Against the Grain Tuna Aubergine with Seabass & Eggplant (grain and gluten free)
Classic Wind-Up Mechanical Mouse Toy
Spot Refillable Catnip Sea Creature
Priscilla’s 100% Organic Pet Grass Kit

It’s mine, all mine!

Lily eventually did allow the rest of us to enjoy some of the things from the box. The dental treats were the best treats we’ve ever eaten. We all loved them and that NEVER happens. And they are good for us, which makes Mom very happy.

Though we each only got a tablespoon to try, the Against the Grain food was lapped up so quickly Mom didn’t have an opportunity to take any photos. This surprised all of us as this food is shredded in gravy. None of us have ever liked shredded food. As we always say, “It’s pate for us or the highway for the humans.” But this food was so delicious, we’d be happy to eat it anytime the humans want to treat us.

Giulietta and Mauricio were fascinated my the mechanical mouse that skittered across the kitchen floor after being wound up. Fiona, Lisbeth and Astrid have all enjoyed batting this around without it even being activated.

You aren’t planning on blaming this on me, are you? I swear, it exploded right in front of me. I wasn’t even touching it.”

The Catnip Candy came in the shape of a mouse and contained two to the package. We immediately trapped one underneath the stove. Mom has been unable to remove it as we have it wedged in quite well. She figures if we want it, we’ll figure out a way to get it. The accompany photo shows the fate of the second mouse.

You can select your petbox for your dog, cat or with a combo of items for both. You also can indicate the gender and size of your pet. You may select the items you’d like from the petbox inventory or select an option to “be surprised.” All petboxes include free shipping.

The petbox can be ordered in any one of four sizes at prices of $9.95 (Snack), $19.95 (deluxe – 2 to 3 items), $39.95 (Premium – 4 to 6 items) and 59.95 (Multiple Pet – 7 to 12 items) per month. These options are billed monthly and can be cancelled at anytime.

Petbox also can be ordered as a three-month option at costs from $26.95 to $164.95 or for 12 months at costs from $95.40 to $599.40.

All items (which were selected for us by petbox) we received were of the best quality. We recommend this product without hesitation and give it 32 paws up. Mom says that she would happily order this particular box for us in the future as she found it to be an excellent value based on its contents.

Purrs and paw-pats, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo

Disclaimer: We received our petbox free of charge. We were not compensated monetarily or in any other way for our review. The opinions expressed are totally our own.

February 13, 2015 by Janet Blue Kitty Written Blog Product Review 16

YOU
For Fiona

It seems like only yesterday…
You were just a kitten.
When I saw your pleading look,
I was completely smitten.

Now at only six years old,
You are getting ready to leave,
Soon you will have your wings.
I’ve already started to grieve.

You’ve fought hard for the past year,
And I’m not ready to say good-bye.
I can’t imagine you not in my life
I am so sad…today I had to cry.

I am grateful and blessed
For my six years with you.
You’ll live in my heart forever.
You’re one of the best ever Kitties Blue.

YESTERDAY

Many yesterdays have passed since
You gained your angel wings. Today
Is six months since you left us behind
To remember and mourn. Our hearts
Continue to hurt, and we miss
You as much as the day you left.
Giulietta whined from the catio
Yesterday as I worked in the yard.
I know you put her up to it. That
Was your way of getting me to,
Allow you to join me as I
Gardened. You were there with me
In spirit. With every meow
I thought of you and how much I miss
Your sweet face and disposition.
In these past few months, many friends
Have traveled your same path in your
paw-steps. I am certain you were
Waiting to greet them with purrs and hugs.
I pray you and your friends are laughing,
Frolicking and having fun together.
Picturing that makes me smile, but
Does not lessen my sadness at your
No longer being here to snuggle
And receive our love, care and kisses.
Fiona, please do not ever forget
You are still and always will be loved.

ONE YEAR MISSING YOU

One year has passed since you flew away,
And I still think of you everyday.
I see your sweet face in my mind’s eye
And wish we’d never had to say good-bye.
It’s nice you’ve sent us kitties needing a family,
But my dearest love, we are now at capacity.
You thought it would take more than one cat
To take your place in our habitat.
We love Cooper Murphy and baby Sawyer dearly
But thinking either could replace you makes me teary.
You were one-of-a-kind and will stay in my heart
Until the day I join you and we’re no longer apart.
When once again I can hold you in my arms
And revel in all your love and feline charms.
Together with you and all who have passed.
I will spend eternity contemplating how blessed
I was to share my life with my furry children,
Each and every one of you one-in-a billion.

UNTIL

I miss you each day.
Until we meet in heaven,
The pain will remain.

ONE OF A KIND

I don’t know how to say good-bye.
I thought you were invincible; though,
You used up many of your nine lives.
You ruled us all with an iron paw;
Never took “no” for an answer
And always got your way.
If not, you’d bark to signal your
Displeasure and sometimes raise a paw.
I always joked that you were bi-polar.
When I told people you were a calico
They immediately understood what I meant.
Today was unnaturally quiet in the house.
Can a home seem empty with eight cats?
I will miss waking up at night to find you
Sitting next to me and staring at me.
I will miss you yelling at us as you did
When you wanted breakfast and dinner.
I will miss watching you lounging and snoozing
On the porch settee on a warm afternoon.
But most of all I will miss your kisses!
When kitten Sawyer befriended you,
We suspect you were imparting your
Wisdom and secrets for controlling us.
Time will tell if he was a good listener.
But whatever he may have learned,
Neither Sawyer nor any other cat
Can or will replace you in our hearts.
Lily Olivia, you were one-of-a-kind.