Royal Canin Summer Pet Food Drive: 40,000 Pounds In 40 Days Challenge!

The Royal Canin 40 Day Challenge is on!

From now (June 17) through July 26, their goal is to donate 1,000 pounds of pet food each day – ultimately donating 40,000 pounds at the end of 40 days to Banfield Charitable Trust. 

To help accomplish this herculean task, they're asking the public to visit their Facebook page to participate in daily challenges, which include reading and sharing stories like the one below, of pet owners who have directly benefitted from pet food assistance programs. 

The summer pet food drive will ultimately help keep pets and their people together, because no one should have to give up their beloved companion because they can no longer afford to feed them. 


Rich 

After health problems forced Rich into an early retirement, he found himself struggling to care for his two cats, Mr. Rain and Ms. Misty. Luckily, thanks to Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society and its Pet Aid program, he is able to keep his kitties at home, where they belong.

Rich hadn't intended to retire anytime soon, but health issues forced him to stop working. In 2008, he adopted two kittens who had come from a home where 75 cats lived in pretty bad conditions. One of Rich's friends provided foster care for the surviving kittens from that home,  and after frequent visits, Rich became attached to two kittens in particular, Mr. Rain and Ms. Misty. "I'd never had a pet before. When I saw them in foster care I decided to adopt them. Then illness changed my life. Now I'm around the house most of the time and the cats keep me company."

Unable to work, Rich turned to the local survival center for help and was afraid his financial situation might force him to give up Mr. Rain and Ms. Misty. "It was tough enough to stretch the money to cover food, housing and medical care for myself. When I added in the cost of pet food, it looked almost impossible to keep my cats."

But then Rich learned about one of the survival center's community partners - Dakin Humane Society - and its Pet Food Aid program that provides food for client families' animals. Rich was glad to hear about the service because he was faced with making ends meet on a suddenly limited income. "Once a month my son drives me over to pick up food for me and my cats. That extra help lets me keep Mr. Rain and Ms. Misty at home."

Last year, Dakin Humane Society provided over 45,000 pounds of pet food to partner service agencies throughout the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts to help keep companion animals in their homes.

Visit the Royal Canin Facebook page (facebook.com/royalcanin.us) today through July 26th, to find out how you can help provide pet food for people like Rich so he can keep his cats, Mr. Rain and Ms. Misty. Their goal is to donate 40,000 pounds of food in 40 days with the help of Banfield Charitable Trust.

Royal Canin Summer Pet Food Drive: 40,000 Pounds In 40 Days Challenge!

It's Caturday!

It's Caturday! Welcome back for another edition of Caturday, where we catch up on the week's latest cat news, and get to meet some of your amazing kitties!

This week, Simon's Cat offered up a rude surprise in "Flower Bed," Katy Perry teamed up with crime-fighting kitties in wigs for Popchips, Choupette Lagerfeld graced the cover of German Vogue, Friskies offered $25k in cash prizes for the best cat videos of the year, Emily baked up big-eyed kitty cupcakes, we reviewed the Cat's Whiskers KeepCup from Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium, and a rare two-faced kitten named Deucy was born in Oregon (and sadly, passed away a few days later).


Strider and Celeborn

This week's featured felines are a sweet pair who are still getting to know each other, and a special kitty who went over the bridge last year.

Jessica writes:

I wanted to share some photos of my kits, Celeborn, Strider, and Galadriel.


Celeborn

Celeborn is around 16-years-old. He loves looking out the windows and enjoys rolling around in catnip. He also loves to sleep on my chest. He is a big baby. 


Strider

I recently just got another cat, named Strider. He is a kitten and loves playing with toys and running after the laser pen. He also loves watching the birds and playing under the covers, as you can see in this picture where he has his head through a hole in our comforter!

They are my babies and I love them so much. Celeborn is finding his way trying to get along with Strider, but he is older and sometimes does not want to be bothered with a kitten who always wants to play and run.


Galadriel

Unfortunately, Galadriel pasted away last year around March. She loved birds and cacaling at them. She also loved paying with the laser pen and drinking water. She would go crazy when I would fill up a cup for her. 

Special thanks to Jessica for sharing her precious babies with us this week!

It's Caturday!

Friskies Awarding $25,000 In Cash Prizes For The Best New Cat Videos Of 2013

Are you and your feline frustrated that you still haven't received the recognition you both deserve after getting crazy with the catnip one night, and creating what can only be described as the Citizen Kane of cat videos?

Well, you might be in luck, because Friskies announced earlier this week that for the second year in a row, they'll be hosting "The Friskies," the cat culture event of the season dedicated to showcasing the greatest online cat videos of the past year. At stake? The chance to win a $5,000 grand prize and custom-made gold plated Catuette (I've held one, it's the real deal), along with a trip to New York City to take part in the live show.



While last year's ceremony boasted everything from an interpretive Nyan Cat dancer, to a cat-a-pella group performance, this year's cat-travaganza promises even edgier entertainment, courtesy of comedian/host Michael Ian Black. Judges include Henri, le Chat Noir creator Will Braden, and 2012 Grand Prize winner, Mick Szydlowski, who you may be more familiar with as the awesome human behind Oskar the Blind Cat.

That's cool. How do I enter?

From now through July 15, feline filmmakers can upload their videos (up to two-minutes in length, they're not looking for Gone with the Wind here) to thefriskies.com in the following categories: Cat Comedy, Catventure, Rescue Cat, and the Pursuit of Food/Treat.



In addition to giving away a boatload of prizes, Friskies is also using the award show as an opportunity to give back, and has committed to donating more than 250,000 cans of cat food to 20 cat charity organizations nationwide as part of the program.

“Films may have the Oscars, but cat videos have ‘The Friskies,’ and I can’t wait to host the show,” said Black. “It’s going to be unlike anything you’ve ever seen.” 

Visit www.thefriskies.com to learn more, and to submit your video today!

Friskies Awarding $25,000 In Cash Prizes For The Best New Cat Videos Of 2013

Simon's Cat In "Flower Bed"

Flower Bed - Simon's Cat

Poor Simon! His gardening plans go down the toilet (hehe) as his mischievous feline can't resist leaving him a fertilizer surprise in the latest Simon's Cat clip!

Simon's Cat In "Flower Bed"

Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium Presents The Cats' Whiskers KeepCup

Charlie enjoys an early morning chai

How would you enjoy drinking coffee, tea, hot chocolate and/or any other variety of hot beverages from a cute cup, while also doing a solid for the environment? Lauren Pears of Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium recently sent me The Cats' Whiskers KeepCup, a sustainably sourced, re-usable, and recyclable coffee cup alternative that can be used up to 1,500 times, or about the equivalent of four years of every day use. 



The adorable 8 oz. BPA free cup is the purrfect size for taking your cup of joe on the go, and even has a little line inside delineating the 8 oz. mark. The top snaps on so you can sip while keeping your tea toasty, but my favorite feature is the bewhiskered silicone band that prevents your paws from getting burned.


Priscilla takes a suspicious sip 

The cups are available in three colors: Plum/Cream, Plum/Black, and Black/Black - and if you think I agonized over which combination to get, you would be quite right.



Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium is scheduled to open later this year in London's East End, and promises to be a warm, comfortable place where patrons can play and cuddle up to one of their many resident cats. 

The project made headlines in January after Pears started a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to turn her dream of opening a cat cafe into a reality. She managed to raise an incredible £109,510 (over $170,000 USD) to open Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium, which will be the first facility of its kind in London.

Visit Lady Dinah's website, or follow them on Facebook for more information on the progress of the cafe, or to buy a KeepCup of your own.

Disclosure: I received a Cats' Whiskers KeepCup for review, but all opinions and pensive pussycats portrayed in this post are my own.

Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium Presents The Cats' Whiskers KeepCup

Katy Perry Teams Up With Wigged Kitties For Popchips To The Rescue Campaign

Katy and the Popcats

Sometimes when a bunch of awesome things get together, the result is greater than the sum of its parts.. like an ice cream sundae, for example, or this slightly confusing Popchips promo starring Katy Perry, cats in wigs, and a fat feline with a German accent.

Katy really channels her inner Catwoman in the spot, as she drives around in a kickass van, and can be seen rapping, slamming milk shots, and ultimately defeating "Fat Cat" (a creepy puppet/purveyor of greasy chips), with the help of her wigged out kitty crew.

The video is part of the Popchips to the rescue campaign, benefitting the ASPCA. Fans who visit the Popchips Facebook page can download a $0.50 cent coupon towards the all natural snacks, with each bag redeemed through 7/31 resulting in a matching donation to the animal welfare organization.



Via Facebook (Popchips)

Katy Perry Teams Up With Wigged Kitties For Popchips To The Rescue Campaign

Rare Two-Faced Kitten, Deucy, Born In Oregon

(Click here to watch if video doesn't load)

At 6:11 a.m. on 6/11, a kitten named Deucy came into the world. The rare cat, born under the sign of the Twins (Gemini), has one body and a pair of furry little faces.

Deucy's owner, Stephanie Durkee of Amity, Oregon, has been caring for the two-faced feline since she was rejected by her mother yesterday morning. While the survival rate of these so-called "Janus" cats (named after the Roman god with two heads) is low, a vet who has seen Deucy says that she is healthy and strong.

Massachusetts feline Frank and Louie currently holds the Guinness Record as the longest living Janus cat in the world. The extraordinary kitty clinched the title after celebrating his 12th birthday in 2011.


Deucy

Via KGW.com

Rare Two-Faced Kitten, Deucy, Born In Oregon