Cats like cardboard. Plain and simple. Buy them the fanciest toys, beds, gadgets, and gizmos, and at the end of the day you'll still find them curled up in their favorite box that you hauled home from Costco.
So, to help out box loving felines (and their frustrated humans) everywhere, I've recently been featuring earth-friendly cardboard cat products (See: Kitty Teepee and Geodome) that are not only cute and hip, but can also be recycled when kitty destroys them is done with the fun!
How they work
The latest product I've come across in this category is Amazing Treat Machine Rollers, which are interactive, 100% recyclable cardboard cat toys that offer the promise of two of your cat's favorite things: Treats and catnip!
Each box comes with cardboard sheets for assembling four rollers (with directions printed right on them), plus eight decorative wheels (that also serve to make the rollers more sturdy), and four organic catnip pouches.
Charlie always reads the directions before getting started
Once assembled, the holes in the rollers are big enough where the first few treats fall out very easily (Note: My cat may also be a genius), but once the amount of treats lessens, it becomes slightly more challenging. I must say it was hilarious to watch Charlie push the roller across the room to victory!
Observe:
*Nudge*
*Nudge*
*Nudge*
Out, darn treat!
I think the biggest mistake I made was trying the roller out with the treats before trying the catnip, because once he knew they were treat dispensers, the lure of catnip just didn't do it for him. However, since the initial trial, I've caught him tossing the empty toys around the house just for fun, so it goes to show that even without the promise of treats or catnip, they still offer a good time.
Overall, the rollers are deceptively sturdy, and if someone were to accidentally step on one, it wouldn't even break! They're a nice alternative to traditional cat toys, and also are good for a laugh while watching your confused kitty trying to liberate their treats.
Charlie takes his product reviewing duties very seriously
If you'd like to try Amazing Treat Machine Rollers out for yourself, you can purchase a box here for $7.95, PLUS the wonderful folks at Amazing Treat Machine are also offering a very generous 25% discount to my readers if you enter in code CATSPARELLA at checkout!
But wait...there's more!
Enter To Win!
On top of offering up a fantabulous discount, Amazing Treat Machine are also giving THREE lucky Catsparella readers the chance to win a box of Amazing Treat Machine Rollers to try out for themselves!
To enter, leave a comment on this post withyour name and some way for me to contact you (email, link back to your blog or profile, Twitter, etc.).
The winners be will chosen in a random drawing next Wednesday, September 14th at 5:00PM EST. This giveaway is open to US readers only. One entry per person, please.
Good luck to all, and make sure to stop by Amazing Treat Machine to learn more about the rollers, and to check out the rest of their line of fun interactive cardboard pet toys!
(If you have any trouble entering a comment, please email me at catsparella@gmail.com.)
Disclosure: Charlie received free Amazing Treat Machine Rollers for giveaway and review, but all of the opinions expressed in this post are his own.
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Charlie's Amazing Treat Machine Rollers Review and Super Giveaway!
Thanks again to everyone who entered the H.J. Mews Cardboard Kitty Geodome Giveaway! I used Random.org to determine the winner, and it selected comment #75, belonging to Krystal B., who wrote, "It'd be sweet if I could win this for my kit-kats. They've never had anything like this, well other than my desk chair which they show no mercy to, lol."
Click here if you're interested in learning more about the Geodome, and be sure to check out the rest of the H.J. Mews shop for more beautiful toys, accessories, and classic furniture for the discerning feline in your life!
Congrats again to Krystal and her lucky kitties, and everyone else stay tuned, because I have another giveaway coming your way tomorrow!
So maybe you're heading back to campus this Fall, or perhaps, like me, you simply enjoy getting lured in by the promise of fresh pens and notebooks. Either way, I've purrsonally selected some of my favorite kitty-themed supplies to ensure you're the most stylin' cat enthusiast in school or at the office!
For a nail salon that has a pair of bloody, detached fingers as the lead image on their website, Disco Nails in Shibuya, Japan offers some surprisingly cute cat manicures!
This week's cupcakes come to us from Cassie Joy, who created these glittery vanilla confections with strawberry filling for a cat's birthday party!
On her blog, a little piece of cassie, she writes that she used mini cupcakes for the head, fondant for the ears, candy melts for the whiskers, and Starburst for the nose. In addition to the gorgeous kitty cuppies, I also think the blue "Meow" accent cupcake, with its sugary pink marshmallow topper, adds the purrfect finishing touch!
*** Have you created or spotted any kitty-themed baked goods (or other foods) lately? If so, please submit your sweet tips for Cat Cupcake Tuesdays to catsparella@gmail.com!
This Labor Day, we salute 10 hardworking felines who earn their keep through a variety of occupations that keep their bosses happy, and their food bowls full!
Cooper's humans wondered what he was up to all day, so they attached a small camera around his neck before sending him out on his daily adventures. What he brought back was not only an impressive record of his whereabouts, but also a truly spectacular array of photographs, that now sell for upwards of $200 each at art galleries.
Tama the cat rose to fame in 2007 when she became the stationmaster at Kishi Station in Konokawa, Wakayama, Japan. Not only did her presence revitalize the nearly defunct train line, it also pumped a reported 10 million dollars into the local economy by tourists who flock to the station to get a glimpse of her. Tama wears her own uniform, sits in her own office, and even had a custom train car modeled after her, complete with her cartoonish image on it, and calico colored seats!
According to her Wikipedia page, Tama was "the only female in a managerial position" at the railroad company when she was promoted to "Super Stationmaster" in 2008, and the first cat to become an executive of a railroad after being promoted again to the position of "Operating Officer" in 2010.
Larry stepped into his role as "Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office" in February, after he was adopted from the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home and brought to the British Prime Minister's residence to take care of a reported rodent problem. A spokesperson initially described his qualifications as being a "good ratter" and as having "a high chase-drive and hunting instinct," however his prowess was called into question when it took him over two months to make his first "kill." The four-year-old tabby was making headlines as soon as he arrived at 10 Downing Street, when he scratched a television reporter upon his arrival.
In addition to his mousing duties, Larry is often photographed looking very cute (as seen here, preparing for the Royal Wedding), and even received a pet from President Obama when he met with PM David Cameron in May.
Maru's antics may look like all fun and games, but in reality, the four-year-old Scottish Fold is hard at work building up his massive kitty empire that includes a popular blog, YouTube Channel, and two Japanese language books and DVDs (his first bookwas recently translated into English).
The cuddly box-addict, who is widely referred to as the most popular cat in the world, has garnered over 100 million views on YouTube, and has the distinction of having the eighth most subscribed and the ninth most viewed YouTube channel of all time in Japan.
Matilda III, who recently celebrated her debutante ball at the The Algonquin, is just one in a long line of felines who have made their home at the historic New York City hotel. After her predecessor retired last year, the newest Matilda, also a Ragdoll, was selected to take her place as the "Directfurr of Guest Relations".
Matilda is allowed everywhere in the hotel except the kitchen and guest rooms, and lucky patrons can often find her in the hotel's newly renovated lounge area, where they can also order one of her signature cocktails for $20. She also has her own personal assistant who helps her respond to emails, and runs her Facebook page and Twitter account.
Cat enthusiasts who want to book a night at the hotel have the option of reserving the Friends of Matilda package, which includes a personalized welcome letter from the cat herself, along with an Algonquin Cat book and Matilda stuffed animal.
C.C., named after Alamo preservationist Clara Driscoll, has been the resident mouser at The Alamo in San Antonio, TX for well over fourteen years. She first showed up on the grounds as a feral kitty in 1996, but it wasn't until a year later that she was spayed and became "more personable," that she became the official mascot of the historic landmark.
C.C. enjoys posing for pictures with tourists, hanging out at the D.R.T. library, and is abundantly featured in The Alamo gift shop, where you can purchase her image on everything from calenders to a pair of socks.
Bodega Cats are a hardworking breed of kitty kinfolk who call the corner shops of New York City home. These illegal workers earn their place by keeping pesky vermin at bay, in exchange for food and shelter. Last month, this excellent four minute nature-style documentary emerged, that exposed the triumphs and tribulations of these majestic creatures, whose main predators include Health Department representatives who threaten to evict them.
8. Garden Cats
If you haven't already noticed, "cats as natural pest control" is an emerging theme here, and botanical gardens are just one more place that welcome these furry exterminators with open arms. I met some myself when I visited Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA, and also learned about two more kitties at the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, OK who in addition to mouse duty, have also taken up some videography on the side! These garden cats not only get "excellent pay and benefits" for their work, but they also receive medical care, and the promise of a safe haven from living on the streets.
The first cat cafe opened in Taiwan in 1998, and since then, they've become extremely popular in many Asian countries. For a moderate fee, patrons can order up (sometimes cat-themed) food and drinks, while enjoying the companionship of the cats who inhabit the shops. These working kitties are usually well cared for, and you can pet them, however there are rules in place to protect them, such as no picking them up, or bothering them if they are sleeping.
While health regulations are likely what's keeping these cat cafes out of the Americas, hopefully one day U.S. residents will also know the pleasure of going out for a cup of coffee, with some supervised cat time on the side.
Adoptedas a kittenby the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, RI, doctors and nurses quickly learned that Oscar had a knack for knowing when patients were about to die. Stunningly, Oscar's predictions are so accurate that within the span of a year and a half, he accurately predicted the demise of 25 patients, who all passed within four hours of him curling up on their bed. No one knows for sure how he does it, but the ongoing theory is that it's by scent, or by observing the habits of the nurses around him.
Oscar has received a commendation for his work in "compassionate hospice care," and was also the topic of a best-selling memoir, that's reportedly being adapted into a Hollywood film.
10 Working Cats Worth More Than Their Weight in Kibble
Some of my favorite things in life begin with the letter C: Cats, cupcakes, and crafts, being chief among them. And anytime I can find something that incorporates at least two of those things together, you know it's going to be a good time (See also: Cat Cupcake Tuesdays).
For the technologically encumbered who also enjoy their crafts with a side of cats, witness the DIY iPhone 4 case that allows you to cross-stitch the customized smartphone receptacle of your dreams!
Each kit comes with a needle, thread, and some design ideas, although the shop's site helpfully offers three examples of cat patterns that would look right at home on your phone, or honestly anywhere else you'd feel like stitching them.
The customizable cases are available at Connect Design for $18 each, and come in black, white, pink, blue, green, and orange.
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