Pimp my Catz

Venetian cats

2010-12-12T03:00:00.000-08:00

Location: Venezia, Italy
Photo: Martita Pereira

Bunk Bed and Playroom for Cats

2010-12-10T03:00:00.000-08:00

Your cat’s favorite activities are playing and sleeping. They can do both in great comfort and security in the SmartCat Bootsie’s Bunk Bed and Playroom.

After a vigorous workout batting around the 2 included spring-action toys, your pet can sack out on the top bunk for a nice nap or slip inside the secluded dual-entry hideaway for relaxing privacy.

The included quilted pad provides a comfortable spot to sleep, and the top of the heavy-duty wood unit is made for scratching. Assembles easily with no tools necessary.

» More info about SmartCat Bootsie's Bunk Bed and Playroom for Cats

Cats around the world: Wat Arun Temple

2010-12-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

Sleeping Cat in Wat Arun Temple

Location: Temple of the Dawn (Wat Arun), Bangkok, Thailand
Photo: motoyen

Peek-a-Prize Pet Toy Box

2010-12-06T07:44:00.000-08:00

Cats love to poke and prod around cracks and crevices, especially when they know something tasty or fun is hiding just out of their sight. The SmartCat Peek-a-Prize Toy Box helps encourage your cat’s natural predatory habits by partially hiding some of her favorite toys.

Your pet will have a great time fishing them out, especially during long daytime hours when you’re at work and your kitty is home alone. Keeps indoor cats mentally and physically sharp. You can drop almost any appropriately sized cat toy inside the box. Or if your pet is motivated by food, drop a few treats inside for her to catch and eat.

» More info about the SmartCat Peek-a-Prize Pet Toy Box

Hello Kitty Fun Doodles

2010-11-15T06:28:00.000-08:00

Enter the Hello Kitty world of love and friendship. This timeless, sweet doodle book will bring kids up-close and personal with their favorite friend. Filled with one-color drawings throughout and charming captions, doodlers can express themselves as they follow Hello Kitty through her many activities with her special friends. Kids will be encouraged to use their imaginations to color designs and doodles and complete the pictures, bringing Hello Kitty to life on every page.

» More info about "Hello Kitty Fun Doodles: Complete and Create Supercute Pictures"

iPod Cat

2010-11-14T19:00:00.000-08:00

Shhh..... Can't you see I'm trying to sleep?

Chevy the tomcat, enjoying some tunes on his iPod while trying to take a nap. The animals in my house live a rough life, huh?

This was one of the first shots I took with my new iPhone 4. I have to say, I'm impressed with the new camera. It is a HUGE improvement over the old one.

By pmarkham

» Get an iPod for your cat

Ragamuffin cats

2010-11-13T19:00:00.000-08:00

The Ragamuffin is a breed of domestic cat that first made its appearance in 1994. Ragamuffins are notable for their friendly personalities and thick, rabbitlike fur.

Ragamuffins are a muscular, heavy breed of cat not reaching full maturity until approximately four years of age. The physical traits of the breed include a rectangular, broad-chested body with shoulders supporting a short neck. The head is a broad, modified wedge with a rounded forehead and a nose dip. Ragamuffins come in all coat colors and patterns with a medium-length coat that increases in length toward the stomach. Although the coat is thick and plush, it does not readily mat or clump and is easy to care for. Ragamuffins are bred to be sociable, intelligent, affectionate, cuddly companions that are playful throughout their lives.

The head is a broad, modified wedge with a rounded appearance. The forehead should be moderately rounded. The body should appear rectangular with a broad chest and broad shoulders and moderately heavy muscling in the hindquarters, with the hindquarters being equally broad as the shoulders. There should be a fatty pad (omentum) in the lower abdomen. Fur length is to be slightly longer around the neck and outer edges of the face, resulting in the appearance of a ruff, and increasing in length from the top of the head down through the shoulder blades and back, with the coat on the sides and stomach being medium to medium long. Every color and pattern is allowable, with or without white. Some colors patterns, such as pure white, are rarer than others and are generally in greater demand.

They are adoptable as early as four months of age but do not reach full maturity until around four years of age. The Ragamuffin is an expensive breed, and costs can range from $900 to $1200 per kitten.

In the 1960s a regular nonpedigreed white domestic longhaired cat named Josephine, who had produced several litters of typical cats, was injured in a car accident and taken to a laboratory at the University of California. After she recovered, her next litter produced exceptionally friendly kittens. When the subsequent litter produced more of the same, Mrs. Ann Baker (an established cat breeder) purchased several kittens from the owner, who lived behind her, and, believing she had something special, set out to create what is now known as the Ragdoll.

Baker, in an unusual move, spurned traditional cat breeding associations. She trademarked the name "Ragdoll", set up her own registry—International Ragdoll Cat Association (IRCA)—and imposed stringent standards on anyone who wanted to breed or sell cats under that name. The Ragdolls were also not allowed to be registered in other breed associations. In 1975, a group broke rank with the IRCA with the aim of gaining mainstream recognition for the Ragdoll. This group eventually developed the Ragdoll standard currently accepted by major cat registries.

In 1994, a second group decided to leave the IRCA and form its own group because of increasingly strict breeding restrictions. Owing to Ann Baker's trademark on the name "Ragdoll", the group renamed its stock of Ragdoll cats Ragamuffins. While the name was initially put forth as a joke by one of the group founders, when the original registry could not be undone, the name stuck. One of the first concerns of the group was the genetic health of its stock, which was already in its fifth generation of inbreeding. So, in the spirit of bettering the breed's genetic health and personality, it outcrossed to Persians, Himalayans, and domestic longhaired cats, which increased the distinctiveness of the Ragamuffin from its Ragdoll ancestors. The group did allow some Ragdoll inbreeding as well (which will end in 2010 for ACFA-recognized Ragamuffins). Only cats with at least one Ragamuffin parent and an ACFA-accepted outcross currently qualify to be called Ragamuffins.

The cost of adopting a Ragamuffin has been typically higher than for its Ragdoll relatives by several hundred dollars. This is due principally to the marketing genius of one of the breakaway founders and not to any noticeable distinction in the breed itself. Kittens typically have been adopted out for $1000 for most of the breed's history.

The first cat association to accept the breed at full show champion status was the
United Feline Organization (UFO), and while some major cat associations still refuse to accept the Ragamuffin as a recognized breed (primarily because of its close association with the Ragdoll), it was accepted into the American Cat Fanciers Association (ACFA) and finally the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) as a provisional breed in the miscellaneous class in 2003.

Ragamuffins come in all patterns and colors, although colorpoints are not allowed under CFA standards. Their eyes can be any solid color, including odd-eyed (i.e., each eye having a different color).

The only extreme allowed in this breed is the very docile nature. The Ragamuffin loves people and is very cuddly and affectionate, with a tendency to go limp when held. While not terribly athletic, they love playing and climbing scratching posts, and some will even fetch toys. They greet family members at the door and will follow their people around the house. Because of their gentle nature, Ragamuffins are generally kept indoors for their own protection. They tend to be very vocal at times and are very lovable. However, ragamuffins have quite variable mood swings, causing some to be extremely grouchy at random parts of the day.

Source: Wikipedia

Cats around the world: Scooter cat, Thailand

2010-11-12T19:00:00.000-08:00

Cat on a scooter.

Photo: bfick

Location: Bangkok, Thailand

Ring Doorbell - Win a Cat

2010-11-11T19:00:00.000-08:00

Funny Cat Sign with text: "Ring Doorbell - Win a Cat"

This sign measures 3 inches by 7 inches by 1/2 inch. It is made of natural pine; real wood. The finish is clear acrylic. There is a wire on top for hanging.

Each has it's own unique character because of the grain in the wood but the wording is still the same.

» More info about the "Ring Doorbell - Win a Cat" sign

The Cat Behavior Answer Book

2010-11-10T19:00:00.000-08:00

The Cat Behavior Answer Book:
Practical Insights & Proven Solutions for Your Feline Questions

Cats can be difficult to understand. They often seem secretive, aloof, and maddeningly independent. But they also earn deep love and devotion from millions of cat owners who cherish that incomparable feline spirit. For cat lovers everywhere, pet expert Arden Moore explores cat behavior in an inviting, browsable Q&A format. She answers the questions that come up again and again among devoted cat owners, opening an intriguing window on the feline brain and physiology.

How, for example, can a cat in deep sleep three rooms away from the kitchen come zooming in within seconds of the refrigerator door opening? It's not just instinct. Cats really do have amazing hearing. Their ears are perfectly designed to pick up more sound vibrations and at higher frequencies than either humans or even dogs. And what does it mean when a cat's tail swishes slowly from side to side? That cat is probably getting ready to pounce on a mouse—either a toy or the real thing. Tail swishing is part of the cat's predatory positioning.

In addition to explaining why cats do what they do, Moore shows readers how to prevent many common feline problems. Her practical advice and workable solutions help cat owners work with their pets to banish bad litter box habits, nighttime howling, and destructive clawing. Even finicky eaters can become feline gourmands with a little gentle encouragement.

There are hundreds of tiny quirks and kooky habits that make a cat a cat. This sturdy, fun-to-read handbook explains those catticisms and opens every cat lover's eyes to the complexity of feline behavior. To know them is to love them!

Reviews
“The Cat Behavior Answer Book would be a great gift for a new human companion to a feline. Or just buy it for yourself.”
Asbury Park Press

“[This book] reflect Moore’s own animal expertise…as well as the latest research into animal behavior…Flip to any page and you’ll be listening to a wise, warm, witty, and friendly voice.”
Monadnock (N.H.) Ledge Transcript

“Arden Moore…has to be the Ann Landers of the feline world. She tackles…the mysteries of cat behavior that keep these little fuzzballs so fascinating.”
Wilmington (N.C.) Star

“Us cats are lovable and silly and full of personality – it often confuses the humans around us. Thank goodness for Arden Moore.”
The Desert Sun, Palm Springs, Calif.

“The Dog Behavior Answer Book and The Cat Behavior Answer Book are handy guides…packed with insights and facts.”
Orlando Sentinel

» More info about "The Cat Behavior Answer Book: Practical Insights & Proven Solutions for Your Feline Questions"

i-Cat Robotic Music Loving Feline

2010-11-09T19:00:00.000-08:00

Meet I-CAT! This cool kitty puts on quite a performance as she sinks her claws into your favorite music! This feline is fond of rock, punk, rap, hip-hop, dance, techno, and more! Pay this kitten some attention, and she taps into her own cat-alog of riffs, melodies, tunes, and beats.

Stroke her head to keep her happy! Watch I-CAT purr (depending on the kind of music you play), monitor her moods with her musical mewing, and watch her purr-form just for you! I-CAT works with most portable and non-portable electronic audio devices.

Plus, she easily connects to any standard headphone jack with the included dual-plug cable.

» More info about White-Hasbro i-Cat Robotic Music Loving Feline

The cat and the fishbowl

2010-11-08T19:00:00.000-08:00

Norwegian Forest Cat

2010-11-07T19:00:00.001-08:00

The Norwegian Forest Cat is a breed of domestic cat native to Northern Europe, and adapted to a very cold climate. In Norway they are known as the skogkatt/skaukatt which means forest cat ("skog" and 'skau" being alternate words for "forest" in different Norwegian dialects), or more formally as the Norsk Skogkatt (Norwegian Forest Cat). A common name for them is weegie.

The breed is very old, and occurred as a natural adaptation to the cold climate of the region, but it was not regarded as anything other than a standard house-cat until the late 1930s, when a small number of 'Skaukatten' were shown in Germany and received very favorably by the judges. World War II brought an abrupt end to the fledgling Norwegian show cat industry, and the breed was forgotten until the 1970s. The cats are now being bred and shown in several countries. The first international association to accept the breed was FIFe, in 1977.

Norwegian Forest Cats have a thick fluffy double-layered coat, long tufts of fur in their ears and between their toes, and a long bushy tail to protect them against the cold. Their coat is essentially waterproof due to its water repellent outer layer and dense underlayer. They are very large cats with adult males weighing 6 to 10 kg (13 to 22 lb), while females are generally smaller. Their hind legs are longer than their front legs. They are very intelligent, playful cats that enjoy human company but can get upset if left alone for long periods of time. The nickname of "Weegie" (pronounced to rhyme with 'squeegee') began in the United States and is a shortened version of the word Norwegian.

Source: Wikipedia
Photo: Froskeland

Cats - The Musical

2010-11-06T19:00:00.000-07:00

"Cats" is a Broadway musical about the interactions in a group of cats. This pop-cultural phenomenon has been performed on stage for more than 50 million patrons in 26 countries for almost 18 years, churning more than $2 billion in ticket sales. Now that Cats has finally made it to the small screen, attention must be paid not just by fans of this critic-proof show, but also by those entertainment mavens who have somehow avoided Cats until now. The video version has been restaged but, alas, not really reconceived for its new medium.

The video cast, assembled from London, Amsterdam, and New York productions, is competent. Ken Page as Old Deuteronomy, Jacob Brent as Mr. Mistoffelees, and Elaine Paige--the original London Grizabella, the Glamour Cat well past her prime--are a great deal more than that. Paige has toned down her theatrical belting of her big number, "Memory," and allowed the faded ruin of her character's soul to prevail in close-up. For all the "covers" of her signature song, Paige's version remains definitive. The video is, by definition, more intimate, not always a good thing: costumes are even more Halloweeny in garish close-up, the cats less cuddly without that all-important interaction, the stage's appropriately midnight lighting transmuted to a Las Vegas neon. And the chorus of cats in production numbers is even clunkier and more amorphous in two- and three-shots.

The one complete newcomer to the cast is the 90-year-old icon among English actors John Mills, a delight as Gus the Theatrical Cat. Sir John and his character show the youngsters how it's done in close-up, largely behind the eyes, abetted by a heart-tugging delivery of his one song. Yet virtually all of the songs are lip-synched, further robbing the video Cats of its onstage seeming spontaneity. It's clearer than ever that Lloyd Webber's music is mostly twaddle, with the important exception of "Memory," which instantly and rightly became one of the genuine theater standards not dependent on context, in the vein of Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns." On the plus side, most of the Cats characters and lyrics, from T.S. Eliot's 14-poem Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, are far better defined and understood from the video version.
--Robert Windeler

» More info about "Cats - The Musical (Commemorative Edition)"

Cats around the world: Curious cat in Yangzhou, China

2010-11-05T19:00:00.000-07:00

Cats around the world: Curious cat in Yangzhou, China

Location: Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
Photo: ♥ Jaye

Cat Xing

2010-11-04T03:00:00.000-07:00

Cat Crossing (Xing) Sign

» More info about this sign
» More animal xing-sings from FunArtSigns

Cat-sized bags forbidden

2010-11-03T11:00:00.000-07:00

This bookstore must have experienced a lot of catshoplifting, since they decided to put the following sign in the window. Or maybe they want to sell you a cat in a bag?

Photo: gruntzooki

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

2010-11-02T19:00:00.000-07:00

What is the victory of a cat on a hot tin roof?

— I wish I knew . . .

Just staying on it, I guess, as long as she can.

Tennessee Williams
Spoken by Maggie, in Cat On a Hot Tin Roof.

Photo by Jorbasa

Cats around the world: Istanbul Cat with Hagia Sofia

2010-11-02T03:00:00.000-07:00

Cats were everywhere in the whole city running around. They were tolerated by the people though as a mild annoyance and looked pretty good for street cats! Notice the Hagia Sophia in the background.

By Sev!

Location: Hagia Sofia, Istanbul, Turkey

Please Don't Let the Cat Out...

2010-11-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

...No Matter What It Tells You! Thank you!

» More info about this sign

All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome

2010-10-31T11:00:00.001-07:00

"All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome" takes a playful look at Asperger Syndrome (AS), drawing inspiration from the feline world in a way that will strike a chord with all those who are familiar with AS.

Delightful color photographs of cats bring to life familiar characteristics such as sensitive hearing, scampering at the first sign of being stroked and particular eating habits.

Touching, humorous and insightful, this book evokes the difficulties and joys of raising a child who is different and leaves the reader with a sense of the dignity, individuality and potential of people with AS.

This engaging book is an ideal, gentle introduction to the world of AS.

Reviews:
A heart-warming and encouraging book and ideal for anybody who cares for an Asperger child.
-- National Child-minding Association, UK

An absolutely charming book!...A PERFECT way to introduce Asperger Syndrome to classmates, neighbors, friends, helpers, and the community.
-- Susan J. Moreno, M.A., MAAP Services for Autism and Asperger Syndrome

Highlights the unique qualities of individuals with Asperger's and has us 'down to a T.'
-- Wendy Lawson, author of many books on the autism spectrum

If you have just begun to discover why someone with Asperser's is different, this book will inform and entertain you.
-- Tony Attwood, author of Asperger's Syndrome and The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome

» More info about "All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome"

Unusual cats: White cat

2010-10-30T19:00:00.000-07:00

My brother's neighbours have a very unusual white cat: unusual because it is white, has a green and blue eye, is stone deaf and despite looking calm and pleasant, is a bad-tempered little bastard.

By raindog

Cats around the world: Sunset cat, Mexico

2010-10-30T03:00:00.000-07:00

Sunset cat in Mexico

By jarnocan

Location: Mexico

Weird sign: Deaf cat

2010-10-29T19:00:00.000-07:00

Weird sign I drove past somewhere in Canterbury. Needless to say after taking the pic I completely forgot about the cat and sped off. My bad.

By Ian Wilson

» See more cat signs

Baby Phat "Faded Checks" T-Shirt

2010-10-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

This Baby Phat T-shirt have a stylish cat print and combines flashy accents with soft comfort.

Made of soft cotton, it features ruching on the shoulders and cap sleeves, a distressed check print throughout the body, metallic highlights, and shimmering sequins on the kitty logo.

100% Cotton Machine Wash Cold, Inside Out Made in India

» More info about Baby Phat "Faded Checks" T-Shirt