Happy Halloween

It's Halloween and time for some Trick or Treat!  We don't like to wear costumes or collars, so we went to imikimi.com to put together some "scary" photos.  We always have fun with this website.

Brulee

Truffle

Mom Paula is a Halloween Scrooge.  She used to buy candy to give out to the neighborhood when she moved back here about 13 years ago when Sweet Praline was living with her.  To avoid Praline getting stressed with all the noise of the children and the doorbell, Mom Paula sat outside on the porch to greet everyone.  She went through 3-4 bags of candy in the first hour and had to buy more. She said she couldn't afford to do that anymore, so she either goes over to her parents to help them give out candy (not a lot of children live there anymore) or she comes home and turns out the lights and goes to the back of the house with us.  Both of us tend to get spooked with a lot of noise, so Mom Paula says she'd rather enjoy our company and we tend to get lots of treats.

Have a safe and happy Halloween.

Sunday Selfie

Remember when we talked about Brulee's tail being so long that she tended to curl it up like a little piglet?  You can see her curled tail in this photo.  If Brulee were to let her tail down straight, it would be almost twice as long.

Brulee - Sunday Selfie - October 30, 2016

You can see more Sunday Selfies by visiting The Cat on My Head.

Caturday Art

Truffle wanted to be a scary jack-o-lantern like Brulee was last week, so here she is with her red eyes.

Halloween Truffle

After using the effect from PhotoFunia, we went to PicMonkey to add the border and some orange spider webs.

You can see more Caturday Art creations by visiting Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty.

Brulee's Tail

Brulee's tail is unique in that not only is it longer than her body, but she tends to curl it like a pig's tail.  Mom Paula has never seen her carry her tail straight up like most cats, except when Brulee was a kitten.  When Brulee runs, she runs with her tail straight behind her.  When she eats, it's curled up beside her.

Brulee's tail

This photo shows the silver shading on Brulee's back.  There isn't as much silver as Truffle has, but Brulee does have the silver shading.  Just look how long the fur is on her tail.

Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to the winners of the Resco® Flea Comb.  The winners can expect an email from Mom Paula this weekend.

• Kitties Blue
• Kerri Irwin

Giveaway

Don't forget to enter our giveaway for the SureFeed® Sealed Pet Bowl.  Giveaway ends October 31.

Happiness is an Odor Free Home #CLUMPandSEAL

There's nothing better than having two beautiful and fluffy cats in your home to provide love and happiness. There's nothing worse than having odor from the litter box to spoil the peaceful harmony and add stress to your human's life and take away from the quality time she can spend with her fur children.  Mom Paula was recently surprised to hear a close friend make a comment that his cat was outside because he couldn't stand the smells of the litter box inside the house.  She tried to convince him that his cat would be safer indoors and that there were litters that could control the smells so he could spend more quality time with his cat.

Truffle and Brulee like the idea of an odor-free home so Mom Paula can spend more time with them.

ARM & HAMMER™ has a cat litter than can assist with making your home a happy place for both humans and cats and encourage humans to keep the cats indoors where it's safe and comfortable.  The ARM & HAMMER CLUMP & SEAL™ litter helps humans experience the confidence of a 7-day odor-free home with a revolutionary formula that seals and destroys odors before they escape from the litter box.  

Flat Brulee and Flat Truffle visit PetSmart for the ARM & HAMMER CLUMP & SEAL™ litter.

We sent Flat Brulee and Flat Truffle to our local PetSmart to check out this advancement in cat litter. ARM & HAMMER has developed a new litter than has MicroGuard™ technology that seals and destroys odor immediately.  Did you know that bacterial odor can continue to grow once your human scoops?  This innovative litter forms a tight seal around odor and destroys it with Moisture-active Micro-Granules (that eliminates odor) and baking soda to prevent the growth of future bacterial odor.  ARM & HAMMER is so confident in this formula that they guarantee 7-day odor-free home and will refund the purchase price if you're not completely satisfied.

Brulee and Truffle chose the LIGHTWEIGHT formula.

There are four (4) formulas of the CLUMP & SEAL litter available to choose from: 

• CLUMP & SEAL™ - seals and destroys odors
• CLUMP & SEAL™ LIGHTWEIGHT - 50% lighter and dust-free
• CLUMP & SEAL™ NATURALS - 100% dust-free with naturally-derived ingredients (wood fibers, minerals, and some artificial ingredients)
• CLUMP & SEAL™ MICROGUARD™ - seals and destroys odor immediately and prevents the growth of future bacterial odor for 7-day odor control, guaranteed.

We chose to bring home the LIGHTWEIGHT formula because it's 50% lighter than the regular litter and is 100% dust-free.  Mom Paula and we have had some upper respiratory issues lately and any reduction of dust should be better for all concerned.

Checking out at PetSmart

We encourage you to visit your local PetSmart to stock up on the ARM & HAMMER CLUMP & SEAL litter that best fits your lifestyle.  We're lucky we have three (3) PetSmart stores within 15 miles of our house.  If you don't know where your local PetSmart is located, you can find it through the store locator on the website.  Before you leave, you'll want to print the $2 off coupon from the website to save some money on the purchase price.

Our local PetSmart in Lexington, SC

To find out more about the ARM & HAMMER CLUMP & SEAL litters, visit them on Facebook, Instagram, and the website.

Wordless Wednesday

Brulee among her stuff

Strutting with Truffle

Truffle wanted to strut today to show you her beautiful Persian coat after it's been combed with the Resco® combs.  Don't forget to enter our giveaway for a chance to win a Pro-Series flea comb from Resco.

Truffle is "strutting her stuff" to show off her silver shaded coat

Fresh Food Longer with SureFeed® Sealed Pet Bowl

It's not often that a product proves Mom Paula wrong, but we recently received a product to try out that was a surprise for all of us!

Brulee sees her delicious food in the SureFeed® Sealed Pet Bowl

We were contacted to review the SureFeed® Sealed Pet Bowl from SureFlap®.  Mom Paula responded that she was willing to try it out with us, but she told the representatives that we probably wouldn't use it because we're very sensitive to movement and noise when we eat. It took Mom Paula a few years to find a bowl that Brulee would eat from because of her whisker stress and recently Truffle has been anxious when eating.  Mom Paula was convinced we wouldn't eat out of this bowl because the lid is motion-activated and she thought it would scare us away.  Wow!  Was she ever pleasantly surprised! 

We began by putting some of our favorite treats in the SureFeed® Sealed Pet Bowl

We are the type of kitties that will nibble on our food for a couple of hours and Mom Paula worries about the wet food going bad because it sits out in the open.  We can't tell you the amount of food Mom Paula has thrown away because it dried out before we could eat all of it.  The SureFeed® Sealed Pet Bowl has a motion sensor that opens when your pet gets close to it which allows us to have access to our food all the time. When we finish eating or move away, the lid closes, which seales in freshness and odors.  An added advantage, especially here in the South, is that it keeps out the bugs.  

Truffle enjoys eating from the SureFeed® Sealed Pet Bowl while Brulee tries to wait patiently.

The SureFeed Sealed Pet Bowl comes completed assembled and all you need to do is add 4 C Batteries (not included) to operate it.  There's a detailed instruction manual which includes details on the training-mode setting that helps your pet to get used to the movement of the flap.  To be totally honest with you, Mom Paula took a chance with us this time.  She put some of our delicious freeze-dried toppers directly in the bowl (after letting us smell them) and put the bowl in front of us and held her breath to see what would happen.



As you can see from the video above, the movement of the lid didn't phase us a bit.  Mom had to hold in her excitement because Truffle only paused a second when the lid opened and then she began eating.  It wasn't long before Brulee joined Truffle and both were eating from the bowl.  Mom Paula would practice closing the lid and letting it turn back on to see if it would scare us and it didn't.  The movement was very smooth and quiet.  

Graphic courtesy SureFlap®

The SureFeed® Sealed Pet Bowl is available from the SureFlap® website for $69.99 and it has a 2-year warranty and comes with a standard gray bowl.  There are optional blue, pink, and green bowls that may be purchased separately.  The bowl and lid can be removed easily for cleaning while the rest of the bowl wipes clean.  

Truffle and Brulee share their mean with the SureFeed® Sealed Pet Bowl

Mom Paula is a little perfectionist and she doesn't usually like to admit she was wrong, but the SureFeed Sealed Pet Bowl was definitely a success in our house.  As you can see in the photos and video above, the girls weren't spooked by the movement and it was large enough where both could eat from the bowl.  Ideally, we'd like to have two of them, but we're very happy with this product.

Giveaway

The wonderful people from SureFlap® has provided us a SureFeed® Sealed Pet Bowl to giveaway to one of our readers.  This giveaway is perfect for both our cat friends and those with small dogs.  No purchase necessary. Giveaway is open to residents 18+ years of the United States, except where prohibited by law. Giveaway will run from October 24-31, 2016 at 11:59pm ET. In order to enter, you MUST leave a comment on our blog.  Once you've commented, you have additional options for entries.Two winners will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter (powered by Random.org) and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize; failure to do so will result in forfeiture of the prize and a new winner will be randomly chosen. Please check your email and be sure to add sweetpurrfections@sc.rr.com to your address book.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday Selfie

Truffle chose to do a glamour shot for her Sunday Selfie today.  This reminds Mom Paula of the early Hollywood actresses who turn their back to the camera and look back over their shoulder.  This photo also purrfecly shows Truffle's lovely silver shading on her back.

Truffle presenting her silver shading back

You can see more Sunday Selfie poses by visiting The Cat on My Head.

Caturday Art

We figured since we were approaching Halloween soon that we'd visit PhotoFunia and see what type of effects we could use.  Mom Paula received the cutest photos of Brulee as a kitten sitting inside a jack-o-lantern, so she decided to use one of those photos and add some creepy effects to it.

Baby Bruee as a Halloween Kitty

Even though Brulee became an orange kitty surrounded by scary jack-o-lanterns and she has red eyes, we think she still looks adorable.

You can see more Caturday Art creations by visiting Athen Cat Goddess Wise Kitty.

Gently Getting Rid of Tangles - Resco®

Have you ever tried to comb a squirmy cat who doesn't want to be groomed?  Mom Paula has struggled with us for five years.  She now has a solution.

Brulee watches closely as Mom Paula approaches her with the Resco® Pro-Series Rotating Pin Comb

Grooming Persian cats can be a challenge because of their long and thick fur.  The silver shaded Persians tend to have a more cottony-soft fur that mats easily and really thin skin. Neither of us really like to be groomed, because, honestly, it tends to hurt!  Mom Paula has searched all over the past 5 years to find combs that are effective, yet gentle.  We shared our positive experiences with the Resco® Ergo Comb this past summer and it tends to be the favorite comb to groom both of us.  We encourage you to read our review of that comb. 

Truffle allows Mom Paula to comb her soft fur with the Resco® Pro-Series Rotating Pin Comb

Resco® Grooming and Handling Products sent us another type of comb to review:  the Pro-Series Rotating Pin Comb.  We must tell you that this comb is so gentle on our sensitive skin.  This comb allows Mom Paula to work with removing our tangles a little easier because it doesn't pull our skin as much because of the rotating pins.  We've had rotating pin combs in the past, but they just didn't work as well on us as the traditional combs.  We also became little she-devils when it was time for grooming because the teeth of the combs were sharp and they pulled the mats and hurt our skin.  The Pro-Series Rotating Pin Comb provides extra detangling help and is perfect for daily grooming.  Mom Paula finds that she needs to use the Resco Ergo Comb first because of it's long teeth that will get down into our thick fur. She then uses the Pro-Series Rotating Pin Comb to try and gently comb out our mats, which is a daily challenge.  Brulee will actually sit for several minutes, allowing Mom Paula to comb her, without hissing, scratching, and biting, which was a common occurrence prior to the new combs.  We're happy to report that the grooming sessions are getting longer and less confrontational.  We still don't like to be groomed, but we're more tolerating now.

Brulee and Truffle present the Resco® Pro-Series Combs

The Resco® Pro-Series Rotating Pin Comb has an electroplated alloy metal handle with soft comfort grips that are ergonomically easier for your humans to use.   The traditional combs would slip out of Mom Paula's hands and she would get cramps trying to grip it and hold a squirmy cat at the same time.  This combs fits so comfortably in your hand that you don't even realize it's there.  Grooming the challenging fur of two Persians has definitely been an easier task with the Resco grooming products.  We know those of you with cats with almost all types of fur would love this comb and the other grooming products.  

Graphic courtesy of Resco® Grooming and Handling Products

As you can see in the graphic from Resco Grooming and Handling Products above, the Pro-Series also offers a flea comb.  This comb has the same ergonomic design which makes it easy on your humans to use.  Mom Paula likes to use the flea comb on our face because of the smaller teeth.  This flea comb can be used on both dogs and cats.

Giveaway

The wonderful people from Resco® has provided us a Pro-Series Flea Comb to giveaway to two of our readers.  This giveaway is perfect for both our dog and cat friends.  No purchase necessary. Giveaway is open to residents 18+ years of the United States, except where prohibited by law. Giveaway will run from October 21-28, 2016 at 11:59pm ET. In order to enter, you MUST leave a comment on our blog.  Once you've commented, you have additional options for entries.Two winners will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter (powered by Random.org) and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize; failure to do so will result in forfeiture of the prize and a new winner will be randomly chosen. Please check your email and be sure to add sweetpurrfections@sc.rr.com to your address book!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

No Junk Cat Treats - #chewyinfluencer

We always look forward to the monthly products available for review as part of the Chewy Influencer program.  This gives us the opportunity to try food, treats, and toys we normally wouldn't see in local pet stores.  This also allows us to share our experiences with our readers.  This month, we received the Vital Essentials® Vital Cat Freeze-Dried freeze-dried treats for cats.

Truffle already smells the delicious rabbit treats

Vital Essential® Freeze-Dried Vital Cat Treats are made with fresh, whole, single-sourced USDA animal protein. These vital nutrients provide essential nutrition that cats instinctively crave because they are made with meat, bones, and whole vital organs.   These treats are nutrient-packed raw meat that is freeze-dried. 

Truffle and Brulee impatiently waiting for Mom Paula to open the bag of treats.

The Vital Cat freeze-dried vital treats are available in seven (7) different proteins.  The traditional proteins are available in chicken, tuna, and salmon.  One of the things that make these treats a little more unique are the alternative proteins such as rabbit, minnows, and duck liver which is great for cats with allergies to chicken and turkey.  We received a package of the rabbit and duck treats.  As you can tell from the photo above, we couldn't wait to get into the packages.

Vital Essentials is a complete and balanced raw diet that represents the ALPHA-prey model diet, which is comprised of meat, bone, and whole vital organs.  This diet, which is part of the treats, is virtually identical to the diet of an ALPHA in its natural habitat. Both Truffle and Brulee went crazy over these treats.  They were crunchy and delicious (based on their reactions to the treats) and Mom Paula felt great that they were getting a single-source protein treat provides essential nutrition that we crave.  

Brulee waits for her Vital Essentials treat

One thing to remember when feeding raw diet treats (and food), even if they are freeze-dried, is to practice safe handling techniques.  Your humans should wash their hands, utensils, counters, food dishes, and related areas thoroughly with hot, soapy water after each feeding.  The freeze-dried products should be stored in a cool and dark place.  Vital Essentials recommends that the treats should be fed within 30 days after opening the bag.

You can purchase the Vital Essentials freeze-dried treats at Chewy.com.  The treats are currently priced at $4.49.  All seven protein sources are available from Chewy.com and we can't wait to try the others.  Remember, you can purchase all of your feline's needs from Chewy.com and will receive free two-day shipping if the total purchase price is $49+.  The customer service is excellent (we rarely have to call them) and we encourage you to give them a try.

You can see more Chewy Influencer reviews for October by visiting Golden Woofs Sugar the Golden Retriever.

Wordless Wednesday

Truffle

Just the Two of Us

Can you believe Mom Paula caught both of us at just the right moment to get us looking at her with some decent light behind us?  We think you can definitely see our similarities and differences in this photo.  Can you find 5 differences between Brulee and Truffle?

Brulee and Truffle

Pee ess - Mom Paula is singing "just the two of us..." in the background.  She said she needs to change the lyrics to "just the three of us."

Giveaway

Don't forget to enter our giveaway for a bag of WeRuVa It's a Tea Potty! Cat Litter.  There will be two winners and the last day to enter is October 20, 2016.  

Truffle Again?!?

Mom Paula usually tries to alternate photos of us during the week, but sometimes the light is just right and the expression is so amazing, that one of us gets a few more photos than the other.  Truffle was featured in Sunday Selfie yesterday, but as Mom Paula was resting on a lazy Sunday afternoon, she was able to capture this photo of Truffle looking out the window after she'd just washed her paw. Luckily, she had her iPhone right beside her and since the light was just right, the photo turned out great!

Truffle - October 2016

Sunday Selfie

It looks like Truffle has grown her own pair of fur horns this winter.  Mom Paula says she loves waking up to this little devil.  MOL.

Truffle

You can see more Sunday Selfies at  The Cat on My Head.

Caturday Art

Remember when you were little and would lie down on the soft grass and look into the clouds to see what objects you could see?  We think you'd like to see the two of us when you look into the sky.

Truffle and Brulee in the clouds

We used PicMonkey today to change a colored photo that wasn't quite in focus and converted it to black and white.  We then used the sketch effect to give it some dimension and added the clouds.

You can see more photo art creations by visiting Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty.

Aunt Vicky's Bed

We told you that Aunt Vicky came to stay with us for a week while Hurricane Matthew attacked the coast of South Carolina.  Aunt Vicky is allergic to us and takes allergy medication when she visits, but she loves being near us because we're so sweet.  To help with her allergies, she takes the quilt off the bed and closes the door to the bedroom while she's here.  Both Truffle and Brulee sit outside the bedroom door, trying to sneak in when Vicky comes out.

Truffle and Brulee on Aunt Vicky's bed

Vicky went back to Lady's Island yesterday and when I came home, I couldn't find the girls.  They didn't meet me at the door as usual nor were they in the cat trees or on my bed.  I turned on the light in the guest bedroom and look where both Truffle and Brulee were resting.  They both turned their heads away from me because I turned on the light, but I had to get this photo.  Look how close they were to each other while on Vicky's bed.  The girls really do like Vicky, but Truffle has developed a strong connection with her and follows her all around the house when she's here.

Truffle Joins the Tea Potty with Weruva

One of the hardest things to find as a cat parent is a cat litter that your cat(s) will use, has odor control, and is effective.  We started off with one litter as kittens and stayed on it for a couple of years until the company changed the formula.  All of a sudden, there was little to no odor control and the clumps would fall apart when Mom Paula would try to scoop.  We've gone through several litters since then, which has been a challenge.

Truffle and WeRuVa It's a Tea Potty! Natural Cat Litter

Last Winter, we received a bag of WeRuVa® It's a Tea Potty! Cat Litter to review.  We'd just experienced a disaster with Truffle not liking a change in the litter once Mom Paula stopped mixing it with the previous litter, so we were a little hesitant about trying a new litter.  Mom Paula put the litter in a separate litter box and gave us all the time we needed to see if we'd use it. It took about 6 weeks for Brulee to start using it and we were able to post a positive review in March 2016.  Mom Paula loved the litter because it was extremely light-weight, controlled odors, and maintained the pleasant smell the entire month Brulee used the litter. Brulee slowly began using this litter as her preference.  We couldn't say the same about Truffle at the time.

Truffle using the WeRuVa® It's a Tea Potty! Cat Litter

All of this changed sometime this past summer.  Before Mom Paula knew it, Truffle was using the litter box with the WeRuVa It's A Tea Potty! Cat Litter.  Mom Paula was very pleased because now both of us were using a natural litter with incredible odor control that is free of chemicals and perfumes.  This litter is made from Hinoki Wood and Green Tea, which is unusual for cat litter.  The Hinoki Wood (Japanese Cypress) has been used in Japan for construction of temples, shrines, and hot tubs due to its resistance to humidity. This resistance to humidity naturally suppresses the growth of mold and bacteria, which helps with odor control.    The green tea contains catechins, which are compounds with antioxidant properties which help to suppress the growth of bacteria and odor.  Plus, it smells great!   The litter is earth friendly and flushable and compostable (outside California). The WeRuVa It's a Tea Potty! Cat litter is sustainable because of the use of salvaged by-products from other industries such and piano and construction industries. WeRuVa plants a new tree for every tree that is used in the making of their cat litter.

Graphic courtesy WeRuVa®

Mom Paula continues to be amazed because she cannot detect odors from the litter box with the WeRuVa Cat Litter. The litter is refreshing, but not overpowering.  The litter is a different texture from traditional litter and you may need to get a scoop with a larger openings to sift effectively.  You'll also need to put a large litter mat outside of the litter box if you have a cat with longer fur because this litter tends to cling a little and will track outside the box.  This isn't a problem because it's easy to vacuum.  We're happy to report that everyone in the house is pleased with WeRuVa It's A Tea Potty! Cat Litter now.  Mom Paula still keeps different litters in other boxes to allow us our preference for whatever mood we're in, but we're using the WeRuVa more and more.  

Truffle exiting the litter box filled with WeRuVa® It's a Tea Potty Cat Litter

You can order the WeRuVa® It's a Tea Potty! Cat Litter from different online pet supply stores or find a store locally by using the Local Store Locator on the WeRuVa website.  We were please to find seven different locations within 20 miles from our house where the WeRuVa cat litter could be found.  We hope that more pet supply stores locally will begin carrying this litter in the future.

Giveaway

The wonderful people from WeRuVa are allowing us to host a giveaway where two of our lucky readers will win a 6.7 lb bag of WeRuva® It's a Tea Potty! Cat Litter.  No purchase is necessary. The giveaway is open to residents of the United States, except where prohibited by law. Giveaway will run from October 13-20, 2016 at 11:59pm ET. Two winners will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter (powered by Random.org) and notified via email. The winners will have 48 hours to claim their prize; failure to do so will result in forfeiture of the prize and a new winner will be randomly chosen. Please check your email and be sure to add sweetpurrfections@sc.rr.com to your address book! 

Special note:  You must leave a comment in order to qualify and move to other entries.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wordless Wednesday

Cooler Nights

It's still in the 70s and low 80s this week, but it's getting down to the 40s and 50s at night.  It's time to snuggle up next to Mom Paula in the bed.

Truffle and Brulee snuggling next to Mom Paula

Beauty Consultants

Now that the hurricane has left and the weather has calmed down and we're more relaxed, we're helping Aunt Vicky get ready in the morning.  We thought she could use some assistance when she's putting on her face in the mornings.  After all, we Southern lady cats know the importance of looking your best at all times.

Truffle and Brulee helping out in the guest bathroom