Goodbye Grandma Faye

Grandma Faye
graphic: courtesy Ann Adamus

 Mom Paula lost her mother to Alzheimer's on Saturday morning, December 18. 

Sleepypod® Mobile Pet Bed

One of the first items needed when a new cat is brought home is a carrier. There are many styles, sizes, shapes, and materials available, so which one is the best for your cat? It's important to have a carrier that you can safely transport your cat inside your vehicle and one that your cat is comfortable in.

Catit® Vesper® Double Cat Tree

Cats need places in their environment where they can hide, climb high, and scratch. Imagine if you could find a piece of cat furniture that provides the materials to meet all of your cat's needs.

Catit® Divine Shreds™ Premium Cat Food Topper/Mixer

Cats need hydration on a daily basis! They aren't known for drinking enough water, so supplementation with wet food helps provide the hydration cats need. Many people say their cats will only eat kibble, which doesn't provide the hydration cats need on a daily basis. Some wet food, especially pate, can be a little drier and some people tend to add water to it. One way to provide additional hydration to your cat's food and/or encourage her to eat is to give her a supplement that provides flavor, texture, and moisture to your cat's diet.

Carry Your Cats with You with a Phone Case from Paint My Pooch

I love personalized items, especially those with photos of my cats. I have notepads, mouse pads, pens, cups, etc. with photos of Truffle and Brulee. I've purchased phone cases in the past, but I never liked them because of the lack of quality.

Blog For Peace

Each year, Mimi Lennox sponsors Blog For Peace, which is an opportunity for bloggers to focus on peace in the world. She provides templates of Blog For Peace and bloggers are allowed to use them and add their own quotes, photos, and/or designs.

Sweet Purrfections Peace Graphic from 2020

5 Tips For Keeping Your Cat Safe on Halloween

Children and adults alike love the excitement of Halloween! The magic of dressing up in favorite characters and visiting neighbors with doorbell rings and exclamations of "Trick or Treat" can be fun for all. However, cats don't react well to changes in their environment, especially different sights, smells, and sounds. Cats may become frightened and/or stressed. While planning for this fun occasion for the humans in your home, it's important to make arrangements for your cats to help them feel calm, safe, and secure.

Top 10 Toxic Plants to Cats

Flowers and plants are beautiful and bring color to your home. However, there are some common plants that are very toxic to your cats and can cause illness or death. The Pet Poison Helpline (2021) states that every day they receive dozens of phone calls from cat owners saying "My cat ate a lily!" There are thousands of species of plants and flowers, but only a small percentage of plants are truly dangerous and poisonous to your cat.

Sleepypod Martingale Cat Harness and Slim Leash

Today is the World's Largest Pet Walk sponsored by Pet Partners. This event is for everyone who wants to enjoy the health benefits of being active with pets, while also supporting Pet Partners! People may assume this day is for people who walk their dogs, but more and more people are taking their cats outdoors on leashes to experience the fresh air and to get exercise. In fact, cats who experience the great outdoors with their humans are known as "Adventure Cats." In addition to enjoying the outdoors, people travel with their pets on planes and in cars. For all of these occasions, it's important to consider training your cat to wear a halter in cases of emergencies to help to keep them from escaping. There are many different styles of harnesses that are used for cats and the challenge is to find one that is comfortable and safe for your cats.

Catit® Gold Fern™ Air-Dried Food

Cats are obligate carnivores, which means they need to eat meat! A common understanding is that dry kibble isn't the best source of protein for cats and most people will supplement with wet food or raw feeding. Wet Food/Raw Feeding can be expensive and difficult to leave out for the "nibblers" in the home. We were excited to find a "dry" food that is made with protein as the major source and is air-dried.

Tips for Choosing a Veterinarian for Your Cat

We recently celebrated Take Your Cat to the Vet Day on August 22. We've share many times the importance of taking your cat veterinarian for wellness checkups. Some people will take their cat to the veterinarian who previously examined your cat from the location where your kitten/cat was purchased or adopted from. What if that veterinarian isn't available or too far away? What do you do to help find a veterinarian who both you and your cats are comfortable with?

Peek-a-Bird Electronic Cat Toy

Cats need stimulation and enrichment in their environment to stay healthy and happy. Ideally, one should play with their cat on a daily basis with interactive play, such using a wand toy. However, having a cat toy that allows your cat to hunt and capture that is automatic can assist with keeping your cat entertained and you from getting tired.

Sleepypod Go Bag

You must leave your house in a hurry because of an emergency and you find yourself scrambling to grab the essentials for yourself and your pet. You are traveling with your pet on vacation and need to pack supplies for the trip. Your pet needs to stay at the veterinarian for a couple of days and he asks you to bring food, treats, medication, and toys. Each of these scenarios required providing and packing supplies for your pet. 

Catit® Dinners - Fine Dining for the Finickiest of Cats

Cats are obligate carnivores which means they need to eat meat! They are also know as finicky eaters. They may eat one brand/flavor one day and turn up their noses the next day. I learned a hard lesson with my previous Persian Cat about feeding a variety of food. The company changed the recipe and she was so finicky that she didn't want to eat anything but her treats. There is also the issues of cats eating when they are sick, especially with an Upper Respiratory Infection because they can't smell their food, so they don't eat, but they MUST eat!

10 Years Together

 Can you believe it! We've been blogging for 10 years!!! 

The three of us - Then and Now!

On July 12, 2011 at 3:52 pm ET, Mom Paula announced a new blog and the addition of future kittens. 

PetSafe® Seaside Stainless Pet Fountain

It's summertime and it's time to remind people of the importance of keeping their cats hydrated. PetSafe has designated July as Pet Hydration Month. 80% of a cat's body is made up of water compared to 55-60% in a human. Cats need to drink one ounce of water per body weight each day. Getting proper hydration can help prevent urinary tract infections and urinary disease, aid with energy levels and temperature regulation, and speed recovery time from illness or surgery.

Calm in the Eye of the Storm (or Fireworks)

It's that time of the year again, especially in the South where we live. We tend to have daily thunderstorms during the summer afternoon and evenings and it's legal to shoot off fireworks in neighborhoods. Many cats (and dogs) don't react well to the loud noises and seek out hiding places or experience anxiety attacks. We're providing some tips to help your cats survive during this time of the year.

Celebrating 10 Years This Month

This month will be 10 years we've been blogging with Sweet Purrfections. Our Blogoversary date is July 12. As part of our celebration this month, we will be hosting giveaways for our readers. 

CozyUp™ Steps & Ramp Combo

We love having our pets near us in our homes, whether beside us on the couch or in the bed. However, as our pets get older, they tend to have more difficulty jumping up and down. In fact, we shouldn't allow our pets to jump so much as they get older to avoid any fractures. There are many products on the market to help dogs and cats get up to a couch or bed, but there is a new product available to offers both a ramp and steps in one.

We've been a fan of PetSafe and its products for a long time and love receiving new products to review and share with our readers. 

Veterinary Appreciation Day™

In 2015, Trupanion Pet Insurance, created Veterinary Appreciation Day™ to celebrate the role veterinary professionals play in the care of our pets. Trupanion is asking pet owners from around the world to take a moment and recognize the veterinary professional who are there, day and night, to take care of our pets.

Dr. Boyette and Brulee

Feline Upper Respiratory Infection

Sneezing, congestion, nausea, runny eyes...Sound familiar? It should, it's usually the sign of a cold or respiratory infection in humans. Did you know your cats can also have an upper respiratory infection?

Brulee on her way to the veterinarian

A Feline Upper Respiratory Infection (URI) is a common illness in cats. It similar to a common cold, but can be more serious because it's caused by different viruses or bacteria and targets the upper airway (nose, throat, sinuses) rather than the lungs (Nazario, 2020).

Hug Your Cat Day

Today is International Hug Your Cat Day. I love hugging Truffle and Brulee (when they will let me) because they are so soft and many times they will begin purring and it's so calming.

Mom Paula hugging Brulee and Truffle as kittens (2011)

Happy 10th Birthday Truffle

Happy Birthday Truffle. Photos surrounding 10-year old Truffle are the first 10 weeks of her life.

A Day in the Life of Two Pampered Persian Cats

Can you believe we've been blogging almost 10 years? Truffle will celebrate her 10th birthday next week and Brulee will be 10 years old in August! Where has all the time gone? We've posted almost 2800 posts during this time and we thought we share what a typical day in our life looks like.

Is My Cat Stressed?

We've seen the research on how stress in humans can effect their physical, mental, and emotional health. There is much research on recognizing stress and providing strategies for relieving stress. Did you know your cats could also experience stress that may effect their health?

Petlibro Automatic Pet Feeder

Keeping your pets on a regular feeding schedule is important, but sometimes, it's difficult to provide those small meals throughout the day, especially when you are working long hours or need to be out of town for a day. One solution may be an automatic pet feeder.

We're Back

 We're Back!!!!

We haven't been around for over a month and have good reasons! Mom Paula has been sick and there has been other family issues that needed to be taken care of, so we took a break.

Sleepypod Air Carrier

More and more people are traveling and going on vacations with their pets. One might be surprised at the number of people who are now taking their cats on trips. There has always been the traditional carriers for cat, but these carriers weren't necessarily conducive for airline travel, safety in the car, or comfort for your feline. When you are traveling, you need to determine the needs and requirements of airline rules for pet travel and the comfort and convenience for your cat and you.

Brulee inside the First Blush Sleepypod Air Carrier

Sleepypod® has a unique carrier specifically designed for airline travel that is also comfortable for your cat and easy to use. The Sleepypod Air is a revolutionary carrier that redefines in-cabin pet travel with it's innovative design that enables cabin air travel and safer car travel. The sides of the Sleepypod Air contract in size to accommodate various airline size restrictions while adhering to Sleepypod's high car safety standards.

Cats and Cancer

The dreaded Big C! One hates to hear of a loved one getting a diagnosis of cancer, but it can be even more heartbreaking when one of our cats receives the diagnosis. Cats are masters at hiding illnesses, so cancer can be harder to detect which may lead to later diagnoses and more difficult and costly treatments. Did you know that cancer afflicts an estimated 2% of the 80 million (2021) or more housecats now living in the United States? 

Lil Paws - 5-in-1 Premium Pet Carrier (with giveaway)

There will always be a need to transport your cat, whether it's to carry it to the veterinarian or to travel on road trips. There are so many different types of carriers: hard-sided, soft-sided, backpack, travel bed, and others. The type of carrier you use when traveling with your cat depends on how you are traveling, your needs, and your cat's comfort. 

Lil-Paws reached out to us about reviewing their 5-in-1 Premium Cat Carrier. I was happy to receive this product because we believe in sharing items to our readers that may help make their daily lives with their cats a little better.

Pet Bloggers Journey 2021

We've been blogging for almost 10 years as Sweet Purrfections. We've changed a lot over the last decade with our focus and branding. We've found it's important to look back on the previous year to see what we've accomplished and to make future plans for the blog. We're participating in the Pet Bloggers Journey, sponsors by Puppy in Training this year. Join us as we take a look down memory lane from 2020.

Participation in the Pet Bloggers Journey requires us to answer the following 10 questions. We've included links to posts in our blog where you can get more information.

Dr. Elsey's® - The Litter Cats (and Humans) Love™

Did you know that inappropriate elimination is the number one behavioral reason cats are abused and surrendered to shelters? There are numerous reasons for inappropriate elimination. The first step is to have your cat examined by a veterinarian to rule out any medical reasons. If there are no health conditions causing inappropriate elimination, you should consider the brand of cat litter you are using.