Tuesday Brucy-news!

I feel like I haven’t been giving you enough of Brucy-news so here a few stunning photos of my fur ball! She is doing great and haven’t been coughing recently as the pollution is currently lower in Paris. She continues to be naughty, trying to bite into my feet every time I stand up, but I am used to her silliness.

We are looking for cat toy ideas! It feels like she has everything – balls, mice, tunnels, cat senses, claw sharpeners and yet she doesn’t play that much with those. Any suggestions for great toys would be appreciated!

 

Brucy at the Oscars! #selfie

Brucy and I loooove the Oscars and Ellen, so we couldn’t miss this selfie chance!

Despite the joy of watching the Oscars – Brucy had quite a difficult weekend! Saturday morning she woke everyone up early because she was meowing really loudly and then started being sick. I immediately suspected that she ate something toxic but as she eats everything she finds in the house – it was difficult to say what exactly provoked the reaction! I hid all the plants, and after a while she started feeling better.

Sunday morning the mystery was solved! I saw her eat the flower bulb of a daffodil and then a few minutes later she started being sick again! I realized that daffodils are extremely poisonous for cats and his them away. . Poor thing – I wish I knew before!

So beware of daffodils and double check your plants are not toxic for cats before buying them!

Cutting cat’s nails – mission impossible?

I was looking towards last weekend for a very long time. And no, it has nothing to do with sport events – it was Brucy’s yearly vaccine day!

And what’s so exciting about this vet’s visit, you may ask?

I love taking Brucy to the vet because the vet cuts her claws. Let me explain – Brucy is a lovely, adorable cat, but despite the numerous scratching posts that fill up our apartment, she has scalpel-like claws. Cutting them, I am afraid to admit, is mission impossible. Even when three people try holding her, the moment I take out the scissors, Brucy turns into a screaming and biting wild animal that doesn’t calm down until she gets away.

So this Saturday, I took Brucy to the vet, looking forward to the manicure. Small note: last time Brucy went to a vet (a different one), she bit the vet’s finger and the vet started bleeding, so we had to stop. This time, following my warning, the vet and her assistant prepared for the cutting. But the second Brucy saw the scissors – she bit into the vet’s hand and it became clear that the manicure will not happen.

The vet said that maybe once Brucy got hurt when we were cutting her claws and that is why now she hates it..

Do you manage to cut your cats claws?? If so, share your secret!!

Time to go on a diet??

In my opinion, Brucy started to get a bit chubby recently. Yes, I know it’s winter and we all stock up fat because its cold, and yes, I know that since she is getting older (and lazier), she runs around less so gaining weight is normal, but still!

So now Brucy is 2 years old and she weights 3.6kg or 8 pounds. What makes it difficult t know whether your cat is right weight is the fact that the ideal weight of the cat varies according its type:

For example a domestic cat should weights between 8-10 lbs when a Persian weighting 12 lbs, is considered fit as well. This useful website has a few tricks that allow you to check whether you cat is is overweight or not:

1. Can you feel your cat’s ribs? You should be able to feel each rib distinctly with just a little fat covering beneath the skin.If you cannot feel his ribs at all, your cat is obese.
2. When you look at your cat from above, can you see his waist? A cat’s waistline should go inwards. If your cat does not have a distinct waist or if it protrudes outwards, it is likely that your cat is overweight.
3. Check the bony areas of your cat’s body. You should be able to feel the bones of the spine, shoulders, hips and base of the tail. There will be a slight fat covering, but the bones should feel prominent.
4. When you view your cat from the side, does it have an abdominal tuck? Is the diameter of the cat’s waist smaller than its ribcage? If so, your cat is within a healthy weight range. If the waist is the same size or larger than the ribcage, your cat is likely to be carrying extra weight.

I can still feel Brucy’s bones and ribs, but only just.. Maybe we’ll introduce some extra running games, because I don’t think cutting food will work with her!

Check out this great infographic with some fun facts about cat weight!

 

We tested: the Paris Cat Café

So, one month of a waiting list and 30 minutes of queuing later we finally managed to get into the famous “Café des Chats” – new Parisian café that is home to 12 cats.

Launched a few months ago, the Café des Chats provoked an incredible online buzz with articles not online in the French but also in the English press including the BBC. What made it so special? Well, obviously the cats. The concept is based on a Japanese believe that cuddling a cat helps a person relax and distress. This café is now home to 12 cats of different ages, all taken from a shelter. Furthermore, part of the profit goes back to the cat-shelter. I heard a lot about it, and finally managed to test it this week!!

Our first impression was the wait. Despite the one month reservation in advance, we had to wait half an hour to get in. When finally, there was a table ready, the hostess made sure everyone disinfected their hands before entering and introduced the basic rules: no feeding of the cats, no forcing them, and if a cat is sleeping, let her sleep!

When we finally got inside, we realised that the café is relatively small, with just 6 tables and a big cat tree in the corner. Most of the cats were sleeping and thus we couldn’t touch them. When one kitten finally woke up and decided to walk around, around 6 people jumped on him to take photos and try to caress him. This obviously scared the poor thing and he ran away to hide.

So what did we like? It’s a nice idea to adopt homeless cats and give them a nice home.

What we didn’t like is the fact that the cats don’t look comfortable and not very happy..

So our overall conclusion – it was pretty disappointing experience!

 

Baking cat-shaped cookies!

Whilst shopping this weekend, I came across a set of gorgeous cat shaped cookie cutters at Muji. As I love baking and I love cats – I knew that I had to have them!

Sunday morning my kitchen turned into a cookie factory, with trays of cookies going in and out of the oven, spreading a delicious freshly-baked-cookie smell throughout the house.

The cookies turned out to be amazing and if you are looking for a recipe, here it is:

For 20+ cat-shaped, spicy cookies you will need:

-350 g. of flour

– 250 g. of brown sugar

– 250 g. of unsalted butter (room temperature)

– 1 egg

– 1 tsp. of “four spice mix” (mix of pepper, cloves, nutmeg and ginger)

– 1 tsp. of cinnamon (put 2 tsps if you don’t have the “four spice mix”)

– ½ tsp. of baking powder

– ½ tsp. of salt

1. With a hand or mechanic mixer, beat the butter and the sugar until smooth. Add the egg and beat until the mixture until it is well combined. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, spices, baking powder and salt. Start adding the flour mixture to the butter and sugar, and beat at medium speed until combined.
2. Form the dough into a ball and leave it in the fridge overnight.
3. The next day, take out the dough and separate it into 2 equal parts. Roll out each part separately between two sheets of baking paper. Due to high amount of butter in the dough, it will be very sticky, which is why, you need to roll it out using baking paper. Leave the rolled out dough in the freezer for 20 mins.
4. While the dough is chilling, pre-heat your oven to 180°C.
5. Once the dough has hardened, dip the cookie cutters into flour and cut out the shapes. Place the shapes onto a new sheet of baking paper and leave the shapes in the fridge for another 10 mins to harder (this will help the cookies keep their shape when baked).
6. Once your cookies have cooled, bake them for 10 mins., just once the ends start turning brown. Make sure you watch the cookies when they are in the oven as they can burn quickly if left too long!

Mouse trap!

Last week was a very exciting time for me at work as we moved into a new office. Although the new office is stunning in its design, we soon discovered that we have a small furry neighbour. Yes, you are right – we discovered a cute little mouse! She, and I called her Ratatouille, bravely kept coming out of different floor holes and eating cookies in the kitchen!

As my work colleagues are well familiar with Brucy via our blog, they all suggested bringing Brucy to chase Ratatouille. But I found it unbelievably cruel! I think it is a bit cruel to chase the poor mouse or leave mouse traps.. What do you think? Do your cats chase the mice away?

How cats see the world

One of my work collegues, who is a huge fan of Spynx cats, sent me a link to this amazing article : What do cats see?

The article is packed with fascinating facts about cats’ vision, for ex. that cats have a visual field of 200° degress (compared to 180° of humans’). Cats also see everything in a bit of a blurry way, because of the short peripheral vision, and see better in the areas with lower light.

Great article- a must read!

 

How to pick the right pet carrier for your cat!

A few weeks ago, I decided to get a new cat transport bag for Brucy. When I first got Brucy, I bought a basic, plastic cat carrier – you know, one of those uncomfortable, heavy but really robust bags?

But the lack of a shoulder strap made it really difficult to transport Brucy. She also managed to open the carrier by getting her paw through the entrance hole..

So one of the first things you should do when picking a carrier bag is to ask yourself what you will be using it for. If you need a bag to just take your cat sometimes to the vet and on short trips – look for a light bag with a shoulder strap. There are some very fashionable options available out there in pet shops, for all price ranges.

Make sure you pick a bag that is the right size for your cat – normally there is a weight guide on each bag type, but remember that your cat should have enough place to turn in the cage but not too much, as they don’t feel secure when there is too much place.

You should be more careful when picking a carrier if you travel a lot with your cat. Look for a more robust carrier with a removable, machine-washable, inner padding (so your cat is comfortable during long travels and the padding can be taken out to be washed in case of a toilet accident).

If you plan to transport your cat by plane, you must take into account plane cabin requirements (some airlines have bag size restrictions) and look for a bag with a short lead, as you are required to take your cat out when passing the security.

Things to take into account when picking a cat carrier:

–          Weight: find a right balance between a heavy, robust bag and a softer, lighter bag – it all depends on how often and where you plan to use it

–          Comfort: the bag should be comfortable for both your cat and yourself. Make sure there is a nice soft padding (or add a small blanket), no strange smells, a shoulder strap and a handle to help you carry it.

–          Security: avoid bags with a plastic “switch” lock, those can be easily opened! Look for bags with a zipper and from a strong material.

–          Price: a good bag costs around $80-$100; don’t try saving money on the safety of your kitten!

Following all those tips I picked the bag above for Brucy! Lovely balance between fashionable design, security and lightness! Brucy loves it!! What cat bag do you have?

Cat-lady’s kitchen shopping

One of the online stores I absolutely love is Modcloth. I love it for its retro, vintage style and originality. I recently discovered that they also do home ware objects and some of them are cat inspired! What do you think of this selection? I think it is a kitchen must-have!

Fridge magnets for $10.99

Adorable measuring cups for $34.99

Kitchen towel for $14.99

Cat mug for $19.99