We bought our cats one of those Drinkwell Pet Fountains a couple of weeks ago just because it looked like a good idea to us... but with no real expectation that our persnickety pack of neurotic felines would view it as anything other than yet another pathetic attempt by the servants (that would be my wife and I) to curry their favor. Their old water bowl worked just fine...they always knew where it was, it always had fresh water in it...why change a system that works is the way they see it.
We unpacked the thing...really a simple device, just a plastic bowl with a water reservoir and a small aquarium-type pump built-in to circulate the water...filled it up, plugged it in and prepared to wait 'em out! Lucy (the youngest) was the first to investigate what we were doing at the feeding/watering spot and drawn, I'm sure, by the sound of running water, almost immediately began to check out this "new thing" in the kitchen. You could have knocked us over with a feather! Before we could say "Bob's your uncle", she leaned over, stuck out her tongue and began to drink like it was nothing new to her!
Minutes later, (they're all nosey) Bella, our timid Calico, arrived to see what was going on... followed by Clyde (all 20 lbs of him) who waddled over as well. Soon all three were drinking from this new "thing" as if they had been dying of thirst (not true) all day! Even Shorty, our miniature pinscher, who's never quite sure whether he's a dog or a hyper-active cat with a glandular condition and who willingly drinks from the toilet (the cats would never do that), likes to drink from the new "thing".
We knew then the drinking fountain was a hit! They do seem to drink more and I'm sure the constantly filtered water is better for them. I found a new supplier who has a better price on them...they used to be $54.95 ($44.99 on Amazon)...I've got them on the website now at $39.99. Spare filters are 3 for $6.50 and you can get a larger add-on reservoir if you'd like to. We didn't get the extra reservoir though...we found it's just as easy to get a glass of water from the tap and pour it in the bowl when needed.
I can honestly say I'm glad we got the "thing" and our cats are too!
Stay well...
Tom Naff
http://www.naffs-kingdom-cat-shop.com/index.html
Monday, September 14, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Pearly Naff
We inherited Pearly from my mother when she passed away in 1992. Pearly was about two years old then...Mother had taken her in as a kitten, a stray. We figure Pearly's mom was a Siamese and her father was a "travelin' man"...or some combination thereof. She was named for the color of her coat.
When she was less than a year old, she was injured when some roofing shingles were dropped on her by workers repairing Mother's roof. Her hip was broken and she couldn't move. The vet suggested putting her down, but Mother refused and, instead, took Pearly into her own bed and slowly nursed her back to health. I say this to indicate that Pearly was never a "normal" cat...she didn't have a "normal" kittenhood...didn't know too much about how to play or be very "cuddly"...never was what you could call "sociable". Pearly would bite you if you displeased her!
When my wife and I stopped by the vets office to pick up Pearly's records on our way home with her (howling loudly in her carrier), the first thing we noticed in her folder was the the vet's description of our new charge as "Fractious"...and, yes, it was capitalized and underlined several times!
Over the next 15 years or so, Pearly condesended to accept us as her new caretakers, allowed us to join her in our bed each night and made our home hers. She never changed very much...that was left for us to accomplish. And changed we were, in our hearts, in our habits, in ways both subtle and profound. This imperious, queenly, funny, needy, fractious, and, underlying it all, frightened creature blessed our lives and our home in more ways than I could possibly enumerate were I to write a thousand blogs!
We lost our "Pearl beyond price" in June of 2007 to CRF (chronic renal failure). She was 17. The disease was too far along by the time we realized there was a problem and the treatment options were too few and much too draconian to subject her to. With the help of our wonderful veternarian, we made her as comfortable as possible and she passed away in her own home, in her favorite spot, in her favorite chair. Linda and I were touching her when she breathed her last. Her remains rest in the shade of large old elm tree in our back yard.
I write this blog, not to eulogize our beloved Pearly, but to share what my wife and I learned about dealing with the grief that follows such a loss. Oh...it hurts! Make no mistake about that...it's gonna hurt...bad! We cried...and cried some more. We were depressed. We missed her (we still miss her). Days went by...weeks...months. We adopted a rescue cat, a four-year-old Calico (Bella). We took in a neighborhood stray (Clyde). We are glad to have these additions to our home...but, still...we grieved! Then...just under a year after Pearly...our 20-year-old male, Booger, died. Booger had been with us for nearly 15 years and we loved him dearly. We knew we were in for a really rough time.
Here's the lesson we learned: Adopt a kitten! A kitten! As young as possible...as soon as it's weaned. That's what we did (Lucy) and, I've got to tell you, it worked wonders for us. Oh, for sure, we still grieve for Pearly and Booger, feel their loss and miss them terribly....but, and here's the pay-off, the kitten kept us so entertained with it's antics and engrossed in it's care, that the pain of our grief was eased! What a wonderful creature God created to bless our lives with when He gave us Cats!
So...what do you do if faced with a similar situation? Take my advice...you're a Cat Person...get a Cat!
Tom Naff
www.naffs-kingdom-cat-shop.com
When she was less than a year old, she was injured when some roofing shingles were dropped on her by workers repairing Mother's roof. Her hip was broken and she couldn't move. The vet suggested putting her down, but Mother refused and, instead, took Pearly into her own bed and slowly nursed her back to health. I say this to indicate that Pearly was never a "normal" cat...she didn't have a "normal" kittenhood...didn't know too much about how to play or be very "cuddly"...never was what you could call "sociable". Pearly would bite you if you displeased her!
When my wife and I stopped by the vets office to pick up Pearly's records on our way home with her (howling loudly in her carrier), the first thing we noticed in her folder was the the vet's description of our new charge as "Fractious"...and, yes, it was capitalized and underlined several times!
Over the next 15 years or so, Pearly condesended to accept us as her new caretakers, allowed us to join her in our bed each night and made our home hers. She never changed very much...that was left for us to accomplish. And changed we were, in our hearts, in our habits, in ways both subtle and profound. This imperious, queenly, funny, needy, fractious, and, underlying it all, frightened creature blessed our lives and our home in more ways than I could possibly enumerate were I to write a thousand blogs!
We lost our "Pearl beyond price" in June of 2007 to CRF (chronic renal failure). She was 17. The disease was too far along by the time we realized there was a problem and the treatment options were too few and much too draconian to subject her to. With the help of our wonderful veternarian, we made her as comfortable as possible and she passed away in her own home, in her favorite spot, in her favorite chair. Linda and I were touching her when she breathed her last. Her remains rest in the shade of large old elm tree in our back yard.
I write this blog, not to eulogize our beloved Pearly, but to share what my wife and I learned about dealing with the grief that follows such a loss. Oh...it hurts! Make no mistake about that...it's gonna hurt...bad! We cried...and cried some more. We were depressed. We missed her (we still miss her). Days went by...weeks...months. We adopted a rescue cat, a four-year-old Calico (Bella). We took in a neighborhood stray (Clyde). We are glad to have these additions to our home...but, still...we grieved! Then...just under a year after Pearly...our 20-year-old male, Booger, died. Booger had been with us for nearly 15 years and we loved him dearly. We knew we were in for a really rough time.
Here's the lesson we learned: Adopt a kitten! A kitten! As young as possible...as soon as it's weaned. That's what we did (Lucy) and, I've got to tell you, it worked wonders for us. Oh, for sure, we still grieve for Pearly and Booger, feel their loss and miss them terribly....but, and here's the pay-off, the kitten kept us so entertained with it's antics and engrossed in it's care, that the pain of our grief was eased! What a wonderful creature God created to bless our lives with when He gave us Cats!
So...what do you do if faced with a similar situation? Take my advice...you're a Cat Person...get a Cat!
Tom Naff
www.naffs-kingdom-cat-shop.com
Friday, August 7, 2009
Hello Cat People
When my wife and I were considering an E-Commerce venture to help fund our retirement, we were advised to pick out something we had a real passion for. Since we couldn't figure out a way to market our passion for each other... (aren't there laws about that?)... or for our children and grandchildren... (I think they're covered, too)...we decided to focus on our passion for our cats!
We'll be discussing these crazy, wonderful, frustrating, aloof, mysterious, funny and completely precious beings...these "Angels in Kitty-Cat Clothes" who bless our lives in so many ways in future posts.
We'll tell you all about our cats and hope you'll tell us about yours. Got pictures? We love pictures...post 'em by the dozens!
We've been "Cat-people" for lots of years...so, if you've got a question...it's entirely possible that we've "been there-done that". Just let us know and we'll do our best to give you the right answers.
Gotta run...Lucy's scratching at the back door..wanting in....time for her afternoon nap!
See ya later.
Tom Naff
www.Naffs-Kingdom-Cat-Shop.com
We'll be discussing these crazy, wonderful, frustrating, aloof, mysterious, funny and completely precious beings...these "Angels in Kitty-Cat Clothes" who bless our lives in so many ways in future posts.
We'll tell you all about our cats and hope you'll tell us about yours. Got pictures? We love pictures...post 'em by the dozens!
We've been "Cat-people" for lots of years...so, if you've got a question...it's entirely possible that we've "been there-done that". Just let us know and we'll do our best to give you the right answers.
Gotta run...Lucy's scratching at the back door..wanting in....time for her afternoon nap!
See ya later.
Tom Naff
www.Naffs-Kingdom-Cat-Shop.com
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