Monthly Archives: January 2015

Review, Uncategorized

Polydactyl Cats Asian Sauce Packet Cat Toy Set #Giveaway

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Polydactyl toys IMG_2855 copyright
The Polydactyl Cats Asian Sauce Packet Cat Toy set come with four sauces (inside the condiments packet), but you have to supply the tea cup and chopsticks.

 

FTC disclaimer: Neither the Rainbolt Test Kitties nor Dusty Rainbolt received any compensation for this review, however the manufacturer comped test samples of the Polydactyl Cats Asian Sauce Packet Cat Toy Set and  are providing a complimentary set for the winner of the contest below.

The pros and Cons of polydactyl Cats Asian Sauce Packet Cat Toy Set

Pros:
Made with very potent organic catnip grown in the U.S.
Handmade in the U.S.
Super whimsical
Textile design uses nontoxic dyes
Cats love it

Downsides:
A little pricey.
They’re easily lost under furniture.

Polydactyl Asian set
The Polydactyl Cats Asian Sauce Packet Toy Set . The new style looks like sauce flowing from the packets.

Every time I visit my favorite sushi bar or Chinese restaurant, the Rainbolt Test Kitties feel compelled to give me the did-you-bring-me-a kitty-bag sniff. I can’t help but feel a little guilty when I fill their dishes with shrimp and tuna canned food. But I’ve found a way to compromise. In lieu of a paper-thin bite of hamachi, my Test Kitties get Asian delights catnip toys by Polydactyl Cats. The Chinese Takeout Cat Toy Line offers feline friendly versions of your favorite Asian sauces and appetizers without the sodium, MSG or mess.

The super fun toy four-pack combo is the perfect gift for any lover of Asian cuisine. The Asian Sauce Packets Cat Toy Set, handmade by artist Randi Warhol (no relation to Andy), contains four clever 4” X 2” catnip toys appearing as soy sauce, duck sauce, hot sauce and hot mustard. Warhol’s realistic yet whimsical textile artwork really looks like takeout sauce packages right down to the air bubble on the back. The catnip packets come in transparent condiment bags. There’s even a handwritten thank you note from the designer written on a green receipt page.

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The tea cup, chopsticks and foster kitten named Fabio not included.

The Rainbolt Test Kitties absolutely LOVED these potent catnip toys. The moment I opened the box the strong fragrance of catnip wafted out, and I suddenly I found myself surrounded by cats.

Once I handed the toys to the Test Kitties the spit hit the fan in absolutely the most complimentary way. I found the toys in different parts of the house saturated with cat slobber and enthusiastically swatted with Pawprint of Approval. About the size of real sauce packets, it was perfect for the cats to carry around.

Each linen/cotton canvas toy contains polyester polyfill and two tablespoons of From the Field organic catnip. The sprightly designs are printed in nontoxic water-based dyes.

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Bette is really enjoying the organically-grown From the Field catnip.

Individually the sauces have a suggested retail price is $6.99 each plus shipping, and the set retails for $27.99. Here’s a direct link to the Pet Food Direct Duck Sauce and Soy Sauce. Here’s Warhol’s Etsy page.

The Test Kitties have arranged for one of our readers to share in the fun. Just leave a comment at the end of this blog before 11:59 p.m. CST on February 15. You can earn extra entries to win by sharing this review on Facebook or other social media. To get credit for your social media posts, leave a separate comment for each share below telling the Rainbolt Test Kitties where you shared.

 

Review

Life Hammer Keychain: It Saved My Friend’s Life

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Life hammer
TL Life Hammer auto rescue tool

Life hammer keychain is cheap insurance. (This is a public service announcement. This is not a compensated post. I even paid a butt-load on shipping when I bought these as gifts.)

Anyone who knows me, knows that I like to be prepared for emergencies. I want others to be safe too. About five years ago I gave all of my friends and family these Resqme keychain car escape tools for Christmas. The little devices were about $5 each and I paid an additional $4 per item for shipping.  (Now, they’re two for $17.95, no additional shipping.) In the event of a car crash, these 1-1/2″ gadgets can shatter side windows, puncture air bags and slice through seat belts with a single motion. (You can buy a different brand for only $5, shipping included.)

 

Life Hammer is Cheap Safety Insurance

Most people didn’t even acknowledge them. That was okay. I hoped that they would at least take time to put them on their keys, just in case.

My brother-in-law tried the glass breaking tool on his thumbnail and described the impact similar to a bullet. (That was an assumption. He’s never been shot.)

So five years later, the life hammer keychains forgotten, I got a call from my friend Mary from Oregon. She was driving an hour to the hospital to be with her husband before he was taken to surgery when she lost control of her car and ran off the road. Thank goodness she only received bumps and bruises. But she was trapped in her car with the minutes until the surgery ticking away. The firefighters said they would have to extract her with the Jaws of Life. Mary remembered the Life Hammer and used it to break the driver’s side window. The entire window (even below the door frame) shattered. With no exposed fragments remaining to cut her, the firefighters pulled her through the window. A witness to the accident drove Mary into town and she arrived 15 minutes before her husband was wheeled into surgery.

Fortunately, Mary was not in a life-threatening situation. Without the little $5 device, she would have missed those important minutes with her husband.

Last night I heard a news story about a bratty child who climbed out of her safety seat and wrapped the seat belt around her mother’s neck. The seat belt tightened around the woman’s throat and was suffocating her. Her husband, who was driving, pulled over but couldn’t get the constricting seat belt from around her neck. He managed to stop a police officer who sliced through the seat belt with a pocket knife. While this was a freak accident (and a sign of an undisciplined brat), had the husband had a life hammer, he could have freed his wife immediately.

In the event of a fire, you don’t have  time to wait for the fire trucks or the police. The Life Hammer is the perfect Valentine’s present. It’s only $5. Give one to everyone in your family and your friend.

Even though people think I’m a little obsessed with preparation, I know my obsession allowed Mary to spend 15 very important minutes with her husband.

 

 

 

into so many tiny fragments

Feline Health

7 Important Facts about Feline Heartworms

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_Kiki Shady smaller
You can easily protect your cat from heartworms with a monthly applications of heartworm preventative.

 

  1. Can cats really get heartworms? Yes. Heartworm disease is no longer considered just a dog problem. If you live in an area where veterinarians recommend heartworm prevention for dogs, your cat should be on prevention too. Even ferrets can suffer heartworm infections. Those pesky mosquitoes will bite any animal—regardless of whether its tail wags or flicks.
  2. How do mosquitoes transmit heartworms to cats? Mosquitoes transmit heartworm larvae to cats (and other animals) after enjoying a bloodmeal from an infected host. It only takes one one bite can infect your cat. When a mosquito bites a cat, the larvae enter the cat’s system through the bite wound. Some of these larvae develop into adult heartworms and eventually die, causing severe inflammation or damage to blood vessels in the lungs that can be fatal. The larvae that don’t make it to maturity die in the cat’s lungs, leading to earthworm-associated respiratory disease. Heartworms can even be found in the body cavities, arteries and central nervous system of cats. What’s worse, vets can only treat the cat’s symptoms because there’s no approved or recommended treatment for heartworm disease in cats.
  3. Mosquitoes aren’t near my home. Does my cat still need prevention? Yes. Cases of feline heartworm disease have been reported in all 50 states. The occurrence of heartworm disease is markedly lower in some states, but mosquitoes are resilient and can even survive through the winter. 90% of the dogs transferred across the country after Hurricane Katrina were heartworm positive. These dogs likely infected animals in near their new homes.
  1. My cat doesn’t go outside, so isn’t he safe? Indoor cats may be at lower risk for heartworm disease than outdoor cats, but mosquitoes can sneak in through damaged window screens and open doors. Studies have shown that approximately 28 percent of cats diagnosed with heartworm disease were inside cats.
  1. How do I know whether my cat has heartworm disease? Unlike dogs, who can be diagnosed with heartworms with a simple in-office blood test, there is no definitive heartworm test for cats. Your vet consider the symptoms (which are similar to symptom of numerous diseases) and he will likely want to perform bloodwork, an x-ray, and/or sonogram. Symptoms include coughing, panting, open-mouthed breathing or wheezing,
  1. What happens if my cat becomes infected with heartworm disease? Unfortunately, there’s no treatment for feline heartworm disease. Kitties can be made more comfortable with supportive care for the symptoms.
  1. What kind of heartworm prevention are available for cats? Topical and oral monthly prevention is available only from your vet. Blood tests are not necessary for cats. Always make sure you are putting cat-safe treatments on your cat. Some canine heartworm preventatives are highly toxic to cats.

For more information about feline heartworm disease check out Nixie’s HEARTworm Beat and KNOW Heartworms.