CATsgiving Eats

Ever since I revisited the Ramona Quimby series (no questions, please) I've been obsessed with the fact that Ramona's family cat, Picky-Picky, enjoys melon rind. Like, how have I not know this my whole cat-loving life? How many opportunities to laugh at enjoy my cats eating melon rind have I missed?!

It's the time of year where I'm already dreaming of the Thanksgiving menu. I'm going to make a controversial statement here and say that the best parts of Thanksgiving are the side dishes and breads, not the turkey.

Regardless of which side of the debate you land on, you might be wondering what your feline friend can safely indulge in for the second most indulgent holiday in the US. Obviously birthdays take the number one spot.

While cats arguably make better Thanksgiving guests than most of your family members, they're perhaps slightly pickier eaters (or should be, but frequently don't know what's good for 'em). So listen up.

Ground rules

There's a list of no-gos for cats. Some feel like they go without saying, but some may surprise you.

• Onions, garlic, and the like

• Chocolate

• Dairy

• Mushrooms

• Grapes and raisins

• Caffeinated drinks

• Bones

• Alcohol

• Sugar alcohols

More, please

Unfortunately, because onions and garlic are so damn flavorful we put them in everything so many of the classic dishes (green bean casserole, stuffing, mashed potatoes) aren't cat compatible in their final form. If you're looking to share the goods, here's a safe foods list.

• Pumpkin (not the pie filling)

• Plain mashed potatoes (plain is defined as no dairy, salt, or butter which is dairy, but you know what I mean)

• Green beans (before you add all the things that make them into the amazing green bean casserole)

• Lean turkey or chicken (skin and fatty cuts won't kill them, but they may make you regret your life choices after you experience the gastrointestinal consequences of your actions)

• Bread

If only someone would look at me the way that cat looks at that bread…

When in doubt…

 If your cat becomes ill over the holidays, seek vet care immediately. If you're not ready to check over ingredients lists, stick to your standard cat treats and maybe a little extra nip ; ).

But if you find yourself meticulously planning an indulgent cat Thanksgiving menu… Send us your pics. Tag us on IG. We want to celebrate the level of commitment to living alone with 20 cats you so clearly have.

Three Mind-Blowing Cat Safety Tips: Halloween Edition

No one likes a recipe blog that tells their life story before getting to the goods. And the same applies to safety tips, so let’s get down to just the tips.

Tip 1: Candy+Cat=Barf

If you’re new to cats, you might not know that they barf a ton. And everything you’ll read about cats will tell you that a lot of vomiting isn’t normal. But every cat person you know will tell you that you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet. (Except this blog, obviously.)

Cats can’t taste sweet. Does that stop them from diving into your plastic jack-o-lantern and motorboating some fun-size Three Musketeers? Absolutely not. If there’s anything cats have in common with humans, it’s a penchant for self-destruction. So before you find yourself pulling an emergency vet all-nighter, do the responsible thing- eat all of your candy while hiding in the closet from your kids cats.

Tip 2: Don’t let shitty humans near your cats.

Ok, so those shitty humans are probably not serial killers, and in fact are your toddlers. At Halloween, you’ve got sugar, costumes, hyped up spookiness…we’ve all been there. We’ve all gone a little wild in an overly excited moment. Now multiply that by all of the kids that trick-or-treat in your neighborhood.

Even if your cat isn’t an indoor cat, have a safe space (read: clean, litterbox, water, food) to keep them for a night. In fact, if you live somewhere it gets cold enough to cuss, you should have a safe, warm space for all your outdoor animals to retreat to in the winter.

Tip 3: It’s not fun if everyone isn’t having fun.

You’re into some kinky shit. It’s all cool. Let your freak flag fly. But if your cat isn’t into the Halloween costume you got her, make like Elsa and let that shit go. If your cat does love a good dress up, keep a close eye on them, because if they’re able to get into trouble totally naked, they’re definitely going to fuck shit up in a costume. Clawndoms can provide a festive pop of color while reducing the damage your fine feline can do.

Monitor a costumed cat. Keep candles out of reach. Ensure they can’t get out. And for the love of all that is holy, take a shit ton of pictures and video and send them to us!

Happy haunting, ya filthy animals!

One in a million

If you have a pet, odds are good that you've told the story of how you met and fell furever in love like a million times. You might even make shit up every now and then to spice up the story. Hey, I'm not judging. Ok, I am. But I'm also in awe of your creativity, so keep that shit up.

If you don't have a pet (or maybe you're looking to add to your family), then listen up. Over a million pets are euthanized in shelters every year. And I know, you can't solve this problem on your own. It's not like you're Jeff Bezos who could definitely solve both this problem and poverty, homelessness, and the reason why my delivery instructions are NEVER followed. I said what I said, Jeff.

But I digress…

If you're in a position to commit to the care and feeding of a pet (or another pet), that's fantastic. I bet there are several local shelters that can help you match with a cat or dog, or cat (let's face it, it should be a cat). Google it. Bing it. Duck Duck Go it. Whatever your search engine of choice is, I bet it'll find your local pet shelters pretty easily. Put it on your list, right now, and then you get to both have the satisfaction of making a difference in the world AND crossing this off your list.

If you're not in the position to commit to the care and feeding of a pet (or another pet), here's a list of other easy ways to support shelter pets. You still make a difference AND could cross of MULTIPLE items on your list. What's not to love?

Top Five Suggestions to Add to Your To-Do List for This Week:

1. Spay and neuter your existing pets. If you have them and if they're not already spayed or neutered. If they are. You may both pass go and cross this off your list. Good job, you.

2. Check your local shelter's online shopping wish list. (Which shall remain unbranded intentionally, but let's face it, we all know it's Amazon. Fuck you, Jeff.)

3. Find out if your local people food pantry will also accept pet food donations. Many people who are food insecure have pets who are in the same boat. Supporting folks who are having a hard time, helps them stay with their babies which is a win for everyone.

4. Serve as a foster parent. So many different kinds of pets need additional support. From babies who need to be socialized to older pets who need a break from the stress of a shelter.

5. Share your pet adoption story or how you're helping shelter pets on September 23rd with the #RememberMeThursday #SeeTheLight, and amplify the message that many, many, MANY pets are waiting for their furever homes.

Tag us in your adoption story and use #RememberMeThursday #SeeTheLight and we'll send you a complimentary set of Clawndoms.

View fullsize

Pic for attention.

Cat is the new black.

I’ve always been drawn to black cats. They look cool, sophisticated, sure of themselves. All things I never managed to pull off, so I guess you could say they’re my aspirational daemons. They’re the quintessential familiar in classic witching tales. An omen (good or bad). And sleek in a way ginger cats will never be. Read on for a collection of interesting-and sometimes useless-facts you can bust out at the next pet themed trivia night.

Get lucky

If you live in the United States of Americat, it’s likely you consider black cats to be especially unlucky (though adoption data from the ASPCA doesn’t bear this out). Many cultures around the world will beg to differ. England, Germany, Japan all make the list.

Sailors and fishermen have considered cats to be lucky as well. And given their penchant for pest control, it’s no surprise. Ship’s cats were certainly a bad omen for the rats, who could make quick work of destroying food, cargo, and the ship itself.

Healthy genes

This is the paragraph where you’ll learn two facts that will make you reconsider whether deities really exist. Cats share about 90% of their genes with humans. Which makes me feel like things suddenly both make perfect sense and no sense at all.

This results in some interesting cross-species applications of science. Where we’ve learned that the same genetic mutations that cause the sexy black coat ALSO help to shore up black cats against disease. Some of which we share with our feline friends including HIV, Alzheimer’s, and cancer.

You rest, you rust

Some black cats have a gene variation that causes their black fur to turn a more rusty red with exposure to sunlight. You know how everything in your car fades eventually from sun exposure? Yeah, so does your black cat. The sun breaks down the pigment and reveals the cinnamon surprise!

They’re just like us

Assholes. If you’re looking to adopt, don’t pass on the black cats because of superstitions. Black cats are still cats. And they’re sleek exterior doesn’t make them worse or better than other cats as pets. They only look cooler doing it.

Clawndom color recommendations for black cats: orange, red, yellow, green, pink, purple

Hot Child In The City

What does that title have to do with Clawndoms? I mean…it’s summer. That’s about it.

What do you have planned for the summer? Vaxxed and waxed? Chillin’ with your favorite beach reads? So what if you’re just sitting in your backyard in suburban Indiana… it’s summer!

Let’s celebrate with dazzling caps for our pussies! Pick your favorite color (I like a classic red, but you do you). Pick your annoying roommate’s (ok, mom, geeze!) least favorite color. Match your cat’s mani/pedi to yours. Why not? The world is your oyster, friend.

We’re doing a limited run for the summer, so get ‘em while they’re hot, and let us know if your must-have color sells out too fast- we’ll let you know when its back in stock and ship if for FREE.