Category: Educational

Grab That Toy

Published on by Service Cats U.S.34 Comments

Hello everyone, I’ve hijacked Dezi’s blog today to tell you about something that makes my life a little easier. As you all know I had an accident years ago that left me disabled. And through the years for some strange reason I just keep getting older too. LOL It’s funny how that happens, isn’t it? Well as time goes on it gets more and more difficult for me to bend over or stretch up to reach some things. It’s not really safe for me to be climbing in chairs or little footstools to try to reach things on top shelves or cabinets. But living in a small apartment I must take advantage of all storage spaces available, and sometimes that means putting something in a spot that’s hard for me to get to later. We get all kinds of emails and we do get some asking how I do some things especially in the mornings when I can’t walk. So I thought we’d give you a little break today from the serious and tell you about one of the products I use.

 dw 4115grabber

Thankfully there’s a product that helps me access those things that are out of my reach. Calibre Products makes a tool called the #Reach it Grab it. It’s stronger than it looks and more durable than one might think. It’s rustproof, easy to use and has a comfortable grip. I don’t mind telling you that I’ve owned a few different types of these through the years at a variety of price points. And when I first saw the price of this one, I was a bit shocked and thought it was terribly over priced. But after receiving mine (free of charge for this review) and using it, I have to admit that it is a quality product and well made. It will most likely hold up a lot longer than the cheaper versions I have used in the past. It’s pick up head is completely rubber so you get a better grasp than you would with just 2 small rubber pieces that is common with this type of tool. The aluminum arm is quite sturdy and although lightweight is able to hold up to a couple of pounds.

 dw4335

dw4334a

It has come in handy even when playing with the girls. They like a good game of fetch now and then, but occasionally get side tracked before they make it back to me. Well that’s okay, I can get my Reach it Grab it and just pick up the toy and continue the game. And when I need to get a can out of the lower cabinets, no problem. The Reach it Grab it is slender enough to fit between cans to pick up the right one. The uses for the Reach it and Grab it are endless. Our apartment is set up in a way that the only telephone jack is in the kitchen. So in the mornings when I’m wheelchair bound I can easily use the Reach it Grab it to get the phone and take it with me to my chair in the living room. And when I’m on the computer and taking notes, if I happen to drop a pen or piece of paper, it’s easily picked up with the Reach it Grab it. And the girls love it because I can reach a bag of treats that has been put out of their reach. They don’t like that it has such a good grip the treats don’t spill, but hey, you can’t please everybody all the time, right? LOL

 dw4327

If you have arthritis or difficulty holding onto things, the Reach it Grab it just might be for you. If you would like to order one for yourself, just click here. There’s a 100% money back guarantee if you’re not completely satisfied, so you really have nothing to lose. And right now, it’s on sale for $19.98. Thanks for letting me tell you about one of my little helpers. Dezi will be back with more for Adopt a Shelter Cat Month postings.

 dw4333

Disclaimer I received the Calibre Reach it Grab it in exchange for my honest opinion. I received no money and as always we only review products we use ourselves and/or feel you our readers and friends would be interested in. Our opinions are our own and not for sale. Calibre is not responsible for the opinions expressed in this post.

dw Dezi178
Me will be back wiff more fur Adopt a Shelter Cat Mumff.

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses

 

Dezi and Lexi

cat-animated

A Feral Conversation Pt. 2

Published on by Service Cats U.S.43 Comments

Mommy, mommy! Pick me up mommy, me wants to sit in yous lap. (Dezi gets up in mommy’s lap and settle’s in and lays down) Mommy, will you tell me more about da feral kitties?

Yes dear I will.. What do you say we brush your beautiful fur while I tell you the story?

dw Dezi in lap cu

Do we have to mommy?

Yes Dezi we do.

Okay, but me wants extwa tweats after. You was gunna tell me how da ferals survive and how we can help.

Yes dear I was. And we’ll see about those extra treats. That’s something the feral kitties don’t get, so you need to be thankful you do. Anyways, as I told you yesterday most ferals never get to know what a forever home with love and security is. And in the past their only hope was to live a short life, reproducing and fighting and going hungry day in and day out.

Dat’s just pawful mommy. Why do hoomans have to be so mean?

feral cat shutterstock feral cats eat

I don’t know my love. But not all humans are. Today there are a lot of feral colonies that are thriving. They have good humans looking after them. And these people make sure there is food and water and even sometimes shelters available for the times when it’s too cold or too hot. They work tirelessly to get the kitties in the colony spayed and neutered so they can quit having more and more babies. And they find those that can be part of a family and help them find a forever home off the streets. You know your friend Marg?

Oh yes mommy we luv Ms. Marg and all hers kitties and udder animals too.

Borrowed from Marg's Animals. Little Bit is one of the lucky ferals now living the good life inside his forever home.
Borrowed from Marg’s Animals. Little Bit is one of the lucky ferals now living the good life inside his forever home.

Yes we do Dezi. Well a lot of Ms. Margs kitties were and are feral.

Me didn’t wealize dat mommy. they all seem so pawtastic.

They are Dezi. Being feral doesn’t mean the kitty is bad, it just means that they’re afraid. There are a lot of feral kitties finding homes these days because of the wonderful people that work with them. You can recognize a “kept colony” by the tipped ears. When they get one altered, the doctor cuts a little tip of the ear while they’re sedated so that everyone knows this kitty can’t make or have babies and belongs to a colony. It doesn’t hurt the kitty at all, and it’s a sign to all who see it. The kitties are then returned to their colony to live out their lives. This is called TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) A lot of the people that take care of these colonies do it on their own. Some have formed rescues and have helpers. And for those of us who don’t have a colony near by we can help educate people about the ferals in their community. And donate. They can always use food and supplies and money. Altho’ a lot of vets will volunteer their time to work with the ferals, a lot of them still charge at least a small fee.

Is dat why yous told our town to chill and to twap da ferals in da community?

dw Lexi3960p

Yes honey it was. Unfortunately our community is very backward and they aren’t open to having a feral colony here, but that doesn’t mean we stop educating them. We keep trying to teach them every chance we get. And we try to educate people on how to be better pet parents so that the kitties don’t end up outside in the first place.

What did they do wiff those kitties mommy?

Well sweety I’m not sure, but I imagine it didn’t turn out well. No kitty belongs in a shelter cage, but ferals really don’t stand a chance of being adopted from a shelter.

Dat makes me so sad mommy. Me wishes every kitty kuld have a home wiff luv like me and sissy have.

I do too Dezi, but until people stand up and take responsibility for the animals in their lives there will always be the need for shelters and rescues and volunteers. These are just a few of the organiztions near us. Feral Friends, Ft. Worth Ferals, and here’s one at a local university. SMU Ferals If you are looking for a feral group in your area or need help with a feral colony of your own, please click here and choose your state to find the nearest organization. And remember, rescues and shelters always need donations. You my dear and your sister need to eat everyday and so do the ferals.

dw Dezi178

Those are sum gweat linkies mommy. Me sure hopes dat more peeps learns dat feral kitties awen’t bad and just need help and patience.

Me too sweety, me too.

Purrlease join us again fur our continuing tale fur Adopt a Shelter Cat Mumff. Ifin you missed Pt. 1, click here. And help however, whenever you can.

Till da next time………………..Be Blest!!!

(Dezi: Blue

Mommy: Black)

 

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses 

Dezi and Lexi

cat-animated

A Feral Conversatiion Pt. 1

Published on by Service Cats U.S.34 Comments

Mommy?

Yes Dezi.

dw Dezi lap v1

 

Why are there so many kitties on the streets named Feral? You member when our town was all in a huff cuz of da kitties in da neighborhood.

Yes Dezi, I remember. Well honey there’s no easy answer to that question. See, somewhere down the line, for a lot of those kitties, they once had a home.

Wiff a mommy like you, mommy?

dw Dezi178

Maybe dear. But more likely not cause their mommy or daddy was able to give them up; and I could never let go of you and your sister.

We don’t want you to give us up mommy.

 

I know Dezi and I’m not going to, so don’t worry your pretty little head about that. Anyways, for whatever reason, maybe they got tired of their kitty, or it got sick or old, or started acting out, or they had a new baby, or got a new kitty; anyways, for whatever reason they decided they didn’t want the kitty they had and so they threw it out of their house. Of course it probably kept coming back around so they may have yelled at it or threw things at it so it would get scared and go away. And a lot of times these kind of people don’t spay or neuter their kitties so they suddenly find themselves without a home or food or water or warmth and have to learn to survive all by themselves.

Oh me mommy, me couldn’t survive wiffout you and sissy. Me can barely member havin’ to fight wiff meez littermates to get a meal afur you saved me. But me sure likes not havin’ to fight wiff any kitty anymore to eat.

dw4310

I know Dezi and you’ll never have to fight for your food ever again.

 

 

What happens to those kitties that get thrown out mommy? Do they find sumfin’ to eat?

Well sweety sum of them don’t and they die or get killed by cars, poison placed out by people, other animals and so on. And some of them find other kitties and form a colony. And for the most part they work together to find food and shelter and raise any kittens born into the colony. And they start learning to fear humans. Because all those kitties that weren’t spayed or neutered start having babies the colony grows and grows. And they teach those babies to be afraid of humans too and how to survive on the streets. And eventually there’s no trace of the kitty that once had a home, and all the new kitties born into that colony never knew a home. They’ve only ever known the streets. And so we call them “Feral” which means: a domesticated cat that has returned to the wild or the kittens of such a cat. They are different from a stray and most of them will never know what a home with a loving family is like.

 

dw4313

Oh mommy dat be so sad. How do they survive? What can we do to help them and stop peeps fwum fwoin’ their kitties away? And what’s da diffewence mommy?

Well my dear those are questions for another day okay?. Let’s go get you and sissy some treats and we’ll talk more about this later.

Treats? Okay mommy, fanks. Purrlease join us fur our Adopt a Shelter Cat mumff series.

 dw Dezi lap3664

And till da next time…………………………Be Blest!!!

 

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses  

 

Dezi and Lexi

cat-animated

Could You Love Me Furever?

Published on by Service Cats U.S.64 Comments

Well it’s June alweady. And do you know what dat means? Yeah it duz mean warmer wedder and cook outs and vacation time, but it also means kitten season is in purrime swing. Shelters and rescues everywhere awe filled to da bwim wiff adowable cuddly kitties and cats. And all they be wantin’ is a warm place to call home, full bellies and luv. And in return they will offer you unconditional luv and adowation. Affection, purrs and a fluffy lap blanky. It’s also Adopt a Shelter Cat Mumff. We know yous alweady seen lots of our baby fotos, but mommy kuldn’t wesist just 1.

 0dw Dezi baby in a basket

dw Lexi in box

 As you all know sis Lexi and me be rescues. Mommy saved us boff fwum certain death. And as most of you also know neever of us had to spend any time in a shelter or a cage, so we don’t know what dat be like. But we can magine and know dat we wuldn’t like it. Ifin yous missed da stowries of our beginnings, you can read them in mommys Luv letters to us, here and here. There’s lots of reasons fur a kitty to be at da shelter. Sum awe there cuz they were picked up off da stweets as stways. And sum of them be there cuz there hoomans didn’t want them anymore. We weally can’t unnewstand how a furmily kuld take their furry to a place dat’s gunna lock ‘em in a cage and maybe even kill ‘em. But it happens all da time. Sumtimes they report dat da kitty peed on da floor stead of da pawdee box, or maybe they suddenly developed an allergy. Or they be movin’ sumwhere dat dusn’t allow pets. Why wuld you do dat? Yous wuldn’t move off and leave yous two legged kids behind. And here’s one of our favowits, “ I’m pregnant and can’t clean the litterbox without getting Toxoplasmosis.” The last time mommy volunteered wiff da clinic she actually saw and heard a lady say dat wiff a stwaight face, Da liklihood of dat happenin’ is so low it isn’t even funny. But there she was and da poor kitty not knowin’ what be goun’ on at all. Anyways, Lexi and me know how lucky and blest we awe, and twy to fank mommy everyday. And we purray fur all da kitties dat not be as blest as us. We hope da day comes when there’s no longer a need fur shelters cuz all kitties have luvvin’ furever homes and be spayed or neutered.

 dw Lexi4064

So why shuld you adopt a kitty dat be in a shelter? Well don’t you wanna save a life? Cuz dat be zactly what you be duin’. And as we sed earlier you will be on da weceivin’ end of sum gwatefull purrs. and unconditional love. Lots of shelters be runnin’ specials wight now so you can pick up a kitty or two at a discount. Now you know you wanna. Mommy sez she never wants to know what life be like wiffout us. She sez we be so smawrt and purrfect and make life worff livin’. Now don’t you need a weason to get up in da meownin’s? Well a kitty can do dat fur ya’. And 2 kitties is even twice da weason. And ifin yous purrvide us wiff a scwatchin’ post we won’t even scwatch up yous furniture. Give us sum nip and weez’ll keep ya’ entertained. And a few toys, wegular VET checks, quality noms, and purrawmiss to luv us furever and weez’ll give you many years of companionship and comfurt. Weez’ll be there fur ya’ when you gwaduate, or bweak up wiff dat no good fur nuffin’ so and so, or get da gweat job purrmotion, or even ifin yous lose yous job. No matter what, weez’ll be there to luv you fwu it all. And weez’ll never judge ya’. And weez smawrt too. After all, mommy twained us to be Service cats. And weez be weally clean. We bathe ourselves just fine. Sum of us play fetch. Whatever yous lookin’ fur there be a kitty out there fur ya’.

There’s also a contest goin’ on wight now you might wanna check out. Click here to read all ’bout it.

 dw Dezi1451

So me asks ya’, Could you luv me furever? There’s a me waitin’ wight now at a shelter or rescue organization near you.. Give ‘em a call and Save A Life today. Purrlease feel furee to share our warm and entertaining post ’bout Savin’ a life.

 

 

Till da next time…………………………..Be Blest!!!

 

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses 

Dezi and Lexi

cat-animated