The Cat Lady Wish List (volume II)

Given how obsessive I am about cats, there has been a distinct lack of them on the blog lately (along with posts in general). Whilst having a rare hour or so of down time at the weekend I found myself browsing my favourite online haunts and homing in on all things feline, which led to this post, volume two (volume one here) of the cat lady wish list. It may only be a brief post, but fellow cat ladies (and gents) I hope you find some inspiration.

Ring: watchshop.com | Slippers: typo | Mug: thunder egg | Tee: monki | Stickers: katie moody | Skirt: joanie | Cross Stitch Kit: the geeky stitching co

As far as purchases go, at least a few shall be made- I actually already own the cross stitch kit (and have for some time, with no time to stitch these days!). Typo have recently opened a store in Bristol and given that I have to pop in to get a gift for someone it would be oh so very rude not to grab a pair of those slippers whilst I’m at it right? The Monki t-shirt is a bargain at £8 and I think two of those shall be picked up- one for myself and one for my Mum, who I inherited my cat lady traits from.
The other three items will be winging their way on to my Birthday wish list- somehow almost an entire year has passed since I turned 30…time really does go faster the older you get!

Have any feline themed items caught your eye lately? Feel free to let me know what, and where in the comments.

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Introducing Pablo

It’s the internet’s worst kept secret that I am a complete cat loon, so it’s odd that it’s taken me so long to write this post given that it’s over a month since a new feline entered my life.

And what a month it’s been! From timid, 8 weeks old bundle of floof to (almost) 13 weeks old boisterous adventurer it’s been an absolute joy and delight having Pablo around.

Technically at the moment he is Bob’s kitten, although he tells me I have a good stake too- he lives with Bob and his brother but one day will become ours when we set up home together. I get weekend and some weekday ownership and that includes my share of vet trips, litter box duty and emergency dashes for kitten food because we can’t keep up with his voracious appetite.

Named after the notorious Pablo Escobar (Narocs fans, what of it?) this grey and white fuzz ball is turning out to be a real character and certainly keeps us on our toes as he works out how to pounce, growl and cause chaos wherever he goes. The meow is still a work in progress but he’s making his presence felt in many other ways to make up for it.

Fear not Mae fans, she’s still my main feline companion and my absolute bestest girl- getting photos of her right now is proving a challenge though, with a penchant for hiding under duvets and running the second she spies a camera…but she’s as devious and characterful as ever and I’m sure it won’t be long before she graces the blog with her presence once more.

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Indulging my [not so] inner cat lady with Red Candy

I always have been a bit of a homewares fiend, I blame my mother- she’s the one that got me hooked and introduced me to all of my favourite online haunts for a spot of virtual window shopping. One of the sites she introduced me to a long time ago was Red Candy and it’s been a firm favourite for both of us ever since. I was therefore beyond delighted when the opportunity to work with Red Candy came up- an invitation to select a few pieces to review? Count me in!
It probably comes as no surprise that I went to the search function and typed in “cat”. There is a delightfully large selection of feline themed items available on Red Candy and I was lucky enough to be sent my top three, which you can see above.

Before I move on to the specifics I just wanted to say what a delight Red Candy is, and always has been to browse. It’s a clean, easy to navigate site with a wide range of search options and categories to make finding whatever it is your heart desires a cinch. My parcel arrived well packaged and with the added bonus of a little packet of Haribo sweets too- I’m always straight in there when Mum has placed an order nabbing the sweets, I think it’s such a nice touch.

The first item I picked out was this fabulous plate. I’m a complete magpie and always make a beeline for dining accessories, it doesn’t matter how many plates/bowls/mugs I own, I can always find room for one more. I’ve always been told not to play with my food but with a plate like this how can one resist?

Next to catch my eye was this gorgeous lucky cat pen pot which is a brand new addition to the site. I’m dreadful for leaving pens and pencils strewn across my bedroom so having a cute and quirky way to store them has been a huge help and I can’t help but smile at it’s happy smiling face!

Last but by no means least I picked out this Peropon drinking animal planter. I’m not exactly green-fingered (I’ve killed two succulents already this year) but I really don’t see how I can go wrong with this self watering planter. I’ve got it set up on my windowsill right now and I’m eagerly awaiting the first signs of some strawberries appearing…I’ll report back on my progress with that one!

A huge thank you to Red Candy for the excellent service over the years and for this wonderful parcel of products. Fellow homeware junkies do take a look at the site and let me know in the comments what’s caught your eye.

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Pet Friendly Gardening*

As the owner of a cat who treats the garden as her own personal all you can eat buffet [seriously, she’ll take a bite from anything] it’s always on my mind that some of the plants we have might do her more harm than good. You’d like to think an animal would instinctively know which greenery to avoid but as where Mae is concerned she seems to take an “eat first, think later” kind of approach so it’s good to know there are guides out there which can help alleviate the risk. Growbag and compost retailer Compost Direct has done some research and put together an infographic to give pet owners a helping hand.

A recent survey found that 8% of dogs and cats have eaten poisonous plants or flowers, with 43% needing urgent care and 15% actually passing away. The graphic includes a run-down of some of the potentially harmful plants and poisonous substances in your garden and the impact they can have on your pets.

It also features advice on how to create a pet-friendly outdoor space, considering everything from fencing to dog- and cat-friendly plants. For more information view the infographic in full below. We’ve been lucky so and looking at this we have nothing risky in the garden but it’s really reassuring to be able to check up on these things.

If you’re struggling with garden pests it might be time to call in the experts to deal with them in a way that won’t harm your pets. You could try https://www.pestcontrolexperts.com/exterminator/louisiana/ for help.

Let me know if you found this useful- do any of you have pets that eat what they shouldn’t? It’s not just the garden with us- cut flowers in vases have to be very strategically placed if they have any hope of lasting beyond an hour or so in the house, she either has a stomach of steel or is fast using up her 9 lives!

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[Insta]life lately

Well, I’m kind of getting there with making these posts a regular thing again, not that I live an especially exciting life or anything that would explain my desire to share. I can only put it down to being a nosy person myself and some of my favourite posts to read are people’s instagram round-ups. For the full idea of what I get up to you can give me a follow and if you want to know more about any of these pictures just leave a comment below [click on the images to see full size and hover over them for a caption].
Leave your instagram usernames below and I’ll be sure to give you a follow.

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