OK, I think it’s safe to say that scratch posts do not make for the most pleasing home decor, especially some of the monstrosities they sell that look like carpeted tree houses. Me, I have the simple roped, beige one that Stanley loves just fine.

But this is ridiculous.

My colleague Noreen alerted me to this NY Times story about two women who have developed a company that creates scratchable items for the “well-designed interior.” Cost? One goes for $1,2000. A bargain goes for $300.

Even if I had that kind of dough to spare, I can’t imagine spending it on something that’s going to be torn to shreds. I figure, if you can afford to spend $1,200 on something that’s intended to be wrecked, there must be some room in your home to keep a more modest version out of view. Or, you can take a page out of my mom’s design book and create something aesthetically pleasing, affordable, and not ridiculous.

So, that’s my thought of the day. Yours?

Oh boy, I’m in trouble when I get home. And I should be probably be banned from this blog. But there’s still time left to celebrate if, like me, you didn’t know today was National Cat Day.
A big shout out to Anthony M., personal assistant to Vinny and Frankie, who alerted me to this very important occasion. Thanks! You can learn more about it here. Now I have to figure out how to make it up to the girls for failing to note their day this morning. I hope I still have carpets. And couch upholstery.

That was the subject line of an e-mail that wound its way to me through Teri. My answer to her was, Every. Single. Morning. Sadly, I don’t look half as adorable as the kitties and pups in these pics. (I threw in a squirrel and the occasional big cat just because I thought they were cute). Anyway, frequent P&C readers know how I think there’s few things cuter than a sleeping kitty so I couldn’t resist these. Enjoy. Just don’t fall asleep. Read more of this entry »

Now I think I may have heard everything. Got this today from the Best Friends Animal Society. There’s a “Pignorance Quiz” at the very end.

The current celebrity-driven craze for mythical “teacup” pigs as pets will result in thousands of these animals ending up at overburdened sanctuaries, shelters and rescue groups when they outgrow their purported small size, according to Best Friends Animal Society.

 To see video, ”>follow this link: 

Yvonne McIntosh, an animal care manager for Best Friends who is an expert on potbellied pigs, says she was “horrified” when MSNBC, The Today Show, New York Post and other media ran cutesy stories about supposedly tiny pigs and gushed when Paris Hilton and Rupert Gint, of Harry Potter fame, recently adopted supposed micro pigs.

“You can call them ‘teacup,’ ‘mini,’ ‘micro,’ or ‘thimble,’ but the truth is the supposedly tiny pigs do not exist,” says McIntosh who manages Piggy Paradise at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. “People who think they are buying a pig that stays small are being fooled. Unscrupulous breeders are breeding pigs less than a year old, and by the time the litter is born, the parents still are only about eight months old and far below their full size. Read more of this entry »

P&C friend and frequent contributor ilb sent me this photo today of his pooch Leo. ilb quotes Leo as saying, “This weather is totally ruining my hair…How can I go to Nassau and see my beloved Rangers with that look?” My answer is, Leo, if you’re really going to Nassau, you’ll fit right in

My colleague and infrequent P&C contributor Mike Risinit thoughtfully sent me this outstanding photo of his cat, Jessie, pondering her next move. This is Jessie, contemplating whether she can make the leap from computer table to Halloween spider dangling from the pull cord on a ceiling fan.

Mike, I’m sure the question on everyone’s mind is, did she do it?

….but I’ve once again been proven wrong. Wow! Most of us have seen photos of female animals who have taken on the care and feeding of babies who are not of their own kind. But this was surely a new one to me! And I’d never thought I’d ever have reason to say this, but baby skunks are adorable! Thanks to P&C friend and contributor Diane for this photo:

Maria Kessel, who lives in a community called Hammond Ridge in Bedford Corners, NY, sent LoHud.com some photos of a bobcat, yep, a bobcat, prowling around the nature preserve that surrounds her neighborhood. Kessel says that in the past three years, she and her neighbors have often seen large bobcats roaming around their properties. This photo was taken just yesterday.

I hope folks who live there who have cats keep them indoors!

Miles, the Siberian husky shown in the photo below, was shot and killed by a bow hunter in Blauvelt State Park Oct. 19. The dog’s owners, Dawn and Austin Bridges, want people to know about the incident to promote public safety. There is no bow hunting allowed in that park, and even though some LoHud.com readers are chastising the owner for walking the dog off-leash, so what? The bow could just have easily hit the dog on a leash, or anyone else. And the guy took off. Read the full story after the photos and the jump…

That’s Miles with the family’s other dog, Nick. Below is the whole family. Read more of this entry »

P&C friend and contributor ilb recently returned from a medical mission in Peru, where he still found the time to take these pics for posting here. All of my contributors should be so generous!! And he gave me my first Alpaca! Thanks much ilb! His commentary precedes his pics, (or picks, an inside joke between ilb and I) without all my exclaimations (my apologies for the coding I can’t make disappear)……take it away ilb:

The first 2 pic(k)s are of working animals. They are called Alpacas. It’s a domesticated version of Llama — a bit smaller. For some small change the tourist can take a picture of the girls with their Alpacas. Even small change is a big deal for some of the locals.9” title=”photo⁹” width=”225” height=”300” class=”aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3672” />8” title=”photo⁸” width=”225” height=”300” class=”aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3673” />

He was my breakfast buddy.7” title=”photo⁷” width=”225” height=”300” class=”aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3674” />6” title=”photo⁶” width=”225” height=”300” class=”aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3675” />

Some animals are lucky in Cuzco.5” title=”photo⁵” width=”225” height=”300” class=”aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3676” />

Some, not so much. But what was reassuring is that all stray dogs (we didn’t see too many stray cats) looked well fed. Not groomed, but most of them are hanging out close to many local restaurants, so they get their share.4” title=”photo⁴” width=”225” height=”300” class=”aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3677” />3” title=”photo³” width=”225” height=”300” class=”aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3678” />2” title=”photo²” width=”225” height=”300” class=”aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3679” />
Crossing the streets in Cuzco isn’t an easy proposition, seemingly the cars have much more privileges than pedestrians, let alone animals. So the dogs adapted. These dogs have nothing to do with me (well, maybe except we gave them some lunch leftovers). But they waited patiently until I started to cross and after we all got to the other side of the street, they just continued on their own.1” title=”photo¹” width=”225” height=”300” class=”aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3680” />

I’ll tell you, our pets do not know how good they have it! This pic(k) demonstrates that well. It’s the latest picture of Casey after we returned home. I hope you are comfortable, buddy!

Ilb, it looks like wee Casey wouldn’t last half a day on the streets of Cuzco! Thanks again for the effort and the great post.