What's the latest?

Beyond the Dark Hedges, A Meowlloween Mystery!

Halloween tortie cat walking through the catio tunnel

31/10/2019
The Lady Cat
17 Comments
Cat Enrichment
cat garden, catenrichment, catio, catvine, halloween

The Chirpies always enjoy their tunnels in the catio especially when their humans are present. In between garden cleanup, I decided to keep some cuttings of the sunflowers, Swedish Ivy and Cosmos stalks. Why? Well, when you live and breathe cat enrichment ideas, you don’t pass up an opportunity to let your imagination run wild! A combination of olfactory enrichment, Halloween and a setting from the TV series, Game of Thrones.

gray tabby cat sitting among halloween DIY cat toys

29/10/2019
The Lady Cat
18 Comments
Cat Enrichment
cat DIY, cat enrichment, catcrafts, halloween

These DIY spider toys for cats are the perfect props for loads of fun at the Halloween salad bar.

Give last year’s mini foam pumpkins new life by transforming them into furry eight-legged beasts to taunt your kitties in their sleep. These little spiders have just the right mix of cute and creepy and can be suspended above your cat’s Meowloween salad bar for curious paws to whack around.

tortoiseshell cat sitting next to water fountain meowlloween salad bar

24/10/2019
The Lady Cat
22 Comments
Cat Enrichment
cat grass, cat salad bar, cat vine, meowlloween

Transform a cat vine stick or catnip stem into a witch’s broom for your cat’s Meowlloween salad bar. Interesting natural textures and scents that your cat is naturally attracted to provide plenty of enrichment for bored kitties.

At the Chirpy Cats house, we start preparing our indoor cat salad bar when the days are cooler and life in the catio garden winds down, preparing for winter. This is the perfect time to collect stems, vine twigs, and dried grasses from the garden to make an assortment of cat’s delights for indoor cat enrichment. Not forgetting the catnip harvest which will provide catnip throughout the long winter months. Add to the drama of your Meowlloween salad bar with these cute DIY mini witch’s brooms.

hand reaching out to spoon feed feral cat

16/10/2019
The Lady Cat
12 Comments
Catnip Chirps
Campus Cats, community cats, feral cats, Global Cat Day

Patrick knows he has the best job in the world. He is responsible for feeding up to 120 cats who call the University of Western Cape in Cape Town, South Africa, their home. When he starts feeding breakfast at 7 am he is soon surrounded by his furry friends who gather around him, running out from under nearby bushes, parked cars, and trees. It’s a quiet time of the morning, perfect to start feeding breakfast before the campus is abuzz with frantic students rushing to classes.

26/09/2019
The Lady Cat
15 Comments
Catnip Chirps
homeless cat, Pet Adoption, Remember me Thursday, rescue cat

September 26 is Remember Me Thursday, a day when individuals like you and rescue organizations from around the world unite with one common goal, to spread awareness about the plight of orphan pets waiting in shelters for their forever homes.

tuxedo cat sits next to cat statue in the catio

15/09/2019
The Lady Cat
15 Comments
Cat Enrichment, Catio DIY Inspiration
cat enrichment, cat garden, cat habitat, catio essentials

Turn your catio into an oasis of tranquility and enrichment for the cats with cat-friendly accessories and props.

Like a parent watching their child starting their first day of school, you proudly watch your fur kits as curious paws take their first tentative steps into the wilderness! Within minutes they leap with confidence from perch to perch in their new catio. Your cats finally have a taste of freedom in a safe cat enclosure and they’re loving their newfound territory. Bravo!

But just as you furnish your house to make it a home, adding a few essential catio accents can recreate the perfect setting for the ultimate in cat enrichment. Whether it’s for long morning bug watching out in the grassland savanna or relaxing at the oasis you will have fun creating your ideal catio habitat.

Quirky cottage garden or minimalist zen? Or how about a bit of both? There are catio garden accents to suit any style, mood and space.

Within a few slow blinks of an eye, the days have become shorter. And as I sit here washing my paw, I pause for a second with my tongue out, as the thought of Leaf Fall sweeps away my lazy summer reverie. I will miss our catio expeditions, the backyard drama and the sun puddles kissing my fifty shades of grey fur.

Yes, it’s me, Mr. Jack, and I paw this with a sense of sadness and nostalgia as summer is coming to an imminent close. And much like Henri Le Chat Noir, I wish to hold onto the memory of those long balmy days before my winter ennui sets in.

So it’s Canada Day and there’s something new to celebrate here at the Chirpy Cats house. Earlier this year I took my Oath of Citizenship after living in Canada for 9 years as a permanent resident. So now I’m officially a South African-Canadian. Having lived in other countries too for many years, such as the UK, Ireland, and Switzerland, and of course my birth country, South Africa, I sometimes feel like a citizen of the world. But living in Canada brought many good things into my life. Yes, just look at my clowder of nine cats!

tabby cat with striking face and long whiskers

Cats have long known that the key to world domination is a whole lot of mystery mixed in with a whole lot of cuteness that humans cannot resist. They take a little then give a little without revealing too much. This is the way of cats that we have come to appreciate and adore. A dash of intrigue with lashings of cat fur croutons on your salad, thanks Floofles!

clicker training ginger cats to do high 5

16/06/2019
Chirpy Cats
24 Comments
Cat Behaviour
clicker training, rewards-based training

Clicker training your cat is a wonderful form of cat enrichment, providing mental stimulation as well as a way to help you understand your cat better.

As a cat owner you’ve probably said it many times “No, Mr. Floofles, get off the counter now!” Mr. Floofles looks at you indignantly, as if it was the worst insult to his sensitive feline dignity, and proceeds to nonchalantly lick his paw.

The kitchen is the place where everything is happening, the cats get fed in the kitchen, it’s where the humans eat, it has the fridge storing all sorts of delicious human and cat food and it’s where we spend a lot of time cooking and cleaning. So of course, for our cats, the kitchen is the place to be! But what cats love even more than kitchens, are the countertops! We can’t really blame them. If I were a cat I would want to be counter surfing too.

But how do we keep them away from this interesting yet forbidden territory?

What’s the latest?

Beyond the Dark Hedges, A Meowlloween Mystery!

Enhance Your Cat’s Playtime with these Frighteningly Cute Pumpkin Spider Toys

How to Make Mini Witch’s Broom Cat Toys from Textures and Scents your Cat will Love

How One Man Became the Most Beloved Cat Whisperer on Campus

Let’s unite and give hope to orphan pets waiting in shelters on Remember Me Thursday

9 Awesome ways to bring your catio to life with these catio accessories

Jack and the Vine Stalk and things we did this summer

Meowvelous Monday Haiku, Oh! Canada Day

The truth about Cat World Domination and why we need to keep our paws on the pulse

Train your cats to stay off countertops through rewards-based training