cats are #1! cats are #1!

"cats really are america's number one companion." true dat! they also outnumber dogs by 10 million. and while we all know how awesome cats are, super-spectacularly awesome, they are still taking a back seat to their canine counterparts. to help spread the word of just how cool kitties can be the CATalyst council recently released their list of top 10 cat-friendly cities. the goal of the rankings was to celebrate major cities who make life better for kitties and their guardians. the results are as follows:
1. tampa, 2. phoenix, 3. san francisco, 4. portland, 5. denver, 6. boston, 7. seattle, 8. san diego, 9. atlanta, 10. minneapolis

of course madison would have taken tops over all of them if they had factored in access to the best cat stuff and cat advice ever, but whatever. we'll just let them have their time in the sun until we quietly take over the world. viva la madcat revolution!

have any other ideas on how to make madison #1 for kitties?

miss myrtle

with joey back in foster care, we decided to change it up a bit and get a girlie kitty over at the monroe store. her name is myrtle and she is a fuzzy love-bucket. since she was a stray we don't know much about her history other than that she loves to purr and is very calm and patient. she even likes having her long hair brushed out. if you long to get lost in a pair of captivating green eyes then come on down to the shop or contact happy cat for adoption info.



now, in news of the world....looks like a new cat-related fad
has popped up in japan in the form of cat cafes. we like the idea of being able to enjoy a cup of coffee with a cuddly kitty as long as they are happy and well taken care of. our store cats are greeted and pet by people like this every day who just want to stop in and say 'hi' because cats can make them smile and enjoy their day a bit more. and they never fail to bring the lols.

iKitteh

furthering the cat-related-internet-social networking-theme, the iphone now has an application that allows your cat to twitter. twitkitteh: cat twitter, follows the same basic model of the original twitter with text-based messages of up to 140 characters but rather than updates on personal philosophy, shopping or favorite books the cat version deals with things like catnip, nom and general lol-iness. while we're just noticing the trend now, there are already well-established twitter cats, like oscar, who have devoted followings and internet groups.

cats and the internet. isn't it amazing how well they go together? and what did our cats do with their free-time before the internet? aww, yes.....this.

i can 2 wryte blogz post now, kthx bai

thanks to feline underground reader, kathryn, for finding this i can haz cheeseburger pic that resembles our very own madcat logo kitty. gotta love those crazy eyes!

if you want to learn to write like the silly kitties over at lolcats just head on over to lolspeak. they'll get you started on goofy sentence structuring and have you speaking in lols in no time. just remember to switch back to regular, old english if you have to do anything important, like visit the pope or something.


and for those of you who have a fondness in your hearts for peanut-loving, corn-munching tom-foolery i suggest you head over to lolsquirrels and check out the hilarious things they're coming up with. silly squirdels are even funnier with sayings.

catnip bubble hunt

only the bravest of cats will dare take on the wrath of the catnip bubbles.
looks like this kitty's got one heck of a right hook!

be prepared!

it's pouring outside so we figured today would be a perfect opportunity to talk emergency preparedness. as we learned from katrina and the iowa and wisconsin floods of last summer, one can never be too prepared for a natural disaster - especially when it comes to your pets. the cat fanciers association has put together a disaster preparedness guide with good tips on readying your furr family for a possible evacuation. always have food, water, litter and carriers ready to go should you have to make a quick escape. another good tip is to work on training your cat to respond to a certain command, like "crate up", to get them to go straight into their carrier. a lot of time, patience and treats will be necessary but the reward is avoiding a stressful search and seizure for kitty and you.

first aid kits are another good idea for everyday situations, like when your cat becomes too curious and ends up stung by a bee or gets a scrape climbing up a tree.

as always, live by the boy scout motto and beeeeee prepared!

joey's back and bettah than evah

more good news! another happy cat has found his forever home in less than 5 days! mr. smudge went with his new family on friday and seemed quite pleased to be moving on to another adventure. we want to wish smudgers and his fam the best of luck in their new life together. happy trails!


now, let me re-introduce to you another happy cat, joey. as you might recall, he was adopted out a few weeks ago. well he's back due to issues with his adopter, not him. now he's hanging out at the monroe street store looking for another chance. he is nine years old, and is considered special needs for diabetes, although he is not insulin-dependent due to a very healthy diet of grain-free, low-carb food. if you are interested in meeting joey just pop into the store or call happy cat for more info.

take your cat to work day

just think how productive and happy our country could be if we could all take our cats to work with us. aig wouldn't need bonuses, just extra furrkisses!


in sad news, the orangutan, tonda, who had befriended a kitty in a time of depression, has passed away. we hope she's found her mate in the great jungle in the sky.

nancy pelosi's rickroll

looks like our congresspeople are figuring out how to use their new government-based youtube channel for what it was really intended to be - a collection of wacky cat vids! while some are calling house speaker, nancy pelosi, to the carpet for her mis-use of the website we think it's pretty cute. if the former president's whitehouse can put out cheesy barney videos then the speaker can do it too. *warning - you are about to be rickrolled by third most powerful person in the country. lol!

be smudged!

good news! our happy cat, gus, was adopted yesterday and went home to meet his new furrbrother. as always, we wish him and his new family the best of luck in their new life together.

now, let me introduce to you a spry little guy named smudge! he is a young adult and has the energy of a mountain dew-fueled teenager. if you remember ping, smudge is a lot like him. maybe a long-lost brother? catnip and squeaker mice have him running around like a nut, but also enjoys curling up next to us for a good cuddle. if you are interested in meeting smudge check just pop into the monroe st. store or go to happy cats webpage for more info.


in other news, we caught triple m's morning show, jonathan & kitty, today....and we were super surprised to hear our little old blog being mentioned. once we got over the inital shock, we were pleased to find out that jonathan's own kitty, baxter, follows us! he also made amends regarding the incident from last week and wrote a lovely note in the comments section. we want jonathan to know that we appreciate his taking the time to clear the air and recognizing that cats are a big part of our lives, they're furry family members. plus, he made a pretty cute video of his cat-love over on his own blog - he must know we're a sucker for kitty vids. oh, and by the way, nice cat tree!

happy st. paddy's day!

bartender, a round of catnip for everyone! (at least it's green!)

be safe and have fun!

i iz tryin to break yer harddrive and krack yer codez

i'm still trying to figure out if this is real or not. in any case it's a great idea! as the lolcats have shown us, cats are fascinated by computers and spend inordinate amounts of time trying to learn their secrets.

"no, we don't sell pets"

in a move to stomp out puppy mills and improve the city's image, south lake tahoe is one step away from banning the sale of dogs and cats in retail stores. many of the animals one sees in specialty puppy and kitten stores are from high-volume, inhumane "breeders" and the idea is to stop the practice by hitting them where it hurts - their pocket books. if no one buys puppy mill dogs they will eventually have to go out of business.

there are countless animals available for adoption at shelters all across the country. these animals need love, too. and you never know, the animal you save may end up saving you someday.

now if only we could get a ban like this in our own progressive community...

meet gus!

happy cat gus is a large, striking, medium-haired, jungle-panther cat. well, he's not really a panther, but we like to let him think so. while he is technically classified as a senior kitty, he still plays like a kitten and goes after his favorite toy, da bird, stalking and pouncing it like a true hunter. gus was surrendered by his family who didn't have enough time for him where he lived with another cat and a small dog with whom he got along well. if you think gus could be a great addition to your home just contact the happy cat club of madison or drop by our monroe st. store to meet him.

in sympathy....

this morning's news of a house fire in the monroe st. neighborhood left us shaken. when we heard that a cat was involved and lost it's life we were heartbroken. any pet owner recognizes that losing a cat or dog in such a way is a true tragedy. it's unfortunate that jonathan suttin of triple m.'s jonathan & kitty didn't see it that way. as kitty relayed the story during this morning's news segment jonathan made a few insensitive comments regarding the cat's death. we were upset that a public voice of the community would make light of such a sad situation. if you feel like reminding mr. suttin to respect a family's time to mourn, please let him know.

cleveland rocks!

happy news, everyone! both theo and buddy were adopted last night! we wish them and their new families the best of luck in their new lives together.

in other news, the practices of t-n-r and no kill are still spreading throughout the nation, most recently in cleveland where the city has earmarked $40,000 to go towards public assistance for spay/neuter.

" city council members say they get more complaints about roaming cats than potholes or burned-out streetlights."

if only madison was as forward thinking....

morty versus mouse

this video is proof that morty doesn't just lounge around all day. he's a fearsome hunter and purple mice are his prey.

buddy the moo cat

no, your eyes aren't deceiving you, that's not morty or lucy, it's buddy! he's our featured happy cat at the mineral point store this week. buddy's story is a sad one. after 8 years together, he and his kitty best-friend were surrendered to the humane society because their family was moving. now buddy is looking for a new best friend and a warm body to snuggle up to. he enjoys riding around on shoulders and tends to drool when he really loves someone. please give this special guy another chance at a good life and a new forever home.

if you would like to meet buddy just stop into the mineral point store or contact the friendly people at happy cat for more information.

a happy cat challenge!

thinking about adopting a new cat or kitten? great! cats of all ages are always needing to find good homes and people to love them. however, we'd like to challenge you to open your heart even wider and consider a special needs cat or an elderly cat. these kitties have just as much love to give but their lives have been tough and they need your love even more. fiv, diabetes, heart conditions - nobody is lining up to adopt cats afflicted with these problems. many spend years in foster care waiting on a home while the less fortunate are killed to make space available for "adoptable" cats. for a community to go no kill, these cats need to be saved.

from dr. peak of happy cat club:
"anyone can adopt a healthy, young kitten. but who is going to be bold enough to adopt a harder to place animal? make a statement to support a no kill madison and adopt a harder to place (or twice special) pet - then brag about it to everyone you know!! make it the new cool thing to do."

t.k. and tonda

nothing warms the heart on a cold, dreary day better than the love between two furry friends, like tonda and t.k. there is just something about inter-species friendships that draws us in and allows us to push our human cynicism to the side for awhile and just....smile.

ugly kitteh

ugly bat boy is his name. freaking people out with his awkward appearance is his game. the poor cat, recently dubbed "the world's ugliest cat," is a resident at a veterinary clinic in new hampshire and has gained notoriety for his unique features. he may even be on Ellen soon.

madcat's take on Uggs is that every cat is beautiful and deserving of love and respect, even the more unique-looking ones. plus, he's got a pretty sweet mane. morty's jealous.

fiv and keely

feline immunodeficiency virus, or feline aids, is a virus affecting cats and only cats (it can not be spread to humans or dogs). it is spread through saliva, via deep-bite wounds, and is most prominent in feral populations where un-neutered males are prone to fighting. cats infected with the virus can live long and happy lives but are more susceptible to illness. they must be kept indoors, have regular vet check-ups and be fed a high-quality diet.

cats with fiv are classified as having special needs and are often over-looked at shelters. if you think you can open your heart and your home to kitty with fiv please check out miss keely. she is a gorgeous, medium-haired, tuxedo-sporting princess looking for her forever home. for more information on adopting cats, with or without special needs, contact the happy cat club of madison.

kittens inspired by kittens!

this is like lolcats on audio-book. and it's hilarious! enjoy.

social networking for cats

it's the wave of the future and it's crashing on our cyber-shores, social networking for cats. it sounds a little silly at first but once you immerse yourself in the various sites for awhile it becomes apparent that this is just a new way to share information and help fellow pet-guardians with cat-related advice. they also provide tools and information for adoption groups and potential adopters. these sites, like catster, mycatspace and pawsconnect, are giving the cats of the world a virtual voice, one that may have a little more to say than "i can has cheezburger." but probably not. lol!

vegetarian cats? we don't think so

with consumer and ethical consciousness increasing over the last decade or so there have been many new issues raised, one of which is a bit of a hot-button topic in the growing vegetarian/vegan community; can cats be vegetarian?

the short answer is no. the long answer is also no, but with more fun facts.

our take on it is that cats are evolutionarily designed to eat meat. they are obligate carnivores who thrive on muscle and organ meat and who lack the necessary physiology to maintain health on a diet comprised of anything but mostly animal-derived protein.

for those of us with ethical issues we do have alternatives to buying processed food from factory-farmed meat. if you're the industrious type you can make your own, otherwise there are organic dry, wet and raw foods available that can satiate your pet's hunger and biological needs while keeping your heart in the right place.