ireland loves dogs more. american cats don't care.

the emerald isle is home to more dog than cat-lovers. eh, big deal. they also love potatoes, mist, and little men with big promises of rainbows and gold. american cats would eat those leprechauns for lunch.

good news! sticky, the duct-taped kitty, has been adopted and is well on her way to living a normal, happy life.

“just as the average life expectancy for people keeps reaching closer to the century mark, we’ll continue to see the same parallels in our pet population." - the proverbial nine lives are quickly becoming nineteen lives.

feel good news: a cute, little turtle named "lucky" has had his mobility restored with the aid of those furniture-moving coasters. he's cruising around now and looking for work in the moving-men industry.

indoor/outdoor - the debate goes on

we are happy to see trap-neuter-return back in the pages of national news site msnbc. the first step to achieving no kill status is public awareness of other alternatives to the traditional shelter approach.

but don't get too excited because a new york times piece on the old cats-vs-birds debate has this to say, "in the view of many wildlife researchers, a pet cat on a lap may be a piece of self-cleaning perfection, but a pet cat on the loose is like a snakefish or English ivy: an invasive species."

the sicko, who duct-taped a stray cat for no real reason, has been arrested and could face up to two years in jail. maybe he'll get to try on a duct-tape jumpsuit.

superior court judge sets new precedent in three-year dog-custody battle. remember, folks, sharing is caring.

a new, inkier face for animal rescue

the national geographic channel has a new show called rescue ink. the hook is that the rescuers are big, bad, harley-riding, tattoo-sporting dudes who also happen to kick butt for animals in need. sounds like something worth checking out.

"democracy is not always so cut and dried. sunbeams are going to happen. vacuum cleaners are going to happen. those little springy wires with a piece of cardboard at the end are going to happen. It's simply the way the system works." the onion strikes again with a story on the proceedings of cat congress.

the best part of wakin' up is cat-poo in your cup. wait. what? that's right. cat-poo coffee now only $20 a cup!

happy cat spotlight: cab (calloway) is a beautiful, adult male kitty with big orange eyes and a rabbit-fur-soft coat. stop into madcat on monroe street to meet him or contact happy cat for more info.

monroe street festival!

tomorrow, sunday the 27th, is the monroe street festival from 10am to 5pm. come down to MadCat in the knickerbocker mall and enjoy some quality time with the dot-meister. oh yeah, and let's party!

dottie will lead you to the darkside

who knew squirrels would look so natural with a deathly beam of pure energy in their hand? animals with lightsabers - 'nuff said.

"it was about nine inches long, very round and cuddly ... well, violent, actually." - some poor woman mistook a giant water rat for her cat. didn't that happen in adventures of babysitting?

santa monica and l.a. are now considering a ban on de-clawing. thanks for getting the ball rolling, san fran! a nation of cats owes you.

"honestly," viney said, "i don't understand why you wouldn't be in support of this. if you're reputable, you have nothing to hide." - as wisconsin's anti-puppy mill bill goes through the legislature, some breeders are taking issue with it.

breed bans, breeder bills, babushka dogs?

this new york times piece brings light to the tragic outcome of breed bans in public housing.

wisconsin's commercial dog breeders license bill is being discussed today at the capitol. should it go through, it would be a huge step towards ending puppy mills in our state.

they thought their cat was dead, turns out it was another unfortunate kitty who happened to look like theirs. this is another good reason to microchip your cats.

"16. Jobshark is a website for people with career ambition, so named because sharks move constantly. cats sit by the windowsill for 7 hours at a time." - from some guy's list of 20 reasons sharks are better than cats. bah! we're not convinced.

cats and guns just don't mix

cats get into things - this is why people have to be way more careful with their firearms.

the guy who blamed child pornography on his cat just got 90 more counts charged against him.

intra-rescue fighting doesn't help any more cats. knock it off and work together!

peta really should have said the name of their new blog out-loud first. seriously, try it. see?!

what a wild weekend!

the willy st. fair was another total success this year - we met a lot of new folks, some pretty cool dogs and filled up on enough fair food to last us 'til next year. even our truck got a fun, new make-over just in time for the festivities. if you see it driving around town try and see if you recognize any familiar faces (hint: she's black and white and super-duper nice).

but wait! we're not done having fun, yet! this coming sunday is the Monroe Street Festival. with kids activities, live music and bargains galore it should be a fun day to get out and see what the dudgeon-monroe neighborhood has to offer. the events start at 10am and go until 5pm. make sure you stop into MadCat with your dogs for a yummy treat and say hi to miss dottie, herself.

willy st. fair today!

come on down to the willy st. fair and party with us!

lucy!

our beloved store cat Lucy gave us a bit of a scare earlier today. when we had not seen her for a couple of hours we started worrying that she may have wandered off or, worse, been cat-napped. posters were made, calls went out and just when we started to lose our cool we found her. it turned out that lucy had made her way to a neighbor business' loading dock and had gotten herself stuck behind some crates. ah, of course! curious cats are always getting themselves into sticky situations - it's part of what makes them so goofy and lovable.

we are now happy and relieved to have our girl back in the store, lounging the day away on a cat tree right where she belongs. oh, lucy.

here are some tips on what to do if your cat ever goes missing. our best advice? stay calm, check all cabinets, closets and other spaces where an animal could get trapped, and, most importantly, get your cat microchipped! the dane county humane society will do it for just 15 bucks and it could end up being the difference between life and death for your lost cat.

kanye interrupts keyboard cat - how dare he!

thinking outside of the box

we've always done things a little differently and it looks like our store-cats are following suit. dottie loves the new bergan lounger (made out of recycled paper!). though she can't be like all the other cats so she prefers it upside-down for it's optimal cuddle-friendly cubby hole. eh, we can't blame her. it does look cozy!

this cute video is making the rounds on the interwebz - we like it not because the cat is drinking water from the sink (that's what they love!) but because he doesn't care how wet he gets while doing it!

the nerds over at geekologie have found another awesome robot/cardboard cat fortress. bonus! check out the name on said fortress. we are not alone!

the today show is having a "cutest cat" contest - we voted for all of them!

get out your party shirts!

the annual willy street fair is coming up this weekend. celebrate the end of summer with all the fun and craziness of DJs, parades, food vendors and miss gabby madcat, herself!

warning! nicotine can poison pets. keep cats off drugs! ....unless it's catnip.

yesterday's news, the recycled-paper litter people, are holding a contest to see how good pet owners really are. bonus - they will plant a tree for every entry they get! so even if you're not captain planet go ahead and enter.

happy cat spotlight: felix. this lil' guy is a six-month old with all the adorable energy of the cutest baby kittens. if you want a cuddle bug and a goofball be sure to stop into the west side store and say hello.

would you steal from this face? we didn't think so.

how rude! stealing from a rescue group is lower than low. basement cat is waiting for you, thief.

pet rescue takes flight: pilots are donating their time and resources to transport animals away from deathrow.

aussie cat clyde spent three years in the outback, proving to the world he's ready for the next installment in the crocodile dundee franchise.

remote controls, loose change, socks, cellphones, kittens: all things you can find in a couch if you just look hard enough.

enrique es un gato loco!

happy cat spotlight: enrique! while he's no latin singing sensation, this guy is bound to make you swoon with his big green eyes. his back-story is a sad one: hit by a car, lacerated tongue, broken teeth, broken leg, the whole works. after a couple months of rest and recuperation, enrique is ready to start a new, happier chapter of his life. if you are interested in meeting him, head to the monroe st. store or contact happy cat.

people in san francisco are weighing in on the declawing debate.

judging animal intelligence with the point of a finger. while they don't mention cats, we know they understand. some are just too cool to care!

remember kiki, another happy cat kitteh? we have some very good news...she's been adopted! the crazy girl is home now with her new family, living it up and enjoying life after motherhood. we wish kiki and her adopter all the best!

cats and cars: a precautionary tail

while pet carriers may be difficult, big and clunky, they are a lot better than ending up with a clunker, or even worse.

neither fire, nor smoke, nor water, nor 26 days trapped in a rubble pile could keep this kitty down. what a fantastic surprise for her owner.

"man fires gun to scare cat." this guy shouldn't have a cat. or a certain 2nd amendment right.

a new york times piece aims to truly understand and un-understand the family dog. but isn't anthropomorphizing our pets half the fun? their joy is our joy.

a day without cats? never!

even if we weren't crazy cat people, we would still never tire of those hilarious lolcats and wacky videos. cats own the interwebs. resistance is futile.

new research suggests that growing up with both a cat and a dog in the house may lower the risk of other allergies.

an 8-year old ohioan named sarah just set the new world-record for fastest land animal by completing the 100-yard dash in 6.13 seconds. oh yeah, sarah is a cheetah.

more interesting discussion on the "dogs in public spaces debate": pet strollers. what do you think of smuggling dogs this way?

save the date!

it's that crazy time of year again when the streets are filled with returning students, fall leaves and drag queens. of course that means the Willy St. Fair is just around the corner! this year's events are scheduled for the weekend of sept. 19th and 20th with the big parade on sunday. come on down and enjoy the festivities with gabby and the rest of the madcat crew and enter the raffle for a chance to win a new cat tree.

today is labor day, the last day of summer. while some may be a little mournful about the impending lack of sunshine and warmth the dogs sure are enjoying themselves over at goodman pool.

san francisco has made the news again for being a pet-friendly city, this time it's for a proposed ban on declawing. surprisingly, there has been opposition coming from an unlikely source - the san francisco aspca. their argument is that more cats will be given up if fed-up owners are not allowed the option to declaw. where do you stand on the argument?

a happy ending for ghost

we are super excited to announce that ghost, the car-riding wonder kitten, has been adopted! as you may recall, ghost came to our mineral point store as an early-morning surprise back on july, 24th. after an exciting day filled with lots of food, playing and news cameras, he went to a happy cat foster home to get big and strong enough to be adopted out.

now, a little over a month later, he is neutered, vet-checked, vaccinated and ready to start his

new life. even better, ghost is going

home with another happy kitty, a little boy named puffy. the two new friends are going to have many years of playful love ahead of them. we wish both kitties, and their new family, all the best.

if you were waiting to adopt ghost, or are thinking of adding a kitty to your family, please head over to the happy cat club of madison to check out all the other cats who need good homes.

"Our task must be to free ourselves...

by widening our circle of compassion
to embrace all living creatures and
the whole of nature and it's beauty."
Albert Einstein

cats are weapons? shyeah right!

check out this headline: "customers threatened by man with gun, cat"

major news channels replay story video over and over - actually helps someone: the backyard kidnapper's cat.

labor day pet warning tips from the aspca. keep 'em safe while you're enjoying the long weekend.

watch out for wood glues - curious dogs and kitties could eat it and get super sick. plus, the hambone nominations are already set for this year!

dogs are being used to help treat ptsd in veterans, giving them a loyal friend who doesn't push but always cares.

homer's paw-dyssey

homer, the man, was a blind storyteller. homer, the cat, is also blind. his story is being told for him in the new book, A Fearless Feline Tale, Or How I Learned About Love and Life With a Blind Wonder Cat. kitty-love is never blind.

what happens when a "cat lady" dies? her community saves her 110 cats.

scooter is the only cat nominated for this year's ham-bone award. note: it's not a very prestigious award in the conventional sense.

"two sheep, a motorcycle, an adult spider man costume, a cat and a wedding dress were just a few of the weird and wonderful items left at australian hotels last year." we understand the two sheep, the motorcycle, the adult spider man costume and the wedding dress, but the cat? who leaves a cat in a hotel room?!

debating the pros and cons of being dog-friendly in portland, oregon. what do you think of taking dogs into grocery stores, restaurants or retail shops? other public environments?

auto-tune kittehs

if you are not familiar with the production-technique of auto-tune, just know that it's the vocal device being used to ruin contemporary music. some totally awesome people compiled the cats of youtube into a mash-up track, added auto-tone and changed the way we think of it forever. now crank up your speakers and rock out!

hey man, don't bogart the 'nip

this is your cat. this is your cat on drugs. see, doesn't he look happy!? actually catnip isn't even really a drug in the way we hoomans tend to think of it. it's just an herb, a form of mint, that just happens to make the life of a kitteh a little more fun. now where's the harm in that?

tizzie could possibly be the new oldest cat in the world. when does she get her shout-out from willard scott on the today show?

with wild-fires raging in california, the big cats are staying put. here's hoping the flames die down soon.

this cat needs his mouth washed out with soap! you won't believe the things he's saying.