merry christmas madison

we'll be closing up shop soon for the holiday but before we go we'd like to wish you a very merry Christmas or at least a well-deserved day off.  from our family to yours....

MadCat holiday hours

the holidays are here and we're ready to do our part to keep you sane.

we will be open 9:00-4:00 at West and Willy and 9:00-3:00 at Monroe on christmas eve .  closed at all locations for christmas day.

new year's eve we will be open from 9:00-5:00 at all locations and open from 12:00-6:00 on new year's day.

have some fun and stay safe, madison.

new simon's cat! - Fowl Play

puplight - you light up my life

clocks go back this weekend.  that means more earlier daylight and earlier darklight.

wanna be able to see where you're going and make your dog more visible?  try a puplight.  they are super bright with 3 white LEDs, light-weight and water resistant.  use the collar on your dog or wear it on your head (don't worry, you'll look super cool.)

happy halloween, madtown!

dressing up?  some haters think that hoomans should have all the fun. others respectfully disagree.  should pugs be dressed up as yoda?  should the earth really revolve around the sun?

whether you're getting freaky at madtown's favorite party,  being scared out of yer butts at dchs' haunted woods trail, or doin some gud ol fashioned pumpkin carving, just don't forget to git yer treat on.

now in stock: playa pup heated beds....because we live in wisconsin

it's been gorgeous this week but the warm weather won't last forever.

when kitty gets cold we've got the goods to keep her cozy, playapup heated bed warmers.  these bad boys feature pressure-sensitive, automatic on/off switch, an ideal body temp of 102 degrees, machine-washable fleece cover and chew resistant cord.

put one in your pet's favorite bed or use on its own.  lucy's rump-approved.

monroe street festival, willy street fair, deals deals deals!

clear your calendar, folks.  the weekend of Sept. 17/18 is MadCatstravaganza with events taking place at all 3 locations.

first up is the Monroe Street Festival on Saturday.  look for sidewalk sales, kids' events, and music up and down the street.  MadCat on Monroe will be hosting the Happy Cat Club for a special adoption fair and sale on all treats, toys and cat trees.

next is the Willy Street Fair featuring live music on Saturday evening and a whole day of awesomeness on Sunday.  make sure you get to the parade - it's a madison classic.  in honor of the neighborhood and the near-end of roadwork all toys, treats and cat trees will be 15% off all weekend.

and over at our West Side store we'll have the Dane Country Friends of Ferals adoption fair on Saturday, the Happy Cat Club on Sunday, and a 15% off cat tree special all weekend.

hope to see you here, there, or somewhere in between.

get all Twitched out

the FroliCat elves have crafted yet another motorized gadget toy for your kittehs.  basically it's a teaser on a mechanical arm that can suction onto any flat surface and dangles a toy over the edge.

find the right spot and the results can be entertaining.  twenty bucks - available at any Madcat location.

"The Animals Film" tonight on WYOU + message from Anne

hey folks.  Anne Emerson is a friendly local animal activist and she has a few things she wants you to know.  we have only edited the following by cleaning up links and violating your sense of where capital letters belong.  that being said, she is worth listening to and we support the work she does with Alliance for Animals as well as other animal advocacy work here in Madison.


the main news it that part 2 of Victor Schonfeld's "The Animals Film" will be shown tonight at 10pm (Sept 1st) on WYOU.   at 11pm you can check out "Beyond the Cage" - an Australian documentary.  hit the "Read more..." thing to, well...read more?

labor day hours - we'll be here

 we will be open on labor day, monday sept. 5, from 10am-4pm for all of your fuzzy one's needs.  

stop on in, grab some grub, and give ol' lucy a big belly rub.  

happy labor day.

beastie band blowout bonanza... sale!

dottie has decreed that all madison cats must go back to school in style! beastie bands collars will be buy one, get one half off our monroe street store this weekend.

they come in a ton of cool designs and some even glow in the dark. they're also lightweight, great for kitties who aren't used to wearing collars. stop by and check em out!

annual manual out now!

make sure to grab yer copy of the isthmus this week for the annual manual... dottie's a very grumpy star!

from the bottom of our hearts, madtown, thank you for letting us serve you and your pets for another year. we love you more than lucy loves donuts, and that's a lot.

and hey isthmus, thanks for the party! the double rainbow was just too much, you shouldn't have.

thanks, madtown

we found out today that we took it home in the isthmus' annual "madison's favorites" polls again this year.

we're honored, humbled and looking forward to another year of serving the cats and dogs of madison and their kickass guardians.

thank you.  we'll see ya at the party....

dchs catapalooza

looking for a cat?

the dane county humane society is hosting their annual catapalooza event over the weekend of august 20.  this year they're beating their own record with the main shelter staying open 29 hours straight for adoptions.  bring coffee and donuts.  kitties love donuts.

on friday august 19 you can meet local behaviorist patricia mcconnell as she gives a talk on cats and what makes them tick.  it's bound to be informative but will it give you the upper hand against their feline trickery? 

trapping proposal for county parks - wtf?

watch your toes, park-lovers. if dane county has its way, you might be seeing fewer animals due to trapping in county parks.

a new proposal would allow trappers to catch raccon, muskrat, mink, otter, beaver, coyote and fox using traps that "shut over paws... squeeze or break the animals neck and back; and traps that will be placed underwater so that the struggling animal will drown."

not to mention that the proposal includes "not only just picnic areas and shelters but diverse and interconnected strands of meadows, prairies, dog parks, golf courses, fields, forests, and wetlands."

this just seems like a bad idea all around. wanna speak up about it? sign the petition or attend the dane county meeting parks and open spaces meeting on monday, august 8.

bad news for wi puppy mill law

remember how happy we all were when wi passed a bill regulating puppy mills in the state? yeah, forget about it. the state assembly is considering a bill to ease those regulations, gutting the puppy mill bill completely and getting rid of several inspectors.

first the beer. then the puppy mills. what are the republicans gonna do next, take away my birthday?

new wellness cans - morty approved

you requested it, we got it.  two new chunky varieties of wellness cans hit stores today, slices and cubed.

grain-free chunks of meat in savory gravy available in chicken, turkey, turkey and salmon and salmon flavors.  same high quality, same great (kitty-tested) taste.

morty recommends the cubed salmon.  it pairs nicely with a bold pinot grigio.

DIY water-fountain kit

yer cats like water?  some do.  some don't.  either way, they need it.  and with the new hy-drate, its easier than ever to make sure they get it.

its basically a regular fountain-pump in a small plastic housing that contains a filter - cleans water while it circulates.  at under $25, it is the least expensive fountain on the market.

simple, cool, and available at MadCat!  for a closer look, hit the break...

lick the heat on willy street

all this week we're giving away frozen dog smoothies with any purchase at our willy st. location.  keep cool, eat yummy stuff, and enjoy the season. 

and for more summer fun don't forget to head over to the essen haus this saturday for the dog days of summer.  beer, dogs and cool stuff from yours truly.  what's not to love?

best feline friend now at madcat

more goodness for yer tummies.  weruva's kid sister (remember that?) b.f.f. is coming to a MadCat near you. 

with a full line-up of grain-free, human-quality goodness there's plenty to heart and a price that's easy on kitteh's allowance, too.

willy walka wednesday!

join mayor paul soglin and your willy street neighbors for a walk up willy street wednesday night from 5-7pm and get deals at your favorite local shops and stops.

we'll be offering 15% off toys, treats and cat trees all day plus a free goodie bag with any purchase.  stop by, support local biz, get free stuff.  'nuff said.

happy fourth ya'll

who doesn't love a three-day holiday weekend? madcat is open every day as usual, 'cept for monday we're closing at 2 p.m. so we can hit up the bbqs and firewerks.

so have a safe and happy independence day! oh and happy berfday to gabby!

remote control mouse madness!

this just in in the "things to annoy your cat" department... we now have remote control mice! need i say more?

lucy madcat is already having a ball with them:

we got yer fromm right here

now on shelves, straight outta mequon, wi....  it's Fromm!

chicken a la veg and salmon a la veg, in both dog and cat, have been picked up at all three locations.  wisconsin-made, wisconsin-munched.

you wanted it, you got it.  let's take buy local to a whole notha' level.

get ready for the goose kill

the parks department is going ahead with their promise to use any measure -including killing - to control the "goose problem" in madison. they recently secured a permit to kill 350 geese in four parks -olin-turville, brittingham, goodman and vilas, as well as the wingra creek shoreline.

when? no one seems to know, although it is certain the goose kill will take place within the next few weeks, while the birds are molting and unable to fly away.

makes sense that the board would want to keep the kill under wraps. as ald. mark clear told the isthmus, "it's something i believe should be kept relatively quiet," he says. "crowds of humans wouldn't be conducive to the work the parks department needs to do."

food glorious food, part 2

they're at it again.  the folks over at nature's variety had a bunch of cat food left-over and were wondering what to do with it.  well, we had two answers for them:  the happy cat club and friends of ferals.

these two local rescues are working hard every day for dane county's cats and they've got mouths to feed.  lots of them.

and we all know how loud hungry cats can get; it's not pretty.  snuggledorf wanted to eat the whole pallet, himself!

so a big thank you to nature's variety and an even bigger thanks to all the people making No Kill happen every day.

willyland update: progress!

roads?  where we're going...we need roads.  and we've got 'em.  (or at least part of one.)

it's the halfway point:  the sidewalks are in, the sod is green and now we've got honest-to-goodness pavement in front of the store.

beginning this week (and as early as tomorrow) the construction will switch to the other side of the street leaving the newly paved lane on our side open for inbound traffic.

how does this affect you?  brearly street parking will not be affected and there will still be parking on willy street (as available) after 7pm.  as always, our little red wagon is ready to roll and our willy street crew is strong, like ox, and ready to schlep wherever you need us to go.

willy lives!

so this is what democracy looks like?

as if you weren't mad as hell before, this little doozy was slipped into the budget bill. it's a provision says laws prohibiting crimes against animals would not apply to peeps "engaged in bona fide scientific research at an educational or research institution." 

wondering what this has to do with the state's budget? yeah me too.

willyland update: yer lookin' good

here we are in month 2 of willy street construction.  times have been tough but you've been even tougher.  navigating the willy street obstacle course full of giant holes, scary awesome machines, muddy gravel and wet cement takes dedication and we thank you for that.

 we love you.  we just want to hug all of you but we can't cuz that's crazy we can't hug all of you we want to put you in baskets and put bowties on you and put you on rainbows:



thank you for taking this epic red wagon journey with us.  you're the best.

vote!!! or gabby will jump!

it's "madison's favorites" time, gang.  now is your chance to speak your mind and vote with your heart (stomach) for all those things that make madison the bastion of pleasure and delight that it is (hint hint).

voting starts now and continues through june 26th with the winners announced at the isthmus party on august 20th.

remember to fill in at least 20 categories or your ballot won't count!  (but come on, 20?  that's easy.  just name the last 20 businesses you frequented and you're good.)

ok, ready?  vote here!

it's gettin' hot in herr

it's 95 degrees in madtown. even with the a/c blasting the cats are too hot to move. maybe a dip in the sink will help....

kittens kittens kittens!

lookin for kittens? our adoption fairs have been full of em lately!

dcfof has their usual adoption fairs saturdays at our store on mineral point road. and happycat is bringing their fosters by tomorrow from 1-4.

stop on by!

new happy cat - snuggledorf!

yes, snuggledorf, snuggler of dorfs and all things magical. (but you could just call him "george.")

this happy cat was admitted to dchs as a stray, is neutered, and is somewhere around five years old.

he's a handsome guy with big, gold eyes and a fancy-pants tuxedo.  this guy is always ready for a night at the opera or a romantic evening at home.

want to meet him?  come to the west side store on mineral point road or contact the good people of happy cat for more info.

we got balls

catnip soaked glitter balls, that is. made in canada and a size smaller than our usual sparkle balls, these balls are sure to please. nikki madcat is already a big fan:
 

might want to rethink the placement on those balls there.

rescue underway in joplin

the tornado wiped out most of the city but it didn't take their resourcefulness.

as rescue workers search through rubble to find missing persons another rescue effort is on to reunite lost pets with their families.  a facebook page is now the quickest way to get a picture of your pet in front of 10,000 sets of eyes and the folks at the city's make-shift shelter facility.  meanwhile, shelter rescuers are updating constantly with pictures of new intakes and requests for donations, like blankets and towels. 

it's an amazing testament to the power of social media, and the people behind it. 

here's hoping this site, and the many others to follow, will give some joplin residents a happy ending...and a new beginning.

no, not raptor. rapture!

well, it looks like we're still here...business as usual.

but, if anyone was called up by the great ceiling cat in the sky they can relax thanks to "after the rapture pet care."  that's, right.  book your very own blasphemer in advance and it's smooth sailing all the way to the pearly gates.

but in all honesty, it's nice to be around for awhile longer.  we've got kittehs to help.

happy cat Fe-Fe

it's fuzzy-wuzzy time!

our newest happy cat adoptee is a seven-year old female named fe-fe.  she's just a little thing (don't be fooled by the ewok coat, it's all fluff) who loves nothing more than to lay on laps and play with string.

but don't let that fool you, fe-fe likes to be the queen of her domain and would do best as an only-cat.

stop by madcat on monroe street to meet her.  you never know, she may be the one.

for more info, contact the good people of happy cat.

we got boxes!

cats love boxes and we got 'em. catty stacks come in a bunch of different colors and are customizable to any space.


made in the usa out of recycled materials, they are also super sturdy and a fun alternative to the traditional cat tree.

stop by and check em out!

dead goose walking

last night the board of park commissioners voted to recommend to the madison common council to "use any measures to control the goose population-including killing," despite widespread public outcry.

shame on them. if we start to endorse the killing of species that annoy us, what next?

but there's still hope.  contact the mayor and your alders and let them know that this is not "forward" thinking and this is not how madison solves its problems.

thank you to all who came out in support.  the geese heard you.

the lyre bird - wasn't he in police academy

this bird mimics the sounds of all the other birds he hears in the forest. but apparently he's been watching some star wars because those "boops" and "whistles" sound exactly like R2D2. skip to 2:10 for the car alarm and chainsaw action.

another spring, another goose fight

the parks commission is meeting once again on wednesday night to go over hefty's report on the the city's goose "problem."  along with management techniques like hazing and egg oiling, a humane harvest (nice word-choice)  is also being proposed. 

this is a listening session meeting so please come and speak on behalf of the geese.  if you're shy, that's okay.  your attendance alone will help the commission to understand that killing is not how madison solves its problems. 

where:  warner park community center (same as last year's big one)
when:  wednesday at 6:30
more info:  no madison goose kill

let's hope there's no fruits and nuts this year....

because we never say it enough....

dear lucy,

thank you for bathing us,

thank you for giving us our good looks,

thank you for being the one all the kids like to pet,

thank you for sharing your beds (and your snores)

but most of all thank you for being our mom.  we love you.

- love, morty & nikki

new maru!

how did this cat get to be so awesome? seriously. everything he does is so weird and wonderful, he's the perfect answer to the question "why do we love cats?"

cinco de me-ow - celebrate with a kitteh

greetings, madison jumping beans!  it's the cinco de mayo, and a thursday, so you may be planning some sort of half-priced margarita night, amirite?

well, it's also cinco de me-ow over at the dane county humane society where they are celebrating with $5 kitteh adoptions all day.  cinco bucks?  saving a life has never been so easy (on the pocketbook).

now go and have fun.  feliz cinco de mayo!

may the 4th be with you

get it?  may the 4th?  it's star wars day!

grab your T-16 and bullseye a couple of womp rats or make the kessel run in less than twelve parsecs or just spend an hour looking at animals with lightsabers.  any way you go, you're doing it right.

just don't respond with "i know" the next time someone says "i love you."  only han can do that.

puppy mill bills: TX up, MO down

it's official - missouri gov. jay nixon has signed off on changes that would gut mo's puppy mill law was passed by voters last year. shame on you, missouri. progress isn't taking one step forward and two steps back.

in good news, the lone star state is on the cusp of passing its own puppy mill bill to regulate large scale breeders. the bill would classify dog and cat breeders who have 11 or more unspayed females as "commercial breeders" and require that they be licensed by the state and undergo regular inspections and criminal background checks.

the rep who introduced the bill commented that it would not enforce anything more than the humane treatment of animals and protection of consumers. never a bad thing, right?

meet dawn

meet dawn, madcat west's newest happycat!

this super sweetie loves playing with glitter balls, sitting on laps, watching the sights out the window and exploring new places. she also loves tummy rubs.

dawn is 10 years old and gets along with kids, dogs, other cats, and even lived with a rabbit! she is front-declawed.

dawn was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, which just means that her thyroid gland produces to much thyroid hormone. fortunately, she has responded very well to medication which she takes once per day.

you can meet dawn at madcat west on mineral point road... we also have two adoption fairs this weekend! our usual DCFOF fair will be Saturday from 12-3:30 and on sunday will be the return of the happycat adoption fair! stop by and check em out!

instinct's limited ingredient food is here!

finally! a single-protein, grain free food! madcat now has instinct's limited ingredient diet, and it's aimed at eliminating some of the common ingredients cats can be sensitive to.

it says right on the bag, does NOT contain: chicken, beef, fish, eggs, dairy, grain or gluten. simple, no weird stuff, gud for you. stop by and check it out!

hoppy easter!

it's easter! after you find all yer eggs and get a pic taken with the bunny, check out the new simon's cat vid!

win African Cats tickets on Earth Day!

a movie about lions and cheetahs and wild kittens, oh my!  disney's African Cats opens today and we're pretty excited about it.  cats on the big screen!

head over to our facebake page for a chance to win tickets and some fly madcat goodies.

happy earth day, everybody!

happy birthday morty and nikki!

it's cake time!  that's right, morty and nikki turn 9 whole years old today.

 it seems like only yesterday we picked 'em up from country animal haven....

they're celebrating in style with lots of catnip and their very own home-made cat-food cake.  it's got whole mackerel and a fish-tail candle.   yummmmm. 

check out the video after the jump for some nomming action and cake close-ups. 

missouri's puppy mill bill gutted

missouri missouri missouri, i shake my fist at you.

proposition b, a bill to bring humane breeding laws to the state known as the puppy mill capital of the country, was narrowly passed by missouri voters last november.  now, the state assembly has just passed new legislation that would gut the bill and keep the puppy mills churning.

their must be some real greasy palms in that house.

citizens are outraged and already planning demonstrations to encourage governor Nixon to veto the bill, but can animal welfare override politics?  let's hope so.