We Have Returned!!! – Back and Meowier Than Ever!

Why hello everyone!!  It’s been quite a long time since we last met, hasn’t it?  And we have so much to catch up on!

Furs of all, I suppose we should apologize for such a long hiatus.  Some crazy stuff has happened in our neck of the woods, and we’ve only just now settled down and gotten used to it all.

I mean, for one thing, not only did our mom meet this really cool guy (she calls him “Captain America”), but he also happened to have THREE pets!  Which was definitely not so cool…at least not at the beginning!

Actually, it wasn’t terrible at first – he started by bringing over this strange little creature that we later learned is called a “Chihuahua,” but we just call him Doug.  He’s okay I guess.  Except when he tries to eat our food.  Dude, don’t you know that’s for cats? What a weirdo.

But THEN we found out that those other animal smells coming from Captain America belonged to CATS.  And that was definitely not okay.  It took us a long time to accept the fact that this Captain America guy, his strange dog, AND his cats would be sticking around.

And just as we were getting used to things – mom and that Captain America guy got married, and we MOVED!!

So now we live in a new house, and we have three new brothers to play with.  Not going to lie – moving and getting brothers was pretty stressful, and we weren’t always happy about it.  But as it turns out, this house is way bigger, which means there’s more room to run – plus there are more cats, which means there are more things to chase! All in all, I suppose we can’t complain.

But we do have a pretty good excuse for being gone for so long.

The good news is, we’re all happy and settled in these days, which means we’ll be back and meowier than ever in the coming weeks here on the blog!  There are still a few odds and ends that we have to over-see, so it might take us a while to get fully into the swing of things, but by golly, we’re ready to get our paws dirty (okay, maybe not so much) and get back to the business of being the cutest cats the internet ever saw!

In the meantime, our mom has taken to posting even more cute shots of us on Instagram!  We’re trying to convince her we need an account of our own, but so far you can follow along with her at the username TheHWL.

See you soon!

 Love, Baseball and Zooey

Us and Our New Brothers

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day from Baseball and Zooey!

We hope you have a day full of love!

 

And don’t forget to share the joy with your furry friends!

Foster a Pet for The Holidays

Baseball was a very lucky kitten when Mom found him without a home in the middle of a cold November.  He was warm and cozy just in time for Thanksgiving, and by Christmas, he was growing steadily!

Unfortunately, not all animals are as lucky as Baseball was that night.  There are many out there who are still waiting for the love of a forever home.

But the folks at Petfinder.com are working with animal shelters and rescue organizations across the nation in order to get as many of these pets into foster homes as possible this holiday season!

What better gift to give this year, than hope and love to a fellow creature in need?

To find out what you can do to help, check out Petfinder.com for all the information you’ll need on how to foster, and to find a shelter near you.

Unable to take in another pet this year?  Pledge to tell at least one person about the program, and enter to win a new Bissell Pet Floor Vacuum, and a $250 donation to a shelter of your choice.

Now go help some furry friends! :)

Have you ever fostered a pet before?  Do you have any tips for someone who may be new to the process?

Disaster Relief for Pets in Hurricane Sandy

Like many of you around the world, Baseball, Zooey, and Mom were glued to the tv yesterday, watching Hurricane Sandy as it caused extreme devastation to the East Coast of the United States.

It’s going to take the effort of thousands to return these cities and towns into safe places to live for both people and animals.

Thanks to the efforts of the ASPCA, many animals are safe and getting help.  But there are still many more in need out there – and they can’t do it alone.

If you would like to support the ASPCA and their efforts to rescue the animals of Hurricane Sandy, please visit their site at aspca.org or donate now.

Animals across the coast thank you!

We also want to take a moment to thank the folks at Alley Cat Allies, who have worked diligently to prepare the Boardwalk Cats in Atlantic City for the storm.

Thanks to their efforts, on a preliminary walk of Boardwalk today cats were discovered to be returning to their colonies safe and unharmed.  However, recovery has only just begun, and several areas of the Boardwalk are still flooded, or have been torn away.

If you’re interested in helping the folks at Alley Cat Allies with the Atlantic City situation, please e-mail them at info@alleycat.org.

Update:  If you are on the east coast, please check out this site, and help make sure that all lost pets find their way home.  For those outside the path of Sandy, shelters are filling up quickly and foster parents are needed!  If you’re able to, visit Petfinder.com’s list of shelters by state to contact them for regarding fostering or donating much needed items.

Your Pet and Halloween

Halloween can be a fun time for humans, but for our furry friends it can often be a dangerous time of the year.

Here are some tips on how to keep your pet safe on Halloween:

• Keep them indoors – and not just your black cats.  Halloween can be a time for mischief makers, and often times pets can be the innocent victims of cruel pranks.  Make sure to keep them inside in a safe place – especially if you’re attending a Halloween Party or taking out a group of trick or treaters.  Pets can get scared by loud celebrations and get free from even the most secure backyards.

• Keep them away from open doors – curious pets might be tempted to follow behind you to “inspect” the kids at the door, and they may sneak out in the shuffle.  Also, you can never be too sure if young children have been raised around pets – it’s best not to risk a pulled tail leading to someone getting scratched or bitten.

• If excessive ringing of the doorbell causes your pet anxiety, make sure they have a quiet place to rest, or place tape over it/cover it in some way for the evening.

• Store all candy out of reach of pets, and never share your treats with them!  Especially chocolate – it can be deadly for many animals if ingested.

• If you’re dressing your pet in costume make sure it doesn’t have any choking hazards and that it doesn’t restrict their breathing, eating and drinking, or movement.

• Make sure that all candles, decorations, and carved pumpkins are out of reach of pets and not someplace they can be knocked over.

Photo Credit: BannerInk.com

Pet Safety During Natural Disasters

With Hurricane Sandy heading for the east coast, Baseball and Zooey thought it was very important for pet owners to find out how to keep their furry friends safe during the storm.  Even if you’re not facing a natural disaster at the moment, it’s always smart to be prepared.  You never know what the weather may do, and having a pet preparedness kit ready ahead of time will make it one less thing you have to attend to in an emergency.

Check out these links from PetFinder.com and the ASPCA on how to create a disaster kit and plan for your pets as well as information on first aid and CPR.

Petfinder: Disaster Preparedness for Pets and Their Families

ASPCA: How to Prepare Your Pets for Hurricane Sandy

If you are in the New York area, you should know that all evacuation shelters accept animals.  Please take them with you!  You do not be afraid to evacuate for fear of leaving them behind.

The ASPCA will have updates on the storm’s progress on their blog, facebook page, and twitter.  You can also use and follow their hashtag #SandyPets on twitter for updates on all of the pet-related hurricane news.

We hope all of our friends on the east coast stay safe and dry while this storm passes!

Pets in Costume

Baseball and Zooey both grew out of the one pumpkin costume they had, so they won’t be getting dressed up to hand out candy to trick or treaters this year.  But lots of other cats and dogs will be!  In fact, it’s estimated that people will spend $370 million on Halloween costumes for their pets, in the United States alone!

Here are some cute examples of Halloween costumes for pets:

Will your pets be dressing up this Halloween?  What will their costumes be?

Make a Difference – and Vote Cat!

It’s time to find out for once and for all – are Cats really better than Dogs?

Baseball and Zooey are pretty sure that’s the easiest question they’ve ever been asked…

Obviously the answer is cats!

This month, Purina.com is sponsoring the great debate, Cats vs. Dogs!  Who will you choose?  Click here to place your vote every day between now and November 8th, 2012, and animals won’t be the only winners!  For every vote, Purina will donate $1 to Pet Partners’ veteran programs, and you’ll be helping to make a difference in the lives of veterans everywhere.

Just remember…Cats rule and Dogs drool!

Make A Difference – Pt. 3

The other day while I was learning how to knit a new stitch, Baseball and Zooey were curious.  “What are you going to do with that when you’re done, Mom?”  They asked. I told them I wasn’t sure.

You see, when I’m learning a new stitch, I’m not always very good at it, so I don’t like to start a new project right away – usually I practice by making a couple of squares out of leftover yarn first.  Baseball and Zooey got me thinking though, what was I going to do with all of these squares when I was finished?

Then I remembered a website I found a few months ago called The Snuggle Project. “That’s it!  I could turn my practice squares into Snuggles!”  I told the cats.

What are Snuggles, you ask?

Well! Snuggles are small knit blankets made for shelter animals. These animals are often very scared, and have trouble attaching to humans because they’ve either been abused, or just been on their own too long without any human contact. Snuggles are a soft friend they can cuddle with that helps soothe them/calm them down when they’re stressed. Not only that, but once the animal bonds with their Snuggle, it’s much easier for them to learn how to bond with people and other animals! It also makes their transition from shelter to home easier once they are adopted, because they have something familiar and comforting to go along with them. Snuggles are so helpful, that many shelters have started requesting them! Click here to see if your local shelter is on the list.

Animals do so much for their human friends when given the chance. We have all heard the stories of heroism, and anyone who’s owned a pet knows how much love they give. It’s important that we find a way to help these animals in whatever way we can.

I certainly don’t know where I’d be without Baseball and Zooey!  So, while I can’t adopt every animal that’s in a shelter, or even spare that much change for donations – I can knit! (Kind of…)

Recommended Snuggle Sizes:

14” x 14” for cats and small animals
24” x 24” for cats and small to medium dogs
36” x 36” for medium to large dogs

Are you interested in making some Snuggles?? Check out this website for more information. What do you do with your practice pieces?

Baseball and Zooey say “Happy Knitting”!

PetSmart’s National Adoption Week

Sorry about the unexpected blogging hiatus everyone – sometimes you just need to take a break to recharge!  But we’re back, and we’ve got even more inspiration than before.  Be sure to check back on Monday and we’ll update you on some of the exciting things that have been going on in The Adventures of Baseball and Zooey!

Until then, we thought it was important to let you all know that it’s National Adoption Week at Petsmart.  Visit any PetSmart store between Sept. 14th and 16th and help create a happy forever home for a homeless cat or dog.  For more information, check out this blog at CatnipTimes.com or Petsmart’s official Website.

Baseball, Zooey, and all of their rescue friends say Thank You!