WW: Napping in My Sweet Grandma's Arms

Feed the Tiny Tiger in Your Cat #ChewyInfluencer

Meows from Mudpie!

This month when my Chewy Influencer email arrived, Mommy really goofed. She saw the Tiny Tiger Chunks in EXTRA Gravy Beef & Poultry Recipes Variety Pack and for some reason thought it came in pouches. Then a case of cans arrived. Everybody knows I don't eat wet food from cans, only trays and pouches. Being the good sport that I am about trying new things (shut up, Mommy...) I decided to give it a shot anyways.

Before I offer my opinion, here's what Chewy has to say about the food...

Key benefits:

• Grain-free variety pack contains three tasty recipes from the farm, including Beef, Chicken, and Turkey and Giblets.
• Provides high-quality animal protein for the amino acids needed to maintain lean, active muscles.
• A complete and balanced meal with protein for active muscles, plus vitamins, minerals and essential taurine.
• Extra gravy makes meals extra tasty, and real broth provides moisture for healthy hydration.
• Available in a range of protein-rich recipes for the variety cats love, with never any grains, corn, wheat, soy or carrageenan.

Knowing it would take some convincing to get me to eat it, Mommy took a fork and mashed the chunks into smithereens. (She calls it the Mudpie Mash while singing Monster Mash. (SO embarrassing.) She also added water to it to make it soupier still. 

The first can I tried was the turkey, and I stunned her by sitting in front of my bowl (usually I eat wet food standing up because it's rarely worth my valuable time) and eating for what seemed like several minutes! When I was done I gave my face a good wash (another positive sign), but she still discovered that I had licked the gravy clean and left behind the mashed up bits. I've had the food a few times since and always really love the gravy, but not the meat, unfortunately. I find the beef gravy to be particularly yummy.

The Tiny Tiger variety pack is currently on sale at Chewy for $12.99 for a case of 24 cans. They're also currently running a 50% off trial offer on Tiny Tiger so there's no better time to give this food a try.

Chewy offers FREE 1-2 day shipping for orders over $49, and with over 500 brands in stock they have something sure to make every cat or dog happy. Tell them Mudpie sent you!

Disclaimer: We received product compensation from Chewy.com as part of their Blogger Outreach Program in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are our own and we never recommend a product we don’t fully believe in.

We've Got Tonight #MewsicMovesMe

This is a freebie week in the Mewsic Moves Me blog hop and we decided to do a "battle of the bands" featuring one of my all-time favorite songs, We've Got Tonight, penned by Bob Seger. For this song Mudpie says nothing but her very best "come hither" look will do.

I'll be a good girl and start with the 1978 original...



Of course I wouldn't be featuring this song if Conway hadn't covered it at some point, which he did magnificently on 1980's Heart & Soul album. As one commenter said on YouTube, "My knees buckled with the first line, sexy voice."
This song was just made for him...

In 1983 Kenny Rogers took We've Got Tonight to the top of the country duets as a duet with Sheena Easton. Their version also went to number six on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart, number two on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, even reaching the top 30 in the United Kingdom...

It's Battle of the Bands time!!!

It goes without saying that Conway's version is tops with me, as he starts with his signature way of speaking lines to a song with that gorgeous voice of his, leading into a performance that proves why he was called the "king of country soul." As I said last week, even though he's known first and foremost as a legendary country singer, in my humble opinion he was one of the greatest voices in American music, period. Not that I'm partial or anything...

Please leave a comment telling us which is your favorite!

Good Morning is a Contradiction in Terms #SundaySelfie

We're joining our friends at The Cat On My Head for the Sunday Selfies blog hop!

Caturday Art

Visit more artsy kitties at Athena's Caturday Art blog hop!

And now our weekly answers for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by 15andmeowing and Four-Legged Furballs!

Mommy's answers:

1. I believe people who love animals are better people in general. That may be judgmental of me but I just think more highly of people who see animals for the special treasures they are.

2. I need to go Marie Kondo on my entire house.

Mudpie's answers:

3. It does no good to tell a cat what to do. Especially a tortie.

4. I find being ridiculously adorable to be a walk in the park.

Blurry Basement Bloopers #PetPhotoFails

Meows from Mudpie!

Thank you for joining us for this month's Pet Fails Photo Hop! It seems way too early to be the last Friday of the month...where has February gone?!?!?!

As promised, today we have some blurry bloopers from my great basement adventure from the past week. I've been getting really bored as the winter has dragged on, and I have more than a touch of spring fever, so I really needed this. Even though most of the boxes are now gone, Mommy says we still have lots more junk to sort through, so I plan to lend a helping paw wherever I can!

How are you kitties whiling away the time until spring window whiffie season begins? Any household projects you're helping with?

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Tortie Queen of Box Mountain

Meows from Mudpie!

You may remember that on Sunday I took my selfie from a secret location and I promised you the deets...

Last week we had to have our water heater replaced. (For anyone keeping track, that's the furnace, water heater, cable box, toaster oven, kitchen counter lighting, and cell phone that have all been replaced in the past 6 weeks. It would be cheaper just to buy a new house at this point.) In the process of shuffling crap stuff around to give the plumbers room to install it, this mountain of boxes erupted and I could hardly wait to climb on top and survey my kingdom!

Would you believe Mommy told me not to get too attached to my new playground because the majority of what's in those boxes is either going to the dump or Goodwill? And sure enough, less than a week later 75% of the boxes are already gone!!! (When Mommy gets motivated to trash stuff she doesn't mess around!) Good thing I had fun while it lasted.

You might be wondering how I handled yet another home invasion by workmen. When they got here I met them at the door and Mommy told them I don't go outside. They were really careful to make sure the doors were shut behind them each time they went in and out, but in the process of their closing doors I ended up getting shut down in the basement...with them and no Mommy! All of a sudden she could hear me screaming and traced the tortie hollers to the top basement stair as I yelled for help. Thankfully that was the extent of the drama that day.

We hope you'll join us on Friday for this month's edition of the Pet Photo Fails! I have a few more blurry outtakes to share from my basement adventure.

Unboxing February's CatLadyBox

The theme of February's CatLadyBox was "Meowlentine's Day"...here's what was inside!

Featured Cat Lady Artist: Adrienne Gelardi

Kitty Cat Highball Glasses: I love the classic look of black and pink together so these are already being used in my kitchen!

Cat Eyeshadow Palettes: I wear eye shadow once in a blue moon, so for now these are just looking cute on my dresser. The palettes came in calico, black cat, Russian Blue, and ginger. I got calico and black cat which were a good fit for me...wish there had been a tortie though!

Kitty Cat Tweezers: Tweezers are always handy to have nearby, and anything looks better when it's cat-shaped!

Heart Wand Toy: Wand toy + feathers = Happy Mudpie

Catnip Donut Heart: Yummy looking enough to eat...purrfect for bopping around the house.

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Not a subscriber yet? Visit CatLadyBox today!

Interested in purchasing individual items from past boxes? You can do that too!

Disclosure: I receive a discount on my CatLadyBox subscription as a thank you for my monthly review. Regardless of compensation received, we only share information we feel is relevant to our readers.

Smokin' Hot Tortie...& Conway #MewsicMovesMe

In honor of National Battery Day, the Mewsic Moves Me blog hop is challenging us to choose songs using the keywords smoke, alarm, battery, and charge. It was brought to my attention that I didn't dedicate a Valentine post last week to my beloved Conway, so this one is for him!

One of the many, many, many, many, many things I love about Conway is his unbelievable range and versatility. He could sing absolutely anything. This first song was recorded for a radio show in 1972 and went commercially unreleased until just a couple years ago. It's as country as you can get...

By the late 70s he could see that country music was changing and he was either going to need to adjust to those changes or be left by the wayside like so many of his peers. Change he did and while he ruled the airwaves in the late 60s and all through the 70s with a traditional country sound, during the 80s he scored some of the biggest hits of his career with "countrified" covers of pop hits and music that reflected the crossover sounds of the decade. He was still racking up number one records in the early 90s and I have no doubt that would have continued had he not been taken from us.

Smoke from a Distant Fire clearly isn't a country song (it was originally recorded by the Sanford-Townsend Band) and it gave Conway the opportunity to go back to his early rock days. He might surprise you on this one!

Whether it was country, rock, blues, or gospel, people have said Conway could sing the phone book and make it sound good. (One of his nicknames was "the best friend a song ever had," after all.) Loretta Lynn once said he could probably even sing opera for all anyone knew!

Do you have a favorite artist who could seemingly "sing it all"?

Secret Spot Sunday Selfie

Meows from Mudpie!

Today I'm submitting my Sunday Selfie from a secret spot...one I'll tell you all about in a few days and how I came to find this fun new hideout! 

We're joining our friends at The Cat On My Head for the Sunday Selfies blog hop!

Caturday Art

Visit more artsy kitties at Athena's Caturday Art blog hop!

And now our weekly answers for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by 15andmeowing and Four-Legged Furballs!

Mommy's answers:

1. If it wasn’t for cats, coffee, and Conway, I would go crazy. My three C's to a happy life!

2. Email is my preferred method of communication. Followed by texting. Anything to avoid talking on the phone!

Mudpie's answers:

3. Take care of the cat's needs before your own.

4. You can’t buy love, but you can adopt it.

Flashback Friday: Remembering Sashi

13 years ago today I lost a part of my heart when Sashi left for the Bridge. She was my first little girl, the first cat in my life that came from a shelter, and the first cat I adopted on my own as an adult.

She had been given up by her family at 9 years old. I was told many people thought she was beautiful but passed her by because of her age. Week after week I went past her cage at the PetSmart adoption center until I finally realized she was waiting for me. We were blessed to have 8 wonderful years together. Her passing in 2006 tore my heart into a million pieces. She was the first cat that was truly mine, and I felt like I had lost a child as she slipped away beside me on the couch after a lengthy illness.

Every now and then I spend a little time going through my collection of non-digitized photos. They bring back so many memories of those that came before.

That box was her favorite napping spot. I still have it.

Unlike my other ladycats, Sashi enjoyed playing dress up. She would let me put anything on her.

Her favorite treat was canned whipped cream. On birthdays we put a candle in it.

And nothing made her happier than a nice, warm blankie.

I have no doubt that Sashi was the first kitty waiting at the Bridge when Tara and Truffles arrived, and that they have a daily catnip klatch! I hope they all know how much they're still remembered and loved.

Wishing You a Purrfect Valentine's Day!!!

Book Review: The Cats Who Crossed Over from Paris (Inca Cat Series Book 1) by R.F. Kristi

Inca, a Siberian puss, tells the story about her furry family – her brother Fromage, who is addicted to cheese and considers himself a cheese monger, and her sister, Cara, a gorgeous but timid Siamese. Inca, an avid fan of Dr. House, considers herself the leader of the troupe and responsible for the well-being of the family. They own, according to Inca, Missy, a young humanoid who has a well-established cheese shop in Paris. The story revolves around how Missy decides to move to London with her co-partners, Jacques and Genevieve, to run their new cheese shop and café. Can Fromage leave his pal, Charlotte, behind? Soon after arriving in London, the three cats accompany Missy to their neighbor’s house where they meet Monk, a blue Russian cat and Terrance, a golden retriever owned by their famous neighbor, a detective named Solo, living in the same compound in Kensington.

Things start to get interesting when Monk tries to help their neighbor, Polo, a sad little Pekinese whose mistress, a formerly well-known opera singer who is pining for her lost husband, has her valuable diamond necklace stolen. Can Inca and her family assist Monk and Terrance to recover the diamond necklace and resolve Polo’s problems?

As I've found myself struggling to find my reading mojo once again, I also can't help but miss my cat mysteries, so I went in search of something a little less taxing on my brain and this series fits the bill just purrfectly. 

The story revolves around three cats, Inca, Cara, and Fromage, and their human, Missy, and as we meet them they're preparing to move from Paris to London so Missy and her partners can open a second cheese shop with Fromage as the mascot. Fromage's hamster friend Charlotte also tags along, and upon settling into their new home their furry neighbors involve them in a puzzling mystery! This is right up Inca's alley as her favorite TV show is about a detective, and she aims to become the feline version of the program's main character. 

The Inca Cat series may be billed as a series for children, but cat-loving adults are sure to find it just as enjoyable and adorable as I did. Each cat has their own personality and at different times during the story each one had their turn as my "favorite"! In the end I just loved them all and look forward to spending more time with them in the other 7 books in the series. 

Moo & Mudpie Meet

4th Annual Mudpie 500 Zoomies Event

WOOHOO today I'm taking my Sunday Selfie

from behind the wheel of a moving race car!!!

(And the 2014 Sprint Cup Champion's car at that...just sayin'.)

It's no secret that Mommy is serious about her NASCAR. The Daytona 500 is next Sunday and she is ecstatic.

Since she always calls my zoomies the "running of the Mudpie 500" I decided to start hosting an annual giveaway to celebrate this national holiday in our house and to make it fun for me and my friends too!

Like last year we're giving away a $15 PetSmart gift card so my pals of all species can purr-ticipate! 

For a chance to win, simply leave a comment predicting the winning driver by midnight eastern on Sunday, February 17th. Don't forget to leave your email address too!

In the event that more than one of you pick the winning driver, we will draw a name from a hat. If no one picks the winning driver, we will move on to second place, etc., until a winner is chosen. Last year we had to go all the way to the 7th place driver to get a winner!

Here are your driver choices:
(click to enlarge)

Here's the thing about the Daytona 500: it's a total crap shoot so you don't need to know a thing about racing in order to predict a winner. It's known as a "restrictor plate race" which limits speed and increases safety, to provide an equal level of competition. The cars all run in crazy scary packs and winning is more a matter of luck than anything.

Back in 2007 our driver Kevin Harvick won the race. My grandpa's boss at the time stood to win $1,000 if Mark Martin won, and Martin was leading until the last turn of the last lap when Kevin came from 7th place to win by fractions of a second. It was a thrilling finish, but grandpa never told his boss that Kevin was our driver! Check it out:

Good luck, have fun, and may the best man Kevin Harvick win!!!

Caturday Art

Visit more artsy kitties at Athena's Caturday Art blog hop!

And now our weekly answers for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by 15andmeowing and Four-Legged Furballs!

Mudpie's answers:

1. My sandpaper kisses are always purrfect. (Or so Mommy says!)

2. A day in my life always includes playing and lots of naps.

Mommy's answers:

3. I want to make lasagna this weekend.

4. Good things happen to those who are proactive. Don't wait for opportunities to come to you - go out there and make things happen!

Flashback Friday: Stuffie Snuggling

Meows from Mudpie!

Have you ever noticed how "ho hum" the month of February is? All the pretty Christmas decorations have been put away and it's still weeks if not months before the windows can be opened for some good whiffies.

I decided to take a look back at what I was doing 3 years ago this week, and as it turns out I was doing pretty much the same thing I've been doing this week and for the past few months as well...snuggling with my stuffies on the bed.

This is just a small portion of Mommy's cat dolls that she keeps on the bed during the day, and each morning she has to arrange them "just so" so I can cozily curl up with them. I become one with the stuffies.

Early next week I'll be introducing you to a visiting stuffie I got to spend some time with recently. He wanted to stay and continue cuddling with me (who wouldn't?) but he had to hit the road...

Who are you snuggling with during these long, cold February days?

Little Miss Sassy Pants

Mudpie: Mommy, how much longer is it going to take you to put the Christmas stuff away?

Mommy: Mudpie, how much longer do we need to leave your cardboard tent up in the living room?

Mudpie: Mommy, don't you know it's considered rude to answer one question with another?

The Purrfect 10: Fun Facts About the Sensational Siberian

We love reading and researching anything and everything about cats, and wanted to find a fun and unique way to share the interesting facts we learn with you! Since top 10 lists are very popular in the blogosphere, we created The Purrfect 10 as a way to present 10 educational or fascinating tidbits about a wide variety of cat-related topics, everything from health issues to cat breeds to famous felines.

Last month I attended our local cat show and the breed that made the biggest impression on me this time around was the Siberian. Coincidentally, I also just started reading the Inca Cat Detective series of books for children which stars a Siberian as the lead feline character, so that's how they became the subject of this month's edition of The Purrfect 10...

1) Siberians (also known as Siberian Forest cats and Moscow Semi-Longhairs) have been in existence for over 1,000 years and serve as the national cat of Russia. They were first mentioned in Harrison Wier's book Our Cats and all About Them, which included information about one of the earliest cat shows held in England in 1871.

2) Siberians play an important role in the Russian folklore. They were used to perform rodent control on farms and in shops in the past, but are kept mostly as house pets today. In Russian fairy tales, magical cats protect children and open gateways to unseen realms.

3) The breed first arrived in the United States in 1990 following the end of the Cold War. They are still fairly rare in the US and most breeders have waiting lists for their kittens.

4) As a result of the harsh Siberian climate they originate from, these cats have a luxurious triple coat to protect against the cold which grows thicker during the winter months even in indoor cats. Their densely muscled body is also suited to their environment. As with most other cat breeds, Siberians come in just about all colors and patterns although brown tabbies are most common. Their coat tends to resist matting, but they do go through a "molting" period in both the spring and fall. Interestingly, this molting is not triggered by a change in temperature but rather by the change in daylight hours.

5) Considered one of the largest cat breeds, the Siberian matures slowly, sometimes not reaching their full stature until the age of 5!

6) The Siberian has water-repellent fur and is more likely to play with water more than other cat breeds.

7) Known for their agile jumping skills, Siberians are athletic and energetic, highly intelligent and devoted to their humans. Their easygoing nature make them the purrfect addition to any household, including busy families with young children and other pets. They are also very serious when it comes to parenting - many mother cats will have only one mate for life, and Siberian fathers are very nurturing and play a huge part in caring for their kittens.

8) There are claims that the Siberian is hypoallergenic and produces less Fel d1 (the primary allergen present on cats and kittens) than other cat breeds, making them safe for allergy sufferers. This has not been scientifically proven though so plan to spend extra time with any cat you plan to bring home to gauge your reaction to them.

9) The International Cat Association (TICA) accepted Siberians into the New Breed program in 1992 and in 1996 granted them championship status. The were accepted for registration by the Cat Fanciers Association in February 2000 and advanced to championship status in February 2006.

10) Famous Siberian cat owners include Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev. They've even made their way into pop culture thanks to the 2016 movie Nine Lives!

Have you ever had the pleasure of meeting or being owned by a Siberian cat?