After my blog about cat hairballs, I thought we could talk about something MUCH more pleasant. Can we just agree that the cutest thing is the world is kitty noses? Not only are they cute, and perfect for wet cold kisses, they are strong sniffers. Kitties have an incredible sense of smell. They have tons of scent receptors in their nose, even more than some dog breeds! That's why as babies they can still find where to nurse on their momma even with their eyes closed ~ they can smell her. Ever notice when they smell certain things they open their mouths ~ they can take in smells through their mouth too! Aren't cats the coolest? (Click photos for larger image!)

Ginger Roger's side eye and cute nose.

Just like a human's fingerprint, cat's noses have ridges and bumps unique to them. They also are used to filter the air just like a humans nose. Cat noses can be dry or wet, and cold or warm, it just varies on the cat, maybe what time of day it is, and location. Ex. If they are sitting in the sun, their nose will be warm.

Let's enjoy some kitty noses!

More of Ginger Roger's nose...

Now Vicktor Frankenstein's nose...

Oh my goodness, I can't get enough! I'm on kitty nose overload! Until next time...

I was eager to get my July Glamour Ghoul Box in because it's Classic Monster themed! You really can't go wrong with the classics, but I feel that this box wasn't very exciting. Also a friend of mine pointed out that the Glamour Ghoul Batty Box from May that's pictured on their website (pictured below) had a bat pin included in it. What is that little batty pin in the top left?! I didn't get that in my box! *insert sad face*

Included in the July box is...

1. Frankenstein's Monster Art Print from The Risky Rabbit. This is a detailed black and white print that I plan to frame and hang in my Halloween room. Check out their etsy shop for other black and white prints, mugs, and totebags too! This picture was made for Glamour Ghoul, but isn't really exclusive as stated on the back of the picture, it's more like limited edition and can be found here, so if you like it don't miss out!

2. My Pal Monster Pin from Lunar Crypt Co. The one I received was a black and white Wolfman pin and the colored pins were pictured on the Glamour Ghoul facebook page (pictured below). Their post read, "These adorable My Pal Monster pins by Lunar Crypt Co. will be joining all your other classic horror goodies!!! (One random monster pin per box)". I didn't get ANY of those. You can see the difference below. They have tons of colored pins on the Lunar Crypt website though. When I contacted Glamour Ghoul, they said the black and white ones were "exclusive", I kinda like the colored ones better.

3. Dracula Cup from Glam Nerd Customs. This cup was my reason for ordering the box. I thought it was creepy AND practical. I put hot water in it, then cold water in it and still NO color change in the cup. (I only knew it changed color from their facebook post.) I asked them about it and they clarified by saying the water has to be colder than ice water and a certain temperature for the color to change. I felt stupid, but I feel like the instructions should come with it. I tried colder water, and sure enough, it worked.  p.s. I don't think it's worth $12, but I'm enjoying it.

4. Creature From the Black Lagoon button from Bright Bat Designs. I've never seen the creature look so cute!  They included a sticker in the Batty Box for May that was adorable too.

5. "Blackened Beauty" Liquid Lipstick from Beauty Bar Baby ~ nice dark color, goes on matte, but isn't as drying as the Spoiled Lips one that I'm wearing. The package is pretty too.

6. Frankie Dunker from The Mad Bombers ~ packaged well and smells nice. Not sure if I'll use this since I have a blue 1950s bathtub. I'm afraid it might stain it, but a cool idea nonetheless.

As mentioned, I'm wearing the bat necklace from Murderous Jewels and lipstick from Spoiled Lips in "Charmed" from the Glamour Ghoul Batty Box that was delivered in May. Thanks for reading and/or watching, until next time!

When I walk through my house, especially in the summer, and I see a brown turd shaped thing on the floor, I always hope it's a kitty hairball aka trichobezoar and not poo. It seems like cats hack up more hairballs in the spring and summertime. Hairballs are normal and really just a wad of fur that your cat has been collecting after it cleans itself combined with a little food and stomach secretions. They smell nasty, probably as bad as poop and are even grosser if you accidentally step in one barefoot...*barf*

Hairball or poo log?...Just kidding, it's a hairball.

There are ways to combat hairballs and here are a few suggestions...

1. Brush your cat, so the loose fur doesn't get swallowed when they clean themselves. Think of it as bonding with your kitty. You can even brush them daily. The more they are brushed the less hairballs they will cough up. Some cats don't like being brushed, but you can get a post with a brush that will help them remove some of the loose hair on their own. There's a variety of them.

A grooming arch can be found here.

2. If they are a long haired cat, you can take them to a groomer when it's hot outside for a trim, but only when it's hot enough, you don't want them to be cold! I have friends that do this once a year. (See pics of Doris with fur and without in her "lion haircut" above and right).

3. You can try hairball food that's high in fiber, so they can pass the hairball through their tummy easier.

4. Hairball medicine. There are many, most are mild laxatives, some have a lubricant to help your kitty poop it out. It just just seems a little dangerous to me. I don't want my kitties ingesting vaseline.

How many hairballs are too many? Well if your kitty produces one or more a month, it could be a health issue. Some vets even say more than two a year is too many. I'd say mine have about 3 big ones a year ~ I think this is pretty normal.

If your cat hacks but no hairball comes up it can be dangerous. (Yes, hacking up hairballs is good for your cat.) If you hear your cat retching and nothing is produced, they may have one stuck inside that can become an intestinal blockage, and will need to be surgically removed. I'm not making this up, see Gemma Cat. So make sure you groom those long haired kitties!

Signs they might have a blockage are a loss of appetite or constipation. To prevent this make sure they are drinking water and try feeding them canned pumpkin or meat flavored baby food and that may get them to poop the hairball out.

When our cats get sick they like the Gerber brand meat flavored baby food.

Things to consider... if your cat obsessively grooms, it will have more hairballs. Long haired cats will have more hairballs (duh), and hairless cats don't have any. Kittens have few to none because they are still learning how to properly groom themselves.

My friend's long haired groomed cats, Tamerlane and Linus ~ two large balls of fluff ~ want to wish you a Happy Summer and hope you don't step in any warm hairballs OR pooballs!

I came across Abattoir on instant watch Netflix and was interested because it's an original idea for a horror movie ~ rooms that people get murdered in are removed from the houses. Has potential right?

Warning spoilers ahead...

I was so excited by the first five minutes because it's 1940s film noir inspired! The main character Julia Talbot dresses like a secretary with pinup hair and makeup. She even dated a guy named Grady that's styled after an old fashioned detective story...he wears a hat for crying out loud! She drives a classic car too. Sadly, this couple is just retro and the story takes place in the present.

Julia is a writer for a newspaper (another reason I thought it took place in the past because who reads newspapers anymore?). She's very close with her sister, Amanda's family, who end up getting brutally murdered in their son's room, and Julia wants to know why. To top it off, the room they were killed in was removed from the house. Kinda weird, right?! We come to find out this isn't the first time a "murder room" was removed from a house. It's been going on for over 50 years, but what happens to the rooms?

Side story...Julia thought for years her real mother was dead, but learns that her and her sister Amanda come from a small corrupted town called New English (no not New England, New English) and their mother pledged to have them sacrificed as children to create a better world for the town. Their mother and the townsfolk were influenced by a preacher, and the kids were meant to have died in a school fire, but these two escaped.

The preacher is a malevolent spirit collecting the murder rooms to create an abattoir, or literally a slaughterhouse, that once complete can open a door to the netherworld. The rooms within create a patch work house where ghosts repeat their deaths over and over, haunted house style. The house reveal in the movie is probably the most impressive thing about it. I was hoping that when you walk through the rooms you can see the different decor from the decades, i.e. 1970s wood paneling, but you really only get glimpses.

I won't give away the ending, but let's say it's a downer. The main actress is good in some scenes, but not in others, the dialog can use some help and the basic storyline is there, but there's a few holes that need some spackle. Overall I'd say don't buy this house, it's too much of a fixer upper ~ but I guess some people like a challenge, I heard there's a sequel in the works.

Here's the trailer:

Yes, I'm a crazy cat lady and proud of it, but I know for a fact there's a plethora of cat dads out there too! How can they show their "kitty pride"? (Get it? I made a Marvel reference.) Sure it's easy to find girly kitty jewelry, cat cardigans, and purses, but what's available for cat fellas? Well aside from goofy 80s retro cat Ts, here's some really cool socks that I sell at Cats Like Us. I don't like to toot my own horn, but these men's socks are really cool. I've had my share of guys come in looking for cat accessories and now I have these fun socks to offer! At only $9, get one for you and a friend!

 

Cat Scratch DJ Crew Socks

Gato Libre Luchador Crew Socks

Shop ALL mens and womens cat items on Cats Like Us here.

If you've been following my blog, you know I'm working my way through the Supernatural TV show. (You can read my random thoughts on Seasons 1 & 2 here and Seasons 3 & 4 here, along with Ginger Roger's crush on Sam Winchester.) ***Warning there's a lot of spoilers in this post.

MINUS- I have to say a lot of Seasons 5 and 6 have the same problems I mentioned before i.e. no good female characters. In the beginning of Season 5 Ellen & Jo are back. Yay! They are worthy female characters but unfortunately they sacrifice themselves to the hellhounds for the Winchesters and die. Boo. Then there was a teaser episode when they were both back in an alternate dimension, but that only lasted one episode, then they were dead again.

MINUS- I feel like I'm watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer again ~ not that it's a bad thing ~ but I expect some new ideas from Supernatural. At the end of season 5 Sam jumps into hell to save everyone and avoid the apocalypse, but first he beats up Dean, but has flashbacks of growing up with Dean. It was very Buffy when Zander snaps Willow out of it with the yellow crayon story. OR when Sam came back from hell without a soul, also known as Buffy coming back from heaven wrong. OR when Samuel collects monsters to question them, just like the Initiative in Buffy. OR The "Mother of All" aka The Master from Buffy. Ok, I'm done. If you're not a Buffy fan you need to watch it. It's only 7 seasons compared to Supernaturals 13.

MINUS- Season 6, episode 16 "...And Then There Were None" This is by far the worst Supernatural episode ever. (I feel I can say this after watching 120 of them.) The dialog, storyline, and acting is terrible. It's def one you can skip.

MINUS- Get poor Castiel some chapstick. ~ I mentioned this before. I know they film in Canada where it's cold, but damn.

PLUS- The plot of Season 5 in a tiny nutshell is to find God and kill Lucifer. Unfortunately Sam is Lucifer's vessel and Dean is the Archangel Michael's vessel. Eventually they are poised to fight each other in an epic apocalyptic battle. (Isn't that always the case?) So there's a lot of Sam and Dean acting more like a couple that's dating then a monster killer team. It works. They play off each other very well. Season 6 is Sam is back from hell, fighting monsters with his grandfather Samuel, but he's different and soul-less. Then the "Mother of All" gets raised and they have to fight her.

PLUS- Again they are sticking with some funny episodes between the more serious ones. Some great ones are...

Season 5, episode 5 "Fallen Idols" has a cameo by Paris Hilton, there's James Dean's car and even an appearance by Abe Lincoln! (Well not THEE Honest Abe, but you get my drift.)

Season 5, episode 8 "Changing Channels" Sam and Dean are stuck as characters on rotating TV shows. They are placed there by an angel that wants them to assume their roles for the apocalypse.

Season 5, episode 9 "The Real Ghostbusters" takes place at a Supernatural fan convention.

Season 6, episode 5 "Live Free or Twihard" showcases Sam and Dean finding out Twilight fans can be easily lured by vampires.

Season 6, episode 15 "The French Mistake" is the ultimate show within a show. The Winchesters get sent to an alternate reality where they are themselves on Supernatural. What they know about demons and is not real. Puts a new spin on it.

Season 6, epsiode 18 "Frontierland" is really fun and the boys get to go back in time to the Wild West. I found this episode to be very creative.

PLUS- Some of the more serious episodes flesh out other characters. There's a whole episode from Bobby's perspective, Season 6, episode 4 "Weekend at Bobby's". There's one for Castiel too, Season 6, episode 20 "The Man Who Would be King".

PLUS- Crowley is introduced and you can't really tell if he's good or bad yet. He gets Bobby walking again and gives the Winchesters the colt revolver to kill Lucifer.

PLUS- There's a Buffalo, NY episode!!! I should mention that Buffalo looks nothing like it's pictured. Lol.

PLUS- The Four Horsemen's rings are needed to put Lucifer in hell. I love the Death horseman actor. He plays a witty role and loves good food. He also gives Sam his soul back.

PLUS- I'm still enjoying the opening sequences and recap. It can be hard to keep track of everything going on. (I'm looking at you David Lynch and Twin Peaks: The Return.)

PLUS/ MINUS- We get to see what Dean's "normal" life would be like without Sam, but with Lisa. Lisa is cool in the beginning, she understands that Dean is a hunter, then she gets annoying really quick by all of a sudden not being ok with his lifestyle. So that started off good.

There needs to be a drinking game....take a shot when Sam and Dean get killed and when they actually drink on the show. It happens A LOT. Excuse me while I grab a beer...

It's been hot out lately, and not only is it important for you to always stay hydrated, but it's important for kitties too! They should get between 8-26 tablespoons of water a day depending on activity level and size.

Some of the signs that your cat isn't drinking enough water are dry gums, decreased skin elasticity, being lethargic (although with cats that's a tough one to notice, since they sleep so much), loss of appetite, and peeing less than normal. If you notice any of these signs take them to the vet because there's lots of consequences for not drinking enough water! They could get heat stroke, have diabetes, kidney disease, or a urinary tract infection.

I'm not just saying this, I know from experience. About 7 or 8 years ago we noticed our Vicktor peeing on our papasan chair. He slept on it all the time, but then out of the blue he started urinating on the cushion. That was very out of place for him. We took him to the vet and found out he had urinary crystals. We were told it's very common in male cats because of the way their internal urinary tract is curved. I'm so glad we caught his infection in time, better safe than sorry, (but we weren't able to save the chair ~ it was comfy too!). Ever since then, we give Vicktor a prescribed Cosequin caplet in his food daily to prevent bladder irratation. We also started adding water to his wet food to help him pee more and keep things moving. So yes, cats definitely need water too.

Some tips to get your cat to drink water...

1. Put out one bowl of water per cat. Most prefer shallow bowls that fit their whiskers, although some like sticking their head in a glass of water, so put out a couple different sizes and see what works.

2. The bowl should be glass, ceramic, or stainless steel because plastic can harbour bacteria and make the water smell funny to cats. Plastic bowls can even cause feline acne. They have tons of cute options out there that aren't plastic.

3. Speaking of smell funny, if you give them tap water, the fluoride might smell and taste funny so try filtered water.

4. If that doesn't work, get a running water fountain bowl like this one, or keep water running from a faucet. Cats can hear it and some that are used to be outdoors, instinctively they think running water is safer than stagnant water. (Funny story, Ginger hopped up on my lap one day and the top of her head was wet. We found out she stands under the tap that drips in the utility sink in the basement and takes a "shower".)

5. Add water to wet food for even more moisture. We do this with Vicktor and it helps.

6. Try adding low-fat and low-sodium broth, or tuna juice from canned tuna to their water dish. Even though it's not water, it fluid.

7. Make broth ice cubes and add them to their water or even regular ice cubes might peak their curiosity and encourage them to drink more.

8. Try cold water, some cats don't like it room temperature.

9. Make sure the bowls aren't tucked in a corner where your cat can feel vulnerable and has to have it's back to the space or can't get out. It helps to place several around.

10. Always make sure the water bowl is filled and clean. Wash it at least daily. (Vicktor likes to stick his paw in the water first and lick it to test it, so the water can sometimes get dirty quickly. Always check. He'll also do that if you leave a glass unattended too!)

Like kitty litter and litter boxes, you have to experiment to see what your cat likes. Vicktor and Ginger are a little odd in that they will only drink from one bowl. We've put of different ones around the house, but they both will only drink from the one, so we just make sure it's full and clean.

Find a good method for hydrating your cat, in the long run you'll be glad you did!

I'm sitting back on July 4th, thinking about other holidays like Halloween and I realized this year marks the 10th anniversary of one of my favorite Halloween movies, Trick 'r Treat (not to be confused with Trick or Treat the heavy metal horror movie from 1986.)

Trick 'r Treat NOT Trick or Treat.

Trick 'r Treat is an anthology film that really pays tribute to Halloween ~ the holiday as we celebrate it today. This is important because some anthologies have segments by different directors that can seem out of place or wedged into a story and don't fit quite right. Trick 'r Treat weaves five story lines together on Halloween night in a small town, there's even a plot twist in the middle. The thread that runs through all the stories is a character named Sam ~ short for Samhain ~ but pronounced as it's spelled, not the traditional way. He's small, like a child, in orange foot-y PJs with a giant round burlap mask/ head, button eyes, sometimes carries a burlap sack, and is known for loving candy and his pumpkin sucker. Seems harmless, right? Kinda reminiscent of a scarecrow, right? Well under his disguise lies a demonic pumpkin that upholds the traditions of Halloween night! He punishes you for doing Halloween wrong. Can you blame him? Halloween is important and should be shown the respect it deserves. (At least, that's how I feel.)

Sam.

Some things to remember for Halloween or Sam will get you:
1. Keep your jack 'o lantern lit, don't blow it out.
2. Give out candy to trick or treaters.
3. Wear a costume.
4. Check your candy.

Michael Dougherty is the writer, producer, and director of Trick 'r Treat ~ one of the only movies he has worked as all three ~ and before the movie came out, there was a cartoon short called Seasons Greetings with Sam. It's pretty cool. With a great story, and antagonist, Trick 'r Treat gained a cult following and even spawned a graphic novel! It's been rumored by Dougherty that there would be a sequel, possibly even a trilogy, but I think that's still a rumor.

Here's part of the cartoon short Season's Greetings.

Trick 'r Treat graphic novel.

One of the reasons I was originally attracted to this movie is because I have a love of trick or treaters. The idea of kiddos getting dressed up and being something/ someone else, and a neighborhood welcoming strangers in and giving them treats is just so nice. Call me naive, but I really love making up treat bags and seeing all the costumes. I hope that trick or treating sticks around for many years to come, none of this trunk or treat crap. I admit it does have a place, but trunk or treat on different weekends leading up to Halloween, NOT on Halloween night.

I also LOVE scarecrows and feel that they aren't represented enough in horror. Some kids grow up with a stuffed teddy bear or a dolly that they take everywhere with them, well (no surprise) I had a stuffed scarecrow. His name was Scarecrow and he scared away any bad things, and I snuggled with him at night. This might explain why I'm a weirdo. Sure you can find bats, Frankenstein's monster, witches, and ~ more recently moons and ouija boards ~ everywhere BUT bring back the scarecrows! (End rants.)

Here's my buddy Scarecrow.

As side note, I've ordered my first Creeper Crate which I'm sure you'll see me unboxing at the end of July. July's theme is the Slasher Box, but I'm excited to say that October's theme is Trick 'r Treat! I'm so glad other people appreciate this movie as much as I do! Sam keeps the traditions of Halloween alive! Well not really "alive" but...just watch the movie.

Here's the trailer...