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Kritter Kondo Review and Giveaway

January 11, 2011 85 Comments

Rebel and Dixie got an extra special Christmas gift this year!  They were curious and intrigued when Lisa at Kritter Kommunity offered to let them review her Kritter Kondo Deluxe!
If you’ve been searching the internet for cat enclosures or cat runs this product is for you!
The Kritter Kondo Deluxe is a product that allows you to let your indoor cats (and small dogs) go outside for a little playtime without having to worry about them getting into trouble. 
It’s also a great thing to have if you ever have a large group of people or children around and you need to keep Fluffy separated from your guests.  When I was little, my Mamaw Veal had a small dog that I was terrified of.  They had a little gate to keep him out of the room and away from me, but I was always afraid that he’d still be able to get me.  It’s too bad Mamaw didn’t have a Kritter Kondo back then!

Our Video Demonstration
When we first tried out the Kritter Kondo there was snow on the ground outside, so we decided to set it up indoors. And I got a short video of them inside because I love making videos of the cats and I thought it would be a good way to show you just how much room is inside. Mind you, it’s not the greatest video in the world, but I’m sure you’ll get the idea!


Our Review:
I think this product is a work of genius! I can’t believe someone didn’t think of it before.  I can’t wait for spring to get here so we can let the furbabies have a trip outside.  And I also love the idea of actually using it indoors.  If you have a pet that you needed to “lock up”  temporarily for some reason, and you didn’t really have a room to put them in, this could be a viable solution. 
My husband also pointed out that if you ever went out of town and needed to leave your pet at someone’s house, this could be very useful.
I especially love that it’s very portable and the set up is very quick and easy!  It’s also the perfect size for two or mayb even 3 cats.  In the video you can see that we placed a scratcher and cat bed inside, and our cats still had plenty of room to walk around.
And the cats seemed to like it inside.  They’ve never seen anything like this, so once they got inside they immediately started playing with their toys and with each other.  So I’d say that this is a great product with a potential to be used in a number of ways and overall it’s a good quality product. We definitely would recommend it.
Buy it!
You can order the Kritter Kondo Original and the Kritter Kondo Deluxe directly from theKritter Kommunity webpage.
Connect!
Twitter: @KritterKondo
Party!
The guys at Kritters that Twitter are also having a Valentine’s Day Blog starting February 5th, with lots of product reviews and prizes, so please go check that out!

Win it!  Lisa at Kritter Kommunity has generously offered a free Kritter Kondo Deluxe to one Simply Sweet Home Reader.  This is a $154.99 value!
Mandatory Entry:  Be a follower of my blog, and visit Kritter Kommunity. Then come back here and tell us something you learned/saw on the site. Deadline: January 25

Extra Entries: Leave a comment for each.
-1 if you follow @KritterKondo on Twitter.
-1 if you like Kritter Kondo on Facebook.
-1 if you follow @SimplySweetHome on Twitter.
-2 for subscribing to Simply Sweet Home via email.
-1 for “liking” Simply Sweet Home on facebook.
-1 for subscribing to my RSS feeds through Feedburner.
-1 for sharing this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook.  (Sample Tweet: Win a Kritter Kondo Deluxe for your cat or dog! http://bit.ly/gzixr3 @SimplySweetHome @kritterkondo #giveaway) (Limit one entry per day.)

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Disclosure:  We received a free Kritter Kondo for review.  This is not a paid post.  The opinions expressed here are my own. If you’d to see your product featured here at Simply Sweet Home, contact me via email.

Filed Under: Giveaways, Pets, product review

CitiKitty’s TunaTreats Review

January 4, 2011 Leave a Comment
Here’s something that will make your cat purr with delight. CitiKitty’s TunaTreats are 100% All Natural Bonito (Skip Jack Tuna).  They are a healthy treat for both cats and dogs.  They are high in portein and amino acids, and they promote both a shiny coat and healthy lifestyle.
Rebel and Dixie recently had the opportunity to try a sample of CitiKitty’s TunaTreats.  The TunaTreats are very different from the crunchy bites that they are used to eating, but it would appear that they were no less enjoyable. After just one sniff, they immediately recognized that these flakes were indeed something to eat, and they quickly devoured the flakes I served them.
What I love about the TunaTreats is that they are an all natural product.  As much as I’d love to buy my cats the most expensive, high quality food, that’s not really financially possible for, so it’s great when I can find them a nice, healthy treat like this.
Another thing that I like about this is that it comes in flake form.  Ordinarily as a treat we give can food or little crunchy treats, and what I like about the flakes is that we can actually add them to the cat’s regular meals as, which is great for a little change at meal time.
And the cats really seem to like them.  When we’ve added them to their food bowl or given them as a separate treat, they flakes have been eaten, which is a real testimony to their taste because my cats are constantly given the chance to try new foods (including human foods), and I can tell you that they will sniff anything you put in front of them, but they will not eat just anything.  All in all, I’d have to say that we give the CitiKitty TunaTreats 2 paws up!

Where can you buy TunaTreats?
Place your order at Tunatreats.com or on Amazon.

Connect with CitiKitty:

Website – CitiKitty
Follow on Facebook
Follow on Twitter



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Disclosure: I was given a free sample of CitiKitty TunaTreats.  I was not paid for this review.  The opinions are my own.  If you’d like to advertise or sponsor a review/giveaway, please contact me.

Filed Under: Pets, product review

Cat Tree Review from CSN Stores

November 13, 2010 2 Comments

 

I’ve been so excited about the opportunities that CSN Stores has given me to review products and host giveaways. And I’m happy to present this fun product review to all you cat owners out there.  We first purchased a cheap climbing toy for like $20 when Rebel and Dixie were about 3 months old, and my husband often says that it’s the best $20 we ever spent.  But now it’s really too small for them, and it’s tearing up after two and half years of use.
So when I was given an in-store credit for CSN Stores over the summer, I decided to purchase the Majestic Pet 52″ Casita Fur Cat Tree.  I debated for a while on which tree to buy, and in the end I have been very satisfied with this purchase!  Unlike a lot of products you see online, I believe this one actually looks better than the online picture lets on.  It’s also the perfect size for our cats and they love it!  And to prove just how much they love it, I’m including some pictures with this review.
As you can see, the cats were playing on the cat tree before it was even assembled!

 

They loved the little white toy attached to the top tier.  Unfortunately it didn’t last very long, but no toy with an elastic stretchy cord lasts long around here.

 

And as you can see from these pictures, the tree is the perfect size.  Each platform is just right for the cats to stand and lounge on.  The tree is also a great height at 52 inches tall.  We placed the tree in front of a bookshelf.  These two bookshelves stand alongside a desk which doubles as a loft bed that the cats often sleep on, so the tree also serves as a ladder for the cats to get up to the loft.
Besides lounging, climbing, and play, the cats love to use the scratch posts.  I don’t have any pictures of them using them, but I can tell you that they get a lot of use.  Dixie (the calico cat) usually stands on the second tier from the top and uses the top scratcher,  while Rebel (the black and grey cat) likes to show off his height by standing on the floor and using the scratchers above the little house.  He also likes to show off his skills, laying on the top tier and scratching the post beneath.  (He’s so talented!)
Speaking of the little house/knook….or actually I call it “the apartment,”  you can see Dixie here checking it out the very first night.  They don’t use the apartment as much as they do the other parts of the cat tree, but both cats do use it occasionally, and sometimes I’ll walk in and find one of them asleep inside it.
I also just had to show you that Rebel can fit inside the apartment too.  Whenever I ordered this and whenever I buy scratchers I have to think of Rebel’s size.  He’s not a fat cat; he’s just a big cat, that is, he’s long and lean.  So I was very pleased to find that he could fit inside rather comfortably.
And as it turns out, the cat tree also makes for a good fighting ground!

As you see, we LOVE this cat tree!  It’s multifunctional, and the cats get a lot of use out of it that.  It’s also very sturdy and well made with easy assembly.  It’s a great size for adult cats and multiple cat homes but would also be great for kittens to grow into. (Wish we’d had it when they were kittens!) And it actually looks attractive and blends in well with the room.

Disclosure: I received a credit from CSN Stores to purchase any product of my choice.  The opinions expressed here are my own.
Filed Under: Pets, product review

Kitty Cat Treat Canister Tutorial

June 16, 2010 7 Comments

After seeing so many great mod podge projects last year, I finally starting trying it out this year.  So far I’ve only done a few projects, but I know they’ll be more to come soon.
For one of my first projects, I decided to make a treat container for my kitty cats. By placing the treats out on the counter, I figure it would save me a little cabinet space and also serve as a reminder to give the cats their treats. And I was right! Plus, I now have a cute container to go along side my canister set. (And it’s color coordinated. Yay!)
And even though Rebel and Dixie cannot read, they know exactly what’s inside!  I simply have to hold the canister up and give it a shake, and the excitement begins.  And since it generally means that they get treats more often, they kitties give this idea 2 paws up!

What You’ll Need:
An old container (I used an oatmeal canister, which can hold 2 pouches of the treats we buy, more if I took them out of the pounches, but I keep them in to maintain freshness.)
Scrapbook paper
Stickers
Mod Podge
Paint Brush
Ribbon (optional)
Instructions:  Choose two sheets of scrapbook paper that go well together.  Next lay your canister (or other container) down so that you can decide how much paper you’ll need.  I used 12×12 sheets.  And my container was 6 1/2 inches tall, so I made the strip of paper for the bottom about 4 inches tall., and the strip for the top about 2 1/2 inches tall.  Just be careful not to cut it too short.  (You can always trim some off or allow the papers to overlap if it’s too long, but if it’s too short, you’ll have to start over, use additional paper or trim.)
Before wrapping the paper around, make sure it will go all the way around.  My paper lacked about a fifth of an inch from going around all the way, so I had to mod podge a very thin strip of paper on first before wrapping the paper around.  (I put this towards to the back, but in fact it actually doesn’t look too bad.  However, it does blend in better with the plaid paper than with the solid.)
Apply a thin coat of mod podge to your paper with your paint brush.  Then wrap the paper carefully around the container.  (It doesn’t really matter which order, but I chose to mod podge the top piece first.  Smooth out any wrinkles or air bubbles.  Also be sure that the edges (seam) of the paper are well coated with the mod podge.  I used the tip of my brush to light press on the seams.  Allow mod podge to dry.
Next add your stickers.
Now wrap your ribbon or trim around the container for measuring purposes.  Cut off the amount your need.  Apply a coat of mod podge to the ribbon, and place the ribbon around the container.  Again smooth out any wrinkles, and make sure the ends of the ribbon are well attached.  All to dry.
Finally take your paint brush and apply a light coat of mod podge over all the surfaces of your container.  Allow to dry. And you’re done! 
Now place your treats inside, give it a rattle, and watch the pets go crazy!
 


-Jerri

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I’m posting a link to this post at:
Homemaker Mondays at 11th Heaven’s Homemade Haven
Tackle it Tuesday at 5 Minutes For Mom
It’s So Very Creative & It’s So Very Thrifty hosted by It’s So Very Cheri
Make it for Monday hosted by Cottage Instincts
Made it Mondays hosted by The Persimmon Perch
Making the World Cuter Monday hosted by Making the World Cuter
Make Your Monday hosted by Twice Remembered
Metamorphosis Monday hosted by Between Naps on the Porch
DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land
Market Yourself Monday is hosted by Sumos Sweet Stuff
Marketing Mondays and Sharing Ideas Wednesday is hosted by The Trendy Treehouse
What Your Working with Wednesday is hosted by Me and My Bucket
Show & Tell Wednesday is hosted by Blue Cricket Design
Tip Me Tuesday is hosted by Tip Junkie
Week End Review is hosted by Tator Tots & Jello
Star on Saturday is hosted by Craft-Werk
Penny Pinching Party is hosted by The Thrifty Home
Show & Tell Friday is hosted by Romantic Home
I’m Loving it Fridays is hosted by Tidy Mom

Filed Under: crafts, Pets

Blog Hoppin’ Tuesday: My Funny Fridge Cat

August 25, 2009 5 Comments
I have more cat pictures for this week’s blog hop. This week’s theme is Funny pictures, quotes, stories, etc. And I couldn’t think of anything funnier than a cat invading my fridge…

Dixie Belle loves to look in the refrigerator. I think she knows what it’s for! And one day I was putting away the groceries, and I turned around to find her actually in the refrigerator. And of course, being the picture freak that I am, I had to grab my camera right quick and snap a few photos. (Don’t worry, I checked the fridge for hair and wiped it down before putting the rest of the food in. And besides, Dixie assured us that she was clean as a whistle.)

Here Dixie Belle is posing for the camera, as if this is exactly where’s supposed to be. Doesn’t she look innocent?
Here she’s gazing at the potatoes in the crisper and trying to figure out why she can’t get them. (And if you think she looks intrigued by the potatoes, you should see her when there’s a bug or a tree frog on the outside of the windows!)

And here she is going for the food that’s not under glass. She’s reaching for the cottage cheese here, but what she doesn’t realize is there’s some fresh chicken just above her head.

…And still intrigued by the potatoes.

And I think she’s a little mad at me here because I’m telling her it’s time to come out.

And here she’s taking one last look at the place before she has to exit. What an exciting tale to tell her brother!

-Jerri



MckLinky Blog Hop

Filed Under: Blog Hoppin' Tuesday, Pets

Blog Hoppin’ Tuesday: New Photos

August 11, 2009 13 Comments
For this week’s bloghop, we’re sharing some favorite recent photos. So I picked out a few funny pictures of my kitties to share with you, complete with my fun and cheesy commentary.

Anytime my husband goes out of town or even leaves the house, the cats seem very “interested” in what’s going on.

In these pictures Rebel is….um…rebelling! I’m not sure if he’s trying to keep “daddy” from leaving or if he wants to go too. You make the call!


Dixie was a little mad that Rebel got to the suitcase before her…after all, she is the queen and is supposed to have first choice of all items to sit on and play with. But she decided to put her personal feelings aside and focus on the task at hand: Keeping Daddy From Leaving.


While Rebel remained entrenched in the suitcase, Dixie successfully held and defended a pile of clean, just-folded shorts and underwear. “This oughta stop him!”

“If Daddy wants to leave, he has to go through us!”

But in the end, they could not stop the inevitable….Daddy had to leave!


So they retired to the office with me where they napped and snuggled together. Just before falling asleep they had a top secret discussion about future campaigns, including a “Welcome Home Ambush.”

….and they did a little grooming too, of course!


Hope you enjoyed the pictures and story. Thanks for stopping by!

–Jerri

MckLinky Blog Hop

Filed Under: Blog Hoppin' Tuesday, Pets

Camera Critters: Rebel at Work

March 14, 2009 9 Comments

Camera Critters

I had so much fun showing off pictures of Dixie, the amazing blog assistant, that I had to introduce my other assistant as well.

This is Rebel. He is a very sweet and gentle cat. Isn’t he cute? Today Rebel is going to give you a tour of his office.

This is Rebel’s desk and computer where he does most of his work. And on the computer screen is my Rebel’s blog.

This is his napping er-um thoughtful spot beside the computer.

And here’s Rebel reading over the blog and checking for errors.

Rebel also wanted to show you that he can pose for the camera just as good as his sister.

And here’s Rebel over at his daddy’s desk, where he does some part time consulting. And as you can see, he has a name tag too. It says “Jhonny Rebel Rivers.” (I asked my husband why he spelled it like that. He seemed to think that Rebel preferred this spelling. lol.) And then it says, “Handsome Man Cat Esq.” and “Under The Door Cat Serenade Specialist.”

Before Rebel could finish the tour Dixie showed up and demanded to be in a picture. (She’s a bit of a spoiled-y cat.)

And finally Rebel wanted to show off his organizing skills and his other “thoughtful spot.” This is a little cubby hole on my desk, and he’s actually curled up in a little bin where I keep notepads and papers when I’m not using them. As you can see Rebel is very busy examining the back of his eyelids and getting ready to file.

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Rebel would like to thank you for stopping by and taking his tour.

If you have a little “office assistant” of your own, you can show them off at Camera Critters. Have a good weekend!

-Jerri


Filed Under: Pets

Camera Critters: One of my Office Assistants in Action

March 7, 2009 11 Comments
Camera Critters

Camera Critters has a very cute meme every Saturday. Since I’m obsessed with always taking pictures of our cats, I thought it would be fun to partcipate sometimes. For this post, I’m sharing some pictures of one of my office assistants, Miss Dixie Belle.

Anytime I’m at my computer, I usually have an office assisant cat nearby. Here is Dixie sitting at her my desk. Do you think she knows she’s having her picture taken?

Here she is posing behind her “name plate.”

As you can see, she is very sophisticated.

Here she is checking to see that her named is spelled correctly.

Here she is relaxing while pondering our latest post.

And here she writing a post or perhaps it’s a letter to the editor, explaining why she should get a raise.


-Jerri


Filed Under: About Me, Pets

Help Control The Pet Population, Have Your Pet Spayed or Neutered

July 2, 2008 1 Comment

On Monday we took our kittens to have them fixed and to get their first round of shots. Before going to the vet we called to find out how much the spayed/neutered procedures would cost, and they told us it would be $99 for the female and $59 for the male. In addition to this, it is recommended that the female have pain medication which is $12.50. As for the shots, they have to have 1 rabies vaccine ($19.50 each), 2 Leukemia Boosters (18.50 ea) & 3 Distemper boosters (18.50 ea). This would be a lot with just one cat, but when you factor in that we have 2, it gets pretty pricey. Plus, it costs $33.50 to have them tested for leukemia.

So the grand total to get the cats fixed and get them tested and get their shots (6 ea) comes to about $428. Additionally we inquired about the Revolution medication, which is the monthly medication to prevent fleas, heart worms, etc. And that will be $14 a month per cat.
I’m more than happy to pay for all of this because I think if you’re going to have pet, you might as well do everything in your power to keep them healthy, and when you add it all up, though the price is kind of high, it’s not enough to break the bank. However, I think if a family is on a fixed budget, they may have problems affording all of this, and they would either have to not have the cats fixed, or postpone the shots, or not get the shots at all.

But fortunately, we called the Humane Society last week because we had found a kitten not far from our apartment, and we wanted to find out where we could take it. And upon calling, we found out that the Humane Society has a discount spayed & neuter program. The woman told us that the programs vary from county to county (and state to state), but around here all they ask is that you bring a copy of your income tax returns so that can keep a copy for their records. You then pay them a “discounted” rate for the spay/neuter, and they give you a voucher to take to the vet, stating that you’ve already paid the Humane Society for the spay/neuter, which means you pay nothing to vet. The only catch is that the vet you choose must be on the Humane Society’s list of partners, This wasn’t a problem for us because the vet’s office that we had intended to go to was on the list. But anyway, around here, under this program anyone who made under $30K last year can have their pet fixed for $10, and everyone else who made over $30K can have their pet fixed for $25.

So if you do the math, depending on your income we’re talking as little as $50 or even $20 to get a boy and girl cat fixed, versus $160 that the vet was going to charge us. This discount alone is a big help toward paying for the cats’ shots.

So if you plan on getting your pet fixed, I totally recommend calling your local Humane Society to find out if they have a discount spayed & neuter program.

Filed Under: Pets, saving money

Our New Additions: Rebel & Dixie

June 16, 2008 3 Comments
I just had to do a post on our new kitty cats. My mom’s cat had 4 kittens at the end of March, and we decided to take a couple off of her hands. I was unsure about getting them at first because we live in an apartment, and I’ve never had an inside cat, but my husband convinced me that I’d love it. So I picked out the gray cat. Then on the night we came over to get him, we were watching them all play, and my husband convinced me that we really needed 2, because if we just took one, it would have nobody to play with. So he got his pick of the litter too. (I think he’s gone soft!)

So here are Rebel (left) and Dixie (right). As you know, we’re both into history. And my husband thought it would be funny to name the cat Johnny Reb because of his gray color. Then I suggested that we just call him Rebel for short. On the way home, were talking about what to call the other cat, and I suggested that we call her Dixie/Dixie Belle. Ya know, so their names would go together.
They love to play together and fight all over the house. Though in this picture, they almost look like their sharing a laugh and a hug. Dixie’s a lot smaller than Rebel, but she’s feisty and fearless.

Dixie is the ultimate lap kitty. Whenever she gets tired, she finds the nearest lap to sit in and get petted, and if you aren’t sitting down, she will follow you around, stare at you, and give you the “broken meow” until she can convince you to do what she wants.

She’s also just a little bit stingy. She likes to take the toys away from Rebel, and the other night my husband was petting Rebel, and she swatted at his hands, and then laid across Rebel, so that she could be petted instead of him. But she’s a very playful and sweet Kitty too.

Here she is kissing my husband. Yes, she is doing this voluntarily. Sometimes my husband puckers up first, and other times she actually climbs on him and starts licking his lips. It is so cute and funny. If I can get a good video of it, I’ll post it here.

Rebel “loves” the camera. Well, maybe he doesn’t love it, but he does seem very photogenic. He was the Mama’s boy of the litter and kind of a “scaredy cat.” He was often found hiding in a corner. In fact, he was terrified the night we brought him home with us, but he’s adjusted very well. He seems to love it here, and he is becoming quite the adventurer.

When Rebel’s not fighting with Dixie or playing Kitty Soccer, he is pretty much a self-entertainer. Here he shows us his self-entertaining skills, playing with a toy mouse. He’s also fascinated by books, newspapers, and the golf channel.

Here he is sleeping. He’s not as much of a lap kitty as his sister, but he does like to be close to someone when he goes to sleep. Tonight he actually went to sleep with his paws wrapped around my husband’s finger. Isn’t he sweet?

Well, that’s all for now. Sorry if you don’t like cats, but I just love these guys and had to share them!

Filed Under: About Me, Pets
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