If you’re in the market for a killer cat hat that comes in at a dirt cheap price then the Kitan Club Cat Hat should be your choice!  I ran across this little hat at a small store in Seattle called KOBOSeattle that sold mostly Japanese items and I just had to get it to try it out on my fluff balls.

Now Lexi and Beast don’t particularly love costumes of any form. We adopted both of them when they were already a couple of years old so we didn’t get a chance to get them used to wearing costumes when they were kittens.  

Despite this I’ve spent some time sticking cat hats, harnesses & all sorts of other costumes on them. They tolerate me only because I am their key food source and because they are both wimp fluffs.

Product Overview

You can see an orange hat there on the box, but if you look closely at the bottom you'll see 6 variations. I really wanted the shark! I seem to have gotten the far right one which I believe is a penguin. You can see a close up here.

To say the least, it is usually quite a battle to get anything on them and keep it on either of them for more than a few seconds. Beast loves to do the “cat army crawl” the second she ends up with a full body costume or a harness.

​Both of them have a typical safe spot ​under the bed. They'll stay there until I crawl under there and then remove the costume or harness.

Surprisingly they don’t run off from under the bed...They’ve trained me to be a sucker and crawl under there to remove things they don’t like. Perhaps I should add this to my article proving my cats have finished training me as their slave…

The reason I bring all this background to you is because it provides context. This hat has had a markedly different impact on Lexi and Beast. It hasn’t had nearly the same response as other options have in the past. It is obvious they don’t particularly love wearing the hat, but I never expected them to love it.

The key take away. ​They don't tear the hat off of their head immediately. So that’s a huge bonus and says a lot to me, it must be a lot more comfortable than other options I’ve tried in the past!

​​A Few Photos of It In Use

So here you can see both Lexi and Beast adorned with this cute little hat.  I was fortunate enough to have someone available to help me take pictures of them in the hat before I set them down. 

Here’s Beast wearing the hat. No surprise, I have a much bigger smile than Beast does at the moment.

​And Beast after she ran off under the bed with the hat on...

Here’s Lexi wearing the hat. You can see that I look a lot happier than she does.

​The Full on Video Review

​I do my best to include a full video review of all the different products that I buy and use. You can check it out below. Please do subscribe if you find the review useful! 

​The Best Features Worth Noting

Areas for Improvement & Consideration

​Pretty much every product I've ever used has a few areas that are worth considering or worth improving for a better experience. I wouldn't let any of the below deter me from buying this product.

I would definitely recommend prospective buyers consider them:

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is there a way to choose the specific hat you want?
  • Right now there is no way to choose a specific hat, each package contains one random hat.
• Is there a 6 pack of all the fish themed hats for sale?
  • Right now there is no complete package with all 6 of the different hats available.
  • I also haven’t been able to find any information that would indicate they plan to release a package of all hats.
• Are there any other hats like these?
  • Yes, Kitan actually has 3 different sets of collectible hats. This specific option is for all of their aquarium themed hats. The other collections they have are ​animal themed.
• How do you put the hat on your cat?
  • The hat slips over your cats head and uses an elastic strap to stay on your cat’s head. You can see a quick overview of this in the video above.
• Is it easy for cats to pull the hat off themselves?
  • Yes, your cat can quite easily remove this hat on their own by shoving it over their head with their paw.

​Wrapping It Up on the Kitan Club Cat Hat

On the overall this is a great hat and it comes in at a nice price.  There are also tons of options out there for you to collect if you’re into finishing out collections! 

Lexi and Beast can’t tell me how many paws up they’d like to give the hat. Sadly I haven’t yet trained them to rate products. But that doesn’t stop me from making a best guess for them. To reiterate, Lexi and Beast dislike wearing anything other than their fur. But they both tolerate this hat quite well. 

I’d estimate they give it a solid 4 paw prints!  And as the cat owner/slave I personally give it 4 paw prints as well. Quite a good rating for a 6 dollar hat!

The only improvement I would really prefer to see is a Velcro neck strap in place of the elastic one for safely purposes. You should definitely consider getting one right meow!

If you’ve used this cat hat or another cat hat you like definitely let me below in the comments know so I can make a note of it and we can spread the word to others.

StuffCatsWant.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

This week’s cat of the week is Alani! Alani comes submitted to us by her human Lowell and we thank him for the submission!

Alani means "orange tree blossom," and like all blossoms she has been a wonderful blessing. Alani was adopted from a local no-kill shelter on a whim. Her family had blown a tire and they were waiting for it to be replaced when they decided to walk down to the pet store.

The shelter had an adopt-a-thon that day and when they saw her they fell in love instantly. They had to get a Lyft home just to bring her along as the tire was not fixed yet. She was sick for quite a while and her humans nursed her back to good health. She has the most wonderful personality and is sweet as sugar.

Unlike many adopted cats she instantly adapted to her new home and the resident animals. She didn’t even need Feliway before she started to snuggle with the other resident cat, Chicken. 

Her and her family live in a second floor apartment and one of Alani’s favorite things to do is lay out on the deck. She sure does love her sun beams. And you can see she looks quite dapper with her collar and tag on too!

You can always tell when Alani is happy because she walks around the apartment letting out little high pitched chirps. She is spoiled rotten, only the best for her and the other animals. Alani’s family springs for the expensive premium brand food because they feel that it keeps all the animals happy and healthy.

They often feel like the animals end up eating better than the humans! Alani is always down for a good belly rub or paw massage. She is not one of those cat traps that pretends to want a tummy rub and then pounces on the unsuspecting human.

Her family’s favorite feature is her amber eyes. They are mesmerizing. Alani is incredibly soft and always keeps herself impeccably groomed. She also grooms the other animals in the house because sharing is caring, right?

Needless to say her family has fallen completely in love with Alani over the last 6 months that they’ve had her and we are very proud to have such an awesome cat as a member of the family.

StuffCatsWant thanks Alani and her family for participating as Cat of the Week!  To submit your cat please email Craig@StuffCatsWant.com and include 5 pictures and 400 words about your cat!

StuffCatsWant.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

If you've got a relatively large cat and you don't like traditional carriers then the Fat Cat Backpack should be a serious consideration for you and your feline friend. Even if your cat isn't large, it is still an excellent option.

Anyone who reads StuffCatsWant consistently knows that I've been working Lexi and Beast up to being Adventure Cats, but they are certainly not as adventurous as I would like.

Not yet at least. But that hasn't stopped me from continuing to take them on lots of expeditions and slowly acclimating them to the outdoors! So check out the table of contents below or watch the Video Review.

What Have Our Cats Done With It?

Lexi and Beast are both very interested in the outdoors, but they're also massive scaredy cats. Usually a loud noise or just an unfamiliar sound will cause them to run right off of our patio and back into the house.

Because of this they usually only go outside when fully harnessed and leashed, but it can be a hassle to take them far like this. That is, unless you have a killer bubble backpack for them to take a ride in!

The Fat Cat Backpack has been great for all sorts of outings in Chicago:

What's It Look Like In Action?

This is a quick set of pictures we gook of Beast before we took her on the above mentioned 15 mile bike ride. First and foremost we had to get her leashed and harnessed up Check out those little toe beans!

Then we got ready to go ourselves, so Beast had to chill out in the backpack for a few minutes and wait at the front door on the rug...She was busy looking around wondering when we were going to leave...

Then we stopped in the park for her and gave her a few treats to convince her to come out. She mostly stayed inside the carrier though because there was a lot going on in the area we stopped in...

But she did come out for a few minutes just to explore, as soon as we flipped the Fat Cat Backpack back up vertically she decided to climb it to find her way back in.  Apparently she finds it to be a pretty cool safe spot!

Then once we popped off our bikes we had to walk a bit so I snapped a few extra shots of the pack in use so you get an idea of what it looks like from all angles.

The Video Review

I've also got a comprehensive video review for those of you who like to see things in action a little bit more. You can check it out here. If you do find the video helpful please do subscribe so I can keep making more of them!

Major Features Worth Calling Out

A Few Things Worth Considering

What Differentiates It?

The Fat cat is a great traditional backpack style carrier that's going to be comfortable for you and even better it is also going to give your cat a great ride.  There are a couple of key items that differentiated this bag from other competitors (like the Texsens Innovative Bubble backpack) for me:

• The zippers: The zippers have so far been really solid. I've had some experiences with other bags where the zippers simply don't work or they slide out of the tracks and I have to mess with them to get them back into place. I haven't run into that even once with this bag.
• Window Placement: The whole point of a bubble backpack is to ensure your cat can see out of the bag. Many other bags seem to place the bubble way too high in the bag and the cat has to be sitting all the way up to look out. This version is placed in a better spot in my opinion, Lexi and Beast both seem to spend more time looking out than they do in other bags.
• Space Inside: As mentioned, the claim to fame for this bag is the amount of space inside. Compared to other bags it does provide additional space for your cat to move around. Both my cats can easily turn around and find a comfy way to lay or sit in it without any issue.

Wrapping It Up

All in all you've got an excellent Cat Bubble Backpack at hand with the Fat Cat Backpack.  It's is comfortable for the humans. It is comfortable for the felines. It gives your cats a view and it makes them a topic of conversation too! I've had lots of people stop and ask if there's a cat inside.

And last but not least, it is certainly a heck of a step up on any single shoulder strap carrier that you might have around. It won't dig into your shoulders and you don't have to try and hold it with one hand while you lean over to counter balance the weight either.

I give it a solid 2 thumbs up and Lexi and Beast both give it 5 paws of satisfaction. And yes, I know cats only have four paws, but I couldn't figure out how to design a scale of paws and a tail...

Overall StuffCatsWant Rating

5 Paws (Out of 5)

​StuffCatsWant.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Everyone say hello to Waffles! Waffles comes submitted to us by Anne in Germany! I actually just had waffles for breakfast this morning so this post is doubly interesting to me!  Waffles is our Cat of the week for October 8th, 2018.

"Waffles (his “real name” is Charlie) was born around September 2004 somewhere in Northern Germany and was adopted from a shelter by a home for senior citizens. 

Waffles met Ralf, one of his humans, when he started to work for the home in 2007. Anne has quite a few allergies and didn't want to adopt a cat from a shelter because she was afraid that it would cause her allergies to break out and she'd have to bring the cat back to the shelter.

I'm  so glad to see there are more and more people out there like Anne that make all these considerations before getting a pet! Kudos to you Anne! 

Ralf suggested instead that they bring Waffles home for a few days to test if it would work. They agreed with his boss to return Waffles to the home after a week. Waffles was so afraid during his first day with them that he hid under the bed the whole day. But when they  went to bed in the evening and the lights were turned off Waffles left his hiding place and climbed onto the bed. 

Waffles wasn’t allowed on the beds in the home for senior citizens he was so careful not to touch the blankets or pillows and tried to stay on the bed frame but slipped from time to time which we could feel but not see in the dark.

Anne thinks this was the moment when she fell in love with him.The next day she told Ralf that he had to ask his boss if Waffles could stay because she was madly in love with him! Luckily the boss agreed and Waffles became a happy member of their household!

Waffles is generally very afraid of people and hides whenever someone visits us. Anne's mom was able to pet Waffles for the first time in 2016! But when Waffles is home with just his humans he is the loveliest and most affectionate kitty in the world.

He follow them everywhere and supervises everything they do. Because he's always checking on his humans he has earned the nickname “quality cat.” When they are eating he needs to smell everything before he stops begging for food. Reminds me of Rachel and Jun's cats and how they help in the kitchen!

He loves to sit on his “lookout” on the balcony to watch birds, dogs, cats or people or to relax in the sun or to enjoy his "grass bed" on the balcony. I can relate, my cats love their window beds to watch the birds and dogs walk by! When they come home he’s running to the door to greet them and he says goodbye too! 

During winter he demands that his humans lift their blanket so that he's able to slip under it. Although mine don't climb under the covers, they certainly love the warmth of their own electric bed.

 When they take a shower Waffles absolutely needs to be in the bathroom and when they step out he tries to clean the water off of our legs. To prove he's earned his keep he taps his humans and demands to be wrapped in the towel.

Waffles loves sneaking lots of human food when they aren't looking. And if they don’t clean the plates immediately after eating he will steal all the crumbs off of the plates! Sounds like quiet the thief!

And if they leave a cake unsupervised Waffles will eat it for sure. Waffles also loves to go after spiders (the ones with the long legs) and crane flies. Sounds to me like he has quite the diverse set of taste buds!

Waffles' humans love him more than words could ever describe and they are so glad he was able to come home for a visit and stay permanently! 

Thank you to Anne and Ralf for submitting Waffles as cat of the week! To submit your cat for Cat of the Week please send at least 5 photos (feel free to send more!) and a description of at least 400 words to Craig@StuffCatsWant.com.

StuffCatsWant.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Featured image source: Flickr

If you have a cat, like most people do nowadays, you’ve probably noticed that sometimes, your furry little friend begins making that rhythmic motion when they seem massaging either you, other cats, or the objects around. That is commonly known as kneading, a process during which they alternatively push their paws onto various surfaces.

Some cats knead only by using their two front paws, others use all four paws, while some even get their claws out while doing it. Regardless of their preferences, cats have some supposedly interesting reasons for kneading their owners and the objects around them, although not even experts know exactly why they do that. In this article, we will be talking about the most common theories.

What makes cats knead?

This kneading motion can be observed in most cats, and it is something that they start doing as kittens. Kneading got its name from the similar motion that people do when they are kneading dough. It is an adorable and relaxing thing to watch, even if there are times when you’d rather take a nap than have your kitty knead you for minutes. In such cases, you can resort to some tricks to make your furry friend fall asleep or you can distract it with a toy or food to forget about kneading.

Nobody knows for sure what actually makes cats knead, but it is believed to be an inherited instinct. As kittens, they used this motion to stimulate their mother’s mammary glands to produce more milk for them. Also, it seems that in ancient times, wild cats used to make nests out of tall grass and leaves to settle and feel secure, and they used this motion to do it.

Now, modern cats might still do this when they are settling down. Apart from this, experts have noticed that female cats begin kneading more often when they “go into heat.” So, what is the reason cats still knead everything they touch? Here are some possible explanations.

Image source: Pinterest

1. It gives them comfort and security

This behavior is formed when the cat is just a baby and wants to drink milk from its mother. The kneading is believed to stimulate milk production in the mammary glands. However, most cats preserve this behavior into adulthood even when they are no longer around their mother.

Why is that? It seems that by kneading something soft, even if they don’t get milk in return, cats feel comfortable and safe, just like when they were small kittens. Adult cats still associate this motion with the comfort of nursing and repeat it from time to time to feel good.

2. It’s just like stretching for them

Cats absolutely adore stretching, especially after a long nap. They like to move around a bit to relieve that soreness they might feel in their legs and back. So, in a way, kneading might be their way of stretching just like humans do when they have a sore shoulder, for example.

Just like you would pull yourself against a surface to relieve that tension, cats rely on kneading. They do it frequently just because it feels so good. After another nap, they’ll do it all over again, sometimes on you, other times on your sofa.

Image source: Pinterest

3. A proof of love

Your furry friend might start kneading while in your lap. The problem is that, sometimes, this behavior might hurt a little because some cats like to also use their claws for kneading. Don’t worry because the harder it digs its claws into you, the happier it is and the more it loves you. When cats knead their owners it’s also a strong proof that they love them.

However, if your cat becomes a bit too excited with the claws, try putting something between them and your lap, or rub its belly instead. No matter what you choose, never punish or scold your kitty for kneading you! They don’t want to hurt you, they just want to love you. So, a good idea would be to regularly trim the claws or buy some nail guards to protect yourself from its loving claws.

4. They mark their territory

Cats are very territorial by nature and they don’t like sharing their things or owners with others. So, in order to mark their belongings, they use a special scent. That kneading behavior is also part of this ritual because by doing it, cats activate the scent glands inside the pads at the bottom of their paws.

Each time they knead on any soft surface or you, they are marking their territory. So, your cat basically owns you whether you like it or not.

5. Female cats knead more often when they “go into heat”

Another reason for kneading is present only in female cats. It seems that this fascinating behavior intensifies every time they “go into heat”, as this time period is commonly known. Scientifically, this is called estrus, or when a female cat (or any female mammal actually) wants male attention and shows it through various behaviors.

They usually knead more often to show males that they want and are able to mate at that moment. A solution would be to neuter/spay your cat because it diminishes and even stops this kind of behavior.

Conclusion

In conclusion, cat owners should know by now that their furry little friends have some funny little traits that they adore to exhibit all the time. From kneading to purring, felines make our lives much happier, entertain us, and love us even if they don’t always show it.

The truth is that not even experts are entirely sure why cats knead their owners, but regardless of the reason, one thing is sure: it’s an instinctive behavior which also suggests they feel safe and like to be your pets.

​Sybella Montgomery is working for a website, PetToysPro that specializes in animal toys for different types of animals. Her passion and dedication for animals well-being are what brought her to do this. 

​Looking to dress your feline friend up for Halloween this year?  Perhaps you want your cat to be the life of the party. Or perhaps it is a form of sweet sweet revenge for them sitting on your face every morning at 5:00 AM.

Either way, you've come to the right place. Below you'll find the best cat Halloween costumes for cats! You will not find anything for humans here, so if you're looking for cat outfits for people then please look elsewhere.

Otherwise, please either scroll on down or pop open the Table of Contents to find the best options for your cat in 2018!

The Top 15 Costumes

This week's cat of the week is Clio! Clio is an adorable little 8 month old lady currently residing in the UK!

Clio's family assumes she is a tabby, though they suspect there might be some Bengal blood in her based on her looks and personality.

She loves water and while she doesn't bathe or go swimming, she drinks from any tap when it’s on and likes to spend time in the sinks. Reminds me of my foster cats Tori and Tinley who slept in the sink all the time and absolutely loved the drinking fountain!

Whenever Clio's humans are in the bath she also dips her paws in out of curiosity too. I find this adorable, especially since my fur balls run the second the shower turns on.

Clio is also incredibly boisterous and spends a lot of time annoying her older sister, the floofy Norwegian Forest cat seen right here. What is a younger sister for if not annoying the older sister?!?!

Clio spends most of her time either chasing her sister around the house, waking her humans up at 5 in the morning or sleeping. She absolutely loves her daily bowl of milk! (though I suspect that might not last much longer as she's likely going to lose her ability to process it effectively quite soon!)

When she’s not hunting (she is a bug catching master) she randomly brings in leaves and clumps of dirt as presents for her humans. Which  they of course appreciate hugely.

Her humans say they've never had such an outgoing dog like cat, she talks a lot, has huge cheeky personality and loves company!  And what luck they had too. Clio was born to a family that simply ended up with too many kittens and the reluctantly gave her up to her current humans. 

Her human's think they did the other kittens a huge favor though. Apparently Clio was quite the bully and loved to wrestle and attack her other litter mates. Who would have guessed with a kitten that looks this adorable?!!?

And look at this beautiful closeup of her in full on scratch and stretch mode! Mine do the same in this lovely pose, they love doing it to our rugs! What an amazing cat she'll grow up to be once she's a full on adult. 

We thank Clio's family for submitting her as cat of the week! To submit your cat for Cat of the Week please send at least 5 photos (feel free to send more!) and a description of at least 400 words to StuffCatsWant@gmail.com.

StuffCatsWant.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

This week's cat of the week is Amir. Amir comes submitted to us by his humans all the way from Finland!!

Amir is around 5 months old, he lives in Finland, he is an indoor cat and he is a purebred Turkish Angora. He came to be a part or the Adenium Cattery at 13 weeks old. He is destined to have kittens one day with his (future) girlfriend Safiya. Safiya is the white cat seen above. 

Amir is very cuddly, but he prefers to cuddle by headbutting your face (preferably nose) so hard it hurts and slowly clawing his way through your stomach. He's definitely a kneader.

So much so that he kneads the air as you can see in the picture above. If you've got a cat with nails like Amir's learn to trim them right here!

He also climbs around his human's head in circles - on her chest, from there to her shoulder, then to the back of her head, to the other shoulder, to the chest again, headbutting her cheek every time he passes it.

He does settle after a while and finally sleeps quietly in her lap, but to say he is energetic is an understatement!

He also prefers to sleep ON his human every night - as close to her face as possible. When possible, he'll even lay down directly on her face. 

Amir is the goofiest kitten you'll ever, he has a whole arsenal of hilarious habits. He turns his head upside down when he wants to look behind him, turning around is obviously way too easy for him.

He makes the most angry noises when you pick him up JUST when he was doing VERY IMPORTANT KITTEN STUFF (which seems to be all the time). I know whenever I've fostered kittens they love to play with chewy toys all the time.

His human says it sounds eerily similar to an upset human toddler. He makes the most hilarious noises while he plays - alone. Amir basically talks to himself. She likes to think in his head it's like when little children talk to themselves when they play.

For example, Amir might be thinking "and then this SCARY HUGE TIGER attacks and the zebra runs and he jumps and oh no it's getting away but the tiger will climb to this tree" and so forth.

Whenever a human is walking from room to room Amir just HAS to run beside them - and he always bumps his side into your leg with full speed. His human is half convinced he means to do that, but she has no idea why.

He gives you his signature upset meow if you accidentally kick him when he does this. He certainly sounds like quite the character!

More pictures of Amir can be found on the cattery's Instagram account adeniumcattery.

We thank Amir's humans for submitting him as cat of the week! To submit your cat for Cat of the Week please send at least 5 photos (feel free to send more!) and a description of at least 400 words to Craig@StuffCatsWant.com.

StuffCatsWant.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The Meow Meetup. The first conference of its kind that I've ever been to. And I've been to a lot of conferences for work...And actually, this is not only the first time I've been to a cat conference, it is the first I have heard of one!  Who knew there were conferences specifically for cat lovers by cat lovers! 

I had an absolute blast at the Meow Meetup and if you're into cats you should definitely check it out in 2019. If If you're local to Chicago and you don't check it out I'll honestly just be sad that you missed it!

What Is It All About?

If you're not already familiar with the Meow Meetup then you should check out this link for more details.  But in short, it is a conference designed specifically for people interested in learning more about their feline friends.

So what does it entail you might ask? Good question, here's a quick rundown of the major event types:

• Educational talks from some of the most prominent voices in the field of felines.
• Tons of companies that make awesome cat products on site highlighting their wares.
• Meet and greets with famous cats and their slaves (owners).
• Numerous cats up for adoption playing in agility courses and having fun.
• Much much more...

This cool video can give you some additional details if you're interested.

Who Set It Up & Where Is It?

The Meow Meetup comes to us from the founder of the The Catnip Times. If you've never been there you should definitely go check it out and read a few articles. It is one of the most well respected sites out there for both cat bloggers and cat enthusiasts.

You can pretty much guarantee that if a cat blogger setup a conference for cats then you're going to get some pretty interesting content in an awesome location. The conference took place in the suburbs of Chicago near O'Hare international airport in the Rosemont Convention Centers.

Super easy for out of towners to get to, but even easier for those of us lucky enough to live in the Chicago area!  Unfortunately I missed the first hour or so of the conference because I was dropping off a few of my foster cats to Chicago PAWS! But that took nothing away from the fun I had.

So What Did I Do There?

The first thing I did was check in and then hit the red carpet. I made my wife take numerous pictures of me in front of the cool Meow Meetup backdrop. Who wouldn't want an image of themselves out there on the internet pretending to be a cat and looking fierce? Obviously not me.

After my photo op we immediately took off to check out one of the discussions from an expert on cat behavior. This was only one of several discussions taking place throughout the day, but it was focused on how to understand your cat's behavior more effectively and how to ensure you're using the right methods to help counteract poor or undesirable behavior. 

As a fellow cat blogger I found it incredibly interesting the types of questions people were asking. It was clear there are still a lot of misconceptions about cats out there in the world and that many cat owners still don't really know too much about their feline friends!

It was also unfortunate to hear that many cat owners never take their feline friends to the vet! If you've got a cat and you're reading please make sure you are taking your cat to the vet every year! If cost is an issue there are many shelters and rescues that can help with low cost or even free support.

It is clear us cat bloggers and cat writers have a lot of work to do to ensure that our fellow cat lovers are fully informed with the most up to date information. The Meow Meetup is an excellent place for people to get a great overview on cats in general and on some of the best products out there to help ensure your home is fully ready for cats!!

After our first educational session we moved on to the next thing on the agenda. Hitting up all of the awesome vendors and sponsors of the event. There were definitely some of the core sponsors I expected to see at this kind of an event, but there were also a ton of sponsors I had never heard of in my life!

How is it that a cat blogger hasn't heard of all these cool cat related products and services? Well the simple fact is that every single new products are coming out for cats!

It makes it darn hard to keep up with everything out there. So the Meow Meetup is a great way to see some of the newest and best products out there for cats.

And for those of you who aren't cat bloggers (most of you I assume) it is also a killer way to find some new, fun and cool products for your cat that you won't find elsewhere!

Beyond the products and the educational talks though there were tons of other fun things to do. We had the opportunity to meet famous cats on site. Our first meet and greet was with Sinbad the Survivor who is quite famous on both Facebook and Instagram. If you haven't heard his story you can check it out here.

And we had the opportunity to watch a super cool video montage put together by our awesome compatriots over at Cole and Marmalade! What a blast that was. That's a team that knows how to both do all the ridiculous things needed for a video (Cole and Marmalade) and to record the video (Chris)!

Chris put together a full on 40+ minute video of wonderful content that was incredibly entertaining, heart warming and fun to watch. If you've never seen any of his videos before then check them out on Facebook for sure.

We also got to watch numerous kittens play with volunteers in the mock agility course that was setup on site. These kittens were of course full of endless energy and loved chasing the wand toys and hopping through the obstacle course.

Who could blame them after all? Kittens do seem to have quite the endless bouts of energy. What better way to get rid of it than to burn it off while showing off for a hundred cat lovers at a cat conference? Then of course they napped.

Was It Worth It?

My personal opinion is a bit biased by the fact that I am cat crazy. Then again if you're reading this article on a cat blog then you're likely a bit cat crazy yourself.

So if you're cat crazy then you'd absolutely love visiting the Meow Meetup. Even if you're not cat crazy, maybe just a hair off your rocker, you'll still have a great time.  Not only did I find a lot of the event entertaining, I also actually learned several things about cats and cat owners.

And on top of that I managed to get a few cat toys that I've never seen anywhere else! Not even on Amazon or Chewy. And I thought they had pretty much everything there was for our feline friends!

How Do I Attend Next Year?

There's going to be another Meow Meetup in 2019 and you should definitely be there. You can add yourself to the list to stay in the loop for more information as soon as it is available.  Given how great of a time I had at the conference I'll be sure to see you there if you decide to attend!

You can click on the button below to add yourself to the list over on The Catnip Times website.

A special thanks to Lauren from the Catnip Times and everyone else that made the inaugural Meow Meetup run so smoothly! I look very forward to participating in 2019!

This week's cat of the week is ​Nibbles. Nibbles comes submitted to us by his human David and we thank him for the submission!

​Nibbles always keeps ​his family on ​their toes and he never offers a dull moment. ​They adopted Nibbles from the ​Operation Kindness as a reward to ​their son for doing well in school. When ​they walked in and started looking at the cats an orange Tabby immediately climbed up on ​their son’s shoulders and wouldn’t leave.

​They knew right then and there that this was the cat for him. His name at Operation Kindness was “Maddie” but ​they quickly decided that he ​needed to ​be named Nibbles. At the time of the adoption, the volunteers were sad to see ​Nibbles go because he was “their favorite cat” and “so full of energy.” After having Nibbles for almost 2 years, David ​says they were 100% correct!

That 5 month old kitten ​has ended up being one of the most unique pets he and his family have ever had. For example, Nibbles loves flushing toilets. ​The family ​began to notice something was up because ​they would hear the toilet flush at totally random times.

David always assumed it was one of the kids or they assumed it was ​him. Finally ​David heard the toilet flush and ​it was at a time he knew nobody else was around. ​He quickly opened the door and there was Nibbles with his bright eyes staring back at ​David! ​Nibbles loves watching the water swirl and would do it all day if ​his humans would let him.

Unfortunately for Nibbles ​(and fortunately for the environment!) they ​don't want to pay for unlimited water. To deter him ​they try to ​close the bathroom doors now.

Nibbles’ second favorite thing to do is to play fetch. Not the typical kind of cat fetch which includes you throwing something once and the cat chasing it once then game over. Nibbles will play fetch for extended periods of time and actually bring the item back to you! His favorite fetch toy is the round plastic lid off of a kid’s yogurt pouch. He can be anywhere in the house and once he hears the plastic cap hit the floor, he will come sprinting to ​his family as fast as he can!

Nibbles also enjoys staring out the window to see what’s happening outside. His favorite spot is the bay window above ​the front door ​though any window ​works for that matter. ​The family knows if ​they can’t find him ​they should check behind the blinds or curtains first.

Nibbles is a great pet and he does pretty well with ​kids too. Nibbles is always playful so there are occasional scratches, but ​they wouldn’t trade him for anything. As for ​David, he was apprehensive about getting a cat because ​his past cat experiences usually involved them not wanting anything to do with him (I had the same experiences before I got my first cat too, so I can relate!).

Nibbles is the exact opposite. He wants to be with you or on your lap all the time. ​His family loves him and we really appreciate ​having him be a part of their lives! And you can see that he has all his tags on and a dapper collar too! What a guy!

We thank ​David for submitting Nibbles!! To submit your cat for Cat of the Week please send at least 5 photos (feel free to send more!) and a description of at least 400 words to Craig@StuffCatsWant.com.

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