D-Link Partners with a Non-Profit Rescue Organization to Promote Pet Adoption

Thank you to D-Link for sending us a Pan & Tilt Day/Night Wi-Fi Camera (DCS-5020L) to monitor our rescue dogs when we're not at home.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Last August, we began a new adventure by adopting two rescue Chihuahua mix puppies.  We went to meet and possibly adopt one puppy and ended up with two.  We just couldn't split these brothers up.  Yes, we gave them a forever home, but they really rescued us.  They've brought so much joy to our household and have taught our children how to be nurturing, responsible, and to think of someone else's needs more often.

One of the things that make potential pet-owners hesitant to bring pets into their homes is not being able to watch them every minute, especially when they are at work or just out doing errands.  The D-Link Pan & Tilt Day/Night Wi-Fi Camera, is the perfect solution to this problem because it allows you to monitor a room in your home from your computer, tablet, or phone.  This is such an easy way to have peace of mind that your pet is safe and happy while you're away from the house.  D-Link agrees and that's why they've partnered with a non-profit rescue organization in California, Paw Prints in the Sand Animal Rescue, to promote pet adoption and responsible pet ownership.

How is D-Link helping more pets find forever homes?

• D-Link will donate a Pan & Tilt Wi-Fi Camera to new pet owners who adopt from Paw Prints in the Sand to enable them to view a live feed of their pet, dog walker, or anyone else who comes in contact with their pet while the owner is away from the house.
  
• D-Link and Paw Prints in the Sand is developing a series of training and animal behavioral videos to help new pet owners maintain a happy home for the newest member of the family by understanding their basic needs.

More about the Pan & Tilt Day/Night Wi-Fi Camera (DCS-5020L):

• Pan & Tilt Function – Remotely pan and tilt live video and keep an eye on a larger area
• Sound and Motion Detection – Enhanced email alerts based on sound and motion sensing technology
• Wi-Fi Extender – Easily add more cameras or expand your home's wireless network
• 66o Horizontal Field of View – Keep an eye on more area
• Night Vision – View up to 26 feet in complete darkness
• Remote Viewing – No fees or monthly subscriptions to view on iPhone®, iPad® or Android® with mydlink® app or mydlink.com

To learn more about the D-Link Pan & Tilt Wi-Fi Camera visit us.dlink.com.  To learn more about Paw Prints in the Sand Animal Rescue and their efforts to rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome abandoned, mistreated, and stray potential animal companions, visit www.pawprintsinthesand.org, where you can also find out about adopting, volunteering, fostering, and supporting this non-profit organization.

New Tidy Cats® Lightweight 24/7 Performance® Litter Now Available at Walmart

No compensation was received for sharing this new product and giveaway with 3G2S readers.

Two things I've always told my husband that I wished we could get delivered to the house are large bags of dry cat food and cat litter.  They are both so heavy and take up so much space in the trunk of our car.  This is one of the reasons why it is my husband's job to buy the litter and to change the litter in our extra-large multi-cat litter box.  It's actually been his job for nearly two decades.  Well, he'll be so excited when he finds out that those chores may not be his sole responsibility for much longer.  Tidy Cat's new Lightweight 24/7 Performance Litter offers the same performance as regular scoopable Tidy Cat brand litter, but at half of the weight!

Now, if only someone would develop a cat food that is 50% the normal weight . . .

Enter the giveaway below for your chance to win one of two $25 Walmart gift cards.  That's enough for you to buy some new Tidy Cat Lightweight 24/7 Performance Litter and to pick up a little something extra for yourself!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck in the drawing!

US only, contest ends on 11/29/13, please whitelist momdot@live.com to ensure contest prize delivery email. This is a multi-blog giveaway. 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires is not the administrator of this giveaway.

How To Keep Aging Cats Happy & Healthy #ShebaCat #shop #cbias

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This SHEBA cat food shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study about happy and healthy cats for Collective Bias and their client.

Two of our three cats are getting on in years.  They are moving more slowly and are no longer jumping up high.  Overall, they are less active than they were during their younger days.  One of them is also starting to not chew his food very much and sometimes it comes back up.  We had been feeding our cats quality dry cat food formulated for improving digestive health, but recently we became open to giving moist cat food a test run.  SHEBA cat food contains no grains or corn, so we decided to see how well our beloved cats would do with quality moist food.

One of the main reasons we did not serve moist cat food to our cats in the past was because we thought it would be too costly.  Then I discovered that, if I stocked up on cans of cat food when there is a coupon available or when they are on sale, then cost is not really an issue.  I found the single SHEBA cat food cans at Walmart for just $.50 each (love when I find rollback prices) plus there is a SHEBA cat food coupon available for a free can when you buy six.  Some stores even carry value packs.

Many pet owners say that cats need variety and others say their cats do not care for change.  Personally, I think it varies from one cat to another.  We decided to buy several different varieties of SHEBA to see which ones our cats liked the most.  The pâté is ground food, while the 'cuts' are whole pieces and chunks.  We knew the pâté would be easier to eat, but we decided to try the Tuna Entrée cuts first.  Needless to say, taste was not an issue.  So far, all 3 cats seem to have taken to the food well, without any stomach issues.  The results were the same when we tried the Salmon Entrée pâté.  With each serving, our cats licked the dish clean.  It was wonderful to see all 3 so happy, but we were also relieved that this food seems easier to keep down for our male cat.  Another plus is that it is easier to control his portions this way, rather than leaving dry food out all the time.  (He is a little on the robust side.)

In addition to giving our cats quality food, we do our best to keep them active.  Even when they do not want to move, they simply cannot resist a laser pointer or their favorite feathers-on-a-stick toy.  When they have had enough, they sit or lay down to let us know, while still keeping one eye on the toy.

Something else I've noticed about our aging cats is that they cannot groom themselves like they used to.  This could be because they are less flexible or because they are rounder than they once were.  Even though they may protest at first, they will always allow us to brush them or use the grooming mitt on them.

Not all our cats like to play with cat toys beyond the laser pointer, but our male cat does.  He loves to hug and rub his face on crinkly pillow toys, especially if there is catnip in them.

One last thing we do to make sure our aging cats are happy is to give them multiple places to retreat to when they want quiet.  This is usually our bedroom. I often find them sleeping on or under our bed.  We also make sure there are several windows around the house, where they can climb up to sit and look outside.  Two of our three cats are a little on the large side, so we make sure there is furniture in front of the windows, since the two larger ones cannot fit on the windowsills comfortably.  Whenever possible, we try to at least crack the windows because our cats seem to enjoy the fresh air.

What do you do to keep your cats happy and healthy?

11 Rules of Park and Recreation Etiquette

Since Spring is just around the corner and we've just turned our clocks an hour ahead in preparation, you may be starting to get into a warm weather state of mind.  It's tough to imagine if you still have snow on the ground like we do, but the warmer weather really will be upon us soon.  Our family is very lucky to live by a beautiful state park, with a large lake and plenty of picnic tables and grills.  This is a perfect time to remind ourselves of parks and recreation etiquette in order to ensure that one family's enjoyment does not put a damper on another family's day of fun.

My Photos: A Snowy Predicament

One of our youngest cat's favorite spots is sitting on the kitchen table to look out the window.  When there aren't any people, birds, or squirrels to watch, she'll just lay there and sun herself.  Well, this weekend we had a major snowstorm that left us with over 2 feet of snow.  Some of that snow piled on top of the bushes outside and clung to our windows.  The snow was so high that our poor cat could not see out the window while laying down or sitting up.  It was quite a predicament in the carefree life of a pampered cat.

Do you ever wonder what goes through your pet's mind?  I imagine her to be thinking something along these lines . . .

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"Who put all this snow here?  It's blocking my favorite lookout spot!"

"I've been sitting here for a long time and nobody has removed the snow.  Nor has anyone brought me something higher to sit on . . . "

"Okay, I'll stand up, but I'm not happy about it.  I just want to see all the silly humans standing outside in the cold trying to clean off their cars."

Click here to view all my past favorite photos.

My Photos: The Best Sandwich Ever!

Our youngest cat will be turning 3 this year.  If I have not said so before, she is one awesome cat.  She actually behaves very much like a dog, which is in part what makes her so great.  How does she behave like a dog?  Firstly, she thinks with her stomach.  She will endure cuddles, squeezes, rubbings, and more if she knows there is a possibility of receiving a cat treat afterwards.

Secondly, she begs like a dog.  She weighs her options in regards to which member of the family will likely give her some of their meal and will give them "the look."  She will also sit on your foot to remind you she's there and is not above putting one paw on you for the same purpose.

Thirdly, she has been known to do tricks if there is a possible cat treat in her future.  One of my favorite tricks that she does is rolling over, just like one of the tigers at the circus.

Lastly, she actually meets me at the door when I come home just like a dog would.


What do you think is going through her head in the photos below?

"A Kitty Sandwich"

"I Better Be Getting Double Treats for This!"

Click here to view all my past favorite photos.

My Photos: Monday Already?

Last week, our nearly 6 year old son was home sick with a fever for one day.  His twins sister was home sick for 3 days.  I helplessly watched myself fall more and more behind in my work as each day passed.  I was hoping to catch up 100% this weekend, but it didn't happen.  I was dreading the coming of Monday, but not because I didn't want the fun and relaxing weekend to end, but rather I did not want to start off a work week by being behind.

Want to know how behind I am?  I usually publish the "My Photos" post by Sunday morning.

Anyways, this photo makes me forget my Monday woes briefly . . .

"If I Don't Open My Eyes, Then It Will Still Be Sunday!"

Click here to view all my past favorite photos.

My Photos (W/E 2-25-12)

Early last week, the whole family attended a Disney On Ice show in Boston.  The show ended roughly around 1pm, so we had to get something to eat for lunch on the way home.  Since I had my D-SLR camera with me for photographing the performance, I took a few photos of the twins.  They were exhausted and too tired to protest, which made them the perfect subjects.  Also, we were sitting by a window that offered plenty of sunlight.

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"A Tired Little Prince"

"A Tired Little Princess"

This is a photo my husband took of one of our cats a few days ago.  It looks like he woke her up from a sound sleep . . .

"So Not a Morning Cat"

Click here to view all my past favorite photos.

Orijen Cat Food is Both Owner and Cat-Approved

We have a mix of senior and adolescent cats at home (2 seniors, 1 adolescent) and finding the right food is always a challenge. In the end we mix it up a bit and choose between 2-3 mid level or semi-premium foods of various flavors.

Although the brands we choose are decent (Nutro, Purina One, Iams), we have yet to try a truly premium food. I also do my best to stay away from gimmicks like holistic foods (sorry Wellness!). What I am truly interested in trying is an ultra premium food made and prepared with the same attention that human food is and from the same quality ingredients. Recently we had the chance to try such a cat food.

Mr. Chewy provided us with a 15.4 pound bag of Orijen 6 Fish cat food to try out. In my prior professional life I was a general manager of a well known big box pet store and consider myself knowledgeable in animal foods. I know what a quality food is and I must say I was pretty impressed when I opened the Orijen cat food when it arrived.

The first thing you notice is the smell, it hits you like a brick. It smells like bag of fish! And this is good! What do you smell when you open the food you are using now? I used to smell something like fish, but it also smelled like wheat or an unidentifiable sour odor. The reason why Origin has such a strong scent is because it is 80% fish! Most mid level foods contain maybe 20-25% actual meat, and much of that is from a dry meal. The remaining 20% in the bag is vegetation. There aren't any grains, gluten, or fillers of any kind in Orijen. And that brings me to my next observation.

The next most prominent aspect of this food is how dense and rich each kibble is. Why is this important? Well, ultra high quality ingredients and no fillers equals a food that is solid yet digestible. And highly digestible food means fewer trips to the litter box. The food gets turned into energy, muscle, and bones, not poops. I didn't even need to feed Orijen to my cats to know we received a quality food, but how did the cats like it?

The cats came running as the smell was quite obvious to them. At first they were cautious, if you know cats you know you don't just change their food. I can't imagine what I would have found in my bed that night if it didn't go over well. Well, I can say that I found no surprises on my pillow that night and the cats seem happy as clams. Their stool is smaller and more firm, no more surprise loose and unusually smelly poops.

Although we aren't through the big bag yet, the cats are loving Orijen and so am I. My eldest cat has been quite frisky and playful recently, it can't be a coincidence...

To learn more about this and other Orijen pet foods, visit MrChewy.com.


Thank you to Mr. Chewy for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.

4 Christmas Wishes From Our Family to Yours

It's Christmas Day and I wanted to take the time to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!  I know a "Merry Christmas" means different things to different people.  Here is what our family loves about Christmas and what we wish for each of you and your families . . .

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1.  We wish you a day spent with loved ones (human or not), whether in person, by phone, online, or by memory.

2.  We wish you will have the chance to enjoy one of your favorite foods, whether it's a spiral ham or a pepperoni pizza.

3.  We wish you the chance to experience the joy of giving.

4.  We wish you a relaxing day that is pleasant, stress-free, and full of joy (and maybe a nap).

Happy Holidays to All!

My Photos: 7 Cute Cat Photos

I had promised to post these photos last week, but the week just flew by in a blink of an eye.  I hope you enjoy these cat photos, whether you are a cat-lover or not.  I know I am not impartial at all, but some of these photos are darn cute!  Our cats are so easy to photograph because they are a little on the lazy side and would rather just endure the camera flash than to get up and move somewhere quieter.

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"Rest for the Weary"

"Who?  Me?  What Canary?"

"See!  No Canary Here"

"Picture Purrfect"

"Double Paws, Double Cuteness"

"Mon Amie"

"What?  It's Just a Little Extra Holiday Weight!"

Thanks for taking the time to view my favorite cat photos!  Click here to view all my past favorite photos.