$499.99 [iPad]

I've blogged about the iPad ($499.99) before, but some new uses for the device have come to light in recent days.

It turns out that not only can my dog Betelgeuse use the iPad to FaceTime with cat cousin Future Cat [post here], she can also use it to FaceTime with Future Cat's new puppy brother, Rigel.  It shrinks the 700+ miles between Brooklyn, New York and Columbia, South Carolina to almost nothing.  Human and environmental costs aside, the results couldn't be cuter.

Betelgeuse:  Seriously, Rigel, you gotta try the cat food.

What else is the iPad good for?  Well, it makes a great puppy length and width measuring device.

Yes, he's smaller than an iPad.

For measuring puppy weight, however, the iPad won't help you.  You'll still have to use a traditional scale.  I would recommend using the biggest scale you can find.

2.9 lbs. of cute.

$16.62 [FroliCat BOLT]

My brother's feline companion Future Cat spent his holidays at my apartment in Brooklyn.  I love me some Future Cat.  He's just one of those cats.

As an aside, did you know that Kyler and I rescued Future Cat in 2003 from a grocery store parking lot in Norfolk, Virginia, right after Hurricane Isabel passed through?  He and Lola lived together as young cats in Virginia Beach (although during his stay in Brooklyn, Lola was terrible to him, but she's terrible to everyone except for me).

Oh, Future.  He was so tiny.

Not anymore.

You wouldn't know it by looking at his 22 lb. throw pillow-esc frame, but Future Cat is quite playful.  He loves catnip toys, scratch pads, feather toys, and, most of all, laser pointers.  

So I knew exactly what to get him for Christmas:  The FroliCat BOLT ($19.95).  The FroliCat Bolt is an interactive laser toy -- you can either use it manually or put it on a flat surface, in which case the BOLT generates a fifteen-minute perfect-for-cats bolting laser pointer sequence.  You should have seen the joy on Future Cat's face as he unwrapped this gift under the tree (although he would have been happier if he also unwrapped 4 AA batteries, which don't come with the BOLT).  You can currently buy the FroliCat BOLT on sale at Amazon for $16.62.

Note:  I thought Future Cat would be fine with the BOLT, but if you're in the market for an automated laser pointer toy (and who isn't?), you should also know about the FroliCat DART ($34.95).  The DART is marketed for cats and dogs.  It generates 360 degree laser patterns, has variable speed settings, and features an adjustable timer (so, unlike the BOLT, it's not limited to fifteen minutes).  The DART, however, has no manual setting.  The FroliCat DART is currently on sale at Amazon for $27.99.  [I love how stressed out the kitten looks in the promotional image.]

My own pets don't have any interest in laser pointers, but if your pets do, these FroliCat products keep 'em occupied while you take a break.  $16.62 to keep this little devil happy and busy -- well worth it!

$0.02 [2011, A Year in Animals, Part II]

Happy 2012, buddies!  This 2011 Year in Review post continues where we left off with Part I.  This post features photos and stories from July 2011 - December 2011!

July 2011

• The clan moved to our current apartment across McGuinness Boulevard in Greenpoint, Brooklyn -- Lola, Betelgeuse, and Lulu loved it right away.
• We did a hot, sticky Independence Day hike at Stokes State Forest [post here].
• Betelgeuse and Lulu got hilarious haircuts [post here].
• We went on a Pennsylvania day trip with dog buddy Kira (who looks like Lulu in the grass above) to hang with Abby and Roxy.

$0.02 [2011, A Year in Animals, Part I]

Happy New Year, Everyone!  

2011 was a big, expensive year in animals around here, so I thought I would share some photos and stories from the past year to welcome us into 2012.

January 2011

• We started 2011 with an animal clan count of three:  Lola, Kitty, and Betelgeuse.  
• Box Cat, the TNR feral cat who liked to hang out in our backyard, used the cat shelter that Kyler and I built out of a discarded kitchen cabinet to weather the cold January months.
• We met and fostered rescue pup Victor, a wonderful 20-lb. black dog (he looked like Kira's older brother), for two weeks until he went to his forever home in early January.
• Kyler, Betelgeuse, and I took a trip to Virginia Beach to visit Future Cat (+ his feline housemates, Caddie Wompus, Bear, and Boy Cat).  Betelgeuse got an unwelcome bath at Two Brothers Self Service Dog Wash.
• In late January, we started fostering postpartum Lulu, an 8-lb. black dog (she looked like Kira's little sister), pending her scheduled spay operation.
• We had so much snow in January. Three-legged Kitty helped me build a snow fort, and Betelgeuse played fetch on top of it.

$499.99 [FaceTime]

Buy an iPad 2 so that your pets can FaceTime with other animals and you can take screenshots to memorialize it.  My iPad was a birthday gift, but this moment is worth every penny of that $499.99.

Pictured here:  A FaceTime convo between Future Cat in Columbia, South Carolina and Betelgeuse in Brooklyn, New York.

$10.17 [Safari Cat Shedding Comb]

Safari Cat Shedding Comb, Wood Handle.  This comb comes highly recommended by my brother, W, the cat whisperer, as tested and appoved by Future Cat.  Future Cat is a sweet, big, and nervous long-haired male cat.  His fur is super soft but often can be oily, which leads to occasional matting.

Enter the Safari Cat Shedding Comb (pictured above).  W reports that Future Cat loves this comb.  It breaks up and removes mats, but the smooth, rounded teeth massage him and are gentle on the skin.  "He will let you brush him for as long as you want with this thing."

I may look into it for Lola.  The Safari Cat Shedding Comb experience sounds almost spa-like, which would definitely beat chasing Lola around the apartment with the Furminator, and at 1/3 of the cost.

$10.17 for soft de-matted fur, a kitty massage for a nervous cat and fewer hairballs.