Stay Home Club Haul.

It's no secret I'm a HUGE Stay Home Club fan. I own a few of their pieces and recently they bought out so many more awesome things that I just had to have! 

So today I am sharing what I bought in my most recent purchase from them:

Stay Home Kitty Box Tee
This is a super soft box t-shirt which is mid-length. It is really lightweight and looks awesome with some high-waist jeans. Already covered in cat hair of course! 

Panther T-Shirt
This super awesome print is by a Korean tattoo artist named Jiran. It is a unisex shirt so comes down quite long which I like and I just roll the sleeves up a little. 

Full of Grace Patch
This patch is pretty big and I've just bought a sick bomber jacket that this would look amazing on! It also came with a matching sticker which I was stoked about. It's an iron on patch but I will probably sew it a little for extra security.

There was so so much more I wanted to get, so many pins! Sadly I do have to pay customs charges on these as they are being sent from overseas but if I save up a little then I'm sure I can make another purchase in the near future ;)

What do you think?

X

Feeling Thankful

This is a weird kind of year for me where it's not soon enough to think about Christmas and everyone around me seems to be super in the mood for it. I'm working Boxing Day this year so that means I'll be travelling back from Devon on Christmas Day and spending Christmas Night and Boxing Day on my own (apart from cleaning the cats) so maybe that's why I feel totally out of the loop.

The Americans have Thanksgiving (and the creepy Black Friday that us UK folk have seem to gone bonkers for in the past 2 years) which is this week, it seems to be like a little pre-holiday which I think would be amazing to get you in the festive mood. I was given an idea by Ocean about sharing some home-based things that I am thankful for, so here they are: 

My Home:

I haven't shared much of my house on here, I'm not sure why, I think it just doesn't photograph how I really feel about certain rooms. My living room and dining room are my fave, the feel is so cozy and I just don't think any pictures could capture how it really looks. Maybe I will do a few pics of close up things I love one day soon. The first picture in this post is in my dining room and shows my bookcase which is a highlight for me as books (or more specifically all of the books I own) are just something I love to pick up and browse through and  I'm forever collecting books on topics I am interested in. 

The second picture is where I am sat right now, I have a spare room which has a cute little day bed in and a desk which I can actually sit at and enjoy using. It is also currently housing Spirit although he is finding his feet around the house. 

I think the next stage for my house is going to be doing up my bedroom and giving my bathroom a teeny makeover to make it feel more cozy for bathtimes.

The Cats:

In my opinion my house would not be a home without the cats. At first it was just me and Prince but I felt like I couldn't give him attention all the time. In the flat it was easy, there were two of us and also it was so small and he went out alot but here he likes to go out for a bit and then come back home and play with all his toys. 

Now Spirit is back with us I'm really hoping they tolerate each other enough to possibly play with each other and knacker each other out while I'm working all day and snoozy when I'm back. Prince will always be my number 1 boy but now Spirit is here I do have to think about him too. Right now I alternate nights of who sleeps in my room and they are both super snuggly cats but currently both want the same spot on the bed!

Obviously things like family, health and working a job I love I am totally thankful for too but my little home is my place where I can do whatever I want and I love it! Bed at 8pm? Sure! Netflix and stuffing my face with Quavers? You betcha! Leaving the dishes overnight? I 100% am!

What are you feeling most thankful for?
X

Purrstaid Kit - Feline LUTD Awareness!

Hello!

Another cat post today and this time I want to talk about Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease! EXCITING STUFF! Haha no really working with cats I see it every day, cats who come in with LUTD and their previous owners never knew and bought them in for peeing around the house or they get it when they come into the center due to high stress. 

A cat isn't like you or I (obvs) and can't tell us when something is bothering them. Signs like urinating around the house is an obvious one to watch out for, another is going in and out of the litter box alot but not leaving much in there or anything at all. 

I've had issues with Prince and LUTD and sometimes the only thing needed to stop it is medication from a vet but also a change in diet! Feeding your cat with a special diet. I know it's not as cheap as buying supermarket brand but your cats health is SO important! To find out more about urinary diet and how to keep your cats kidneys and bladder healthy then have a look at Hills Science Plan and check out preventative ways to stop your cat getting urinary problems.

Lucky little Prince was sent a Purrstaid Kit which contained some Urinary food, a toy mouse, a water bowl (fresh water is so important!), a little pet hot water bottle and a box of catnip (which was immediately destroyed by Prince).

Did you know that 60% of cat owners have had trouble with their cat urinating in their home and 45% didn't know that urinary problems were a common thing. Although 63% of cat owners thought that some cat foods could cause urinary problems, only 3% changed their cat’s food in an attempt to solve the issue.

There is a list of local places that stock urinary food and also £5 off Hills when you register with them - awesome! :)

X

Fostering with Cats Protection.

Hello! 

It's no secret I work for the Cats Protection as a Cat Carer, a job I truly get pleasure from helping and rehoming unwanted cats and kittens. A great way we have people helping us due to our high waiting list for our 150+ kennels is to foster! We have a mum and her kittens go out to one of our foster carer volunteers who look after them and follow our weaning and socialization program until the babies and mum are ready to come back and find their forever homes.

A few experienced fosters and staff often foster cats and kittens who are having a hard time in their kennels or kittens who were born outside (feral) and are still able to be socialized. This is what I did!

Meet Spirit:

Spirit on his first day in my house. Terrified!

Spirit came into our care at 10 weeks old, he was found trapped in a garden fence and found by a dog. The people who managed to untangle him and get him inside said he was hissing and terrified. Just as they were about to bring him into us he managed to escape his box and run full pelt into a glass door splitting his lip right upto his nose and cutting all the inside of his mouth. We took him to the vets and treated him accordingly for two weeks before he was well enough to be put up for homing. 

In his homing kennel Spirit would hide out of view and hiss whenever you put him in his kennel. I had just signed up to foster cats exactly like this so they could live in my spare bedroom and I could socialise them and keep them in a quiet space before they were ready to return to the center. With kittens it usually takes 2 weeks to get them to come around to human affection. 

My manager asked me to foster Spirit and get him ready to be rehomed and I was so excited! 

I took him home after my shift and left him settle in a small pen for the night, he was so scared but alot better than he had been in his kennel. The first night I managed to get a few stroked in and by the second night he was playing with his toys freely.

After one week looking after Spirit and helping him grow in confidence, he loved snuggled and would sleep on me for hours and hours. It's safe to say he adopted me! 

Unfortunately I became a failed fosterer and put the motions in to adopt Spirit as my own!

In even worse news the day before I signed my paperwork I noticed some patches of skin that looked off with Spirits face and working with sick cats I knew this was bad news. Reluctantly I knew I had to tell my managers and they were going to hold off the adoption and bring him back into our Isolation unit for tests and treatment. I was a wreck! I cried all the time at work and at home and after 2 weeks of him being back at the center I got the bad news he had tested positive for a highly contagious skin disease - Ringworm. 

I had to bleach the room he stayed in and get rid of any soft furnishings he touched. Luckily I didn't catch anything and Prince never met him so he was safe too.

It's been 6 weeks now and I've just got his first negative last week, so he needs one more which hopefully means in 3 more weeks he will be back home with me! He's 5 months old now and SO much bigger (even his fur colour has changed!) but I get to see him every day and even work with him in Isolation. I'm still going ahead with the adoption and taking a HUGE break from fostering as it's too tempting to keep them! :p

Spirit in Isolation. 

Spirit is such a loving cat and I really cannot wait to have him home - so expect more cat picture spam!

X

New Job - The Process and Positive Thinking.

Hello!

Tonight I am off to Glasgow for the weekend and I've just got back from dropping Prince off to a cattery - cried my eyes out leaving him! I can't wait, I've never been to Scotland before and I also get to meet the gorgeous babes Ayden and Claire.

As I mentioned in my January Faves video I bagged myself my dream job last week! I've been volunteering at the Cats Protection since the beginning of December last year and after my first morning there I KNEW that this is what I wanted to do as a career. I've never had that feeling before so this was a huge deal to me, I've been working in retail since I was 16 and then in a coffee shop/cafe for the past 2 years and never ever enjoyed it fully. I had those awful days when I would just think 'why am I doing this? Where am I going to be in 10 years?' feelings that are common in your 20's of course but I just had NO idea and no direction of where and what I wanted to work as.

So after my first volunteering day I just couldn't wait to go back. The staff were so lovely and the work was hard but felt so rewarding. The cats in the center have been given up by their owners or found abandoned or stray by other people so they are often sad or distressed and need a little love, attention and cuddles. The work is hard, really hard, cleaning pens, feeding, more cleaning and then trying to tame or settle distressed/sad cats - but I love every second!

Donatella was found heavily pregnant just before Xmas. She was so tiny and in a bad shape that the staff didn't think she would survive the pregnancy but she gave birth to ELEVEN little babies - it even made the news! Sadly one was born stillborn however the other 10 babies are actually growing up so fast now and are almost ready to find their forever homes!

After 2 months volunteering every other Saturday one of the staff mentioned that there were 2 vacancies coming up and asked if this is something I wanted to do. Obviously I was and got the information on how to apply. I figured my volunteering would help, but I have no qualifications and no other animal experience besides owning my own cats since I was 5, so I started to feel a bit like I was too under qualified BUT it was worth a shot.

It took me two days to write out my application and as soon as I sent it I started practicing to change my whole mental attitude into pure positivity, like I had already had been given the job and was just living in that happy feeling of gratefulness for having been given such an amazing opportunity. I know this is very 'The Secret' but it honestly worked for me, I felt great! I've always been such a negative, anxious person and the way I was feeling now was amazing!

I found out from staff that the applications go through head office and they don't see the applications until head office have picked out interviewees based on a points system. This knocked my confidence a little but I kept at practicing being positive and kept my head held high. 2 weeks later - I got the call for the interview! I told my current boss and he let me have the morning off to attend (which was so kind) and I spent two days practicing my interview skills.

I left the interview feeling SO deflated, had my over-confidence backfired on me? I felt like I had rushed it, blabbled on too much and I felt so drained all day afterwards. The negativity had crept back in. Instead of letting it take over me I let myself have one night of it and the next morning I woke up and practiced envisioning getting my phone call telling me I got the job all morning.

I was sat at work about to make a cup of tea when my phone rang, it was them and it was good news!
I was told my interview was great and I got the highest score of all interviewees. I was so overwhelmed I squeeled and cried a little bit haha! I rang my mum first as she has been my biggest cheerleader and everybody has been so happy for me.

 I still can't quite believe it but this weekend in Glasgow is my celebration before I start on the 17th.

I'm so, so thankful and so excited to start and can't wait to share some more kitty pictures with you!

X

Prince's Christmas Cat Gift Guide.

Hello!

So I came back from Devon last night and was mean't to do alot of blog related things there...howeverrr  I left my camera on (with the 'turn off automatically' button disabled) in my bag which rendered it useless haha!

Anyway today I have a little wish-list I've compiled but it's not mine - oh no! It's Prince's Xmas wishlist (or what I'd like to think he'd wish for as he's a kitty with good taste) which consists of items I've seen along my internet travels and think he would love:

Friendship Collar.
This is the BEST idea EVER! Basically your cat wears the collar and you wear the matching bracelet :') Bffs!

Cat Prince Throne.
HELLO this is a throne for a Prince...a cat called Prince needs this and only this royal treat to lounge on. Kitty Kit also have this Prince radiator bed too - so cute!

Cat Humpurr
A one-off or monthly subscription box - for your cat! This is such a cute idea, gifts for all the love they give you.

Cat Grass Garden
Prince loves to eat grass outside but now it's getting colder he prefers to snuggle up with us indoors. Bringing the outdoors to him - total diva!

Cat Mate Refrigerated Auto-Feeder.
If I spend one night away or am out all day/night I feel so sad like I need to go back and feed Prince so I usually leave loooads of biscuits in his bowl. With this you automatically set times for it to feed the cat and it keep meat cool!  

I'm sure if Prince had a clue he would agree with me that these are great gifts!

So it's already the 1st December and I have opened my Yankee calendar and I think I am burning one called Angel Wings right now which is a subtle Vanilla scent. What calendar do you have?

X

It's Raining Cats... Cat Stationary !

Happy Saturday! I've been feeling not myself and am home alone so have been watching movies on Netflix and am about to order myself Chinese food to cheer myself up!

I was sent a little treat from the lovely people at Santoro London, and one of my favourite kind of treats - stationary! But wait, thats not it, it is also my favourite kind of stationary too - CAT STATIONARY!

Raining Cats Trinket Tin* - £5.99
I'm mad for trinket boxes, I never put anything in them but I love having them about the house to make for a cute accessory, especially with a cute design like this.

I have a bunch of greeting cards and postcards that I want to frame and this is going into the pile!

Premium Journal* - £13.99
This journal has a PU cover with the raining cat print and comes with an internal storage pocket. It also has 3 different types of printed paper and includes a pen. There is a detachable bookmark with this cute quote on it and also 3 pretty page divider ribbons. I think this journal is well worth the price mark and I've already started writing in it :)

Memo Block* - £5.99
I used to have a memo block and used it all up and now I'm without it I am just writing all over important things like bills, prescriptions etc, so this is a God send! And how pretty is the little lady-cat in the corner!?

I was also sent a kitty pen too :)

What do you think of my treats? I love the print, it's like those vintage cat prints you see with them wearing bonnets and being all Victorian but this is a little more of a modernized version.

Do you know of anymore cat-based stationary I can check out?

Hope your weekend is going well!

X

Cat Homeware

Hello!

I love all animals but it's pretty obvious that I am cat crazy, I've owned cats since I was 5 years old and now have my own baby boy Prince along side his big sister who lives in Devon with my mum - Pippa! 

Since I've moved from home to home I've always been drawn to cat-themed homewares and today I want to share with you my ultimate wish-list of kitty decoration that I would love in my place:

Pyro-Pet Cat Candle - Firebox.
This is a little morbid (but so am I) but I lovee that when you burn down this candle you are left with a kitty skeleton afterwards! It's such a great and gruesome idea. 

Kit-Cat Clock - ILoveApplePie
I've always wanted one of these since I was a kid, they are so classic and cute, I just love the tail/eye movement as it ticks.

Cat Head Mug - Urban Outfitters
This is so sweet! Like I need more mugs in my cupboard but how can I resist this one?!

Cat Soap Dispenser - ModCloth.
This is gorgeous, so poised! It's also ceramic for an easy clean.

Kitty Cushion - DollyDripp.
I am a HUGE DollyDripp fan, everything is handmade with lots of love and attention paid to each item, so well worth the price tag. 

Mint Cat Shelf - Urban Outfitters.
This has been in my UO basket for SO long now! I need to press buy immediately and it is just perfect for my bedroom. 

What do you think of my kitty-cat picks?

Do you know any other amazing, cute cat items for the home?

Have a great weekend

X

It's So Ugly - I Have To Have It!

Happy Weekend guys!

Today I wanna share with you my most exciting purchase this week: The cutest, ugliest bag in the world!

I spied this bag in H&M and thought it was so gross but so cute I just had to buy it. It's the worst shade of pink and has a velvet heart on it but I love its tackiness, it reminds me of something Courtney Love would wear during the Hole years.

I also picked up a couple other pink things to match:

What do you think of it?

The sunglasses are actually a nice pastel cloudy kinda see-through pink and the kitty clips were too sweet not to buy, I almost want to keep them on their wheel and just stick them up on my wall!

This weekend I will be relaxing with many a LUSH bath as I went on a mega splurge there today as I've had such a stressful week and can't relax.

Have a good one
X

Urban Grow.

Good Evening! 

Today I want to share some little gems I've come across via the Urban Outfitters homeware section as part of Urban Grow which is all about indoor gardening (my fave): 

Large Cactus Planter.
Everything about this is perfect! I love how huge it is and how it fits thin plants in it looks awesome.

Cat Strawberry Planter.
This is probably my favourite thing in the world ever, you fill the cup with water and the fabric tail soaks up water to feed the Strawberry plant in the kitty's backpack :')

Dolphin Watering Can.
This is so fun! There is also a duck, pig, hippo and poodle!

Lavender Egg Planter.
This cutie egg also comes in Mint and a Cactus. You simply crack the eggs top, water and wait for it to grow. I love the smell of Lavender ♥!

Make Your Own Terrarium.
This is so so perfect! A mini terrarium. I love this little deer version. 

Two-Tone Planter.
This huge gorgeous planter would look amazing in a corner of a room. 

Diamond Terrarium.
I'd love this huge terrarium - I'd do it up so well ;)

What do you think? I lovee home-plant accessories! With this weather its so hard to get out into the garden to do anything and as soon as it rains the weeds just grow up again! Hopefully next time I move I will have loads of natural light (my biggest issue at the moment!) so I can have tons and tons of indoor plants! 

Hope your weekend has gone well, I've literally spend it doing NOTHING! 

X

Cat Cafe Totnes - review and 35mm pictures.

Last month when I went back home to Devon I visited probably the BEST place ever! In the nearest town to where I live there is a cat cafe... yes that's right you can have a brew and be cuddled and smudged by kitties!

The cafe itself is so relaxed it feels like you are at home, the cats come and go as they please and you can buy a little pot of treats to share with them. The kitchen is out of bounds to the cats so its all hygienic and there are anti-bacterial handwashes on all the tables.

The cafe is run by a pet-hospital group Cool for Cats who take care of cats in need and have a shelter close-by (I think for rehoming aswell as sick or injured cats) where the 6 cats who are in the cafe also live. You can find out more information on their work HERE.
The cafe also acts as a pet-therapy place for people who have disabilities, it's also great for anyone who can't have a pet or misses a pet far away.

I took my film camera with me and these are the photos I got back (if you click the cats names you can see better pictures from the website):

The star of the show was definitely Lilac who snapped up all the treats and climbed into my bag in the search for more!

This is Felix, he was curled up sleeping most of the time but always close by to a person for a stroke.

This is Mango a gorgeous fluffy white and ginger kitty who was a bit dopey and silly and kept rolling about inside his high up cat-tree.

This gorgeous kitty is Glee, she seemed shy but once we sat down she was soon rubbing around us.

There is also Rolo a Tabby who was fast asleep in a kitty bed and also Jet - the biggest cat I've ever seen! He was like the Beast of Bodmin with his massive orange eyes and was only 18 months old! Sadly he wouldn't stay still enough for a picture - too busy stalking about. 

The great thing was it wasn't busy, it was really relaxed and nobody under 16 can enter so the cats are also not stressed out - they seemed to love the attention!

Have you ever been to a cat cafe/would you go?

Hope you have a grand weekend!
X

Stay Home Club.

I don't really share this side of my life on my blog but I'm a pretty agoraphobic kinda person when I'm alone, I hate to leave the house unless I'm with somebody. I have many different mental ailments which I have to deal with on a daily basis and the place I'd rather be more than anywhere ever is at home, with the cat, reading on the internet.

I discovered Stay Home Club a few months back and I can't think of anything more suited to me than this store and it's amazing goodies:

Hibernate Squirrel Pennant - $12
This would be the cutest thing ever in my new bedroom!

Wiccan Canvas Patch - $6
Not only does this look like my bedroom but could totally be me and my bff doing our Pagan spells.
I have a load of spell book and have only tried a few - it's pretty interesting stuff to get into!
I've actually had quite a few emails asking about my development into Pagan/Wiccan culture it's awesome connecting with people like this.

Stay Home Club Patch - $6
I love this, it's literally me all over plus I have the perfect jacket to stitch it too.

Us Print - $15
If the girl was blonde this would be me and Ross and it would be hanging on our living room wall right now.

Stay Home Club Tote - $18.50
This is the item I want the most. Words cannot describe!

Don't get me wrong I LOVE going out, having fun with friends and driving off on adventures, it's just sometimes in these little struggles I go through find it hard to leave my room/house/the cat. I know there are people out there who suffer extremely bad so I am thankful that I still can get up, go out and enjoy myself.

Anyway what do you think of Stay Home Club?

X