Cat Approved! Creative, Attractive and Fun! Cat Play Boxes from "Cat in the Box" (It's a "Mega", "Monster" Birthday Give-Away!!)

As many of you know who have cats, there are cat products that are "meh" cute, and cat products that are "mega" cute. Today, in honor of Cody's 11th birthday (which was April 1st), I am ecstatic to share with you two products that are seriously "mega" cute that were aptly described by Designboom.com as being a "“stroke of Warhol-esque genius.”  As hard as I tried I couldn't come up with a description more fitting!

The products I am referring to are the Mega Milk Carton and the Monster Cheese Wedge that were created by Dawn LaFontaine from Cat in the Box.

While it seems to be a universal truth in the cat world that cats are attracted to boxes, some cats, such as Cody, take a little bit longer to acclimate to them. Cody isn't the norm. MOST cats are drawn to boxes. I am sure most of you, if you are honest, will admit to having some old, beat-up, nasty looking boxes around your home that you wouldn't dare part with because your cat LOVES them. Guests enter your home, if they live with cats they "get it", if they don't, they probably think you are in the midst of moving. Dawn, an animal lover from childhood,  got the idea for these darling boxes  after visiting her mother’s cat sitter and finding her otherwise lovely living room cluttered with old Amazon boxes. “They’re for the cats,” she’d sheepishly explained to her at the time.

Lightbulb Moment!

Dawn wondered,  why do cat owners put up with dirty, ugly boxes in their home? Why not fill your home with clever, fun, cardboard boxes  that can also be disassembled and put away when you have company? Cat In the Box was born!!

The darling boxes are made in the USA from recycled cardboard and are imprinted with human-grade soy inks. Did I mention that they are HIGHLY "Instagram-able!!"

When Dawn contacted me to see if I would be interested in having Cody try out the box of his choice, after visiting her website I JUMPED at the chance! Some of you are thinking, "wait, I thought Cody doesn't like boxes?" Yes, that is true MOST of the time. Frankly I didn't care. I view these boxes as being pieces of modern cat art!  When I saw the Mega-Milk Carton it was love at first sight!

Could this be ANY cuter?

The Mega Milk Carton is approximately 26 inches tall and 12 1/2 inches wide and deep. Holes are approximately 6 1/2 inches in diameter. The box has hook-and-loop dots which enable it to be disassembled for flat storage, and then reassembled again. Attractively priced at $29.99, includes FREE SHIPPING IN THE U.S!!

When Cody's Mega Milk Carton arrived what I IMMEDIATELY LOVED was THERE WAS NO ASSEMBLY REQUIRED!! NONE! I took it out of the box and didn't have to tax my feeble mind with trying to put it together. It was ready to go! 

At first, Cody wasn't impressed. I emailed Dawn terrified that he wouldn't use it. One of MANY things I LOVE about Cat in the Box is that Dawn "gets" cats. She wasn't ruffled one bit. She explained to me that each cat is different (intellectually I knew that, but I wanted Cody to instantly use it because I love it so much!), Dawn suggested that I turn the milk carton on its side.....she said many cats are more attracted to it that way. Voila!!! It worked! 

Why Are Cats Drawn to Boxes?

While perusing the Cat in the Box website I learned there is a science that explains why cats are attracted to boxes!  A few things I learned are that cats like warmer areas,  and corrugated boxes function as wonderful "insulators" for cats! They also offer "stress relief" by giving them an area to hide. There is another reason and you can visit the Cat in the Box website to find that out! 

Cat in the Box Truly Cares 

Remember I mentioned to Dawn that I was concerned that Cody wouldn't use the Mega Milk Carton I had chosen? Well, without batting a paw, Dawn immediately offered to send me the adorable Monster Cheese Wedge   to see if that might appeal to him more. She even enclosed a darling note that said "Ok Cody, let's see what you think of this one!!!"

He loved it!

Assembled, the Monster Cheese Wedge Box is approximately 22 inches long, 16 inches wide, and 10 inches deep. Holes are approximately 6 1/2 inches in diameter. The box has hook-and-loop dots which enable it to be disassembled for flat storage, and then reassembled again.

Photo Courtesy of Cat in the Box

Photo Courtesy of Cat in the Box

RECEIVE  $5 OFF OF YOUR BOX PURCHASE!!

Cody and I give these boxes a resounding 4 PAWS UP!!  Kitties by now you have to be pawing at the computer ready to get your very own boxes from Cat in the Box, right? OF COURSE I am right! Along with a give-away (see details below), Dawn is offering my readers a $5 off code which will be active for 30 days after this post is live. There are TWO ways you can use this code:

1). Enter the code CodyandCaren at checkout

2) Simply click this link:
  https://thecatisinthebox.com/discount/CodyandCaren

 GIVE-AWAY!!
Now, there is another reason I decided to have the give-away today, today happens to be World Party Day !! "It is based on the idea that peace is not the opposite of war, merely its absence. The real opposite of war is party, and World Party Day aims to synchronise a massive, world-wide party to celebrate everything that’s good and optimistic."

So, birthdays are "GOOD AND OPTIMISTIC" right?  Why of course! 

"Pass the food and turn up the music” is a common slogan on World Party Day, but today I say "Pass the Mega Milk Carton and the Monster Cheese Wedge and turn up the music!!" We're celebrating my birthday!!  The premise of World Party Day is that everyone in the world is joined in party, so you can really do anything you like as long as it involves celebrating the joy of existence.  Well we are celebrating the joy of Cody's existence with a give-away!!

HOW TO ENTER:

The give-away is open to those who are 18 and over and reside in the U.S.   ONE PERSON WILL WIN THEIR CHOICE OF EITHER THE MEGA MILK CARTON OR THE MONSTER CHEESE WEDGE.  (We chose NOT to use rafflecopter for this give-away to make it easier to enter!)

READ CAREFULLY: IF YOU DO NOT FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED: YOU MUST LEAVE A COMMENT STATING WHICH BOX YOU WANT.

BONUS ENTRY: FOLLOW Cat in the Box on Instagram and leave your INSTAGRAM HANDLE ALONG WITH YOUR CHOICE OF BOX IN THE COMMENT AREA.

The comments will be counted and assigned a number. The  lucky winner will be chosen by random.org and will be announced on or around Friday, April 13th. Good luck!!!

Disclaimer: This giveaway is sponsored by Cat in the Box.  I am being compensated with product and payment for featuring this content but  Cat Chat With Caren and Cody only shares  information we feel is relevant to our readers.  Cat in the Box is not responsible for the content in this review/give-away.

15 Children's Books that (mostly) feature Cats for International Children's Book Day

Since Cody's blog first began in 2009 I have been doing book reviews,  In the past year or so I have greatly cut down the number of books I had been reviewing because of the enormous amount of time it takes to read the books and write the reviews. They were beginning to take over my life!
Today is International Children's Book Day, which is an event that celebrates Children's literature. I remember as a child reading brought me enormous joy. It inspired my imagination by helping me to escape to other places, even other worlds, and it is something I hold close to my heart.

International Children's Book Day was founded back in 1967 by Jella Lepman the founder of the International Board of Books for Young People and it is always held on or near the birthday of celebrated author Hans Christian Anderson.

In honor of this event and it's importance to our young people, I have decided to share links to ten of our favorite children's books that we have reviewed through the years. (If you click on the title of each book it will take you directly to my review. NOTE:If there is a give-away attached to a review, obviously the give-aways have ended)  Now on to the children's books that I have chosen to feature:

"Staying Strong for Smokey" 

"Tis better to have loved and lost

Than never to have loved at all"

--Alfred Lord Tennyson

Losing a beloved pet is one of the most heart-breaking experiences that anyone who shares their life with a pet will ever have to face.  It is hard enough for adults to understand,  but how does one explain it to the special children in their life?

Explaining to a child that their beloved pet whom often they have known since they were born is aging, and ill, and that the most caring thing that you can do for that pet is to help them "pass peacefully to a safe place" is a difficult concept for adults to grasp, let alone a child. I was honored to review this book because Corey Gut, DVM is one of the Vets at the practice that Cody and Dakota go to so we are lucky to get to see her in person sometimes! 

 The KeeKee Adventure Series:

The KeeKee "Big Adventures" series is a complete delight and I am honored to have reviewed each and every book in the series! Before I share KeeKee's latest book:KeeKee's Big Adventures in Amsterdam, Netherlands, let's take a trip with KeeKee and visit the other fabulous books in the series, shall we? C'mon!!

KeeKee's Big Adventures in Paris, France ,  followed by KeeKee's Big Adventures in Rome, Italy , (I had the enormous honor of having one of my quotes on the back cover praising the Paris book!)

KeeKee’s Big Adventures in Paris, France, was a Silver Winner in The Bill Fisher Award for Best First Book (Children’s/Young Adult) category at IBPA’s 2014 Benjamin Franklin Awards. Visit ibpa-online.org for more information.

Covers courtesy of http://www.keekeesbigadventures.com/

I was super excited for the release of KeeKee's Big Adventures in Athens, Greece  for a number of reasons, an important one is I have always been fascinated by the Greek culture. The food,  music, climate, history, architecture and so much more. I minored in Philosophy in college and majored in Rhetoric, (I intensely studied Greek Rhetorical theory), so I might have been just a tad biased about this book!

There is a formula to each of the books in the KeeKee's Big Adventure series  that makes the series a wonderful learning tool for children and adults alike:

1) KeeKee makes new friends

2) KeeKee learns new words in the language of the places that she is visting--in the back of each book is a handy guide that shows the proper way to pronounce the words that are featured.

3) KeeKee eats YUMMY food

4) KeeKee visits super cool places! There is always a super-cool map of all of the places that were visited in each book

From Author Shannon Jones: This great adventure begain on a KLM Airlines flight in 2006 moving to the wonderful city of Amsterdam with the real-life KeeKee. Amsterdam was our home for four years, and our travels across Europe led us on the path to launching KeeKee's Big Adventures. We dedicate this book to those inspirations.

Archie's First Adventure

Now, you are probably asking, "Why is a MOUSE being featured on your blog?"  That is a purrfectly fair question my furiends! Those of you who are long time readers know all too well that this is far from the first time a MOUSE has been featured on my blog. Why? Because I LOVE MOUSIES!! My favorite toys in the WORLD are MOUSIES!!

Photo Courtesy of Archie The Mouse.com

A Bed for Kitty

A Bed for Kitty is an adorable children's story that speaks to the quirkiness that is cats. Most of us can relate to buying new things for our cats that they promptly proceed to ignore. No amount of cajoling will make the cat use the new item.

In A Bed for Kitty, little Chloe is full of excitement to give "Kitty" her new present!!!  Kitty loves to sleep and Chloe feels that a new bed will be a most appreciated gift!! You have to read the book to find out what happens!

Odie the Stray Kitten and Odie's Best Friend

"For Odie, because sometimes the smallest ones
become the biggest inspirations"

Odie the Stray Kitten is a charming book about a little orange and white kitten who lost his family on a cold winter night. He never expected to find a loving forever home in a horse barn. Not only did he find a loving, forever home, he also found hope, new friends and a name.  His name happens to mean "inspiration", which is no coincidence. Odie the Stray Kitten is not only an adorable read for little ones, but it shows that out of something that initially seems like a bad situation, something GOOD can come out of it!

"For Bandit, because every animal
has a story to tell"

Odie’s Best Friend is the second book in the Odie the Stray Kitten Series. It focuses on the story
of Bandit, a gray and white cat, and his journey to find a forever home. His adventures take him
through an animal shelter and life as a stray before he finds a home on the farm with Odie and
their girl. This is the follow-up to 2013’s Odie the Stray Kitten, which was a 2014 Next
Generation Indie Book Award Winner, 2014 Purple Dragonfly Children’s Book Award Honorable Mention, and 2014 Recipient of the Children’s Literary Classics’ Seal of Approval.

Both Odie the Stray Kitten and Odie's Best Friend were lovingly and skillfully illustrated by Lowell Hildebrandt. The illustrations are vibrant and delightful, children of all ages will enjoy them!

Are you ready? Odie and Bandit are based on REAL cats!

Odie and Bandit
This photo came from
Kristen's Facebook Page

Double Trouble

Book Cover Courtesy of Lou Belcher

Many in the cat world know that  Bugsy and Knuckles are kitty brothers, better known as The Boys who get along so well, and are so deeply attached to each other,  that they appear to have some sort of telepathic communication system that only they understand! Most of their antics take place on the blog that they share with "HH" aka Her Highness, who is known to the rest of the world as Lou Belcher, Author of The Zen of Max, and the blog (Before You Write), that she shares with Bugsy, Knuckles and their special friend, Checkers the Mouse.  In addition to being a superb author/free-lance writer, Lou is  also a talented artist.

This is "Bugsy"
(Photo Courtesy of Lou Belcher)
"He is mellow most of the time
and rarely takes the lead.
Consequently, he doesn't end up
in trouble as often as Knuckles."

This is "Knuckles"
 Photo Courtesy of  Lou Belcher
"He is full of energy
and is always planning
an assault of some sort.
He usually fails,
consequently, he is the
comic relief in my life."

Bugsy and Knuckles are REAL LIFE brothers! They are litter mates! Where one is, the other is sure to follow. They share a passion for play and their special telepathic communication system allows them to "pull off capers that have earned them the title DOUBLE TROUBLE"

"Bugsy and Knuckles"
Illustration Courtesy of Lou Belcher

Lucky Cats Paper Dolls

Literally translated as "the beckoning cat," a Maneki Neko is easy to recognize by its raised paw. This traditional symbol of prosperity originated in Japan and can be found around the world especially in shops and restaurants." This fun book was written and illustrated by our friend Maggie Swanson.

Where Is Catkin?

"This is a beautiful and
delightful book!"

"The word catkin is a calque from the Dutch katteken, meaning "kitten", on account of the resemblance to a kitten's tail.^[1]"  (taken from Catkin-Wikipedia, you can see more definitions and photos here)


If you have ever observed a cat outdoors, you were certain to see them forever chasing the "elusive butterfly", the flitting fly, galloping grasshopper, cavorting cricket or whatever has recently struck their fancy.


The outcome in most of these scenarios? The cat gets within a paw's reach of the tempting object, the object of desire manages to escape, leaving the cat with a bewildered look, frustrated and empty-pawed.

For cats it is all about the "hunt". From the Publisher: "When Catkin jumps off Amy's lap for an afternoon of hunting, his adventurous nature eventually turns into trouble!"

Rainbow Forest Fables

 isn't about cats, but it is about animals, lessons, enchantment, wonder, magic and is written by an author with a personal connection to...you got it! CATS!

Rainbow Forest Fables is a book "dedicated to the young and the young at  heart" whose message is "if we keep our hearts open, we can learn so much from each other and our surroundings."  This delightful book was written and illustrated by Pamela June Kimmel


Cat and Crow An Amazing Friendship 

 (published by Collage Books Inc.), was written by Lisa Fleming. 

Cat and Crow is based on the true story of a cat, (Cassie), and a crow, (Moses), who, in spite of  their obvious differences, became the best of friends.

When compiling a list of "must read" Children's books, be SURE that this one is on your list!

Purrsnikitty

If you are a teacher or have children,  if you have nieces, nephews, little cousins or grandkids, if you have ever prepared a child to welcome (or not) a new sibling, or introduced a dog into a home with a cat then you will enjoy Purrsnikitty.

The title  is charming. Purrsnikitty  which comes from  a play on the word "persnickety" which means "over particular, fussy, snobbish, having an aloof attitude" (http://www.dictionary.com/),  is also the name of the main character of the book. She embodies all of the previously mentioned characteristics, (as evidenced by the verse below taken from the book) as do most cats.

"I'm a very special cat!

I say that every day-

I love myself so very much

and always get my way!"

Purrsnikitty is the purrfect bedtime book for children. It has adorable illustrations done by Cameron Bennett, is written in rhyme (which children LOVE), it is a quick-read (40 pages, which Moms and Dads love at bedtime!) and in my opinion is ideal for children ages 6 and under.






So there you have it! I would say those are some pretty great children's books that should be in EVERY cat lover's children's library at home, school, and in your public library! 

A Birthday, Easter and an Upcoming Give-Away (and this is NO Joke!)

Today I am ELEVEN years old!!! I had to take over the blog today cause Mom is too choked up about it to type! Because this year my birthday has fallen on Easter, Mom and I decided to have our special sponsored birthday give-away THIS TUESDAY, APRIL 3RD, which is also World Party Day!! Check out the "teaser" photo below where these kitties have already started partying and it  will give you a hint as to what you can win if you live in the U.S.A and are 18 and older. You can also read a really cool article about it here  There will also be a $5 off discount code which will be activated on Tuesday too! Be sure to come back then to see what it is!

I am telling you kitties you are going to LOVE THIS!!!!!! 

I would also like to thank my furiends at the Meezer's Mews & Terrieristical Woofs blog (Pipo & Dalton) for my pawtastic birthday card!!!! That was so nice!!

AND ONCE AGAIN