Barn Yarn Hand Knit Wool Cat Toys with Catnip that are Zoe Approved!

Purchased (Affiliate Links)

I have to tell you that I am just so enchanted by Barn Yarn Hand Knit Wool Cat Toys with Catnip that I had to share them with you. Zoe first received one, a darling bumble bee, as a gift from a pharmacy who filled a prescription for her. She was so obsessed with this little bumble bee that she would sleep with it, lick it and then pounce on it. Of course, the fact that it is filled with catnip didn't hurt, but these two have been inseparable since the bee entered our lives.

I searched everywhere online to find a replacement for Zoe's beloved bee, and we finally emailed the pharmacy, along with pictures of Zoe and her bee, and asked them where we could buy more. They gave us the brand name, and within minutes we ordered more! If you have cats, these are the best catnip toys I have ever purchased. They are enchanting and cats love them!

Given the disparity between the "Before Zoe" and "After Zoe" bee, I think that you can clearly see how much this little gray tabby loves her baby.

She isn't a fickle feline, and she still loves her bee, but she also loves some of her new friends as well. I gave her two new  Barn Yarn Hand Knit Wool Cat Toys, and put the other ten away (for now).

According to Barn Yarn,

Barn Yarn Animals are Handknit Wool Cat Toys - Filled with Premium Catnip. These are made of 100% wool and are made in the Northern Highlands of South America by descendants of the Inca Indians. The Incas have handed down the craft of knitting through many generations. Chilly Dog, the manufacturer, directly employs two families to knit their toys and sweaters and practices within the guidelines of Fair Trade. 

Features:

- Handmade from Peru

- Catnip toy that will entertain for hours

- Average size is 3.5 inches long

- Assorted animals and colors, no two are the same!

Overall Assessment: ZOE LOVES THEM!

$29.99 for 12, $16.99 for 6 and $7.99 for 1 from Amazon (Affiliate Links). Purchased. 

All views expressed are categorically Zoe's, but I agree with her. 

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For Lola

Yesterday marked 2 weeks since Lola died (tribute here), and these flowers are an attempt to commemorate the spectacular and sweet baby that she was. Our lives are forever changed with the absence of her notable presence. xoxox

REST IN PEACE MY BELOVED LOLA (2005-February 2, 2022)

My dearest and most beloved Lola ❤️,

I am weeping as I write to you, and my despair and grief have shattered my heart into billions and billions of tiny pieces. I hope that somehow my farewell letter finds its way to you. We shared 17+ years together, and that simply wasn't enough time with you. 

Your beginnings were rough since an unkind human tossed you, your siblings and your mom into a dumpster in LA when you were just a little baby. Thankfully, there were kind humans from a rescue organization who discovered and saved you and your whole family. I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of you and your brother, Milo (Tribute HERE), at an adoption event, and it was love at first sight. I immediately filled out the adoption papers for you and your brother and anxiously awaited the day that we could bring you home.

The day that we picked you up to bring you home was an unusually hot summer afternoon in LA, and as soon as I saw you and Milo my heart nearly burst in my chest. I was filled with such love that I couldn't contain it. In the car ride home, which was only a couple of miles, Milo sat in the back of your shared carrier frightened and distraught. You, on the other hand, not only sat in the front of the carrier, but you reached your paw through the metal perforated door to touch my arm. From the very beginning, your big personality, curiosity, assertiveness, rich character, intelligence and fearlessness could not be confined by your tiny frame. These wonderful attributes lasted your whole life.

You were an extraordinary creature in every possible way, and there are so many details of your magnificence that I have to clutch in my memory as I mourn you. You had such a loud and infectious purr, and I loved every moment when you would curl up on my chest and lick my face.

This blog was named after you because whenever I sat at my desk to work you were either on my lap or sprawled across our shared desk. 

You and Milo were so close, and when he died a year ago I worried that you would be immobilized by the loss of your brother, as I was, but your resilience, strength and resolve allowed you to survive this tremendous loss with grace.

You had the sweetest little voice, and you had the sweetest greeting when our eyes would lock. It was a single meow in a short staccato that was the sweetest audible "nya." This sweet hello always melted my heart and brightened my mood. You would crinkle your nose and open your mouth as you did it, and this gesture brought pure joy to anyone who witnessed it.

When I was remiss in giving you a fresh glass of water, and yes– not to anthropomorphize you, but you demanded a glass rather than an uncivilized bowl for animals– you would just sit next to the water and look at me. You would refuse to drink that several hours old water, and you knew that I understood your request. I would always immediately bring you fresh water and in response you would purr, blink your eyes and then proceed to drink from your glass.

Whenever one of the humans in your family walked into the kitchen, your keen superhero hearing alerted you to the opportunity for a treat (even if you were fast asleep). You would run into the kitchen and leap heroically onto the counter and make it clear that you were poised and ready for a snack. You were far too regal, and had too much dignity to reduce yourself to begging, but instead your expression clearly indicated that this was a right and not a request.

I am so sorry that I couldn't save you, and that is something for which I am riddled with guilt. There were no visible signs that something was wrong until the day before. You had been acting as you always had until the day that you didn't. 

I am also sorry that Zoe sat attentively while you ate your special food on your last day, even though she got her own. She simply couldn't resist trying to snack from your plate. She was just following her instincts, and I am pretty sure that you would have done the same thing. You will be happy to know that she hasn't left my side since you died. She understands how upset I am, and she sleeps resting her head on mine, and she never lets me out of her sight, and she pays very close attention to my moods. As soon as she senses my distress, whether or not I am crying, she sits on me, looks straight into my eyes and meows and purrs, as if to assure me that I will survive this grief and that she will take care of me. She senses you are gone, and she understands that I am suffering as a result.

Please know that you were always my sweetest and most deeply beloved baby, and that I will forever hold you deep in my heart. I will never stop missing you or grieving your loss, but I hope that one day I can do it without weeping.

It gives me a measure of peace imagining that you are reunited with Milo– you spent your entire lives together until his untimely death last year, and now I hope that you are playing, napping and happily together again.

If you feel enveloped by a warm and loving sensation, you probably already know that is me and your human dad embracing you with our love. I will spare you any of the typical platitudes that humans use when someone they love dies. Just know that I have always loved you so deeply that words utterly fail to express my feelings for you. 

Play and nap in peace, my sweetest Lolita Bonita. I am sorry that your body betrayed you and took your life from you. I didn't know that day was going to be your last day, and I am grateful that I was with you the whole time.

It is impossible for me to tell you how much I love you, but I think that you know that. Just carry the knowledge in your heart that you were, and will always remain, deeply loved. I am sending an abundance of love to you and Milo.

Je t'aime plus qu'hier moins que demain, ma petite Lola. 

xoxox, ₍⸍⸌̣ʷ̣̫⸍̣⸌₎ﾉ♡

Rest in Peace My Sweetest Little Boy

Monday, January 11 is among the most stark and sad days for my family in recent memory. Our beloved Milo died unexpectedly, and with no indication that there was any underlying health condition that would put an end to his life so swiftly. He was literally fine one minute, and then gone the next. 

Our vet believes that he may have had an underlying heart condition, and apparently Siamese are predisposed to this health issue. A good friend, who is a vet, said that it is often the case that once the kitty becomes symptomatic that it is generally too late. She described it as essentially one in which a fatal heart attack kills them, and that it is the first sign, and one for which there is clearly no remedy.

Everything happened so fast that I don't think that Lola (after whom this blog is named, and who has the distinction of being Milo's littermate and most devoted sister) realized that her brother was brought to the vet never to return to her.

The process of grief has yet to really begin since we are still in a state of shock, but I feel a pit of despair coming. Milo was the sweetest and most gentle boy, and there is no way to state the extent to which he was deeply loved and cherished.

Every single time he went to the vet, everyone marveled at his beauty. People always claimed that he was among the most beautiful cats that they had ever seen, but then they noted a far more important attribute: that he was one of the sweetest creatures that they had ever met.

For me, he was my baby who I raised from kittenhood to adulthood, and never in his life was he separated from his sister (other than trips to the vet), until this Monday. He was very soulful, and he engaged in deep and penetrating gazes as he looked at us lovingly. It was so sweet that he would snuggle on our chests so close that his whiskers would tickle our faces. At such a close range he would hold our gazes with his piercing blue eyes, and the love and sense of boundless safety that he felt was very clearly conveyed, and reciprocated.

Milo was a very special member of our family, and I will forever miss him and grieve his passing. Godspeed my sweet little boy. You are loved more than you could ever begin to imagine. xoxox

The Milo Files | A Health Update

I just have to say that the extent to which you have shown such an outpouring of love and concern over Milo's health has been incredibly humbling and touching. I received numerous emails from you this weekend inquiring about his road to recovery, from his recent catastrophic health crisis, and I thought that I should post an update for you.

As you all know, he came back home after a 3 night stay with an emergency vet clinic, and we thought that he was in the clear. However, he was misdiagnosed, and treated, for pneumonia and hyperthyroidism– neither of which were illnesses for which he needed medical intervention and treatment. In fact, his "pneumonia" was asthma, and he didn't have hyperthyroidism at all. The medications that we had to administer for hyperthyroidism made him physically sick, he couldn't keep food down, and as a result he lost a full pound in less than 2 weeks. At the time that we took him to our regular vet poor Milo was looking scrawny and quite ill. Furthermore, and most shockingly, the emergency vet clinic, who performed lots of labs and tests, failed to mention that there was a sizable mass on one of Milo's lungs. Our vet ran tests, including an ultrasound, and conclusively diagnosed that the mass was a benign cyst. Milo was taken off of all of the meds prescribed by the emergency clinic, and is home recuperating.

All signs point to a full recovery, but he is being treated for asthma, and the inhaler is the bane of his existence. His energy is beginning to rebound, he is no longer reclusive and he has a healthy appetite. Therefore, we are finally optimistic about his prognosis. Thank you again for your much appreciated compassion! xo, Helen

Milo's Recovery

First I want to convey my heartfelt thanks to you for your emails and comments wishing Milo a speedy recovery– it means the world to me that you care that much about the health, and recovery, of my sweet kitty. He has been home for several days, and he is definitely on the mend. He is still on antibiotics for the pneumonia, but there are no signs to suggest that he won't make a full recovery. While he is less-than-thrilled by the medications that he must take, we are elated that the medical attention, and medications, have saved his life. At one point it really could have gone either way, but thankfully there are no signs to suggest that he might relapse.

Milo is Coming Home Tonight!

Milo is coming home tonight! We spoke to the vet yesterday and Milo is off of oxygen and he was transitioned from IV to oral antibiotics. The vet wanted to keep him one more night for close observation to ensure that Milo was stable enough to come home today. Therefore, notwithstanding an unforeseen medical setback he will be back home today. He will be on antibiotics for a while longer, but his prognosis for a full recovery is quite good. Thank you again for your outpouring of well-wishes and Milo love– I appreciate it more than you can imagine! xo,Helen

Milo's Health Update

(Taken a few weeks ago)

First, I want to thank all of you for your outpouring of love and support for Milo. The good news is that he is responding favorably to the IV antibiotics and the Oxygen Chamber therapy. The bad news is that the vet felt both were indicated longer, and therefore Milo had to spend a second night in the hospital. His breathing is improving, and they were going to wean him off of the oxygen beginning last night at about 8:00PM, and the hope is that today he will be ready for oral antibiotics. If all goes as planned, then he will be able to come home today, but he will still have a long road to full recovery. While he still looks and behaves like the kitten that we brought home 15 years ago– he is a senior cat, and therefore he's a bit less resilient than he once was. Pneumonia in cats is no small thing to contend with, but he has been receiving excellent medical care. Please keep your good vibes coming! xo, Helen & Lola

Please Send Your Love and Positive Thoughts to Milo

Please send your love and positive thoughts to Milo– he is quite sick. Last night he started making a noise like he was trying to hack up fur, but the noise quickly transformed into a rattling weird sound. Given that it was about 9:30PM we had no option to see our regular vet– so we had to take him to an emergency hospital instead.

The vet said that it appeared that he had pneumonia and had to keep him overnight. There was absolutely no sign of it whatsoever– which is quite odd, but because Milo is on medication to treat his IBD it served to simultaneously treat what was going on in his lungs enough that nothing appeared to be wrong.

We are anxiously awaiting word from the vet to hear how sweet Milo did through the night, but quite frankly we are still in shock that anything– let alone something serious– is wrong with him. We pay such close attention to the health of our feline and canine family members, and I pride myself on being able to tell when even the very slightest thing is wrong, and yet in this case we were both completely broadsided because he was asymptomatic. 

As you may remember, Lola and Milo– seen together above– are brother and sister, and they have been incredibly close their entire lives. Therefore, I am worried about her as well– because the strength of their lifelong bond makes his absence, even just overnight, a concern about her as well. Please send your good thoughts to my sweet boy! xoxo, Helen & Lola

Delilah, The Foot Warmer

The other day I received a very sweet email from a longtime reader, and in addition to wanting my take on several skincare products, she made the request that I feature my four-legged family members more often. She extolled the virtues of awakening to pictures of happy kitties and pups, and reminded me how much joy these types of posts offer people.

I realized that it really had been a very long time since I had featured our cats or dogs, and I was waiting for the perfect moment to present itself. Well, that moment happened yesterday morning when I was reading. I settled into a very comfortable position and lost myself in an article, and then I noticed that my bare feet had become toasty warm and slightly weighed down.

Initially I hadn't even noticed that Delilah had joined me because I was immersed in what I was reading, but as soon as I took note I stopped reading and cooed over her. This was all she needed for alert open eyes to give way to the heavy-lidded variety that precede a deep slumber. In addition to warming my heart, she warmed my feet– and that is certainly a wonderful way to start the day.

Happy Friday

My husband took this phenomenal picture of Delilah while they were playing catch in the backyard, and I loved it so much that I had to share it with you. It perfectly embodies her patience as she waits on the lawn to catch the ball. Have a wonderful Friday! xo, Helen and Delilah

Feline Friday Featuring Maximus and Jasper

Happy Friday! I thought that being greeted by Maximus (left) and Jasper (right) would be a wonderful way to kick off your weekend. These brothers are so sweet and funny together, and capturing this rare moment of tranquility was worthy of a photograph! Have a wonderful weekend!

This is What Love Looks Like

Sometimes you just have to stop, take a deep breath and truly be thankful for the things that really matter. It has been pouring in Southern California lately, and when it does I always worry about the homeless people and animals who are stuck outside without shelter. As I sat inside of my warm house in the pouring rain, I looked at Milo, Lola and Delilah– all of whom are rescues who had a very rough beginning– and felt such tremendous gratitude to have been able to give them a safe life filled with love. #Grateful

Hey There, Delilah!

I thought that this picture of Delilah, when she was still small enough to squeeze herself into this kitty condo, was so sweet that I had to share it with you.  Now that she is five years old, and big, it is funny to imagine that she was ever that little.  Have a lovely Tuesday! xo

Maximus Sends You Loving Purrs and Meows

Thank you so much for all of your emails inquiring about Maximus! He has been home recovering from surgery for a week, and he is healing very nicely and quickly! He isn't thrilled about the cone that he has to wear, and sometimes he manages to take it off, but thankfully his stitches are going to removed in 5 days. I am showering him with lots of love, and he responds with robust purring as he stares deep into my eyes and blinks slowly. He is such a sweet kitty, and somehow is even sweeter after his whole ordeal with Urinary Crystals. xoxo, Helen & Maximus

Zeus and His Latest Shenanigans

It is a well-known fact that Zeus is a weirdo, even as weird felines go. It is also abundantly clear that this cat is very smart, and one might even argue that his intelligence eclipses that of many humans roaming the planet.

He sits and observes things, and often modifies his behavior when he sees that certain behaviors do not deliver the desired results. He is calculated, introspective and a shockingly brilliant problem solver.

If I had not actually seen his latest endeavor with my own two eyes, I simply would not have thought it possible. Imagine, if you will, a hard-to-open door knob to the exterior that takes even human hands a moment to open. Now, imagine a cat standing on his tippy-toes reaching for said door knob and leveraging his weight and using his nimble front paws to turn this knob and open the door. Zeus, who is an indoor cat, is very proud of his considerable accomplishment. He doesn't quite know what to do with himself once he gets into the backyard, but he is, nonetheless, thrilled by his precocious new skill set. We are less-than-thrilled, and frankly worried because there are coyotes that have been visiting our neighborhood seeking food on a regular basis.

Our only line of defense is to make sure that the deadbolt is securely fastened, but even then I wonder if this Kitty Einstein will find a way to unlock it. We have been talking about building a catio in our backyard, and these recent shenanigans seem to be proof positive that it should happen sooner, rather than later!