Pensive #SundaySelfie

Meows from Mudpie!

I'm one of the happiest cats you'll ever meet, but sometimes Mommy catches me deep in thought.

What do you think I was pondering while (distractedly) taking my selfie today?

We're joining our friends at The Cat on My Head for the Sunday Selfies blog hop!

Caturday Art

Meows from Mudpie!

This week I went to LunaPic once again for my Caturday Art project, the Candy effect in particular, and then added a PicMonkey frame as a finishing touch.

I love how colorful it turned out, don't you?

Visit more artsy kitties at Athena's Caturday Art blog hop!

And now our weekly answers for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by 15andmeowing and McGuffy's Reader!

Mommy's answers:

1. A book I would like to see made into a movie is Gwen Cooper's Love Saves the Day.

2. I have a hard time failing to finish a book, even when I realize I'm not enjoying it.

Mudpie's answers:

3. If I could afford a billboard, it would say Adopt a Tortie Today!

4. I really enjoy Mommy and me time.

Finally Friday Flashback Flick

Meows from Mudpie!

It is finally Friday, right? Mommy and I are tempted to sleep all weekend after the last several days we've had. It all started last week when my klutzy grandpa dropped a door on his foot at work and broke a bone. Hours in urgent care, the ER, workers' comp paperwork and phone calls...yep, Mommy had to deal with it all. She's also been super busy working on a cat writing project separate from our blog (which she's hoping for more of, so it's all good!) and our sponsored post from yesterday.

So long story short, her brain is fried and she said it was up to me to come up with a post for today. I thought Friday might be a good day to watch videos and while pawing through the iPad I found a couple of Angel Truffles that we've never shown of her doing what she did best...bathing! That poor girl had constant hairballs because she was determined to not let a single piece of fur be out of place.

These two videos were taken on May 1, 2015, just a couple months before she ran off to the Bridge. So while she's not doing anything "special", Mommy cherishes every moment of them.





Do you guys plan to watch any flicks with your humans this weekend? A couple weeks ago we watched Hachi: A Dog's Tale for the first time. I didn't know a human's eyes could hold so many tears...

Celebrate the Year of the Cat with Wellness® Complete Health™ #HealthyMeetsHappy

To be 100% honest, I spent a lot of years as a pet parent not putting a whole lot of thought into cat nutrition. As finicky as cats are, if what I picked out for them was eaten without complaint, that was good enough for me. Then Angel Tara was diagnosed with a plethora of health problems thanks in large part to years of poor eating habits long before I adopted her at age 7. That was when I had to get serious about learning more about better nutrition...her life depended on it.

Ever since that time there's no doubt the cats in my life eat better than I do. I'm sure you've heard the old saying, "you are what you eat." If that's true I'm probably in trouble but I can't blame anyone else for my food choices other than myself. Our pets have to trust us to make the right decisions for them, and it's an even bigger deal because they end up eating the same thing almost every day!

This post is sponsored by Wellness® and the BlogPaws® Pet Influencer Network™. I am being compensated to help share the availability of Wellness Complete Health and NEW Complete Health Grain Free Cat Food available at PetSmart, but we only share information we feel is relevant to our readers. Neither Wellness or PetSmart is not responsible for the content of this article.

For many years now Wellness® has been a staple in my cat food pantry. Wholesome food feeds our pets' souls, sustains their lives and protects their bodies, and the mission of the Wellness team of animal lovers, nutritionists and vets is to help us provide our fur kids with a healthy, happy, long life through the power of natural nutrition.

Since Mudpie is a fan of the Wellness® Complete Health™ Cat Food, I was very excited to hear that they've created new grain free recipes formulated with carefully chosen ingredients, plus added omega fatty acids, vitamins and minerals for optimal health. On a recent trip to PetSmart® I found three new options in the new Grain Free Complete Health line: deboned chicken and chicken meal for adults, salmon and herring meal for indoor cats, and deboned chicken and chicken meal for kittens. Each comes with Wellness's Catisfaction Guarantee: if your cat doesn't like the new Wellness recipes, simply return the unusued portion back to PetSmart for a full refund! Now that's the sign of a company that truly cares about their customers and believes in the quality of their product!

You might be wondering what makes Wellness different from all the other options we're confronted with when browsing pet store shelves. The Wellness Difference is about being more than natural, and it's not about what is left out (corn, carrageenan, soy, wheat, and artificial colors and flavors). True Wellness is about what is put into the food - a small number of simple, pure, authentic ingredients. Every ingredient has a purpose, and they never add ingredients just to have the newest "buzzword" on the label. How refreshing is that?

I should also add that the Wellness line also includes a large variety of wet food options in both cans and pouches. It's no secret that Mudpie doesn't have a very high opinion of most wet foods, but she does give four paws up to the various morsels, shreds and gravy pouches!

In celebration of the Year of the Cat (which should be every year as far as we're concerned!), why not commit to providing your precious pet the optimum in cat nutrition? Visit PetSmart® to check out and purchase your cat's favorite Wellness® Complete Health and Complete Health Grain Free recipes today!

For the latest news coming from our friends at Wellness, visit them on social media: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Wellness®. The opinions and text are all mine.

Wordless Wednesday: Safe In Mommy's Arms

The Rescued Interviews: Allie

Meows from Mudpie!

Back in 2015 Angel Truffles started interviewing the cats featured in Rescued: The Stories of 12 Cats, Through Their Eyes, an anthology of rescue cat stories compiled by Janiss Garza, who writes the Sparkle Cat blog. She was unable to see it to completion but I was more than honored to continue the series once I settled into my forever home and took full reins of our blog. Now Rescued Volume 2 is on store shelves and it's my goal to interview as many of the kitties as possible once again! (If you missed our review, it can be found here.)

Each author featured in the book has nominated a cat rescue and was assigned a month to promote the book, with a third of the profits from that month going to their rescue. April's spotlight is on the lovely Allie of the award-winning blog A Tonk's Tail. Seeing as how we're already great gal pals it was so much fun to get together and dish about her rags-to-riches "tail"!

Mudpie: Welcome Allie! Thank you so much for taking time to chat with me today. Could you start by introducing yourself to us and telling us what made your story such a good fit for the Rescued anthology? 

Allie: Thank you for inviting me, it's a pleasure to be here!

(gazes critically in mirror) Why yes, I suppose being an author does look good on me.

(shifts left, then right) Would you say it's even a bit slimming, too?

Faraday: (yells from off camera) Quit sucking your belly in, Allie! That's cheating!

Allie: *ahem* Ignore my chauffeur. Good help is sooooooooo hard to find these days … (raises voice while glaring off screen) and someone's bonito flake pay will be docked if he doesn't start minding his own business.

You became a mother at a very young age. That must've been such a scary time for you. Can you tell us how your little family made it safely to a shelter, and how you found your forever home?

Actually, that's a fabulous synopsis of my story in Rescued, Volume 2, Mudpie! I'd love to elaborate but I wouldn't want to give away any spoilers ….

You currently live with two brothers, Maxwell and Faraday. What's your relationship like with the boyz in your life?

(both ladycats turn at the sound of a large trailer backing up)

Mudpie: Is … is that a star on the door of that trailer?

Maxwell: (poking head out from cab of truck) Sorry I'm late, Allie. Where do you want me to park your dressing room for the interview?

Allie: ahhhh …. (turns a very becoming shade of pink)

Mudpie: you were saying …?

In the beginning you had another brother, Ryker. You lost him in a way that is all too familiar to my Mommy. What did you do to help heal your family's broken hearts? 

All lighthearted fun aside, losing a cat to a saddle thrombosis (blood clot) is a terrible, shocking and heartbreaking experience. Thankfully time does ease the pain, and sometimes all you can do is love them through it.

You're known through the cat blogosphere as quite the feline fashionista. What makes you gravitate towards the finer things in life? 

Well, there’s a hint of its roots in my story, so I won’t go into that. Let’s just say I do adore designer -- well, just about anything -- collars, harnesses, more collars, collar charms ….

Oh, and I think every girlcat needs a little bling in her life, don’t you? The more, the better!

Ladycat to ladycat, I really appreciate your fashion sense. Is there anything about my look I should change or could improve upon?

Well, you know what they say, orange is the new black. And you wear both -- beautifully, I might add. I'd say that means you're always dressed to kill!

What shelter have you chosen to receive your proceeds from the book this month and why? 

Wayside Waifs was the shelter that took me in, so I felt it was important to honor them. This fashionable fine will never forget her roots!

What's life like for you today? 

I’d love to say I recline in the lap of luxury every moment of every day … but Father does have to get up to go to work now and then. And keeping an eye on two rapscallion boycats -- well, let’s just say all that running around is quite good for the figure! Hmm, a good fit? You think so, really?

************************************************************************

Rescued 2: The Healing Stories of 12 Cats, Through Their Eyes is available at all your favorite online retailers, but if you'd like to purchase an autographed Special Edition featuring the one and only Miss Allie on the cover, it's available exclusively on her blog, A Tonk's Tail! As she said in her interview, during the month of April a portion of each sale supports her Alma Mater, Wayside Waifs.

Tortie Shorties on Mystery Monday

Welcome to this week's edition of Tortie Shorties on Mystery Monday!

We hope you enjoy our choices.

Purrfectly Deadly (The Mysteries of Max Book 2) by Nic Saint

From the publisher: When famous eighties pop star John Paul George is found floating face down in his pool, Hampton Cove’s premier sleuthing tabby Max and his feline friends are on the case. Soon they’re chasing leads and following clues, helping their human Odelia Poole, reporter for the Hampton Cove Gazette, solve the murder.

Meanwhile, new cop in town Chase Kingsley has his own problems to deal with. An old scandal threatens to get him kicked off the force. And even though Odelia and Chase don’t always see eye to eye, she decides to help him clear his name, even if it means keeping Chase’s cat Brutus, Max’s self-declared nemesis, in town.

Soon Max is up to his whiskers in drug dealers, boy toys, disgruntled ex-wives and even more drug dealers, all while competing with Brutus for the title of Hampton Cove’s one and only ‘true detective.’ Will the feline sleuths save the day? And will they finally get a taste of John Paul George’s famous cat pâté? 

Tortie Shorties Review: The first book in this series, Purrfect Murder, is one of my favorite cat cozies ever, so I was very happy that it's sequel came out so quickly. It's just as adorable and hysterically funny as the cats (Max, Dooley, and Harriet) and Odelia team up to solve the murder of the eighties pop star they find dead in his pool on the day Odelia is scheduled to interview him at his mansion. His live-in lover, former wife and daughter, and loads of boy toy groupies round out the cast of suspects, and it's up to the crime-solving kitties to get the truth out of his many feline friends...when they aren't too busy helping themselves to the tasty pâté served at the mansion! They also lend a paw to help clear cop Chase's good name, even though it means joining forces with his cat Brutus. Book 3...I'm waiting for you!

A Frying Shame (A Deep Fried Mystery) by Linda Reilly

From the publisher: The town of Wrensdale is abuzz with excitement when Steeltop Foods sponsors a cooking contest to promote its new product, the Flavor Dial. With a $25,000 prize at stake, all the contestants are on edge, including Talia Marby, owner of Fry Me A Sliver. She hopes her mini deep-fried apple pies will win her the money to pay off the renovations on her restaurant. But when Norma Ferguson wins with her flaky-top chicken stew, the tensions dial up even more.

After Norma is found dead at her cooking station, the police suspect a losing contestant got a little too hot under the collar. Now it’s crunch time as Talia works to catch the killer and clear her name before another cook gets burned.

Tortie Shorties Review: This third book in the series sees fish & chip shop owner Talia entering her deep-fried apple pies in a contest to win a $25,000 prize. She's not successful, and the strange day goes from bad to worse when the winner, a woman no one seems to like and who isn't even known to be a cook, is found dead in her cooking station. Talia is forced to get involved in the case when a sweet boy who works for her is arrested. It doesn't take long before she finds some intriguing history among the various suspects which kept me guessing until the very end. The only thing that would make this mouth-watering book even better would be a larger role for sweet little calico Bo! It would be a frying shame to not add this series to your cozy mystery shelf.

Disclaimer: As members of the Amazon Associates affiliate program, if you click on our links and buy something Mudpie gets a little money for her piggy bank! I bought my copy of Purrfectly Deadly, and A Frying Shame was sent to me by the publisher.

Wanna Nose Boop? #SundaySelfie

Mommy says if I get any cuter she's not gonna be able to stand it. What can I say? It's a curse!!!

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We're joining our friends at The Cat on My Head for the Sunday Selfies blog hop!

The Whiskered Wonder in Watercolor #CaturdayArt

Meows from Mudpie!

How do you like my new nickname, "The Whiskered Wonder"? It just popped into Mommy's head when she was trying to get cute with alliteration. I think I like it!

Visit more artsy kitties at Athena's Caturday Art blog hop!

And now our weekly answers for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by 15andmeowing and McGuffy's Reader!

Mommy's answers:

1. The most interesting museum I have been to is the Shelburne Museum in Vermont. Okay, it's also pretty much the only museum I've been to but for anyone interested in New England history, it's the place to go!

2. The most interesting historical place I have been to is the Calvin Coolidge Homestead in Plymouth, Vermont. Granted, I don't travel much from my home state, but we are very proud of our only Vermont-born US President. I was even able to see the farmhouse sitting room where he took the oath of office after President Harding died. His father administered the oath by the light of a kerosene lamp!

Mudpie's answers:

3. Bird TV is back!

4. I was surprised I didn't like the ham my family had for Easter dinner. So many of my kitty friends adore it, but I thought it was gross. On the other paw, Mommy wasn't surprised by my reaction at all!

The Purring Peddler: Mother's Day Edition

Welcome to The Purring Peddler, a must read column for the stylish cat lady!

Meows from Mudpie!

With Mother's Day right around the corner we figured it was the perfect opportunity to bring back our Purring Peddler feature. We've been scouring our favorite online stores and have found some things we think every mom (of both 2-legged and 4-legged babies) would love to receive on their special day!

Mommy sure has her eye on that necklace...I hope I've saved enough green papers to get it for her!

Zen Cats Art Necklace

Cat Rolling Pin

Paw Print Earrings

Laurel Burch Cosmetic Bag

Katy Perry Purr Eau De Parfum Spray

Cat Mom Floral Soup Bowl Mug

Disclaimer: These are affiliate links which means if you use one to buy something Mudpie gets a little money for her piggy bank :)

The Purrfect 10: Recyclable Household Items Your Shelter Can Use

We love reading and researching anything and everything about cats, and wanted to find a fun and unique way to share the interesting facts we learn with you! Since top 10 lists are very popular in the blogosphere, we created The Purrfect 10 as a way to present 10 educational or fascinating tidbits about a wide variety of cat-related topics, everything from health issues to cat breeds to famous felines.

Saturday is Earth Day, an annual event where we focus our efforts on environmental issues and encourage everyone to "go green". We're also right in the middle of spring cleaning season, and did you know that many of the items in your home you might be thinking about tossing in the trash can actually be used by your local shelter? Save the planet and better a cat's life...that sure sounds like a win-win to us!

1. Old socks have a multitude of uses, from catnip kickers to kitten sweaters to heading pads.

2. Carpet remnants can be repurposed into makeshift scratching posts hung on the side of a cage.

3. Plastic storage totes with cut-out "windows" can be bolted together to make super cool cat towers. They're easy to clean too!

4. Foam bins once used to keep your food cold can be turned into a feral cat shelter with the addition of some straw!

5. Cardboard trays from canned goods make pawsome disposable litter boxes.

6. Wine corks Please tell me I'm not the only one with a jar full of wine corks in my kitchen? The designs on some are so pretty I just can't bear to toss them out, but they can be repurposed into a cat toy! I cut a pipe cleaner into three pieces, then made holes on both sides of the wine cork with a push pin just big enough to push in the pipe cleaner pieces and feathers. Pieces of rick rack would work nicely too. This toy gives kitty something to sink their claws into, bat, drag, and toss around.

7. Old suitcases lined with warm blankets or towels make the purr-fect size cat bed.

8. Paper bags I have stacks in my basement which I use to collect my recycling each week, but paper bags can also create endless sources of fun for cats. They love to pounce on them, nap on them, and for timid kitties they make a great hiding spot!

9. Recycled Paper: Newspaper can be used by shelters to line the bottom of animal cages. Scrap paper and wrapping paper can become an inexpensive ball.

10. Fleece fabric and pillowcases can be turned into a comfy hammock to fit inside cat cages, and are easily laundered. Instructions can be found here!

This is just a small sampling of items that are needlessly filling up our landfills. Can you think of anything else that can be repurposed into something an animal in need can use?

We Don't Decorate for Easter, But...Grumpy Cat!!!

Surprise, surprise! Finding this stuffed Grumpy Cat doll at CVS when she stopped in for half price Easter candy was the highlight of Mommy's holiday! Isn't she fab???

Unboxing March & April's CatLadyBox

Meows from Mudpie!

We're a bit late showing you our goodies from the March & April CatLadyBox, and before we do we want to take a moment to tell you about the kind of person the CLB founder, Miss Dorian, is.

Dorian is a volunteer with Good Karma Pet Rescue of South Florida. Last week she and two other volunteers drove a shuttle bus with 45 kitties on board to 3 shelters here in Vermont, one less than a mile down the road from us. Twelve of the cats delivered to the Humane Society of Chittenden County have already been adopted. Then on the way back to Florida something terrible happened. The bus broke down, stranding these wonderful ladies in South Carolina, and it's going to cost thousands of dollars to fix. They were planning on this bus shuttling many cats to a new life in the northeast, but as they look into various options for fixing the bus versus cutting their losses, the future is sadly very much in doubt. If you'd like to help get them back on the road, donations are always appreciated.

In the midst of all this drama Dorian has asked for help spreading the word about the next CatLadyBox...the very important Cat Mom's Day box! It needs to be ordered by this Saturday night, April 22nd, in order to make it's way to the special cat mom in your life. (Of course, for regular subscribers this is the May box so no need to order again!)

Spring Dreams - March CatLadyBox

• Featured Cat Guy Artist: Raphael Vavasseur
• Sweet Spring Kitty Umbrella by CatLadyBox & BingandFrey
• "You Had Me at Meow" Shirt
• Cat Parade Canvas Bin

• Spring Cleaning Catnip Mop
• Crunchy Catnip Umbrella

Mid Century Meowdern - April CatLadyBox

• Featured Cat Lady Artist: Rachel Lee of MyDreamWall
• Mid Century Modern Cat Statues
• Retro Kitty Dangle Earrings
• Modern Kitty Blank Cards by CatLadyBox & Linda Tillman
• Mid Century Meowdern Catnip Pillow
• Fleece Bird Catnip Toy

Not a subscriber yet? Visit CatLadyBox today!

Interested in purchasing individual items from past boxes? You can do that too!

Disclosure: I receive a discount on my CatLadyBox subscription as a thank you for my monthly review. Regardless of compensation received, we only share information we feel is relevant to our readers.

Tortie Shorties on Mystery Monday: Antiques & Collectibles Edition

Welcome to this week's edition of Tortie Shorties on Mystery Monday!

We hope you enjoy our choices.

A Killer Keepsake (Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries Book 6) by Ellery Adams & Parker Riggs

From the publisher: When star reporter Molly Appleby exchanged vows with her new husband, she also made a promise to give up sleuthing. But given her knack for stumbling onto murders, and murderers, she’s realizing she never should have made a promise she couldn’t keep.

Molly’s just finished an article on the Forget Me Not Doll Club for Collector’s Weekly, but before the magazine even hits the newsstands, one of the club members is found murdered, and a stolen antique doll—purportedly haunted—is found in the victim’s house. When police discover that few of the peculiar club members will mourn the deceased, and that most of them had more motives than alibis, they once again enlist Molly’s help to solve this very odd case.

But piecing together a deadly puzzle is never easy, and when another member of the club is attacked, Molly begins to wonder if the eccentric group of doll lovers might have deeper and darker connections than she ever imagined. And as she begins to piece together the unusual background of the eerie doll and uncovers a history of troubled lives, she realizes there are more victims than the obvious ones in this case—and that some people will do anything to protect their darkest secrets.

Tortie Shorties Review: This is a series I've adored through the years and was thrilled to see it brought back to life with new titles. A Killer Keepsake just might be my favorite yet as Collector's Weekly reporter Molly Appleby is working with members of the Forget Me Not Doll Club for an article and discovers much disagreement among the members. Member Miranda Perry seems to be generating the most ill will as she's determined to get her hands on a purportedly haunted 80-year old doll with the hopes of putting a curse on her ex. It doesn't take long before Miranda is found dead in her bed, the doll in her possession, and suspicion falls on various doll club members.

Now that Molly is married the setting of this series has moved from North Carolina to my hometown of Burlington, Vermont, and it was so much fun to see locations, roads and towns I'm familiar with mentioned throughout the book. Alongside the modern day mystery readers are treated to Emma the doll's backstory which takes us to Berlin, Germany in 1937 in the days leading up to the Hindenburg disaster. These passages are especially riveting and contribute to the aura of suspense surrounding the doll. My only wish is that the book had been longer! I just couldn't get enough of Molly's adventures and the historical backdrop of the doll's origins. I can't wait for the next chapter in Molly's life.

Murderous Mayhem at Honeychurch Hall: A Honeychurch Hall Mystery by Hannah Dennison

From the publisher: When the only copy of Ravished, Iris Stanford's new manuscript, never arrives at her London publisher's office, her daughter Kat investigates the tiny local village post office, where it appears the package never left the building. Iris is on tenterhooks--not only is her novel gone with the wind, but she's deathly afraid that Muriel Jarvis, the postmistress and notorious busybody, will expose her secret identity as the bestselling romance writer Krystalle Storm. Meanwhile, Muriel has her own problems with the sudden death of her husband Fred, which has left her heavily in debt. In the spine-tingling climax, both past and present collide as Kat fights for her life and those she holds most dear, dancing once again with the dark forces lurking behind the grandeur of Honeychurch Hall.

Tortie Shorties Review: A quick primer for those who are new to this series: Kat is an antiques expert and former host of the Fakes and Treasures TV show, her mom Iris is the author of a series of popular romances who writes under the pseudonym Krystalle Storm. Together they live in various outbuildings at Honeychurch Hall, an English manor in Devon. In Murderous Mayhem at Honeychurch Hall, mayhem is the keyword as Iris's secret is threatened to be exposed when her manuscript goes missing and it appears that it never left the hands of local postmistress and gossipmonger Muriel Jarvis. While trying to deal with the missing manuscript mother and daughter must also deal with the goings on at Honeychurch Hall related to the reenactment of English Civil War skirmishes, a woman's long buried skeleton found with a family dagger through her (who now makes visits in her ghostly form), and the theft of various items around town. Amazingly enough, with so much going on everything ends up being tied together at the end. Mystery loving Anglophiles will delight in this fun romp in the British countryside!

Disclaimer: As members of the Amazon Associates affiliate program, if you click on our links and buy something Mudpie gets a little money for her piggy bank! We received review copies of these books from NetGalley.

Happy Easter!

We're joining our friends at The Cat on My Head for the Sunday Selfies blog hop!

Spring Has Sprung #CaturdayArt

Meows from Mudpie!

What a wonderful week it's been at my house! The 30+ inches of snow that was in our yard just a couple weeks ago has completely melted, the rain has stopped, the temps are purr-fect, and my season of window whiffies has just begun!

Did I mention the first flowers of the season are blooming too?

Visit more artsy kitties at Athena's Caturday Art blog hop!

And now our weekly answers for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by 15andmeowing and McGuffy's Reader!

1. An Easter (or Passover) tradition I have is doing nothing very exciting. Easter has never been a very big deal at my house. I'm all about the fall and winter holidays :)

2. My favorite flavor of ice cream is Moose Tracks. There are SO many variations of the original vanilla ice cream, fudge and chocolate covered peanut butter cups and I've tried several...but how am I just learning of Peppermint Bark Moose Tracks?????

3. One of my favorite Easter/Passover memories is Easter egg hunts when I was a kid.

4. My favorite Spring flower is lilacs.

Cherished Paws Gems Pet-Inspired Bracelet Review/Giveaway

Mother's Day is one month from today and the cat mom in your life deserves something just as special and one of a kind as she is, wouldn't you agree? We pride ourselves on seeking out the latest in "cat lady chic" and have the most purr-fect gift idea to share with you today!

I discovered Cherished Paws Gems through an Instagram contest and immediately fell in love with their customized bracelets. Inspired by your cats' unique characteristics and accented with glass and metal charms, each bracelet is made just for you using gemstones that match their coloring.

My only dilemma was which kitty did I want my bracelet to represent, Mudpie or Truffles? I decided to choose the bracelet design with two cat charms, one little cat face and one sitting kitty. You can also specify whether you want silver or rhinestone balls as accents, and then the real fun begins...which colors your gemstones should be! Since my bracelet symbolizes two torties (three including Tara) with very similar colors my stones are black, brown and orange.

Also enclosed with each order is a little booklet telling you which gemstones make up your bracelet and what their uses and healing properties are. While doing some research on the various gems in my bracelet (agate, obsidian and orange jade), I discovered that agate is one of the gems associated with my astrological sign in the Zodiac, Virgo!

Working with Michelle, the artist behind Cherished Paws Gems, was such a delight. She emailed a picture of the bracelet she created and there was one color gem I wasn't completely in love with, so she happily changed it for me. A cat lover herself, Cherished Paws Gems was inspired by Michelle's beloved Sammy. They found each other in 2009 when he was only a few weeks old and very sick. She nursed him back to health and in the time they spent together a strong bond was formed. After starting Sammy's Instagram page in 2014 she discovered how many people feel as passionately about their pets as she does. As Michelle says on her website, "My goal is to create a beautiful reminder of your beloved companion so that you will feel close to him or her no matter the distance between you."

As beautiful as the pictures of Michelle's creations are, in person these bracelets are even more stunning. Knowing that the one I'm wearing is an original work of art and honors the love I have for the beautiful cats in my life, both currently and in the past, makes it even more special. It's a piece of jewelry I will cherish for as long as I'm a cat mom...in other words, forever.

We couldn't be happier to announce that one lucky reader in the US is going to receive their very own customized bracelet from Cherished Paws Gems! To enter simply fill out the Rafflecopter below.

Good luck everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Cherished Paws Gems. All opinions are our own and we never recommend a product we don’t fully believe in.