The Little Jack is a new piece of cat furniture and it's sized for smaller spaces making it ideal for your apartment or small room.  All the features we build into our cat trees are included in this smaller version of the popular Jack-n-Beanstalk.  This unique and colorful tree is only five feet tall and has six large sculptured leaves that surround the trunk and are padded to retain your cats' body heat for more comfort and provides a sense of security to your cat.

We attach our leaves to the trunk with a special bracket that allows for a little "flex" when your cat jumps onto or from a leaf.  This "flex" makes it easier on your cats' joints and back as it moves around the tree.  It is also ideal for more mature cats that might have joint problems.

The top platform measures 32 inches by 42 inches and is accessed by two holes leading from the top leaves through the "cloud" to the "top of the world".  Here your cat will find an ideal spot to do what it does best - sleep, or keep track of its "subjects".  The four inch round serpentine vain goes around the trunk adding to the trees beauty and stimulates the curiosity of your pet.  We have included an extra wide base to give the cat tree great stability and it prevents the tree from tipping under normal cat use.

If you place your order today for The Little Jack it can be enroute to you within three weeks.

For all the details see: The Little Jack

In the April newsletter we talked about the rising cost of pet health care and how a pet owner can defray some of the expense through a managed health insurance program. 

Since we published that issue a couple other pet insurance programs caught our attention and we want to share the information to give you other options in providing your cat with the best care possible.

The first program is one introduced by Purina.  The same company that has been a trusted leader in the pet food industry for over 85 years now offers a pet insurance called "PurinaCare".  According to the president and chief operating officer of PurinaCare less than one percent of pets are currently insured due to a lack of awareness of pet insurance or dissatisfaction with what is available in the marketplace.

Purina hopes to use their pet expertise, innovation, brand trust, and experience to provide a simple, comprehensive and easy-to-use pet health insurance product.  PurinaCare features two simple plans with a variety of monthly premiums and deductible levels to fit most budgets.  Both plans provide coverage for illness, injuries and accidents, hospitalization, surgery, prescription medications and hereditary conditions.

By encouraging preventative care such as routine office visits for annual physical exams, normal schedule of vaccinations, flea and heartworm preventative medications, lab tests and other care choices outlined in the policy Purina hopes to allow owners to take advantage of the latest veterinary advances and wellness care with less worry about the financial implications.

The second offering is a product called "Protect 4" by EnsurApet.  The company claims that their plan provides the most coverage of any pet insurance plan available today, and that it is a complete healthcare program for preventative and major medical care.

The Protect 4 policy covers the most common cat illnesses including:
- Urinary track infections - commonly treated by antibiotics
- Upper respiratory infections (URI)
- Feline distemper
- Chronic kidney failure, and
- Diabetes

Advances in veterinarian care and the increase cost that can be associated with that care is putting a real stretch on the wallet.  A cat owner today has to be able to take advantage of ways to offset the out of pocket costs of taking care of our cat.  Managed health care via a pet health insurance policy is one way of doing that.

For more information about the policies offered by Purina and EnsurApet follow the links below.

"Tornados in the midwest, wildfires in the west, flooding along the Mississippi, is there any doubt why we cats are always so tired with so many things to worry about.  Next, we'll be hearing about a tuna shortage".

"Thank goodness somebody in their right mind named the month of June "Animal - Disaster Preparedness Month".  If you love me you will do more than just take care of me every day ... you will make sure I'm protected and safe in the event of a disaster".

"Here are a few ideas I came up with while contemplating how to get kitty litter out of the vacuum using the blow feature:
- Do you have a plan to get out of Dodge?  If an emergency occurred your first thought needs to be me.  Once you have secured me, then its time to think about how we are going to get out of the room, building, neighborhood and/or city.
- If we were to get separated have you put proper identification on me?  Will strangers know my name, where I live, who to contact if found, the name and phone number of my vet, whether or not I'm taking medicine and when I'll need it?
- Have you prepared an evacuation bag in case we have to leave in a hurry.  A couple cans of food, some water, medicine, blanket, my favorite toy ... you know the things I need - just make sure you can lift it.
- Do friends and family have an idea of where we might be?  Remember, those places on the top of your safe haven list may not like the idea you're bringing me.  That safe haven has to accommodate both of us, and its a good idea to let other people know where to start looking if they can't find us in an emergency".

"Taking a few minutes now to get prepared for what we both hope never happens will make both of us feel better, and then I can go back to sucking wool".

Cody's final thought:
"A cat's desire to scratch furniture is directly proportional to the cost of the furniture.  If you don't want your cat scratching  furniture - buy a cat tree".
www.greatlakescatfurniture.com