Friday, November 22, 2013

Little Critterz Gets Festive for the Holidays!

The Christmas season is upon us! Leaves are a full assortment of colors, the neighborhood is putting up lights, reindeer and snowmen in their front yards, Starbucks is cheering us up with their red holiday cups, and songs of winter wonderlands brighten our days!

We absolutely love this time of year! A time to celebrate our blessings with good friends and spend quality time with our loved ones over a wonderful hearty meal and eggnog.

But before Christmas Day is upon us, we get the thrilling pleasure of decorating our homes with Christmas cheer and finding the perfect gift for our friends and family! This is one of our favorite parts of the holidays. We like to jump start the season and decorate early, because after all, we do want the season to last as long as possible, don't you? Little Critterz loves the brisk fall and winter air, and picking out the perfect accessory to complete our holiday decor!

We were feeling inspired, whipped out some festive items and thought we'd show you what the holidays look like for Little Critterz!

Cheers to making spirits bright!


miniature porcelain figurines
porcelain bird ornament
porcelain panda ornament
porcelain dolphin with wreath holiday ornament





How do you like decorating your home for the holidays?


Want to add animal love to your holiday decor this season? Little Critterz is offering free shipping to the continental U.S. on orders of $50 or more! Enter FREE50 at checkout!

Polar Bear sitting, Polar Bear cub, Chicadee ornament, Panda ornament, Dolphin with Wreath ornament

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Japanese Grandmother and Her Odd-Eyed Cat

Japanese photographer Miyoko Ihara has been documenting the life of her grandmother, Misao, for 13 years. One day, Ihara's grandmother found an odd-eyed kitten in the shed. She named the cat “Fukumaru” in hope that “God of fuku” (good fortune) comes and everything will be smoothed like a “maru” (circle)”. The two have been inseparable ever since.

“Under the sun, everyday is a good day. Another good day, Fukumaru”, Misao.

“We’ll never be apart!”, says Misao to Fukumaru. Both of them live in a tiny world, with dignity, with mutual love. Still today, under the blue sky, Misao and Fukumaro work in the fields and in these natural surroundings, where they shine like the stars.”


This touching and beautiful photo book captures the everyday life of elderly Misao and her steadfast feline companion, following them as together they work in the fields, admire spring blossoms, or nap in the sun. Both friends are hard of hearing, so it is endearing to witness the strength of their connection, enacted through sight and physical presence.








We think these photos are simple lovely, and touching. What do you think?

You can buy the book here


Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Wondering How to Find Humanely Raised Turkeys this Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and that only means one thing. Food. And lots of it. From turkey to mashed potatoes and gravy to your grandmother's pecan pie; Thanksgiving is the time of the year to completely indulge oneself in a schmorgesborg of food.

Often lost in this time of feasting with friends and family however, is the source of where your food is coming from. Most of the meat bought in grocery stores and eaten on Thanksgiving is factory farmed, where the animals are treated inhumanely and the quality of life is low. As such, we are highlighting a list of farms that promote free-range, cruelty free and humanely raised animals. We just can't stand the thought of our furry friends not playing in the sunshine!



See, don't they look cute with sunglasses?

Each of these farms takes care of every animal they raise with love and kindness. They are fed only the best ingredients and are ensured the best quality of life. You can feel good about feeding your family only the best, organic, natural and happy and humanely treated animals from these farms.


Skagit River Ranch


The Skagit River Ranch family owned farm is located an hour and a half north of Seattle and stresses farming organically in harmony with the environment. We love that it is located along the beautiful Skagit River and is among the alluring surroundings of Skagit Valley. The farm raises organic Wagyu beef, chicken, pork, turkey and eggs. Their products can be found in Seattle at Ballards Farmers Market, West Corner Farmers Market and Central Co-op.

Primal Pastures

We've just come across this farm located just outside of our home base of San Diego just up north in Temecula.  Primal Pastures  launched in 2012 with a mission to create an all natural habitat for their many awesome animals. Their chickens truly are free range as they roam around on a spacious grassy area that is rotated twice weekly to allow the grass to recover and give the chickens fresh food to feed. Recently Primal Pastures bought a whole flock of pasture raised lambs and are on their way to becoming the top producers of organic lamb in southern California.

Marin Sun Farms 




Marin Sun Farms is one of our favorites up in Northern California as it is located in the breathtaking Point Reyes area along the Pacific coast. Marin Sun Farms's wide range of products include on beef, poultry and egg production and aims to provide pasture-raised food to families throughout the Bay Area.  Their goal is to participate in creating a more sustainable food model and inspire an agrarian culture that conserves our landscapes, supports the health of its inhabitants and restores the vitality of a region that has thrived for hundreds of years. They are certainly doing their best to make sure the folks up north are doing their best to support naturally-raised, happy animals.


Flying B Bar Ranch



The Flying B Bar Ranch is owned by a single family in Colorado, the Buchanans, and aim to provide their cattle with the most natural life possible. True to their mission, the steers never get growth hormones or steroids and are free to roam the abundant land found at the ranch. The ranch also contains an immense amount of  natural wildlife including badgers, deer, coyotes and even bald eagles! 

Nick Ranch




Nick Ranch has been around since 1918 and is closing in on the century mark! As a matter of fact, it was the first livestock producer in San Luis Obispo to become certified organic, pretty impressive right? This Central California staple raises their cows to be 100% grass fed and grass finished, ensuring a natural healthy life.


Mary's Turkeys

Free-range, happy, and healthy turkeys

Mary's Turkeys has been family owned and operated since 1954, practicing the art of animal husbandry. Their turkeys are free range, grass-fed, gluten free, and contain no pesticides, hormones or antibiotics. They are raised on healthful grains and are allowed to roam throughout the day in an area 4 times larger than normal commercial areas. Mary's Turkeys delivers these well cared-for turkeys to hundreds of stores nation wide, so make sure to look for their brand!


BN Ranch to Table



BN Ranch to Table is committed to raising animals in harmony with the season, and following the highest standards for humane animal treatment.  BN believes delicious grass raised meats are an invaluable part of a healthy diet, and raising animals on grass creates food that is more nutrient dense and contains healthier fats. BN delivers these well cared-for turkeys to hundreds of stores nation wide, so make sure to look for their brand!


Find a Store in Your Area
Stores such as Natural Grocer's, Whole FoodsNature's PharmRed Apron ButcherBorder Springs FarmLeaping Water Farms online store, Nicky USAAvedano'sInglesSchnucks, and more sell free-range and organic meat and dairy.


Labels to Look For





Have a great Thanksgiving everyone. We hope your food comes from happy and health animals this and every season!


Questions or comments? We'd love to hear them in the comment box below!

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Photographer Captures Wild Animals in Supermarket

Indonesian photographer Agan Harahap has posed a new series, Garden Fresh which presents what animals would look like if browsing aisles in the supermarket. Visual and stunning, these amusing images play with the ironic idea of animals, food availability and the line between humans and wildlife.


"Garden Fresh series investigates the shifting boundaries between humans and animals in today’s environment and the complex relationship between art and nature. It is like a fable about a journey undertaken by the animals when they venture into our daily lives. The animals are confronted by a new reality that is in conflict with their natural habits and habitats.

At the same time, when we see these ‘zoo-trapped’ animals in supermarkets, their most outstanding characteristics are isolated as their ‘only’ characteristics. The animals are stripped of their own identities and are used as empty vessels to be filled with the human drama of parody, satire and allegory. We cannot help but see animals from a human vantage point, and therefore in some sense all the works in the present exhibition are actually about us." - Agan Harahap