De-cat-f or Cat-ffeinated?

When I saw this big ole mug in the Femail Creations catalog, I was immediately smitten. I put it on my holiday list last year and lo' and behold, I got it! This mug is perfect for me since I have a tuxedo cat.

The mug is made out of ceramic. It is made by Our Name is Mud and is hand painted by Lorrie Veasey. It is 5 1/2 inches high.

I love the design: how on one side there is a very animated, hyped up cat (The catffeinated cat) and a docile, sleeping version of the same cat (The decatf cat) on the other. Some other design elements I like are the paw prints on the inside of the cup and the tail painted on the handle.

I love the insert of the word "cat" in decaf and caffeinated. I think it is very smart and funny. As a current cat-lover and former caffeine-addict, the large cup always gets a chuckle out of me.

In the catalog, it said it was microwave and dishwasher safe, but ever since I got it, I have washed it by hand. I was worried about the dishwasher fading the artwork on the mug. I have used it in the microwave and it gets very hot, hotter than some other kitchenware that I have.

I don't find the mug to be exceptionally durable. It has a chip on the top now and some fading around the bottom. I try to be really careful with it because I don't want anything to happen to it.