Taking a Break

     It has been such a pleasure writing for this blog every month.  However, we are going to be taking a break for awhile and hope to be back and writing for 2019.

UPDATE:  We will begin new blog submissions on July 1, 2018!

Happy New Year!

Please enjoy these photos from my Christmas and may you and your feline family members have a warm, merry, and bright New Year in 2018!

There is Still Good in the World

     These photos are from a local place in my community where people can fill jugs and purchase their own mineral water.  The place has been there since the 1950s....
However, recently I noticed a change there.  They have started feeding stray cats there.  It warms my heart to see it.

Boy, am I in Trouble!

     If black cats are really bad luck, then boy am I in trouble!  I have one neighbor to my right that our family is friendly with.  Their house is directly next door.  I have another neighbor we are friendly with that is to my left and is actually two houses away and quite a distance from the main road.  These neighbors we are friendly with, but for whatever reason, they do not associate with each other.  They just don't have anything in common and I guess the distance keeps them from communication.  Anyway, the neighbor to my left found a black kitten out on the highway and brought her into their home.  They love and adore her and gave her the name "Pickles."  About a week later, the neighbor to my left adopted a black kitten from a shelter and affectionately named him, "Pepper."  Both cats are indoor and outdoor cats so I see them out and about. I am particularly amused by this situation since the cats look identical and their names are fairly similar. Yet, their owners don't even speak to each other!  Should I be amused, though?  I mean, really....if black cats are bad luck, I have one on either side that I can't get away from.  Boy, am I in trouble!

BY THE WAY....HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

(This was written by my daughter, Karen.)

A True Love

     I used to wonder sometimes what non-pet lovers were missing out on.  When growing up on the farm, there were animals.  We had livestock, of course.  We even had a pet pig named Porky.  We had cats and we had dogs.  But I never really got close to any.  Other members of the family saw closeness.  Even in adulthood, I never got that close.  But then it happened.
     I started feeding stray cats.  One mother cat left four kittens in my garage.  She just left them with obviously no intention of coming back.  We took them to a vet.  One had pneumonia and was not expected to make it through the night.  But with a shot and a heating pad at night, our Runtie Poo made it through.  Our Blossom Boo, Bugs-a-Roo, and My-a-Moo were healthy.  That was 2009 and now here it is 2017.  They remain indoor cats.  Each one has a different personality.  I love all four, but there's always that one that shows an unforgettable personality.  Here now is my story about my diluted calico cat, my My-a-Moo.

     I knew from the start My-a-Moo was showing love toward me.  They say a cat picks it's owner and sure enough she did.  I can't sit down without this cat finding me and attaching herself to me like a security blanket.  The cat loves me and I do her.  Recently, I had surgery which meant a long stint in the hospital.  My son reported to me that My-a-Moo missed me.  Upon return home, My-a-Moo could not stay off me.  It was up to my neck she came.  She was not giving up.  She meant to be by my side.  I figured out ways to keep her from my surgical area.  Now she comes to me in the daytime.  This less often.  But at night she is by my side up around my neck where I frequently rub her and talk to her.  I love her!  Obviously, she loves me too.  I will certainly miss her when she is gone.  If I go first, she will be taken care of.  The family members know this.

     It is obvious to me that I missed out a lot those earlier years.  But then again, it is never too late to teach an old dog new tricks.  I do love, with all my heart, My-a-Moo.  And to all of those non-pet lovers out there, it's not too late to find, "A True Love."

The Fly Swatter

     I guess everyone knows what a good mice catchers cats are.  It's a known fact that they catch mice!  They may play with them or they may not.  Whether they eat them or not, it does not matter.
Mice have a funny way of finding their way into our homes.  They find an opening somewhere.  But they are goners as soon as my cats sense their presence.
     What amuses me about my indoor cats, however, is how they manage to take care of flies.  They have replaced my fly swatter.  Once these cats catch sight of a fly, they run from window to window in hot pursuit.  Across the room they chase the pesky insect.  They run and jump until there is a fly no more.  They eat it!
     Who says cats are not useful pets?  My cats solve both the mouse problem AND the fly problem.  I'd say they earn their keep.

Where do Strays Hang Out?

     I ran into a lady one day who asked me about feeding strays.  She then told me that she didn't have strays in her neighborhood.  I kind of laughed and said, "Put some food out and find out if that is really true."
     At times I have seen many strays in my neighborhood and at other times, we go months without seeing any. Where do strays hang out?
     The answer to that is probably very simple.  They hang out where they are apt to find food.  They can't simply go to a grocery store to find food.  They depend on handouts from humans and their instinct to catch their own prey.
     Since I have fed strays before, I tend to look for them when I am out.  Driving into a car wash one day, stray cats scattered.  Where did they go?  They went down by a dumpster where some kind person had placed bowls filled with something for them to eat.  How many little faces were peeking out!
     Further down the road, a restaurant that had one driving by it where one saw the backside of it, I saw a mother cat and her kittens.  I could see containers placed out by the dumpster with what looked like dry cat food inside.
     I often hear, "Don't feed strays."  But why?  They are out there.  And they need us.