catscapades

Catscapades, True Cat Tales–the Book!

Lily

It’s official. Our shipment of Catscapades, True Cat Tales is scheduled to arrive in our driveway Thursday! We’ll be shipping books Friday, March 19, 2010. It is the right time for you to order your copy to read and copies as gifts for all of your cat-obsessed friends…

Here’s a taste of what you will find in this charming book:

Introduction
A cat is a cat is a cat. Or is it? Every cat I’ve loved has come with at least one peculiarity distinguishing this cat from every other cat. It’s these enchanting and the not so enchanting distinctions that inspired this collection of cat stories.

Throughout the pages of this book, you’ll read about clever, clumsy and quirky cats. You’ll meet cats that are extraordinarily daring, incredibly spiritual and deliciously humorous. This book even features cool cats, scaredy cats, curious cats, courageous cats and un-catlike cats.
You’ll fall in love with Frigie Frypan, the fearless chocolate and white cowboy kitten who survived being dumped in a coyote-infested wilderness. Yet, just when he was ready to settle down with a doting family, he was catnapped.

You’ll smile while reading the story of Gus, the reluctant babysitting cat.

You’ll cringe at PomPom’s valiant attempt to defend her injured kitten against well-meaning strangers and marvel at her sudden ability to trust one human completely.

You’ll meet an obstinate calico who responds to mind-talk, an engaging Himalayan who responds to a spiritual healing and an injured tabico kitten who responds to an outpouring of love. And then there’s Sammy, the cat who changed a heart.

Read about adventuring cats, heroic cats and mew-sical cats as well as throw-away cats who create new lives for themselves. There’s also the story of four aging cats who were orphaned when their owner died unexpectedly and whose uncertain future was purr-fectly orchestrated through nothing less than divine intervention.

You’ll be captivated by these stories. You’ll laugh, you’ll weep and you’ll go hug your own cat.

http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades.html

Order Cat Stories Book at Discount Today Only!

Lily Meets Her First Balloon

Today is the last day for the prepublication discount on the new print version of Catscapades, True Cat Tales. http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades.html. The book shipment will arrive within days and the price for your copy and gift copies will be $12.95 each plus tax (CA residents) and shipping. It’s still reasonable for a book of charming cat stories. And what a great gift this book makes—especially in its brand new form. Check it out. It is beautiful.

Lily is the cover girl. She’ll be a year old April 1. Here she is the first time she ever saw a balloon—and what a balloon it is!

We’ve had some conversations, lately, through the Cat Writers Association discussion group about signs and visions we experience that seem to be communication from our cats that have crossed over. I shared that we wonder if Lily was sent by our soul-kitties, Katy, who died at 17 years old of kidney failure after a year of treatment in 2004 and Winfield, who died of cancer in 2007 at the age of 14. She has so many of these two cats’ traits it is uncanny. Her story is in Catscapades along with many many others. There are also over 40 color photos of cats and kittens.

Order your copy at a discount today, Monday March 15, 2010.

Catscapades Table of Contents

Daisy

Catscapades, True Cat Tales
Table of Contents

Introduction
My Life With Cats
The Legacy of a Cat Lady

Section One: My Cat, My Teacher
Things I’ve Learned From My Cats
Sammy: The Cat Who Changed a Heart
Winfield: The Furry, Purry Mentor

Section Two: Throw-Away Cats
Stories of Strays and Other Free-Roaming Cats
Memoirs of a Colony Cat
Ferals in the Woodshed
Sophie’s From Rags to Riches Story

Section Three: Kitty Cat Rescue
The Promise
Frigie FryPan and the CatNap Caper
Tina’s Surprise

Section Four: Uncat-like Behavior in Cats
Gus: The Babysitting Cat
PomPom, the Super Mom

Section Five: Catty Communication
What Did the Cat Say?
Daisy and the Cat Carrier Caper
Daisy and Katy: The Kittens Who Learned to Love

Section Six: Cats as Companions
Our Feline Friends
PomPom and Other Crazy Cat Names

Section Seven: Healing Cats
Saving Maggie’s Kittens
Crystal Swallowed What?
The Tale of Smokey’s Tail
Lily’s Miracle

Section Eight: The Rainbow Bridge
Momma Cat Needs Help Crossing Over
Helping Your Cat Find the Rainbow Bridge

Order your copy before March 15, 2010 (Delivery of books after March 15, 2010) and pay no shipping. Also receive a free gift. http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades.html

Explaining Heavenly Cats Photo

Heavenly Cats

This is one of 46 photos of cats and kittens in my new print book, Catscapades, True Cat Tales. Order your copy before March 15, 2010 and get free shipping plus a FREE gift. http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades.html

True Stories of Rescued Kitties

Heavenly Cats

Catscapades, the book, is in production. There were a few problems this week. The file we sent to the printer wasn’t set just right. Twice, we had to go back to the drawing board. (We’re just grateful that 360 Digital Books is on their toes and communicative when there is a potential problem. They are as eager for us to have a perfect end result as we are.)

Finally, our computer was able to communicate with the printer’s computer and we seem to have a perfect file. Cross fingers! If all goes well, we should be pretty much on schedule as far as receiving our shipment of Catscapades, True Cat Tales around March 15, 2010. And I’ve talked to a lot of people who are excited about purchasing copies. So far there will be around 50 copies going out the door as soon as they arrive on our doorstep. And the orders are still coming in.

In the meantime, our cats, Lily, Max and Sophie are all doing their best to create new harrowing, humorous and heartwarming stories. And I’m talking to other people with cat stories, as well. One woman told me about a cat she found recently with a collar embedded into the skin of, not only his neck, but one of his legs, too. He had gotten his leg through the collar and stuck. And then he grew into the collar in a dreadfully painful way. Thank heavens for wonderful cat rescue folks like this woman, who took him into her home and, of course, got him medical treatment.

It seems that more and more people are rescuing cats whether it is from shelters, after having been dumped in rural areas, from private parties who have no interest in or knowledge of spay/neuter, or cats left abandoned or neglected in neighborhoods. I just came across a new cat in our neighborhood this morning. He’s skittish and I couldn’t get near enough even to see if he has a collar and tags. But I’ve already started asking around to find out if anyone knows where he belongs.

Last month a neighbor was planning a move to Idaho. The question was, would Fiona (her young cat) go with her? Neighbors began to make plans for a new home just in case. On the day the family was to leave, Fiona was nowhere to be found. It was getting dark. It looked as though she would be left behind. Finally, we discovered her hiding under the house and she did leave in a carrier with her mom. All is well for Fiona. I hope she likes the snow.

All 3 of my current kitties, and several before them, were rescued in some fashion from some potentially precarious situation. And several of their stories are in Catscapades, True Cat Tales. I even consider Katy, the Himalayan I bought for $400 in the ‘80s from a pet store, a type of rescue. Who is going to pay that much for a cat that is registered, but not show quality? As it turns out, before she was of breeding age, Katy got a bad infection in her uterus and had to have it removed. So, if someone had bought her for breeding purposes, they might have given up on her once they discovered that she would not produce for them.

As you will read in Catscapades, True Cat Tales, Katy turned out to be one of my most adored and adoring cat companions. She was with me for almost 18 years. I miss her still. But our newest kitty, Lily (the cover girl for the new book) must have talked to Katy before coming to us as she seems to have taken over where Katy left off in the affection department.

I’d love to write more about cats that come to us with very distinct traits or habits that are similar to cats who have crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. I share stories in Catscapades of the similarities between our gentle odd-eye cat, Winfield (who died in 2007) and Lily. I think you’ll find these similarities remarkable.

Order your copy of Catscapades prior to March 15, 2010 and get free shipping plus a free gift. http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades.html

Order Catscapades, True Cat Tales NOW

Lily

The book is at the printer. Order your copy before March 15, 2010 and pay no shipping. You’ll also receive a free gift for each book ordered.

http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades.html

What are people saying about this book? Be sure to read the testimonials page at this website.

New Cat Stories Book to Be Released

We’re almost ready to go to print with the new perfect-bound (real print book) version of Catscapades, True Cat Tales. Some of you may recall that the original subtitle was, “Tales of Ordinary and Extraordinary Cats.”

This new edition includes over 40 stories and vignettes featuring over 3 dozen cats and kittens and 46 charming photographs. The stories are amusing, they’re touching and they’re real. If you like cats, you’re going to enjoy this book.

I will be offering a special discount for those who order the book during the weeks it is at the printer. Here’s the deal—pay $12.95 (the actual price of the book) and I’ll pay the shipping AND send you a FREE gift along with the book as soon as we receive it from the printer. If you’d like to get a jump-start on this offer, send me a check for $12.95 (per book desired), along with your shipping address (one address only). We will deposit checks when we ship the books. (California residents, please include $1.06 tax.)

Send you check to this address:

Matilija Press
PMB 123
323 E. Matilija St., Ste. 110
Ojai, CA 93023

Or call with your credit card information:
805-646-3045

Email me with any questions: PLFry620@yahoo.com

This offer is good only until the book arrives here from the printer—estimated date March 15, 2010.

Christmas Is For Cats

This blog site has become a Lily site. Lily is our torbie kitten who has experienced a few calamities in her short 8-months on earth. I’ve written about some of them here and I plan to add her stories to my ebook, Catscapades; Tales of Ordinary and Extraordinary Cats. In fact, I’m considering bringing that book out in print form after the first of the year.

We have been printing it out and comb-binding it for those who like to have a book to hold in their hands. But I’d really like to offer this delightful book in a less cumbersome, more attractive form. And we might even feature Lily on the cover, this time.

Suggestions and comments for a reprint are welcome. Either leave a comment here or email me at PLFry620@yahoo.com.

I sincerely hope that all of you cat people out there have enjoyed your cats and kittens this holiday season as they react to the new scents, sounds and sights of the season. Our kitties are having the time of their lives. They believe that we set up the tree and covered it with dangling pretties just for their pleasure. They view the time I spend writing Christmas cards and wrapping gifts as an invitation to play. I’m sure that every handmade item and holiday card has left this house with at least a few strands of Lily, Sophie and/or Max fur tucked in.

I made kickers this year for all of my favorite cats and these toys have been a huge hit! A kicker is a fabric tube tightly filled with stuffing, heavy plastic crinkle paper and, of course, catnip. None of the cats I delivered or mailed these to waited until Christmas to open them. They began immediately warming up to the tissue paper-wrapped gifts. While Sally, in Ohio, simply tried to hatch hers under the tree by sitting on it for hours at a time, most of the cats tore right into the packages.

The two Maine coon cats across the street expressed just the sort of enthusiasm that warms a gift-giver’s heart. While the Smurf aggressively attacked, rolled, chewed and kicked her kicker, Isadora carried hers up onto the sofa and lay there with her “arm” around it for a while.

Smokey, my mom’s 11-year-old Maine coon cat is way too cool to be seen playing, so he feigned total disinterest in the gift UNTIL we left the room. When I peered in, I caught him leaping, rolling, kicking, frolicking and otherwise being very un-cool and oh so cute. Of course, when he spotted me watching, he dropped the toy, raised his plumed tail and sauntered out of the room.

My sister’s American Bobtail cat, Scooter Bob, was not concerned about losing his cool. He went absolutely crazy with the kicker. First he licked it until it was sopping wet and then he hugged it while kicking it and rolling all over the room.

If you enjoy—in fact, crave—a reaction from those on your Christmas gift list, consider giving all of the cats you know something filled with catnip. They will love it and they will demonstrate their appreciation. And they won’t return it, re-gift it or toss it out with the trash.

Lily Kitty at 8 Months

Some of you have been wondering how Lily is doing. In June, I wrote about her horrific accident with an ordinary, seemingly safe, carpeted cat tree. We believe what happened is that Lily and 4 year old Sophie were playing, as usual. And Sophie spun off of the cat tree and tipped it. Lily, 12 weeks old, must have been clinging to the opposite side of the cat tree or climbing it. We were home, but in another room, so didn’t see exactly what happened. But we found blood under the cat tree, so we know it fell on Lily.

It must have been moments after it happened, that we began to hear faint kitten cries. We went in search of Lily and found her tangled in a decorative plant stand a few feet away from the downed cat tree, barely conscious, her face covered in blood and her mouth hanging open.

I don’t even want to live through the horror again by writing it. You can read more about the accident and her veterinary and home care in my blog entry for June 30, 2009.

One thing I didn’t report in that blog post was how after 3 or 4 days, we thought Lily was somewhat improved until about noon, when she started to fade. It was as if she was giving up. We rushed her to the vet again and he said, “Well, she looks a lot better than she did when you first brought her in, but I will give her something for swelling.” I’m now told that there could have been swelling in her brain. It is possible that without that shot, she may not have made it. We still don’t have a diagnosis as to where the blood was coming from—exactly where the injury was. But we’re pretty sure that she had a concussion. The vet originally thought her jaw was broken; thankfully extensive exrays showed that was not the case.

By the way, the cat tree now lies on its side—we no longer stand it upright. Lily still plays on it every day. She never seemed to fear it or Sophie even after the accident.

Sophie was traumatized after the accident. We had to leave Lily at the vet for several hours and Sophie walked around and around the house meowing and searching. Once we brought Lily home and secured her in the large enclosure, Sophie stayed close. She knew that something was wrong with her little buddy and it seemed to upset her terribly.

Today, Lily is 8 months old and she is a delight. Looking back, I can see that it took her a while to completely recover from her accident. To me, the kitty mommy who kept vigil over her day and night for literally weeks, she seemed to have some issues for a while with balance, depth perception, confidence and maybe even headaches. But she was much improved.

And then she had another setback with one of her vaccinations. She had a scary reaction to something in the vaccination—we’re thinking it was the leukemia vaccine. Late that afternoon, after the veterinarian’s office closed, Lily seemed lethargic. We could tell that she just wasn’t feeling well. And she was in pain. I found that out when I attempted to pick her up. I did some research on the Internet and learned what to look for indicating that this was a very serious reaction. I watched her closely. She eventually chose a spot in the hallway to crouch and that is where I slept all night—waking up many times to check on her—the vet’s phone number close at hand. It was a long night, but she made it through. She will not have that vaccine again without the antidote—which I think is like Benedril.

As I said, Lily is an absolute delight. She is a total people cat—loves us, loves it when we have guests and adores little children. We have two formerly feral cats and yearned to have one that wasn’t such a challenge. I found out later that Lily was far from a domesticated cat. I ran into the woman my daughter got Lily from (she had 15 kittens from 3 mother cats in late March and early April that year). She asked me how Lily was doing. I told her how much we enjoy her and she said, “You mean, she lets you pet her?” I responded, “Yes, she’s a real snuggle bug.” This woman said, “Well that’s surprising because her mother is absolutely wild and the kittens were never handled.”

No one told Lily she is supposed to be wild. She is one of the most social kitties I’ve ever had. And we wonder if she may have passed some of our other kitties on her way to us—those who have crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. You see, she brought with her Winfield’s obsession with water. She even occasionally drinks by using her paw like he did. And just this morning I caught her moving one of her water dishes around. Winfield was never satisfied with where I put his water bowls. Winfield was our “greeter” cat. While the two formerly feral cats ran away when they heard the doorbell, Winfield ran toward the door to see who was there.

Lily puts me to bed at night like Katy (my beloved Himalayan) used to do. And she has Katy’s sweet, completely trusting, gentle demeanor. There’s no rough and tumble play for this demure kitten. Oh she plays, but like a girl.

We had her spayed in late September. Gosh, we hated to leave her overnight. And when we brought her home the next day, Lily was so happy to see us that she kept trotting from one of us to the other expressing pure joy in her kitten-like gestures. She repeatedly hugged our hands to her chest and purred, and she buried her face in us and snuggled. It was like watching a happy puppy, she expressed such glee.

As you can tell, we couldn’t be more pleased that we finally opened our home to another rescue kitty. There’s nothing like a kitten to warm one’s heart and bring a smile to your face.

Be sure to order your copy of Catscapades, Tales of Ordinary and Extraordinary Cats for Christmas giving. You can order the E-book or the comb-bound print copy–fully illustrated with charming cat photos. http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades.html

All for Animals Founder Helps Shelter

Karen Lee Stevens Videoing a Shelter Dog

Karen Stevens of Santa Barbara, California does a lot for animals. First of all, she has been involved for many years in cat rescue. She founded an International organization called All For Animals http://www.allforanimals.com. She had a spot on local TV for quite a while where she featured a pet from local shelters each week. And she launched the Adoptable Pet Photo Gallery, in hopes of helping shelter animals get adopted.

Recently, Karen began video-taping cats, dogs and other shelter animals that need homes and posts these at her website. They also play the videos at the shelter so that visitors can experience the personality of a dog or cat that happens to be sleeping at the time of their visit, for example.

All for Animals is not a new pup, er, kid on the block. Since 1997, when Karen Lee Stevens founded the organization as a resource for animal lovers in Santa Barbara, the group has been dedicated to raising awareness about cruelty-free living and the importance of compassion to ALL animals.

But that’s not all. When Karen first viewed a video of an adoptable dog at a local animal shelter a few months ago, she said she had one of those “aha” moments. “I actually got goose bumps looking at this dog’s video and listening to the background music (Rio by James Taylor),” Stevens remembers. “The dog happened to be named Rio and the James Taylor song happens to be one of my favorites. Do you ever have a flash of insight where you just know when something is right? For me, I knew in that moment that I wanted to shoot videos of adoptable pets and post them on the Internet.”

Karen calls herself a “video virgin” as she’d never even held a video camera until last month. That’s when she signed up for an introductory camera class at Santa Barbara Channels, a non-profit organization that helps other non-profits produce and air their own high-quality shows on local public access television. Since then, Karen obtained enough funding to purchase a Sony Handicam camcorder and a Macintosh computer (di riguor for any type of graphics or video work) and got to work. Every two weeks, she spends a couple of hours at local animal shelters, shooting video of adoptable cats and dogs and then coming back to her home office, where she edits the videos and adds narration about each pet.

She has always posted photographs of adoptable pets on the All for Animal’s Web site and she felt that videos would be a natural extension of the Pet Photo Gallery. Karen says, “Video enables potential adopters to get a better feel for an animal’s personality, whether it’s watching a dog catch a Frisbee or listening to a cat purr. We want to make it fun and easy for people to meet and ultimately adopt a new best friend.”

All for Animals gratefully accepted donations to help them continue their important and life-saving work of helping shelter pets get adopted. You can send a tax-deductible donation to: All for Animals, PO Box 3534, Santa Barbara, CA 93130. The 501(c) non-profit organization is also registered with Cars for Causes, and accepts old cars, trucks, motorcycles and RVs (this is a perfect time of year to dispose of your old clunker and get a nice tax break). To learn more about All for Animals, visit the organization’s Web site at www.allforanimals.com.