Lily and Sophie

I am remiss when it comes to keeping up with this blog. But if you are a writer or author or you want to be, stop on over at my daily publishing blog. http://www.matilijapress.com/publishingblog.

In the meantime, things are going well with our little cat menagerie. Max will be 13 this spring—getting to be an old guy. Max came to us as a wee kitten, along with his two sisters and teen-age mother cat. We found the feline family in our woodpile. I love little surprises like this.

Sophie is 6 and she is thriving. She was found by a good Samaritan living on the streets with her siblings when she was around 10 weeks old. She has never been outside since and does not seem to miss the freedom and fears out there at all. Like all of our cats, though, she does love to sit in a sunny spot on the window sill and watch the activity outdoors.

Lily is the newest comer. We rescued her two years ago this spring. She was one of 15 kittens born to three feral female cats on a small farm in our community. She is happy being an inside kitty, as well—and one of the sweetest kitties ever. Everyone loves her gentle spirit.

My mom has a new kitten. Smokey 2 is 7 months old now. His mother is a ragdoll and his father is unknown. This little guy does not take after his mother, except, perhaps, at nap time. He does know how to sprawl on a lap. But you cannot keep this kitty inside. My mother has tried everything short of hogtying him and he HAS to be outside. So he has become an inside/outside cat. And boy is he a handful. She held off letting him go out until after he was neutered, hoping he would settle down. He never did. Of all the kittens to come into the life of an 89-year-old woman, we could not have found one that is more of a challenge. But he is the light of her life.

You may recall that Lily is featured in the 365 Cats Cat-a-Day 2011 Calendar on March 15. I submitted the photo above of Lily and Sophie for the 2012 calendar. What do you think?

If you haven’t read my book of cat stories, you might consider ordering a few copies for Easter and Mother’s Day, as well as one for yourself. Catscapades, True Cat Tales features true stories about Max, Sophie, Lily and many other cats that I and others have known. Order your copies here: http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades.html