Book 31 of the Klepto Cat Mysteries is in the formatting process. Yahoo!! Yes, I finished the final edit, after my editor’s work, over the weekend and the latest book in the series, FURever Bound, is with the formatter. It will come back to me for one or two additional nitpick sessions, where I’ll check it for accuracy and any problems with the layout. Then, I’ll start bugging my artist to finish the cover—we’re going to need the cover before long. (Hi, Bernadette!) At that point, I’ll be required to develop the back cover matter.
Once we finalize the print version of the book, I’ll send it along to be formatted for the 
kindle and when that process is complete, we’ll submit both versions for publication. Believe it or not, within days of that, I’ll be able to announce the Kindle and print version for sale!!!
Then what will I do with my time? Well, I can’t wait to get back to Book 32, which is about forty pages complete. Moving right along.
I’d like to announce the availability of Book 31 during the week of October 15-20. So watch for it.
One day last week a granddaughter, who lives close to me, called and said, “A realtor wants to show our house and Rosie’s inside. I’m thirty minutes away, could you…?” Of course, I walked around the corner to take their sweet part Jack Russell out for a bit. She isn’t vicious, but she barks at strangers and there’s the concern that she’ll escape.
neighborhood last December when we had to evacuate our cats because of fire. What if a fire started inside your home or your home was somehow threatened by fire and you weren’t home? Do your neighbors know you well enough to know that you have one or more cats inside? It’s wise to post a sticker somewhere stating how many cats there are, in case there’s a need to evacuate them when you aren’t around. It’s also a good idea for a neighbor or family member to know your cats’ habits—Lily is most likely in the closet or under the covers on the bed when frightened, and Sophie’s safe hiding place is behind the computer desk in the back of the house.
Do you have a carrier for each of your cats in case they need to be evacuated? You might be prepared for an emergency with extra water, batteries, meds, etc. for yourself. What about for your pets? Here’s a site with some good ideas for creating an emergency pet evacuation pack.
I watch some of the veterinarian programs on the National Geographic TV channel and notice that some states seem wide open when it comes to adopting and keeping exotic wild animals. Others not so much. It seems to me that no one should be allowed to have any pet without a total understanding of what it takes for its care—whether it’s a kitty cat or a tiger cub, a raccoon baby or a python. So often the vet visits on these shows are because the owner just doesn’t know how to care for this particular animal.
states—first, you should know that 21 states ban all wild animal species as pets. This includes most of the western states. Other states allow exotic wild animals as pets with permits. AL, NV, NC and WI have no laws about wild animals as pets.
Are you familiar with some of the wild cat breeds people keep as pets now? There’s the Savannah—a cross originally between a serval and a Siamese. There’s the Bengal (Asian Leopard cat mixed with a domestic cat), Chausie (jungle cat and domestic cat) and the Safari cat (Geoffroy’s cat bred with the Egyption mau or an Occicat.
Do your cats get along? Not all cats do, you know. Some cats adore one another and some seem to have deep contempt for each other. There are cats who really, really want to be friends with the others, and those that want nothing to do with another cat—no way, no how.
More and more often when I meet someone or run into an old friend the conversation turns to cats. I suppose that’s because I write cozy cat mysteries. And I always learn something new. At a recent class reunion a former classmate told me how she makes sure that the right cat in her household is getting the right food. One of them is on a prescription food. I was very interested in this because we have to stand sentry duty when we feed our cats. Lily is on a prescription food, but she prefers the over-the-counter stuff that Sophie gets. So we have to watch that Lily doesn’t sneak over to Sophie’s dish. Each cat has a station where they eat. They can’t see each other, but we can watch them. Works for us—most of the time. However, there’s a better solution. Have you ever heard of the microchip activated feeding bowl for cats?
I couldn’t resist snapping this picture of Lily peering out through the window a couple of days ago, apparently waiting anxiously for my return. I’ve been gone a lot over the last two weeks and I think Lily really missed me. She stays closer to me when I’m home. She looks suspiciously at me when I change my clothes as if she’s afraid I’m getting ready to leave again. Thankfully, she has Sophie to keep her company.
waiting. Sophie will sometimes cry at the door when we’re outside. As soon as we come back into the house, she settles down.
Did you know that an ordinary house cat can run at a top speed of 30 miles per hour? Not all cats, of course, but the fastest speed recorded for a house cat is around 30 miles per hour. But cats do not have much endurance. According to experts, they need a nap (or at least a breather) after only a few seconds. One minute seems to be the limit for most speedy cats.
for example, when having been shown where the treats were, remembered this for 16, whereas the dogs’ recall lasted for a mere five minutes.
It’s always a crapshoot when you decide to bring a new cat or kitten into the household. You wonder if this cat will get along with the resident cat(s) because not all cats will create a harmonious bond. Generally, it’s recommended that you separate the new cat from the current cats so they won’t tangle. You want them to get to know one another gradually, through their scent from under a door, for example. Once the cats are brought together, it should be with supervision. And only when they’re both accepting, should you leave them alone together.
dote on one another. And they occasionally have a minor standoff—probably just for fun.
Have you heard about the cat that’s being honored at the Southwark Cathedral in London with a permanent statue in her likeness? Evidently the cat was rescued from the streets and adopted into the church during the 2008 Christmas season. They
named her Doorkins Magnificat. They figure her to be about thirteen years old now and they want to preserve her memory once she passes. The statue is being created by students at a local art school and it will have a special place along one of the walls amidst human heroes and other honorees. Doorkins is the first animal to be honored in this way at the cathedral. Here’s the story.
There are enough cat-oriented places to visit throughout the world to keep a cat-lover busy for a lifetime. There are cat cafés, the cat train in Japan, cat hotels and spas, cat shows, a cat circus, cat-related shops, live shop cats in many businesses. But did you now there are also cat museums? The Cat Fancier’s Association runs the Feline Historical Museum in Alliance, OH. There’s also a more quaint home-grown museum in North Carolina called the American 
Museum of the House Cat. A group has been attempting to open a cat museum in San Francisco for quite a while, but evidently don’t have the funds together yet. In the meantime, there have been temporary traveling exhibits displayed throughout the area.
