Catscapades

We all know that the Internet is rich with cat photos and videos. Cats are celebrated through stories, cartoons, jewelry, clothes, and even songs (I have a whole album of songs featuring or about cats). But in some cases, the depiction of the cat is rather derogatory, critical, and downright insulting.

Just this morning, I saw a picture on the Internet with the caption—“Is this a cat or a dog?” Maybe you saw it. The photo shows a very hairy animal whose ears are kind of camouflaged and it’s difficult to tell for sure what sort of animal this is. Turns out, of course, it is a cat.

There seems to be as many people who enjoy belittling the cat as there are who put the cat on a pedestal. There’s Grumpy Cat and now some take-offs on this poor, mad-looking feline dubbed what? Crabby Cat, Cranky Cat. And let’s not overlook those cats we’re invited to laugh at when they fall off a couch, someone scares the be-jeebers out of them, they get stuck in a box, or they happen to have a strange habit or odd voice.

There are people out there who are drawn to the underdog cat—the one with a crooked tail, a funny-looking face, a missing limb, or a deformity. There are even people who will adopt or foster ailing cats—those on hospice—and love them tenderly to the end.

I think that before we laugh at, turn away, shun, or even—heaven forbid—try to punish or harm a cat, we should remember what my friend, Karen Lee Stevens teaches and preaches—animals have feelings, too.

In fact, this would be a good time to purchase copies of her book of the same name: “Animals Have Feelings, Too” for the children on your holiday list and help support the author’s organization, All For Animals. Check it out here: http://allforanimals.org/book

What’s more soothing than having a purring cat in your lap or watching a cat play or nap or simply seeing a picture of a cat? In London, a group calling themselves Citizens Advertising Takeover Service (C.A.T.S.) gave subway commuters a reprieve from the onslaught of hard-hitting advertising for two weeks. And travelers loved it. This group replaced ads with pictures of cats. Evidently, they raised money through a crowdfunding campaign to buy the advertising space in order to offer something less hectic, less in-your-face and, in fact, calming. And it appears that it worked. According to the founder of this project, it did make a difference in the demeanor or many subway riders. Check it out here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cat-photos-replace-ads-london-underground_us_57d8094de4b0fbd4b7bb66f7?utm_hp_ref=cats

I have to ask you, what’s on your walls? Yes, in your home? Is it something appealing to the eye? Does it have relaxing qualities? Does it make you feel good when you look at it? I read once early in my writing career that you should display things in your writing space that boosts your self-confidence—pictures of loved ones, awards you’ve won, items depicting your accomplishments, etc. I’ve always adhered to that concept. Last year, I moved everything out of my office and had it painted and the floors refinished. When I moved back in what did I display? My photography, awards for my photography and my writing, family photos, and CATS. Lots of cats. My screen cleaner is in a cat shape. My mouse pad has a close-up of a cat face, I have a cat-a-day calendar on my desk and a wonderful framed poster showing cats used in advertising probably in the twenties, thirties, forties… The crowning glory in my office is the display of book covers depicting all of my Klepto Cat Mysteries.

Again, I ask you what’s on your walls?

Smokey, AKA the Klepto Cat

We all know how popular cats are. They’ve practically taken over the Internet with their cute antics, gorgeous photographs, and interesting tales of courage, stamina, intuition… The last statistic I saw indicated that cats rule around fifteen percent of the internet. That is, fifteen percent of what’s on the internet involves cats—cute cat videos, stories of cats doing unusual things, not to mention hundreds of cat blogs. And most of it is positive—favorable to cats.

This week, however, someone sent me an article from the LA Times lambasting the cat. Evidently because we’re doing so much to protect feral cat colonies throughout the world, we’re losing songbirds and other small potential cat prey by the billions.

One study completed in 2013 says that there are 84 million housecats in the US who are allowed outside and they estimate that these pampered pets kill four to eighteen birds a year and eight to twenty-one small mammals.

The feral cat population, however, numbering anywhere from thirty to eighty million, kills twenty-three to forty-six birds a year each and 129 to 338 small mammals.

It’s hard to think of that purring feline in your lap being a killer, but it is in her DNA. In fact, they say that the house cat is much closer to her ancestral roots of the wild cat than dogs are to their genetic beginnings.

What is the answer to this continuing massacre? The jury is still out where the feral cat is concerned. I’m sure that when a cat colony is being managed—the cats are being fed regularly—their need and urge to kill diminishes. But there’s more that we can do when it comes to our own pet cats. Keep them inside. I can promise, however, that this won’t keep them from killing any rodent that finds its way into your home or the wayward spider or fly that slips in through a tiny tear in a screen. Cats are hunters—it’s in their genes.

Trump Your Cat

On a lighter note, here’s a timely piece you might want to explore. It’s a site dedicated to “trumping” your cat. In other words, giving your cat a hair-do like Donald Trump. Want a good laugh today? Check it out. http://dangerousminds.net/comments/trump_your_cat_the_internet_takes_on_donald_trumps_hair_and_wins

Heavenly Cats

“There are two means of refuge from the misery of life — music and cats.” Albert Schweitzer

“Cats are connoisseurs of comfort.” James Herriot

“I have lived with several Zen masters — all of them cats.” Eckhart Tolle

“Authors like cats because they are such quiet, lovable, wise creatures, and cats like authors for the same reasons.” Robertson Davies

“I believe cats to be spirits come to earth. A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through.” Jules Verne

PS: This is a picture of some of the cats I’ve loved and who have gone over the Rainbow Bridge. From the left, Winfield, Rosie (orange and white), Daisy (calico), Crystal (center), Katy (Himalayan), Carlie (lower right) Gus (grey and white).