Yesterday we celebrated Smokey’s 9th birthday with a picture of him when he was a kitten and a current photo. He isn’t all that unique in looks. Some of you have probably known cats that look something like Smokey or his portrayal—Rags. It’s been a while since we’ve had a contest, so I thought we’d launch one in honor of this popular—in fact, well-loved cat.
Do you, a neighbor, or friend have a cat that 
resembles Rags? If so, send me a photo and I’ll post it at this blog and let Lily and Sophie-kitties choose the winner—the cat that most resembles their friend and idol, Rags.
Here are a few look-alikes I’ve collected over the years. Check out the eyebrows on the one cat. I met him at a cat café in Camarillo, California.
The winner of this contest, by the way, will receive a print or Kindle copy of a Klepto Cat Mystery of their choice. (Print copies will be mailed within the US only.)
Now go take pictures of your own lookalike cat, one you’ve seen on the streets or living in a local bookstore or nursery or that belongs to someone you know. (Note: The cats in these photos are NOT Smokey (Rags). They’re lookalikes.)
six adorable kittens born July 4th to a pure Ragdoll cat. He’s the handsome guy on the far right–top row. He and his siblings are nine this year.
likes it).
Authors are often asked which of their books in a series is their favorite. My response changes with the tide—and my mood. There are also other factors involved in selecting my personal fave. Often my favorite is the one I’m working on at the moment. Or I might dislike it the most when it doesn’t seem to be coming together easily. The one I just finished writing is typically at the top of my best-in-the-series list. But I have to say there’s something special for me in each and every one of my Klepto Cat Mysteries.
to write. And one of my early horsey stories is still on my top 35 list—“Corral Cat Caper.”
“Meow for the Money” features some new cats, as does a more recent book, “Cats Don’t Squeal.”
This interesting day was celebrated a week or so ago. Actually, most of the people I know work with their pets around every day because they (we) work at home.
pet stores.
Animals at work can be distracting. They vie for attention, need to be walked or fed, get into things when you’re 
not looking, maybe rumble with each other. But isn’t it fun to share the whole day with your pet and to share your pet with your coworkers?
As most of you know, my mother’s cat, Smokey, is my model for Rags in the Klepto Cat Mysteries. He is the bigger-than-life, confident, sociable, clever, and interesting half Ragdoll cat my mother adored for almost nine years.
Now that Mama is gone and Smokey has a new home, he is a total indoor cat—a convert. 
Yes, a cat can change his ways. No one ever thought he could be reformed—believe me, we tried over the years. He seemed to think we were torturing him when we wouldn’t allow him to go out. The only time he chose to stay in was when it was raining or when the gardeners or tree-trimmers were there. Of course, we locked him in at night.
There’s nothing as peaceful as a cat at rest. I love a slumbering cat. They’re so cute and sweet and relaxed. It just makes me want to curl up with the cat. But humans don’t seem to be wired like a cat—we can’t fall into a deep sleep so easily, nor can we awaken as quickly and completely as a cat who is startled.
again.
with their head in their food bowl, in the midst of playing. Lily sometimes sleeps halfway in and halfway out of her bed. And what about these shots of Lily and Smokey who appear to have fallen asleep in mid-
rollover.
If you have a cat, you’ve been subjected to the cat stare. It usually happens around meal time or treat time—if you keep your cats on a fairly regular schedule. This is a picture of Lily and Sophie trying to bore a hole through Dennis so he’ll remember to give them their dehydrated chicken treat. How can anyone resist the stare?
leaving me again—all alone…who’s going to feed me? I was at the brunt of Lily’s stare once when I came home from a neighbor home after playing with a couple of kittens. Her look seemed to be saying, “How could you, you traitor?”
When it comes to cat art, there seems to be no limit to the mediums and styles and materials. I have stuffed cats, ceramic cats, wooden, metal, paper, glass, plastic, and fabric cats. There are cats on canvas, wicker shaped into cats, clay cats, bead cats, cloisonné cats and gems formed into cats.
chalk, watercolor, pencil, flowers, and techniques I probably couldn’t define. But here’s a new one you might find interesting. I guess you’d call it “hatching.” Check out this artist’s “frazzled” cats. It’s quite unique.
There’s an interesting new cat living on an island in France. They’re calling it a cat-fox and they say there are only 16 of them. What’s unique about this animal? It looks like a cat, but is longer, has larger ears and more developed canine teeth. This species also has quite a long tail with rings around it and a black tip.
Cats come in many shapes, sizes, colors, styles, and temperaments. As an admirer of the feline species, I find it difficult to walk past a cat on the street, in a window, even a cat on a shelf without acknowledging it. Yes, even a ceramic cat or a stuffed one can turn my head. What is it about cats that’s mesmerizing? Some say it’s their eyes.
camera. And he posed almost as if deliberately. I believe I captured a bit of this cat’s character—his persona in his stance and his piercing eyes. I think this guy’s a bit of a scalawag—a maverick in his neighborhood. Oh, he might not cause trouble, but he knows how to make it and he knows how to avoid it. He’s probably king of his territory and maybe a bit lonely because of it.
