I believe in Hillary Clinton’s statement, “It takes a village to raise a child.” I used that quote the other day with regard to my aging mother. Yes, we’re finding that it takes a village—at least several caring family/friends and many resources to keep a ninety-seven-year-old healthy and safe. And it occurred to me that the same is true of our pets.
Hopefully you learn important tips and care techniques from the research I present here in
the Catscapades blog. You do your own research on behalf of your precious cat, and you talk to friends about issues you’re having with her. And you discover the best solutions to whatever cat questions come up.
In our neighborhood, and probably yours, everyone watches out for each other’s critters. I told a neighbor yesterday that I’d seen their cat, Moonie, paying a lot of attention to a certain area of her body—that maybe she has something going on there. Emily thanked me profusely for being observant. Well, Moonie is in my yard (which is free of little children) more often than in her own yard and I noticed this.
Another neighbor told me about her cat’s suddenly swollen face. I’d seen enough abscesses and tooth problems on the veterinary shows I watch on weekends to know what this could mean. I said, “Take her to your vet now. The poor thing is in pain.” She promised to do so. (I heard later that it was an abscess and the veterinarian had to do some minor surgery.)
In our neighborhood, we have keys to other neighbors’ homes and we take over the care of 
each other’s pets when need be. I’ve taken care of bunnies, chickens, cats, dogs, fish, wild birds, and, yes, horses. We’ve had neighbors in to care for our fur babies. It’s nice to live in such a village. If you have just moved into a new area and you have pets, it will behoove you to get to know your neighbors. Assess their character, habits, and interest in others and animals, and you’ll no doubt discover someone that you feel comfortable handing over your extra house key and the care of your animals in time of disaster or should you take a trip, for example.
Make it a habit to speak up when you see a free-range cat with a potential problem—excessive scratching could indicate fleas. A cat can die from flea infestation if he’s in a weakened condition. Maybe the cat is limping or getting thinner or behaving differently. People who let their cats roam, those who work away from home all day, and the elderly sometimes aren’t aware of a deteriorating condition in a cat or they don’t know that a neighbor kid is tormenting their cat or dog, for example. Be a good neighbor. Speak up. Give the cats a voice—be part of the village for good.
By the title of today’s post, you might think I’m referring to vocal cats—those who are constantly “speaking” to you. Experts say that cats don’t “talk” to one another. They picked up that trait from humans. Some breeds seem to have more to say than others—Siamese cats, for example, are notorious for expressing themselves through meows and mews and yowls. Those others noted for their talkativeness are breeds probably linked to the Siamese—Burmese, Tonkinese, Birman…
human and they’ve learned that it rewards them with attention, food, or something else they want.
A few years ago I was asked to chime in for an article in the Wall Street Journal on talking versus silent cats in novels. We’ve all known talking cats in cartoons and children’s books, but there are also some authors of cozy mysteries and other novels for adults who put words in their cat characters’ mouth. How do you feel about that?
People wonder how I come up with my Klepto Cat Mystery stories. And that’s somewhat still a mystery to me. It’s just the way my mind works these days. How I made the switch from a staunch nonfiction writer to a novelist, I’m not quite sure. It seemed to be a natural transition for me. I wrote nonfiction articles and books during my working years. Now, in retirement, I’m having a blast being entertained by Rags and his friends.
and slings for sale. We could design cat harnesses and leashes—a long leash for general use and a short one for specific purposes. How about a car seat for cats? Sure they have them, but we could create a spin for Rags’s car seat. One of my favorite book covers is the one of Rags with the bra hanging from his mouth. We’ve designed note cards with that image. We could expand that collection to include coffee mugs, magnets, jewelry, t-shirts and so forth. The mugs and clothing should have a slogan or a saying. Does anyone have any ideas for that? Look at Book One, Catnapped and Book Six—Celebrity Cat Caper and come up with something to say about the picture of Rags with the bra.
Some of you have already read Book 31 of the Klepto Cat Mystery—FURever Bound. Even though that was one of my longest stories and even though I just published it a matter of weeks ago, I’m close to finishing Book 32—Cats Don’t Squeal.
take care of Rags, not to mention the children, if she’s arrested? Of course the malady is resolved—or is it? Sometimes these things can twist into something unexpectedly ugly.
Along with the loss due to Hurricane Michael came the unveiling of surprises and interesting new direction for some. Anytime we’re challenged by unexpected change, we have choices. We can wallow in the disappointment or we can step up and make new decisions. I like the story of the couple who planned to wed in Mexico Beach. The venue they chose was destroyed, so they used what was left of that venue as the backdrop and were married there nonetheless. Good for them.
endings. One family was surprised during the hurricane when their ceiling broke away and a litter of kittens all huddled together fell to the kitchen floor. Talk about a gift from heaven. Evidently they didn’t know the kittens were in their attic, so this unexpected entrance by the cute little fur balls may have saved their lives.
I think we all saw the video of the man walking nearly waist-deep in flood waters while carrying a cat to safety. And what about the video of the cat who was swimming in those waters trying to find a dry spot to light. Thank heavens for caring people who will stop to help an animal. And there are many still in this world.
Did your cat come with a quirk? Like humans, dogs, and horses, cats can have quirky things about them—unique trademark habits or abilities or anomalies. Look at the famous Grumpy Cat. Now that’s an unusual, and evidently marketable (exploitable) face. I saw a picture of a two-headed kitten once. Now that’s certainly an oddity—a conversation piece, for sure.
most delightful markings you’ve probably ever seen on a cat. 
a bowl. Talk about cute! And some cats find the craziest sleeping positions ever. Want a chuckle this morning? Visit this site showing sleeping cats: 
I’ll bet there are wild cats you’ve never heard of either and most of them have been around for eons. Are you familiar with the black-footed cat? He originates from South Africa and is, they say, the most deadly of all wild cats. The smallest wild cat in Africa, he looks like a cute little house cat, but doesn’t get as big as some of our cats as most are under five pounds. They don’t climb well and hole up for safety and privacy mainly in caves and burrows. You probably wouldn’t want this pretty cat in your house as he has the reputation for being extremely ferocious.
Pallas Cat (depending on your source). These unusual cats live mainly in the steppe region of Central Asia, thus their design, with ears on the sides of their head and eyes high on their foreheads. I had the thrill of entering a cage at the Denver Zoo with a pair of Pallas cats years ago to photograph them for an article I wrote for Cats Magazine. At that time my research indicated that these cats, although they look cuddly and soft, cannot be tamed. It’s possible that someone has managed to tame one by now.
Chartreux. You might expect it of a Bengal or Savannah or Ocicat, but don’t be surprised or disturbed when your sweet baby kitty brings you a dead mouse, dissects a grasshopper before your eyes, or terrorizes a lizard that found its way into your house or the catio.
Some cats show greater hunting instincts than others. They’ll set up situations for themselves where they’ll hide one of their toys, then practice sneaking up on it, trying to dig it out of its hiding place, finally pouncing on it and going in for the kill.
drops them at my feet. She’ll also spread them around at my bedroom door overnight. And she always announces loud and clear when she’s approaching with one of her toys (presumably her kill for the family). As far as I know, Sophie lived on the streets for her first 10 weeks of life, so she probably did catch a real mouse or two. Lily, however, came to us at about 6 weeks (they told us she was 8 weeks) and I’m fairly certain she never had any hunting experience, except perhaps what she observed the adults in her attic home doing. But I believe the instinct goes much deeper than what they’ve experienced and observed. It seems to have been preserved in the DNA of cats for thousands of years. Amazing.
Cat Café Fact: Traditionally popular in North Asia, cat cafés can now be found in South Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. In Japan, where there are more than two hundred cat cafés, one in particular features black cats only. —Cat Café, Chapter 26
Online you can find post after post extolling cat cafés in various parts of the world— little cat universes, boasting cat art, cat décor, and even on occasion, cat books.
Designing my own fictional café was great fun, and since the Blue Cat gets a remodel halfway through the book, I got to do it twice. The first version is Bea’s cozy Victorian style of decor. Originally established as a teahouse, Bea had jumped on the cat café bandwagon as soon as she discovered the popular phenomenon. Here’s a quote from Cat Café:
I turned to the big Russian Blue. Romeo was at the far end of the counter half-hunched, half crouched as if ready to spring. His ears were flat to his head and his lips curled viciously, exposing considerable fangs. He was staring at a door at the back of the kitchen as if he’d seen a ghost. The door was slightly ajar. I listened, trying to determine what had alarmed him, but the only sound was his low, bone-chilling snarl.
Have you heard of Pretty Litter? They call it that because it changes colors when your cat uses it. But it’s not designed to add to your décor or become a centerpiece in your home. The color aspect of this litter is a health aid. It’s the first (that I’ve heard of) color-changing health monitoring litter. Learn more about it here: 
the questions I’d have is, when you know your cat has kidney disease, will the litter show improvement or when the disease is getting worse—you know, levels of the disease?
