When we lose a cat it’s heartbreaking. Some of us decide never to have another cat again. Others can’t wait to bring home another one or two—not to replace her, but to fill their home and hearth with a new kind of kitty-cat energy. Have you ever felt as though the cat you brought home learned a few habits or mannerisms from your previous beloved cat? Or is it your imagination? Is it that you miss your kitty so much you only imagine that the new cat has some similar traits? A cat is a cat is a cat, after all.
I’m not convinced that’s the whole truth. Are you? I mean, sure cats have many things in
common with each other. They all eat, take lick-baths, sleep a lot, play as if they’re in hunting mode, and so forth. They spend time staring at nothing in particular, some beg, some like to snuggle. But these things don’t speak to a cat’s personality.
When we brought ten-week-old Sophie home, she saw Winfield, our elderly white odd-eye cat from across the room and immediately ran to him and rubbed against him as if she recognized him. Was that 
because he was a cat and she was happy to see another cat? Did he remind her of a cat she once knew? Or…did she remember him when she lived here in a different cat body? Are you freaked out, yet?
We adopted Lily when she was a mere six-weeks-old. We were told she was eight-weeks. We’d lost Winfield by then and my beloved Himalayan, Katy. She brought back their memory in a couple of different ways. Winfield loved water. He drank a lot and he liked playing in his water fountain. Lily does too. Katy stuck to me like glue, especially in her last few years. Lily wouldn’t let me out of her sight and for her first several months, 
she’d even sleep on my feet when I worked at the computer. Winfield went crazy for cantaloupe. So did Lily, but a lot of cats do.
So the question is, do cats reincarnate and return to us? Does a kitten destined to be mine communicate with one that I’ve lost while they’re on the other side? Is there some sort of telepathy transmitted to a new cat from me or from a cat who has passed? Or do I have an active imagination?
I don’t know about you, but I adore the similarities that remind me of cats I’ve loved. But I find it refreshing and lovely to discover the unique things a new cat brings into my life.
Does your cat have a favorite toy? What’s her favored way of playing with it? I find that even cats raised together can have very different ways of playing and expressing their joy and their silly-self.
at her most delighted when she’s playing with a tiny toy mouse.
Smokey, my model for Rags, likes his hanging toy better than any of the toys in his basket. He’ll often pull his basket from the shelf and dump it. Sniff around for a moment, then walk away and spend several minutes batting at a toy that hangs from a doorjamb. That toy has to be replaced fairly often because his brand of playing means shredding it so it’s unrecognizable.
Until a couple of days ago, all of the Amazon reviews for Klepto Cat Book 29, Meowmoirs of a Klepto Cat, were five-star reviews—all 14 of them. Today I noticed a new review. While the reader says it was GREAT, she gave it only four stars. But that’s okay. Sometimes authors learn more from the less positive reviews than the rave reviews. And believe me I listen. However, I can’t say that four stars means anything other than this reader loved the book, only not as much as, perhaps, another book she read from the series or another author’s series.
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 resident 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.
sometimes their aggression is dangerous. But generally, the two cats find a way to get along either by ignoring each other or interacting like devoted siblings would. In our household, Lily and Sophie are cordial. They seem to like each other, but they don’t dote on one another. And they occasionally have a minor standoff—probably just for fun.
We’ve all read sweet stories of cats helping other cats and even dogs protecting and nurturing kittens and cats. I saw a story this week about a dog who plays referee between two cats who can’t seem to get along with each other. Those cats are not going to hurt each other on his watch. Cats have been known to help other cats in a variety of ways. I once witnessed a life-saving gesture between cats when our sweet Himalayan-type cat, Maggie, adopted an unwanted kitten.
wasn’t sure how to approach the possibilities—blindfold Maggie? Put Vaseline on her nose so she wouldn’t smell the strange intruder? We ended up just placing the kitten with Maggie and hoping for the best. Thankfully, the best is what happened.
How often have you wondered where your cat goes and what she does all day when she’s out of your sight? I think we’ve all had indoor-outdoor cats and some of us still do—my mother, for example. Her cat, Smokey, is my inspiration for Rags, the star of my Klepto Cat Mysteries. He’s an interesting fellow—loves being out-of-doors. Mama envisioned Smokey growing up to be a total inside cat, but he had his own ideas. He loves to roam the neighborhood. He equally adores lap time and just lounging in the middle of the room when there are visitors sitting around. I’m convinced that he thinks we’re all there just to admire him.
keeping tabs on your cat is as easy now as looking at your iPhone. Here’s an article you might find interesting. 
No one wants a grumpy cat or one that’s unhappy, ill, angry, or fearful, right? We all delight in our cats being relaxed, healthy and happy. The CATalyst Council, a nationwide council of several organizations, has set aside September as Happy Cat Month in order to help cat owners create an atmosphere and a demeanor that will most likely support and encourage happy cats in our home.
like I said, if it’s been over six months since she’s seen her veterinarian.
What about play time? Is it time to revive a game they used to love or come up with something new to entertain her (and you)?
When we talk about rescuing a cat, we think of plucking feral cats from the streets and domesticating them. We adopt unwanted cats from shelters. We take in strays that are roaming free. We might save a lost cat after a disaster. I’ve done a lot of that. But I’ve also inadvertently rescued two purebred cats.
You’ve probably seen that Twizzler commercial where grumpy or serious people are tempted by a Twizzler and have trouble keeping that straight face. Cats (especially kittens) have a similar affect. Just try to be melancholy, angry, or stoic when a cat is at play. I mean, what other animal has the sense of humor of a cat? They’re the clowns of the animal kingdom and their whole world is a circus.
They might attack it, play soccer with it or hide-and-seek. They’ll chase it, leap for it, and even take it for a swim in their water bowl. Give a cat a box and you can see their imagination soar. They become swashbuckling buccaneers, explorers of the bravest kind, or maybe the king of the jungle as they take on imaginary adversaries in and around that box. Throw a toy mouse in the mix and the cat’s antics escalate.
Lily becomes a comic on catnip. And Sophie sometimes entertains us with her athletic prowess when we give her a toy mouse—especially if it has a tail. Like any accomplished feline huntress, she tosses that mouse in the air, then pounces on it. She flings it and chases it; lays on it, rolls over it a few times, then tosses it across the room for the chase.
catnip package out of the freezer. She’s practically beside herself as I approach their cat tree where I dispense the “drug,” and she releases all inhibitions upon her first scent of the stuff. She eats it, rolls in it, and otherwise fills her body and soul with it until she becomes a limp dishrag. I’m sure she must see psychedelic images or something for a while after the treat as she seems to have no backbone—she’s a wet noodle and she delights in staring at is from upside down.
This is a wonderful story of adoption sponsored by NBC and Telemundo TV. And it was a huge success. Over 1,200 shelters participated and over 70,000 animals were adopted. You should see the pictures of the happy pets and excited new pet owners. See them here: 
