I’m just home from the annual Cat Writers’ Association conference in Houston and what a wonderful conference it was. For me, it had everything–amazing educational opportunities; plenty of networking time with fantastic people (writers, animal professionals, and definitely pet lovers); a beautifully orchestrated awards banquet, and even the opportunity to get my cat fix at a cat cafe and cat show.
And I won a coveted Muse Medallions for some of the work I do in this blog. Lily was happy that I came back to her, but she isn’t too impressed with the medallion.
Thank you all for subscribing to and visiting Catscapades (an award-winning blog). Stay tuned through coming weeks and months as I share with you some of the new information and fresh perspective I gleaned at this conference.
If you haven’t read my brand new book, Meowmoirs of a Klepto Cat, I hope you do. I’m interested in how this book is accepted. I decided to write it not from the cat’s perspective, but his owner’s perspective. Since Rags (the klepto cat) doesn’t speak or have a viewpoint in the Klepto Cat Mysteries, I did not have him speak or present a point of view in the Meowmoirs. But I’ve allowed Savannah, his owner, to write about Rags from the time she hooked up with him to currently. She shares many fresh, new stories of her exploits with Rags when he was young and she delves into his various habits and talks about how his behavior sometimes gets him (and others) into trouble.
Cats are cats, it’s true. But sometimes we treat them like a human baby or child or even a counterpart. We shave them, dress them up, put colored claw protectors on them, feed them from our plate, place a chair at the dinner table for the cat, talk to her, and certainly bring her presents.
I came across this site showing crazy photos of judgmental cats or cats being judgmental. I’m sure that you’ve felt your cat was judging you a time or two when you ate a second piece of chocolate or you neglected to offer him a bite of your tuna sandwich or when her dinner wasn’t served on time. Or maybe you get the “look” when you start to leave the house wearing a skirt that’s too short or those silly ripped jeans or because you’re leaving him alone. Oh my, the glaring stares we are subjected to when things don’t go exactly as the cat desires.
Why not introduce cats into police departments? Cats seem to have infiltrated every other area of our lives—as rescue animals, service animals, support animals…they take on jobs, offer comfort. And in some precincts, they even protect the community. How? By helping to sooth stressed employees, calming lost or abused children and other victims, and keeping the rodent problem down. Besides, every work environment should have a feline mascot.
is an easy holiday to celebrate—or is it. Some of us have cats that don’t like to be hugged. Okay, we can pet them and show them our appreciation for existing and for making our lives just a little (or a lot) cozier. And it’s also a good day to celebrate special cats that find their way into places where they are taken care of and where they spread joy.
Now I wonder, will Tombi graduate to fourth grade with the same children or will he stay behind and become mascot to a new group of third graders?
this cat interacting with students are wonderful. But it appears that all he wants to do is cuddle and sleep through class every day. 
Do you find it easy or difficult to name a new pet? If you’re like me, sometimes the name sort of comes with the pet—the name is obvious from the moment you fall in love with him or her. Other times, you struggle to name a cat, dog, reptile, horse, or chicken.
antics. I named our tortie Sophie because she has a rather old-fashioned look about her and Sophie seems like an old-fashioned name. I picked Lily because Lily was such a sweet flower of a kitten.
Here are a couple of sites you might like, where you can find just about anything related to cats: information, resources, cat items, cat behavior, health tips. Hey, it sounds like this blog, Catscapades. But can you ever get too much cat? And can one person come up with everything you want or need to know about cats? If you walked in my shoes or sat in my chair, you’d realize how MUCH there is out there for cat people. It’s infinite, endless—there’s a constant flow of information and lists of agencies, organizations, shelters, cat specialists… There’s no end to it. So I’m pleased to share some of my sources with you. Here’s the link to All Things Cat: 
This week we remembered our veterans. It seems appropriate to include feline veterans—cats who served in time of war. Here’s a site celebrating eight cats of war. You don’t believe that a cat can be of service to the military? Well they can—they can offer support and entertainment on ships and bases, but some cats have also taken on life-saving jobs.
a kitten. He brought so much comfort and support to the soldiers that upon the end of their term one sergeant contacted Alley Cat Allies who raised funds to bring him to the US where he lived out his days in comfort.
The trend today is for the “No Kill” animal shelter. I wonder, isn’t there another word we can use in place of kill? Something positive? Life For Animals or Living Pet Shelter…
Angels Animal Rescue in Los Angeles, where founder, Elle, says, “I’ll rescue anything with a pulse and sometimes even in my best dress.” Her priority is animals on the euthanasia list at other shelters. Visit her site here: 
