As most of you know, Rags (the klepto cat) is often touted as a hero cat. He knows when to jump into action and protect his people or another animal. Even though the Klepto Cat Mysteries are fiction, you’ll find a lot of truth in the stories. Today, I’d like to talk about some of the real-life heroic cats I’ve known or read about.
My book Catscapades, True Cat Tales 
includes a story about our cat, PomPom, who went up against a huge Great Dane once when she thought her kittens were in danger. In that book, I also share the story of PomPom’s unusual protective behavior when one of her kittens became seriously injured. On that day, I had run out to the grocery store and one of my daughters found the kitten behind the recliner chair. I imagine she got caught in the mechanics of that darned chair. When I arrived home, my daughters (then about 8, 9, and 10) were outside with neighbors upset and afraid to go inside the house. It seems that when PomPom saw the child trying to help the kitten, she attacked and chased my daughter outside. She called on a neighbor to help and they tried to go in and retrieve the kitten, but PomPom ferociously kept them at bay. When I arrived, however, I went inside and PomPom led me to the injured, comatose kitten. And she sat by the kitten’s side, trusting me completely, as we kept her warm and comfortable for the next twenty-four hours. Miraculously, the kitten survived. Read the entire story in Catscapades—the book.
I found more incidents on the internet about cats protecting their loved ones. In one story, a small boy was being bullied by older kids when his cat, Smudge, charged out from under their car and jumped in the middle of the ring-leader’s chest. Needless to say, the taunting kids ran. Smudge was awarded the National Cat of the Year Award by the Cats Protection organization. Here’s the story. http://www.eonline.com/news/560762/heroic-pets-cat-protects-5-year-old-boy-from-bullies-dog-saves-deaf-owner-from-a-house-fire
I received a notice over the weekend that this Catscapades blot has been accepted as one of the top 100 cat blogs by Feedspot. Check it out here: 
Dressing cats isn’t quite as widespread as dressing dogs, but it is catching on for some. I saw a lot of cats dressed in gowns and wearing glasses and hats when attending the last annual Cat Writer’s Association Conference.
After every disaster, there are people who band together in order to rescue the cats and dogs who were left behind—some of the beloved pets whose family couldn’t get them out in time. I know one family who lost their home in a wildfire while they were traveling. Their dog was the only one at home. Thankfully, she was rescued. In fact, she was the only thing they had left after the devastating fire.
Are you a fan of black cats? Do you know one or have you observed one or more in your neighborhood? There’s actually something quite mysterious and interesting about an all black cat.
them in homes, I’ve had litters including black kittens and found them homes. There have been solid black cats in our family (I have an adorable grand-cat who is solid black—a Munchkin.) But, for some reason, black cats have been coming into my life, lately.
Have you ever had a relationship with a black cat? Was it particularly special? Can you describe what it is about a black cat that attracts you?
Cats photos and videos are highly prevalent on the Internet, as you know. And one of the things I enjoy most about bringing you this blog five days a week is sharing my cat photos.
pictures of a heart-shaped puddle, heart-shaped rocks, shells, cloud formations, leaves, and even a heart-shaped clump found in the litter box. Last week, I took this picture of my mother’s cat, Smokey for my daughter’s collection. See his heart-shaped rear end.
This day—August 28th—had been designated as National Holistic Pet Day. It’s designed to bring awareness to pet owners about alternatives to, as well as accompaniments to, traditional veterinary care. According to experts, holistic treatments consider the pet’s lifestyle, diet, and environment. This whole-body health approach can reduce a pet’s need for medications, some of which have potentially serious side-effects.
some of the more gentle suggestions from the holistic veterinarian, and we got Lily on the path to health. She’s still being treated for poor kidney function through diet, and we do a blood panel fairly regularly, to make sure we’re still on the right track with her. But you’d never know she’d been so ill or that she has a chronic health issue. She’s a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed eleven-year-old now. And I dare say that without the addition of the holistic approach all those years ago, we may have lost her or she’d be still struggling with her health.
I’ve almost always been a writer and I’ve almost always had a cat or two or more. Cats and writers go together, don’t you think so? And they can be such a big….help?
in my office. His favorite activity was to bat my pen into the trash basket—he rarely missed.
Are your cats helpful? Mine also enjoy needlework. I do beadwork sometimes—sew beads onto felt—and I generally try to do this when the cats are napping, otherwise… Well, I think you get the picture. Lily and Sophie also enjoy projects involving yarn.
Heart-melting, that’s what a kitten is. They’re so sweet, cute, funny. When you see one who’s lost or waiting for a home in a shelter, you just want to cuddle with it and take it home with you. How many kittens have you brought home this season? Those born in late June are ready to be adopted. There still might be some older kittens in your local shelters born in the spring and still waiting for a home. And, of course, you’ll probably find older cats who have been bypassed. If you have an empty spot in your home and in your heart, this is a good time to consider adopting a cat or a kitten.
than one cat—because they’re like potato chips, right? You can’t have just one. Most of us, in the past, have had as many as 8 or 10 cats at a time because it used to be less common to keep a cat inside. We weren’t able to spay or neuter a kitten until they were around six months old. Put those two elements together and you end up with kittens. So the number of cats in your household naturally increased dramatically if you had a female. I’ve allowed about three litters of kittens to be born in my watch–back in the sixties and seventies. And I fostered an additional three or four litters from cats I adopted who were with kittens or working friend’s cats with kittens.
How many of you have adopted adult cats or almost grown cats? I’ve taken in half-dozen or so adult cats—but I must admit—I’ve raised most of my cats over the years from kittens. I’ve fostered cats—certainly not to the extent that some of you do—and found homes for them. And once I even inherited four beautiful adult cats—all rescues belonging to a friend who died much too young. That story is in my book, Catscapades, True Cat Tales. 
In my Klepto Cat Mystery stories, the starring cat, Rags, sometimes gets carried, packed, carted, driven, flown, etc. to unusual places. He’s ridden into desolate wilderness on horseback. He’s gone on road trips in the car. He’s flown on commercial airlines. In an upcoming story, he’s going hiking. And he has needed various types of containers and carriers for his adventures.
harnesses and leashes for both cats and dogs. I’ve even seen people out for a neighborhood walk, carrying cats around on their shoulders and in slings, as well as in wagons and carriers and baskets on bicycles. But in the story I’m working on, Rags is going on a hike and I didn’t want him to have to walk four miles. That didn’t seem healthy even for Rags. So I thought about putting Rags into a backpack. Would that be comfortable for him to ride in? Perhaps he could ride on top of a backpack. With his harness on and his leash tied off, he might be secure. Then I did some research (there’s a lot of research involved in writing fiction). Turns out there are backpacksfor cats. Check it out here: 
So the next time you want to include your cat in an excursion or outing of any kind, you have no excuse for not taking him. Just make sure that he is comfortable, that he is secure and won’t dart away from you if startled, that you don’t make him walk on hot pavement, and that he is kept safe from predators and cat-nappers while traveling.
