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We’ve told you about the Huffington Post’s cat section. I hope you’ve visited. Most recently, there were stories about a sweet cat who comforted a dog who was frightened of fireworks, and tips for how to tell if your cat is aging gracefully, and what your dog really wants to tell you about your cat. There’s also a sweet story about a black cat who walked into a zoo in Folsom, CA and made friends with a black bear. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/cats
I’ve posted about the Pussington Post where you’ll find more stories about cats in the news. http://pussingtonpost.com
What I didn’t know is that the New York Times also has a section for us cat fans
http://www.nytimes.com/topic/subject/cats
Here’s another neat site—Cats Info offers cats in the news stories, cat quotes, cat quizzes, cat facts and even cat books. http://www.catsinfo.com
Okay, here it is—something you’ve been waiting for—permission to watch cat videos on your computer instead of working! Researchers from the University of Indiana have found that watching videos of cute cats actually helps improve your mood, increases your energy, and tends to enhance your productivity. Check out the report here:
internet) inspiring or distracting? Do they foster your productivity or sidetrack you?
One aspect of the Cat Writers Conference is a large awards banquet. Members enter their fiction and nonfiction books, articles, art, and blog posts and some of them win big! Here are a few of the publications our members write for:
Cat, Alley Cat Rescue, Alley Cat News and The Pet Connection.
But one of the most well-dressed pets was Coco, the Couture Cat. Evidently, this cat, along with her driver, attends fundraising pet fashion events, pet blogging conferences, and cat shows as a pet-me cat in her pink CATillac. According to her personal assistant, Teri, Coco brought about 20 outfits for the weekend event in Chandler, AZ, plus tiaras, hats, necklaces, bejeweled leashes and glasses.
While I was at the Cat Writers/Blog Paws Conference a little over a week ago, I saw a lot of commercial exhibits, including new-to-me products. Probably the most surprising and unusual was Muffin’s Halo—a Guide for Blind Dogs. You put this on your blind dog and it protects him/her from bumping into walls and other hard surfaces. What an amazing invention. I met two poodles who were wearing the Muffin’s Halo—one was blind and the other deaf. 
I just returned from a 10-day vacation. You didn’t even miss me, did you? That’s because I wrote my blog posts ahead of time and scheduled them to post each day while I was gone. One phase of my trip took me to Chandler, Arizona, to the Wild Horse Pass Resort for the annual Cat Writers/Blog Paws Conference. What a trip! The place was filled with lovely people—most of whom are writers/bloggers or artists focusing on cats and dogs. And the most charming aspect of the event was the fact that you could bring your pet to the conference. I’ve attended numbers of conferences over the years and I’ve never seen so many conference attendees smiling.
rat in a stroller, on a leash, or in someone’s arms in the hallways, the workshops, and even the dining room? This week, I’d like to share pictures from this event along with some of the occurrences, interesting sponsored products, and information I garnered over this incredible weekend.
Those of us with cats know how independent they can be, while also very much needing the human influence, whether they know it or not. While some cats crave attention, others appear aloof. But in today’s world, cats are hard-pressed to care for themselves in all ways. They need us to give them shelter, sustenance, and affection (or at least attention). Sometimes we must intervene when they’re ill or injured. And the cats living in our homes can use some assistance when it comes to protecting them from the sounds occurring this weekend.
I’m returning home today from a road trip and the Cat Writers Association Conference. (I’ll tell you all about it next week). As usual, I’m bringing Lily a gift. Lily has a basketful of small stuffed toys. Some, she stole out of the grandchildren’s toy box, some were mine, but most of them I brought to her when traveling or on an outing—a stuffed eagle from an event at the local raptor center, a baby grizzly bear from Alaska, a little lion from large-cat sanctuary I visited, for instance. And when I attend the annual Cat Writer’s Association Conference, the sponsors donate a variety of cat toys and other products for speakers and attendees. So the cats will be happy to see me return with a new stash for them. It’s cute—the cats will sort of line up and watch the show when I start revealing all that I brought them.
Some cats have a little or a lot of separation anxiety. There are things you can do to help calm and/or appease them (while lessening your own guilt for leaving them). Those sad eyes get me every time when Lily knows I’m going to travel someplace. She gets in my suitcase and gives me the sad eye-treatment. Some cats act out—cause some sort of problem when her human is gone.
