As is always the case, the print version of Book 53—Rags Gets the Upper Paw—is available for purchase ahead of the Kindle version. That’s just the way we roll. Here’s the description: Fur and feathers fly in this frolicking spree against evil. Rags teams up with a parrot named Clayton in an attempt to stop a crime against a vulnerable group. The pair is also responsible for digging up a fortune, and teaching two teens a lesson they won’t soon forget. In this story, Rags saves a dog and a colony of cats from certain death. He rescues Savannah’s friend, Shelly twice, and he gives a stranger a gift of a lifetime.
Yes, there’s a whole lot going on in this story to keep you on the edge of your seat. Order your print copy today at Amazon.com. The Kindle version coming soon—probably by September 13. Watch for my announcement. (I apologize for using the unfinished draft of the cover. I wasn’t able to load the final into this program, but this gives you an idea of the cover design.)
We’d all like to know more about our cats—what they’re thinking, why they do the things they do, what their lives were like before we met them, what they’re afraid of and why. Animal communicator, Ann Marie Hoff, can help you to tune into your cat (dog, horse, hamster…) and establish a better relationship with him/her through a better understanding of what really goes on in the animal’s head.
a book that she says will cause you to believe in magic again. The title is: “Animal Lover, One Woman’s Fascinating Journey to Uncover Spiritual Purpose of Pets.” The book is 7 years old—published in 2014, but it appears to be one of those evergreen books. I’ve put it on my Christmas list 
because the concept fascinates me.
accomplish for you with regard to your pet? You might learn why your cat refuses to use the litter box (that’s huge), she can help you to find a lost pet or learn how your deceased pet is doing on the other side of the rainbow bridge. A session with Ann Marie may help you to prepare your pet for a major change (moving, being left at home with a sitter while you travel, etc.). You might also learn if your pet likes their name. If not, what would they rather be called? If you’d like to know more about Ann Marie and the work that she does, here’s a link:
After years and years of having cats and getting them vaccinated without incident, some of my most recent cats have had reaction to the vaccines. I wonder why? Are they changing the vaccine ingredients, are our cats more sensitive?
kidney disease for most of her life. I wonder if that’s the reason she would get so sick—high fever, extreme lethargy, seriously sore to the touch. It was awful.
was the leukemia vaccine. The vet would give him another shot of something to keep him from getting sick after that vaccine. Winfield ended up dying of injection site sarcoma—a cancer that can develop in the area of the vaccine site. I notice now that veterinarians give vaccines in different spots on the cats’ body to help prevent this sort of cancer—one time in the right shoulder area, next time the left shoulder, maybe in the hips…
As usual, I have two books in the works. It used to be two Klepto Cat Mysteries—while one was with the beta readers and editor, I’d start the next one. Now I’m publishing two series and I write them in tandem.
story so far. I predict that book could be ready for readers sometime in October. By then, of course, I’ll be creating Book 54 in the Klepto Cat Mysteries. Yeah, that’s how I work.
Today is the first day of Happy Cat Month. This “holiday” was established primarily to help spread awareness and education about the health, welfare, and importance of companion cats.
exactly how to keep your cat happy and you provide those things on a regular basis.
veterinarian because they’ve eaten something that made them sick or become entangled in blind cords or become injured in another manner. We don’t want to have to put up posters all over the neighborhood announcing a missing cat. I think there are six such posters in our
vicinity right now. Make sure your indoor cat is safely indoors. Replace loose or broken window screens. When you entertain keep a cat who might dart out closed in an off-limits room. You know the drill.
As you know I spend my days writing stories involving interesting cats in all sorts of situations—funny, hilarious, crazy, frightening, harrowing, suspenseful, unusual—we’ve got ‘em all. Last week, as I was writing a scene where Rags was reunited with a young girl he hasn’t seen in a while, the question came up—yes, there are always questions as I write—would he recognize her? How do cats recognize people?
through sight. Although cats have excellent vision when it comes to the tiniest bug on a wildly colorful, floral print fabric or dark-colored carpet. You know that. You’ve 
seen your cat watching something flying around in the room and you can’t catch even a glimpse of it. But do they really see the critter or is part of their knowingness in the hearing of it?
We missed Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day—the day dedicated to remembering our pets that have gone over the Rainbow Bridge. Remembrance Day was Saturday—August 28 this year, but if you’re like most adoring pet owners, a day doesn’t go by that you don’t think about a special cat or dog you’ve lost. Lily, who died of kidney disease way too young, left us last year—amidst what we thought was the worst of the
pandemic. I think about her often and those memories make me smile, miss her, want to honor her, tear up a little, or laugh out loud remembering some of her sweet antics.
I also often think about our Himalayan, Katy; the silver-shaded Persian I had years ago, Crystal; our wonderful odd-eye white cat, Winfield; the kitten we found in our woodpile that year on my birthday, and who was with us for 17 years, Max;
and so many others that I loved and lost. Is that the point of Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day? Yes, it is to remember those pets and to honor the lives that they lived. How?
Cats bring much into our life. They’re givers. Well, let’s backtrack here—yeah, most cats are a bit needy and they demand things their way, but you can’t deny the joy they bring you, right? Did you know that some cats can also poop a good cup of coffee?
from coffee beans pooped from cats. The civet is a wild cat in Indonesia. They eat the coffee berries that grow in the area and the beans are harvested from the cats’ excrement, after 
being cleaned and roasted, of course.
OMG, what else can go haywire in this century? Now there’s a cat food shortage. Have you noticed it? Are you having trouble getting your cats’ favorite food? We are. We can’t get enough of it at the grocery store or our local pet store, so we’ve ordered it online. They say, “It’ll be delivered August 4,” then there’s a delay, “new delivery date, August 12,” then, “sorry, we can’t deliver
until August 19.” It’s still not here and we’ve given up expecting it. And have you checked online prices for cat food? Through the roof!
Those of us who follow social media sites are often treated to photos of cats with beautiful, unusual, striking, and even embarrassing markings. Guess what, I found a site featuring 10 such cats. Have you ever seen a cat with heart markings? Those are among my favorites. Here, you’ll also see quite a unique cat with a monkey on its back. Yes, it looks like the monkey is hugging the cat. There are cats with 
eyebrows and mustaches, a cat wearing a top hat, and a white cat with what appears to be a black cat sitting pretty on his back. 
