Winter’s not over yet and there are still cats living out of doors without shelter. You may be aware of some in your neighborhood, and you want to help, but how? Build or buy a cat shelter. You can purchase one for 
anywhere from $20 to $140. Some of them come with a heating element. Or you can add straw to help keep the cat warm. In case you know of a cat in your neighborhood that needs shelter, I’ve provided a link to cat shelters rated best of the best for outdoor cats. Check them out. If you know a cat 
that needs one and you can’t afford it, pass the hat. Surely there are others who care about the homeless cats in your neighborhood—cats that are only trying to survive.
https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/pets/best-outdoor-cat-houses
This site shows how to make a winter shelter for cats. 
Yes, you can make them from storage bins, Styrofoam coolers, or even random pieces of wood. Remember to use straw for extra warmth.
https://alleycatadvocates.org/creating-winter-shelters
If you don’t see something at these sites that you can manage, keep researching and be proactive. If the construction of the shelter is outside your realm of abilities, contact local high schools. What a great project for a woodshop class. Or involve a local Boy Scout or Girl Scout club. Bring together neighborhood dads and kids. This could be a worthwhile and gratifying project for children—learning to care for and about animals.
I’d love to hear your successes helping homeless cats survive the winter.
“Purring is lovely meowsic.”
It’s been quiet around here this past week or so as I work on the next Klepto Cat Mystery. I hope you’ve all enjoyed reading the latest one—It’s Meow or Never. In this story Olivia joins Rags on a wild horseback adventure, and Savannah and Parker team up to solve another sticky cat mystery.
Of course there are rumbles backstage that make this one of Olivia’s most action-packed stories. Be sure to order or download Olivia’s Perilous Curtain Call. I think you’ll like it.
Do you enjoy having neighborhood cats visit your yard? Do you greet random cats you meet while out walking or visiting in your neighborhood? Are there 
cats you particularly like to watch outside your windows? And what about those cats that sort of hang around while you garden or putter in your yard?
This is a first for me—a subscription litter box for your cats. Yes, you join the Kitty Poo Club (at a discount right now, I might add, and receive a leak-free, stink-free, disposable litter box and your choice of litter every 30 days. Oh, and shipping is free.
This is a game my great grandchildren play when they visit me. They look around and say, “Nana, you have a lot of cats.” One thing leads to another and soon they are counting them and marveling at the various types of things I display involving cats. Thimbles, posters, 
plates, pictures, mouse pad, aprons, calendars…I even have a screen cleaner in the shape of a cat, cat jewelry, cat paintings, cat vases, cat figurines, cat stickers, cat socks and slippers, cat phone case, greeting cards with cats, clothes in wildcat print, and cat ears, which I’ve been known to wear.
For many of us traveling or adventuring cats seem like a far-fetched concept meant for fiction only, but there actually are cats that travel and love it. They fly on planes, go hiking, kayaking, horseback riding and more, much like the cats in the stories I write.
and their cat. He wrote a book about their adventures with their beloved cat. Fascinating. The title is “A Year of Sundays,” by Edward D. Webster.
You’ve read at least some of the Calico Cat Mysteries and you’ve fallen in love with Olivia. You know that the fictional Olivia is based on the real Olivia, who lives right here with me. But I’m sure you wonder how closely I’ve patterned the fictional Olivia after the real Olivia. How similar are they? Let me count the ways:
not a great eater, but, like the fictional Olivia maintains a weight of 10 pounds. She actually does leap high against a wall occasionally. Maybe practicing to fly—who knows? She has her routines and she insists that we be a part of them–like everyone is to meet-up in the living room at 3 pm 
sharp. If you lag, she comes to get you.
Our Olivia does not wear a harness and doesn’t walk on a leash. She’s afraid of a lot of things, including a car ride. She won’t sleep in a cat bed. I’ve offered several. She wants to be on my bed or under it. She’s not a social cat. Born and adopted in 2020, she was not 
socialized outside of with us. We tried to introduce her to people through the window, but that didn’t go well. So obviously our Olivia is not friendly with others. Neither is she a traveler or an adventurer.
I’ve noticed it and, if you’ve been on this planet for any length of time, you probably have too. Our view and behavior with cats has changed. Let me count the ways.
People used to dump a litter of kittens or an unwanted cat someplace wild or unpopulated. Well, I’ve never done that, but I definitely know it was done (and it still is), but it was more accepted back in the day. Breaks my heart.
Even pet cats didn’t live long due to lack of the vaccines we have now, few vet visits, if any, traffic and predators. They weren’t safe even in our neighborhoods—or especially in our neighborhoods.
confronted by.
What was a cat’s lifespan in the 1950s and 60s? If they survived their outdoor lifestyle, they might live to the ripe old age of 15 years.
