Today is National Hug Your Cat Day. Now that’s an easy and pleasant honor to bestow on our cats, isn’t it? But not all cats enjoy a wrap-around, confining hug. Some don’t even like to be picked up or held. Such a shame, especially when the cat has fur that begs to be mussed. But even those cats who are a bit leery of being squished in a hug, will generally welcome a ruffling, a good massage, or a long luxurious petting.
I read the other day that we shouldn’t be kissing our cats 
during this time of high danger from the virus. Now that’s something I’d protest if it became a law. However, I do sanction keeping your cat to yourself. Don’t allow random people to pet and cuddle your cat. Someone who’s infected could spread the virus without knowing it onto your cat’s fur during a snuggle session with her. Something to think about. And when it comes to other people’s cats, be respectful in this time of the corona virus dangers.
We have a pair of feline siblings who roam the neighborhood and have since they were kittens. I love having those two visit our yard, but I avoid petting them anymore just in case the virus can be spread by any suspicious droplets on their fur.
So whether your cat is a love-bug or aloof, today is a good day to enjoy at least a moment of nuzzling, petting, scratching, or buzzing…whatever you and your cat enjoy together. But if you’re like most humans-with-cat, this is something you and your cat engage in on a daily basis.
Nonetheless, Happy Hug Your Cat Day to you and your cat(s).
you know that?
What is your most unusual cat name and why did you choose it? Mine was probably Dinah. The long-haired tortie came to us as a teen and she had the same name as one of my resident cats, Katy. She needed a new name, but we couldn’t come up with one. So I decided to let her name herself. I’d throw names at her, but none of them would stick (so to speak). One day when she showed up in the kitchen with me, I broke out in song, “Someone’s in the kitchen with Dinah.” And Dinah became her name.
Does your cat have a special animal friend? Sure cats can learn to live with other cats, dogs, and any number of animals. We see YouTube and FaceBook videos of cats paired with ducks, pigs, horses, chickens, even owls and chimpanzees. But what is the best friend for a cat?
than someone could pick our friends. You’ve probably seen it happen—someone sets you up on a blind date, knowing you would adore this person and you don’t. Or a friend says they just met someone who has the same interests as you do and acts like you do and they can’t wait to introduce you. Then they’re surprised and shocked when the two of you have virtually nothing to say to one another.
Most cats, I believe, find their own best friend. The opportunity is greater for the cat when he lives on a farm or ranch where he’ll likely meet up with calves, geese, rabbits, and goats. Who knows which animal he’ll invite into the house—perhaps an abandoned baby opossum or even a tortoise. The bigger question is, does the cat 
need a best friend?
take long for him to realize that he probably needed me and he finally succumbed to my overtures. It’s really cool when a cat chooses you as his best friend.
they do. Even though Lily and Sophie were not cuddle-buddies, they often related to one another throughout the day. They played, they sparred, they joined together in enticing us to feed them earlier than usual and when they wanted treats. 
And now that Lily is gone, Sophie calls for her, looks for her at meal time, and is a lot more affectionate with us. At some level Sophie misses Lily. At times it’s as if she’s begging me to bring her home, maybe not because she liked her very much, but because cats do appreciate order and routine and sameness. And when anyone is suddenly absent for any length of time or another animal is introduced into the household, a cat’s sameness is interrupted. They will notice and they will react.
We’ve all done it at some point. We bring a kitten into our home where there are older cats. And we do it for any number of reasons. Sometimes the kitten comes into our life unexpectedly, or we lose a cat and decide to fill the space in our home and our heart with a kitten, or one of our cats is aging and we get a kitten to liven up the place. I’ve probably used all of those excuses to adopt a kitten.
with their special personality, they also seem to learn from the senior resident cats things as complex and important as boundaries and behavior. If they get the okay from the resident cat to crawl on him while he’s sleeping and to play with his tail, he’ll probably become the older cat’s cuddle-mate. If the big cat knocks him off his paws a few times when he tries to get near, a close relationship probably won’t develop.
In our household, Lily came to us as friendly as any sweet kitten. When we’d have company, she’d greet them. She especially loved children. However, she quickly learned from Max that the doorbell or a knock on the door was a terrifying thing and she soon took his lead and began running to hide when someone came to visit.
I’ve been invited to write about Lily. Well, I’ve done that a lot. In fact, some of you may not know that Lily was part of my inspiration for the Klepto Cat Mystery theme. While I patterned Rags after Smokey, my mother’s cat, because of his size, level of confidence, personality and all, my tabby, Lily, is the true klepto. She’s the one who would drag socks and toys around. She’d bring them to me and drop them at my feet, or simply scatter them around the house. Sometimes she’d drop a toy in her water bowl or fountain or into one of my shoes. For the 11 years we were privileged to love that sweet cat, she delighted us with her “klepto” antics.
Book 43, “Whiskerful Thinking” is selling quite well. People are loving it, as I’d hoped. For those of you who haven’t read it yet, this is the story:
When is it too many cats? I guess everyone has their limit, but some cities seem unable to say no to stray cats. There’s a small town in Turkey, for example, that has been virtually vacated of humans and is now run by homeless cats. Samsun Metropolitan Municipality is considered a Kitty Paradise. It was established by a local veterinarian who wanted to create a safe place for the local homeless and stray cats. Currently 50 cats live in lovely handmade single-cat homes as well as cat apartment buildings, and they’re cared for by many willing volunteers. This 
would be interesting for us cat lovers to see. Here’s a site with some great photos.
There are cat colonies throughout the world, but none would be as fascinating as the one housed in the famous ruins Largo de Torre Argentina. This colony, it seems, was created by the cats themselves—they simply moved in. For years, the cats were fed by self-proclaimed “cat ladies” on, they say, an irregular basis. Now a more organized band of volunteers care for the cats.
follows that we also have the largest stray/homeless population. There are cat colonies in every state and many communities. None are probably as prominent as the one that has taken over the entire town of Taylorsville, KY. They claim around 400 cats living there among the 1800 human residents. Here’s that story:
Our local humane society has put out a call for foster families for cats. I did some research and discovered that this is happening all over the US. Some people, who are staying home during the pandemic, are also enjoying the companionship of the cats and dogs that need care right now. Thankfully, some of those pets are adopted by their foster parents, but many of these valiant people already care for many cats and dogs in their household. Their fostering efforts, however, 
help socialize the cats and kittens so they are more likely to find a forever home.
Many shelters are being overwhelmed by unwanted or homeless pets and are soliciting foster families to help. But it takes a special kind of person to do this work. I wonder if these people have a love valve they can turn on and off. They are able to give a cat or dog or a litter their complete attention and unconditional love for the duration of their stay and then they can release the animals back to adoptive families or the shelter without looking back, only to take in the next pet or litter that needs their affection and care. How do they do it? I become attached to some cats and kittens I see on facebook.
She left us not because she wanted to, but because she had to. At least that’s my interpretation. The connection between Lily and me was something I’d never experienced before. Oh, I’ve had very special cats and incredible relationships with cats, but with Lily, it’s as if she chose us and me in particular. She wanted to be a part of everything I did (except, perhaps, vacuuming the carpets). As a kitten she was always underfoot whether I was busy doing something or just sitting at my desk or on the sofa. Not often in my lap, but at my feet like a puppy, or next to me on the sofa or my desk.
the bed (oh, the excitement when the clean sheets came out). She watched me cook and was always eager to clean up any morsel of chicken or cheese or just about anything else I happened to drop. Sewing was particularly interesting to Lily, especially if I was cutting out a pattern. She liked needlework, beadwork, wrapping gifts, unwrapping gifts…whatever I was doing, she was there helping me, especially in my office.
Lily was my office cat. She rearranged papers, held down the very papers I was trying to work with—keeping them warm (or from getting my attention). And if I went outside, she watched from the windows. I swear she knew what it meant when we got the suitcases out. She had these beautiful big, expressive eyes and she knew how to use them. It would tear at my heart to leave her. But our reunions—even after a brief trip to the grocery store—were delightful.
startled her as much as it did me the first time it happened. That was just one of many fascinating and fun days of discovery we shared.
While I miss her terribly, I feel fortunate to have had such a deep and touching connection with this sweet being for eleven years. Because of her lifelong kidney disease diagnosis, I feared that we wouldn’t get that much time together. But we did and it was not nearly enough, but my memories of her are priceless.
Cats have a lot to teach us about sheltering in place. They’ve been doing it all their lives. What kitten doesn’t love to dive under a sheet of newspaper, a blanket or even your skirt when you least expect it? Lily learned from big brother, Max, that you’re safer under the blankets on Mommy’s bed when there’s thunder or a big truck rolling down the street or noisy work being done in the house.
frightened, when it’s time for a dose of medicine or nail clipping, or they simply want some quiet space. And some crawl into boxes large and small just for fun. This sometimes gets a cat into trouble when the box is ultimately sealed and shipped off someplace. It happens.
Cats are expert at finding great hiding places. Where a dog might hide his head in a pillow or behind a door, leaving his body in 
view, a cat will crawl into a tissue box or behind a TV or into a pocket or drawer and disappear completely. Yes, cats know how to shelter in place—anyplace that suits them.
I’ve spent many many minutes looking for a missing cat at night only to eventually find her on a windowsill behind the drapes or blinds. I had a kitten disappear into a lazy Susan shelf once. I finally found her sleeping on the shelf when I rolled it open to look for a can of peas. Another time I found the cat I was looking for up inside the under-lining of a mattress. Unbeknownst to me, he had made a small tear in the lining, then crawled up inside there so he couldn’t be seen. Good one, Max.
