Here Kitty, Kitty

by Cricket and Grayson

Cricket: Here kitty, kitty? That's a pretty brave thing to say cause really, in the cat world you never know what kind of response you'll get. Claws out or claws in or a smug dismissal....if the cat in question bothers to come out from their "secret place." Bawahahahaha...meow.

Our Mom Joanie left us alone with the computer and we saw her note about writing a blog. My little brother Grayson and I thought we'd help her out and do it for her, and in the process enlighten the world about what cool friends felines are.

I'm a beautiful gray tabby who loves to groom and talk to my Mom. I do it with chirps and trills and mews, rarely meows cause she understands me so well. We cats have over 100 different vocal sounds as opposed to canines who have 10....and most of them sound like "bark, bark" Grayson, on the other hand, chats a LOT.....and makes weird chuffing noises when he sees birds. The birds aren't impressed and give him snarky smiles on the other side of the window.



Grayson: (grumbles) They'd be impressed if they knew that noise was the same jaw motion I'd use if Mom would let me out.

Cricket: Yeah, yeah. I'm pretty laid back though I enjoy the curved perch best and discovering hiding places. Mom only recently figured out I have found a secret entrance to her box springs, tee hee. And wow, you should have seen her the day she found my under the cabinet lair. Thought her head would explode. She's a pretty good Mom so I came on out not realizing she'd seal off the cat cave entrance

Grayson: I don't know why you like to hide so much, when there is SO much to explore!!! Hi, Grayson here and yes, you got it. I'm PURE gray with bewitching green eyes...any of you lady cats out there interested? It would have to be a...ahem...platonic relationship cause...well...you know. (cringes)

Anyway, I'm the opposite of my sister. I leap and prowl and jump and stalk and spin and give Mom a run for her money. Ya should have seen her face the day she found me on top of the fridge, lol. And Christmas this year? She says she's gonna put ORNAMENTS on the tree this year. Hee hee, make my day Mom. Ya see, I'm pretty proud of all this cause I was the runt of the litter and they said I was slow to learn. Ha!

At night, I love nothing more than to snuggle on Mom especially on her chest. She gives great chin rubs and holds my paws and if she forgets, I reach one paw out to touch her arm. A gentle reminder that she is there for me. Occasionally, she thinks she can eat her snacks in her chair alone. Pfffft....yesterday I thwarted her, climbing up on her left side, wriggling in under her arm and FREEZING. She never knew I was there.

Cricket: (rolls eyes) I get my special time with her at the computer. I cuddle her while she types and yes, will take partial credit for her romance mss. It's no mistake that her newest story has a supernatural cat in it

As fantastic as we are, we also want to educate the general public with some trivia and vital information. Here is some of the info Mom found. And yes, the vital information does include tuna:

Did you know.....

* Cats have better memories than dogs? They remember "things" for up to 16 hours while a dog does for 5 min.

*Cats make over 100 vocal sounds and usually reserve ANY meows for their human subjects. They rarely do more than hiss at each other. Along those same lines, a cat's purr has the same number of revolutions as an idling diesel engine

*95% of cat owners talk to their cats. Well, sure..to say hello, here's some food, ugh is that a hairball? And the occasional "Are you my boy? Yes you are, (croons) there's my little girl, there's my Cricket"

Ahem.

*When cats run or walk they lead with both left legs then both right legs together. The only other animals to do this are the giraffe and the camel. (Grayson snickers)

*Some cats have a sixth and sometimes seventh toe on their paws. Ernest Hemingway had a clowder (a groups of cats) of polydactyl cats at his Key West home. (Cricket checks her paws frantically)

*Oldest cat ever recorded: "Puss" at age 36 in Devon, England. Heaviest cat: "Himmy" in Queensland, Aus at 46 lbs. And Dusty, the queen cat (what a breeding female is called) in Bonham, TX who, over the course of her life, gave birth to 420 kittens! Bet the catnip bill for THAT family reunion was enourmous!

*One serving of cat food, dry or wet, is equal to the protein of 5 mice. Um, Grayson..here...take this mint stick..please!

*While Abe Lincoln adored cats and had many in the White House, famous aelurophobics (fear of cats) included Julius Ceasar, Henry II and Napoleon. Do you think Waterloo could have been avoided if a brigade of cats had just been sent in first?

*Last, but not least owning cats (ok...ok...any pet) makes humans live longer, have less stress and decreased risk for heart attack. All well and good if you don't trip over the kitties standing in the doorway to welcome you home every night, worry they are sick if their whiskers droop and don't clutch your chest when you think they've gotten out and are in mortal danger of grass! Then yeah, I'll buy it.

Grayson: Oops, Mom's back. Guess we'll let her have the last word.

Actually, I wouldn't trade these two for all the scratching posts in the world. Yes, I've turned into one of those ladies who loves her kitties. They are loving, mischievious, they make me laugh, they cuddle with me and they are mine.

Cricket: We wouldn't trade you for all the treats in the world, either Mom!

Grayson: Not even Alaskan Salmon bites?

Cricket: (glares)

Grayson: Sis is right. She's the best Mom we've ever owned.

As the Lair is developing quite a clowder with my two, Anna S. Jersey and CC, Christie's Nicky and Maks and Donna's new little girl Suki, we thought we'd open it up to all strays. Tell me about your cats (pets). What makes them different, special? What type are they? What is the funniest thing your cat has ever done? LATE BREAKING NEWS: As this blog went to press, the prettiest, sweetest, 3 mo. old KITTEN showed up on our back deck. Poll: Will I part with it at the shelter or not?

The Little Gray Cat

by Cassondra Murray

Early in the summer of 2008, a lonely gray cat, skinny, in trouble, and so small she looked about six months old, wandered into a subdivision and arrived at the back door of a girl named Amy. Amy is a friend of ours, and works with my husband, Steve.

Maybe it was luck, coincidence, or an angel guiding Little Gray Cat, but let's just say that if you were a cat in trouble, Amy's door would have been the one you'd want to find. Because as luck, or the Divine, would have it, Amy had a soft spot for cats.

Amy cleared out an entire spare bedroom for the forlorn little cat, laid out old blankets, moved in a cat tree, litter box, and a scratching post. After a trip to the vet, Little Gray Cat took up residence, and in August, 2008, five little ones arrived. And no group of kittens had ever come into the world to more love.

They had everything they needed, and Little Gray Cat settled in to motherhood without a hitch.

A few months before that, we'd lost our beloved Max at age 17. He'd been lost in a field when his mom and siblings were taken by owls, and come to us when he was three weeks and weighed 3/4 lbs. Max was our companion for all those years, and we were devastated when we lost him. This is Max, engaging in his favorite spectator sport.




Our younger cat, Amon (pronounced Aaaahh-muhnn) was bereft. She sat around, staring out the windows, and although she made an effort to pick up and move on, no doubt she was lonely all day in the house when we were out at work. No more night stampedes through the house. Nobody to lie in wait for from the top of the armoire. It was time to find her some company. I'd always wanted a black cat, but we always seemed to end up with grays.

That's Max. on the right, with Amon, on the left. Amon came home with us after we coaxed her and her sister out from under a car in the parking lot of a Captain D's. She weighed a whopping one pound at the time. One of the employees took the sister, and Amon has been with us since.



As fate would have it, of the five new arrivals at Amy's house, three were gray, and two were black.

We went for a visit. We got to know the kittens in their first five weeks. And eventually we settled on a little black furball with big green eyes and a white snip under his chin. We brought him home and named him Umbra.





Umbra was the first kitten we'd ever brought home who had not been abandoned, and was not in trouble. He'd never known anything but love, and perhaps as a result, he loves everyone who comes to our home. Umbra knows no stranger. He's truly a laid-back cat. At sixteen pounds, he's now a hoss of solid, purring muscle.

Here's Umbra in the new kitchen sink during a construction phase just before Christmas.



Flash foward to the summer of 2010, and Amy found herself, as Little Gray Cat had once been, in the family way. Things were a little different for Amy, though. She had a fellow who loved her, and would love their baby. Amy already had her own house, so everything was set. There was just one problem.

Amy's husband wasn't fond of cats, and as time passed, turned out to be allergic to them. With a baby on the way, there was nothing to do but find a new home for Little Gray Cat.

We'd always told Amy that if Little Gray Cat couldn't stay with her, we'd bring her to our house, but Amy didn't want us to feel pressured, and we already had two cats. So we got the email three weeks ago. With the baby due in 8 days, and her husband sick from the dander, Amy was feeling the pressure. She'd taken Little Gray Cat, Umbra's mom, to the shelter.

We needed another cat like we needed a hole in the head. But sometimes that just doesn't matter.

It was 11:00 in the morning on a Saturday when we opened that email.

By the time we found Little Gray Cat on the shelter website and figured out what we had to do, it was ten minutes before noon. We needed a reference, and our vet closes at noon on Saturdays. We called anyway.

Joy, the sweetheart who works the front desk on weekends (and who loves cats, and has a few more than she needs as well) stopped everything to phone the shelter with a reference for us. We called a friend who volunteers there, hoping these efforts might help us jump more easily through the Nazi-like hoops of the shelter's watchdogs and allow us to spring Little Gray Cat from the slammer. Our friends rallied around the effort, and we drove too fast on the way there.

I have to tell you, I admire people who volunteer at the shelter. I can't do it. I cry from the time I walk in the door until I drive away. I cried a bunch, as usual, and apologized to the people at the shelter for doing so. Nothing makes me lose it like too many faces looking back at me through the bars. We sponsored another cat because we couldn't bring all of them with us.

And we brought Little Gray Cat home.

Her name is Holly (Amy had named her that when she first arrived), and it's clear that Umbra got his huge, pale-green eyes and laid-back ways from his mother.

She's obviously no longer a scrawny little cat, and is being put through laser-pointer chase drills for weight loss.



After some hissing, spitting and a bit of flying fur, the cat chain of command has been established and there seems to be a truce in the house, and Holly is taking her share of shifts on mouse watch.

She's fitting right in.



What about you, Bandits and Buddies?

Have you ever taken in a stray animal?

Have you adopted from a shelter? If so, how do you leave there without bringing them all with you?

Have you ever had too many already, but brought in one more?

How many do you have? If you don't have them now, did you have animals in your home when you were a kid?

Tell me how your furry friends came to be with you.

Eating My Words

So, I'm reviewing my blog from last month. The one where I was basically talking myself out of adopting a pet.

Pretty sound arguments I decided as my new kitten nibbled on my toes.

Yup, I went from 0-60 in 30 days.

I have a new pet.

Here she is, the little darling. Her birth name was Chaos. While somewhat accurate, I thought it too negative a connotation. So, I changed it to Cricket. Still appropriate as she bounces from couch, to wall, to perch, to recliner, to floor and back again. Whew, I get exercise just watching her!

Now remember, I hadn't had any type of pet (fish don't count...not really. You can't pet a fish) since I was a child. I didn't really realize how I'd have to kitten proof the house. The first time out of her carrier? She headed straight to a kitten size opening I didn't remember I had under my cabinet. Got her tail in the nick of time.

She loves to snuggle and perch on my knee. She's starting to pay attention to the birds outside and is onto my kitten evasive manuevers.

Some things I've learned in 2 weeks:

1. Cats don't care that you want to eat alone.....they want to help.

2. She'll require a manicure more often then me while I.....will need more Bandaids and Neosporin.

3. You THINK she's in the carrier while you vaccum???? Ha!

4. That's not a horse you hear galloping around your house....it's a manaical cat. I should have called her "My Little Pony."

5. She knows the mousie on a stick is not real...but plays with it to amuse you.


But she snuggles and is good at night. Is using her "big girl" litter box and greets me at the door.

We've often taken polls here in the Lair. What about you? Cats or Dogs? Or "other". What's your favorite type of pet? And names. What is your pet's name and why?

A Pet by Any Other Name

It was a long winter.

Like so many others, I had to deal with horrible weather, work layoffs, family and friends surgery and life changing events. Throw the holidays in there and gaining those 8 pounds I’d managed to lose and you have a recipe for stress.

Sometimes the effects of that stress sneak up on you and you find yourself working through the after effects. Lots of ways to do that….exercise, chocolate, meditation, chocolate, essential oils and massages….

Chocolate.

It set me to thinking about a lot of ways to deal with this level of stress and then I looked out the window. My neighbors had a new puppy.

Hmmm. A puppy. Well, the experts say a pet can help relieve stress. I like petting my brother’s cat Citrus. I enjoy my friends dogs Buckarudi, Pooka and Brody.

There would be challenges. Among them that I’ve never had a dog. I don’t have a fence. I do NOT enjoy getting up early in the morning to let said dog out. Howling makes me anxious and barking makes me jump. And if I ever found a flea or tick I’d faint.

Ok, so a cat. Well…that presents challenges too. No good out of the way place for a litter box. Cat hair clashes with my new recliner and I know…just KNOW that while I worked 12 hours Fluffy would be on my kitchen counter making tuna sandwiches. Don’t get me started on hairballs.

Fish? Been there, done that, slopped the water on the carpet.

Hamster? Squeaky wheel.

What to do, what to do?

So I talked over my thoughts with Buck’s Mom. I could hear her laughing. “A stuffed animal or a pet rock. Those are the ones that would work for you.”

“No,” I protested. “I could adjust.”

She snickered.

“I could make pets of all the birds I like listening to in the morning,” I protested.

“Really?” she said.

“Yeah,” (scuffs toe in carpet) “I just have to come up with 25 robin names.”

Sigh.

So I guess I have to take her suggestion. Pet rock it is. And I have experience! I had one in high school. This picture shows a pedigree pet rock. Mine was a stray :-)

Tell me about your pets. Any suggestions for me? Have you ever had a pet rock? What was its name?

Goin' To the Pets

By Donna MacMeans

As many of you know, I lost one of my best friends earlier this month. This is Oreo, who was my constant companion for sixteen and a half years. She was a pound puppy, a mix someone had left at a shelter, and we loved her dearly. She loved us right back.

We originally brought her into our home in the hope that caring for a pet would teach our children responsibility. You can guess how that went (VBG). Oreo knew when I wasn't feeling well, and would attempt to comfort me by squeezing her hot furry body alongside mine. She followed me around the house and laid by my feet for company. If she felt she wasn't getting enough attention, she'd nose my elbow up so she could cram her head underneath for a pet. Her constantly wagging tail was her most dangerous feature.

All this is to say why I'm so proud to be included in a new anthology of short stories, all love stories which also express an appreciation of the animals we love and who, unfailingly, love us right back. All author proceeds from this project have been donated to the Animal Adoption Foundation (AAF), a no-kill animal shelter in Hamilton, Ohio - a very worthy cause. TAILS OF LOVE is slated for release in just a little more than a week on June 2nd.

If you could, I'd like you to tell us a story about a pet you've loved. My contribution to the anthology, a story named "Lord Hairy," involves Hannah, one of the school girls from THE EDUCATION OF MRS BRIMLEY. Accordingly, I'll choose one of the pet stories from the comments to win a copy of Mrs. B.

In honor of the book's release, Bandita friend Michelle Buonfiglio is running a contest from May 12 through May 26th in which she invites readers to post a picture of their pet (limit 2). Random photos will be chosen to win prizes. Winners will be chosen on May 27th (Thursday) so you haven't much time. Put those adorable photos to good use at:

http://romancebytheblog.blogspot.com/2005/05/tails-of-love-pet-photo-mascot.html

But first - don't forget to tell us your story.

Doggone It!

By Jeanne Adams

Are you a Dog Person or a Cat Person?

If you've ever owned a dog - or been owned by one - even if you don't have one now, you know you're ONE OF THEM.

The Dog People.

The people who carry a spare leash in the car in case they come across the neighbor's dog, loose and running toward the street. You're the one who's been known to have three or four manky, disgusting tennis balls rolling around in your van or car, as well as having spare "dog towels" in the trunk. You're the one who bought special protective covers for your car seats, or even better, a ramp so your older dog could still go for rides with you. Your car windows have that special doggy imprint...you may even have one of those bumper stickers that says I HEART My Bouvier de Flanders. (Yes, that is a dog) Or one that says, My Mutt Can Beat Up Your Purebred.

You laughed uproariously at the Pedigree Super Bowl Commercial featuring the odd pets-that-were-not-dogs.

You laugh at Frazier's dog, Eddie.

You buy your dog presents for the holidays.

Yep. Dog Person. (You Cat People are a whoooollllleeee different kettle of fish, so to speak. I'm gonna talk about your proclivities on the 19th....)

Dogs are wonderful creatures, really. Loyal. Protective. Funny. Sympathetic. Pick an adjective.

Introduce two true Dog People and they'll be happy for hours telling dog stories. It's even worse if they share a breed-specific scenario - i.e. put two Yorkie owners together and the "ooh, my Chester just..." stories go on, and on, and on. Dogs are great conversation starters. A single-guy friend of mine calls his dog, Hefty, a chick-magnet.
(While this picture isn't Hefty, it looks like him. So, you can see, Hefty is just that, and has been from puppyhood.)
Hefty turns heads wherever he goes, that's for sure.

As a reader, I love it when there's a dog in the book. I so enjoyed hearing about Pirate, the talking Jack Russell in Angie Fox's Accidental Demon Slayer. I also loved hearing about the motorcycle clubs for dogs and their owners.

Our own Donna MacMeans is featured in an anthology called Tails of Love (June , 2009), with her story Lord Hairy. (The proceeds go to a no-kill animal shelter)

In Nora Robert's Dancing on Air, the hero's dog Lucy, the black lab, stole my heart, as did Moe, the mutt in Robert's Key trilogy.

As I've gotten email about my first book, Dark and Dangerous, one of the most-mentioned characters is Shadow, the German Shepherd.

I love talking about my own dogs. (No, you wouldn't have guessed, right?) I LOL about Facebook now having a Dogbook section so your dog can Friend other people's dogs. Isn't it amazing how much time we devote to playing, walking, grooming, checking, washing, vetting and finding a place for Rover to stay when we go to the beach? (The horrible rental people at the beach don't allow dogs, you know. Terrible thing. Sigh.) Even then, we call home to be sure they're okay. For instance, my friend called me from Greece, just to check on her Golden Retriever.

From Greece. Seriously.

Some people go so far as to have their dogs as best man or woman. My hubby and I didn't do that, but it did cross my mind. And even though we didn't have the dogs in the wedding, we DID have a picture taken with them. What do you think of it? :> Its one of my favorite photos ever.

Like I said, Dog People are....crazy.

They develop clubs and games and sports for their dogs. I'm not just talking confirmation showing, or obedience trials, or field trials or agility. All that's fun, but it's kind of like what many of the breeds do when they're working, or herding, or sporting. No, these clubs are for things that have nothing to do with actual "working" dogs, like retrievers or gun dogs.

Picture a scene with me. Summer on the lake, two guys sitting at sunset drinking a beer, their very wet, happy and tired dogs by their sides. I imagine it went like this:

"You know, I don't like guns or hunting, but my dog sure likes the water." Takes a swig. "Like today. Couldn't keep him out'a the water."

"Yeah, mine too." Amiable silence. Frogs croak. "You know, Stud jumps off that dock until he's exhausted."

"Yeah, Fluffy does too. Hey how far do you think your dog jumps?"

"Really far. Farther than your dog."

"Like H*ll. We should measure it and see."


Enthusiastically, "Yeah, yeah, and Fluffy can beat Stud in Dock Diving."

And Dock Diving was born...
And Fly Ball.
And the Terrier Races.
And we won't even get into the any costume and sweaters contests, and not just at Halloween.

I've shown Dalmatians for years. I've had several champions and one Best in Show Winner. Now, with my new dog Diver, the Irish Water Spaniel, I'm going to try obedience, agility, and perhaps, Dock Diving. :>

All in my spare time, that is...hahahahahahaha.

So, the question for the day is, Cat or Dog or Both? (Louisa, I already know your answer!)
What's your favorite romance with a dog in it?
What's your favorite "dog book" from childhood?

Hey, Dog People! You'll want to tune in tonight (Monday) and tomorrow night (Tuesday) if you live in the USA, for the world famous Westminster Kennel Club Dog show. It's on the USA Network. Four groups tonight, three groups and Best In Show tomorrow night. I'll be watching to see if any of my dog-show-pals win their Breed and go to group.

The New Addition

by Christie Kelley


Believe it or not, this blog is not about the remodeling of my house (otherwise known as the undertaking of the century) but another type of addition. A few weeks ago, we welcomed a 13 week-old Siberian kitten to our (almost finished) home.

We actually bought a purebred cat. I’ve never been a proponent of buying cats when the shelters are filled with cats that want a good home. But my husband is allergic to cats and for some strange reason these cats produce low quantities of the enzyme that people react to, and so far, she's causing no problems with my husband.

Sorry for the poor images. These were taken on my cell phone. But Misha seems to like Jane Austin, which I think is a good thing.

The entire bred is a little strange. As you can see with the picture below, the Siberians aren’t exactly short-haired cats. In fact, I’ve never seen a cat with more fur than our little Misha. And yet, I’ve never had so little cat hair in my house. Even the vet said the same thing when he was done examining her.

It’s been over twenty years since I had a kitten in the house and now I remember why. Within a week of being in our home, Misha had off-white paint on her tail and a bit of grout on one of her pads (kind of like my husband). So she’s fitting right into this crazy house. I'd also forgotten how sweet it is to be awakened at 4am to a purring kitten licking my face.

Growing up, my family always had pets. At one time we had a cat, a dog and a bird. Then there were the kittens my brother found and it took three days for my parents to notice them (don't ask). Having been without an animal for the past five years, I'd forgotten how nice it is just to pet a cat. Or just laugh as Misha runs from one room to another as if something or someone was chasing her.

Now for all you dog lovers, this bred of cat thinks they are dogs. Misha follows me around the house and usually naps in whatever room I happen to be in. Yesterday, she was waiting for me at the door when I came home from grocery shopping. She has been a great addition to our home.

One more picture but this time it's my new cover for Every Time We Kiss.

So if you want a signed copy of my new coverflat, all you have to do is answer a question or two. Are you a dog person, a cat person...a nonpet person? Did you have a lot of pets growing up? Are you the type of person who can't imagine not having a pet? Tell me all about your favorite pet.