Happy Halloween
from
Allegra, Ruby and Ingrid
We hope your day is filled with lots of treats and no tricks – and remember to keep your cats safe!
Author’s Life
The Cat Who Changed My Life
Five years ago today, a small tortoiseshell cat came into my home, and my heart, and changed my life in ways I never could have imagined.
Those of you who read Buckley’s Story: Lessons from a Feline Master Teacher already know that bringing her home was not smooth sailing for us. For those of you who haven’t, I’d like to share this excerpt about the day she finally became a full time member of our family:
It finally came down to one phone call from the animal hospital about a week later. A client had inquired about adopting Buckley. That was all I had needed to hear to make up my mind. On October 9, 2006, Buckley came home for good.Continue Reading
Interview with Natural Cat Care Blog
Liz Eastwood, the founder and publisher of the Natural Cat Care Blog, featured my consulting practice in this interview. Thanks, Liz!
My Cats and the Maple Tree
There is a maple tree in front of my bedroom window. We planted it when we first moved into this house, almost thirty years ago. I’ve watched it grow into a beautiful, mature tree. This tree has been with me through a lot of life – through both joyful and challenging times. Each fall, it’s one of the last trees to turn, and when it does, it turns the most incredibly bright, vibrant red. When the light is just right, my entire bedroom is infused with a red glow from the tree.
The photo of Amber above was taken six years ago, when the tree was at its peak. This glory only lasts for a few days, then the leaves all fall off almost overnight. I look forward to the tree turning color each year – it’s such a constant in a life that is filled with so much change.Continue Reading
A Tribute to Bob Dole
On Saturday night, Bob Dole, my dear friend Robin Olson’s beloved cat, died peacefully after a long battle with cancer. He was surrounded by those he loved.
Bob was Robin’s mother’s cat. When she died unexpectedly five years ago, Robin took Bob in, initially intending to find a good home for him, because she already had multiple cats of her own. Bob had not received regular veterinary care while he lived with her mother (a regular topic of dissension between Robin and her mother). When Robin took Bob to her vet, he was diagnosed as FIV positive and diabetic. Continue Reading
We’re the Tortoiseshell Sponsor at the National Capital Cat Show
I’m excited to announce that Buckley’s Story is the Tortoiseshell Sponsor at the National Capital Cat Show! The show takes place September 10 and 11, 2011, at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, VA.
The National Capital Cat Show is one of the largest cat shows in the country and features a huge selection of cat supplies, including cat toys, cat food, grooming supplies, and friendly people willing to help you with your cat questions. It’s truly a cat lover’s paradise.
Come visit us at our booth, purchase autographed and personalized copies of Buckley’s Story, and enter a drawing to win an autographed copy of the book. We’ll also have lots of fun freebies for you and your cat!
And that’s not all! I’m also excited to announce that we will have a very special guest at our booth for the entire show: Dr. Fern Crist, the veterinarian you know from Buckley’s Story and from several articles here on The Conscious Cat. Dr. Crist will be answering your cat health questions.
We will also be selling healing gemstone cat collars and jewelry (for the humans) designed and handcrafted by Dr. Crist. The stunning designs incorporate Dr. Crist’s love of rocks and vast knowledge of the healing properties of gemstones, her artistic creativity, and her veterinary experience.
The bracelet below is my most treasured piece of jewelry, and only one example of the gorgeous pieces Fern creates. She made this bracelet for me after Amber died. Each stone was selected for its healing properties for helping with grief, sadness and depression.
The photo below shows only some of Rock Spirit Designs’ cat collars. Cat collars can be custom made to help with specific health conditions.
So mark your calendars, and plan to join us at the National Capital Cat Show! For more information about the cat show, please visit the official website of the National Capital Cat Show.
Meet Feebee, My First Feline Soul Mate
There are many different definitions of the term “soul mate.” Even though the term is often used in connection with a romantic relationship, a soul mate is simply someone we feel a deep and immediate connection with. We can’t always explain rationally why we’re so drawn to a soul mate.
For me, the term soul mate also has a strong spiritual component. We enter into these soul mate relationships not just because we’re drawn to them, but because they hold lessons for our personal and spiritual growth. And not surprisingly, I believe that this connection doesn’t just exist with humans. It also extends to cats.Continue Reading
Coping with Unexpected Loss: A Personal Journey
When I had to let Amber go after a brief, sudden illness last May, I wasn’t prepared for the depth of my grief. It hadn’t even been a year and a half after I lost Buckley. Here I was, faced with grieving yet again.Continue Reading
Happy 4th of July 2011
Happy 4th of July
from Allegra, Ruby and Ingrid
While Independence Day may be a favorite holiday for many of us, it is probably also the most traumatic day of the year for most cats. Even though many municipalities don’t allow private fireworks, people still seem to find a way to have their own. Unless you live far away from civilization, chances are, your cat will most likely have to deal with the noise from fireworks.
A cat’s sense of hearing is much more acute than ours, and so the noises are much more intent for them. Add to that the lack of understanding of what is going on and you can have a very scared cat on your hands. But celebrations like the 4th of July don’t have to cause such anxiety for your cat. Here are some tips for helping your cat cope with fireworks, thunderstorms, and other loud noises:
- Create a safe space for your cat. If you’re having a party, unless your cat is very social and doesn’t mind a lot of commotion, keep her confined to a quiet bedroom. Put her favorite blanket, bed or toys in with her, along with a litter box and fresh water. Shut the curtains and drapes and turn on lights to lessen the flash of the fireworks.
- Leave on a TV or music to drown out the noise from the fireworks. (This works during thunderstorm season as well.)
- Make sure that your cats are wearing their identification tags and that the information is current.
- Consider a natural calming aid like Rescue Remedy, Stress Stopper, or Composure calming treats.
Happy Father’s Day 2011
Happy Father’s Day
Whether your kids are human or furry, enjoy your special day!
My dad passed away seven years ago. I still think about him every day. My relationship with him was complicated at times, but I always knew that he loved me, and I have lots of wonderful memories of him.
His life was shaped to a great extent by his experiences during World War II in Germany, and as a result of experiencing so much loss at such a young age, he held those he loved close to him – at times, too close for a daughter who wanted to spread her wings and fly from the nest!
He instilled in me my love of nature – some of my earliest and fondest memories are of long walks in the woods and parks near our home. He taught me the names of all the flowers, trees, butterflies and animals we’d encounter on those walks.
He loved the Alps – his happiest times were spent hiking those beautiful mountains. His love of the Alps dated back to his days as an American POW. When he was first captured, he was held in the basement of a home in Bavaria. Through a small window, he could see the snow covered peaks of the Alps, and he decided then and there that he would climb as many of these mountains as he could once he was free. The dream of one day hiking in those mountains kept him going through those dark days.
He worked hard at a job he didn’t enjoy all that much to provide for my mother and me. We were by no means rich, but he always made me feel like we were. He loved to travel, and after taking early retirement, for the next nine years, he and my mother traveled extensively. He especially enjoyed his travels in the Western part of the United States – every Western movie he’d ever seen came to life for him there. He would talk about those trips for years to come.
He had a difficult time dealing with my mother’s death, and his life contracted again. He didn’t enjoy traveling by himself, and other than his annual visit to the United States, he stayed close to home. When he became ill with prostate cancer six years after my mother died, I wasn’t sure he would want to fight – but he surprised me. He wanted to live, and he survived.
After the life changing experience of going through cancer treatment, he decided that it was time to make a lifelong dream come true. He sold his home of forty years almost overnight, and bought a condo in the Black Forest, where he spent the last two years of his life in an environment that he loved. Having been a life-long worrier all his life, he learned to live in the moment and “appreciate each flower and each butterfly,” as he told me during my last visit with him. He passed away after a short illness, and knowing how happy he was the last two years of his life was a great comfort to me.
My dad had a long, sometimes difficult, but ultimately good life, and I miss his physical presence in my life every day. His spirit, however, is never far from me.
If you still have your father, tell him that you love him today.
Photo of lions: iStockphoto, photo with my Dad taken during my last visit with him in June of 2003
Surviving Radiocat
When a friend’s cat was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, it brought me back to the year 2005, when Amber was diagnosed and treated for this disease. I chose the Radiocat (I131) treatment for her. This was my experience with the treatment.Continue Reading