Allegra and Ruby like it hot

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Their mom, not so much. Actually, I do like hot weather and don’t mind temps in the 90’s – but not when those 90’s are inside my house.

We were affected by the massive power outage that hit the Mid Atlantic after a severe storm known as a “derecho,” a term I don’t ever want to see in a weather report again, came through here this past Friday night. But why don’t I let the girls tell you what happened.

Allegra: Friday night, we were all snuggled up in bed with Mom, and I had just started to drift off to sleep when out of nowhere, this rush of wind hit the side of the house. It felt like the whole house was shaking!

Ruby: Wha? What’s happening? I was sleeping!

Allegra: I jumped off the bed and ran to my safe place.

Ruby: Mom? Why are you getting up? We just went to bed!Continue Reading

Happy 4th of July 2012

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Happy Independence Day 
from
Allegra, Ruby and Ingrid 

Please keep your cats safe during the festivities. 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. 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.Continue Reading

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Sunday Purrs: Just for Today

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Reiki is an energy therapy that originated in Japan. The word Reiki (pronounced “ray-key”) is a Japanese composite word usually translated as “universal life energy”. It is based on the idea that all living beings have life energy flowing through them. When life energy is high, you, or your cats, are healthy and balanced, more relaxed and less likely to get sick. When it is low, cats and humans alike will be more easily affected by stress and less resistant to illness. Reiki helps return the body to its natural state of balance and well-being.

One of the tenets of Reiki are the five principles, sometimes also known as the five precepts. These “rules to live by” are based on the teachings of Mikao Usui, who developed the practice in the 1920’s. And you don’t have to be a Reiki practitioner to find these principles helpful Continue Reading

Allegra, Ruby and The Taste Test

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September 2022 update:

Back in 2012, friends of mine started a small company making safe, locally sourced pet food. They were involved in every aspect of the food they made, from farm to bowl. Their meat and produce was sourced from local farmers who follow humane practices. Pawgevity owners Carole and Norman King personally visited each farm they work with. Sadly, the company didn’t survive.Continue Reading

BlogPaws 2012: Catification, cat bloggers and one very special cat

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I spent the last three days in Salt Lake City, Utah with about 400 of my fellow pet bloggers at BlogPaws 2012. This was my second BlogPaws experience, and it was even better than last year’s conference in Tysons Corner, VA. From attending top-notch presentations by blogging and social media experts to networking with other bloggers, the weekend was a blur of learning, networking, and socializing.

But as was the case last year, the highlight of the conference for me was connecting and reconnecting with so  many of my blogging friends, including Robin Olson of Covered in Cat Hair, Stephanie Harwin of Catsparella, Joanne McGonagle of The Tiniest Tiger Conservation Cub Club, Tamar Arslanian of I Have Cat, Angie Bailey of Catladyland, Deb Barnes of The Chronicles of Zee and Zoey, Janea Kelley of Paws and Effect, Janiss Garza of  Sparkle Cat, Karen Nichols of Mousebreath, Debbie Glovatsky of Glogirly and so many others. I was especially delighted to finally get to meet Peter Wolf of Vox Felina.Continue Reading

Sunday Purrs: stop procrastinating

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Don’t postpone joy until you have learned all of your lessons. Joy is your lesson. – Alan Cohen

Are you a procrastinator? Do you habitually put off doing things you know you should be doing now?

According to Wikipedia, procrastination is defined as the act of replacing high-priority actions with tasks of lower priority, or doing something from which one derives enjoyment, and thus putting off important tasks to a later time.

But there’s more to procrastination than just not getting things done. Contrary to what many people believe, procrastination is not a time management problem. Procrastination is about postponing the life you were meant to live. It keeps us from living in the moment, from living a life filled with joy.

Procrastination is about fear, and living your life from a place of fear leads to living a very small life. Continue Reading

Ruby’s Reflections: Ruby and the Tree Branch

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Hi everyone, it’s Ruby! Mom has been hogging the blog, and it’s about time that I get to write something. I’ve been a busy little kitten, helping Mom work, playing with my sister, and trying really hard to stay out of trouble.

But what I really want to tell you about is the excitement we had here a couple of days ago. Let me set the scene: we have a lot of really big trees in our backyard. I love sitting on my window perch next to Mom’s desk, and looking out over the backyard. There’s always something going on: there are birds, and squirrels, and occasionally even bunnies and foxes. And one of the big tree branches was so close to the window that sometimes, I came eye to eye with a bird or squirrel! I love that!

Well, apparently, Mom doesn’t love that particular branch as much as I do, because I’ve heard her muttering that “we need to do something about this.” I didn’t know what that meant. What on earth could be wrong with a tree branch that provided daily entertainment for me?Continue Reading

Sunday Purrs: The Conscious Catwoman Explains Life on Earth

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How many of you remember the old Batman TV series from the 1960’s, featuring Julie Newmar as the original Catwoman?

On a recent Google search, I came across Julie Newmar’s first book, The Conscious Catwoman Explains Life on Earth. With a title like that, how could I not be intrigued?

I knew it wasn’t a cat book, but I asked for a review copy anyway. I usually run book reviews on Fridays, but this book is such a perfect fit for our Sunday Purrs feature, I decided to share it today.

The book claims to be (tongue in cheek) the self-help book to end all self-help books,Continue Reading

Pretty Litter

Allegra’s World: Overcoming Fears

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Hi everyone, it’s Allegra! Today, I get to brag a little. I wasn’t going to even write about this, but Mom is so proud of me, and she said if I should share with all of you how brave I was last week.

Those of you who’ve known me for a while probably remember that I used to be very scared of bad weather. I know lots of kitties are afraid of thunder, but my fears went beyond that. I even felt afraid when it rained a lot. The way that rain sounds against the roof and windows – oh, it was just so scary!

Thankfully, I have a good, safe place for riding out storms. There’s a small bathroom in our basement. It has no windows, so it’s nice and dark in there. There’s a shower stall with a curtain, and that’s where I hide: in the far corner, behind the curtain. It’s cozy and quiet there.Continue Reading

Sunday Purrs: life lessons from a tortoiseshell cat

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Guest post by Pat Wolesky

Memorial Day 2001, 11 years ago, I adopted a cat from a local humane society who has transformed our little family with her larger than life personality. To celebrate her adoptiversary, I wanted share some of the things Coco Bear has shown me.

  1. Each day is a wondrous gift, with the potential to be amazing: When the alarm goes off in the morning and my eyes aren’t even open, Coco leaps out of bed and starts rolling around on the floor kicking up her legs, just delighted to have a new day dawning. She makes me smile and share her optimism about a new day to live.
  2. Throw yourself 100% into everything you do: Nothing is done halfway with Coco Bear. Playing, eating, kneading, showing love, sleeping – all done with nothing held back, and no apologies.
  3. If you mess up, charm can help you make amends: Particularly as a young cat Coco was always doing something to make me tear my hair. Continue Reading

Memorial Day: a day of remembrance

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To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die. ― Thomas Campbell

Today is Memorial Day in the United States, a day when we honor the memory of the men and women who have died in military service.

For many people, it’s also a day to remember all departed loved ones, and for most of us, that includes our beloved felines. I’m remembering Amber, Buckley and Feebee today. All three of them changed my life in ways I never could have imagined. I miss them every day, and I treasure the legacy they’ve left behind.

As you remember your lost loved ones today, please take a moment to recognize the sacrifices of our military personnel and thank them for their service. I hope you enjoy this heart-touching slideshow of soldiers with cats:Continue Reading