Deleting Catster

My friends, some situations tick me off but good.  Current case in point: Catster.com again publishes a photo of that Texas veterinarian who shot and killed a neighbor's cat while out hunting, then bragged about it online.  The woman was fired from her job, and charges were brought against her.

Really?  Isn't Catster a CAT LOVER'S WEBSITE?  What do they think they are doing?  I am so disgusted with them, since I and many, many others objected to the photo on the first article, that they would post it again in a second article, when 'reporting' that the judicial system had wiped their hands of the case by dismissing it.

So you know, I've deleted Catster.com from my favorites, and unfriended them on Facebook.  I just don't get enough benefit from their chatty, uninformative articles to keep supporting them.

Is it the shock value that is so important to the media?  At this point, I'm just mad and here is my stand against uncalled for and cruel journalism.  How do you think the grieving family of Tiger feel, seeing that photo over and over again online?

Nope, Catster, you've lost me for good, even though you've since changed your report and have carefully cropped that awful photo.  I grieve for a cat killed so savagely, for a family who've lost their loving family member, and for countless other animal cruelty crimes that will go unpunished because our lawmakers have NOT caught up to public sentiment.

Chuck's Obsession - Update

This is how the day started...

See the two socks on top of the clean clothes...AND...

My slipper was taken too!

 

One sock, found in the hall on another occasion

Other sock, on one of Chuck's napping spots

Okay, okay...so yeah, it's hilarious that Chuck lugs around not only both of my socks, but also one SLIPPER too! Amazing!  There is no stranger sound that Chuck meowing for all his might, with a woolly sock in his mouth.

BUT WAIT...there's more!  Here's the funniest thing yet!  Friday night, it turned downright cold, and I jumped into bed wishing I still had my down comforter out.  But it's June, and I refused to go to the linen closet to retrieve it on sheer principle.  But, I managed to sleep, and in the morning, as usual, my socks were missing.  I looked here, I looked there, I even looked in the litter boxes.  AND YOU KNOW WHERE I FOUND MY SOCKS?!?!...hmmm...can you guess?  That's right...

On my feet!  I've never laughed so hard in my life when I realized I was looking for something that was ON MY BODY, keeping my toes warm. The hubby was both amused and concerned, as he rightfully should be. I think he was considering calling the men in the white coats...and poor Chuck, I ruined his fun for the morning, 'cause he wasn't gonna try to carry around my occupied socks!

Lulu, Reggie, Shelby and Sophie

These approximately 1-year old kitties need their own homes!  I know that I am singing to the choir on this, but if you have a friend or a friend of a friend, or a distant relative that is looking to add cat love to their lives, won't you please pass along these photos?  More information available at Paws For The Cause Feral Cat Rescue

Sophie, taken from a hoarder

Sophie, Shelby's bonded sister, and a mirror image of her

Lulu, floofy, adorable and spunky

Reggie, already neutered, found living in a feral colony
Handsome, charming and friendly

I Love Lil BUB

Lil BUB after a bath

I adore Lil BUB!  She just turned four years old, and she fascinates me. Her big eyes always seem to radiate happiness, and her dude Mike Bridavsky has such a love for this little cat.  I hope to meet her someday in person, but for now I will check out her website and her Facebook page.

Lil BUB's dude gives her a snuggle

Chuck's New Obsession...

...My socks!
We start each day, the socks resting on my slippers

Uh oh, one sock is missing!

There it is!  In the hallway...

This time, both socks showed up in the dining room

Today, socks on the stairs
Angel is not impressed

Chuck has been moving my socks around every day.  I pick them up and replace them on top of my slippers, then enjoy finding the socks elsewhere.  

Mama, Don't Go!

Chuck: Mama, don't leave me!  I'm just ready to play!

Angel: 'snore'...hmm...wha?

Chuck: Look, I've got my toy ready and my talio is flippin'...
Stay home and play! 

Sorry, sweet kitty boy...gotta earn green papers to pay for cat food and rolls of paper towels to clean up after you two!  Plus, I bring home wonderful boxes for cat use from the office.  We will play tonight, I promise...

The Art of Purring, by David Michie

The Dalai Lama's Cat and The Art of Purring
ISBN-13: 9781401943271
Publisher: Hay House, Inc.
Publication date: 11/28/2013
Pages: 209

I often sit at the computer terminal at the library, and type in 'cat'. Thousands of book titles show up, and I browse through them, hoping to find a gem.  Well, I found one, when I discovered David Michie's "The Dalai Lama's Cat", published in 2012.  The story of HHC (His Holiness's Cat) is delightful, endearing and thought-provoking. Without giving ANY of the stories away, this cat encounters many people and animals day to day, and the telling of how she views the world...and how Buddhist ideals are also cat ideals...makes a terrific read for anyone. Not to mention the joy of good food, and...um, erm...a bit of hanky panky?

THEN, just a few weeks ago, I discovered that David had written a sequel novel, called "The Art of Purring".  As soon as the book arrived at the library, I started to read as I walked home.  (You know, don't you, that it's not a great idea to put one's head in a book while walking in suburbia, right?) I've finished in record time, and I almost don't want to give it back.

Meditation and mindfulness, enjoying life while respecting life, forgiving one another while living in the present are wonderfully aspirations that this sweet cat and her human companions bump up against and then embrace.  Throw in a couple of chasing dogs, an email misprint, and a house fire to keep the reader riveted!

But WAIT!  There's more!  As I researched online for this post, I found out that Mr. Michie has released a third book about HHC!  Hokey smokes! "The Power of Meow".  Now I must be patient, while this book becomes available at the library. Perhaps I shall meditate on how generous the universe is, to have given David Michie the story-writing skills that I so enjoy.

Or, I'm going to drive to the nearest book-store and buy all three books so I can re-read them time and again!  Patience?  Me?!  Ha!

  

Thank You

Thanks, all for your recent kind words.  Cannot tell you how helpful they were to me.  I turned off my computer, my news feeds and Facebook for awhile.  Read a good book...two, actually, watched some favorite movies, and generally recharged.

Yesterday, the hubby and I went on a day-long date: attended an art fair in downtown Royal Oak, Michigan, went to eat at our favorite restaurant The Pita Cafe in nearby Oak Park (Majadra dinner and Starter Combo that we both share), and attended the afternoon baseball game in Detroit where the Detroit Tiger's team lost to the Cleveland Indians.  But the home team took two of three series games, so yippee!

What's really GREAT about Comerica Park, where the Detroit Tiger's play, is the tigers!

Funny thing: I found a penny while walking the art fair.  I picked it up and put it in my pocket.  While going through security before the baseball game, there were coins sitting on the table.  I scooped those up because I was sure the money belonged to the hubby...and they were just sitting there with no one else around.  Turns out, they weren't his.  In about the fourth inning of the game, I noticed some money laying under the seats of the guys in front of us.  The hubby fished the bills out, and we offered them to the two men, who refused because they checked their pockets and swore the money did not belong to them.  There was no one else around!  So, I FOUND a total of $11.28 yesterday.  How cool is that!  Proof that my recent frowns needed to be turned into smiles...the universe paid me back!

Then, today, I spent a couple hours with Paws For The Cause, playing with Sophie and Shelby, Reggie, Lulu and Marco...and five kittens; four orange, one tortoiseshell.  And right now, Chuck is howling at me to stop whatever it is I'm doing, and pay 100% of my attention on him.  

And he's right!  What can possibly be more important than to adore a cat?

 

Sammy, one year ago

Sammy, the friendly feral with a meow that sounded like 'Arf!' and a permanently crooked tail, left us a year ago today.  I had hoped a good dental cleaning at the veterinarian would help him eat, but the kind doctor said he was too sick and in real trouble.  I held Sammy as he left this world, but he lives on in my heart and in my memory.  I hope you are resting in peace, dear Sammy.

Early in 2010, when Sammy first arrived

Enjoying the yard

Sammy inspecting The Cat Hotel
when we first began working on it

Tried trapping Sammy many times; this
time the trap fell and broke one of the 'o' cats' dinner bowls

Sammy hiding in his insulated beer cooler; guess
leaving one's tail hanging out was considered 'cool'

I left that trap out for a long time,
hoping I'd con Sammy into it somehow, someway

Sammy napping in the late Winter sun

Sammy loved to nap in the garden

My mellow is harshed

Folks, have you ever gotten to a point where it seems all the cat news you hear is negative, and you want to take in all the abandoned, injured and 'last call!' cats out there, but of course that's impossible? So you feel like a complete failure because you can't help anybody, and your own cats are waking you up too early in the morning, and the neighbors let their cat loose so it eats all the food you leave for your friendly ferals...and the ferals are hiding because of the huge rainstorms, and you get mosquito bites just being in the yard with them?  I see adorable kittens waiting for forever homes, and older cats who've been tossed out and need a forever home and declawed cats that are suffering and were tossed out and need a forever home.  And I witnessed two dead cat roadkills on my way into the office this morning, which just about broke my spirit.

My work inbox is blowing up with requests from everybody, and I have to play waitress to a huge meeting going on since yesterday, and I just want to walk away from it all.  I'm not feeling the good vibes these days, folks...nope, not at all.  Even though Patty O'Malley tried to jump into my car, to travel with me to the office, and even Sweetie 'allowed' me to pat her belly while she stood stock still.

Sweetie

Patty O'Malley

These are the golden days...the weather I've been praying for since November.  Sun up early, going down late; yeah, a few thunderstorms but the warmth feels GOOD and this is a great time to ENJOY!  I'll snap out of the funk, no worries.

Weekend Vacation

Sleepy Angel

Proof that Sweetie will let me pet her!

Dashing Chuck

Patty enjoying the morning sunshine

Intruder Cat!
(nicknamed: Barney)

Took Friday off from work, and had a long weekend vacation.  Hit the classic car show in town, traversed an art fair, dug in the flower beds, shopped at the mall (the hubby bought something!), ate lunch at Pita Cafe and sat on my keister watching TV.  Also managed to snap a few images of my favorite subject: cats!  Discovered a new intruder cat, who tried to hide in a neighbor's flower bed.  I see you, intruder cat!  Think I'll call him Barney.  We'll TNR him, if he hangs around!