Happy 8th Birthday to Jazmine!

Happy 8th birthday to our lovely, funny, sweet, spoiled, sometimes naughty, and completely cherished, Jazmine! We love you so much and thank you for brightening our days with your gigantic heart and personality!

Happy. Grateful. Blessed. These are the feelings I have when thinking of our Zee who is celebrating his 16th birthday today. Last year gave us a scare. Zee had been losing significant weight, he was lethargic, and he was drinking water excessively. A trip to the vet gave the initial prognosis of diabetes, with us going through the traumatic experience of drawing blood from a vein in his ear each morning (maybe twice a day, depending on the results) to test his glucose level in order to determine his proper insulin injection amount. Read more

Hail to the Queen of Ginger – our beautiful diva, Jazmine. I think she wears her title and crown well.

Well, it only took 365 days to get here, but what’s probably the most important day of the year is finally here. What? Oh, sorry, I stand corrected. Jazmine has informed me it is the most important day of the year – Ginger Cat Appreciation Day – and she’s also informed me every day should be Ginger Cat Appreciation Day.

Honestly, I can’t say that I disagree. Just look at the face…what’s not to love every day of the year? I’m so in love as a matter of fact that my next book project is about ginger cats. So, let’s see some ginger cat love today. How many of you have, or had a ginger cat? What were their names? Did they have any funny habits or do you have a favorite memory? Please feel free to share in the comments.

Jazmine also says to remind you she has her own Orange Crush Ginger Cat Love page on Facebook and Instagram. You can check her out here on Facebook and here on Instagram.

Today is Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day and as the founder of the day, I’d like to invite a frank discussion. I founded the day on August 28, 2015, in honor of my angel cat Jazz, in large part because of the outpouring of comments and personal messages from friends, strangers, bloggers, writers, and everything in between who voiced their desire to have a place to share their feelings about pet loss after I shared Jazz’s end-of-life journey when he passed on August 28, 2013, and subsequently wrote his memoir Purr Prints of the Heart – A Cat’s Tale of Life, Death, and Beyond. The day was created with love, with all the best intentions and I didn’t think it would go too far, other than within my cat blogging/writing circle of friends.
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I’ve met so many cool people (and cats) since becoming a blogger and writer in 2010, one of them being Arden Moore, America’s Pet Health and Safety Coach and Pet Safety Cat Casey. I actually met Casey – a handsome and dapper ginger cat at the Cat Writers’ Association (CWA) 25th-anniversary conference in St. Louis in May 2019. Yes, imagine that. Mere years ago, in a life where we once got on a plane, traveled, met people (and cats) in person, did not wear a mask, and we could stand closer to one another than 6 feet (or paws).

A little kiss from Casey. On the left is Arden Moore and on the right, Amy Shojai, CWA founder.

Arden was hosting our communications contest banquet and assisting her was Casey. I was president of the CWA then, so I also had a lot of podium time, including sharing the spotlight with Casey and a special kiss from him! So, when Arden asked if I’d like to join her, Kathy Black, approved judge for the Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA), Casey, and Casey’s “brother” Rusty to be their featured guest for the CFA’s weekly online Meow Hour, I jumped at the chance. Not a literal jump – I’m getting up in age – this September will have me at 427 cat years, so I’m not quite the jumper I used to be.

If you missed it, or care to take a listen, let’s see… Maine Coon cats, Bengal cats Ragdoll cats, black cats, rescue cats, Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day, book giveaways, the Cat Writers’ Association, how many times I’ve moved, Makin’ Biscuits, Purr Prints of the Heart, Orange Crush Ginger Cat Love, Pawsitively Humane, Zee & Zoey’s Cat Chronicles, Cat Fancy, t-shirts, a drink that will give you the zoomies, and yes, even dogs! I guess it’s more like what didn’t we talk about!

All I know is I had a blast and I hope you enjoy it, too!