It’s National Cat Day, what else can I possibly say?

Hmm…shall we start with my house?

Mine is a kingdom ruled by eight feisty felines, and certainly nary a mouse.

The living room is lived in – oh yes, it is – with dozens of cat beds, kitty trees, and blankets scattered about.

Psst…need a toy? Just come over here, under the couch!

Add to that the mountain of cat toys – what would you like – squeaky, feathers, fur, or stuffed? Let me check, I’m sure I can find what you like under the couch.

Or perhaps you’d prefer some peace and quiet?

Did I mention I have eight felines, so every day is quite the rambunctious riot.

Never mind that how about you just sleep in? Just remember, with my cats, anything past 5:00 a.m. is considered a sin.

Weekday, weekend, the time has no boundaries when you’re a cat.

Chop, chop out of bed, human, the howls start. Time to feed us breakfast, who cares if it’s pitch dark.

I stumble out of bed, an athlete at her best, maneuvering a feline obstacle course as I strive to walk to the kitchen without a misstep.

The feeding begins – this one gets this, and that one gets that. No wait, it’s that one gets this, and this one gets that.

Feeding time is always an ordeal when you have 8 hungry cats with individual diet needs!

Pick up the dishes and on to the next, scooping the litterbox and moving on to the rest.

If you scoop it, they will come.

Scoop I do, followed by pooh. Scoop again, kitty says thank you. A clean box for me, now here’s a new gift for you.

The day ends with me on the couch. Like a moth to a light, I become covered in cat. It’s a glorious moment and I think to myself, National Cat Day, that’s every day in my house.

Happiness is being with happy cats!

National Cat Day was founded in 2005 by Colleen Paige, a pet and family lifestyle expert, in support of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, to help galvanize the public to recognize the number of cats that need to be rescued each year and to encourage cat lovers to celebrate the cat(s) in their life for the unconditional love and companionship they bring us.

I realize it’s been forever since I posted and I wanted to let you know all is well, just many personal and work-related commitments that have been keeping me busy and off the radar. Now that the world is starting to normalize a bit more, I wanted to take a minute to wish everyone a wonderful summer before time escaped me and to share some tips to keep our cats safe, happy, and healthy during this time of year, as they can be adversely affected by the upcoming 4th of July, the searing summer temperatures, and the influx of gatherings that will be occurring in the months to come as we begin to invite more family and friends back into our homes. Read more

November 8, 2019 was the date I heard a meow outside our garage door early in the morning, the day a little black kitten decided our home was the one he knew in his heart would be the perfect forever home for him. He, of course, was right. Despite trying to find his owner, we had a strong hunch he had been both abandoned and abused, so keeping him really was in his best interest and somehow, he seemed to have already known that when he came upon our house. Read more

Almost from the moment Zee and Zoey met one another, they were inseparable.

Zee has always had a certain je ne sais quoi with the ladies. Call it pheromones, call it his dashing Maine Coon looks and charming personality, but, in short, he’s irresistible to them. So much so, the poor guy barely gets a moment of peace and quiet, because as they say in the movie Field of Dreams, “if you build it he will come” or, as in Zee’s case, “if I nap here she will come.” Read more

This is Zoey a few days before her 13th birthday. She is still a youthful and stunning cat. Photo inset was her at about 12 weeks old.

It’s odd. According to  International Cat Care, cats are elderly once they reach 11 years with senior cats defined as those aged between 11 – 14 and geriatric cats 15 years and upwards. My Zoey has been a senior for a couple of years now, but I’ve never considered her a senior. With today her 13th birthday, she continues to astound me because, with her, nothing has mellowed with age. If anything, all of her behaviors have intensified over the years.

Her meows, already piercing with their bleeping, yelping yowl sound have become so loud you can hear her outside. She still runs around the house like a kitten, jumping up on things and scaling walls and doors like she’s Spiderman with ease.

She still “kills” plush toys and drags them all over the house and her eyes remain bright, clear, and highly alert. She’s a handful, too. But I love my girl to the ends of the earth and back and every night without fail, she settles on the couch to cozy up with me for the night. Happy birthday, Zoey, and wishes for many, many more.

An image from 2011 of Zoey and me on the couch. She settles each night this way, and I love these moments with her.

We also want to wish a very special Happy Birthday to our beloved friend, animal lover, and blogger, Marg who shares the same birthday as Zoey. She is 82 today and anyone who wants to leave birthday wishes for her can stop by zoolatry.blogspot.com. We are also participating the the The Flowers for Marg on Nature Friday Blog Hop hosted by the Adventures of the LLB Gang.