Happy 9th Birthday to my sweet Rolz, Mia, and Peanut!

Happy Birthday to my darling babies! I can’t believe nine years ago, around 4:30 in the morning, your mama Zoey came to get me out of bed to let me know she was getting ready to give birth. Two of you were actually born on my lap (that’s how much your mama loved and trusted me) and two of you were born in the birthing room we set up in our bedroom closet for you.

Proud parents, Zee and Zoey, reflecting on their lovely babies turning 9 today!

We gave your brother, Zeuss Catt, to a family friend when he was just a kitten and he’s been happily living with him in Boston ever since. You guys stayed here (with your mama Zoey and papa Zee) and have filled our household with purrs, love, and companionship, as well as a few hisses and growls along the way. Time is flying by too quickly – I wish you could stay young forever, but I also love the big cats you’ve grown into.

Happy Birthday and here’s to many, many more!

Is it true? Christmas is here?

Yes Rolz, it’s true. Christmas is finally here. It’s that special time of year again – a time to reflect, a time to celebrate, and a time to give thanks for the blessings in life. Whether you celebrate Christmas like I do, or you don’t, my wish for you is to be grateful for the good you have in your life. Despite all the hoopla of the gifts, the incessant commercialism, and the tendency to get caught up in the whirlwind of stress, it’s truly not about the presents, but the presence of love, inner-peace, and joy in your life.

It’s all about the presence, not the presents…

For some it’s being around friends and family, for others, it might be the comfort and companionship of a furry friend. It might be something simple like baking cookies, or maybe it’s giving to others without expecting anything in return. It’s not always an easy time of year for everyone and I respect that as well. I’m humbled to say I’m very blessed this year- I’ll be spending the day with my furry family, as well as my Mom, Dan, and both my boys. 

My greatest wish would be for peace on earth and goodwill to all…

If I’m not able to visit each and every one of you to wish you holiday greetings, please know you are in my thoughts and I appreciate your friendship. Happy Holidays from all of us at Zee and Zoey’s and warm wishes for a Meowy Catmas and Happy New Year!

From all of us at Zee & Zoey’s – a very Merry Catmas to one and all!

From big things, like my friends, family, and my cats, to the little things, like popcorn and leopard print, I’m grateful for so much in my life!

I love Thanksgiving – it’s a wonderful day of good food, good football, not working, counting blessings, and sharing time with my family. But honestly, I try my very best to live every day being grateful for what I have. It’s not always easy, even with the best intentions; life can be messy, complicated, stressful, and downright disagreeable. Despite that, there is always something to be grateful for if you look hard enough. And usually, you don’t have to look too far – this is just a sampling of what I mean, but here are some of the everyday things I’m grateful to have in my life:

My cats, my family, my friends, coffee, chocolate, sweat pants, wine, Cheez-Its, a great book, board games, the good health of my loved ones, when the Miami Dolphins win (this one is happening less and less), when a cat gets adopted, my fitbit, leopard print, nature, trips to the beach, Netflix, feeding my birds and squirrels, Facebook, talking to a real person on the phone (this is also happening less and less), Photoshop, riding our Harley, wearing cat ears, Christmas cookies, chia seeds, family photo albums, my iPhone 7plus, yarn & crocheting, popcorn, music, when people are kind to one another, fun fonts, having a job and being able to pay my bills, the privilege of having food to eat every day, a safe home to live in, and the freedom to be me.

How about you all? What are some of the everyday things in your life you’re grateful for? Have a blessed day from all of us at Zee & Zoey’s, and as I do every year, here’s my favorite picture of my gang for Thanksgiving and a visual reminder that despite what certain kitties might tell you, NOT ALL FOODS ARE SAFE FOR THEM TO EAT!

Can someone please hurry up with this blog post and say grace so we can eat!

The most miraculous part of Thanksgiving? That Rolz and Peanut were behaving and DID NOT even touch this turkey!

Time sure does fly by…it’s already time to set the clocks back when it seemed like just yesterday, we set them forward!

It’s that time of year again. That time when we have to set our clocks back an hour, meaning it gets dark a heck of a lot earlier in the evening hours. We all have different opinions on how we feel about it – me, I’m not a fan. I like the freedom of being able to go outside after dinner while it’s still light and I appreciate every ray of sunshine I can get. Darkness seems to signify the day is over, when it’s really not, and it gives me a closed in, claustrophobic feeling. Read more

I’m a crafty person by nature, so it was bound to happen one of these days… Yup, I’ve designed my own line of custom-created cat ears, so that you too, can unleash your inner feline!

It’s no secret I’m known as the “leopard lady.” It’s also no secret that I love to wear cat ears, to the point if I didn’t wear them (along with my leopard garb) at cat-related events, I’m not sure if people would know who I was! I decided to take my cat ear loving passion to task and have been a busy little kitty creating custom cat ears of my own to sell at POP Cats Miami, a venue I will be attending this October 28 from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. From black cats, white cats, spotted, striped, and everything in between, there’s sure to be a style to tickle your feline fancy!

If you’re in the South Florida area I really hope you’ll think about attending. It’s a cat lovers dream come true under one convenient roof where you’ll be able to shop and find unique, fun, and creative merchandise for cats and humans from your favorite brands from the pop-culture world.

Unfortunately Zee and Zoey won’t be joining me at POP Cats, but there will be lots of great cats up for adoption at the event!

Need gifts for birthday’s, Christmas, and the like? Want something for yourself? This is the place to be! There will also be a cat-riffic lounge that will feature adoptable cats you can interact with and a portion of ticket proceeds will benefit one of my favorite 501c organizations, The Cat Network, Inc.

I’ll be there, unveiling my handmade cat ears, along with a new t-shirt I designed (with coffee mugs and magnets to match) as well as with all of my books at a special discounted event rate (The Chronicles of Zee & Zoey – A Journey of the Extraordinarily Ordinary; Purr Prints of the Heart – A Cat’s Tale of Life, Death, and Beyond; and Makin’ Biscuits – Weird Cat Habits and the Even Weirder Habits of the Humans Who Love Them) for those who would like autographs.

Please excuse the dreadful picture – it was raining outside and I didn’t want to get the camera wet! This is my newest creation – the “Cat Lover from MEOW to eternity” T-shirt!

Author of 3 books and contributing author to another…I would have never dreamed it possible years ago when I started blogging in 2010!

And even better, I’ll be donating $5.00 from each sale of the book, Rescued Volume 2: The Healing Stories of 12 Cats, Through Their Eyes, to Riverfront Cats, a Miami rescue organization that promotes cat rescue, focusing on black cats which are often overlooked for adoptions. Our rescue Jazmine is one of the featured stories in the book and I’m so honored to be able to help Riverfront Cats out.

Jazmine is doing a double-take at the cover of Rescued, Volume 2 because yes, she’s one of the kitties on the cover!

Speaking of Riverfront Cats, Christine Michaels, founder of the organization and my dear friend will also be with me at POP Cats. That alone is reason enough to attend! And she’ll be bringing two of her black cat fosters who are up for adoption – Rocky and Ray Ray! We’ll also be featuring several raffles to raise funds for her 501c organization, Pawsitivley Humane, and, of course, we’ll be educating the public on all sorts of cat topics like spay/neuter, TNR, and more.

This is Rocky and Ray Ray. Ray Ray is sporting the cool shades and is a special needs cat, as he is blind. Christine promises they’ll both steal your heart and we hope to find them loving furever homes at POP Cats! Photo courtesy of Riverfront Cats.

If you’d like to go, click the link for ticket details – plug in the special code ZZPC at checkout and you’ll receive a 10% discount off your order! Hope to see you there!