I was getting ready to begin my preliminary packing for BlogPaws the other night and walked into my bedroom, alone, with my suitcase. Obviously you all know what happened next – not even a split second later and out of nowhere appeared a clowder of cats that covered my suitcase. I find it infinitely fascinating how they are able to appear, seemingly out of thin air, yet these are the same cats that when you bring out a cat carrier, they vanish just as quickly into thin air. How do they know the difference between a suitcase and a cat carrier?

Rest assured, while my suitcase is not leopard print, all my clothes, my shoes, my purse, my carry on bag, and everything else is… Whew… wouldn’t want anyone thinking I wasn’t me!

All of this got me to thinking just how helpful my cats are in my everyday life, not just with helping me pack my suitcase (which, by the way, the only reason they are not freaked out by the suitcase anymore is because they know it means kitty swag will grace the house soon). In the spirit of helpfulness, I thought it would be fun to share a montage of photos of my cats “helping” with other things around the house. I hope you enjoy them – it is but a fraction of all the ways they help, but I did not want to overwhelm you with hundreds of pictures! Happy Caturday and how do your cats help you around the house? Read more

Jazmine is just one of those cats that makes you smile and melts your heart all day and night with her endearing ways. She is an absolute charmer and one of her favorite things in the whole world to do is eat. Chicken is her absolute favorite, favorite, favorite thing on this earth, but since I am a vegetarian, she doesn’t get many scraps from me that she can eat! But, no matter… she remains diligent just in case a small tidbit of cheese or something else delectable might happen her way…

The cutest aspect of her eating obsession is just how smart she is – one quick plop onto her side, coupled with a bewitching turn of her head and I am putty in her sweet little paws! The best part – if I turn my head to the side, she will do the same thing at the same time! I used to think I had trained her, but now I think she has trained me… Either way, how can you not give her a treat for being so darn adorable!?

Yeah… There’s nothing this cat can’t have with this precious look!

How about your cats – do they have any cute little tricks to get you to give them a treat?

A sampling of Zee’s homage in the early days. These were some of his favorite toys – especially carrot in the center and grey kitty to the right.

For most of us the weekend means a bit of relaxing after a hard week of work. For Zee, however, when it’s time for bed, come hell or high water, he takes his job of bringing stuffed toys into the bedroom Dan and I share VERY SERIOUSLY. With the exception of a brief sabbatical a couple of months ago whereby not a single toy graced the floor of our room, this cat punches in for his nightshift like clockwork.

It all started after his kittens, Mia, Peanut, Rolz, and Zeuss Catt were born. I can’t say for certain what his reasoning was, but it almost seemed like he was teaching them how to hunt prey and then bring the kill to Dan and I as some sort of homage to us for providing them with a safe and warm house, food, love, and care. Read more

Wise Cat Lesson #1 – If there is a sun puddle to be found, always take the time to nap in it…

I’m always one of the first on board to champion looking at our cats to teach us wise lessons. You know, like taking the time to just relax, step away, and chill from all the stresses of everyday life with a wonderful nap in a sun puddle like they do. I’m also the worst at taking my own advice and tend to overwork myself to a frazzle sometimes. So, when I do relax, I’m often the polar opposite of my typically restrained, reserved, and logical persona. In other words, sometimes I go to the extreme and seek out entertainment like reality TV and way out there funny shows like South Park and Family Guy to just let my mind completely unwind. The same is true when I read. Most of the time I like to read assorted genres of novels that are 2 inches thick and take days to finish, but then there are the times I just want a quick read filled with fun, snark, sarcasm, and humor. And cats. Read more

A hot bubble bath and a glass of wine… ah… the stuff dreams are made of!

Remember that Calgon commercial? You know, the one where the lady is frazzled beyond believe and just wants a luxurious bubble bath to take away all her worries and stress. That’s where I am right now… I had planned a wonderfully reflective post for today. Only thing, as of 4:00 pm, I  hadn’t written it yet. I still had to go grocery shopping, feed the cats, make dinner, answer a string of emails, deal with a bunch of favors and stuff I had promised to do for other people, tend to cat related committee issues, and a whole bunch of whatever else mind-boggling stuff that adds up to one giant sigh of “oh-my-goodness-I-will-never-get-everything-done-today-I-need-glass-of-wine-to-unwind.” Read more