How a Cat Writer’s Conference begins… it’s all in unpacking the boxes for the kitty swag!!

I apologize for the break in blogging, but I have just returned from the Cat Writers’ Conference in Los Angeles and will admit to a serious bout of jet lag. Now that I have collected myself (relatively speaking), I must say that it was well worth the trip and that I am overwhelmed by the talent of the members, the generosity of the sponsors, the quality of the seminars, and the amazing job done by those involved who coordinated the event.

The Cat Writers’ Association is a compilation of not just writers, but artists, photographers, poets, journalists, fiction writers, non-fiction writers, bloggers, editors, publishers, and everything in-between that has to do with the subject, love, and passion for cats. Celebrating its 20 year anniversary, I felt like it was a trip down the red carpet as we were educated, entertained, wined and dined, and socialized to the hilt for three days! Read more

Sitting at the dining room table with a little help from my feline family as my life as a writer begins...

I love this picture because it symbolizes so much of who I am and where I came from. No matter the circumstances or surroundings, the one thing in my life that remains constant is the love I feel for my cats and vice versa. This picture was taken several years ago – long before I had an office, a blog following, or an ISBN number. I did not even know there was an association for people who wrote about cats, let alone that I would become a member and receive two Certificate of Excellence Awards by my peers – one for my online writing series on mainstreaming feral cats and the other for my series on the cats in the aftermath of the Tsunami disasters in Japan.

Yet, here I am, just days back from BarkWorld in Atlanta, packing to go to the Cat Writers’ Association in Los Angeles… This will be the second conference for me and it will be special for many reasons – I will get to catch up with some of my great writing friends, Jackson Galaxy will be attending and I will finally get to meet him, and this year will be the 20th Anniversary for the Association, so that makes it even more special.

I still have a lot more packing to do, so just wanted to wish you all a wonderful weekend and special prayers and thoughts to all those affected by Hurricane Sandy.

You can’t see my desk and computer from the picture, but I have now graduated from the dining room to an office. The surroundings may be different, but the cats remain constant with me in the background. My favorite part of this picture – Mama Zoey bathing her now 3 year old daughter, Mia.

Leroy is one of the outdoor cats of Riverfront Cats, Miami. Please click to enlarge image.

I wish for a day that every cat had a safe and loving home and that the streets and shelters were not overpopulated with literally millions of cats. Sadly, not only is that dream a long way off,  but many people don’t share that same mindset and that is why today, National Feral Cat Day, is so important. Feral, or outdoor community cats as would be the proper term, are part of the fabric of society and until the world at large has a greater knowledge about these animals, the battle of escalating overpopulation, misconceptions, lack of respect, and mistreatment will continue to exist and my hopes will be nothing more than an elusive dream…  Read more

As the seasons begin to change and we enter the month of October, we find that this is a time of awareness on many different levels. It is National Breast Cancer Month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Bullying Prevention Awareness Month, National Information Literacy Awareness Month, Pit Bull Awareness Month, and Adopt a Dog Month. Read more

While this popular shirt that Jackson Galaxy is wearing might be trendy, the fact that men love cats is nothing new to me.

I don’t like to use the word, trend, because it implies something elusive that is happening at the moment, with an expiration date just waiting for the next fad to replace it. So, to some, the increase of the male presence in the cat world might seem like a trend, but I believe in fact, that men have been involved in the care and loving of cats far longer than mainstream ideology would tell and that we are just becoming more aware of it now. I do not believe that one day we will wake up to find people such as Jackson Galaxy of My Cat From Hell, Kent Butler of Catnip Chronicles, Terry Frum of Brian’s Home, Kevin Hattori of Animal Shelter Volunteer Life, multi-award winning pet expert, Steve Dale, and Peter Wolf of Vox Felina finding cats to no longer be relevant or integral to their lives.

Another man with a strong passion and caring for cats is a dear friend of mine, Michael Ostrofsky of Five Pet Place. I had met Michael early in the year via social networking when we were trying to save the Loews outdoor cats residing on the Universal hotel properties in Orlando and I met him in person at BlogPaws. A man with boundless energy, talent, and vision, he created Five Pet Place to provide cat guardians a line of high-quality and exquisitely designed cat products such as scratching posts, window beds, and water/food servers. But, more than that, he understands the spiritual connection we have with our beloved feline companions.   Read more