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It’s funny – I have actually been taking it a bit more easy the past couple of weeks, but I still feel tired. I think it is a combination of that sad and melancholy feeling that often occurs after being with the kids for a week during the holidays, and then, just like that, the house is quiet and they are gone. I also had to go back to my administrative day job after several days off and must admit it was hard to get back into that routine when my mind was still at home daydreaming of kitties, blogging, taking down decorations and things of that nature!

Oh well, Kizmet has it right… we’re settling back into the routine, he’s got his naps fully under control, and it’s already Wednesday with the weekend only 2 days away!!

This was Gracie, one of the Loews cats at her feeding station that was built by hotel employees to keep the cats sheltered and protected. Gracie is no longer with us, having passed on, nor are these iconic cat mansions that have been taken apart by Loews to be destroyed in the trash.

Ironically, it was a year ago that I began blogging about feral cats when I became involved in trying to save the small colony of outdoor cats residing on the once pet-friendly Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando. They were part of a very successful and managed Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program for over twelve years, but due to unyielding management mandates, they were eventually trapped and removed from the premises for relocation, despite the massive outpouring of concern from citizens and cat advocacy groups to keep them on the property.

While it may seem like a loss on the surface, in the long run it was a victory for feral cats. The visibility of the story brought the misconceptions of feral cats to a broader audience and it has become much more commonplace to see groups advocating for these animals. One such enterprise is the NYC Feral Cat Initiative of the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals which is holding its Third Annual Architects for Animals Giving Shelter fundraiser and benefit. Read more

Reflecting back to the wonderful first outing we shared with Kizmet last week.

Last week, through words and pictures, I was able to share the joy and amazement that Kizmet experienced in his very first outdoor adventure. It was a milestone event  that I will never forget and I wrote about it with such vivid story telling imagery that you literally felt as if you were outside with us sharing the glorious day. Bravo Kizmet!! What a wonderful excursion you had! What I did not share with you, however, was the fact the event was rampant with controversy and blatant glossing over of the full facts of the outing and I felt I must come clean with the real story… the behind the scenes of the incredibly adorable and amazing morning we shared with Kizmet via our darling  Zee and the part he played in this simply too perfect moment. Read more

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As we begin a New Year, if there is anything the old one taught me, it is that life is fleeting, nothing is impossible, and that I am never too old to learn. The horrific events in Newtown, Connecticut still haunt me and I find myself with an even more resilient reserve to be a good person and to make the most I have of each and every day. That is why this quote from Albert Einstein struck such a strong chord with me as my calling card for 2013 and who better to be the poster cat, than my beautiful, wise, and regal, Zee. Read more

There are certain first moments in life that are so precious to behold that they beg to be bottled in time. One such moment is the utter awe and amazement that radiates from that pure and innocent child who believes in Santa Claus and wakes up to find a spectacular array of presents under the tree that surely came from the North Pole, magically made by Elves. The mind’s eye of how that that child perceives the moment is a gift to witness and a memory that stays in your heart forevermore etched in time. For Kizmet, that moment occurred a few days ago when we brought him outside for the first time. Read more