I typically don’t do a lot of cat product reviews, but as a result of Zee & Zoey’s Cat Ruler Contest and Campaign for a Cause that I held in August/September, I had a handful of items sent to me from some of the prize sponsors for my own kitties to try out. Since I have a multi-cat household of felines who are certified cat testers (hereby decreed by me) and the holidays are coming up, I thought I would begin a weekly series of reviews/giveaways of some of these items to help those of you who are looking for great gift ideas for any cat on your shopping list.

Jazz has immediately claimed the Turbo Star Chaser Toy as his. Can't argue with such solid evidence of possession...

One of these great toys is the Turbo Star Chaser Toy from Bergan Pet Products. I can say without any exaggeration whatsoever that my cats went ga-ga bonkers over this interactive toy, but not just all the cats, in particular, our senior resident, Mr. Jazz. Jazz who is 14 years old was instantly attracted to this toy that is basically a plastic donut with a scratch pad in the center that is surrounded by a tubular track that has a motion activated LED ball in it that lights up when the cats touch it. Read more

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.

To see photo at full spookiness, please click to enlarge.

We say “Happy Meow-O-Ween” with a bit of reservation and respect, as we know many of our friends and family are feeling the effects of Hurricane Sandy and might not feel like celebrating. We wish all of you well and hope that you will be safe and get through the ordeal as best as possible. Read more

I returned safe and sound from BarkWorld without any weather issues other than some turbulence and hope that all my blogging friends who are in the path of Sandy will be okay. Storms like this put life quickly into perspective and remind us just how precious our families and friendships are, as well as our modern conveniences that we often take for granted.

For example, it was incredible to me how we can stay so connected to the world now without giving it a second thought. Everyone either had a laptop computer, or an iPad, or a phone that could instantly upload a picture of  any given moment of the day onto Facebook or Twitter for the whole world to see! Wow! But, even more incredible was a recurring theme that I can’t help but think I am a tad responsible for…. Ears. Especially cat ears. Not only was BarkWorld crawling with our four-legged doggie friends who happen to have ears of every size and shape, but there were A LOT of humans wearing ears!! See for yourself…. Read more