When the subject of feral or outdoor community cats comes up, the opinions are as varied as a discussion on politics or religion and they range from complete ignorance, meaning some people may not even be aware that cat populations are living outdoors within their communities, to people who believe them to be mangy, disease ridden creatures that are nothing but bird killing machines to be frightened of, to debate from people whether they can be tamed or not, to people who downright hate them and would prefer they all be exterminated, to people who feel they should be treated with respect and dignity and are actively finding ways for them to peacefully coexist in the community via managed methods such as TNRM (Trap, Neuter, Return, Manage).
What we typically don’t hear about, is the opinion of the outdoor cat itself, and that is why I was instantly drawn to the story, Taming Me: Memoir of a Clever Island Cat, by Cathy Unruh that is written in the feline voice of Lucy Miracle, a formerly feral cat that was adopted by this first time author after a very long window of trust building between the two of them. Read more
I thought for this Mancat Monday I would share a trip down memory lane with Zee and his son Rolz in this video that was taken several years ago when Rolz was about 10 weeks old. What is of most interest, is that this is the first father/son bonding moment the two of them shared and you can see that Rolz was quite pleased with his bold interaction with his father.
Now, as time has moved on, Zee and Rolz really don’t wrestle any more. Zoey as Mama is more of the wrestling instigator and usually the play is reserved for the girls, Mia and Peanut. Rolz tends to be a bit of a bully and likes to fight with the older cats, Harley and Jazz, who are not part of his bloodline. But, sometimes father and son still do share time together, as seen in the below picture and they do share one common trait – they both have that stunning, regal look about them.
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
With each day that passes, our feline model Mia, becomes more and more like her wild Mama Zoey – her gait is unmistakably strong and confident, perfect to accompany this popular quote by Rosanne Amberson.
I try with each Feline Quotable Photo that I share with you, to include a bit of history on the author of the quote. Much as I tried, I could not find anything on Ms. Amberson, other than that she was the author of a couple pet books, including “Raising Your Cat a Complete Illustrated Guide,” that was first published in 1971 by Crown Publishers. I also managed to find this image of the hardcover book – whoever previously owned it sure did seem to refer to it often based on how dog-eared the cover is!
When the subject of feral or outdoor community cats comes up, the opinions are as varied as a discussion on politics or religion and they range from complete ignorance, meaning some people may not even be aware that cat populations are living outdoors within their communities, to people who believe them to be mangy, disease ridden creatures that are nothing but bird killing machines to be frightened of, to debate from people whether they can be tamed or not, to people who downright hate them and would prefer they all be exterminated, to people who feel they should be treated with respect and dignity and are actively finding ways for them to peacefully coexist in the community via managed methods such as TNRM (Trap, Neuter, Return, Manage).
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