From big things, like my friends, family, and my cats, to the little things, like popcorn and leopard print, I’m grateful for so much in my life!

You’ve seen it all from me before – I share these same pictures every year, and I also say it every year – I love Thanksgiving. Not just for good food, good football, sharing time with family, and not working, but for counting the blessings in my life I’m afforded to have every day despite that life can be messy, complicated, stressful, and downright disagreeable. Here are some of the everyday things I’m grateful to have in my life:

My cats, my family, my friends, coffee, chocolate, sweatpants, wine, Cheez-Its, a great book, board games, the good health of my loved ones, when the Miami Dolphins win (this one is happening less and less), when a cat gets adopted, my Fitbit, leopard print, nature, trips to the beach, Netflix, feeding my birds and squirrels, Facebook, talking to a real person on the phone (this is also happening less and less), Photoshop, riding our Harley, wearing cat ears, Christmas cookies, chia seeds, family photo albums, my iPhone 7plus, yarn & crocheting, popcorn, music, when people are kind to one another, fun fonts, having a job and being able to pay my bills, the privilege of having food to eat every day, a safe home to live in, and the freedom to be me.

How about you all? What are some of the everyday things in your life you’re grateful for? Have a blessed day from all of us at Zee & Zoey’s, and as I do every year, here’s my favorite picture of my gang for Thanksgiving and a visual reminder that despite what certain kitties might tell you, NOT ALL FOODS ARE SAFE FOR THEM TO EAT!

Can someone please hurry up with this blog post and say grace so we can eat!

It can be stressful for us to leave our kitties when we travel but it’s also stressful for them and they shouldn’t be left alone without supervision.

Halloween has come and gone, so its officially that time of year when the holidays – Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year’s – rapidly descend upon us. For many of us, our lives become completely topsy-turvy, especially for those that pack their bags to go visit with friends and family for some, or all of these special days. In these instances, even if it’s just for an overnight stay, if you’re a cat parent, it’s important to make arrangements for your feline friend and not leave her unattended because her life has become topsy-turvy as well. Read more

Update  – we are very honored to report this article was the winning recipient of the Cat Writer’s Association 2018 Senior Well-Being Cat Award. as judged by Briony Scott, pet-sitting entrepreneur and certified cat behaviorist.

Zee, very busy assisting with our home renovation project.

Dan used to lament that Zee, our brown tabby Maine Coon I got for him as a kitten as a housewarming gift when he moved in with me in 2005, did not grow into the cuddly lap cat he was hoping for. But Zee was perpetually busy. It began with him instigating rabbit-kick fighting with our adult Ragdoll cat, Jazz, (twice his size), and when we renovated our house a few months after Dan moved in, he was curiously involved in every aspect of it, as the tell-tale paint on his tail and spackle on his ears would reveal. Cuddling? Who had time for that? Read more

Happy Meow-o-Ween! Have fun, but please keep it safe!

Happy Meow-o-Ween meow-valus friends! All of us at Zee and Zoey’s hope you have a spooktacular day, but don’t forget with cats it’s not about tricks or treats, but basic safety:

1. No candy, especially chocolate, as it’s toxic to cats and could be extremely harmful if ingested. If you think your cat has eaten something dangerous, contact your veterinarian or call the Pet Poison HelpLine at 855-764-7661.

2. If you expect a lot of traffic at your door, consider locking your cat into a room until the festivities wind down so they don’t get spooked and accidentally run outside.

3. Halloween costumes and decorations can have lots of strings, buttons, and tiny parts your cat might decide to eat that could cause harm. Be very mindful of what you leave out, especially if you leave to go to a party or trick or treating. Pumpkins with real candles are dangerous too – don’t ever leave a candle burning while unattended.

4. Costumes on humans might scare your cat, and putting costumes on them might scare them, too. Respect that cats are creatures of habit and that what we think is fun or cute might cause stress or anxiety to them.

Close the door? How dare you!

Bathrooms are meant to be that one scared and intimate place in our home where we can shut the door and retreat from the world to our own blessed sanctuary of aloneness and privacy. Unless you have cats, of course. There is literally nothing that will make a cat magically appear from thin air to break that privacy code than a closed bathroom door. You’ll hear that mournful, repeated, and frantic “Meeoooooooooowww” in tangent with a paw, paw, paw, dig, dig, dig under the door and a scratch, scratch, scratch on the door.

“Where are you? When are you coming out? What are you doing in there without me?” Read more