My beautiful, sweet, darling girl. I had to say goodbye to you far sooner than I ever imagined I would and I can’t believe a year has already gone by since I last held you in my arms, desperately willing for a miracle so I would not have to let you go.

Try as I might, I still find it so very hard to reconcile your sudden loss, and for that I apologize, because sometimes blocking it all out makes it easier. But I don’t want you to think I don’t care or that you weren’t important. The times we shared were ever so precious and you were such a good girl. Not a mean bone in your pleasantly plump body and your wishes and needs were truly so simple.

Breakfast, dinner, a snack, and lying next to my side, whether on the couch at night when I was watching TV or at my side when I went to bed – that’s all you ever needed to be happy and content. Toys, bugs, lizards, and cat condos – you wanted none of that. And on those rare occasions when you would chase the red dot from the laser pen with the other cats, even you seemed surprised that you were doing it!

I love you and miss you so, so much. I pray you are at peace with Mr. Jazz and all the other cats and dogs that have been part of my heart and home in years past. You remain a part of me – I think of you everyday and I thank you for being a part of my life.

xoxox

Mom

A final note – if any of you were complementing the purchase of Purr Prints of the Heart, it would mean the world to me if perhaps you would consider doing it between now and the end of June. Harley might not be with me any longer, but that does not mean she can’t be the harbinger for helping shelter cats that are here who need our love, help, and donations. Harley was a shelter cat and on behalf of Adopt a Shelter Cat Month, in tribute to her, 10% of the proceeds will be going to Advocates 4 Animals for any sales made in June. Harley was the calendar cat cover girl for in 2013 for Advocates 4 Animals and Purr Prints truly is a lovely story that any cat lover will appreciate. There is also a special chapter at the end of the book in memoriam to Harley.

Thank you – for more information on the book and purchasing options, please click here.

Now if you’ll all excuse me, I really must go. This was not easy for me, but in respect to my sweet girl, I would like to share a few pictures in her memory…

Harley used to like to look at life from the inside looking out. She was not the bravest cat in the world and always liked to watch the others from afar!

Harley loved napping on this homemade bed that my dear friend, Liz Wyman, made for her.

When Dan took this image of Harley in 2013, I never imagined she would be gone a year later. I had saved the photo, never sharing it until now, as I had originally thought I would used it for a Valentine post because it has such a romantic, vintage look to it.

Harley didn’t like to play much, but she did have her goofy moments!

Harley shares some couch time with Zoey and Mia back in 2010.

A reflective moment looking out her favorite window. This photo is so vivid, I can almost feel her hair.

Harley and Jazz – more so than any of the other cats, they had been through everything together!

An incredibly special picture – the whole gang – Rolz, Peanut, Zoey, Kizmet, Mia, Jazmine, Zee, and Harley peeking from behind me.

Sharing some time with Harley and Kizmet. Kizmet, more so than any other the other cats, really mourned the loss of his buddy Harley. Me too, Kizmet, me too…

This post is sponsored by Hill’s. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s® Food, Shelter, & Love Program, but Zee & Zoey’s Cat Chronicles only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.

Kizmet was my pet store rescue and Jazmine was my pet expo rescue. Adopting them has been one of the best decisions of my life and the love and joy they bring to our household is beyond compare.

Living in a multi-cat house, with cats of different ages and nutritional needs, I am constantly going to my local pet store to replenish the variety of foods I need to keep my gang happy and healthy. One such trip that I will never forget, along with buying food, I came home with a kitten too – a rescue that melted my heart and had me at meow. A year later, I adopted another rescue kitten – this time at the 11th hour at a pet expo when no one else had stepped up to provide this darling with a forever home. While every day is a good day to adopt a rescue cat, June, Adopt a Shelter Cat Month, is particularly important because June is kitten season – a time when an estimated 20 million kittens will be born, adding to the already filled to the brims population of cats needing a home in shelters. Read more

The pure love that Mia feels for her Papa Zee radiates through this picture! (click image to enlarge)

In our house we are very blessed because when love-struck couple, Zee and Zoey, had kittens, we were able to keep three of them – Mia, Peanut, and Rolz. The kittens were born in 2009 and six years later it is still one big, mostly happy, hiss-free family! Of all the kittens, none of them love their papa more than Mia does, so I thought this would be the purr-fect picture to share for Father’s Day.

Happy Father’s Day to my sweet Zee, Happy Father’s Day to my beloved human, Dan, and Happy Father’s Day to all the Cat Daddies out there!

Good graphics, a great photo, and a catchy, relevant slogan are wonderful tools to help get cats adopted. With the current popularity of the NetFlix series, “Orange is the New Black,” this cat-centric spin is sure to get some attention!

If you’re part of the cat world, you’ve probably heard it a thousand times – there are millions of cats in shelters waiting to be adopted. With June being Adopt a Shelter Cat Month, you’ve probably heard the message a thousand more times via assorted social platforms. Adopt a Shelter Cat Month is a great concept, but what exactly does Adopt a Shelter Cat Month mean? Cats don’t magically get adopted just because we bequeath a special month to them. Read more

This was me last Friday, firmly planted on the couch with Mia and Zoey on my legs to begin my Orange is the New Black viewing marathon. Some people actually watched all 13 episodes in one day. I am a bit more reserved – it will take me about 7 days…

Having binge watched nearly all of the new episodes of Season 3 of the NetFlix megahit, Orange is the New Black, that was released a mere 6 days ago, it dawned on me just how quickly time has gone by. We live in an age where we can literally watch an entire season of a show in one day if we want to. Remember the olden days, that cumbersome era in time, about two years ago, when we’d have to wait an entire week to watch a show before we could watch the next episode? Torture… just how did we survive back then? Read more