Bouncing Back and Pouncing Anew

Dear Cat Ladies, what happened to me during the past six weeks? I couldn’t keep up, that’s what.

I am still as you left me, serving as the Mama Kitty to ten cats. But my own mother died suddenly in September, and I have discovered that there is no such thing as simply “getting over it.” Balancing my grief with the joy of launching CAT LADY CHIC has been very challenging, and I am so grateful for your support.

Even though CAT LADY CHIC is small in size, my book is making big strides in connecting cat lovers across the miles and across the pond. I love hearing from long-lost friends and also greatly enjoy making new connections, from Los Angeles to London.

Please keep those kitty selfies coming! They make me smile.

 

Millie and Cat Lady Chic, courtesy of Carole.

 

 

 

Feast for the Eyes

I got home from work tonight, and just as I was walking through the front door, I heard Cat Man say, “Would you like some steamed Wild Alaskan salmon in a delicate broth?” He even sounded like Bobby Flay!

I was tempted, especially because our newly launched minimalist diets rarely allow for any deviations from the game plan. A delicate broth? I’m in!

Turns out that Cat Man was talking to our cats and waving the Fancy Feast salmon appetizer packet in front of their attentive eyes. Our cats know the word “appetizer,” and they do not believe in depriving themselves.

If only I had it so good. . . .

Baby, Baby

Tell me if you feel this way.

Our elder cats crave Gerber’s baby food. Every Saturday, when I dutifully head to Kroger with my grocery list, I make sure that I have noted the need for seven cans of yummy (I guess) baby food. I have to make a list these days, just in case my memory fails me of which cat likes which flavor. But that is only one-half of the problem.

The other half is that, much as I always aim to please my children, I am tired of the sideways glances that I keep getting in Aisle 7. I know what people are thinking. “Aren’t you a bit old to have a baby”?

The original Gerber Baby.

 

To those with suspicious minds, I say: There are babies who coo and gurgle, and there are babies who purr and meow. And all babies like baby food, pure (and puréed) and simple.

 

Kippy, my 11-month-old baby.

 

Dormitory Essential

Belle Chic (www.bellechic.com) let the cat out of the bag. . ., and look who shows up on a stylish laundry bag!

It's move-in time on college campuses across the country, so let's spread the Cat Lady Chic gospel in dormitories! This cat should like visiting dorm laundry rooms during late-night hours.

Pool Party

Now that we've entered the last month of the dog days of summer, I keep wishing more and more that I had a swimming pool in my backyard. When I win the lottery, I want to build a pool that looks just like this one.

Slim Aarons photograph of a swimming pool in the shape of a cat, Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami, Florida, c. 1955.

Standing Guard

This is the darling kitty face I see every morning when I open the back door of our house and head up the stairs to the garage apartment. Thomasina Dinny, aka “Miss Tommie,” stands guard in the apartment, where she lives with her mother Lillie and her siblings T.J. and Perkins. Miss Tommie peeks out of her favorite window and waits to make sure I appear at the appointed (mutually understood) hour of 8:00 a.m. on the dot.

 

 

As soon as Miss Tommie makes eye contact with me, she jumps from her perch to let the others know that Cat Lady is indeed on her way to serve breakfast.

No matter whether I awaken on the wrong side of the bed, or the weather just plain stinks, I can always count on Miss Tommie standing guard and assuring me that all is right in the world. She is nearing 14, and so I especially cherish every minute of predictability.

Memory

Ah, yes, Cat Ladies. This is how the love affair with felines begins!