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!

Mirror, Mirror

During what seemed like an interminable flight this past Thursday, I found myself reading everything that was stashed in the back pocket of the seat in front of me. I can't remember ever devouring the Skymall catalog with such intensity. And look what I found!

You can order this Cat Lady handheld mirror from Signals, a company that obviously understands Cat Ladies like to reflect on their title.

Who needs selfies?

Dumped!

Because I have been married to Cat Man for such a long time, I haven’t had to suffer in decades from the humiliation of being dumped by a fickle boyfriend. So you can imagine my surprise when I realized that Pye was deliberately dumping me for another—not another Cat Lady, but for one of her own kind.

Yes, Kippy has won Pye’s heart. I’m delighted about this amorous development, though displeased that Pye no longer needs me. I asked Dr. O. about what was up. She explained that Pye, who still has many feral qualities, can relate much better to a fellow cat than to a Cat Lady.

And yet I have been trying so hard, ever since when we formally adopted Pye last December, to combine human and feline qualities into one sentient being. What do you think of this French postcard, c. 1913, that features a sort of role model? 

How do you like me now, Pye?

Enough Already!

OK, Cat Ladies, this is what I'm talking about.

We're not going to take it anymore! Together, we can reverse the stereotype.

http://www.abramsbooks.com/Books/Cat_Lady_Chic-9781419714023.html

Breakfast at Wimbledon

Round 2 of "Breakfast at Wimbledon" is well under way with my cats. We're rooting for Roger Federer, always one of our favorites.

Strawberries and cream and felines forever!

Happy Fourth!

I had the honor of finding a loving home for this handsome Russian Blue cat who goes by the name of Bleu.

Happy Fourth to all Cat Ladies, and hooray for the red, white, and blue!

That Lucius

I had a delightful lunch with a woman who is fully conversant in the ABCs: art, books, and cats.

I was flattered that she had read my CAT LADY CHRONICLES and wanted to get acquainted over French food at a neighborhood bistro. I don't know why I was caught by surprise when, the moment I entered the restaurant, she exclaimed, "How is that Lucius? What a character!"

Yes, Lucius was something else. Although I felt sad informing her that Lucius had passed away one year ago this month, I confessed that I believe he lives on in my book and always will. 

Lucius was a true character, yet he was so much more than a fictional character who appears in ten chapters of a book. Lucius was an all-consuming force of nature that took over our house for fourteen years, and sometimes Cat Man and I have the odd sensation that Lucius is still among us. I can't imagine ever finding another orange tabby like that Lucius.

Fleeing from the Fleas

The past two weeks have been crazy-busy, which is why you have not heard from me. I had to fly the Catland coop, and while traveling I knew that our resident cats in the garage apartment--Lillie, T.J., Perkins, and Miss Tommie--would be in the capable hands of Cat Man. His duties also included manning the fort in the house proper.

When I returned to Houston, I was very upset to learn that we had a  flea problem in the apartment. Cat Man had purchased every pet-friendly pesticide in sight, but nothing was working. Our always sweet 14-year-old cats were grumpy.

I frantically called Dr. O., always my hero, who helped me evacuate our four cats from the apartment. Other than Lillie, who has visited the Cat Doctor clinic for subcutaneous fluids, our cats had not left their home for eleven years (Dr. O. makes regular house calls). Cat Man calmly took the wheel of our getaway car, which quickly filled with the sound of nervous cats crying.

After the exterminating service further saved the day, I reconstructed the interior of the apartment so that Lillie, T.J., Perkins, and the very particular Miss Tommie would find their food and water bowls, litter boxes, and bedding in the same familiar places. Back to Dr. O.'s to retrieve our beloved cats and reinstate them in the apartment.

The look on Lillie's face was priceless. Once a Mama Kitty, always a Mama Kitty. When I opened the door to her pet carrier, Lillie immediately strutted around her flea-free home and nodded approvingly. Her children also emerged from their carriers and conveyed their appreciation to me.

The moral of this long-winded story: Cat Lady flees from fleas! 

P.S. If you live in Houston, one of the flea capitals of the world, I highly recommend Integrated Pest Management to get the job done.

Father's Day

My lead-in to commemorating Father's Day may be unconventional, but here it goes.

In Sandra Tsing Loh's new memoir "The Madwoman in the Volvo: My Year of Raging Hormones," the author writes: "Your first husband is the provider; your second husband is the one who talks to you; my third husband will be a cat. If I am lucky."

Here's to my multifaceted Cat Man, who has provided a wonderful life to many a cat. The kids and I raise a glass to you on Father's Day. We are the lucky ones!

More Strait Talk

Like millions of women, I can't get George Strait out of my mind.

Like millions of Cat Ladies, I want total world domination for cats.

Picture me standing at the center of this stage, and you'll understand my new ambition: 1M "Likes" for CAT LADY CHIC!

Help me, Cat Ladies, I know you're listening. We can take over a stadium and make our voices heard! Meanwhile, please chime in via https://www.facebook.com/catladychic

Strait talkin' at AT&T Stadium/photo Getty Images

First a Bobcat, Forever a Cowboy

I can't let today go by without acknowledging that my favorite country singer, George Strait, is about to conclude his record-breaking "Cowboy Rides Away" tour in Arlington, Texas, just hours from now.

And to think that King George began his career singing while still a bobcat at Texas State University. There always has to be a cat connection with everything I do . . . .

So George, after you sing "Amarillo By Morning" to your 100,000+ adoring and screaming fans at the AT&T Stadium, would you perhaps consider adding "Catland Tomorrow Night" to your playlist?

Case Study

I know this feeling all too well.

Lucius, especially, often pulled this trick on me. I would arrive home from PetSmart, nearly falling on my face from juggling multiple cases of his favorite Fancy Feast flavor: chopped grill. 

Upon serving His Lordship, Lucius would look at me studiously. I was expecting a follow-up expression of gratitude, but instead I thought I heard him say, "Why did you buy this terrible food? I HATE this flavor."

Ah, memories. . . .

Special

I needed to get some special-formula flea medication for the kids, and so off I went this morning to a nearby veterinary hospital that dispenses the greasy stuff.

It was easy to spot the hospital from a block away. A billboard-type sign, just like the kind you see outside a restaurant, advertised the daily special.

The sign read: NEUTER SPECIAL. Short, but not so sweet.

I can't speak completely for my male cats, but by the similar look on their faces after they had been neutered (now ages ago), I would venture to say that "special" was not at the forefront of their minds.

What is the "going rate" for neutering these days?  How much should a Cat Lady pay for a "neuter special"?

The Other Hat

I am delighted today to be wearing my other hat (the one without cat ears) and making a guest appearance on the Yale ARTbooks blog.

There is a "crazy" theme that runs throughout my post, but it certainly does not apply to Cat Ladies (never!).

My thanks go to my colleagues at Yale University Press for inviting me to blog in their space. You can check out my post here: http://artbooks.yupnet.org/2014/05/28/museum-quality-books-the-shadow-behind-the-scenes-in-the-crazy-business-of-museum-publishing/#comments