What does a Cat Lady look like? What does a Cat Lady wear?
These are among the questions that I am asked frequently, especially now that I have written a memoir about being a Cat Lady.
In Cat Lady Chronicles, I did not portray a composite figure or attempt to describe myself as the personification of the fascinating photograph pictured here. All I was equipped to do was to tell my own story, and I am gratified that my “Catland” has become yours.
We have universal tales to share, but that is not to say there should be a definitive, “I-can-spot-one” personality profile of a Cat Lady. I would be hard-pressed to pick the “real Cat Lady” in a crowded room. The one seated—not the one already standing—could be ready to pounce and to make maximum impact upon landing.
My new year’s resolution is to continue my always interesting conversations with Cat Ladies and to revel in the glory of all things feline. If you are just getting started as a Cat Lady, 2013 promises to be full of rewarding opportunities.
Query of the Day: Party hat or velvet cat ears for tonight’s celebration?
Pictured above: Wanda Wultz, Io + Gatto, 1932, Alinari Archive, Florence, Italy
Long before I became a Cat Lady, I confess to having quietly hummed a few of the opening bars from "My Favorite Things." I'm sure you know the ones I mean: Those "whiskers on kittens" bring back fond memories of simple times and childhood innocence, of waiting for Santa to come for cookies and milk, and, of course, to deliver some hoped-for presents under the holiday tree.
One of our ten cats sits peacefully under the tree without fail, every year. Ever since Leo spent his first Christmas here at Catland, in 2001, he has ushered in the season with an unforgettable spirit of playfulness and generosity.
I'll never forget the Christmas morning when I asked him if he knew what was about to happen that day. Leo responded by grabbing (he has huge paws) a Santa ornament from the tree and tossing it by his plate. I am not kidding. As if on cue in December, Leo's whiskers function as Santa-tracking radar.
Leo also loves to share his toys on the biggest gift-getting day of all. While Lucius pushes his loot of catnip mice and shiny crinkles into a corner, all the while perfecting his hoarder routine, Leo distributes his spoils.
I wrote in my Cat Lady Chronicles that Leo quickly became our cat who loved Christmas, and I am a bit haunted wondering still why he has such an affinity for the holiday.
If you believe that a cat has nine lives, and most of us Cat Ladies do, then I suspect you will not make fun of me for cherishing the thought that Leo experienced some form of Christmas before he entered our life as a kitten. Perhaps Santa simply scratched his beard a few times, and then he made his glorious decision.
Thank you, Santa, for sending Leo our way.
Query of the Day: Which of your cats loves Christmas best?
I’m back on the beat, and it’s great to be here.
I took several weeks off to prepare Catland for the holidays, and I also was in need of a personal “reboot.” I think all of us Cat Ladies can relate. Sometimes the need to be on-call for felines is overwhelming because our duties converge at once. Also, a certain alpha named Lucius had indicated that he was looking for even more “incessant stroking” to keep his spirits jolly and bright.
At this time of the year, material temptations are also potentially overwhelming. Don’t get me wrong; I am a firm believer in retail therapy. But, as this year draws to a close, I am thinking especially about the infinite gifts of unconditional love that our cats deliver to us every day. As Cat Ladies, we have our own version of “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
My reboot worked, and I was reminded recently of the simple joy of being a Cat Lady when I read an opinion piece by Peggy Noonan. She had asked a colleague, who serves as an editor of a news site, about what makes him grateful. He lives near a forest and responded that he is grateful for “love, nature, and innocence.” She wrote back and rephrased the question slightly. Yes, but, “what do you love right now?” He replied with a photo of his beloved cat, appropriately named Buddy. He went on to write that, while the topsy-turvy world of news is spinning around him 24/7, he looks to Buddy to help him “slow down” and to savor each moment. Buddy’s world “ends up being the preferred reality.”
I guess it goes without saying that I, too, prefer the reality of a life surrounded by cats.
Query of the Day: Do your cats allow you to slow down during the holidays?
I love that Hank, the now-famous feline from Springfield, Virginia, placed third in a seat for the U.S. Senate. As part of his write-in campaign for the senatorial post, Hank netted $60,000 for animal-rescue causes dear to his heart. Way to go, Hank!
Tabulating votes for a tabby led me to think…that I should nominate Lucius for President of the United States of Catland. I feel certain that his platform of “Me, Myself, and I” would appeal to other felines casting their votes based primarily on personal paw appeal.
Here’s a funny photo that a friend sent to me in honor of Election Day last Tuesday. No matter in what U.S. state we may have cast our ballots, the vote is in, and, big surprise: Cats Rule!
Query of the Day: Has a cat ever run (and chased…and hunted…) for Senate in your hometown?
What more could a Cat Lady have asked for on a cold “Caturday” in late October, when The Cat Doctor veterinary clinic hosted its annual client-appreciation event, “Catoberfest”?
I had a terrific time mingling with Dr. Caroline Oeben’s clients, who represent a wide range of cat lovers in the Houston community. As always, Dr. O. and her team were great ambassadors for felines.
I enjoyed learning about new feline products on the market, and I especially enjoyed playing with the cats available for adoption. Cat Man was manning the fort, ensuring that these cats would get noticed. Three cats were adopted, plus a one-month-old kitten who literally had just been rescued from a major intersection in downtown Houston. Meet Sophie, who knows she is a beauty. Seeing her reminds me of a recurring thought: Are the words “kitten” and “adorable” synonymous in your dictionary?
I also am excited to report that Dr. O.’s clients embraced
Cat Lady Chronicles with open arms. The MFAH Shop was invited to set up a satellite booth at the clinic and succeeded in selling nearly 50 copies. Meow! Twenty percent of the proceeds were donated to the Rescue Fund at The Cat Doctor.
Thanks to Dr. O. for a wonderful Catoberfest, and Happy Halloween to all!
Query of the Day: Will your cats greet trick-or-treaters tonight?
I think I have finally found a way to mask those, um, recurring odors that waft mightily from the litter boxes at Catland.
While visiting Target yesterday, I noticed a special promotion for Glade’s new and limited-edition fall collection of room fragrances. I bought the Rosemary Sage deodorizer spray, which I now realize smells a bit too much like a spice-infused turkey roasting in the oven. I am reserving this scent for Thanksgiving Day, just to reinforce the aromas in the kitchen.
The Maple Pumpkin spray is another story; it’s made for a pre-Halloween dousing at home. My cats love me even more because the scent makes them think I am about to dispense treats coated with maple syrup.
Glade describes its maple pumpkin flavor-of-the-month fragrance as “decadent.” I would advise that you use the spray sparingly, because a little goes a very long way. Or, if you want your house to smell like a Michaels craft store, then spray forcefully, and to your heart’s content.
Query of the Day: Can you believe I am writing about something other than a stray cat’s spray? Thankfully!
Before you start thinking, “Oh, no, don’t tell me she’s going there,” yes, I am going there. But let me explain.
I am not a Cats groupie, by any means. I saw the Broadway production once, when it first debuted, in 1982, only a few years after I graduated from college and was living in a tiny studio apartment on the Upper East Side. I remember bringing my 12-year-old brother, Matt, to a Saturday matinee. We ate lunch first at my favorite neighborhood coffee shop, the Viand, and then took a bus down Fifth Avenue and across town to the Winter Garden Theatre. I suppose I was training for my current Mama Kitty role–though I could not know it, then—because I am much older than Matt and felt protective of him as I led him through the bustling and noisy streets of the big city.
Interestingly, a few of my friends who have read Cat Lady Chronicles have referenced the TV commercials that accompanied the longest-running musical of all time, in which people leaving the theatre gushed about Cats’s “awesome” multisensory production values. One friend wrote, “I laughed, I cried, and I can honestly say that I enjoyed the experience better than Cats.” Are you listening, Andrew Lloyd Webber?
Now, thirty years after the first Broadway performance of Cats, I have grown up to become Cat Lady, and my first cat, Lucius, can only reminisce about his youthful “days in the sun.” I, too, cherish my memories of those early days of discovering why I love cats. I am buoyed by that love, and, thanks to my feline family, I most certainly “understand what happiness is.”
Query of the Day: Is "Memory" your favorite song from Cats?
