Do You Come Here Often?

Sammy usually went for a walk in the afternoon when the weather was nice. He would check out the neighbor's yard to see if the dog had time to play. Then he would stop at the park to smell the flowers, flop around in the grass, and chase the bugs. If it was sunny and warm, he liked to lie on his back and let the sun warm up his belly. The last stop before going back home was the waterfront where some of the dock hands would feed him fresh fish. Yum!!! That was worth the walk!

On a particularly hot day, the dog didn't feel like playing. Sammy didn't have much energy either because of the heat. He was slowly making his way to the park when he noticed that a rabbit was walking with him. He'd never seen this rabbit before and thought the rabbit would just go on its way. No, the rabbit kept up with him until they got to the park. Sammy found a nice, shady place to lie down. However, the rabbit disappeared. Sammy went on to the waterfront and back home by himself.

The next day the rabbit was back walking with him again. This time, Sammy asked him who he was and where he came from. The rabbit told Sammy that he actually lived in the same yard with the dog. He would always hide when Sammy came around. He was curious about where Sammy would go and finally decided to find out. From that day on, they walked together. The dock workers enjoyed the rabbit too and would always have fresh lettuce to feed him.

Marion Lovato is the author of Sam, the Superkitty.  Her book describes an ordinary cat changing into a superhero to protect his family from things that go bump in the night.  Available on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle edition.  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1604588667

 

Poor Ralph!

 I apologize for not posting a blog for the last two weeks. My mother passed away three weeks ago much to our shock. She had been in the nursing home for two months; the therapist said she was doing good with her therapy and could be coming home. Needless to say, my mind has not been on writing with everything there is to do. I have several short stories already written, so I'll be posting those for a couple of weeks. Please bear with me. Thank you for your understanding.



Ralph, his mother, and his brothers and sisters all lived in a house way out in the country. Of course, they allowed humans to live there too. There were many other creatures on this ranch that the humans had to take care of, but the cats made sure that THEY were taken care of first. As long as they were fed, the litter box was kept clean, they could get brushed often, and had a lap to lay on, they didn't care how much time the humans spent with the other animals.

Some of these humans were things called children. They were all different sizes and ages. The younger ones had all kind of toys to play with. Mother Cat wasn't too interested in playing with the children, but Ralph and his brothers and sisters would all join in and play with some of the toys too. That was so much fun!! When the youngest child had a birthday, she decided that she would like balloons at her party.

Ralph had never seen balloons before. What odd things they were! Some of them were bright colors and they floated in the air! He was fascinated by them. Every once in a while, one would lose air and get lower to the ground. Ralph would chase after it and bat it around with his paw before someone took it away from him. Finally, he was able to grab one and keep it to himself. Then this happened!

Marion Lovato is the author of Sam, the Superkitty.  Her book describes an ordinary cat changing into a superhero to protect his family from things that go bump in the night.  Available on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle edition.  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1604588667

Weird and Bizarre Cat Days

I do a newsletter for my church and send it out once a month. I started posted some of the weird and bizarre holidays for each month. Some of them are real crazy!! A lot of them revolve around food, like National Peanut Butter Cookie Day, and some are just plain silly, like Make Your Bed Day (isn't that everyday?) or Be Late For Something Day. (Some people are always late) Anyway it gave me an idea for the blog. Here's the weird days for this last week. Let's see how our furry friends handle them.

Last Saturday, the 13th, was Positive Thinking Day. One look at this guy and you couldn't help but do that!

Sunday was National Cream Filled Donut Day (Yum!!) This one wants his delivered.

Monday was Make A Hat Day. I think she had some help with hers.

Tuesday was Collect Rocks Day (See what I mean about being silly) This cat passed on the rocks; he likes fish instead.

Wednesday was Citizenship Day. (Now that one makes sense!) You're being a good citizen when you're kind and helping someone else.

Thursday was National Cheeseburger Day. (That's another yum!) This little kitty made you a cookie because he wanted to trade it for your cheeseburger. (Sneaky little devil) However, you waited too long and he was too hungry.

Friday was Talk Like A Pirate Day. Couldn't find any pirates, but found the Three Musketeers. That's going to have to be close enough. However, they have the wrong day. Silly cats!

And finally, today is International Eat An Apple Day. Evidently the baby and/or the parents didn't know that.

Oh, well, such is life!! How did you do with this week's weird and bizarre holidays? Like I said, some of them are pretty silly! Any comments to share about whether you liked this or not?

Marion Lovato is the author of Sam, the Superkitty.  Her book describes an ordinary cat changing into a superhero to protect his family from things that go bump in the night.  Available on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle edition.  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1604588667

The MOST Important Question of All

Mickey was one of several pets in the house. There were two other cats, one dog, and a parrot. All of them, except the parrot, were rescue animals. They all liked each other and played well together. The cats did their own thing, slept and played when they wanted, and pretty much ignored the humans in the house. Of course, the dog was very excited and happy to be with the humans. The bird talked a lot whether anyone was paying attention to him or not.

It seemed to Mickey that the humans talked a lot too! They were always asking questions about each other. The mother would be asking the kids what they wanted to eat, have they cleaned their room, is their homework done, did they have clothes that needed to be washed, and a hundred others. The father would ask what was for dinner, did he have clean shirts, who was going to help him with some chores, had the kids fed the pets, etc.

The kids were even worse! They had hundreds of questions everyday it seemed like. They asked a lot about food, allowances, going places with friends, and so forth. They were ALWAYS asking about why they couldn't do something that their parents didn't want them doing. It all seemed so silly to Mickey!! He had only one question that he wanted answered.

Marion Lovato is the author of Sam, the Superkitty.  Her book describes an ordinary cat changing into a superhero to protect his family from things that go bump in the night.  Available on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle edition.  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1604588667

 

BIG Cats Are Beautiful. Should They Be Pets?

Throughout my years of living in Colorado and Nevada, I've heard and known of people keeping lions, tigers, jaguars, etc. for pets. Have never seen one of these "pets", but that's okay with me. As a very young animal, they can be adorable, cute, and downright funny.

But then they grow up!

You can take the cat out of the jungle, but you can't take the adorable out of the cat. Here are 30 big cats being adorable.

Big cats can act like house cats in many ways. One of the reasons why our love for cuddly little house cats extends to the largest members of the cat family is because of how similar big cats and small cats are.

Are you thinking now that I'm in favor of keeping a big cat as a pet? No, I'm not for several reasons. The first would be the cost of keeping a big animal as far as maintenance such as food and vet bills.

A lion can eat as much as 10 to 15 pounds of meat a day and so if you only (under) fed the lion 8 pounds of meat a day, it would be nearly $40 a day (at $5.00/lb) or $280 a week to feed that lion at minimum amount. That’s certainly a lot less than those two small cats in the picture.

Since trading exotic animals is regulated, there is a huge black market for them. They are often not transported properly, cared for properly, and they're sold off to the highest bidder regardless of that person’s ability to properly care for them. Right now there are more captive tigers than wild tigers. There is something definitely wrong with that! This cat is very lucky!!

Big cats are wild animals at heart. It is in their nature to travel, stalk, and hunt down their prey. If that opportunity is taken away, they can become very frustrated. A frustrated, big cat is not necessarily a good thing to have around! Add 500 pounds to this cat and you'll see what I mean.

Big cat cubs are adorable, cute, and cuddly and usually not very dangerous. However, when they're grown, their play is pretty rough because it's training for hunting. Sometimes they just don't know their own strength; it's best not to take a chance. This cat just thinks he's tough and scary.

Captivity of big cats causes them great stress which can potentially lead to psychosis. This is often exhibited through pacing and acts of aggression (even on trusted caretakers). Many big cat attacks that occur from aggression are born out of this frustration. If you have a big cat as a pet, you're not only living with a natural born killer; you're living with one that can literally go crazy on you. Think I'll stick with my house cats!!!!

Besides, they only think they're a big cat.

Marion Lovato is the author of Sam, the Superkitty.  Her book describes an ordinary cat changing into a superhero to protect his family from things that go bump in the night.  Available on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle edition.  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1604588667

Rules For the Cat (Established By the Cat)

When I was raising my two boys, there were house "rules". They were sometimes bent and other times down right broken! However, we all survived. Now I watch them set down the "rules" for their children and watch  THEIR frustration when things don't go according to plan. Paybacks are h---, aren't they? It occurred to me that we set "rules" for our pets, but that's a whole other story. Especially with cats!! So, let's explore how these "rules" work for our furry companions.

Can you tell that we have a problem already? Cat's are not allowed on the furniture. Guess they didn't get the memo.

Okay, so cats can be on the furniture. Just not on the counters.

Oh, I see it's just not when you're fixing food.

There's an exception to every rule, isn't there? Moving on.......the cat can go anywhere it wants? Oh, boy, we're in big trouble now!!!!!!

Well!!!!!!! Guess that kind of sums it up, doesn't it? Before I go, let's take a look at this 5:30 in the morning thing.

Now that we've established the rules for the cat, we can move on to other projects. (Something tells me this will be an ongoing thing. What do you think?)

Marion Lovato is the author of Sam, the Superkitty.  Her book describes an ordinary cat changing into a superhero to protect his family from things that go bump in the night.  Available on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle edition.  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1604588667

Black, Furry, Loveable. Are You Superstitious?

Monday was Black Cat Appreciation Day meant to raise awareness of dark-coated felines and encourage people around the United States to adopt them. It's also a chance to debunk myths that can have very real adoption consequences for black cats.. Some studies suggest 13% of American adults are superstitious when it comes to black cats — and that the perceived bad luck probably prevents them from adopting one.

Having more black cats on an adoption floor is a common scenario, however, because black coats are a dominant genetic trait. Out of all coats — black, gray, white, orange, brown, Calico and everything in between — black-furred cats make up about 33% of the shelter cat population. Remember, black is a color and not a breed.

Today is Be An Angel Day. Believe it or not, this is very hard for some cats to do. They can be so cuddly, affectionate, and loving, BUT then the another behavior can appear. Let's see what happens then.

Food:

Boxes:

Cuddle time:

Playing:

Cattitude:

I think you get the picture now. Pardon the pun! At any rate, cats will display many behaviors because:

And they do this quite well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Marion Lovato is the author of Sam, the Superkitty.  Her book describes an ordinary cat changing into a superhero to protect his family from things that go bump in the night.  Available on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle edition.  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1604588667