A Very Meowy Christmas

Besides patience, all I wanted Santa to bring me this year was family unity. Which he did, but a little earlier than last night. Regular readers know what I’m talking about. The strife that besieged our house earlier this year when I brought home the little stray who has since become our beloved Tabby Girl. For a while it was chaos. Poor Mr. Meow had met his match and lost the run of his house. If he dared to venture out, he had to do so cautiously and be prepared to run if Tabby spotted him. His whole routine and … Continue reading

Mr. Meow’s Minky

Mr. Meow horsing around on his Minky. Have you ever heard of a cat having a security blanket? I never had, until Mr. Meow stole mine. Sort of. He didn’t nab my real security blanket. By the time Mr. Meow came along my beloved Minky was nothing more than a tattered rag. (Which I still have tucked away in a drawer. I just can’t seem to toss the darn thing.) No, the Minky Mr. Meow laid claim to was a replica my sister had given me for Christmas 1999 as a joke. But the joke was that Mr. Meow thought … Continue reading

Chaotic Cat Chronicles: Crouching Meowy, Flying Tabby (Hidden Murphy)

I never could have imagined the even bigger strides that were to follow the end of Mr. Meow’s bed boycott back in June. Distraught The first part of this year was so incredibly stressful. I didn’t know what to do about Tabby and it seemed Mr. Meow had met his ultimate match. He was all freaked out and unhappy, which broke my heart. My poor little Meowy sure didn’t deserve Tabby’s harassment. I felt so guilty. After all, I was the one who’d brought her home and she’d immediately run roughshod over the cat who had previously reigned the kingdom. … Continue reading

Tabby and Mr. Meow: Friends (And Playmates) At Last

Mr. Meow letting Tabby share his leather chair. Ever since I found Tabby and became a foster cat mom, she and Mr. Meow have had “issues.” If you’re new to reading my blogs, let me catch you up: The First Three Weeks Things were fine to start with. They tolerated being in the same rooms together, but kept a healthy distance. It was during Tab’s fourth week with us that things started changing… The Pregnancy During that fourth week she suddenly got just plain nasty towards Mr. Meow. She’d chase him from our bedroom and eventually got so territorial he … Continue reading

Mr. Meow and Tabby: How Goes the Positive Reinforcement Training?

If you’ve been following my what to do about Tabby dilemma regarding the way she treats Mr. Meow, you’re aware that I’ve been looking for new ways to help them get along. One of those ways was trying to use positive reinforcement. Maybe you’re wondering how that’s working out. To be honest, it’s been working. Sort of. Mr. Meow is still skittish if Tabby’s around. Coaxing him out into her presence so I could reward the both of them has been an obstacle. But we’re getting there. The Sun Room For some reason, the sun room is the one place … Continue reading

Pets Are Wonderful Month: My Tribute to Murphy, Mr. Meow, and Tabby

Did you know in addition to being Animal Cruelty Prevention Month it’s also Pets Are Wonderful Month? I already covered a couple reasons why I think my pets are wonderful in Bless the Pets Who Forgive Us Our Trespasses, but here’s some others specific to each of them: Why Murphy’s Wonderful • Because he’s so easy going and tolerant. • Because he’s one heck of a good listener. I can grumble to him or sing to him (my singing is horrible, maybe even worse than my grumbling), and he just sits there wagging his tail. • Because he’s so gentle … Continue reading

The Pets Blog Week in Review for Feb 26-Mar 4

It’s concise, quick, and handy. For your Pets Blog pleasure, here’s the breakdown of what Aimee and myself wrote about this past week: Monday, February 26 Pets need to keep warm in cold winter weather, too, and what better way than with a coat made just for them? Aimee interviewed Holly Glover, a dog-lover who turned her talent for sewing into Project Puppy Love, which ultimately warms up the lives of shelter dogs. Speaking of warming … the weather prompted me to take Murph for a walk, which sparked “What Kind of Dog Is That?”: Why I Love My Pound … Continue reading

Mr. Meow Meets His Match

Mr. Meow in his blue and yellow hut Not much phases Mr. Meow. Thunder and sudden, loud noises might send him scampering for cover. The key word being “might.” He’s really a pretty sturdy cat. After all, he survived being abandoned, being found by me and Budly, saying goodbye to Budly, the Murphy adoption, Hurricane Frances, the 600 mile move from Jacksonville to Nashville, and a 2,300 mile round trip family Christmas road trip in a rented minivan. I call him the Antagonizer and the Instigator, because I’ve seen him purposely provoke Murphy’s best friend Tucker, the 80 pound wonder … Continue reading

Learning about Coping Gracefully from My Pets

Over in Marriage I wrote about how this year has been one blow after the other and I feel like I’m living under a black cloud. A string of them to be exact. No sooner does one pass than another one moves in and pours on me some more. I don’t even get a chance to fully dry off. I’ve been trying to cope as well as I can, but I have to be honest. My defenses are wearing down. Yesterday I got another blow. My dad’s girlfriend called to say she was at St. Anthony’s with my dad. He … Continue reading

The Things We Do for Our Cats

If you’re the kind of doting cat mama that I am, you do more than just clean litter boxes and take them to the vet for their annual checkup, don’t you? When you go on vacations you fret about their wellbeing and miss them like mad. (Even though no doubt you’ve either placed them in a great cat B&B like the one Aimee works at or with a trustworthy pet sitter.) Heck, you might even plan it so they can come along. Their safety is always first and foremost on your mind. When you have to take them in the … Continue reading