First Word

  CATS ARE TRENDING Cats are getting more attention than ever before.   Last year cats began trending on the Internet and social media. We saw cats in popular TV shows like And Just Like That where the character Che gives the iconic Carrie Bradshaw a kitten. On social media such as TikTok, Facebook and Instagram, cats took center stage in groups with titles like Cat Lovers. On Tiktok, cat enthusiasts post popular cat videos on the CatTok channel. With so much increased interest in our feline friends, a new book titled Kitty Wisdom: A Cat Lover’s Guide to Adopting and Caring for Kitties is being released for the new year.   Written by author Michelle Gamble, the book is her love letter to her two kitties, Slurpee and Icee. She wrote the book in a memoir style to share her adoption journey and all of the funny, entertaining moments she has experienced with her fur babies. Gamble walks readers through the adoption process and then explores dail...

  Chapter 4 A Day in the Life “ I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul .” – Jean Cocteau   “The Brothers”                   Have you ever heard in cat talk something called the “zoomies”? I define the zoomies in a visual and auditory way. Watching two cats racing at full speed around the house, across and over furniture, and literally up walls, that’s the zoomies (formally known as Frenetic Random Activity Pattern or FRAP). I usually hear the zoomies when the galloping starts. I can be writing at my desk and first thing in the morning, what do I hear? Gallop, gallop, gallop, crash, slide, meow, chase, race, pounce, jump, roll, and repeat . Most zooming takes place in the morning or late afternoon after a good nap has refueled the tank. I find the zoomies hilarious to watch. My desk faces the hallway so I’ve been ...

  I only wish I had caught this on video … Slurpee got up on the kitchen counter and like a bandido in fine criminal style, pulled a bag of bread down to the ground. By the time we caught him mid-steal, he had trotted off to my daughter’s bedroom with the bag in his mouth. His plan, you ask? To eat his stash under the bed. Speaking of that bed, we discovered that both Slurpee and Icee had started stealing food (cans of cat food, bread, etc.) and eating it under the bed. To suggest that cats don’t know exactly what they’re doing is wrong. The little buggers knew they would be in trouble for stealing and hoarding food, so they hid it. It reminded me of the person who hides food they know they’re not supposed to eat. But, the image of Slurpee swiping that bread and heading off to the bedroom with the loaf in his mouth … well, priceless! He looked like a dog with a ball in his mouth. I used to read this book series called Bad Kitties by Nick Bruel to my daughter Ca...

  As it turns out, two cats are better than one. They keep each other company. So, my son Cole’s encouragement to get two kitties paid off. I enjoy having my office kitties to pet and cuddle, but I still need to have my lap cat-free when I’m writing and typing. Slurpee, who is notably not a big lap-sitter, keeps Icee busy. It’s absolutely hilarious when they get the morning zoomies, as I mentioned in the last chapter. I sit at my desk and watch them wrestle and zoom back and forth in front of my office doors. I find myself stopping work, watching them wrestle, and laughing. I’ve made a lot of TikTok videos of them acting like crazy cats. I label the videos things like “Cat Wrestling” or “Cat Wrestlemania”. It’s all in good fun. These boys love each other. When Icee was still a kitten, Slurpee allowed him to eat out of his food bowl and even eat first. He was a sweet big brother. Later on, though, Slurpee got more protective over his food. A few choice growls se...

  Ah, now we have “Ice Man,” which I randomly call him. He’s the sweetest little guy I ever adopted. Icee can’t get enough pets and scratches, and he rewards you with loud purring. I love my little Icee, the kitty I never intended to adopt. Shhh … don’t tell him that one. He would be so offended. “Not adopt moi? How could you suggest such a thing. Mom, it’s me, me, me !”             I love telling Icee’s adoption story. I visited my son Cole and his partner Andrew. Andrew adores kitties, and he has a tuxedo kitty named Lucy. (I cat-sat Lucy.) Andrew wanted to adopt a pure black “void” kitty. We were at Cole’s house in Tuolumne City, and I agreed that Andrew should adopt a void. Plus, I secretly wanted to go look at the kittens. I thought it would be fun. Again, remember going to look at kittens and not adopt one is like being a diabetic in the candy store. You’re tempting your vice.       ...

1. What is your book Dropped-Off Dog (A Mostly-True “Tail”) about? My book is about the real-life situation of so many abandoned animals. It is a chance for the reader to develop a sense of empathy for the animal who has relied on its humans to care for it and meet its daily needs of food, water, shelter, and love. Maslow identified these needs in human beings long ago, and we are just recognizing that domesticated animals have adapted to our world and now require them too. Dogs especially, are social animals and abandonment is difficult for them. Cesar Milan has told us to be “good pack leaders” and that’s what dogs (and some cats) expect from us. The dog in this story had been loved by someone and then, perhaps due to difficult circumstances, the humans in its life made an irresponsible decision and left it to fend for itself or become someone else’s responsibility. I am only pointing out and bringing awareness to a very real occurrence. Everywhere you go the...