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Climbing, reaching, striving for success, fame, fortune or just a kitty catnap marathon. Is this what life is really all about? If you're new to Cat Saturday, welcome!  Every Saturday, my Boomer Muse blog goes to the dogs, er, I mean the cats. My cats and their friends explore the wit and wisdom of the big and little questions in life.

News & Mews

We're all doing a happy dance. Little blind kitten Midget found a forever home. Someone was telling me how they'd like to help cats but can't stand all the sad stories. Volunteering for a shelter or rescue group is rewarding beyond words, but only if you do what's comfortable for you. When I founded the Annex Cat Rescue in Toronto in 1997, I was one person feeding one cat colony. But as cat people know, one thing leads to another. Soon, a thriving group formed and the rest is as they say, history. Annex Cat Rescue I couldn't bear doing trapping or dealing with suffering animals (still can't), but thankfully some can and I can and do help in other ways. There are endless ways to help small groups or large shelters. Just find one close to you and ask what they need. I live in New York now and volunteer at a very cool small group called Cat Assistance NY
 
Ticket sales are doing well for our gala fundraiser but we have room for more. Info at link above. And an early shout out for the generous contribution of cat and dog treats from Hartz Mountain. There's been a number of new additions of cats who have lost their pet parent to death like sweet gal Plunk. Nothing wrong with them. Like all of us, they just need love.

It was a relatively quiet week (ha!) at home. Feral big boy Domino AKA The Refrigerator hunkered down in his cozy lair on the porch. The rainy weather and raw wind kept the rest of the fur gang indoors in more leisurely pursuits. Merlin and Gris Gris excelled in catnapping. Here they are dreaming of the curriculum for catnapping 101. A taxing job but they're up for it or down for it. They enjoy sleeping together leaving Odin the odd man out. The best news (for me) Merlin has finally gotten over his snit with me and has resumed his undercover snuggling all night. Ah the joys of numb arms lest we disturb his Highness.



Another competition: the battle of the bags. Will Whole Foods or Trader Joe's win? Old boy, Merlin says both.


On one warmish day, Gris Gris found a sunny spot and shared his wisdom about getting out of tight spots.


One-eyed Odin wins hands down in the mischief department every week. Even though he is leash trained (sort of) his hunger for the outdoors is unrelenting. He is literally climbing walls and windows to get out.


Do not, I repeat do not be fooled by his cuteness. He has one thing on his mind: Mischief, preferably outdoors. At the sound of the front door opening, both Odin and Gris Gris race down the stairs to attempt a swift getaway. I've had cats all my life and I've never seen anything like it. Hubby shouts like a lion tamer, "Stay! Back!" If there are bags going out or groceries to be brought in, we have to sometimes lock them inside a room. Spring and warm weather is coming and I'm worried. What to do?



I came up with one idea. There is a window by a day bed which opens unto a part of the porch we don't use. It's not huge but we could build an enclosure and keep the window open all day. Thoughts?

Odin not only is kitten but a wild Gemini and too smart for words. More about kitty astrology another day. These shots were taken in less than one hour: He trampled my chives, used the elliptical machine and killed a teddy bear leaving 23 more hours in the day for mischief. There is no mountain high enough for this boy.  All cats love heights and Gris Gris enjoyed the view from the top of mudroom. It's a safe height but I stayed close anyway. He's come along way from the scruffy 12 year-old foster kitty no one wanted. He's sleek and elegant as a Jaguar hood ornament.



The other thing that drove me crazy this week was a new toy from Hartz Mountain called Chirp 'n Chase. We call it Chirp Chirp. Odin has another toy he's insane about we call Squirrelbird. He loves playing fetch with it but he killed the chirping mechanism and doesn't compare to his new frenemy Chirp Chirp.  The new catnip-filled toy is so realistic and loud I guarantee it will perk up the laziest cat. There's only one problem. It'll drive you as crazy as the cat playing with it. We have to lock it up after about ten minutes of play. Odin now knows the names of both toys and will fetch accordingly. We also have to hide it in different places. If he sees where we hide it, he'll figure out a way to get it. He must have safe cracker DNA. Good times, but don't say, I didn't warn you.