Smart cat gift selections
Fran Kelso 
Your cantankerous cat lady has received a couple of questions about taming and domesticating a feral cat, so I will tell you what I know. My knowledge is based on first-hand experience, as I “trapped” two feral kittens and took them to my Alaskan homestead on Spruce Island. Where I Found the Cats A construction … Read more
Have you ever wondered who thought of the idea of jigsaw puzzles? Actually, these first started from a painting. One cut a picture on a flat, rectangular piece of wood into small pieces using a jigsaw. Thus the jigsaw puzzle got its name. John Spilsbury, a London cartographer and engraver, made the first commercial … Read more
The Norwegian Forest cat is of Scandinavian descent. In Norway, it is known as the “Skaukatt.” It is believed that the breed is between 1000 to 2000 years old. Some stories say that Leif Erikson, the Viking explorer, had such a cat on his ship. In those early days, this cat was called the “Wegie,” … Read more
How many of you remember Laurel Burch? Her folk-art designs and amazing use of vivid colors were signatures of her work. Though Laurel died in Novato, California at the too-young age of 61, her work is still being produced and sold in many places. Her art will bring her immortality. Laurel’s Early Years Laurel Anne … Read more
To my dismay, I just found a story that was supposed to go in my book about my cat, Carlos. For some reason, it got overlooked. There’s an upside to this anecdote, however. Now you, my website readers, can be the first to read it. Here it is: Cat? What Cat? Cats have a … Read more
One of my readers asked for information about the Scottish Fold. She said years ago she’d had one visit her. She lived on a farm, and had four other cats. The Scottish Fold jumped in a window she kept open for her cats, looking for food. She was pretty sure it was a stray, as … Read more
If you visit the Cycladic Islands of Greece, you will find several lovely, whitewashed villages. The warm climate there allows islanders to spend a great deal of their life outdoors. IT’S A CAT’S LIFE IN THESE GREEK VILLAGES In these villages live many cats. Though these cats are forbidden to cross the threshold of the … Read more
Your cantankerous cat lady received a comment from a reader today. He read one of my posts and mentioned that kittens were his favorites. I got to thinking about kittens and decided a post about your kitten’s development stages might be just the thing. After consulting the Google oracle, I gleaned the information to present … Read more
Humans have attempted to understand cat behavior since ancient times. Observation can be a great teacher at times. Here are some quotes about cats that I found in a charming book called Cat’s Journal, featuring drawings by artist Susan Powers. These quotes illustrate well some characteristics of cats. Here are several of them: … Read more
When I lived on my homesite claim on Spruce Island, often my only companions were my animals, three cats and a dog. They were not just pets; they were my friends. I sincerely believe that friends are family you choose yourself, and if some of my friends had four feet, what difference did it make? … Read more