Follow the Laser Light!

Some cats just don't see the point in chasing an elusive laser light on the carpet!

Cat in the Alley

During a walk through Old Town, this beautiful gray cat stopped in an alley to see what I was doing. Naturally, I snapped his picture!

Little Lost Cat

Trick or Treat? This little black and orange calico has been wandering our neighborhood since before Halloween, peeping in windows and patiently waiting at doors hoping to be fed or let inside. She arrived on our back steps one night as I called my cats. Until last week, we thought she belonged to one of the neighbors; after all, she's wearing a collar, and practically everybody has pets around here. Then, when she kept getting skinnier and acting more desperate and we started asking around, nobody claimed her. Meanwhile, dogs have chased her, and other cats have swatted her. So, we put an ad in the Lost and Found section of the newspaper, posted her photo at the vets' offices and checked with the animal shelter to see if anyone had reported her missing. So far...nothing. We hope she's just lost and didn't get put out by people who think others will just take her in. Anyhow, I thought she deserved a decent portrait for all the trouble she's been through!

Cat Cuddle

Who says cats don't get along? These two Selma cats...one a senior citizen and the other a kitten...just love to cuddle. What could be sweeter?

BiblioCat

Well...it seems our BiblioCat has selected The Moral Compass by William J. Bennett for her daily reading or perhaps moral direction! She certainly needs to learn how to mind her manners, because not a day goes by that she doesn't get into big trouble! Shortly after this photo was taken, she pushed a couple of other books out from the shelf and onto the floor. Perhaps she wanted to check those out too! This morning, I caught her on the breakfast table licking the stick of butter, and often I find one of my collectible angels in places where it doesn't belong. She has to be pilfering the curio cabinet! Finally, every time I turn on the computer printer, she rushes to the desk and pounces on the paper as it is delivered into the tray. And yes, this is the same kitten that looked so cute in that sack of corn.

Now, I am finished posting photos of the family cat...that is, until she has another photo moment!

Cat in the Corn

What is it about sacks that attract the curiosity of cats? Our recently acquired kitten jumped into this sack and burrowed her way among the sweet corn, then gave us her "cute" look before we took a photo and got her out. And yes, we ate the corn, cat hair and all! (It hadn't been shucked yet.)

Stone & Purr

After visiting a friend at Vaughan Place, I walked out on the porch and heard a soft "Mee..oow." This black-and-white beauty had spotted a cat lover (me), and she walked over to solicit a pat between her ears. Then I noticed the stone kitty wearing a pink bow at left. I suppose she makes a nice decoration and conversation piece, while the talking feline makes good company at this assisted-living home.

The Cats Who...Ran a Household

"Cats are cats the world over.
These intelligent, peace-loving,
four-footed friends...
who are without prejudice,
without hate,
without greed...
may someday teach us something."
__James Mackintosh Qwilleran
(Fictional cat lover and columnist in Lilian Jackson Braun's "Cat Who" book series)

This cat collage is not so much about Selma, but about cats who have run a household in Selma.

Skidzoo, the black-and-white shorthair at left, serves as a morning alarm, waking his subjects no later than 5:30 a.m. every day. His meows don't stop until someone is in the kitchen, and the family hasn't needed an alarm clock for going on a dozen years! He's an animal-shelter rescue, reportedly bewitching a customer who was looking for a dog. At his advanced age, he still sometimes reverts to kittenhood, racing and skidding around the house.

Miss Kitty (top right) a Norwegian Forest feline according to one vet, and a Dallas County long-haired cur according to another, found 7th Heaven after cat lovers discovered her eating fly-infested leftovers from a garbage can. She was rib-poking skinny with a roaring stomach and maggot-infested skin sores. But she had a magnanimous purr, affectionate disposition, and like Harry Potter...untapped potential. She was meant to reign. But nobody claimed her, and she became queen of their house.
After her wounds healed, Miss Kitty's large frame filled out, and she gradually began to trust her family, occasionally creeping from a corner to comfort them when they were sick. She became Nurse Kitty, snuggling whoever sneezed, coughed or was down in their back. After several years, curiosity and an insatiable desire for food literally ended her life. Last summer, Miss Kitty apparently went sniffing around a fired-up grill while another animal was also checking it out. A ruckus ensued, but the unseen perpetrator escaped. It must have been big, because Miss Kitty weighed around 20 pounds and had thick, sharp claws with which to defend herself.

Taz (bottom), said to be a Maine Coon cat, was the most gentle pet around. He didn't even mind being held upside down (not that such tactics were encouraged)! He was also known as the In and Out Cat, because as soon as he came inside, he wanted back out...and vice versa...all day long. He kept all escape routes open and in working condition.

So, an extra pat on the head to all those crazy, comforting and cuddly cats!