Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Clea Simon--How Did You Meet Your Pet



DEBORAH CROMBIE: If there's one thing we love to talk about almost as much as books on Jungle Red, it's our animal companions. And if there's one thing author Clea Simon--who writes The Witch Cats of Cambridge series--should know about, it's cats. Here she has a heartwarming (and a little harrowing) story about meeting her latest feline muse, Thisbe.

 
CLEA SIMON: If you’ve read Lucy Burdette’s saga of bringing T-bone home, you know that adding a four-legged member of the family can be complicated. Reading about her adventures with the shelter brought me back to last winter and our own search for a new feline friend.

We had said goodbye to Musetta,  my own little muse, the previous September. 


But it took several months before I was ready to welcome a new cat into my life. By the time I was – sometime that winter – I faced the same problem that young Lucy did. Kitten season was several months away. Plus, in the 16-plus years since we’d adopted Musetta, the shelter situation had changed. In New England, people have gotten so good about neutering their pets that kittens were hard to come by. “Come before we open and with elbows out,” one Boston area shelter told me. (Older cats  – perfect pets for those who don’t want to deal with kitten craziness – are still begging for new homes!)

In desperation, we turned to PetFinder.org, where we saw a blurry snapshot of a cute little tortie gal. 


But when we asked if we could meet her – chemistry being crucial in an adoption – we were told she wasn’t in New England. She was going to be transported, along with her littermates, from West Virginia in a few weeks. If we wanted her, we could meet them in a parking lot outside Hartford on a particular Sunday evening – and we should have $50 in cash in an envelope.

Wow, did that raise questions – not to mention red flags. We’d been told that the kittens had been vetted, but how would we know for sure? Would these kittens be socialized? Healthy? Would we fall in love? Then again… that little face…

We tried to plan. I made an early morning vet appointment for the next day, choosing a big city vet that had a shelter. We barricaded off an area of our living room so the little creature wouldn’t be able to hurt herself – or evade capture the next morning when it was time for her checkup. Jon and I began bargaining – if she was FIV positive, we could keep her. If she was FeLV positive, well, we’d talk to the vets… We went to meet her knowing that we might surrender her the next day. At least she’d be off the streets, we told ourselves. If she had some horrible incurable illness, at least she’d have care – or a merciful end…

Reader, you can guess what happened next. We handed over our carrier and the $50 – hardly anything when you consider months of food, vet care, and transportation! – and brought a complaining kitten home. And when we opened that box, back in our “kitten safe” area, we met not a scared feral but a self-assured little fur person, intent on exploring her new domain. Several hours later, when went to bed, we dutifully barricaded her downstairs, only to hear the most plaintive mew. Yes, we lifted the barricade and Thisbe bolted upstairs to jump on our bed, where she settled on Jon’s pillow for the night.

You can guess the rest. Despite our fears, the vet found only the usual kitten issues – all resolvable with love and wormer. And now I find myself cat valet in chief once again, interrupting my writing to fetch and throw catnip mice, fish balls out from under the sofa, and generally act as aide-de-camp to my new feline mistress.

So, tell me, how did your pet come to you? Let’s a share our pre-Valentine’s Day love stories here!
 
The author of more than two dozen cozy/amateur sleuth mysteries featuring cats, three nonfiction books, and one punk rock urban noir, World Enough (Severn House), Clea Simon likes to keep busy.

 
 The Boston Globe best-selling author’s latest is A Spell of Murder, the first in a new “Witch Cats of Cambridge” cozy mystery series out this month from Polis Books. 


 Clea lives in Somerville, Massachusetts, with her husband and one (1) cat. She can be reached at www.cleasimon.com and on Twitter @Clea_Simon

Here's more about A SPELL OF MURDER

“It’s Harriet’s fault. It’s always her fault, not that she’ll ever admit it.” So begins A Spell of Murder: A Witch Cats of Cambridge mystery, the first in a new cozy series that mixes feline fiction with a touch of the paranormal, and a little romance as well.

Becca, newly single and newly unemployed, wants to believe she has psychic powers. With nothing but time – and a desire for empowerment – she’s studying to become a witch. What she doesn’t know is that her three cats – Harriet, Laurel, and Clara – are the ones with the real power. And when Harriet – “a cream-colored longhair with more fur than commonsense” – conjures a pillow for her own comfort, Becca believes her spells are finally working. Could that be why Trent, the coven’s devilishly handsome leader, has been showing her special attention? Or why Suzanne, a longtime coven member, draws her aside to share a secret – a confidence that may lead to murder?

Delightful," raves Publishers Weekly. "You don’t have to be a cat lover to appreciate this paranormal cozy’s witty observations, entertaining dialogue, and astute characterizations."

DEBS: I LOVE tuxedo cats. We have one, and have had another, who alas is no longer meowing with us. But isn't it weird that black and white cats are not called "tuxedos" in the UK? It's so descriptive!

And I adore torties--fascinating cat genetics there. Thank you for sharing with us.

REDS and READERS, tell us how you met your pet! 

Clea is giving away a copy of A SPELL OF MURDER to one lucky commenter!





74 comments:

  1. Only once did we ever buy an animal [from a reputable breeder . . . we checked before we went to see the puppies], and it was a complete disaster. After that, we went back to our tried and true: letting the animals find us. They wander in, we give them a home. Somehow, it always words . . . .

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    1. When the student is ready, the teacher appears! The same holds true for pets – glad it does for you, Joan!

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  2. My two cats both started off as fosters, but after a few weeks we decided to adopt them permanently. Best decision we ever made!

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    1. The "failed" foster!! I'm so glad, Marla! (I suspect this happens often :) )

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  3. I live with three cats and four dogs (but no humans, so it sort of balances out) and nearly all of them are "foster failures"--that is, animals I was hoping someone else would adopt, but who settled right in and made my heart their home. The oldest cat, however, was a gift from the goddess.

    In the spring of 2006, I didn't have a cat, although there was a feral colony of barn cats on my country property. My husband's cat had died about six weeks after he did, the summer before, and it had taken me months to even contemplate a new cat but one day I said to my wise old dog, "I think it's time we got some feline energy back in the house, don't you?"

    Two days later I went down the driveway to get the morning paper, and spotted a tiny black kitten lying by the road. I thought one of the neighbor dogs had killed her. She was wet and muddy, and looked like she'd been carried around in a dog-mouth for a while, but when I bent over her to check, she opened bright blue eyes and mewed at me. I snatched her up, carried her indoors, cleaned her off, and sat with her for a while to see if she was okay. She was, but she was also far too young to be weaned, so I returned her to her mother. Four hours later I found the same kitten, once again dog-mouthed and muddy, just off my front porch.

    This time, after I cleaned her up and checked her for injuries, I took her to the vet because I know a gift when I receive one. She was clearly an answer to my wish for feline energy. I named her Scrap because she was a tiny thing, and because I am a quilter, so I believe scraps are worth saving. She is still the smallest animal in my house, but she rules over all the dogs, and has earned the title Queen of the Universe. A delightful gift, indeed.

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    1. Truly meant to be, Gigi! I feel the same way about our youngest male cat--he's funny and sweet and he thinks he's just one of the guys around here. :-)

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    2. Scrap thanks you all. By the way, Thisbe is beautiful! I love torties.

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    3. Oh, Gigi, what a wonderful story! And how smart Queen Scrap was to recognize a caring and generous person! I love this - thank you!

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  4. Hugh found our big beautiful dim Norwegian Forest cat, Preston, in a foster mom's closet. He had been mauled by a dog and they were about to let him go when the shelter surgeon came in and sewed him up. Hugh fell in love with this sweet guy, scooped him up, and brought him home. Despite being about 19, Preston is going strong. So glad This email worked out for you, Clea!

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    1. Thisbe, not "this email" - sheesh, Autocorrect!

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    2. Preston is a lucky cat, Edith! So glad you and Huge found him! And don't worry about the autocorrect. For some reason, my phone often "hears" Thisbe as "this b*tch," which probably says something about my commonly used words... hmmm... must be because I write about dogs, too....

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  5. Our nine year old standard poodle was grieving after the death of his companion standard. We were referred to a puppy outside Columbus, and made the trek north. Ten week old Jazz appeared from the puppy kennel, bobbling as she followed a pack of adult standards through the grass. During our bonding time, she untied my husband's shoe lace, refused to sit on my lap, and chased a cat around the room. She was ours. Boo was delighted to have a sibling.

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    1. They certainly know how to win you over, don’t they?

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    2. Jazz certainly knows how to improvise! So glad you and Boo found her!

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  6. Lola —a tortie!— was a shelter cat who chose me. I found Leon on the street, a tiny tiny kitty who was being tormented. When I was a kid, we had four goofy Irish setters, who came to us… I don’t really know how, come to think about it. And a series of cats, who just found us. Mrs.Purdy, F Scott, Zelda, Rosemary, and then Rosemary‘s babies: Picnic and Snowflake. Picnic and Snowflake were named because my mom said let’s name them after the best things ever, what are those? And picnic and snowflake were the answers.
    Congratulations, Clea! And what are the genetics of torties, Debs?

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    1. I love these names, Hank!! How smart of your mom, too. Curious to hear what Debs says, but you know torties are almost always female, yes? The rare (I believe less than 1%) who are male are usually sterile. And then there's the whole question of "tortitude," the tortoiseshell personality (I know one rescuer who won;'t work with them - says they're crazy). THere's some evidence that the genetics do make more ... ahem... aggressive cats. But did you know that cat color is partly influenced by prenatal conditions? Now that's a whole different story.

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    2. Clea, yes, the torties--and calicos (also a term not used in the UK!)are almost always female, but I didn't know that color could be determined by prenatal conditions. How interesting? Any suggestions for reading up on that? (That's the old biology degree kicking in...)

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    3. Hank, it's a sex-linked gene. But cat coloration in general is fascinating. Unfortunately, I've forgotten a lot of what I used to know!

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  7. In the spring five years ago I decided it we really needed another cat. My son's family had adopted a kitten the year before and I was always hearing how wonderful he was. So when that family had another sign out for free kittens I had to go check it out. I already had a dog and an older white cat who was very aloof and not much of a comforter at all. My black kitty Gizzy died the previous summer when he was 17. So I went to see the kittens and of course they were adorable but they were so tiny although I was assured they had been weaned. Which one to choose? So hard to decide that I brought home 2 little black kittens, Rosie and Rowdy! For the longest time I couldn't tell them apart but now their personalities give them away.

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    1. So glad you were able to bring that energy back into your life! It is amazing how their individual personalities develop, isn't it?

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  8. Congrats Clea on the new fur baby! T-bone approves:). It's so funny to watch them settle in to their new home isn't it? T-bone has grown into his adolescence this week and he's testing constantly by knocking over my favorite lamp, picture frames etc. Then I close him out of the room and he chirps pitifully. And I let him back in. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Hope your kitty has many happy years with the family.

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    1. Scrap went through a phase when she thought the best game ever was to scramble up my leg and attach herself to the waistband of my jeans. I decided the "belt kitten" was the must-have fashion accessory of the season.

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    2. Thank you, Lucy/Roberta! Yes, the "door game" as we call it... well, we live to serve! Ha! So loving hearing about T-Bone!

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  9. Great stories!! I've mentioned the guys' four cats often enough here--all rescues, all very distinct personalities-and somehow I've become the cat wrangler. My dad was a hunter, known for training great hounds, so there were always dogs around when I was growing up--but they weren't pets. Then one weekend my dad came home from a trip with an English shepherd puppy--she was the runt of the litter and her tail had been chewed on! She immediately became one of the 'pack' of eight children. And I think she was probably the only purebred pet we ever had--all the rest, for there were other dogs, were rescues, and so were the cats, including Fartin' James, who faked a hurt paw to get in every morning, then rotated his way through the bedrooms upstairs during the day as the sun moved along its course.

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  10. We've had a succession of cats, starting with five 23 years ago. The original quintet is long gone to the big Cat House in the Sky, Sam the Serial Killer being the last to leave us. Being in a cat-free environment was not for us. Julie found Eliot on the internet, a resident of Lollypop Farm, our perfectly frabjous shelter here in Rochester. Eliot was five months old and already a two time reject, had a disgusting eye infection and a Grade 4 heart murmur. Grade 4 means you can hear it across the room. She also demonstrated the Hemingway connection, six toes on each paw, the front ones looking like mittens. Her rejection issue was her high energy, bounced off walls like a crazed ping pong ball in a hurricane.

    And she had this grin.

    We fell in love and brought her home, our gorgeous gray and white tuxedo kitten, now going on six years old. I can imagine life without her although she prefers Julie certainly. I'm but the can opener, necessary but disdained at other than mealtimes.

    Her original name was Elliot because someone thought she was a he. We dropped an L with a bow to George Eliot who also, perhaps, had gender identification issues.

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    1. We serve too who only open cans... I love the story of Eliot (and, hey, she knows who she is). The grin!!! I want pictures.

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  11. I'm a huge cat fancier though we have no pets. Zip zero zilch. Ever. Clea, your new kitty is a darling. I totally get it.

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    1. Thanks, Hallie, and thanks for having me here! Being a member of the writers' community, you get to enjoy so many pets vicariously – and no litter box duty!

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  12. Aww, how cute!

    Our first dog came to us when our then-neighbor, only a few weeks after we moved in, said, "Hey, do you want a dog?" His sister was getting a divorce. Unable to take the dog, she left him with the soon-to-be-ex, who was neglecting him, so she was searching for a new home. Casey was wonderful for the next 13 years, until the ailments of old age overwhelmed him and he went over the Rainbown Bridge.

    Now I can report I'm eagerly awaiting a call from a local rescue organization to say, "Come meet your prospective dog." We're adopting a retired racing greyhound! Could happen as early as next week!

    Mary/Liz

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    1. Oh!! How exciting! And how lovely that Casey found you and had a good long life with you. I hope your next pup arrives soon!

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    2. How exciting, Mary!! You'll have to keep us posted!

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    3. I had to call my contact at the rescue with some questions this morning. She said the dogs are coming 1/31. Then they need a week to do physicals, treat any issues, and microchipping. I could have my next furbaby in two weeks. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

      Mary/Liz

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  13. Okay Reds! You're killing me!

    I am a Cat Person, like, being on the verge of needing a 12 Step Program to deal with my love-of- cats, Cat Person. And, I live in a no pets building. A rent controlled, no pets building.

    I have great memories of Kedo the-one eyed, smokey gray who was my comfort during the chaotic ex-husband years. Next it was the Duchess who was a long hair tortoise. We danced to her tune for 13 years.

    I am one blog away from getting a contraband cat!

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    1. Oh, Lyda! I feel your pain! I lived in a no-pet apartment for years ... with Cyrus the Great (Cat)! I couldn't resist - this was back in the days of rent control in Cambridge. I installed shutters in my front windows to lower the chances of my landlord seeing him. Then, at some point, I realized that there were probably about five cats in the building, just no dogs. Not that I'm encouraging you to break the law (or your lease) but.... (at any rate, you have your memories of Kedo and can enjoy others' pets vicariously!)

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  14. Hi all!! I'm loving your stories but I seem to be having a little trouble responding. Please keep them coming – I'll get to you all as soon as this is resolved! - Clea

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  15. Clea, I'm so sorry for your loss of Musetta but so glad you have Thisbe to love and spoil. What great names!

    All of our kitties have been rescues. We currently have two. My Misty was rescued by a vet tech when she and her sister Cinder were orphaned. Mama barn cat was hit by a care leaving two one-week-old Russian Blue type babies. They were hand fed and love at our vet's office until I adopted Misty and my mom-in-law adopted Cinder. Misty LOVES going to the vet! It was her first home so she still acts like she owns the place.

    We adopted our tiny Liberty when she was dumped on a friend's porch on the 4th of July. She is the most affectionate kitty in the world, but scared of strangers. She has to know someone for months before she'll come out of hiding. Poor baby.

    Clea, I love Mr. Gray. Oh, how I wish I knew for certain my precious departed kitties were still here with me. I'm looking forward to reading A Spell of Murder!

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    1. Thank you so much, Cathy! Isn't it amazing how different their personalities are? And how nice that Misty is unafraid of the vet. Poor Liberty! I'm so glad she has you! Musetta was like that - so affectionate to us, but very timid otherwise. (Thisbe is not afraid of anything... except the vacuum cleaner). And for what it's worth, I do believe those we love stay with us in some form. Love doesn't die.

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    2. And for what it's worth, I do believe those we love stay with us in some form. Love doesn't die.

      Thank you, Clea. I used to see my sweet Saffron out of the corner of my eye but it's been a long time since that has happened. I hope she's still here with me somehow.

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  16. Love all these stories today! We have so many. Only one of our dogs has been a rescue, but most of our cats have "come to us" as we like to say. Of the currents cats, our daughter worked in a local vet's office for a time--during which someone brought in this tiny scrap of a black and white kitten that one of their clients had found abandoned in the parking lot of LA Fitness. She sent me a photo, and that was pretty much it. We brought him home a couple of days later. I named him Bram. We call him "Ticky." He was so tiny that he loved to sleep under my chin and knead me--which he still likes to do and at fourteen or fifteen pounds it's not nearly so pleasant.

    Then our daughter left the vet's office but was/is still very good friends with the office manager. This time we got a photo of this little tabby, again brought in by a client who found her in the street, her tail horribly mangled, probably from being caught in a car fan belt. Our lovely vet amputated all but an inch, and did a spay at the same time. After a few days the cat was ready to go home with somebody. That was Yasu, the somebody was us, and what she lost in the tail, she makes up for in personality!

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    1. I just want to add that our cat vet totally rocks, taking on these orphaned or injured cats!

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    2. Bram is lovely, but Yasu totally rocks that cattitude.

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    3. Sounds like TIcky doesn't know he's not a kitten anymore! And I'm so glad you and Yasu found each other!

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  17. Oh, I love this so much, Clea! And Thisbe is the BEST name ever :) I have three cats, two dogs, and a fish who won't die - way too many stories to bore you all with but I use all of them in my books so there's that. Congratulations on your kitten and your books and I am totally checking out your punk rock urban noir! Fabulous!

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    1. Thanks, Jenn, and I'm loving your menagerie!! That is one tough fish!

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  18. Oh, woe is me! I completely forgot Clea is offering a giveaway today!!! I will put in the post, too! And I put on Facebook!!!

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    1. Thanks, Deb! I've been tweeting it around, too

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  19. We found Neko (and her late sister, Anastasia) at our local hardware store! The owners were active adopters and had volunteered for a program that paired certain stores with adoptable cats. The cats were in a large, split-level cage/box, and were also let out to roam about the store at certain times. The same program has led to dozens of adoptions in our area.

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    1. Come for some tacks, leave with some cats - makes sense to me! I'm glad you took the chance on them!

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  20. Our current dog, Jack, is inherited. A few years back I volunteered to find my father-in-law a dog. He had lost a beloved dog, also Jack, and jumped into a rebound relationship with Jackie, which did not work out. Using his parameters I went armed with a list of dogs to look at the city shelter, after researching who was there. The first dog I met was Jack. He was so happy and friendly I knew he would make his new family happy too. I brought him home, de-fleaed him, and took him back the next day to be neutered. Home again for another night sharing the bed with my dog Boo. I drove him 60 miles to my inlaws to his new home. It was a happy situation until my fathere-in-law died and mother-in-law had to go into memory care. We just took Jack on his first overnight road trip. Never again. Jack is not a travel dog.

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    1. It sounds like Jack needs the stability of being at home. I'm glad you can give him that.

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  21. I'm happy for you, Clea, that you followed your heart and that precious little face of Thisbe's to taking a chance on her. She spoke to you and you listened. I think all but maybe one of our dogs was the case of the dog finding us or speaking to us, and a beautiful relationship ensued.

    Our Coco is a Brittany Spaniel rescue. She's twelve, but she doesn't act like an old dog at all. Our previous dog, Abbie, was an Australian Cattle Dog, and she was with us for fifteen years. It had been three years since Abbie passed and my husband had semi-retired when in October last year we were ready to love again. Coco spoke to us from the National Brittany Rescue web page in September, and we set up to get her in October. She had to travel from Georgia to Kentucky, but we only had to drive an hour to pick her up. My husband and I were like little kids, all giddy and watching vehicles drive into the service station where the pick-up was scheduled. Finally, Coco arrived and it has been one big love fest ever since. She is registered, not that we care about that. The reason I'm mentioning it is that on the registration paper her full name is listed as Mademoiselle Coco Chanel, and she lives up to the beauty of that name.

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    1. I'm so glad you opened your heart (and your home) to Mlle. CC! Long may she reign!

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  22. So, I'm an admitted cat lady. I have three beautiful fur babies....Julia (14-Tuxedo, Pennsylvania), Jacques (7-gray, Washington DC), and my newest member, Madeline (2-CALICO!, Boston). I had a calico growing up, so it was meant to be. I was surfing twitter one day and the Animal Rescue League of Boston posted her picture saying they had just picked this one up off the streets of Dorchester.

    Within 10 minutes I had called the shelter and asked for her avaiability. I picked her up that weekend, after she got her surgery and introduced her to my two eldest. She basically had the run of one room, and after about a week I let her out into the world of the house. She acclimated right away. Two years later, she's now 20 lbs....probably a Norwegian Forest Cat (a weegie!) and loves her Gray brother the mostest. All three are rescues, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

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    1. Oh! My Cyrus looked like a Norwegian Forest Cat! He was about 18 lbs at his peak. And yes, sometimes you just see that photo and you know.... so glad you found your kitties (or they found you)!

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  23. We always get rescue cats from the Tampa no kill Humane Society. Our latest is a long haired calico with beautiful green eyes. Her tail is mostly orange and black and very fox like, so we named her Kitsune. She has a heart mummer, we always get special needs cats, but is only at level 2. She recently discovered snuggling, and spends the nights curled up next to me.

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    1. How sweet! I'm so glad she found a caring home with you.

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  24. My sweet girl is a tuxedo cat adopted from a shelter. She was so scared & was the only cat huddled in the corner of her cage. I was afraid no one would adopt her. She spent the first two weeks hiding behind my couch. Now as soon as I sit down she's in my lap.

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    1. Aw, isn't that great! So glad you found each other!

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    2. She knows she;'s safe now! I'm so glad!

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  25. Would love to read Witch Cats of Cambridge.

    Diana

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  26. I am a cat person. I currently live with 2. Thanks for the chance to win!

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  27. I am currently without pets and have been that way for years. I would love to have a pet but I work over 40 hours a week so the poor thing would be alone and I just don't think that's right. So I have a few teddy bears instead.

    When we were little we had a couple cats. First one we got on my sister's birthday, a Calico Tabby combination that my sister named wisely named Kit the Cat. The second cat we got what's a rescue cat actually she was a kitten. My brother found it in the creek with a bunch of other kittens. She was solid black so, of course, she was named Panther. Panther seem to have a bit of Siamese in her, she would produce a very distinctive meow\yawl. Kit was the mama cat though she never had kittens and when we had a puppy she taught him how to jump the fence which wasn't a good idea because he got out one time too many. Oh, and he was named Charlie Brown because we lived near Charles Schulz. We're not very original with our pet names are we? Kit lasted a long time, we got her on my sister 6th birthday and she died, unfortunately, on my 21st. I'm not going to say anything else about that. When Mom remarried, we all moved to different homes, Panther wasn't happy with the move and disappeared. After that we didn't have any pets because well we were all grown up and no one was at home after my mother remarried. I moved into complex that said in the rental agreement, and I quote, no pets or dumb animals. When I visit my sister I get to be around her pets. They name their dogs after grandparents. There has been a Homer, Cecil, Dez and Stella. She has one cat that I'm not very fond of, it started out as Victoria and has morphed into Vicious. I think I'll stick with my bears for now. They don't eat much, are always around when you need something to cuddle and they don't make a mess. Maybe someday I'll get a cat again. When I work less hours and can find a place to live where I can have pets or dumb animals.

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    1. When you are ready, I have no doubt you'll be adopted :)

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  28. Clea, I love your story and understand your need for a muse! Our "Kitty" died of old age last year and a few months later we spent weeks looking for a new cat . . . until we found Lola, a tortie with plenty of attitude, and almost more affection than my husband and I know what to do with. Lola now has many fans on my Facebook page as she's very photogenic. But the best part is that when she's not trying to climb on my keyboard, or play with my mouse, she reigns over my desk by sitting in my inbox. We are so lucky to have them!

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    1. She sounds like my Thisbe! I'm so glad you found her, Sasscer!

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  29. That's a great story!
    We live in an area with loads of feral cats. Long story short: 1) In 2012 Russell (female kitten) showed interest in us; we caught her and brought her in. 2) Russell's mom, Meeps, had another litter in spring 2013 and then got hurt; we brought her and the litter indoors, kept her and one kitten, Estelle (RIP), found homes for the others. 3, 4) Took in another mom with 4 kittens, kept two of the kittens, Helen and Sophy, rehomed the others; 5)did trap-neuter-return on 2 kittens; one of them, Irene, decided she liked the indoor life; 6,7,8) Irene's sister had kittens on the front porch, we took in the family and ended up keeping the mom, Grace, and 2 kittens, Miles and Mark; 9) Robin, a feral, decided he was a people cat. We're officially maxed out, but still working on trap-neuter-return (our overall total is 35).

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    1. I – along with all those kitties – thank you!

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  30. Our boys Frank and Gord just turned 13, so we had to get a tin of Friskies as a treat (to share with the younger two girls). We got them from a Global Pets store in Scarborough where they had found a pregnant female and looked after her, and her kittens, and found homes for all of them for no cost. They are great people! Gary the owner is actually allergic to cats, but managed it anyway - all for the love of animals!. Oh, the two girls are also rescues and pretty much run the house.

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  31. You may need to enroll the assistance of a relative or companion to achieve this. personalised dog portrait gift

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