Cat-alogue of Pupdates

 JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Does this need anymore introduction than to say, PETS ON PARAAAAADE!!! No, it does not. 

 

Stephanie Michaels' bonded feral rescue cats. Not looking very feral, are they?

 

Roxanne Eflin's adventurous Shih Tzu Zoe is ready to tackle the Colorado Rockies (if you carry her.)

Margaret Turkevich's standard poodle Louie is "clueless but enthusiastic," while...

...Jazz waits for a mole to emerge. Good job, Jazz!

 

 

According to Pat Dupuy, 18 year old Jack loves his food, his walks, and his naps - and he lives to mess with his person, Frank.

 

 

Ann Mason has a FULL HOUSE when it comes to pets - plus an additional beautiful baby pic...

                                                                                                       

                                                                                          

Edith Maxwell/Maddie Day's big, gentle Martin. I bet he gets sooo many cuddles.

Here's fan favorite Koda, courtesy of Liz Milliron, who tells us her greyhound is saying, “I totally smell that brisket sandwich. You better remember to pay your dog tax.”

Kathy G's Roberto likes to "help" her while working, so her daughter memorialized him in a meme!

 

Flora Church says, "these are  the two youngest cats--siblings and full of personality plus. I included the pic of Baggins with me because it's my favorite photo of him. I don't think he realizes that he's a cat; he's more like a toddler and very loving! His sibling has been catnapped by a nephew and I miss her dreadfully. Whenever I go visit, she leaps into my arms and purrs in my ear.

However, including Baggie, we have five cats and six was too stressful on the older cats. Then there's Nemo, the elderly mini-dachshund who pays no attention whatsoever to the cats, but who comes to get me whenever they have the audacity to make use of his bed. 

"Paint me like one of your French girls, Jack."

I'm pretty sure Annette Dashofy's Kensi Kitty is saying, "No paparazzi, please."

This is Margo's new (deaf) kitten Prue, sharing space on "Geriatric Row" with Alf and trying to decide if she wants to be friends. Below, the Morning Walk, a train of up to six cats who follow Jack as he makes his rounds of the property. I'm sure he finds them very helpful, Margo.

These two sweeties belong to Audra Bayes. Look at those faces!!!!

J. Julian sent this to me with the caption, "Our Georgie Girl," and I immediately began singing the song. She is clearly the bestest earworm ever.

And now, my granddogs, courtesy of my daughter Victoria! On top is Janey, who's mellowed from an anxious street rescue to a placid Grande Dame. Below her is Karma, about whom we say, "You don't have to be smart, dear, you're can be pretty."

Coralee's beautiful quartet of cats: On top is "Kitsune. She is about 8 yo. Named for her color and for her fox like tail. Secondly, our oldest rescue, Major. She was a stray who lived as an outdoor cat until 2024. She is about 15-16 yo. You will recognize Kitsune behind her.

Last is Roshi (Japanese for "Old Teacher".) Our Zen cat stayed at the shelter for over a year before we adopted him. He weighs about 14.5 pounds. He is around 5 years old. Was dumped outside the shelter before they opened.

We love them all, they keep us grounded.

Maria Vetrano's absolutely adorable 4-year-old King Charles Spaniel, Mango Chutney. (What a great name!)

Cary Emig's 4-year-old Bernadoodle, Molly Moon, is obviously very sad because she never gets fed, not ever.

 

 

Maureen Murphy has a brand-new addition to her household: Oreo, a three-year-old terrier mix who was adopted on April 12. Welcome to your forever home, Oreo! 

Love the little teefies

Judi Purcell says, "These two black kitties are Rosie and Rowdy. This is an older picture and now I can't tell which is which. But their personalities are very different so when they are active I know which one is up to mischief. I'm not going to name names but usually it isn't the girl kitty. Surprise!"

I'll let Susan Emerson tell you about Jack in her own words. 

"My dear sister is a big dog lover and has always had a dog.  She is now in the early stages of dementia, and had already made the decision that when her current dog, Jack, passed, he would not be replaced. 

Sadly,  his end came yesterday.  We had to put Jack down, and we took him out to the farm of our nephew to be buried.  It was a heartbreaking day in many ways, but I think being able to bury him on a family farm made a lot of difference in how the experience felt by the end of the day.  

Jack was a mutt, seemingly some kind of miscellaneous terrier, poodle, mystery mix.  He had the sweetest personality and the most soulful eyes of  just about any dog I've ever known."

 

We're so sorry for your family, Susan. The great joy of a dogs life is that they can be with their best friend their whole lives, the great sorrow or ours is that we cannot.

On another side of that equation, Kathy Lynn Emerson sent a picture of Shadow, who belonged to the late and much-missed Lea Wait. Lea left her to Kathy and Sandy, where, Kathy says, "She's been the boss at chez Emerson ever since."

This sweet ol' muffin is Waldo, and he and Betty Fellows are coming up to their 13th adoption anniversary! That makes him somewhere between 15 and 17 years old, but clearly, he's living his best and  most comfy life.

 

 

 

Linda Rangus's foster cat Mac is waiting for Windows updates to finish. I feel you, Mac, I feel you. Mac is being sponsored by the Lulu's Locker Rescue, Frankfort, IL, so if any of you live near the Windy City and are looking for that special friend/ work supervisor, let us Linda know!

 

Pat S's Buddy clearly likes to get in the weeds of his work, which is looking handsome while lounging.

 

 

And finally, you may all remember Walker, the $15,000 cat. He's now living in The Hague (no, not as a prisoner) and enjoying life as a sophisticated, urbane kat.

Yes, it's an Air Tag. No more spontaneous escapes for Walker.

I want to thank everyone who took the time to share their pets with us, and to add a reminder: when hard times hit the economy, pets can suffer. Please consider donating to your local animal shelter or animal fund helping people pay veterinary costs. We rely on them, and they rely on us.💖

Borrowing Trouble with Pets in Mysteries by Christine Falcone

LUCY BURDETTE: Today I’m delighted to welcome my good friend Christine Falcone back to the blog. She has a new book out this month, BORROWED TROUBLE, the second in her Melanie Bass mystery series. And Hank! There’s a theme here this week too—pets in mysteries. I know you’ll enjoy Chris’s story (and her book too, coming mid-October from Level Best Books.)

CHRISTINE FALCONE: Thank you, Lucy, for inviting me to be on Jungle Red Writers today.

One of the characters I most enjoy writing about in my Melanie Bass mystery series is Melanie’s dog, Bruno. Bruno, a terrier mix, is an exceptionally well-behaved dog because, well, I have complete control over what he does. Wouldn’t it be great if we could make our real-life pets always do what we wanted and never misbehave? But no matter if they do not always behave perfectly, much like our children, we love them anyway. I have a Border Collie mix named Toby. He is a good boy too, except when he sees a squirrel, or a chipmunk, or even a bird and he whips me off my feet as I cling to his leash. (It would not be safe for him to wander off leash in our neighborhood). He likes dogs, but is iffy with people he doesn’t know, and turns into a Cujo when someone (You know who you are UPS delivery person) dares to come to our door. But really, he is (mostly) a good dog.

In writing about Bruno I realized that giving my main character a pet comes with a lot of responsibility. Just like in real life, you have to remember they need to be fed and walked. I found the necessity of getting home to feed and take out Bruno has actually helped me in transitioning my main character from one situation or location to another. But what if your protagonist is unable to get home in time to take care of their pet? Sometimes we get our main characters in dangerous situations, and in addition to dealing with the trouble they are in themselves they have to worry about who will look after their pet until they extricate themselves from the difficulty they are in. Melanie solved the problem by getting a conscientious dog walker. Like in real life, it was necessary to make sure Bruno’s health was being looked after. This led to Melanie meeting her love interest, handsome and single veterinarian, Justin McKenzie.

Bruno is Melanie’s main confidant as he is always there to listen to all her problems, comforts her when she is upset, and will tackle anyone he perceives as a threat – no matter their size. This goes both ways, though, as in book two of the series, BORROWED TROUBLE, it is Melanie’s protectiveness of Bruno that leads her to get mixed up in a dangerous police investigation.

 So, if you feel your protagonist needs a little something to spice up, or complicate (in a good way) their life – have them get a dog, Or a cat.

Have you ever been annoyed by how pets are portrayed in fiction? What is it that has annoyed you?

About BORROWED TROUBLE: After the murder of her ex-husband is solved, visiting nurse Melanie Bass is confident she will never again cross paths with Detective Sunny Cody. She is shocked when the detective suddenly shows up on her doorstep to ask Melanie for a favor. What starts out as an assignment Detective Cody assures her is quick and simple, instead soon puts Melanie, her dog Bruno, and Detective Cody herself in serious jeopardy. Melanie quickly becomes increasingly enmeshed in an investigation involving drugs, lies, and danger.

To make things worse, Melanie’s good friend Lynn Duncan is being stalked by an unknown man, and Melanie’s love life is threatened by her commitment to helping Detective Cody. While compelled by what she feels is a moral and personal obligation to be involved with Detective Cody’s investigation, Melanie must also find a balance in her personal life and avoid putting her life in further jeopardy.

ABOUT CHRISTINE FALCONE: Christine Falcone’s short stories have appeared in publications such as Imagine, Larcom Review, and Deadfall: Crime Stories by New England writers. After working for nearly forty years as an RN in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Christine is delighted that retirement coincided with the publication of her first full length mystery, EX’D OUT,  published in October 2022. The second in the series, BORROWED TROUBLE will be out in October 2023. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. She lives on the Connecticut Shoreline with her family and a dog who is not nearly as well behaved as Bruno, the beloved canine in her novel.

Losing Tonka

Tonka

LUCY BURDETTE: Thirteen years ago, we lost our elderly Australian Shepherd, Poco, along with two cats, all within six weeks. John likes animals but can live without pets, so we tried living pet-free for four months. I was miserable. The house felt so empty and lonely. I included a note in our Christmas letter about our missing animals and that same week got a note back from the Australian rescue friend who had arranged for us to adopt Poco. 

“I think I have just the dog for you."

I explained this to John, who could only roll his eyes. 

"She said I could just go meet him, and we could even take him for a trial couple of days."

More eye rolling. He knew better.

On the way home from picking up Tonka, I stopped at John’s office. "Come see what I have out in the car, honey." 

Tonka sat in the passenger seat appearing confused but determined. We never looked back. 

He had been the pick of his litter, destined to be a show dog.

 Here’s what he looked like as a puppy before we knew him, and in his first dog show. Killer cute right? 

But his teeth came in wrong and he turned out to be a little tall for the breed standards, so the breeder needed to find him a home. And we got lucky.

He bonded intensely to me from that first day. Some days John didn’t remember that we had a dog because Tonka was always at my side, under my desk, running errands with me, even doing yoga. 

We considered him something of an ambassador to non-dog lovers. He would find the least dog-loving person at the table and lie at their feet--or on them. He didn’t convert everyone, but lots of people who didn’t love dogs before they met him were enchanted. Hallie, one of those people, described him as "A person in a dog suit."

He always wanted to make the travel team, and he usually did. Of course he made it into my author photo.

He was a a rockstar in Key West, as you can see from this photograph, taken by Hallie's husband Jerry. 



When we walked through the streets of Key West, our guests would be astonished at how often we were stopped so that people could admire him, ask questions about him, and get a dog fix because they missed their own. He put up with the Key West costume scene, including masquerading as a wiener dog in the dachshund parade and wearing a tutu for Fantasyfest.

Oh he wasn't perfect--he had more energy than we knew what to do with. We washed out of agility training because he was afraid of heights. He shook so hard on the balance beam that he fell off--in spite of the hot dog treats ahead. So John ran with him, and I walked. If you stopped to chat with a neighbor on a walk he would spring four feet in the air and nip at you. Time to get a move on, we're walking.

And he was not a fan of children, especially toddlers.

He tolerated the cat only because he had to.

We're comforted by knowing he had gotten uncomfortable and it was kinder to let him go. But I swear I will miss him for the rest of my life. If there really is a rainbow bridge, I'm pretty sure he'll be there waiting...

Have you had an animal friend who left his or her mark on your heart?