Knowledgeable napping

Cats, of course are famous for their napping skills and Abishag was a very good napper.

She was quite pleased when she discovered many famous humans, including scientists, inventors, writers and other uniquely-skilled persons slept in quick, refreshing segments throughout their work day.

“So do you people copy us because you’re smart, or because naps give you energy to keep working?” she asked in the office one day.

“You’re asking whether people are copy-cats for cat naps?”

Oh, the look I got. She wasn’t angry, just – indignant. But she left my desk and marched across the room to the little sofa in the corner, turning her back on me as she lay down. Only a cat can manage utter disdain with a glance.

#Abishag

“Quote”

“What greater gift than the love of a cat?” Author Unknown

But Abishag would likely claim it.

#Abishag

First sunbeams of spring

Pete looks forward to spring every year … and with a smile, too.

The best Watch Cat and Yard Guard we’ve ever had outside, Pete turned six years old on March 1, 2023. Happy Birthday again, dude. Thanks for keeping the farm, the house and all inhabitants safe from lions and tigers and bears.

#Abishag

More Abishag’s Adages

If your hooman gets out a camera, you may as well strike a pose. Then maybe they’ll let you go back to sleep.

On the other paw, if they won’t let you go back to sleep after you were posing nicely … make the most horrible face you can think of and then they’ll stop. I guarantee it.

There’s nothing wrong with agreeing to a bribe of catnip.

A cat is the very best edition of a dog that you could ever find.

There are no other animals which are as good as, as smart as, or as perfect as a cat.

Yes, there’s a Dog Star. There’s also a Cat Star, only it’s not out in the lonely spaces between planets. It’s in every hooman’s heart who shares life with a cat.

Stealth

Found a few more notes about the small books Abishag wanted to write. I know she’d meant this tongue-in-cheek photo of her, a black cat, inside of a box in a dark room as the cover for her book, “Stealth Is the Best Hunting App” and yes, it certainly fits with her sense of humor.

She’d be delighted at people trying so hard to find her black nose or equally black whiskers in the photo.

#Abishag

Rummaging in old files

Even after all these years, it’s still a surprise that two little black cats could look – well, so evil.

And the only creatures who really ever got that very same look were a mouse, a mole – or a fly.

Abishag and Ira would’ve done very well in a movie version of Three Wise Cats.

But they would’ve hated traveling to Hollywood. They loved their beds, the sunshine, their toys and the treats, and wouldn’t have been happy to leave those behind. Fame had too high a price to lure them. And really, I’m glad of that.

#Abishag

We’ll all agree with that

There is no such thing as “Just a cat.” ― Robert A. Heinlein

#Abishag

The marvelous toy

Abishag had a firm conviction that no better toy existed for a cat than some used, scrunched, brown packing papers.

“Just look at the advantages of packing paper. You can pretend there’s another cat hidden somewhere in the folds. You can pounce on the paper, roll on top of it and shred it with your teeth and claws – and never hear a whimper, or a shocked comment from a hooman about playing too rough.”

I never thought about all that. Abishag could probably be considered an authority on packing papers. She’d certainly trounced enough sets of them through the years. She could really surprise you with her inventiveness. Some more examples of her thinking:

“You can let kittens learn to pounce with packing papers. And the papers generally have unusual smells on them, which is enough to entice any feline, myself included. I also like to hide myself in them for some ‘me’ time. Hoomans are very nosy. They want to know what you’re doing, where you are and if you’re doing something they don’t want you to do, you’re supposed to stop doing it immediately. So I go hide in my packing papers and meditate or think about my next book or why I should smack my brother.”

I wonder if beating up packing papers would help hoomans relax, unwind, get rid of tension and aggressions …maybe we should all try it, at least once. It wouldn’t be the first time a little plump black cat was a spot-on therapist for a hooman.

#Abishag

Adopt a Cat Month

It’s June, and that means the American Humane Association will be reminding everyone that first, it’s Kitten Season, and second, it’s National Adopt a Cat month, AKA, Adopt a Shelter Cat Month.

The American Humane Association began observing this special month in 1974 – so last century, yes, but still necessary, as over three million cats end up in shelters or rescues every year.

That’s heartbreakingly sad.

If you’ve been thinking about getting a companion, please consider a cat. It doesn’t have to be a kitten. Many loving, well-behaved older cats find themselves in a shelter because an elderly owner wasn’t permitted to take a companion animal into assisted living. Some cats (and kittens too) have missing eyes, ears, legs … but they can still purr and be a furry friend.

Cats adopted from shelters or rescues seem to realize they’ve been given new lives. They’re grateful for a cardboard box bed with an old towel in it, a bowl with food and one with water, and most of all – a kind person with hands that reassure and comfort. That cat will do its utmost to purr and cuddle a sad, lonely human into a smile or a chuckle.

Be kind to yourself and to a feline down on its luck – please adopt a cat. Thank you.

#Abishag

Purr …

No one has ever been able to discover how they make this subtle sound, and what is more, no one ever will. It is a secret that has endured from the very beginning of the time of cats and will never be revealed. ― Paul Gallico

So true!

#Abishag