S.F. Crime Lab's New Woes - Army of Feral Cats (!!!)

BREAKING NEWS!

All right... not exactly breaking news, I'll admit it, but the story does provide some key insight as to how the Scourge of Scamps continues to dominate the crime lab. For example:

"It turns out that the Police Department itself introduced cats to the lab site several years back, Godown said, because they eat the rats. Someone at the lab was also giving them canned food, which sort of defeated the purpose, and the cats turned out to have a way of multiplying and getting out of hand."

Doh! Fancy Feast trumps sinewy San Francisco rats every time, obvs. Click here to read the full article.

A friend of mine said that if I were a cat, I'd look like this one. On one hand, this kitten looks possessed, so I'm not sure what to make of that. On the other hand, its fangs are very white. I am flattered.

On a serious note, to my readers in San Francisco / East Bay, keep an eye out for these kitties! The plan is to observe them and the ones that aren't (too) feral will be up for adoption.

We've MOVED!

Well LOOK what the cat dragged in! 

You all probably thought the entire Paw de Chat crew disappeared off the face of the Earth. Not entirely true, but there were times when we felt like we were being sucked into a big black hole.

You see... we moved!

 "Moving is easy!"

That's right! We relocated from San Francisco, California back down to sunny Los Angeles.

Theo and Ollie are especially excited, since this is where they both were born. We're finally almost all settled in, so please consider us back in action.

More soon!

 "I'm all packed!" says Ollie.

"I'm liking this new cat tree," thought Theo.

I Think I'm Turning Japanese

I have never traveled to Japan, but I hope to pay a visit someday because of the national love for cats. None of that cats-as-witches'-familiars style shenanigans there! NO! I mean, their Love for the Kitteh is nowhere near Ancient Egypt's, true, but let's give credit where credit is due.

In the glorious land of Japan, cats are a symbol of good luck.

Holla!

And, in the glorious land of Japan, cats may work hard, but it does seems as if they play hard, too. Click here to watch the ad below! It's fantastic!

Meow-meow, meow-MEOW!

Goodbye Kitty, 3

The Story of Pearl: Chapter One
The Story of Pearl: Chapter Two

The Story of Pearl: Chapter Three
The following Friday, the night before I planned to take Pearl and Rose back to the Shelter (Pearl for her lady-operation, and Rose to find a home, gulp), a mass email went out from the EBSPCA! A litter of kittens with some sort of contagious disease had been admitted. The sickness was particularly deadly to kittens! All foster animals were to stay at their foster homes for a mandatory 10 days to ensure that the virus died off.

10 days passed, and the kittens grew and grew. They were definitely over 2lbs now! They were almost kitTEENS! I was eager to get them back to the shelter, because I figured the smaller the kitten, the greater the chances of its adoption.

Yet Fate was not on the sisters’ side. (Or was she?) Yet another litter of virulent cats had come into the shelter, so a new 10-day period was instated. Pearl would be fine; she was spoken for. Now Rose was my biggest concern. She was a young kitTEEN now, but a kitTEEN nonetheless. She could not wait 10 days longer. I needed to take matters into my own hands.

And so I began my own outreach, just like in the olden days of Los Angeles Kitten Hunting. I told all my favorite baristas about Rose’s plight (baristas are incredible allies), I posted on Facebook, I even posted on Craigslist, to gauge interest.

Lo and behold, an appointment was set with someone who seemed like the perfect match. He had two cats already; one was senior and loving, and the other was young and playful. Rose would be the perfect balance!

When Rose’s Future Hero walked through my door, I felt like I was watching a movie because the scene was so perfect. Rose was sitting under the track lighting, one of the beams shining down directly on her, making her fur sparkle, her pink ears glow, and giving the overall impression of a fluffy white halo around her. The two of them got along perfectly.

Unlike the old days, I was working through a shelter, so I coordinated the adoption much like how I’d guess a social worker would. Luckily, it all worked out! Here’s a photo of Rose in her new home, with a new friend.

Was it all just a dream?

Her Hero is such a kind guy that he even sent me a gift for Christmas: 

Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or

How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat.

And so, that brings Rose’s story to a happy conclusion. She is successfully adopted and living in a loving home with friends. As for Pearl…

Tomorrow…

Goodbye Kitty, 2

The Story of Pearl: Chapter Two

Rose was a sweet and gentle soul, through and through. Pearl was a capricious kitten filled with moods and whims, bouncing around one moment, cuddling the next. It was her inconsistency that made her so addictive.

Rose is The Constant

Pearl is The Variable

While I grew very close to both girls, they continued to grow—BIG. It wasn’t long before they were close to 2lbs. I seriously considered keeping Pearl, but the two sisters were pretty bonded, and three cats is a lot… I brought them to the shelter just before it closed on a Friday, so that the kittens would be up and at ‘em bright and early on Saturday morning—that way, they’d have the greatest chance of being adopted over the weekend. I said a tearful good-bye, then sat in my car in the shelter parking lot and cried. And cried. And cried.

What would become of them?? Especially Pearl. Rose was the sort of cat that I didn’t need to worry about. Her personality was easygoing, and she got along so well with other cats… Rose would be fine.

Pearl, on the other hand, was a very unique kitten. She needed lots of attention, activity and, most of all, space. I could see Pearl’s antics warming the heart of a future owner, but I could also imagine her as a destructive cat if she got bored and had nothing to do. Pearl couldn’t go to just any home. Had I made a mistake? I’d come close to keeping a foster kitten before, but never this close.

I was all worked up and in no condition to drive. And so of course, I called my mother. I shared The Story of Pearl and begged for advice. Should I adopt her? Ollie loved her, but she hen-pecked Theo… and Theo is my firstborn, so to speak, so I couldn’t forsake his happiness and ruin his life. What to do?!

My mom surprised me by offering to adopt Pearl herself! Her beloved cat Della had died in December 2008, and she was finally ready for another cat. Although Pearl was a handful, my mom said she was up for the challenge. The plan was this: I would raise Pearl as my own until Christmas, then bring her home on my flight to Michigan! I left a message for the shelter as soon as I got home and emailed my foster coordinator about Pearl.

My phone rang early the next day—it was the shelter! Was Pearl taken already? What had I done?!

Turns out, the kittens were not actually 2lbs yet. My at-home system of weighing was clearly inaccurate. I needed to come back to get them, I was told. Operation Kitten Rescue began! I hightailed it to the shelter to break them both out of Kitty Jail. It’s hard to say what the best part of their triumphant return home was; their joyful leap out of their carrier, or Theo’s look of shock and horror when he saw that they were baa-aaack.

Sisters! Doin' it for themselves.

Stay tuned to read about Pearl’s Reign, Rose’s Close Call, and more.

When CATS Attack

Leave it to my gals at Jezebel to compile a montage of feline domination, captured on film!

Click here to head over to the epic collection!

Goodbye Kitty

The Story of Pearl: Chapter One

My dear readers may recall that I traveled to Michigan for the recent holiday with a very special companion—Pearl. What I have not shared until now is this: Pearl had a one-way ticket to Michigan! Read on for The Story of Pearl, filled with a seemingly endless series of agonizing decisions, though I can assure you that this tale has a happy ending. Onward!

Goodbye Kitty. Oh, Pearl!

I love to foster kittens. LOVE IT. I used to capture them on my own [à la Sophie] but, when I moved to Northern California, I joined forces with the East Bay SPCA. This was my first experience teaming up with a shelter, and it certainly had its advantages. For example, vet costs and medicine were a non-issue because the shelter had qualified veterinarians on staff.

One of the pitfalls of working with the shelter was the short fostering periods. I had a pair of boys that were only around for about a week and a half! Hardly enough to get them socialized to my standards but, once they reach 2lbs, it’s a done deal. The EBSPCA has foster homes keep the kittens until they weigh 2lbs or more; that’s the minimum weight for spaying and neutering per their regulations, and all animals must be spayed or neutered prior to adoption. Fair enough!

Well, in early September 2009, I received a weekly email that goes out to all the fosters listing the available kittens and cats needing temporary homes. Wisely, this mewsletter does not mention the coloring or sex of the kittens. All you know going into it are their given names and ages. So, I signed up to foster Hop & Scotch, a pair of 5-week olds. I imagined two white-and-black rough-and-tumble boy cats. Imagine my surprise when Hop & Scotch turned out to be twin sisters, white gleaming fluff balls with quarter-sized gray spots on the tops of their heads, and pink little paws, and rose petal ears. I deemed Hop & Scotch to be misleading monikers… so I renamed them Pearl & Rose.

Who could resist such tiny little beings?

I immediately picked a favorite. I know this is an awful thing to do, but I just couldn’t help it. Rose was sweet and well-behaved; an angel cat. Pearl, on the other hand, was wild! Even as a baby, she was filled with personality! The first thing I noticed was that she was so busy; busy biting things, exploring, poking around… She was an evil genius. 

Even then, a spark of intelligence lit Pearl’s eye.

One of my favorite memories of Pearl takes place one evening in October, just as I came home from work. It was dark in the apartment as I entered, but I was able to see something pale and ghostly zip past me… a vaguely kitten-shaped blob. I switched on the kitchen light and recognized Pearl immediately—she would be the one to escape the kitten box first! My second thought was of Rose. Had she followed Pearl’s example? I paused, listening.

I heard the most pitiful mewing coming from the spare bathroom where the kitten box was. I ran in to check on Rose, with Pearl at my heels. Rose was worked up into a pathetic frenzy, pawing at the cardboard walls, having been abandoned by her wayward twin. I looked down at Pearl and scolded her, saying, “You wicked creature! Your poor sister! How could you?” But Pearl looked pleased with herself… and I admit, I felt proud, too. Crafty little thing. Such a scamp!

What happened to Pearl? What happened to Rose? Come back tomorrow for more.

"I can't wait for the next chapter!" said Rose.

The Most Beautiful Cat in the World, Part Deux

And so, in time, the Princess Sophie grew into Queen Sophie! See her recline on her favorite chair, demanding belly rubs and NOMs from all her subjects!

The Thrice-Lovely Madame Sophie

The Most Beautiful Cat in the World

Here's a quick one for y'all.

The first thing you need to know is that I have two ultimate, favorite, beloved cat breeds: the Birman and the Somali. To each their own, but I am such a sucker for those specific cats. The fur! The colors! The eyes!!

So imagine my surprise when, a few years ago while I worked in an office made out of someone's guest house in Los Angeles (true albeit long story), what did I find but... what seemed to be... a BIRMAN KITTEN. She was just flouncing around in the back yard near the guest house. There was no question she was stray. She was dirty and skinny, ridden with fleas. I captured her and fostered her and found her the most fantastic home ever.

May I present...

Sophie, the Most Beautiful Cat in the World

This is a photo taken of her when she was a kitten, just before she went to her fur-ever home. I will post an adult photo of her tomorrow! This will be a much more pleasant before-and-after than Heidi Montag. Trust.

...aaand we're back!

I know, I know! I have been a bad kitteh.

I was home in Michigan and BOY do I have tales to tell! Stay tuned for the long-awaited cat show pics, details on Pearl's first (and only?) plane trip, and even some exclusive shots of Pearl with her new boyfriend! (Don't act shocked, you've seen how gorgeous she is; it was love at first sight...)

Until 2010!

xoxo >^..^<

Lynx Links

I'm not picky when it comes to cat photos. You'll be hard pressed to find one I don't like, I admit it!

That said, I don't know who could look at this photo and not think it's heart-stoppingly adorable. Click here to see a larger version, plus lynx (haha) to more wild cat photos!

I saw some purebred cats at my oft-discussed albeit not-yet-posted (sorry!!) cat show outing recently that are built on a foundation of domestic-wild cat hybrids. More on that later.

Do any of my dear readers own an exotic breed, like a Savannah or a Bengal?

P.S. Thanks to Meghan for the lynx! Literally.

Strop It!

Strop! In the name of Love!

It's no secret that cats love to scratch things. What was news to me was that there’s a special term for this behavior—stropping.

The hallowed tome, Know Your Cat

Side note: I saw this book at Barnes & Noble recently and had to get it. The cover was eye-catching and the author’s name is Francesca (Riccomini), so it was obviously a sign! I’ll share other neat tidbits from The Other Francesca as we move forward.

According to TOF (The Other Francesca), stropping serves several purposes, like marking territory (cats have tiny scent glands in their paws!) to sharpening their claws. You may notice that your cats will even strop on walls! The higher the mark, the more dominant the marker will be perceived. Cats also tend to strop near doorways. They especially like to strop when they wake up, so consider it wise to keep a scratching post near their favorite napping spot.

Ollie LOVES to strop, particularly next to my closet door. This makes sense, since the closet serves as the base of her operations.

Do your cats strop? Have you ever heard this term before?

Catnap, Catscratch, Catnip, Caterwaul?

The results are in! Friskies cat food gave fifty house cats hi-tech camera collars that took a photo every fifteen minutes to find out just what exactly it is that cats do all day. I have to say, the results took me by surprise!

Now, here's the best news. My friend Lara and her cat Phoebe were partipants in this informal study! I'm going to see if I can get any inside information.

Take a moment to guess what you think this collection of cats spent the most time doing. Then click on this link to read the full Huffington Post article to see the cats' favorite activity for yourself!

Hello Kitty!

Check out that photo! And there's more where that came from!

The Cats’ House, designed by Japanese architecture firm Fauna +DeSIGN, was built for the owners' 16 (!) cats and 5 dogs. I read about this Japanese house specially tailored for cats on MODERNCAT. Click here for the full post; it's absolutely worth a read. I am blown away by the quality and aesthetic flair of this casa. (I know this is for cats, but I would have really enjoyed some of these hideaways as a kid, too.)

I'd really love to do floor-to-ceiling scratching pole for Theo and Ollie... I could devise a scratch wall, I suppose, but it would have to have a big pay-off, like a perching ledge or something. Hmm. The wheels are turning.

Have any of my dear readers tried cat shelves, like this house has on the walls?

No Rest for the Wicked!

Oh noes! Ceiling Cat's got a substitute, but what about when I'm busy? Please forgive me!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! This is going to be a hectic week, but stay tuned for posts on:

• The CAT SHOW I went to this weekend
• Theo's Training
• The Best Cat Treats*
• Pearl's New Airline-Approved Cage Traveling Suite
• And much, much more

Until tomorrow... >^..^<

*base=3 domestic kittehs owned by yours truly
**sample not to include human food, e.g. French fries (ahem)

What Up, Homefry?

My faithful readers will understand the gravitas of yesterday's dinner: it was a Burger King night.

Why 'ello, wot ees theeees? Oh ho ho ho! Eet ees a leetle French Fry?

le NOM, le NOM, le NOM

I even got Ollie to perform a trick for her fry, though it was not captured on camera. Perhaps I have underestimated her talent appetite?

Bleachy Clean

Once upon a time, when I was in college, I was laundering a small load of white Oxford shirts because I was a waitress, and these are the sort of things they make waitresses wear. With a tie. It was awesome. Moving on.

So, I was trying to get to my shift on time with a clean and glowing white shirt. I ran to the Laundry Room on my floor and yanked my whites out of one of the communal $1 dryers, then shuffled back to my dorm room. As I sprinted down the hall, it occurred to me that the load in my arms felt a little bulky... but I dismissed this feeling of suspicion and unease since sometimes fluffy, freshly-dried things can seem like this.

As the whites fell out of my arms and onto my extra-long twin for folding, I quickly discovered why it felt like I was carrying more laundry than just a few white shirts. I was carrying more than just my Oxfords! There were stowaways in my load! And NOT white kittens!!!

There, lying amongst my laundry, were gnarled gym socks… some stained wife-beaters… and tighty-whities.

Some cheap, dirty punk on my floor must have thrown his “whites” (and I use that term loosely, because many of these items were hardly what I would call white anymore) in with mine to save $2 and detergent! The knave doubtlessly planned to sneak in and abscond with his whites before I came to collect my laundry, but his plan was foiled when I came early.

I carefully separated his laundry from mine and dropped it in an old shopping bag, using the hook of a hanger as a make-shift claw, so I wouldn’t have to touch it. It was foul, but not nearly as foul as having to wear my tainted clothing later that night. I left the bag sitting ominously on the dryer.

I tell you this story, dear readers, so that when your cat sleeps on your freshly-laundered clothing, you will think of this tale and rejoice, because it could have been worse. Much worse.

A white kitten (or any kitteh, really) is so much better than a stranger’s tighty-whities, don’t you agree?

Seventeen Things Worth Knowing About Your Cat

Here’s a great way to start your week! Seventeen Things Worth Knowing About Your Cat.

Click on the link to learn about other animals that purr, how Nikola Tesla basically owes it all to kittehs, how many cats Abe Lincoln owned and MORE.

I hope you find a fact or two that will make you the Cat’s Meow at Thanksgiving...

Wait a minute...

I ordered a box of avocados...

... not avoCATos!

Dedicated to Daisy

Dedicated to Daisy, who’s famous for her fashions:

Even more priceless photos from Vogue's feline-inspired fashion photo shoot if you click here!