Foods your kitty should never eat

by Beth Adams Pitoniak

Beth and Oscar, one of the cat loves of her life

Most of us know not to give any amount of chocolate to any pet. But, did you know about some of these other foods that are dangerous for your cat to digest?The folks at KittenToob.com have shared a list of foods that you should never share with your cat (even if he asks!),  including fish bones, grapes, and onions. Visit KittenToob.com to see more.  This is a must-read and must-keep list for any cat lover.

Read more of Beth’s cat posts!

Cat rides a roomba!

Click the image to visit Kittytoob.com and watch the video!

Our dear friend Beth Adams Pitoniak shares this kitty gem as we “Meow” Around Town:

“If your cat is anything like mine,” Beth says, “he or she is looking for some indoor amusement during the winter months.  Check out this cat’s new ride!   No cat of mine would ever go near a vacuum cleaner, so I am impressed.  And this is the closest I’ve ever seen a feline earning it’s keep by doing some housework!”

Read more of Beth’s cat posts!

 

A Very Sassy Christmas

 

Sassy has had a rough week but it taught her mom an important lesson.

by Beth Adams Pitoniak

Once again, my cat has taught me a lesson about life. I’ve been blessed to have shared my home and my heart with many pets over the years–dogs, birds, gerbils, mice, turtles, rabbits, and in the last half of my life, a series of felines. One of the things I love about cats is the way they wheedle their way into my heart in a matter of seconds, and stretch and bend that organ until I am left a better person for the experience.

This holiday season has brought many changes to our household. About six weeks ago, I was laid off from my job of nearly 24 years and have found myself searching for work outside the only profession I’ve ever known in my adult life. My husband went through a similar transition three years ago. We were not ready for the additional stress when our cat, Sassy, who usually lives up to that name, was especially lethargic last weekend and refused to eat.

Witnessing some other concerning symptoms, we brought her into the emergency veterinary clinic on Saturday night. Many exams, x-rays, and blood tests later (and a much lighter wallet) the specialists on staff still didn’t know what ailed our young and otherwise healthy tabby. She came home with us only to return, very dehydrated, to the clinic 36 hours later. An ultrasound showed changes in her spleen and intestines that could signal anything from a parasite to cancer. Suddenly, jobs, networking, bank accounts, and mortgages dropped low on my list of worries.

Animals have a way of reminding us what is important in life, and what we will be left with at the end of it: memories of the sustaining love and devotion of those closest to our hearts. I knew that if Sassy came home to us and returned to her previous healthy and mischievous self, all would be well in my world, whether I worked as a cashier at the store down the road or as an executive in a PR firm.

So, this is the great Christmas gift our little Sasser gave to us this year. And a priceless gift, at that. It wasn’t just the present of her restored health–for she is living up to her name once again–but the powerful lesson that most of the things we fret about just don’t matter.

Remembering Oscar with laughter

Beth and Oscar, one of the cat loves of her life

by Beth Adams Pitoniak

A friend once told me that red tabbies are the comedians of the cat world. I know that was true of my feline soul mate, Oscar. The funniest people are those who come to it naturally, without even trying. In fact, if one were to try too hard, they wouldn’t be funny at all. So it was for Oscar. He had a dead-pan look and casual air, together with hilariously profound facial expressions and body language that had my friends and I, and later my husband, doubled over in laughter.

Beth Adams Pitoniak, on becoming a “cat person”

by Beth Adams Pitoniak

Beth Adams Pitoniak and Oscar, one of the great loves of her life

I want to thank Joanne and all you other dog lovers for letting a representative of the Feline Nation to invade this space every month. Not that I have ever understood why anyone would want to divide the population into Dog People and Cat People. I don’t think these terms are mutually exclusive, though it wasn’t until I was well into my adult years that I realized cats would come to dominate a good part of my heart and soul, right next to that chamber long ago reserved for wagging tails and anything with feathers or fur.

In fact, I still remember the day – though I didn’t realize it at the time – that a cat had appointed itself ambassador to its species and sauntered onto my lap and told me in no uncertain terms that I was now officially a Cat Lover.