The Cat who Saved Books

I just finished The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa and we're discussing it at Book Club this afternoon. Here's my take, which probably no one will agree with. The grandfather could have been anyone other than a Used Book store owner.  Perhaps he could have been a former coach in professional baseball or a retired horse trainer--who has developed a different or related business to his career. His death devasted Rintaro--love, caring, wisdom and security are gone leaving him frightened and empty. The cat and two other adolescents, Sayo and Ryota, from his school come into his life of grief and insecurity as well as odd experiences with adults in a fantasy world with a talking cat. He experiences compassion and empathy, which help him develop courage and a sense of self. Really, it's about relationships, not books, which is why I decided no books need be abused in this story. The cat, yes.

Indian Princess and Campfire Day--memories

My cousin in South Carolina sends out a weekly spiritual message to her friends and relatives and often closes with a "day" event, like popcorn day, or fly a kite day etc. I always look forward to what she has to say. Today she reported is "Campfire Day," so I looked it up, and it seems early August is a good time to sit by a campfire with friends.

 
But it made me wonder what had become of Indian Princesses and Campfire Girls (an outgrowth of father-son recreation and moral guidance by the YWCA in the 1920s), which my daughter and I (and her dad) participated in during the 1970s. I had a lot of fun strolling down memory lane with that one, like how we got our *first cat (see photo), the nice mothers of Tremont School I met, and the scary overnights at a camp in southern Ohio (forgotten the name).

After an extensive 2 minute search I learned that anything with the word Indian in the title is racist/colonialist/demeaning to native Americans so organization has separated from the Y. There are locally run organizations because daddy-daughter activities are still enjoyed and earning badges for service is still considered useful in building character and strong women. There is a local unit for the younger girls in my own community called Two Rivers Council (2 rivers, the Scioto and the Olentangy meet in Columbus).

 
"Two Rivers Council is a group of dads and daughters that strengthens that strong family bond through structured but casual activities - time apart from work and school to focus on family. During our time together, dads and daughters learn outdoor traditions, discuss current events, help out in our community, and enjoy our time in the great outdoors.
Our group includes Upper Arlington girls between kindergarten and third grade. Most of the girls attend Barrington with a few from Tremont, St Agatha, Wellington, and Columbus School for Girls. "Senior Princesses" in grades 4 and 5 are most welcome too! We take our Longhouse name from the two rivers that flow through Columbus: the Olentangy and the Scioto. The sun rises on the Olentangy and sets over the Scioto.

 
The Y-Indian Princess Program (now called Adventure Princesses) was an outgrowth of the Indian Guides, a father-son program started in 1926. That program enabled fathers and sons to participate in a variety of activities that nurtured mutual understanding, love, and respect. The first Indian Princesses came together at the Fresno, California YMCA in 1954. Today, as then, our program affords an unusual opportunity for the concerned and busy father to foster growth in his daughter's development and an understanding of the world around her. The father's role helps her in developing self-esteem, confidence with her peers, and appreciation for the differences among people and families."  https://tworivers.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=9&club_id=837212

*This is not our first cat, Mystery, born in 1976, but she looked like this.   I can't seem to find any photos of her on my computer.  In those days we didn't take photos every few hours. She was coal black except for a few white hairs under her chin.   We named her Mystery because she was so tiny when our daughter brought her home from an Indian Princess overnight with her dad at Camp Akita, her eyes were blue and we didn't know her sex. She was sort of sickly and the mother and all the other kittens ran away, but Phoebe caught her. Somewhere I do have a photo of her and the children with a carved pumpkin, so it must have been near Halloween. She got well and lived for 18 years. 

Keep your kitties indoors, please.

“Cat lovers in the U.S. own about 90 million cats, bringing much joy to tens of millions of families.  There are also, however, an estimated 60-90 million unowned free-ranging cats in the U.S., cats which may be hit by vehicles, preyed upon by other animals, and can contract – and spread – a variety of diseases. 

Global impacts of cat predation are documented: a minimum of 33 extinctions and a decline of at least 142 species of birds, reptiles, and mammals; mortality of an estimated average of 2.4 billion birds (~69% from unowned cats), 12.3 billion mammals, and hundreds of millions of reptiles and amphibians. Cats can also pose a threat to public health from potential transmission of diseases, most significantly Toxoplasmosis.”

Peter Marra , PhD, Director, Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center at the National Zoo, Washington, D.C. Co-author (with Chris Santella) of Cat Wars – The Devastating Consequences of a Cuddly Killer, Princeton University Press, 2016.  Speaker at Ohio State, November 7, The Environmental Professionals Network Breakfast. https://epn.osu.edu/events/november-7-2017-epn-breakfast-club

https://www.statista.com/statistics/198102/cats-in-the-united-states-since-2000/

http://www.bradfordlicensing.com/documents/pets-fact-sheet.pdf

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/conservation/pete-marra

We have a rescue--or does she have us?

I never saw my sweet rescue Calico at this age (photo from internet), but it's what I'll put in her back story, which is really an interesting piece of fiction about how she was abandoned and turned in at Cat Welfare in Columbus around 1998, why she wanted to eat garbage, how the tip of her tail got broken, and why she's flat footed. She had been dearly loved, and found us. Somewhere in her feline memory cells dwells an old lady who loved her, the first old lady, not me.

 

My cat is deaf, so what does that make me?

 
I've tried sign language, but you know how cats are.  They do what they want and then take a nap.

The turkey monster

Our cat has always had "issues" about food--she was abandoned and homeless, then dropped at a rescue where the other cats terrified her, then she found us--for 18 years now. For 18 years she's believed she will be put on the street and must eat. Obviously, childhood memories don’t go away with lots of love.  Yesterday I cooked up the turkey carcass, but my SIL had done such a great job of cleaning it, there wasn't a lot left for casseroles or soup. So I chopped up the bits of skin, meat and fat after straining it thinking I'd dole it out to Lotza over the week-end. She demanded the whole thing! This morning she slept until 5 a.m. (instead of 3) in a turkey stupor. Now she's turning her nose up at the canned Friskies turkey. She's just staring at me, which if you've ever had a cat, you know the look.

Cats like to stir the water in their bowl, so her bowl is very heavy and says, “Dog.” When she would spill it on the marble, we couldn’t see it.

This is her favorite napping spot. . . my husbands’ legs.  Once she moves to our bed, she likes to sleep on my legs. She’s really not very large, maybe 6.5 lbs, so she a heat seeker.

Other turkey/cat stories:

This is humor.  http://www.catster.com/lifestyle/humor-cat-behavior-turkey-thanksgiving-tryptophan

Turkey is not toxic. https://www.facebook.com/notes/aspca/animal-poison-control-faq-turkey/455486574631

http://www.darwinspet.com/our-raw-foods/our-raw-cat-food/natural-selections-for-cat-turkey/

This is most certainly true

Right now our elderly cat isn’t well, and we’re doing everything we can to tempt her to eat and drink.  I wonder if she’s just kidding around and enjoying all the extra attention?

We’re not sure, but

we think Lotza is between 85-88 years old in human equivalence.  She sleeps a lot, has a problem with stairs, loves the warmth of our laps (more than usual), and is deaf.

Look out.

Cats (or my cat) and coconut oil

I keep a small amount of coconut oil in a pill bottle inside the top drawer of my bathroom cabinet.  It’s very nice as a skin moisturizer, or make up remover, or for dry skin.  One morning Lotza had a runny nose (always, actually) and I swiped it with a touch of the oil because it looked irritated.  Of course, she licked it off—and loved it!  Now in the morning she sits on the counter top waiting for me to open the drawer.  First, she goes after the tooth paste, which I use first; then my thyroid pill because I do that an hour before eating; finally, it’s the coconut oil and she gets a smear.  One day I made the mistake of giving her a small amount with lunch.  Oh, she thought she was in heaven, but about an hour later, threw up her lunch, and probably breakfast.  I tried it again the next day, and the same thing happened.  It might be good for her, she might love it, but it’s not good for cleaning up carpet.

http://www.thedrakecenter.com/blogs/risks-and-benefits-coconut-oil-for-pets

Ours is an indoor cat, but this is just too cute

Our kitty is indoor only. She remembers her homeless days and is happy to stay inside. Now she's too old to dig in the garbage disposal which she did for many years while learning to trust a twice a day feeding. But this is just cute.

A mouse in the house

Our cat is 16 years old, somewhat arthritic, and sleeps most of the day--but she was back to her roots protecting us last night, stalking and running--apparently a mouse is in the house. We live in a wooded area, and this time of year they sneak in when they can. The cheese was removed from the trap, but it didn't spring. We're not sure who ate it--the cat or the mouse. Sort of like watching politics, isn't it?

I love cats, but . . .

Akron 18 year old Trevonte Mitchell who kicked a cat and his friend posted it on FB earlier this month has been sentenced to 6 months and $1,000 fine according to a Cleveland station. Over paid Ravens player Ray Rice assaulted his girl friend (she later married him showing she's as challenged as he is) in an elevator and got a 2 game suspension. "Ravens coach John Harbaugh said: "It's not a big deal. It's just part of the process. . . . He makes a mistake. He's going to have to pay a consequence." I love cats, but this just isn't right. Mitchell was just a dumb kid who kicked a feral cat--Rice was a role model and millionaire who beat on the woman he claimed to love.

Both Mitchell and Rice are black; apparently some unkind things have been said on twitter and Facebook (go figure!) so now they are claiming racism.  Really?

http://www.ohio.com/news/break-news/akron-police-arrest-cat-kicking-suspect-1.513227

http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2014/08/its_about_time_roger_goodell_admitted_his_mistake_about_ray_rices_punishment.html

Coaxing the cat to eat

Our cat has stopped eating, so I took her to the vet, where I discovered she's only about 4.1 lbs even though she'd been eating well until Thursday. I turned down the expensive tests to find out why (she's 16), and asked for subcutaneous fluid and a few appetite stimulants. That has worked in the past when this happened (late summer, always at the lake house). Vet said give her anything to eat you normally wouldn't just to get some calories in her. So, this morning in addition to baby food she got some Häagen-Dazs ice cream and salmon meant for people. She'll get a little freshly cooked chicken and steak later--after she wakes up.

If you have a cat, you’ll understand

The wages of sin . . .

are sometimes an angry cat.

Cats stealing dog beds

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/13/jerk-cats-love-stealing-dog-beds_n_4093467.html

and trying to fit in boxes, jars, vases

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/22/if-it-fits-i-sits-supercut_n_3790622.html

Cat hair

Today I bought a "Fur Be Gone," a tools which is supposed to work on the carpet and the cat. Usually I just use a roll of masking tape. Anyone ever tried this?http://www.petbuddies.com/prod_details.php?cat=35&p=204

Green is for cats; blue is for dogs. I now expect pet tools to start appearing on my Facebook page and along the side of any page I visit on the internet; I’ve been getting ads for coconut oil since I blogged about that.

Here’s my plan

The new carpet is installed—Friday Family Photo

Not seriously different than the old carpet, except in my office which was very dark forest green and the stairs to the lower level which were sisal, it really looks different.