We joined the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop with this short video, The Most Endangered River in America. This video poem highlights  both the beauty and the troubles of this amazing river.  The video is directed and written by Pete McBride Productions.  The images are stunning and the message is important.

The Colorado River runs 1450 miles across seven states and two countries.  This might river supplies water for 36 million people. Even though the river flowed to the sea for 6 million years, the Colorado has not reached the ocean since the late 1990′s.  We hope you will take a few moments to view this important video poem.

We think it might leave you speechless on this Wordless Wednesday.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Amboseli National Park from Observation Hill

When I was young, I imagined Africa as a far off land, with endless savannas and wilderness areas that rivaled outer space.  I  remember lying on the floor in front of the television watching Wild Kingdom,  our window on the world, as we traveled vicariously with Marlin Perkins to the far reaches of the world for exciting interactions with exotic animals in their natural habitats.

A lot has changed since those childhood days of packing a lunch with a friend and telling our parents we were setting out to seek  the source of  the creek that ran through the property surrounding our neighborhood.   This creek seemed endless to us as we walked and talked and used our imagination to pretend we were on safari looking for wildlife.

Our World is Getting Smaller

Now,  I realize how small this creek is and often times, I might even drive by  where we used to play  not giving the water rippling over the stones a second thought. And just as I thought Africa was a mysterious land of abundant space for all animals to live and thrive, we know  this is not the case. Africa’s wilderness is being squeezed as elephants, lions, rhino and wildebeest all compete with humans for habitat and resources.

Today, our world even seems a lot smaller than it did when I was younger.  We can visit Africa and watch wildlife right from our homes via Africam and other online sources.  There are television programs on 24 hours, 7 days per week allowing us to see the  day to day life of people and animals on the other side of the globe.  And when you see Africa from the air, you can see the shrinking wild areas and the urban sprawl creeping out into the once wild and open spaces where earth’s animals once lived  in abundance and with minimal human conflict.

The Overview Effect

Midwestern cities from space. Photo from The Overview Institute

The Overview Effect, a phrase coined in the book by the same name by author Frank White, refers to the experience of seeing firsthand the reality of the Earth in space, which is immediately viewed as a small fragile planet full of life, hanging in the  abyss, protected and nourished by a paper-thin atmosphere. Astronauts tell us that from space, all national boundaries disappear, the conflicts that divide us seem unimportant and the need to create a planetary society united to protect our world becomes both obvious, imperative and from the Overview perspective, achievable if only more people could have the experience.

Northern Gulf of Mexico
Photo from The Overview Institute

This view of the earth from space, the whole earth perspective I think is the true symbol of this age.  And I believe what is gong to happen is there is going to be a greater and greater interest in communicating this idea because after all it’s key to our survival.  We have to start acting as one species, with one destiny. We are not going to survive if we don’t to that.    Frank White, Author of the Overview Effect

 

My Personal Overview Effect Experience

Elephants in Amboseli National Park

When I was in Kenya, I had my own personal Overview Effect experience.  When we first entered Amboseli National Park, the anticipation of seeing wild elephants was so intense that not one of us was saying a word.  All our eyes were scanning the horizon while our vehicle drove towards the watering hole area of the park.  And then, off in the distance, were beautiful gray shadows  that grew larger as we approached and  we were awestruck in the moment.

From our  ground view, it seemed Amboseli National Park went on without boundaries and just for a moment you might be tricked into thinking these elephants have plenty of space to live and thrive.  But as we kept driving to the top of Observation Hill, the landscape began to change and I saw the elephants  from a

Elephants in Amboseli from Observation Hill.

different perspective and  began to see the boundaries of this safe haven. I felt a sense of apprehension seeing the end of the park and knowing the dangers lurking for earth’s largest land mammals.

We had the good fortune to meet  up with David Western, a conservationist that grew up in Africa and the director of the Kenya Wildlife Service from 1994-1998. Western’s philosophy and conservation message is that the current conservation policies based on segregation are destined to fail.  Africa’s wildlife can only survive through coexistence with the African people.

While Western was talking, the view of Amboseli and beyond helped to imprint his message into our minds because the sub-Sahara population  growth shows no sign of slowing down and the wild spaces are shrinking.

A short drive back towards the small airport where we were scheduled to catch a flight up to Olkiramatian, in the Rift Valley of Kenya, I

Amboseli National Park Sign

glanced back at the entrance sign to the park marking the boundary of the protected area.  The problem is, wildlife doesn’t know where the fine line between safety and danger lies. As vast as Africa seemed in my youth, she seemed a lot smaller during my visit.

On approach to the airport, we rode in near silence.  This was a lot to absorb in a short amount of time.  We were experiencing sensory overload from the elephants, and zebra sightings to Western’s conservation message, we needed time to process  and remember.

We reached the small airport and waited on the runway for our aircraft to arrive. The cleared path for the landing strip was barely visible to us.  Some of my fellow passengers had not been on a small aircraft before and were visibly nervous at the thought of climbing aboard a prop plane in the middle of what seemed like nowhere.

Landing strip outside of Amboseli National Park

Our planes arrived and we loaded up and we were off the ground in no time.  It was a clear view of the South Rift Valley and as we ascended above the trees, the elephants’ habitat began to look smaller and more vulnerable by the minute. Perspective allowed me to fully see and feel the impact of the diminishing wild places.

Ascending above the trees in the South Rift Valley

Climbing higher, I could see the roads that criss cross the landscape as humans encroach into the wilderness. I could see small clusters of homes and towns but didn’t see a lot of water. At cruising altitude, I could see the Rift Valley, looking like a watercolor painting. I thought about my mom and how much she would have loved this experience and I felt blessed to have the good fortune to be living this moment.
This was the highest altitude view that I was able to experience, but it was high enough for me to witness that even Africa is not big enough and we must take care of her for all living beings. The Overview Effect brought tears to my eyes as I thought about how we all live in one ecosystem.  What we do on one side of the earth affects the other side and that is a new way of thinking for most of humanity.  I wish that every person could experience The Overview Effect. This feeling of unity, understanding and urgency to live as one people on our one planet. If everyone could experience The Overview Effect, this view from space might save our world.

South Rift Valley from the Air

As you go into your mind in a contemplative way, the sense of the living reality of the planet becomes obvious, you become more in tune with the natural world. It is no wonder that many people have likened the Overview Effect to a spiritual or meditative experience although it is not exactly that; it is a cognitive shift that very often can produce a kind of meditative experience.       David Beaver  Co Founder the Overview Institute

 

We humans are responsible for ourselves, and we are endangering our future.  We have to learn how to do it differently and to go forward into a sustainable period, and right now that seems very difficult to see how that will be. But we have to work on it.   Edgar Mitchell, Apollo Astronaut

Earth from Space
Photo from The Overview Institute

We are seeing very clearly that if the earth becomes sick, then we become sick.  If the earth dies, then we are going to die. People sense that something is wrong but they’re still struggling to go back and find out the real roots of the problem.  And I think what we need to come to is the realization that it is not just fixing one economic or political system but a basic world view, a basic understanding of who we are that’s at stake.  David Loy, Philosopher

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Scientists thought there was something different about the  fifteen lions living in the rundown Addis Ababa Lion Zoo.  The male lions living in the Ethiopian zoo have large, dark brown manes that extend down their chests through their front legs, down their backs below

Male Lion in the Addis Ababa Lion Zoo

their shoulders and the length of their belly through the groin. These male lions are also smaller in body size than their cousins from eastern and southern Africa.  These distinguishing features  in the Addis Ababa Lions made the biologists think this group of lions are  distinctive, and in fact, made them wonder if they could  be the relatives of an extinct lion subspecies.

It had been speculated that the Addis Ababa lions might be the last pure relatives of North African Barbary lions or South African Cape lions, both subspecies now extinct. Or could these 15 lions be a completely genetically distinctive population of lion?

The lions are descended from a private collection of the last Ethiopian ruler, Emperor Haile Selassie, who captured their ancestors from the wild and brought them to his palaces in the 1940′s.  Today, these lions live in the same holding pens as the first lions captured, only now the  zoo is in poor condition and the lions are lacking proper nutrition, and inadequate space.

Addis Lion zookeepers became so overwhelmed caring for the lions that they reached out to their German “sister city” Leipzig, for help. Vets from the Leipzig zoo traveled to Ethiopia to check the health status of the lions.  While examining the lions, a team of vets took blood samples for genetic investigations  for an international breeding program in case the results confirmed these lions are their own subspecies or perhaps their own genetic construction.

The results from the blood taken from  the fifteen lions descended from Emperor Salassie’s collection, showed  the Addis lions are distinctive, most closely related to lions in Africa, not lion populations in Asia. The analysis showed the existence of three African lion clusters:

1. 1)  the lions of Addis Ababa
2. 2) Lions in north-eastern Africa,  near the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti and
3. 3) the lions in south-western Africa in places like Etosha, Kalahari and Kruger.

Searching around the world for this genetically distinct lion

Scientists are now searching for this genetically distinct lion across Africa and in zoos throughout the world. Genetic testing proved these lions are distinctive and for this reason, the Addis lions will now receive better care including being relocated to a modern facility that is under construction to be finished this year.

DNA frees captive lions from their small pens

Genetic testing enabled these 15 Addis lions to be freed from their small holding pens and to be moved to a new state of the art holding facility with an internationally monitored captive breeding program. But as we know, the lion conservation story doesn’t end here. Given the deterioration of wild habitat due to the ever increasing human population and persecution by humans, one can’t help but wonder if any descendants of the Addis lions will ever be free?

Male and female lions in the Addis Ababa Lion Zoo Photo courtesy of: Klaus Eulenberger

The goal of a breeding program is to conserve the Addis population and its genetic diversity. And just as important, the lives of the 15  individual  Addis Ababa lions will be changed for the better, to live out their days with proper care and nutrition.   We can be grateful that the  Addis Lion Zookeepers reached out for help because this resulted in these lions being able to live happier, healthier lives. We can always hold on to the hope that some day a population of Addis lions will  live in the wild across Africa, healthy and free from harm.

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My parents might say a lot of things about me like; I am mischievous, talkative and smart but one thing I am not, is a fat cat.  I am the perfect weight for my body type.   There was a time when I was a bit too thin when I was recovering from pancreatitis, but now I am wearing my 7 pounds well.  My brother Mercy, well…. ok.. he is also at a good weight for his body type.  Weighing in at 10.4 lbs. our doctors tell us he is in great shape.  He is just a bigger cat than I am, bigger boned and he really is. He is not just saying he is big boned to try to cover up the fact that he might be a bit chunky from all of those treats my grandma gives him.  But Mercy and I are in the minority of cats in the United States. Did you know that 55% of cats in the United State are overweight or obese?

In fact, it is not just cats, dogs too are overweight too even with all that in and out bathroom business and organized walking they do.  It has gotten so out of control that there is now an Association for Pet Obesity Prevention and the 2011 Pet Obesity Study found that 93 million cats and dogs are considered overweight or obese.

Friends, it is time that we all face the numbers on the scale.

Because we might need a little help getting started Purina teamed up with Target to create Project:Pet Slim Down. Purina created this online program to help your cat and dog lose weight. Cats and dogs at a healthy weight enjoy happier lives and Purina made it a mission to help every pet parent enable their cat and dog to achieve that weight.  Here are a few tips:

You can help your overweight cat play  to fitness.

Calorie burning doesn’t have to be hard. It can be as simple—and rewarding—as spending more time playing together. Excess weight is a problem shared by pets and owners—and so is a less-than-active lifestyle.

Even if you can’t spend more time with your pet, you can make your shared time more active. Go to Target.com/Purina and check out tips on fun and fitness with your pet. You can also visit ProjectPetSlimDown.com to read inspiring stories of cats and dogs that have lost weight with the help of this program.

                                                                                                                  

A fit cat is not only more healthy but happy.

Improved health is an important benefit of regular exercise/activity for pets. But, according to a survey commissioned by Purina¹, the biggest benefits noted by owners surveyed are emotional. Owners also play with their pets to reap emotional rewards, such as fun, stress relief and bonding.

Increasing your  cat’s activity can be enjoyable for both cat and owner. The key is to focus on your pet’s instinct for fun.

Cats love the thrill of the chase so playtime with a laser or feather toy is a great way to turn fun into fitness.

Think of cats as sprinters, not marathon runners. They prefer to play in short bursts of energy vs. sustained activity. Take every chance you can to make your interaction with your cat more active. For example, you can “feed” your cat’s instinct to hunt by using a feeding toy or treat toy. You can also hide small amounts of kibble in various places throughout the house so your cat has to “hunt” for her food. Indulge your cat’s love of looking down on their surroundings by putting perches in your home. She’ll get lots of exercise jumping on and off. You can also place several kibbles or treats on top of the perch to encourage activity.

Pounce on over to the Project Pet Slim Down program for more tips and to track your progress.  You can also trim down your spending at Target with  Purina coupons too.  Get Purina Coupons

Enter to Win a $25 Gift Card to Target from Project: Pet Slim Down from Purina

How to enter:

Just leave a comment below this post telling me why your cat or dog might need to shed a bit of weight.

The Rules:

 This contest will end on May 5, 2013. Please one comment per person. I will enter all names in to Randomizer.com. The winner will be notified by email or through facebook depending on the contact information you provide. If you connect through facebook, check your Other messages not just your main messages.  Make sure you are watching for an email from me. The subject line will say $25 Gift Card for Target Winner.  Void where prohibited by law.

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The call for entries for the Internet Cat Video Festival 2013  deadline is approaching.  Make sure you get your feline film entered ASAP! Here is the link to enter your video.  Cat Video Entry Click Here

Internet Cat Video Festival 2012 at the Walker Art Center

Feline Festival Phenomenon

When the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis created the Internet Cat Video Festival, they thought it would be a fun way to bring online communities together to meet in person during a small celebration. But the Cat Video Festival went viral and a crowd of more that 10,000 cat loving fans came to the Walker’s Open Field. The feline friendly event drew the attention of not only local and national but also international media.

The Internet Cat Video Festival 2013 will be held at the Great Minnesota Get-Together: the State Fair Grandstand. This year’s show will not only include the same spirit of community, but the best cat videos along with music, special guests, community art projects and will even conclude with fireworks!  This year’s festival will be held August 20, 2012 and tickets went on sale March 9.  Don’t be disappointed and find yourself out without a ticket.  You can purchase online at mnstatefair.org.

To get you even more excited, here is a short video from last year’s festival

Who Will Win the Golden Kitty?

Last year, Will Braden’s now super famous Henri Le Chat Noir #2 took the coveted Golden Kitty as the People’s Choice  Best of Festival. The top award for 2013 will be decided via online voting this summer and there will be new prizes for each cat-egory, including MN Cat-on-a-Stick for kitties that live in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.  And Will Braden will be retruning to present the Golden Kitty to this year’s winner and to debut his latest Henri video made exclusively for the festival.  Super Exciting!!!

Internet Cat Video Festival logo T-shirts are available from the Walker Shop too.

Lights! Camera! Action!

Don’t delay another day.  Submit your super cute cat in the Internet Cat Video Festival today.  Pounce here!    Deadline is May 1, 2013.

I will be sharing an exciting announcement about the Internet Cat Video Festival Soon!  Super exciting.

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Richard Turere’s “Lion Lights” Save Lives

Richard Turere is a young Maasai boy of 13, whose family lives  on the edge of Nairobi National Park, in Kenya. As is common among the

Richard Turere
photo from TED.com

Maasai, Richard took over the responsibility for herding and safeguarding his family’s livestock when he was only 9 years old.  One of the threats to his family’s cattle, sheep and goats is the presence of African lions when they wander out of Nairobi National Park following the path of zebra and other prey animals searching for savannah grasses.

Richard grew up hating lions because at night, lions would sneak in and kill the family’s livestock while the boy was sleeping.  Determined to protect the families valuable livestock, Richard knew he had to think of a way to help him protect his animals from lion attacks.

Richard first built a fire, but realized even though the lions are afraid of fire, they were not afraid to go around the fire and snatch up a meal and in fact their path was made easier by the light of the fire.  Richard then tried to place a scarecrow to fool the lions into thinking that he was guarding his cattle, but this only worked for one night. Richard said, the lions are very clever, so when they returned the second night, they must have realized this scarecrow is not moving and so were no longer intimidated.

Richard then realized that what lions were afraid of is moving light,  as when a person would walk around the stockade with a flashlight. Intrigued by this thought, the young boy came up with an innovative and low-cost system to scare the lions away.  He attached a series of flashing LED bulbs fastened onto poles around the livestock enclosure, with the light facing outward.  These lights were wired to a box with switches and to an old car battery that he powered by a solar panel.  The lights were designed to turn on and off in a random pattern, tricking the lions into thinking that he was moving around carrying a flashlight, even though he was asleep in his bed.

The Lion Lights worked and his family has not lost any livestock to the lions.  The family’s livestock are safe, and the lions are safe from retaliation killings by the Maasai.  Richard’s amazing creativity was recognized with an invitation to the TED 2013 conference that was held in California a few weeks ago.

Here is Richard’s TED talk.

Hope for the African Lion

I teared up listening to Richard’s talk because in this young Maasai, with the handsome smile and humble delivery, I felt hope for the African lion. There are many days, sadly more days than not of late, that I find myself feeling forlorn and allowing a bit of hopelessness to enter into my thoughts about the future of the iconic big cat . And then I learn about wildlife hero’s like Richard Turere making a difference and I feel that spark of possibility that maybe things can be alright after all.  Perhaps the next generation will take better care and learn to live with and not in conflict with the lions.

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Mr. Collins with Rerun wearing his “library shirt”

Something wonderful happened when we started The Tiniest Tiger’s facebook page.  We met and became friends with many people that we would not have had the opportunity to meet without the power of social media.  Our page was created to unite friends that love and care about all cats big and small.  But we don’t limit our love only for cats, we care for all living beings.

Mr Collins and his wife Virginia with Stewart.

From the beginning of the page, when we only had a few members of our community, we had the good fortune to meet Mr. Edward Collins, through his daughter Janet when they clicked Like on our facebook page.  Over time, we have become friends sharing happiness and laughs but unfortunately, also sadness and tears.  As we make our way through this world, we all know that no day is promised and we must remember to do the best we can to be kind and loving to everyone that shares our lives.

I am super sad to tell you that Mr. Collins crossed the Rainbow Bridge on April 14, 2013.  One thing I know for sure is he was greeted by  his special best feline friend Saber and Janet’s Maggie, and many more cats and animals that he loved so much.

Mr. Edward Milton Collins was a perfect example of living his best life for those he loved.  Mr. Collins was a man of faith and a devoted husband, married to his wife Virginia for 62 years. A great father,  his daughter Janet described him as a true dad, always strong and loving.  He loved being a student and a teacher with four college degrees including a Master of Art in Library Science.

Mr Collins with his daughter Janet

Mr. Collins  was so passionate about books and making sure that everyone had a chance to learn to read that he established libraries not only in the United States but also in Ghana where he was teaching and in Nigeria where he became the Librarian.

Sometimes when I would be writing I would be thinking  I hope Mr. Collins likes my story.  His daughter Janet would show him our posts

and when I was being a little mischievous he would say “Oh that Gracey.”  Thinking of this now makes me smile.  I am so happy that I could bring a bit of joy into his life because he sure brought a lot of joy to many people.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. His spirit and love will live on and  that is what gets us through the difficult times.  Remember the good and happiness.  That is something I think he might have said to us.

Would you be so kind as to join us in lighting a candle in honor of Mr. Collins?  He was one of my first friends when we started The Tiniest Tiger community and will always be in our hearts, even if our hearts are broken, remembering him and his love for all living beings will help us heal and go on.

Click Here to Light a Candle.

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Discover Your Cat’s True Nature

Even though cats outnumber dogs living within homes, cats remain thought of by many as aloof, anti-social and not needing the love and attention that dogs are given.  Cats are mistreated and sometimes maligned because  they have been misunderstood. Stereotypes about cats sadly remain firmly in place so the team at Purina One decided to dig deeper and learn about the cat’s true nature and what makes a cat…a cat!

Our domestic cats roots can be traced back to the African Wildcat. So Purina One decided to go to Africa to learn more about our cats living ancestors so that we could all achieve a better understanding of what our own cats need to live their best lives.

I was thrilled to be asked by the Purina One team to join in the journey to discover the true nature of cats where we discuss and explore how to awaken, foster and nurture the natural instincts within our cat so that their lives will be enriched and in turn our own lives are better knowing that our feline family member is enjoying her life to the fullest.

I was in my final year completing my master of zoology with a focus on big cats when I first learned about the Purina One program.   I was so excited because The Tiniest Tiger children’s book compares and contrasts the similarities and differences between the big cats and their domestic cousins that share our lives.

Who was your cat born to be?

I really love the work that Purina One is doing to help uncover the true nature of cats so that more people will understand  not only what their cat needs but why they need to be who they were born to be.  By uncovering the truth about what the African Wildcat was born to be, Purina One wants us to gain a new appreciation for who domestic cats are today

I was fortunate to be able to visit Purina’s headquarters in St, Louis to see the new True Nature experience.  This video shows you the space that was created and you will meet Purina One team members as they discuss why this space and the true nature program is so important to them.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I hope you will join us on this journey.

Over the next weeks, we will be sharing with you what you can do to bring our your cat’s true nature.  I hope you will join us as we continue on the journey to learn more about the true nature of cats.

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How I spend some of my winter days

that Spring would arrive six weeks after he saw his shadow. An Ohio prosecutor suffering from cabin fever  filed a  criminal indictment against the famous Pennsylvania groundhog over his “prediction” of an early spring but dropped the charge admitting that Punxsutawney Phil had a “defense with teeth in it” .

Winter gets tiresome for me too at my habitat, because my dad is overprotective of the sun room during the off season.  He is so protective he locks up the doors and refuses to let me out when the temperature dips too far below freezing.  This is super upsetting because  the sun room, is not only MY room, but it is my favorite room in my house.

This is where I spend time with Lazy Leopard and we visit with Bossy Backyard Blue Jay, the Maple Tree  Squirrel, and many other wild friends.  Sometimes I sit in front of the closed sun room doors and try with all my might to get my dad to open the doors.  My dad is super stubborn though, he really is.  Once he gets it in his head that it is too cold for me to be out in the sun room, there is nothing I can do.

Sometimes, when my mom and I are home alone, I get to sneak out into the sun room and nap in my heated thinking circle until my dad comes home and catches us in the act!

So when Spring finally showed up this week, I was really excited to get full access to my sun room once again.  When the weather is nice, the doors stay open and I can come and go,  in and out of the sun room any time I want.

Today, I don’t know how it happened but the sun seemed to call it a day before Lazy Leopard and I were ready to say good night!  Then Lazy Leopard told me we might as well carry on and call it a night too because it would be many many hours until the sun came back to visit. I found this a bit upsetting. I mean I just got out into the sun room  and the sun went to sleep.

How many hours until the sun comes back?

So, I went inside and  snacked a bit. I visited with my mom in the office and  we played a little hide and seek.  Then I was ambushed. I got my ears checked and cleaned and I even got brushed.   All this and the sun is missing from the sky.

There was only one thing left for me to do.  Get a front row seat on my Cat Power Tower and wait for the sun to rise. Well at least until my dad calls me in and locks the doors.

Happy Spring Friends!!

May you bask in many sun puddles all Spring and Summer long.

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I am a cat parent!  This month Petfinder launched a campaign to help break down the stereotypes about cats and the people who love them.  Even though cats outnumber dogs in the United States, feline family members are often thought of as second-class pets.  Many people still believe that cats are aloof, not able to be trained and of all things….unlovable!

I say anyone that thinks this about a cat has never shared their home with  a cat.  Our Gracey and Mercy are members of our family and we are fortunate to get to share our lives with them.  I wanted to take a moment to tell you just 9 things I love about Gracey.  Of course, there are many many more, but I thought I would start with these.

One) Gracey’s Happy Face Greeting Me at the Door

Even on the most trying of days, when my key hits the door and I see our little girl running to greet me with her tail straight up with a curl, all the day’s troubles just melt away and I feel  warm and happy seeing  her sweet face.

Two) Chatting About Her Day

First thing I do when I get inside the house is say hello to Gracey and ask her about her day and she usually has a lot to say.  Gracey is a talkative cat and I think she is telling me what happened while Paul and I were out leaving her in charge of the house.  I love to hear her tales of the day while we walk together into the kitchen.

Three) Soft and Warm Cat Hugs

When I am away, I sometimes close my eyes and think about hugging Gracey. I think about how wonderful it feels when I scoop her up into my arms and snuggle her close to me.  I nuzzle her neck and feel the soft and warm fur  and it makes me feel relaxed and happy. When I have been away for extended time like in Kenya or Namibia, I think about hugging Gracey when I return home.  Paul too, of course.

Four) Purr Purr Purr

Is there anything more relaxing than the purr of a cat that you adore?   Thinking about it now makes me smile.

Five) Holding My Hand

Gracey holding my hand

Since Gracey was a kitten, when we sit on the sofa to read or watch television, she will extend her left paw and place it on my right hand.  I treasure these moments with her.

Six) Chomp, Chomp, Chomp

Gracey is a dainty eater.  She chooses one piece of food at a time and sits up proper and chomps her chow. Paul and I love the sound of her crunching her food.  Sometimes we just look at each other and smile when we hear her eating. Don’t worry, she gets both wet and dry food.  She likes to choose.

Seven) Whiskers on Kittens

This tradition began with our dear friend Ed, that couldn’t bear to toss away one of Hazel’s whiskers when he found one in his home. He would carefully place the found whisker into a small wooden box and place the box on a shelf. He would laugh a bit at himself, but I thought it was just priceless. He loved his little girl so much.

Hazel came to live with us when Ed became too ill to stay at home.  And when I found a whisker, I couldn’t bear to toss it away either.  I placed it in the same wooden box and we kept it on a shelf in our home.  Now we do the same with Gracey’s whiskers.

Eight) Hide and Seek

Our favorite game is hide and seek.  Gracey is terrific at sneaking up on us. I love that moment when we come face to face and I squeal and she rears up with her front paws in the air and runs away with me in chase.

Nine) Time to Play

Gracey and I have play time every day.  We look forward to this opportunity for both of us to release some pent up energy and have fun too.  If I am busy at the computer, I know that my little alarm clock will come in to remind me it is time to play.  Sometimes, I pretend not to see her to see how long it takes for her to reach up and tap me on the leg.  This time together is one of the highlights of my day.

Thank you for reading and thank you for loving all cats big and small.  I would love it if you would share with us, a few of the things you love about your cats that share your lives.  What makes you proud to say “I am a Cat Parent!”

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