My Cat's Evening Ritual is Swoon-worthy

I go to bed earlier than my husband John, so he comes in and tucks me in every night. While I'm brushing my teeth and getting ready to sleepy time, John and Phoebe have this little ritual. She runs into the bedroom ahead of us and jumps on the bed, demanding a snuggle from John. Then she climbs all over him, rubbing her face on his side and purring three times the typical volume. It's the sweetest thing ever! Last night I managed to snap a little documentation of this snuggle-fest. They're not great photos, but they capture the sweetness, for sure.

Of Husbands, Pillows and Cat Yawns

Every night before my husband goes to bed, he places a purple pillow on top of a chair for Cosmo. He could just let him sleep on the chair -- it's comfortable enough. But he likes to make sure Cosmo is extra-cozy. This is only one of the reasons he's my guy. I think you can tell a lot about a person just by these little acts. And no, you can't have him. Find your own.

Also, I had less blurry photos, but he's yawning in this one. I can't resist a good yawn -- especially if I get to see kitty teethies.

Cat Daddy-O!

I love a cat guy. I don't think I could have ever been in a serious relationship with someone who didn't enjoy feline company. Thankfully, my husband was a shoo-in. He grew up with cats and has always been a bit of a pushover when it came to our kitty kids...especially Saffy. Although he loves all our cats, John and Saffy have a undeniably sweet connection. She looks at him with those giant green eyes and he invariably melts. His manly voice softens as he calls her his "sweet baby." She doesn't like to be held a lot...unless it's Daddy. She'll curl up in his arms, close her eyes, and purr like crazy. I'll tell ya...there's something about a man who loves cats. Happy Father's Day to John and all those guys who are fabulous daddies to cats and humans alike!

And speaking of cat daddies, our friend Peter does incredible work saving feral cats and is very close to winning a contest for Best Cat Daddy! Please click here to vote for the photo of Peter and Smudge. Today is the last day of the contest and we'd love to see his tireless love and support of our feral friends recognized and celebrated!

Men Who Love Cats: Hi Bruce!

Bruce with his first cat, Hopping John (Hoppy), 1979-1981

What better way to start a new week than by meeting another man who loves cats?  Today we feature Bruce, self-proclaimed feline fancier.  I learned of Bruce's affinity toward kitties through his mother, Carole.  Carole writes a fabulous cat blog called The Adventures of Admiral Hertorb -- you really have to check out the daily adventures of this sweet little girl.  Bruce agreed to interview and I'm so glad he did! 

Catladyland: Have you always loved cats?  Did you grow up with cats?

Bruce: Pretty much.  We got our first cat when I was nine.  I have been domesticated since then.

Catladyland: Do you currently have cats?

Bruce: No cats here at the moment, although one or more will be here eventually.  We visit cats at friends' houses.  There are two we see quite a bit (Ava is at one house and Ossie is at another).

Catladyland: What do you like best about cats?

Bruce: They have all the traits people value in companion animals: loyalty, caring, playful, cute, protective, etc., but with a lot less bother than dogs.  Cats have plenty to offer and are not super-demanding in return. An added plus: cats are regal, so if they like you, you've got to be pretty cool.

Thanks, Bruce -- the feline gene runs in the family!  You are definitely one pretty cool cat-man.  And I agree, if a cat like you, it definitely says something about your character.  Cats can sniff out the good ones...

If you would like to be featured as a Man Who Loves Cats, or know someone who would, please comment below with your e-mail address or send me a message at angie@catladyland.org. 

Men Who Love Cats: Sunday with Spenser

What is it about kids and pets?  If you've ever seen a child racing around in the backyard with his dog or snuggled under a blanket with a purring kitten, you'll agree that kids and animals just have a natural connection. Maybe it's the innocence they share or their mutual love of carefree play.  Or perhaps it's their natural curiosity.  Whatever the case, children and pets just click.  In fact, my daughter calls our Phoebe her very best friend and I love that.

Spenser and Momo

I'd like to introduce you to Spenser.  He is a cat-lovin' teenager who happens to be the son of my friend, Marissa (who happens to write a fan-tab-u-lastic blog -- check it out).  Spenser agreed to answer a few short questions about his love of cats. 

Catladyland: Have you always loved cats?

Spenser: Of course I have. I have ever since I was at least five.

Catladyland: Do you have cats?  What are their names?

Spenser: Yes, I have two.  Their names are Silver and Momo.

Catladyland: Do you have a favorite?  Why?

Spenser: No, because I love them equally, even if they do act strange at times.

Catladyland:  What do you like best about cats?

Spenser: I just like how they can just be so sweet and just be lounge lizards, sort of like me.

I agree -- I think cats are very much like the humans that love them: sweet, strange, and love to lounge!  

Thanks for the interview, Spenser.  Keep on lovin' those kitties -- the future generation of Cat Men depends on you!

If you or someone you know would like to be interviewed for the Men Who Love Cats feature, please leave your e-mail address in a comment or e-mail me directly at angie@catladyland.org.

Celebrities and Cats

I love photos of celebrities with cats.  I know you shouldn't always judge a cat by its whiskers, but I just automatically like and trust people more when I discover they are cat lovers.  On Catladyland's Facebook page, I often post photos of famous people with their cats.  I thought today would be an excellent day to share some of them here! 

And I thought Drew couldn't get any cuter...

Morrissey, the lead singer from The Smiths (one of my all-time favorite bands) -- he is often photographed with cats and I once devoted an entire blog post to him.

Oh, Kurt Cobain...he was a cat lover indeed...

Betty Page in her kitten heels

What makes Bowie even cooler?  Cats.

Dolly could hide a litter of kittens in that hair!

I wonder if the cats went after Dyaln's guitar picks?

Freddie: another sweet, cat-lovin' man taken far too soon...

Men Who Love Cats: The Jeff Edition

Another cat-lovin'-man steps up! Meet my friend, Jeff. He is a feline fancier and also authors two fabulous blogs, The World of Jeff! and The Food of Jeff! He was happy to answer a few questions about his kitty-love.

Catladyland: Have you always loved cats?

Jeff: Yes, as far back as I can remember. The first cat I remember was Bootsie, a big fluffy white-with-orange-patches cat that used to wash Sue the black labrador's ears for her. I was only a little baby but I remember Bootsie.

Catladyland: Do you have cats now? What are their names?

Jeff: I live with my sister at the moment and so I am sorta sharing her cat. Her name is Honey, although she goes by Honeybun or the Bunster. Our family are like that, we have always changed our cats' names into several different nicknames.

Catladyland: Is there one that is your favorite?

Jeff: There have been so many, it's hard to pick one. They all had different personalities. Probably if I had to narrow it down I'd make a shortlist of about ten. Sydney Butterworth was a lovely cat, he was a fluffy tabby with white socks that love to sleep on the back of the sofa with his legs dangling either side. We had a black cat called Ivan Skavinsky Skavarr who was a black part-Burmese, with those big ears and that yowl of a meow. Squeakster was another black cat with a tubby belly and a squeaky little mew. His name became Alfred, Lord Squeakster. We had a black-and-white part-Burmese called Ratbag, whose nickname was Flying Fred. I think my favourite though might well be Rusty, who was one of a litter of kittens born to Rowena, who we got to replace Ratbag. Rusty was a calico-and-white and she was beautiful.

Catladyland: What do you like best about cats?

Jeff: I think I like their independence and their playfulness. I like their purring too, so much so that I taught myself how to do it. If you purr effectively in front of a cat, and couple it with the slow blink, it freaks them out. Hilarious. They're like, "Whaaat? He talks CAT?!"

Thanks, Jeff! If you are interested in being featured as a cat-lovin'-man, drop me a line!

Jack and Tyke

Jack Kerouac is one of my all-time favorite writers and was a major cat lover. I was recently reading one of his books, Big Sur, and the paragraph describing his learning about his beloved cat Tyke's death moved me to tears. I know I usually write humor on this blog, but I want to share this little snippet of Jack with you today. I copied the text exactly as it appears in the book -- Jack wasn't known for a grammatically proper writing style, but I think it's just perfect.

"The next sign is in Frisco itself where after a night of perfect sleep in an old skid row hotel room I go to see Monsanto at his City Lights bookstore and he's smiling and glad to see me, says 'We were coming out to see you next weekend you should have waited,' but there something else in his expression -- When we're alone he says, 'Your mother wrote and said your cat is dead.'

Ordinarily the death of a cat means little to most men, a lot to fewer men, but to me, and that cat, it was exactly and no lie and sincerely like the death of my little brother -- I loved Tyke with all my heart, he was my baby who as a kitten just slept in the palm of my hand and with his little head hanging down, or just purring for hours, just as long as I held him that way, walking or sitting -- He was like a floppy fur wrap around my wrist, I just twist him around my wrist or drape him and he just purred and purred and even when he got big I still held him that way, I could even hold that big cat in both hands with my arms outstretched right over my head and he'd just purr, he had complete confidence in me -- and when I'd left New York to come to my retreat in the woods I'd carefully kissed him and instructed him to wait for me 'Attends pour mue kitigingoo' -- But my mother said in the letter he had died the NIGHT AFTER I LEFT."

Gets me every time...

Morrissey: The Cat's Meow

Welcome to a very special installation of Cats and the Men who Love Them. Those of you who know me, know that two of my very favorite subjects are cats and Morrissey.

Morrissey, was the lyricist and vocalist of the 80's alternative band, The Smiths, and currently writes/records as a solo artist. His lyrics have been described as, "dramatic...bleak, funny vignettes about doomed relationships, lonely nightclubs, the burden of the past and the prison of the home." He's a very talented, opinionated, and often morose fellow, but more importantly, a total lover of cats. In fact, he's often photographed petting or holding a cat.

Check out this snippet of an LA Weekly interview with Morrissey (also known as Moz, Mozza, Mozzer, Mozfather, and The Pope of Mope).
Are you an animal person? Oh, completely! I’m mystified by cats. I see a cat and I’m in a trance and the union begins . . .

So, do you have a cat? I’ve had many, many, many.

But you’re on the road. Yes, it’s — I’ve had many, and many have passed away.

That’s the worst part. Horrendous, horrendous. It’s worse than a human passing away.

Is it? Yes, it really is.

Why? Because you feel the cat doesn’t fully understand. They’re looking to you, they’re relying on you to get them through this, and you can’t . . . I’ve been in certain situations where I’ve had to terminate the life for the benefit of the cat and the pain is too much to bear. It’s insufferable. Because even as they get the final needle, they’re purring and they’re loving you and . . .

I know, it happened to me, my dog, too. It was awful, because they gave him the shot of ketamine, so he became paralyzed, but he was still conscious and he couldn’t . . . then I thought, oh God, now where’s his spirit, because he doesn’t understand what happened? And he is just assuming that if he is sitting next to you, he’s going to be okay.

Was your cat maimed? No, but he was very, very old, and he was arthritic, and he couldn’t go to the toilet properly and I would have to take him to the toilet, I’d have to do everything, but he was very, very happy, and as long as he was with me, he was thrilled to death. So, I held him at the last moment when they inserted the needle and, uh . . . I cried for hours and hours and hours. This sound came out of me, this sound of despair when he went, and I’d never heard it before.

Wow! Because I thought I’d be — I thought I could completely handle his death and I’d be fine. I’d look after him, I’d make sure everything was okay, and I’d make sure that his transition was as easy and comfortable as possible. And I howled.

I mean, I still have moments where I grieve again, out of the blue — does that happen to you? Of course! Of course! You miss your pets. You miss Sir Doo-Dah or whatever his name is . . . You miss them and you feel for them, and my cat was an incredible character. He wasn’t merely a cat, he was beyond human. He had the most incredible personality, an enormous personality, and as tough as, as they say, old boots, and I still miss him, I really still miss him. Sorry, I’m boring you stiff . . .

No! I want to talk forever. Might not be long enough.

Another Installment of Cats and the Men Who Love Them

No series of cat-lovin'-men would be complete without featuring Todd. I know Todd from way back (high-school-way-back) and he's married to my sister Amy, so I feel like I have a pretty good handle on his cat-man-essence. He's a bona fide, grade-A feline fancier and I adore the guy.



Catladyland: Have you always loved cats?

Todd: I've loved cats as long as I can remember. Growing up, we had several cats, including Mama Kitty who's name was well deserved. She spawned herds of kittens in her years on earth. She also started my love for black cats, which thankfully Amy and I share. We also had a huge orange tabby named Munchkin who we swore was allergic to cats.

Catladyland: Do you have cats now? Is there one that is your favorite?

Todd: We have two cats right now, Mojo and Bowser. Bowser (pictured) is my favorite; he's very demanding when trying to get some attention, but Mojo tends to get into and on to everything he's not supposed to.

Catladyland: What do you like best about cats?

Todd: Cats are just cool. I love their duality; they are content to spend all day with you on the couch, but they couldn't care less if you're gone for a week (as long as they're fed). I love dogs too, but they freak out after being alone for more than 15 minutes.

Cat-lovin'-men run in the family. My handsome nephew Ian (pictured with Mojo) is a devoted Catboy and is certain grow into a fine Catman!



















Thanks, Todd and Ian!! You are a purrfect addition to the Catladyland family tree!

Interested in being featured at a Man-Who-Loves-Cats or know a man who's not afraid to scoop a litter box or two? Drop me a line!

Another Catboy Steps Up!

Let's hear it for another Catboy!! Meet Darryl. I've known him for maybe 16 years and he's married to my friend, Nicky. He's a good guy with a giant heart for all the animals Nicky seems to collect.

Catladyland: Have you always loved cats?

Darryl: Yes. When I was growing up, I had cats named Frisky, Misty, Sam, and a black cat whose name I can't remember.

Catladyland: How many cats do you have now?

Darryl: Three -- Hector, Fluff, and Zeus (pictured).

Catladyland: Is there one that is a favorite? Why?

Darryl: Fluff is my favorite because he likes me. But Hector is right up there because he isn't annoying like Zeus and Fluff can be. Zeus wakes us up in the mornings and in the night by jumping on us. Fluff paws at the blinds in the window early in the morning.

Catladyland: Why are you a Catboy?

Darryl: Cats are interesting, entertaining and lovable. They make you laugh.

Thanks, Darryl! If you'd like to be featured as a man who loves felines, or knows someone who would, drop me a line! Gotta love a man who's not afraid of a little cat fur on his pants.

---

Let's Hear it for the Catboy!

Maybe it's preferential treatment, but the first Catboy profile goes to John, who is not only my husband, but a loud and proud feline fancier!

Catladyland: Have you always enjoyed the company of cats?

John: Yes. When I was a kid, my favorite cat was an orange tabby named Pixie. He was the leader of the neighborhood cats, but he wasn't especially bright.

Catladyland: Why do you love cats?

John: I love their personalities -- they are so independent, yet they love to be snuggled. Plus, they don't smell.

Catladyland: Of all three of your cats, you and Saffy seem to click (see photo). Why is Saffy your girl?

John: I love that she loves me so much. When I come into a room, she flops and wants me to pet her. She jumps into bed and cuddles into the same spot beside me every night. I love that.

Woo Hoo! Let's hear it for the Catboy! If you are man who loves cats, drop me a line and I'll feature you and your fabulous feline in a future post!

Calling all Cat-Boys!!

Many of you know that I am a giant softy for men who love cats and there are plenty of them out there in Catladyland and beyond. I decided that I'd like to feature some of these male feline-fanciers on my blog. So... if you are a cat-lovin' man, or know one of these exquisite gentlemen, drop a comment and I'll get back to you with the details!

Meow for now!