All You Can Eat Katt Food!

Feeling hungry??? Check out Katt Food, my newest blog!! See...there are others who like to play crazy...

Laughing All the Way to Crazytown

I love to laugh and I laugh a lot. I am known to regularly chuckle until various beverages shoot out of my nose and I'm galloping to the bathroom for fear I'll undoubtedly pee my pants (most times I make it). And when I share uncontrollable giggles with certain individuals, it's almost guaranteed that I may just actually ROFL.

It's interesting that what one person thinks is funny makes the next person scratch their head and say, "whaaa?" I tend to lean toward the silly side of comedy... the more outrageous the better. I love thinking about scenarios that will probably never happen and imagine how people would react to/in those situations. Here are some examples of what I think is funny:

• Cats in human clothing working people-jobs (typing, performing surgery, flipping burgers)
• When a telemarketing person calls, answering every question with a single word like "nutmeg"
• Imagining people with candy for body parts....Skittles for eyes or candy corn for teeth...maybe a gumdrop bellybutton
• Getting a booth at a craft fair and selling something odd like milk jug lids, bent thumb tacks, or used tea bags
• Cats driving taxi cabs and public buses (more of #1...see, I can't get enough!)
• When a server asks what I'd like to order for dessert, saying "just a single chocolate chip and a Rolaids tablet"
• Trying to pay for groceries with something bizarre like buttons or cat claw trimmings
• RSVPing to a dinner party with a side note that I am on a candy-only diet

Now I'm rolling on the floor laughing....literally.



Soooo...are you laughing or are you scratching your head, saying "whaaaaa?" Maybe both. Or maybe you just stopped following my blog...

Cats, Poetry, Kids, and the Great Outdoors!

My friend, Jodi Hiland, is the founder of a fantastic organization called Happy Trails Family Nature Club. Happy Trails is based in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and is an informal, free nature club whose mission is to connect kids with the outdoors!

With a passionate heart, Jodi organizes activities that invite families to connect and enjoy nature together, which, in this day and age, is a rare and beautiful gift for many. Please, check out her site...especially you local peeps!

I was thrilled that Jodi included a poem I'd written in her latest newsletter.

Here I Am, My Friend
By Angie Bailey

I saw a young boy today,
Standing in the middle of the creek,
One pant leg rolled up to the knee,
The other soaked up to the knee.
Feet once thick with muck and mud from the day of play,
Now rinsed clean in the tinkle-tankle of the snaky stream.

I saw an old cat today,
Perched proudly on a craggy creekside rock,
One front paw batting at butterflies,
One back paw sometimes itching a scritch-scratch of a spot.
Coat once brilliantly burnished,
Now bristling with burrs from afternoon adventures.

I saw a young boy today,
Left hand waving wildly at the creekside.
Right hand plunged in his pocket,
A smooth stone, a splinty-split of a stick, a silver candy wrapper...
Ah! A chunk of cheese, in the sloppy shawl of a napkin, left over from lunch.
A smile reflected in the ripples, a sunny shout to the shore,
"Where have you been, my friend?"

I saw an old cat today,
Golden eyes glistening in the rays of the day,
Tattered tail poised in possibility,
A grivel-gravel greeting, a wispy-whiskered welcome.
Expectation echoed in the mew through a mouthful of missing teeth,
Memories of afternoon adventure carried across the quickening current,
"Here I am, my friend...I've missed you!"

I Just Wanted to Write About Cats

Admittedly, I'm primarily a right-brain thinker. Linear details and tech-talk often send me into fits of frustration, to the point where I hang a metaphorical "gone fishing" sign from my fatigued frontal lobe.

This tends to present a challenge when I set about to create something like...a website, for instance. Understanding the processes of domain registrations, domain redirection, hosting, and e-mail addresses have vexed my weary noggin for weeks. And, silly me, I'm embarking on a second website. It's a good thing I like lists because I have pages of passwords, changed passwords, e-mail addresses, usernames, and registry codes.

With time and the occasional expletive, it all seems to be coming together and my brain is learning to lean left, albeit languidly. I never wanted to be a techie...I just wanted to write about cats.

Dear Saffy, How About a Plate of Pancakes?

Of our three cats, Saffy is the fierce huntress of all things fake and mouse-like. Primarily, she hunts mice for my husband. We know this because when we go to bed at night, we hear her howling ("fresh-kill" cloth mousey between those ferocious teeth); she drops her victim at the bedroom door and then she jumps up and flops against John. He, of course, congratulates her, scritches and scratches her behind the ears, and showers "good girl" praises all over her furry frame. She's a daddy's girl, through and through, but she occasionally drops a mouse or two for me when John is out of town. It's a good thing I'm not relying on her to feed me, right?

Although the fakey mousies are a gracious gift, I can think of a thousand other presents I'd love for her to drop outside my bedroom door. How pleased would I be to wake up in the morning and find...

...my checkbook balanced and bills written out? Thanks, Saffy!
...a mocha latte with an extra shot? Thanks, Saffy!
...a clean basket of laundry folded? Thanks, Saffy!
...a plate of fresh pancakes? Thanks, Saffy!
...a note that says, "Leave me your keys, I'll get the car detailed"? Thanks, Saffy!
...a gift card for a 90 minute massage? Thanks, Saffy!

That would be cool. But alas, the now-and-again fakey mousey is the extent of her midnight offerings. Maybe I should forward the wish-list to John instead...

I'm Going to BlogPaws!!!

Remember that video I posted in hopes of winning one of the grand prize packages to the BlogPaws conference in Denver? Thanks to my fabulous friends and family, I won one of the packages!! I cannot express my gratitude for this opportunity and am looking forward to making connections, meeting new friends, and learning how to be a better blogger! In case you missed the video, here is a link to the BlogPaws site.

Saffy, Cosmo, Phoebe, and I thank you bunches and bunches!!

Oh, and I keep forgetting that my blog is up for Best Cat Blog in the Pettie Awards....if you haven't voted yet, please note that today is the last day. So much excitement!! I can't wait :)

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!

Get the PawScoop on the Pettie Awards Finalists!

Just three more days to vote for the Pettie Awards (presented by BlogPaws) and, as I've mentioned previously, Catladyland is a finalist for Best Cat blog -- how exciting! PawScoop is presenting an interview series of the finalists on their blog and yesterday my interview was published. You can read the interview here.

Remember, every vote counts! You can only vote once; if you haven't already, please cast your vote now!

Thank you!!

My Name Is...

There are dozens of self-help groups for humans. Why not for cats? Based on my cats' odd quirks and obsessions, I believe there should be some sort of groups for our feline friends as well.



















My name is Saffy and I am...

a catnip addict.
a thief of other cats' food.
a chronic shedder.
an obsessive box squatter.



















My name is Cosmo and I am...

a chronic drooler.
a hopeless scaredy cat.
a clingy mama's boy.
a compulsive pillow stealer.



















My name is Phoebe and I am...

a hot-footing kleptomaniac.
a controller of people and animals alike.
a sassy back-talker.
an incessantly picky eater.


Milk and catnip cookies available after the meetings...

Cat Food III: Loafing Around

Who doesn't love a nice hunk of fresh, warm bread? Sometimes when I am bread shopping, I have trouble deciding which type to purchase. Do you have the same trouble? I found a couple of tasty loaves that I particularly enjoy -- I'm sure you will too.


Just a little hungry? I'm certain that this Small Loaf Cat will satisfy your craving. It's nutty and packed with a variety of energy-boosting nuggets of savory sass....every bite is a delicious surprise!



















Is your appetite a little more ravenous? Is your tummy growling like a tiger? Perhaps you'd prefer the Large Cat Loaf. It's more robust and brimming with doughy goodness...perfect for enjoying on a warm fall day, perhaps with a bowl of homemade chili.



















However you slice it, these loaves are sure to satisfy!

Mama Wants to go to Denver!

Last week I entered a video contest to win one of the two air/hotel/registration packages to the BlogPaws conference in Denver. At this conference, I will have the opportunity to network and attend classes on becoming a more successful pet blogger. Additionally, the winners of the Pettie Awards will be announced at the conference and this blog is a finalist for Best Cat Blog (if you haven't voted for that, go here and please vote for eclecticcatladyland.blogspot.com). As you can guess, I would love to attend BlogPaws!

The great news is that my video made the cut (and not on the cutting room floor) for the final five!! Now it's just a matter of votes to determine the top two that will receive the grand prize packages. This is where I need your help. Please click the link below and vote!! It's super-easy: Just click on my video, "Cooking with Catladyland"...that's it. No need to enter your e-mail address, sign up for special offers, sign over your first-born -- nada! The even cooler news is that you can vote once per day!

So thank you in advance for helping send my butt to Denver, where I will return and make Catladyland an even better and freakier place to visit!

Now, what are you waiting for??? Go VOTE!!

I've Just Been Skooled

In just a few short weeks, my kids will be heading back to school. We recently received the list of their necessary school supplies and, later this morning, I'll be heading down to the bank to take out a loan to pay for them. School supplies lists have definitely gotten more expansive than when I was in school and simply needed my kitten-themed Trapper Keeper, ball point pens, and loose-leaf paper. Now they need thumb drives, dictionaries, and fancy math calculators whose functions send me into bouts of anxiety.

My cats caught wind of this list and decided they should submit a supply list of their own. They scrawled their "necessary" items (it actually looks like Phoebe's handwriting) and slipped it behind the kids' list in my planner pad.

Cat Suppliez

Chia Cat Grass Planter
Paper grocery bagz
Coupla rollz of toilet paper (for each of us)
Stick of butter (for Phoebe)
Some milk jug lidz
Warm towelz from dryer
Catnip cupcakez (cuz we need snakz, Mama)
Tom Jones Greatest Hits CD (for Cosmo)

These cats are smart -- I think I've just been skooled....

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...

Cat Food Part II: Hungry for Italian?

Sometimes you're really hungry and a nice bowl of tasty pasta is the only food that will hit the spot. Look no further -- I have just the meal for you!

Pasta comes is so many fun shapes!



















What would pasta be without a well-seasoned, chunky marinara sauce?



















Don't worry about the extra calories -- grab a fork and indulge!

Home Alone

I sometimes wonder what my cats really do when we are way and they have the house to themselves. I tried to ask them once, but they were zip-lipped and pretended like they didn't hear me. Alas, I am faced with drawing my own conclusions regarding their home-alone-kitty-capers.

Saffy


















Saffy tends to keep to herself. This is not because she necessarily likes to spend time alone; Phoebe just tends to exclude her from any group-snuggling or four-legged-feline-frolicking. My guess is that Saffy would sit in a too-small-box occupied with a word search book while listening to Susan Boyle on her iPawd. Next, she organizes her coin collection. Afterward, she watches General Hospital and spends at least an hour writing in her diary.



Phoebe



















Phoebe is the alpha cat and definitely the ringleader when it comes to kit-kat-shenaniganry. She would likely rope Cosmo into a game of Twister or Uno. Next, she might practice some hip hop dance moves, try on some of my lipstick, rifle through my jewelry box, and make long distance phone calls. Then she would kick Saffy out of whatever comfy spot in which she happened to be lounging, and bite her ear.



Cosmo



















Cosmo is the middle-ground, the neutral guy, Switzerland with whiskers. He can and does hang with either of the girls, but prefers the company of the QUEEN PhoeBEE. After playing Twister and Uno with Phoeebs, he might settle in with a Green Hornet comic or perhaps read the first Harry Potter book for the 12th time. He probably makes little tuna sandwiches for Phoebe and himself and they have a picnic in a sunspot in the kitchen. Next, he'll sort his marble collection and then make a newspaper hat, or some sort of other simple craft.

Yes, I can vividly picture my cats doing all of these things...but you know what they probably do when we're not home? Sleep.

Catladyland is a Finalist!!

How exciting that Catladyland is a finalist for Best Cat Blog in the 2010 Pettie Awards! Thank you to everyone who voted -- I feel very grateful and honored to be in the company of three really fantastic, much-loved cat blogs. It's wonderful that there are so many people who love animals and love to share their love and support via the blogosphere.

Now I need your help again by voting once more. Please click the link below and vote for a blog in each category -- Catladyland is actually listed as eclecticcatladyland.blogspot.com. I've checked out all the blogs, and if you want my recommendation on selections for the other categories, here's what I suggest:

Best Pet Blog: Pawcurious
Best Dog Blog: Boulder Dog
Best Cause Related Blog: Conservation Cub Club

So thank you, thank you, thank you again -- I appreciate your vote and ongoing support!

Now click here to vote: VOTE

Cat Burglar

Phoebe is a full grown, 6.5 pound firecracker of a kitty. She’s the smallest and youngest of three, and definitely rules the cat tree. On top of her Queen Bee status, she’s also known in our house as “Hotfoot” because of her quick-as-lightening pilfering paws and electric escapes. She’s stolen jewelry, sticks of butter, snack cakes, and ice cream bars. She so stealthy and speedy that I only catch a blur of her tiny calico-tabby body racing down the stairs to tuck away the treasures in her crow’s nest.

She stores most her of booty in a cheap, pop-up cat cube that has a few hidey-holes, from where she maintains lookout. Once, she made away with my mother’s new turquoise bracelet. Mom made the mistake of reaching inside the cube to retrieve the bracelet and was met with a swatting paw whose message was clear: “Mine!” It soon became clear to us that we need to close the lid on the jewelry boxes, stash food inside cabinets, and never underestimate a cat!