Cat of the Week: Midnight in Washington, DC

Each week in this space, we feature a senior cat in need of adoption or sponsorship. Please remember all the older cats in shelters. They make great companions, and unlike kittens, they (probably) won’t climb the curtains! Adopt a senior cat, and help him or her enjoy the best years of their life.

Anyone looking for a friendly little house panther? Midnight could just be your guy. He is 8 years old and very social, plus he’s got that great black coat. Midnight will greet you at the door when you come home, and he’ll meow back to you when you call him. Fun! He also enjoys playing with toys, and he gets along with other cats. Sometimes petting makes him a little nervous, so you do have to pay attention to his signals. For this reason, he might do better in a home with adults or older children who won’t force their attention on him. Midnight has to eat special food because of an allergy, but the food is available in most pet stores and online. He is also a “hidden gem,” which means his adoption fee is waived!

Midnight is currently in a foster home through the Humane Rescue Alliance. Find out more about him here, and to see more pictures, check out his Instagram account!

Can’t adopt but still want to help? Learn how you can sponsor an animal at the Humane Rescue Alliance, or check out this page to learn other ways to donate.


Do you know an adoptable senior cat who’d make a great Cat of the Week? Let us know!

Book Review: Death by Vanilla Latte

On this Mysterious Monday, we return to Death by Coffee, the café run by Krissy Hancock in the Bookstore Café series, by Alex Erickson. This book shows us Krissy’s relationship with her dad as well as her ongoing romantic issues. Plus there are cats. And a pretty good murder…

The plot

In Death by Vanilla Latte, Krissy is surprised when her father, famed mystery author James Hancock, suddenly shows up for a book signing. James comes with a small…well, I guess you could call them an “entourage” of sorts. Anyway, he’s accompanied by his agent, Rick (who is a total jerk), and the agent’s assistant, Cameron. Rick, who has known Krissy since she was a little girl, tries some moves on her (and we’re not talking about chess), which is really, really icky. When her dad finds out, he is understandably furious. Later he tells Krissy she won’t have to worry about Rick ever again…

What could he possibly mean by that? I hear you asking. Krissy asks that too, especially after she finds Rick’s dead body in his B&B room. Could her father have murdered Rick in a fit of fury? The local police seem to think so.

Let’s not forget that James is a mystery author. You know what usually happens to fictional mystery authors in cozy mysteries, even (or especially) when they’re suspects? That’s right; they get pulled into helping solve the crime. James’s devoted fans, many of whom are aspiring authors themselves, are eager to see him get in on the case. And he’d like to get involved too. Surely he’s learned some useful things in all the research he’s done for his books.

Meanwhile, Krissy has been getting ever more involved with Will, the scrumptious doctor who is everything she could ever want (or is he?). Will is even impressed with Krissy’s past investigative skills, which is a good thing, because it’s those skills that keep bringing her into close contact with Paul, a past love (or is he?) who happens to be a police officer.

The cats

There are two cats in this series: Misfit, an orange cat who lives with Krissy, and store cat Trouble, a black-and white cat. These cats are nice to have around, and they do interact with the human characters throughout the book, providing moments of calm or levity as only cats can. I wouldn’t call them major players though, and they’re not integral to solving the mystery. Not every cat is up to being a crime solver, I guess.

Our verdict

While Death by Vanilla Latte does have some things going for it—a solid plot, a couple of interesting cats—overall, it fell flat for us. It was fun seeing Krissy deal with her father as he, intentionally or not, draws all the attention toward himself. And of course we liked the cats. But the tension among the Krissy-Will-Paul triangle didn’t quite ring true for us. We thought it worked in the first book we read in this series, Death by Pumpkin Spice, but this time around…well, we just wish Krissy would make her mind up and move on. The story felt a little slow in the middle, although it picked up toward the end with the revelation of the killer and the chase to capture him.

This is honestly not one of our favorite series. For us, it lacks that little spark that makes a series special and memorable. After we’ve read two books in the series, the characters still seem like characters in a book; they haven’t fully come to life for us. We consider Death by Vanilla Latte an average cozy—not badly done, but not in the top tier.

A note on the "Paws Up" system: Miss C gives either one or two paws up. One paw is for a good read; two paws is for a great read. She never gives three or four paws because that would require her to lie on her back...and Miss C does not do that!

We received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. We wouldn’t tell you it was good unless we really liked it!

The link below is an Amazon Associates link. If you purchase the book through this link, old SoLT and I could get some coin for our kibble account. Thank you!

Sunday Selfies: Coming Home

As much fun as it is to get away and see something new, often the best part of a trip is the coming-home part. For this week's Sunday Selfies blog hop, hosted by The Cat on My Head, we share a couple post-BlogPaws selfies.

First up is this selfie that Flat Cats Paisley and Webster took during the drive from Myrtle Beach to Maryland. We don't know if you can tell from the photo, but traffic was really bad because of an accident. Incidentally, we learned the hard way that when we're coming home from the south, even on a Sunday afternoon when you'd think there wouldn't be a rush hour, we should go the "back way," because 95 and 495 are not enjoyable at all.

And after everyone was home, the swag bag got opened up and Real Cat Webster immediately claimed the Yeowww! catnip banana as the new Best Thing Ever:

Caturday Art: Jaguar

Today we join Athena's Caturday Art blog hop with this really neat thing old SoLT picked up while she was in Myrtle Beach for BlogPaws. It is a hand-crafted jaguar mask, and as you can see, it is a work of art in itself:

But old SoLT could not leave well enough alone and decided to have a little fun. First she went into PicMonkey and applied a whole bunch of filters and textures (Sepia, Boards, Crackle & Ooze, Dark Edges, Daguerreotype Frame) to make the mask look like it was illustrated in an old archaeology journal:

Next, she took the original photo to Dreamscope, where she applied the Swirl effect. After adding a frame in PicMonkey, she got this:

Cool, right? The mask came from a shop called Yours and Mayan at Broadway at the Beach. Yours and Mayan is a fair-trade company that supports Mayan Indians in Guatemala. They have masks in different styles, as well as things like jewelry, bags, and wood carvings.


Old SoLT didn't think to take any pictures while she was there (figures), but you can see some photos on the shop's Facebook page. You can also find them on the Broadway at the Beach site. We recommend stopping in if  ever you are in Myrtle Beach!

Words with Webster (Irusan), Plus Friendly Fill-Ins

We have two fun features for you this Friday. First up is Words with Webster, in which he shares some information about a mysterious type of cat. This is followed by Friendly Fill-Ins.

Words with Webster

Hi, everyone! I’m Real Cat Webster, here to welcome you to Words with Me. Today’s word is really interesting, and one that I never heard of until recently. It’s Irusan, and it means “King of the Cats” in Celtic folklore.

According to Godchecker.com, Irusan was about the size of a cow (big kitty!) and lived in a cave near Knowth on the River Boyne in Ireland, where there is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of all the burial mounds and prehistoric art. I couldn’t find anything about a big cat in the art though. I did have fun exploring the Brú na Bóinne website. They have some pictures that are pretty cool to look at, even if they aren’t cats.

Scary-looking cat from the 1894 book
More English Fairy Tales, by J. Jacobs,
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. 

Back to Irusan. The stories about him are kind of hard to keep straight because there are so many. One story from Ireland claims that the King of Cats might be your very own house cat. To find out, you just cut off a little piece of the cat’s ear (ouch!), and if he is actually Irusan, he will speak to you, telling you who he is, and also telling you some things you’d rather not know about yourself (cats notice things, you know).

In another story, which has versions from England and Scotland, a man returns home after being away for an unexpectedly long time one day, and he tells his family of the bizarre adventure he had. I am shortening the story a little, but basically he says that he came upon a strange funeral—one in which the coffin was carried by cats. Other cats carried torches, and in their light the man could make out a cross and a scepter marked on the coffin. At this point, the family’s cat, who had been lying nearby listening to the tale, jumps up saying, “By Jove! Old Peter’s dead, and I’m the King of the Cats!” The cat then rushes up the chimney and is never seen again.

(Sources: “Irusan,” God Checker, updated August 10, 2014. http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/celtic-mythology.php?deity=IRUSAN; “The King of the Cats,” Death of an Underground Person, translated or edited by D. L. Ashliman, http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type6070b.html#wildecat; “The King of the Cats,” Wikipedia, updated November 7, 2016.)

Friendly Fill-Ins

And now it’s time for Friendly Fill-Ins, from 15andmeowing and McGuffy’s Reader. They are a fun way to learn a little bit about the authors of the blogs you read. The first two questions, answered by Real Cat Paisley this week, are from Ellen of 15andmeowing, and the next two, answered by old SoLT, are from Annie of McGuffy’s Reader.

Real Cat Paisley's answers

1. My idea of roughing it is having an empty food dish. Sometimes I get hungry in the middle part of the day, but there is no food in my dish. It is awful.

2. I never get sick of talking about how horrible it is that the dog eats some of my food sometimes every day (see #1 above).

Old SoLT's answers

3. My youth is mostly a blur, and getting blurrier every day!

4. My "golden years" is a concept that worries me, because I have several health issues that will probably be catching up with me by then.

Top 5 Things I Learned at BlogPaws 2017

She of Little Talent is recently returned from Myrtle Beach and BlogPaws 2017, and I tasked her with creating a list of things she learned there. I think if she successfully implements everything she learned, we will soon be some kind of super-bloggers, and I will become as famous as I deserve to be. Finally.

Here is old SoLT’s list:

Old SoLT and the Flat Cats did a lot of interesting things at
BlogPaws 2017, including meeting Flat Jackson Galaxy,
having breakfast at the Newbie table, posing in a
sorghum field, and meeting people from the
Morris Animal Foundation.

1. You can’t do everything. There is a lot going on at a BlogPaws conference. A lot. Some hours at the 2017 conference had four or more things I wanted to be doing. Obviously I could only be in one place at a time, so some hard decisions had to be made. I made them by thinking about which sessions would be most likely to give me information and resources I can use to make my blog better over the next year.

2. I’ve got to start using Canva. I’ve been hearing a lot about Canva lately but hadn’t paid much attention to any of the chatter. Then I went to the Canva session at BlogPaws and saw what this largely free program can do. Mind. Blown. If you haven’t checked it out, you really should! (By the way, the graphics in this post--Canva.)

3. I am even worse at social media than I thought (but it isn’t hopeless!). So, I already knew that I haven’t been using social media very effectively. Turns out, being great at social media means doing more than sharing a link to your latest blog post. You need a plan, a strategy, and it has to be different for every channel you use. Sitting in the social media workshop was both inspiring and overwhelming. I kept thinking, I can do this, and this, and this … and then I thought, WHEN? When will I have the time to do any of this? The when remains unanswered, but I’m working on a plan, starting small, and will build from there. And speaking of building…

4. A blog is a process. I used to say this about gardening, back when I was a landscaper: A garden is a process; it’s not a sculpture that you create once and, boom, it’s done. A blog, like a garden, is always growing and changing, and not just because you keep adding new content. You tweak your design, you shift your focus, you improve your writing style… It’s all part of the process.

5. Pet bloggers are awesome! Actually, pet people in general are pretty awesome, and the pet blogging space is one of the most caring, supportive, and collaborative communities on the internet. And you know what? This community is even more caring, supportive, and collaborative in person! Every moment of BlogPaws, I felt nothing but welcomed and encouraged, and I left feeling more inspired than I ever imagined. Plus, no one acted like I was weird when I whipped out the Flat Cats and asked if I could take their picture with another pet or a product. Where else can that happen?

So much awesome swag!

Cat of the Week: Tiger in Baltimore

Each week in this space, we feature a senior cat in need of adoption or sponsorship. Please remember all the older cats in shelters. They make great companions, and unlike kittens, they (probably) won’t climb the curtains! Adopt a senior cat, and help him or her enjoy the best years of their life.

Today we have Tiger, a big, handsome boy whose name says it all. Just look at those perfect tiger stripes! Tiger is 7 years old and is FIV positive. Don’t let his diagnosis scare you off—with good care and appropriate health monitoring, FIV-positive cats can live long, healthy lives, and FIV does not pose a health risk to humans. Tiger enjoys many of the finer things of life: chin rubs and other nice attention (and he’s not shy about asking for it if you’re not giving enough!) and relaxing in a window to watch the birds outside.

We love a handsome tabby cat, and we just know that Tiger will make a perfect companion for someone out there. Learn more about him here.

Can’t adopt? You can still help! Check out Sammy’s Cat Necessities Fund, which provides money for everyday and medical needs of cats at the Baltimore Humane Society. You can also make a general donation or sponsor a particular animal on this page. Every little bit helps!

Book Review: Moto and Me

When She of Little Talent was a little girl (many, many years ago), she dreamed of being some sort of field biologist who lived in a tent surrounded by lions or polar bears or something. She wanted to be the person who snowshoed into a remote place to crawl into a hibernating bear’s den and take a blood sample. She would have loved Moto and Me, by Suzi Eszterhas.

Eszterhas went to Kenya to photograph animals and ended up caring for a baby serval who was picked up by a group of tourists who assumed he was an orphan (although, the author writes, the baby’s mother was probably hiding nearby, just waiting for the humans to leave so she could retrieve him). She named the little wildcat Moto, meaning “fire” in Swahili, and she became totally devoted to his care, feeding him, bathing him, and helping him learn how to be a serval. She did this so that he could be a wild serval like he was born to be.

Alongside the story of raising Moto, Eszterhas tells us a lot about servals, which we found really interesting. She also writes of other encounters with wildlife, like seeing a leopard slink past her tent one night and of having a spitting cobra on her desk (that must have been fun). And then there are the photographs, which show Moto growing up. Let’s just say baby servals are adorable!

Moto and Me is recommended for ages 7–10. We found it be an enjoyable, informative read, with eye-catching photos. This is just the kind of book that can inspire or further a love of wildlife in some little girl or boy. Recommended!

A note on the "Paws Up" system: Miss C gives either one or two paws up. One paw is for a good read; two paws is for a great read. She never gives three or four paws because that would require her to lie on her back...and Miss C does not do that!

We received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. We wouldn’t tell you it was good unless we really liked it!

The link below is an Amazon Associates link. If you purchase the book through this link, old SoLT and I could get some coin for our kibble account. Thank you!

Caturday Art: Paisley Submarine

Today we join Athena's Caturday Art blog hop with this picture of Real Cat Paisley:

We used the Submarine effect in LunaPic, followed by a water texture and a frame in PicMonkey. If you have really been paying attention to this blog lately, you might have noticed that the original photo is the same one old SoLT used to make Flat Paisley:

Big Cat News Roundup: May 2017

We’ve recently received several news releases concerning our big-cat cousins. Each one could be its own post, but we thought we’d condense them all into one news roundup.

Sunda clouded leopard.
Photo by Spencer Wright, North Walsham, England [CC BY 2.0],
via Wikimedia Common

African lions, clouded leopards, and declining prey populations

 First, we learned that African lions and Sunda clouded leopards face the same threats that saber-toothed tigers faced. Researchers from several institutions looked into what caused the extinction of seven big cat species from the Ice Age and concluded that loss of prey was a major factor. They then looked at the prey species of modern big cats and discovered that the African lion and Sunda clouded leopard (found in Borneo and Sumatra) could be at risk. The researchers say that if prey species for these cats continue to decline, the cats could have “a high risk of extinction.”

A snow leopard in India's Hemis National Park.
Photo by Snow Leopard Conservancy/Jammu & Kashmir Wildlife
Protection Department [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Three subspecies of snow leopard identified

Next, we learned that 3 new subspecies of snow leopard have been identified. In the first-ever genetic analysis across the snow leopard’s range, researchers used the cats’ scat (i.e., poop) and identified three “genetic clusters.” They recognize these clusters as subspecies, each inhabiting its own geographic region. Understanding the subspecies populations can both help scientists understand the snow leopard’s evolution and ecology and provide information that can be used to improve the cats’ conservation.

Tree-climbing lions now have smaller prides, larger ranges

Finally, we learned that Uganda’s tree-climbing lions are roaming farther as their prey animals decrease. Scientists compared the home ranges of lion prides in Uganda’s Ishasha district from the 1970s and today. They discovered that the tree-climbing lions of today live in smaller prides with larger home ranges. This change has happened at the same time that the lions’ main prey species, the Ugandan kob, has declined. (We're sure you don't need us to point out how this bit of news relates to the first story we shared.)

Tree-climbing lions in Uganda's Ishasha district.
Photo by By Charlesjsharp, Sharp Photography [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons.

3 Podcasts for Cat Lovers

We’ve been hearing a lot about podcasts lately, and there is good reason for that. Podcasts educate and entertain, they’re great for listening during a workout or commute, and there’s one for just about every subject you can possibly think of. That means there are podcasts about cats: Best. Subject. Ever.

We have found three cat podcasts that we think are really worth a listen. As you’ll see (and hopefully hear), this is a diverse group of shows, proving that people could talk about cats forever. We present them in no particular order.

1. The Community Cats Podcast

Interested in helping community cats in your neighborhood, or just interested in cats in general? Got about half an hour? Then the Community Cats Podcast could be for you. She of Little Talent likes to listen to this podcast while she’s on the treadmill during her lunchtime. Our favorite episode so far (and we have not even come close to hearing them all yet!) is the interview with Jackson Galaxy. We learned so much about him!

Learn about all different kinds of cats and cat topics
by listening to podcasts.
Image: Adobe Stock.

Host Stacy LeBaron tells us that she started The Community Cats Podcast to provide mentoring to a ready audience:

“Over 5 years I had worked with over 80 groups on setting up and funding community cats programs, but my waiting list was over 400 groups.  So I wanted to be able to help others even if I couldn't mentor them one on one.  I listened to many podcasts, but I never really could find one that served this group. So I started one up!”

They also have an excellent website where you can find episodes of the podcast, blog posts, and even “listening modules” of episodes grouped by topic (kittens, behavior, compassion & self-help, and more). Unless you are some kind of super-expert in everything, you are sure to learn something from every episode.

Find The Community Cats Podcast here.

2. Cattitude 

Cattitude, from Pet Life Radio, is always an interesting listen. In the earlier episodes, host Tom Dock covers a specific cat breed, including the breed's history and characteristics, as well as things like cat news and veterinary news. Other topics include declawing, rabies, and more. More recently, starting with episode 24, Michelle Fern has taken over hosting duties. It looks as though she's set to take the show in a slightly different direction, welcoming guests to be interviewed and making the topics a bit more wide-ranging--still totally focused on cats though!

Most episodes are about 30 minutes long, so they’re perfect for the half-hour commute or treadmill workout. Again, you will learn a lot from listening to this podcast.

Find Cattitude here.

There are lots of places where you can listen to a
podcast: during your commute, during a workout,
in boring meetings at work. Okay, that last one is  probably
not a good idea. Point is, you can fit a podcast into your schedule.
Image: Adobe Stock.

3. The Purrrcast

This is a Los Angeles–based podcast hosted by Sara Iyer and Steven Ray Morris. Cat people love to talk about their cats, and The Purrrcast (3 r’s) is basically people doing just that. Hear guests talk about how they got their cats, their cats’ habits and quirks, feeding their cats, their cats’ litterbox habits…. It’s not cat experts imparting expert information; it’s just cat lovers having the kind of conversation we can all relate to. Old SoLT finds this podcast very comfortable and comforting, relatable and relaxing. She likes to listen to it around bedtime because it helps her relax and get ready to go to sleep.

Be aware that this is not a G-rated podcast, and there is the occasional four-letter word. Okay, sometimes more than occasional. Episodes typically run from roughly 60 to 90 minutes. If you're a super-commuter, The Purrcast just might help you remain calm during rush hour.

Find The Purrrcast here and visit them on Facebook.

Cat of the Week: Randy in Westhampton

Each week in this space, we feature a senior cat in need of adoption or sponsorship. Please remember all the great older cats in shelters. They make great companions, and they (probably) won’t climb the curtains! If you can’t adopt but still want to help, look into sponsoring a cat in the shelter or in foster care.

This week, we’d like to reintroduce a sweet, handsome boy we’ve featured before: Randy in Westhampton, New York. Randy is a 16-year-old male who has handsome black-and-white coloring. He’s a big boy, and we’re told that he is quite chatty. In fact, he’s basically a big ham who can charm his way into anyone’s heart. He also likes to just snuggle quietly with someone.

We just know that Randy will make a perfect companion for someone.  Just see how spry he looks in his video: 

Randy is currently at Bideawee’s Westhampton, New York, location. Learn more about him here.


Can’t adopt but still want to help Randy and other cats at Bideawee? Learn how you can sponsor a pet, become a Bideawee member, or make a donation.

Cat Classics on Film: The AristoCats (1970)

The AristoCats is a 1970 Walt Disney movie that, nearly 50 years after its release, still has a lot of charm and entertainment value. Besides lots of cats, the film also features a Grammy-nominated soundtrack that includes the jazzy classics “Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat” and "Thomas O'Malley Cat." The Blu-ray version we watched recently had the option of scrolling the song lyrics on screen so you can sing along; we didn't do that, but if you're into sing-alongs...

Classy cats and a mean butler

The story takes place in Paris in 1910. Duchess (voiced by Eva Gabor) is a classy cat with three kittens who lives with an appropriately upper-crust woman. “Madame” dotes on Duchess and the kittens—so much so that she plans to will her entire estate to them. This upsets Madame’s longtime butler, Edgar, who is basically a jerk and thinks everything should go to him. Edgar decides to get rid of the cats.

He does this by lacing their cream with sleeping powder and, while they’re fast asleep, driving them out to the country and leaving them (Edgar also has a rather hilarious encounter with two dogs). The cats wake up not knowing where they are, but they are fortunate enough to meet a self-assured tomcat named O’Malley (voiced by Phil Harris). O’Malley will help them get home. The journey takes some twists and turns, of course, including a love spark between Duchess and O’Malley.

And by the way, how are Duchess and the kittens going to get back to Madame when it was Edgar the mean butler who tried to get rid of them in the first place? Well, at times like this, you just need a little help from your resourceful and streetwise friends.

Real Cat Webster helped with this
review.

(Spoiler: There’s a happy ending! But then you probably guessed that already; this is Disney we're talking about.)

Our verdict

Every cat person should see The AristoCats, in our humble opinion. Even people who aren’t necessarily “cat people” should see it. The film is classic Disney, so it’s got some great animation from the old school—not as amazingly realistic as today’s computer animation, but it has a warm, rich quality that computer animation, for all its detail, often lacks. Plus, the story is just plain fun, as is the music. One of our favorite parts is when the cats meet the English goose sisters and waddle part of the way to Paris. (When you waddle, “think goose!”). And then there’s that thing with the dogs … and there’s “Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat,” and O’Malley’s song (see the clip below). If you’re looking for a serious theme for group discussion, there’s the question of where cats and other critters fit into the definition of “family.”

The AristoCats is a film to watch when you want some good, clean entertainment. Highly recommended!

A note on the "Paws Up" system: Miss C gives either one or two paws up. One paw is for a good movie; two paws is for a great movie. She never gives three or four paws because that would require her to lie on her back...and Miss C does not do that!

The link below is an Amazon Associates link. If you purchase the movie through this link, old SoLT and I could get some coin for our kibble account. Thank you!

Sunday Selfies: Meet the Flat Cats

Today we join the Sunday Selfies blog hop, hosted by The Cat on My Head, with a few selfies of Flat Webster and Flat Paisley, taken as they prepare for BlogPaws.

First up is the Flat Cats together, complete with their fancy hats:

She of Little Talent thought it would be cute to introduce the Real Cats to their flat counterparts. When Real Cat Webster met Flat Cat Webster, it was cute:

WARNING: Graphic content below!

But when she introduced the two Paisleys, this happened:

Poor Flat Cat Paisley. She looks terrified.

Then this happened:

Oh well. Paisley never has been good at making friends with other animals, especially if they have little feathers on their heads.

And last, if you happen to be at BlogPaws and you're looking for old SoLT, we prepared the following visual aid. Old SoLT will be wearing one of the following shirts most of the time:

And if you like these shirts, the "Keep Calm and Read Cat Cozies" and "Got Tortitude?" designs are available from our Zazzle shop. "Got Tortitude?" is also available in a women's style.

Caturday Art: Welcome to the Matrix

Today we join Athena's Caturday Art blog hop with this picture of Real Cal Webster.

She of Little Talent seems to be going through a phase of wanting to do science-fictiony things to pictures of Webster. This one started in LunaPic, with their Matrix effect. Then, in PicMonkey, old SoLT added a sunglow to Webs's eye and a light trail that she faded out a lot but that runs through the center of the picture. Then came the frame.

Here is the original:

Words with Webster: #BlogPaws, Plus Friendly Fill-Ins

Words with Webster

Hi, everyone! It’s me, Webster, and I’m very excited to share today’s word with you. The word is more than a word; it’s a hashtag: #BlogPaws. This is the hashtag that we and lots of others will be tweeting, instagramming, facebooking, and yes, blogging about next week at the annual Blog Paws Conference. Well, I say “we,” but Paisley and I aren’t going…exactly.

Instead of taking us (something about “you hate car rides” and “you hate new things”), Mommy is taking Flat Paisley and Flat Webster. The flat cats aren’t ready yet, but here they are in progress:

Flat Paisley and Webster waiting for their hats.

"Are you kidding? That looks nothing like me!"
Real Cat Webster meets Flat Webster.

Come back this Sunday to see the finished versions, and some other fun things, for Sunday Selfies! And if you want to keep up with what we’re doing at BlogPaws, be sure to follow us on social media, especially Twitter and Instagram, where we’ll be the most:

Twitter: @MissCuddlywumps

Instagram: @MissCuddlywumps

Facebook: /MissCuddlywumps

Pinterest: /RobySweet

Friendly Fill-Ins

And now it’s time for Friendly Fill-Ins, from 15andmeowing and McGuffy’s Reader. They are a fun way to learn a little bit about the authors of the blogs you read. The first two questions, answered by She of Little Talent this week, are from Ellen of 15andmeowing, and the next two, answered by Real Cat Paisley,  are from Annie of McGuffy’s Reader.

Old SoLT's answers:

1. My favorite cereal is … well, it’s hard to pick one, and I don’t even eat cereal that often, but some favorites are Raisin Bran, Wheaties, and really good oatmeal and cream of wheat (not instant!).

2. My prom happened without me. That sort of thing is just not my sort of thing!

Real Cat Paisley's answers:

3. The bad thing about our family’s dog is she’s a dog.

4. I cannot help the unfortunate fact that the dog is a dog, but I sure wish I could.