Today is the 9th anniversary of the day Panther came to live with us (nine is a special number for cats, the way ten is special for humans). Since he is First Cat, this is also the anniversary of the beginning of cats being part of our family. Dates before this are considered B.C. (Before Cats) and after this C.E. (Cat Era).

Panther is still sleek, beautiful, black, and very special, as befits a cat who was able to call out to me telepathically as I walked through the county shelter, probably just days before they would have taken him out of this world. That’s pretty special indeed, because as cat listeners go, I’m pretty much deaf.

Panther is by far our oldest cat but still manages to get a twinkle in his eye and chase Jennifur around the living room every two or three weeks

Last night our two year old cat, Nightstar — yes she is black all over — began to sing softly. At about 4 A.M. These words popped into my head, and luckily I was able to remember them:

Light increases slowly
Grows longer each day
My fur will be warmed

This reminds me of when Glory (our first Bengal — who died a bit over 2 years ago) used to sing on many mornings just before dawn.

I am glad we have another poetic cat. Yawn!

Tonight I was lying in bed on my side, which I often do to prevent Jennifur walking on my balls in the middle of the night, which she often does otherwise.

At some point I thought I felt Nightstar moving around on the bed. She stepped up and sat down on my hip in Sphinx pose. I was amazed because she never does that; she usually lies down right next to my pillow, under the covers with me, or at the other end of the bed entirely. I actually raised my head for a quick peek to make sure it was her, because Jennifur sometimes sleeps on top of me, but always on my stomach…but she was surely too dark to be Jennifur.

Well, we stayed like that for awhile. Every five minutes or so, I felt the urge to shift around a little, but resisted because I was sure she’d get off if I did…she seemed a bit precarious up there. Finally I couldn’t help myself and rearranged a bit. Amazingly, she stayed on, even rearranging herself a bit. I eventually started falling asleep and that’s when the fun really began.

Suddenly my head began filling with thoughts. I actually saw a page begin to fill up with writing about cats — a whole collection of things I had been planning to write for ages. Cat love; cat promises; cat prayers! And, if you’ve been following this blog for more than 30 seconds or so, you’ve probably noticed that I haven’t been able to write anything for months. Well, here I am at 5:30 in the morning writing now, and I’m seeing words fill up on the page just like it did a little while ago in bed. But wait, there’s more.

I had shifted a few more times and Nightstar stayed right where she was. Suddenly I had a flash…this didn’t really seem like the Nightstar I knew. I remembered Yang was in the room and I know he can sleep through any amount of movement. Steathily I found the tail and raised it up and looked. Even in almost pitch dark, I could see it was definitely a black tail and not a white one!

And yet the fur didn’t feel like Nightstar somehow. So I started counting off cats in my head. Not Yang, not Jennifur. We just weighed Nightstar at 14 pounds and this cat seems awfully light…so it can’t be Agile either. The door was closed, and the only other cat in the room was Panther…but he hasn’t even slept on our bed since 2001, and never on either of us.

Just about then, she (or whoever) jumped off. I couldn’t stand the suspense, so I sat up, put on my glasses, and found my flashlight. I looked on the bed and there was Agile where I had seen him last…with Nightstar sleeping right beside him. Jenni was on her shelf, and since Yang was nowhere on the bed, that meant he was in a box in the closet.

Which left Panther, who was eating from a bowl on the floor after jumping off the bed.

No pun intended (this time, anyway), but this floored me. Clearly Panther — who I’ve never been able to “hear” in all the time he’s lived with us — had sent me all this information for a reason, even sitting on me to make sure I got the message. So 5:30 in the morning or not (and I’m definitely not a morning person), I figured if it was this important to Panther, it was important enough for me to get up and get back to writing.

So here I am again, folks. And all hail Panther.

The trainer in these videos uses the well established technique of using clicker and food to teach kittens specific behaviors. The premise is also used in training dogs, zoo animals and more. Food — the great tamer of them all

From the You Tube description”
“Clicker training is not only enjoyable for cats, but it can be life-saving too. Suppose you had an extreme emergency and needed to get your cat out of the house immediately? A cat that is clicker trained will quickly jump into his carrier. Richard Norton clicker trains his Bengal cats, starting with very young kittens, as shown in this YouTube Video. Richard explains the click as a conditioned stimulus for operant behaviour. “This means that the click alone can elicit some of the same bodily responses and processes that food could elicit. This is achieved by presenting food and the click nearly simultaneously. Our experience is that 3 or 4, 5 minute sessions is more than adequate to fully establish the click as a conditioned stimulus for operant behaviour.“

Video explaining the clicker training process with a young kitten

Video of clicker training process to teach a Bengal cat to press a light switch

I tried out a few clickers at Petsmart (had to go to the dog training aids area), Then I found some healthy treats my cats might get excited about. While we have tried this technique before, I was unsure if my cats would really respond well. Having found these videos I am more determined to make it work this time.

If you have a cat behavior issue, you can visit Marilyn Krieger’s site The Cat Coach. She advises clients about modifying an unwanted behavior through clicker training and other techniques.

Some really good books about training cats from Amazon.com:

Cat Training in 10 Minutes
I just ordered this one. I will let you know how we are doing

Getting Started Clicker Training for Cats

How to Get Your Cat to do What You Want

China and cats go back a long way. Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese cultural world view involving the flow of beneficial and harmful energies through the world, and how it affects all living creatures (that’s us humans, too!).

In the past 20 years, there has been a popularization of Feng Shui methods and philosophy in the West. Lots of books, articles, talk show segments, and of course, a proliferation of information on the web. You can find books telling you how to re-organize your home (room by room), and your business, garden, and landscaping in order to increase the flow of beneficial life force energies (Chi). This is believed to increase your family’s health, prosperity, and other aspects of personal and family life.

This article by Sharon Callahan, while a bit difficult to read due to the background, has some interesting information regarding cats and beneficial energy.

Carole J. Hyder’s article tells why she believes that cats are experienced practitioners of Feng Shui. Another article clearly explains some of her clients’ experiences and life improvements.

If you are interested in reading more about the basics, try this Feng Shui article. There are many, many articles on the Internet, some easier to follow than others.

A few humorous online articles:

Give Us A Home

Cats in Charge

Feng Shui for Cats

And books:

Feng Shui for Cats

Fang Shui: Feng Shui for Felines (Charming Petites)

Feng Shui for Cats: By Cats, For Cats

More on the serious side of practical Feng Shui:

The Western Guide to Feng Shui: Room by Room

Feng Shui for You and Your Cat

The Direct Path: Creating a Personal Journey to the Divine Using the World’s Spiritual Traditions (mixes many western and non-western traditions)

Not specifically cat-oriented, but easy to follow. One of my favorite writers on this subject:

Lillian Too’s Easy-to-Use Feng Shui: 168 Ways to Success

Lillian Too’s 168 Feng Shui Ways to a Calm and Happy Life

There are other books, too, but many regard cats in a negative light — more fools they!!!!

This morning Charger seemed out of sorts. He started wrestling with Yang, but Yang thought things were getting too rough, started fighting back in earnest, and finally jumped up and ran away. Next, Charger went over to look out the glass door, joining Jennifur and Yin (who were getting along for once). Suddenly there was a shriek from Yin, who took off like mad with Charger chasing him.

Charger doesn’t normally hurt anyone like that, so we became concerned and Susan said, “What’s the matter with Charger?”

Like I knew. So (not being the cat whisperer in the family) I said, “Why don’t you ask him?”

There was a long silence. Things were quiet…too quiet (insert your favorite similar cliche here). Finally Susan told me what Charger had to say.

It seems that Charger’s mother had “called” to say goodbye. She was sick and her human had decided not to spend the money to have her made well again, so they were euthanizing her. In fact, Charger was saying his last goodbyes to her at that moment, having shown her what his life was like here, surrounded by friendly humans and other cats.

That kind of put a serious damper on the morning, but we’ve taken extra time with Charger to comfort him today.

Today I decided to see if my guess was right about Jennifur talking to Little Kitty yesterday. I asked Susan to ask Jennifur whether this had happened.

Susan came back in a little while and said that while Jennifur was her usual laconic self, she had said that Little Kitty had been talking with her about survival and loneliness. Apt topics for feral cats to discuss!

But I’m really happy that Jennifur is talking to an outside cat. This is a nice change for her.

“Birds, Mice, and Apple Pie” A Tasteful Read
For Cat Lovers

RESCUE, CA – February 1 – Animal expert Susan Fiedler introduces readers to life from a cat’s perspective in her newly-released “Birds, Mice, and Apple Pie” (ISBN 0-9778580-1-4) , a non-fiction paperback published by Spotted Cat Designs.

Fiedler tells her tale from the viewpoint of a third-generation feral kitten adopted by a family of humans. Six cats from different backgrounds tell their stories to the young kitten with a mix of matter-of-fact compassion and humor. Through these stories, readers are given a cat’s-eye view of feline life, shelters, catteries, birth, dying with dignity, and human cruelty and kindness. As Fiedler puts it, “Those creatures who dare to share their lives and love with us deserve our respect, compassion and love in return.”

Fiedler draws from almost 40 years of experience taking care of animals and pours her love for them into this timeless book. Without heavy-handed moralizing, “Birds, Mice, and Apple Pie” provides a heartwarming glimpse into the lives of abandoned and unwanted cats. And in the tradition of books such as May Sarton’s “The Fur Person,” Susan Fiedler’s cats come to life in a unique way that will appeal to readers of all ages.

Readers can also visit the companion web site to “Birds, Mice, and Apple Pie” at SpottedCatDesigns.com where they can read articles on cat care, browse the latest cat news, and ask questions about interacting with their own cats. “Birds, Mice, and Apple Pie” is now available from major booksellers including Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com. For more information, or to order a signed copy, readers can visit SpottedCatDesigns.com.

You can also read the stories at places like Publishers Newswire , Send2Press , News Media Release , PR Leap , Newswire Today , PR.com

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Birds, Mice, and Apple Pie

We are proud to announce the publication of our second book. Birds, Mice, and Apple Pie is the story of a feral kitten who joins a house full of other cats and humans and discovers that the world is much more interesting and meaningful than he ever imagined possible.

But this is not a work of fiction. It is the true story of every cat in the house and how they came to live there, told by the cats themselves through the unique talents of Susan Fiedler, a compassionate animal communicator.

Birds, Mice, and Apple Pie is a unique and truly unforgettable work which will be treasured by all who care about animals and especially cat lovers. If you’ve ever looked into the eyes of a cat or kitten and had one adopt you, you will love this book!

Signed copies of the book Birds, Mice, and Apple Pie may be ordered directly from the publisher, Spotted Cat Designs . It can also be ordered from Amazon or almost any book retailer.

Birds, Mice, and Apple Pie
by Susan Fiedler
ISBN 0-9778580-1-4
148 pages, paperback
15 photographs

Birds, Mice, and Apple Pie by Susan Fiedler

Buy Birds, Mice, and Apple Pie here and you can get it signed by the author free!

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There has never been a book quite like this one…

A feral kitten joins a household of other cats and humans and discovers a world far more complex and interesting than he ever imagined. But this is neither fiction nor an ordinary story. This is a tale told by the cats themselves, through the unique talents of a compassionate animal communicator. You will laugh, you cry, and you will be entranced, but you will never be able to look at cats in the same way again.

About the Author

Susan Fiedler is a working mother who has been rescuing animals for many years. She lives in Northern California with one husband, two sons, six cats, many fish, and a 39-year-old boa constrictor.

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Paperback: 148 pages, 15 photographs
Reading level: 10 and up
Published by: Spotted Cat Designs (August 2006)
ISBN: 0977858014
Price: US$11.95 (plus shipping and handling and tax in California)

Note: we ship your book by First Class Mail so you will get it quickly!

Please note: We are only able to accept direct orders from the U.S. and Canada at this time. If you live anywhere else, please contact your local book dealer and order by ISBN number. Thank you!

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