Letter from The Publisher

I was reading the article in this month’s Natural Pet section titled “Five Reasons to Love a Cat,” and came up with a sixth—entertainment! When I was growing up, we had an array of cats, and they always gave us a good laugh. Our cats were full of endless antics, some that left us with tears streaming down our faces from laughter, and some that left us simply going “hmmm”…

My grandmother visited us once a year, and she wasn’t particularly cat crazy. One day, she walked into the kitchen and there was a paper grocery bag on the floor (way back when there were only paper grocery bags). She nonchalantly gave the bag a light kick, and our cat Raspberry jumped out of the bag—scared the heck out of both of them, and of course, the look on my grandmother’s face made the rest of us roar with laughter.

Then there was the time that our little cat, Soxy, and our big black shepherd, Kara, were in the yard. I looked outside and there was a stray dog on the other side of the fence; and much to my surprise, Soxy had bravely positioned herself between that dog and Kara, protecting our pooch!

Once I was in our basement, and suddenly I felt I was being watched. It was not real light down there, so I was peering around looking for what I thought might be one of my cats, but no, it was a live bird sitting on our toolbox staring at me. It gave me quite a shock, but I’m sure the poor bird was more stunned than I was. It was a bit of a challenge catching the bird and returning it to the great outdoors, but it was a lesson about kitty doors—never have one unless you would like unexpected company! Birds, mice, gophers, to name a few. I have a neighbor who has recently added lizards, snakes and bunnies to her list of “friends” that her cats bring home. One might not be thinking it’s as funny when one has a snake in their bathroom!

I’m sure those of us who have cats can think of endless stories; they are forever our fur kids, and quite the entertainers.

I hope you enjoy this issue of Natural Awakenings. As always, please feel free to contact me with comments, suggestions or questions. This is your magazine—enjoy!

Tracy