Catlore (and some great books)

 (artwork by Cyra Cancel)

As a fellow cat enthusiast, I am always on the prowl for new and fascinating things (or at least to learn about things I never knew before)!  Cat folklore, superstitions and proverbs intrigue me and so I thought that I might share some of the interesting cat info which I have found with you all.

Here are just a few:

* If a cat continually looks out the window on any given day, rain is on the way
* Some cats can predict earthquakes (there is actually some proven truth to this one!)
* Cats are believed to be able to see human auras
*A cat sleeping with their four paws tucked underneath their body means bad weather is coming
* If a cat sits with their back to the fire, this foretold a cold spell
* If a cat sneezes once, it means there will be rain. If they sneeze three times, the family will catch a cold
* Early Americans believed that if a cat washed her face in front of several people, the first person she looked at would be the first to get married
* Tortoiseshell cats were believed to be able to see into the future and could also give this gift to a lucky child in the household
* When the pupil of a cat's eye gets big (broadens), it is a sign of rain
* The Pennsylvania Dutch used to place a cat in the empty cradle of a newlywed couple and the cat was supposed to grant their wish for children
* In England, it was believed that if a black cat lived in your house, the young lass would have numerous suitors
* It was once believed that fur and blood drawn from various parts of a cat's body would cure all ailments
* In Tell-Basta (which was at one time the Egyptian city of Bubastis), a graveyard holding 300,000 mummified holy cats was discovered. A few were sent to museums.
* A kitten born in May will be a witches cat

Pretty wild stuff, huh?  I also wanted to share these two books with you which I had read many years ago and, to this day, I refuse to part with them  ~ both were written by the renowned author Desmond Morris ...

These are both really great books and I highly recommend them to any cat lover!

"Cat Daddy" by Jackson Galaxy: Book Review

I laughed. I cried. I related. Jackson Galaxy's new book, "Cat Daddy: What the World's Most Incorrigible Cat Taught Me About Life, Love, and Coming Clean," is a heart-warming biography about his early life of drug, alcohol and food addiction, career in working and caring for animals, and his first foster cat named Benny whom he took in while working at an animal shelter in Boulder, Colorado.  While working late one night, Benny's heartless owner dropped him off with a shattered pelvis after he was hit by a car. What started out as a foster care situation turned into a lifetime of trials and tribulations.

Jackson takes you on an amazing journey through his fascinating life working with cats. A Cat Behaviorist, he has devoted his entire life to their service ~ dedicated to saving them while educating the humans who inhabit their world. 

I found it extremely easy to put myself in Jackson's shoes as he tells his true and sometimes heart-breaking story. Although this book is primarily about his life with Benny, it also has a lot of very helpful hints about living with and taking care of your best friend.

Jackson with his beloved cat, "Benny".

This is an excellent book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone! Let's just say that I loved it so much that I managed to read the entire thing in only two days.

Books and other fun stuff

Greetings fellow feline enthusiasts! Last weekend I stopped off at our local Barnes & Noble book store and picked up these two new cat books ...

My husband and I loved watching the Animal Planet show, "My Cat From Hell." So much so that we attended one of Jackson Galaxy's in-person shows in Reading, PA a few years ago. In fact, I own a couple of his books.

And, just to make you smile ...

Some Famous Cat Quotes:

"Time spent with cats is never wasted." ~ Sigmund Freud

"What greater gift than the love of a cat." ~ Charles Dickens

"In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have never forgotten this." ~ Terry Pratchett

"Of all God's creatures, there is only one that cannot be made slave of the leash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat." ~ Mark Twain

"Never try to out stubborn a cat." ~ Robert A. Heinlein

"I believe cats to be spirits come to earth. A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through." ~ Jules Verne

"There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats." ~ Albert Schweitzer

"I like cats a lot. I've always liked cats. They're great company. When they eat, they always leave a little bit at the bottom of the bowl - a dog will polish the bowl, but a cat leaves a little bit. It's like an offering." ~ Christopher Walken

"I love cats because I enjoy my home, and little by little, they become its visible soul." ~ Jean Cocteau

"I have felt cats rubbing their faces against mine and touching my cheek with claws carefully sheathed. These things, to me, are expressions of love." ~ James Herriot

"I take care of my flowers and my cats. And, I enjoy food ... and that's living." ~ Ursula Andress

Have a wonderful day all!

It's a Cat's Life

From ancient Egyptian deity to present day domestic feline, the cat has a very long and rich history indeed. As the story goes, a cat had wondered into Egypt one day and began killing the mice that were eating the stored grain which the Egyptians had saved for the coming year. Because famine was such a serious problem, the people of Egypt welcomed these felines and believed them to be a sacred gift sent from their gods. The once capital city of Am-Khent, then located in lower Egypt, was named Bubastis in honor of the goddess Bast or Bastet.

In Egyptian mythology, Bast was a daughter of Ra and Isis. She was acknowledged as being associated with music, dancing and anything fun! The people of Egypt had revered their cats as members of the family and, when they died, they would mummify them and adorn them with various gemstomes and jewels.  Even today, cats are considered to be sacred in the country of Turkey. In fact, harming them in any way is forbidden and against the law.

During the Middle Ages; however, cats endured

 the most horrific of atrocities! Due to the

 ignorance of the religious leaders of that time

 in our history who believed that cats, especially

 black cats, were linked to witches and therefore

 must be evil, these beautiful creatures were

 killed and tortured in any way possible by the

 masses! This, in effect, allowed the bubonic

 pleague to spread. Since the disease was

 caused by rats, the same rats which would have

 normally been killed by the cats, it is believed

 that about 25 million people died as a result.

Fortunately for us, cats still live among us, gracing us with their ever-lasting beauty, grace, love, loyalty and equisite presence. I can honestly say that there is nothing that I wouldn't do for my kitties. They are, without a doubt, my best friends and I would be completely lost without them!

A great book I have found for further reading

is called, "Your Magicakal Cat: Feline Magick,

Lore, and Worship" written by Gerina

Dunwich.

The Best of Both Worlds?

.

For as long as I can remember, cats and women have been pretty much synonymous. But, the truth is that with cats being the most popular pets in America, atleast half of those cat guardians are men.

Yup, according to an article in "Cat Fancy" Magazine written by published writer and Grammy-nominated musician Rick Allen, not only do men love cats too, but there are also a few benefits to having a male partner, friend or spouse who shares their life with cats. For example, men who love and adore cats are known to be "generally nicer guys" and have "higher IQ's." After all, if distinguished and well-respected men of history such as Albert Einstein could be devoted to his cat "Tiger" and Winston Churchill his beloved cat "Jock," then surely there must be something to this!

"I simply can't resist a cat, particularly a purring one. They are the cleanest, cunningest, and most intelligent things I know." ~ Mark Twain