Isn’t this a lovely girl! (Can you guess how I know she’s a girl?) Image copr. Amy Shojai, CABC
Last weekend I spent in San Diego at the “Food & Water Bowl XXII” Cat Show, where the most glorious pedigree cats attend . . . and also bunches of adoptable lovely “mutt” cats, cute kittens, and gorgeous cat jewelry and various vendors. I shared a book signing booth with my colleagues and awesome writers/artists Arden Moore and Janiss Garza. All of us had books to paw-tograph. Janiss has a cat she edits, but Sparkle the Designer Cat is the author! And Arden (a Master Pet First Aid Instructor) brought her right-hand (paw?) cat, Zeki, the Safety Cat, a kitty that helps her demonstrate pet first aid techniques during Arden’s classes.
That’s me with my newest thriller HIDE AND SEEK (with a Maine Coon and GSD on the cover!), and Janiss in the center with her cards and books, and Arden in the red. Zeki’s on the poster, above. Image copr. Amy Shojai, CABC
Arden also presented (with Zeki) in the Education Ring to teach folks about some basics of pet first aid. It’s the kind of information you hope never to need but may save your pet’s life. And yes, all three of us also have dogs (shhhhh, the cats wouldn’t like that!).
Check out some of the other pictures and don’t miss out on the two videos at the bottom. You’ll hear me in the Education Ring talking about cat pee-and-poop (hoo boy…) and then some SQUEEEE! cute kittens playing. Don’t miss Lisa-Maria Padilla’s trick trained Abyssinian kitten “rolling over” on command and more. Enjoy!
Joan Miller, an expert in all-things-cats and lecturer on cat breeds and more, with Arden preparing Zeki for their pet first aid talk. Image copr. Amy Shojai, CABC
Yep, there were even some lovely dogs at the show! (Don’t tell Magic!). Image copr. Amy Shojai, CABC
Lots of vendors at the show offered all kinds of temptations. I settled for several pairs of Laurel Birch cat socks…and this glorious ceramic wall panel. Looks like Macy from my thriller book HIDE AND SEEK! Image copr. Amy Shojai, CABC
There are some perks to being a famous author…Janiss gets to schmooze a young Maine Coon kitten. Image copr. Amy Shojai, CABC
Zeki (a certified therapy cat) was the most popular attendee at our booth and managed to woo and charm everyone who stopped by. I’m not sure who is happier with this encounter. Image copr Amy Shojai, CABC
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest book giveaways and appearances related to my September Day pet-centric THRILLERS WITH BITE!
Amy Shojai, CABC is a certified cat & dog behavior consultant, a consultant to the pet industry, and the award-winning author of 35+ pet-centric books and Thrillers with Bite! Oh, and she loves bling!
We had a Maine Coon Buster who wouldn’t bury his business. He had no issue with burying his pee, but not his poop. I talked to a vet tech who told me that because he was an outdoor cat there was nothing we could do. I didn’t buy that for a second, so on a lark I took an old Tupperware tub that was holding some old magazines. I trashed the magazines and filled the tub with fresh litter. And wonder of wonders he started burying his business. It was so funny watching him the first time he realized that he had a larger litter box. He had so much fun digging in that littler box. I swear he spent at least five minutes just digging before he even did anything. Then he would jump in and out a few times, dig some more and jump out without doing a thing. I think he was having fun playing with his new “toy”. And we never had an issue with unburied business again. Like you said at the end of your video, give them what they want. They are always right… kinda like us women. 😉
Aha! Yes, once they have enough room to maneuver, it’s like a light switch goes on. So glad that worked for Buster.
Thanks for this. I’ll look forward to the videos.
Ever since our 8 year old had his blockages I get really excited about seeing what’s in the litter box — urine AND feces to be sure all is well. It was only my noticing Oscar had been in the litter box a long time (15 minutes plus) that saved his life — we were about to leave the house for enough hours he likely would not have made it but after a chat with the vet on duty instead raced to the vet and eventually all was well and that was 3 years ago this winter/spring.
Wow, Brenda, kudos to you for watching out for his “creativity.” Thank goodness you recognized the problem. Truly, the best thing you can do for your cats is to learn to recognize WELL cat/normal behavior so the out-of-the-norm alerts you to a problem.