MSI Press Blog

Bobolink's last loving and painful minutes, nestled against owner, Luna .   Integrating New Cats When Older Cats Are Dying Integrating new cats into an established cat family is always a delicate dance, but it becomes even more complex when one of the older cats is nearing the end of life. The emotions in the household shift—grief, vigilance, and quiet respect settle in—and the dynamics between the cats can change in ways that are subtle, profound, or both. In most cases, the cat who is dying has been part of the family for many years, often serving as a social anchor. The newcomers, in addition to finding their place among the living members, must navigate the emotional space left by the one who is leaving. Snyezhka, Happy Cat, and the Distance of Newcomers When Snyezhka was dying from breast, liver, and lung cancer, it wasn’t the new cats who stepped in to care for her—it was Happy Cat, her longtime companion and the beta heart of the household. Happy Cat washed her when she coul...

  Bear (left) and Moo (right) at the water trough In our home of eight cats, water bowls are everywhere--at least, one in each room and on the catio. But the water trough is not just a convenience—it’s an institution. It started with Bear. A hunk whose solid part-Chartreux body fits his name. With the thirst of a marathon runner, he would drain bowl after bowl of water with such diligence that we found ourselves in the vet’s office asking, “Is he okay?” Tests returned with a shrug: healthy as can be. Well, a big cat needs lots of water, we figured, and kept filling those bowls every hour.  Eventually, we swapped out the master bedroom bowls for a large plastic container that looked like a trough. A water trough. These days, it takes over 100 ounces of fresh water a day to keep Bear and his siblings happily hydrated, most of slurped down by Bear. The cats love it. The master bedroom leads to the catio so it is a natural gathering spot for the cats, especially when the catio ...

  Precerpt (excerpt from prepublication book) from Raising Happy Cat Families by Luna Norwood -- Coming in from the Cold And then there is the situation where a feral cat literally comes in from the cold (often not by request). One moment, they’re out there, surviving in the chaos of open space, and the next—they’re dropped into a world bounded by walls, filled with strange smells, expectations, and no visible escape routes. For a feral cat, this abrupt shift in territory can be deeply shocking. Outdoors, territory is fluid and layered: open air, moving sunlight, shifting alliances, and the constant demands of self-defense. Indoors, by contrast, is static and enclosed. It smells of humans and other cats. Boundaries are suddenly vertical—cat trees, shelves, window sills—not horizontal. Social rules are tighter, proximity is unavoidable, and the absence of hiding places can feel like exposure rather than comfort. Some cats take this change in stride. Many do not. While some cats thr...