MSI Press Blog

  Today's Caturday post is another foray into explanations for perplexing cat behavior, in this case: 10 Reasons Why Do Cats Roll In Dirt.  We had a very white cat, Murjan (really miss that social guy who left us after 19 years, including 3.5 years of fighting cancer), who loved to turn himself black by rolling in the dirt. I always wondered why, so I was happy to find this list. See more  Caturday  posts. Read more  posts about cats . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC monthly newsletter (recent releases, sales/discounts, awards, reviews, Amazon top 100 list, author advice, and more -- stay up to date)   Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC?  We help writers become award-winning published authors. One writer at a time. We are a family, not a factory. Do you have a future with us? Turned away by other publishers because you are a first-time author and/or do not have a strong platform yet? If you have a strong manuscri

  Murjan showing affection in one of his several special ways. Well, you probably know how your cat shows affection. Each cat is slightly different. But if you have a new cat or want to look at the bigger picture, this article is great:  Understanding your cat's behavior: Decoding affectionate gestures. See more  Caturday  posts. Read more  posts about cats . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC monthly newsletter (recent releases, sales/discounts, awards, reviews, Amazon top 100 list, author advice, and more -- stay up to date)   Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC?  We help writers become award-winning published authors. One writer at a time. We are a family, not a factory. Do you have a future with us? Turned away by other publishers because you are a first-time author and/or do not have a strong platform yet? If you have a strong manuscript, San Juan Books, our hybrid publishing division, may be able to help. Check

  Our beloved Murjan , aged 18, in his final days of lymphoma - such a devastating disease. If you have been following the MSI posts on cancer, here is another article to peruse -- my only complaint is that it does not include immunotherapy, which saved one of my cats, Snyezhka , in advanced stage 4 breast cancer, putting her into remission for several years. She actually died from a saddle thrombosis, probably unrelated to the cancer:  What you need to know (and do) when your pet has cancer . For more Caturday posts, click  HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow  MSI Press  on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on  how to submit a proposal . Planning on self-publishing and don't know where to start? Our  author au pair  services will mentor you through the process. Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book  in exchange for  reviewing  a current or forthcoming MSI

  Today would have been the 54th anniversary for Carl  and me. Last year, I spent it in the cemetery with Carl, as I did the year before. This year I cannot because I am in Bandung, Indonesia, but perhaps that is just as well.  On our 51st, he was alive, but not well. Three weeks earlier, he had fallen, been xrayed, and found to be in the advanced stage of cancer of unknown primary , with liver, lungs, bones, and stomach completely riddled with cancer cells, blood clots in his lungs, and his bones throwing off cells to create hypercalcemia, the reason he had fallen. It was a difficult time. We were just coming out of the covid months. We brought our CHARGE Syndrome son CB who had been living in group homes for 20 years home when they were not careful with protection from covid. At the same time, our spina bifida daughter, who lives about 30 miles to the south of us, independently, with a county-provided part-time aide lost her caregiver to surgery and no one wanted to take over, given

  Murjan at the pet hospital, scouting out the area As an owner of older cats , I am aware that all kinds of things can happen with them, just like all kinds of things happen with people. In addition to various illness and cancers, our oldest cat, Simone , has gone blind . We are learning how to help her and manage her environment to make it more manageable for her. Older cats, I have learned recently (though not through personal experience) can also develop dementia. I found this article quite helpful (should any of our cats start showing symptoms): Cat Dementia: Signs, Causes and Treatment Options (msn.com) For more Caturday posts, click  HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on  how to submit a proposal . Planning on self-publishing and don't know where to start? Our  author au pair  services will mentor you through the process. Interested

  Last Caturday, I made the comment on a post by Animal Friends Shelter in Gaza, Palestine, on X/Twitter that one of their cats looked like my late Murjan , shown above, hugging me (he was a hugger and a communicator). In response, the staff sent me a note and a video (such a nice surprise): Animal Friends Shelter on X: "@msi_press I qm so sorry for Murjan, he is in a better place now and will never forget your love. Today we made this video special for you and for Murjan hoping you like it 😻 https://t.co/4oZTNkI0ig" / X (twitter.com) They did this out of kindness and did not ask for a donation; later, I learned that they do not have enough food for all their cats and have to spread it out. If anyone feels like donating, here is where you can do it: PayPal Acc : Donate.AFScats@gmail.com or https:// paypal.me/DonateAFS?coun try.x=IL&locale.x=en_U And if you can, do not forget other shelters that are also hurting for funds to support their animals. For more Caturday posts

I came across this very interesting post recently:   The most common annoying cat behaviors, explained (msn.com) . Seemed like a good topic for a Caturday. For sure, these are the kinds of things we all wish cats would not do -- scratching furniture, peeing outside the litter box, and escaping to the outdoors, among others. Good explanation and advice in the article. A couple pieces of advice missing, though, that I have found helpful for those escape artists: (1) build a catio (it is an alternative outdoors and, for most of our cats, it suffices, and (2) leash the cat and go for a walk (our Murjan was simply impelled to the outside and so loved to go for a walk that he would sit in front of the drawer with his leash and demand "mwout" over and over until he got his leash and the door opened -- and then he was off exploring. He wanted "mwout" the day before he died -- and spent his leash time looking for dark places where he could lay down for his final rest. (No, w

Simone (middle) and Wooper (right) would like to take Murjan (left) for a walk.   Happy Caturday! I hope you enjoy the picture of two of our cats trying to take a third for a walk. Beloved Murjan crossed over the rainbow bridge last year, but the picture still makes me smile. And, for Caturday, I hope you enjoy this helpful article I came across recently:  12 Unusual Cat Behaviors to Look Out For – and What They Mean! (msn.com) . For more Caturday posts, click  HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC?  Check out information on  how to submit a proposal . Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book  in exchange for  reviewing  a current or forthcoming MSI Press LLC book? Contact editor@msipress.com. Want an  author-signed copy  of this book? Purchase the book at 25% discount (use coupon code FF25) and concurrently send a written request to orders@m