MSI Press Blog

  Confidence Dogs will perform silly little tricks to earn affection from their masters. Cats will never stoop to that level. So, while my childhood cocker spaniel would happily present his paw for me, Shelly would roll her eyes at what an idiot I was for even asking for it. We're not all born with an innate sense of confidence and self-worth. So, think like a cat, and don't do things that are beneath you. You're better than that. Just because someone tells you to dance doesn't mean you should bust out the Macarena.   There's no reason to kiss up to your boss, praising his genius for every pointless idea he suggests. Unless you're a ninja at brown-nosing, it'll be obvious what you're doing. It won't make you look good, either. You'll just seem like someone who lacks the confidence to say what he really believes. Think in the same terms for your relationships. If your girlfriend blames you for something that went wrong, that doesn't me

  excerpt from From Deep Within (Lewis)  The Cutting Group   The door to the outpatient clinic’s waiting room opened and flakes of snow swept in with a chilling cold. The room was shaped in a perfect square. Twelve chairs in total leaned on opposite walls. The upholstery had once been institutional grey, but now it had black marks throughout, with tears soaked into the fabric and yellow/brown filth embedded in the seams. The center of each chair had taken on a rounded contour from years of patients sitting in the same place. Footprint marks were embedded in the carpet in front of each chair, showing where hundreds of people had placed their feet over the years. The wear in the carpet reminded me of the worn yellow footprints millions of airport travelers step into every day when passing through X-ray machines at security.   When the weather was damp, the clinic waiting room smelled like wet dirty diapers. At one end of the room was a sliding glass window with one side open. Anita, the

  photo from Animal Friends Shelter This is the first of a series of Caturday posts about cats trapped in war zones. Cats are not political (nor are dogs or any other animal for that matter--nor, generally, the people caring for them, nor this post). In peace and where people watch out for them, cats enjoy being loved and learn to return love. Yet, cats (and other animals) do get find themselves struggling in war zones. They, just like people who have done nothing to bring harm to anyone else but just happen to live there, suffer the consequences of evil descending unexpectedly from sources external to them. Like people, cats and other animals suffer when they are homeless and without food or winter. And they are often completely forgotten when war (or natural disaster, for that matter -- they drown in floods and burn in fires) breaks out. Like people, they have to dodge bullets, bombs, and other dangers. Unlike people, they are often not calculated into humanitarian outreach efforts I

  The New York City Animal Care Centers suggest adopting a shelter pet for Valentine's Day. There is now an adopted shelter pet in the White House. How many households would it take, following suit, to empty the shelters? Often, shelter pets come from people who are too ill to continue to care for them or who have died. They are housebroken, domesticated, socialized, and usually loving. What a good companion that might be! Personally, I (MSI Press managing editor -- I am generally the one who writes our blog posts) "adopt" my pets from the street. Five of my current 6 cats were feral rescues, just picked up and brought in. As far as I know, none were abandoned but had been born "in the wild" and had scrapped for food. They did not know a kind touch, and vets wrote FERAL in big red letters across their charts. That is mainly because the cats hissed at them and either scratched or bit them or both. It takes some effort and TIME (not days and weeks, but months and

With the current freezing conditions and the increased bombing, the situation in Ukraine is becoming more dire, but the  Network for Animals  continues to feed abandoned animals, support shelters, and help the injured. It must be heartbreaking and gut-wrenching to have to leave a pet behind; knowing that care is being given by NFA has to be just a little reassuring. But NFA cannot take care of all those wonderful critters without help, especially monetary assistance. At its website, click on the video icon to listen to the director's appeal and get an auditory and visual update on what is happening, what help is being given, and what help is needed. There continues to be grave concern that at some point the supply chain will be cut off, so a major effort is being made to gather in as many supplies as possible now. Even just a few dollars can help. All too often, when humanitarian aid is gathered for people, the animals are forgotten. Both people and animals need help. Please consid

  This is just a plea, on Caturday, for pet owners who are in smoky areas caused by the recent Canadian firestorms to remember that pets, too, need protection from smoke. So, keep them inside and breathing easy with the air that you have managed to arrange for yourself to breathe safely. Here is a fact sheet that explains the effects of smoky air on your cats and dogs. It only takes a minute or two to read. Check it out HERE . See more Caturday posts   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@msipress.co

  photo from Animal Friends Shelter Recently, the Network for Animals put up a video on  Facebook  that details the plight of animals caught in war zones. In our cats in war series, we are looking at specific shelters and their owners and trying to find ways to help them -- hoping that some readers will be able to step and help, at the very least. In several previous posts, we have identified rescuers and shelters in Gasa that are in desperate straits. With a truce in effect (a very short one), they can go out and replenish the supplies (brought in through humanitarian aid work) for their cats and dogs (and, in some cases, other animals. In some cases, they have had to hold their populations to less than subsistence levels, which made for some pretty grumpy cats.  Here are links to shelters who could use some quick turnaround help. Even small amount help -- they can be put together with other small amounts to really make a difference. Animal Friends Shelter; donation info HERE . More p

  Many people spend money on Black Friday -- savings and all, you. Some people spend a lot. We are suggesting that this Black Friday you spend a little to help a lot with the little creatures of life. Cats and dogs in shelters need support for payment of dire medical needs, as well as fostering and adopting. Consider helping out a local shelter this Black Friday. And/or help out an organization that feeds stray cats and provides them a home. Here are two that we follow:   Ernesto's Sanctuary for Syrian Cats  in Aleppo   Chachi's Haven in Israel

  This is the next post in a series of Caturday posts about cats trapped in war zones . Cats are not political (nor are dogs or any other animal for that matter--nor, generally, the people caring for them, nor this post). In peace and where people watch out for them, cats enjoy being loved and learn to return love. Yet, cats (and other animals) do get find themselves struggling in war zones. They, just like people who have done nothing to bring harm to anyone else but just happen to live there, suffer the consequences of evil descending unexpectedly from sources external to them. Like people, cats and other animals suffer when they are homeless and without food or winter. And they are often completely forgotten when war (or natural disaster, for that matter -- they drown in floods and burn in fires) breaks out. Like people, they have to dodge bullets, bombs, and other dangers. Unlike people, they are often not calculated into humanitarian outreach efforts Network for Animals helps anim

excerpt from Easter at the Mission (Sula) -  Life at the Mission Gift Shop The people I know best, those who take care of me, can be found at the Mission Gift Shop. There, I have quite a big staff. (You have heard that dogs have owners but cats have staff, right?) My staff is a group of wonderful people. Mary Anzar was the first person I met many years ago when I was called to my mission at the Mission. Benito Garcia used to work at the Mission Gift Shop but now works at the parish office; we are still attached to each other so I regularly walk over to the parish office to see my Benny. Stacey Gentry supervises my staff, takes good care of me, and most important, serves as my official photographer; you will see her beautiful pictures in this book. I have known Kaleena Scargill for many years. She used to clean the church, I would follow her around, and she would take pictures of me that ended up in some of my previous books. Marie Reed is very kind to me, and she makes sure that anyo