MSI Press Blog

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 c...

  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) an...

  Coming Soon! Available now on pre-order!  Nothing So Broken  - war, memoir, more. Today we provide a precerpt (an excerpt from a book not yet published) -  -nemesis-   Most of my childhood mornings were marked by my father’s absence. Running five miles every day, he said. Just something he needed to do, he said. So, on weekdays before school, I’d wait at the kitchen window—teeth brushed, Space 1999 lunch box in hand—and watch the royal blue AMC wagon puff smoke from its exhaust in the Bott family’s driveway two houses away. My mother would run final checks with me—coat? gloves? hat?—from my brother’s bedroom because “Defiant Bryant” loathed mornings. He started each day looking like he’d slept through a cyclone. Dressing him for kindergarten was like Greco-Roman wrestling with a grumpy squid. When the old AMC wagon finally putted its way up the road, I’d book-it out of the house and wait at the end of our sidewalk. Mrs. Bott’s smile through the window served a...

  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...

  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 h...

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 ...

We love grilling. Carl had quite a reputation for grilling hamburgers, hot dogs, salmon, and more, a tradition carried on by his children (son Shawn in the picture) and grandchildren (granddaughter Neela in the picture). Friends, family, and neighbors always loved coming by for Carl's BBQs.  Then, Carl fell and was diagnosed with stage 4 Cancer of Unknown Primary , which is an aggressive cancer, leaving little time to cope with rapid changes , let alone grilling or any kind of final fun. His oncologist thought that the primary probably was in the GI tract. Carl had skipped his colonoscopy (no one should ever do that). He was treated with a generic mix of chemicals as well as a mixture for colorectal cancer. It was too late! What we never realized during all those years of grilling was the potential connection between grilling and cancer. Had we known that, maybe Carl would have grilled less or differently. Perhaps he would have been more diligent about getting his colonoscopy. By ...

  Network for Animal s in Ukraine are begging for donations while there is still time. They need to stockpile food while they still can, as well as medical supplies. Well, here is one of their notes: We are finding ways to channel food to countless abandoned animals who face  death by bomb blasts, airstrikes and enemy fire . Two days ago, we managed to get roughly 1.3 tons (1,300 kilograms) of food to hungry tummies, as well as provide medical supplies. Yesterday, we delivered another two tons (2,000 kilograms) of food, and today we hope to do even better. The Russians are closing in and supply lines are closing. The animals need your help NOW! We don’t know how much longer we can maintain our supply routes as the Russians close in. This makes what I am about to say even more URGENT:  Please, donate right now  to Network for Animals, while there is still a chance to rush emergency aid and food to desperate animals.  We are their only hope. They are feeding about...

  This is the next 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...

 rjam Murjan in window at his new home. Why Cats Hate Moving: A Tale of Territorial Trauma When we decide to change homes, we humans focus on logistics: packing boxes, scheduling movers, and updating addresses. For our feline companions, however, relocation represents something far more traumatic—an existential crisis that shakes their very sense of security and self. Territory is Identity Cats are fundamentally territorial creatures. Unlike dogs, who attach primarily to people, cats form deep bonds with their physical space. The walls, furniture, smells, and hidden nooks of your home aren't just familiar comforts to your cat—they're extensions of their identity. This explains why our neighbor's three cats cried continuously for nearly three weeks after moving into their brand-new home. Despite having their same family, same furniture, and same feline companions, they experienced a profound sense of displacement. Their territorial maps—mental frameworks developed through mo...