MSI Press Blog

  (English Wikipedia) A great post for the new year, MSI Press author Jeremy Feig ( How My Cat Made Me a Better Man ) has prepared a video on procrastination. You will enjoy the talents of Jeremy if you take a minute to WATCH THE VIDEO , Stop Procrastinating. To read more posts about Jeremy and his book, 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@msipress.com. 

  The Kops-Fetherling International Book Awards competition has selected How My Cat Made Me a Better Man by Jeremy Feig as its legacy award winner in the category of humor, and we are happy to be able to announce it on Caturday! This is the second major award for this book. The book was also selected as a finalist in the Book of the Year competition when it was first published. For more information about Jeremy's book, click HERE . For posts about Jeremy and his book, click HERE .

How My Cat Made Me a Better Man by Jeremy Feig, would never have come into being with its heroine, Shelly. Here are some pictures of Shelly: And here are some drawings of Shelly by the late Zhenya Yanovich, up-and-coming Russian artist: Read more posts about Shelly, Jeremy, and this precious, award-winning book HERE .

  A Few Licks Go a Long Way  Cat Tale: It was starting to get dark on a Saturday night. As Shelly sat nearby licking herself, I was preparing to go out and hit the bars. I wanted to spend as little time as possible to get ready. The way I looked at it, if it took more than ten minutes to make myself presentable, I was doing it wrong. I put on my favorite collared shirt, hoping no one would notice the detergent stain on the back or the hole near the armpit. I dragged a brush through my hair a single time. I slipped on my pre-tied, 4-year-old sneakers, the ones with the bottoms of the soles coming off. That’s right, I was stylin’. As I headed for the door, I noticed that Shelly was still in the same spot, still licking herself. She hadn’t stopped grooming the entire time. She didn’t even have plans that night. Either she cared too much about personal appearances or I didn’t care enough. I looked in the mirror. The problem was me.  Cat Lesson: Grooming is imp...

  In honor of Caturday, we are posting another except from How My Cat Made Me a Better Man , a Book of the Year finalist. Fear of Failure You're not perfect. You'll fail at many things, sometimes in mind-blowingly spectacular fashion. Don't let that stop you from going after your goals because if you don't make an effort, you've already failed. On one of Shelly's exciting trips down the hallway of my apartment building, she got confused. She'd gone up a flight of stairs, then walked to the apartment directly above mine, which looked exactly the same. She sat patiently in front of the door and waited for me to let her in. Of course, I didn't since it wasn't my apartment. Thankfully, my upstairs neighbor didn't open his door since it would've been awkward explaining why my cat and I were hanging out on his welcome mat. Shelly's sense of direction had failed her, but even though she couldn't successfully find her way home, she still enjo...

  THE CULPRIIT, TISSOU, SLEEPING PEACEFULLY WTIH MY SON This was a question I had not thought about much, if at all, through decades of rescuing cats. I would get scratches, sure. And occasionally a light leave-me -alone bite, but never a deep, frightened one, like the one I got this week from Tissou, a rescued cat with a spina deformity that must have been the source of some sharp pain when I picked her up (though she likes to cuddle, her limping indicates that she probably does have pain from movement). It was an instinctive reaction on her part, and her sharp teeth hit near a nerve, sending an electric shock through my body, casing me to instantly drop her. Realizing what had happened, I held up by hand. There were four distinct puncture wounds and a longer wound, like a gash, perhaps a couple of teeth together...just a guess. It did not bleed much. Good, I thought  It is just a cat bite. Good, I thought. Those happen all the time You never hear a lot on the news about them...

  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...

  Every year on May 30 , cat lovers worldwide have an excuse—if they needed one—to shower their feline friends with affection. It’s International Hug Your Cat Day , a time to celebrate the special bond we share with our whiskered companions. But as any seasoned cat guardian knows, not every cat is keen on hugs. To Hug or Not to Hug? That Is the Question Cats, those enigmatic creatures, have an array of preferences when it comes to receiving affection. Some will gladly nuzzle into a warm embrace, purring away contentedly. Others? Not so much. If your cat stiffens up or struggles when hugged, don’t take it personally—they’re just asserting their comfort zone. Fortunately, there are plenty of other ways to make them feel loved. Finding Their Sweet Spot Many cats adore belly rubs, while others treat them as an act of war. Ear scratches? Those can melt even the most aloof feline. And if you’re looking for a nearly foolproof spot to make a cat blissfully happy—try scratching where t...