MSI Press Blog

 Question: What is a precerpt? Answer: A precerpt is a brief excerpt or preview of a book (or other text), used to give readers a taste of the content before they read the full piece. It's like a sneak peek that hooks the reader's interest (or at least, we hope it will hook yours).  This Friday's precerpt is from  Raising Happy Cat Families  by Luna Norwood --  GAINING A CAT'S CONFIDENCE (part 3/final note) Bobolink was an FIV cat. In time, he developed two fatal diseases: autoimmune hemolytic anemia and amyloidosis, for which he had to take medicines. By the time he became very sick, he was devoted to me and trusted me. He spent a large portion of every day sitting in a chair with me while I worked, absorbing my body heat into his anemic body and licking my hands and face in gratitude. When it came to his medicines, he was compliant, no matter how they tasted or how I had to give them to him. Sadly, his blood count dropped wildly as a result of the autoimmune h...

  Bobolink in his kennel at the pet hospital. We should have known there was a problem with Bobolink that related to anemia. A feral cat that we domesticated (over a long period of time, he was always a little skittish until November when he wanted to crawl up in my lap or snuggle next to me all the time, literally all the time. In hindsight, he was cold; he was seeking warmth. Even though I am anemic at times and understand the cold feeling, the thought did not register that cats can be anemic as well. Then, he lost two pounds nearly overnight. Clearly, something was wrong. Worried that his FIV had turned into AIDS, we took him to the vet, who, through a blood test, discovered that he had autoimmune hemolytic anemia, a disease in which the cat's body eats its own red blood cells. Little is known about the causes. The vet suggested some possibilities that seemed not on the mark. I suggested FIV, but she said that was not likely. However, I have since found some vet sites on the In...

  Today we remember the ones who walked beside us, slept near us, and loved us with a purity that only animals can offer. Their paws may no longer echo in our homes, but their spirits remain stitched into our lives. 🕊️ Murjan, our gentle warrior, defied lymphoma for 3.5 years—nearly reaching age 19. His quiet strength and enduring presence were a daily grace. 🕊️ Intrepid, his brave pal, was struck by the same cruel disease at the same time. He fought fiercely for three months before joining his beloved staff, Carl, in rest—both taken by cancer, both remembered for their boldness and joy. Intrepid left us at just 11, but his legacy of fun and fearlessness lives on. 🕊️ Snyezhka, radiant and resilient, battled four kinds of cancer before a sudden saddle thrombus took her in the night at age 7. Her absence was felt deeply by her devoted companion, Happy Cat, who searched for her daily until his own passing from a brain tumor a year later. 🕊️ And Bobolink—our long-haired black beaut...

Bobolink (below) and Wooper (above) are bunked on the catio. We have had two cats lose their fur, each for a different reason.  Wooper licked all of hers off until she had alopecia. Our vet tried one medicine after another. Nothing worked. Another vet suggested it was anxiety, but it turned out it was not. We stumbled upon it by accident when we learned how to give a cat massage. Wooper loved the massage. She would ask for me, and she would want a deep massage. Normally standoffish, she would come and tap one of us on the shoulder. That was her way of asking for a massage. After a few weeks of massaging her, we noticed that her hair was growing up. She now has all the fur she ever had -- but she still wants her massages. Bobolink , a long-haired domestic cat, is sick. He, it turns out, has amyloidosis, in addition to FIV and autoimmune hemolytic anemia. His prognosis is not good. Tonight, I found him lying in a pool of pee, looking up with sad, surprised, and apologetic eyes. I cle...

Our Happy Cat is now Unhappy Cat. For 14 years, he was unflappable. He was the beta cat; he groomed the other cats, he introduced -- successfully and quickly -- new cats into our cat family, and he stepped in when alpha cat Murjan died, as mother and father to the brood. With people, he was laid back, a cool hippie cat who was friend to all, not overly affectionate, just always a friend to any human, but especially attached to Carl , sitting at his feet when he died. In a very short period of time, Happy Cat lost from his life Carl (from cancer ), Murjan (from cancer), Snyezhka (from a saddle thrombus), and Bobolink (from autoimmune hemolytic anemia and cardiac arrest). He would look out the door every day, looking for them. Then, her went blind.  He stopped grooming the other cats. He adopted CB, Carl's mini-me, as his buddy but otherwise did not care if there were other people around. He started eating a lot, like people who are depressed. And just sitting and lying and sleepin...