MSI Press Blog

  Moo, personality plus, cleaning his paws, without a worry in the world All cats are unique. No two are alike even if they are the same breed or from the same litter, Like people, But Moo is particularly unique. MOO was trapped as a feral kitten on the streets, TNR'd, and delivered to a shelter for adoption, but nobody wanted him. Not even the shelter, where he was so frightened that he did not move from one spot in two days, urinating and defecating on himself, not eating, and trembling non-stop. They called the TNR liaison and asked her to take him back and put him on the street, that he was not adoptable. Instead, she called me. He was just a scared kitten, about 12 weeks. He had no happy space of his own, no toys, no chance not to be on display. We put him by himself in our cat room, with toys, trees, food, water, and litter. All his own. We intruded only to refill and clean dishes. He began to explore and to play with the toys. Then, we invited super friendly, giant cat (but ...

  In last week's Caturday post, I shared our death watch over Happy Cat . At 11:52 pm, I updated the watch. At that time, we lost Happy Cat. He had been dozing on the bed beside my paraplegic daughter, Fawn. Suddenly, he urgently scrambled to get into her arms. Then, with two big, agonizing gulps of air and a shudder, he crossed the Rainbow Bridge while cuddled in Fawn's arms. We hope he is now cavorting with his pals Snyezhka,  Bobolink ,  Intrepid , and  Murjan  who crossed before him. Happy Cat taught us some important in his last days, some important for cats and some important as well for humans: Near the very end, cats sense when they are going to die, and they prepare by looking for dark places. Happy Cat would go into cubbies that he was never interested in before. (It's a tip-off for owners.)  Near the end, owners sometimes are allowed a sense that their journey to the Rainbow Bridge is reaching its goal. I felt an otherworldly presence the day bef...

  Murjan (left) and Happy Cat relaxing together on the lazy boy rocker Precerpt (excerpt prior to publication) from Raising Happy Cat Families (Norwood) Introducing a new cat into an established feline household can feel like balancing teacups on a trampoline. Conventional wisdom suggests weeks of scent-swapping, slow introductions, and tension-filled supervision. But what happens when those rituals simply don’t work—or when your cats aren’t typical? In our home, integration almost always begins not with separation, but with negotiation —and not with the new cat, but with the ones already in charge. Our alpha cat, Murjan, was a Turkish Van with the commanding calm of a diplomat. He ruled not with claws, but with presence. Unlike many dominant cats, he didn’t need to assert himself constantly. He just needed others to recognize his leadership and not disrupt his routines. So when a new cat arrived, we didn’t hide the kitten or sneak him into the territory. We invited Murjan to be p...

Bobolink in one of his comfort places, where he could see others but be "hidden" from them. Percept (pre-publication excerpt from Raising Happy Cat Families by Luna Norwood) I left the initiative to Bobolink. He could join the rest of the family when he was ready and was not forced to do so before he was ready. Bobolink’s cubby on the cat tree was there as his protective fortress; I did not disturb him there—did not feed him there, did not try to pet him there, removed him from there only once a day for his socialization opportunity. The cat tree was in the cat room, and that room became Bobolink’s alone while he was being introduced to the family. This kind of respect for a cat’s boundaries is not just kind—it’s essential. Trust is the foundation of successful integration in a multi-cat household. When a new cat feels pressured, cornered, or overwhelmed, it can lead to defensive behaviors that may slow the entire process and cause unnecessary stress for all involved. But w...