December IWSG: My Writing Space

Hello, friends! Today is the day for the December meeting of The Insecure Writer's Support Group. The group was founded by our Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh. To view list members and this month's co-hosts, visit the IWSG page here.

This month's IWSG question is:

                 What are five objects we'd find in your writing space?

I am cheating a little here because I don't really have five objects in my space, unless you count things like lamps. My writing space is my living room couch and the only writing-related object I have there is my laptop, when I'm writing on it. 

Even though it's a bit boring, I love my writing space because I share it with these two handsome guys. 

If you've followed this blog for any length of time you probably already know my dog Clancy and my cat Nate. These two are both eleven years old and they have been along for the ride on every step of my writing journey since they came to live with me. 

One is the boss:

The other is the annoyed colleague who really just wants to sleep:

The Ohio State throw that Clancy is trying to use as his pillow there is a third constant in my space. 

So that's my writing space - my couch, my laptop, my throw, and my two furbabies. So I guess I do have five things to list, even though Clancy and Nate aren't things. Like I said, I'm cheating a little. 

I hope to spend a good part of December on my couch writing and I'm counting on boss Nate to get after me if I start slacking off. I didn't finish NaNo, or even come close, but I did make progress on my story so I'm hoping to continue with that this month and finish off the year on a productive front. 

I am looking forward to catching up with everyone after taking last month off. Happy December! 

The Listing Hop & Cardinal Sin Excerpt

I haven't joined a one-time blog hop in ages but when I saw this one on Bish Denham's site it was so simple I had to sign up.

Bish is hosting the hop to celebrate eight years of blogging (Congratulations, Bish!) and all we have to do is write a list. Seriously, that's it!

I decided to list my favorite animal rescue organizations, most of which I've encountered since I started this blogging and writing journey. Click on each rescue if you'd like more info on them.

1. Circle Tail, Pleasant Plain, Ohio
2. Best Friends Animal Society, Kanab, Utah
3. Tabby's Place Cat Sanctuary, Ringoes, New Jersey
4. Sunrise Farm Animal Sanctuary, Marysville, Ohio
5. Triple R Equine Ranch, Greensburg, Indiana
6. EARPS Exotic Animal Rescue & Pet Sanctuary, Brownsburg, Indiana
7. Hope for Paws, Los Angeles, California
8. Red Wolf Wildlife Sanctuary & Rehabilitation Center, Rising Sun, Indiana

So that's my list! One of the things I've loved most about learning more about animal rescues since I started blogging is that I've discovered so many different types of organizations. I had always thought of rescue in terms of dogs and cats but this list includes rescues that work with farm animals, "pocket pets" like hamsters, and even wildlife. There are so many amazing organizations out there doing great work that the list easily could have gone into the hundreds.

Thanks to Bish for coming up with such a fun and easy hop. For a list of all the participants, visit Bish's site here.

This week is the official release of the Untethered Realms anthology Mayhem In The Air, which includes my story Cardinal Sin. I thought I would share a brief excerpt from the story to kick off release week.

I screamed when they threw me into the mass grave with the dead patients. 

I was sure they’d hear me. But they carried on just the same. Before I knew it, they started throwing shovels of dirt on top of me. On top of all of us. 

“I’m alive!” I yelled. Or at least I thought I was yelling. How was it possible they couldn’t hear me? It wasn’t bad enough the idiot doctors had decided I was dead. Now these lumbering fools couldn’t even hear me?  

Just as I was about to give up, the shovels stopped and I heard a worker ask another “Did you hear something?” 

My still-beating heart filled with hope. 

“Hear what?” was the response. 

“Don’t know. Almost sounded like some poor sod crying.” 

Could it be? Did he hear me?

I yelled out again. “Yes! Help me!” 

“I don’t hear nothing.”  

“I guess I don’t either. Must have been a dog barking.”

“No!” I cried. 

The shoveling began again. 

If you want to read more of my story and the nine other stories in the anthology pick up Mayhem In The Air at:

Amazon ~ Google Play ~ Smashwords

V is for Vase

Nate

“Like a graceful VASE, a cat, even when motionless, seems to flow.” ~ George Will

This is another quote that I don't have much to add to. Except that I wish I could be even half as graceful as my Nate or any other cat. 

I'm at the Ohioana Book Festival in Columbus, Ohio today so I scheduled this post and I hope I'm having a great time when it's live. I loved the Ohioana fest last year and I hope to love it even more this year. I'm on a panel again this year but unlike last year I'm not a nervous wreck about it. I hope I don't jinx myself by feeling that way LOL. 

Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend! 

National Animal Shelter & Rescue Appreciation Week

Today marks the start of National Animal Shelter & Rescue Appreciation Week, which was founded by the Humane Society of the United States in 1996 and is celebrated each year during the first week of November.

I adopted my Nate, shown above doing his best impersonation of a jaguar perched in the trees, from the Kenton County Animal Shelter in Northern Kentucky when he was just four months old. All of my pets have come from shelters or rescues and they are/were all the greatest pets in the world, so I have a great deal of respect and affection for these organizations and the people who keep them running. There are between six and eight million homeless animals in the United States each year and only about 3,500 shelters to help them, so it's clear that all rescues have their work cut out for them.

In honor of the week, The Humane Society offers ten tips for helping your local shelter or rescue, some as easy as "liking" and sharing about rescues on Facebook and other social media. Other ideas include donating supplies such as towels or cleansers or even making your own toys for the shelter animals in your area. To read the article and see the whole list of ideas, click here.

Nate didn't want me to include a dog in this post but I saw this video last week and I think it captures the value of animal shelters and rescues more than any words ever could. It's such a feel-good story that even Nate had to relent and he agreed that it fits perfectly with Shelter & Rescue Appreciation Week.

Kudos to this shelter and all the others across the country!

Post by Sea FM Hobart.

Favorite Cat Rescues, the Realms Faire, and Friday Celebrations

Since National Cat Day was this week I thought I would share some of my favorite cat rescues for this week's Friday Faves. These organizations all do amazing work!

Best Friends Animal Society

As I've mentioned before, writing for Best Friends changed my life and signing up to volunteer for them was one of the best decisions I've ever made. Someday I hope to visit Best Friends in Kanab, Utah and take a trip to Cat World which is, in their words, "a place where cats rule."




Tabby's Place 

Thanks to Best Friends I got to know the amazing people and cats of Tabby's Place in Ringoes, New Jersey. Tabby's Place is a cat sanctuary dedicated to bringing hope to cats in hopeless situations. They care for numerous special needs cats and are known for finding forever homes for cats thought to be "unadoptable." I wrote a story for Cat Fancy about three kittens who were rescued by a US marine in Japan and came clear across the world to Tabby's Place, where they ultimately found a home with a woman in Pennsylvania. Tabby's Place is an extraordinary and one-of-a-kind place.

Juanita: One of the darling cats available for adoption at Tabby's Place

Ohio Alleycat Resource

Located here in Cincinnati, OAR is a low-cost spay/neuter clinic for cats that also runs a cat rescue. The clinic has performed more than 6900 spay/neuter surgeries so far this year, cutting down exponentially on the number of unwanted cats and kittens in our area. The rescue, which houses as many as 90-100 cats at any given time, has taken in more than 200 cats and adopted out nearly as many so far in 2013.

Ashley, a long-haired beauty currently waiting for her home at OAR

Purrfect Friends Cat Rescue

Another Cincinnati rescue, Purrfect Friends is an all-volunteer organization which relies on foster families to care for their rescued cats. The Purrfect Friends won this Game of Thrones fanatic's heart when they named a group of adorable kittens after GoT characters. Little mother of dragons Daenerys is still waiting for her forever home.

Daenerys

Paws & Claws Animal Rescue

Paws & Claws is based across the river from Cincinnati in Northern Kentucky and is another rescue that relies entirely on foster families to house its animals. The tireless volunteers of Paws & Claws operate under the motto "one by one until there are none." While they are not limited to cats, they always have numerous cats and kittens available for adoption.

Simba, one of the Paws & Claws kitties waiting for a new home

Moving on from the kitties, I want to thank everyone who participated in my October giveaway. Jossie at Dreaming of Publication won the Polar Night ebook and $10 Amazon gift card. Enjoy, Jossie!

Instead of a monthly giveaway in November I am participating in a mega-giveaway with my Untethered Realms buddies as part of this year's Realms Faire. The faire will be held from November 11-15 and there will be lots of fun, lots of prizes, and lots of chances to win. Visit host M. Pax here for more details and stay tuned for info on our big prize!

For this week's Celebrate the Small Things hop I was hoping to be able to celebrate the Bengals beating the Dolphins last night and going to 7-2. Unfortunately that didn't work out, to the surprise of none of us who follow the Bengals. If there's one thing the Bengals excel at it's taking the wind out of fans' sails.

But they're still in first place and my Buckeyes are rolling at 8-0 so I'm celebrating a fun football season so far and keeping my fingers crossed that the rest of the season will bring more to celebrate.

Also, it's been a long and tiring week here so I'm mostly celebrating the fact that the weekend is here. I hope everyone has a great one. :)

National Cat Day

Today is National Cat Day, an annual celebration which was founded by Colleen Paige of the Animal Miracle Foundation in 2005. The day is intended to raise awareness of the huge number of cats in rescues and shelters and also simply to celebrate the joy cats bring to our lives. Paige's goal for this year's event is to help facilitate the adoption of 10,000 shelter cats across the country. It would be amazing if this goal is met!

Nate can't really see the point of this day because every day is cat day as far as he is concerned. But he will never quibble with a feline celebration and, since he came from a shelter himself, he's agreed to help me share information on cat rescue and adoption today, as long as he doesn't have to get up from the couch.

According to the National Cat Day website, an estimated four million cats enter shelters in the United States every year. Unfortunately, between one and two million of these cats will end up euthanized. Statistics show that cats are far more likely to be relinquished to shelters than dogs and, once there, fewer than three in ten will end up adopted into a new home.

Black cats have an even more difficult time finding homes because of the superstitions associated with them. The Foundation specifically chose Halloween week for Cat Day in order to help shed light on this stigma.

If you're interested in adding a cat to your family, visit Petfinder.com and enter your city or zip code, then choose cat under "type." Sadly, I found more than 175,000 homeless cats when I searched my area.

In addition, the Cat Day site features an adoption portal to help match homeless cats with interested adopters and to link visitors with animal welfare and rescue organizations.

For more information on National Cat Day, including ways to help if you're not able to adopt, visit the Purina Petcentric site here. And check out the adorable video the people at Petcentric made to help spread the word about the day.



Happy National Cat Day to all the kitties and kitty lovers out there!

Medicating a Cat, or My Morning from Hell

My cat Nate came down with a bladder infection this week and the poor cat has had a terrible time with both nausea and pain as a result. After a very expensive trip to the vet yesterday, where he got shots of various medications to help him feel better, it's now on me to give him his remaining antibiotic and pain medication.

As I've posted here before, Nate is normally a sweet and adorable kitty who loves nothing more than chilling out on the couch with Clancy and me.

Unfortunately, that relaxed attitude goes right out the window when it comes to getting medication of any sort. Liquid or pills, it makes no difference. Nate considers all of them a threat to his life and he is sure I am trying to kill him each time I come at him with a syringe or a tasty pill pocket (which has never once fooled him.)

This morning I set my alarm extra early so I would have plenty of time for the task at hand. I filled the syringe with the pink antibiotic, took a deep calming breath, and squared my shoulders as if going into battle. By the time I got hold of Nate and tried to get the syringe into his mouth, my sweet kitty had morphed into this.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

I think I got more of the pink liquid on my pajamas then I did in Nate's mouth, but I felt fairly confident that I managed to at least get a little down his throat.

When I came back with the pain medicine, I was met with this:

Source: Wikimedia Commons

This foray was not nearly as successful, as 99% of the pain medicine ended up all over Nate's face. It's safe to say he won't have any pain in his whiskers today.

By the time I made a second and relatively successful attempt with the pain medicine, I was ready for a stiff drink or a sedative. Or perhaps a combination of both.

Now that I've lost the element of surprise and Nate will know exactly what evil I'm up to when I come at him with a syringe, I can't imagine how the rest of the weekend will go. I hope we both make it through.

On a more fun note, I'm participating in Cally Jackson's The Year I Turned 18 Blogfest on Monday, October 29. Cally is holding the fest in order to celebrate the release of her new novel The Big Smoke. I'm a sucker for nostalgia, so I couldn't resist this one. And my post is sure to be all about nostalgia, as there have been many, many years that have passed since I turned 18. Now that I'm thinking of it, this blogfest might not be a so fun after all. It's an unfortunate reminder that I'm really old! ;)

I hope everyone has a great weekend ahead, and I hope Nate and I are both still sane on Monday.

National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week

The first week full week of November is National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, an annual event that was launched by the Humane Society of the United States in 1996.

The celebration is designed not only to spotlight shelters and rescues across the country, but also to increase awareness of animal welfare issues. I'm happy to have the opportunity to participate in this special week, as both my dog Clancy and my cat Nate were rescues.

The HSUS site lists special events every day this week to help spread the word about animals currently waiting in shelters for their forever homes. Today's focus is on the Shelter Pet Project, a fun site that collaborates with Petfinder.com to help pet lovers find adoptable dogs and cats. 

If you're interested in finding shelter pets in your area, all you have to do is click here, and enter your zip code and whether you are looking for a dog or a cat. If you want to do an advanced search, you can limit your criteria by age, sex, breed, and size. It couldn't be easier, and just one search will introduce you to loads of lovable furry friends who want nothing more than to be part of your family.

Visit the National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week site here to learn other ways to help homeless animals and spread the word about this important week. In addition to helping shelter pets across the county, you may just find a new best friend of your own.

Fourth of July Kitty

Nate was not the least bit pleased about wearing the celebratory fireworks bandanna....

Wordless Wednesday

 "Happy is the home with at least one cat" ~ Italian Proverb

Wordless Wednesday: Loveseat Buddies

So much for those pet beds...

T is for the T Cats

When I graduated from college and got my first apartment, one of my main goals was to get a pet of my own. I ended up getting two, as a friend of my brother's who worked for the Humane Society rescued a mother cat and her kittens, who had been born on the street. She asked me if I would like two of the kittens, and I jumped at the chance.

They were two tabby cats, and I named them Tigger and Thomas. A friend dubbed them "the T cats." For the next twelve years, the two of them were my little buddies and constant companions, with me through moves, job changes, going back to school, more moves, more job changes, and all the general ups and downs of life.

When Tigger was 12 years old, he was diagnosed with a heart problem. His body deteriorated quickly, and within a few months, the vet also found a cancerous tumor in his abdomen. It was clear there was nothing to do for him but put him to sleep. I stayed with him when the vet put him down, and I cried my eyes out. I knew it had to be done as I couldn't allow him to suffer, but that didn't make the decision any easier.

Thomas was diagnosed with diabetes when he was 10 years old, and for the next 5 years, I learned more about treating feline diabetes than I ever wanted to know. I almost felt as if I could be a vet tech myself. Thomas was at the vet so much, he became a favorite patient of the staff there, and almost like Norm on Cheers. When Thomas and I would walk in the door, the receptionists and technicians and veterinarians would turn and yell "Thomas!" Everybody there knew his name.

He managed very well and lasted longer than anyone expected when he was first diagnosed, but when he was 15, the disease had taken its toll and his body started to shut down. Once again I found myself putting a beloved pet to sleep, and it wasn't any easier the second time around.

While Thomas outlived Tigger by 3 years, I still always think of the two of them together, and it's impossible to think of one without the other. They were a package deal.

For 12 years, they were inseparable, and only apart when one had to go to the vet and the other got to stay home. They were my T Cats and, at least in my heart, they're together again, where I know they'll always remain. 

R is for Rescues

I've learned about many wonderful rescue organizations and animal welfare groups since I started writing for Best Friends, so I decided to share a few of them for my R post.

I'm starting right here in my home town of Cincinnati, with the Cincinnati Pet Food Pantry. This is an amazing, all-volunteer organization that provides pet food to needy families in our area. With the economy the way it is, it's no secret that more and more people are relying on food pantries and social service organizations to help them get through these tough times. When people have already lost so much, I think being able to keep their cherished pet in the midst of so much uncertainty must be an extraordinary comfort. I really admire the folks behind the Cincinnati Pet Food Pantry, and I would encourage anyone in the area to check them out, and support them if possible.

Another great local organization is the United Coalition for Animals, or UCAN. I visited the UCAN clinic last month during their Pets In Need veterinary clinic, and saw first-hand how much they help low income pet parents by providing basic veterinary care to those in financial need. UCAN's primary mission is to keep the pet population down by offering low cost spay and neuter surgeries, and they are now celebrating their 32,000th surgery since their opening in 2007. It's impossible to imagine how many feline and canine lives have been saved, and how many pets have been kept in homes and out of shelters, since this fabulous clinic first opened their doors.

Moving across the country now to Nevada, and the Shelter Pet Rescue Network. Another all-volunteer organization, SPRN focuses on rescuing animals in danger of euthanasia at county shelters, and caring for them in foster homes until they can be adopted by new families. SPRN focuses on "bullie breeds," and is dedicated to helping improve the reputation of pit bull dogs, but they will rescue and care for any companion animals. When I talked with them, they had just taken in a litter of kittens, and the kittens had made themselves right at home among the much bigger pit bulls. One need only look at SPRN's "Happy Tails" for the past few years to see what a difference they have made for so many Nevada animals.

Finally coming back East, and my favorite of the organizations I have written about, Tabby's Place in Ringoes, New Jersey. Tabby's Place is a cat sanctuary, and a place like no other I have encountered. They specialize in cats who are considered "unadoptable," such as those with physical problems or other special needs, those who are older, or simply those who don't have the best personality in the world. All of them have a home at Tabby's Place, and all are cared for by people who love them just as they are. If you'd like to read more about the feline occupants of Tabby's Place, click here for an article I wrote about some of the kitties who captured a special place in my heart.

These are just four of the organizations that I've had the good fortune to discover, and I look forward to learning about many more like them. It's amazing to me to see how many grass roots groups are operating all over the country, doing their best to help animals who are unable to help themselves. In a world that can often be harsh, it's a gift to see so much kindness, and to meet so many who are willing to lend a helping hand to both people and animals in need.

Adopt the Internet Day

In honor of their 15th birthday, Petfinder.com is asking bloggers to celebrate Adopt the Internet Day on March 15th, and spread the word about adoptable pets on the internet.

There are several easy ways to participate, including tweeting about an adoptable pet and adding the #adopttheinternet hashtag to your tweets. I have found the animal community on twitter to be amazing, and love sharing the Circle Tail dogs there, so I'm looking forward to tweeting about more next week with this hashtag.

I know that Petfinder has helped to facilitate thousands of pet adoptions across the country, and last summer I was fortunate enough to write about a special needs cat named Penny who found a forever home through Twitter. I'm sure there are countless other Pennys out there who were adopted through the magic of social networking, so I'm excited to be able to participate in Petfinder's birthday celebration and help spread the word about all the wonderful adoptable pets online. 

You can find a list of ways to help, and see a gallery of adorable adoptables, here on Petfinder.com.

My Spoiled Cat

I finished a new article called The Cat Angel for Best Friends this week, and it was a real joy to write about this special lady who cares for so many feral cats. But it also made me sad to think just how many cats are living outside in such harsh conditions. This winter has been such a tough one in so many parts of the country, it breaks my heart to think of so many animals trying to manage outside in the cold on their own.

As a result, I tried to impress upon my own cat Nate how lucky he is to have a home, with a warm place to sleep and food at his disposal every day.

Nate would have none of it.

I adopted Nate three years ago from the Kenton County Animal Shelter in Covington, Kentucky. I had recently lost my cat of 12 years, Tigger, to cancer, and I wanted a new friend for the cat I still had, Thomas. And if I'm being honest, a new friend for myself as well.

Tigger and Thomas were brothers, and both striped tabby cats. When I went looking for a new cat, I had no intention of getting a striped tabby, as I wanted something different. I had my heart set on a tuxedo cat, and I was going to name him Jack. But then I went to the shelter, and I saw a 4 month old striped tabby kitten named Nate. I sat in the cage and played with him, and within an hour, I had forgotten about getting a tuxedo cat and forgotten about the name Jack. I arranged to bring Nate home with me.

I've never regretted that choice, as Nate is a joy, and a character in every sense of the word. When he is not goading Clancy into chasing him around the condo, he can usually be found like this.

He has no delusions about who is in charge of our house. It's clear to him that he is. He meows for food as soon as I come home from work, and won't be quiet until a bowl of food is in front of him. If I decide to sleep in on the weekends, he is quick to get out the megaphone and yell to remind me that his breakfast is late. I bought Clancy a new dog bed a few months ago, and Nate quickly claimed it as his own. When I got a warm scarf for the winter, Nate didn't hesitate to turn it into a bed for himself the first time I forgot to put the scarf away in the closet.

He sees everything in the house as his birthright, and truthfully, I wouldn't want it any other way. I wish I could give all of the cats I wrote about in the article the same comforts of home. 

Since that is not possible, I'm glad I can at least do it for my two loves.