When Guys Do Good

Gift-giving can sometimes be a complicated and dangerous mine field for men, particularly on occasions when expectations might run high, for example, on Valentines Day. That's why we always want to applaud our guys when they get it right.

When customer David V. contacted me about a surprise portrait for his sweetheart Nancy, he asked to include her son Alex, and their two canine cuties, Jordy and Max. There was a question about it arriving in time for Valentines Day, so being the model customer, he said that there was no pressure; it would make a lovely Easter gift if need be.

The portrait got done in the nick of time and was mailed out by priority mail, but alas, the Big Blizzard arrived back East, and what should have taken 3 days to arrive, took a full week.

David explains: "The portrait did arrive on the 15th but I was able to show my sweetie the [computer] image you sent of the final product and she was thrilled to say the least...she immediately made it her facebook and IM profile pic and got a ton of comments about it including something like 'The man did good Nancy, he did real good'.

"When I got the painting in the mail and brought it to her we had a great time trying to figure out where to display it. It currently resides in her dining room and looks great!"

David, a freelance web designer recently created a beautiful pro-bono site for Feline Urban Rescue which serves the Washington D.C. metropolitan area.

I think we all agree with Nancy's friend:

You did good David, you did real good!

Sweethearts and Hissy Fits

Tuxedo cat Squeaky and terrific tabby Pandora can tell you: it's a little scary to take the big plunge and move in together. Questions arise such as: Just who gets to sit on the top perch of the scratching post? Will there be separate water bowls? What if the other cat looks at me funny and my claws accidentally slip out?


Sweethearts Cat Lady Karen and Feline Fella Ali, on the other hand, are quite ready to take the next big step. Karen explains: "We have decided to merge our households this Valentine's Day weekend. The most complex and stressful aspect for us has been figuring out how to successfully transition from 2 homes with 2 solo cats to one pair of cats !

"While Ali's cat Pandora, and my cat Squeaky, are on their own the most loving and docile cats you can imagine, our early attempts at acquainting them (via afternoon play dates) resulted in the usually timid Squeaky perched on the kitchen counter hissing.

"Since then, we've done research and made endless inquiries to vets and other cat-knowledgeable folks to figure out the best strategy for ensuring a successful meeting and providing for a peaceful home for both cats and people in the future. We think we're ready!"

Here's wishing Karen and Ali the happiest of Valentines Days with many more to come. May everyone's loving households be hissy-fit free today and always!!

When Karen isn't mediating cats, she creates beautiful stoneware pottery. Be sure to visit Karen's pottery studio at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/karenrobertspottery/

Do you have any tips for bringing new cats together into a new household? Leave your suggestions in the comments at the end of this post.

Cat Lady No. 157...Bliss In A Box

Cat Lady Chandra is a Mathematics Professor and when she adopted Krayola Kitty she discovered a brand new equation:

Cat + Box= Blissful Contentment

Whenever she needs a smile, she visits one of a plethora of websites devoted to Cat Bliss In A Box. Here are a few samples:

http://catinabox.com/

http://www.catsinboxes.com/

http://www.flickr.com/groups/catsinboxes/

http://catinabox.org/blog/

Thanks for visiting!

Cat Lady No. 45...Hearts To You

This is a special Valentine to Cat Lady Carrie from six very special little friends with furry faces, as described by Carrie:

Finnegan: "our sweetie scaredy cat....I am the only one who ever gets to pet him and snuggle with him late at night."

Gus: "He is our tuxedo boy....most distinctive feature (other than the fact that his back legs don't work very well) is those long white whiskers against that black furry face. He is our 'special needs' child....he has a gazillion and one things wrong with his body/health and yet he is the craziest, purrbox on earth."

Rosie: "Our robust tuxedo girl....she is known as the 'Oozie Buddha'...I love her more than I can express...my bestest girlfriend. She is quirky and silly and makes me laugh constantly."

Teeny: "Our orange tabby pumpkin beach ball...she is our first 'child'. She is quite grouchy and wishes she had remained an only child. She loves her mom and no one else. "

Rooney: "The most handsome boy ever! He is a deep orange mackerel tabby with white accents including an adorable white milk mustache. Rooney loves other cats and all people. He is the all around, affectionate, purrfect boy. He is Brian's favorite for sure."

Heidi: "Our newest addition...she is a buff tabby...very slim and petite with a super long tail. When we rescued her, she was yelling at us as we drove by and is still hollering at us...constantly meowing. She LOVES to snuggle up really close to us...either on our shoulders or tucked in an armpit."

This is what these furry friends would like to say to Cat Lady Carrie, Artisan, Sculptor, Athlete, Spinner, Cat Rescue Angel, Spay and Neuter Advocate, and all-round Sweetheart:

"Thanks! We Love You! Will You Be Our Valentine? Purrs to you, from your favorite SnipPets

(And Get Well Soon Brian!)

To find out more about Cat Lady Carrie and all of her adventures, visit The SnipPets Blog. You'll also want to visit her online art gallery filled with fun and fanciful gifts for pet owners and animal lovers: The SnipPets

Thanks for visiting!

Cat Lady No. 43...Special Delivery

Cat Lady Jovanna is delighted to receive a very special Valentine, just delivered by Cupid Cat Caprice. The Valentine came all the way from Italy, from Jovanna's grandmother in the Tuscan countryside.

Caprice's feathers aren't the least bit ruffled after such a long flight all the way to Brooklyn, but nevertheless she is delighted to be offered a bowl of cream as a thank you.

While Caprice enjoys her treat, Jovanna regales her guest with a few favorite Valentine jokes that her 7-year-old twins brought home from school:

What do you call a very small Love Letter on February 14?
A Valentiny.

What do you call two birds in love?
Tweethearts.

What does Farmer John give his wife on February 14?
Hogs and kisses.

What did the boy octopus say to the girl octopus on Valentines Day?
I want to hold your hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand!

Thanks for visiting!

Jovanna and Caprice can be found on a variety of Valentine cards, note cards, postcards, t-shirts and other gifts at: www.cafepress.com/SusanFaye.

Cat Lady No. 42...Secret Admirer

Cat Lady Jimena just received a Valentine from a secret admirer. Feline Friend Fernanda knows it's from the cute bicycle repair man down the street, but she's going to keep it a secret for now, and let Jimena guess who it's from.

Fernanda knows that once Jimena falls in love, there will be big changes in store: time spent whiling away the hours with a raggedy catnip mouse awaiting Jimena's return from that long bicycle ride, tummy growling for tuna awaiting Jimena's return from some giggle-filled evening at a seafood restaurant, and (it's almost too horrible to even consider) what if he has the audacity to be allergic to felines! She shudders at the thought...

So she will bask in Jimena's adoration just a few days more if possible and purr just a bit longer and louder to make sure that Jimena knows who the real sweetheart is.


Need to keep track of your secret admirers?
This blank book or journal is the perfect solution! Jimena and Fernanda can be found on a variety of Valentine cards, note cards, postcards, t-shirts and other gifts at: www.cafepress.com/SusanFaye.

Thanks for visiting!

Cat Lady No. 40...A Surprise Visit From Cupid

Professor of English Literature and Cat Lady Joella has just received a special Valentine delivered by Boswick, a Cat Cupid. She is speechless.

Joella, previously unaware of the existence of Cat Cupids and her mind now reeling, searches for something to say to her surprise guest. The only thing that comes to mind is a poem, written by Irish poet Thomas Moore (1779-1852), which she feels compelled to recite:


"Cupid once upon a bed
Of roses laid his weary head;
Luckless urchin, not to see
Within the leaves a slumbering bee.
The bee awak'd--with anger wild
The bee awak'd, and stung the child.
Loud and piteous are his cries;
To Venus quick he runs, he flies;
"Oh, Mother! I am wounded through--
I die with pain--in sooth I do!
Stung by some little angry thing,
Some serpent on a tiny wing--
A bee it was--for once, I know,
I heard a rustic call it so."
Thus he spoke, and she the while
Heard him with a soothing smile;
Then said, "My infant, if so much
Thou feel the little wild bee's touch,
How must the heart, ah, Cupid! be,
The hapless heart that's stung by thee!"

Boswick is delighted by the impromptu poetry recitation and purrs contentedly as he glides off toward his next delivery.

Joella and Boswick can be found on a variety of Valentine cards, note cards, postcards, t-shirts and other gifts at: www.cafepress.com/SusanFaye.

Thanks for visiting!

Cat Lady No. 37...True Love

Cat Mom Mercedes has lost her heart to these three little rascals, dropped off at the cat rescue shelter where she volunteers on Fridays.

Sadly, millions of little sweethearts just like these are destroyed each year because there are simply too many cats and too few loving homes. A simple solution is to spay and neuter pets and feral cats.

Mercedes has been volunteering to help get the word out about Spay Day USA, sponsored by the Humane Society, which will take place February 24. Events are taking place throughout the month...check them out here: SPAY DAY EVENTS

In the mean time, Mercedes will try to find loving homes for the triplets, and in return they will continue to be adorable and put a smile on her face. Now that's true love.

Mercedes and her kittens can be found on a variety of Valentine cards, note cards, postcards, t-shirts and other gifts at: www.cafepress.com/SusanFaye.

Cat Lady No. 34...Sweethearts

Cat Lady Stella thinks her cat Ashton Grayboy is an absolute sweetheart. The feeling is mutual.

Today Ashton is helping Stella prepare for making pop-up Valentines in her third grade classroom. Stella won't let him play with the scissors, but he loves to help by knocking the pencils onto the floor and chasing the paper scraps about the room.

If you would like to make a pop-up valentine of your own, here are instructions: Pop-up Valentine

Have fun!

Stella and Ashton Grayboy can be found on a delightful selection of Valentine items including this colorful mug. Fill it with candy, pencils, or other small treats and surprise your sweetheart. You'll find more fine gifts at: www.cafepress.com/SusanFaye.

Cat Lady No. 31...Pastels and Peachy Keen

Cat Lady Johanna is just crazy for pearls, pastels, and Peachy Keen, her ginger-peach-orange-marmalade tabby cat.

Johanna and Peachy are city girls and a bit pampered, but Peachy sometimes longs for just one sunny afternoon of frolicking through wind-blown wild grasses where flitting and skittering things might be lurking.

Her favorite blog is written by The Ginger Darlings, Elmo, Maurice, and Pixie--three lucky ginger cats who live in the countryside of St. Davids, Pembrokeshire, Wales. You can enjoy their cat tales here: wethreecats.blogspot.com.

They have fabulous adventures and then sleep a lot. Their Cat Lady has been busy illustrating what looks to be a fabulous story book and you can find out more here: Starlight, Starbright

Thanks for visiting!

Johanna and Peachy Keen can be found on a variety of Valentine postcards (pictured), note cards, postcards, t-shirts and other gifts at: www.cafepress.com/SusanFaye

Cat Lady No. 23...Crafty Kittens

Swedish Cat Grandma Sigrid isn't worried about freezing winter temperatures now that she has Tabby Triplets Trina, Teo, and Tekla to warm her heart.

Today Sigrid's furry friends are helping her make handmade valentines to mail out to all the grandkids who live overseas. She found a wonderful pattern for a Pop-Up valentine card designed by the famous pop-up book engineer Robert Sabuda. Check it out here:
Pop-up Valentine

Have fun and thanks for visiting!

Would you like a Custom Cat Lady Valentine Portrait? ...A one-of-a-kind and very affordable gift for any cat lover...For pricing and options, please visit my Etsy online gallery by clicking here: CUSTOM CAT LADIES


Not so handy with scissors and a glue gun?
Sigrid and her kittens can be found on a variety of Valentine cards, note cards, postcards, t-shirts and other gifts at: www.cafepress.com/SusanFaye.

Cat Lady No. 20...Hail To The Chief!

Cat Lady Robbi and Chief, her beloved Himalayan cat, are enjoying the Inaugural events of the day.

Robbi had tears in her eyes while watching the swearing in ceremony, and is looking forward to all of the galas and celebrations and the glamorous Inaugural Ball.

Chief always loves a parade, particularly the marching bands. Needless to say, his chest swells with pride whenever a band plays "Hail To The Chief", but he doesn't quite understand why Robbi doesn't rise to salute him ...

Can Valentines Day be just around the corner? It is for those of you who eschew procrastination and prefer to plan ahead...You'll find my latest designs for your Sweetheart at my CafePress Gift Shop for Cat Ladies...including T-shirts, cards, mugs, and tote bags. Just click here: VALENTINE GOODIES

Thanks for visiting!