HAVE A NICE TRIP?

Here’s a news story that should give you pause (or, should I say… paws) for thought. According to the Center for Disease Control & Prevention, cats (us) and dogs (them) cause 86,000 trip-and-fall injuries to American humans every year…. although dogs, being the oafs that they are, inflict far more damage than us careful, thoughtful felines. Of course, some of these injuries occur when humans stumble over pet toys and food bowls. Can’t they just watch where they’re going!

Apparently, cats cause 11.7% of trip-and-fall injuries. Hey, can we help it if our humans trip over us when we’re weaving sinuously around their legs, racing around the house, or crowding them while they prepare our food? But if you think THAT's bad, how about this… dogs cause a whopping 88% of fall-related injuries. What rubes! Most dog-related injuries occur when humans take ‘ole Rover out for a walk on a leash and get roughly pulled or pushed, which accounts for the huge lead dogs have over cats in the injury-causing department. Clearly, we kitties have some catching up to do!

Fortunately, most of the injuries inflicted on our humans are not too serious… usually nothing more than a sprain or, at worst, a broken bone. Still, fellow cats and dreaded dogs, let’s try to be a bit more careful around our humans. After all, they can’t help it if they’re klutzes.

PHOTOS OF CAT READERS

Here’s a special meow out to Kali, Mazi and Simba (and, oh yes, their human Kathy) of Lancaster, California, who sent us some wonderful photos of the cats with their copy of The World Is Your Litter Box for inclusion on the Litter Box website. Steve and I are always VERY happy to hear from kitties (and humans) who are enjoying the book.

Kathy and her cats also have a blog titled “Bengal Cat Domination,” and the March 19th post features several photos of Kali, Mazi and Simba with The World Is Your Litter Box, along with some very funny captions and nice comments about the book. Here’s a link to the blog…

http://bengalcatdomination.blogspot.com/

And while we’re on the subject of photos, I'd like to remind all my kitty readers that we would love to have a photo of you posed with your copy of The World Is Your Litter Box so we can add it to our website. For information on where to send your photo, and for a look at our current gallery of erudite cats, please visit the “Photos of Cat Readers” page on the Litter Box website.

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY!

March 17th, as I’m sure you know, is Saint Patrick’s Day… a day in which humans of Irish descent honor Saint Patrick by wearing something green and drinking lots of alcohol, most often something like Guinness Stout. In some places that tend to be a bit on the rowdy side, well-oiled Irish humans also like to fight and get all blubbery singing off-key versions of traditional Irish songs like “Danny Boy.”

So what’s in it for us cats, you ask? Well, Saint Patrick, being one of the patron saints of Ireland, is said to have driven all the snakes out of the country, which had to be a good thing for all the Irish kitties at the time. But for all you modern-day kitties (Irish or not), the best thing would probably be to stay out of your human’s way if they’re drinking or fighting, or both. You certainly don’t want to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day by getting stepped on or squished. Also, many humans, Irish and otherwise, like to dress their cats in something green like a sweater or a little cap or something like that. I know, it sounds embarrassing, but in the spirit of the holiday, you might want to be magnanimous and let your human get away with it. Hey, they might even feel festive enough to pour a little Guinness in your water dish… if the luck ‘o the Irish is with you, that is.

Regardless, here’s wishing you and your human a very happy Saint Patrick’s Day. Erin go braugh!

TAILS MAGAZINE LOVES THE WORLD IS YOUR LITTER BOX

Here’s a very nice review of The World Is Your Litter Box from the Tails Magazine e-newsletter for this week. Thanks to Renee Krejci and the entire gang at the Pet Media Group… we really appreciate it....

WHAT WE'RE READING

The World Is Your Litter Box: A How-To Manual for Cats

by Steve Fisher(Sterling)

This book makes for a light and funny read. Just be sure not to leave it where Fluffy can find it! In this handy manual, Quasi the 18-pound cat gives advice to his fellow felines. The book includes tips for cats on everything from how to look cute and get away with unacceptable kitty behavior to annoying humans who are allergic to cats. Quasi's writing will surely have you laughing out loud and Fluffy plotting world domination in no time!

Hard copy versions of Tails are available free at many veterinarian offices… yes, that’s right, the hated vet, and at other pet oriented locations. For more information about Tails Magazine and their e-newsletter, visit http://www.tailsinc.com/.

PURIM... AND PURR-IM

On March 10th, humans of the Jewish faith will celebrate Purim, which commemorates the day in ancient history when Queen Esther saved the Jews in Babylonian captivity from the hands of Haman, the royal vizier to King Ahasuerus, who planned to kill them. Each year, the deliverance of the Jews in Babylonia is celebrated with prayers, gifts, and a festive meal known as the Feast of Purim.

Now, here’s something you might not know... Queen Esther was also the supreme cat lover in the land at the time. So, after saving the Jews in Babylonia, she rounded up all the local Jewish kitties and gave them treats, toys, and the unalienable right to claw the arms of the couches. Today, while Jewish humans celebrate Purim, Jewish kitties celebrate Purr-im with a big party and lots of treats, including ham pate-filled cat cookies called ham-and-treatsen (shown in the photo).

Mazel Tov!

UH-OH, IT'S DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME AGAIN!

In their ever-amazing infinite wisdom, humans have developed something called daylight savings time, which involves setting the clocks ahead one hour in the spring and setting them back one hour in the fall. Why? Who the heck knows? To me, it just seems like one more thing humans have come up with to confound themselves and make their lives even more complicated. And, of course, there are always those dummies who forget to turn their clocks back (or forward) and end up early (or late) for work or whatever.

But Quasi, you ask, how does this daylight savings thing affect us cats? Well, as you know, all felines have internal kitty alarm clocks, but our clocks are not really sophisticated enough to be turned back and forward on a moment’s notice. We require a period of adjustment, and during that period of adjustment, our humans must pay for their folly. For example, let’s say you wake your human at 7:00 each morning. When clocks are turned ahead one hour, as they will be on Sunday, 7:00 AM becomes 8:00 AM… so, until your kitty clock resets, your human will be awakened at 8:00 AM, or, what used to be 7:00 AM. I know, confusing, huh? As Marvin Gaye once sang, it makes me wanna holler, throw up both my hands (or, in our cases, paws).

At any rate, make sure your human sets all their clocks ahead one hour before they go to bed on Saturday, or when they wake up on Sunday.