They share similarities to humans with Alzheimer disease — The antics of our seventeen-year old cat, Harpo, once had me wondering whether our companion animals suffer from age-related dementia. Harpo had aged gracefully into an elderly reticent, mannerly gentleman. His neat white fur was trimmed elegantly in black, and his modest unassuming manner made me think of what writer…

Who purred his way out of the hood and into our hearts — A gray pall descended and settled uncomfortably over our household, wafting from kitchen to bedroom, to the sun room and across the haunts where Willie-Cat divided his day, defending against imagined interlopers and seeking out the warmest, most choice spots to nap. Willie, who was named after Willis Morris —…

The things we cat guardians do to protect our fur babies — When Michael and I married we waited a while before making any decisions about buying a house. Six months after he moved in, the apartment building was sold to a pair of youngish real estate developers with designs to condo the 100-year-old building. At first, I was ecstatic. This sudden…

This feline has ideas, and he’s not shy about expressing them — You can tell by looking into the face of this cat he’s assured, self-confident and brooks no nonsense. Self-esteem is not an issue with Buddy-Cat. Buddy made his first appearance on our doorstep several years ago. He was known to have been the cat of a family two streets away…

Being a cat guardian is abandoning the notion of having “nice things” — It’s mostly the lamps that I miss. I’ve always been attracted to unusual, well-made lamps with personality. Burnished Stiffel lamps of brass with marble bases, vintage lamps with distinctive shapes, materials and colors. I’ve said good-bye to many of these. One lamp in particular makes me a tiny bit teary…

It’s easier than you may think — Over the years buying Christmas presents and other holiday gifts for friends and family has gotten harder and harder. After all, almost everyone I know already has the things they “need,” and most can buy pretty much whatever they want. So, the conundrum is: What kind of gift can I…

There’s more to it than just fun — I’m convinced every creature, human and non, young or old, benefit from play. It’s been said a child, puppy or kitten deprived of play and freedom to explore early in life may suffer behavioral difficulties later on. Animal behaviorists stress that an important consequence of play is the development of…

One that may arrive early in your life and blossom with age and maturity — I used to listen to Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion on my local NPR affiliate station. Until, of course, he was dropped from the radio show in 2017 due to allegations of sexual harassment. What a loss to public radio. And what a disappointment. The beloved humorist — host of…

Involving a turkey, a ham, a cheese plate . . . and a cat — Adding to the stock of perennial holiday stories — those of cooking disasters, turkeys that combusted while being deep-fried, and Aunt Jessica’s hangover from liqueur infused truffles — here’s another ornament to pin to the playlist. My friend Abby* had planned her first-ever holiday dinner for family and her fiancé…