Like sneezes and celebrity deaths, cats named Max have came in threes this year. One of those Max-cats lived on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and was in need of a new home. A month ago today, thanks to two very special I HAVE CAT Facebook fans, Max found a forever home in Brooklyn complete with a a new sister! This, is his story.

Warning from the editor:  If you are unable to suspend reality you are urged to reconsider proceeding past this point.

Max: I’m not perfect. I know I’ve got some faults. So when I learned that I was getting a new family, I got a little nervous. Like tail-between-the-legs-when-no-one-is-looking kind of nervous. I’m kind of high maintenance.

Litter box scooped instantly, a specific napping spot, multiple hair brushings a day, and playing with toys in a particular way. Just to name a few.

Basically, doing everything with my own rhythm. So when I found out who my new sister was, I started to shed with excitement and concern.

What if she didn’t like me? What if I slept on her sleep spot? What if she didn’t want to share her humans. Rogue Kitteh is cat with a lot of character and I did not want to get on her bad side.

She has interests in socially meaningful things and pop culture. She’s done sushi reviews, made remix music videos, and has even modeled (for the human’s classes during undergrad). She’s got followers on Twitter and Facebook and she’s really smart. I’ve heard she can even open doors by herself!

Like I said, intimidating.

My first day I just sat back and tried to give her as much space and not annoy her – though I admit I did mess up and user her litter box. Whoopsie! But now we’re really good friends.

Rogue: I’m still the boss though.

Max: Mmmhmm. (riiiiight). Oh! And the humans are pretty cool. The new mama works in a hotel, but has her Master’s degree in Media Studies (maybe that’s why she’s always following us around with the camera or the video maker thing) and the new papa is going to school for Interactive Design making websites and stuff like that.

I think they’re both pretty rad, but I think the man human’s my favorite (because he drops more food and he is real good with the cuddles) They’ve known each other for years, grew up in a small town, were best friends, are really cheesy and goofballs.

The man has a lot of camouflage because he did army stuff, and although fashionably it’s questionable, it’s definitely comfortable to sleep on.

Rogue: So I was like, okay, I saw this I HAVE CAT post and I had to show mama. I thought having a brother would be cool, but I guess I didn’t think about the logistics.

Like, brothers are cool and all but they’re there ALL the time.

I forgot about that.  I guess it’s okay though.

Some things have changed and are kind of annoying. Like he uses my box even though he has his own. And he meows (unlike moi), he doesn’t have nails (weiiiird!!) and he sleeps in my fifth favorite sleep spot. But I guess that’s okay.

Life’s definitely different around here. I’m only four and a half and he’s like eight, but he definitely acts like a bratty little brother! Both of us LOVE food and feather toys though, so we bonded over that right away.

Max: Well, we’re still waiting for the humans to order sushi…. but yeah, they give us grain-free healthy food that actually tastes pretty good.

IHC: As you can see from the video below, Max was lucky enough to experience his first sushi between the time this was originally written and posted.

 Other than that, the humans are pretty good cooks and Rogue begs a lot, so I’ve been taking place as side kick on our dinner time adventures where we try to bamboozle the humans into dropping pieces to nibble on.

Rogue: We like to gang up on them a lot!

Max: Definitely. We play hide and seek games sometimes, but mostly we just torture the humans. The new mama works and the new papa goes to school and does army stuff in Manhattan, but Rogue and I just chill out in Brooklyn. We have a train to watch out the back window, a bird’s nest to watch from the kitchen bedroom, and ice cream trucks and kids play out the front window.

Sometimes I miss my old mommy but I know she wanted what was best for me and found me a really awesome new home..oh right, and sister!  I’m really happy here -  it’ll be four weeks on Thursday May 17^th – and I have been so busy napping, playing, enjoying life, that I haven’t even had time for a hairball!

Rogue:  I set up a Facebook account for Max and he’s catching on pretty quick. You can follow our adventures— I’m Rogue Kittehski & he is Maximo Kittehski. Friend us!

IHC: I love this video so much I can hardly stand it. It was taken only days after Max(imo) was at his new home. His daddy thought he was taking a photo but – SURPRISE! It was a video! LOL! Rogue would like it to be noted that she was in fact there on the floor and not impressed. Look how sweet and comfy Max is looking up to his new mama!

A HUGE thank you to Max’s new Mom Tanya for “translating” Max’s story and sharing it with us! I think Max’s parents deserve their very own blog post don’t you?!

If the photo below looks familiar – bed, curtain, vase, mug - there’s a reason for it. That brass-framed queen size bed was the setting for many a breakfast-in-bed growing up in the small town of Northfield, Minnesota.

It was only while at my parents this weekend, flipping through photo albums looking for appropriate Mother’s Day photos, that I noticed the bed as a familiar constant throughout my formative years.

[My sister always managed to wedge herself between me and Mom - too cute. Well, not back then it wasn't!]

What would begin under the guise of breakfast for a special occasion would quickly end-up with our nuclear family of four on, or in the bed.

As an added bonus, the brass bed frame doubled as an impromptu jungle gym for my sister, and the hollow tubes a secret safety deposit for cash and jewelry. My sister describes the bed as “possessing some sort of magical powers.” I don’t think she was that far off.

But I digress. This post is supposed to be a (belated) Mother’s Day post for my Mom. “Mom,” “Mommy,” “Maaaaahhhhhh (teenage years!) ,”and rarely, for effect (or affect), “Mo-ther.”

[Me and Mom in California pe-baby sister and pre-brass bed]

Growing up my sister and I told our Mom she was the Bestest Mommy in the whole wide world. Not sure how it began, though I suspect my sister used it thinking it was a real word and it stuck.

I also believed – and still do – I had the prettiest, most glamorous Mom around. Very Sophia Loren don’t you think (of course she doesn’t think so!)? I loved watching her get ready to go out with my Dad on the rare occasions they left us at home with a sitter.

Other Moms work comfortable shoes and khaki’s but I don’t have a single memory of my Mom wearing anything other than a skirt or dress with heels. Her friends joked that she must wear heels to bed! And I’m dead serious when I tell you she didn’t wear her first pair of jeans until the mid 1990s.

[In this photo she was younger than I am now. The original M.I.L.F.]

She came to this country in her late twenties from the Middle East, with English as her third (fourth?) language. Not knowing the customs she raised a family first in the Mid-West and then the South. No easy task.

I was born when my parents lived in student housing while my dad worked on his PhD. Being the first-born I had the distinct pleasure of making her a Mom. Even now, when it’s my Birthday she’ll call me with “real-time” updates:

“Right now, X years ago, your Daddy and I were driving to UCLA hospital….”

“Right now, X years ago I was in my 10^th hour of labor (yikes!)…”

When I was born she thought I was mad at her. Apparently my journey had been an arduous one and left me rather battle worn. She claims I gave her a dirty look indicating I was not pleased (or as she was convinced, that I didn’t love her!).

[My sister was so cute. A teddy bear. She definitely wins the prize for biggest transformation!]

 I was an active child. One might even say i was overactive, or hyper. According to my Mom, it began in eutero with incessant late night performances of River Dance with her rib cage as the dance floor.

We moved to Minnesota when I was four or five years of age. That’s where my sister was born (I requested her, but that’s another story) and where I spent my formative years.  It was a town with a welcome sign that actually read “cows, colleges and contentment.”

Unlike most GenXers my sister and I were not latchkey kids (though it turns out my sister had a secret hankering to be!).  In retrospect we were surprisingly “Leave it to Beaver.”

Dad brought home the “bacon” and Mom”fried it up” (aka managed the money!).  I feel fortunate to have had my Mom at home growing up. It’s a luxury most in my generation cannot afford if they wanted it.

Looking at those photos of breakfasts in the brass bed, I wonder what we were thinking. If I were to take a guess I’d say I was most likely focused on getting the prime spot in the bed and/or eating some of my Mom’s celebratory croissant (I distinctly recall when she went on her cottage cheese and cantaloupe phase – blech, no fun!).

Thanks to my Mom, my sister and I experienced a childhood blissfully unaware of the heartbreak and suffering that awaited us in the real world.  We lived in a safe and warm cocoon where nothing bad could possible happen. A very, very large brass bed. One might even describe it as…magical?

[Have always wished I looked more like my Mom! As you can see, the wine habit started young!]

Sometimes when I’m at home with my parents and we’re hanging out in the living room (preferably in front of a roaring fire with an open bottle of wine – thanks Dad!), I put my head on my Mom’s tummy. And I not-so-jokingly ask if I can go back in please.

Sadly it’s not to be. But I can climb the stairs to the guest room (“my” room) and crawl into that queen size brass bed, now slightly dented and scratched. And as I drift off to sleep I tell myself I won’t forget to check the frame for forgotten jewels in the morning…

Love you Mommy, you are still the BESTEST

xoxo, Your Girls 

As I mentioned in a previous post, lately I’ve been feeling like a hamster on a wheel.  Trying to catch-up and going nowhere fast.

Reviewing the many cat books I’ve received ranks up there on the “to do” list.  Among them: Cat Calls, Under the Paw, Jackson Galaxy Cat Daddy,Cat Versus Human, For the Love of Cats, Paolo’s Adventures: The Tale of a Very Brave Kitty, ZooBorns, ZooBorns Cats! and The World Is Your Litter Box .

Feeling overwhelmed, I decided to let Kip pick which book to review first.  Kip strikes me as the most literate of the bunch, can’t explain why exactly. Perhaps it’s the large-ish circumference of his head. Very scholarly.

I’ll admit, it’s not the most scientific method. I’m not sure how the mouse toy got on one of them….

Kip considered his options carefully before landing on his selection, For the Love of Cats. I wanted to be certain this was his final decision, so I waited.

But Kip was adamant. He had spoken.

Well, figuratively.

Stay tuned for a complete review.

By me, not the cat.

hi tamar and fans of “i have cat,”

hi! my name is coco and i am a crazy cat lady…i mean a thirty *cough* gal with a cat.  i’ve never written a guest blog, so this is kinda a big deal! so much so that i got a manicure for the occasion.  fancy!

and while being excited and nervous makes me wanna swear a lot, i’ve promised my mother that i’ll “use my words”  and by that, she means avoiding the “four-lettered” ones. so here it goes!

back in 1997, a younger and thinner coco moved to the united arab emirates.  homesick and bored, i would look forward to the saturday newspaper with a fervor that others who didn’t know me might find a bit, well, weird. we look very pensive.  i’m assuming that we’re both thinking about food.

you see, a local cat rescue committee called feline friends took out a two-page spread in the paper every week and listed all of the kitties who needed homes. while i had grand fantasies of adopting them all, i was only able to negotiate the adoption of one.

my BF at the time and i fell in love with the picture of a little white cat named lulu.  lulu!  squeee!  i cut out her picture and profile from the newspaper and put in on the fridge.  i then called the rescue group and proudly told them we wanted to meet sweet lil lulu asap, and that we’d be willing to make the 2-hour trip to meet her.

the nice lady on the line said that actually, there were a batch of kittehs that needed a home more urgently…and that they lived a mere 5 minutes from us.  i agreed to meet these other cats since they were in greater need…but was secretly sad that i wouldn’t get to meet the white fluffball named lulu.

that is, until i met yazmeena.

we made the trip later that day to meet this group of cats.  their humans were leaving to go back to the UK where they have strict quarantine laws, and they didn’t want their cats live in cages for 6 months.  we first met their 3 pudgy sweet boy cats who the couple had had since their days in England.  since i could only adopt one kitteh and i had my heart set on a girl, i was eager to meet the princess of the bunch.

the nice couple told us how one hot summer day, they found this wee little desert kitten in an alley.  she was beaten up badly and cowering behind an abandoned refrigerator.  they scooped her up, nursed her back to health, and named her “yazmeena” (arabic for “jasmine”)…and how she quickly became the ruler of her 3 adoptive brothers and her humans’ hearts.

back when we were both younger and skinnier.  look at those big ears!

and just as they finished the story, yazmeena sauntered down the stairs with the airs of a princess.  she looked at us with both curiosity and judgement, and slowly walked over and brushed against my bf’s leg.  the little coquette won us over immediately.  while we hated to separate her from her adoptive brothers, we knew she would be the hardest to find a home as she was a “local” cat with feral blood whereas her brothers were fully domesticated western cats.  so it was decided.  yazmeena would come home with us the next day.

my first ballet recital…it was called “pussies in the well”…i kid you not!  the 70s were weird.

fifteen years, 2 continents, 12 apartments (yup, 12!), and a few BFs later, yazmeena and i are still thick as thieves.  in this wonderful adventure called life, she has been my one constant.  and it hasn’t been easy at times…for example, there was the time she crawled into the the wall behind the washer/dryer for 26 hours without a peep…and the time she jumped down from a second story balcony and disappeared for two days….or…well the list can go on and on.

but she’s become such a loving, sweet, devoted cat who meets me at the door every night, sleeps in the nook of my knees, and snores like a truck driver with a cold.  and while she’s very shy with strangers, you can earn her trust and affection with time and patience.  a trait i’ve grown to admire.  and she’s just freakin pretty!  just look at her!

shades of yazzy.  the last one is my fav…mostly because i have a soft spot for musicians (male ones, of course).

for a few years now, i’ve blogged about the trials and tribulations of a thirty-something gal with a cat trying to find her way in hollywood (that’s me!!!).  since 2006, i’ve been enjoying los angeles’ sunshine, flirting with things like colonics and yoga and feng shui and mercury in retrograde, and trying to find “mr. right”.

indeed, it’s almost a full time job trying to figure things out in the land of swimming pools and movie stars, so i’m extremely glad i have my trusty side kick yazmeena.  and when i’m not working in public health or helping run a theater company, i’m planning my weekly caturday posts on facebook with more anticipation than is normal.  and when people ask, yes, i’m at complete peace with being “that girl with a cat.”  and princess yazzy is at peace being worshiped by everyone that crosses her path.  all hail, yazmeena!

trying to get a pic with this cat is more difficult than getting lindsay lohan to adhere to probation.

to follow the adventures of yazmeena and coco (me), visit www.livinlavidacoco.com and join us on facebook.

happy hump day, y’all!

xoxo,
coco

The giveaway is over but good news! You can purchase a Tiniest Tiger Hipster total!

When fellow cat blogger Joanne McGonagle, told me of her plans to design quilted cat- patterned bags to raise funds for the Tiniest Tiger global conservation program I was concerned.

What if she asked me to promote what I envisioned to be a multi-color-cat-laden fabric bag?  I could only hope she’d read of my aversion to cat-themed clothing and realized that as a New York City advertising executive my wardrobe was virtually mandated to be black (bonus: hides city grime).

Thankfully I had nothing to fear. That’s me (above) modeling the super sleek and sporty Tiniest Tiger Hipster Bag.  It’s the perfect size (inside dimensions 8″ x  9.75″), has lots of compartments inside and outside, as well as padding to help protect iphones, Kindles etc. I like to wear it when I need to be hands-free for kitty molesting purposes.

To celebrate hitting the 20,000 Facebook Fan mark, I HAVE CAT fans have a chance to win this very same hipster for themselves (open to everyone regardless of country!). But wait! There’s more!

If you win, you’re bag will arrive stuffed with all sorts of super cool kitty treats and coupons (over $200 worth)! The content of each bag varies but rest assured you won’t be disappointed. You might even score a Gracey The Tiniest Tiger Modkicker, or an I HAVE CAT sticker!

To enter:

• Leave a comment sharing either: a) what you like  about I HAVE CAT, or b) suggestions for additions or changes.
• EVERYONE eligible regardless of country of residence (Thanks Joanne!).
• Comment must be left before Friday 5/4/12 5pm EST.
• Winner will be selected using Random.org and announced Monday 5/7/12.
• Only 1 entry per household.

And in case you can’t wait,  purchase a Tiniest Tiger Hipster today using this link. You’ll be in good company as these bags were given to celebrities like Angela Kinsey (Angela from The Office) at this year’s Academy Awards and will be part of the Celebrity Swag for the 2012 Emmy Awards!

Did I mention the bags are made in the USA and that a portion of the proceeds go to help wild and domestic cats through Tiniest Tiger Conservation Club programs?

Thanks again to everyone for making I HAVE CAT such a success. And good luck!

I’m excited to announce that this evening, at approximately 7:30pm EST, I HAVE CAT broke the 20,000 Facebook fan mark! Wooohoooo!

A little over a year ago all I wanted was to have 100 FB fans by my 40th Birthday. Just look as us now!  I’m so proud of our virtual, global cat-loving community (IHC and beyond) and honored to be part of it.

This page that has allowed me to connect with people from all over the world and around the corner (seriously!). People of all races, religions and politics with whom I may share nothing in common beyond the appreciation of the often maligned feline.

Together we work tirelessly to find homes for animals who would otherwise go unnoticed. We comfort and support each other in ways our everyday friends and family may not be able. And united, we’re a force to be reckoned with (e.g Jack the Cat & Save Loews Cats) particularly when we’re being ignored!

THANK YOU to each and every one who has ever read, posted on or shared I HAVE CAT! It’s because of you all we’ve reached this milestone! 

Special shout-outs go to Amy Paul for creating the original IHC artwork, and Debbie (aka GloGirly) for using it to create a special 20k version for our Facebook cover.  Had it not been for I HAVE CAT I’d never have had the pleasure to meet either of them!

Stay tuned for extra special celebratory giveaways!

Tamar, Kip, Petie and Haddie

Back from a fan-tah-seey…who can name that tune? Anyone?

Not easy to go back to work after a long weekend in Key West with a fellow cat woman resplendent with kitties (courtesy of the Hemmingway Home polydactyl kitties), sweet tea, beautiful sunsets, Happy Hour, crime and love…sorta.

After we got the prerequisite drag show out-of-the-way (during which I may-or-may-not-have have skinned my knee while getting on stage to join in the merriment),  Dorian and I made a bee line to the Hemmingway Home which we visited twice in three days.

[A replica home for the kitties created post-Hemmingway]

Also known as the scene of the crime. Okay, maybe not a crime exactly but reckless rule breaking for sure.

See that sign? The one that reads “Please do not pick up cats”?

Oh yes I did.

Disclaimer: I never in a million years intended to have a photograph of myself in glasses and barely any make-up on the world-wide-information-highway (see what I do for my readers?!). But not having brought enough daily wear contacts with me I was rationing them out. Going out on the town was prioritized over visiting cats since I didn’t think they would mind – not realizing I’d be needing photographic evidence!

And not only did I pick up a cat. I picked up Elizabeth Taylor. Each cat is named after a famous personality – Kim Novak, Harry Trueman, Olivia de Havilland etc. Look at the pink nose!

Truth be told I’m not quite the badass I appear to be. The tour guide let Dorian and I hang back after the tour and I squeezed in a super quick hug!

In addition to the drag show and kitten cuddling we did a little shopping and hung out by the pool (sadly not long enough). On our last night we took a sunset cruise on the America 2.0,and while a tad treacherous due to the winds (see “out takes” below) it was loads of fun.

As it turns out, the captain and his first mate are bringing the boat to NYC in a few weeks to do sunset cruises around Manhattan.  And while the captain plays for the other team (I think!), his side-kick a ginger (not usually my type), was pretty cute.

Let’s just say digits were exchanged, let’s see what becomes of it. I have always wanted to take a sail around the island of Manhattan…

Here are a few other photos from our trip. There are many more where these came from and I’m sure Dorian will be posting some soon as well. Scroll all the way down for the out takes. Enjoy!

[At the end of the day, all cats love a good paper bag...]

[Kitten mittens!]

[Sign on sofa reads "No sitting on furniture"]

=^^=

And now, for the OUT TAKES!

=^^=

[Look ma! People can get married here!]

["No you didn't!"]

[Just a wee bit windy!]

Watch out Key West! Two smack-talking, cat-and-fashion-loving women are coming to town! Tomorrow afternoon Dorian Wagner – of Your Daily Cute - and I are taking a road trip  to Key West!

The trip is a result of Ms. Wagner’s decision to run a race when no one is chasing her (absurd I know) in Marathon, Florida. She invited me to tag along and of COURSE  I jumped on the chance to hang with a cat-loving chick and sip cocktails under the son.

I’m not gonna lie, While I’m excited, I am a wee bit nervous. Dorian is younger than I am, and very sporty-spice.  And, it’s not like we know each other that well.

We’ve hung out twice, for limited amounts of time at BlogPaws. Most recently in DC, where I made quite poor showing when we went out for dinner with the guys from Rescue Ink. See that photo above? I was there too, you just can’t see me. I’m on the floor.

Yes, I literally laughed myself off the chair and onto the floor. Drinks were involved. But it’s not the amount I had as much as the speed at which I consumed them (it runs in the family).

Wish us luck and stay tuned for updates from the road. We’ll be making a stop at the Hemingway House where we’ll hang with the polydactyl cats.  Sadly I just found out we’re not allowed to touch them. That’s just crazy talk.

So in case you receive a call from a 917 number in the coming days be sure to answer. It’s just me asking you to bail me out of jail for having fondled an Hemingway cat!

I leave you with my new favorite video.  It combines the three things I love most – hot men, margarita’s and kittens. It’s like someone is monitoring my dreams! Enjoy!

I don’t usually post these sorts of things but the plight of this soon-to-be-homeless New York City cat caught my eye. Not only because he’s so good-natured and handsome, but because his name is Max. This is the third Max to enter my life in the past few months. I have to believe there’s something to it….

#3 Max who needs a home by Friday April 13th

***Update: Max found a home thanks to the amazing IHC Facebook fans!***

This sweet boy Max needs a new home after 8 years at his current one before this Friday April 13th. If you live near NYC and can foster or adopt him please email scarpat2(at)att.net or check out this link for more details.

He’s a tabby with medium length fur who is current on shots, declawed on his front paws and a total love bug. A great catch for sure!  His current family is in a difficult place given health concerns but they love Max very much and want a good home for him.

#2 Max The Converter

If you’re a regular of this blog you know I didn’t grow up with animals unless you count goldfish and one hamster by the name of Tigger who may or may not have met an early demise.  Growing up I thought my Mom had allergies but as an adult it seems it’s my Dad who is allergic (rather suspicious if you ask me).

[Coming to hang with the 'rents like he owns the place. I love it!]

Well, it seems a neighbor’s new rescue kitty, by the name of Max, has been making some progress where my sister and I were unsuccessful.  He has the distinct honor of being the first cat to ever set foot in any piece of real-estate owned by my parents! Max pays a visit every day around cocktail hour and I’m starting to think my parents look forward to it.

#1 Old Man Max – The Original

Old man Max had been declawed on all four paws (!!!) and deposited at the kill shelter after 14 years with the same family. A very persistent I HAVE CAT fan (you know who you are Lu Anne) wouldn’t leave me alone about this cat who’d ended up at the Brooklyn A.C.C.

Lucky for Max, I decided to check email before hitting the sack after a company party. Let this be a warning to you all. Drinking + animals in need =  Committing to things you don’t think will actually happen.

Let’s just say the next day at work the folks from the A.C.C called me asking where Max should be delivered.  He went from death row to the lap of luxury living in Yonkers with a sweet Korean War Veteran named Bob.

So there you have it. The Max triumvirate. I hope together we can help Max #3 find a forever home like his predecessors. Let’s go I HAVE CAT peeps! We can do it, I know we can!

Do you or have you had a special Max in YOUR life? Tell us about him (or her?) and fee free to post a photo on the I HAVE CAT Facebook page – we just surpassed 19,000 fans!