When my mom moved to Memphis in the late forties—leaving forever the small town of McKenzie, Tenn.— she lived in a duplex on Felix Avenue. She walked daily to Cooper Avenue, where she caught a streetcar that took her downtown to the telephone company where she worked as a switchboard operator.
Last month, one perfect sunny morning, Mojo and I were returning from a brisk, one-mile jaunt. Moe was behaving well—no lurching at cats, no insolent glares at scampering squirrels. No Bucky Buckingham antics. But as we headed into the cove I noticed a neighbor’s dog playing contentedly in h…
Ed Tuten, the antiques and collectibles columnist for The Best Times, has said the collecting of items is akin to a hunt, or a search that can become personally consuming.
What triggers the act of bonding with a cat? Is it that casual encounter where eye contact is made, and sustained? Maybe it begins with a petting session, or just boils down to feeding a hungry vagabond who decides you’re a human worthy of attention and affection.
When we moved into our new house 10 years ago, we had a tribe of nine cats ranging in age from 4 to 12 years.
When Linus passed away in 2013, Tammy was inconsolable. I remember hearing later about friends rushing to her house, bringing wine and whatever comfort they could offer her broken heart. Linus was a loving fixture in her life for 12 years.
Mali-cat-girl is almost 20 years old. In people years, that gives her centenarian status. Much like Michael’s mom, who almost reached 101, Mali’s is a peaceful and graceful life.
One day years ago, I spotted Home Boy, our feisty little tuxedo, perched at the end of the sofa staring intently at the wall. Uhoh, he’s got a beam on a spider, or worse, a roach I thought. We better get after the pest control company because bugs are not allowed in our abode. But wait, ther…
The other day I was on Facebook posting a response to a friend’s amusing post about her cat Pickles. As we know, Facebook is a lighthearted way of keeping track of friends. Our timelines chronicle our various adventures— places we’ve been, meals we’ve eaten, new acquaintances we’ve made. Did…
It’s true cats have emotions. They display all of the same emotions we humans universally share -- happiness, fear, surprise, disgust, sadness and anger. They can also exhibit joy, anxiety, inquisitiveness, and other behaviors linked to their emotional lives. Like people, some cats are restr…
Is there something missing from your life? Possibly a wet, cold nose pressing on the back of your knee, or the click-clicking sound of nails echoing down the hall on your hardwood floors? Maybe it’s a furry head butting against your thigh petitioning for a treat or some undivided attention. …
Why can’t I eat in peace?
Last year in this column I posed a question: How far would you go to save an animal? Would you jeopardize your own safety, would you risk getting kicked out of your apartment, or going to jail? In that piece I delivered real stories of real people who’d experienced all of these and more.
At Animal Care and Support of Tennessee we are passionate about proper veterinary care for our loyal companions.
When you bring a new dog into your home it’s assumed you’ve already learned the doggie basics: quality food, access to fresh water, comfortable kennel or crate (we call Mojo’s crate his “doggie den”), and space to exercise and play. New dog guardians also should consider taking a canine good…
Over the span of our 20-year marriage we’ve rescued, adopted, fostered and found homes for numerous cats. Most of the cats we brought into our home to stay were young, arriving on our porch or backyard as vagabonds in search of food, water or safety from other animals.
The unseasonably warm days of November made us wonder if we should administer one more monthly round of flea and tick meds. The appearance of a daddy longlegs and a few wasps buzzing around my upstairs office settled the question, and the dogs received their tasty NexGard chewables. The only…
I was sipping my morning coffee and scrolling through the dozens of emails that had crept into my computer the night before. I read and responded to a few, deleted and consigned others to the junk folder, and earmarked a few more for later.
You’ve seen them silently prowling your neighborhood at dusk, darting from view if you make a move in their direction. You may have caught the flash of a tail as they dived into the sewer, which serves as their escape route and refuge.
The afternoon was gray and overcast, and the streets slicked by a recent shower as I drove the familiar route to our vet’s office. Whimpering softly in the carrier beside me was Rainy, our 18-year-old Maine Coon, who was unusually lethargic that day. Her eyes cast a distant, faraway look tha…
Seniors and pets share one very basic trait. We like our routines. Unlike pets— who are born creatures of habits— our fondness for regularity seems to increase with age. Most of us can remember a time when spontaneity spoke, and we answered. I recall reminiscing with a friend one afternoon a…
A few months ago a reader posed a provocative question. It was not one I’d been asked before, but it was a subject I’ve thought about myself, and have discussed with my husband and other pet owning friends. I emailed the reader and told her I didn’t know of any solutions to her dilemma but I…
Would you go to jail over a stray cat? Would you risk losing your apartment or your business because you refused to quit feeding some feral kittens? To what extent would you go to save a colony of cats—or even one?
May is National Pet Month, a time to recognize the role pets play in people’s lives.
May is National Pet Month, an annual celebration of animal guardianship and the unique bond we have with our furry, feathered, four-legged friends. Or in some cases, hairless, coldblooded, multi-legged or nolegged friends.
Colliverville Animal Services has a special program to assist people 55 and older in adopting an older pet.
Alexis Pugh said many positive changes have been implemented at the Memphis animal shelter in the “very intense year” that followed her appointment in May 2016 as director of the city’s Animal Services.
From Hobart Dog’s Home in Tasmania, Australia, to the Stari Macek (Old Cat) Rescue in Croatia, to the Baan Unrak Animal Sanctuary in Thailand, there are thousands of animal shelters and humane societies worldwide.
When Bernie came into our lives unexpectedly, our formerly pet filled home had been reduced to just two dogs and three cats. Bernie was a tiny, rollicking four-month old kitten I rescued one rainy afternoon during a shopping excursion at Big Lots.
In the marketing world there’s an acronym for a sought-after population of potential buyers—DINKs. Duel Income, No Kids. These childless, two-income couples generally have greater discretionary income than other market segments, and they’re targeted for luxury goods, expensive cars and vacat…
Last month we had the weirdest weather. I was still growing yellow tomatoes in an outside container one day and the next day it was freezing. One day mid-month we witnessed a temperature drop of 15 degrees within three hours, after it almost reached 75 degrees earlier. Later that same evenin…
In human years our latest feline family member, who is now a little over six months old, would be a young teenager. And while this unruly phrase runs its course, our days are filled with the sounds of shrieks, growls, scuffling, hisses, snorts, and objects being knocked against, some even br…
The lion cubs rolled, tumbled and played just like our domestic house cats. But these kitties you wouldn’t want sprawling around in your family room. It wasn’t yet 7 a.m. and on our morning game drive in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park we’d already seen a pack of hyenas feasting on their …
The tiny yellow kitten I got conned into taking home while shopping at Big Lots has doubled, then tripled in size over this past month. While he’s still just a small fellow, within four weeks he’s morphed from a shy, scared outcast to commander and- chief over all who dwells in our petcentric home.
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