Back to basics: cats & dogs (& elephants) in brief

Rejoice, cat-loving readers willing to travel

                                                                                                  MSN image

Those who love cats, both in person and in print, will be delighted to learn about the Anna Marble Pollock Memorial Collection of books about cats, housed in the Beinecke Library of Yale University. With over 1,000 books, the collection was named for a serious cat lover and much-loved friend of Carl Van Vechten (1880-1964), the cat-devotee and specialist behind the library. 

(More later on VV’s own cat opus, The Tiger in the House, 3^rd ed., c. 1936.)

This cat-book collection in Connecticut cries out for a library-sponsored field trip to New Haven.  Cat-lovers could fill at least one bus. 

The dog’s great; the novel, less so

Essentially a monologue, The Friend (Sigrid Nunez, 2018) tells the story of a man, a woman and a Great Dane.  Named Apollo, the dog attracted me to the novel, even though of course he doesn’t have a speaking role.  He is the grieving pet of a man who committed suicide. 

The woman narrates the story of how she had been mentored by the man, a writer, professor and womanizer.  Of necessity, flash-backs abound, allowing the woman (also grieving) to look back at her long, literary and personal relationship with the man, wonder about his suicide and agree to take in his giant harlequin Dane.  

Harlequin Great Dane

Also a literature prof, the narrator’s musings are replete with allusions to other writers and their works -- if you don’t like this stuff, you’ll never get through the book!  Only gradually does the Dane grow in importance as the woman becomes attuned to his feelings and grows increasingly protective of him -- her companion in mourning -- as he ages.

As for the title?  Reader’s choice.  

  

In Nosey’s name

Nosey’s Law, a bill named for Nosey, a long-abused elephant, has been released from the Senate Economic Growth Committee.  If passed, this law would make New Jersey the first state in the country to ban the use of wild animals in circuses: an historical humane event!

Please help make it happen by asking your state senator and two assembly members to vote YES when Nosey's Law reaches them for a full vote.  You can find your legislators’ contact info here.   

Worth knowing  

“Catio”: for a while, this was the word to conjure with when it came to cats and the great outdoors.  In myriad shapes, sizes and materials, catios are designed to let indoor cats go outside, protected from the hazards that abound there.  This overview from Adventure Cats is the most comprehensive I’ve seen.  Some of them look so easy, and all are so tempting.

http://www.adventurecats.org/pawsome-reads/catio-hacks-every-cat-owner-should-know/?ct=t(Webbys4_6_2016_COPY_01)&mc_cid=428f96b805&mc_eid=2273adc69f

                                                             Cynthia Fuller image 

Yes, cats definitely have, and exhibit, feelings that include grief (after the death of a feline or human housemate, for instance).  This article, with links to still others, spells out ways to help a grieving cat.

http://www.catster.com/cat-behavior/how-to-help-a-grieving-cat?utm_source=WhatCountsEmail&utm_medium=Catster%20Ful%20List+All%20Subscribers&utm_campaign=CED20180530

Maybe you decided against pairing rugs and cats a long time ago.  OK, but once rug-free, what’s the best flooring in households with cats?  Here’s the (surprising-to-me) answer.

http://www.catster.com/lifestyle/the-best-flooring-for-cats?utm_source=WhatCountsEmail&utm_medium=Catster%20Ful%20List+All%20Subscribers&utm_campaign=CED20180502

FYI, Readers:  I’m taking a "blog break" till after the summer solstice!  To assure you don’t miss anything once these posts resume, why not subscribe right now?  That’s always easier than remembering to check in.

And please don’t forget to spend some time with the Animal Protection League of NJ’s new website:  www.aplnj.org.      

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