I bet that when you saw that photo of me with the Friskies goodie bag on Tuesday, you didn’t realize I had an intruder! And she would not go away either. Instead of complaining about her for the rest of the blog post, I think I will just let these pictures speak for themselves (well, except for the secret messages when you roll your mouse over each photo).

I was excited to hear about the Friskies® Plus™ Playhouse — the incredible living space created purely for a cat’s pleasure! Then, when I found out that it was being built in Hollywood, just a few minutes from my home, I was thrilled! Then I discovered that I wouldn’t get to go. What a letdown!

My human went in my place, which kind of disgusted me. I mean how much fun was she going to have with larger-than-life versions of the Friskies® Games for Cats app? But I found out that the 10 cats that are going to live there for the next couple of weeks are rescue cats from MeoowzResQ, an Orange County based rescue group — and they are all up for adoption! So of course I told my human it was okay to take photos of the kitties. Like the one you see above. I am not absolutely positive, but I believe she is Belissa.

Belissa and her nine pals — all young adult kitties — get to spend their days playing in two rooms full of amazing delights. Author and Certified Animal Behavior Consultant Pam Johnson-Bennett worked with Friskies® to make sure it had everything a kitty could possibly dream of. One room has a huge screen with all sorts of creatures to chase after!

There is a humungo aquarium with really cool looking fish in it!

The other room has a touch game right in the floor where the kitties can go fishing! Plus there are all sorts of shelves and scratching surfaces and more toys! And here is the best part for all of you who can’t be there in person (or catson) — you can see the kitties in action on the Friskies® Facebook page! The app is right here, and you can watch from 3 PM to 6 PM Eastern Time every day until February 19.

And as if this wasn’t enough fun, the Friskies® Facebook community can even play with the cats! There are three mechanical toys you can operate and four cameras so you can zoom in on your favorite kitty. Get there early — there is always a queue. If you miss the daily open houses, they will be uploading highlights on YouTube.

Remember, these kitties are all up for adoption! Can you imagine having a movie star living with you? My human came home and said they were all the nicest, most friendly cats she has ever met. Maybe I should be glad she did not bring one home!

She did bring home a goodie bag with some toys for me. After seeing what all those kitties had at the Playhouse, can you blame me for looking a little disappointed?

Look at this mess! And you want to know something even worse: not that long ago, all of it was on my human’s desk! There was nowhere for me to walk so I could supervise her. She had to pull out the desk inserts so I had somewhere to sit and slap her when she started goofing off. But she finally decided to get organized, mainly because her appointment with her CPA is at the end of this week and she needs to hunt down any missing paperwork.

At first when she took all that stuff from her desk top and dumped it in the living room, we cats were excited! We raced around the room and used the little credit card receipts as toys. But finally it dawned on me that this wasn’t just fun and games. I had a lot of supervising to do!

Even worse, Binga thinks she has to help too! Binga’s version of “helping” means getting in the way. Then she gets annoyed when anyone tries to make her move. It is going to be a long week!

If you can’t see the above video, click here to watch it on YouTube.

I don’t think a kitty could get much flatter than this without being roadkill! In addition to my sleeping Flat Kitty pose, I also do a playful Flat Kitty pose, when I’m stalking a toy. My human was hoping to get me doing that, since I get so flat I practically become part of the rug, but it didn’t happen. So this is all the flat I’ve got for you today.

Those of you who have my first book, Dear Sparkle: Advice From One Cat to Another, might recognize this photo — it’s on page 100.

To fully appreciate us cats, you must also appreciate our feral brothers and sisters because they are who we are at our wild core: beautiful and untamed… and ultimately quite vulnerable and at the mercy of human beings.

To understand ferals is to truly understand cat nature. They are territorial, love routine and need a place where they can feel safe. Take away their territory, routine and safety, and they suffer and behave desperately. They will risk life and limb to return to what was familiar. Trust? A cat’s trust must be earned, except in the world of feral cats, usually no one can be trusted. Ferals who are lucky enough to have colony caregivers may occasionally learn to trust the person who feeds them, at least enough to come out at feeding time, but it does not go beyond that. A feral cat remains wild in her heart and spirit. Inside every one of us kitties is a molecule, and sometimes more, of that feral soul. So when I hear of something awful happening to feral cats, such as what is currently going on at the Loews Hotels in Orlando, I must step in and have my say.

For years, two hotels at Universal Studios Orlando, Loews Portofino Bay and Loews Royal Pacific, have had highly successful TNR (Trap, Neuter and Return) programs for the feral cats living on the properties. They were started by a bellhop by the name of George Ricci. After finding traps on the hotel property, one containing the bones of an animal that had starved to death, he figured there was a better way to deal with the feral cats living in the area. Starting in 2004 and using his own money, Ricci began to trap, neuter and vaccinate cats, and return them to the territory that was familiar to them. Other employees started to pitch in and help. The engineering department even built decorative feeding stations to match the architecture of the hotel. As always happens in successful feral colony management, the number of cats dropped over the years. At the Lowes Portofino Bay, what originally began as 40 cats was reduced to 8.

Then just a few weeks ago, David Bartek, the director of operations in charge of these two hotels ordered the programs — tolerated by hotel management but not a part of it — to be stopped and the cats killed.

Well, he did not actually say to kill the cats, but if you know anything about feral cat nature, he might as well have. If you take a feral cat to an animal control facility, it will be euthanized. That is a fact. Feral cats are not adoptable pets. They are afraid of humans and can’t be tamed, especially not in a place that smells of fear and death. Even housecats act wild in this type of environment. Relocating these small colonies isn’t a good option either because taking a colony away from its familiar territory will disorient the cats, who will endanger themselves looking for a way back. Meanwhile, the absence of a managed colony at the original location will create a vacuum that will invite new ferals looking for unclaimed territory — and these unneutered and unvaccinated cats will breed and grow in numbers and create a nuisance with their marking and fighting.

Unfortunately, nobody in the upper echelons of the Loews Hotels is willing to listen to the truth and common sense. They have gotten a lot of negative attention for demanding these cats be banished, and they should have expected that — after all, they claim to be a “pet friendly” hotel and even have the slogan “Loews loves pets.” Their behavior regarding the local feral colonies gives lie to that slogan and shows it up for the insincere marketing scheme it really is.

Because of the bad press Loews has received, they have stopped trying to trap the cats (the original plan was to haul them off to animal control), but they still want the cats relocated and refuse to listen to any points of view that differ from their own. My biggest fear is that they are waiting for a pause in all the media attention so that they can get rid of the cats when no one is looking out for them.

So I say that if you really want to know what you can do for Cat Appreciation Month, keep on top of this issue, spread the word and keep contacting Loews to voice your disagreement with what they are doing. Some links you can use are provided by Riverfront Cats, a Miami group that is keeping an eye on the situation.

If you want to know more about the issue and learn about feral cats in general, Florida author and passionate cat lady Deborah Barnes has a fantastic three-part series about ferals and about the Loews issue on her blog. Part One introduces you to the world of the Loews cats, and feral cats in general; Part Two looks at ferals through the eyes of Riverfront Cats’ Christine Michaels; and Part Three is an interview with George Ricci.

Please keep the plight of these cats in the public eye until they are safe! That is how you can appreciate us cats.

The Nature’s Variety humans gave me some of their new product to try out. You remember them — I had an awesome giveaway contest with some of their food last year. But the moment the new package arrived, you-know-who had to get involved.

She always steals my food, so I had to send her packing.

Anyhow… it is Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Boost Bites, Lamb Forumla and the Instinct Raw Daily Boost Supplement with real venison and lamb. Both are made from minimally processed, freeze dried raw ingredients. Very wholesome… and hopefully very yummy!

I don’t get a moment’s peace around here, do I? I would really like a chance to taste test these items without having someone steal my thunder… or my food!

The Raw Boost Bites come in discs. Obviously, I was not going to be able to eat it like that, so my human broke it up for me. Since I am so picky, there was no guarantee I was going to like it. I actually turn down lots of food samples!

But I loved this! These Boost Bites are totally delicious!

Yes, Boodie and Binga got tastes when I was done. Even the dog got to have a disc, since the Boost Bites and supplement are for both cats and dogs. She liked it too. I felt it was wasted on her — that meant one less for me!

My human wasn’t sure what to do with the supplement for my taste test, so she just opened it up and let me check it out. As you can see, I tried eating it out of the container! It was tasty too. My human thinks that maybe she can put it on food that I have “fallen out of love with.” I think she should just give me the powder and forget about the food.

The one thing that worried my human was that neither product had taurine added to it, which is an amino acid that is necessary for us cats. But the Nature’s Variety people said that they contain organ meats, which have taurine as part of their make up. And sure enough, lamb heart and lamb liver are the second and third ingredients for both products (the first being either lamb or venison on the items I got). Since these are meant to be fed in addition to a regular diet, my human thought that was okay, and actually a whole lot healthier than some treats I see other kitties eat!

So do I give these my paws up? You bet!

Did you know that February is Cat Appreciation Month? Neither did my human until a few days ago. I, of course, consider every month to be Cat Appreciation Month. In fact, I would like to designate every second as Cat Appreciation Second! I have no idea what the origins of Cat Appreciation Month are, and I really don’t think that’s important. What is important is making sure we cats get the appreciation that is due us — in February and every other month!

To ensure that Cat Appreciation Month is properly acknowledged and celebrated, I will devote every Friday in February to a new way to appreciate us cats. Any of you kitties out there with ideas are welcome to add your own!