Wow, have I been out of touch with my blog or what? Two weeks have flown by, and here I am without an interesting tidbit. Unless you count the fact that the new “Karate Kid” movie features a boy who learns Kung Fu. Anybody else see the descrepancy there?

Can’t complain about how busy I’ve been, since the reason for my abscence can be summed up in a word. Deadlines. How sweet the sound! As a matter of fact, I’ve cleared the week to finish the first draft of one book so I can start on the next project. With my first release coming out in June or July, I have to get at it.

In lieu of the research trivia that seems to have gone over well with followers, I offer a cat story. 

In the past two months the cats and I have suffered a home invasion. Make that multiple home invasions. By foreign cats.

Felines who are unknown to my kitties or myself. The problem is, I have a cat fence that keeps my lovelies safe in the yard and away from the cruel world. (Plus, they don’t leave paw-prints in neighbors’ cars. That makes people angry, and I know this from past experience.) So when a strange cat gets in, they can’t get back out.

The first time it happened, a beautiful long-haired tom, black, with white chest and paws, sought shelter from the pouring rain. He made the mistake of coming in the cat door, only to be greeted by my brood of 5, who were not happy with the uninvited guest. Needless to say, he ran back out, and only a little fur flew in the air. (Daisy, the bodyguard, doing her duty.)

After being chased out of the grill where he’d hidden(once the rain had stopped, because I’m not heartless) the cat came back two more times, making a total of 3 visits with the same scenario, due to his evident short-term memory, then he wised up and never came back.

Two nights ago, I was awakened by the scrambling noise of a crazy cat trying to find a way out of the fence and the growls of my 5 who were at the windows watching. (I’ve taken to closing the pet door at night with mine inside. Too risky to leave it open.)

Couldn’t believe my eyes. It was another cat entirely, and wild, wild, wild. Full black, a yearling, and probably just terrified to be trapped. So in my daze, because EVERY time, it happens between 4 and 6 a.m., I opened the fence gate and herded him out.

This morning, at 5:45, a little later than usual, there it was, the clawing of toenails on the fence, and Thomas O’Malley, who has had enough of this, by the way, standing at the door and chomping at the bit to get out.  He normally lets Daisy do the dirty work, but even he realizes when a missive needs to be sent out to the area cats. Stay out of my yard!!!

And wonder of wonders, it was a new cat entirely, full white, young male. They’ve all been male, but anyway…

So now I have a problem. Evidently, they’re leaving a scent behind that’s got other cats curious when they pass by on their nightly strolls. I’ll have to figure out how to put a stop to it, maybe some wolf urine or whatever I can buy at a hunting store, right? And no, I have no females in heat here. Everybody in this household got fixed years ago. C’est la vie.

Well, that’s all for now, have to finish up that book. So excited about what’s happening and can’t wait to release. Funny, it’s been right at a year since I first set up the website, blog, etc. How much difference the last 11 months have made.

With love and murder,

Suza