Storytime with Athena and Marie, A Forever Home For Athena, Chapter 5

Happy Sunday!

Here's a bright-eyed photo today. Mum helped me take it as I was stepping out into the catio yesterday morning. It was sunshiny, so my eyes look brilliantly green. We figured we'd had too many sleepy shots of me lately on this blog so this makes a nice change!

We are still staying home, staying safe here. I'm an indoor kitty anyway so I only get to have a walkabout in my catio. Mum does some gardening with Granny when the weather is nicer and they also go for a little walk around the block where there are some nice trees. You can see the woods from our window so we get a lovely breeze in our garden too.

It's two years since we moved to this neighbourhood now and we can't believe how quick the time has flown by. We don't miss Edmonton, North London where we used to live one bit! We love our little Essex town 💚💜

Oh, and if you're wondering what we do for shopping, we get it home delivered - though it's hard to get delivery slots and Mum gets frustrated a bit. She tells me she has stocked up on my food, so that's OK then 😻

We hope your humans are managing to keep you well-fed and healthy during these strange times.

Storytime With Athena and Marie Chapter 5

Here's our latest A Forever Home For Athena installment, which is read by Mum on YouTube,

You can watch it from the beginning or catch-up via our playlist.

Or watch Chapter 5 here.

Or below.

We are joining The Cat on my Head for the Sunday Selfies Blog Hop

This post contains affiliate links. Full disclosure. 

WiseKitty Cat Mom and Proud Set of 4 Coasters 

  Available from Redbubble

Athena Cat Goddess is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Storytime with Athena and Marie #WhiskersWednesday

We hope you are all staying safe and healthy.

I've been giving Mum ideas about fun stuff to do during the lockdown. The UK is currently in week 3.

First, here I am with my wise eyes speaking to Mum. Good job she understands cat. Well, at least she can pick up on my thoughts.

 Remember my rescue story that we published in 2013?

Athena helped her Mum Marie write her rescue story

Well, we have decided to start promoting it again because it had disappointing sales. It has not made much money for the animal charities we support. At first, we were donating partial earnings but then we started donating 100 % of royalties, which we still continue to do.

Mum wishes she had the money to support lots of charities but she hasn't and times are tough for everyone right now.

Anyway, I told her to read my book to share with everybody during quarantine and lockdown. We posted Chapter 1 on YouTube today. Please subscribe and share. Mum says she will try to post a reading 2 or 3 times a week. We know many of you have already read my story and we are very grateful for your support.

We thought recording the video with Mum reading my story to me would be a treat for my fans 😻😽

Here's the video. Mum apologizes for the blurriness. She blames both her camera and her poor eyesight. She was also in a rush to film.

 

Available from Amazon in paperback and for Kindle Amazon UK Amazon US

We are joining Comedy Plus for

 We are joining Dash Kitten, Bionic Basil and Barking From The Bayou for

 Athena Cat Goddess is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Read a Book Day Feline Friday Friendlies and Flashback

Today is Read a Book day and so it's the purrfect excuse for us to plug our books. Yes, at least we're honest 😁😸

Here's a flashback of the very first promo graphic for my rescue story A Forever Home For Athena. It's not a great image, but Mum was too busy writing to have enough time to devote to her photography then. She also had a rubbish mobile phone.

Published in 2013, with partial royalties going to 3 of our fave animal charities, A Forever Home for Athena is available on Amazon. In recent years we began to donate 100% of the royalties. Unfortunately, it hasn't sold that many copies as we'd hoped and so has failed to raise much-needed donations for our chosen charities.

Mum's upset about that of course, but then she gets upset over a lot of things. She's been quite down again lately. 

Back in 2013 looking so much younger

Mum helped me write the book. She has written many other books as well.

Check out her books here. Not all of them are about cats but most do feature cats in them at some point. 

Here is a promo for Mum's cat books. This graphic was made for a Caturday Art post back when we were living in London. 

If you are looking for cat and pet books by other authors we've provided an affiliated Amazon link at the bottom of this post for you to browse and perhaps buy. No pressure. 

Hosted by 15andmeowing and Four-Legged Furballs

1. I joined _________ in _________.

2. I wish I'd asked _________ about _________.

3. _________ had the biggest impact on who I am today.

4. _________ is the most beautiful place I have ever been.


MARIE
1. I joined The Cats Protection in 2010.

2. I wish I'd asked my late dad more about his life in Cyprus. He came to England in the late 1950s and so did my mum later. They met and got married in the 60s in London. I enjoy learning about history and I'd love to find out more about my Greek heritage.

3. My love of cats and animals had the biggest impact on who I am today.

4. Sweden is the most beautiful place I have ever been. I love Scandinavia and would love to visit Finland too. Sweden is my kind of place with amazing scenery, forests and natural landscapes. Essex, where I live now is pretty lovely too. I'm so glad I finally moved out of London.

ATHENA
1. I joined my forever home in July 2011.

2. I wish I'd asked Mum about her younger days. She doesn't tell me much.

3. Wood Green, the Animals Charity, and my mum had the biggest impact on who I am today. If this amazing charity had not rescued me I wouldn't be here today and I certainly would not have met my mum.

4. My home is the most beautiful place I have ever been.


Join the Friendly Fill-Ins hop here


Don't forget the Caturday Art Blog Hop tomorrow!

Pet photo art using filters.

Cat art (not on the actual cat).

Animal art (not on the actual animal).

Your own drawings or paintings of animals.

Just keep it safe, clean and respectable!

Purrs and peace to you all 😻

Hosted by Comedy Plus

Happy International Cat Day!

Happy International Cat Day!

It's always cat day for us but it's great to have a day like today to celebrate cats and for the world to be reminded of our awesomeness 😻

As it's also Throwback Thursday we are sharing this photo from late 2013 and if it looks familiar it's because we've posted it before and Mum also used it for the paperback cover of The Cat Years: How My Cat Soulmates Saved Me.

Right, book plug over now let's help some cats - the real purrfect way to honour International Cat Day, is it not? 

Adopt a Cat

Sad to see that these two wonderful chaps are still at Wood Green, The Animals Charity (where I was adopted from).

We've featured them before on this blog and we can't understand why they have not yet met their forever human.

So we are sharing them again. They deserve it on this special day!

Keano (Photo: Wood Green)

Ozzy (Photo: Wood Green)

To find out more about Keano please click here

To find out more about Ozzy please click here

Help Save The Scottish Wildcat

Did you know that today is also Scottish Wildcat Day?

 

photo credit: Peter G Trimming 'Kendra' (3) via photopin 

The elusive Scottish Wildcat is a descendent of the European Wildcat that colonized Britain around 9,000 years ago and due to deforestation and the loss of habitat in Britain, there are only a few of them now left in Scotland. It's heartbreaking to know that these beautiful wildcats are on the brink of extinction.

Save the Scottish wildcat by protecting Clashindarroch Forest

Please sign this petition urgently calling on the Scottish Government to immediately halt the logging and exploitation of Clashindarroch Forest to ensure the iconic Scottish wildcat survives.

The Scottish Wildcat is one of the rarest animals in the world; there are only 35 of them left on earth. A third of them live in the publicly owned Clashindarroch Forest in the Scottish Highlands, but they are in danger from logging by the Scottish Government’s Forestry Commission Scotland. If this doesn’t stop immediately, the wildcat will become extinct"

https://www.change.org/p/scottish-government-save-the-scottish-wildcat-by-protecting-clashindarroch-forest?


Links 
https://www.wildcathaven.com/scottish-wildcat/

http://www.scottishwildcataction.org/about-wildcats/



Athena Cat Goddess is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Friday Reads: I'm Not a Skunk #bookreview

We love cat books (well, we love everything cats), and we love our blogging pals so it was a pleasure to review this wonderful book by Ellen J Pilch of the 15andmeowing cat blog.

We already read and reviewed Ellen's first book Prancie's Prayer which was just as delightful so we were looking forward to reading this one and we weren't disappointed! 

I Am Not a Skunk is about a cat who gets mistaken for a skunk and is Ellen's second picture book. Loosely based on how her beautiful black and white cat Emmy came to live with her, this is a sweet and short tale - purrfect for children but adults will enjoy it too and will love reading it to their kids. 

The gorgeous illustrations by Nicolas Peruzzo also bring the story to life and younger children will delight in returning to flick through the book time and time again.

The illustrations work well on the Kindle version but maybe children would prefer the paperback edition to turn the pages and enjoy gazing at the pictures on their own. It's definitely a storybook to treasure. 

And adults too - this little book will surely cheer you up for the day.

We read the Kindle version via KindleUnlimited in the UK.

The paperback edition is also available on Amazon.

Amazon UK 
Amazon US 

Paperback Edition 

About the Author

Ellen J Pilch lives in Western Massachusetts. Cats are her greatest love as well as her inspiration for writing. She has been married since 1992; her husband's cat was the first cat she ever owned and there has been no stopping her since then. The couple currently have 13 indoor only cats that she writes about on her blog 15andmeowing.

The author has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education and Psychology. Prancie's Prayer is her first children's book. She has also had a story published in Black Cats Tell All.

Disclosure. We were not sponsored for this post but Amazon Associates links are included and we will receive a small commission should you make a purchase via these links. 

Amazon Associates Disclosure: Athena Cat Goddess is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Cat Confidential #bookreview

Here is a great book for all cat lovers we'd love to tell you about.

Cat Confidential: expert advice on how to understand your furry feline by renowned cat counsellor Vicky Halls

From Amazon:

"You love your cat – and you hope your cat loves you too – but cats and their owners can often misunderstand each other. The cat says one thing and the owner hears another. Mostly, it feels right but, sometimes, something can go very wrong. How do you really know if your pampered pet wants a stroke behind the ears, or whether that insistent miaow is trying to communicate something more complex? If you’ve ever wondered why your cat does the things it does – soils in the house, picks a fight with the cat next door, feels nervous around strangers or destroys your furniture – then this is the book you have to read.
Renowned cat counsellor Vicky Halls has changed the lives of thousands of owners and their problem cats. Filled with intriguing case studies, amazing facts and practical advice, Cat Confidential answers all your questions so that you can understand your feline friend better. Fascinating, funny and heart-warming, it's your chance to explore the unique bond between you and your cat. Catisfaction guaranteed."

Mum says she found this book really interesting and informative and it's definitely a must-read for any cat lover/parent.

Offering amazing insights into your cat's mind and lots of expert advice backed by real-life case studies, this is a book that deals with a wide range of common cat problems. Anyone who loves cats or has a cat or cats would be wise to own a copy.

CLICK ON IMAGE TO BUY

About the Author

Vicky Halls is a pet behaviour counsellor and has spent over twenty years specialising in cats. Vicky also works on welfare projects with cat charities, writes and tutors cat behaviour courses and lectures all over the world to veterinary audiences. She is a registered veterinary nurse and qualified person-centred counsellor.

The author of a number of books for the general reader and co-author of veterinary textbooks and papers, her particular interests are the complexity of the modern cat/owner relationship and the welfare of unowned cats throughout the world. At home, she is a slave to the demands of Jean Patou, her Burmese.



Disclosure: We received a free copy of this book from the publisher to read and give a mention. We thought we'd share because we know our readers would love this book! The post includes Amazon affiliate links.

Prancie's Prayer #bookreview

Mum read to me this fantastic new book by our blogging pal Ellen Pilch of 15andmeowing.

Prancie's Prayer  is a sweet warm-hearted book for children loosely based on the story of how dear cat Prancie came to live with Ellen and the meowing household.

I loved this book. And so did Mum. Not only is the story captivating and well-told but the illustrations by Nicolas Peruzzo are also amazing to look at and these will no doubt enchant any child for hours on end.

We bought the ebook on Kindle (after Mum saw the email from Ellen who kindly sent us a digital copy of the book). Mum thanked her but she doesn't mind that she purchased it on Kindle because she loves the book and also loves helping out fellow authors. It's really hard work being an author and the support from others is always greatly appreciated.

For the most excellent Christmas gift for a child, we recommend the paperback version as children will delight in reading and re-reading the book while flicking through the pages to admire the wonderful images. At the same time, they will learn the true meaning of Christmas.

Happy reading!

Get Caught Reading Month #CatudayArt

This post contains affiliate links. Full disclosure.


So May is Get Caught Reading Month 

Do you read?

Mum is always reading. Sometimes she reads out loud to me but I don't need her to do that as I can see the pictures in her head as she reads.

Some books she reads aren't to my taste. But some are. I like cat books. What books do you like?

Talking of books, I've written a book. It's been available for ages and I did it to raise some cash for my favourite animal charities, but it hasn't sold as well as I expected. I haven't made that much for the charities if I'm honest. Such a shame.

My mum's memoir is also a good read if you'd like to read about her life with cats (amongst other things). It's not up to date though, so she is planning on writing another one soon. 

My mum's other soulmate cat Suzy is the star of The Snowflake Pendant.

And if you're into vampire fiction Mum has written a trilogy that starts in Ancient Greece and ends in the 19th Century.

Simply edit photos of your pets using one of the many free photo editors available online - or any editing program you like. Enjoy creating and sharing your digital animal art in this fun blog hop. Or if you are an artist, show us your pet art! But not on the actual animal, thanks. That is not art and it's cruel!

A Thousand Purring Cats #BookReview

Disclaimer: We received a free digital copy of the book from the author. All words are our own. Please also note that some links are Amazon affiliate links.

A THOUSAND PURRING CATS by Susan "Sparky" Kedzie

From Amazon

"A Thousand Purring Cats warmly embraces the healing power of positive relationships. Playful text and images invite smiles and laughter with a surprise tug at your heart, while lively characters gently nudge your child closer when they need it most.

A new feel-good classic your family will want to read and reread for years. Whether you are a cat-lover or not, this book will give you a HUG!"

What did we think?

Here's Mum to tell you!

This beautiful little book is full of breathtaking illustrations that will shower any child with immense healing whenever it is needed, because, let's face it, life can be tough at any age.

Not only are the illustrations, which were inspired by the author's own cats, mesmerizing, but the healing text messages accompanying them are incredibly soothing and will work wonders when needed.  As we cat lovers already acknowledge, cats have amazing healing capabilities. They can help decrease blood pressure and to reduce anxiety, amongst other things. Indeed, Athena does all that for me and so much more.

This lovely book is literally, a big "hug" for any child to turn to when they find life overwhelming,  but it's a lovely book for adults too.

It certainly cheered me up this morning!

If you want to read a book that celebrates the amazing love and power of emotional bonds between pets and humans, then don't miss this book! And if you don't have a cat, the book "nudges" you to accept loving hugs from your favourite human too.

This is definitely one of those books children and even adults will want to pick up time and time again.

To find out more about the author-illustrator Susan Kedzie visit her website here.

Purchase from Amazon UK

A Thousand Purring Cats is also available from Amazon US and Barnes and Noble

Kitty Karma #BookReview

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. In full disclosure, we received a free copy of this book for review but opinions are our own.

😻

We were so excited to receive Kitty Karma: Big Stories of Small Cats Who Change Our Lives for reading and review!

From the Kitty Karma website:

"Kitty Karma: Big Stories of the Small Cats Who Change Our Lives is a collaborative book with stories donated by cat rescue workers, cat sanctuary and shelter volunteers, feral colony caretakers, conscious vets, compassionate cat café owners, amazing fosters and awesome cat parents from around the world.


From cats sailing in high seas off the coasts of New Zealand and Mexico to a cat sanctuary in a war zone, from a popular cat café in Kingston, Canada to the first cat café in India, from adventure cats to feral colonies, this heart-warming and heart-rending collection unveils a world of cats rarely seen and rarely known.


Our remarkable editorial contributors include helpers dedicated to saving the lives of cats, multi-award authors, animal communicators and devoted parents who love their fur babies fiercely and passionately. What unites this diverse group of writers? Very simply, a fierce and passionate love for cats. "

Wai-Lin Terry, the creator of Kitty Karma started the Kitty Karma Books publishing company in honour of her beautiful beloved calico cat, Kealani, who crossed the bridge at just over 17 years old of a sudden heart-attack right before her very eyes.

Understandably, this sudden loss was devastating for Wai-Lin and she couldn’t stop crying for weeks. But to help her cope with the shock and pain of her loss, she went online and began reading cat forums and trawling cat websites and blogs. The shared experiences of other cat lovers and owners inspired her to put such stories in a book and so Project Kitty Karma was born with its mission to help raise funds and improve the lives of many cats and kittens.

 "I believe that cats are a superior species and need to be given appropriate veneration and adulation," says Wai-Lin. "They bless us when they favour us with their attention and the world is a better place when there is a cat at home and cat fur on our clothes."

And who can argue with that? Not us cat lovers that's for sure. We are undoubtedly blessed to have these beautiful furry soulmates in our lives. They not only give us unconditional love, but they help us live a better life in so many ways.

This book is packed full of heartwarming, heartbreaking, moving stories about cats and their humans and also includes beautiful photos. Flicking through the book before I began reading, I couldn't wait to meet these gorgeous felines. I just knew their stories would be remarkable and would touch me profoundly.

And as soon as I began reading I found myself swept away on a rollercoaster of emotions. I smiled, I cried, I empathised and I fell a little in love with all the beautiful felines. (Don't worry, Athena - you will always be my NO 1.)

I admit that some stories were just too painful to read and truly tore at my heart. What some animals have to endure at the hands of some humans is just unbearable to think about. I wish I could help all the cats in the world (and all animals really.) But I am one woman and am doing my best. However what this book conveys is that each one of us can do it in our own small way. One step at a time. If all animal lovers on this planet took a little time out to help animals then how incredible would that be? Indeed, if you do buy this book you will be helping in your own special way as all net proceeds from the sales of Kitty Karma will be donated to needy cat shelters, rescues and sanctuaries around the world.

This is a book every cat lover should have on their bookshelf and I highly recommend it!

What's your verdict, Athena?

Get yourself a copy and help raise much-needed funds for cat charities from all over the world!

 

Click here to purchase from Amazon US

Follow Kitty Karma Books 

www.kittykarmabooks.com/
www.facebook.com/kittykarmabooks
www.twitter.com/BooksKittyKarma

Kitty Karma Cat Tales #ThursdayThoughts

As animal rescue advocates, we just had to share this wonderful crowdfunding campaign from Kitty Karma Books which aims to cover publishing and production costs for Kitty Karma: Big Stories of Small Cats Who Change Our Lives. Proceeds from book sales will go directly to benefit three needy cat shelters. 

Cat tales fund shelters for abandoned, unwanted felines in need

The campaign began October 1 so it's not too late to donate. Your donation will help raise funds to cover publishing and production costs of Kitty Karma: Big Stories of Small Cats Who Change Our Lives.  The pre-campaign is now live and affords opportunities to sign up and receive 10% discount on campaign contributions.

The book’s collection of stories, donated for free by nearly two dozen authors, will feature tales of adventure cats and feral cats; cats who are sailing on high seas off the coasts of New Zealand and Mexico; and a cat sanctuary located in a war zone. Readers will learn about a popular cat café in Ontario, Canada as well the first cat café in India.

The book will be published and available for sale in November. All net proceeds from book sales will be donated to support three incredible cat shelter charities – Il Gattaro D’aleppo in Syria, Abay Kitties of Hawaii, and Whangatamata CAT in New Zealand.  

What is the book about?

Kitty Karma: Big Stories of Small Cats Who Change Our Lives is a heart-warming and heart-rending collection of stories that unveils a world of cats rarely seen and rarely known, and the book’s remarkable editorial contributors are united by one simple thing: a fierce and passionate love for cats.  Contributors include:

· Siglinda Scarpa: An Italian artist and animal rights activist founder and primary benefactor for cat sanctuary The Goathouse Refuge in Pittsboro, North Carolina.

· Alessandra Abidin: A Lebanese-born violinist with degrees in political science and international relations, who works in Switzerland and other countries in the field of immigration and war crimes.

· Lori Ostlund and Anne Raeff. The only writing couple to have individually won the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction.

Learn more:

Kitty Karma’s recipient shelters

· Il Gattaro d’Aleppo’s Facebook page 

· May 2017 NBC News Coverage of Mohammad Alaa Aljaleel, The Cat Man of Aleppo

· Abay Kitties on the Big Island of Hawaii

· Whangamata CAT Rescue, New Zealand

Kitty Karma Books Indiegogo Campaign: https://igg.me/at/kittykarmabooks

About Wai-Lin Terry and Kitty Karma Books

Wai-Lin Terry on LinkedIn

Kitty Karma Books: www.kittykarmabooks.com

Twitter: @bookskittykarma

Facebook: @kittykarmabooks

Instagram: @kittykarmabooks

Wordy Wednesday: #ReadaBookDay

Yes, it's a wordy Wednesday today, instead of a wordless one because we are celebrating Read a Book Day.

As you know, Mum is a writer and has written 3 cat-related books. She says she will write more when she has the time and is stress-free. Hopefully, the move to a quieter, greener area will help. 

A new memoir is also on the cards. She has just started writing it though so it may be a while before anyone will get to see it in print.

Mum also loves to read. She is a voracious reader. It keeps negative thoughts at bay, she tells me. Reading is great. Of course, kitties can't read (apart from minds), but we love being read to. So go ahead and read to your fur babies today (dogs too!).

What about your humans? Do they love to read? And what kind of books do they like? Do they read to you, dear furriends?

Mum's cat books are available on Amazon.

Read them if you haven't already. They are great reads. Please leave a review too as they are so very important for self-published authors. Maybe it'll get Mum out of her glum mood to see that people appreciate her work more.

 

Sunday Selfie: I Have Cattitude!

HAPPY SUNDAY! 

As you can see, I am a cat with cattitude! 

Mum wanted me to pose with the Kindle version of the Completely Cats - Stories with Cattitude* book but I had other ideas. For a start, I wasn't in the mood to pose. And then I got a sweet whiff of her hand and it smelled pretty nice and soapy so I got distracted.

However, I do promise you, that this book is great! An abridged version of my own rescue story A Forever Home For Athena* is featured, but the other cat stories are amazing too. In it, you'll meet so many kitties that tell you their own story or sometimes their human helped them write it instead. This is the purrfect book for the cat lover and is available for the Kindle and in paperback.

I'm just so happy that the book is doing well on Amazon and that the money raised is going to a good cause 😺

*

We are joining our super friends at the Cat on my Head for their weekly Sunday Selfies Blog Hop