Tag: cats

Comfy Cozy Christmas: A Christmas Surprise

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized14 Comments

Hello everyone! I hope that you are all having a wonderful December!

This story was supposed to be part of my soup and story Saturday, but it didn’t work out for me Saturday. So here it is.

A few weeks ago, we were driving down the street when we saw a tiny kitten get tumbled by a car. We saw it scamper off to the side of the road, and Billy immediately pulled over and got out to investigate. The kitten, a sweet little calico, took off running away from him, although he tried to catch it. He wanted to make sure that it was uninjured. He followed it up onto someone’s lawn, and when it darted in back, he stopped his pursuit. We hung around another minute or more to see if it would come back, but we didn’t see it again. Our consensus was that the kitten was okay.

Billy told me later that as he got out of the car he was thinking to himself, “Well, if I catch this kitten, I guess we will have a new family member.” He had been telling me for two years that we don’t need any more furry animals, and he thought, “Well, this might be it. Erin will get her wish.”

So back to the present. A few days ago a friend of ours posted a video of kittens playing, with the caption, “Who wants a kitten?” And among the gray kittens were two little orange ones. I love little orange kittens, but I passed the post by, just dropping a like on it. Billy however, texted our friend, setting up a time to go see the kittens, and one day after work, Billy dropped by. On the way home, he called to let me know that in four weeks time, we are going to have a new little furry friend joining our home!

The story behind the kittens: Around Thanksgiving, a stray cat curled up on the porch of our friend’s house. His partner told him there was no way they could leave her out there, it was so cold, she was underweight, and they could tell she was pregnant. He agreed, she couldn’t stay outside, and so they let her in. They took her to the vet, and the vet told them the kittens would be born very soon – and five days later, she had six little kittens. And my friend had a very full house! His girlfriend is another animal lover, with a whole bunch of animals, including lizards and rabbits and cats. They really didn’t need to add seven more cats to the bunch. (and they didn’t consider it lol) They are keeping the mumma cat, and one of her kittens, and are using a local animal clinic to get them all fixed and vaccinated, and finding them homes. (The PAWS Clinic is amazing – they have a deal for a mom cat and kittens, and all the kittens are only $5 each to get fixed and vaccinated!) And our home will be one of the new homes!

Our kitty Miso is a sweet old girl. She has always been the mild mannered cat, a cat who loves people and she also really loves other cats. Before our previous other cats, Maggie and Marlow, passed away, Miso could always be found following one around, sleeping near them. Now we find her curled up with Wyatt’s stuffed animals. I think she will like having a new little friend as well, and when the new one gets on her nerves, I will let her have her space alone. She is such a gentle cat – and she will always be my baby kitty. She is the cat that of all of our cats was the most mine. She is my shadow.

I can’t wait to properly introduce you to the new baby! She is not old enough to leave her mom yet, so we will get her in about a month, but we are still calling her our Christmas surprise from Billy. Wyatt is also excited – although maybe not as excited as me!

And that is it from me today, and my post about our sort of Christmas kitten!

Black Cats Gift Guide!

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized13 Comments

Hello everyone!! It’s the time of year we are surrounded by images of black cats for Halloween, and I wanted to pay homage to these cuties! I love black cats, and I know I mentioned this in another post, that they are the least likely cats to be adopted. They are overlooked in shelters and rescues, as their more colorful cat companions usually stand out. And there is also the whole black cat superstitious thing too. I know that the whole Halloween association doesn’t help either, which is why I want to celebrate these beautiful cats, for who they are, and that is not as bad luck, but cuddly cats just like all the rest of the cats out there. I have read that in Scotland, a strange black cat arriving at your doorstep is considered lucky, and in Japan, they are seen as good luck and attract wealth.

I am an animal person, and I often buy animal themed things for my house. I am just like that. And it seems like these artists on Etsy feel the same way!

This post contains Etsy Affiliate links. If you were to purchase an item through these links, I would receive a small commission that I use to help purchase items for Wyatt. If you were to purchase anything through this post, I will also donate a percentage to my local animal shelter where I used to volunteer.

Black Cat Energy Tee – This tee is from Ellie Threads Co., located in South Carolina and it 100% made me laugh. It is so cute and honestly I think I need it.

This little peeking black cat mug is adorable, isn’t it! It is from Penarth Ceramics, located in Penarth, UK. I have a huge love of handmade mugs (and just mugs, let’s be honest) and I think this one is just so fun.

Can you imagine any better bookends to hold up your cat themed books? I know I have a bunch of translated fiction books with cats on the cover. These 3D printed black cat bookends are purrfect. They are made by Diggity3D, located in Georgia.

This first print is a linocut, and I love linocut. I actually just purchased a tee that has a linocut rabbit on it, from Etsy actually. The colors in this one, and the expression on that little face is just priceless. Although this is $14.00 and available from ArtLuxBoulevard.

And this little cutie is a mini oil painting, the perfect size to slip onto a bookcase. I always think it would be so hard to paint such small little things, and this is lovely. This little bookish cat is made by OilAura.

I love folk art and pottery, and I am in love with almost everything in this shop, the MagicGardenCeramics shop. This plate is so pretty!!

Ok. So I know I said the black cat Halloween association doesn’t help their image but it is totally iconic. And this mug that is a of a bat black cat has been on my wish list for a long long time. I love BreadandBadger although they are out of my price range. The price is totally warranted, as this is hard work and takes a lot of talent and time, so I am not complaining about the price – just saying that it would definitely be a splurge piece for me!

These tiny little clay cats are called luck cats, and I loved that spin on the whole bad luck myth. They are so wee and sparkly!

And finally, this beautiful linocut piece. I am in love with it. It is from the shop Society of Cranes located in North Carolina. I may need to get this one and hang it…somewhere. I can find a spot!

Now, if you need something more Halloween or fall minded, check out these suggestions from Etsy!

Do you have any cats? I would love to hear about them!

Book Review: Cat’s People

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized12 Comments

I usually group my book reviews, but today I wanted to add some additional information in with my book review, so Cat’s People gets its very own post.

First, the summary from the publisher.

Núria, a single-by-choice barista with a little resentment for the “crazy cat lady” label, is a member of The Meow-Yorkers, a group in Brooklyn who takes care of the neighborhood’s stray cats. On her volunteering days, she starts finding Post-it notes left by a secret admirer in an area where her feeds her favorite stray—a black cat named Cat. Like most felines, he is both curious and observant, so of course he knows who the notes are from. Núria, however, is clueless.

Are the notes from Collin, a bestselling author and self-professed hermit with a weakness for good coffee? Are they from Lily, a fresh-out-of-high school Georgia native searching for her long-lost half sister? Are they from Omar, the beloved neighborhood mailman going through an early midlife crisis? Or are they from Bong, the grieving widower who owns Núria’s favorite bodega?

When Cat suddenly falls ill, these five strangers find themselves bonding together in their desire to care for him, and discover that chance encounters can lead to the meaningful connections they’ve all been searching for.

My thoughts:

I wanted to hug this book. This book is so heartwarming, wholesome, pure, and I absolutely loved it to pieces. The story is simple, but with so much emotion and complexity hidden within. So much love. So much kindness. Found family, both human and feline. It is definitely a five star read for me.

Every character had their own challenge that they were going through. Social awkwardness, grieving, doubting life choices, just the self-doubts that creep up on us late at night. This book is told from all of their viewpoints, and one additional point of view – Cat’s.

One thing that you may not know about me, unless you read my former blogs Cinnamon Owl and Quixotic Magpie, is that before Wyatt was born I was very active in animal rescue. I helped start an animal rescue organization, I served on the board as an officer, I volunteered at the animal shelter at least twice a week, and spent countless hours doing what I could for the animals. I never fostered because every time I did, I was a foster failure, meaning I adopted every one. All three of my cats and my dog Penny were all fosters that I ended up keeping. So when I say this book touched my heart, it really did. I was not surprised to see that the author, Tanya Guerrero is in animal rescue because every detail, every bit of advice, every aspect pertaining to cats and stray cats was on point, and it reminded me so much of all the animals lives that I have known. The happy stories, and the sad too sometimes.

And spoiler here:

And if you are worried about reading this book, don’t be.

If after reading this book, you find you have a heart for rescue, start with your local animal shelter. They can help you find the right places to volunteer and get your started. Or google local animal rescues and send an email. It can be very rewarding but also very emotional. And you may end up with an extra animal or two or three.

Here are my rescue babies. Maggie, Marlow, and Penny have crossed the rainbow bridge and I am so thankful I had them while I did.

Marlow || Miso || Maggie || Penny

I loved this book so much, and in this world we are in right now, it was so just nice to read a book that was so full of kindness and love. This is definitely one of my favorites reads of the year.