Showing posts with label Halo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Halo. Show all posts

Monday, February 23, 2015

Miss Paddington #Kitty Is Seven Months Old! by Cozy #Mystery Novelist Karen Rose Smith


Tortitude! That's what Miss Paddington has. It's hard to believe that seven months ago, she was small enough to fit in my palm. She was four ounces when she was born. If she stood still long enough for me to weigh her now, she'd be about seven pounds.

Paddington got her name because in those first few weeks, she looked like a little bear! Since my husband and I had read Paddington stories to our son, the comparison just stuck. Now Paddy is long and lean. She's almost as long as her mom Halo.

Paddy has a friendly personality. She loves to play and anyone who plays with her can be her friend. She was the first of Halo and her kitten litter to meet our soon-to-be three-year-old, Zoie. They seemed to become buddies right away. Since Zoie is a sweetie, there wasn't much concern she'd hurt Paddy. When they play, Zoie is careful of Paddy because she's smaller. But they are beginning to act like equals. At first, Halo was protective of Paddy, but now she sits back and watches her with Zoie or lets Paddy and Zoie go off on their own.


Paddy is friendly to guests, too. She'll often dash under the sofa, then as we're talking, tease whoever is on the sofa with her paw. She's not a cuddler with us, but she likes to be close by. She cuddles with Halo. She does like to be petted and right by our side no matter what activity we're involved in. She's always ready for action.


We love Paddy to bits and I think she knows it. I'm so thankful we kept her and Halo together. They enrich our lives every day.



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USA TODAY Bestselling Author Karen Rose Smith is an only child who delved into books at an early age. She learned about kindred spirits from Anne of Green Gables, solved mysteries with Nancy Drew and wished she could have been the rider on The Black Stallion. Yet even though she escaped often into story worlds, she had many aunts, uncles and cousins around her on weekends. Her sense of family and relationships began there. Maybe that's why families are a strong theme in her novels, whether mysteries or romances. Her 87th novel will be released in 2015.

Readers often ask her about her pastimes. She has herb, flowers and vegetable gardens that help her relax. In the winter, she cooks rather than gardens. And year round she spends most of her time with her husband, as well as her four rescued cats who are her constant companions. They chase rainbows from sun catchers, reminding her life isn't all about work, awards and bestseller lists. Everyone needs that rainbow to chase.

Karen looks forward to interacting with readers. They can find her at the links below. 



Karen's Newsletter IN TOUCH


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©2015 Karen Rose Smith





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Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Halo's Kitten Paddington Turns Five Months Old Today by Karen Rose Smith




Miss Paddington -- Our Christmas Gift

Paddington is five months old today! She is friendly, happy go lucky and wants to be friends with everyone, cat or human. She especially loves to play. Each morning I lay out brown wrapping paper that came packed with cat food. She romps in it, sometimes with her mom Halo joining in. Lately, she is spending a lot of time watching the birds outside the windows. When she gets bored with that, she and our two-year-old cat Zoie play hide and seek with the bedspread hem (when Zoie isn't napping!).

Zoie and Paddy share a special moment.


Paddy and Halo share a hug.




















Halo is settling into our home after six months as if she finally realizes she belongs here. She seems to be able to accept affection more easily and purrs when we pet her. She and Paddington still have a tight bond. They snuggle and sleep together. But Paddington is spending more time apart from her mom, too. Paddy is our early Christmas gift that we'll cherish for years to come.


                                        














©2014 Karen Rose Smith













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Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Expanding the Kitten World, Halo's Kittens at Seven Weeks by Karen Rose Smith


Halo's kittens have brought us untold joy.  Just watching them play is such a treat.  Playtime has become more energetic and wilder so at seven weeks we thought we should expand their world.  My office is a large room over our garage.  Up until now, we had makeshift barriers--an old door turned sideways--to keep them in a portion of it.  Halo has had the whole office since she came in in June but for the past six weeks, she has chosen to stay in the portion with her kittens.  For the past few days, though, she has been hopping the barriers, but still watching over them.

At eating time the past few days, we have taken one kitten at a time to the other area of the office to let them explore for a few minutes.  Yesterday we took all of them over there together for two play times.  This morning, Halo decided we should keep their world expanded.  It was amazing to watch. She jumped across to the new area while they played.  Then she called them.  She sat atop the sofa at the one place they could learn to climb up to arrive in the other section.  Paddington answered her call.  There he was, on top of the edge of the sofa, with no way to descend again.

So we opened up the office.  Halo led the kittens in running back and forth across the entire room and helped them explore the perimeters.  They played and explored, running crazily at times, for about an hour.  Then she called them to her on the rug in the new area and the suckled and napped.  But when I returned, though, they were in their old spots to sleep in my computer area.  It will be interesting to see if they keep that up.  Once the kittens escape their boundaries, there is no way to keep them back in.  We were lucky the division of space worked up until now.

This week saw the kittens playing with their own tails, climbing and leaping farther, and now scratching on surfaces that will help hone their claws.  Hopefully we have enough scratching posts around that they can learn to scratch on those. Also, they seem to have litter box etiquette learned.  We placed a box in the new area as well as two in the old so there is less opportunity for accidents.

We eliminated a feeding this week this week and hope to eliminate another.  They are eating about five times a day.  But they are also still suckling.  We are letting them lead into what we hope is a natural process.  I've consulted with cat friends and read any material I can find.  The vet tech told us we should separate them from Halo at six weeks.  My immediate reaction was to ignore that advice.  Halo is an excellent mom.  She keeps track of those kittens no matter where they run or try to play hide and seek.  Our situation is a little different than most with three other cats outside the office.  Also we will be keeping Tia for twelve weeks and Mayzie for 14. We're keeping Paddington with Halo. Separating Halo is not practical or at this time or warranted.  Friends who have seen many litters of kittens come and go have advised me that "slow" is the best way to go.  So we're not rushing this process that has been unfolding from the day Halo's babies were born.  They are heart-warming to watch. Halo is leading them and teaching them every day.







More of the kitten saga next week!








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©2014 Karen Rose Smith


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