I don’t know about you, but I experienced a lot of ups and downs over this past year. I moved into a new house in a new town; I encountered far more “this old house” types of problems than I anticipated; my new home experienced a fire a couple of months later; and I added a new (adult) cat to my peaceful multicat household.
That said, I quietly benefited from things I’ve learned while working on this newsletter: At the top of the list is the importance of having an emergency/disaster plan in place. (Remember: they wouldn’t be considered emergencies or disasters if we could schedule them ahead of time!) Getting through that winter night of the fire with my cats safe and sound is something I will always be thankful for — especially looking back and realizing that it could have turned out much differently.
The same can be said regarding the vital importance of creating a trust for your pets in the event of your passing, especially unexpectedly and sudden. Again, you can’t plan for this. But you can find a lawyer and set about making provisions for your beloved animals.
I definitely needed to brush up on how to make proper feline introductions when adopting this new cat — and the emphasis on ‘patience’ was important as I saw my resident cats struggle with accepting the new one. Catnip was a great source of information for this sticky situation.
Obviously, some issues of Catnip will provide more useful information for you than others. We try to create a mix that will interest and educate our readership each month. But you never know when last month’s unusual health or behavior problem may meander its way into your own home. So be prepared!
Elizabeth Vesci
Executive Editor
