Henny Penny Farmette

Here’s the update: We have a winning name for the cat–Cuddy (for cuddly and cutie and clever and kitty,-kitty). Winner has been notified and a free copy of A BEELINE TO MURDER in a tote bag has been mailed. We thank all who entered for their cat name suggestions.

The original post follows here:

Despite Holly Golightly calling her feline companion “Cat” in the the Blake Edward’s film, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, cat lovers everywhere were probably cringing. Cats are as unique as the people who own them and, I believe, every cat should have a special name.

The newest addition to our farmette menagerie of animals

Recently, I adopted a beautiful unnamed cat from our local animal shelter to live with me on my Henny Penny Farmette. Only a year old and possibly abandoned or a runaway, she’d been found in a field. She was hungry, cold, and frightened.

She’s intensely curious and loves slipping into the cave hole in her cat tree

Immediately, she was checked to see if she had been spayed, and she reacted defensively. The behavior earned her an “unadoptable” status, except to a cat rescue organization. I lobbied the shelter staff to let me adopt her. They did.

Now I need a name for her Highness, and I think a contest might be the way to find that perfect name.

Here’s a little info about her to help you dream up the perfect name.

• * She’s eager to give and receive affection, intelligent, and curious.
• * She bears herself as though she were royalty
• * She even looks regal–her animal shelter card states her breeding is believed to be a Siamese mixed with American domestic short hair.
• * Her coloring is cream and lavender-gray
• *She loves playing with kitty toys
• *She sniffed all the books in my bookcase the first time she entered the house. (Methinks she likes being around books and writers)
• *The window ledge overlooking the garden where the chickens, squirrels, and wild birds freely roam is her throne.

CONTEST RULES: The contest begins at midnight Friday, November 6, and ends on Thursday, November 19 at midnight. The winner will be announced on Friday, November 20 at 12 noon (Pacific Standard Time).

PRIZE: The winner will receive a free copy of A BEELINE TO MURDER novel and a tote bag.

TO ENTER: Simply send an email to: Meera@hennypennyfarmette.com with your name and snail mail address and your perfect name for my cat. Limited to one name per entry, one entry per person. In the event, multiple people send the chosen name, the first person to have emailed it will be declared the winner.

And who knows–this cat may become a character in one of my future cozy mysteries. Check out the Henny Penny Farmette series of cozies, starting with A BEELINE TO MURDER (my debut novel).  See, http://tinyurl.com/nkn4vh3

I always learn a lot from my regular visits to the Contra Costa County Animal Shelter. I was surprised to learn that the shelter doesn’t take in just dogs and cats but also chickens, guinea pigs, rabbits, and other animals.

Moose isn’t a shelter animal but a very pampered pet belonging to my daughter’s family–some dogs in Contra Costa County are not so fortunate

But most alarming for me was learning that some people in our current economy are having trouble paying for their pets’ required shots or annual license renewal. Others, for a variety of reasons, may need food for their pets. In tough times, pets can suffer, too.

Thanks to generous donations within Contra Costa County, the shelter is happy to share (when available) the pet food that is donated. That said, the shelter urges all pet owners to have backup plans in case the shelter’s donated supplies are running low.

This little cutie is one at the shelter I fell in love with; I picked out a name, returned to adopt, and someone had already claimed him

If you are a pet owner needing assistance with getting pet food and your Plan A didn’t work out, you might consider the following Plan-B, Plan-C, and Plan-D.

Plan-B:  Contra Costa Humane Society Ani-meals Program

Phone: (925) 676-7543 or 1 (800) 870-3663

Plan-C: Tony LaRussa’s ARF Food Relief Program

Phone (925) 256-1273, ext. 463; website: http://www.arf.net/animal-programs/foodshare

The ARF program also helps people in their program with spay and neuter services.

Plan-D: Furry Friends Food Relief Program: 

Phone (925) 240-3178; website: http://www.furryfriendsfoodre.wix.com/fffr

If you love animals and would like to help families and their pets who might be struggling, consider donating money, pet food, or your time to your local animal shelter. Shelter staff members and volunteers give phenomenal care to the creatures who cannot fend for themselves.

The shelter will hold the animals for a while or relocate them with rescue organizations or find them temporary foster homes. The best outcome is adoption into a forever family home. In Contra Costa County, people with questions about food distribution programs can call the Humane Education Department at (925)-335-8340.