What is "Life With Cats"?
"Life With Cats" provides the autobiographical accounts of a "professional" cat-keeper, along with photos and some occasional audio for your viewing and listening pleasure.
Here at "Life With Cats," you can enjoy reading all about the not so glamorous yet rewarding world of cat-keeping, with a twist of humor (I hope). And in the spirit of Star Trek's classic "Captain's Logs," there will be numbered "Cat-Keeper's Log" entries recorded for your listening pleasure. It's a silly, slightly disturbing peek into the paranoid and delusional side of Miss Myrtle.
There is also an Instagram page and a very new YouTube channel. Both can be visited by clicking the links in the navigation bar.
Who Is Myrtle Merryweathah?
Myrtle Merryweathah, a New Englander born and raised in the mid-70's about an hour west of Boston, is the person I've been in denial about becoming, but must now embrace. Despite my desire of becoming some great and successful artist or writer, I have instead become what many like to refer to as a "crazy cat lady." But I prefer "cat keeper" or "feline enthusiast." Heck, even "cat collector" is much nicer, in my opinion; they are much kinder terms.
But I have to admit, my life has become an incessant pattern of "cat keeping," a behavior of which I can no longer deny. And since I have reached the upper crest of my fortieth decade, my habitual enthusiasm for the feline species combined with a serious case of introversion could very well qualify me for "crazy cat lady" status, as much as I hate it. I wouldn't be surprised if it was listed as one of the hundreds of mental illnesses in the book, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition. If a condition describing an obsessive concern for strays leading to compulsive feline care-taking is not in there, a new 6th edition may very well be in order. It should be called "Crazy Cat Lady Fanaticism," otherwise known as Myrtle Syndrome. Yeah, I'm thinking they'll name it after me....I mean, Myrtle.
Myrtle is definitely a bit mental, but it's only due to her gargantuan heart combined with an inability to ignore any animal in need. She's a big ol' suckah and lacks the ability to turn a blind eye to any stray cat that crosses her path. As hard as she tries, in the end, they all end up with names and somehow become house cats in different quadrants of her circa 1900, slate-roofed house of badly peeling paint and broken steps.
I believe this result is due to the feline's uncanny ability to somehow bend a human's will to their own until said human is uncontrollably feeding and nurturing them, non-stop... day and night. And these manipulative creatures know how to find just the right candidates. Every powerful cult leader knows what weaknesses to look for and felines are no different; it's really not that hard. Typically all that's needed is a saucy little saunter through a yard once or twice until spotted. If their vetted human is the sucker they anticipate, the rest is history.
Unfortunately, "Myrtle Syndrome" is an incurable and super expensive malady. Paying for vet bills, kitty litter, and feeding what feels like the entire neighborhood of stray cats does not come cheap which is why I, I mean Myrtle, must now find a way to create a source of revenue in order to maintain this uncontrollable habit of Cat-Keeperdom... which leads us to the next question...
Why Subscribe?
It's free.
"But I thought you just said you… I mean Myrtle… need money?"
Yes, she does in fact need money, but if you share a love and a passion for all things feline, please consider not only subscribing, but also pledging a future paid subscription should I (I mean Myrtle, GAH!) ever choose to switch over to paid. The ability to gauge how much support and interest there is depends on the number of pledges received. (click the Subscribe now button to pledge)
Should a transition over to paid subscriptions occur, a portion of free content will always be available here. But a lot goes into each and every post, so, if you find yourself enjoying my content but struggle with commitment issues like myself, you can show your support by just buying me a cup of coffee or a couple cans of cat food here…
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/lifewithcats
Oh, and if you do sign up for a free subscription, I can't say how often the posts will come, but your inbox will most likely NOT be flooded on the daily... probably more like weekly, if that… (unless it’s a silly, self-made meme here and there; those are just little quickies.) Still workin' on the whole self-discipline thing and cat-care-taking will always take priority over prompt posts. I mean, does anyone know of a "crazy cat lady" disciplined in anything but cat-care-taking?
