My dear sponsors,

Boy, is it cold outside! I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling desperate for a little warmth, and I miss the long, sunny days of summer terribly. What’s a cat to do?

That’s a rhetorical question, of course. You know quite well that I have the perfect formula for cold, chilly days. Take one soft and cozy human lap, add in one handsome tuxedo cat, and voila! Boots is a happy boy again.

Some people here have been remarking that I’ve been particularly affectionate of late. What I don’t get is the tone of surprise in their voices. What, just because a cat likes to beat on just about every other cat every now and then, he can’t be a snugglebug when the fancy strikes? Hmph. As if humans were somehow above such behavior.

But I have been experimenting with the whole “nice, affectionate kitty” idea this month. Once, when I was sitting on my correspondent’s lap, Morgan jumped onto the sofa and actually tried to climb into her lap with me! Good grief. I shot a standard stinkeye at him, but then, well, I went out on a bit of a limb and actually allowed him to sit next to us! It felt weird, and a bit disorienting, but not entirely bad.

Another lap time, a few weeks later, I decided to try a new position. Instead of facing outward, so that I could survey my domain as I snuggled, I actually turned to face the person whose lap I was on. Again, it was a bit disorienting to cede even that small bit of control over the world, but hey, her stomach was a little squishy, and soft sweaters are super for nose-warming.

Who knows what I’ll try this month. You may not be able to teach an old dog new tricks, but cats can learn new things whenever we put our minds to it. We’re just better that way.

Oh, hey, and speaking of new things, Tabby’s Place is trying something new, too. The people here have cared for us so well for so long, and now they’re reaching out to care for the feral cats who live around here, too. They figure that by maintaining the feral cat colonies, there may be fewer cats in hopeless situations in the future. That’s fine with me, because the Boots-to-human ratio inside Tabby’s Place is barely tolerable as it is. More cats would just be a disaster for me.

I wish I could snuggle on your lap right now, but in the meantime your love will help to keep me warm. I do hope that you have someone to keep you warm on these chilly days!

Fondly,
Boots