Jules In my next life, I want to be my rescued Maine Coon cat PeeWee. Before we were able to rescue him from the woods out back, he totally made our outdoor double chaise his own. He would come up on our deck every day to be fed, and I was eventually able to get him to do tricks. You can see him speaking and jumping to his "perch" on command, catching treats in his 6 toed paws, all the while being on the lookout for the coyotes that would relentless pursue him. Check out the link to his you tube video, as well as the photo below after we were able to capture him to start his new life as strictly an indoor kitty. As you can see, he's quite comfortable on the the best seat in the house, next to the remote. Ahhhhh, the life of a cat!!! We're sooooooo happy to have him rule our roost, safe and sound after spending so many months without a warn, safe place to call home! Watch out, he just may steal your heart like he has ours.

sammycat Beautiful cat Jules!

blcrisp Loved these drawings. My husband also said in his next life he wants to be our rescued Maine Coon as well. Sadly, she is no longer with us, but a tuxedo kitten has now taken over the house and is helping to decorate according to her wishes.

aliciafancher Jules...your PeeWee is the most adorable kitty on the internet! Bless you for rescuing him and giving him a loving home. I "aww-ed" so much at your video that my own cat had to come out of his "junk-hole" under the sofa to see what all the fuss was about. He, too, has redecorated the house to his high standards. My quilt now belongs to him, my denim jacket is his; and when he first came here, he wasn't allowed on the green chair and now I'm not allowed on the green chair. But my life like yours is so much richer with him in it. I've had him 12-1/2 years and he still has his kitten ways. PeeWee would indeed steal my heart if it didn't already belong to Carlysle. Again, bless you and your family!

John Whipple - By Any Design ltd. My Cat prefers the Dora the Explorer chair at our house.

Patricia Pelgrims Haha ! Cats ! If we wouldn't spoil them they would spoil themselves. :-D

Molly Brandenburg Ha! love the pics and video--beautiful friends and so designer friendly!!!

Jules Molly, I just realized that YOU drew these amazingly cute cat scenes!!!!! Not only a great ideabook writer, but also an AMAZING illustrator! Are you published elsewhere, outside of the Houzz community? Where can we see more of your awesome work! You are quite talented, I just love your adorable cats!
Jules:)

Molly Brandenburg Jules thank you so much!! i love all the kitty photos and movies everyone sends in, my three kitties are a total joy for me and my daughter! There is more info on my bio page about all the cats and other things to enjoy! Thank you so much. I so love being part of Houzz!

Kathy Ellis Grat job Molly, you are very talented and insightful about cats!

logicbutton Ah, yes. My cat loves her heated massage chair, especially when it has just dispensed food. Her MFA (Master's of Feline Arts) in lounging also provides me with invaluable expertise when it comes to comfortablifying surfaces.

patscats2 Ahhh cats, they can make a bed out of anything, anywhere. Right now I have one sleeping on the printer and the other using my address book for a pillow!! They are so special and I have all the dust bunnies to prove it. Jules, your baby is a cutie pie.

ilanmeyer Short of covering the bathroom with sand, we'd love to see ideas for cat-friendly environment

brownie1950 We totally cater to our rescue cat, Hook, who (same as me) is getting older and has a bum hip. When we bought a new bed a few years ago, it was too tall for him to jump onto for naps and to join us at night, so I constructed a ramp for him using his old perch, a workbench shelf purchased at Home Depot, some L-brackets, and a bathtub liner for traction.
When he isn't on the bed, he can be found in some other cozy spot, usually with "friends"

kaz2 LOL thanks Molly they are great and yes that TBD door..... If it didn't need manning, I want one.

kaz2 for these guys

olldroo Molly, I have been waiting all holidays for your next instalment and neither you nor the readers have disappointed.

olldroo Cat lovers unite -

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/01/22/new-zealand-environmental-advocate-launches-campaign-to-ban-cats-as-pets/

Molly Brandenburg Old Roo (Groovy Granny) you made my day!! THANK YOU!

lfholley Y'all are great, the illustrations divine. I'll add that 4 months ago, I lost my sister-in-law who unbeknownst to us had left her estate to her 12 indoor senior cats and us as executors to carry out her wishes for them. All I can say is what an experience! We are currently building a "cat-a-tat" at our home, 12x24 insulated building, heated, cooled with protected outdoor sunny area with pond and fountain and "catio" love that terminology. We are nearly finished and they'll be moving to the new facility in a couple of weeks. I'm only just now beginning the interior design for them which is the fun part. I can't wait for them to begin to warm up to us as they've behaved fairly "ferally" up until now with us just running into their current home where nobody lives with them to feed, water and clean . Thanks btw to www.thecathouseonthekings.com feline rescue (no-kill) out near Fresno, CA as they taught me how to handle these animals and even offered us a place to surrender them if all proved too much. Most importantly they wanted to help us learn how to keep them ourselves if at all possible and we came away with the confidence to do that. I know they'd appreciate your support. In the meantime we welcome any ideas from care to interior catatat design; riverview57@yahoo.com!

astraea @OLLDRoo - What a narrow-minded idea; did he never think of just having a campaign tor people keeping their pet cats indoors? Over the years I've had 5 cats, all of them indoors, and there was plenty to amuse themselves, without chasing birds, or baby animals!

kaz2 ifholly try www.catster.com if you join that site and then go to the forums you can ask any questions about cats there. It looks like those cats are going to be spoilt. LOL

olldroo You have a beautiful heart ifholley.

I think we will all come back as cats and adopt ifholley as our human.

spela9 Great!!!!!!! Hahahaha... It'so true.

lfholley Thanks for the supportive comments and emails! We're working on painting and outdoor covered area today! Can't wait til cat moving day, they're gonna love it (once they get over the initial change and learn to go outdoors). >^..^

apennameandthata Cats destroy too much wildlife.

patscats2 "Cats destroy too much wildlife" Spoken like a true cat hater. It's a fairy tale spread by those who hate cats.

brownie1950 Dear Cat Hater: Cats do their natural thing, and it is actually a benefit when they perform mice and rat removal. Granted, some cats are successful stalking birds and maybe an occasional fluffy something or other, but I've never seen a news story about a cat mauling and/or killing a child, senior or some other innocent bystander. I will admit that "nice" dogs like everybody, illustrating a lack of discernment. Cats are both more perceptive and selective, so if a cat likes you, you're really special. My guess is that a cat has never liked you . . . Too bad -- you missed out on a quality relationship.

astraea @apennameandthata - That's a narrow-minded philosophy! Responsible cat owners don't allow their pets to "destroy wildlife". And the other comment about "autistic" .. you've OBVIOUSLY never had a cat; they are very smart, affectionate, and outgoing if encouraged.

sammycat To the cat hater: whenever any species of animal is harmful to the environment, there is always a human/humans behind it. So before you go blaming anything on any animal, take a good look in the mirror.

Molly Brandenburg The idea of the "ultimate catio" was developed in response to the many cat houzzers who offered ideas and pictures of their fenced in cat environments. The "catio" keeps cats happy and wildlife safe. Adopting a cat or dog is a commitment and a responsibility. Both cats and dogs are loyal, faithful companions who have much to teach us about unconditional love. i offer my photo of my tabby cat, ava, in my inbox, as an example of her companionship while i am working.

brownie1950 Thank you, Molly, for getting the comments back on track. This should not become a forum for negative debate or mean-spirited comments. Any pet (whether furry, feathered or otherwise) should be valued and loved. lfholley and the "cat-a-tat" she is building for her twelve inherited cats has set the bar very high for everyone else. Kudos to both of you!

Molly Brandenburg Yes, positive suggestions for pet care and ideas for interesting pet environments are very welcome here. Pet humor and fanciful and funny pictures are very welcome as well!

karelina When we were renovating my new to me 1900 house, we dubbed my extra bedroom, the cats' room, since my cat of 17 year and I were the new owners. And, that's what it's become. Though Maine Coon Catalina has since passed on, we started with one of those silly plastic cat clocks from the 60s (?), the eyes roll and tail sweeps back and forth that I've had for 20 years and added my two just adopted, rescued, 2 year old Bengal kitties (hell-raisers both). Then I gathered all of the Chinese and Japanese cat paintings, sculptures, a 3 foot hand-painted bowl and a Mexican cat mask, threw in some cat toys, and voila', the cats' room and a bedroom for guests, who hopefully don't mind sharing the bed with the monsters.

ebova Your Maine Coon cat looks and acts exactly like our Siberian cat. Hmm! Maybe I am missing some distinguishing feature. Our two cats live indoors only and love their screen porch! I am also concerned about the number of outdoor, unspayed cats roaming the suburban and urban landscapes.

karelina ebova: So it makes sense to non-cataholics, the Bengals above are short-haired cats with leopard markings, descended from the Asian Leopard cats of Bengal. Below is a pic of my Maine Coon the oldest natural breed of American cats. The Maine Coon is very similar to the Siberian Forest Cat.

ebova My Sergei is a Siberian cat bought from some local Russians and looks like a smaller Maine coon. He's an amazing pet and truly hypoallergenic.

olldroo Molly, just found this must have for all cat lovers - have no idea where to buy it unfortunately.

rachie35 Jules, beautiful very well fed kitty! He's adorable.

Jules Thanks Rachie! We are just smitten! For being once feral, he's such a teddy bear! And yes, he never misses a meal!

karelina I found olldroo's sign on Etsy.

texas7rose Here is our (part feral) cat, Muju, with her buddy Mr. Timkins. They are inseparable and will soon be inside cats all the time. We are building a cat room and a cat screened room for them. I have to be careful whom I share this with. People already think I am a little nuts. We have 3 dogs, too, 2 of them chow chows. And, yes, the two species stay separate! Sorry, couldn't get the video to load.

lfholley Don't feel crazy Texas, sometimes we just have to go with what presents itself to us and do the next right thing. I posted here about 7 weeks ago regarding 12 ferals left us by my sis-in-law who passed last Aug. Here are some updated photos of "KittyLand" currently being built on our property for them. Everyone thinks we're nuts and I don't care; it's for the cats and what she wanted for them, so that's what we're doing! Hope to move them very soon!
This kept posting upside down, trying one more time, sorry...

olldroo AMAZING!!!!! Are you accepting bookings for "Kittyland"? I always said I would be a cat in my next life.

lfholley Actually, we're pretty booked up right now, hoping locals don't try dropping animals off here as is often the case at "The Cat House on the Kings (feline rescue I mentioned earlier)."thanks for all the great comments y'all, I'll try and keep you updated!