Hi and Happy August!! Bet you thought we dropped off of the face of the Earth didn't you? Well, we are HERE (sorry to disappoint you MOL). We have just been extremely busy with a TON of family stuff (baby shower), and self-improvement stuff (which involves swimming!), meaning lately I haven't gotten online to check email or anything until after 5pm at night. So, enough about where Cody and I have been, (oh and THANK YOU SO MUCH for his lovely Gotcha/Adoption Day wishes! They are deeply appreciated!). Now on to some important business!
Thanks to all who entered our give-away it's time to announce the lucky winners!!
Where in the world has the time gone? I can barely believe that today we are celebrating Cody's ELEVENTH Adoption/Gotcha Day.
On July 28th, 2007 (which happened to also be a Saturday), I adopted Cody, "the cat formerly known as Prince", from an adoption drive at our local Petco which ironically CLOSED a mere TWO weeks after I adopted him.
Cody as a baby before his eyes turned green
I had attended the adoption drive with a girlfriend, I had NO INTENTIONS of adopting a cat that day because my beloved 18 year old Angel Bobo had gone to the bridge on July 2nd, 2007, just a few weeks before I adopted Cody. I simply went to get a "cat fix" because I missed my Bobo terribly. A few weeks earlier I had visited the SAME Petco. I recalled seeing Cody that day, but since I was never drawn to gray kitties, and I was too sad about Bobo, I left. Two weeks later on July 28th I was there again. It was Cody's litter mates who most attracted me because they most resembled my Bobo. Those kitties had other plans, neither of them were interested in ME.
Cody as a kitten before his eyes turned green!
My eyes fell on the gray kitten again who was merrily jumping, hopping and cavorting in the back of the cage. I looked at his foster mom and said "May I please see the gray one?" She handed me that little fluff ball, I sat down on a chair, Cody looked at me and crawled up my chest......he made NO EFFORT to leave. That was it. I sat in that chair petting him and talking to him for at least a half hour.
His foster Mom said he was her favorite and that is why she called him "Prince." He was a lover boy and a cuddle bug, he still is.
Cody and I on his adoption day July 28th, 2007
Then I called my husband and said, "I found a special cat and I am adopting him, I will be home to get his carrier and then I am coming back to get him." My husband thought I was nuts, that it was too soon after Bobo leaving us. I told him I KNEW that this cat was special, I knew in my heart I was right.
When I brought Cody home and opened the carrier the little shit (yes, little shit), I called him that because there wasn't an ounce of fear in his body. He didn't hide, nope, never. He came out of the carrier and strutted around the living room checking out his new digs with his little pot belly (which he still has), acting as if he owned the place. From that moment, Cody was "home."
I had always thought there would never be another cat that I would love as much as I loved my Bobo, and for the first year or so of Cody's life I felt guilty because of my constant comparisons to Bobo which often put Cody in a lesser light.
Cody in 2010
As the years have gone by, I can say that I COMPLETELY love Cody as much as I loved my Bobo, but in a different way. They are DIFFERENT CATS. My Bobo was fearful, timid, non-trusting, but he was devoted to ME.
Cody is FEARLESS, easy-going, a cuddler, hilarious, insistent, determined and far less devoted to me than Bobo was. I attribute that to the fact that Bobo was the "only" pet for his entire 18 years of life, Cody had my husband AND me, and then the following October Dakota came to live with us. Cody had others instead of just me to give him attention.
Truth be told there are MANY times Cody is much more obsessed with my husband than he is with me, and yep, sometimes I get pangs of jealousy because after all, I am "team cat" and my husband is more "team dog", but my husband and Cody DO share a special bond which makes me happy.
I have no reason to doubt Cody's love though, he has his own rituals with each of us, and every night when I am on the couch watching TV, Cody sits next to me to be petted and to have me cooing and fussing over him.I am also the one he seeks out for playtime and the one he KNOWS will give him tastes of chicken from my dinner.
Today, as we celebrate Cody's Adoption/"Gotcha Day" I am forever grateful that I returned to that Petco and decided to pick up that playful gray bundle of fur. I am forever grateful that Cody virtually chose ME, he clung to me that day and has given me the greatest gift I could ever hope to have. Cody has given me the gift of his silliness, his cuddly ways, even his irritating habits that drive me insane, but more importantly, he has given me his trust and ALWAYS his LOVE. I love you my crazy "Codester", I stopped comparing you to Bobo years ago. YOU are unique, you are precious, you helped heal my broken heart, you make me laugh and smile more than you know. You are equally as special, YOU are loved more than you could imagine. There will never be another kitty like you.....never. Thank you for choosing ME to share your life with. I LOVE YOU. "Mom"
I cannot begin to convey the delight I felt when I first learned about the book, How To Argue With A Cat A Human’s Guide To The Art Of Persuasion By Best Selling New York Times Author, Jay Heinrichs, that was posted on The Purrington Post.
"Cats+Persuasion" two of my loves. You see, when I went to, and graduated from, Kent State University, back in the Stone Age, I majored in Rhetoric and Communication. You are probably thinking, "who majors in RHETORIC and what the heck is it??" You aren't alone. Many of you probably know exactly what rhetoric is, but for those who do not, the definition of Rhetoric from the great philosopher Aristotle is: "Rhetoric, is the faculty of observing in any given case, all available means of persuasion." Without realizing it, we all use rhetoric every...single...day. From communicating with our partners, our kids, our jobs (sales, law, virtually EVERY JOB that exists), because when you are communicating, you are often engaging in persuasion, without your even knowing it! (My mother used to joke about my degree saying I earned a degree in what I did naturally, PERSUADE.) I reached out to Jay Heinrichs and told him I HAD to read/review this book! What I expected was more of a humorous book about actually trying to persuade a cat to do (or not do) what I wanted, what I received was SO MUCH MORE.
ABOUT HOW TO ARGUE WITH A CAT
Cats are skilled manipulators who can talk you into just
about anything without a single word (or maybe a meow or two). They can get you
to drop whatever you’re doing and play with them. They can make you serve their
dinner way ahead of schedule. They can get you to sit down right this instant
and provide a lap. On the other hand, try getting a cat to do what you want....
While it’s hard, persuading a cat is possible. And after
that, persuading humans becomes a breeze, and that is what you will learn in
this book. How to Argue with a Cat will teach you how to:
· Hold an intelligent conversation—one of the few things
easier to do with a cat than a human. · Argue logically, even if your opponent is furry and
irrational. · Hack up a fallacy (the hairball of logic). · Make your body do the talking (cats are very good at this). · Master decorum: the art of fitting in with cats, venture
capitalists, or humans. · Learn the wisdom of predator timing to pounce at the right
moment. · Get someone to do something or stop doing it. · Earn any creature’s respect and loyalty.
This catabulous trailer was narrated by illustrator Natalie Palmer Sutton'sadorable niece!
Want to learn about the "Art of the Purr"? Jay Heinrich graciously shared this clip from the audio book that teaches us clueless humans what a cat's purr can teach us about persuasion(or should that be "purr-suasion? "Discuss amongst yourselves! Click on the highlighted text above to listen!) MY THOUGHTS: When reading a book that I will review, I will "dog-ear" pages that I feel are particularly relevant or interesting, (a habit that my bookmark-loving husband loathes, but I digress...) that I want to refer to in my review, well, I am in DEEP TROUBLE. Virtually EVERY SINGLE PAGE of this book has been "dog-eared" by ME. The result? There is SO MUCH practical information about CATS AND PERSUASION in this book, that if I were to review it the way I wish I could, I would be writing ANOTHER BOOK! How To Argue With A Cat is the PURRFECT marriage of Jay Heinrich discussing qualities that cats inherently possess that make them masters in the "dark art of persuasion" and then explaining those qualities to us, (referred to as "factors" in the book), that will enable US to effectively persuade other humans, AND CATS. It is "PURR" GENIUS!! If you are skilled in persuasion, like cats and comedy you are skilled in TIMING."The secret of persuasion is just like the secret of comedy. It's timing." Timing requires patience. "In rhetoric, this art of waiting for the perfect moment is called kairos (KI-ros). Someone skilled at kairos, such as a cat, not only knows how to wait. She also knows exactly the right moment to act, to seize the occasion, letting no temporary lap go un-sat-upon and no bug unchased." Where was this book when I was studying Rhetoric in college?? I LOVED the black and white "pop-art" style illustrations by Natalie Palmer Sutton, and being a quote freak, I derived great enjoyment from the brilliant snippets of "Cat Wisdom" found throughout the book that not only are true of cats, but are valuable tips for humans to use when communicating. A few of my favorites are: "When in doubt, keep a straight face. Cats rarely change their expression. That's one reason they look so dignified. It also helps them hide their ploys." "Dignity won't get your belly rubbed. So you embarrassed yourself. Be like a cat and leave the past behind." "Small persuasive creatures rule the world." Um, that would be CATS.How To Argue With A Cat A Human’s Guide To The Art Of Persuasion By Jay Heinrichs is a book that I am going to refer to again and again. This isn't just a "one and done" deal. It is a book that you can use to enhance your own communication/persuasion skills! Just think, when you get your paws on this catabulous book, YOU (and your cat) just might be ruling the world too with your persuasive selves! It is available on Amazon, Penguin Randomhouse (Rodale Books) and more! It's also available as an ebook! ISBN: 978-1-63565-274-1
Jay's cat "Killick" on his shoulders
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: JAY HEINRICHS is the New York Times bestselling author of Thank You for Arguing. He has taught persuasion to editors at Ivy League universities, NASA, and the Pentagon and runs the acclaimed blog, Figarospeech.com, as well as the rhetoric site ArgueLab.com. ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR: NATALIE PALMER-SUTTONis an art director, illustrator, editor, animator, artist, designer and sometimes writer who lives with her lovely husband and lovely children in Buckhurst Hill, England. To learn more about Natalie visit her website at www.natsutton.com. ENTER TO WIN!! Jay and the kind people at Penguin Random House have agreed to allow us to do a give-away!!! We are excited that we can give FIVE WINNERS a copy of How To Argue With A Cat (must be 18 and over, and the give-away is open to those in the U.S.A ONLY). Entering is super easy, just enter on the rafflecopter and good luck! (There are TWO mandatory entry requirements! BOTH must be completed in order to not be disqualified). a Rafflecopter giveaway
DISCLOSURE: I received no financial compensation for this post, I received a copy of the book in exchange for my always honest opinion.
