The Cat Nip Mission: Cat Won!

Striper, Before Dad Brought Him In

When I came across these Clips of cats opening doors over at Sparkle The Designer Cat, it reminded me of one of my dad's cats, Striper.  My dad had stocked up on some catnip and in trying to find a safe storage place for it, he put it in on the second shelf of one of the top kitchen cupboards.

Striper, of course, smelled it and since he was a fantastic climber, he had a plan.  My dad was dozing in the dining room and heard a bunch of noise coming from the kitchen. When he went to investigate, he saw the top cupboard open and Striper on the floor between the stove and the sink with a bunch of stuff from the cupboard all around him, trying to open the bag of catnip which had been on the second shelf!

It always fascinates me how smart and agile cats are.  They are beautiful animals and my dad loved his cats very much.  They were great companions for him in his old age and kept him laughing!  My love for cats came through knowing his cats.

R.I.P.

Don't forget to click on the above link to view the cat clips--they are short and well-done!   

To enter a giveaway for "My Funny Dad, Harry" visit Red Pine Mountain.  The Drawing from those commenting on the post will be entered in the Feb. 5 giveaway!

To find out more about my book and why I wrote it, read the Foreword here.

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A Sad Fourth Of July--Striper Was So Much Fun!

On the 4th of July I always remember and think of Striper, one of my dad's stray cats that he brought inside his house. Striper was a great climber and loved to climb on both me and my dad. He would like to go on my dad's back and up by his neck. One day my dad danced with Striper on his back in front of the mirror. Too bad I didn't have my camera with me that day! Striper didn't mind all the junk in the basement and liked climbing on the desk down there. The basement was Striper's territory while Blackie and Timi owned the main floor and Softie, Sweet Thing and Sylvester ruled the upstairs.

I nicknamed Striper "The Entertainer" because that cat would do the funniest things. He loved catnip so much that even when Harry put it in the high kitchen cupboard, Striper managed to climb up there, open the door and get it out! I brought him upstairs now and then when I went over to play with him. He didn't mind being held like the other cats. He tried to avoid the other cats and for the most part, he did.

Poor striper had some kind of blood problem and grew very week very quickly. He climbed up in the drop ceiling of the basement one day and would not come down for days! When cats don't feel well and are about to die, they go off looking for a quiet spot away from people and that's exactly what Striper was doing. Harry could hear some mowing and finally found Striper up there. He set up a ladder and we tried coaxing the cat down using tuna, cat treats but nothing worked.

Finally, on one 4th of July, Striper came down on his own and was extremely weak. Dad called me early that morning to let me know. I was supposed to be in a parade to hand out fliers for our Vacation Bible School but I told Gerard to go without me because I wanted to help dad take Striper to the vet. It being a holiday, we had to go to an emergency care place. When we got there, the vet said the cat was very, very sick and should just be put down. Dad and I said our last good-bye to poor Striper that day but brought him back home and Gerard helped dad bury the cat in his backyard.

Read about all of dad's cats and more about Striper in My Funny Dad, Harry. click here to order (available at Amazon.com or bn.com). Bookstores can also order it for you or contact me for a copy at myfunnydadharry@sbcglobal.net.

Striper Shares About Some Fun With Harry

Hi, I'm Striper. I am a "ghost" writer on this blog. I want to share with you about what fun I had with Harry. He was a very nice old man who let me climb all over him! I loved Harry very much. I lived outside and found his porch one day. Many other cats were there too, but sometimes, I could find a time when I would go when they weren't around. In the picture, I am sitting on top of the Kitty Motel that Harry made for us stray cats.


Harry put food and water out for us every day. His daughter, Karen, would visit him every morning before work and on the weekend so I got to know her too. She always liked petting me. I was very surprised that one day, Harry let me come into his house. Blackie and Timi already lived on the main level with him and didn't really like the idea of sharing their territory with me. Softie and Sweet Thing lived upstairs and they didn't even let me come in with them at all! I sought out my own territory in the basement.

I would climb on Karen sometimes, but I liked climbing on Harry better--he had a nice big back that he let me ride on! He would dance in front of the mirror with me on his back--what fun! One day, Karen came over and wanted to get my picture riding on his back, but I just wasn't in the mood that day.


The basement had a lot of cool hiding places. Karen brought me a toy for Christmas that she put under the desk that I laid on top of all the time. I remember making Harry and Karen and (even her husband) laugh when I bat that ball around the circle. No matter how hard I hit it, I couldn't get it out! I loved walking on top of Harry's workbench too. He had all kinds of stuff on it. I liked hiding in the clothes chute and when I got sick, I went up on top of the suspended ceiling tiles. I was up there for several days and Harry couldn't reach me to get me down. I finally came down on my own. He brought me tuna treats to entice me down, but I was too sick to enjoy it.

One of my favorite things Harry did was give me catnip. It made me so crazzzzy!