LIFESTYLES
‘Nutcracker’
coming to
Richland/3C
Harvesting
in Umpqua
Valley/4C
WEEKEND, OCTOBER 29-30, 2016
Mushroom
hunting in the
Northwest/10C
Owned by Stan and Marjie Prowant
Inky adopted Stan and Marjie Prowant 10 years ago. When the Pendleton couple returned after taking their
youngest son to college, the little fur ball was sitting in their back yard and never left. Her favorite pastime is
hiding under rugs, plants and the latest edition of the East Oregonian.
Owned by Jacey Wilson
Celebrating our feline friends on National Cat Day
Iris has much love to give — the fur on her chest even
has the shape of a heart. When pulling up in her car, Ja-
cey Wilson of Pendleton said the 8-year-old cat always
runs to greet her. In addition, Iris’ idea of a purr-fect
evening is cuddling and giving kisses. When Wilson is
on the phone, her feline friend gets jealous and tries to
knock it out of her hand.
By TAMMY MALGESINI
East Oregonian
I’m not a cat person.
It’s not that I dislike cats,
they don’t seem to like me
— or my dogs.
Over the years, the
company of cats in my
home has been sort-lived.
I attribute this partly to the
fact I’m allergic to them, so
they have to live outside.
Shortly after gradu-
ating from college, a cat
temporarily adopted me. It
meowed a lot when I played
Bruce Springsteen albums,
so I named him Brucie. It
seems the cat was inspired
by “Born to Run” and ended
up disappearing, never to
return.
The last feline that hung
around our house was
shortly after I had a hyster-
ectomy. I experienced an
intense desire to “mother”
and attempted to adopt
a feral cat that had been
hanging out. Imagine my
excitement when I realized
she was pregnant.
I created a little kitty
condo out of an old ice
chest. I went all out, even
purchasing
cat
dishes
instead of merely feeding
her out of discarded Cool
Whip containers. When
she gave birth, I bought fun
little toys for the two little
kittens.
And what thanks did
Owned by Ian Shadle & Bonnie Day
Levon is a unique cat — gaze into his eyes. The
10-year-old owned by Ian Shadle and Bonnie Day
has heterochromia, which is characterized by two
different colored eyes. The condition occurs most
frequently in white cats (and cats with some white
fur), where the dominant white gene prevents melanin
from reaching one eye.
I get for my efforts — as
soon as the little ones were
ambulatory and somewhat
able to fend for themselves,
she packed them up and
moseyed on down the road.
So,
despite
my
unresolved cat issues, I
embarked on a feature for
National Cat Day and asked
readers to send photos of
their feline friends. And
they did — lots of them.
U.S. Census figures
from July 2014 indicate
more Umatilla and Morrow
county households own
dogs than cats. However,
the
feline
population
outnumbers dogs by more
than 1,600 — apparently,
cat owners think the more
the merrier.
Colleen Paige founded
National Cat Day in
2005. According to www.
nationalcatday.com,
the
pet and family lifestyle
expert wants the public to
recognize the number of
cats that need to be rescued
Owned by Eric Arechiga & Graciela Ambriz
Leo is an 8-month-old male who assists with laundry by laying in the clothes ham-
per, enjoys watching his domain through the screen door and takes frequent naps.
Owners Eric Arechiga and Graciela Ambriz said Leo is great conversationalist, often
saying, “Meow, meow, meow, meow.”
and encourages adoption.
In addition, she encourages
cat lovers to celebrate their
feline friends.
Some purr-fect ways
Paige suggests to cele-
brate National Cat Day
are adopting a cat from a
local shelter or cat rescue;
making a donation of
blankets, food or toys to an
animal welfare shelter; or
assisting a sick or elderly
neighbor by cleaning their
litter box.
Other ideas include
painting your face like a
cat, wearing kitty ears or
dressing in cat-themed
fashion — it’s much safer
than donning a clown
costume these days.
National Cat Day invites
cat owners to share their cat
photos at www.facebook.
com/NationalCatDay.
More pretty kitties
on Page 2C
Owned by Karen Eddy
Feline sisters Cali and Lindsay Lohan are four years
old. Karen Eddy of Umatilla said the calico is super
sweet and mellow, while the tabby is just as wild as
her namesake.
Owned by Carrie Bremer
George Oblisk captured this photo of his neighbor’s
cat, Saffron. Although the Athena man didn’t know the
squirrel’s name, he is calling him Rocky, as the duo ap-
pear to be prepared to duke it out for the seeds in the
birdhouse.
Owned by Michelle Gering
Owned by Tanner Remillard
Nuchee likes to hang out in Holdman. Owner Tanner
Remillard said the 4-month-old is pretty crazy but a
very loving kitten.
Thumper, a Manx cat, hops like a bunny. Living in
Hermiston, the 2-year-old already has Michelle Gering
wrapped around her paw. Eating yogurt is a covert op-
eration because Thumper tries to eat out of Gering’s
dish. However, mama always saves the last bite for her
feline friend. Thumper is definitely sitting pretty.
Owned by Michelle Stanley
A 10-year-old orange tabby is appropriately named
Pumpkin. Michelle Stanley of Pendleton says he looks
sweet and innocent, but he’s still quite frisky for his
age. Pumpkin loves his family, chillin’ on his cat stand
and catnip, which could explain his friskiness.
