A Whole Year of Cats

I am one jealous cat today. There is a grey and black tabby hanging around in our backyard. Yesterday she scared my young human and her friend by flying out of the weed jungle that has overtaken the tomato patch. I watched from behind the window, my tail slashing Xs into the air. Then this morning, my adult humans saw the beast sunning itself on the deck. The lady swooned over the "Egyptian profile" and "yellow lantern eyes." Where's a hairball when you have a desperate need to cough out your disgust? Then I heard "Oh, she's so skinny. Can we feed her?" Next thing I know there are two plastic dishes on the deck, one filled with my food, the other with water. I guess I'm okay with this, just as long they don't bring her into the house. However, I do remember a lost kitten that slept under a deck a long time ago. Some friendly humans brought him into the house, gave him food to eat and a basket to sleep in. They didn't intend to keep him, but he grew so tall in their hearts that they could never cut him out.

If you're the type who thinks you can't ever have enough cats or, at the least, cat poems, you are in for a treat this coming September 1st. That's when The Year of the Cat: New Poems by Laura Stamps comes out. Here's a description of the book from Amazon.com:

Nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, this beautiful book by award-winning poet and novelist Laura Stamps features 59 new poems sure to delight any cat-lover. Written for readers of all faiths, this mystical collection of cat poems is the perfect gift for anyone blessed by housecats or strays. The book contains three sections: "Cat Pause" (poems with housecats), "The Stray Kitten Chronicles" (poems about stray cats), and "The Year of the Cat" (a long poem, which first appeared in the prestigious literary journal Poetry Midwest).

You may pre-order The Year of the Cat from Amazon.com or directly from Kittyfeather Press. A cat-related chapbook, Cat Daze: New & Selected Poems, is also available for $5.00. You may also read a few of Stamps' poems on the website.

I hope my lady is inspired by the cat poetry of Laura Stamps and writes her own cat-related chapbook in the future. Of course, I will release it only if she agrees to feature my lovely face on the cover.