Carolyn Holm

Hey Poppy,
I love your Cat Voice!
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
?????????
Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Your Cat Voice!
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
I’m not a cat. 
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
I know sweetie. I’m not saying you are a cat. I’m talking about your voice FOR cats!
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
???????????
Poppy

Dear Poppy,
You have a special voice you use just for cats.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
??????????
Poppy

Dear Poppy
It’s a high pitched “Hmmm, Hmmm, Hmmm“. When I hear that special voice, I know to look for a cat nearby. It’s a signifier. Like when we walk by David’s house, and the little black and white cat is in the grass by the fence. 
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
That little cat loves that spot.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
I love it that you always look for him there. And when he’s there, you use your Cat Voice, and I know to look for him. 
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
Sometimes it’s for Louie. He likes to come into our garden, sit under the rose bushes, and stare at us. So I call him out.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
You do indeed! You start in with your Cat Voice, so I know to look around for that big orange cat. And you also use your Cat Voice for cats we don’t know. If there is a cat nearby – under a parked car, on someone’s porch, lurking behind a bin – I can always tell, because you signify with your Cat Voice, and I know to look around for a cat.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
It wouldn’t make sense to make a normal noise for a cat.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Why not?
Love, Carolyn

Mom!
Cats aren’t dogs!!!!!!!!!!!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
This I know, sweetie. They aren’t even close. I just think it’s wonderful that you have a special voice for cats. Except, now that I think about it, you don’t use it for Winston and Puffin.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Those two aren’t REGULAR cats, they are FAMILY. They are in our pack. They are always around. I don’t need a special voice for them. But you and Dad do! You use a special higher pitched Cat Voice with them.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
We do?????
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
You do. Though sometimes when Dad talks to Puffin he uses his sarcastic voice.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
He does like to give Puffin a hard time. But yes, you’re right, Dad DOES have a Cat Voice!
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
You have a Cat Voice too. For both of the cats, and for me too.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
I think you are on to something here. It’s our Small Animal Voice!
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
But I’m large!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Compared to the cats, maybe. You’re actually a small to medium sized dog. But sweetie, you’re a small animal to us!
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
I think you need to have a special Small to Medium Dog Voice. 
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Maybe we’ll just keep on using the Cat Voice for all of you, and call it the Pack Voice.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
It’s a good Pack Voice! We ALL like it when you use it!!!
XOXO Poppy

– 

A note to our readers…

Poppy, Winston, and Puffin are looking forward to sharing their weekly correspondence with you! Each week one of them is featured here, all based upon actual conversations. And yes, you can get the week’s post conveniently in your email every Friday by subscribing in the subscriber box at the top of this page. (If you are reading this in an email, go to blog.carolynholm.com to subscribe.) If you have already subscribed, multiple paws are raised to salute you!

Hey Mom,
I like the vet. He is very gentle, and he said my coat is gorgeous!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
It is gorgeous! You’d never know you were sick.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
I love the new food!!!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
I’m so glad you do!
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
Did the nice vet give it to us?
Winston

Dear Winston,
No, sweetie, I got it for you.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
Puffin says this food is for the You Tee Eye.
Winston

Dear Winston,
Ahh, he must have been listening to the vet. That’s UTI. A Urinary Tract Infection. 
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
And I get special food for it!!!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
It’s a special canned food for urinary tract health. And your dose of Amoxicillin mixes nicely right into it.
Love, Carolyn

Mom!
It’s delicious!
Winston

Dear Winston,
Thank heavens you like it. I thought I’d have to try squirting the Amoxicillin into your mouth, and I was pretty sure the result would be pink stuff spattered all over the walls.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
Does Puffin get a new food too?
Winston

Dear Winston,
No, he just needs to stay on his diet. The vet congratulated us on the weight loss! That’s new. We usually get a stern reminder that Puffin needs to lose weight.
Love, Carolyn

Mom!
But Puffin is sick too!!!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
That’s right, turns out he has Diabetes.
Love, Carolyn 

Hey Mom,
Is that important?
Winston

Dear Winston,
It is. But we have medication for it. I can’t believe you BOTH have medical conditions that resulted in pee on the hall rug. What are the odds? Both of you?  
Love, Carolyn

Mom!
We pee in the litter boxes!
Winston

Dear Winston,
Well, someone was doing some free-range peeing. 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
You told the neighbor that your cats have gone completely berserk.
Winston

Dear Winston,
That was before I knew what was wrong with you. I’m so glad we got to the bottom of it. 
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
Is the bottom of it in the litter boxes?
Winston

Dear Winston,
Let’s hope so, sweetie.
Love, Carolyn

– 

A note to our readers…

Poppy, Winston, and Puffin are looking forward to sharing their weekly correspondence with you! Each week one of them is featured here, all based upon actual conversations. And yes, you can get the week’s post conveniently in your email every Friday by subscribing in the subscriber box at the top of this page. (If you are reading this in an email, go to blog.carolynholm.com to subscribe.) If you have already subscribed, multiple paws are raised to salute you!

Cher Madame,
The Poppy says she has only One Job. 
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
That’s what I tell her.
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
Why do you need her to announce dogs passing by? 
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
That’s not her One Job! That just freelancing.
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame
What’s her One Job? 
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
To take me for a walk every day.
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame
I thought Madame did that for the Poppy. 
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
It works both ways – we both benefit! That’s why it’s a great job!
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
The Poppy has other jobs. Like sitting under the dining table. 
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
Only when we’re seated there for a meal. Someone has to be under the table. So that’s more of a part-time volunteer position.
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
And the Postman and Delivery Announcements? 
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
Freelancing.
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
She is very busy. It’s astonishing that a dog brain can assemble all that responsibility.
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
There’s one more job I wish she’d do, but she doesn’t know how. I wish she would howl at fire truck sirens. 
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
Madame is so very, how does one say, unconventional.
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
Remember Molly? She learned to howl from our German Shepherd, Bruno. When they heard a siren, he would sit down, throw back his head, and let out a mournful howl. Molly would run up to him and stand with one paw on his shoulder, throw back her head, and howl with him. And Terriers don’t generally howl! But, because she was a Terrier, hers sounded more like a yippy coyote howl. We loved their weird duets. 
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
One must point out, how would one keep that to a schedule? One never knows when the fire trucks will come roaring by. 
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
That wouldn’t bother Poppy. The schedule is your responsibility.
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
My One Job. To keep this household on schedule. Meals, games, bedtime, daily grooming, treats from Monsieur. So many things to keep track of.
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
And you do it so well. But you do have another job. To pile on me at night. 
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
Madame is making fun of the sleeping arrangements.
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
No, I love it. I love to have at least one cat piled on me at night. I sleep better with a Lap Cat. But lately the two of you have been MIA.
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
Mia died years ago.
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
Not that Mia. Missing In Action. You two have not been showing up. I got up during the night and discovered both of you asleep in the living room.
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
Ah, the living room she is close to the kitchen, where the feeders reside. This petit cat must listen for the breakfast delivery.
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
That automatic feeder is a wonderful thing. But I want a cat to curl up on me. 
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
The Winston should be doing that. He says he loves having so many jobs. He has been bragging that he is a Jobs Cat.
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
He only has two. To sleep with me and to entertain us with his wild pillow games and zoomies. But soon he’ll have a third job! He’s learning to be a Chest Cat. To sit on my chest, thoughtfully lick my chin, purr and blink his eyes. Mia did that so well! But he’s still just a Chest Cat In Training, because he tends to lose his focus, and forget what he’s doing.
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
Not many cats have my high level of Executive Function and Emotional Regulation.
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
This is why we leave it to you to keep us on schedule.
Love, Carolyn

– 

A note to our readers…

Poppy, Winston, and Puffin are looking forward to sharing their weekly correspondence with you! Each week one of them is featured here, all based upon actual conversations. And yes, you can get the week’s post conveniently in your email every Friday by subscribing in the subscriber box at the top of this page. (If you are reading this in an email, go to blog.carolynholm.com to subscribe.) If you have already subscribed, multiple paws are raised to salute you!

Dear Poppy,
How is it you got skunked AGAIN?????
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom
He got me right in the face!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
You ran right up to him, you doofus.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
I didn’t mean to!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Yes you did! When we came outside, you tore right over to that corner of the garden. 
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
He surprised me!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
But why did you race over there, hell bent on getting him? 
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
There was an exciting smell.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Surely by now you know the various smells in the neighborhood. If you can tell me there’s a cat in the neighbor’s yard, or a deer going by in the street, surely you know when there’s a skunk there. You should know by his scent! And I’m not talking about the spraying part. You knew there was a little animal over there, and I’ll bet you knew who it was prior to the spraying. You knew it was a little animal who means trouble.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
Okay, maybe a bit.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
You’ve been sprayed in the face before. Hey, I knew what happened before I even smelled the skunk spray. I recognized the way you were rubbing your face on the grass.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
I hate it when it’s in the face!!!!!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Why can’t you learn from that? Last time I had just come home from a concert. It was late at night, I was all dressed up, I let you out, and you raced back rubbing your face, stinking to high heaven. And I had to give you a skunk bath. Nice way to end a lovely evening.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
I’m sorry.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
I know, sweetie. Maybe now you’ve learned something? Is this going to happen again?
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
Possibly?
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Not the answer I was looking for.
Love, Carolyn

– 

A note to our readers…

Poppy, Winston, and Puffin are looking forward to sharing their weekly correspondence with you! Each week one of them is featured here, all based upon actual conversations. And yes, you can get the week’s post conveniently in your email every Friday by subscribing in the subscriber box at the top of this page. (If you are reading this in an email, go to blog.carolynholm.com to subscribe.) If you have already subscribed, multiple paws are raised to salute you!

Hey Mom,
I have a new name for myself. You can call me Slim Shady.
Winston

Dear Winston,
That name has been taken. It’s the nickname of a famous rap singer.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
I know!!!! Eminem said I could use it too.
Winston

Dear Winston,
I kinda doubt that, sweetie.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
The name fits me perfectly, because I’m skinny and I’m dark!
Winston

Dear Winston,
Okay, That pretty much describes you. You have a slender hourglass figure and you are gorgeously dark.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
And glossy!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
And glossy! I’m proud of you for your grooming. You take really good care of your coat.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
I’m better at grooming than Puffin. The vet said he has been getting careless.
Winston

Dear Winston,
We need to cut that old guy some slack. Puffin is sixteen years old this month! So I’m helping him by brushing the two of you every day, Well, mostly Puffin, but I give you a token brush each time. 
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
With treats! But Puffin gets most of the treats.
Winston

Dear Winston,
He gets more because they are not just tasty, they are formulated to be good for skin and coat health. And he needs that. And he needs to be bribed with treats because when we first started the grooming, he was hissing and biting.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
Now he loves being groomed. But I still have a better coat. And I take better care of my feet than Puffin does. 
Winston

Dear Winston,
You do! You are impressive! Every day you carefully clean each foot, going over each claw, and between the toes. Puffin is terrible. He carries bits of litter around in his feet. Sometimes it’s so bad that I have to wash his feet in the sink. Which makes him furious, hissing and biting. He’s been a lot of fun lately.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Feet are important!!!!! I love my body parts!!!!! And I’ve got some weird body parts!!!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
Wait, what body parts are weird?
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
My ears! You said I’ve got airplane ears.
Winston

Dear Winston,
I was referring to the way your ears go to the side a lot of the time.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
And I’ve got a Wig Wag!!!!!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
That you do! That pouchy part hanging under your tummy called the Primordial Pouch. But I like to call it your Wig Wag because it swings back and forth when you trot. I think it’s hilarious.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
And my tail is disconnected. You said it has a life of its own!!!!!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
That it does. You can be stretched out looking perfectly relaxed, purring with your eyes closed and ears at a lazy “airplane ears” angle, and at the same time your tail is on another planet, twitching double time.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
I like that part of me is on another planet.
Winston

Dear Winston,
I’d like to see that planet.
Love, Carolyn

– 

A note to our readers…

Poppy, Winston, and Puffin are looking forward to sharing their weekly correspondence with you! Each week one of them is featured here, all based upon actual conversations. And yes, you can get the week’s post conveniently in your email every Friday by subscribing in the subscriber box at the top of this page. (If you are reading this in an email, go to blog.carolynholm.com to subscribe.) If you have already subscribed, multiple paws are raised to salute you!

Dear Puffin,
What are we going to DO with you? 
Carolyn

Cher Madame,
C’est regarding…?
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
You know what this is regarding, Puffin. Last night we woke up to a terrible crash, because you had wrestled Winston’s feeder right off the cabinet.
Love, Carolyn 

Cher Madame,
The feeder she jumped. 
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
It hit the floor with such a resounding crash that something broke inside. Now it is dead as a doornail. 
Love, Carolyn 

Cher Madame,
The doornail she is perhaps still alive. Has Madame turned the feeder off and then on again? 
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
Oh please. It is permanently off now. 
Love, Carolyn 

Cher Madame,
It is likely the feeder just needs the new little batteries. 
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
No, batteries are pointless now. It refuses to come back to life. 
Love, Carolyn 

Cher Madame,
Well then, perhaps Madame can get a new feeder for the Winston. 
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
We have ordered one. But I have to point out to you, these feeders are very expensive. They are specially made to open only for the programmed micro chip. Do you realize how annoyed I am with you? 
Love, Carolyn 

Cher Madame,
This petit cat was annoyed as well. By the annoying feeder. 
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
YOU were annoyed with it? You kept cramming your head into it while Winston was eating, so that you could jam it open. 
Love, Carolyn 

Cher Madame,
The feeder lid, she would not stay open. 
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
Of course it wouldn’t stay open! Because it was programmed for Winston’s micro chip, not yours. But hey, not for lack of trying on your part. Poor Winston. You just won’t let him eat without coercion. 
Love, Carolyn  

Cher Madame,
He eats with tranquility today. 
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
Not really. He is eating in the bedroom, with the door shut to keep you out, so that you can’t bully his food away from him. Poor guy. He can’t just relax and peacefully eat. He’s as jumpy as an antelope at a Serengeti waterhole. 
Love, Carolyn 

Cher Madame,
Madame is being wildly dramatic as usual. 
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
When we get the new feeder, we will need to figure out where to set it up. 
Love, Carolyn 

Cher Madame,
On the cabinet, Madame, where cats enjoy the food every day. I am surprised that this must be explained to Madame. 
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
If it is on the cabinet, you will surely wrestle it down to the floor. Destroying another feeder. So I need to set it up on the floor. I might keep it in the bedroom, and let him dine in there with the door closed so he can eat in peace. Poor Winston, his habit has always been to be a grazer, but this is forcing him to eat his meal all at one sitting. 
Love, Carolyn 

Cher Madame,
The Winston only eats little bits at a time. It takes him all day to eat breakfast. This petit cat is much more sensible. 
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
You are a glutton, Puffin. You pack it in. You inhale your food, sneak the dog’s food, steal Winston’s food. You live for the morning automatic feeder event, hanging around just before it releases your breakfast – “wait for it…wait for it…wait for it…BINGO!!!!”  You are crazy when it comes to food. 
Love, Carolyn 

Cher Madame,
Madame is extremely harsh today. 
Regards, M. Le Poufin 

Dear Puffin,
Like I said, sweetie, we are extremely annoyed with you. 
Carolyn 

– 
A note to our readers…

Feeder Update: Winston’s new feeder is back on the cabinet, duct-taped to a heavy 12” marble tile so it is too heavy for Puffin to move. Time will tell if that works.

Poppy, Winston, and Puffin are looking forward to sharing their weekly correspondence with you! Each week one of them is featured here, all based upon actual conversations. And yes, you can get the week’s post conveniently in your email every Friday by subscribing in the subscriber box at the top of this page. (If you are reading this in an email, go to blog.carolynholm.com to subscribe.) If you have already subscribed, multiple paws are raised to salute you!

Mom!
Stanley Squirrel was here today!!!!!!!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Oh good. I hadn’t seen him since he fell. I’m glad he turned out to be ok. 
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
This time he didn’t try to leap up to the bird feeder. Not after that twenty foot fall.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
That was an extraordinary thing he was trying to do. Even for a squirrel. I notice Junior Squirrel hasn’t tried to do that himself.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
No, Junior just looks longingly at the feeder. He should go down below where the seeds drop. Our Towhee pair hangs out there for the dropped seeds. I don’t understand why they don’t eat from the feeder like the other birds.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Our feeder is really made for smaller birds. But that’s ok, Towhee’s are ground feeding birds. Same with our Mourning Doves. 
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
The Blue Jays hang on to the side of the feeder because they are too big to get inside.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
I love watching their gymnastics.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
We’re feeding a lot of animals. We’re like a wildlife diner.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
I’m glad we are! I like having so many visitors to the garden! 
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
There was a skunk last night.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
I smelled that too. Skunks are our neighbors too, but I’m glad they are active in the middle of the night, when we’re safely in bed. 
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
The three Neighborhood Bucks were walking down the middle of the street this morning.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
They did look regal, didn’t they, with their lovely antlers! And to think it wasn’t that long ago that they were youngsters with their two moms, living by the creek. I appreciate that you didn’t bark at them. 
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
I’ve stopped barking at deer. 
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Yes indeed, ever since that time the mama deer didn’t like your barking, and chased us for two blocks! She was alarming.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
She was terrifying. 
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
The crow is another regular visitor. But he hasn’t been by for a few days. I think Winston has been disappointed. He sits by the patio window every day at about five, watching out for that guy to show up for treats. He’s very impressed by how big the crow is, and how noisy.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
The crow calls out to you when he shows up. And Louie also calls out to us when he’s on the patio. 
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Louie comes by for the catnip plant. And to rattle our cage. That cat knows he can get you guys all worked up.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
Puffin yells at him when he looks in our window!!!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
And you bark, and this last time Winston yelled too. And Louie is doing his part yelling back at all of you. I think he is also interested in the Meadow Mice who have their burrow under the house.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
One of these days I’ll catch another one!!!! 
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
NO! I want you to leave those mice alone. They don’t bother us. 
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
They’re so interesting!!!!!!! They have been moving gravel out from under our house foundation.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
I think they’re building an ADU under our house.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
You laugh every time you say that. I don’t get it.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
I know, sorry, it’s human humor. We have a neighbor up the street who is building an apartment in their basement. Technically these are called Accessory Dwelling Units, ADU’s. Those folks hauled out a huge pile of rock and gravel to make more room for it. So when I saw that little pile of gravel outside the Meadow Mice doorway, I made the comment about the ADU, and we’ve been laughing about it ever since.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
But maybe our house will tip over because they took some gravel out from under us.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
I think we’re ok, sweetie. 
Love, Carolyn

– 

A note to our readers…

Poppy, Winston, and Puffin are looking forward to sharing their weekly correspondence with you! Each week one of them is featured here, all based upon actual conversations. And yes, you can get the week’s post conveniently in your email every Friday by subscribing in the subscriber box at the top of this page. (If you are reading this in an email, go to blog.carolynholm.com to subscribe.) If you have already subscribed, multiple paws are raised to salute you!

Hey Mom,
Puffin says he does the sports. 
Winston

Dear Winston,
He does! He’s quite the athlete when he chases that prey on the end of my wand.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
He insists I don’t know how to do his sport correctly. He says there are fine points in the game that I get completely wrong. He calls me ignorant. Why is Puffin so rude?
Winston

Dear Winston,
He’s not being rude, sweetie, he’s being French. He likes to see things done a certain way. His way is the correct way. 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
His sport wasn’t in the Olympics.
Winston

Dear Winston,
No, chasing prey on a wand isn’t yet recognized by the Olympic Committee.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
Do I have a sport? 
Winston

Dear Winston,
You do. Unfortunately one of your sports is to destroy paper towel rolls. With rabbit kicks and biting. 
Love, Carolyn

Dude, 
I love the kicking part!!!!! 
Winston

Dear Winston,
I can see that. We need to do a better job of keeping the paper towels out of your reach.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
But kicking them is my sport! 
Winston

Dear Winston,
You also do Zoomies. 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
That’s a sport? 
Winston

Dear Winston,
Of course it is. When humans do Zoomies, we call it Track and Field. But I think Zoomies is a better name for it. 
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
Poppy says she doesn’t have a sport because she doesn’t do balls. 
Winston

Dear Winston,
I don’t think she has tennis balls in her DNA.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
But Poppy says sports always have a ball. 
Winston

Dear Winston,
That’s just misinformation. Sports don’t need to be ball-centric. 
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
There are so many kinds of sports!!!!!! 
Winston

Dear Winston,
My daughter had to explain several times to her high school teachers that she didn’t go out for one of the school sports because she already had a sport. Ballet. 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Ballet is a sport????
Winston

Dear Winston,
Oh yes. It’s definitely athletic. And it’s even sort of Olympics adjacent. 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Like Zoomies!!!!! 
Winston

Dear Winston,
Yes! And like a lot of sports, ballet is a team effort. 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
But Zoomies are not! 
Winston

Dear Winston,
Definitely not when you do them. You would never be mistaken for a team player.
Love, Carolyn

– 

A note to our readers…

Poppy, Winston, and Puffin are looking forward to sharing their weekly correspondence with you! Each week one of them is featured here, all based upon actual conversations. And yes, you can get the week’s post conveniently in your email every Friday by subscribing in the subscriber box at the top of this page. (If you are reading this in an email, go to blog.carolynholm.com to subscribe.) If you have already subscribed, multiple paws are raised to salute you!

Dear Puffin,
Okay, I have to say, I’m getting annoyed with how often the litter gets kicked out of the litter box.
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
It is not the work of this petit cat. Never. Jamais.  
Regards, M. Le Poufin 

Dear Puffin,
That just leaves one other possibility. 
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
Oui, it is the Winston. This petit cat should not have to share a box with the Winston.
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
I too was thinking Winston. He gets so carried away with covering his stuff. 
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
How would Madame know such a thing?????? 
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
I know everything, sweetie. 
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
Seriously, Madame. This is very private and personal information. 
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
And I’m the one who has to clean up after all that private and personal stuff. 
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
So, Madame knows everything that goes on inside the box? 
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
Sure. For example, I know that you are rather careless. 
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
Moi, careless? Mon Dieu, it is the Winston who is the careless cat. 
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
No, sweetie, you are, because you simply don’t always bother to cover your, shall we say, product. 
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
How would Madame know such a thing!!!!! Madame must be spying on her petit cats! In their most intimate moments!!!!! 
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
And Winston covers his quite zealously. 
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
This is the shocking revelation. How does Madame know who does what? 
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
Sweetie, I know that you use the box facing out, and Winston uses the box facing in. 
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
Does Madame have a point she wishes to make? 
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
Yes! Because you face out, I know that the stuff in the back of the box is yours. And because Winston faces in, I know that the stuff in the front of the box is his. There you are. 
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
Madame is taking such liberties, a violation of the intimacy of the box. 
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
Probably. But anyway, I’ve noticed that your stuff in the back is often just left there for everyone to see. And Winston’s stuff in the front always gets entirely covered. I suspect Winston gets wildly carried away while he’s doing that, and kicks a lot of litter out. 
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
Such a strange and peculiar interest that Madame has. Madame’s conversation must be charming at the cocktail parties. But it just seems wrong to spy on two innocent cats.
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
You’ll get over it. And I’ve noticed an interesting scientific correlation. Cats are both predator and prey, but you two represent each end of that spectrum. Winston has always acted more like a prey animal, and you have a strong predator drive. He’s on Team Prey, and you’re on Team Predator. Team Prey covers their stuff so they won’t be discovered, and Team Predator leaves it out to make a point. There we are, both of you acting as examples of predator and prey behavior! 
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
More charming conversation. So Madame should at least show some appreciation for this petit predator, because he does not scatter litter all over the floor in front of the box.
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
I should. And appreciation for how complex the politics of litter boxes can be.
Love, Carolyn

– 

A note to our readers…

Poppy, Winston, and Puffin are looking forward to sharing their weekly correspondence with you! Each week one of them is featured here, all based upon actual conversations. And yes, you can get the week’s post conveniently in your email every Friday by subscribing in the subscriber box at the top of this page. (If you are reading this in an email, go to blog.carolynholm.com to subscribe.) If you have already subscribed, multiple paws are raised to salute you!

Dear Mom,
I don’t want to go back up to the mountains. To the cabin. Ever again.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
This is about the bear, isn’t it, sweetie. Don’t worry, she’s not coming back.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
I’m really sorry I didn’t chase her out. I’m supposed to protect you. I let you down.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
No No No! You did NOT let us down! That bear was WAY above your pay grade.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
You and your friend were so brave!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Well, we were sorta prepared. Folks were talking about a bear that was coming around. I was all set with a big pot and a metal ladle. I tried several combinations before I found the one with the loudest sound. So we were locked and loaded. As it were. Loaded for bear! I never thought I’d be saying that old expression and mean it!
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
But you two were still REALLY BRAVE!!!!!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
We didn’t have any choice, honey. That bear was coming through the kitchen window. I sure wish I had the time to get a photo of her!
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
She had her head and her shoulders all the way through the window!!! She had her front paws on the kitchen cabinet!!!!!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
That was quite a sight, wasn’t it, only six feet away from us. And she was just lifting one hind foot up to bring it in too. She froze, astonished to see me and my friend suddenly show up in front of her, me banging on a pot and my friend banging a chair up and down on the floor. We were truly scary!
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
You two were ROARING!!!!!!!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
I’ve never had that noise come out of me before. I didn’t know I could roar. 
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
I didn’t even bark. I’m a complete failure.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
No you’re not! You did the right thing!!! You stayed at my side, and showed perfect, terrified, restraint.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
The bear looked astonished. 
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
She was. We had been quietly reading in the other room, so I think she thought no one was home. But there we were. There she was. We made eye contact and I swear I heard her say “What.” And we kept roaring and banging, and then she said “Okay, okay, I’ll go.” And she backed out the window.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
Then she headed on around the lake. 
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
The Fish and Wildlife people were looking for her. She had been reported because she was gallivanting around in broad daylight, breaking into cabins, showing up on porches, visiting the campground. She was just a young bear, having a good time. I think she was on her Rumspringa. Unfortunately, it didn’t end well. They tranquillized her, and then they checked her ear tag – that’s the jaunty red decoration we saw hanging off one of her ears – and they saw she had been relocated twice before. So they felt they had to euthanize her. Clearly she wasn’t a bear who could be rehabilitated. She was a dumpster bear. And dumpster bears are trouble.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
Next time we have a bear visitor I promise I’ll chase it out.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
No honey, like I said, that’s way above your pay grade. Your job is to take me for walks, not to chase bears. 
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
I was horrified to find out how scary you are. I don’t want to hear that roar again.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
You and me both.
Love, Carolyn

– 

A note to our readers…

Yes, this actually happened.

Poppy, Winston, and Puffin are looking forward to sharing their weekly correspondence with you! Each week one of them is featured here, all based upon actual conversations. And yes, you can get the week’s post conveniently in your email every Friday by subscribing in the subscriber box at the top of this page. (If you are reading this in an email, go to blog.carolynholm.com to subscribe.) If you have already subscribed, multiple paws are raised to salute you!