Carolyn Holm

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!

Hey Mom,
Puffin was making a funny meow because Louie was looking in the patio window!!!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
I heard that too! It sounded odd, so I came into the living room and there they were – Puffin and Louie, eyeball to eyeball through the patio window!
Love, Carolyn

Mom!!!
It was so EXCITING!!!!!!! Louie is the coolest cat in the neighborhood!
Winston

Dear Winston,
That Louie is quite a character. I think he comes to visit the catmint plant I have on the patio.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Louie isn’t just coming for the catmint, he likes to freak us all out!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
I have to say, he does a good job of that.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
He’s a big bully!!! So, I stepped up!!!!!! I yelled and pounded on the glass at him!!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
You sure did. We were all startled!
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
He stood up on his haunches and pounded the glass at me!!!!!! We were having a big fight!!!! I was fighting with the Cool Yellow Dude!!!!!!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
It was a sight to see! And hear.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
That ole yellow cat thinks he’s cool because he’s an outdoor cat. I want to be a cool outdoor cat!
Winston

Dear Winston,
No you don’t.  You boys are safe indoors. You are cool indoor cats. 
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
Puffin says it’s EXCITING outside! He got out yesterday!!!!!!!
Winston,

Dear Winston,
That was a bit too exciting. I guess the door was not firmly closed, so he pushed it open. 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
He got wet!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
I had to turn the hose on him to get him to run back into the house.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
Puffin didn’t look like a very cool cat when you did that. But no one is as cool as Louie.
Winston

Dear Winston,
When we get you used to your stylish harness, and started with a leash, you can be a cool outdoor cat like Louie.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Louie would be cool even if he were an indoor cat. 
Winston

– 

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,
Your late night antics are becoming tiresome, sweetie.
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
This petit cat does not know to what Madame is referring.
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
Yes you do. Incidents like last night’s crash. It sounded like someone was throwing dishes in the kitchen. At three in the morning.
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
Surely Madame is aware that no one was throwing dishes.
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin
You knocked your food dish onto the floor. 
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
Il faut dire, this petit cat did not throw the dish. It fell.
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
And it fell because you were trying to break into your automatic feeder. You almost knocked it off the cabinet again. I might have to move your feeder to the floor if you keep doing this.
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
The feeder needs to be on the cabinet so that the Poppy doesn’t bother this petit cat while he is eating his breakfast.
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
I agree. So let’s stop trying to maneuver your way into the feeder. You’ve already knocked it off the cabinet twice. It’s an expensive feeder – let’s not wreck it
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
What is this pauvre petit cat to do? The fragrance of the kibble inside the feeder is intoxicating.
Regards, M. Le Poufin

Dear Puffin,
But the only time it is so intoxicating that you need to break it open is under the cover of darkness in the middle of the night. And make a racket to wake the dead. 
Love, Carolyn

Cher Madame,
Mon Dieu, so many complaints. Poor Madame is very grumpy. Clearly she is unhinged and in need of Cat Therapy, with extra licking, snuggles, and purrs in order to calm her down. 
Regards, M. Le Poufin

– 

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,
Are you ready for our walk?
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
I KNEW it!!!!! I saw you change your shoes!!!!! And I’m ready. Where are we going? Up the street or down the street?
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Maybe down. Either way is a lovely walk around the neighborhood. 
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
Can we go to Inspiration Point? Sometimes we see a coyote there!!!!! 
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy, 
You have shown remarkable restraint on those occasions. 
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
They aren’t street fighters like Raccoons, but they aren’t anyone I want to mix it up with either.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
You are very wise. But today we’ll take a leisurely walk around the neighborhood. To make up for yesterday’s Poop Walk. 
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
Poop Walk?????? 
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Everyone I know who has a dog knows what a Poop Walk is. It’s when you’re in a hurry, so the dog walk has to be quick. With just that one objective.. The moment you poop, we rush home again. Yesterday’s Poop Walk was because I needed to get to my dentist appointment.
Love, Carolyn 

Dear Mom,
That’s why you kept saying “How’s this spot? Ok girl, how about here? Soooo let’s try here, ok?”  
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
You are absolutely right. Who knew I’d be spending my time trying to coax poop out of a dog. 
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
Puffin says you are obsessed with Poop.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
He said THAT?
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
He did.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy
This from the cat who acted mysteriously sick, and completely stopped eating, so that we took him to the vet where we spent a fortune on X-rays and blood work. To find out that his stomach and intestines were totally packed with food. And then we came home and he produced the world’s biggest poop. Ever.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
But first he started farting squeaky farts. Brrrrpt. Brrrrpt. You and Dad thought that was hilarious. You laughed and laughed while Puffin sat there farting, trying to look dignified.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Well, he deserved the laughter. It had been a stressful day and that certainly lightened things up. Later we found out what caused all the trouble. He had snuck into the kibble cupboard, tore open a bag, and devoured at least a quart of dog kibble.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
And then made the biggest, most expensive poop ever. Yay Puffin!!!!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Yes, what an event! And it turned out that’s all he needed. And he says I’m obsessed with poop.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
Actually after all this poop talk, a Poop Walk right now sounds like a good idea.
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 totally don’t understand Puffin’s game. 
Winston

Dear Winston,
That’s ok honey, it’s very different from your kind of play. You don’t even understand how to play with the feather wand.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
His game has so many rules!
Winston

Dear Winston,
He does have a few.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
He loves rules!
Winston

Dear Winston,
He likes structure in his life.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
He has special spots. There’s a special spot for each thing he does.
Winston

Dear Winston
Ah, that. Dad and I call that being site specific. Well, you do a little bit of that. Your affection tends to be very site specific. The only time you get on my lap is when I sit at my desk, or sit on the sofa.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
Those are good snuggle spots!!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
They are. It’s just interesting that you don’t get on my lap anywhere else. So maybe you have as many rules as Puffin does.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
No! He’s nuts! His evening game with you has so many rules. Where to catch the prey, exactly where to take it. And he has a special song to chant when he’s caught that thing.
Winston

Dear Winston,
That’s where it’s been getting difficult. Once he’s caught the prey he won’t drop it. He has jaws of steel holding on to that thing, yelling his song. We end up having a huge argument every time. That’s no fun!
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
He’s the stubbornest cat EVER. 
Winston

Dear Winston,
Last night I tried something new – I offered him a treat in exchange for the prey, so he would drop it and we could continue the game. He got completely distracted by that. I made the mistake of giving him one of his breakfast kibbles, so he stopped everything to go check his feeder. My idea completely backfired. We’ll see what happens tonight.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
I have a better game!!!!! We never argue!!!!! I knock over all the pillows, crawl under them, and peer out at you! 
Winston

Dear Winston,
And when I spot you, you burst out from under the cushions and race out of the room.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Yes!!!!!! Puffin has his game and I have mine!!!!! 
Winston

Dear Winston,
You do! You may not know what to do with the feather wand, but you sure know what to do with pillows. You also have the Lightening Strike game. Where you whack Puffin and run like crazy.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
He doesn’t like that at all. 
Winston

Dear Winston,
He’s used to being the bully. Throwing his weight around. And not just at you. He did that with Mia too. 
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
He thinks it’s a big deal to be the Senior Cat. So it’s really fun to hit him with a Lightening Strike.
Winston

Dear Winston,
Interesting, because for all your differences, lately at night you two have been very chummy. I know where you go at night. You are sleeping side-by-side, in the living room.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
How do you know that?????
Winston

Dear Winston,
I know everything. So what about me? I like to have a cat with me at night! 
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
We come to you at five, sometimes six in the morning! You are our site specific place for morning love!
Winston

Dear Winston,
That’s sweet, but that’s morning. I miss you two at night. I miss you the way I do when I travel away from home, and there is no weight of a cat sleeping on me.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Then you shouldn’t go away!!!
Winston 

Dear Winston,
Sometimes it’s inevitable. A friend and I were talking about this, and we invented a great travel accessory. It would be a ten pound bean-bag plush animal with a heating pad inside. Sort of a travel cat. 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
That just sounds creepy. It would be easier if you just stayed home. 
Winston

– 

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!