Sophie's Story

   Hi, This is Skamp! Colby and I are continuing to receive positive feedback for our recent column on tips for training humans. Several cats and a few humans have asked us to write a second column with tips for humans that live with cats.    Before we go further we'd like to thank a few different groups. First, thank you to all of you who have been reading this. We know that many of you don't live with cats. Thank you for being patient with us. We'd like to thank Sophie for allowing us to use her column for these very important topics. We'd also like to thank her for typing for us. We can type, but she is much faster.    This column is primarily for humans that live with cats. Colby was fostered with dogs and believes that some of the advice we are giving may be helpful to those who live with dogs.    The first thing that humans need to understand is that cats can talk. You are probably wondering why I'm saying that because most cats do not talk the way Colby

   I was out of ideas when it came to writing this column today. I decided to read some selections from the book 'Bob Schieffer's  America' to help get the creative thoughts flowing. The book is a series of ending thoughts that Schieffer used when he was moderator of Face The Nation, a political TV show. Since I was looking for ideas for Memorial Day, I read the section titled "War and Peace".    Two things happened. One of them was that I remembered how much I like Bob Schieffer and his writing style. The other thing that struck me was that Americans used to get along with each other.     Yes, at one point in time Americans worked together. It was World War II. The majority of people were doing something to help the war effort. Men, like my father-in-law, were fighting overseas. Men who were too old to fight, like my Grandpa Story, worked to keep things going at home. Men like my Grandpa Rinaldo, a farmer, were needed to grow food for the country and the tro

   For those of you that were trapped under a rock, in a coma or out of touch with civilization last week, Prince Harry of Great Britain married former actress Meghan Markle. It was a beautiful wedding with several distinctive touches.    Many who commented on or wrote about the wedding listed the numerous ways that the couple remembered Diana, Princess of Wales, who is as everyone knows, Harry's mother. What I'm about to write will probably aggravate Princess Diana fans everywhere. I don't mind if you disagree with me, but I do ask that you please be civil in your disagreement.    I'm a bit puzzled by the number of things written about the ways Princess Diana was remembered during the wedding. Of course, she was going to be remembered at the wedding. She is his mother.     There were many things listed as ways that Princess Diana was honored. The flower arrangements in the chapel and in the bride's bouquet included Diana's favourite flowers, white garden r

   Hi! This is Skamp! and Colby. We got a lot of positive feedback from Skamp!'s column about living with humans. Many cats were interested in advice on how to train humans. We have decided to share with you a few tips that can help make your human training easier. For those of you cats that live free, these tips can be adapted to your living situation as well. Keep in mind that these are tips that work for us. Your humans may respond differently. If you have any questions please contact us and we will try to help.    The first and most important thing you need to do is establish some form of communication. You have to be able to let them know what you want and when you want it. You also need to establish your territory. These are places that are off limits unless you decide to let someone in. I recommend a nice comfortable chair.    This is Colby. One thing Skamp! mentioned in the last column is that positive reinforcement is vital. Humans, especially female humans, react well

   Hi! My name is Skamp! I'm writing today to address an issue that has come up in the feline community. There are many felines that are advocating for free living which as we all know means living in the outdoors. There are some out there who express great scorn for those of us who choose to live with humans.    Before I start, I do want to say that there are some cases where free living is good. Cats who live on farms or out in the country can live free safely. Cities are different matters. There are too many risks of death, serious injury or illness.    The first thing I want to do it to address some of the stereotypes that some of you have about humans. For the most part, humans are good. Yes, there are many who are cruel and treat the companion animals who choose to live with them badly. There are some who overwork their companion animals as well. Then there are those who dress their companion animals in silly looking clothes. Some of them even take pictures.  I'm sorr

   After the long winter portrayed in the movie 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers', the characters sing a song called 'Spring, Spring, Spring' My favorite line in the song is "Ma Nature's lyrical with her yearly miracle" That certainly describes spring in Minnesota.    Less than a month ago we had a blizzard that put almost two feet of snow on the ground. This in addition to what was already there. This winter seemed very long. You sometimes wonder if spring is ever going to come.   Then the sun comes out. Slowly, very slowly the temperatures warm up and the snow starts to melt. There's water and mud everywhere.   Then it happens. Grass starts to turn green. Plants start to pop up. Leaves begin to appear on the trees. At our house, the tulips poke out of the ground. I never know where they are going to come up. They were planted there long before we moved in. Shortly after they appear there are buds and tulip flowers. Most of the tulips are red and

   One of the things I wanted to do on this latest trip to South Carolina was to visit Pauline. Pauline is a very small village just outside of Spartanburg. I wanted to see it because it is the scene of my favorite story that C tells.    When C went to college he pledged a fraternity. Back then it was common to haze the pledges. Several older members took the pledges and blindfolded them. Then they drove out into the country. The pledges were warned not to peek under the blindfolds. C rode in the back of a car with three other guys wondering what would happen.    The trip seemed to take a long time. C overheard the guys in the front seat talking about having eggs with them. The driver turned the car in and parked. The pledges were told to get out of the car. C took the opportunity to peek under his blindfold. He saw an old dilapidated house. He knew where they were. They were in Pauline.   C, his brother, and father lived in Pauline a few years ago. They lived in a trailer across