About

Even more recent news, my book Catwoods, Stories and Studies of Our Feline Companions, won both a Certificate of Excellence and a MUSE Medallion in the Cat Writers’ Association contest!

July 2019. Latest news, I now have a book out and I’m now a Professional Member of the Cat Writers’ Association! WooHoo!

I am a writer fascinated by the natural world and animals. I’m especially taken with the household cat, felis silvestris catus. I feel that humans can grow in compassion towards all when they have direct contact with nature and its creatures.

I was also a visual artist until I became ill with a rare chronic neuropathic disease 27 years ago. Because of the limitations of the illness, I write and update this blog at a slower than usual pace. This is also true of publishing and answering comments, and commenting on the the websites of others.

I’m slowly learning photography and photo editing late in life because I can no longer do painting and mixed media. I’m having lots of fun with it; I’m not very skilled but I’m always happy when anyone likes my pictures.

I live in Alabama with my husband and our animals. There’s a cat in my life who has been missing since the 2011 tornadoes. We have kept up the search and the hope of finding him, but he would now be getting up in age.

I’m a lifelong wilderness advocate. I am liberal. I live in a like-minded community in the southeast US; liberal southerners do indeed exist! I do mention political matters on occasion but my health is too fragile to discuss them in depth. If you’ve stated political and/or environmental views that differ from mine, I will still follow and “like” your posts about cats and other topics of interest to me if they include no politics. If you include a political statement I disagree with in a post, I won’t like that particular post; but I’ll be back for another post if it’s devoid of views I don’t agree with. Though I’m here for cats and nature and art and science, I’ll “like” posts on politics and environment that I do agree with.

The US southeast where I live is a place full of creative activity, with many artists, musicians, actors, and especially writers. I’ve written a book. My husband has written a book. My father-in-law wrote a book. Just about everyone I know is writing and/or creating something. The same goes for a zillion folks around here that I don’t know.

I’ve been using the screen name ‘catwoods’ on several websites including this one, since 2007, partly because it’s the literal translation of felis silvestris and partly because I live in a forest, with cats. Now it’s also the name of my cat book, which can be purchased through Amazon and other online sources (see upper right hand corner). I’ve changed my username here back to my own name to see how that goes.

Y’all come on out to my imaginary porch where the party never ends and the house cats are watching the screen, meowing at me to get their stories told!

My book, Catwoods: Stories and Studies of Our Feline Companions is out after many years of work! It was publishing in July of 2019. It’s available on Amazon (see clickable cover at upper right), Ernest and Hadley Booksellers, and Borgo Publishing. Here are the links:

Catwoods at Amazon

Catwoods at Ernest and Hadley Booksellers

Borgo Publishing

~ Leah

Little Buddy