Where's Zooey? And Cat-Money Tips!

Zooey asked me to monetize her. But she hasn't been too helpful about it...

See, she was a stray who came into my life. I saw her and knew I had a new best friend, but I also knew things wouldn't be all cuddly like with Dane's Mr. MacMuffin. He's a housecat, but Zooey needs her freedom. She's not a swinger, she's just an outside cat.

I got a house for her, and she has a little timeshare on the deck, picture below.


Figure 1. Cat timeshare.

I hear you shouldn't get timeshares in non-cat life, though. They tend not to be good deals. We're all about good deals!

Anyway, I'd like to talk about some of these monetization options with her, but she's been gone all day. That's not unusual-- I won't put out a xeroxed "Have You Seen Me?" sign for a week yet, and she'll be back by night I'm sure. I'll just hang out and wait.

Meanwhile, let me list some tips for frugal cat-living.

1. Get nice things for your cats, but don't spoil them. Mr. MacMuffin I think has had his life shortened by Dane's untrammeled love. The cat weighs 25 pounds. I'm serious! It's like an ottoman with a head and a tail. I think it cuddles up with him because it can't move away.
2. Pick one gift and make it the nicest gift. Mine is Zooey's house, which was custom-built. (The timeshare was on sale for a couple of bucks.) But that means I don't have to worry about getting a lot of other gifts she won't appreciate. (By the way, I don't mean "the nicest gift you can afford.")
   
3. Don't sweat the food. I mean, I'm no gourmet either. Besides, I think the cat has side-streams of food, but I don't want to think about it.
4. Most important gift: LOVE. Best way to express it: take true care of your cat! Which is more important, Love and companionship or a bunch of expensive junk? A gold-leaf collar or a vet checkup to prevent feline diabetes? Seriously, make sure you love your cat for a long time by getting regular health checkups and ensuring it has a healthy, active lifestyle. This is especially important for housecats, because we don't want them to turn in Mr. MacMuffin, all full of stuffin.