Typing With Wet Paws: Emotional Support Cat Diaries Edition

March 23, 2025annabowling Leave a comment

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. I meant to post yesterday, because it was Caturday, and I am a cat, but before that, I am an emotional support cat, and i had to be on duty.

On Friday, Mama Anna had to go do a grown-up people thing that can be scary for her, (and has to go back and do it again because paperwork) so Saturday was all for rest and giving kitty belly rubs. I am a big proponent of belly rub therapy. That would be her rubbing my belly, though sometimes I do make biscuits on her person, so it evens out. Anyway, she’s fine, just super tired because anxiety is exhausting.

My job in times like that is to make sure she gets some rest. That’s not always the easiest task. Thankfully, she can be easily distracted with extreme cuteness (me) as well as tea, art, zombie shows, romance novels, stationery, and the like. Aunt Linda got us Italian food from our favorite local place, and I stuck close to Mama Anna while she played Sims. The family she is playing right now has a dog, but not a cat. Yet. She has them running a really tiny farm on their trailer lot.

Most of my emotional support duties are sticking really close to her, summoning Papa or Aunt Linda if I need reinforcements, and letting her know when it is Enough Computer and Time For Bed. For that, I tell her by sproinging onto her desk from out of nowhere (I am a ninja cat) and giving her a LOOK. I will keep doing that as much as needed, and if I have to yell, I will yell.

every delivery comes with a free cat bed

I will be on duty again on Thursday this week, because Mama Anna has her next appointment with Therapy Dude. It will be over video phone. There is a nonzero chance that I will video bomb the session and introduce myself. I am not normally allowed on the kitchen table, but I am willing to take the chance if I am needed.

How is your weekend going?

Typing With Wet Paws: Mama Anna Smells Like Other Cat Edition

March 16, 2025annabowling Leave a comment

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Nails. This week, Mama Anna did not blog because the same day that she was supposed to blog, she also had her first appointment with a new talking people vet, and it was on the phone. The video kind. Anyway, this was on the phone, not the big glowy box where she usually talks to my aunts, and while Mama Anna was expecting this talking people vet (TPV?) she did not expect that it would be a male talking people vet, because her prior talking people vets have been gals, like us.

Apparently, they let all kinds of humans be talking people vets. He seemed okay, so Mama Anna will give him a chance. She knows she can tell the regular people vet if she really needs to switch to a lady. Anyway. she had to answer a lot of questions, and I could tell she was getting anxious, so I told Papa and Aunt Linda that Mama Anna needed some help. The call was pretty much over by then, so I made her have cuddles with me as soon as it was over. She seems to be okay now. I, on the other paw, still need more reassurance. Can you believe she went out after all that? One day, she took out the trash, and then the other day, she went out hunting with Aunt Linda. They are back now, so that is good. Mama Anna seems okay.

She will talk to Mr. TPV again in a couple of weeks. I am trying to convince her to do it at her desk, so I can video bomb the appointment. Who doesn’t need a daily dose of calico? I know well enough there are two places I am Not Allowed, and those are both in the kitchen. I can’t be on the counter (including stove and sink) and kitchen table. The kitchen table was where Mama Anna took the call, so I could get up to where she was. There has been some talk about getting me a sling like some humans put their babies in, so Mama Anna can wear me when she needs to work and I need to be around her.

Despite the scary coffin pillow, don’t worry; I am only sleeping in Mama Anna’s office chair. The coffin pillow is there to support her back, making the chair perfect for her, and for me. This picture is dark because it was nighttime the first time she caught me in this chair. She said I can sleep in it but not claw it. Joke’s on her, because I didn’t want to claw it in the first place. I have a scratchy cardboard thing for that. I love my scratchy thing.

Today was the time when Mama Anna and Aunt Linda went hunting (they say shopping) and when they came back, they smelled like two other animals. One was Moe, our across the hall neighbor. He is a Chihuahua. I know all about him. He’s cool. The other animal was another cat. In case you were wondering where they met another cat, it was in a craft supply store. I did not know that cats were allowed in those stores (I was told we were not) but apparently so. I will keep this information on file.

In case you were wondering, the other cat is called Sherry. She is a black American Shorthair. Mama Anna says she was on a leash and a harness and was super friendly. Mama Anna also reminded me that I am an indoor cat and will be staying home, but Sherry had to smell me on her, so I guess we’ve kind of met in a parasocial sort of way. Mama Anna and Aunt Linda weren’t sure if I was going to be jealous that they smelled of another cat, or if I was going to want to know where our new friend was.

In the end, I didn’t care much. I was happy enough to see them come home, and I wanted a belly rub, which I got. I really love belly rubs. I know Mama Anna will always come home to me, so it’s fine if she wants to say hi to other pets. I tagged her.

How’s your weekend?

Typing With Wet Paws: Sproing Forward Edition

March 11, 2025annabowling Leave a comment

Tails up. Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. This is also the time of year when humans move time around. I don’t know why they do that, and before anybody asks, it does not affect my mealtimes, because I ask my humans for food when I am hungry, so there is no fixed mealtime, at least not for me.

Me, asking Papa for the treats in his top drawer.

Anyway, this is the time of year when Papa’s and Mama Anna’s seasonal depressions pass each other in the hall while his is punching out and hers is punching in. Mama Anna does not like daylight savings time, or longer days, and her allergies have turned on, and this are kind of chaotic around here from time to time. Turning seasons over, winter into spring, means not only the time changes, but the humans have to turn over seasonal clothing, and, for Mama Anna, turning over her stationery/journal/planner stuff. Basically, I get to investigate a lot of sutff.

Mama Anna is officially back in Writing A Book mode. A historical romance novel, to be exact, or maybe a novella. She is in the discovery draft stage, which appears to be kind of fun. She sometimes calls this her “magpie stage,” where she collects random things that feel like her story and get them all in one place, creating “idea soup.” I am not entirely sure what is going on at this point, and sometimes, neither does she, but she seems fairly happy about it, so I guess it’s fine.

Papa and Aunt Linda love springtime. This does not always work in my favor.

She likes picking me up. I do not always want to be picked up. I am more of a belly rub girl. To be fair, Aunt Linda does give really good belly rubs. Actually, everybody here is good at belly rubs. That worked out super well. I did the math. There are three people with two hands each, and twenty-four hours in a day, so that is…let’s see…four hours per hand. I think that is more than reasonable. Not even that much once the windows are open and I want window time.

How is daylight savings time going for you?

Typing With Wet Paws: Relentless Reading and Overstuffed Doppelganger Edition

March 2, 2025annabowling Leave a comment

Tails up, Storm troopers. I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. It’s cold and wintry mix-y here in NY state. Mama Anna was draggy today because sleep deprivation (not my fault) and cranky because desk chair wanted to be a Tilt-a-Whirl instead. I also claim no hand (paw?) in that, even though I sproinged out of it multiple times per day until it was finally unable to support a human.

That’s moot now, because Mama Anna got a new chair that is better constructed. I have not had a chance to sit or sleep in it yet, but Mama Anna seems to like it fine. Having a good chair will go a long way in doing stuff in this new month and beyond. The start of a new month is when Mama Anna turns her planners, journals, and pouches over to the new theme/season. That will probably be part of what she will be covering in the next week. Right now, she likes the idea of tying things to the way March used to be in the Before times, when she and Aunt Melva would go to conferences. I have been told that there is not a cat track at these things, so I have mixed feelings about that.

Also new around here is the latest in the ever growing army of Calico stuffed animals. This new one does not have a name yet but I don’t think we look anything alike. Well, except for the calico-ness. I am long and lean, and this new kid is pretty round. Her splootches aren’t even that visible from this angle.

*Relentless,* by Bertrice Small and Thomas Small

Mama Anna is also excited about her reading progress this year. The book above, the first Bertrice Small title in a decade, is part of that reason. It’s not a historical romance, but part biography, with early poetry, fiction, and a never-before-seen novella set in the world of romance publishing. Click on the link above to read her five-star review.

So far, Mama Anna is almost one-third of the way to her reading goal for 2025, which is twenty-five books. She’s currently reading two novels; one on audio and one on e=book, so she has room for a paper book. As long as she has one hand free to rub my belly, I am fine with that. Her reading is going super well this year, which is good for everybody.

I, of course, was on hand/paw to watch Mama Anna and Aunt Linda put together the new chair. It came in a huge box, which I found super interesting. I was really good and did not try to play with the hardware from the chair, even though it was extremely tempting. Not to worry, though. I am always up to find interesting new toys around the house.

What’s going on with you guys?

Typing With Wet Paws: Zombie Shows and Future Plans

February 23, 2025annabowling Leave a comment

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. Still snowy here in NY’s Capitol region, and my people have a heating pad and weighted blanket, so napping on cold days is primo. I don’t know why Mama Anna thinks I would be on her desk chair (even though she has pictures) when I have all of those things (plus a new stuffed friend that she says looks like me, but I don’t see it) on the bed. Either way, I may be able to convince her to work some from the bed because there is definitely something going on with the chair.

The boys, my play cousins, Ollie and Murphy, are also doing well, even though they literally broke Aunt Melva’s heart (shaped glass candy dish) on Valentine’s Day. They are cute, so she forgives them. They say hi. They are looking forward to doing some guest blogging here in the future. Maybe I will let them chime in from time to time.

what do you think is causing Murphy’s airplane ears? Also, why is it Ollie?

There is a guy named Murphy in Z Nation, the show Mama Anna just finished watching. He is kind of a main guy, and is sometimes blue or red, but usually kind of pink. Mama Anna liked that show a lot, and she has already seen Black Summer, the show that comes before it, which she will probably watch again at some point. Do you know of any other zombie shows she might like? The Walking Dead is her favorite, and In the Flesh after that. If she gets a new show (preferably with a lot of seasons) then I get belly rub time while she watches it. Sometimes, I watch along with her. I can get behind a show based on hunting. That’s how I like to imagine it works when she goes to that “shopping” place.

Now that we are starting a new week, she will be spending more time at the desk, so maybe these shows are training for future shopping expeditions. Sometimes, she and the other humans (Papa and Aunt Linda) make other humans bring them stuff and then go away. I can respect that. Oen of those people brought Mama Anna a new set of ink cartridges for her printer. The box is far too small for me to sit in but that’s okay. I still have a mailer from when the sticker paper came. I am resourceful. Anyway, this week, Mama Anna is working on figuring out how to blend two websites and then start putting down some actual English words on the new book.

What are you up to this week?

Typing With Wet Paws: So, That Was January Edition

February 2, 2025annabowling Leave a comment

Tails up. Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. Not a lot of blogging this month, but we (Mama Anna, me, and everyone else) are still here. Here are some of the highlights of what I will call the Silent Month:

Mama Anna is taking longer than she expected to get to the Actual Publishing part of independent publishing, but that only makes her more determined. Papa will be helping her, so look for updates soon.
My new purpose in life is to break into the drawer where Papa keeps my treats. He has caught me multiple times and he and Mama Anna are pretty sure I will eventually get it. I also know where they keep the BIG bag they refill the one in the drawer from, but I know I can’t open that on my own (yet) so I still have to ask humans for help.
Speaking of help, Mama Anna has found a couple of things that help her a lot in both the mental health and writing fronts.
- she now uses a specific notebook for a sleep tracker; how many hours, if she remembers any dreams/nightmares, that kind of stuff.
- writing time is every weekday, and it doesn’t have to look the same every day.
- the reading tracker is a big ol’ success. She may do a blog or video about that, because visuals are a big part of it. She will probably do something similar for TV/movies, as she wants to do more of that kind of stuff. She can watch stuff while rubbing my belly, so I am all for that being a more regular thing.

As you can see, I am extremely committed to getting into these things. This does seem to mirror Mama Anna’s determination to get back on the writing/publishing horse (metaphorical horse; we are in an apartment, so there is no room for a horse.) It may take a while, but we will get there.

This is obviously the year of play cousins, because I have another one. We have a new across the hall neighbor, and it is our building’s maintenance human. He is really good at playing guitar. He also has a dog, Moe, who is a Chihuahua. We have kind of met through the door. Moe’s dad told Mama Anna that Moe likes cats. I am always down for new friends, so we will see what happens.

Another thing Mama Anna has started doing is to design stickers/images for her planners and journals. She is, of course, going to make some me stickers, because duh. Cats are the best. Making her own stickers and stuff is helping her creative brain a lot, which is a good thing. It also makes sure that she keeps monthly themes for her planners, and that the themes are things she likes.

Okay, that’s about it for January, so we go on to February next. Hope yours is going great. Headbonx!

Typing With Wet Paws: Overstimulated and Loving It Edition

January 3, 2025annabowling Leave a comment

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. This post is a little late because I have been busy. Christmas was great. Here is a picture of me in the middle of a huge pile of tissue paper:

While Mama Anna’s usual way of wrapping presents is to use pretty paper and tape over every single possible way to get into the package (fun fact: the first present Mama Anna gave to Papa was one of the “I am going to marry this girl” signs, because that’s how all the women in his family of origin wrapped presents.) this year she went a different route and everything went in dark red paper bags stuffed with white tissue paper. This made Christmas awesome. So many bags! So much crinkle paper! I didn’t know where to look next, what to investigate. Everything was crinkly and there were paper caves and the humans were all super happy.

Well. I soon made a decision. This year, Mama Anna brought back stockings (the presents kind, not the wearing kind) to the holiday, and I got my own. It says “C” on it, for Calico Cat. I got a teeny me-sized insulated tumbler, because Mama Anna and Aunt Linda have and love their big ones, so I got one in proportion. It’s mainly decorative because I have water bowls. (One of them, I have had since I was with my first human, Mama D –Happy Holidays, Mama D! Hope you are doing as great as I am! — and the other one was passed down from Big Sister Skye.

Oh. Speaking of which, I am going to get another play cousin. This one will be the puppy kind, and her name will be Skye, so she will be Cousin Skye and Big Sister Skye is Big Sister Skye. Or maybe she will be Dog Skye or Puppy Skye. I will decide later. Mama Anna and Aunt Mary have already started making plans for virtual play dates, which will involve them holding us up to the screen while they have their weekly video chats.

Okay, back to Christmas. I got a stuffed fish that was not very interesting, so Mama Anna and Papa put it in a bag with some catnip sprinkles and sealed it. They will leave it there for a while and then try giving it to me again. I LOVE catnip. I have also discovered that I love a treat called Temptations. Papa gave me my first one on Christmas morning, and I LOVE it. Now Papa has to give me one or two when he comes home from work. This is non-negotiable. Mama Anna reminds me that while treats are fine, the prayer does NOT go, “lead me straight to the Temptations.”

This morning, I reminded her why there is the rule about not allowing me near her open mugs without supervision. The humans got themselves a machine (it is on the counter, where I am not allowed) that makes hot water superduper fast. Mama Anna uses that to make her morning tea if she doesn’t want to wait for the tea kettle. I should note that her big pink tumbler is too big to fit in this machine, so she has to use a regular mug. Some of you can see where this is going next.

Is this not the most appropriate paper clip I could possibly put in Mama Anna’s tea when she wasn’t looking, or what? Now she’s mumbling something about mug covers. Wonder what that’s all about. Anyway, that’s what’s going on around here. 2025 is shaping up well so far. How’s it going for all you guys?

Headbonx!

Typing With Wet Paws: Storm Saves Christmas Edition

December 16, 2024annabowling Leave a comment

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. My tree is up, but not in the way we expected. Let me explain.

I was originally going to call this post “Shingle Bells” because the reason Mama Anna did not blog last week was because she came down with a (thankfully mild) case of shingles and was not up to blogging. She is feeling somewhat better now. It’s a process. Anyway, back to the tree. Yesterday, Mama Anna felt better enough to put up the tree. We actually have two trees for the people, one rose gold and one regular tree colored. Mama Anna went into the closet where things were, and found the box with the lights and the box with the rose gold tree and the ornaments, but surprise–there was no tree stand.

This presented a problem. Aunt Linda offered to get another small tree the next day. Mama Anna reminded her that separately sold tree stands exist. Then she had an idea. She did have a backup Christmas tree (the humans deduced that the green one was in storage) – my pink one. Aunt Linda sometimes thinks Papa doesn’t like pink, but he says she is mistaken; he does. Anyway, he loved the tree and only wanted a few ornaments plus the white lights on the tree. Which is what Mama Anna did and now they all agree that the smaller tree is more in scale with where it is.

It looks kind of like this. I found the AI.

Don’t worry about me, though, because I was happy to help, and Mama Anna had a backup-bakup Christmas tree. Now there is a small bottle brush tree on her desk, with some fake snow and gold ball ornaments on it. That’ll do. In other news, Papa bought the whole family a soft fuzzy blanket that came in a box and guess what, I got the box.

Now let’s check in on the boys over at Aunt Melva’s house and see how their preparations are going so far:

Yeah, the tree had all these dangling things hanging off, but we fixed that.

Looks like things are going according to plan over there. Good job, boys.

Mama Anna is feeling better. Not one hundred percent yet, but it is perfect weather for snuggling under a blanket with a feline friend and getting some extra naptime. It seems to be working so far. She should be back up in fighting trim by the end of the week. That gives her plenty of time to finish Christmas shopping and maybe even blog about her holiday notebook.

Okay, that’s about it for this week. How are things shaping up for you?

Typing With Wet Paws: Unsupervised Saturday Edition

December 7, 2024annabowling Leave a comment

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. Today, I am unsupervised. Mama Anna is down with her traditional bug. Papa is having a long winter’s nap because he works super hard, and Aunt Linda is far into her knitting, so there is nobody watching as I write this blog. That means I can do anything I want.

The trees are not up yet; that will probably be tomorrow, so I have energy to spend. It’s snowing today. Not much, but enough to still count. Mama Anna looooooves snow. Right now, she is mostly concentrating on sleeping off the bug (I highly approve of this) and I have time on my paws.

As you can see above, I found the AI picture thing. The splootches aren’t right, and I do not own a tuxedo, but if I could play an instrument, it would 100% be an upright bass.

my favorite video game

Mama Anna first learned of this game with Big Sister Skye, who loved it. Big Sister Skye also liked variations on this game with mice, strings, and lasers. The one with toys wasn’t around when she was, but I bet she would have liked it. I do. The fishies are a classic, though. I love when Mama Anna picks a video I would like, and then we watch it together. I still watch her kinds of videos, because those are fun, too. Maybe I can convince her to install the Sims 3 pack with pets in it (she owns it but only put a few packs on this computer) and ask her to make a Sim Storm. Then I can watch myself. That should be fun.

Since this is on Mama Anna’s site, I should probably say something about what she is doing, other than that she can be grouchy when she is sick. I think she needs some tea. She is putting together a journal tote that she can take into Aunt Linda’s room for when we girls are all hanging out in there. Mama Anna calls it parallel play, because sometimes, we are all doing our own things but doing them in the same place. Usually, Aunt Linda plays with strings (she calls it “knitting” or “crochet.”) or looks at her glowy box. I don’t know what Mama Anna wants to put in her journal tote, but I suspect a journal, some pens and some ephemera might be included. I will, of course, investigate and report back, or ask Mama Anna to do a bag tour.

Okay, that’s enough. Papa is up from his nap and doing interesting things on the computer, so I need to observe. Headbonx!

Typing With Wet Paws: Post-Thanksgiving Edition

December 2, 2024annabowling Leave a comment

Tails up, Storm Troopers. I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. Normally, I like to post on Caturdays, but this was a holiday week, with first Thanksgiving and then Black, White, and Orange Friday (where prices are lower so people can afford more and better treats for their Calico cats. I guess other colors, too.) Anyway, I’m here now, and Mama Anna will blog later in the week, then I will be back on Caturday.

OK. Thanksgiving first. We had a good day over here. Papa cooked. He used to do that for monies, so it’s good when he cooks. I assume. I am not allowed to eat people food. I did get gushy food, though, so win. The people liked the food, though, which was kind of the point. Papa crashed the next day. Mama crashed the day after that. I like when the humans crash, because the big bed is nice. There are a lot of pillows, and a weighted blanket with a fuzzy cover. The best best time is when Mama Anna and Papa are both in bed and then I can get between them and it is cozy.

Before I go any further, this just in from my compatriots, Murphy and Oliver, who live with Aunt Melva:

We helped Mom decorate, then tried to eat the plastic pumpkins. We are hoping you and your family, especially Storm, had a great Thanksgiving.

–Murphy and Oliver

Thanks, boys. We totally did. We also had snow that day and the day after, which made Mama Anna super happy. She loves snow.

Okay, back to me. Mama Anna is leaning hard into the holiday season, which is another phase of her superpowers. She is currently looking for a soft (I think she means stuffed) star in gold or maybe yellow, to put on the top of my tent, which is where I work when we are at her desk. She also wants to put up some fairy lights in different places, the family Christmas tree, and then there is a new development for this year.

The new development is that I get my own tree this year. I have had a different experience from most kitties when it comes to Christmas trees. I was super young when I lived with my first human, Mama D, and don’t remember what we did for winter holidays. My first Christmas with Mama Anna, we visited family, and there was a tree, but there were also a lot of moving boxes so I could not get to the tree and wasn’t allowed unsupervised in that room anyway. (sheesh, hide inside one recliner one time, and suddenly you’re a flight risk) We have trees here, but they are small ones and on a table that is set up so I can’t get to it. The humans call that “cat-proofed.”

This tree will probably be on Mama Anna’s desk, and I am allowed to investigate, even knock it over if that’s what I want to do. Maybe I will, and maybe I will completely ignore it. Because cat.

Anyway, Mama Anna is eager to get the final things together to publish A Heart Most Errant. After that, she gets to start on A Heart Most Ardent. Probably the same time, Mama Anna and Aunt Melva (with help from the boys and me) will be working on one final pass on Drama King and then start the publishing process for that.

How did your holiday go?

Typing With Wet Nails

for the love of romance

calicolovestorm