Carolyn Fath Ashby
Last year at Thanksgiving we put together a special issue celebrating Madison’s dogs, dog people, and dog culture. What happened was predictable, we suppose.
The cats demanded equal time.
And why shouldn’t they?
In the popular phrase “It’s raining cats and dogs,” it’s the cats that come first.
While cats, largely indoor pets, are less publicly visible than dogs, they are hardly less popular. Though cats do not lead the blind or offer therapy comfort to the hospitalized, they work as emotional support animals, warm up an office and a shop or two, and keep barns free from vermin. And they, like dogs, are ineffably, unutterably, members of the family.
In our special Cat Issue, we visit a housecat show, elucidate the ins and outs of Madison cat law, discuss the negatives of declawing, and visit with the rescue Madison Cat Project. On the lighter side, we speak with a local catnip forager and a local builder of super-duper cat trees, review Red Lion Singapore Grill, try a pint of Octopi Brewing's Bow Chicka Meow Meow, take a look at our favorite onscreen cats, interview Madison punk band Cats on Leashes and crack a few feline jokes with a local bent.
