Fourth of July Get-Away: Club Cat and Idyllwild

Posted on July 18, 2026 by Pamela Knudsen

The 4^th of July has been traumatic for Samantha Jo, living two blocks from one fireworks show and one mile from another. Gabapentin, flower essence calming spray and ambient music have not been able to quell her fear of booming fireworks and their shockwaves that shake the cottage. Last 4^th, we took her to a pet-friendly hotel, but the room smelled like pet pee and chemicals, and ongoing noisy chatter of guests in the hallway drove us out and back home after fireworks shows were over. This year—I finally got it right. I booked a stay for Samantha at Club Cat, a luxury feline-only boardinghouse, or as I call it, a fancy cat hotel. She would be in a peaceful environment away from the fireworks and loud partygoers in my neighborhood. My only concern was how Samantha would feel being dropped off in a strange place, albeit well appointed, but still—away from home and from me.

We were greeted at the front door by manager, Destiny, and after going over feeding instructions and checking in with staff member, Drew, we were ushered to the “Romeow and Juliet” deluxe suite where Samantha would reside for the next few days.

Each suite is named after a literary classic with a feline spin in the title. Their eight-feet high ceilings provide perching places and a cozy bay window above the entry door, making for a comfy stay.

I brought Samantha’s scratching post, her favorite toys, a blanket, and my pillowcase for an added sense of solace. She looked around the room, wide-eyed and curious, showing no signs of anxiety. My fears of Samantha feeling abandoned were alleviated. I reassured her I’d be back in a just a few days, after the loud noises are gone then hugged and kissed her goodbye.

One of the features Club Cat offers is an app to a live webcam to your cat’s suite. The moment we were in our room at Tahquitz Pines Retreat I had to check on Samantha. There she was, peering out the door of her suite, looking peaceful. We checked the webcam several times a day over the weekend, which provided such relief. Sammy was either sitting by the door, eating, reclining on her blanket atop a cushioned seating area or sleeping. Not once did she appear anxious or scared.

Meanwhile in Idyllwild, a rustic small town in the San Jacinto Mountains, John and I had the best Fourth of July without fireworks! We sipped wine while listening to live music at Middle Ridge Winery, had savory breakfasts at Red Kettle Restaurant and delicious dinners at Café Aroma and Restaurant Gastrognome. We cheered at the Fourth of July parade and explored art galleries, tea houses, antique shops, boutiques, and one of my favorite places, the Idyllwild Gardens nursery.

On Monday morning, I entered Samantha’s suite to nonstop meows. She was happy to see me, and I was thrilled to see her in good spirits. Club Cat sent us off with a darling matted photo of Samantha and a pack of “I love you” catnip.

Thank you, Club Cat! Samantha Jo will see you next July 4^th…

Visit Club Cat’s website, clubcatusa.com to learn about all the features this fabulous feline hotel offers!

Shana Martin-Club Cat Founder/Owner

The Baby Bird Incident – Part I

Posted on June 13, 2026 by Pamela Knudsen

“Nestled in your wings, my little one / Is special, morning brings another sun
Tomorrow, see the things that never come today”

Lyrics from “Bird” by Neil Young

Spring ushered an assortment of songbirds into the yard in multitudes this year. I don’t recall ever seeing as many house finches, bells vireos, house wrens, and those loudmouth crows congregating in the trees. An especially rare treat is the beautiful blue bird couple that visit every day, who enjoy the birdbaths and sunning on tree branches.

Photo courtesy of John Ford.

Photo courtesy of John Ford.

The songbirds’ melodic chirps and twitters begin just before dawn, followed by a mocking bird whose ongoing cacophony of vocalizations last into the evening. While perched on a telephone pole next to the cottage, the mockingbird moves to its avian hip-hop vocals, springing upwards in time with feather-spreading motions, like a pogo stick with wings. I cracked up the first time I saw his flamboyant performance. He got Samantha Jo’s attention while she was perched on the windowsill to the catio curiously staring at his antics.

For a couple of weeks, I watched a finch couple flitting from trees to the eaves above the living room windows. I suspected they were making a nest, and my suspicions were confirmed when I spied the female nestling in the eaves and the male perched in the near-by tree, seemingly on guard. A baby bird was on its way! For days the female routinely flew into the eaves where I would see her hunkered down in the nest. Then one day, I heard the sweet peeps of a baby bird. I wanted to get up onto my stepladder to get a glimpse of the hatchling, but on second thought, didn’t want to disturb the nest. Samantha also wanted to get a look—or get a hold of it.

Remnants of the nest in the upper right corner of the eaves above the window, and where Samantha perched with a close eye on the nest.

She perched on the porch railing that joined at the siding of the house, a straight shot below the nest then stretched upwards with all her might, clawing at the siding, but she was unable to reach the eaves. Her presence was disturbing the parents, who would come flying towards the nest, see Samantha then redirect their route back to the tree, waiting for her to leave. I put a potted succulent in Samantha’s perching spot, which kept her at bay…until it didn’t.

* * *

I was at my computer when I heard loud clattering coming from outside the living room window. I looked over my shoulder to see Samantha’s torso hanging in the window, front legs straight upward, hind legs and tail dangling. This sight only lasted for a moment as she quickly came crashing down, landing in the potted plants below the window. I rushed out to find her crawling up onto the porch, okay, but startled.

“Samantha! What the hell…?”

I looked up towards the eaves pondering what I just witnessed. I deduced that in her determination to get to that nest, she leapt upward with enough force to latch onto the edge of the eaves for two seconds before she lost her grip. I promptly lined the porch railing leading to the siding of the house with potted plants.

The baby bird, once again was safe from the beast.

But wait…there’s more! Cat lady turns into guardian of the baby bird.
I’ll be back in a couple of weeks. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Cats and Coworkers

Posted on March 28, 2026 by Pamela Knudsen

It was another hectic morning at work when my computer mouse suddenly stopped working. After a battery change resulted in still no connection, I rebooted. The computer began an update that continued for several minutes. Something didn’t seem right. I called Tai, one of our IT specialists. He came to the rescue, informing me that this particular update may take a while.

Tai wanted to be sure the computer got back on track without any issues. As we waited for the update to finish, Tai launched into a story (knowing I love cats) about an unexpected kitten rescue.

In September 2025, Tai was heading out on his early morning walk with his German shepherd/husky mix, Kira. As he passed by his car in the driveway, Tai heard frantic meows coming from what seemed to be under the car. Kira made a beeline for the motor where Tai saw the face of a meowing kitten. He attempted to retrieve the kitten, but couldn’t get to the place in the motor where the kitten was located. Tai needed to continue walking Kira, but consumed with worry about the kitten, he texted his wife an urgent message: DO NOT DRIVE THE CAR WHATEVER YOU DO and explained why.

As Tai told the story, he emphatically affirmed that he is not a cat person. He’s a dog person—his entire family are dog people. They love all animals, but—they’re dog people. Because of his love for animals, he wanted to get the kitten out of a dangerous situation. When Tai returned from his walk about 45 minutes later, the kitten was no longer in the motor, but two kittens were in his back yard; one was the kitten from the motor

His wife had first found them, cold, trembling and crying as Tai describes. It was unknown how the kittens ended up in the back yard, but they appeared to be siblings. Tai explained that he lives in a neighborhood with many stray cats that are fed by folks in the neighborhood, and believes a stray cat that frequently came into their yard (and still does) is the mother of these kittens.

He thought about calling animal control and ran the idea by his son, Tyler, who advised do not, they’ll be euthanized. Tyler was at work, but rushed home to take the kittens to the vet. After the exam, the vet reported their estimated age at 3 to 4 weeks. They were treated for fleas, a viral infection as one had very runny eyes, but were overall in good health.

With a little encouragement from Tyler, the kittens found a home with Tai and his family. They named the female tortoiseshell Mimi and the male kitten Momo, who’ve become an integral part of the family. Kira’s the dotting mama to the kittens, always watching over and snuggling with them. As Tai passionately shared the story, it was clear that he and his family had become completely smitten with these kittens.