Cat - The Cat's Not in the Cradle!

Let's get this straight. Cat Stevens did not write or record "Cat's In The Cradle" despite listings to the contrary on the web and the perhaps natural popular misconception. "Cat's In the Cradle" was written by the late great performing songwriter/activist Harry Chapin. (Actually, the words to the song were written by Chapin's wife, now widow, Sandy Chapin.) Harry Chapin died in a car crash on the Long Island (N.Y.) Expressway in 1981. He was only 38 years old. I saw Harry Chapin in concert in the 1970s while in college at the University of Florida. The show was held up for almost an hour because Chapin had not yet arrived. When he finally took the stage, he apologized for the delay and explained that his flight into Tampa had been delayed. He had rented a car, he said, and driven from the Tampa Airport to Gainesville in less than an hour and a half. It's well over 125 miles from Tampa International to Gainesville! Man, he was "flying" in that "Taxi." ("Taxi" of course is perhaps Chapin's most famous song.) Like Harry Chapin, Cat Stevens wrote and recorded some of the greatest songs ever, including, "Wild World," "Moonshadow" and the multiple-time mega hit, "The First Cut Is The Deepest." He has also been covered by some of the most popular artists of our time: Dolly Parton, Rod Stewart, Sheryl Crow...to name just a few. Stevens has also frequently been credited with writing "Morning Has Broken" which he recorded on Tea For The Tillerman and with which he is closely identified. "Morning Has Broken" is actually a Christian hymn with lyrics written by Eleanor Farjeon (1881-1965). Cat Stevens was born in London as Steven Demetri Georgiou in 1948. He took the name Cat Stevens in the late '60s and, after becoming a convert to Islam in the 1970s, he changed his name again, to Yusuf Islam. Like the late Chapin, Cat Stevens is also known as an out-spoken peace advocate. In fact, his song "Peace Train" has become something of a peace anthem. The lives and songs of Chapin and Stevens have paralleled to some degree, and they are indeed similar in their folksy, poetic, politically conscious, singer-songwriter styles. Cat Stevens was back in 2006 with a new album, An Other Cup, under his Islamic name, Yusuf Islam. It met with mixed, but generally luke-warm reviews. DA Jack Hayford is the editor of the popular music reference website, Events-in-Music.com. Mr. Hayford is also the Program Director and co-founder of DurangoSong.com, the online home of the ten-plus-year old Durango Songwriters Expo, a premier annual educational and inspirational event for aspiring songwriters. Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=DA_Jack_Hayford Cat - 9 Reasons for Adopting a Senior Cat - and 6 Reasons for Not Adopting a Kitten He leaped out of the cage and grabbed me around the shoulders. My shock quickly turned into amazement. He hadn't sunk his claws into me! My thought was, "This cat definitely knows good manners. Somebody has worked with him." I looked at the ticket on the cage door. It read, "Morgan, male, age 14." Age 14? I hesitated. That was pretty old. I put him back in the cage and walked around the shelter, looking the other cats over. There were many nice ones, as well as a few kittens. But my mind kept going back to Morgan, and I realized that, in fact, I had bonded with him. Fourteen years notwithstanding, we had become buddies. THE PLIGHT OF THE SENIOR CAT One of the saddest things you'll see in Animal Shelters is the number of older cats waiting for adoption. By and large, people are looking for kittens. The older cats languish, many from happy homes where they were loved and cared for, but brought into the shelter for some reason known only to the owner and the cat. Many people, who don't like older cats, like kittens. Kittens are cute, cuddly, and funny. They make pleasing pets - but lose their "playfulness" when they grow up, and with it the "love" of their owners. Somebody said that the mark of a true cat lover is to desire to have grown cats over kittens. A KITTEN ISN'T ALWAYS WHERE IT'S AT Many people don't think through the consequences of adopting a kitten, or of taking one or two kittens from the litter a friend is trying to get rid of, or bringing into your home one left on your doorstep. Here are a few questions you should ask yourself before you adopt a kitten: 1. Taking care of themselves. Kittens are pretty marginal in being able to take care of themselves, especially when it comes to using a litter box. Do you have time to house train your kitten? 2. Young children. Do you have young children in the house? A child of 2 or 3 may inadvertently kill a kitten. Older children need to be taught how to play with them and need to be closely supervised. 3. Other pets. Are you bringing a kitten home to a household with other, older pets? Make certain you have the time to spend introducing and acclimating your pets to the kitten (and vice versa) 4. House dangers. Is there anything dangerous in your house that could harm a kitten? If you are not home during the day, have you made sure your kitten is safe while unsupervised? 5. Adoptions other than from an animal shelter. .If you are adopting a kitten from a friend, or taking one from a mother cat's litter, are you prepared to neuter or spay the kitten and give her the vaccinations she needs? 6. Vaccinations. A kitten receives all of her vaccinations over a period of time. You should make sure you have the time and interest to get her the full regimen. ADOPTING THE SENIOR CAT Somebody said cats are like shoes: one size doesn't fit all. Still there are some arguably general reasons for adopting a mature cat over a kitten: 1. An older cat is easier to take care of. In fact, to a great extent, an older cat pretty much can take care of itself. Great for the working person who can't be home during the day. 2. Older cats are generally calmer than younger ones, and adapt more easily to a new environment. 3. Older cats usually come with their vaccinations and spaying or neutering. A kitten, even adopted from a shelter will need a series of vaccinations. 4. Older cats are better with small children than a kitten is. Better to get an older animal that can defend itself. 5. Older cats are usually housebroken. You'll have to train a kitten. 6. Older cats can feed and take care of themselves whereas a kitten may need your help - not good for a busy working person. 7. An older cat can "hold its own" against the other family pets (like the dog) better than a kitten can. Unless you're there to defend it, certain life situations aren't good for a new kitten. 8. Older cats can better handle a move if you relocate your household. The only thing you have to make sure of is that your cat recognizes your new location as "its den" and doesn't try to return to your old place. 9. And finally - older cats catch mice. In these days of smarter mice that avoid all known mousetraps, a mature cat can be invaluable. THE JOY OF OWNING A SENIOR CAT Well, his name was "Morgan", but I renamed him "Tab" because he had the typical marks of a Tabby. Tab and I eventually learned to respect each other, and he - although a tough old alley cat - eventually enjoyed sitting in my lap having his battered ears stroked. He lived five more years, and died at the ripe age of 19. During that time he was my companion during two years of unemployment, providing plenty of understanding, comfort, and love. One day he definitely "earned his keep". I found a dead rat in the living room, its neck bitten almost in half. The rat was almost as big as Tab was, but he'd wrestled it down and killed it. So much for adopting kittens. I'd rather take a tough old alley cat any day of the week.