The Cat Who'll Live Forever

When I was younger, if someone said, "One day you're going to write a book about your cat," I would have said -- witty and eloquent guy that I am -- "Oh yeah??!! No way!!!" Well, aside from wit and eloquence, I clearly also have a great sense of self because not only did I write a book about my cat, I've now written three books about my cat. And I've written one book with my cat. And I've put together a calendar about my cat. Now there's even a Norton website! And...well, that's enough "ands." The list of things I've done with Norton over the years is far too long to put into this note. Let me just say that I'm one of the few people in the world who's not just deeply attached to my feline pal, for almost 20 years now, I've been psychologically, socially, emotionally and financially dependent on him.

After Norton died -- in my arms, in my bed in our apartment -- I received an overwhelming number of calls, letters and e-mails. From friends and strangers all over the world. What amazed me was that my cat hadn't just touched my life -- he'd touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. It was gratifying and humbling and quite moving and, of course, while I had no idea that was happening, I'm sure that Norton knew it all along.

That's one of the reasons I'm starting this web site (and okay, yes, I'm also trying to sell books; let's get that out in front right away -- I admit it; if there's one thing cats won't stand for, it's hypocrisy). It's an attempt to let Norton's fans and fellow cat nuts speak up, share their thoughts -- and, which I'm sure I'll regret, share photos of their own cats -- and, in general, connect. Occasionally, I'll be passing along advice -- think of me as the Dear Abby of the cat world, kind of a Dear Tabby -- and reflecting on the grief and mourning that come when our pets die. That's a subject I now know way too much about. And it's a subject I think is important to many people.

So that's it. I've gone on long enough. Enjoy the site. Let me know what you think (about almost anything, although if you stray too far from cats and, say, try to convince me George W. has even a vague idea what he's doing, I'll probably ignore you).

If Norton were around, I'm sure what he'd say would be...well, let's face it, he was a cat. What he actually would have said was: "Meow." But what he would have meant was: "Thanks."