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Today's Happy Wag column was based on the blog entry I did last month about declawing cats.

I was talking about it with my husband this weekend and he knows I regret declawing Thai, but he pointed out that Thai still runs his front feet over every surface in our house. If Thai still had claws, we would have no rugs, carpets, furniture, bedding, window coverings or even doors that would be unscathed. How long could we have reasonably co-existed with him if he destroyed every flat surface in our home?

And believe me, Thai is virtually immune to behavior modification techniques. He's a sweet loving kitty with a Frank Sinatra attitude: He does it his way.

If I had it do over, I don't think I would have declawed him before at least trying to train him to channel his inner Shredder in a positive way. But if declawing keeps a cat from being turned in to animal control, it may be the best alternative.

The discussion continues.

I spent the weekend feeling poorly (my default setting lately) and barely got anything done but a few loads of laundry.

What do they say about doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result? Foolish or crazy, perhaps both? After more than seven years living with Thai, you would think I would learn not leave the clean, folded laundry in the sunniest spot of the house.

Sadly, no, I have not learned that lesson. Then I wonder why my clothes are always full of animal hair.

At least he let me finish folding and pile more laundry in around him.

The photo of the week comes from food writer Lindsey Nair, who sent me this shot of her cat Zoe's beautiful toes.

Is it wrong to be jealous of the life of a house cat? Lounging near sunny windows, napping in a variety of quiet corners and soft places, getting affection on demand. What's not to envy?

Well, there is that whole taking-a-bath-with-your-tongue thing. And litter boxes. Ew.

I have a confession. This shames me because it was a horrible mistake that I willfully made long ago, I deeply regret, but can't be undone.

I had both my cat and my daughter's cat declawed when they were kittens. Seven years ago, when I took them to the vet to have them spayed/neutered, I also had their claws removed.

It was an uninformed decision at the time, based largely on the fact that we lived in an apartment that did not allow pets. My reasoning was that I would never let them go outside because the traffic was dangerous, the landlord would see them and I was afraid they would damage the rental property.

Yeah, I fight authority and authority always wins; we ended up having to move to a pet-friendly place because Thai loved to sit in the windows and eventually the landlord spotted him and busted me.

Declawing a cat isn't just a matter of removing the front claws. It involves amputating part of the toe. It's a terrible thing to do for no better reason than fear of costly carpet damage.

I wished I had not done it. I wished the veterinarian had talked me out of it, but at the time I doubt I would have been dissuaded. While I still never let my cats wander around outside because I know they are much safer indoors, if they ever were to get out now they have no way to protect themselves from predators.

I am thinking about writing an upcoming column about this and wondered what blog readers think about this issue. Please let me know if you have faced that decision, what you decided and why, and if you would do it again if you could do it all over.

No one will be quoted in the newspaper unless they want to be. I just want to get a discussion started and see what others think about this. If you feel compelled to bash on me, go right ahead. I deserve it. Just keep it clean enough for this family-friendly news Web site.

Usually I can count on Thai to provide me with some lightheated anecdote to share on this blog. A couple of times he has inspired me to write entire newspaper columns of our (mostly imaginary) interactions.

But lately, I have noticed a little distance from me and my muse. I think he's mad at me. Why? I can't really pinpoint it.

You know how cats can make you feel shunned? They see you, seem almost interested until they get that look of recognition, and then promplty turn their backs, tails in the air, like, "Oh. It's just you. Again." 

Lately I am sensing more than just typical feline attitude from Thai.

Maybe I am being too sensitive. Perhaps I have been too much of a giver in this relationship and he now takes me completely for granted. It's like he's turned into a bad boyfriend. I am afraid he's going to tell me he wants to see other people.

I'd do just about anything to keep my beloved kitty content. Almost nothing would be completely off the table. Getting rid of the dogs would be a stretch, but hey, catch me on a day when they are being brats and I'm not saying that's a deal-breaker.

Any suggestions on how to keep a bored, complacent cat happy?

Who feels like doing anything productive on a gorgeous summer Friday? But the daily chores of living have to be accomplished, and that includes the weekly trip to the supermarket. At least when the Fifer family of Roanoke brings home their groceries, they have kittens Gil and Gilah to help put them away.

Gil inspects the 'fridge.

Gilah makes sure the bags are empty.

Gil (left) David (middle) Gilah (right)

Come on, you know you want a couple of new kitties in your home. Don't let a slow economy stop you from adding a little feline fun to your family.

Adoption fees have been lowered at Angels of Assisi to help them reduce their adorable inventory of cats, including the kitties that were rescued from Giles County. The no-kill shelter in downtown Roanoke is offering cats for a $35 adoption fee, or two felines for the low, low price of $50.

All the kitties have been spayed or neutered and are up-to-date on their vaccinations.

According to a news release I got yesterday, many of the kitties are starting to get depressed from being stuck in crates all day. They need a little human interaction to get their purr motors running again.

I am including this photo to remind you how much fun life with cats can be. The two pocket-sized kitties in this picture were adopted from Angels by the family of Jordan Fifer, a multi-media producer for roanoke.com. Kittens Gil and Gilah love hanging out with Jordan's brother David.

I got a message over the weekend from a volunteer at Angels of Assisi in downtown Roanoke saying they would be most grateful for donations of Purina Kitten Chow. Seems they have more than 60 hungry little kittens and not enough Kitten Chow to go around.

If you can drop off a donation, I am sure the kittens would appreciate it. The shelter is located at 415 Campbell Avenue, near the police station and the downtown YMCA, and is open every day from 2 to 6 p.m.

Meet Gilah and Gil, two impossibly cute kittens that the family of one of our Roanoke Times staffers have adopted from Angels of Assisi.

There's plenty more where they came from.

As you know from following this blog, Angels of Assisi has opened its doors to more than 100 cats turned in by owners from all over the area; a single owner in Giles County surrendered almost 90 cats.

So, besides all the other felines that were waiting for homes at the no-kill shelter in downtown Roanoke, and besides all the kittens that eventually find their way into shelters this time of year, there are many, many more cats still looking for a forever family.

Angels of Assisi is running a two-for-one adoption special: Take home not one but two beautiful kitties, spayed or neutered and up-to-date on rabies vaccinations, for one low adoption fee.

They have every make and model you could ask for: Calicos, tabbies, torties, tuxedos, long-hairs, short-hairs, boys and girls. All are guaranteed adorable and loaded with cat-itude.

If you do take one of these purr-fectly wonderful felines home, please send us a picture and your story.

The back of a box van parked on Campbell Avenue opened, loaded with pet crates and boxes. Inside each carrier was at least one cat, in most there were multiple cats. The passengers let out a few loud yowls and a few quiet meows, but were mostly quiet.

Inside the caravan of carriers you could see the faces of the felines. Some of them were happy and eager to see what was going on, some of them were confused and apprehensive. 

Sixty-seven cats and kittens arrived at the next stop on their journey that began last month when they were taken from a single home. There were too many to transport in a single trip; more will arrive today.

It was a little overwhelming to watch Tiffany Overton, Lisa O'Neill, Rachel Brown and other staff and volunteers at Angels of Assisi carry all those cats into the no-kill shelter in downtown Roanoke. There were already more than 50 cats waiting for homes at Angels. Two other owners, one in Montgomery County and one in Bedford, had already sent more than 30 cats to the shelter last week.

All of the new arrivals were placed in clean crates, with food, water and fresh litter pans, and all of them were allowed a little time to chill, to get settled to their new surroundings.

Today, 18 more cats will make the same journey from the New River Valley to Angels, bringing the total number of cats surrendered by a Giles County woman to 87. Most are adult cats, a few are kittens, and a few nursing mothers with tiny babies, eyes just opening to the world.

Later today the staff at Angels will begin assessing the kitties' medical conditions and, after they have all had time to acclimate to their new setting, they will begin sorting out which cats will make the best pets and which will make the best barn cats.

All will be brought up-to-date on their vaccinations, be treated for any infections or other health issues, and all will be spayed or neutered.

And then they will wait for the final leg of their journey: a new home.