We "Heart" Angie Bailey Of "Catladyland" Fame!

Cody dreaming of Angie

Hi my little Valentines! It's Cody in the house!!   I am here to wish all of you a Happy Valentine's Day!

Ahhhh...Valentine's Day... just the thought of it makes me think of catnip, noms, comfy places to snooze, a little beverage of your choice, pretty ladies and of course kitties! Oh, did I say I love the ladies? Ohhhhh yes I do. 4-leggers and 2-leggers, doesn't matter to me. My only requirements are that they be easy on my eyes, smart, loving and funny!! Ohhh soooo funny!!!

There are a number of 2-legged females in the blog-o-sphere who meet my criteria but today I want to focus on "ma petite" (don't you just love French speaking mancats?) Angie Bailey from Catladyland-Cats Are Funny and Katt Food, because she was one of the very first 2-leggers (other than my Mom)  to steal this mancat's heart.

I like to really, really know the 2-legged females that I bestow my love on, so I asked Angie if I could sit down with her and find out more about her, and (be still my heart), she agreed!

Angie and Phoebe

It is my pleasure to share our most exclusive, never-seen-before interview with my beautiful "bon ami" (French again, control yourselves ladies!)  Angie Bailey!!

CODY: When did your love of cats begin?
ANGIE:  I've always loved cats.  When I was in middle school I was obsessed with Garfield comic books and collected cat figurines.  Not much has changed...
CODY: My Mom was obsessed with Garfield too! He always reminded her of Angel Bobo!

CODY: You are quite artsy and eclectic...do you come from an artistic family?
ANGIE: Hmmm...not especially. I know my mom used to write poetry when she was younger, but that's about it.  I love anything creative and will try any type of project.  My trouble is I'm a great starter, but my interest wanes after a short time.  I'm kind of surprised I've stuck with blogging/writing for as long as I have! I do have to give a shout-out to my daughter Katie, who is an amazing visual artist and quite a writer herself!
CODY: Ohhhh we have seen some of Katie's work and it is fantastic! She is quite the talented young lady (like her Mom!)
CODY: When you were little what did you want to be when you grew up?
ANGIE:  I wanted to be an ice skater, a lawyer, or an actress.  The funny part is I live in Minnesota and have still never ice skated!  I'm terribly accident prone and bruise if someone looks at me the wrong way.  I'll skip the ice skating!  I think at the time I was smitten with Dorothy Hamill's haircut.

"Catladyland-Cats Are Funny"

CODY: I just asked my Mom about that hairstyle and she said "ohhhh yes everyone wanted that "do" back in the day!
CODY: What made you start blogging? Was Catladyland your first blog?
ANGIE:  I have always been a writer, mostly for my own pleasure.  For three years I wrote a column in a local paper.  A couple of years ago I found myself writing lots of "Notes" on Facebook because I had so much more to say than could fit in a status line.  It occurred to me that I should consider blogging -- that was in January of 2009.  My blog was first called Eclectic Catladyland  and started out being a blog about lots of things, including cats. I definitely wrote more essays in the beginning, and to be honest, I wish I wrote more of those now.  I wrote a lot of parody-type posts that included some self-deprecating humor.  I found I really enjoyed the silly posts about cats the most and noticed those posts seemed to generate the most interest.  Slowly, most of my posts began gravitating to cat humor themes.  Last year I changed the blog to just plain Catladyland because it was easier to remember and "eclectic" seemed to be a tough word for people (including me) to type quickly.  Last month I added the tagline, "Cats are Funny."  Because they are, right?
CODY: Well, that depends on your frame of reference! Humans think we are "funny" but actually in the cat world we all feel that we are rather deep and profound. Don't let our "silly" antics fool ya!!
 
CODY: How did Phoebe, Saffy and Cosmo come into your life?

Saffy aka "Admin Assistant"

ANGIE:  Saffy was a rescue cat -- we adopted her when she was a year old.  Cosmo and Phoebe were both barn cats that found their way to our home.
 
CODY: Did your husband always love cats? (Drat!! We must get rid of the husband!!)
ANGIE: Oh yes -- his family always had cats.  He works from home and he calls Saffy his "administrative assistant."  She sleeps on the bed while he works.  One day she decided to sleep in a different room and he told me she was taking a personal day.  They adore each other and I love that!

CODY:What do you like to do in your spare time? 
ANGIE: "Spare time" is such a funny phrase!  I don't remember the last time I was bored.  When I'm home I like to work on my blog, write essays, play word games on Facebook (I'm a serious addict), hang with the family, play with/take pictures of the cats, watch movies, listen to music, and participate in any activity involving food!
CODY:Did you say "FOOD???" I always knew we were kindred spirits, now I am certain of it!
CODY: Were you born and raised in Minnesota?
ANGIE:  I was born in Atlanta, GA and lived there until I was 16.  My family then moved to St. Augustine, Florida, where I graduated from high school.  I went to college at Florida School of the Arts and then moved to Minnesota in 1990.  People always ask me why in the world I'd move from Florida to Minnesota.  The answer?  A boy.  It's always about a boy, isn't it??  Either a boy or a CAT!
CODY:Yep that is true. As far as I am concerned it should be about a "boy" (ahem...ME!) who just happens to BE a CAT!! "Florida School of the Arts?" waaaay cool...but now I can't get the theme song from "Fame" out of my mind...thanks Ang! 


CODY: What is your favorite part of writing your blog (s)?
ANGIE:I love being able to express my silly side and it's even better when the readers enjoy it too!  I've met the nicest people in the blogosphere  Silly cat people?  What could be better?  I also love having an outlet to help animals in need.  In fact, this month Catladyland is raising funds and supplies for Feline Rescue Inc.  in St. Paul.
CODY: My Mom and I read that post and think that everyone should too!! We think what you are doing is wonderful and it is just one small thing in a huge litany of things about you that we love!  
 
CODY: What is your most unfavorite part?
ANGIE: I love taking photos of my cats for my blog and sometimes they just won't cooperate!  Can you imagine??
CODY: Nope, never (paws crossed behind my back)  

CODY: If you could be one of your 3 cats which one would you choose to be?
ANGIE:  Phoebe -- she is so self-confident and couldn't care less what anyone else thinks.  I wish I were like that more often than I am!  Plus she eats and eats and eats and never gains a pound!

"Neurotic" Cosmo

CODY: Hmmm...maybe I should hang with Phoebe instead...sounds like just my type!

CODY: Which of your kitties is the most like you?
ANGIE:  Probably Cosmo.  He's pretty neurotic.