about CATs & CODDIWOMPLE:
Ciao!
Welcome to Cats & Coddiwomple!
My name is Amber, and you have stumbled upon my website dedicated to 2 of my loves: traveling and cats! While I was reluctant to start this venture at first – I mean, aren’t there a million travel blogs out there by this point, and who would care to read mine? – a little encouragement from friends made me finally decide to give it a go.
Cats & Coddiwomple is my attempt to inspire you, my fellow travelers, to expand your world through travel, whether that means heading to another country or exploring uncharted territory in your own backyard.
Started in 2019, this website is still a work in progress. While you may come across some sites ran by full time digital nomads or travel companies with a full staff, this is not one of those sites. I work full time, take care of my cats, indulge in my favorite hobbies, & spend time with friends. In other words, I travel and work on this site in my spare time. Not that I am complaining! While I absolutely love traveling, I am also not ready to give up my steady paycheck and coming home to my cats. Not just yet, anyway!
Although this site may be slower growing than some others, I hope you find the content that is provided to be super helpful and inspiring when planning your own epic adventures. Since I write from the perspective of someone who travels mostly over long weekends, with the occasional splurge on a 1 – 2 week vacation, that is what you can expect to find here! But you can also expect that each of the trips, regardless of length, will be full of exciting and unique experiences!
And since I always look for cats during my travels, you will find a sprinkling of cats and cat related businesses throughout most of the travel posts as well!
What You Can Explore on Cats & Coddiwomple:
Travel!
- Travel Stories
- Sample Itineraries
- Recommended Travel Gear
- Camping & Other Activities
- Cats I Meet During my Travels
Cats!
- Cat Care Tips
- Recommended Products for Cats
- Cat Related Businesses
- Cats I Meet During my Travels
- RVing with Cats
My Mission:
To inspire and provide tools for fellow travelers to make every trip an epic adventure
I hope this website is entertaining and helps you when planning your own epic adventures.
If nothing else, I hope you enjoy all the cat pics!
Thank you for visiting!
Please let me know if you have any questions or have suggestions for new posts!
Also, feel free to request recommendations for your next trip!
Email Amber: catsandcoddiwomple@gmail.com
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States Visited
Countries Visited
Continents Visited
About Me:
My name is Amber, and I am the writer, designer, and photographer for Cats & Coddiwomple. I also do most of the trip planning for all of our adventures.
I have been traveling within the USA for most of my life, but my first international trip did not happen until 2007. I am currently working my way around the world with goals to visit all 50 US States & every continent on the globe. My ultimate goal is to travel to every country/territory in the world (between 196 – 251 depending on who is counting). But if I am being realistic, I know I may fall short of that one since I do not plan on giving up my day job to travel full time. I do, however, plan to travel as much as possible in the meantime.
Meet the CATS of Cats & Coddiwomple!
Last, but certainly not least, I would like to introduce my feline companions that help put the CATS in Cats & Coddiwomple! Some currently living with us, others living in our hearts, our cats are a never ending source of love, laughs, and lets be honest… frustration at times! And they are the willing (and sometimes not so willing) models and product testers for this site!
2000 – 2022
Andi came to live with me, my roommates, and their cats when I was only 19 years old. I had gone to the Humane Society of Athens to meet the cats, and had actually decided on a different cat when Andi stuck her speckled grey leg out of her cage and grabbed at me. I still can’t explain the connection, but she chose me and I brought her home.
Her first act was to knock over a picture frame containing a picture of the cat I had lost the previous year, and that tortie-tude stuck around for all of her 21 years.
No matter which cats come and go in my life, Andi will always be the queen. She liked things her way and never accepted anything less. You couldn’t help but love her though. She was as sweet as she was sassy. She loved playing with her stuffed rats from Ikea, sleeping in heated cat beds, and keeping the rest of us in check. She was with me through so many times in my adult life, and I am forever grateful for her companionship.
2003 – 2018
I met Cassi while taking Andi to the vet soon after I had moved into my own apartment – our first time without other roommates & other cats.
Someone had found a litter of kittens outside and brought them to the vet for care & adoption. Since Andi didn’t seem to enjoy being completely alone, and I’m a sucker for cats, I went in the room to meet the kittens. Cassi showered me with relentless snuggles & head butts, how could I say no that?
Cassi was my snuggle bug. She couldn’t get enough cuddles and attention, and could be very demanding with her intense head butts. She also had quite the voice when she wanted attention. Cassi loved the yellow boomerang toy, blankets, and being brushed – but more than anything she loved to be snuggled.
Andromeda & Cassiopeia are named after constellations found next to each other in the sky. Those constellations get their names from Greek Mythology.
Willy was rescued from Paws Rescue Inc. at a PetsMart adoption event in Fayetteville, GA.
Being a cat lover, I first met Willy while cat sitting for his owner from time to time. Little did I know he would end up being my best buddy!
Willy’s two favorite activities are eating and sleeping. He likes cat shelves & perches, and laying on my feet on the couch. Despite his lazy chonk status, I can still get him running around with a good wand toy or by making him chase treats. Willy can also sit, speak, and fetch.
After Willy joined the cat family, my two older ladies were less than thrilled about having a youngster running around. That is how Chip came to join the family – as a playmate for Willy in the hopes he would leave the old girls alone.
I saw a photo of a lanky kitten from Louisiana on the Humane Society of Atlanta webpage (his name at that time was Spaz) & went to the city to meet him.
After some playtime in the cat room (and me trying to adopt every cat there), I knew Chip was the right one after all. He came home and immediately took to all the other cats.
Chip is a super outgoing cat who loves to hug people and play with other cats. He is almost always running and playing, but in his down time he loves sleeping on the heated mat. He learned to walk on a leash because he loves to be outside. Although his name was changed to honor his Louisiana roots, he definitely still lives up to his original name: Spaz.
Max chose to come live with us by showing up at work early one Sunday morning. He was at risk of getting hit by cars, his face was scratched and bloody, and his lip was torn down from who knows what. He was setup in a spare bathroom until I could get him to the vet first thing the next morning.
The plan was to make sure he is okay, get him fixed up, and find him a good home. Yeah… that was years ago. After spending the day with him at the vet, I gave up and knew Max wasn’t going anywhere.
Max is a super fluffy cat, which comes with its own challenges. Anyone with a fluffy pet knows the joys of attempting to trim/shave a booty. But he is so soft and loves the belly scratches! He loves boxes, basket shaped beds, kicker toys, and snuggles. But whatever you do… never touch his feet!
Thanks & Acknowledgments:
Cats & Coddiwomple Logo created using free tool at logomakr.com
Thank you to Ashley from My Wanderlusty Life for encouragement and tips on starting this blog. Check out her blog – it’s as funny as it is informative. One of my favs!
THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!!