Are you looking for tips for celebrating life with your cat? Welcome to CatTipper, where we honor both the everyday joys and the special celebrations associated with our cats.
I’m Paris Permenter, and I founded CatTipper in 2011. My husband, John Bigley, and I are a team of professional writers and longtime cat lovers.
Today we share our home with three cats: our boy, Lucky, and our girls, Inca and Jetty. (We also share our home with our dogs, Isla and Barli. They are the inspiration for our DogTipper dog blog, our new My Aussiedoodle blog and our Yucky Puppy store.)
Adopting Lucky at Austin Pets Alive
John and I came to the pet writing world after 20 years as travel guidebook authors. We’ve written about destinations ranging from Jamaica to Jordan, the Bahamas to Borneo.
Along with our 35 travel and pet books, we’ve also written over 2,000 freelance articles (see our Press page for more) for publications and websites including Chewy, Pet360, Petco, Yahoo, Reader’s Digest and more.
Awards
- Muse Medallion, Cat Writers Association
- Certificate of Excellence, Cat Writers Association
- Best Dog Blog, BlogPaws
- Best Use of Social Media, DogTime Media Petties
- Best Regional Guide, Mid-America Publishers Association
- Best Romantic Travel Book, Austin Chronicle readers’ poll
- Best Travel Feature, San Antonio Women in Communication (3 years in a row)
Speaking
I’ve been a frequent speaker at professional conferences and pet expos including:
- BlogPaws (monetizing your blog; getting creative with social media; how to get media coverage)
- Cat Writers’ Association (how bloggers can effectively use Twitter)
- BarkWorld Expo (book publishing)
- Amazing Pet Expos (Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio)
- Wonder Pet Expo
- Public Relations Society of America (working with bloggers)
- Society of American Travel Writers (working with public relations professionals)
Certifications
- Graduate, PetTech PetSaver Training in Pet CPR, First Aid
- Graduate, FernDog Dog Trainer Academy
Our Cats
Inca: Inca is our sweeter than sweet little girl, adopted in 2007 after coming to the shelter as a cemetery stray cat. Golden-eyed Inca loves her catio, grooming our other cats, and napping in the sunshine. Inca was adopted at what is now Texas Humane Heroes. (See: How Inca Got Her Name)
Lucky: Lucky was adopted on Valentine’s Day 2014 from Austin Pets Alive! (after moving from the Bastrop Animal Shelter). Lucky enjoys toys, toys, toys, running through the house, climbing, and playing with wand toys.
Jetty: Named for the Jetty in Port Aransas, a town devastated by Hurricane Harvey, our little Jetty was a Hurricane Harvey evacuee herself. Adopted at three months old from Austin Pets Alive after evacuation from Victoria, Jetty adapted to our home in record time, thanks to help from her big brother, Lucky.
And Always in Our Hearts
Ochi: Little Ochi, named for Ocho Rios, Jamaica, was adopted from the Ringworm Adoption Center at Austin Pets Alive (after moving from the Lockhart Animal Shelter). Ochi loved her catio, playing with wand toys with Lucky, and cuddling! We lost her to cancer at just 16 months old, a mere 360 days after her adoption. You can read more about Ochi in our Remember Ochi, 2016-2017 post.
Coco: Coco came to us one Sunday morning when a neighbor walked over, carrying a small box. Inside was tiny Coco, then weighing under one pound. Our neighbor had found her in the bushes at a local post office. You can read more about Coco in our Remembering Coco, 2007-2016 post.
Felix: Felix was adopted as a feral cat but lived his entire life with us indoors. He taught us so much and will never be forgotten. You can read about him in our Remembering Felix, 1999-2014 post. Felix was adopted from the Georgetown Animal Shelter.
Linus: Linus shared our home for 16 years–and he’ll always share our hearts. He was adopted from the Austin Humane Society. You can read more about Linus in “Remembering Linus, 2000-2016.”