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02 May 2018

Why Don't Cats Sweat? | IWSG



The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is a place to share and encourage, where writers can express their doubts and concerns without appearing foolish or weak. It's a great place to mingle with like minded people each month during IWSG day.

Every month there's an optional question which may prompt folks to share advice, insights, a personal experience or story. Some folks answer the question in their IWSG blog post or let it inspire them if they're struggling with what to say.

This month's question is:

"It's spring! Does this season inspire you to write more than others or not?"

Check out how people have answered this month's question, as well as the other insecurities and writing topics they may have shared by visiting the IWSG sign-up list here. If you want to see how I answered the question, have a look below.

* * *


"Geez, lady. Wipe that sweat off of your face," Simon the Time Traveling Cat said. "You're dripping all over me."

I grabbed a towel. "Lay off, Simon. It's not like I can help it. It's scorching out there." After patting my face, I added, "Besides, ladies don't sweat. They glow."

"Call it what you like, but it's still disgusting. Just one more gross thing about humans. You don't see us cats sweating."

I poured a cold glass of water and gulped it down. "You'd actually have to do something to sweat, Simon. All you do is lie around demanding milk and complaining that you don't get enough belly rubs."

Simon rolled over on his back and stared at me pointedly. "Well, lady, this belly isn't going to rub itself."

I sat and turned on my laptop. "Not now, Simon. I've got a million things to work on, although it's hard to get inspired in this heat. And it's only spring now. Imagine how bad it's going to be in the summer."

"Good thing there's an air conditioner and fans on the boat," Simon said. He batted me with his paw. "Hey, don't get too comfortable there. Go point that fan toward me. I'm starting to get hot. And while you're up, grab a saucer of milk."
* * *

When you live in southern Florida, seasons aren't all that distinct. There's the hot season and the hotter season. And there are some days here, air conditioning or not, when it's just too darn hot to be inspired to do anything other than nap like a cat. To be honest, there isn't really a particular time of year that inspires me more than others. Some days I have bursts of creativity. Others are the victim of procrastination.

Oh, yeah, one other thing. . .guess what's available for pre-order now. More about that on Friday.


Amazon (US) | Amazon (CA) | Amazon (UK) | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Apple iBooks | Google Play

Find out more on Goodreads and add to your To-Read list.

If you signed up for an ARC, you should have received an email by now with a link to download it. If you haven't, please drop me an email at ellenjacobsonauthor (at) gmail (dot) com.

What's your favorite season? Are there times when you're inspired to be creative more than others?

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93 comments:

  1. Congrats on your upcoming release, Ellen! I'm so excited--can't wait to read it.

    And as always, it's great to see Simon again. "This belly isn't going to rub itself." Priceless.

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    1. Thanks so much, Holli :-)

      Simon was really miffed about not being featured last month. He required many belly rubs to make up for it.

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    2. And rightly so.

      (My boyfriend's name is Simon, which makes these posts doubly hilarious for me.)

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  2. I first read your title as 'why don't cats swear', which confused me for a moment as I'm pretty sure they do.
    Congrats on your book/baby making its way out into the world - so exciting!

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    1. I'm sure cats swear all the time :-) Thanks for all your help with getting this baby out into the world.

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  3. Simon reminds me of my cat Maverick so much. Yes, when they want attention, they want attention. I will hope over and preorder your book today Ellen. Congratulations!

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  4. Huh, if cats don't sweat, then how do they cool down? Do they pant like dogs if they overheat? Simon is haughty and awesome.

    (I haven't missed an ARC from you, right? Just checking.)

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    1. You should have received an email with a link to the ARC. I'll resend it. I'm not sure that Simon would admit to panting. It would be too undignified :-)

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  5. Once the weather starts to get hot, I retreat inside. I'm as far south as I want to be! So close to your release. How exciting! :)

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    1. I'm so grateful for my AC when it gets hot and try not to venture outdoors to often.

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  6. That's the sad thing about living in Florida, isn't it? Every month feels like spring or summer. With occasional cold days in the winter. For me, I write better in the autumn, especially October, my favorite month. :)

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    1. I quite like those cold days where you don't need the AC and you have to snuggle up under a blankie. :-)

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  7. When most other people are out and about in the summer, here in FL I buckle down inside and get to work. It's too hot to do much else.

    Yeh for Murder at the Marina!

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    1. Exactly - if you can't go out, then staying in and working on writing or other work is a great strategy.

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  8. My most creative time is def the fall. I adore cooler temps (not freezing!). We went from snow flurries a week ago to 85 today. Ugh.

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  9. Congrats on the book, Ellen!
    It's still very warm my end of the globe... yet we're well into autumn. But that's normal for the coastal city I live in. It's actually warm all year round and the most popular winter destination for our locals.
    Happy IWSG Day!
    Writer In Transit

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  10. Yippeeee!!!!!! I can't wait to read the book. And I hear you about Florida. We're in the Orlando area, and it's not as hot as down there, but we define the seasons as: Spring, summer, summerer, and summerest. =)

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  11. Good point - I've never seen a cat sweat. They must wear the right kind of deodorant.
    Awesome it's up for pre-sale!

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    1. I'm trying to imagine putting deodorant on Simon's furry armpits. The image is hysterical :-)

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  12. Simon is quite a character :-) Congrats on your book being up for pre-sale!

    Ronel visiting on Insecure Writer's Support Group day: Autumn Decisions

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  13. Congrats on the book! So exciting!!!!
    I can't even imagine surviving hot and hotter as the only seasons - we've got our last pockets of snow disappearing now :)

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    1. The weather up north has been crazy this year. I hope you all are finally starting to get some decent weather.

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  14. Congrats on the book and way to stand up to Simon. Not all of us can be that strong when dealing with a cat. hehehe

    Anna from elements of emaginette

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    1. Especially standing up to Simon - that's a real challenge :-)

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  15. Replies
    1. Thanks, Tyrean and thanks for all your help in getting to this point.

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  16. Simon is a snarky cat and I like that. Well all cats are all about themselves anyway. Simon is no different.

    Spring is my favorite season. It's when the world comes alive and I like that.

    Have a fabulous day. ♥

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  17. Congratulations on your book! Like you, I too have bursts of creativity on some days and on the other days I'm a victim of procrastination.

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  18. Yay! Glad to see Simon is back! And yeah, I had to go look up what cats do to keep cool. Typical cat: the first line of defense is to find something cool and lie down on it. Licking themselves provides evaporative cooling, and they do sweat through their paws. In extreme temps they will pant, but I gather that when the cat starts panting, time for you all to find some AC.

    I do not want to live anywhere that the cats pant.
    —Rebecca
    My IWSG Post

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    1. They sweat through their paws - how weird. I'm with you on not wanting to live anywhere cats pant, yet here I am in southern Florida :-)

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  19. Wow--your title grabbed me. I really had never considered if a cat sweats or not. Marvelous world your mind lives in. Congrats on your new and upcoming release!!!
    JQ Rose

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    1. It is really a marvelous world or a strange one? :-)

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  20. I spent five years in Arkansas. I know what kind of heat and humidity you speak of.

    I have seen a cat sweat once, when our Calvin caught herself in a plastic bag. By the time we caught her and got it off, she was drenched.

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  21. I love Simon! And I hear you on the heat... Here in Curaçao we have the same season—or maybe lack-of-seasons—problem; hot, hotter, and (sometimes) rain. Then again, every time I see photos from my friends back north of snowstorms and grey skies and below-freezing temps, I feel so petty when I complain :)

    Congratulations on the book! It sounds fabulous, and I'm going to head over now and add it to my Goodreads. Much success with it!

    Thanks so much for your lovely comment over at Michelle's earlier... Really much appreciated :) Happy Hump Day!
    Guilie @ Life In Dogs

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    1. I know exactly what you mean about feeling petty complaining about the weather. I think people get tired of hearing me talk about being hot and having to wear shorts :-)

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  22. It must be nice to have a cat that likes belly rubs. Mine tend to get stabby if you rub their bellies. Heh. Congrats on the upcoming book release!

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    1. Some cats are really sensitive about belly rubs. Fortunately, Simon is an imaginary cat, so when he gets stabby, it doesn't leave any scars.

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  23. Living in Utah, we get all four seasons. My favorite is definitely Autumn. I love the consistency of it, the gradual descent into winter that can sometimes be disheartening, but always beautiful. I also write better then, which I guess makes sense.

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    1. Autumn is a lovely season. I love going for walks and crunching leaves underfoot.

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  24. Congrats on the book!!! Your feelings on FL is how my in-laws feel about AZ. And having been there in summer and winter, I'd say it's a true assessment. Hope you get some relief this summer.

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  25. We get a fair share of hot, hotter, hottest temperatures here in Georgia, too, but at least we get some cool spells, too, and some evenings cool enough to open the windows. Year-round heat would be the pits for my old bod. I'm afraid I'd be lying around belly-aching like a cat. Thank goodness for air conditioning!

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  26. I think fall is my most prolific season. Maybe it's the years of returning to school that fall just seems like the time for getting to work.

    Cats are just cool no matter the season.

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    1. There is something about fall that has that back-to-school, back-to-being-productive feeling about it.

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  27. Interesting you say cats don't sweat? I sweat when my cat sits on my knee between me and my computer, as she always does, and is doing now.

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  28. Cats don't have to do much of anything, do they? Must be the life.

    You are right about seasons. Here is south Louisiana is about the same as Florida. Two seasons, wet and hurricane, and the only difference is that hurricane is hotter.

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  29. Thank you for stopping by my blog.
    Not sure if cats really don't sweat or if they simply don't do enough to sweat. I know my dog feels sweaty after a long walk, but then, dogs aren't supposed to sweat either; they pant... I may be beating a dead horse now. Anyway, congrats on your new release!

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  30. Simon is so funny! He deserves a belly rub.

    I like fall the best, and a good rain storm. Hot weather doesn't motivate me at all.

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  31. I love living where we have seasons--despite the neverending winter of 2018. Congrats on your upcoming release. I've preordered it and look forward to reading it. Will Simon come when you visit my blog? Not sure my audience is ready for him. LOL

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    1. I'm sure that winter up north has set all time records for the snow that wouldn't stop. Thanks so much for preordering it :-) As for Simon visiting your blog, we'll have to see. He's so fickle. You never know what he's going to do.

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  32. Congrats on the release! Woohoo! Sometimes my cats do smell like sweat, but I think it's caused by repeated friction with their smelly humans. Happy IWSG day!

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  33. I can't imagine having only hot and hotter as my seasons. I would probably end up napping most of the year away. Congratulations on your release, Ellen!

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  34. Florida sounds a lot like Brisbane... Hot and Hotter!

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    1. We've also got hurricane and non-hurricane too. Probably like you guys with cyclones.

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  35. Simon is tough on you. Doesn't he have any feelings...for anyone but himself. Next he will be taking great for your book launch. Well done to you, Ellen from me and the dogs.

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    1. Thanks, Roland and tell the dogs thank you too :-)

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  36. We often complain about Minnesota's 2 season's: road construction and winter. But I guess that's better than hot and hotter. The truth is, we have a large range of weather. SO, maybe it's not that bad. Heather Erickson Author Writer Speaker

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  37. One miserable hot summer our air conditioning went out. And believe me, cats do sweat. Through their paws! It was interesting to see. My SO worked from home then while I was actually glad for my office job that week. When I got off work we would go out until the house cooled down. Best wishes on your release! I'm having fun working on edits and look forward to reading what I wrote for Camp NaNo (probably next month). Happily, every season has been creatively productive for the last few years. ~grin~ Stay cool!

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    1. This whole paw sweating thing is bizarre. I'd die if our AC broke. Okay, maybe I wouldn't die, but I wouldn't be happy.

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  38. Congrats on your book! I'll add it to my To Read list on Goodreads.
    Fall is my favorite season. I am inspired by the colors. I cozy up inside while the temps cool off outside. Spring Fever has hit here in the Midwest!

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    1. Thanks so much for adding to your list on Goodreads - much appreciated :-)

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  39. I really enjoyed reading your post. When spring comes I want to go outside and enjoy the little bit of sunshine we get here is mostly wet Wales. Autumn seems to me the time my imagaination wakes up but really my brain is like the British weather and sometimes it wants to work for me and other times it wants to sleep.

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  40. Congrats on your upcoming release! Also, good job on completing the A to Z Challenge! I saw snippets of your posts on Facebook and I love your theme of Spanish words :)

    I'm with you on having trouble staying focused if it's hot, and with having bursts of creativity between times of procrastination and writer's block.

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  41. I knew elephants can't sweat, but cats? I'll have to look into that one. Congrats on finishing A to Z and also on your upcoming book! I'm on the opposite side of the continental, but yeah, the seasons work pretty much the same. Sometimes we get rain in the winter-ish part of the year, but if you blink you'll miss Spring and jump straight into summer.

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    1. I didn't know elephants didn't sweat. That's quite interesting. I wonder what other animals don't sweat.

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  42. Cats are too cool to sweat! (Well, I reckon plenty think that's true.)

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  43. I'm glad to see Simon is back. I missed him and his arrogant behavior! I can't believe you're sweating so much already. Here, it froze again, two nights in a row, and I'm still wearing long clothes and two pairs of socks! But, the colder, windier and nastier the weather, the more motivated I am to remain inside and write. :-)

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    1. That weather sounds awful, but at least it's good motivation to write :-)

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  44. Wow, what a cat!! I love spring and find it way harder to stay in my seat. Much easier in the colder months to stay chained to one's keyboard! :-)

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  45. Hooray for the book release! I love the cover, by the way. It's just perfect! I find it easier to write in the Autumn and the beginning of Winter. When the weather's nice, I just want to be outside in my garden or at the beach.

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    1. I'm glad you like the cover. Part of me likes it, the other part of me isn't too sure. I guess time will tell :-)

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