How it all started...

AGREEMENT: The cats are unaware that humans have access to their diaries. If you continue to read this, it is tacitly implied that you will not tell your cat where you learned about their thoughts, actions, and behaviors. You also assume all responsibility for keeping such knowledge a secret from the cats. We humans have to stick together on this one. The Cat Diary stories started as part of Mark Mason’s radio show on 1190 KEX, Portland, Oregon. Every afternoon he would regale his news crew with a story that came directly from his cat’s diary. It became such a hit that a regular crowd of cat-lovers would tune in every day just to hear the latest antics of his cat. It wasn’t long before Mark copied his cat’s diaries into book form, and launched the Cat Diary craze. The stories, written by the cat, were all based on real-life experiences suffered at the hands of the Big Owner (Mark himself). Over time they have migrated to the Internet with their own web domain. The ‘cats of characters’ has, over the years, changed. Life goes on. But each cat came with his own unique alpha- male critique about (in no particular order) people with allergies, dinners from a can, tail yanking infants, naptime accommodations, and other aspects of their existence that may or may not have met their high standards. Suffice it to say expectations were rarely met. We’re only human, after all. Meet the kitties to the right. Mark Mason recently left his 12-3 radio slot on KEX, and starting this Fall Mark will be entering his 28th season as the public address announcer for the NBA Portland Trailblazers. You can also hear Mark on the new NBA2K24 video game.

So Gray

The original author. He was adopted in Sacramento, Ca. A cat who ruled his domain with an iron paw.

Sam

What a lover. Sam let So Gray and Chance do most of the talking, but every now and then would break out of his shell. Typical buff cat. He raised our kids.

Chance

By far the most prolific author. A most outspoken Siamese. He was rescued from the middle of a busy boulevard in Portland, Oregon. A bus almost took him out. His discovery is told in Cat Diary 2.

Grayson

The cat that was with us far too short a time. Everything you wanted a cat to be. Playful, loving, intelligent, intuative, a true individual. One of a kind. But aren’t they all?

Indiana Jones

The craziest of the bunch. Like his namesake, he took adventure to a whole new level. He lived his 9-lives in a different gear. There was no taming this one.

Mars

He came to us as Marley, but it morphed to Mars because he truly is from another planet. He is stealth, personified. When something goes sideways in the ‘hood, he’s probably involved. His motto: “What, you talkin’ to ME?”

Raffi

Raffi came to the family as the “kids choice.” He was their cat - until they all moved out. Now he is stuck with the Big Owner and his easy to fool wife. He’s picked up nicknames over the years: Raffelstilskin, Raffiello, or just plain Raf. He is suspected to be a big influence on what goes into the diary these days.