Watermark: Kitty Mascot

It meows, it purrs; if you catch it at the edge of your eye, it looks spookily real. It breathes.

Niki brought it to me toward the end of my NaNoWriMo marathon, and it promptly took up residence on my printer.

I'm in danger of becoming like those baseball players with their odd twitches and tics and lucky socks. Tap her head [Meow Meow Meow] pet her [Purrr Purrr Purrr] sit down and write. Then, [Purrr Purrr Purrr] [Meow Meow Meow], end of writing session.

She doesn't have a name yet; any ideas?

A couple of years ago I did a post on robotic cats, and I do believe that my little treasure is the last one, the one Ivy brought to my attention. I took out the dead links, of which there were several:

Adore cats, but can't have one? Roommate allergic? Mother doesn't allow pets in the house? You are the proud owner of a house-full of expensive upholstered furniture? Significant Other detests cats?

Perhaps a robotic cat is the answer. Robotic cats don't shed (some don't even have fur), don't claw the furniture, and don't need litter-boxes. They come in a wide range of prices: $14.95-$1700, not including batteries.

Moving clockwise:

Kitty #1 [will] meow and purr, play and run around, nag you for food, and respond to your loving touch . . . now only $14.95!

Kitty #2($19.95) [is] so amazingly close to a real cat, you won't even know the difference!

Kitty #3 is no longer available, sorry.

Kitty #4. . . loves to dance!

Kitty #5 (the orange one, remember, we're going clockwise) [is] designed to be a conversation partner for elderly people [and] can be connected via cell phone or ISDN line to a network system center, allowing health or social workers to send local news, medical information, and encouraging messages to elderly people ($500).

Kitty #6 [may be] "Awesome!" That is, until you see the little bastard move in the videos at the bottom of the page. . .

Kitty #7 was . . . a research tool to explore the evolutionary approach to generating robot locomotion and other behaviors within a physical reality simulation environment . . .

Kitty #8 . . . has tactile sensors on its ears and back, and an audio visual sensor array which lets it recognizes its masterâs noises, movements and the calling of its name [and] a whopping $1700 [price tag].

Kitty #9, an addition from Ivy: Breathing Cat, [an] awesomely lifelike cat being sold as the ultimate seatsaver, is the perfect pet for lazy people.

Those of us who value our cats' snarky independence would probably not be satisfied with one of these substitutes, no matter how "true-to-life". Then again, if you name your computer, talk to it, yell at it, and invest a sizable amount of money in it . . . maybe a robotic cat is not such a leap . . .

This cat has just heard about robotic cats.

A fresh search didn't turn up much new, except this YouTube video of the Sega Yume-Neko Smile Robotic Cat. Have robotic cats gone out of fashion?

I must tell you, it's much easier to write with a robotic feline companion than a real one, who tends to want to climb on your shoulder, rub against the monitor, and stand on the keyboard. However, there are other opinions on this; check out Review: Juvenile felis catus. I mean, really -- do check that out. You won't be sorry. And for more real critters, go to:

Friday Ark
I and the Bird
Carnival of the Cats
Carnival of the Dogs
Circus of the Spineless
Weekend Cat Blogging
Weekend Dog Blogging
LisaViolet's Tummy Tuesday
Kitty Movie Monday at YouTube