Watermark

Friday Cat Blogging

This is my last post in the Friday Cat Blogging category. The category page is getting much too long, and since it is graphics- intensive, it takes forever to load. 

But never fear -- this post also inaugurates the Friday Cat Blogging 2 category. From now on, I will try to do this every six months or so.

ADDENDUM January 9, 02005:  At the request of dial-up cat-blogging fans, I am breaking this category down still further, so there is now:

Friday Cat Blogging
Friday Cat Blogging 2
Friday Cat Blogging 3

I will go back in and reshuffle posts over the next few days; bear with me.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Stocking Stuffers

Xmas Cards - Kiffy Hello
Originally uploaded by NMCIL ortiz domney

  Just ask

Holiday Critters

from

 
Lucy & Henry

Boo & Spike

                        

Jólakötturinn - Yule Cat

Jólakötturinn

Oh, the pleasures of the holidays! Above you see a depiction of the Icelandic Yule Cat:

The oldest written sources on the Yule Cat are from the Nineteenth Century. These refer to the fact that those who do not get a new item of clothing for Yule are destined to become offerings for the Yule Cat. It may sound strange that the deprived ones will also become the sacrifices, but this tradition is based on the fact that every effort was made to finish all work with the Autumn wool before Yule.

The reward for those who took part in the work was a new piece of clothing. Those who were lazy received nothing. Thus the Yule Cat was used as an incentive to get people to work harder.

Icelandic poet Jóhannes úr Kötlum wrote a poem about the Yule Cat. Here is one stanza, in a translation by Vignir Jónsson:

His whiskers, sharp as bristles,
His back arched up high.
And the claws of his hairy paws
Were a terrible sight.

A few more images of Jólakötturinn, linked to the site from which they came:

Here is Boo, pretending to be the Yule Cat (click to make big.) Really, she just doesn't have it in her.  Remember to visit this week's Carnival of the Cats, Carnival of the Dogs, and Friday Ark.

Holiday Cats

Time to prepare for the holidays.  Now, some of you may think that your cats are nothing but obstructionists at this time of year, but others have feline helpers.  Iris and Fern, for example, help in a variety of ways:  setting up the tree, arranging the lights, providing elegant ornamentation; and later, assisting in dismantling it [many thanks to Hanan for this link.]  Then there is Ditto, carefully examining the finished product for symmetry.

       

These winter holidays are fun for two- and four-legged creatures, but take care to have a Pet-Safe Holiday.  In the meantime, visit this week's Carnival of Cats (a very special version this week), the Carnival of Dogs,  and Friday Ark.   And yes, I am still collecting Friday Cat Blogging suggestions. 

?!DOGS!? What's With The Dogs?? It's Friday . . .

. . . Where are the cats??

  Well,  Boo, and 

   Spike, and I --

are running out of ideas .  .  .

Let's see, we've done Cat Hating; Feline Personality Testing; CatWoman; Weirdly photoshopped cats; Musical Kittens; Dancing with your cat; Comic Cats; Alien Cats; Cat Spirituality; Blogging Cats; Flickr Cats; Japanese Cats; Instruction Manuals for Cats; Drawing Cats; Kittens; Cat Songs; Cats & Computers; Cats & Movies; Robotic Cats; Cats & Politics; Virtual Cats (twice); Halloween Cats; Halloween Cat Quizzes; Democratic Cats; Stressed-Out Cats; and Cat Mustaches.  And more.

Now, some of these could certainly bear further explication -- maybe someday. 

So we are asking for your help:  what other topics could we cover?  Suggestions, please!  Anyone who provides a suggestion that is used, will be appropriately credited, I promise.  Heh.   

Carnival of the Cats #36 - A Kittie Feast

Joining us at the table today:

Amanda sends Friday cat blogging

Lisa sends Keeping Siofra Warm

Zozo sends EnNui KaTz

Jack sends You Could Learn A Lot From Boo

Lesley sends Friday Cat Blogging (a Jane & Emma debut!)

Sarah sends Minerva went for a spin…; more bebe blogging; ok, so maybe she’s just creepy [ed. note: I've never seen a cross-eyed cat before!]; and minerva is the cutest

Shelley sends Always Off

bwells sends sabrina of the glowing eyes and my son's latest lego creation [I'm not sure which is spookier]

Rob sends Obligatory Friday Cat Blog

SA sends a mystery entry.  I don't know what language this is, and the link takes me to a page with pictures of dogs; but this person has tried very hard (four emails) to get on the list, so here it is.

J.R. sends Tiger Having a Thanksgiving Day Moment [we seem to have lots of comics this week]

Laurence sends Catsgiving Feast, and also sends us to a proposed Catblogger's Code of Practice [Note that Laurence is doing a poll on Which cat should be the Carnival of the Cats model for December?]

Jazz sends Friday Cat Blogging, Holiday Style

Catherine sends Friday Cat Blogging

Michael sends Harley, basking in the sun

Peter sends Bookworm

Eric sends Kitty in a Box

There's more:

Kimberly sends Feline Friday 8: No place to nap

Darcy sends Cats Like Turkey Too [heehee]

Sissy sends: It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Supercat!; Want your supper?; Up with the chickens; Let's talk turkey; and Benchmark

nycbabylon sends York vs. New York on Thanksgiving: The Great Friday Catblog Debate

Steve sends Miss Matata Relaxes, Post-Thanksgiving [pink-robed, yet] and Wake Up and Feed Me, Dammit

Russ sends Promises [a thoughtful, moving post]

Lord God Almighty (AKA Lynn) sends Winter Cats

Matt sends Hungry Cats

Tinker sends Blog of a Cat [heh]

jan sends That little thief

Heather sends time out for tomas

Caitlin sends  Giving thanks for food, shelter, and a sunny spot [this is quite a remarkable photograph]

Finally, here at Watermark we have Cat Mustaches and Thanksgiving

ADDITION [email eaten by gremlins]:   Ellen sends I Want More Turkey! and Gobble Gobble Gobble!

& ONE MORE:  Elayne sends Friday Cat Blogging

PLUS, this one didn't actually enter, but I figure it counts: from Miriam, I had just resolved to cut down . . .

AND, Mog is feeling tired and absent-minded, so I have made my own selections:  Get That Mousie; Mostly Useless; and Gift Wrapping With the Help of Your Cat

OK, I'll stop soon, I promise, but How Could I Skip This?  From Kim, Four Days, Two Pictures

Thanks to all of you who joined us this week, and to Laurence for the honor of hosting.  If I've missed anyone, or if you have trackback enabled and didn't get one, let me know. 

Don't forget the Carnival of the Dogs and Friday Ark.  Next week's Carnival of the Cats will be at People's Republic of Seabrook. 

Now go feed those cats; I'm sure they are hungry again.  See you next week!

 

Cat Mustaches

Oh, the varied uses of cats.  For those with chilly upper lips, there is the Cat Mustache (via Blogywood):

click to go to site with larger photos

Now, I adore my cats -- Boo, the sweet retriever, and Spike, the affectionate bully -- but, being Manx, they are not useful for this particular purpose, as you can see:

click for big

I know you love cats, too, so remember that this Sunday's Carnival of the Cats will be here at Watermark; send in those entries!  The current Carnival is here, and this week's Friday Ark is up.

I had a lovely, and tiring, Thanksgiving Day, so that is all for today -- I hope that all of you are enjoying this holiday weekend. 

Way Too Cute. Really.

   

[Click for larger image]

No, not them (though they are pretty cute, aren't they?)  These (via MonkeyFilter):

[Click to go to site]

There must be a hundred photos of kittens at this site, all, I think, by the same photographer. Then there is The Amazing Cat Collection; Military Cat; Hat Cat; Wet Cat; Puma Cat; Bedtime Cat; Cat Roll; and Sleepy Kittens, all from the MonkeyFilter comments.

Tired of cute yet?  Try Ecotone: Writing About Place/ Cats and Place for some good, thoughtful, not-cute reflections on cats (via Via Negativa.)

I think that's enough for today.  The Carnival of the Cats is still at Your Moosey Fate (next week it will be at Leslie's Omnibus; the week after that it will be here at Watermark!), and Friday Ark is up.