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Cats Cats & Only Cats

Hmmm. Oddly, the only Interesting photos on flickr today are cats:

Which gives me an opportunity to close out Friday Cat Blogging 6, and begin Friday Cat Blogging 7. For those who think cats cats & only cats is just fine, here are my other Friday Cat Blogging links:

Friday Cat Blogging 1

Friday Cat Blogging 2

Friday Cat Blogging 3

Friday Cat Blogging 4

Friday Cat Blogging 5

CATS ~ webrings, communities, & etc; and Cat Links ~ websites & blogs.

Cats & Poetry; Poetry & Cats

Tomorrow is the beginning of National Poetry Month:

National Poetry Month was established by the Academy of American Poets as a month-long, national celebration of poetry. The concept was to increase the attention paid-by individuals and the media—to the art of poetry, to living poets, to our poetic heritage, and to poetry books and magazines. In the end, we hoped to achieve an increase in the visibility, presence, and accessibility of poetry in our culture. National Poetry Month has been successful beyond all anticipation and has grown over the years into the largest literary celebration in the world.

This event is also celebrated by the League of Canadian Poets, and famously disdained by Charles Bernstein and others. You can participate in the activites in a variety of ways:

• get a Poem-a-Day in your email from poets.org
• get a Poem a Day for April from the Knopf Poetry Center [via Hi Spirits]
• get a Poem a Day  from writers in the schools: send a blank email to mail@writersintheschools.org [via Big Window ]
  
• WRITE a poem a day, or two. Reen challenges: Test your poetic mettle against the horrible regularity of the turn of time. Let me know if you'll be participating, and your name will live in glory in the "NaPoWriMo" section of my sidebar . . .  Drop me a line at reenhead-at-gmail-dot-com to join the merry crew . . . [via Dumbfoundry]

So what has this to do with cats, you ask? Well, as Aloysius tells us in Great Feline Authors: the indigestible furball of the poem:

In the annals of feline literature, few members of my species have actually gotten credit for their own work. Henry Beard, who put together this anthology [Poetry for Cats] recognizes that felines' literary accomplishments stretch back for centuries; the poems are not just for cats, but by cats.

Just a quick search for poetry + cats at Powell's results in 43 matches. Try Google and:

• Cat Poetry at CatQuotes.com
• Cat Poetry at www.cindydrew.com
• Cat Poems at moggies
• Cat Poet's Corner at flippyscatpage
• Cat Poetry at pawsonline

[Several were omitted from this list due to popups and/or obnoxious ads.]

Then we have the individual poems and poets:

• The story of Schroedinger's cat (an epic poem), Cecil Adams
  
• Poem to Mindy, David Jackson
  
• Stray Cat, Francis Witham
• Douglas Clark's Cat Poems
• Explaining Relativity to the Cat, Jennifer Gresham, on The Writer's Almanac site [someone sent me this, who, oh who? was it??] John B. at Blog Meridian sent me this link -- thank you, John!
• my own God Is Watching Us
  
• An Unusual Cat-Poem, Wendy Cope

Cats just are poetic, don't you think?

Enough poetry; more critters:

Friday Ark
I and the Bird
Carnival of the Cats
Carnival of the Dogs
Circus of the Spineless
Weekend Cat Blogging

Have a poetic weekend!

Kitty Communities

Spike and Boo have finally joined catster [click the images to go to their pages]:

In no time at all, we've had several friendship overtures. Very friendly creatures, cats.

The cats have also insisted that I join the Cat Lover's Community; put themselves on the Cat Blogger's Frappr Map; and sent their photos in to be added to the Carnival of the Cats banner. Clearly, they feel they are not getting enough attention.

Of course, I have been promising to get around to all this for several months now. I believe that if one is going to procrastinate, one should do so for a long time.

More critter communities:

Friday Ark
I and the Bird
Carnival of the Cats
Carnival of the Dogs
Circus of the Spineless
Weekend Cat Blogging

St. Patrick's Friday Cat Blogging

No, no! Don't make me look!

But you should look (and listen!):

My aunt sent me that, in email; a web search found it here [warning: popup]. Spike likes this one much better: Cat Fight, via Cosmic Variance.

As you can see, Boo rather likes this one, somewhat misleadingly, but not inaccurately, introduced by Fetch me my axe thusly:

This video has it all: pain, dominance, submission, the false pretext of freedom, delusions of superiority, the indulging of man's basest appetites...and a lap dance.  Don't say I didn't warn you.

Want more? Try here:

Friday Ark
I and the Bird
Carnival of the Cats
Carnival of the Dogs
Circus of the Spineless
Weekend Cat Blogging

Oh, yes, and -- HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

Friday Again

The visitor returns:

She's gorgeous, isn't she? But why does she look so worried?

Probably because she caught me looking at these oddities -- the Cat Piano:

and the Cat Hall of Mirrors:

   

Both from Athanasius Kircher, via Boing Boing. For less bizarre critter diversions, go here:

Friday Ark
I and the Bird
Carnival of the Cats
Carnival of the Dogs
Circus of the Spineless

A Little Friday Catertainment

Spike can't decide whether to be amused or offended by this (via Ceejbot):

Moscow Cats Theatre: the only entertainment of its kind in the world - features non-stop action by a troop of talented felines performing original and astounding acrobatic feats, integrated into a non-verbal, colorful and fun-filled family show.

Created almost 30 years ago by renowned circus performer Yuri Kuklachev, Moscow Cats Theatre has grown into one of the most popular weekend outings for Moscow kids and adults ...  The cast includes 26 cats, 2 dogs and 6 clowns.

Not in the mood for a kitty circus? How about a movie? We have, via 3:40 A.M., who cried:

Fatboy Slim: The Joker, with a large cast of kittens (Quicktime)

And, via Chandrasutra, who wonders what would happen if kittens ran the world:

Sleepy Kitten (also Quicktime)

Boo is shocked, shocked, at the language in this movie!

And Chandrasutra is usually such a respectable source, too. She reminds us of the previously linked Kitten War, which reminds us of The Daily Kitten -- two quite innocent entertainments. Want more? Try:

Friday Ark
I and the Bird
Carnival of the Cats
Carnival of the Dogs
Circus of the Spineless

And ATTENTION ATTENTION ATTENTION!  The Carnival of the Cats will be at Catcall next Sunday, and Laurence is planning a Carnival of the Cats #102 raffle:

I'd really like to make this a big carnival this time around to celebrate the fact that catblogging has gotten its paw in the door with the MSM here with a Chronicle.Community readerblog.

If there's over 100 sites submitting catblogging posts to the Carnival of the Cats this week, I'll raffle out four special cat-related gifts among the lucky participants.

So get that cat post ready, friends. And have a great weekend!

The Visitor & Other Entertainments

Click the photos to go to Flickr & see big ones.

     

A garden full of sparrows, and what does she want? Caged parakeets. When I put my hand to the glass, she rubs her head against it. But she gets  quickly bored -- cold glass between her and scritches; between her and budgies. Off she goes.

As you may want to, before we're done. It's February, the longest month. [Oh, c'mon, you know what I mean!] So, what to do, what to do. Hmmm. Maybe some odd entertainment would be in order.

Like The Magic Kittens in Kompakt's Wonderland or Poor Cat, both via Ample Sanity.

Perhaps you'd like to indulge in a little kitty decoration. Here we have a variety of purchasable options (lots of new designs!) and here instructions on making your own noble fruit helmet for your cat (via boingboing.)

Hello Kitty is planning to replace guard dogs and receptionists. I knew they were planning to take over the world. If the very idea makes you feel a bit catty, you may find this useful:

A few more pleasant pastimes:

Friday Ark
I and the Bird
Carnival of the Cats
Carnival of the Dogs
Circus of the Spineless

Oh, did I mention, it's February? Don't have a calendar yet? Go here:  Cat Lovers Against the Bomb.

Be warm.

Heh

Warning Signs for the Web

From Google Blogoscoped, which has several to choose from. This one should probably live on my sidebar.

Friday Cat Blogging

 

Boo & Spike suggest that, if you live anywhere near us, you stay indoors and visit:

Friday Ark
I and the Bird
Carnival of the Cats
Carnival of the Dogs
Circus of the Spineless

Carnival of the Cats #99 ~ Valentine Edition

My cats and I are against racism in any form.
A special note for Valentine's Day, from LucyRand.

The cats below are Prairie Mary's companions, but her blog is too {ahem} dignified, grownup [and] sophisticated for cat photos. Apparently, she is unaware that this blog was in the New York Times! For cat blogging!

*Sigh* So soon they forget.

But, since Crackers and Squibbs (who seem to be rather explosive characters) can't be in the Carnival, they've agreed to present the Carnival, with the kind photographic and literary assistance of their human servant, who clearly does not adequately appreciate how dignified, grownup [and] sophisticated they are. 

 

I'm this big blonde cat named Crackers,
who ought to be Brunnhilde and carry a spear,
but I only work for praise and some snackers.
This is largely the reason that I'm still right here.

That other cat is my sister Squibbs.
I'd rather eat but she'd rather fight.
Somehow this calico always has dibs
But I patiently watch until she takes flight.

We're only posing together in order to show
on Valentine's Day it's good to love, so....
Sorry we only know how to write doggerel.
All we can say is Holy Mackerel.