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.

Watermark in the New York Times

Two weeks ago, I received a message that a reporter from the New York Times wanted to speak to me about my blog. 

Was he interested in my fine, sensitive poems?  Or perhaps my incisive political commentary?

No.

He was interested in Friday Cat Blogging. 

The article is here. Yes, it requires registration -- but you can always make something up, and besides, it's cats.   

I think the reporter, Daniel Terdiman (who also writes for Wired News) did a good job (though I have been blogging for ten months, not three)  stressing what is most important to me about Friday Cat Blogging:  that it brings together folks from all around the web who otherwise would not connect.  And, of course, it offers a little relief from what has lately been a heavy dose of seriousness. 

I hope those of you who are visiting from the Times will take a minute to visit my main page.  There is much more than cats on offer here, including poems, politics, and other minor matters.  If you came just for the cats, you will find many cat links here.

[Crossposted to Big Sky Blog]

Halloween Cats

One more week to prepare for the favorite cat holiday, so today we will explore the many options for a cat-themed Halloween. 

Planning a party?  Here is a recipe that's sure to be a hit, Cat Litter Treats. For table decorations you can have something cute or something kitschy.

Kitty need a costume?  You can find one here or here or here; it would be pretty hard to match the one pictured, though (click for larger image.) And of course you will need a costume.  Here's a racy CatWoman costume; here's a hideous (as in ugly) White Cat Halloween mask.  CatAnna's Cats Costume Page has some much more attractive options, and here is a long list of  Black Cat Halloween Costumes available for sale to the quickest bidder. And we mustn't forget the dog.

Boo doesn't need a costume;
she's scary enough already.

The Back Fence Cat Club cats are preparing for Halloween, and have a Halloween Adventure to share.  There is an extensive list of Halloween Cat pages at Crowley Cats' Halloween Links. Really extensive.  Also cute. 

On the serious side, a Halloween Safety Guide, with tips for protecting our pets from those who take this season as an excuse to act on their evilest impulses; and the dangers of chocolate and other seasonal hazards.

Laurence has registered a new domain, carnivalofthecats.com.  There you will find  everything you need to know:  Carnival of the Cats FAQ; links to all previous Carnivals; a schedule of upcoming Carnivals; and instructions for entering your cat posts in the Carnival. 

This week's Friday Ark is up -- lots and lots and lots of cats, including a spooky one; and this week's Carnival of the Cats is here.

Next week's Friday Cat Blogging might be on Thursday, and might be very special; don't miss it! 

Virtual Cats 2

I completely forgot about friday, my own virtual cat, who lives on my About page! Bad kitty mistress, bad kitty mistress! 

adopt your own virtual pet!

friday is a flash kitty (so if you don't have flash enabled, you will not see her) from bunnyhero labs.  They also offer a puppy, duck, bunny, and penguin (one of which lives at Abide.)  These are all interactive, and you can choose what color you would like yours to be.

I bet you can guess why she's named friday.

ADDITION Saturday 16 October 02004:

I've just discovered that Blogger offers a Blog Pet, and of course, it's a cat:

Click your mouse on various parts of the Blog Pet picture, and it will talk to you. 

Virtual Cats

Today we will further explore the possibilities for those unfortunate souls who want a cat, but can't have one, due to allergies, landlords, or other impediments.  For some folks, even robotic cats are too much trouble (all those batteries.)  For them, virtual cats are the way to go. You have lots of choices here, including cats that live on your desktop and cats that live on your website. 

Felix is a particularly sweet choice.  He lives on the desktop, has a toy box with a variety of amusements, and can be picked up and moved around by the scruff of his neck.  He may, however, come with some unwanted extras; Spybot and AdAware were very busy in the days after I downloaded him.

And of course, there's Neko:

Neko is a little cat that sits on your desktop and chases the mouse pointer until he catches it, then goes through a series of absolutely adorable activities, such as cleaning himself and taking a nap.

Neko has been around for a very long time, in virtual measures.  Now you can also have Neko on your web page. I have once seen Neko used as a favicon, though I've no idea how it was done -- and now I can't remember what blog it was (if anyone knows, please drop me a note so I can link it to this post.)

Then there's the strange world of virtual cat adoptions:

You can adopt a kitty sprite at SMG World.

At Madame Alto's Cat House, you can adopt any of several animated kittens, or, if you really like sweetsweetsweet, a Kitty Angel (sorry, I can't bring myself to put one here.)

You can adopt a siamese cat or a colorwash cat or an orange kitten or a blue kitten at Gingo's Cyber Pet Adoption Agency. 

Mr. Free Free has a whole list of free virtual cats for download, black cats, white cats -- even a cat named Spike.  But my favorite virtual pet is the Useless Blob, from Spacefem, one of which lives on my Links page.  I think it's my favorite because it doesn't pretend to be anything it isn't. 

And finally, via ~Fractured~Somehow~, a virtual quiz:

"What kind of cat are you?"

Sweety cat
You are a sweety! You are polite and kind. Go you
there aren't many like you out there anymore.

Those of you who live with real cats (or dogs, or people, or anything else living) -- go hug them now, and be glad they are not virtual.

********************************************************************************

Oops, almost forgot again:  this week's Carnival is still here; next week's will be at  signaleer; send your entry to cats[AT]isfullofcrap[DOT]com before 1800 Central Time on Sunday. And don't forget Friday Ark.

Carnival of the Cats

   

Henry and Lucy are delighted to present
The 29th Carnival of the Cats

A Contented Misty at VegasBaby!

Friday Cat Blogging is on Thursday Today at Blog d'Elisson

This Cat Was Born Near The Ocean at planeta hilda

catnip cat at monkeycats

Black Cat at Athenamama

Friday Cat-Blogging at Your Moosey Fate

VICTORY!!! Kinda, Anyway... at bloggg

Creepy Kitty at What Is Flig?

Ripley & 'Puss Puts Up at aka cooties

Pablo, el Gato Diabólico & Pablo, Dehydrated at feministe

Krissiebutt, Who Hoo!, Silly Animals, & Been Sleeping, all at Mind of Mog

Elvis and Sugar & Good Kitty, both at Sugarfused [Sugarsnaps is currently down; hopefully to be back soon]

Kitty Survivor Episode 2: MouseHunt & Cats With Uzis both at When Cats Attack!!

Einar practices his feigned studied indifference at The People's Republic of Seabrook

Chew at TBIFOC

Someone enjoys my blog at Ogre's Politics and Views

Friday Cat Blogging at Trish Wilson's Blog

Ain't she sweet? at Sisu

Cat Fancy! at The Secret Life of Shoes

AuTumN KaTz at Feste...a foolsblog

Mouse 2, cats and humans 0 at Cat Out Loud

Photoshopped Cats at Watermark

Thanks to everyone for participating -- great turnout this week! Next week's Carnival will be at signaleer; folks take turns hosting the Carnival, but entries can always be sent to cats[AT]isfullofcrap[DOT]com. 

And we have a new venue for creatures -- Steve at Modulator has begun Friday Ark|Cats, Dogs, Spiders and ?:

I'll post links to sites that have Friday photos of their chosen animals as I see them (no photoshops and no humans).

Here are links to Friday Ark Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3.

Also, the Carnival of the Dogs is up at Mickey's Musings.

Photoshopped Cats

I've recently discovered the filter feature of Photoshop Elements.  Not meant for serious photographers, I'm sure; but handy for snapshotters like me, to make a boring image more interesting, or to salvage a bad photograph (like the one of Boo with an overexposed corner.)

So here are the results of some of my playing around this week (click the images for larger versions):

Boo

   

   

Spike

   

   

This week's Carnival of Cats is at Laurence's place; next week's is here at Watermark.  Get those entries in before 1700 mountain time on Sunday.

A Few Things

A reminder that Carnival of the Cats will be here at Watermark this week; get your entries in by 5:00 PM mountain time on Sunday.  Last time it was here we had a great turnout; let's do that again!

Andrew, Patia, Cindy, Roger, Liz, Cathy, Dave, and Patrick, and Kalamity have all joined the dance.  Have you danced yet?

Have I gone mad?  I'm considering doing this:

National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.

That's about six pages, or 1700 words, per day.  They say It's all about quantity, not quality, which could be good practice for a perfectionist.  On the other hand, it sometimes takes me nearly a day to do one Watermark post (especially on Fridays.)

I've never considered writing a novel, and have no idea what my novel might be about. I don't know that my energy would support such an endeavor. Most starters don't finish, though, so there would be no shame in that. 

What do you think?  Are any of my readers doing this?

Friday Cat Blogging II -- Review: Juvenile felis catus

This is just too good to pass up.  Via Slashdot, which says; "The review goes over everything from how to acquire one, to required maintenance, to storage, to a comparison against other ways of spending your money . . . The article is full of useful and informative links such as your average kitten's standard configuration. A well reasoned and interesting review."

 

Review: Juvenile felis catus

While domestic cats are a common feature of many computing environments, IT review sites have proven oddly unwilling to investigate this popular computer room accessory.

Dan's Data goes on to do a thorough, techie review of 

An immature member of the species felis catus (also known as felis domesticus, and hereafter referred to as "a kitten"

including the necessary table displaying

a rundown of the relative merits of four options for the computer enthusiast - a kitten, a puppy, a baby, and (as a representative example of the more usual kind of home information technology purchase) a new video card.

He is reviewing this juvenile felis catus in particular.  Go to his review to check his Comparison and Conclusion and see which is the best option: the kitten; the puppy; the baby; or the video card.

[Two cat blogging posts in one day.  Somebody help me.]

Spike & His Bear

This is Spike and his Bear.  They look so innocent, don't they?  If you are stout hearted, you may see a slideshow of Spike relating to his bear, here. 

This is not for children, the easily offended, or other sensitive souls.  I'm not certain, but I think you may need to have flash enabled to view this spectacle. 

Almost forgot -- this week's Carnival of the Cats is here; next week's will be there, too.  Get your entry in to  cats (at) isfullofcrap.com by Sunday afternoon. 

And it's HERE, at Watermark, the Sunday after that -- October 10. 

Kittie Photos

Kittens

Cat in a Basket and Cat Salad, from growabrain

Kitties, from jenett.radio

Flickr Kitten Slideshow


Check in on this week's Carnival of the Cats; next week it will be here.

Cats & Politics

Oh, my, this campaign is becoming far too serious.  Now even the kittens are mobilizing:

This kitten is an obvious forgery
via feministe
 

We found Sadammmm!!!!!!


Cats Hate Bush

Bush
Hates
Cats?

The Bush Administration should be grateful that cats have not organized their own political party, given that

A new poll of calico cats across the country reveals that a great majority of them are deathly afraid of Attorney General John Ashcroft, many of them stating that he is, in fact, a sign of the Devil.

Some cats are, however, running for office themselves:

    

Bill Hall would say that this is only to be expected, as cats and politicians have a great deal in common:

In short, a cat can look half its size when attacking and twice its size when bluffing. Hence a cat looks four times as large on defense as on offense. The same is true of politicians. The more trouble they are in, the louder they yowl and the larger and more terrifying they try to appear.

Are cats Democrats or Republicans, do you think?  Damnum Absque Injuria has a theory (very well-constructed, by the way; you must go read the whole thing) that liberals prefer -- and blog about -- their cats, while conservatives prefer -- and blog about -- their dogs:

Then again, maybe I’m reading too much into this cat/dog dichotomy. Perhaps it all boils down to the tendency of conservatives to live in rural or suburban homes, which are suitable for dogs, while liberals tend to live in apartments or small condos, which are not.

Of course, this doesn't speak to the politics of the beasts themselves, and in my house I would have to say that Boo is a bleeding heart liberal, and Spike an uncompassionate conservative.

This week's Carnival of the Cats is still up; next week's will be at Your Moosey Fate.

ADDENDUM: I see that Shelley has also found two of these items, and has designed a flag in honor of Talk Like A Pirate Day.   She should be in the Carnival of Cats, but I bet she isn't -- so I'm taking this opportunity to send you to her truly wonderful site.


ADDENDUM 2:

I don't know how I missed this one
[Thanks to Braised Lambchop]

Robotic Cats

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. . . (click the kitty to go to the Japanese product page -- I couldn't find the video, but maybe you can.) 

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 master’s 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.

This week's Carnival of the Cats is still up and still entertaining; next week's Carnival will be at Sharp as a Marble; entries to be in by Saturday night (tomorrow.)

Cats & Movies

Ah, Labor Day weekend! Let's lie back and watch some movies . . .


Ivy's Famous Films Starring Cats:

Casablanca

Gone With The Wind

The Battleship Potemkin

Bonnie & Clyde

Amusing cat movies:

What About Cats

Clumsy Cats

Pinky
{This was emailed to me by Erin, and is my first attempt at posting video to my blog. A Quicktime version is available at a previous Carnival of the Cats, here.}

Feline movie stars:

Movie Cat Page

Cats in Movies

Movies for cats:

Multimedia Cats

Kitty Show

Totally charming flash movies with cats in them:

Three Crows, via Fishbucket

Desiderata, via jennet.radio
{I've posted this one before, but it's worth a second look}

This week's Carnival of the Cats will be at When Cats Attack; get those entries in!

Enough for today -- time for a nap!

Carnival of the Cats

Boo and Spike are pleased to host the 23rd Carnival of the Cats!  This week we have an extensive and varied offering:

From Athenamama:  For the Love of Athena and Cat of the day

From The People's Republic of Seabrook:  It's their world; I'm just coughing up the hairballs

From This Blog Is Full Of Crap:  Beware of the Cave Bear and Scardy-butt

From Cat Out Loud:  Hot weather and city cats

From limon:  cat blogging

From monkeycats:  excuse me??

From jenett.radio:  Greetings from MiMi and MoJo

From bloggg:  Weekend Cat Blogging

From Mind of Mog:  Wallpaper and All The News Fit To Pet

From Katieweb:  Friday Cat Pictures

From When Cats Attack:  10 Fun Ways To Annoy Your Cats

From Leslie's Omnibus:  Traveling Companions

From Your Moosey Fate:  Going Fast

From Feste...a foolsblog:  HaPPiNEss...

From Mr and Mrs McMuffin:  flies... and slinky is sleeping

From pomegranatesandpaper:  I'd like to lay around like a cat

From Trish Wilson's Blog (where we discovered Friday Cat blogging!):  Friday Cat Blogging and Friday Cat Blogging, Part II

From sisu:  The smallest feline is a masterpiece and Vietnam chickens come home to roost

From Sugarfused:  Elvis!

Oh, yes -- here at Watermark:  Cats & Computers

Late additions [my oversight] -- From What The Hell Am I Doing Here?:  Dept. of Am I Pompeii?

And, From Poetry Hut Blog:  Crowie & Jilly

Next week's Carnival will be at When Cats Attack; check there for info on how to submit your posts.  Until then, keep those cats happy and entertained!

Carnival of the Cats

It's coming! -- Just taking a bit longer than I expected . . .

Cats & Computers

From Eeksy-Peeksy:

The Cat's Ass

The fat cat sat on the edge of the keyboard tonight and typed this:
zzzzzyyyzyzyzyz AAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 1
and managed to exchange the y and z keys. I don't know how. You type y and get z. You type z and get y.

Luckily, I had just finished my monograph on syzygy.

From Catnip & Catnaps:

Your Cat's Guide to Your Computer

. . . Forget the sewing basket with the spools of thread. Forget the laundry hamper with shreddable panty hose. Computers are much more attractive. . . Not surprisingly, a good portion of the Information Superhighway is devoted to cats, their worship, their maladies, their whims, their wit, and even (how could we forget?) their intelligence. . .

From Leslie's Omnibus:

A Website For Cats!

How It Works:

1) Pick one of our 6 critters, (bird, bee, butterfly, bat, groundhog, or red buggy.) and click on it.
When the program is finished loading, your critter will move randomly around the screen.

Your kitty will love the moving critter and be a good kitty for the rest of his life.

If you really want to deny your cat the joy of computers, you might try Cat-Proofing Computers.

 

And let's not forget the the Carnival of the Cats, which will be hosted here this week.  Here is the Carnival of the Cats FAQ, answers to all your questions.  Send the URL of your entry to me at blogdiva (at) gmail.com, by 5 PM Mountain Time (1700) Sunday, August 29th, and I will have the Carnival up by 6 PM that day.

Carnival of the Cats

You're the Cheshire Cat.

Which Alice in Wonderland Character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

{I had to take this three times to get the Cat -- I wanted that smile!}

The Carnival of Cats is up -- and next week, Watermark will host it!  Now I know that a lot of the blogs I read do Friday Cat Blogging, at least sporadically, but rarely enter the Carnival.  This is Watermark's first experience as host, and I'm miiaaoowwing you -- please do it this week! 

Here is the Carnival of the Cats FAQ, answers to all your questions.  Send the URL of your entry to me at blogdiva (at) gmail.com, by 5 PM Mountain Time (1700) Sunday, August 29th, and I will have the Carnival up by 6 PM that day.

Cat Songs

A feline reader, Valderbar of Catnip & Catnaps, has suggested a song for this week's Friday Cat Blogging.  Valderbar has excellent taste (aside from her questionable decision to share her life with hairless talls) so I am happy to follow her guidance on this. 

For your listening pleasure:  I've Got Cats! written and performed by a hairless tall, Rick Cowling.

If music performed by cats is more to your taste, try The Viking Kittens (flash -- found long ago at scribblingwoman)  or Cat Song (also flash.)

Then there's Cat in the Chicken Chowmein.  (OK, so the photo doesn't go with the song.  Close enough.)  Or perhaps you are more interested in music you can share with your cat, in which case The first music CDs especially for cats and cat-owners is the place for you (via growabrain.)

The best cat who ever deigned to live with me had his own song:  Honky Cat.  Honky came along (and was named, by a friend who had the right) long before the song.  Honky Cat the song became very popular; every time it came on the radio (which was often) Honky would jump up on the table to sit close and listen.  Honky the cat also became very popular; he converted many cat-haters in his time.

Twenty-two years since he left me, and I still miss Honky.

Cuteness Alert

Kittens Kittens Kittens

SPIKE in his younger days:

& BOO in hers:

More Kittens

Warped Kittens

Flickr Kittens

Vintage Kittens

And finally, best of all: 

Desiderata (Flash, with Vivaldi)
via jenett.radio

Badly Drawn Cats

Poor tiddles!  This is his plea:

it's all very simple - drunken doodling leads to challenge to friends leads to asking random people in pub to draw pictures leads to knocking up web site leads to obsession . . . help me!

Goody for us, though; this poor man's obsession leads to much entertainment -- pages and pages of Badly Drawn Cats.  You can help perpetuate this obsession by submitting your own bad drawings.  {via MetaFilter}

As it happens, I have a few of my own badly drawn cats lying about:

       

Now here is someone who takes his cat-drawing to extremes -- a GPS drawing:

Location: Edmunds Park, Didcot, Oxfordshire Dates: 10/5/02 Track Length: 3.17 km Average Speed: 4.8 km/h Method: Shanks's Pony Credits: Hugh Pryor

For those of you determined to continue your cat-drawing habit, I have found a few helpful links:  How To Draw The Cats (Angle View); Sketching Cats; and Draw a Cat in Graphite Pencil. 

Perhaps if you work very hard, you might one day be  as good as Matisse, or Munch, or any of the other famous artists featured at The Cat Gallery.

Or, if you draw many, many cats, perhaps you will have an adventure, like The Boy Who Drew Cats (A Japanese Fairytale).

{This one's for Jinker Boy -- but maybe it's too old for him? -- there is an Evil Goblin.}

 

Now that you've had your bedtime story, off to bed with you, my children -- draw yourself to sleep!  {Click Nighttime Teddy for many more drawings of cat Teddy and his wardrobe.}

Instruction Manuals for Cats

SPIKE & BOO Are Pleased to Present For The Edification of Felines Everywhere Instruction Manuals for Cats

Basic Rules for Cats Who Have A House To Run

Chairs & Rugs: If you have to throw up, get to a chair quickly. . .

Hampering: If one of your humans is engaged in some close activity and the other is idle, stay with the busy one. . .

Toys: Any small item is a potential toy. If a human tries to confiscate it, this means that it is a Good Toy. . .

Humans: Humans have three primary functions: to feed us, to play with and give attention to us, and to clean the litter box. . .

Other guidelines from this manual include instructions on Doors, Bathrooms, Walking, Bedtime, Play, Paper Bags, Food, Sleeping, and Scratching Posts.

A Cat's Guide To Human Beings by John Scalzi (?)

Why Do We Need Humans? They have opposable thumbs. . .

Rewarding Your Human: Should Your Gift Still Be Alive?

Punishing Your Human: Stare impassively at your human while it is attempting a romantic interlude. . .

Other informative sections of this manual include How Long Should You Keep Your Human? and How And When to Get Your Human's Attention.

We would like to thank Douglas Clark and Roger Collett for the pointers to these helpful and edifying sites. In their honor (they are both poets), an instruction manual for cats in verse (author unknown): 

Carnival of Cats

Carnival of the Cats is up, and I have a favorite:  To The Person Who Found My Camera.  This is my favorite even though it has no pictures (thankfully.)  You'll have to read it to discover why gratitude for no photos is appropriate in this case. 

Visit the others, too -- they have lots of pictures. 

Cats in Japan

I will begin with the most shocking fact:  apparently, in Japan, cats are allowed to drive.

    They also wear clothes.

A Little History

It is generally believed that the domestic cat arrived in Japan around 600 A.D. Interestingly enough, this is the same period of time when Buddhism was introduced to Japan. Like most ancient cultures, the Japanese valued cats primarily for their rodent catching abilities. In fact, it was customary that each Buddhist temple should care for no less than two cats in order to insure that sacrosanct documents would not be eaten by mice. It didn't take long for the cat to become a familiar and welcome creature in all aspects of Japanese society, from the royal court of the divine Emperor to the humblest of merchants . . . With their sophisticated taste in simple artistic form, the Japanese saw the cat as a being of rare beauty, a creature to be honored and respected. However, not all Japanese respect the cat. In fact to some, cats were considered bad omens, untrustworthy and nefarious consorts to ghosts and demons. But for the most part, cats were loved and honored as positive entities. To this day cats are revered in Japan . . . From JAPANESE CAT NAMES

                                            In Japan, cats are yummy . . .

    . . . and enlightened.

& Finally

◆ The New Year's card of a cat
Although it is the "cat" which is not in the sexagenary cycle, it is the character loved by anyone. Would you like the greeting of the new year in dear cats the more intimate one in the direction which was indebted?
An illustration is Mr. Mitsuhiro Amada.

Flickr Cats

Just a few of the Flickr CATS

artsy fred is deep
originally uploaded by
p.nut

   

Brand O Yawning
originally uploaded by
Stef Noble

   

 

kittyboy
originally uploaded by
h

   

And of course:

Spike
originally uploaded by
sbmontana

Cats & Blogs

{WARNING: slithy popup}

Watermark is six months old today, and by some mystical synchronicity, this event falls on Friday Cat Blogging Day! Thus, a post about cats and their blogs.

Some cats have human lackeys do their blogging for them:

Moggyblog
Tales of the Moggy Horde


Kitty
...daily doings of Kitty

Some cats (presumably those with more technical proficiency) do their own blogging:

Speck's Little Blog
A brief outline of the life of a cat named Speck, who has travelled all over Canada

A cat and his secret blog
Favorite movie: The Aristocats

Kazimir
a black cat, transmuted from Devonshire to a lazy lifestyle in Kensington..

BloggingCat.com
I'm a Cat and I Blog

Ripley
Ripley has a LOT of friends

Hunter "Socks" Thompson
The Life and Times of Hunter "Socks" Thompson: Feline, Hedonist, Friend

Barenada's Cats' Blog
Nugget, Buddy, & Happy

The cat blog!
Butter, Sasha, & Toby

Some cats share their blog, not always happily, with their person:

Abbie The Cat Has A Posse
Abbie the Cat & Martha the Human

And then there are the cat webrings
(a great way for your cat to meet like-minded felines):
         
 

Is it time to consider providing your cat with a blog? Are you denying her an outlet for her creativity? Could doing a blog with your cat be a positive bonding experience?

Think about it.

Feline Spirituality

Last month we learned to dance with our cats; today we will explore the spiritual side of the cat-human relationship.  Let's begin with a Cat Meditation from The Meditative Cat.

Here is Boo, practicing her
OOOOOOHHHHHMMMMMiaooooow

Now that we are centered, it is time for yoga with our cats.  These instructional videos from Yoga Kitty ("Clearing Past Karmas", "Electromagnetic Frequency" and  "Self-Identification Meditation") present a practical, step by step guide for humans &  their cats to activate their fullest potential, allowing man, woman, &  feline to dwell in the ecstasy of physical, mental, & spiritual health:

        (via Presurfer)

After a few weeks of yoga practice with your cat, you may be ready for the next step: an exploration of Eastern Philosophy, Buddhism, and Spiritual Development with Dharma the Cat:

That's it for today. Go in peace, my siblings.

Is Your Pet An Earthling?

NOTED UFO EXPERT DECLARES: MILLIONS OF PETS ARE REALLY SPACE ALIENS

. . . one out of five dogs and cats are space pets, descendants of original alien creatures that were 'seeded' on Earth 50,000 years ago. . . .

A quick scan of the WorldWideWeb found proof:

 

 

Still sceptical?  Then what is this??

 

And here is my own sweet Boo, caught unaware:

 

Lucy is not an alien, but she knows
THEY'RE OUT THERE

For more scholarly inquiry on this subject, go to Cats Could Be Aliens; and to find out if your cat is an alien, take the quiz at International Inquirer, then read the rationale for the questions.  The answers may startle you.

Comic Cats

    Just two of the very silly cats from ComicCats
(via Burningbird)

Want more fuzzies? Try the Carnival of Cats; the Carnival of Dogs; or (via Ceejbot) the Caravan of Ducks.

And for a complete change of pace (sorry, I couldn't resist this one):

CHILL OUT [flash] via MetaFilter

The Ancient Art of Cat Dancing

". . . women who practiced it were labelled as evil witches and burned at the stake along with their cats.Indeed, it seems very likely that it was women swishing their brooms in front of cats in order to excite them to dance so they could join them and attain "higher states and magic cures", that led to the absurd notion of witches riding aloft on broomsticks with their cats."

      From  The History of Feline Dance at Dancing With Cats.

This highly informative site also includes such gems as:

Feline Dance Classes:  Do I need to attend dance classes before I try dancing with my cat?  How do I find a cat dancing class?  What should I look for in a cat dancing tutor?

Pre–Dance Exercises, including the most excellent simple purring technique

Dance Tips from other cat dancers

A Discussion on Music for Cat Dancing

Via pics and titbits

God Is Watching Us

 

The cat in the window admires   
the sparrows. Longing trembles   
from the back of her throat. She loves   
the quills of the feathers, the little stick   
feet, the delicate veins in the wings.   

Musical Kittens

       Two selections from the Kitten repertoire (Flash)

Thanks to scribblingwoman, who thanks George.

Essentially Feline?

Thank goddess it was she, and not humans, who designed the cat. 

All of these are from Worth 1000: Chimaera 5 Photoshop Contest. Go there for larger, and more, amazing images.

These cats are very confused, but if your cat isn't, perhaps it's time for a visit to Confuse A Cat, Ltd.

Catwoman

[click for larger view]

Friend Kris came across this book the other day, and couldn't think of an excuse to buy it. Then my senior cat,      The Spikester, came to her in a dream and told her:  "Buy it for Sharon! Buy it for Sharon! Buy it for Sharon!" So I got it for my birthday! It's a kick. The book blurb truthfully says:

Packed with colorful images, including many never before seen, this compendium is a purr-fect ode to the feline felon, the mistress of malevolence, the princess of plunder . . . A.K.A. Catwoman.

Thank you, Kris!

Thank you, Spike![click Spike]

Spooky Boo & Critical Spike

Boo Refuses to Pose Nicely
& Spike Critiques Last Week's Post Spike is not fond of poetry, unless it's about cats.

For more cats critiquing, go to The Infinite Cat Project.

The Next Story

Today is         and also         and also


                         FRIDAY CAT BLOGGING DAY

So I have chosen a favorite poem by a favorite poet and a favorite teacher,  Pattiann Rogers; in which a cat makes a brief, but critical, appearance: 

Feline Personality Typing

Have you ever wondered how your cat would do on a personality test?  I have.  So I went to the PTypes Weblog, and took the test for them. Of course, I'm not them, and they're not human, so one must make allowances for a little statistical error (click photos for larger images): 


BOO is an Idealist. Idealists want to search for Self, to become themselves . . . to be self-actualized, to be and become real, to be what they are meant to be and to have an identity which is uniquely theirs . . . to have their significance appreciated, or at the very least, recognized as existing . . . to be genuine, to communicate authentically, to be in harmony with the inner experiences of self . . . to experience life as a drama, to be sensitive to the subtle gestures and metaphoric behavior in relationships, to help others become kinder, warmer, and more loving human beings, to reform the world, to romanticize their experiences, their lives, and the experiences and lives of others (Keirsey, 1984, pp. 57-66; cf., Heineman (NF)). {This is the cat that likes to play with turds.}


SPIKE is a Hedonist. Hedonists want to be free, not tied down, confined, or obligated, to do as they wish when they wish, to enjoy today, to be impulsive, to have a life of action which repudiates long term goals, objectives, or plans, to be active just to be active, to do what they feel the urge to do, to experience excitement, to be seen by others as being free to act, as free spirits, to be exciting, optimistic, cheerful, light-hearted, and full of fun (Keirsey, 1984, pp. 30-39; cf., Heineman (SP)). {This is the cat that likes to . . . um . . . play. . .  with teddy bears.}

Cat Hating circa 1965

A CAUTIONARY TALE ON THE DANGERS
  OF PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS
         TO YOUNG, IMAGINATIVE MINDS

  

She:    I hate cats. Cats are evil.

Me:     Cats are evil?

She:    Yes. Cats kill babies.

Me:     Cats kill babies?!?

She:    Yes. At night, they go to the closet and get dry cleaning bags. Then they drag the plastic bags into cribs and smother babies with them.    I saw it on TV.

Cats are Better than Baseball

A couple of weeks ago, a baseball site linked to Watermark, and my stats increased by 50% in a single day. That was nothing -- !nothing! -- compared to this: more than 100 visits from Carnival of the Cats since entering my Friday Cat Blogging post. Again, these folks do not show up on my referrer list, since they all go directly to the Spike post. I had no idea this was such a big deal.

There are some fun posts linked there (you should go see.) My favorites are File Under Silly and Smart Cat.

Friday Cat Blogging

SPIKE

I discovered Friday Cat Blogging over at Trish Wilson's Blog, and through her found Carnival of the Cats.

Instead of writing about Spike today (perhaps some other Friday I will tell you about his . . . unusual . . . ummm . . . attachment to a teddy bear), I am going to send you to Cats Are Evil, which puts it much better than I could.

{ Watermark is three months old today }