Well, it seems that I can't not catblog. A bit compulsive, yes. Luckily, Shelley has a lovely post about Zoë, that will do very nicely:
Oh, she looks dangerous, doesn't she? Read the post to find how just how dangerous. Other reading:
Friday Ark
Carnival of the Cats
Carnival of the Dogs
Rascal Fair
Also note: this will be the last post in Friday Cat Blogging 4; Friday Cat Blogging 5 will be initiated (most likely) next week.
Thank you all for your kind thoughts.
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We are all a bit bored. Suffering a touch of ennui. Perhaps some diversion would liven things up. Here are a few cat games, some of which require flash or java or some other esoteric techy thing:
Cats
The Cat's Concentration Game
Action Cat's Feed the Cats Game
Meowhoo Club: Cat Games
Or perhaps you are so far into the kitty kat doldrums that you require spiritual assistance:
I asked the Mystic Cat what we should do this weekend, and it would not answer. Sigh. So perhaps we shall do the usual:
Friday Ark
The Carnival of the Cats
The Carnival of the Dogs
And you?
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If you are the cat's whiskers, you are better than everyone else; or someone who is most highly approved of. Here is the Chinese version:
I looked and looked for the origin of this expression, but with no luck. It must just be due to the cat's obvious superiority in all things.
[ADDED: Yay! Sissy found it:
The cat's pajamas (and the cat's meow, the cat's whiskers), was a very popular expression in the 1920s, associated with the daring and unconventional jazz-age flappers. H.L. Mencken describes the flapper as a young woman who "has forgotten how to simper; she seldom blushes; and it is impossible to shock her." The lexicographers William and Mary Morris suggest that these "cat" expressions may have originated even earlier, first used in girls' schools. Cat's pajamas ]
From HowStuffWorks*, we learn that:
Whiskers help the cat feel his way around. Whiskers are so sensitive that they can detect the slightest directional change in a breeze . . .
. . . a cat's whiskers are also a good indicator of his mood. When a cat is angry or feels defensive, the whiskers will be pulled back. Otherwise, when the cat is happy, curious or content, the whiskers will be more relaxed and pushed forward.
But the whisker's primary use is to help a cat judge whether or not he'll fit through an opening.
And we all know that cats greatly enjoy fitting through openings, especially those we want them to not fit through, like kitchen cabinet doors.
Here are some places we can all go this weekend:
Friday Ark
Carnival of the Cats
Carnival of the Dogs
Rascal Fair
* Note that HowStuffWorks, which one expects to be very 21st century, is still stuck in the singular- male- gender 80's. Apparently all cats, for example, are male. I thought that maybe they just trade off, but no. A quick perusal of the site demonstrates that these geeks think boys is all there is (unless, of course, the subject is specifically female.) One would think they would know more about how things work.
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As is probably obvious from the paucity of posts, I am a bit less well than usual. This means that Spike has more opportunity to insist on attention, as I am not otherwise occupied. And never fear, Boo gets her share.
In recent cat news, The Modulator points out that, once again, The New York Times has noticed that the internet is heavily feline- populated:
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Spike is pleased to pass on this true-to-life poem by Roger McGough, via Roger Collett on the Poetryetc list:
The Cats' Protection League
Midnight. A knock at the door.
Open it? Better had.
Three heavy cats, mean and bad.They offer protection. I ask, 'What for?'
The Boss-cat snarls, 'You know the score.
Listen man and listen goodIf you wanna stay in the neighbourhood,
Pay your dues or the toms will call
And wail each night on the backyard wall.Mangle the flowers, and as for the lawn
a smelly minefield awaits you at dawn.'
These guys meant business without a doubtThree cans of tuna, I handed them out.
They then disappeared like bats into hell
Those bad, bad cats from the CPL.
This is from Bad Bad Cats, some of whom we know and love. I envy writers who have such a knack (from much craft practice) with rhythm and rhyme, and a touch of dark, feline humor as well. I think I might recommend this book for a bit of weekend entertainment:
& I also recommend:
and a very special edition of Montana's
Stay cool.
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They are so sweet when they're asleep, aren't they? And it's so hot here lately, that they usually are asleep. For more lively entertainment, you might try:
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Last week we reviewed the evidence that cats are smarter than dogs. But of course, there is smart:
smart (smärt)
adj. smart·er, smart·est
and then there is smart:
- Fashionable; elegant: a smart suit; a smart restaurant; the smart set. See Synonyms at fashionable.
It is easy to find evidence that cats are fashionable:
From boingboing and design*sponge, both accredited critics of smartness.
Sadly, it is also possible to find evidence that cats can be foolish:
fool·ish (f
l
sh)
adj.
- Lacking or exhibiting a lack of good sense or judgment; silly: foolish remarks.
- Resulting from stupidity or misinformation; unwise: a foolish decision.
- Arousing laughter; absurd or ridiculous: a foolish grin.
[this one is flash]
The jumping cats are via Look At This, though the link from there is dead (This journal/poster is suspended -- Yikes) -- but a bit of Googling found this cache; and the dancing cat is via ChickenScratch.
For other smartness and foolishness, we offer the following destinations:
Rascal Fair
Friday Ark
Carnival of the Cats
Carnival of the Dogs
Have a nice weekend, and try to be a little bit smart, and a little bit foolish.
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Boo & Spike
Henry & Lucy
and a number of folks on Flickr have been discussing which are smarter, Cats, or Dogs? Now, ordinarily, I would lean toward the belief that cats, who resist all attempts at training, are smarter.
But recently I happened onto this evidence for the other side:
from Me and the Cat
Further evidence for both sides may be found at:
May this weekend bring you pleasure, or contentment, or at the very least, solace.
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In their official Catblogging capacity, Spike and Boo welcome you all to the 67th Carnival of the Cats. They are prepared to provide their photo identification at all security checkpoints. If you would like your cats to be so prepared, you may obtain their officially Flickrized certified papers here.
This week's certifiable cats are listed below. The first few remind us that, even with the pleasures of cats, life brings sadness:
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I must ask for your patience. There has been a death in my family; not a surprising one, but I am surprised by my need to just sit with it for awhile.
There will be no Friday Cat Blogging tomorrow. Perhaps on Saturday.
The Carnival of the Cats will, however, be here on Sunday -- so send those entries in to submissions (at) carnivalofthecats.com or (my preference) use The Carnival Submission Form. This is the first I've hosted since April, so let's make it a good one.
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