Friday Unrelated Information

It's been a tricky week, as I'm sure you've been able to tell from the shortness of the posts, but here are some things that made me happy online:  

1. GRUMPY CAT. Guys, I'm losing my edge--I didn't even know this was a meme!

2. An elephant helping a man play some ragtime on the piano:


3. And this gif from the last season of Mad Men. Someday I will re-create it.

Things That Made Me Happy Yesterday

1. Cat pictures:


(from my "Happy" Pinterest board, of course); and
2. This quote from M.F.K. Fisher:

A well-made dry Martini of Gibson, correctly chilled and nicely served, has been more often my true friend than any two-legged creature.

(from the final essay in An Alphabet for Gourmets. It's so true.)

Also: Happy birthday to Virginia Woolf today!

The Internet Is Made Of Cats

I'm pretty sure the Internet was invented to give us all easier access to funny cat pictures (this song backs me up). How else would someone have been able to share paintings of the Old Masters with the subjects replaced by cats?






In the words of Napoleon Dynamite, "There's more where that came from."

Pet Lion!

If we push the moral issues of keeping wild animals captive/as pets aside, these pictures are just fantastic. Who didn't want a pet lion as a kid, I ask you?





I wish I had some backstory on these, but I don't; they're from the LIFE archive and first spotted here.

It's OK To Be A Cat Guy

I think people should just own their crazy cat lady (or man) tendencies, but apparently there's still some barriers to overcome. That's why I like this series of ads for a California animal rescue telling us, "It's OK to be a cat guy." No, they're not subtle. But there are cats. And guys.

Cat Poem!

This poem was on the Writer's Almanac earlier this week. I'm putting it up for my parents, who recently adopted two more cats, bringing their kitty total up to four.

exactly right

by Charles Bukowski

the strays keep arriving: now we have 5
cats and they are smart, spontaneous, self-
absorbed, naturally poised and awesomely
beautiful.

one of the finest things about cats is
that when you're feeling down, very down,
if you just look at the cat at rest,
at the way they sit or lie and wait,
it's a grand lesson in preserving
and
if you watch 5 cats at once that's 5
times better.

no matter the extra demands they make
no matter the heavy sacks of food
no matter the dozens of cans of tuna
from the supermarket: it's all just fuel for their
amazing dignity and their
affirmation of a vital
life
we humans can
only envy and
admire from
afar.

Your Coffee May Be Too Strong...

...if your kitty tries to bury it like kitty poop.

Kitteh vs. The Smell of Coffee - watch more funny videos

I broke my French press over the weekend so now I'm using the stovetop espresso maker. Still trying to get the proportions right.

Today, We Need More Cats

You've probably heard of Cash4Gold, but have you heard of Cats4Gold?
It's (a) real (site)! www.catsforgold.com

I'd do it.

Is It Like This At Your House?

It's like this at my house, but usually I end up getting the bug for Toby before he can lay waste to everything. (All of these "Simon's Cat" videos are great.)

I'm Sure You're All Wondering About Christopher Kitten

Christopher Kitten has not been adopted by us, much to Toby's relief, and he hasn't been hanging around in our yard half as much. I think the group effort at the neighbors to keep him fed and entertained is working--mostly.

Mr. Isbell did put out food for him one afternoon when he came crying to the door, and I'll pat him when I see him out in the yard, but it's nothing like the weekend he was abandoned by his awful owner. And that's a relief.

Definitely A Problem

So the neighbor kitten that's getting left out all night was left out all day AND all night, all weekend. It discovered Toby's veranda Saturday morning:
Saturday night he sat on top of the veranda (with Toby in the veranda), looking in as we watched a movie.

This is kind of an impossible situation: Toby does not immediately try to attack the kitten, but 1.) we don't have room for two cats in the apartment and 2.) Toby can't have a cat roommate that goes in and out while he remains an inside-only cat. Also, Christopher Kitten* is scaring away all the quail and quail chicks.

Some of my neighbors were outside last night and I geared up for a lecture about responsible pet ownership, but it turned out they were the housemates of the girl who "owns" the kitten, not the girl herself. The housemates said that they'd been watching out for Christopher Kitten, too, because owner-girl doesn't let him in a lot because he's "too frisky" (!) and sometimes forgets to feed him (!!). What a despicable woman.

So...what happens now? I guess I could be justified in calling CAWS and getting Christopher Kitten fostered, since he does seem to be neglected by his owner. It also sounded like the housemates were looking for a new place to rent and wanted to take Christopher with them, but I don't know if I can count on them. Does any blog reader out there want a kitten?

*Yes, I named him. It's a problem.

Deterrents To Being Outside

As I said yesterday, I feel as if summer is passing me by. That might be due to the fact that I'm not spending a lot of time on the patio in the evenings, and here's why:

1. Mosquitoes. They are the devil. They are bad this year, after all that rain. I was outside for about half an hour last night and got three bites. Currently, I have three bites just on my FACE. Mosquito fail.

2. The neighbor's kitten. This kitten is not the devil; it's the cutest roly-poly tabby who purrs furiously when you pick it up. But the neighbor girl who "owns" it leaves it out at night, starting at about 6:00, and it's either crying at their door, wanting to play with us, or crying at OUR door. Toby does not like this one bit, and neither do I: Who leaves their tiny kitten outside all night without a bed to sleep on*? At least it has food and water, but still--cat ownership FAIL.

*I am debating taking the final step towards totally becoming my mother (who always has sheltered strays) and getting that kitten a little cat house with a bed in it. I doubt the neighbor is going to let it sleep inside; we can't steal it to live with us; and I don't think we can say it's a stray and call a rescue shelter. But I can at least make sure it has somewhere to sleep that's not on a concrete patio or in the grass.