Caturday Post: Escher Kittens Do not Tessellate Well

A Kitten Thanksgiving

Kittens are not thankful for turkey because they feel entitled to it.

Kittens are also not thankful for their family, because kitten brothers are just the worst.  

Caturday Post: Dog Edition

I went to a parade last week.  People brought their dogs in the cutesiest of Halloween costumes.  

Caturday Post: Thermal Expansion Kitten Is Approximately Linear

Vintage Caturday: Kitten!

Niko, an adorable Japanese bobtail adopted by my aunt and uncle several years ago.

Caturday Post: In Which Things are Sat Upon

My kitties are good at sitting on things.

Vintage Caturday

My mama just sent me the following picture, of me at around 7 playing with the kitties we had when I was growing up.

Caturday Post: Deadly Sin Kitteh Demonstrates Sloth

Caturday Post: Summertime and the Living is Easy

Ophelia, an old kitty who lives with my parents, demonstrates her relaxed approach to life.

Caturday Post: The Memory of Furniture

When I lived in Houston and adopted my little cat Scaramouche, I had a small metal bookcase.  The kitty quite liked it.  He would sit on the top shelf (I usually left a towel there) and rest his head on my purse.

Kitty in Houston likes his bookshelf with purse pillow.  

Since I moved, a few times, and left the country for a while, that bookcase has been living in my parents' basement.  Since moving back to Atlanta I retrieved it.  Not the prettiest piece of furniture, sure, but portable.  Which is generally higher on my list of furniture priorities anyway.  My sweet little Scaramouche kitten remembers it! I initially had my junk in his spot, so he sat below and sulked until I moved things.  At which point he promptly moved up a shelf and began purring.

All this stuff is in my way.  

This is where I belong.  Now where is the fluffy towel that used to be here?!

Caturday Post: At the End of a Long Journey

I dragged my poor babies through a four day car trip from Wyoming to Georgia.  Scaramouche will be farmed out to the opera now due to his ability to scream for 6 hours at a stretch without experiencing any hoarseness or other vocal distress.  Now, however, they appear to be recovered, and liking their new home, which includes a screened in porch.   A screened in porch is the only thing better than a window.

Tamerlane boldly surveys his new surroundings.  

Scaramouche is happier about the return of his favorite toy than his
new surroundings.  

Caturday Post: Packing Kittehs

To safely transport kitties long distance, arrange in large containers well-padded with fluffy towels.  

Do not attempt to prematurely unpack the kitty from the fluffy towels.

Caturday Post: In Which the World-Conquering Sword Does not Conquer

Tamerlane believes that one day, he will win against his big brother.  Until that day, he gets beaten up a lot.

Caturday Post: Calculus Kitties Investigate the Area Beneath Curves

Tamlin works tirelessly.  

Mushi works tiredly.

Caturday Poetry: Pangur Ban

I and Pangur Ban my cat, 

'Tis a like task we are at: 

Hunting mice is his delight, 

Hunting words I sit all night.

Better far than praise of men 

'Tis to sit with book and pen; 

Pangur bears me no ill-will, 

He too plies his simple skill.

'Tis a merry task to see 

At our tasks how glad are we, 

When at home we sit and find 

Entertainment to our mind.

Oftentimes a mouse will stray 

In the hero Pangur's way; 

Oftentimes my keen thought set 

Takes a meaning in its net.

'Gainst the wall he sets his eye 

Full and fierce and sharp and sly; 

'Gainst the wall of knowledge I 

All my little wisdom try.

When a mouse darts from its den, 

O how glad is Pangur then! 

O what gladness do I prove 

When I solve the doubts I love!

So in peace our task we ply, 

Pangur Ban, my cat, and I; 

In our arts we find our bliss, 

I have mine and he has his.

Practice every day has made 

Pangur perfect in his trade; 

I get wisdom day and night 

Turning darkness into light.
~Anonymous 9th century Irish monk

Neither Scaramouche nor Tamerlane are particularly strong against mice, but my old kitty Miriah is very very strong against all small rodents.  But she is old and grey and full of sleep, so now she just dreams of killing mice. 

Caturday Poetry: Special Musical Edition

My sweet old kitty Miriah, as in, "They Call the Wind..."

Way out here they have a name

For wind and rain and fire

The rain is Tess, the fire's Joe,

And they call the wind Miriah

Miriah blows the stars around,

Sets the clouds a'flyin'

Miriah makes the mountain sound

Like folks was up there dyin'

Miriah, Miriah

They call the wind Miriah.

Before I knew Miriah's name

And heard her wail and whinin'

I had a gal and she had me

And the sun was always shinin'

Then one day I left my gal,

I left her far behind me

And now I'm lost,

So gol-durned lost 

Not even God can find me

Miriah, Miriah

They call the wind Miriah.

Out here they have a name

For rain wind and fire only

When you're lost and all alone

There ain't no name for lonely

I'm a lost and lonely man

Without a star to guide me

Miriah, blow my love to me,

I need my gal beside me

Miriah, Miriah

They call the wind Miriah.

Mairiah, Miriah

They call the wind Miriah.

Alan Jay Lerner - Frederick Loewe

Caturday Poetry: Envying the Tomcat

I envy the tomcat:

How easily he lets go of

Love's pain and longing!

~Etsujin

Caturday Post: Hunting the Wild Cue Tip

Caturday Post: The Hunting of the Unicorn

A few weeks ago, we observed a large (~3ft high) semi-rigid plush unicorn being discarded in the dumpster across the street.  Being me, I retrieved the unicorn, named him Sevastopol Snuffles, and then spent several weeks trying to destinkify him, since he clearly came from a smoker's home.  Fortunately the gods of housekeeping bestowed upon me both vodka and baking soda, and between those two substances, he is now fit to be a family unicorn rather than a downstairs unicorn.  Tamerlane the world-conquering sword and scourge of God is uncertain what he thinks of the vodka-soaked unicorn I pulled from a dumpster.

Caturday Post: Basket Case Kitty!

Pictures of my mama, who tirelessly obeys the tyrannical orders of this deceptively sweet-looking little kitty.