Sprout

By any other name

2010-05-01T03:07:00.001-07:00

Name these cubs through the Bronx Zoo's web site.

Lightning Bolt!

2009-11-02T22:00:00.000-08:00

Usain Bolt adopts a baby cheetah, named Lightning Bolt!

Dogs have a big environmental foot-print!

2009-11-01T19:49:00.000-08:00

"we should put as much thought into choosing a pet as we do into buying a car. "If a lifestyle choice uses more than 1 per cent of your energy footprint, then it is worthwhile reflecting on that choice and seeing what you can do about it," he says. "Pets definitely deserve attention: by my estimates, the energy footprint of a cat is about 2 per cent of the average British person's energy footprint - and it's bigger for most dogs."

— from http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427311.600-how-green-is-your-pet.html?page=1

2009-10-27T07:21:00.001-07:00

For the lazy cat who needs to scare some indfferent mice

2009-10-06T17:15:00.001-07:00

This mechanical cat can meow ten times a minute and the eyes light up each time. The device for scaring rats and mice is from Japan and is powered by a two-watt motor. From Life Magazine.

St Francis blesses us

2009-10-03T08:48:00.000-07:00

… and we need not even be Catholic.

I am glad that my litter-box is usually kept clean

2009-07-31T06:23:00.000-07:00

My new favorite online journal, Cat Sitter in the City, has some comments (and cat-on-the-street interviews!) on the touchy subject of keeping a clean litter-box. There can be no debate on this topic.

A social climber?

2009-07-25T08:14:00.000-07:00

Cat can has ladders? How very very odd.

I want some new toys!

2009-07-22T06:09:00.001-07:00

But not pink.

Consider getting a dog

2009-07-07T08:31:00.001-07:00

Some make art

2009-07-04T07:40:00.003-07:00

My litter box never looks quite that organized, but I also am anxious about leaving hints to my identity where they might be found.

Kittens in Kolorado

2009-06-29T08:29:00.001-07:00

The LA Times has the story about Colorado's first litter of lynx kittens in over two years.

"Biologists found no kittens the past two years, possibly partly because of a drop in the number of snowshoe hares, the cats' main food source.

"This year, seven male and three female kittens were found in five dens."

No wheels for this cat!!!!

2009-06-01T14:37:00.000-07:00

ZURICH (Reuters) - A car traveling on a motorway in Switzerland lost all four wheels simultaneously, coming to an immediate halt in the middle of the highway, police said on Saturday.

The car had just stopped and the passengers had changed from winter to summer wheels themselves, a common task in Switzerland where there is plenty of snow in winter, but used the wrong nuts when mounting the new set.

"When they then drove back on to the motorway, all of the wheels disconnected," St Gallen cantonal police said in a statement. "Luckily, no one was injured and no other vehicle was damaged."

Two best friends

2009-05-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

These photographs of two stray cats in Williamsburg show the great love of friendship. They look MAD in the ultimate photograph:

Now I understand how browsers work!

2009-05-08T07:00:00.001-07:00

So so many cute cute kittens

2009-05-06T17:05:00.000-07:00

kittens, perhaps infinite. Perhaps infinite, I said!

My new favourite seat

2009-04-12T12:12:00.000-07:00

Only $9/hr?!?!?!!

2009-04-08T14:20:00.000-07:00

... Calico [is] one of Tokyo’s increasingly popular cat cafes, where customers seeking human and feline companionship pay to sip tea and stroke one of the 20-odd resident cats, representing 17 different breeds.
... cat cafes fill a void [: ... f]or those who live with long work hours, no-pet apartments and work-related travel, there are cat cafes.

My cat can eat a whole watermelon

2009-04-07T10:53:00.000-07:00

or so I hear.

Smooches!

2009-03-31T07:55:00.000-07:00

the rest of the slideshow, about the bizarre Lujan "petting" Zoo, disturbs me greatly.

Le chat, $12m

2009-03-30T13:46:00.000-07:00

The auction house expects to fetch more than $12 million (US) for this Giacometti sculpture of a cat, which has been in the hands of a private collector for the past two generations.

Le Chat will go on public display at Sotheby's in Moscow on April 1-2, in London on April 22-25 and in New York on May 1-5.

It will be offered at Sotheby's evening sale of impressionist and modern art in New York on May 5.

ALL ABOARD THE BUS TO CAT TOWN

2009-03-29T15:23:00.000-07:00

The cats of Cat Town appear in various online shenanigans: the School is On Fire, in which "THE SCHOOL IS ON FIRE AND EL GUAPO HAS AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR ALL THE KIDS IN THE AUDIENCE"; Thanksgiving; and the epic Animal Hat Gang in Alaska (Part Two; Part Three). Watch out for the Animal Hat Gang, for they are bad news.

A few words about playing with toys

2009-03-28T04:22:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of lovely toys, which provide elegant diversions and plenty of opportunity to scramble around the apartment. I would also like some toys that permit me the intellectual engagement as shown in this video.

Don't trip on the cat.

2009-03-25T21:38:00.000-07:00

... dogs — man’s best friend — are the real culprits, responsible for seven times as many injuries as cats, often while they’re being walked, the report found ...

I even keep my toys out of the way! I am a fastidious cat.

I am going to be in a punk-rock band!!

2009-03-20T13:34:00.001-07:00

Martin remains single, quipping that "you can only hide this many cats for so long." She shares her modest, two-story home in Chicago's Avondale neighborhood with 20 cats, four raccoons, three groundhogs, five chickens, two kinkajous, a Chinese bear cat, one African serval, two chinchillas, one hedgehog and an alligator named Arnold Schwarzen-gator who, in the winter, lives in her basement. (Yes, she's licensed.)

But the felines have become her focus and, after scores of performances, Martin has learned a thing or two about managing a cat act. The most important lesson: Cats simply won't perform if there are any dogs in the first three rows.

"The cats are really like diva actresses," Martin said. "They can't be pleased and they're always walking off in a huff."

On that recent night, the cats seemed to pull themselves together just before curtain. As circus music filled the darkened theater, the cats—one by one—tottered across the high wire. The show picked up its pace, and the cats ran an obstacle course, swung from a rope and competed in a bowling contest against a chicken (Tuna, a white-haired mix, won with a strike).

For the grand finale, the Rock Cats took to their instruments, drawing ooohs and ahhhs from the crowd. Amid the waves of applause stood Martin, resplendent in her velvet cat suit.

I am a big brother!!!

2009-03-19T20:39:00.000-07:00

My new sister, Laila Louise, came home today!!! She is pretty and smells good.

Do not consign stray cats to a shelter! They need a home!

2009-03-08T10:18:00.000-07:00

The Ethicist, writing every Sunday in The New York Times Magazine, emphasizes that animal shelters are not the place to take a cat found outside. He's quite right.

... before consigning a cat to a shelter, give the cat’s owner a chance to retrieve it. (This might mean posting fliers around the neighborhood.) Contrary to your assertion, cats may be better off at a shelter only in the sense that in this vale of tears we’d all be better off dead — such is the fate of many animals left at shelters without a no-kill policy. You must learn what your shelter does with a cat that is not promptly adopted and also confirm that the shelter screens adopters. Shelter cats have ended up with laboratories or with individuals who subject them to cruel fates.

Read more in his column today, at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/08/magazine/08wwln-ethicist-t.html. The Magazine does not usually wind up under my litter-box, so I need to read it in the living room.

Sometimes I do want some ice cream

2009-03-06T08:48:00.001-08:00

I enjoy the cold sensation of an icy dessert once in a while, but never thought much of its creaminess. I have never tasted an ice-cream cone, though. Perhaps this evening? Ice-cream really is not part of a cat's diet, and it is certainly is not part of mine. I like NF! And multi-stage renal!

I'd like to buy a vowel.

2009-02-14T06:51:00.000-08:00

What I do when I go to the gym

2009-02-12T11:42:00.001-08:00

A parrot on the shoulder, perhaps, but this?

2009-02-12T04:43:00.000-08:00

This implies that the cats travel on the Staten Island Ferry, which sounds like fun. I would like to see Lady Liberty from the open seas! I do not think I would enjoy attending a concert at CBGB, though, even back in the day when I was a crazy hep cat.

Who keeps calling on the telephone?

2009-02-11T16:40:00.000-08:00

Oh, that's not a phone — it is a banana.

I will not tape food to the cat

2009-02-06T09:40:00.000-08:00

Whether cat?

2009-01-13T18:20:00.000-08:00

Everyone needs cats, everywhere

2009-01-13T10:24:00.000-08:00

... the decision to eradicate the felines from Macquarie island allowed the rabbit population to explode and, in turn, destroy much of its fragile vegetation that birds depend on for cover, researchers said Tuesday.

Removing the cats from Macquarie "caused environmental devastation" that will cost authorities 24 million Australian dollars ($16.2 million) to remedy, Dana Bergstrom of the Australian Antarctic Division and her colleagues wrote in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Applied Ecology.

"Our study shows that between 2000 and 2007, there has been widespread ecosystem devastation and decades of conservation effort compromised," Bergstrom said in a statement.

The unintended consequences of the cat-removal project show the dangers of meddling with an ecosystem — even with the best of intentions, the study said.

The Glass Menagerie, Part One: Cat

2009-01-01T17:39:00.000-08:00

狂った人が日本語を話す人々

2008-12-19T16:53:00.001-08:00

These Japanese people are scary. Keep 'em away from me!

It is a metaphor

2008-12-16T13:40:00.000-08:00

The dog stood still as the cat jumped up its back, followed by a white rat that Pike put on the cat's back. The second rat stayed snugly in his pocket.

I like broccoli too!

2008-12-12T18:31:00.001-08:00

The top of the hit parade

2008-12-10T05:14:00.000-08:00

Eating ears?

2008-12-09T04:11:00.000-08:00

Not sharing an apartment

2008-12-08T09:23:00.001-08:00

At least, not with this fellow:

http://olesiafx.com/news/archives/1307.

Yikes! Even though the abundance of fish and of chicken might keep me in good cheer, I do not think that I want as menacing a flat-mate as this one.

Adopt a kitten!

2008-11-23T15:40:00.000-08:00

As animal adoptions are falling, consider adopting a cat. A cat!

I am an environmental cat

2008-11-18T04:26:00.000-08:00

With Da Mayor proposing an additional fee for plastic bags, I wonder whether my poops will become too expensive, both for the pocketbook and for the environment. Usually scooped into a plastic bag from the corner store, perhaps now they will have to wait until they decompose. Or perhaps I should compost them. I am an environmental kitty, after all! I can save the earth!

2008-11-06T10:01:00.000-08:00

I mean this.

A cat with special training.

2008-11-04T16:06:00.000-08:00

HOW DID I GET IN THIS BOX?

Oh, yeah. That's how.

An honorable mention

2008-11-03T11:47:00.000-08:00

Professor/Rabbi Cotel is said to have inspired hundreds of aspiring composers — and one cat.

In 1996, while he was at his piano playing Bach’s “Well-Tempered Clavier,” his 3-year-old cat, Ketzel, pounced on the keyboard. The professor grabbed a pencil and inscribed a descending paw pattern from treble to bass. A year later, he entered the score — if one can call it that — in the Paris New Music Review’s One-Minute Competition, open to pieces of no more than 60 seconds.

The judges gave Ketzel an honorable mention.

I want pumpkin!

2008-10-31T13:41:00.001-07:00

A living fossil? My second cousin!

2008-10-30T10:14:00.000-07:00

The eagle and the bear, the tortoise and the hare

2008-10-30T08:25:00.000-07:00

Attire for the professional cat

2008-10-29T09:48:00.001-07:00

Lately I have seen some scary fashions for cats, and I am glad to see a return to basics for this season. A nice starched shirt, detachable collar, and traditional collegiate tie is all one really needs.

Is your computer's sound on?

2008-10-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

One, Two, Three

2008-10-24T12:28:00.000-07:00

A different sort of cat-and-mouse game.

2008-10-17T04:25:00.001-07:00

Once again, the big feline competition is on at the Madison Square Garden. I prefer to stay at home and spend some time with my lime. By the way, the lime is stuck at the back of the dresser: will someone please unwedge it?

In preparation for shipment?

2008-10-03T08:01:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I want something different for dinner

2008-09-25T16:41:00.001-07:00

I do really enjoy the kidney diets I have, but sometimes I just want to eat a big ol' tin of something else. I think 'hobo' means 'delicious roasted chicken'.

For christmas I want a computer

2008-09-18T11:25:00.001-07:00

with a printer.

Puma smooches

2008-09-11T08:39:00.001-07:00

Hit or myth?

2008-09-10T19:13:00.000-07:00

Ten or so common misconceptions about felis catus, the happy cat. The domestic cat. I am domestic: I live in a house. I am happy: I have my mouse.

The misconceptions laid out in this article include cohabitation (no! I like it not!), exercise (yes! give me the lime, hide the carrot, don't let that hand come too close lest I bite!), and tail-wagging (I am irritated when I wag my tail — not happy!).

Nothing about getting cheek-rubs or pulling my tail or hiding my ears. Nor does it explain why I pretend to sleep for a few minutes, and then carouse all the night.

Cats cross over to the bird side

2008-08-30T07:30:00.001-07:00

The anxiety of mating, of changes in the season, and other stressors apparently cause Chinese cats to grow wings. Spontaneously grow wings, that is. This is completely antithetical to feline behavior! I am so very glad that I am neither in China nor a bird. I have paws, for batting around my toys and for curling into laps. I do not want wings!

Some cats work for a living -- hard work

2008-08-29T07:54:00.000-07:00

The bodega, a New York City institution and a close cousin to the curiously independent pet-food stores that thrive on almost every block, may become a chapter in the history-books. This means that the bodega cat may also vanish.

Bodegas and small stores are the means by which much of my litter and food comes into this house. I salute my distant cousins who work in these stores, and wish them long years and prosperity.

Careful movers

2008-08-28T11:31:00.001-07:00

I'd hire these people, only I prefer to stay where I am rather than to move:

I have moved three or four times in the past year (and I don't mean from the bed to the food dish -- I mean move, move from uptown to downtown, that sort of move).

My mother the cat

2008-08-15T09:59:00.001-07:00

The cat in this video has such generous maternal instincts, she is taking care of a brood of brightly-colored chicks. Sheesh. I would call that breakfast.

A low-resolution video:

The best Michael Phelps video

2008-08-15T09:55:00.001-07:00

I admire Michael Phelps's drive for success, not only in the swimming pool but also at the breakfast table. I may never compete in the water for prizes, but I certainly do enjoy a hearty repast in the morning.

This video clearly demonstrates the athlete's rigorous training regimen.

me plus me plus me plus me equals

2008-07-30T14:58:00.001-07:00

This is one fat cat: forty-four pounds of fur and claw. I hear that this cat needs a cow bell on its collar, it's so fat. Ha ha! The New York Post has some more photographs of this massive moggie.

This tabby takes the morning train

2008-07-28T03:19:00.000-07:00

Tama is the station master at the station in the city of Kinokawa, Wakayama prefecture, where the Wakayama Electric Railway has a station on its fourteen-mile line. Tama takes tickets, wears an official hat, and receives a salary (in kibble, not yen). I have never ridden on a train, but I think I would like it: I could look out the window and watch the sky and the birds.

Fixing a hole

2008-07-25T03:10:00.000-07:00

This man tore apart walls with his bare hands to save a kitty. (He also wound up in a special jacket in a pspecial hospital.) How heroic!

Guaranteed 99 44/00% entertaining! And with cats!

2008-07-09T14:35:00.000-07:00

I enjoy statistics:little guddedses get forty-five smooches on the forehead every evening, Smokey is the fifth-most popular cat name, more people have pet cats than dogs. And so on.

Welcome my Canadian cousins!

2008-07-08T20:08:00.000-07:00

Such white white tigers! So tired are they already! The Bengal Tiger is endangered, eats fish (as do I!), and will sometimes eat a rhino!

The cub (not a kitten!) in this photograph gets its white colour from the Siberian side of the family. Bengals are typically a fierce orange white brown and black stripes.

I miss playing Scrabble™

2008-07-05T15:14:00.000-07:00

The philosophy of cats vs. dogs

2008-06-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

Although this is a one-dimensional approach to the cat - dog dichotomy, the propositions and examples illustrate the fundamental distinction between the two domestic animals. The author applies this ontology towards an examination of human behaviour, which makes for interesting reading.

I like sports, but I do not like walks

2008-06-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

The New York Times has a big article about some guy on the Upper West Side who walks his Abyssinian. Yuck! I enjoy batting my lime and chasing mice and occasionally clawing at the other fruit (banana, tomato, carrot, fish). I do not want to go for a walk, especially not at the end of a leash. That's for dogs. Pictures of the Abyssinian out for its silly stroll.

The future is the automatic cat

2008-06-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

For some time, I have been curious about presenting different views of the same thing. Take, for example, how I see a view from the window each day: the same city, from a slightly different vantage. The bed; the pillow; the blanket; the other side of the bed. Not the sill.

The ManySame project collects pictures following this idea, and presents them online. Cats in groups of five, cats and deer. No collections yet of cats and limes, or of cats and corn.

I am looking forward to summer

2008-06-16T11:02:00.000-07:00

Although the humidity can get my fur all a-fluff, I do enjoy having the odd piece of corn, some fried chicken, delicious sweet watermelon, and, of course, ice water. I like summer!

A few words on cats and showers

2008-06-13T10:57:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the appeal is in the soft motion of the water spilling from the shower head, or perhaps in the warmth of the water itself; either way, I am not the only cat who enjoys a shower every now and then.

A few words about science

2008-06-12T06:17:00.000-07:00

In cats vs. lizards on Baltra island, cats lose:

A three-year program to eradicate feral cats, Felis catus,, from the island of Baltra in the Galapagos archipelago has achieved good results.

With the objective of reducing the negative impact produced by the cats and restore a Galapagos ecosystem, the Galapagos National Park (GNP), with technical support from the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF), began a project with the principal objectives of eradicating cats from Baltra island, and the restoration of its natural habitat. In addition, the project guarantees the survival of a population of repatriated land iguanas Conolophus subcristatus, a species made extinct on this island in the past, partly due to the presence of feral cats.

Eradication of cats was possible for various reasons: firstly, it is an island with a very small human population and therefore with a low risk or re-introduction of cats; its size is small (26km2) which helps control and monitoring; and lastly, the vegetation is sparse, with many open areas.

Cats do tricks?

2008-06-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

June 9, 2008 / NEW YORK - A Russian circus performer and his son are alleging in a lawsuit filed in Brooklyn court that their ex-managers stole methods for teaching felines to perform.

Yuri Kuklachev and his son, Dmitri, accuse father-and-son Mark and Yanis Gelfman of applying for a trademark for methods they stole to create a cat circus in New York City.

Kuklachev's attorney, Gary Tsirelman, says the Gelfmans are "trying to steal" his client's identity. A spokesman for the Gelfmans', James Woods, says the lawsuit should be tossed. He says the Moscow Cats Theater was created by the Gelfmans.

Kuklachev and his son claim to have done what was previously thought impossible: training frisky felines to perform acrobatic tricks.

My tricks include beating the stuffing out of mice, making margaritas (with lime!), and herding sleeping uncles.

And sleeping.

I am not a petaflop

2008-06-09T06:26:00.000-07:00

I always figured that a petaflop was the manoeuvre I made when settling in to a nice long nap. Turns out that it is a milestone in computing performance, not at all related to my having a snooze. The next thousandfold goal is the exaflop, which is a quintillion calculations per second, followed by the zettaflop, the yottaflop and the xeraflop.

I am drinking coffee with A LION!!!

2008-06-06T15:32:00.001-07:00

Today I had a delicious cappucino, but it was without the usual pretty rosette or spade adornment. Surprisingly, coffee helps me relax and even sleep -- something I sometimes have trouble doing.

Review the evidence

2008-06-05T14:23:00.000-07:00

Kittens are pretty adorable, even when they are not saying hilarious things.

A talented cat.

2008-06-04T19:19:00.001-07:00

I prefer my box on the ground, with the newspaper for my perusal, and the paper pellets. I don't fancy leading the life this cat does, without scratching or sniffing or burying.

This message is fur mom!

2008-05-20T07:17:00.001-07:00

A Sacramento kitten was born with markings in its fur: I ♥ ● . Its mother's name? Dottie.

CC!

2008-05-14T15:36:00.001-07:00

Another video

2008-05-13T15:09:00.001-07:00

Another video, this one involving a hay lorry, some puppies, and some kittens. Again, from the BBC -- they have excellent online coverage, and the paper edition of the New York Times simply is not keeping my attention these days.

I am on a new diet: lamb and sleep!

2008-05-13T05:49:00.000-07:00

I am introducing different proteins into my digestive tract, in order to control the irritation that I have felt for the past few years. This change in diet comes about on the advice of my physician, who recommended a specific sort of lamb-and-green-pea concoction -- sounded delicious! If only it came in a pie, it would be even better! After a couple of years of steady noshing on fish -- mackerel, tilapia, tuna, calamari, and other sea-borne deliciousness -- I discovered that the world's oceans are over-fished. That is, the stock of fish has been depleted by fishing, and some of that fishing was on my account! I read in the New York Times that lamb, even shipped from New Zealand, has a lower cost to the economy and to the environment. I am doing a good job for the world and a good job for my tummy! And the tins are bigger than my old food, so I can SUPER-SIZE my dinner. (Not like this cat, though! He ate two dinners!)

Now that's a fat cat

2008-05-12T23:28:00.000-07:00

This fellow certainly needs some exercise. I play with the lime, the purple mouse, and even the carrot! The banana is a bit worn, probably from all of the video conferences I have with my cousins in the sunny Mission. I am not a fat cat, even if I have weighed in at as much as seven kilos; I am now a svelte six kilos (and six gramme ...)!

What's in a name? What's in my name?

2008-05-05T03:52:00.000-07:00

The newspaper from my old hometown began promoting its pet web site, including a database of pet names. There's also discussion of what the names mean to people.

My name did not appear in the list for felines, although I understand that it is indeed an unusual moniker. It came to me in steps: first I was Scout, because I was alert and good at helping old ladies cross the street; and then I was Sprout, because I tended to lounge around a lot and eat plants.

This is a hepcat, all right!

2008-05-04T19:50:00.000-07:00

more cat pictures

Life during war-time

2008-04-30T07:46:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I read the amazing story of a wartime correspondent's rescue of cats from Baghdad; another woman, calling herself the "Cat Lady of Baghdad" is also rescuing strays from the war-torn city. An entire organization supports the relocation of these noble cats from Baghdad to new homes: Baghdad Cat Rescue.

I was not raised in a cassock

2008-04-22T23:31:00.000-07:00

The Pope visited New York last week, and the clamour and hubbub surrounding his visit reminded me that I have not yet read his biography.

i am glad to hear that the Vatican has a long tradition of nurturing cats: "Though Benedict is the first pope to be written about by a cat, he falls squarely within a long Vatican tradition. According to “The Papacy: An Encyclopedia,” by Philippe Levillain, Pope Paul II, in the 15th century, had his cats treated by his personal physician. Leo XII, in the 1820s, raised his grayish-red cat, Micetto, in the pleat of his cassock. And according to The Times of London, Paul VI, pope from 1963 to 1978, is said to have once dressed his cat in cardinal’s robes." And now a literary tradition: a childhood friend of the Pope's has written a biography,

A few words on cats

2008-04-18T07:45:00.001-07:00

This video presents a practical approach to living with a cat:

or cats. Important tools to have: a measuring tape.

Staten Island heroes

2008-04-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

Detectives in Staten Island quickly tracked down and rescued a tabby stuck in a shaftway.

Ariel had slipped into a 4-by-8-inch heating vent and was lodged 20 feet down.
Stanislas called 911 and Emergency Service Unit Detectives Tony Borowiec and Dennis Canale got the contractors to cut a hole in the brick wall of the building at 100 Stuyvesant Place to access the shaft.
Borowiec then used his own tools to hack at the wood and metal and pull out 15-pound Ariel.

at fifteen pounds, I'm not quite certain that the story warrants the headline "Tubby Tabby Saved", but the voiceless alveolar plosive t followed quickly by a duplicate bilabial plosive b is really quite nice with the shifting vowel sound. Shouldn't a headline have an active verb, though? Something like "Tubby Tabby Meets Rescuers" or "Tecs Rescue Terrific Tabby".

Cats can be heroic, as well. They can be detectives, too.

Writer's block

2008-04-15T11:34:00.000-07:00

Sometimes writing on the computer is tricky, whether one has technical problems or simply writer's block.

.

I am sleepy

2008-04-14T13:55:00.001-07:00

A few words on naps

2008-04-10T03:45:00.000-07:00

Some cats fall asleep easily; kittens, too; and, after all, nothing's so cute as a basket full of kittens.

Cats sleep in the wild, too.

I spend a lot of time sleeping, mostly to marshal my strength. I play a lot with my toys, especially the delicious lime. After playing, I squeeze the lime into a glass with triple sec and tequila, and then have a lie-down.

A few words on fish, and on public transit

2008-04-09T07:41:00.000-07:00

Even though I do not ride the subway (nor the bus!), I appreciate the benefits that public transit brings to many New Yorkers. It brings Anna and Salim safely back home each evening; it ensures that the tasty chicken-flavored drops I enjoy twice each week make their way to me; and the subway means more fish.

Yes, more fish: old subway cars form offshore reefs, which promote fish communities. This leads to more dense populations of fish, and to more easily caught fish! All this in turn winds up in a small tin that empties into a small porcelain dish, and that dish is mine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

You've got to save the cat.

2008-04-06T05:06:00.000-07:00

A few weeks after a horrifying crane collapse, Mr Gloves and Gooksie reunite with their owner. Immediately following the diasaster, one of the quick-thinking residents rounded up animals while being evacuated, and took the various bird, cats, and dogs to a nearby hotel with her. I don't think the hotel was called "Noah's Ark Bed and Breakfast" however.

Where do people come up with names like "Gooksie"? My name proudly reflects my Hungarian ancestry; I wonder what Gooksie means. Presumably Mr Gloves is so feisty he can only be carried when his mom is wearing gloves.

I am royal.

2008-04-05T04:02:00.000-07:00

I am the king of Hungary, in fact. I do so enjoy eating; it is a joyous occasion. Eating breakfast is a great way to start the day. Eating lunch, a fantastic way to separate my morning nap from my afternoon nap; and dinner is above all my favorite, for that is when Anna comes home and carries me around.

I want to pass on a blog I enjoy reading: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's blog from the LA Times. I used to play basketball, many years ago -- you should see my jump shot! -- until I found it that the game did not become royalty such as yrs truly. Even though Kareem is writing about birds, he is a thoughtful essayist, and a cheerful one.

My new favorite television show lets the cat out of the bag

2008-04-03T12:46:00.000-07:00

Last week's South Park, episodes of which are available for free through their web site (silly me, I had been seeding torrents all these years!), addressed an issue important to catkind and humans alike. I was glad that the writers chose this under-examined topic.

More thoughts on driving

2008-04-02T10:56:00.000-07:00

I never particularly enjoy being in a car: either it means a trip to an unpleasant veterinary office, or, worse, work. However, some enterprising businessman has come up with car air fresheners with the scent of cat butt.