Catymology

Since Tuesday is Aloysius' day to simply be a cat,

I get to write whatever I want.

Here's an amusing quiz from Ravenblack, the site that brought us the Random Surrealism Generator. What poetic form are you? Since I know Aloysius like the inside of a litter box, I answered on his behalf. Here's what I found out:

I'm terza rima, and I talk and smile. Where others lock their rhymes and thoughts away I let mine out, and chatter all the while. I'm rarely on my own - a wasted day Is any day that's spent without a friend, With nothing much to do or hear or say. I like to be with people, and depend On company for being entertained; Which seems a good solution, in the end. What Poetry Form Are You?

This poem does seem to describe Aloysius' personality. Although he thinks he's a big, brave cat, he's usually in the same room as his humans, or nearby, where he can keep his eye on us.
Lately, he's been keeping a close eye on the patio door, in case it should open to let him outside.


What's terza rima? Let's ask the teacher:

A type of poetry consisting of 10- or 11-syllable lines arranged in three-line "tercets" with the rhyme scheme aba bcb cdc, etc. The poet Dante is credited with inventing terza rima, which he used in his Divine Comedy. Terza rima was borrowed into English by Chaucer, and it has been used by many English poets, including Milton, Shelley, and Auden.

P.S. The questions are not easy, though some of them seem specifically designed for felines; for example:

• 2. Which of these are well suited to holding together makeshift constructions made of boxes?
• 3. Which of the little piggies behaved in a sensible manner?:

But please don't ask me about what Aloysius would drop from a 66-story building--certainly not a cat!

Labels: cats, poetry

Iowa Library’s Cat Has a Rich Second Life as a Biography - New York Times

Dewey Readmore Books, the heroic library cat who ruled for 19 years in the Spencer, Iowa, public library, passed away last November, and now his life will be celebrated in a biography. The book just sold to Grand Central Books, for an advance of $1.25 Million! The Times' report compares this book to the very popular Marly & Me, which was about a Labrador retriever.

The article notes that the dog bio went for an advance of only $200,000. That's just more proof that, as I've always maintained, cats are better than dogs! Aside from the monetary implications, you have to admit that a cat so dedicated to books and libraries was truly a great public servant. Dewey, and the library he adopted, deserve every penny.

I'm sorry I never got to meet Dewey, although he lived not far from me. I'm going to ask for this book for Christmas! I'm sure that it will inspire me to write my own autobiography. I'm going to sit down and start writing the proposal right now.

P.S. You can find out more about Dewey on the Spencer Library site. His rules for cats who run a library are just perfect.


P.P. S., Despite my derogatory comments about dogs, I'll be keeping company with some of them, and lots of cats and birds (yummy!), at this week's Friday Ark. On Sunday, look for the Carnival of the Cats at Bad Kitty Cats. (At least I hope so; the cats report that their humans are having some computer issues. Check at the Carnival of the Cats home page for updates.)

Labels: books, cats, catymology

Amanuensis read some of my poetry at the Coffee Gallery in Minneapolis on Sunday. Of course, I couldn't go with her to the reading, because I hate traveling outside my back yard, and because they don't allow cats in restaurants here. But she came home and told me all about it. Apparently, the other humans thought my work was pretty amusing. Whatever!

Here are some of the poems she read:

Catted

Aloysius, Pangur Ban

The Four Subjects of Catblogging

A Pear-Shaped Cat Sings the Blues

The only thing that was more fun than hearing about the reading was that when she got home, I went outside and played in the garden. The white stuff is gone!

More playful critters are boarding the Friday Ark! On Sunday, the Carnival of the Cats lands at IMAO, where everyone is "Unfair. Unbalanced. Unmedicated." Oh, boy. maybe we'll get a postcard from Darcy in time to enter. It sounds like his kind of gig.

Labels: cats, catymology, poetry

Earth tips toward the light
I’ve heard birds chittering

Birds sing, but no green in my garden
We’ll have to wait for thunderstorms
To wash away the snow drifts


A hard rain would be good



I turn my face toward the light


Did I hear a bird? Is there any green?
No, it was false
I am a fool for Spring

The Vernal Equinox takes place today at 7:07 p.m CST. Honor your sunloving felines by submitting your links to the Friday Ark and also to the Carnival of the Cats, hosted this week by Scribblings.

Labels: cats, catymology, poetry

"No award is greater than celebrating a cat's birthday. Especially when gifts are involved."

Labels: birthday, cats, catymology, fun and games

They say a cat's got to drop a hint if he wants a nice toy for his birthday. Well, my official birthday is tomorrow, March 9. I discovered last year that March 9 is also the birthday of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga. Being a pious cat myself--after all, I invented the Church of Catymology, which celebrates the feline in us all--I realized at once that my birthday should be celebrated on March 9.

Well, ahem. What are you going to get me for my birthday? I mean, I can't go on playing with this empty toothpick box forever. In case you're having trouble, here are some suggestions.

Inexpensive frou-frou:

• Peacock feathers
• A jaguar ringtone for my cell phone
• Ahi tuna sashimi
• Another catnip mouse (I keep losing them under the furniture.)

For high-rollers:

• A catnip farm
• A lifetime supply of ahi tuna sashimi
• A vacation cottage in Key West
• A private jet to fly me there

For the socially concerned:

• A donation in my name to Animal Ark--a no-kill shelter that also works to reduce the homeless cat population through a Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) program.
  
• A donation in my name to The Wildcat Sanctuary--caring for our big, wildcat cousins, many of whom have been abused by their "owners" or surrendered because they became too hard to handle. All contributions will be matched through April 30.

Don't forget to visit Modulator's Friday Ark and leave some juicy comments for all your friends. On Sunday, the Carnival of the Cats lands at --wait-- the Carnival of the Cats!

Labels: birthday, cats, catymology

Yo, cats and catted ones!

You may have thought from last week's scurrilous journalistic travesty about my "rehab" that I wouldn't be posting much more for a while. Well, you were wrong. Actually, I am at a wonderful resort, the Feline Association Recreation Center (FARC), and NOT as previously reported, the Factual Recovery Analysis Center (FRAC). (Human journalists are so easily duped by acronyms.)

Some of the greatest cats and catted ones frequent Feline Association Recreation Center. Already I've met the great bluesman, Ry Cooder, who is currently touring Europe. Cooder stopped by to play a set from his hot new album, My Name is Buddy, which has just been released on Nonesuch Records.

Cooder’s an oldtime hot bluesman. He's the guy who wrote soundtracks for movies like Paris, Texas, and got together the music for The Buena Vista Social Club. Just when you think this cat has been everywhere, done everything, well, I gotta tell you, in My Name is Buddy, Cooder goes where no bluesman has gone before. His hero, Buddy, is a Red Cat. Literally. (As a Redpoint Siamese, I feel a natural kinship.)

In between songs, Cooder explained that Buddy was inspired by a mysterious photo sent to him of a cat's head grafted onto Lead Belly's body. The album tells the story of a cat who travels and sees the world in the bygone era of miner’s strikes, big, bad bosses, and farm failures. Buddy, the Red Cat, is every working man. Cooder says "He's a red cat - not just red colored - but he's a union man. He becomes Red." Or as Buddy sings, "I'm a red cat til I die..."


Buddy stands up for other species too, not just downtrodden humans, but a mouse named Lefty and the Reverend Tom Toad. Now that's a program I can get behind. Make no mistake, Buddy's story may be set in the past, but it's really about stuff that's going on today. And if that's not enough, the album includes a booklet with Cooder’s backstories about Buddy, with illustrations by Victor Valdez.

You can get a taste of Cooder's style over at the I-Tunes Store, or wherever else you preview your music. Be sure to check out this tune: “One Cat, One Vote, One Beer.” Or this one: "There's a Bright Side Somewhere." Cause after all these years, Ry Cooder still hopes that maybe humans can dig themselves out of the hole they've made for themselves. And if Buddy Red Cat ain't our hero, who is?

Yours in felinity,

Darcy X

Labels: cats, catymology, darcy, music reviews

March came in like the proverbial lion, dumping a foot of snow on my back yard.

Or maybe I'll get up and play with my finger puppet toy.


I'll surely find time to check out what the other critters are up to at Modulator's Friday Ark. On Sunday, I'll stroll on over to the Carnival of the Cats, hosted this week by Mycah at Tacjammer.

Labels: cats, catymology, legendary felines, winter

Two new sites have recently appeared, and we at Catymology are proud to be part of both of them:

Planet Cat

Planet Cat is an aggregation that includes a wide selection of blog posts that belong to different sites that share the same topic: cats. The content of this site is daily updated and so, the information you read is new, fresh and, furthermore, it is wide and complex. The contents of Planet Site belong are those of the original writers and these writers are highly experienced in the wide range of subjects related to cats.

To add your blog's feed to Planet Cat, send an email to: contact [at] planet-cat.org

Derby's Dream Cats

Derby, the Sassy Cat, has a new blog devoted to the most beauteous felines-- both DreamGirl and DreamBoat cats. Of course, I signed up right away. Derby writes:

Derby's DreamCats: "If you want to be a DreamCat:

First read the rules - they will be enforced. If you don't agree with them, then don't join.

E-mail me your bestest DreamGirl or DreamBoat picture. My e-mail can be found in the comments of this post.

Labels: cat communities, cats, fun and games

Are all you cats ready to party? As you all know, tomorrow is Mardi Gras. I've got my beads. I've got my mask--though I don't know if I want to put it on.

In New Orleans, they used to have a special crew for felines--the Krewe of Endymeow-- but apparently it was a casualty of hurricane Katrina. That's too bad! I hear, though, that they still have a special crew for dogs.

I guess I'll settle for some Shrimp Etouffee while I watch Emeril Lagasse cook on Food TV.



Don't forget to party on the Friday Ark at Modulator. On Sunday, the Carnival of the Cats rolls at Scribblings.

Labels: cats, catymology, Mardi Gras

Chris Dolley makes me fall over laughing with his hilarious Kitten's Guide series. Read some recent entries here.

Cato, the perpetual candidate, has developed the perfect platform: I am self cleaning.

KT Cat, Maximum Leader of The Feline Theocracy, kindly dubbed me poet laureate.

Zeus the amazing always has a new trick up his sleeve.

ArtsyCatsy, run by a team of 15 formerly feral cats, takes E-commerce to a whole new level. And C.E.O. Rocky even has a MFA -- Master of Feline Arts!

And how could I forget that lovable Meezer, Chey? Like Cato, Chey's running for President. Are all Meezers natural politicians?

And, of course, Laurence Simon, King of the Catbloggers, is never afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve--at least when it comes to cats.



Purrs and treats to all of you! Be sure to send your goodies in to the Friday Ark at Modulator, and on Sunday, to the Carnival of the Cats at When Cats Attack.

Labels: cats, catymology, valentine

You gotta love me, ain’t no cat above me.
Just velvet glove me. You can’t get too much of me.
Catherine Deneuve me. You gotta love me.

I’m seriously crazy, congenitally lazy,
I “epater la bourgoisie,” yowling like a banshee.
But I’m rhyming like a daisy: She loves me not, she loves me.


You gotta love me, ain’t no cat above me.

I’m a sexy meezer, a yowler and a teaser.
My heart is in a squeezer. Gonna have a seizure.
But I’m the anti-freezer, ain’t no nasty skeezer.

You gotta love me, ain’t no cat above me.

Say you’ll be my valentine, I don’t need no dollar sign,
Let’s us get our hearts entwined, like a watermelon vine.
I ain’t got no anodyne, please don’t break this heart of mine.

You can sit above me, but you gotta love me
Rhyming like a daisy; You love me not? You love me!





P.S. Get on board with the Friday Ark at Modulator. On Sunday, the Carnival of the Cats lands at When Cats Attack.

Update: 2/16/07: If I weren't so vain, I wouldn't have submitted this to
Carnival of the Vanities #230, where it seems that Kehaar is a little confused about feline gender issues.

Labels: cats, catymology, hip hop, poetry, valentine