Catymology

Matilda, the gorgeous cat who reigns over New York's Algonquin Hotel, invited me to her birthday party. It's a benefit for the North Shore Animal League. Unfortunately, I can't fly to New York. But maybe some of you cats who live there can encourage your humans to check this out. It is bound to be a fabulous event. Go to the hotel's website for more about the famous cats of the Algonquin. The hotel even has a special package for Friends of Matilda.

Matilda & I will see you at the Friday Ark.

P.S. Don't you think that Matilda looks a lot like me?

Labels: guest cats

We all know that many humans treat their pets like children, but how many treat them like fashion models? Lilly is a gorgeous young coal-black long-haired cat who really seems to get off on being dressed up. The Star Tribune gossip columnist C.J. recently interviewed Lilly and her human, Carol. There's evan a video of Lilly getting dressed, and her human talking baby talk to her.

Carol complains that someone in the neighborhood (a posh suburb of Minneapolis) has been stealing Lilly's clothes.

This was the point where I got a little upset. Apparently, Lilly runs around getting into confrontations with the local dogs and hunting mice and chipmunks. Left to our own devices, all of us felines would run around the neighborhood like that, but you know what? It's not safe. It seems contradictory for Carol to play dressup with Lilly and then let her go out and cat around like that. What does she think, she's Lindsay Lohan?

But, as for this dressing up pets trend, I don't think it's really new enough to deserve space in a gossip column. I'll bet C.J. never stopped to check on just how many humans get off on dressing their cats. I'm not talking about children, but adults. Do you know how many hits you can get on Google for "cats in clothes"? 6,570,000! And just about any random post from Stuff on My Cat is a lot more clever than someone baby-talking to her kitty.

But for more cat fun, check out the Carnival of the Cats, hosted this week at Nikita's Place.

Labels: guest cats

Mrs. OZ of The Cat Realm tagged us for the name game!

What is your name?
Aloysius—Aloysius Pangur Ban, if you are being formal.

If you could change your name, what would it be?
I love my name!

What is your pet's name?
Uh, pet? I’m a cat. I have a human, and her name is amanuensis.

If you could change your pet's name, what would it be?
Oh, boy. She already changed her name so we wouldn’t get nasty emails.

What is your brother or sister's name?
Alas, I am an only cat.

If you could change their name, what would it be?
I’d like to have Matilda, the Algonguin cat, as my sister. We already look a little alike! In fact, today is Matilda’s birthday, and here is the invitation to her party:



Now I’m supposed to tag others to play this meme, but I am sure you all can figure it out for yourself.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MATILDA!

Labels: guest cats, meme

My human amanuensis visited Kathleen this week--Kathleen being the wonderful human who feeds me when my own humans are out of town. I was a little put out by what she brought back with her, as I always am when I find out she's been consorting with foreign cats.

Precious is the senior cat in the household. Here, she's about to settle into her comfy bed.


Kiki is a rescued cat that Kathleen accepted from one of her clients. Kiki likes to climb, and (unlike Precious), she likes to pose for the camera.


Kiki is very social--even with birds!

Maybe you can see Kiki's foot in this closeup. See that big kitty toe sticking up? She's a polydactyl cat!


The Friday Ark will be at Modulator, as usual. And the Carnival of the Cats is at Mind of Mog on Sunday.

Labels: guest cats

I looked out the window, and what did I see?
That calico foreign cat looking in at me!
Lying on the sidewalk, cool as could be,
She had nothing better to do than laugh at me.

I got the calico blues.
I said the calico blues.

We'll be joining the Friday Ark today and on Sunday, the Carnival of the Cats will be at Pet's Garden Blog.

Update: 6/9/08. Pet, of Pet's Garden Blog, has been feeling poorly. The Carnival of the Cats # 221 appears at ... the Carnival of the Cats. Thanks, Robyn.

Labels: guest cats, poetry

*Over the weekend, there was a big blizzard in Ohio, where my niece Lee lives. But in the barn where these cats rule, everyone was toasty and warm. Since it's Tabby Tuesday, we'll lead off with Scamp, the orange tabby, and her sister, Sissy. Of course, they both tucked their feet underneath their tummies and curled their tails round.

Now, here's Tater, who technically belongs to the neighbors, but decided some time ago that she'd rather live in this nice warm barn with all the other critters. Is Tater trying to win the straw poll?


* Tuesday is Aloysius' day to simply be a cat, but he left instructions for his humans to fill in for him. Thanks to Lee for sending these pictures!

P.S. We were running around all weekend and did not take note of the most recent carnivals. The Modulator had the Friday Ark--an amazing ongoing roundup for every species imaginable. And Rocky at Artsy Catsy overcame dizziness and did a splendid job of hosting Carnival of the Cats # 208.

Labels: guest cats, winter

Tuesday is Aloysius' day to simply be a cat--something he's quite adept at--so I am filling in with some guest cat photos contributed by my niece, Lee.

Why are these cats lucky? Cosmo and Vegas live in a tack shop called The Tacky Horse in Beavercreek Ohio. Cosmo, the long haired one, looks like he gets more than his share of tasty rodents.



Unfortunately, Cosmo and Vegas don't appear on the Tacky Horse website. That's clearly an oversight on the part of the management.

Labels: guest cats

Our latest guest cat lives at The Tacky Horse, a tack shop in Ohio that amanuensis' niece visits frequently. We don't know the cat's name or even whether it is male or female, but from the look on its face, it's a very satisfied cat! Shop cats are usually very happy, especially when the shop sells feed that attracts lots of tasty little rodents. You can find more working cats at the Shop Cats site.

Visit the Friday Ark at Modulator.

Labels: guest cats

I got a dare from Anastasia, who wrote

I Dare You All to Dress Up Your Staff. Dress up your humans in the most ridiculous, silly, weird, comical, insane, funny, humiliating, splendid, outrageous outfit you can imagine, post their picture on your blog and put your name and the link to the post in the Mr. Linky box below.

Fortunately I had a picture that just came in over the transom: this is amanuensis' niece Lee all dressed up to re-enact her heroic rescue of Moses. Moses is cooperating nicely, and the horse, Zoe, seems totally unphazed. The humans who ride their horses during hunting season have to wear these ridiculous orange vests so that other humans--the ones with guns--won't mistake them for deer. They have to wear helmets, in case they fall off the horse and get bonked on the head. The whole costume is silly, but it's certainly improved by the presence of a cat!

Labels: dare, guest cats

My Ohio friend, Goldy, seems to be having all the fun today! Oh, for a fine, fat pheasant of my own!

We'll be boarding the Friday Ark. Carnival of the Cats on Sunday at: Catsynth, one of the coolest cat + music blogs around.

Labels: fun and games, guest cats

Amanuensis' sister, who lives in Ohio, sent this picture of the newest cat in the barn. Look at the beautiful markings on that little guy!

Here's the story:

Sunday afternoon, Lee came back from a trail ride carrying this half-grown kitten in her arms. He was found by two other riders along the Caesar's Creek near the bridge under the road. He is very tame and one of them had dismounted and picked him up. They live at the other end of the trail about 5 miles away and were trying to figure out how to get him to their barn when Lee and Zoe [her horse] came along. Lee offered to bring him to her barn (only about half a mile away). Lee names him Moses because he was found along the stream. So now she has another cat and has broken stray cat rules 1, 2, 6, and 7. I think he will adapt to his new home. He gets along with the other cats and they eat together from the communal dish. He is used to dogs and rubs against Baily and Jago just like the other cats do. I'll take him to the vet next week to get his shots and to be neutered.

This isn't the first time that this has happened--stray cats are all too common in the country. Here's another snapshot of Moses, who is mingling quite well with the other barn cats. I agree that the stray cat rules have been seriously breached, but Moses has been saved, and that's what's important.

The cat in front is Miss Hissy, and the one in back is Sissy. (Sissy's brother Scamp was not available for this picture.) They'll all be boarding the Friday Ark and frolicking in the Carnival of the Cats, hosted this coming Sunday by the Bad Kitty Cats!

Labels: guest cats, rescue

You may have seen this--It's been bouncing around the web in various versions since at least 1998--but it was new to us. amanuensis' sister sent it to us, after her daughter sent it to her. I think there's a message here, somewhere.

STRICT, UNBENDING RULES FOR DEALING WITH STRAY CATS

1. Stray cats will not be fed.
2. Stray cats will not be fed anything except dry cat food.
3. Stray cats will not be fed anything except dry cat food moistened with a little milk.
4. Stray cats will not be fed anything except dry cat food moistened with warm milk, yummy treats and leftover fish scraps.
5. Stray cats will not be encouraged to make this house their permanent residence.
6. Stray cats will not be petted, played with or picked up and cuddled unnecessarily.
7. Stray cats that are petted, played with, picked up and cuddled will absolutely not be given a name.
8. Stray cats with or without a name will not be allowed inside the house at any time.
9. Stray cats will not be allowed inside the house except at certain times.
10. Stray cats will not be allowed inside the house except on days ending in "y".
11. Stray cats allowed inside will not be permitted to jump up on or sharpen their claws on the furniture.
12. Stray cats will not be permitted to jump up on, or sharpen claws on the really good furniture.
13. Stray cats will be permitted on all furniture but must sharpen claws on new $114.99 sisal-rope cat-scratching post with three perches.
14. Stray cats will answer the call of nature outdoors in the sand.
15. Stray cats will answer the call of nature in the three-piece, high-impact plastic tray filled with Fresh'n'Sweet kitty litter.
16. Stray cats will answer the call of nature in the hooded litter pan with a three-panel privacy screen and plenty of head room.
17. Stray cats will sleep outside.
18. Stray cats will sleep in the garage.
19. Stray cats will sleep in the house.
20. Stray cats will sleep in a cardboard box lined with an old blanket.
21. Stray cats will sleep in the special Kitty-Komfort-Bed with non-allergenic lambs wool pillow.
22. Stray cats will not be allowed to sleep in our bed.
23. Stray cats will not be allowed to sleep in our bed, except at the foot.
24. Stray cats will not be allowed to sleep in our bed under the covers.
25. Stray cats will not be allowed to sleep in our bed under the covers except at the foot.
26. Stray cats will not play on the desk.
27. Stray cats will not play on the desk near the computer.
28. Stray cats are forbidden to walk on the computer keyboard on the desk when the human is asdfjjhhkl;ljfd.;oier'puyykmm4hbdm9lo9jUSING IT.

Let's hope all the homeless cats find kind humans, whether or not they're allowed to play on the computer. But if they can't play on the computer, how will the get aboard the Friday Ark? Let alone the Carnival of the Cats, which is hosted this coming Sunday at Scratching Post.

Labels: guest cats

Matilda, the gorgeous Ragdoll who rules over the Algonquin Hotel, celebrates her birthday today! I wish I could have gone to New York to celebrate with her. Happy Birthday, Matilda!

Labels: guest cats

Even the most intrepid feline reporter sometimes needs a fact checker. Our latest guest cat got his human to send in this correction, and another fascinating story about the origin of the Maine Coon breed.

It's Machias or Chai, for short. If you look on your map you'll see Machias and Machias Port in northern Maine. Maybe you will also be interested in this legend passed down to us about Maine coons:

The Maine Coon--the legacy of Queen Marie Antoinette. Before France's Queen Marie Antoinette had here ill-fated run-in with the guillotine, she had acquired several long-haired Angora cats from Turkey. According to legend, her prized pets were to be sent ahead, to French Canada, along with other personal items, as she and King Louis XVI prepared to flee from the French Revolutionaries. Unfortunately, only her belongings escaped. As her cargo ship neared the American coast of Maine, its Captain--fearful of the consequences he would receive for transporting the Queen's valuables--dumped the royal cargo over the side and released the cats on the nearest shore. Unknowingly he had introduced an entire new breed of cat to America. Because of its racoon-like black-and-tan markings, the locals began calling the breed the Maine Coon. Over the years this popular domestic has lost most of its coon markings, yet still retains the name.

We apologize to Machias for getting the name wrong. But at least we get to publish another great picture of him!

Labels: guest cats

My latest guest cat, Morchai, a pedigreed Maine Coon, lives with amanuensis' friend Judith. He weighs in at about 20 pounds! Like me, he loves to lurk behind a potted plant and pretend he's in the jungle. He's quite playful and doesn't mind at all posing for photographs, especially if he can catch hold of the camera strap. Morchai, what big teeth you have!

Maine Coons originated in--where else?--the state of Maine, where they were highly prized as mousers, and needed their thick, silky fur to keep them warm in the winter. But this breed is also a popular show cat; a Maine Coon cat won the first cat show ever held in the U.S.A. There are a lot of myths about Maine Coons, including one that they arose from domestic cats who mated with raccoons, or possibly with bobcats. But that's just not true, as neither raccoons nor bobcats can mate with domestic cats. My suspicion is that humans just liked having these big, friendly cats hanging around their barns.

Morchai will join the Friday Ark this week, and this Sunday's Carnival of the Cats.

Labels: guest cats

I just found out that Public Radio is running an American Idol-type contest to find the next great public radio host--the Public Radio Talent Quest. This sounds too good to be true, but it's real. The come-on reads:

Do you have what it takes to be public radio's next great host? Do you have that most elusive of qualities - hostiness?

Hostiness was a new concept to me, but it's obvious that cats make the best hosts. Among the requirements: entrants must never have hosted a national radio show. (I guess that leaves out Don Imus.) But nowhere does it say that you have to be human to enter. I think I've got the hostiness thing down. Among my hostiest posts:

• I have hosted many guest cats, and one or two guest dogs.
• I even host birds.
• I've hosted three Carnivals of the Cats, most recently last week.

Now, here are a few more examples of my hostiness:



This is Denali, a young horse who lives with amanuensis' relatives in Ohio. Denali is very friendly. A few weeks ago, she scraped her leg and has to take a break from training her human to ride her. I'm purring for Denali to get better soon.



This handsome ginger cat also lives in Ohio. She's trying to butter up my human.




And this is Jago, also from Ohio. Her humans rescued her after they found her running wild in the woods. They are very good humans! (That's my male human in the baseball cap, scritching Jago.)

Enjoy more hostiness on the Friday Ark at Modulator, and in Sunday 's Carnival of the Cats at When Cats Attack. I sure hope those "seven meowers of death" are feeling hosty.

Update, 5/4/07: I began getting referrals to this post from the Talent Quest website. They've got a widget that shows who's talking about the contest. Cool!

Labels: dogs, guest cats, horse

This is Mowgli, a new friend of mine. (Mowgli, as you may recall, was a human child who was adopted by wolves in Kipling's Jungle Book.) Mowgli, the cat, is very smart and is an excellent PR agent:

Hi, Aloysius,

I'm a Himalayan cat, so, as you can tell from my picture, I combine the best qualities of a Siamese and a Persian.

I live in Arlington, Virginia, with my parents, Rick and Farnell. They always keep my bowl full, and they even play with me every evening, so I have a pretty easy life. I love running up and down stairs, so it's great that we live in a four-story townhome.

My favorite plaything is a 12-foot long ribbon that I often carry with me around the house. Whenever I do I get so excited I yowl. Sometimes I do this in the middle of the night. Rick always sleeps through it, but Farnell usually wakes up and says things that aren't very nice.

I used to like getting cat hair on everything, but it's not so much fun since Rick and Farnell discovered the "gonzo sponge" that removes cat hair from just about anything. I've had to resort to coming up to them just as they're sitting down to dinner. I try to look as cute as I can, and they can't keep themselves from petting me. Before they know it, they're chewing cat hair along with their dinner.

Rick is a freelance writer who writes annual reports, brochures, articles, and a ton of other stuff for businesses and nonprofits. ( He always likes it when I mention that his website is at http://www.holton.cc.)

Love,

Mowgli
--
"If you have a MOUSE, I can help you EAT IT."®

Mowgli | Scratching for Results®

Mowgli's going to board the Friday Ark this week at Modulator, and also the Carnival of the Cats, hosted on Sunday at Books for Israel .

Labels: guest cats

If you can't afford a Jaguar, how about your own feline hood ornament? Here's Tater, one of the Ohio cats, dressing up a Jeep with perfect cat conformation. Is she a leaper or a growler? I'd say she was more of a purrer.

Labels: guest cats

Guest cats have been popular on Catymology. Here's another one from Ohio, and she has a story to tell.

Pepper's human writes:

Here's a photo of Pepper, showing off her natural camouflage coloring. She is very shy of almost everyone and only accepts petting from me when the mood strikes her. I'm sorry you didn't get to see her on your visit; she's quite a handsome cat.

As you know, I found her as a starving kitten when she was about 6 weeks old. Something had chased her up a big tree across the road from my house in Indiana. I tried for a whole day to coax her down without success, so I carried a ladder over and got her down. She was so far gone that her third eyelids were closing. I fed her kitten milk replacement and canned kitten food for a few weeks and kept her in the house. She was old enough to eat by herself and she survived. However, she never got very cuddly.

She used another of her nine lives when we moved to Ohio. She got outside and ran away a few days after the move. I searched everywhere for her and alerted my neighbors. She had been gone for 5 weeks when she showed up in my back yard and consented to come in to be fed.

Pepper is lucky to have such a devoted human to care for her!

More feline friends will congregate at Modulator's Friday Ark. And on Sunday December 17, the Carnival of the Cats goes to House of Chaos. (And what house isn't chaotic this time of year?)

Labels: guest cats

As you may have noticed, I'm an exceptinally well-read feline. And what could be better for a bibliophiliac like me than a whole store full of books? Well, I'll tell you what could be better: a book store that's home to a cat! So, here's one more of my guest cats: a smart young fellow named Mr. Eko. He hangs out at Dark Star Books in Yellow Springs, Ohio. The big cat image in the window is based on the previous resident cat, Bart, who ruled over his voluminous empire for some 17 years.



And here's a closup of young Mr. Eko, who has lived at the book store only since August, 2006. You'd be tuckered out, too, if you'd just consumed a whole Bird Pie.



See more pictures of Mr. Eko, and of the beloved Bart, at the Dark Star Books website. More fabulous felines can be found at the Modulator's Friday Ark. And come back here on Sunday, December 3 for Catymology's Carnival of the Cats #141.

Labels: guest cats