One Last Cat Tuesday

I just couldn't resist this one: The cat with 4 ears.

Cat Tuesday

This should make you want to run right to your nearest humane society and give a pet a home.

Cat Tuesday

Why not? It is Tuesday.

This was sent by a Cat Tuesday reader. I tried to embed it in the blog like a real blogger but couldn't make it work after 45 minutes. (Dan! Why did you leave me?!) I'm also pretty sure Grace will like this one.

Update: I just realized that Grace already posted this video. See, I knew she would like it.

Cat Tuesday

This was submitted to me as a Cat Tuesday post with the title, "How to recognize a Persian cat."

Cat Tuesday - March 18th

This is me holding a kitten in Romania.

I am also wearing a large watch.

It's Tuesday...You know What That Means!

Here's a little cat history for you. Researchers at University of California, Davis have concluded that cats were first domesticated in the fertile crescent 5,000-8,000 years ago. Ignore the evolutionary hooey and you'll understand that this is clear evidence that Adam and Eve had a cat. Assuming as I do that this cat came to live with Adam and Eve sometime between Genesis 2 and Genesis 3 then we can also assume that the whole "dogs are man's best friend" charade was in fact due to the fall.

The Return of Cat Tuesday

**Insert Trumpet Fanfare Here**

I've returned and so has Cat Tuesday. This week we recognize the tireless cats who work in Delis and corner stores keeping the rodents at bay. These felines stalk disgusting rats and mice and all they ask in return is a little cat food and a saucer of milk. The problem is, not all cat workers are appreciated by health inspectors. According to this article any animal found in the vacinity of food to be sold for human consumption is a health violation.

Consider the story of Junior, a marmelade kitten who was tasked last year with clearing a store of rodents. Sure Junior brings the dead carcasses as gifts to his employer. But that's better than dead carcasses rotting under the freezer.

As for the health violation, I'd take the animal I know about (the cat) any day over the one I don't (dead rat rotting under freezer.)

Cat Tuesday - Christmas Edition

Red and green cats...what could be more Christmas than that? Researchers in South Korea have found a way to modify a cat's genes so that they will grow red under ultra-violet light. Four kittens were born last winter but only three survived.

Cat technology has always been a fascinating field to me. I don't know why the marriage of felines and technology hasn't appeared more obvious to people until now. "Cat-tech" departments (as they're called by insiders) are springing up all over the place, not just in South Korea. And the demand for cat technologists is at an all time high.

Cat Tuesday - Dec. 11, 2007

The picture above is of an Ashera, a "designer cat" selling for about $22,000. This cat is a mix between an African Serval, a Asian Leopard and a regular domesticated cat. A hypoalergenic version is available for just $6,000 more.

Cats like the Ashera, the Toyger (a mix between a Bengal Tiger and a domesticated cat), and the Savannah (a mix between the Serval and a domesticated cat) are all a part of a new line of designer cats being marketed by a California bio-tech company. They are described as exotic but extremely friendly...more like a dog than an ordinary house cat. They even walk on a leash.

Now apart from all the creepy breeding going on here I think that Ashera looks awesome. Nothing against Maude or anything but can you imagine taking that thing on a walk through your neighborhood? And what about that Toyger?

Cat Tuesday - Dec. 4th

For this week’s Cat Tuesday I decided to do some research about cats in the bible. Here’s what I found. The word cat does not appear anywhere in the bible. This is not what I expected. You can find close to 100 references to lions in the bible including Daniel in the lion’s den. There are 8 references to leopards most notably the question in Isaiah, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots?” But nowhere does one find the word for the average cat.

It is possible that the cat became taboo in Israel because the cat was so involved in Egyptian religion. Cat mummies can be found by the tens of thousands in Egypt. This much is certain, on the very sad day when Maude breathes her last she will not be mummified. Her ashes will in fact be spread in the lazy river at Kalahari Indoor Water Park.

Cat Tuesday - Nov. 27th

Gone are the days when people gave their cats names like spot, kitty, or frisky. Most people these days prefer to give thier pets people names. Here are the top 10 names for cats:

1. Max

2. Chloe

3. Lucy

4. Tigger

5. Tiger

6. Smokey

7. Oliver

8. Bella

9. Sophie

10. Princess

Cat Tuesday - Nov. 20th

In the battle between cats and dogs the prize for loyalty has long been awarded to the dog for his perceived heroics in emergency situations. Turns out this may be a misconception perpetuated largely by television shows.

This study confirms what we cat lovers have long suspected, researchers have concluded that the idea of the life saving dog is the stuff of urban legend. Instead of saving lives the dogs in the study did indeed stand by their owners wagging their tails but not a one went to seek help.

On the other hand, score one for our feline friends. A cat in Cedar Rapids, Iowa named Oreo alerted his owner to a carbon monoxide leak. This article (from the Desmoines Register...I had to dig deep for this one) explains:

Jeanie Probst told the media her cat would run in circles under the heating vent or stare at it and make loud noises. When Probst turned the heat off, Oreo ceased the odd behavior.

There's really no question in my mind that if something was wrong in our house Maude would step up her game, crawl out from among the towels in the bathroom, and save the day!

Cat Tuesday - Nov. 13th

Apparently Democrats don't appreciate cats. Here we have a letter from Jimmy Carter to his sister-in-law explaining the events that led to him killing her cat. The text reads:

5/13/90

To Sybil,

Lamentably, I killed your cat while trying just to sting it. It was crouched, as usual, under one of our bird feeders & I fired from some distance with bird shot. It may ease your grief somewhat to know that the cat was buried properly with a prayer & that I’ll be glad to get you another of your choice.

I called & came by your house several times. We will be in the Dominican Republic until Thursday. I’ll see you then.

Love,

Jimmy

I'm not sure what it means to sting a cat but I doubt one ordinarily does it with a gun. At any rate, at least the cat received a proper burial.

HT: The Corner

Cat Tuesday - Nov. 6th

Cat Tuesday - Halloween Edition

Cat Tuesday - Oct. 23rd Edition

Hillary Clinton took a major step backwards with "Cat Issue Voters" this weekend when it was revealed that she had dumped previous First Pet of the United States Socks immediately following her stint as First Lady. Apparently things changed in the relationship between Socks and Clinton who once wrote that only with the arrival of Socks and his toy mouse did the White House become home. I think this article sums it up, "Some believe the abandoned pet could now come between Hillary Clinton and her ambition to return to the White House as America’s first woman president." I should say so.

Cat Tuesday - Oct. 16th Edition

I've been getting a lot of emails lately from people wondering how we get Maude's fur to be so soft and smooth. As you can see, just a few minutes in the dryer with one of those paper fabric softeners is all it takes. She comes out all fluffy and smelling fresh.

Defining the Blog and Cat Tuesday

As you can see if you look to the top of the blog I have decided to add some definition to my blog. I've also decided to start a new feature that I am going to call "Cat Tuesday". Cat Tuesday will feature something related to cats and those who love them.

Today, being Tuesday, I am going to start by linking to another blogger who loves cats: my cousin Grace. Grace has two cats, Charles Edward and Blackie, and she blogs about them regularly here. Grace's blog, like mine, is not a cat blog (not that a cat blog would be bad). There are many other interesting stories. In the most recent post titled "Terror in Savannah" the person referred to as "uncle Bubba" is my Dad.