Lynx Links

I'm not picky when it comes to cat photos. You'll be hard pressed to find one I don't like, I admit it!

That said, I don't know who could look at this photo and not think it's heart-stoppingly adorable. Click here to see a larger version, plus lynx (haha) to more wild cat photos!

I saw some purebred cats at my oft-discussed albeit not-yet-posted (sorry!!) cat show outing recently that are built on a foundation of domestic-wild cat hybrids. More on that later.

Do any of my dear readers own an exotic breed, like a Savannah or a Bengal?

P.S. Thanks to Meghan for the lynx! Literally.

Strop It!

Strop! In the name of Love!

It's no secret that cats love to scratch things. What was news to me was that there’s a special term for this behavior—stropping.

The hallowed tome, Know Your Cat

Side note: I saw this book at Barnes & Noble recently and had to get it. The cover was eye-catching and the author’s name is Francesca (Riccomini), so it was obviously a sign! I’ll share other neat tidbits from The Other Francesca as we move forward.

According to TOF (The Other Francesca), stropping serves several purposes, like marking territory (cats have tiny scent glands in their paws!) to sharpening their claws. You may notice that your cats will even strop on walls! The higher the mark, the more dominant the marker will be perceived. Cats also tend to strop near doorways. They especially like to strop when they wake up, so consider it wise to keep a scratching post near their favorite napping spot.

Ollie LOVES to strop, particularly next to my closet door. This makes sense, since the closet serves as the base of her operations.

Do your cats strop? Have you ever heard this term before?

Catnap, Catscratch, Catnip, Caterwaul?

The results are in! Friskies cat food gave fifty house cats hi-tech camera collars that took a photo every fifteen minutes to find out just what exactly it is that cats do all day. I have to say, the results took me by surprise!

Now, here's the best news. My friend Lara and her cat Phoebe were partipants in this informal study! I'm going to see if I can get any inside information.

Take a moment to guess what you think this collection of cats spent the most time doing. Then click on this link to read the full Huffington Post article to see the cats' favorite activity for yourself!

Hello Kitty!

Check out that photo! And there's more where that came from!

The Cats’ House, designed by Japanese architecture firm Fauna +DeSIGN, was built for the owners' 16 (!) cats and 5 dogs. I read about this Japanese house specially tailored for cats on MODERNCAT. Click here for the full post; it's absolutely worth a read. I am blown away by the quality and aesthetic flair of this casa. (I know this is for cats, but I would have really enjoyed some of these hideaways as a kid, too.)

I'd really love to do floor-to-ceiling scratching pole for Theo and Ollie... I could devise a scratch wall, I suppose, but it would have to have a big pay-off, like a perching ledge or something. Hmm. The wheels are turning.

Have any of my dear readers tried cat shelves, like this house has on the walls?

No Rest for the Wicked!

Oh noes! Ceiling Cat's got a substitute, but what about when I'm busy? Please forgive me!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! This is going to be a hectic week, but stay tuned for posts on:

• The CAT SHOW I went to this weekend
• Theo's Training
• The Best Cat Treats*
• Pearl's New Airline-Approved Cage Traveling Suite
• And much, much more

Until tomorrow... >^..^<

*base=3 domestic kittehs owned by yours truly
**sample not to include human food, e.g. French fries (ahem)

What Up, Homefry?

My faithful readers will understand the gravitas of yesterday's dinner: it was a Burger King night.

Why 'ello, wot ees theeees? Oh ho ho ho! Eet ees a leetle French Fry?

le NOM, le NOM, le NOM

I even got Ollie to perform a trick for her fry, though it was not captured on camera. Perhaps I have underestimated her talent appetite?

Bleachy Clean

Once upon a time, when I was in college, I was laundering a small load of white Oxford shirts because I was a waitress, and these are the sort of things they make waitresses wear. With a tie. It was awesome. Moving on.

So, I was trying to get to my shift on time with a clean and glowing white shirt. I ran to the Laundry Room on my floor and yanked my whites out of one of the communal $1 dryers, then shuffled back to my dorm room. As I sprinted down the hall, it occurred to me that the load in my arms felt a little bulky... but I dismissed this feeling of suspicion and unease since sometimes fluffy, freshly-dried things can seem like this.

As the whites fell out of my arms and onto my extra-long twin for folding, I quickly discovered why it felt like I was carrying more laundry than just a few white shirts. I was carrying more than just my Oxfords! There were stowaways in my load! And NOT white kittens!!!

There, lying amongst my laundry, were gnarled gym socks… some stained wife-beaters… and tighty-whities.

Some cheap, dirty punk on my floor must have thrown his “whites” (and I use that term loosely, because many of these items were hardly what I would call white anymore) in with mine to save $2 and detergent! The knave doubtlessly planned to sneak in and abscond with his whites before I came to collect my laundry, but his plan was foiled when I came early.

I carefully separated his laundry from mine and dropped it in an old shopping bag, using the hook of a hanger as a make-shift claw, so I wouldn’t have to touch it. It was foul, but not nearly as foul as having to wear my tainted clothing later that night. I left the bag sitting ominously on the dryer.

I tell you this story, dear readers, so that when your cat sleeps on your freshly-laundered clothing, you will think of this tale and rejoice, because it could have been worse. Much worse.

A white kitten (or any kitteh, really) is so much better than a stranger’s tighty-whities, don’t you agree?

Seventeen Things Worth Knowing About Your Cat

Here’s a great way to start your week! Seventeen Things Worth Knowing About Your Cat.

Click on the link to learn about other animals that purr, how Nikola Tesla basically owes it all to kittehs, how many cats Abe Lincoln owned and MORE.

I hope you find a fact or two that will make you the Cat’s Meow at Thanksgiving...

Wait a minute...

I ordered a box of avocados...

... not avoCATos!

Dedicated to Daisy

Dedicated to Daisy, who’s famous for her fashions:

Even more priceless photos from Vogue's feline-inspired fashion photo shoot if you click here!