And they said it can't be done: trained cats

L, I B.

My dumb cats don't even look up when I call their names.

Simon's cat in "Santa Claws" (hope this isn't prophetic for the Phillips house)

Still more tangentially: Hagrid, a study in How to Chill

Our great fluffy Maine Coon kitty, Hagrid. Not yet full-grown (they take about four years).


We learned to our chagrin (at first) that Maine Coons are not "lap cats" as, for instance, our ferals were. But they do love people, and love to be with us, and where we are.

They love to "help," if anyone's sewing, doing homework, putting on shoes. But pat on your lap and say, "Here kitty," and at least two of the three Maine Coons are likely to watch you with polite interest, and no comprehension.

Click each of the pictures for an enlargement.

There's clearly a reason why Solomon didn't write, "Go to the cat, thou sluggard."

Cat haiku

My wife Valerie sent me this. Don't know the ultimate source (pretty sure Valerie didn't write them!), and maybe it's old news to you, but I thought they were cute. Maybe you can use a chuckle as much as I:

Haiku is an unrhymed verse form of Japanese origin having three lines
containing usually 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively. Uniquely Japanese, they
somehow seem utterly appropriate for felines -- indeed, one could almost
imagine them being a cat's preferred form of communication!

The food in my bowl
Is old, and more to the point
Contains no tuna.
----
So you want to play.
Will I claw at dancing string?
Your ankle's closer.
----
There's no dignity
In being sick - which is why
I don't tell you where.
----
Seeking solitude
I am locked in the closet.
For once I need you.
----
Tiny can, dumped in
Plastic bowl. Presentation,
One star; service: none.
----
Am I in your way?
You seem to have it backwards:
This pillow's taken.
----
Your mouth is moving;
Up and down, emitting noise.
I've lost interest.
----
The dog wags his tail,
Seeking approval. See mine?
Different message.
----
My brain: walnut-sized.
Yours: largest among primates.
Yet, who leaves for work?
----
Most problems can be
Ignored. The more difficult
Ones can be slept through.
----
My affection is conditional.
Don't stand up,
It's your lap I love.
----
Cats can't steal the breath
Of children. But if my tail's
Pulled again, I'll learn.
----
I don't mind being
Teased, any more than you mind
A skin graft or two.
----
So you call this thing
Your "cat carrier." I call
These my "blades of death."