A note about The Cuddlywumps Chronicles

This blog is written and maintained by Miss Cuddlywumps, a fluffy-tailed calico cat who is both classically educated and familiar with mysteries. She receives creative input from the Real Cats and clerical assistance from She of Little Talent (old SoLT, a.k.a. Roby Sweet). Comments or complaints should be addressed to Miss C rather than to old SoLt (Ms. Sweet). Ms. Sweet accepts no responsibility for Miss C's opinions.

Monday, April 30, 2018

Book Review: Clowders



Mysterious Monday


On this Mysterious Monday, we are pleased to bring you our review of Vanessa Morgan’s Clowders, the dark tale of what happens to an American family after they move to a small, cat-centric town in Luxembourg. This is not the sort of light read we often review here, so prepare yourselves.

The plot

Clowders, by Vanessa Morgan
Aiden and Jess arrive in the village of Clervaux with their daughter, Eleonore. Aiden is a veterinarian who has taken a position at the local clinic, but he soon finds that the village’s inhabitants have a strange attachment to their cats. Killing a cat—even euthanasia of a desperately sick or injured cat—is the worst thing you could do. Aiden has no idea why, but then he doesn’t know about the town’s dark secret.

Neither does Jess, but as she spends days alone, trying to find a job in a country where she doesn’t speak the language, she begins to sense that something is not right with this place. For one thing, there’s the sound of claws on the floor, and for another, there’s that odd sense of always being watched. Then there’s the fact that her husband seems to be forming an attraction to a local cat rescuer named Lorenza.

Things get worse when Aiden and Jess go out with Lorenza and some others for a night of fun at a club. When it’s time to go home, everyone determines that Jess is the most sober, so she is stuck driving. A cat darts in front of the car, and she hits it, killing it. Everyone except Jess and Aiden freaks out, but the newcomers don’t understand why. Sure, it’s sad that the cat died, but they had tried to save it, in the end it’s just a cat, right?

Wrong. A cat in Clervaux is never “just a cat,” because a mysterious, terrifying creature known as the Tengu protects all cats there. And if a human harms a cat, that human—and any other humans who were involved—will pay. So it isn’t long before the people who were in the car that night begin disappearing, and Jess is becoming more and more afraid as she keeps hearing and seeing unexplainable things. Is she just caught up in the local folklore, or are they all in danger?

Our verdict

We mostly enjoyed this book. The overall story is intriguing, and the climax had us turning pages at a furious pace. We read so many cozies, it was a nice change of pace to read something dark and unsettling, which Clowders certainly is. That said, we were a little disappointed that we didn’t get a stronger sense of foreboding and creepiness. The pace slowed for us in the sections focused mostly on Jess and Aiden’s faltering relationship, but it definitely picks up toward the end. All in all, a good read!

One Paw Up! A Good Read

A note on the "Paws Up" system: Miss C gives either one or two paws up. One paw is for a good read; two paws is for a great read. She never gives three or four paws because that would require her to lie on her back...and Miss C does not do that!
  
The link below is an Amazon Associates link. If you purchase the book through this link, old SoLT and I could get some coin for our kibble account. Thank you!

Sunday, April 29, 2018

Sunday Selfie:Paisley Sends a Birthday Wish

For this week's Sunday Selfie, Real Cat Paisley took a moment from her playtime on the stairs to snap this photo. She is dedicating it to Allie, who turns 16 today. We all hope you have a wonderful birthday and get lots of neat presents, Allie!

Real Cat Paisley wishes Allie a happy birthday!


If you don't follow us on Instagram, you missed Paisley's terrifying experience yesterday. This is what happened:


Then, after 20 minutes of desperate work:


Thank goodness for grandmas! (Of course, she was also the one who vacuumed without first picking up the pets' toys.)


We're joining the Sunday Selfies Blog Hop, hosted by The Cat on My Head.

The Cat on My Head: Sunday Selfies Blog Hop

Saturday, April 28, 2018

Caturday Art: The Gang's All Here

Last weekend was sunny here, and the whole fur gang (the Real Cats and Resident Dog Layla) got to enjoy some sun puddles. Old SoLT got a so-so picture and used it for Caturday Art:

The whole gang with Sadness and Landscape effects

This is LunaPic's Sadness art effect (100%), followed by the Landscape effect (49%). It looks like the glass door is broken, but that's just what the effects did with the shadows outside. No pets were endangered in the making of this art!

And here's the original:



In case you weren't here yesterday, we want to remind you (or tell you for the first time, as the case may be) that we are starting a new blog hop called Pet Photo Fails! Get your not-quite-right pet photos ready to share, and join us for some fun on this hop. All pets are welcome. We would love to see a blurry photo of a chameleon. Or a goat. Or a chameleon sitting on a goat. Whatever--just keep it G-rated, please.

Pet Photo Fails will take place on the final Friday of every month, beginning in May. The dates for the remainder of 2018 are as follows:

May 25
June 29
July 27
August 31
September 28
October 26
November 30
December 28

We hope to see you there!

Pet Photo Fails! Blog Hop


Today we're joining the Caturday Art Blog Hop, hosted by Athena and Marie!

Caturday Art Blog Hop

Friday, April 27, 2018

April Bloopers, Plus Friendly Fill-Ins and an Announcement

We have two fun Friday features for you today--well, three really. First up is a pair of April bloopers featuring Real Cat Paisley. Old SoLT was trying to get some cute photos of Paisley playing with her catnip snake from Purrfect Play (not an affiliate link; we just like them!). What she got instead was a small collection of blurry tortie shots, complete with a heap of dog toys in the background:


Blurry tortie action with Real Cat Paisley


More blurry tortie action with Real Cat Paisley


And speaking of photo ops that didn't quite work out, we are proud to announce the new Pet Photo Fails Blog Hop! Get your not-quite-right pet photos ready to share, and join us for some fun. All pets are welcome. We would love to see a blurry photo of a chameleon. Or a goat. Or a chameleon sitting on a goat. Whatever--just keep it G-rated, please.

#PetPhotoFails

This hop will take place on the final Friday of every month, beginning in May. The dates for the remainder of 2018 are as follows:

May 25
June 29
July 27
August 31
September 28
October 26
November 30
December 28

We hope to see you there!

Pet Photo Fails Blog Hop

Friendly Fill-Ins

Friendly Fill-Ins Blog Hop
And now it’s time for Friendly Fill-Ins, from 15andmeowing and McGuffy’s Reader. They are a fun way to learn a little bit about the authors of the blogs you read. The first two questions, answered by old SoLT this week, are from Ellen of 15andmeowing, and the next two, answered by Real Cat Paisley, are from Annie of McGuffy’s Reader.

Old SoLT’s answers:
1. I could really use a couple more hours in the day. There’s so much to do!

2. The Chesapeake BayFoundation is a charity that I like to support. They work to improve the health of the Bay by reducing pollution.

Real Cat Paisley’s answers:
3. One time, I broke a little shelf that had an ivy plant on it, and boy did it make a mess when it hit the wall and the floor and everything!

4. I wish that I had gotten more pictures taken of me when I was young. Mommy only has two baby pictures of me that came from my foster mom. I was really cute! (She’d show them to you, but she can’t remember exactly where they are.)

Thursday, April 26, 2018

Cat Classics on Film: A Cat in Paris (2010)

Cat Classics on Film



How many cats do you know who lead a double life? We suspect that very few cats lead lives as full of contrasts as Dino the cat, star of A Cat in Paris, which is today’s Cat Classic on Film.

The plot

A Cat in ParisBy day, Dino is the beloved kitty companion of young Zoe, a girl who stopped speaking after her police officer father was killed by a gangster. When night falls, Dino slips out the window and commutes the short distance to the home of his other friend, Nico (Steve Blum). Nico is, of all things, a cat burglar, and together he and Dino sneak across rooftops and precarious ledges to steal jewels from unsuspecting, sleeping people. Despite his criminal profession, Nico is a pretty nice guy. If you had to be robbed, you’d want Nico to do the job.

Zoe’s mom, Jeanne (Marcia Gay Harden), is a high-ranking police officer who is determined to capture the horrible Victor Costa (JB Blanc), who was responsible for her husband’s death. Jeanne is also tracking down a burglar (one who mysteriously leaves cat paw prints at the scenes of his crimes) and trying to protect a valuable art object that she is sure Costa will try to steal. She’s so caught up in her work she doesn’t have much time for her daughter. A nanny (Anjelica Huston), who is oh so sweet on the surface but rotten on the inside, watches Zoe when Jeanne is gone, which is most of the time.

One night Zoe follows Dino out the window when he leaves to meet up with Nico. Along the way, she overhears the gangsters plotting and discovers her nanny’s true identity. Now Zoe is in danger, and soon Nico is also in danger, accused of kidnapping the girl. Unfortunately, Zoe can’t speak to tell her mother what is really going on.


Action-packed animation

A Cat in Paris features plenty of action and suspense. Time Out Chicago Kids called it a “cartoon noir [that] distills Hitchcock into 64 brisk minutes for middle-schoolers and up” (Wikipedia). The animation style is unique (at least to us) and unforgettable. The night-vision scene is a favorite of ours, with its white-outline figures on a dark background. There is also plenty of emotional complexity for viewers of all ages. In her mind, Jeanne is haunted by an octopus-like monster with Costa’s face, and she has to overcome her fear to defeat him in real life. Zoe, of course, is dealing with the trauma of losing her father and feeling abandoned by her mother. The nanny who is supposed to protect Zoe is actually a danger to her, while cat-burglar Nico is a source of safety.

Scene from A Cat in Paris. Dino with Zoe.
Zoe cuddling Dino.


See the trailer here.


Scene from A Cat in Paris. Dino with Nico the cat burglar.
By night, Dino accompanies cat burglar Nico.

Our verdict

This is one of our all-time favorite animated films, and of course it’s one of our favorite cat films. First, it’s just over an hour long. That’s plenty of time to tell the story in an engaging way, and it made us want to actually sit down and watch the movie (unlike the over-two-hour run times of so many of today’s films). Then there’s the animation, which we found as interesting as the story itself. And who could ever forget Dino, the cat who accompanies a cat burglar on his nightly jaunts?

This film is rated PG. There is some violence, as you’d expect from the presence of gangsters. Some younger kids might be frightened by the Costa character in particular, so we think the “middle-schoolers and up” suggestion is spot on. The soundtrack is pretty awesome too, featuring Billie Holiday singing “I Wished on the Moon.”

A Cat in Paris was first released in France in 2010 as Une vie de chat (A Cat’s Life) and opened in limited release in the US in 2012. It was nominated for an Academy Award (Best Animated Feature Film) in 2012.

Highly recommended!


Two Paws Up! A Great Movie


A note on the "Paws Up" system: Miss C gives either one or two paws up. One paw is for a good movie; two paws is for a great movie. She never gives three or four paws because that would require her to lie on her back...and Miss C does not do that!

The link below is an Amazon Associates link. If you purchase the movie through this link, old SoLT and I could get some coin for our kibble account. Thank you!




Sources


"A Cat in Paris," Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Cat_in_Paris

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Cat of the Week: Ghandi


Cat of the Week


Each week in this space, we feature an older adult or senior cat (7 years +) in need of adoption or sponsorship. Mature cats make great companions, and unlike kittens, they (probably) won’t climb the curtains! Adopt an older cat, and help them enjoy the best years of their life.

Adopt Ghandi! Baltimore Humane Society, bmorehumane.org

This week we are featuring a cat we have shared with you twice before. Ghandi is a sweet older gentleman who is 11 years old. He may not be as energetic as a kitten, but he is a great cat who deserves a loving home where he’ll get as much attention as he wants. If you are looking for a sweet kitty who likes to cuddle, Ghandi may be just the guy for you. This handsome guy has been waiting since last September for a new forever home. Wouldn’t it be great if someone took him home soon?

Ghandi is currently in a foster home through the Baltimore Humane Society. Learn more about him here.

Can’t adopt? You can still help! Check out Sammy’s Cat Necessities Fund, which provides money for everyday and medical needs of cats at the Baltimore Humane Society. You can also make a general donation or sponsor a particular animal on this page. Every little bit helps!

Monday, April 23, 2018

Meow Like Shakespeare Day

Today, in honor of Meow Like Shakespeare Day (or Talk Like Shakespeare Day, as some people call it), we have the following dramatic reenactment presented by the Real Cats:


Hmm ... not sure what play that is from. Macbeth, maybe?

Anyway, this moment of culture has been brought to you by The Real Cats Shakespeare Theatre Company.

Want to make your own Shakespearean insults? Try the Shakespeare Insult Kit.

Sunday, April 22, 2018

Sunday Selfies: Pet Me & I'll Do a Selfie

This week, Real Cat Webster allowed himself to be photographed for a Sunday Selfie ... in exchange for several minutes of petting. (Tip to cats: You can get a human to anything when they are desperate to get a cute picture of you!)

Webster's petting selfie


Paisley wanted to do something too, so she decided to do this musical meme we first saw on Stunning Keisha, who got it from The Lone Star Cats. It's sort of supposed to be for Mewsic Monday, but Paisley doesn't always follow rules, so she's doing it on Sunday. You're supposed to use titles from only one artist or band to answer all the questions. She did follow that rule.

This was hard! Paisley considered a lot of bands but finally picked the Eagles (mostly because old SoLT knows a lot of their songs).

Artist/Band: The Eagles
What is your gender: Desperado
How do you feel: Out of Control
If you could go anywhere: In the City
Favorite mode of transportation: The Long Run
Your best friend: Those Shoes
Favorite time of day: Tequila Sunrise
If your life was a TV show: Witchy Woman
Relationship status: One of These Nights
Your fear: Too Many Hands

We're joining the Sunday Selfies blog hop, hosted by The Cat on My Head!


Sunday Selfies Blog Hop: The Cat on My Head

Saturday, April 21, 2018

Caturday Art: Raspberry Webster

In his most recent Sunday Selfie, Real Cat Webster had a little tongue-out action going on. So old SoLT decided to go for a raspberry effect in this week's Caturday Art.* She did some messing about in Photoshop and came up with this:

Real Cat Webster in raspberry on green

*This is a lie that old SoLT made me write. She had no plan AT ALL and hit on the purple by accident. Then at the last second she decided, "Oh, I'll call it raspberry," like she's some kind of clever genius.

We're joining the Caturday Art blog hop, hosted by Athena and Marie!

Caturday Art Blog Hop: athenacatgoddess.com

Friday, April 20, 2018

Words with Webster: Primordial Pouch, Plus Friendly Fill-Ins


We have two fun Friday features for you today. First up is Real Cat Webster, who has a poochy word to share. After that, it’s on to Friendly Fill-Ins!

Words with Webster


Words with Webster
Hi, everybody! It’s me, Real Cat Webster. Welcome to Words with Me. Today’s word is “primordial pouch.” You know that sort of loose-skin-looking flappy things you might see hanging from your cat’s belly? Those are primordial pouches. Sometimes they’re just called belly pouches, and some people call them “spay sway” because they might be more noticeable after a cat has been spayed or neutered. Spaying or neutering doesn’t cause the pouches, though.

Why do cats have primordial pouches? Well, it could be a defensive thing. Think about all the bunny-kicking cats do when they fight play (or fight). The extra skin gives some protection to all the important stuff inside the cat’s belly. It’s also handy for wild cats who might get to eat a super-size meal once in a while: the pouch lets the stomach expand to hold all that food. This would explain one other term we found used for the pouch: “famine pouch.”

Surprisingly, I couldn’t find “primordial pouch” in the dictionary. I tried looking up “famine pouch” in Merriam-Webster’s online, and the spelling suggestion it gave me was “flaming poppy,” which is really not the same thing.

Anyway, “primordial” is in the dictionary. The Oxford English Dictionary says it means “primitive” (this is the condensed version of the definition). This word is recorded in English from the late 14th century (about 1398). The Online Etymology Dictionary says the word comes from the Late Latin primordialis (“first of all, original”), which came from primus (“first”). We don’t know why people started calling the belly pouch on cats a primordial pouch. Maybe because it seems to be something primitive.

Funny story: Years and years ago (seriously, like almost 30 years ago—deep time), when Mommy first noticed that her cat Darya had spay sway, she thought something must be wrong. So she came up with all kinds of crazy possibilities: Cancer! Poison! Mutation! She can’t remember now how she found out that it was normal, since this was before everyone just googled stuff. Someone must have told her. Back then she really didn’t know much about cats at all!

Bengal cat
Look very closely and you'll see the primordial pouch
on this Bengal cat's belly.
Photo via Adobe Stock.

(Sources: “Cat Anatomy,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_anatomy;  Nicholas DeMarino, “What Is the Primordial Pouch in Cats?” The Nest, https://pets.thenest.com/primordial-pouch-cats-11178.html.)


Friendly Fill-Ins

Friendly Fill-Ins
And now it’s time for Friendly Fill-Ins, from 15andmeowing and McGuffy’s Reader. They are a fun way to learn a little bit about the authors of the blogs you read. The first two questions, answered by Real Cat Paisley this week, are from Ellen of 15andmeowing, and the next two, answered by old SoLT, are from Annie of McGuffy’s Reader.

Real Cat Paisley’s answers:
1. New catnip toys are the best!

2. I love to sleep on the bed in the spare bedroom, ’cause no one really goes in there.

Old SoLT’s answers:
3. When I was a child, I loved to play with all sorts of blocks, especially Legos.

4. One day, I will get to BlogPaws again. I’ve been having serious BlogPaws envy this week!

Thursday, April 19, 2018

A Call for Veterinarians to Help “Fix” Annual Kitten Invasion

The May Spay Challenge aims to reduce numbers of homeless kittens and help solve cat overpopulation.
Kitten season is coming, and so is Alley Cat Rescue's May Spay Challenge!
Photo via Adobe Stock.



You’ve all heard of kitten season, right? It’s that time of year when temperatures warm, flowers bloom, and animal shelters are inundated with kittens in need of homes.

Many people just call it “spring.”

Kitten season sounds cute and cuddly, but it’s actually a big problem for shelters, not to mention cats. That’s because there are often so many homeless kittens that shelters become overcrowded and overwhelmed. Many cats never make it out of the shelter alive. Annually, some 30% of the over 3.2 million cats that enter US shelters are euthanized.

What can be done to improve those numbers? Well, since many of those kittens who land in shelters are born to free-roaming mothers, Alley Cat Rescue, a national nonprofit dedicated to the welfare of cats, says that one solution is to sterilize outdoor cats.

Fewer fertile cats = fewer kittens born = fewer homeless kittens in shelters

The May Spay Challenge

Obviously, not just anyone can spay or neuter a cat. It takes a veterinarian to do that, and so Alley Cat Rescue has an annual May Spay Challenge to encourage vets to participate in trap-neuter-return (TNR) projects with local rescues. 

Alley Cat Rescue president and founder Louise Holton says, “Most kittens in shelters lose their lives, as shelters cannot cope with the influx. If this was a feline disease, veterinarians would want to end it. But cat overpopulation has an easy simple answer: spay and neuter cats.”

In the May Spay Challenge, vets are called on to sterilize one feral cat per week during the month of May. That can add up to a lot of sterilizations, which means a lot of feline pregnancies prevented and, ultimately, fewer homeless kittens born.

The May Spay Challenge got its start back in 2010. So far, over 1,200 veterinary hospitals in the US, Canada, Israel, Croatia, and South Africa have participated, and over 30,000 feral cats have been spayed or neutered. Alley Cat Rescue expects even greater participation this year.

Veterinary practices are encouraged to take the May Spay Challenge, and individuals can invite their local clinics to participate. Find out more here: http://www.saveacat.org/may-spay-challenge.html

Source



Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Cat of the Week: Rogue One

Cat of the Week


Each week in this space, we feature an older adult or senior cat (7 years +) in need of adoption or sponsorship. Mature cats make great companions, and unlike kittens, they (probably) won’t climb the curtains! Adopt an older cat, and help them enjoy the best years of their life.

Cat of the Week: Adopt Rogue One! 
Today, we are excited to introduce Rogue One. She is a 7-year-old lady who is nervous in the shelter but nevertheless has a lot of spunk to share with her lucky new person. Plus, take a look at that adorable face... Just think, if you adopt Rogue One, you’ll get to see that face every day!

Rogue One is currently at the Baltimore Humane Society. Learn more about her here.

Can’t adopt? You can still help! Check out Sammy’s Cat Necessities Fund, which provides money for everyday and medical needs of cats at the Baltimore Humane Society. You can also make a general donation or sponsor a particular animal on this page. Every little bit helps!

Monday, April 16, 2018

Book Review: The Bengal Identity



Mysterious Monday


On this Mysterious Monday, we are pleased to bring you our short review of The Bengal Identity, book 2 in Eileen Watkins’s Cat Groomer mystery series. This book features plenty of mystery, most of it centered around one spectacular cat whose identity is unknown.

The plot

The Bengal Identity, by Eileen Watkins
Cassie McGlone is the owner of Cassie’s Comfy Cats, a grooming and boarding facility in Chadwick, New Jersey. One day a young man comes in asking if he can board his big brown cat there. His house has just burned down, and he is desperate to find a place for the vocal, high-energy cat, whose name is Ayesha. Cassie agrees, but things take a strange turn when she gives Ayesha a bath and discovers that the brown fur color washes out to reveal distinctive spots. It seems that this cat may in fact be a very valuable kitty—a Bengal—in disguise. Things get even more strange when the man who’d brought Ayesha in turns up dead, possibly a murder victim. Could he have been killed by someone who was after Ayesha? And was the mysterious young man protecting the cat or stealing her? And could Cassie, her shop, and her one employee be in danger from whoever might be after this rare cat?

Our verdict

We loved this book from start to finish. This is the first book we have read in the Cat Groomer series, but it was very easy to get into even without knowing all the detail from the first book. The main story is engrossing, and the side plots (the main ones involve a mysterious wild cat; a missing auto mechanic; and Cassie’s veterinarian boyfriend, who’s having problems with his staff) add depth without distracting from Ayesha’s story. The final attempt to take Ayesha was not terribly surprising, but we didn’t mind because the reason behind this whole situation was so … let’s call it infuriating. It was something we could not have imagined. It was disturbing to us and may be extremely disturbing to people who are extra sensitive to mistreatment of animals. Things turn out okay, though, so if you can get through the disturbing part, we think you’ll enjoy how the story ends.

Recommended!

Two Paws Up--A Great Read!

A note on the "Paws Up" system: Miss C gives either one or two paws up. One paw is for a good read; two paws is for a great read. She never gives three or four paws because that would require her to lie on her back...and Miss C does not do that!

We received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. We wouldn’t tell you it was good unless we really liked it!

The link below is an Amazon Associates link. If you purchase the book through this link, old SoLT and I could get some coin for our kibble account. Thank you!



Sunday, April 15, 2018

Sunday Selfie: Real Cat Webster Chills

Real Cat Webster took this Sunday Selfie while he was relaxing with old SoLT one evening:

Real Cat Webster Sunday Selfie April 2018


We're joining the Sunday Selfies blog hop, hosted by The Cat on My Head!

The Cat on My Head: Sunday Selfies blog hop

Saturday, April 14, 2018

Caturday Art: Paisley in the Sun

For this week's Caturday Art, Old SoLT wanted to use a picture of Real Cat Paisley in the sun. She decided to play with the sunlight and shadows by bumping the contrast way up in Photoshop and then adding a lens flare and a poster edges filter. Not bad for a measly five minutes' work.

Real Cat Paisley in the Sun, posterized

Then, for something completely different, not to mention brighter, she tried the Delaunay (21%) and Landscape (15%) art effects in LunaPic.

Paisley in the sun_LunaPic


And here is the original:

Real Cat Paisley in the Sun

We are joining the Caturday Art blog hop, hosted by Athena and Marie!

Caturday Art blog hop


Friday, April 13, 2018

Words with Webster: Cat Squirrel, Plus Friendly Fill-Ins


We have two fun Friday features for you today. First up is Real Cat Webster, who has a squirrely word to share. After that, it’s on to Friendly Fill-Ins!



Words with Webster

Words with WebsterHi, everybody! It’s me, Real Cat Webster. Welcome to Words with Me. Today’s word is “cat squirrel.” Mommy found this word in the dictionary while she was looking up something else. We never heard of it before that, so we thought it would be a fun word to share. A cat squirrel, according to both Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary and the Oxford English Dictionary, is a common squirrel or an American gray squirrel. Merriam-Webster’s also lists the eastern fox squirrel as a definition.

Cat squirrel, fox squirrel.... Sometimes I wish people would just get their animal names straight, you know?

Anyway, people have been calling one or more kinds of squirrels “cat squirrels” since at least the 19th century. The term first appeared in print in 1826. This quote is from 1855:
The species found in these woods was the large ‘cat-squirrel’ (Sciurus cinereus), one of the noblest of its kind. (M. Reid, Hunters’ Feast xix)
I have promised before to do the word “cat” one day in a post all its own, so I won’t cover it today. “Squirrel” has been around since the early 14th century, according to the Online Etymology Dictionary. It comes from Old French escurueil (“squirrel”), which is from the Latin sciurus and Greek skiouros, and that is a combination of skia (“shadow”) and oura (“tail”). Squirrels create shadows with their tails, I guess.

Aside from their frizzy tails, I don’t think squirrels look a whole lot like cats, so I’m not sure why people called them that. But people are often confused by animals, aren’t they?


Delmarva Fox Squirrel. Photo by US Fish & Wildlife Service. Public Domain.
Does this look like a cat to you? It is a Delmarva fox squirrel.
Apparently, some people call these and other squirrels "cat squirrels."
Photo by US Fish & Wildlife Service, Northeast Region. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.


Friendly Fill-Ins

Friendly Fill-Ins
And now it’s time for Friendly Fill-Ins, from 15andmeowing and McGuffy’s Reader. They are a fun way to learn a little bit about the authors of the blogs you read. The first two questions, answered by old SoLT this week, are from Ellen of 15andmeowing, and the next two, answered by Real Cat Paisley, are from Annie of McGuffy’s Reader.

Real Cat Paisley’s answers:
1. Mommy keeps me pretty happy most of the time, although sometimes she could pick out better wet food.

2. Having a full belly and a person’s lap to nap on is the secret to happiness if you’re a cat. If you’re a person, I don’t know what you do. Have a cat sit on your lap, maybe.

Old SoLT’s answers:
3. A friend takes you as you are instead of trying to change or improve you.

4. Right now, I am thankful that spring finally seems to be here. Yay!

Thursday, April 12, 2018

Hieroglyphic Cats from Ancient Crete


Cats in History


We stumbled upon an interesting little tidbit earlier this week. At first we didn’t even believe it and thought it must be one of those alternative facts that are so easy to find on the internet. But a little digging brought us to some reputable sources, so we are ready to tell you that the so-called Cretan Hieroglyphic writing system (not related to the more famous Egyptian hieroglyphs) included pictures of cats. This system, from the Mediterranean island of Crete, arose around 2000 BC. It has not been deciphered, so no one is 100% sure what the cat pictures mean—but there is a guess at the end of this post!

Map of Greece and Crete
Just where is Crete? Follow the red arrow. The island
is roughly southeast of mainland Greece.
Image via Adobe Stock.


The cat pictures


Seal of green jasper with Cretan Hieroglyphic writing
including a stylized cat's head.
Photo by Ingo Pini [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons.
The cat pictures in Cretan Hieroglyphics took different forms. Sometimes a full cat’s body was depicted, sometimes just a stylized cat’s head. In Linear A, the next writing system to come along on Crete, there was still a cat’s head symbol, but it was much more stylized, with something that looks roughly like a head with eyes, pointy ears, and sometimes a mouth. Linear A was used from about 1850 to 1400 BC and overlapped with Cretan Hieroglyphic for many years. Then, in about 1600 BC, came Linear B. Linear B also used a cat’s head, but you sort of have to use your imagination to see the cat. This is because it is basically all ears.

By the way, all three writing systems were named by archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans.

What did the cat figures mean?

Broadly, hieroglyphic writing is any system where the characters are pictures of recognizable things. The individual pictures can represent the thing they depict (a crow symbol could mean “crow”), or they could represent a sound (a crow symbol could mean “caw”—and obviously we are sort of making this up as a general example).

While we don’t know for sure what the cat in Cretan Hieroglyphic writing meant, Pippa Steele of the CREWS Project says we can sort of guess by working backward from Linear B, which has been deciphered. All of these systems are syllabic, so the symbols represent sounds—and the sound that the Linear B cat’s head represents is “ma.” Steele says that the symbol and its sound likely came from Linear A. It’s possible that the Cretan Hieroglyphic cat also stood for “ma” or something very similar.


Detail from a table of Cretan Hieroglyphic signs.
The cat is number 75.
From The Palace of Minos, Sir Arthur Evans.
Digitized by Internet Archive Book Images
[No restrictions], via Wikimedia Commons. 

Wouldn’t it just make sense that someone would draw a cat to represent something like the sound a cat makes? And let’s not forget that the ancient Egyptian word for “cat” was “miu,” so who knows—maybe the people of Crete called cats “mau” or “maur” or something.

Versions of the Linear A and B cat signs.
Adapted from illustrations in Steele 2017.

Sources


Steele, Pippa. 2017. “Cats in the Aegean Scripts.” CREWS Project website, August 7. https://crewsproject.wordpress.com/2017/08/08/cats-in-the-aegean-scripts/.

“Linear A and Linear B.” Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Linear-A#ref106905

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Cat of the Week: Bird

Cat of the Week


Each week in this space, we feature an older adult or senior cat (7 years +) in need of adoption or sponsorship. Mature cats make great companions, and unlike kittens, they (probably) won’t climb the curtains! Adopt an older cat, and help them enjoy the best years of their life.




We are absolutely in love with this week’s cat. Her name is Bird, and as you can see, she is one of the cutest torties ever. Bird is 9 years old and is very sweet. She likes to be around people, so we bet she is having a great time at Charm Kitty CafĂ©, where she currently is. The only thing she might like better would be a forever family of her own! What lucky person will take this little lady home?

Learn more about Bird here.

Can’t adopt? You can still help! Check out Sammy’s Cat Necessities Fund, which provides money for everyday and medical needs of cats at the Baltimore Humane Society. You can also make a general donation or sponsor a particular animal on this page. Every little bit helps!