Words with Webster (Irusan), Plus Friendly Fill-Ins

We have two fun features for you this Friday. First up is Words with Webster, in which he shares some information about a mysterious type of cat. This is followed by Friendly Fill-Ins.

Words with Webster

Hi, everyone! I’m Real Cat Webster, here to welcome you to Words with Me. Today’s word is really interesting, and one that I never heard of until recently. It’s Irusan, and it means “King of the Cats” in Celtic folklore.

According to Godchecker.com, Irusan was about the size of a cow (big kitty!) and lived in a cave near Knowth on the River Boyne in Ireland, where there is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of all the burial mounds and prehistoric art. I couldn’t find anything about a big cat in the art though. I did have fun exploring the Brú na Bóinne website. They have some pictures that are pretty cool to look at, even if they aren’t cats.

Scary-looking cat from the 1894 book
More English Fairy Tales, by J. Jacobs,
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. 

Back to Irusan. The stories about him are kind of hard to keep straight because there are so many. One story from Ireland claims that the King of Cats might be your very own house cat. To find out, you just cut off a little piece of the cat’s ear (ouch!), and if he is actually Irusan, he will speak to you, telling you who he is, and also telling you some things you’d rather not know about yourself (cats notice things, you know).

In another story, which has versions from England and Scotland, a man returns home after being away for an unexpectedly long time one day, and he tells his family of the bizarre adventure he had. I am shortening the story a little, but basically he says that he came upon a strange funeral—one in which the coffin was carried by cats. Other cats carried torches, and in their light the man could make out a cross and a scepter marked on the coffin. At this point, the family’s cat, who had been lying nearby listening to the tale, jumps up saying, “By Jove! Old Peter’s dead, and I’m the King of the Cats!” The cat then rushes up the chimney and is never seen again.

(Sources: “Irusan,” God Checker, updated August 10, 2014. http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/celtic-mythology.php?deity=IRUSAN; “The King of the Cats,” Death of an Underground Person, translated or edited by D. L. Ashliman, http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type6070b.html#wildecat; “The King of the Cats,” Wikipedia, updated November 7, 2016.)

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. My idea of roughing it is having an empty food dish. Sometimes I get hungry in the middle part of the day, but there is no food in my dish. It is awful.

2. I never get sick of talking about how horrible it is that the dog eats some of my food sometimes every day (see #1 above).

Old SoLT's answers

3. My youth is mostly a blur, and getting blurrier every day!

4. My "golden years" is a concept that worries me, because I have several health issues that will probably be catching up with me by then.

Words with Webster (Melanoailurophobia) and Friendly Fill-Ins

We have two features for you today on this Friday the 13th: a new word from Real Cat Webster, followed by Friendly Fill-Ins. Take it away, Webster!

Words with Webster

Hi, all! Webster here, bringing you another installment of Words with Me. Today’s word is a little bit or completely made up by me and Mommy. We were talking about superstitions (it being Friday the 13th and all), and we wondered if there was a specific word for the fear of black cats. So we asked the Internet in various ways and found nothing, zilch, nada. We did find “fear of cats” (ailurophobia) and “fear of black” (melanophobia), so we just put them together to make our word:

melanoailurophobia: The fear of black cats.

 This word is made from the Greek roots

melano, “black”;
ailuros, “cat”; and
phobos, “fear.”

 Here it is used in a sentence:

Mitch had suffered from melanoailurophobia ever since his sister’s black cat scratched him when he was mean to her.

If you're afraid of this cat, you might suffer from
melanoailurophobia: fear of black cats.
Photo by Luliie Lodia via Adobe Stock.

We think it’s a pretty good word, and we’re not sure why it’s not a “word” word (you know, in a dictionary and everything). We even checked the Oxford English Dictionary and didn’t find it. The only place we found it was on another blog, Dances with Dogs.

Whether melanoailurophobia is a “word” word or not, we think it’s too bad that some people might be afraid of black cats. I used to livewith a black cat, and he was really cool and nice, and he taught me a lot. So I sort of hope this word doesn’t catch on, but then you know how superstitious and all some people are.

Friendly Fill-Ins

And now to 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, are from Ellen of 15andmeowing, and the next two, answered this week by Real Cat Paisley, are from Annie of McGuffy’s Reader.

Old SoLT’s answers

1. My guiding word for 2017 is “now.”

2. I’ve never been to a class reunion, but this year will be my thirtieth high school class reunion. Still not going J

Real Cat Paisley’s answers
3. Truth be told I am superstitious about keeping a dog in the house. I’m sure this is very bad luck.

4. Lately, I have been sitting at the top of the steps and not letting the dog come up. She is afraid of me. Ha!

A Revealing Interview with the Cats of the Edgar Allan Poe Museum

Pluto and Edgar, museum cats of the Poe Museum.
Photo courtesy of the Poe Museum.

We are very excited to welcome two distinguished feline guests to the blog today. Edgar and Pluto are joining us from Richmond, Virginia, where they have the great good fortune to be “museum cats” at the Museum of Edgar Allan Poe, otherwise known as the Poe Museum. Let’s get right into the interview!

Miss C: Hi, Edgar and Pluto! Thank you for joining us today. Being museum cats sounds so interesting. Can you tell us how you ended up at the Poe Museum?

Edgar: We were born in the alley behind the Poe Museum. One morning the human who cuts the grass found us under a crate and took us into the office.

Pluto: After they found us, the food providers put us in a box and took us to a mysterious place where other humans poked and prodded us until they said we could return home. Now we get to play in the Poe Museum all the time.

Miss C: I’ve been to that place where you get poked and prodded. It’s always nice to get back home after that kind of experience. So you got to go back to the museum and take up your official duties. Tell us, what exactly are your duties as museum cats?

Pluto: I’m the official greeter and tour guide. The humans rely on me to show them around the museum. They’d be lost without me.

Edgar: I am his supervisor. Pluto may have the looks, but I’m the brains of this operation. He thinks you have to follow humans around to get their attention, but you really just have to get in their way and wait for them to come to you.

Miss C: Fascinating… You have two completely different philosophies for interacting with humans. I’m guessing that means you find some parts of your work more enjoyable than others. What is your favorite part of being a museum cat?

Pluto: I love to meet all the humans and to get my back rubbed.

Edgar: I like finding new places to stretch out for a nice long nap.

As the official greeter and tour guide, Pluto has to
"know his Poe," so to speak. Here he is studying for work.
Photo courtesy of the Poe Museum.

Miss C: I’m with you, Edgar. A long nap in a perfect place…Purrrr… But let’s not get distracted right now. Just a couple more questions. As museum cats at the Poe Museum, you must be familiar with Edgar Allan Poe’s work. Do you have a favorite story or poem of his?

Pluto: I like the story with the cat named after me.

Edgar: I like the one about the hero cat who helps the police apprehend the murderous human.

Miss C: Lots of cultured cats dream of living at a museum. Do you have any tips for aspiring museum cats or those who just want to live like museum cats?

Edgar: If you are not lucky enough to have been born at the Poe Museum, you could try finding some other historic site, preferably one that has a nice, warm room in which you can spend the night. Just be sure not to sit on the old furniture. The humans get very uptight about that.

Miss C: I’ll keep that tip about old furniture in mind, Edgar. Humans do get excited about the strangest things, don’t they? Pluto, do you have any tips to share?

Pluto: Humans are very strange. They carry little flat boxes in their hands and point them at you. Just humor them for a moment, and they will get back to petting you.

Edgar and Pluto keep watch over things at the Poe Museum.
Visiting humans can pet them and take their picture, but no
feeding is allowed!
Photo courtesy of the Poe Museum.

Miss C: Yes, humans are so easily distracted by their little toys, but they always come back to the cat eventually, don’t they? Our time is almost up, but is there anything else you’d like to tell us about the museum?

Edgar: The humans will be having a Poe Film Festival on September 22, 23, and 24. In honor of me, they will be showing a movie called “The Black Cat.”

Pluto: Visit me and my brother at the Poe Museum. We’re on a special diet, so you can’t feed us. But you can give us lots of back rubs, and you can help our food providers and poop scoopers take care of us by donating to the museum’s black cat fund.

Miss C: Thanks again to Pluto and Edgar for joining us today. This has been fascinating and insightful look into the life of a museum cat.

If you’d like to visit Pluto and Edgar in person, you can find them at the Poe Museum at 1914–16 East Main Street in Richmond, Virginia. Check here for hours and admission details. You can also find the Poe Museum on Twitter and Facebook.

And when you go, remember to pet the cats, but don’t feed them!

Always something interesting to watch when you're a museum cat.
Photo courtesy of the Poe Museum.

Want a little more Poe? I wrote this post about "The Black Cat" a couple years ago. It's the excellent Poe story that features a black cat named Pluto.

On Black Cat Appreciation Day, a Tribute to Jack, a Great Black Cat

Jack loved to lie on his back in the kitchen doorway. He loved
to lie on his back anywhere, actually.

Today, on Black Cat Appreciation Day, we’d like to take some time to tell you about Jack, an exemplary black cat and one of the best cats ever. His story is a reminder of how excellent cats can be, and of how you should appreciate their excellence every day because you never know when you might lose them.

He came in the fall

It was late fall, going on winter, when the handsome black cat who would come to be known as Jack started showing up at She of Little Talent’s back door. Old SoLT was very sick at the time, on the list for a lung transplant, and the last thing she or her family needed was a new cat. But…

This cat was persistent. He returned day after day. At first, food was set out for him. Then, as the weather turned colder, the humans in the house bought a heated cat house for him. The cat was never crazy about that little house. He started pawing at the humans’ back door like he wanted inside, but when anyone opened the door, he’d run away. Then one day he didn’t run away; he stepped inside tentatively but panicked when the door was shut behind him. The next day he came in again. And again. Each time, he’d stay a second longer before clamoring to return to the cold outside.

By this time, the cat had an unofficial name, Jack, given him by old SoLT’s mother. (Old SoLT, by the way, wanted to name him Snowball, which was possibly one of the worst ideas she has ever had.) No one knew if the cat was male or female, but everyone called him Jack.

Jack and Webster became best buddies.
Though Jack was younger, he somehow
seemed like an older brother to Webs.

Not everyone wanted a new cat

Here you might be expecting me to tell you how old SoLT was the driving force behind welcoming Jack into the family. But that’s not how it was. In fact, old SoLT was the one who did not want a new cat. I remind you that old SoLT was ill, and one of the great joys of her life during that time was being able to watch the birds visiting the feeder on the back deck. Only “this stupid cat” (that’s how she thought of him) kept hanging around and scaring them off.

In the end, though, she could not say no to a cat, especially once Jack got into her heart just a little bit.

Jack arrives

On one of Jack’s forays into the house, an attempt was made to catch him for a trip to the vet. There was no question anymore of leaving him to face the winter outside. That cat was going to be rescued, whether he wanted to be or not. The first attempt failed and ended with poor Jack clawing frantically at the door to be let out. On the second attempt a few days later, though, something seemed to have changed for Jack. He was calmer, more willing to stay inside. Old SoLT’s dad even got him into the carrier and took him to the vet, where he was given a clean bill of health.

Now, the family already had two perfectly good cats (the Real Cats), and somekitties were not thrilled to have a new member in their midst. Jack stayed in his own room for a while, and when he was given free range throughout the house, there was some hissing at first. But (at least as old SoLT remembers it) it wasn’t long before he was a full-fledged member of the family. He became a best buddy to Real Cat Webster, and even Real Cat Paisley formed a friendship with him, surprising everyone.

Even Paisley got to be friends with Jack, and they
would often curl up together to sleep.

A cat unlike any other

There was something unusual, special, about Jack. First of all, he was just extraordinarily handsome in his jet-black coat, which he wore proudly. But he was much more than a good-looking cat. He had presence, something more than physical. His spirit was so strong it filled the room when he walked in. Jack was the quintessential old soul. He spent a lot of time with old SoLT in the difficult months after her lung transplant, purring and kneading the blanket and just generally making her feel better.

And so it went for a couple of years.

The day it ended

Then, on a Sunday afternoon one year and a couple of months ago, everyone in the house realized they hadn’t seen Jack for hours. An indoor search was launched, food was brought out, but Jack did not appear. The search moved outside, his name was called, the treats container was rattled, but still no Jack. As suddenly as he’d appeared at that back door, he was gone.

At first, the people held out hope that Jack would come back. Maybe, despite has apparent satisfaction with his indoor-only life, he’d felt the need for a day or two in the sun. Food was set out and other cats appeared to eat it, but Jack did not. Old SoLT did spot him a couple of times while she was out walking the big, exuberant dog, but she never got a chance to get close to him. A neighbor claimed to have seen him. But then, as days turned to weeks and a hot summer set in, no one saw him again.

Jack liked to find interesting places to rest. Here
he makes himself comfortable in old SoLT's
underwear drawer.

Life went back to how it had been in the pre-Jack days: It was fine. Well…it was tolerable, though there was a hole that seemed considerably larger than you might expect a twelve-pound cat to leave. Old SoLT got used to doing without her nightly chats with the poised young cat who had seemed so old and wise. She got used to not seeing the tips of his ears sticking up behind her computer monitor as she worked. She got used to worrying with every thunderstorm, every oppressively hot day, and then every cold, snow-filled day. Was Jack somewhere safe and protected?

Old SoLT still worries about Jack, she still misses him, and that is why, on this Black Cat Appreciation Day, we are taking time to tell his story and encourage readers to welcome black cats into their lives. You never know when that cat with the coal-black coat might turn out to be the wise friend you didn’t even know you needed.

A Guide to Cats, Colors, and Luck: It’s Complicated

Well, this doesn't look good for you. The post hasn't even started,
and already there's a black cat on your path.
Do you believe in luck?
Stock image by Petra Kohlstädt via Adobe Stock. 

 

Humans have all sorts of sayings about luck. For some reason, humans have long thought that animals, including cats, have something to do with luck. You know how bad humans are at remembering things, so they’ve made up lots of pithy sayings to remind themselves of how luck works. You know the sort of thing:  If X happens, then you’ll have Y kind of luck. And so on.

She of Little Talent has done some digging into a book of Maryland folklore published in 1925, and she has collected several sayings about what kind of luck you’ll get from various encounters with cats of different colors. She’s put them into this handy little guide. Enjoy.

Black cats

• To meet a black cat early in the morning is a sign of good luck.
• It is bad luck if a black cat crosses your path from right to left; good luck if from left to right.
• If a black cat crosses you path, it is bad luck; worse luck if you are on a journey; worse luck still if she carries a kitten in her mouth. The same is true of a rabbit or hare. Best go home and take food before starting again, or wait until another day.
• If a black cat runs in front of you, it is good luck.
• A black cat looking in the window is a sign of bad luck.
• If a black cat enters your house, it is bad luck.
• If a black cat comes to your house and you take it in, it is good luck.
• It is a sign of good luck for a black cat to enter a newly tenanted house.
• If a black cat comes into a newly opened store, it is a sign of good luck.
• If a black cat licks itself, it is a sign of good luck.

Is this white cat a harbinger of doom or a
good-luck charm? Either way, she's very pretty.
Stock image by seregraff via Adobe Stock.

 White cats

• It is good luck to let a pure white cat go across your path.
• If a white cat runs in front of you, it is bad luck.

 Gray cats

• It is bad luck for a gray cat to cross your path.

 Tuxedo cats

• A black cat with a white breast in a bedroom is a sign of bad luck.

Conclusion

To sum up, if you encounter a cat in the state of Maryland, you might have either good or bad luck, depending on (a) the cat’s color; (b) the time of day; and (c) whether you meet the cat, it crosses your path, runs in front of you, looks in your window, comes in your house, and/or licks itself. Apparently tuxedo cats affect luck only in the bedroom.

What kind of luck will you get from calico kittens in party hats?
We don't know, but it looks good.
Stock image by Katrina Brown via Adobe Stock.

Oddly, there is no saying about what kind of luck calico cats bring. I say “oddly” because the calico is the state cat of Maryland, so you’d think that encountering one would bring good luck. Unless you are on a journey and the calico cat crosses your path from left to right while walking backwards and carrying a black kitten. Then…well, you should probably go home and go back to bed. But buy a lottery ticket first, because you might just have good luck.

If you believe in that sort of thing.

Source

All sayings about cats and luck are quoted from Folk-Lore from Maryland, collected by Annie Weston Whitney and Caroline Canfield Bullock (New York: American Folk-Lore Society, 1925, Reprint 1929).

Black Cat Syndrome May Be Real, but Shelters Can Do Something About It

Would this cat wait longer to be adopted from a shelter than a
lighter-colored cat would?
Photo via Adobe Stock.

In recent cat news, a study of cat adoption records from a New York shelter reveals that “black cat syndrome” is a real thing, and that shelters can do a couple simple things to help combat it.

What is black cat syndrome?

“Black cat syndrome” describes the phenomenon in which mostly dark-colored cats wait longer to be adopted than cats of other colors. Miranda Workman and Christy L. Hoffman, both professors of animal behavior at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY, designed a study to look for evidence of the syndrome at a shelter in western New York. They analyzed records of 892 cat adoptions between October 2012 and October 2013, comparing adoptability rates of black or smoke cats to cats of other colors. Using Petfinder.com, the authors looked at things like the number of clicks each cat received per day, how long each cat waited before being adopted, and details of the cats’ online photographs.

On the question of coat color, “The black/smoke cats received significantly fewer clicks per day and had a significantly longer length of availability," Hoffman said.

So, it seems that black cats were less popular online, got fewer looks from potential adopters, and spent more time in the shelter waiting to be noticed. In other words, they suffered from black cat syndrome.

 It's not all bad...

A mostly dark cat photographed
in a mostly dark
cage looks ... unhappy.
Photo by Bruno Passigatti.

But that’s not all the authors found. Digging deeper into things that could influence a cat’s popularity, Workman and Hoffman also looked at several aspects of the cats’ online portraits: Were the photos taken from the front or the side? Did they show only the cat’s head or the whole body? Was the cat looking at the camera? What size were the cat’s pupils? How were the cat’s ears positioned?

Out of all the aspects of the photographs the researchers considered, only two made any difference:

Cats photographed outside of a cage and cats photographed with a toy were more popular than those photographed in a cage or without a toy.

The takeaway

So, shelters, get those black cats out of their cages to take their pictures, and give them a prop that says, “Hey, look at me! I’m playful, fun, and interesting!” Hoffman and Workman summed it up basically the same way, but a little more scientifically: “Strategic use of toys in cats’ photographs may promote adoptions of cats who are typically overlooked.” (By the way, we love that they wrote “cats who are” rather than “cats that are.” Because, you know, a cat is not an object.)

A dark cat outside of a cage
with a toy looks fun, playful,
says, "Take me home!"
Photo by cynoclub.

All of this raises the question of why black cats tend to be overlooked. We can see no rational explanation. Black cats are beautiful, they can make fantastic companions, and black goes with anything, so they’ll always match your outfit.

(By the way again, in a separate study, Hoffman found no evidence for “black dog syndrome”; in fact, that study found that black dogs had a slightly shorter wait for adoption than dogs of other colors. Breed and age were more important factors than coat color in dog adoptions.)

Sources

Canisius College. (2016, February 3). “No Evidence Found for 'Black Dog Syndrome.'” ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 17, 2016 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160203185534.htm

Workman, M. K. & Hoffman, C. L. (2015).  “An Evaluation of the Role the Internet Site Petfinder Plays in Cat Adoptions.” Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science,

18(4), 388–397. Abstract available at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10888705.2015.1043366?journalCode=haaw20

Read More

Black Cat Superstitions

Cats in Art: An Old Woman with Cat by Max Liebermann

Wordless Wednesday

An Old Woman with Cat

1878.

Oil on canvas by German artist Max Liebermann (1847–1935).

Digital image courtesy of the Getty's Open Content Program.

Four Literary Cats: The Black Cat Magazine Covers

Wordless Wednesday

The Black Cat was an American literary magazine
publishing short stories from 1895 to 1922. It was
published by the Shortstory Publishing Company in
Boston, MA.

This cover is from December 1890.
The artist is unknown.

Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

The Black Cat.

October 1895.

Nelly Littlehale Murphy, cover artist.

Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

The Black Cat.

March 1896.

Nelly Littlehale Murphy, cover artist.

Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

The Black Cat.

May 1898.

Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.