Sunday Selfie: Paisley Loafs

Today's Sunday Selfie features Real Cat Paisley in a classic loaf position:

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

Caturday Art: Paisley Gets Sponged

This week's Caturday Art features Real Cat Paisley in one of those photos that came out kind of blurry. Old SoLT used the Sponge filter in Photoshop to make it look arty:

We also have these two late entries from Dreamscope. They took four days to finish, but we like them. Old SoLT wrote down which effects she used, but now she can't find the paper.

And here's the original:

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

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

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

Words with Webster

Hi, everybody! It’s me, Real Cat Webster. Welcome to Words with Me. Today’s word is “cat owl.” I picked this word because I saw it in the dictionary and thought it was neat. Anyway, a cat owl is “an owl having ear tufts (as the great horned owl, long-eared owl, or screech owl),” according to my favorite dictionary, Merriam-Webster’s. The tufts make them look kind of like cats.

The Oxford English Dictionary has this 1854 quote from H. D. Thoreau:

An unmistakable cat-owl … with the most harsh and tremendous voice … responded. (Walden, 292)

I guess I’ve never done the word “cat,” but it’s been around since about ad 700 and ultimately comes from the Late Latin cattus. Mommy says we'll tell you more in another post sometime soon.

Does this eastern screech owl look
like a cat? We think it looks like Webster!
Photo via Adobe Stock.

As for “owl,” that comes to us from Old English ule, which is from Proto-Germanic uwwalon-. That is from the Proto-Indo-European root u(wa)l-, which is supposed to sound like the sound an owl makes. One of the Latin words for “owl” is ulula, another word that imitates an owl sound. (This is all according to the Online Etymology Dictionary.) Click here to see and hear an eastern screech owl calling.

What about his great horned owl ?
Photo via Adobe Stock.

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. Before you go to sleep, you need to take a bath by licking your whole body. Who wants to go to bed all dirty?

2. After you eat, you need to wash your face and whiskers, because it’s bad form to go around with cat food on your nose or somewhere.

Old SoLT’s answers:

3. Winter is my least-favorite season. I am ready for it to end.

4. Spring always makes me feel hopeful and energized. I love the warmer temps and longer days and seeing the flowers open. It’s also one of the happiest times to be in the Washington, DC area because the cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin are beyond beautiful. The couple of times I’ve gone there in person have been amazing.

Cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin, with the Washington Monument in the background.
Photo via Adobe Stock.

Hardy Gets Adopted and Alley Cat Rescue Increases Reward for Information on His Abuser

Hardy after his rescue
Photo by Alley Cat Rescue.

You may recall that about two months ago, we posted about a Maryland cat named Hardy who had suffered sustained, painful abuse at the hands of an unknown person. We recently got an update from Alley Cat Rescue, we’re pleased to report that Hardy has been adopted by a couple who will give him the loving care he deserves.

Both of the adopters work in the veterinary field and can provide him with the kind of expert care his injuries require. Hardy’s abuser had cut his ears and bound his limbs and tail. As a result, Hardy has lost most of his toes. According to ACR program manager Niki Cochran, “Hardy will likely be afflicted with arthritis, litter box issues and pain in his feet.” However, “He should live a happy and healthy life with continued veterinary care.”

Unfortunately, Hardy’s abuser still has not been identified. ACR continues to focus on bringing this person or persons to justice. This is for Hardy, certainly, but it is also for the larger community. As ACR communications associate Brianna Grant explains, “Animal cruelty can be indicative of a violent personality. A person who commits such violent acts against an innocent cat could progress to hurting more animals or even people.”

ACR is offering a reward of $3,500 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case. In addition, the Prince George’s Police Department is investigating and is also offering a reward. Anyone with information should call the police department at 301-772-4911. Callers who prefer to remain anonymous may call 1-866-411-8477.

Cat of the Week: Marley

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.

Today we’re introducing a handsome ginger tabby named Marley. He is 12 years old and is very sweet. He loves to curl up in a comfy cat bed, and he also enjoys catnip mice. And check out those whiskers! We just know this gentleman will make a wonderful companion for someone.

Marley is currently at 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!

Cat Classics in Print: Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats (1939)

Today’s Cat Classic in Print is T. S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, which we think should be in every cat person’s library. This Book of Practical Cats, first published in 1939, is a slim collection of 15 bits of whimsical verse, each of which begs to be read aloud. These poems are also the basis for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Cats.

Eliot (1888–1965) began writing the cat poems in 1934–35 as gifts for children, including his godchildren. He had many cats during his lifetime, and it’s obvious from the names he gave them that he was a cat person. Only a true cat lover would give a cat such a memorable name as George Pushdragon or Jellylorum. Speaking of names, the “Old Possum” of the book’s title is Eliot himself. He was given this nickname by fellow poet Ezra Pound, and he signed many drafts of his cat poems with some variation of it.

Speaking of names again, this book begins with the poem that happens to be our favorite, “The Naming of Cats.” In this rhyme. Eliot posits that cats have, in fact, three names: a “sensible, everyday” name (Victor or Augustus, for example), a “more dignified” name (Munkustrap, Bombalurina), and the name that “the cat himself knows, and will never confess” (obviously I can’t give you an example!). This poem also answers that question all cat people ask: What do cats think about when they just sit there and stare? Eliot says,

T. S. Eliot, 1934.
Photo by Thomas Stearns Eliot.
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

When you notice a cat in profound meditation,

   The reason, I tell you, is always the same:

His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation

    Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name.

Other favorites are “The Rum Tum Tugger” (“When you let him in, then he wants to be out; / He’s always on the wrong side of every door”), “Macavity: The Mystery Cat” (“he’s called the Hidden Paw—For he’s the master criminal who can defy the Law”), and “Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat” (“You are bound to admit that it’s very nice / To know that you won’t be bothered by mice”).

Besides cats, of course, the main thing these poems have in common is the sheer fun they have with the English language. This is always one of our favorite things; after all, what’s the good of language if you can’t play around with it? These verses are the sort of thing we can return to on a dreary day when there doesn’t seem to be any fun to be had. Just read about a practical cat or two, and the day instantly looks brighter.

T. S. Eliot's illustrated cover for the
1939 edition.
Via Wikimedia Commons.

And now let’s talk about illustrations. We have a copy of the 1982 edition with illustrations by Edward Gorey. There is also a newer edition (most recently published in 2012 by Faber) with illustrations by Axel Scheffler. We enjoy Gorey’s work, so we admit to being partial, but we recommend that edition for the delight to be had by simply browsing through the illustrations (unless you don’t like Gorey illustrations, in which case, what’s wrong with you?).

Talking a little further about illustrations, Eliot himself illustrated the cover of the first edition, which depicts a man helping cats get up a ladder.

Our verdict

I think I already said that Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats belongs in every cat person’s library, but I thought it was worth repeating. This is a delightful book that is not about cats that mostly take naps. These cats have occupations (which is what makes them “practical”), and while it’s nice to read about the cat who is a steady, quiet companion, sometimes it’s more fun to read about cats doing things, living active lives. We also enjoy seeing a writer of serious, Nobel Prize–winning verse doing something lighter, something purely joyful.

So, if you have never read this book, read it!

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!

Sources

Sutherland, John. (2016). “An Introduction to Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.” Discovering Literature: 20^th Century. British Library. https://www.bl.uk/20th-century-literature/articles/an-introduction-to-old-possums-book-of-practical-cats

“Cats.” AndrewLloydWebber.com. https://www.andrewlloydwebber.com/show/cats/

Sunday Selfie: Webster at the Vet

Real Cat Webster is the model for this week's Sunday Selfie, which was taken while he was waiting for test results at the vet's office:

Webs had been kind of barfy for a few days, so he had to go get checked out. His bloodwork and x-rays were fine, and the vet suspects he has an irritable bowel. He's doing a lot better now. He got some fluids and an anti-nausea med and prescription wet food (which of course he won't eat!). Paws crossed that old SoLT and family will find a food that agrees with him.

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