jessica (a non-feline interlude)

This is Jessica.

As you can see, she is not a cat. She is a hippo. But as I marveled at her last night on Animal Planet, I knew I had to write about her. Jessica lives with her family (her human family) in South Africa. She eats sweet potatoes. She cuddles with the dog. It’s fairly insane.
And, as you’ll see in this video, her owner may be the first hippo lady.

your cat chose you (and other scientific musings)

According to new information from the National Academy of Sciences, cats, unlike other animals, domesticated themselves.

“It all came about, the researchers concede, because of wild cats’ powers of observation. They had the wits to notice that the first human settlements were full of uncleared garbage strewn about by their slovenly inhabitants and so were overrun with rats, mice and sparrows. The cats decided to move into this inviting new ecological niche, even though the price of admission was to develop a disdainful tolerance of people.”

I’d like to think that something similar happened when Jack saw me from his cage at Hope Vet. He realized that coming home with me and Jon would mean a very inviting new ecological niche of belly scratches, blankets to hump, and an occasional unattended plate of chicken.

cute things falling asleep

Have you ever been so tired?

This seems . . . unsafe.

This was not the only photo of an animal falling asleep over the rungs of a chair. How does this happen?

How is this comfortable?

I think I have been that tired, actually.

christian keyboard cat???

You just know that secretly this cat is an atheist and she just hasn’t found a way to tell her owner yet.

I especially enjoy the jesus-cam portion.

tango on tv

At 16 seconds into the below video, if you look in the lower right hand corner, you might see an unusual guest on this British talk show panel.

Did you see him? That orange cat is named Tango, and his owner, Jackie Ellery, didn’t even know he was missing until a friend called to tell her he was on tv!

Mrs Ellery was then shocked to see ginger tom Tango wandering around the set of talk show Question Time, which was filming at a school in her hometown of Cornwall.

“He’s a mischievous cat anyway and because we live so close to the school he’s often in the school grounds.”

“I’ve even been asked for his paw-tograph.”

His paw-tograph? Seriously?

cats that break the law: beware of hoppy

This is Hoppy.

Hoppy is 19 years old and lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with his owner, 82-year-old Leo Noltimier. Hoppy is a criminal.

After attacking not one but two dogs, Hoppy has been labeled “potentially dangerous” by Minneapolis Animal Care and Control, one of only two cats to receive such a designation (in contrast, 140 dogs are possible lawbreakers.) He’s even had a search warrant out for him!

You can see video of Hoppy, looking a little bit scared and not very dangerous, here. It seems like the simple solution would just be to keep Hoppy indoors, but I guess that scenario hasn’t met with Hoppy’s approval.

Oh, and if you’re curious, the other “potentially dangerous” cat in Minneapolis is named Ralph. He is still at large.

(thanks to Dan for tipping me off to this story.)

cats in tiny hats

I am sure that the proprietor of To Scarborough Fair is a lovely person and a wonderful crafter. But can I ask why any cat would need to wear a tiny hat?

The site notes that these hats are also perfect for dolls, and that the cats in the pictures seemed to enjoy wearing the hats. I guess it would just never occur to me to buy Jack a hat. Then again, it would never occur to me, if I had a dog, to dress him or her in outfits, and plenty of people do that, too. So it seems like if your cat does need a tiny hat, this is the place to go.

how to talk to your cat

When one of Jon’s nephews came to visit, he became convinced that we had a talking cat. I talk to Jack all the time, and he talks back. He understands when I am calling him, when I say “dinner!” and when jon wants to play with him. We understand when he is hungry and when he is playing with his toys (he has a special gargle-esque meow for that). But, unlike this video suggests, I do not generally meow or growl at him.

Also of note: I have never ever seen Jack’s tail do the thing it’s supposed to do when he’s angry. I think he just doesn’t get mad.

this is your cat. this is your cat on drugs.

I hope you enjoy this video, narrated by a very dignified British man, of cats getting high in a catnip garden. My favorite is the cat who is so high that he starts drooling.

I had no idea the flowers of catnip are so pretty. Maybe we can get Jack a little mini catnip garden of his own . . .

cats at work

Today is Take Your Dog to Work Day.

Rather than complain about how it’s not Take Your Cat to Work Day, I thought I’d compile a set of pictures of cats at the office instead. Behold!

Somebody needs to learn to clean off his desk.

Somebody has too many post-its.

His desk isn’t messy, he just has a lot of work.

And finally, a way to keep your frisky cat co-workers from interfering with your important typing.