a cat meets a creature from the sea

The best email I received all month contained this:

Hooray for coworkers who know how to brighten your day.

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the woman behind those crazy japanese cat costumes

You’ve probably seen these incredibly wacky Japanese cat costumes before:

Now you can meet the tailor behind them: Takako Iwasa. While it’s a very lovely and inspiring article, it does repeat these incredibly bizarre instructions for dressing up your cat:

“First, dress her up. Cheer or yell. Do whatever you like to enjoy the moment with your family. Second, after you are enough with your joy, take a photo! And third, remove her clothes and give her a hug, say ‘Thank you!’”

Imagine how that would seem from the cat’s point of view. First, your owner forces you into a ridiculous costume. Then he or she yells at you. Then he or she snaps a flash photo in your eyes. Then it’s all over and you get a hug. All that’s needed for it to sound completely like abuse is for there to be a fourth step of whispering in the cat’s ear not to tell anyone about what happened or you’ll kill her.

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cat business trip!

holy crap, this commercial for a japanese hotel site is amazing.

I’m going to Japan in April, and I hope I see a cat wearing a tie.

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japanese stationmaster cat gets promoted!

I’ve written before about Tama, the Japanese cat with a very important job as a stationmaster. Now I am happy to report that Tama just got a promotion!

Tama is now an “operating officer,” the first time in the world for a cat to become an executive of a railroad corporation. Regular world wide whiskers readers know I have a special place in my heart for cats with jobs, but I’m not sure how I feel about a cat who has a better job than I do!

Please enjoy the video below, featuring lots of meowing from Tama:

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the best game show ever

This morning, the Fuzzkill sent me a link to the best game show ever: a Japanese cat weightlifting game show!

But no, it’s not what you’d think. The cats aren’t lifting weights–they’re lifting fish!

Oh Japan, your relationship with cats is so cute and cuddly and bizarre. I love you.

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ridiculous, completely unnecessary products for both cats and humans

I like to buy things for my cat. I like to buy things with cats on them. But this is just absurd.

Cat ear earphones–pretty self-explanatory.

Fancy Feast Appetizers for Cats–please note that these are not intended to replace meals, but rather to truly act as a first course for your cat. Is this a ploy by fancy feast to fatten the cats of america? Why would a cat need extra food, even if it is steamed wild alaskan salmon in a delicate broth or flaked skipjack tuna, also in a delicate broth? (In fact, all eight varieties come in “a delicate broth.”)

Ridiculous.

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the mickey mouse of japan (sorta)

This is Toro Inoue.

Before today, I had never heard of him. But according to this site, he’s the sony mascot, sort of like the mickey mouse of japan. People are excited because soon he’ll finally be featured in an American game, but I wish somehow he were drawn to look cuddlier.

Oh, and he doesn’t always have a fish for a body. In case you were wondering.

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japanese cat owners are so weird

I have never seen a cat look less interested in life. But maybe that’s because it’s wearing bunny ears and a hot pink wig.

I was tipped off to this video by Crispin Best, who made that lovely cat book trailer I posted about recently.

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super creepy cat stuff from japan

This is “Yume-Neko Venus,” or “Dream Cat Venus.”

SHE IS NOT REAL. SHE IS A ROBO-CAT.

This Japanese toy is “equipped with touch sensors that let it engage in such real-life feline behavior as purring, moving its legs when you rub its belly, and sleeping a lot. It will not, as far as we know, scratch your face or drag mice in.”

My first reaction to this fake cat was horror. Then I thought about people with allergies, or children who need to begin to learn how to interact with a pet. And then I realized that having this thing in your house would nothing at all like having a real cat. My relationship with Jack is not based on him moving his legs and sleeping. It’s based on the interaction of our personalities, the way he has a special meow for his toys, the way he humps the blanket ten times a day. Having some fake dead thing with fur on it would be nothing like having a real cat. You can love Dream Cat Venus, but she can’t love you back.

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nothing says 2009 like a kitty

Looking for a new twist on Beaujolais Nouveau to drink at New Year’s? Want to somehow incorporate cats into your celebration?

 

We all know how much Hello Kitty likes a good beaujolais.

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