From the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, DC, again, click here to see the Asian fishing kittens which were recently born. Unfortunately these lovely animals are endangered due to habitat destruction.
Bonus Sappy Cat photo:
This is Maine Coon kittie, Sam Vimes lounging in the breakfast nook. (My cats never climb on the furniture.)
Reference and photo credit for the fishing cat: Smithsonian National Zoo.
Cheetah cubs at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.
Three weeks after their unconventional and rocky entrance into the world, two 3-week-old cheetahs were transported May 18 to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in good health, thanks to the hard work and swift actions of animal care staff at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia. They are being hand-raised at the Zoo and will require around-the-clock care until they are ready to make their public debut late this summer.
Love this. I’ll have to figure out a place to do this for my cats. Found at saucy dwellings.
Bonus Sappy Cat for this week is Murphy.
Great Literature of Cats 101 from the folks over at BuzzFeed.
Manul – the Cat that Time Forgot – or the Pallas Cat.
Described as one of the first of two species of modern cat to emerge. The Pallas cat has remained unchanged for millenia. The other early modern species, Martelli’s Cat, is extinct. Here is more about this lovely animal on The Ark in Space.
Sam Vimes, above, and Murphy, below.
Noodle is MIA – or MUS (missing upstairs)
I am having painters come on Monday to paint the dining room. So I am packing and shlepping everything that I can out of the room so the painters can work. Here is my crew lying down on the job.
One of the tasks is moving the 300+ cookbooks I own. I am seriously thinking that this may amount to hoarding and maybe I should de-accession some of them (and have my head examined.) This is the collection of two lifetimes – mine and my mother’s. I’ll have to think more about this.
Moggies at Sea . . . This story from the U.S. Naval Institute on Cats in the Sea Services, carries photos of kitties on ships:
Sailors and cats have a special relationship that dates back thousands of years. It is likely that the ancient Egyptians were the first seafarers to realize the true value of having cats as shipmates. In addition to offering sailors much needed companionship on long voyages, cats provided protection by ridding ships of vermin. Without the presence of cats, a crew might find their ship overrun with rats and mice that would eat into the provisions, chew through ropes and spread disease. The more superstitious sailors believed that cats protected them by bringing good luck. It was also common for crews to adopt cats from the foreign lands they visited to serve as souvenirs as well as reminders of their pets at home.
Sappy cat blogging and knitting combine in this book: Knit Your Own Cat by Sally Muir and Joanna Osbourne.
There is a dog book, too.
Thanks to David for this referral:
This is a video of a homeless man in Santa Barbara and his pets. They work State Street every week for donations. The animals are pretty well fed and are mellow. They are a family. The man who owns them rigged up a harness for his cat so she wouldn’t have to walk so much (like the dog and himself). At some juncture the rat came along, and as no one wanted to eat anyone else, the rat started riding with the cat and, often, on the cat! The dog will stand all day and let you talk to him and admire him for a few chin scratches.The Mayor of Santa Barbara filmed this clip and sent it out as a holiday card.
Firearms, fibers, any news or behaviors that make me say, "hmm, let me take another look at this."
I still miss my man, but my aim is getting better.
Gunsmoke and Knitting 