I went up to the den to sit and read in the easy chair, with my feet on the ottoman. But Flicka, of course, was occupying the ottoman again, and William left no room in the easy chair, which was… Read More ›
Cats
“When napping on the ottoman…
…it’s very important to show off your extra toes, and to sprawl out so there’s no room for anyone else to sit there.” So says Flicka.
“A round kitty bed…
…is the perfect shape for curling up in,” says William. “Circles rule!” he added geometrically.
Flicka’s toes
Flicka is showing off her stripey nose and her extra toes:
RIP Vincent, 2004–2022
Vincent died today. He could barely stand up, and he had almost entirely stopped eating. For his last meal he managed to eat a couple of teaspoons of chicken-flavored baby food. At the end he weighed 5.8 pounds. He was… Read More ›
Don’t shoot off fireworks in residential neighborhoods…
…where they scare cats and dogs, trigger PTSD in war veterans, and are illegal.
All four cats…
companionably eating their dinner together. And should be no fighting over the food bowls, with four bowls for four cats:
Learning Ukrainian: progress report #2
It’s now one week since my first progress report. Apparently I’ve learned 95 new words in the past seven days. Duolingo previously said that I had learned 105 words in the first three days. Eek, am I slowing down? Aside… Read More ›
CatNet
Yes, I occasionally read YA novels. Maybe one or two a year. Perhaps it’s because I’m a teacher of young adults; there are certain Young Adult novels that give the reader insight into these fascinating creatures, just as there are… Read More ›
Cats on ottoman
Apparently there’s plenty of room for both boy cats on the ottoman:
One pączki, two pączki? Fat Thursday, not Fat Tuesday? Are you confused yet?
Let me unconfuse you, as I earlier had to unconfuse myself. Unless you are Polish, or live(d) in a predominantly Polish neighborhood (like the northern tip of Dorchester), you surely think that a Polish pastry is called a pączki (pronounced… Read More ›
A near-future dystopian novel by a Canadian woman author: any guesses who the author is?
No, it’s not Margaret Atwood. We’re talking about The Madness of Crowds, by Louise Penny. It’s not nearly as dystopian as Atwood’s vision, but it still nudges us in that direction. This is the newest (#17) novel in the Armand… Read More ›
No, it’s not Lupin. It’s Hannah LeBaron’s Adventure Cats!
Some say you can’t train a cat. My former student Hannah LeBaron and her cat Lily beg to differ. Go read the interview with them on the Community Cats podcast! Apparently Hannah is now an influencer on social media—or so… Read More ›
An excessively large box for Flicka
For some reason Flicka likes this excessively large box. Apparently she doesn’t understand that cats are supposed to sit in boxes that are slightly too small for them!
Feline Philosophy: Cats and the Meaning of Life
Quick: What is the meaning of life? You said 42, right? No, wait a minute—that’s a different book. In Feline Philosophy: Cats and the Meaning of Life, philosopher John Gray explores what cats think about the meaning of life, what… Read More ›
Pawliamentary immunity
Yay! News out of Israel that’s about cooperation, not conflict. According to YNet, Israel’s major English-language news source, the 30 stray cats who hang out in the backyard of the Knesset have started entering the building, with the response that…… Read More ›
A Cat
Why had I never heard of this book before? Well, at least I’m not alone. A Cat is a little-known 1995 work written by Leonard Michaels and illustrated by Frances Lerner. I read the 2018 Tin House hardcover version, which I… Read More ›
Think of the veterans. And think of the cats… and dogs.
Think of the veterans who are your neighbors. Think of the cats and dogs who are your pets and your neighbors’ pets. They are assailed by endless illegal fireworks every night. Fireworks can trigger PTSD in veterans, and they can… Read More ›
The cats know what to do!
William, Flicka, and Vincent — as you can see — were observing proper social distancing as they lined up six feet apart, waiting patiently for their dinner last night. (BTW, William isn’t quite as large as the perspective makes him… Read More ›
Learning Strategies 