The Cat Report (W.12/11-20) --Yellow Kittens

 I missed the message about little Gibbs’ adoption, which gave me an anxious moment at one point when I was trying to add up all the cats scattered around the room and coming up one kitten short. Luckily all was well.

The Yellow Kittens definitely dominate the room. Their mother (ZOLA) seemed overwhelmed by their energy so I gave her the big cage to herself. The three kittens share a four-cage stretch all along the bottom row. 

The two quiet cats, Mr. William and Manicotti, didn’t come out but loved having attention inside their cages. WILLIAM just melts when you pet him, rubbing this face against yours and purring up a storm. MANICOTTI is a little more reserved but shd warm up as he gets used to the room. ZOLA, who's a tiny thing herself (only a year or so old) also loves attention but can’t compete with the kittens when it comes to games, withdrawing from their boisterousness.

The kittens are adorable. They don’t like being petted and are alarmed at the idea of being picked up, but they’re well-socialized and don’t swat or nip. They love games and play them with whole-hearted enthusiasm as only kittens can. One of the kitten took his favorite toy (the bug on a string on a stick) and dragged it off to his lair (wherever that lair was at the time. They all loved the laser pointer and the string game, but bug-on-a-string-on-a-stick was by far their favorite. And it was good to see them get more accepting of some petting just within a single shift; shdn’t be long before they’re fine with it.

Mr. William, by the way, was very happy with the string game, but you have to keep an eye on him and see that he doesn’t try to eat the string, which wd do him a world of no good inside.  He’s really too big for the cage set-up we have him in now (when he stands up the little karenda (sp?) in his cage gets lifted off the cage floor). I offered him a cat-boat bed instead but he seemed to prefer the original set-up, so I defaulted back to that in the end.

I wdn’t be surprised if this whole lot of cats don’t find new homes within a week. Glad that I had a chance to meet them.

—John R.

The Cat Report (Fr. 11/27-20)

Here's a quick update on our current crop of cats.

POPPY SEED and CHIA CAT, the bonded pair of half-grown kittens, are still with us. They’ve overcome most of their shyness and come out right away to make the place their own, playing every kind of game offered to them. POPPY SEED (the black one) loves to get his teeth in a toy and then drag it off to his lair. CHIA loves being petted almost as much as she enjoys playing with her sister. Both come and go in and out of Maya’s place without a second though.

The three new kittens (WALLY, GUS GUS, and FIONA) follow the recent pattern of arriving and being adopted within a day or two, so they were already gone off to their new homes. 

Mother cat MAYA (who’s only a year old herself) is adjusting to being on her own. She’s shy about coming out but loves being petted in her cage. It helps that she has the great big cage which offers lots of shelves to look out in several directions. She let me pick her up and carry her out of her cage but always went back in again when opportunity presented itself. Ninety minutes into my shift she came out to explore on her own and thoroughly checked out the inner room. She poked her head into the outer room a few times but declined to venture into the kitten-playing zone.

Nobody was up for a walk, but everyone got attention and a chance to stretch like only kittens and young cats can do and show off their pouncing.

—John R.

 

The Cat Report (W.4/16-14)

Great news that Mr. Neighbors has found his own home and made himself very much at home in it already. A happy ending there for a v. charismatic and friendly cat.

That leaves us with two or three old-timers (MR. SCRUFFS, My Pal KABOODLE, and, depending on how you count her, BOUILLABASSE), one relative newcomer (KASPAR), and two new arrivals (bounded pair CHONGO & MONYA, whose names, for some reason, I find really hard to remember and keep straight).

I started off with my SCRUFFY-attitude-adjustment-project, letting him out of his cage before anybody else (despite outraged and beseeching protests from several of the other cats, who said it was No Fair). He was v. much interested in a walk, as in getting out of that room for a while, but too nervous about being on the wrong side of the cat-room door to stay out. What I eventually worked out was to prop the cat-room door open. Then he was quite eager to come out and explore in the area around the room: away from the cages but close to familiar, safe territory. He not only let me pet him but went up to various people nearby to see if they'd give him some attention too. So while it upset the others I think it was worth it to improve Mr. Scruffs' mood (that he's withdrawing into himself some isn't surprising, given how long he's been living in that room). Afterwards he went back into his cage and stayed there, but he was pleased, I think, to have a catnip-laced box in there some of the time. I started to clean his cage around him, intending to leave the half he was on (with the cat-blankets and stand) pretty much as is, but he made my job easier by coming out on his own accord until I had everything neat and tidy for him again. 

KABOODLE was none too pleased to have had to stay in his cage while all those interesting things were going on just outside, but was firm in declining a walk of his own, giving voice when I tried carrying him around for a short guided tour of the store. Instead he preferred to go up to cagetop land, where he stayed most of the rest of the morning, and was prompt in claiming the cat-nip box once Mr. Scruffs was through with it and I moved it up to the cage-tops. He also enjoyed a string game with the leather bootlace. Sometime later Monya went up there, to his apparent astonishment, and he silently stalked her, keeping a close eye on her activities but never moving to engage her. He protested at having to go back in his cage at the end of morning: think an ideal Kaboodle-world would be where he cd come and go in an otherwise catless environment, getting attention when he wanted it and otherwise being left alone in the snooze-spot of his choosing. There's a limit to how much we can re-create that environment in a smallish room with five other cats, but the closer we come the better he likes it.

BOUILLABASSE was in a good mood today and accepted the offer of a walk with alacrity. She didn't really want to go anywhere, though; she seemed to like best rolling on the cool smooth cement floor. Back in the room she got atop the cat-stand by the cabinet and snoozed there the rest of the morning. I got her to purr for me, and she didn't do her old trick of sneaking in the eat out of the other cats' dishes, though it did look as if we'll still have to watch and make sure she's grooming herself properly. 

KASPAR is really coming out of his shell (that didn't take long). He seems to be claiming the boss-of-the-room title, but fortunately without any bullying so far as I cd see: more a matter of holding his ground and insisting the other cats detour around him, rather than moving and getting out of their way. He got very excited while playing with a feather-duster, and later with the string-game (I left the leather bootlace tied to the door of his cage for him to play with). Beware, though: when he gets too excited, or when he feels you need disciplined, he'll nibble on your hand -- not breaking the skin, but might be alarming to a visitor who wasn't expecting it.  He also did some chasing of balls, mostly in the area inside the door in front of Mr. Scruff's cage.  He v. much wanted a walk but I cdn't oblige while the other cats were out, so he had to wait (impatiently) till end-of-shift. Then he proved himself a mighty walker, ranging all over the store. His favorite part was bird-watching, though he was fascinated by the guinea pig as well; not so sure about the fish. So far as the birds went, he was captivated at once and hunkered down in front of their cages, eyes locked on the birds within. The zebra finches didn't like the look of it and quietly took themselves off to gather quietly at the back of their cage. The spice finches, by contrast, were deeply interested in this strangely intent visitor, and came up as close as they cd to the glass to see what he'd do next. An interesting dynamic, each watching the other with considerable interest. Others must have been taking him out for walks as well, for the employees at check-out knew him by name as he went past on his way back to the cat-room.

That just leaves the newcomers, or latest bonded pair, Chongo and Monya. To my surprise the much smaller MONYA was the more confident and inquisitive of the two. She came out and explored, keeping mostly to the area back between the cabinet and the laundry hamper. She hasn't fully worked out the hanging steps but has some idea what they're for. She was briefly up on the cagetops, where she made a face after apparently detecting a smell that appalled her. She too loves the feather duster, leaping upon it in full predator mode. Seems to be a nice cat who'll need a fair amount of attention to burn off all that energy.

As for the other member of the Chongo-Monya partnership, Chongo, the male and bigger of the two, stayed in his cage most of the morning, only coming out a little before noon. He tread cautiously but seems well-behaved. Kaspar was between him and the door to the room, where he wanted to look out, so CHONGO made a growl-pass of Kaspar's position: much rumbling (mainly from Chongo) but no hissing, not aggression: Kaspar let him pass without a swipe of the paw from either side. Let's hope that sets a good precedent of live and let live.  I don't remember if I wanted either of the newcomers, and didn't make any notes re. that: think Chongo was in-and-out and Monya was out for a fairly brief but uneventful walk, but cdn't swear to it.

We had a steady stream of visitors, several of whom were thinking of adopting and checking out these cats to see if they might include The One. One said she'd had a cat who lived to be 21, and another was mourning the loss of her 22-yr-old. My comment: if your cat lives to be 22, you're obviously doing something right. Let's hope we see some of these folks again, esp. the guy who was so taken with Bouillabasse; they seemed like a really good match.

No health concerns, so that's pretty much it for another Wednesday.

--John R.

Ursula K. Le Guin and the Comfy Chair

So, as long as I'm wrapping up some belated posting re. the Puyallup book fair of three weeks ago, I'd be remiss not to mention Ursula K. Le Guin's presentation on Saturday Sept. 24th, the day after Susan Cooper's speech.

The first thing that impressed me is that, rather than having her stand at the traditional podium, they v. sensibly gave her a comfy chair on a small raised platform, so she could sit in comfort and see (and be seen by) the audience at the same time. A nice bit of planning on somebody's part.

I had suspected that, Le Guin having introduced Cooper on Friday night, Cooper wd return the favor by introducing Le Guin on Saturday, but such proved not to be the case (though Cooper was present for Le Guin's event -- Janice spotted her sitting two rows ahead of us.

Unlike Cooper, who gave a talk, Le Guin's was a reading -- primarily of poetry, but ending with some prose as well, followed by a question and answer session.

I'm not as eager a reader of poetry as of prose, though I have been to some wonderful poetry readings in my time (most memorably one by Merwin years ago at Fayetteville). This one was a bit unusual in that I enjoyed the introductions she did framing each individual poem and explaining the circumstances which led to its being written more than I did the poems themselves.* Many, she said, were written in response to challenges posed by a local writing group she's part of, which meets monthly. Most such challenges involve writing in a specific verse form, such as a palindrome (poem #1), sapphics (poem #5), or a villanelle (poem #6), et al.  I assume all six poems she read are in the new Selected/Collected Poems volume they had on sale outside the event (from local bookstore King Books, wh. I'll have to get to one of these days). She ended by reading the first section from one of the TALES FROM EARTHSEA (the first, I think): "Dragonfly" -- which was good, but really didn't grab me. Though it did make me wish Le Guin would record more of her work: she does a really good job of reading it aloud, and the only published examples I know of it are the old Caedmon record vinyl album with "Gwilan's Harp" and "Intracom" on it. It'd be nice, too, to have some of her incisive essays available in her own voice.**

A v. interesting question and answer session following, in which Le Guin several times was asked specific details about the early Earthsea books or THE LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS and rather surprised her audience, I think, by explaining that those were all written a long time ago and the details of the writing process were now hazy decades later. It was honest and unexpected, since so many authors have little stories they like to tell about how they did this or where that came from.*** Le Guin, by contrast, is v. much in the present, focused on the work she's doing now. She's proud of the earlier work, I think (she certainly shd be), but seems content to let it speak for itself.

A few snippets I did jot down (since I devoted less than a page to notes on the reading and three pages to the Q-and-A that followed):

--asked about THE LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS in the most vague and general of terms ("can you discuss that book?"), she replied "I wrote it a long time ago" and wistfully noted that "everybody always wants to talk about the old stuff". In contrast to the gender issues, which seem v. modern, she noted that the political situation, which owed a lot to the cold war, must seem v. foreign to today's readers, a generation after the Berlin Wall came down.

--asked about film adaptations of her work, she praised the 1980 LATHE for having got things right despite its "incredibly low budget". "Since then, it's been down hill all the way". She did praise a stage play version of LEFT HAND staged in Portland this spring but on the whole had to say "I've been bitten a little bit too often".

--how many books has she written so far? "I honestly don't know", but she does know she's written twenty-two novels. "A lot of stuff".

--someone who wants to be a writer but has trouble getting up in the morning got the advice "write at night". LeGuin herself was kindly to this questioner, whom some authors might have scoffed at, and ended with talking about how much she loves what she does: "I'm happier writing [than] anything else"

--do you know the story before you write it? "A good and big question. With a short story, yes. you have to know what you're doing, what's going on. With a novel . . . "  her advice: "Find your own way: they're all right."

--re having once been remarkable that she, along with Silverberg, were unique in winning both the Hugo and the Nebula: "we were a small, dogged band"

--"I do hear what I write. The sound of it is v. important to me. The cadence and the rhythm."

--re. names: "Ursula" is Latin, for "little bear woman"

--any beloved author, who . . . author and books? "Too many to name!" did single out when she was 26 or 27 "when I heard about this guy Tolkien". Beautiful books. Checked out Volume I. Was back when the library opened in the morning for Volume II. "I don't suppose any book had so much effect on me -- how cd you ever get away from Tolkien?"

--did she know Ishii? No: Ishii died in 1913 and she was born in 1929. Her father felt great sadness about how Ishii's life had turned out and never talked about him. She only learned that amazing story years afterwards by reading her mother's book on it. She did know other native american friends of her father's.

--asked about "Why Are Americans Afraid of Dragons" from THE LANGUAGE OF THE NIGHT, she protested that this was written decades ago and she "can't really reconstruct the argument" but still agreed with its basic premise. "a writer like Tolkien is for kids? give me a break!" strongly believes in the "absolute necessity to the human race" of imagination

--she does worry a bit about [video] games, where people seem to be "getting it, not doing it", whereas with reading "you do the book". "reading is an exercise of the imagintion" in a way that playing games isn't. "THE LORD OF THE RINGS your mind does. It's enlarging."

--she "always wanted to be a writer. Told and read to and sung to from the cradle on."


This was followed by the book-signing session. I've already mentioned Le Guin's new poetry collection: she also has out a new, two-volume collection of short stories (wh. shd be pretty good, given that she's a master of the science fiction/fantasy short story -- my two favorite EarthSea pieces are the short tales "The Word of Unbinding" and "The Rule of Names"). The night before, for Cooper, you had to buy the book before you could get it signed (or at least buy A book; I think you cd get up to two signed). For Le Guin they relaxed that restriction, fortunately, perhaps because the bookstore's table was more or less sold out by the time the signing started. So the only rules here were to stand politely in line, to have no more than two books signed, and to write out the name of whoever you wanted them signed to on a sticky note so she wdn't have to stop and ask how names were spelled.

Two other people from Mithlond had made it to the reading, Jason Fisher and Gyda, and we had an enjoyable conversation (about Alan Garner, among other things) that made the standing in line time pass quickly. When it came my turn, I'd brought two books to ask her to sign. Years before in Madison at WisCon 1996 I'd gotten her to sign THE LANGUAGE OF THE NIGHT, which I consider her masterpiece, as well as a little handmade book of hers that I think's my favorite: THE ART OF BUNDJITSU. This time I brought a copy of the individual printing of "From Elfland to Pooghkeepsie" I got a few years back (she commented that she didn't see that one often) and asked her to sign THE ART OF BUNDJITSU again, except this time to Rigby, Hastur, and Feanor. She noted the names, guessed correctly that these were my cats, and took pains to spell all three names correctly. She even asked, of Rigby, "as in Eleanor Rigby" and I said yes.

So there it is: how neat is it that Ursula Le Guin signed a book to my cat? I wasn't the only one who thought it was neat and was glad we came: Janice opted out of the line and just waited for me near the end, not too far from Le Guin's signing table. She told me afterwards that Le Guin is the opposite of Jimmy Carter. Carter, when we saw him at the Univ. bookstore a few years back, is a signing machine, who's worked out a system in which he signs books as quickly as possible, with as little contact with the signee as possible.**** Le Guin, by contrast, Janice said took the time to talk at least briefly with everybody who came through the line. That's a memory a lot of us will keep with us for a long time to come.


As for the rest of the second day of the big Puyallup book fair event, we made a brief visit to the 'mini-Comicon' on the other side o the building, where we chatted with friend Stan (Steve Brown) and bought a pair of HEREVILLE graphic novels by Barry Deutsch ("Yet Another Troll-Fighting 11-Year-Old Orthodox Jewish Girl"); he drew a quick sketch inside of the heroine in the first book, HOW MIRKA GOT HER SWORD, for Janice, and of the troll (wearing my hat), in the second book, HOW MIRKA MET A METEORITE, for me. Here's the link to his website for those who want to find out more about, and perhaps support, a local artist: www.hereville.com

Finally, there's The Revels, whom we got to hear more of while waiting for Le Guin's reading to start. I decided the best way to describe their music was not madrigals -- what's too early and fa-la-lally in style -- nor barber shop quartets (that's too modern a style). Ballad is not right either (esp. given the multiple-singer approach they favor). There's a slight resemblance to chantys, but not much, and hymns are quite different. Instead, what they do is very like secular caroling. That is, they use the voices and effects you often find in Christmas carols, except that these songs have nothing to do with Christmas.

That's when I had a mini-epiphany. Al of the sudden it hit me: this is what Tom Bombadil is supposed to sound like. Not the village idiot but Fr. Xmas. If you substitute a mental image (or, more accurately, imagine a sound), Tom Bomb. fits much better with someone humming carols to himself than to the kind of singing tried out in previous (audio) adaptations. I'll have to play with this idea some more, but I think I may be on to something. We'll see.

So, short version: If you get a chance to go see Susan Cooper and/or Ursula K. Le Guin, do so. Likewise, Puyallup is nince.

--John R.

current reading: THE HIGH KING by Lloyd Alexander [1968]

*a good example is "The Clydesdale Mare", where the phrase "here in the empty pasture" is good, but more memorable was her mentioning what led her to write the piece: how she and a number of other people who drove by enjoyed seeing a small herd of Clydesdales, somewhere just west of Portland I think she said it was, and then recounting their sadness at the herd's being broken up when its owner died, focusing it through the now-solitary mare left behind when her colts were sold off and entire family scattered.  By contrast, I've heard recordings of Larkin in which the intros and the poems beautifully complement each other, and used to have a tape by Frost in which the intros disastrously undercut the poetry.

**given that some essays were given as lectures, there might well be recordings of these out there I'm just not aware of.

***like someone on a 'classic rock' tour telling stories about how he or she came to write or record this or that famous song

****to be fair, Carter wasn't like that at all when signing books at the Harry Schwartz in the Iron Block Building in Milwaukee back in the early nineties, where he was gracious enough to chat briefly with each person getting a book signed. I suppose he's streamlined his process in the years since. Though even now he does still make a minimum of contact: looking up and locking eyes with the person whose book he's signing.

Rigby, being adorable

A fine photo taken tonight by Janice of Rigby, our senior cat (fifteen years and counting). Thought I'd share.  --JDR

Cats In Space*

So, today saw a little news item about how the Iranian space program is coming along nicely, and that within the next six months they're thinking of sending a cat into space and safely returning it to earth (as the U. S. did early on with monkeys and the Soviets with dogs**). And what kind of cat would the Iranians (or, to give them their traditional name, the Persians) send up? Three guesses, and you win if you guessed Persian:

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/iran-considering-sending-persian-cat-to-space.php

--By the way, the cat pictured in the article is not the cat they'd be sending up; in the way of news websites everywhere Talking Points puts up generic pictures (i.e., stock photos) with their articles.

I don't know if this marks the milestone of the first cat in space or not, but I predict he, or she, isn't going to like it. On the other hand, a show cat might be just the thing, since they're trained to be passive and unflappable. So, a neat bit of news, but still, poor cat.

--John R., from Arkansas***




*If you're of my generation, you'll hear echoes of THE MUPPET SHOW when you see this phrase.

**That is, if you leave out the "returning them to earth" part so far as the Russians were concerned. The tale of the first dog in space is not a happy one.

***Hey, turns out that new HotSpot I brought with me this trip really, really works. There's a bright spot in an otherwise less than cheery week.

The Cat Report (W.4/10 and Fr.4/12-13)

Wednesday the 10th we were back up to seven cats again, with the arrival of half-grown kittens MIDLO and CECILLY, a six-months-old bonded pair. Midlo is the lively orange one who's into everything and Cecilly's the shy darkish calico one. Midlo came out after a while, lured by feathers and catnip; Cecilly mostly stayed in, though she watched her brother's game closely. After some chasing after the laser pointer, Midlo spent some time almost playing with Lemura. Eventually all three of them got interested in the box and wound up playing together around the scratching posts at the bottom of the cat stands near the door. 

I offered JANE a walk first thing and she said no, though she did let me pet her a little. She's definitely mellowing. She soon found her way up to the cage tops, where she claimed one of the pink beds (which are surprisingly popular). From there she enjoy first the string game and then feathers. Later she shifted down to inside the short cat-stand on the bench, where she stayed the rest of the morning, by now back into her hands off mode. Of course, she might just not have been feeling well; there was throw-up (digested food) in her cage.

Sweet senior cat TATTOO has named herself  the room's official greeter; I no sooner walk in than she begins to call out and rub herself against the cage bars asking for petting/loving/out! now!/attention. She too refused a walk, settling in her usual favorite place, the rondel beneath the cat-stand by the cabinet. She came out and asked for some attention from time to time, and in general just had a quiet easy-going morning. 

Her water bowl was about half full, so all seems well on that front for now.

MAUI TAT was his usual active self. He had a walk but was v. jumpy, as if he expected that at any moment frogs would fall from the ceiling and land smack on his back. In fact, at one point he jumped when he glanced around and saw me behind him at the other end of the leash: apparently he'd forgotten I was back there. Despite which I think he had a good walk: he explored the men's room and around the water fountain with considerable interest, and of course wanted to go back into the forbidden area off that little alley; he also showed great interest in the fire escape/alarm-will-go-off door near there. Once back in he immediately sought out the catnip I'd brought, fished it out of the box (where I'd buried it in a bunch of paper), and eviscerated the little plastic bag it was in with great satisfaction. After a while letting his paws hang down from the middle-level of cat-stand #1, he went up high, and claimed the other little pink bed (the one nearish the door; Jane had already come down from the other one by now). Here he blissed out, working his paws and purring loudly to proclaim his entire satisfaction with The Way Things Were Going. He got a final treat when Cher dropped by and gave him a walk; turns out he's good at using those hanging steps.

OLIVER BOB had a quiet day and probably would have preferred it even quieter. When I made him leave his cube so I cd clean it, he went underneath Tattoo's rondel; later he decided this wasn't safe enough, whereupon he went into Tattoo's cube and stayed there till end of morning.  

That just leaves LEMURA, who was relaxed early on and playful later. The kittens were fascinated with her, wanting to play but not sure if she'd play along or suddenly go all hissy on them. Luckily she mellowed and they had fun pawing at each other around the cat-stands near the door. She too had a walk, and she too had heard about the frog-falls and kept a sharp look-out for them. 

In general, a quiet, rainy day without many visitors.

A highlight of the day came when a woman dropped by to say she'd adopted a cat (then named ESTELLA, now PURDY) from Cher at this cat room about three years ago. They were doing great; she'd just stopped by to look at our current cats while Purdy was having a check up at the Banfield next door. That was before my time, and looking at the cat-photos we didn't find one of Estella/Purdy, but the woman (whose name was Angela) did recognize Starla, so she must have continued to drop by from time to time afterwards. Anyway, a happy ending that she wanted to share with Cher.

the money box is almost full 

      XXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXX

FRIDAY APRIL 12th

The adoption of MAUI TAT (yay Maui, a great cat) means this morning finds us back down to six cats: E.J., Lemura, Tattoo, Oliver Bob, and The Kittens (Midlo & Cecilly).

The low point of the day was my getting bitten by Oliver Bob (Oww). The high point was taking E. Jane for a good long walk at the start of the morning.

JANE allowed me to pick her up and put the leash on, so off we went first thing for a walkaround. At first she clung to me a cried as I carried her, then the cries stopped as she got more interested in what all she was seeing. Eventually she asked to be put down and did some exploring, particularly wanting to climb up on various pillows and beds and cushions to try them all out. All in all, she did v. well. 

TATTOO also had a walk, except that the rules for walks as she's defining them now seem to consist of dashing from Point X to Point Y, with 'X' being whatever spot I put her down and 'Y' being the cat-room. So her walk was short, after which she went into her rondel, the better to receive any petting or affection I might feel inclined to lavish upon her. What a sweet cat. 

OLIVER BOB did not get a walk, owing to his suddenly going completely feral when I picked him up out of his cage. He bit so hard on my finger before I cd drop him that his fang went right through the fingernail. Ouch. He took refuge in the hollow space inside the short cat-stand on the bench. I got things bandaged up (to keep those spots clean while cleaning up the rest of the cat-cages) and made all the other cats go inside, just to be on the safe side, then cleaned up Oliver's cube and made him go in by lifting the whole stand up and shaking him out into the cage, where he went back into the corner as usual and later buried himself under the blankets. 

Don't know what came over him, given how limp and passive he usually is. I suspect the cage door crashing down on his head yesterday that Bonnie described in her post may have really traumatized him. Either that, or he has some sore spot where I really hurt him just by picking him up -- but if so I've not seen any sign of it till now.

So, everyone, be careful with him for the next few days, and avoid picking him up if at all possible. Here's hoping he soon gets over it.

Poor Oliver Bob.   

Mr. Bob's unexpected antics put a damper on the room; nothing like another cat screaming bloody murder, and meaning it, to make everyone else want to stay in their cages. However, when I asked LEMURA if she'd come out for a big bag of catnip, she responded that why, yes, she would. So she took over the top of cat-stand #1, where she enjoyed the gopher game and the string game too. She enjoyed the gopher game so much that she purred, so loudly I cd hear her from across the room.

Tattoo also came out after a while, but Jane elected to stay in where it was safe, and nibbled her kibble. 

As for the kittens, CECILLY stayed inside all morning, while MIDLO ventured out but stayed close to home base, dashing back in whenever feeling threatened. Cecilly was distressed when I began to take things out of her cage to clean it, so I got the little pink bed they all seem to like so much down from up high and put it in the kitten's double-wide. She loved it, so much so that I left it in there after getting everything else cleaned and straightened up.

We did have one woman come in who was looking for a kitten but didn't want to take a bonded pair; I suggested she check the website to see if there might be a kitten at one of the other adoption rooms that might be right for her. Sounded like she was going to try the Renton store next.

More promising is a woman whose cat died not long ago who was thinking of getting the bonded pair of kittens so each wd have the other for company. She liked both, and Cecilly clearly liked her too, so she said she'd come back in tomorrow with her partner to see how the two of them got along with them both. Here's hoping they really click and Cecilly and Midlo soon have a new home together.

And I think that's about it. Apologies for any typos; O.B. got me on the index finger of my dominant hand, and it's throwing my typing off a bit.

--John R.

P.S. No health problems that I noticed. Tattoo's water had some cat little dissolved in it, but looks like she had drunk some of it before that (maybe a third of a bowl?). She was dis-arranging all her towels when I left, but didn't have time to open things up, convinced her that affectionate as she is she can't come out just now, and tidy them all, so hope it wasn't too bad. Jane also decided she wanted to come out just as I was finishing up, so had to disappoint her as well. Hopefully she'll get a good dose of Up High this evening and tomorrow.

PPS (Friday evening). I've now been to the doctor and he's put me on antibiotics. Looks like I won't be taking a lot of notes or signing my name legibly for the next few days. 

   Fingers. why is it always the fingers.

--JDR

El Gato del DOOM

So, yesterday it was Feanor's turn to be put on the spot. It all started when Janice took Rigby for a walk. Which meant when they got back in, Feanor wanted a walk (the cats all keep track of such things). Which meant Hastur wanted a walk, sort of (i.e., she wanted it but was worried about what might happen out there in the great outsides). Seeing her hovering near the door, I dug out the other leash and walked Hastur, little knowing the events that were overtaking Feanor outside. But I'll let Janice tell the story.


THE WIFE SAYS:
This evening I put a leash on Feanor and took him for a walk. 
While we were exploring the walking path next to our townhouse, a father and his two young daughters (I'd guess ages 3 and 5) rounded the corner. 
Startled and alarmed to find 3 people between himself and home, Feanor (who weighs in at 19 pounds plus) made himself big. 
The 2 princesses (complete with pink outfits and tiaras) screamed. 
While their father reassured his girls that the el gato (which they knew to be a wild panther on the loose) meant them no harm, I coaxed Feanor towards home. 
Unfortunately the path home led straight towards the princesses. 
As Feanor got closer to them, they screamed. 
And he made himself bigger and then hunkered down. 
To break the impasse, I picked Feanor up and carried him around the corner. 
I set him down but too close to the girls. 
They screamed and we fled towards home.


Poor Feanor!

The Cat Report (W. 4/3-13)

Five cats in five cages, same as last week: JANE, LEMURA, MAUI, OLIVER BOB, and TATTOO.

I was late in arriving, but fortunately having only five cats meant there was still plenty of time to do a lot of socializing. 

I. Walks

I started, after filling the water pitcher, with letting Oliver Bob out first to see if he'd like a walk. He was shy and did his usual going limp when picked up, but didn't protest when I put on the leash. I carried him outside and around the store (particularly the quieter areas). He cried when put down, worried but not panicked. Hope that after a few times of this he'll feel safer and come to enjoy it. 

Next up was Tattoo, who did surprisingly well. We did a combination of being carried and walking, with her getting more comfortable walking the longer we did it. 

After that Maui had his turn, and did great. Being sociable, he went into the pet hotel area and also Banfield (maybe he was just checking out the exits). Even rounding a corner and seeing a Big Dog (part German Shepherd and part something much bigger) didn't make him panic, though he did puff his tail out and make a prudent retreat. The only thing that really rattled him were the fish-tanks: he thought the fish were going to get him. The more walks he gets, the more good it's likely to do him.

Finally Jane was up at the front of her cage when Maui came back in, ready to be let out. She let me pet her, both in the cage and on the short cat-stand, so deciding to risk it I put the leash on, and still she seemed fine. So I opened the door and off we went. She much prefers being carried to walking on her own, but doesn't mind the occasional walking bits. Must feel good to get out of that room after all these months. And the outing clearly did her good: she was still well-disposed to the world when we came back in.

Lemura shd have gotten a fifth and final walk, but Jane made it clear that if I put her back in that cage her sunny mood wd be gone like that, so instead decided to postpone Lemura's walk and let everybody out.

II.Catnip

Once everybody was out and about, it was time for catnip. Everyone enjoyed it, but once again Maui went for it in a big way. He particularly enjoyed climbing into the box I'd brought my stuff in and excavating through the paper towels and cat-toys and such to find the main stash. Among the things he had to chew on, he decided my notebook in which I take all the notes for these cat reports was the best. I might bring him a sheet or two of crinkly paper next time to see how he likes that.

The rest distributed themselves about as they saw fit. Jane went into the short stand on the bench, with its opening facing towards the cabinet. Oliver I put atop the cat-stand by the cabinet. Lemura hung around the bottom of the (taller) cat-stand by the door, with Maui on top. Tattoo was the most adventurous, going up atop the cages, where she gloried in the little pink beds (dividing her time between the two of them, one at either end).

III. Play and Pets

Jane played a little with the bug-on-a-string, but mostly she was ready for napping once she was back in. Maui loved the laser pointer from up high. Tattoo played a little as well, and Lemura had a little bit of string game. I still haven't seen Oliver trying to play with Lemura -- he had seemed on good terms with Tattoo, but didn't see that last week or this. I guess different people bring out different sides of him. At least he seemed calmer this time, though still painfully shy.

I did break out the wet catfood fairly early on, rather than at the v. end. It really got their attention. First Jane got some, then Oliver, then Tattoo, then Maui, then Lemura. Think the princess treatment pleased Jane no end. 

Two incidents of note, both involving Maui (he being the most active cat in the room right now). First was his excitement when a small kid came by the room. He passed by and was quickly gone, but Maui ran to the door and watched him as long as he was in sight, crying. Maybe he has good memories of a child in a previous home? Something to watch for.

The other was Maui's unfortunate decision to jump to the top of the second cat-stand, I think with the idea of going to the cabinet-top. When he arrived, he found the top level fully occupied by Oliver, who he'd not been able to see from the ground. Oliver froze, but Maui was so startled that he dropped down a level -- which put him in the mouth of Jane's burrow. Much hissing and growling and no doubt swatting ensued before he cd get away. He seemed fine afterwards, just disconcerted by how badly a simple plan had turned out. 

Finally, a little before noon I put everybody else back (with a second spoonful of wet) and Lemura finally got her walk. She still loves to rub everything in sight, but this time she ignored all the people we came across in favor of exploring. Good to see she's gotten much better with the walks -- think she'll eventually have the whole store marked as her territory.

Health concerns: there was dried throw-up in Jane's cube, a mix of fur and (digested) food. Perhaps a bit of a hairball forming? The area above Lemura's eye looked fine. No other problems spotted.

Have to say, it was great to see the picture of Lemura in a bag, and also the two photos of poor Ashwyn. Many thanks for posting them.

--John R.

Cat Report (W. 3/27-13)

Things are relatively quiet in the cat room this week, with only five cats today: EDNA JANE, LEUMURA, TATTOO, OLIVER BOB, and newcomer MAUI TATE. Part of the quiet is certainly due to having fewer cats and thus less stress among the shyer or less sociable ones.

 I bought the cats some cat grass (which I took home to my own cats when they were through with it). That went down v. well; lots of sniffing and nuzzling and a little nibbling. Thought it'd do them good to get a sniff of something green and growing and outdoorsy.   Plus I brought along some (dried) catnip, which went down v. well indeed. Maui in particular hunted down the bag and eviscerated it, the better to roll in afterwards.

Started the day by seeing if LEMURA would like a walk. She wasn't so certain at first, and so long as she could see the cat-room she wanted back in it (through the glass, not the door). Once carried a ways away and set down, however, she relaxed and started exploring. Not at all fazed by dogs, not at all interested in the birds, and more attracted to people than otherwise. She marked territory all over the back part of the store by rubbing her chin against it. The part she liked best were the cat-stands (she preferred the brown one), which she tried out and found Good: definitely got her seal of approval.  Once back in the cat-room afterwards, she lazed atop the cat-stand by the door, enjoyed mightily being petted, and played a little (so long as it didn't involve moving much). Later she came down and prowled a bit.

EDNA started by expressing her absolute approval of cat-grass, followed by Just Saying Yes to catnip. This was followed by Going High via a conveniently placed cat-stand to the Cage Tops, which she had all to herself. Just the way she likes it. Then along came The Bug Game and her happiness was complete. Until, of course, I made her come down at the end of the morning, much to her displeasure. She still doesn't like me, but she had a good day.

TATTOO was sweet today, varying between hiding down low beneath cat-stand #2 and coming out to lay on the charm, get petted, and generally make herself agreeable. Interested to note that she doesn't want any trouble; when Lemura comes near, Tattoo pretends not to see her. And for the most part Lemura ignored Tattoo right back; several times they got almost in each other's face with nary a hiss (glad to see Lemura mellowing a bit there). Definitely the friendliest cat in the room -- when I'm around, anyway. Hope she soon finds a home where she can shower all that affection on her own people.

I know from reading other people's reports that he's not always that way, but OLIVER BOB was very shy today. He stayed in until I lifted him out for cage-cleaning, then hid as low down as he could get till he figured it was safe. Turns out he really loves to be on the mid-level of the cat-stand by the cabinet, especially when it's partially draped by cat-blankets to create a sort of arbor or cloister where he can see out but not be seen. Got spooked by end-of-morning activities, such as sweeping, and had to be dragged out from under the cat-stand's lowest level. Poor Bob; glad to hear he's been more relaxed and welcoming of attention on other days and shifts.

That just leaves MAUI TATE (M.T.), who turns out to have quite the personality.* He let me put the collar on but the door closing worried him so much I decided to call off the walk. Maybe I'll try walking around carrying him next time.  He was enthusiastic over the catnip; rarely have a seen a cat so abandon himself to The Catnip Gods. Afterwards he slept it off atop the cat-stand by the door. He likes to let his forepaws hang down; v. cute. Another odd but endearing behavior was when he expressed interest in a water-dish I was filling, so I held it up where he could lap from it without giving up his comfy spot. He lapped a few times, then stuck is paw in, lapped some more, did the same with the other paw -- and so forth; kept it up for quite a while. Think maybe he's testing where the water level is. Saw him do it again after he went back in his cage at the end of the morning, only this time he dipped his paw, licked it, dipped it, licked it, and so forth. Maybe he's part raccoon.

Ended the day with wet catfood, which all but one cat were VERY interested in (think the exception was Oliver; I forget). 

There was one cat-blanket of different shape and texture than the rest, which it turned out the cats were all in favor of, esp. Tattoo.

And think that's about it for another Wednesday morning.  --JDR

health concern: everyone seemed well; we Haz Got Poop from Oliver, so worries about his outtake can subside a bit. The area above Lemura's right eye was pink and a bit swollen; we'll need to keep monitoring that.

*I shd mention that I'd dropped by briefly earlier in the week to meet him, having heard he was quite shy. He scooted himself along on his back to the front of the cage so I cd pet him through the bars. Quite the charmer, who I hope soon finds a home where he can blossom.

The Cat Report (W.3/20-13)

Finally back from the trip and mostly recovered from the cold, so got to see the cats today for the first time in a while (2/27). Since then Heidi and Pascale got adopted (yay, Pascale!, and yay the good people who gave her a chance), Butterscotch got sent back, and Max the Magnificent came and went.

That leaves us with only four cats: EDNA JANE, LEMURA, TATTOO, and newcomer OLIVER BOB. It really makes a difference to have the room so empty; hope it gives those among our cats with the biggest barriers to being adopted* a chance to show their more winsome sides. It was also a really quiet day (only one visitor, who didn't come inside, and that at the v. end of the morning), prob. because of the rain. I arrived late (having waited for the big traffic jam over on I-5 to clear out), and there was still time for attention (petting, games, treats) for each of the four. At one point I sat on the bench to see if anyone wd come over and ask to be petted: Tattoo was the one who took me up on the offer, though she seems to like being petted but not held. 

Lemura, Tattoo, and Jane all enjoyed their catnip.

Tattoo became quite enthusiastic over her string game. 

The bug-on-a-string toy went down well with Lemura and Tattoo; Jane was interested but distrustful that it was all a trick and I'd try to pet her or something. Later on, when she came out and went up to cage-top land, she tore around with great zeal and zest after it.

Oliver Bob was v. quiet and v. shy. He froze anytime I petted him, and shrank back whenever I extended a hand for him to smell or offered him a toy. He did come out after a while, and hid under the cat-stand by the cabinet. Later in the morning he came out from under briefly, and crept along toward the front door -- which was interesting to watch, because he used Tattoo as cover, waiting till she was heading that direction and slinking along low down alongside her, using her as cover. Afterwards he went into her cage, where he stayed till I moved him over into his own at noon. So he's not afraid of Tattoo, and she's not worried or threatened by him, though a little puzzled by his behavior. He did enjoy some wet catfood (as did they all). Glad to hear others have had good results with petting him and hearing him purr, but no suck luck for me today. Hope I get there, though, since his being tailless makes him look a lot like Tiger, the cat I had growing up (all the way from when I was in second grade till I was in graduate school; a good long life), who was part Manx.**

Jane loves the cagetops, though she hates being made to get down from there at end-of-shift (I used The Cardboard Wall of Doom). She was a little less hostile this morning, though still deeply suspicious of What I Might Be Up To. Petted her v. briefly when first opened her cage, without blood loss. Think she's trying to change, but change is hard; for my part, going to try to get her out and about and play with her more and see if that helps.

Lemura was a mellow sweetie. She put herself atop the short cat-stand by the door and stayed there all morning, sometimes snoozing, sometimes playing games, sometimes enjoying being petted. She let me groom her some. Think next week I'll try her with walks again and see if maybe she'll take to it better now.

Tattoo is a great cat: she loves to be petted, then starts to groom my hand (sometimes taking long sleepy pauses with her tongue just sticking out, which is adorable), then begins to nibble on it. She lets me take my hand away just as she's starting to grab and the claws begin to prick just a little. Then a while later we play the same game again. She was quite upset at having to go back into her cage at noon (and not because of Oliver B, who was already back in his own digs by then). 

Good to be back, and to see the cats again.

--John R.

*the one who won't allow herself to be touched or petted (Jane), the one who's started to feel that grooming herself is optional (Lemura), the senior cat with diabetes issues (Tattoo), and the one with a heart murmur (Bob). Challenges all round.

**though she was a striped stumpee, not a solid-black rumpee.

The Cat Report (W.2/27-13)

I never did get a Cat Report written up last week, because things started changing so quickly day by day. Then I was going to congratulate Katniss and Kelvis on their cleverly getting themselves adopted, but in rapid succession after that Sunny Sam, General Grant, and sweet little Genesis all did likewise, while Thistle arrived and departed so quickly I never even saw her. 

The main event of last week (2/20) were the walks and their aftermath. Tattoo declined a walk, emphatically. Sam had a good long one, all the way over to the fishes; turned out he tolerates dogs but is not fond of them. Then General Grant got carried around until he felt comfortable, whereupon he had a long walk, exploring the back half of the store. The trouble came when I tried to walk Pascale (No! NO! NOOOO!). She panicked and leapt about like a wild thing; it was all I cd do to get her back into the room, where she hid under the cat-stand by the cabinet and refused to let me take the leash off. Eventually she calmed down, and when a PetsMart employee dropped by about an hour later to visit the cats Pascale let her take both collar and leash off with no fuss. Memo to self: never try to walk Pascale again. Last of all I offered Genesis a walk, which annoyed her no end; till then she'd been v. loving and demanding of attention. Glad to know she's now in a new home of her own.

As for this week (2/27), we're down to just six cats: Edna Jane, Lemura, Butterscotch, newcomer Heidi Klum, little Pascale, and Tattoo. Turns out ALL of them love catnip, and will happily roll in the stuff with abandon.

EDNA went high, eventually working her way via a succession of cat-stands, navigating hissily through territory occupied by other cats, to the cabinet top and hence Cagetop Land. She loved it up there, and even tried at one point to burrow her way under an upside-down cat-bed. She was so busy lording it up there that she didn't seem to mind if other cats were at the far end of the cagetops (Heidi) or atop the cabinet (Tattoo). Getting her back in was a challenge, but a combination of making sure everyone else was inside and out of the way, having her cage door open, showing her I'd moved a cat-stand over for her to jump down on and into her home base, and standing atop the stepladder shooing her along with a big piece of cardboard all worked. All in all think she had a good morning.

LEMURA made her way to the top tier of the cat-stand by the cabinet and, after a good round of catnip, snoozed away the morning. In a good mood but not v. active.

BUTTERSCOTCH refused to come out but rolled in her cage in catnip, played the string game with great zest, and several times came to the front of her cage. I put a short cat-stand in front of her open door, but she declined to come out. Since she usually won't let me clean her cage fully (i.e., replace the blankets and get them all smoothed down), tried something new. Put the wicker basket in her cage where the litter box wd usually go. She came out of her cat-stand cubby and examined the stand with great attention before climbing inside. Then I removed her little stand and the blankets and moved the wicker-basket to where it'd been, returned the dirt-box and put out food and water. She was so pleased I left it there at end of my shift, thinking that if it needs to come out it'll be pretty easy to remove, and that she might as well enjoy it in the meantime.

HEIDI , our new semi-tuxedo cat, is a purrbox who loves to hike up her tail when being petted. She loves attention so much that at one point she went into a corner and cried because she wasn't getting petted. A beautiful, charming, and affectionate cat. Tried her on a short walk at end of morning; think for her part the jury is out on whether this is something she likes or not.

PASCALE was shy but active, prowling about here and there, in and out of cages, mostly hanging out around the bottom of the cat-stand near the door. She still flinches if I try to pet her; don't know what bad experience in the past has made her so wary. Pretty little thing; hope she finds a home where they want an independent cat rather than a clingy one (some do).

And then there's TATTOO, our dark tabby senior cat, who was sweet today, welcoming attention and purring mightily in response. 

Ended the morning with wet catfood all round, which was greeted with enthusiasm. 

And that was about it; left a little early, everybody settling back down in their respective cages. I'll be out next week (in the Midwest, experiencing more Winter Weather than I'd planned on), so best wishes to all (including the cats) till the 13th -- by which time I hope a few more of them will have been adopted.

--John R.

Health Concerns: part of the right side of Lemura's face is red and puffy -- above the eye (which is closed or half-closed) all the way into the ear. It doesn't seem to distress her, but may need a vet to look at. Last week she'd had some sort of sore by the side of her mouth (the left side, I think); didn't see it this week. 

   Also, there was throw-up (digested food) in Lemura's cage, and her food dish was entirely empty. She acts normally, but something's going on that's not good, poor cat.

   One of the cats had spilled her water (Heidi, I think), but this was probably just accident.

Note: no donation box this week or last. I assume one will arrive the next time new cats appear.

The Cat Report (W.1/23-13)

With the adoption of TAZU and the arrival of Mr. STIG, we have nine cats today. There's a hold sign on STACHE's cage; hope this comes through for her. Sorry sweet little Tayla's adoption didn't turn out.

It was a quiet day in the cat-room. The Stay-In Club (Mr. NIKO, newcomer STIG, EDNA, and LEMURA) were in their cages most of the day. Towards the later part of the morning, two of the four allowed me to lure or lift them out and place them atop nearby cat-stands; the other two stayed in all day.  The Out And About Club (LILLY and LOU, STACHE, TAYLA) enjoyed themselves atop various cat-stands or exploring. And PASCALE made up The Dash from Cage to Cage club all by herself.

No walks today (I offered, they declined), but we did have great success with the feathers-on-a-stick game using a peacock feather on a stick I'd picked up elsewhere Lilly & Lou came bounding out of their cage to pursue it, joined by little Tayla and also Stache.   Eventually everyone except Stig and Jane got into the act, some from within their cages (pawing at it as it swished by) and some dashing about the room after it. Cheri Lou in particular demonstrated that she knew all about feathers and their wicked ways and how to deal with them, while Mr. Niko demanded it come in his cage and be properly dealt with. The end result was that they demolished it with great glee over the course of the morning. Well worth it.

NIKO was expansive, welcoming attention and expressing entire satisfaction at being petted and having his fur combed (with fingers, not brush). He purred and generally was in a pleased mood. STIG (our new Siamese) is v. shy but gentle; he went from being afraid to being glad of attention to asking for more. Lifted him out onto a cat-stand so I cd clean his cage, which made him nervous but he toughed it out until his cage was ready again. LEMURA stayed in and dozed all morning -- not like her at all. We'd better keep a close eye on her; may not be well. JANE was her usual standoffish self, but when I started to clean her cage around her she suddenly expressed a wish to come out on her own and (with a little help) leapt onto her cat-stand, where she snoozed; think she liked it. She went back in at noon, at my urging but under her own power (I moved the stand near her cage to help her make it).

PASCALE is an interesting cat: she comes out on her own and enjoys exploring but wants a clear line of retreat back to the safety of her home base. She keeps searching for the perfect hiding place -- which now exists (the hollow inside the short new cat-stand on the bench with the blanket draped over its entrance) but which ironically is so well hidden she didn't find it. Eventually she moved into the Sister's cage and slept the rest of the morning away therein. She's shy about being petted when out of a cage and usually dashes off if I try, but she was definitely interested in the feather-game.

The dominant cats today were The Sisters (LILLY & LOU), little TAYLA, and STACHE. Between them they tried out various cat-stands in various positions and combinations, two went to the cage-tops (Tayla and Stache), while the Sisters enjoyed reigning supreme. Lilly (the grey one) and I had quite a petting session late in the morning, and Lou, the shyer of the two, seemed more confident today: think they're getting used to the cat-room and less afraid of being suddenly pounced on. Stache eventually wound up near the door, where she delighted in the ping-pong game, batting them about w. great enthusiasm. Tayla is a sweet little cat but doesn't like being held or laps. 

health concerns: there was throw-up in The Sisters' cage. 

   Also, Lemura (see above).

And that's about it for another week. We seem to be short of blankets (maybe because so many are draped over cat-stands?) so I brought some home to wash and will try to have them back tomorrow.

--John R.

P.S.: To put an image to these names, see the photographs of each of these cats at the Purrfect Pals site: http://www.purrfectpals.org/CatsByLocation.asp?fid=51

P.P.S.: Looking at the pictures of the various cats in the thirteen adoption rooms Purrfect Pals runs in addition to the main shelter up in Arlington, I discovered that Mr. ASHWYN is now up for adoption again, at the Kirkland PetCo. They have some nice pictures of him up at http://www.purrfectpals.org/RP_AdoptMe.asp?aid=12569 --though they don't fully convey what a Big cat he is. Feanor weighs the same (twenty pounds) but in person Ashwyn looks the bigger of the two. Maybe it's the hair. 

--JDR

Something About Cats

So, here's the only line I know from ANCRENE WISSE, one of the three works upon which JRR Tolkien spent the bulk of his career:

ne schulen habbe na beast bute cat ane*

While Mary Salu** translates as

you must not keep any animal except a cat.

Given the context (advice to anchoresses about how to live godly contemplative lives), where the author forbids his readers from keeping a cow because it will involve her too much in worldly things, it seems cats are okay because they're self-keeping. Rather nice, though, to think about the hermit and her cat; a somewhat different mental image than I wd otherwise have had.

--JDR

current reading: MY FRIEND RONALD (aka J. R. R. TOLKIEN'S DOUBLE WORLDS) by Arne Zettersten (just finished).

*Ms. Corpus Christi College Cambridge 402, folio 112b, lines 25-26

[JRRT edition = EETS vol. 249, p. 213]

**THE ANCRENE RIWLE [1955], p. 185

While the Scholar's Away . . .

So, while we were away in the Arklatex, our neighbor Cathy dropped by each day to take care of our three cats (Feanor, Hastur, & Rigby), water the plants (including my pot full of magnolias and the sensitive plants I'd just gotten sprouted), and feed the birds (e.g., restocking the finch feeder and hummingbird tube as needed). When we got back, all seemed well: the cats happy to see us, the plants doing well, &c. The only discordant point was a note she'd left us about the cats having "had some adventure" but everything being "cleaned up", plus something about not being able to "find the bird feet", which I took as some sort of reference to not knowing where we'd put the bird seed.

Not the case, as it turns out. Now that Janice has had a chance to chat with her and catch up on things, we found out the awful truth. One time when she was over here, she let the cats out onto the balcony, which they love and which they're not able to jump down from. When she came back, she found bird parts scattered about our dining room: the inner predator had surfaced in at least one of our cats (probably Feanor, given his past history), with tragic results for at least one bird (probably a goldfinch, again given past history). She heroically cleaned up the mess, but wasn't able to find the little bird's feet. So either they're somewhere inside one of our cats, or we'll come across them at some point, way back behind some furniture or under a bookcase.

Cats. Always an adventure, and the unexpected more often than you'd expect.

--John R.

There Once Were Two Cats from Kilkenny . . .

There's a Nobel Peace Prize in the offing for whoever can resolve this one:

http://www.theonion.com/articles/kitchenfloor-conflict-intensifies-as-rival-house-c,2384/

Oh, the humanity!

Thanks to Janice for sharing the link.

--John R.

current reading: Cerebus the Ardvark (scattered issues).

PARKER

So, I wrote a tribute to my cat Parker (May 1989- August 4th 2002), who died nine years ago last week. But after I posted it, blogger.com somehow ate it, apparently beyond retrieving. Luckily Janice, who knew him better than anyone but me (while fond of her he was always My Cat, just as she's Rigby's Favorite Person), got to see it before it was wiped out. So rather than go through re-creating it again I'll just say: rest in peace, Parker. You are not forgotten.

The New Arrivals

So, while we were on Whidbey Island (on Tues. the 19th), I got to stop by Kingfisher Books in Coupeville and renew acquaintance with their delightful bookstore cat Miss Broadway Billie, a pastel grey-orange longhair with long, soft fur and a placid, winning disposition (i.e., she purrs vigorously and licks your hand and her shoulder alternately when stroked).* I also took advantage of the brief visit to see if they still had a book I'd looked at and decided against when there two years ago: they did, so I picked it up this time.

That was a mistake, as it turns out. I'm glad to have supported an independent bookstore and all, but the book, despite its interesting premise, was seriously lacking. Called SEVERANCE PACKAGE (by Duane Swierczynski, 2008), it sounded more interesting than it is. Basically a company's staff is assembled for a meeting at which the boss announces there's good news and bad news. The company is being shut down, effective immediately, and they're all out of a job. That's the good news. The bad news is that they're secretly a front for an intelligence agency and they're all being terminated the lethal way: either drink the poisoned champaign or get shot dead; sarin bombs trap the exits for those inclined to make a run for it. What follows is a free for all in which various surviving employees hunt each other down one by one within the sealed-off building. That sounded like it had the potential to be THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR (the old Robert Redford movie) mixed with BATTLE ROYALE (by Koushun Takami, 1999, tr. 2003**), but instead it turned out to be filled with long, lingering descriptions of slow, painful deaths, with multiple characters surviving horrific injuries for improbable durations. It's rare that I definitely abandon a book unfinished (as opposed to putting it down and just never getting back to it, which happens quite frequently), but this one is an exception: back on the shelf it goes, for good.

Later that day, we returned home to find not one but two new books had arrived in the mail in our absence: the first a new biography of J. R. R. Tolkien, the other translations from the Old English.

The first of these, simply titled J. R. R. Tolkien, by Mark Horne [2011], is a new (young adult?) bio in the 'Christian Encounters' series from Th. Nelson -- a series that includes figures you might expect (Jn Bunyan), those who are rather unexpected but who you can easily make a case for being included (Jane Austen, daughter of a minister and sister to two more) or Isaac Newton (who spent a lot of his time trying to rediscover mystical Old Testament measurements), to those whose presence makes me scratch my head and wonder what they were thinking (Winston Churchill? really?). The Tolkien book comes out the same month as the one on one of my personal heroes, George Washington Carver, the man who invented peanut butter to solve a problem in sustainable agriculture practices.***

I'm currently about two-thirds of the way through the Horne book, so I'll hold off on any detailed critique, other than to observe that he does more fictionalizing than I'd like, seems to consider The Silmarillion of little importance to Tolkien's life or career, and has

done relatively little research. Rather than a bibliography, he recommends five books as particularly "important, helpful, and enjoyable": Carpenter's biography (which he paraphrases throughout) and LETTERS OF JRRT (ibid), Garth's GREAT WAR (his source for his account of the TCBS and Tolkien's War service), Leslie Ellen Jones's Greenwood biography (which he often cites for facts which Jones herself derives directly from Carpenter), and Michael White (seemingly unaware of how controversial White's book was). You'd have thought a biography published in 2011 would have taken into account the masses of biographical information published five years earlier in Scull & Hammond's massive J. R. R. TOLKIEN COMPANION & GUIDE: CHRONOLOGY. But you'd be wrong; Horne doesn't even seem to be aware of its existence.

There also something strange going on with his citations: he often credits information readily available in Carpenter or LETTERS to some abstruse source -- as when he claims he found a quote from a JRRT letter not from Carpenter (who includes that exact passage to open a chapter which Horne synopsizes in his v. next paragraph) but in a book called THE MANY FACES OF VIRTUE by one Donald De Marco (Ch.2, Nt9). Similarly, he claims that the information about Tolkien requesting the names 'Beren' and 'Luthien' be carved on his tombstone came from Donald Clark Measels' MUSIC MINISTRY: A GUIDEBOOK, rather than Carpenter (whom he quotes in the following paragraph) (Ch 4, Nt28). I don't have Measels and De Marco's books to see if they in fact contain these quotes, but I find it incredulous to think Horne was forced to learn that information from such out-of-the-way sources when it's easily found in standard works he's paraphrasing immediately before and after.

As one additional oddity, Horne has an odd reluctance to name people. He thus refers on four separate occasions to "Edith's cousin" but never once tells us her name (Jenny Grove). And did Christopher Wiseman really help Tolkien co-create his invented languages, as Horne claims (p. 23)? I'd like to see a source for that.

Finally, the third book to arrive is the last of those I ordered at Kalamazoo back in May, being Craig Williamson's BEOWULF AND OTHER OLD ENGLISH POEMS, w. a Foreword by Tom Shippey (which frankly is what attracted me to the book and, after a quick skim, convinced me to buy it). Having several BEOWULF translations (including Tolkien's) but only a smattering of other OE poetry in translation -- e.g. Pope's SEVEN OLD ENGLISH POEMS and Kennedy's AN ANTHOLOGY OF OLD ENGLISH POETRY--I'm pleased to have a more extensive collection here. Williamson's volume includes "The Battle of Maldon", "Deor", "The Wanderer", "The Seafarer", The Wife's Lament, some Exeter Book riddles, Caedmon's Hymn, two Beastiary poems (including the one JRRT turned into "Fastitocalon"), and a smattering of other pieces, ending on the exceptionally high note of "The Dream of the Rood" (a work more read about than read, unfortunately; it was worth learning a little Old English just to have been able to read this in the original). More later when I get a chance to actually read Shippey's Foreword and Williamson's translations; I have high hopes for this one.

--JDR

current reading: J. R. R. Tolkien (Xian Encounters series) by Mark Horne [2011]

....................................

*all characteristics she shares with another store cat I got to revisit yesterday (Saturday), Miss Millie, the cat-in-chief at Wild Birds Unlimited in Burien, who looks enough like Billie to be her sister.

**itself the subject of the most pug-ugly manga adaptation I've ever seen.

***here's the full list given in the back of the Tolkien book of their "Close Encounters of the Christian Kind" (their header, not mine): Jane Austen, Anne Bradstreet, Wm F. Buckley, Jn Bunyan, Winston Churchill, Isaac Newton, St. Francis, St. Patrick, D. L. Moody, Sergeant York, Galileo, Geo. Washington Carver, & JRRT.

Farewell, Raina

Yesterday heard the sad news that Raina, the Cordell's cat, has died. She was about thirteen and a half.

I first met Raina the first month or so I was in Seattle, living by myself at the Woodcliff Apartments on East Hill in Renton. She was a personable young stray, a beautiful half-grown cat expecting her first litter of kittens, who was happy to be petted and given the occasional treat. She even wandered into my apartment once, having jumped the fence and considered the open sliding patio door an invitation.

I certainly had no objection, being fond of all cats at all times. Unfortunately, this was just a week or so after Parker had flown out (in a carryon bag, escorting Janice on her first visit out to see me, about a month after I'd arrived in the Pacific Northwest myself). And it turned out he had objections to another cat entering his territory. It was bad enough, from his point of view, that he'd had to exchange a house and fenced yard for a little two-bedroom apartment,* but he drew the line at other cats dropping in (which was odd, since he'd tolerated the semi-stray that came with our previous house, Tiffin -- but then Tiffin had been a v. mellow cat).

The first thing I knew about Parker making Raina's acquaintance was a growl and a hiss from down the hall and the sound of much clattering as two cats raced by: Raina in the lead and Parker in hot pursuit. She made the little patio, cleared the (six-foot) fence in a single bound despite being v. much pregnant, and made good her escape.

Not long after that she was taken in and adopted by Bruce & Dee, who provided a good home both to her and her five kittens. And when the kittens were old enough, we adopted one of them: Rigby. Of the other four, Bruce & Dee kept one (Bengal), Lisa Stevens adopted one (Jake), and I think a fireman we didn't know took the other two. For several months we took Rigby down to see her mother and play with her brother once in a while, until one visit when Rigby and Bengal decided each was a stranger. That was the end of that. Poor Bengal, a v. sociable cat who won a contest and had the world's greatest room for a cat specifically designed for him,** died a year or two back, and now we hear Raina is gone as well. Too bad; she was a beautiful cat, and a friendly cat, looking exactly like our little Rigby (herself now our senior cat but still as petite and almost as mighty a leaper as ever) except she had long hair whereas Rigby has shorthair. One other thing Raina and Rigby had in common was that Rigby loved to be chased by Parker; she wd stir him up and then tear away, with him making pretty good speed right behind her. This seemed to make a certain amount of sense, given that he'd actually chased her before she was even born -- and she got away from him that time too. Since Parker died she's tried to get our younger cats, Hastur & Feanor, to chase her, but while they'll express an interest they tend to wind up looking in astonishment in the direction she took; they're just no match for her.

And so goodbye to Raina, a good cat who lived a good life who I'd not seen in a long time but will still miss.

--John R.

*though still more than twice the size of his and my first apartment together, on Kane Place in Milwaukee's Lower East Side.

**since dismantled, I'm told, alas.

A Quartet of Cat Links

Last night Janice shared with me some cat footage that's too good not to pass along--how to wrap your cat (hint: it helps if you have the most mellow cat ever):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jm3dm5J5r0A

Meanwhile, this just in: scientists study how cats drink water. After four years, the answer: with great efficiency, at about four laps per minute (two per minute for lions):

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/11/AR2010111104952.html?hpid=topnews?tid=wp_featuredstories

And just to add a little literary note, here's some bookstore cats you can drop in and meet if you're in the right area(s), courtesy AbeBooks.com:

http://www.abebooks.com/books/bookseller-bookshop-bookstore/cats.shtml

Finally, there's Stalking Cat!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzzjgBAaWZw&NR=1

--JDR

current reading: TOLKIEN & THE SILMARILLION, plus the deleted chapter -- by Clyde S. Kilby.