For reasons that remain a complete mystery to me, some of you are worried about Tunch with this new cat. I have no idea why, the fat guy weighs 20lbs and has been with me for eleven years, weathered two dogs, and a 7.7 lb cat is not really something that is going to get in the way of his busy schedule of jumping on my bed and headbutting me until I let him out at 7 am, eating, and denting the couch:
Zsa Zsa (who is now wandering the house and now exploring the basement as she expands her comfort zone in the house) is in no way a threat to the fat man. She was hissing at him through the gate, and rather than respond, he rolled over and fell asleep. The big man is fine.
Also too, I think this was a good picture.
Mark S.
We were worried about his psychological well-being. His feelings.
gbear
Agreed. That is one of the best pictures of Tunch that I’ve seen. Glad that you have harmony amongst your animals.
Birthmarker
Glad for the peace in your household!
dr. bloor
@Mark S.: Meh. More ambulatory attitude added to the Cole Zoo. Big whoop. As long as the noms keep coming, he won’t be threatened and (probably) wont turn Zsa Zsa into an afternoon snack.
cathyx
He’s taking this well because she’s a female cat. If you introduced another male, I’m sure he wouldn’t be taking it so smoothly.
burnspbesq
A word to the wise for all cat owner/audiophiles (warning: disgusting photo ahead).
http://www.stereophile.com/content/cats-and-audio
Probably applies with equal force to computers.
Josie
Probably John’s animals are used to having various visitors move in and out of the household since John pet sits for family members. They are well socialized and set up psychologically to share their space, as long as the food and love keeps coming. I hope the peaceful attitude continues.
WereBear
TUNCHIE!
He is one mellow fellow. Well, then, that’s done! I hope.
When we got Tiny Tristan-bean at 3 weeks, RJ was all-aquiver. I can’t wait until he’s big enough to play with. While Olwyn, the Boss Princess, was indignant. Why didn’t you get one that worked? This one is broken!
Alison
Typical dude.
Also, we really just wanted to see Tunchie in all his floofy glory. Any excuse to demand cat pics :)
opie_jeanne
Oh, he’s beautiful! Most of his photos don’t do him justice.
WereBear
Very true. John has created an Environment of Abundance.
dr. bloor
@cathyx: Never had a problem throwing two neutered males together. They’re usually wrassling and bathing each other within a few days.
Throw a couple of females together, however…
PaminBB
Tunch’s acceptance of 2 dogs already suggests that he is confident of his position in the household.
Ann Marie
So handsome! You have a beautiful animal family, John.
Josie
@WereBear: “Environment of Abundance” What a great phrase! I think that would apply to children as well as pets.
opie_jeanne
@cathyx: Our two toms ganged up on our girl. Right now it’s an adult tom guest learning to play with our 5-month-old kitten, and both being hissed at by the adult female kitty who is also visiting.
When we had our last cat, a huge big boy, he and this visiting tom made friends immediately, and both of them were hissed at by the same adult female.
Comrade Mary
Aw, what a nice picture of Tunch.
Still waiting for some snorgling photos, though …
dr. bloor
@PaminBB:
i.e., Central Committee Chairman, Commander-in-Chief, and El Supremo President for Life
Roger Moore
@PaminBB:
FTFY.
ranchandsyrup
great pic of #62.
Chris
I don’t think anyone was worried about the Big Guy so much as curious about his reaction. (And the dogs’ too). I personally was more concerned for Zsa Zsa, given their respective dimensions.
Kristine
Good photo of Tunchie–he looks quite svelte.
Zsa Zsa’s gorgeous.
You now need to post pics of Lily and Rosie for we Dogfolk. Equal time. Fairness Doctrine.
gogol's wife
I think Tunch is going to really enjoy having Zsa Zsa around. He is so beautiful!
WereBear
@Josie: Probably works with a lot of different beings, methinks.
But, apparently, not to Teabaggers and their ilk.
amk
You taking a good pic ? Not buying it.
Also. Too. Where is the date & time stamp?
TaMara (BHF)
And now my Saturday is complete. Tunchie is as handsome as ever.
quannlace
I’m always amazed at Tunch’s unique coloring. You think he’s a pure white pelt, and then you see those little high ‘eyebrows’ and then there’s that raccoon tail!
indycat32
@Alison: My first cat, a tuxedo named devil-cat because I spent the first two weeks I had him saying stop that you little devil, was also known as typical male – he ignored me all day but was right there to join me every night when I went to bed.
La Caterina (Mrs. Johannes)
TUNCHEEEE!
thanks.
TaMara (BHF)
@WereBear: Thank you. This totally explains why my 4 cats can co-exist, even though there are definite conflicts, nothing is ever serious. And I have never worried about entertaining them. Between lovin’ on each other, play time and territory disputes, they get plenty of stimulation. They ignore almost any toy I try and play with them.
No one would believe me, but my 4 cats are so easy to take care of…though I suppose they could be brushed more.
TaMara (BHF)
@quannlace: That’s not his tail, that’s all that’s left of Garfield after Tunch sat on him.
Wormtown
That is one handsome cat. I think he deserves a lot of credit for being willing to share you, John, with yet another housemate.
HinTN
svelt
Trinity
Tunch is King!
CatHairEverywhere
He’s such a gorgeous boy!
JustRuss
That is a nice pic of Tunch. Next thing we know, you’ll be doing yoga.
Joy in FL
I will sleep soundly tonight, having seen Tunch so magnificently photographed.
gbear
@Kristine:
I think he should put them all in a box together and take a picture of that.
Ultraviolet Thunder
Just walked in the door after a week away. Geezer the Maltese/Poodle met me at the door! There were hugs and treats! He seems to have suffered the indignity of a grooming but looks like he’s surviving.
Wish I could say the same for myself. Still suffering the effects of Black Forest Intestinal Plague, and now jetlag as well. Luckily I don’t have to fly anywhere again until Tuesday.
Mnemosyne
As long as at least one of the two is willing to take things in stride, you’re all set. With us, it was the older cat (Boris) doing the hissing, but the kitten (Keaton) was determined not to take it personally and just continued to be Mr. Charm & Personality until he won Boris over, so it all worked out.
opie_jeanne
@quannlace: Looks like a flame point Siamese’s coloring, but doesn’t mean the cat is a purebred.
We had one who had that appearance of being a white cat until you noticed the tail and the face: http://www.flickr.com/photos/snowwhite/46298016/in/set-1011242
The cat in my photo, linked to above, was only 15 pounds. Tunch is 5 pounds larger.
rikyrah
This is one of the most non-creepy pics of Tunch ever.
and, Peanut took a look at the pic and thought Tunch was beautiful
Yutsano
TUNCH KITTEH!!
Proper authorities have been alerted and should be along shortly.
Violet
Awww…look at Tunchie! That is a great picture of him. I’m just in love with his orange tail. Looks like one of those tails that Esso or Enco sold that you were supposed to hang off the gas cap of your car–“Put a tiger in your tank!”
Roger Moore
@quannlace:
That’s not at all unique. It’s common enough to have a name: Van coloration. It’s the standard markings of a Turkish Van cat, and people have suggested that Tunch may be one. It’s appropriate if that’s so, since his namesake is also of Turkish ancestry.
RareSanity
@burnspbesq:
Hey Burnsie…
Don’t know if you are the type of “purist” that does not buy into integrating modern DSP products into your setup, but…about a year ago, I bought one of these:
http://www.minidsp.com/products/minidsp-in-a-box/minidsp-2×4
Possibly the best $125 I’ve ever spent on piece of stereo equipment.
I use it as a crossover between my pre-amp and the amps for the subwoofer and main speakers. It gives me my choice of crossovers (Linkwitz-Riley, Butterworth, or Bessel) with the L-R giving as much a 48dB/octave of rolloff…plus a 6-band parametric EQ for each channel (input or output). Each band can be configured as a peak, high-self, or low-shelf adjustment.
You edit all the parameters, real-time, by connecting it via USB to a computer and using the software. It also possible to load it directly with the outputs from programs like Room EQ Wizard.
It’s cheap and fricken awesome…check it out.
Roger Moore
@rikyrah:
Though it could use some work on the white balance. Or maybe John just needs to get 5000K color temperature lights for his house instead of those awful 2700K models.
steverino
Of my two females (sisters) one was fine with other cats, and one could be pissy: my neighbor had several male and female and one of the females was the same way. They got along by ignoring each other.
When I got a male kitten (I was away, the neighbors cat-sitting found him and brought him to my apt “just until we find a home for him” (famous last words)), pissy cat would ignore him but take a swipe if he came too close. At night I had to separate them: pissy on one side of me, kitten on the other, and cool cat between my legs. If they were out of order, she’d take the occasional swipe just to keep him in line.
Other than that, they were fine; three cats in a one-bedroom apt, with visitations to the neighbors (*four* cats in their one-bedroom).
RareSanity
@Roger Moore:
That was driving me crazy…
I didn’t want to be the one to say it though, Cole was so proud of his snapshot. Other than the white balance, it’s a pretty solid shot for a cellphone camera.
CaseyL
That is a handsome fellah. Looks like a happy one too. “New cat? Good, maybe the dogs will eat her food, and let me eat mine in peace.”
Oh, I hope they become friends. I’ve always had multiple cats, but none have been buddies since Jazz and Roco. Mostly they’ve tolerated each other.
Lady cats tend to dominate the household, or try to. Cats aren’t as socially solitary as some people think, but it’s the females that definitely have more of a pack attitude. I’ve never yet had a boy cat who wasn’t basically a big happy goofy guy.
It’ll be interesting if Zsa Zsa decides she wants to be the Boss of Chez Cole, considering she’s the smallest person in the house. She will have to use guile and manipulation.
Fortunately, cats are really good at that.
ETA: Speaking of who’s eating whose food: John, what’s up with the kitty-tree? Have you given up trying to feed Tunch on it?
Roger Moore
@RareSanity:
Yes, the composition is good and the subject was cooperative. And honestly, there’s not a lot you can do to fix the white balance when the light was horribly blue deficient to start with, especially if it was so dim your camera is struggling with noise. The only real solution is to fix the light by buying decent bulbs.
catperson
Oh, it’s a reasonable concern. When I briefly fostered a 3 lb kitten, my 10-12 lb 10 yr old cats were wrecks. The kitten was fearless and they were less so. One took to running away whenever the kitten tried to share space and the other would just hiss. The kitten was oblivious.
Roger Moore
@CaseyL:
Fixt for actual Tunch though patterns.
Hattie
Pay no attention to those who want slim cats. What is the point of a slim cat? They should be cuddly muffins.
RareSanity
@Roger Moore:
I don’t know.
Depending on the white balance adjustments available on the camera, you could compensate for the low, warm lighting. Heck, my entry-level Canon 600D gives me a custom WB adjustment.
Set that to 2700K, open your aperture as wide as you can without causing distortion (and keeping the important parts in focus), enjoy your nicely taken photograph. :-)
Of course a cell phone won’t have that level of adjustment. But most of them with have an “indoor” setting that is about that color temperature. This photo was a victim of auto white balance.
The Boss
Tunch has his own gravity well. WTF does he have to worry about?
burnspbesq
@RareSanity:
Interesting. Thanks for sharing.
My current setup is really simple: USB cable from MacBook Pro to combination DAC/headphone amp. Don’t know where I would insert something like that.
My new toy also has a really good analog-to-digital converter for ripping vinyl.
http://www.lynxstudio.com/product_detail.asp?i=59
RareSanity
@burnspbesq:
Oh…I thought that a long time ago you talked about having a larger setup. May have been someone else.
I thought your were a troglodyte like me, that still insists on using a separate pre-amp, feeding a heavy amplifier, into full-sized speakers. Wife hates in the whole setup, thinks it takes up too much room. Then we watch a good movie with that glorious sound, and the complaints are quieted for at least a month or two.
Felonius Monk
Is anyone starting a pool on when the ZsaZsa starts to bitch slap the Tunch?
asiangrrlMN
TUUUUUUUUUNCHIE! There’s my handsome boy! He lives! I’m glad he and Lady Fluffy Pantaloons are getting along swimmingly.
@Yutsano: Mwaaaaaaaah! Thanks for the cat-signal, Yutsy!
Patricia Kayden
If Zsa Zsa and Tunch are not spayed/neutered, they’ll make gorgeous kitties. Tunch is the boss. Of course he’s not flummoxed by the new kid on the block.
Yutsano
@asiangrrlMN: :: plays with jubleys ::
Life has its perks.
asiangrrlMN
@Yutsano: ::fluffs them up for you::
dmsilev
@RareSanity: EXIF embedded in the image says John is using an iPhone 4S; that’s got a reasonably decent camera for a cellphone, but there’s only so much a tiny lens and a tiny sensor chip can do. Adjusting white balance in post is probably the most feasible solution.
burnspbesq
@RareSanity:
I have a speaker-based setup in the home office, but it’s pretty modest, and as good as they are at the price point, B&W 686s can’t keep up with Sennheiser HD 800s. Plus, headphones are better at preserving domestic tranquility.
muddy
That’s a fine figure of a cat.
Citizen_X
That is a good picture of him.
However, it’s not actually in focus. It’s just that Tunch’s gravitational field bends the light around him enough that it looks like he’s in focus.
Roger Moore
@RareSanity:
The problem is that the white balance adjustment can only do so much. Compensating for 2700K light means boosting the heck out of the blue channel, which increases noise from the blue channel, too. If you’re already worried about having a noisy picture because you’ve had to crank up the ISO to deal with poor indoor lighting (and a slow lens on your phone camera), boosting one of the channels is only going to make it worse.
The real solution is to fix the light. If you had skipped the WB adjustment before, you’ll be able to get a more natural looking picture because the light won’t be so yellow to start with. If you were using the WB adjustment, you’ll get better noise performance with the same ISO and exposure.
muddy
The white balance that concerns me is Tunch on the top of that tower. If he is able to access it.
Elie
Glad to see Tunch and know that he is adapting well to Zsa Zsa…
gnomedad
So what am I going to do with all this popcorn?
Maude
Tunch wasn’t mentioned since that outside the gate photo. We thought he went missing.
He is one gorgeous cat. He prolly sees Zsa Zsa as someone who is another Oliver.
Angela
Tunch is beautiful! Thanks for the pic.
Digital Amish
The Tunch abides.
Yutsano
@Digital Amish: Ramen.
dance around in your bones
Tunchie the cat, the wonderful wonderful cat!
Except Felix looks more like Zsa Zsa.
Fwiffo
Look at my Tunch edit!
White balance can do amazing things, even in pretty horrible light. It can correct color completely for incandescent light, and do a lot for all but the worst fluorescent and LED lights unless your application is very color critical. Yeah, you’re gonna have blue-channel noise, but you can do noise reduction in chroma; luma noise is much more tolerable (or even pleasing), and minor loss of detail in chroma is very difficult to see. It won’t be perfect, but you can do a lot!
Or go to black and white, and the grain looks good.
different-church-lady
Dude, it was Zsa Zsa I was worried about: as in “Has Tunch eaten Zsa Zsa yet?”
sm*t cl*de
I was sad because I had no shoes until I met a man who had shoes but his pissed-off grumpy bastard cat had crapped in them.
That’s a fine figure of a cat.
That’s a fine figure of *two* cats.
Redshirt
Talk about the bigotry of low expectations!
jnfr
Beautiful boy. So glad to see he’s fine. Great pic, John.
kc
@Mark S.:
Yes. We need to know that Tunch is okay with this.
Paul in KY
@Roger Moore: He’s as big as a Turkish van, the one they use to transport hookah pipes from the factory.