Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

“Squeaker” McCarthy

The words do not have to be perfect.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

This blog will pay for itself.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

We still have time to mess this up!

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

Eh, that’s media spin. biden’s health is fine and he’s doing a good job.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

John Fetterman: Too Manly for Pennsylvania.  Paid for by the Oz for Senator campaign.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Everyone Thinks Their Cat is Awesome

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51Comments

  3. 3.

    Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (formerly Mumphrey, et al.)

    We don’t have a cat any more. Smedley can eat random things he finds in the floor and then retch them back up onto my feet though. He just did that a few minutes ago with one of the girls’ mini dolls’ heads. If the girls bothered to keep track of their Disney dolls, they’d have already picked up that there’s some doll killing fiend loose in the house.

  5. 5.

    sfinny

    Well the cat I have visiting with me is very lean, but likes to lick plastic bags and stick his head under the running faucet. He is going home tomorrow after a 2 month stay. Will actually be able to get the dishes done. Mr. Muffin was a great guest cat, though.

  10. 10.

    EricNNY

    My Chester lover belly script chest from ANYBODY. Including atrangers, stray dogs and my goats.

  14. 14.

    Yarrow

    One of my neighbor’s cats that I was taking care of got to where he’d roll over and want me to rub his belly. I’d do it and he’d seem totally happy for a minute or so and then he’d start batting at me with his paws and end up scratching me with his claws. I could never figure out if he wanted me to stop or it was part of some game. I didn’t like getting scratched, so I’d quit.

    That was okay because one of the other cats wanted attention too and was all, “Me, me, me! Pet MEEEEEE!” so I’d have to go back and forth anyway.

  15. 15.

    Mnemosyne

    We have an ongoing territorial alignment happening right now — Charlotte has finally decided that it’s okay for Keaton to hang out in the bedroom, which has been her exclusive territory up until now.

    But I think poor Annie is getting a little lonely hanging out all by herself in the living room when she used to have Keaton to keep her company. ?

  16. 16.

    danielx

    Yes, Boris can. And also race through the house at full tilt for any reason or none, which he and Natasha are doing right this very moment. Amazing the amount of noise two cats can make going up and down the stairs at high speed.

  17. 17.

    Mnemosyne

    @Yarrow:

    In general, cats aren’t too fond of having their bellies rubbed, so it’s usually an invitation to a wrestling match with tooth and claw, as you discovered.

    There are exceptions — our shy cat Annie won’t sit in laps but LOVES to have her belly rubbed. Keaton will let me gently pet his belly, but bites Gerard if he tries to do it.

  18. 18.

    sfinny

    @Yarrow: Mr. Muffin is the same in that I would pet him and all of a sudden he would start to try and bite me. Then he would seem to be playing, then would bite. But he is going home to my sister-in-laws tomorrow, so not my problem anymore.

  20. 20.

    Yarrow

    @Mnemosyne: It seemed like he really wanted me to rub his belly because he’d roll over on his back and get mad at me if I didn’t rub his belly. If I did, then he’d purr and purr and look totally happy and content…until he decided to bat at me with his paw. He’s kind of an odd kitty with a (diagnosed by vet) neurological issue so I’m not sure if that’s part of it or not. My neighbor says he loves having his belly rubbed.

  21. 21.

    westyny

    I was owned by a female half Maine coon for 20 years. Longest and best relationship of my life. People in the neighborhood knew her and would leave gifts and cards (yes, cards) for her on my steps. She never went outside, but she was a celebrity. People allergic to cats would sneeze and tear up on the outside sidewalk, even when I was brushing her twice a day. She radiated catness. Anyway, Steve reminds me of her.

  22. 22.

    Amir Khalid

    My Bianca gives me tongue baths to my head, several times a day. She loves to nuzzle me, and loves it when I nuzzle her. She’s not that keen on belly scritches, though.

  24. 24.

    Debg

    Several of my seven cats can do this. It’s less impressive on the skinny ones, but most of them are plump.

  25. 25.

    Suzanne

    My dearly departed Nico, who was a Maine Coon-Persian mix, would do this. Loved the tummeh rubz.

    FYI, a Maine Coon-Persian mix makes one helluva floofy cat.

  27. 27.

    Anne Laurie

    @danielx:

    Amazing the amount of noise two cats can make going up and down the stairs at high speed.

    THUNDER BUNNIES!!!

  28. 28.

    Mike S

    When our oldest was that fat she’d roll up next to me in bed and make me rub her belly until she fell asleep. She’d poke me in the neck
    with one nail if I fell asleep first.She was the best pet I ever had. Sadly her 17 year run of making me happy ended Sunday.

  33. 33.

    afanasia

    We don’t think our cat is awesome – we think she’s a dangerous lunatic. That said, we do spend a lot of time cuddling with her.

  34. 34.

    CaseyL

    My cats love to go outside, find a nice patch of lawn or clean dirt, and roll in it like crazy. Side to side, over on their backs, top of their head rubbing against the ground, making swimming motions with their paws. Their bellies get exposed, but they don’t actually want to be touched when they’re doing this. They like me to be there, watching them, telling them how wonderful they are. But touching them interrupts their communion with Mother Earth, or something.

    Mind you, they want LOTS of cuddles once we’re all indoors :)

  37. 37.

    NotMax

    @Amir Khalid

    Low hanging fruit. Peek-a-boo fools Palin.

    However, this (from your link) is inspired.

    Last week, the comedian teased his comeback with a preview clip showing former US vice president Dick Cheney apparently agreeing to autograph a “waterboard kit” – in reality a plastic water jug.

  40. 40.

    Keith P.

    @Mnemosyne: Of all the cats I’ve ever had (about 10), I’ve found that cats only like belly rubs if they get them as kittens. Ditto for most things that aren’t head and base-of-tail scratches, such as holding them. My current kittens LOVE belly rubs, and they’re starting to be OK with being held for long periods.

  42. 42.

    celticdragonchick

    We have two kittehs…Olivia and Tuxedo (Tux is a girl too)

    Tux was taken from her mother far too early and she has severe socialization issues. I am the only one who can pick her up and pet her, and I never try to pet her tummy. Strictly verboten. She does like to pick out laps and cuddle, but it is strictly an affair of you wait for her to decide. She used to go torture spiders she would find about the house. I would see walking about with a half dead spider hanging from her mouth and its legs all broken and I would try to take it from her “Here, give me that sweetie. You broke your toy and it won’t play with you anymore”

    Olivia is a street rescue from a rescue group, and she is possibly the sweetest and most loving cat I’ve ever had…unless you are a rodent.or rodent sized, in which case she is a fucking nightmare from the imagination of HP Lovecraft. Since she was a street kitteh she gets food aggressive and she does NOT leave gifts. Her kills are HERS GODDAMMIT AND IF YOU WANT A MOUSE YOU BETTER BY GOD FIND YOUR OWN MOUSE!!

    Also watched her snatch a bat from out of mid air that had managed to get inside our townhouse and was trapped in the living room. She must jumped 6 vertical feet in the air and all of a sudden Mr. Bat was pinned to the floor and getting ready for hours of non step fun as his wings get pulled off.

    I rescued Mr Bat and took both kittehs to the vet for shots the next day just in case.

    Miss Olivia loves to curl around your head on your pillow at night and she gives nose kisses to any and everybody who wants a kiss. She gets nibbly when she is happy and will wash your face and chew on cheeks, noses and eyebrows in equal measure.

    If she rolls on her back and wants you to rub her belly, that means the Cat God needs a blood sacrifice and you are the intended sacrificial target. Beware. She is purring, but you will bleed.

  43. 43.

    Mel

    @celticdragonchick: My little Jane was once a bat catcher, as well! She is the sweetest, gentlest, most dainty little thing, but let some hapless rodent or bat dare to enter the house, and she morphs into Warrior Cat.

  46. 46.

    RedDirtGirl

    I remember an image I saw, years before social media was prevalent, of a BIG cat that looked like it had fallen over onto it’s back. The caption was:
    Fat Cat Capsizes.

  48. 48.

    TomatoQueen

    Luca, my semi-feral tabby, will tolerate a massage of his upper chest. Any lower and well you didn’t want that hand anyway. I love Steve’s curly undercoat. The big floofy floof.

  49. 49.

    opiejeanne

    @RedDirtGirl: There was a triptych photograph that was sold framed many years ago; it showed the cat tipping over. We have a copy of it somewhere.

  51. 51.

    SteverinoCT

    I was at a bookstore, sitting with the resident cat, when we got into a friendly dispute over I was ”scritching” or “tickling” his belly. The cashier was aghast at the multiple trickles of blood running down my arm. A paper towel and I was good. A veteran cat petter.

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