I was reading the news and about to write yet another fucking post about Trump when I heard Steve cleaning himself behind me, turned around and look, and with the lighting and his current playful mood he was looking majestic as fuck, so instead I took some pictures:
He was pretty clearly in one of his rare moods where he was ok with being photographed, and allowed me to get some closeups:
I don’t care what people say about my photography skills, Steve more than compensates for my shitty picture taking, because that right there is the cover of some Cat Fancy magazine. One of my favorite things about cats and dogs is the super fine hairs around their noses, and how you can just see the texture. That is some fucking cat, I tell you. I love him so much.
Also, here is a bonus picture of Lily:
She was pouting because I would not give her more wet food. I broke down, of course, and gave her a treat.
Trump can wait. Feast your eyes on that amazing fucking lion I have shitting in a box in my house. Crazy he lets us all live.
Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (formerly Mumphrey, et al.)
He looks like he knows he has a good life.
jeffreyw
The Trump is dead! Long live Steve! Viva Steve!
TomatoQueen
Steve could make a cheney (spit) or a kissinger (hiss) crumble to dust. Lily is the bestest girl, give her another treat.
Gin & Tonic
That’s some cat.
Jerzy Russian
Steve is judging you, like most cats do. You are falling short of expectations, like most of us do.
I think everyone should have a dog like Lily. If that is not practical then how about green and white polka dot bows for all?
Miss Bianca
OMG, Steve and Lily in her little bow! Too much cuteness before coffee!
zhena gogolia
I said the other day you need to make Steve into the new Maru. Take some atmospheric Zen videos of him getting into a box (not a litter box). Lily is the queen!
debit
Steve so clearly loves you. Look at how soft his face and eyes are. I bet anything that his paws were curling while you were taking the pictures. Lily is, as always, the dog other dogs aspire to be.
J.
Is it just me or does Steve kind of resemble John?
zhena gogolia
And of course this post title would not be appropriate for DJT.
geg6
Steve really is a beauty. The markings on his face and the bit of brown in the fur right above it looks like our Cleo. She is not that fuzzy, though, even though she is a kitten and I thought they were the fuzziest of fuzz balls. What I have noticed about her that is a little weird is that she purrs like crazy but does not meow at all. Haven’t hear her make a noise other than the purring and, when she had the upper respiratory thing, wheeze and sneeze.
Lily is too adorable. I think Koda is our Lily dog.
jeffreyw
John, what is the camera you are using for these shots?
geg6
Since I’m not being allowed to edit, I meant the bit of brown fur right above his nose.
John Cole
@jeffreyw: iphone
schrodingers_cat
@geg6: If you want to hear cats being noisy, put her in a car and take her for a drive. Non-stop plaintive music to last the entire drive.
schrodingers_cat
@John Cole: Steve is magnificent but I still miss Tunch. I felt compelled to comment here to pay homage to his magnificence.
Roger Moore
They’ve gotten a lot better since you stopped drinking. You might have cropped a bit close, but other than that those are very nice pictures.
rikyrah
Steve looks majestic, and not scary in those pictures.
Lily looks beautiful, as always :)
No Thurston pic?
If you ever thought of doing a youtube channel with Steve…I think it would be a hit :)
rikyrah
Judge shocks court with harsh rebuke of Flynn; sentencing delayed
Rachel Maddow reads highlights from the surprising sentencing hearing for disgraced Trump NSA Mike Flynn which did not actually end in a sentencing when Judge Emmet Sullivan seemed particularly upset with Flynn’s offenses.
SiubhanDuinne
@zhena gogolia:
I knew the second I saw the post title that it would be about Steve and would have pictures!
Such a handsome boy he is. And Lily, as always, is a total angel-cakes.
kindness
The winter coat looks good on Steve. No doubt he’s happy to have it now.
SiubhanDuinne
@schrodingers_cat:
Me too. I will never not miss Tunch.
Mai Naem mobile
Steve looks like the male cat version of Melania. Totally pulling a ‘strike a pose’ stance like Melania does in every goddamned pic.
Yarrow
Oooh, he’s gorgeous! His eyes are just amazing. You are lucky he lets you live in his house.
And poor Lily. You didn’t give her more wet food? What were you thinking? She is the very best girl and always deserves extra wet food. Thank goodness she got a treat or there would be problems! She is very cute in her new bow.
rikyrah
Actual end of Flynn’s work for Turkey difficult to assess
Although Judge Emmet Sullivan expressed contrition for suggesting that Michael Flynn was still an agent of Turkey while he was Trump national security adviser, Julia Ainsley, national security and justice reporter for NBC News, talks with Rachel Maddow about why he may have been correct.
zhena gogolia
@Mai Naem mobile:
Blasphemy! Steve is proof of the existence of God. Melania is the opposite.
zhena gogolia
Until I saw a picture of Judge Emmet Sullivan, I was picturing a red-faced Irishman. I didn’t know he was African-American. Maybe that helps explain why he was willing to go there with the T-word. Too much BS flying around about poor little general getting jail time.
Butch
Back in October I found a tiny kitten (just over 2 weeks old) huddled in our woodpile. No idea how he got there because there was no trace of any other cats or kittens, but we took him in and had to bottle feed him for the first couple of weeks because he was so young. He’s now a healthy, active kitten, and yesterday when I couldn’t locate him I finally discovered him sound asleep in a pocket of my winter coat, which was hanging on a kitchen chair.
jeffreyw
@John Cole: Cameras in phones are getting better and better. It’s the first thing I look at when buying a phone, well, aside from making sure the OS is android.
karensky
Steve is da bomb and Miss Lily is perfect.
rikyrah
@zhena gogolia:
I knew someone had made the comparison to Maru…I agree…I think Steve videos would be fabulous.
schrodingers_cat
@Butch: Your kitten sounds adorable. Also too, pictures or it didn’t happen.
Elizabelle
Moar Steve. Less Trump.
I think the universe is finally making that happen. With a huge assist from voters and the Democrats they supported, and the (non-corrupt part of the) legal system they protect and defend.
Matt McIrvin
You got good light here– indirect but not too dim, and off to the side just enough to bring out relief. Great for pet portraits.
geg6
@schrodingers_cat:
We already have several times. We put her in the carrier, make sure she can see us and there has been no problem. She is super well behaved everywhere she goes.
geg6
@Butch:
Awww, that’s very sweet. Sounds like our Cleo, who we found abandoned in our garage. Luckily, she was already weaned, but just barely. She was probably about six to seven weeks when we found her.
dr. bloor
Those pix of Steve remind me that someone noted FB, cats always look like you just asked them to give you a lift to the airport.
Cheryl Rofer
Steve is beautiful, John! And in his full winter coat!
Villago Delenda Est
Steve is the Egyptian cat-god updated for the modern era. Truly magnificent!
Mnemosyne
All right, jackals, I need some positive thoughts right now. My brother in IL called to say that our mom is in the ER with what may be a mini-stroke, though it could also be something more serious … or something less serious. Good vibes, please!
Villago Delenda Est
@rikyrah: Judge Sullivan was dropping hints to the Department of the Army with that.
Amir Khalid
@Mnemosyne:
Positive thoughts transmitted.
Villago Delenda Est
@Mnemosyne: Vibes being sent, in part from my purring cat.
skyweaver
Spectacular pics of Steve, and Lily is her usual sweet self. Merry Christmas, Cole pets.
Yarrow
@Mnemosyne: Sending positive vibes. Keep us posted on how she’s doing. Take care of yourself too.
mapaghimagsik
So my corporate murderhole has a security guard up in front of the building. Of course, like any good corporate hellhole, we have guards and gates (the guns are reserved for executive protection, who will most likely gun down employees if they get in the way of their duty of getting executives away from any perceived threat). So, the guard is new.
The line is that the guard is there to protect employees from protesters. However, they don’t like it when I indicate that the ratio of “employees injured,killed, and left homeless from our corporate negligence” to “employees injured, killed and left homeless from protesters” is either incalculable or zero.
I had an inspiration that Cal Fire and my corporate murderhole, both of which have a fair amount of data around the effects and causes of wildfires could work together to actually build a predictive model and plan for action, but that was after half a Haitian Zombie, a Mai Tai and a spicy, boozy concoction simply called ‘Vacation’. I have since sobered up and abandoned such a unicorn attitude of moving forward, and accept that I am just the blood bag strapped to the front of the car, since my corporate murderhole seems to think the best way to punish the leadership that continue to make bad decisions is to throw money at them until they leave.
Elizabelle
@Mnemosyne: All the best. Keep us posted.
Yarrow
@Villago Delenda Est: Isn’t he still under UCMJ? And as a General, can’t he still be prosecuted for violations?
JPL
Steve normally gives you “if looks can kill” poses. He looks so content.
Villago Delenda Est
@Yarrow: Yup. He can. The question is will DA take the plunge. I suspect they wish the whole thing would go away via Mueller.
As I mentioned yesterday, he was specifically briefed about payments from foreign entities, that he was required to seek DA approval for any offered to him.
He’s in direct violation of Army regulations in the Turkey case.
Yarrow
@Villago Delenda Est: I think it’ll depend on how things happen going forward. Since his business associates are now under indictment, more info might come out that would lead them to think they need to go ahead.
At some point traitors have to be prosecuted or treason will continue to happen at ever increasing levels.
mapaghimagsik
@Mnemosyne: Hope everything turns out well!
raven
@Mnemosyne: Oh no! I’m all obsessed with strokes now that I have one. Did they get it early?
Yarrow
@raven: How are you doing since yours? Any further updates from doctors?
Mary G
@Mnemosyne: Oh, right before Christmas is the worst. Holding her in the light.
John, thanks for the pictures which are much better than He Shall Not Be Named. Last night I was bitching about not being able to see Lily’s new bow well enough; got up today to see a lovely lady’s face in closeup, with moar Steve for a bonus. This really is a full service blog.
The Moar You Know
Jesus, Steve is magnificent. He really is. Beautiful cat.
SiubhanDuinne
@Mnemosyne:
All the good vibes I can muster! I’ll be thinking of you, and your mom and brother. Please keep us posted.
zhena gogolia
@Butch:
So cute!
zhena gogolia
@Mnemosyne:
I hope for the best.
MoxieM
@Mnemosyne: Sending good energies.
And Steve, well that’s some cat. And Lily’s seasonal bow is adorable.
Harry Hamid
That is one chill looking cat.
geg6
@Mnemosyne:
Good thoughts heading west as quick as I can send them.
Barb 2
Your photos are beautiful. They take you back to that moment in time when everything came together – you had the camera, and excellent models! Most of our photos are of our fur kids. The last one was of the cat and dog curled up back to back on a heating pad. They were warm and toasty!
Pet heating pads are great – best money spent this year. Our floors are very cold. One is preset to a safe constant heat the other one will get warmer.
Steve and Lily are special – with sort of royal attitude. “If you must play with your human toys – make it quick.”
Thank you for sharing that special moment in time!
JPL
@Mnemosyne: Here’s hoping for a good outcome.
Barbara
@Mnemosyne: I hope it’s not as serious as it sounds and that she doesn’t have to spend the holidays in the hospital.
spudgun
Steve really is magnificent, and for once your pictures do him justice. :-D And I’m always up for pix of Lily-boo!
Pets really do make everything better…
@Mnemosyne: so sorry to hear this news! per request, sending you hope and strength and positive thoughts!
randy khan
@Jerzy Russian:
FTFY. Of course, there are exceptions in that moment when you put the food dish down and when you are petting them exactly where they want to be petted.
Gin & Tonic
While the airline’s official site says that my wife’s flight is scheduled to depart at 1620 GMT, FlightAware says that it’s “on time” for a 1640 GMT departure. Weird discrepancy. But at least she seems to be on today’s flight, having missed yesterday’s *actual* scheduled departure due to a complex series of airline snafus. At least an airline snafu (as opposed to a weather issue) means a hotel and meal voucher.
gammyjill
What a way to start off my day. Gorgeous pictures of that magnificent bastard and a sweet one of Lily. Thanks!
Gin & Tonic
@Mnemosyne: Wishing for the best here.
Raven
@Yarrow: I know more about it now. It was a lacunar stroke in the “pons” area. The good news is that things like the double vision often self-resolve and it did. Other good news is that I’m really low on risk factors since I don’t smoke, drink, eat red meat and I work out regularly so statins and low dose aspirin are what I’m doing. My research also indicates that there is am elevated chance of another one AND dementia so, you know, I get to worry about that some. Mostly it’s just FIDO.
thx
Amir Khalid
The Majestic Motherfuckers. A great band name.
Miss Bianca
@Mnemosyne: Ach, Mnem! Good vibrations on their way.
daryljfontaine
@Mnemosyne: Good vibes (and healing purrs) from me and my cats’ menagerie.
@Amir Khalid: Along similar lines, a theme song.
D
stinger
The Magnificent Steve(n) looks so much like my Gina, though he’s bigger, that I really love seeing even bad pics of him. And Lovely Lily is rockin’ those polka dots! I love your pets, John Cole.
jl
The quality of Cole’s petpix have, on average, vastly improved.
There, I said it. I won’t take it back. I stand my ground.
Thks 4 handsome petpix.
WereBear
A Magnificat!
FelonyGovt
Steve is so regal and beautiful.
@Mnemosyne:Sending healing thoughts to your mother. Hoping for the very best.
Tazj
Very nice pictures of Steve and Lily. Steve is a gorgeous cat and Lily is as always, her too adorable self.
@Mnemosyne: Sending good vibes your way and wishing your mom and family all the best.
Tinare
Steve is a magnificent cat. And Lily is lovely in her green bow. Good job on these photos.
Tinare
@Mnemosyne: Sending good thoughts your way for your Mom. Hugs to you as well.
Just One More Canuck
@Mnemosyne: hoping for the best for your mom
Aleta
Steve loves you too. (He just has resting cat face, often misinterpreted.)
Aleta
@Mnemosyne: Good vibes going out to you, your brother and to your mom. Hope she’s home soon.
Eljai
A friend of mine had a photo of her cat made into a tapestry and it is really quite beautiful. I think she used Collage.com. Steve & Lily would make a fine tapestry.
Aleta
“”Lily is, as always, the dog other dogs aspire to be.
@debit: Tbh, I aspire to be Lily’s attitude. Remember the video of her on the bed while Thurston leaped on and wrestled someone (maybe Lovey) close to her? Calm calm calm, holding the calm in the space. Amazing.
J R in WV
@Mnemosyne:
Thinking of your family. These things are way more treatable and detectable than they used to be, so there’s every reason for you to expect everything will work out OK in time for the holidays. Best of luck!!!
Mai Naem mobile
@Mnemosyne: good luck with your mom. I hope she has a good outcome. If it is a stroke don’t be surprised if your mom is depressed for a little while initially.
Pogonip
@jeffreyw: I think he uses the UltraDark 1000.
Joy in FL
Steve is majestic. I love being able to stare into his eyes in these photos. And Lily is perfection, no matter how perfection is measured.
satby
@Butch: awwww, sweet!
satby
@Mnemosyne: you got em!
Lyrebird
@Mnemosyne: Good vibes to yer mom and to you as well!
I know y’all don’t know yet what it was, but if it was a mini stroke, keep in mind that they can do SO MUCH MORE for post-stroke rehab, especially if you get the person in right away, than they could 15-20 years ago.
batguano
Steve, you magnificent bastard!
jamey
It’s like The Lorax has a better looking sibling.
MomSense
I am so envious of Steve. I miss having a cat, especially a Maine Coon, so much.
I don’t know if I ever shared that one of the alley cats, an orange Maine Coon who is the biggest cat I’ve ever seen, is now a very happy indoor cat. My friends who help me feed and trap the ferals bonded with him and one day when they opened the door for him he went inside. We named him Mufassa because he is so big and lion colored! He is very happy with his new life and barely looks out the window even.
MomSense
@Mnemosyne:
Sending good vibes to your mom and a hug to you. Please keep us posted.
Steeplejack
Steve, you magnificent bastard!