Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

You cannot shame the shameless.

You are either for trump or for democracy. Pick one.

We know you aren’t a Democrat but since you seem confused let me help you.

If you can’t control your emotions, someone else will.

The media handbook says “controversial” is the most negative description that can be used for a Republican.

You know it’s bad when the Project 2025 people have to create training videos on “How To Be Normal”.

Many life forms that would benefit from greater intelligence, sadly, do not have it.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. keep building.

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

We can’t confuse what’s necessary to win elections with the policies that we want to implement when we do.

A norm that restrains only one side really is not a norm – it is a trap.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it is not glory.

Human rights are not a matter of opinion!

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

Those who are easily outraged are easily manipulated.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Humiliatingly small and eclipsed by the derision of millions.

You are here: Home / Nature & Respite / Faunasphere / Mid-day Cat Break

Mid-day Cat Break

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Mid-day Cat Break 1

Mid-day Cat Break

There’s a funny little daily drama that plays out in the house. The video is of Neighbor Cat, Ginger. I believe that is a girl but it could be a boy. Ginger is fascinated by my house as I have 2 cats. Which means he/she gets to pick fights safely from the outside of the window and attack the window until I tell Ging to bugger off. Odo has decided this challenge shall not stand, so he is eternally vigilant by my shoes, so he doesn’t fall off the window sill again (& again) when Ginger attacks the window (again). Hime, as any sensible female would feel, thinks both of these 2 are silly, so she focuses on her obsession with… me. At this point, I’m glad everyone has a hobby, I just wish it involved a space not right next to my computer & my recording mic.

And in other news, trying to organize myself before the big debut movie script table read on Saturday and I’m hoping to get all the pre-panic done today so tomorrow is relatively calm. How’s your day going? Open thread!

Reader Interactions

95Comments

  2. 2.

    Major Major Major Major

    Hehehe what a bunch of dorks. And yay for the script reading!

    Today sucks for me, just anxious and overwhelmed, no good reason, these things happen. Guess I didn’t sleep too well maybe.

  7. 7.

    KayInMD (formerly Kay (not the front-pager))

    Your cats are so pretty! And the fighters are so silly!

    I’m waiting till 4:30, when I can find out if I can bring Loki home from the hospital. He had most of his teeth removed 2 weeks ago due to pretty extensive disease that we thought was causing his weight loss, but he has since lost almost another pound, and hadn’t eaten since Monday. After x-rays and sonograms and etc. & etc. it looks like the poor little guy also has lymphoma. And pancreatitis. I feel so bad for him. That’s a lot of pain for a little cat to suffer. The good news is that he’s being treated at the hospital with pain meds for the pancreatitis, steroids for the lymphoma (apparently that’s often pretty successful on its own for feline lymphoma), and anti-nausea medication. He has a consult with the oncologist  to see if chemo is warranted in addition to steroids. Meanwhile, he can come home, which will be a great relief to his buddy Reilly, who has been disconsolate at his absence. He keeps wandering around looking for Loki, calling for him to come out. They’re so bonded, it’s like not just one cat is sick, both of them are.

    Anyway, I’m glad Loki is coming home. I hope we can get him better.

  8. 8.

    Jay

    But guess what! Today we have actual good SCOTUS news! Because yesterday, in a case styled Torres v. Madrid, our Supreme Court managed to actually rule in favor of a person who was shot by the police.

    The decision is a good one — and it sets an important precedent for the future, just by ruling something as simple as “shooting a person counts as seizing them.” (Yeah, the United States Supreme Court had somehow never really said that until now.)

    TL; DR: Police shot a woman driving a car. She got away initially, but ended up being arrested after having to go to the hospital for the gun shot wounds. The cops tried to say shooting her didn’t count as a seizure, because she wasn’t so incapacitated that she had to stay at the scene. NOT AN UNREASONABLE RULING.

    https://www.wonkette.com/torres-v-madrid

  10. 10.

    gvg

    Slow day before a week of vacation. Endless. I made sure to be past caught up this week and now I have nothing to do.

    I have plans for a lot of spring cleaning repairs around the house and late in the week I can get a 2nd Pfizer. Appointment systems aren’t actually allowing me to set one yet as it is still “too soon” and the county isn’t showing next weeks choices. If I have to, I will drive 60 miles again but it would be nicer if I can get it closer in case I have some of that tiredness. I am twitchy. I am bored and yet keyed up to get so much done as soon as the day is over.

    One project is to try introducing one of the feral kittens to my older cat to see if they can get along and I can keep her.  Another one is ready for a home and I need to post him available. The other 3 still act shy and wouldn’t impress prospective adopters yet but are edging closer. I think I might make some progress if the 2 extroverts were out of the bedroom. They hog the pets and treats.

    I need to remember to rest some this week. Lie around with cats and watch TV?

  13. 13.

    randy khan

    @KayInMD (formerly Kay (not the front-pager)):

    We had a cat who lived (generally pretty happily) for a couple of years with the chemo after being diagnosed for lymphoma.  One interesting fact:  The vet told us that cat dosages are much lower (per pound, that is – they’re way lower in total) than human doses because cat-sheltering humans wouldn’t tolerate the side effects on their cats from higher doses.

  14. 14.

    Matt McIrvin

    We also have two cats (Jess and Luna) and a wandering neighborhood cat named Socrates who is a very sweet boy. But our cats are not necessarily convinced of this, and much yowling and hissing ensues when he drops by the sliding glass door.

    Ours are in principle indoor cats but Luna is a skilled escape artist; it can be extremely hard to keep her from running out. Fortunately she usually decides to come back in before very long, because that’s pretty much the only way to get her in.

  16. 16.

    Another Scott

    @dlwchico: 

    :-)

    Interesting. That Imgur link opens in this B-J tab, rather than another tab. I’ve occasionally seen some Twitter links that open in this tab too, but usually they (correctly) work in another tab. Another FYWP buglet/instability?

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  17. 17.

    randy khan

    @Sayne:

    Yes, that is a lot of cat.  We’ve had a couple of cats in that class over the years – particularly one Siamese who could have been used to hold down papers in a hurricane.

    The whole cats on opposite sides of a window yowling at each other thing is simultaneously really irritating and hilarious.  I always wonder what would happen if the window magically disappeared.

  19. 19.

    CaseyL

    Exciting news about the script read – hope it goes well!

    My ladycat, Jeannie, used to like to drive the neighbor’s cat insane by showing up outside on the ledge by their kitchen window.  Indoor cat wouldn’t scream or hiss, but growl continuously as he swiped all the things off the kitchen windowsill in order to put his face right up against the window.  The neighbors eventually had to keep everything off the kitchen windowsill.

  25. 25.

    KayInMD (formerly Kay (not the front-pager))

    @Matt McIrvin: We had a tiny Abyssinian many years ago who was extremely skilled at escape. Unfortunately, she would immediately run up a tree, from which she was unable (or unwilling) to descend. On one occasion, when I was out of town helping my niece with her first baby, this resulted in her spending 5 days in a tree, and almost being adopted by strangers two blocks over. For some reason, my husband was convinced she had been eaten by a fox (we lived in the middle of a built out suburban development) so he gave up looking for her after 1 evening of calling around the neighborhood. Hours after I got home and put up signs with her picture, I got a call and went to pick her up, and all was well.

     ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

  29. 29.

    KayInMD (formerly Kay (not the front-pager))

    @Professor Bigfoot: I’m so sorry. Pets are the only members of our family who love us unconditionally, so their loss hurts in a different way. I’m just really sorry for the loss you’re feeling right now.

  30. 30.

    A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)

    I don’t want to jinx things, but you are lucky Odo hasn’t started spraying around the window where he sees the orange cat. Many (especially insecure) cats would take the outside cat as a threat to their territory which has to be fought with odor. Pee wars are NO fun. You could consider getting a motion-triggered water sprayer to keep the orange cat away from your window. When I watched Jackson Galaxy’s My Cat From Hell show on Animal Planet, it seemed every other spraying cat problem was a territorial dispute, and the solutions ranged from keeping the outside cat away (the sprayer), to putting up a visual barrier so the inside cat couldn’t see the outside cat.

  34. 34.

    karen marie

    @gvg:  I was amazed at how organized vaccination scheduling is here in Maricopa County. It was really easy to schedule the first one (Pfizer) – lots of open slots! And they scheduled the appointment for the second shot at the time I received the first. No muss, no fuss!

  35. 35.

    Skepticat

    It looks as though the house I’m staying in may have power in a day or two, after being without it for 19 months, ever since Dorian. I’ve been using the generator very sparingly because diesel is $6 a gallon. There still aren’t gutters, so I don’t have potable water except from a neighbor’s cistern, but that’s a minor annoyance.  I’m staying in a guest suite without a stove or a fridge, but the thoughts of lights and use of the microwave are pretty thrilling. Now if I only could afford to rebuild my own home  …

  36. 36.

    trollhattan

    Stop me if you’ve heard some version of this, before.
    “Hey, fellow Conservatives, let me help you ‘make money’ while stickin’ it to the Libs.”

    Wall Street Journal: “Values-based investing options for conservatives have lagged behind those available to investors concerned about climate change, diversity and animal rights. Now conservatives are taking a page from liberal investors when it comes to their escalating criticism of technology companies that have banned former President Donald Trump and others from their platforms.”

    “The fund boycotts Facebook Inc., Apple Inc., Google parent Alphabet Inc. and roughly 20 other companies that it views as overly progressive in their corporate politics.”
    https://politicalwire.com/2021/03/26/you-can-now-invest-in-republican-mutual-funds/

    Sounds like the My Pillow of Amways.

  37. 37.

    tokyokie

    @gvg: I suffered fatigue after both my Moderna shots, but it didn’t commence until 10-12 hours after the injection, so you should be able to easily drive 60 miles after the jab without feeling like snoozing.

  39. 39.

    debbie

    @karen marie:

    It seems to me, after reading experiences here and other places, that the cities and counties have been far superior to other sites in their set up and delivery. I know it’s been true for me. I can’t imagine it could have been set up better than it was, and I think it speaks highly of government’s abilities in crises, in contrast to pharmacies, hospitals, etc. Private sector is not always better.

  40. 40.

    surfk9

    Is there a site where I can get a list of Georgia companies to boycott over the Jim Crow laws?

  41. 41.

    J R in WV

    @Professor Bigfoot: 

    Huge condolences!!

    17 years is long enough to form a wonderful attachment with a kitty. Ours creep onto our bed in the wee hours to snuggle, moreso as they age. The purring is so restful~!~

    So sorry for your loss!!

  42. 42.

    Just One More Canuck

    @Matt McIrvin: When I was a kid, we had this awesome tuxedo cat named Socrates – in his seventeen years, he probably disappeared for a week or so 5 times – just decided he needed a vacation. Would come home all smelly and matted but happy as a clam

  44. 44.

    trollhattan

    @surfk9:

    It gets painful once NCAA and sportsball leagues stop booking events in the state*. Also convention business. See North Carolina for a handy example.

    *Do not look for leadership from golf, which masquerades as a sport.

  48. 48.

    Sure Lurkalot

    @Professor Bigfoot: That’s a bummer, 17 years is a long cat life but too short for a furry friend life.

    Cato was my wackiest cat and even though he didn’t have the skills or the brains to survive an outdoor life, he wanted one.  He got out one evening unbeknownst.  After being spotted a couple of times by neighbors but not caught, he was gone for 10 days, thought dead and was grievously mourned.  Then he showed up morning #11, about 3 lbs lighter and VERY tired.  He didn’t rush to the door much after that.  He didn’t have a particularly long life…he was felled by a brain tumor at age 12 though the diagnosis explained a lot about his odd habits.  He was a love and I still miss him after 18 years.

  49. 49.

    TomatoQueen

    @Professor Bigfoot: I am so sorry Fritz has gone on. 17 is a great age for a kitty & I’m certain he had a good life with you. Merlinus Ambrosius raises his paw and says a soft Brrp?

    Fritz on the Bridge!

  51. 51.

    KayInMD (formerly Kay (not the front-pager))

    @No name: Thanks. He’s coming home at 7, after he’s tapered off fluids. They tell me he’s eating well, which is a relief. His buddy Reilly is boycotting his dinner after half a meal, which he’s been doing since Loki went to the hospital, and which is very out of character for this chonky boy. he will be so happy to see his soulmate.

  53. 53.

    brendancalling

    I’m in Tucson (well, Vegas right now) visiting with my buddy Buddy, who has a blind cat named Harry. Harry is the most wonderful cat in the world. He (and his now deceased fellow blind cat Emma) had been previously owned by someone horrible human being that used them to train fighting pit bulls—it is amazing how loving and mellow the cats were, but Harry is just especially sweet.

    I haven’t spent any time in Vegas since probably 2010? It’s a weird place, but I love it. I always feel like a minor character in an Elmore Leonard novel when I walk around.

  56. 56.

    Shana

    @trollhattan: I saw something earlier today that there’s a push within MLB to remove the All-Star game from Atlanta this year.

    We have a cat who in her younger days once disappeared for 5 days, 4 days before we were supposed to go on a 2 week overseas vacation.  Did everything to try to find her, nothing. Notified the vet where she was scheduled to be boarded, put up signs all over telling people if she was found after date we were leaving to take her directly to the vet. Comes the day to leave and there are torrential thunderstorms all morning, screwing up airplane schedules. Our flight from DC to Philly wasn’t until 3pm, we can just drive to Philly and catch our overseas flight right? Nope, if we didn’t take the first leg of the trip they’d cancel the whole reservation so we were stuck waiting until they inevitably cancel our flight, rebooking for the next day and going home. That evening the cat showed up, meowing her head off, starving but so glad to be home. The fur on her nose was rubbed off but that was the only damage we could find. We think she may have been stuck in someone’s garage but really don’t know.

  60. 60.

    Mary G

    @randy khan: My cat punched out the screen once, which fell on the intruder and made him run away. Fortunately it scared my guy too so he didn’t pursue. Once my housemate left the door open and Evil Cat strolled in and a huge fight ensued. It was my two, grey and mostly black tuxedo, versus the white invader. He whipped their asses; the pile of hair left was all dark.

    Another  housemate got so angry about the fighting on the sides of the patio doors she put foil on the bottom of the glass so that the cats can’t see each other. She watches white invader try to stand on tiptoe to get a view on the security camera when she takes a break from work.

  61. 61.

    AJ

    Hope tomorrow goes awesome for you!

    I’m still slogging through a mercifully high functioning version of my depression but had some nice work calls and happy hours this week. Still sober, thanks be to Ram Dass and Dolly Parton.

    Thanks for the kitties, they look lovely.

  65. 65.

    TomatoQueen

    Beverly Cleary and Larry McMurtry on the same day?  Something’s  not right. RIP.

  68. 68.

    lahke

    I’m about 2.5 weeks into my cat adoption for 2 supposedly non-feral cats,  who have gone into hiding in basement hidey holes and only eat in secret when I’m not around.  (There is a long and pathetic story on why they didn’t make it to the sequestered bedroom for dedicated socializing. )  I’ve been moving the food slowly up the stairs to the kitchen,  and of course the really good gushy food can only be had by entering the kitchen,  but they still are pretty much avoiding me.  If anyone has any bright ideas other than dwelling in patience,  I’d love to hear them.  I’m really eager to be able to pet the cats I’m cleaning up after.

  70. 70.

    debbie

    @Jay:

    That right there is an allegory for T****’s America. Government conducted behind doors, doing who knows what, and an immigrant walks up to the door, knocks…and gets arrested. ?

  71. 71.

    EmanG

    As a man currently secured in his chair by a 12 lb miniature poodle, I feel you. Otherwise, decent day, thanks for asking!

  72. 72.

    PaulWartenberg

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    NOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOO (seriously) OOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOO OOOOOOOO OOOOOO OOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOO OOOOOO OOOOOO OOOOOOOOO

    as both reader and librarian, Beverly Cleary’s passing is a huge shock and tragic news.

    I grew up to Henry Huggins and yes I read the Ramona books. I can still remember the chapter where Ramona hates getting dragged along to Beezus’ fancy haircut, and where Romona gets a nice pixie cut while Beezus is stuck with a horrifying perm, and it shocks Ramona into realizing she needs to be nicer to her older sister.

    Cleary is one of the greatest children’s authors of all time. She understood and spelled out the traumas and joys of youth in ways no other author could (Judy Blume is the only one who came close). That SHE never won a Nobel Prize for Literature offends me now and forever.

  75. 75.

    Gravenstone

    Learned a new bit about my megachonk orange boy. I’ve talked about how he’ll materialize from thin air whenever he hears me opening a package of lettuce and pester me until he gets a leaf to gnaw on. He once gorged himself to the point of vomiting on sweet corn leaves  – leading me to bury them in the trash going forward. Tonight he showed me the limits of his vegetarian interests.  Cabbage appears to be a no go. Silly boy…

  77. 77.

    WereBear

    @lahke: If anyone has any bright ideas other than dwelling in patience,  I’d love to hear them.  I’m really eager to be able to pet the cats I’m cleaning up after.

    I have posts on my cat blog with the tag Feral cats.

    Because they might as well be.

    Can you spend any time in the basement. Like sit and play with a device, read a book, etc? Letting them watch you from a hiding spot is pretty powerful when it comes to soothing them about your good intentions.

    Also, throw some cotton stuff onto a chair down there on its way to the hamper, when you put food down. Then they will associate the food with your scent.

    At least they have each other. That will help. The more social one will support the warier one.

    A success story:

    Dear Pammy, THANK YOU

  83. 83.

    MomSense

    My work schedule has been especially demanding lately.  Today I came home and instead of stealing my shoes so I can’t leave, my dog stole my mask.  She’s holding it in her mouth and giving me disappointed eyes. This dog is very cat like.

  89. 89.

    Steeplejack

    @PaulWartenberg:

    Point of information: Whenever anyone does one of those hilarious endless, no-break exclamations, it totally fucks up the comment box for people using (some) phones or tablets. The thread’s line width gets expanded to include the length of the whole exclamation, and then the comment box either gets expanded equally or gets lost in the dark gray “comment background.”

    Maybe stick to 20-30 characters. Everybody will still get the joke and you won’t screw the blog.

  91. 91.

    lahke

    @WereBear:

    Thanks! I’ve been spending a couple of hours down there most days,  trying to be quiet and non-threatening,  so will keep that up.   No takers so far on the catnip.

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