I was playing Spider-Man when this goofball sat on the coffee table and started watching the teevee. It was a good opportunity to snap some glamour shots that show off his new collar.
How’s everybody’s Friday? The weather gave me half a migraine earlier, so I stayed in. I worked on short stories for an hour or two, and now (as you can see) I’m playing video games with the cat. Really living it up in the big city.
Open thread!
NotMax
As Fridays go, this was definitely one of them.
cain
Busy with work. I’m at a startup now, and I’m making half what I did at my previous employer with twice the work. But I’m stiuck with a boss who interested in free speech, and me saying “that’s for the govt not companies”. Lot of challenges ahead, but incredible freedom to do things. It’s a mixed bag, but we built a great team, and I’m hoping to counter-balance my boss who is a wonderful human being, but has some blind spots. I’ve never been in a position where it is the confluence of work and personal ethics that allows me to do things. I’m forced to work around my boss and play politics. As an engineer, this is a weird place I find myself.
debit
I had a plumbing situation, now dealt with, but for a while it was pretty gross in my house. The less said the better.
Major Major Major Major
@cain: sounds un-fun to me!
debit
Samwise is beautiful, btw.
Amir Khalid
Liverpool came from behind to beat Southampton, so my Friday night — actually, my wee hours of Saturday morning — went okay. Also, I figured out that the solution to my amp problem, lower volume in some overdriven voicings, is just turn it up to compensate. Duh.
West of the Rockies
@debit:
I’ve had a plumbing situation, too… My advice? Don’t get diverticulitis.
Oh, and what a handsome kitty-boy!
debit
@West of the Rockies: Ba-dum-ch!
ETA: and with that, I’m off to bed. It’s been a long day.
artem1s
very pretty kitteh! the weather headache must be catching. Just now getting over a day long, low grade sinus headache.
West of the Rockies
@debit:
I’m trying to stay positive. Tomorrow will be water and probiotic yogurt. That usually does the trick.
Amir Khalid
@artem1s:
Yes, Samwise is looking sharp.
JAFD
Was out in Vauxhall yestrday, errands, hiking around, wore myself out. Gout attack three wks ago really upscrewd conditiong program. So nappd from 5-10 pm today.
Hope to get into Manhattan tomorrw or Sun, maybe Jerry’s has some 10/0 brushes left…
Anyway, fellow NYC area jackals, I would do legwork for spring meetup if i could, but i just ain’t in shape for it yet. So must ask someone else to ‘carry ball’ for it.
Thanks!
WaterGirl
I don’t have very good luck photographing my black kitty. So either you’re a better photographer than I am (which is not difficult!) or Samwise has enough brown or gray mixed in to make the photos work.
NotMax
@Amir Khalid
Wow. Must be ultra mega busy if it becomes necessary to schedule wee time.
;)
Major Major Major Major
@WaterGirl: he’s almost entirely one shade of gray! Some light ringing on the tail though.
CaseyL
Just basking in the glory of the incipient weekend.
I was jonesing for a pizza all damn week, but stayed strong and fended it off. Until one of my coworkers said she really wanted pizza. For some reason, that was a reinforcement-permission – don’t ask me why – but I did order a pizza when I got home. I am now in a very pleasant pizza food-coma.
And tomorrow I go with a friend to see a glass art exhibit at Bellevue Art Museum. Looking forward to that!
(We wanted to see a movie, but the only one out now that I really want to see is Captain Marvel; and my friend has no interest at all in superhero movies.)
NotMax
@JAFD
Ain’t been the same since Pearl Paint went dark.
WaterGirl
@Major Major Major Major: Then maybe he’s a shade of dark gray rather than black? Whatever color he is, it definitely comes through in photos better than black does. Handsome boy.
greenergood
@JAFD: Am here in NY (Westchester County) from Scotland till 10 May – would love to meet up with NY jackals after nearly 10 years of lurking, only v. occasionally commenting. Will kep an eye out for plans. Samwise is awesomely beautiful, and awesomely tolerant of a collar – my feline overlady has no tolerance of neck jewelry and looks at me murderously if I try. Good job she lives in the country on a sleepy road ….
Major Major Major Major
@WaterGirl: his paperwork says he is “blue.”
NotMax
@JAFD – @NotMax
Still, there’s always Dick Blick. A company name once heard, impossible to not remember.
rikyrah
Samwise???
WaterGirl
@Major Major Major Major: Interesting! I just googled “what color is a blue cat” and found this, which was not terribly helpful at all, except for the “slate-gray/blue” comment. That helped.
WaterGirl
Heading to bed now. Sending good thoughts to Bixby and TaMara.
NotMax
@ Major Major Major Major
Smurfwise.
;)
Sab
@Major Major Major Major: Samwise looks a lot like our meankitty named Shadow (extremely skittish girl rescued as a stray adolescent.) Samwise has a sweeter face, but the exact same coloring ( green eyes, and sort of iridescent grey fur.) Shadow’s face is kind of foxy/pointed, and her eyes are always suspicious. She shrieks like banshee when she is bored, frustrated or hungry. But she can be sweet if she gets what she wants.
Samwise seems to have settled in nicely in to his new abode. He looks very happy.
BigJimSlade
Oh, yeah? Nice cat pictures, huh? Well, I’ll raise your ante by 2 Phoebes!
http://surfwoodroad.com/images/Phoebe2.jpg
http://surfwoodroad.com/images/Phoebe3.jpg
(pff – blows smoke off pistol)
oh, also, your cat looks lovely :-)
TomatoQueen
Hello handsome Samwise Who Glows, that’s a lovely collar. Luca the FightyBitey sends a getting better-meow. Our Friday has come to a close after telly- viewing the Met’s new production of Traviata, not with Netrebko but rather a blonde, which is rather against type but not a Wagnerian thank f. Thinking of all the beasties at home and traveling and hoping for safe journey and return to health soon.
??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??
Had my last full clinical for this semester, so I’m pretty happy! I got to work in a group of 3 and take care of two patients. All in all it was a fairly easy day.
Samwise is such a cutie. His green eyes and black coat are such an awesome contrast
Major Major Major Major
@BigJimSlade: the floof!
??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??
@Major Major Major Major:
Blue, you say?
Major Major Major Major
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??: congrats! How’s your cat?
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??: har!
??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??
@Major Major Major Major:
He’s doing fine, I guess. For being almost 18, he’s still in fantastic shape, though I am wondering if he’s beginning to develop arthritis. He doesn’t pee completely in the litter box anymore, so now we have to use puppy pads to catch the urine. He also doesn’t cover his poop up all the time. I don’t know what’s up with him.
Sab
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??: My sister, a very experienced cat owner, just acquirerd a new cat. For some obscure reason she has a litter box in the bathroom. For another obscure reason she decided to take a shower while the cat was in the bathroom.
The cat, understandably stressed, decided to use the litterbox. Then for, whatever weird cat reason, it decided to haul the bathmat over to cover the icky litterbox. So she got out of the shower with no bathmats.
Cats ain’t dogs.
Major Major Major Major
@Sab: ha, wild. We used to have the litter box in the bathroom because we flush the poops.
Sab
@Major Major Major Major: Did that work? I would worry about the plumbing.
StringOnAStick
@BigJimSlade: That second Phoebe photo is stunningly cute!
Samwise has the seriously intelligent look. Is he a problem solver?
Sab
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??: Puppy pads are actually kind of amazing for cats with issues. They happily use them.
StringOnAStick
@Sab: You can’t use a clumping litter. There’s a brand that says you can flush but I can’t remember the name. We stopped using it because it was so lightweight and got tracked everywhere.
NotMax
Howzabout a little feline music? (I chose this one, as opposed to the traditional solo piano, mostly because of the picture appearing at about 1:03.)
laura
@Major Major Major Major: he’s got a pelt that looks so dense, lush and soft, a sweet curious face and fog colored. What a great looking feller, that Samwise.
StringOnAStick
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??: 18 is pretty senior for a cat. What you describe sounds like achy joints: can’t fully crouch to pee, too much work to fully bury his bizness. We gave a cat a cat glucosamine supplement who was around that age and it did hslp. It helped convince me to take it because there’s no way it was placebo effect on a cat.
Sab
@StringOnAStick: We HATE clumping litter. But that’ s just us. The cats also hate it, but they don’t shop so they have no vote.
Sab
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??: So do you still like nursing? I have a niece who has been doing it for about 15 years ( pediatric ICU, only for the very resilient) and a cousin’s kid who just got out of school
BigJimSlade
@Major Major Major Major: indeed, even winter in Los Angeles brings out quite an impressive ruff. Then spring brings hairballs, lol.
BigJimSlade
@StringOnAStick: She says, gosh, thanks! (well, she probably says ‘i know’).
Mary G
Samwise is such a handsome young gentleman. My two refuse to sit still long enough to let me find a camera.
Sab
So what about this thread convinces you that cats are the low maintenance alternative to dogs?
I love pets, but only pet rocks are low maintenance. Everything alive needs love, comfort, dependable food and attention.
I have had a bunch of pets from kids/stepkids/ neighbor kids who didn’t realize the extent of the responsibility they took on when they took in that puppy/kitten.
Ninedragonspot
MMMM: how was your trip to Taiwan?
Jay
It was a blech Friday after a bad week emotionally,
Looking forward to The Debaters tomorrow at 12:30 on CBC Radio 1, then Laugh out Loud at 6:30.
On the bright side, despite my age and infirmities, I am still usefull as a multiple cat pillow.
Sab
@Jay: I am sorry to hear about your blech Friday and bad week.
Yay cats!
Jay
@Sab:
Sab,
We did okay, it’s just EFG, Bixby, all the other furries and their owners and that our best friend’s son is dealing with a divorce with a manipulative sociopathic narccist, with 3 kids involved, and we are trying to pitch in.
Then all the eeoring and people here getting suckered by RWNJ talking points and assorted rat fucking.
Still, fire, made the love of my life giggle, good wine, warm cats.
Ruckus
@StringOnAStick:
I did that glucosamine thing with my old cocker spaniel and he seemed to get a lot better joint wise. He just moved a lot easier and seemed far more comfortable. I think he realized the treat the glucosamine was in was doing him good, he’d wait for it after his meal very still, just watching and taking it very gently, both things that he didn’t do with food.
Jay
@Ruckus:
When Casey blew out her knee’s, the Critical Care people said glucosamine.
Hip Action was a treat they all got as they aged, now I take it myself.
JAFD
Ah well, since it’s Final Four weekend, the old riddle for the few who’ve never heard…
Q – Why don’t cats play basketball?
A – They can’t stand it when the crowd chants “Hairball, Hairball”…
…I’m calling ita night…
Sab
@Ruckus: @Ruckus: I might try that. I inherited my uncles cocker, who is about 13. He seems pretty hearty, but he is pretty creaky on cold mornings. Of course, so am I. But that is not his problem.
Jay
@Sab:
Works for both, I like the peanut butter Hip Action treats, chewy like fruit leather.
Jay
@Sab:
BTDubs, if you let them dry out it’s more like fiber reinforced peanut brittle.
Bluemouser
That is one handsome cat!
Gvg
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??: when my last cat got old with health issues, I got a large clear storage container and carved out a door in the side with a low lip. Only 1 inch high at the door sill but enough to catch any liquid. Then a low litterbox inside that. Easy to walk in was important, or he wouldn’t use it. Clear so he could see out. This kept all mistakes in aim inside a box. I did have to clean it more often than the deep boxes he had used when young.
J R in WV
@BigJimSlade:
Too cool, what a cute pink tummy!!!
Mary Ellen Sandahl
@WaterGirl: A “natural” cat variety (i.e. not the result of human breeding) from Thailand, the Korat cat (pronounced ko-RAHT) is solid silver-sheened grey all over. They are bringers of luck in Thai tradition – often given as wedding gifts to bring fortune to the couple, and they may not be bought or sold. They are not slender and elongated in the “oriental” style, but have a muscular medium build, surprisingly heavy for their size. They have heart-shaped faces and up-tilted eyes of green or yellow-green. There are Korat breeders here and there in Europe, the US, etc., but not many. They’re highly individual and intelligent, with amiable personalities.
I go into all these details because I think it’s possible that our JIngle, who showed up at the back door on a dark, rainy night a decade or so ago, is a Korat. He’s easily in the top three of good-natured cats I’ve ever encountered I don’t know how to post photos here, but you can see videos of Korats on YouTube, put up by their devoted humans.