I Am a Non-Hostile Cat!

So after 14 years of proudly calling myself a Cat Lady, I come to find that I should introduce myself as a non-hostile cat. At least, that is apparently how my own cats view me, and I would never want to deliberately deceive them.

A number of fellow Cat Ladies (I mean, other non-hostile cats) have recommended I read John Bradshaw’s new book, Cat Sense: How the New Feline Science Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet. I am all for self-improvement and dedicated to doing anything to make my cats “love me more” (see previous blog post). I just need to adjust to my new “title,” and maybe it’s time to buy the catsuit I was recently admiring at Saks.

Let's Get Ready to Rumble

I don't have a horse in today's Super Bowl race. The Houston Texans were pathetic this year, and my original hometown team, the New Orleans Saints, was eliminated weeks ago. But I'll be cheering for Peyton Manning, because he is a fellow native of New Orleans, and I always root for the "old guy." I hear he has reached the ripe age of 37.

I can't promise to watch every pre-game minute leading up to the Super Bowl. There is some serious competition, Cat Ladies. Touchdown, tabbies and torties, it's time for you and your fellow felines on the gridiron to show us what you've got:http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/kittenbowl

Let's get ready to rumble and tumble with the most photogenic starting lineup in the world. The NFL can only dream of drafting such acrobatic powerhouses as kittens.

I Miss You More

I rarely travel for museum business, but an opportunity emerged recently and it was time for me to don my winter apparel (which barely sees the light of day) and head to New Jersey, New Haven, and New York. On my return flight home, I decided to flip through the Skymall catalog. Yes, only serious, intellectual reading for this Cat Lady in transit.

I can't remember the name of the vendor that specializes in "I Love You More" memorabilia in various shapes and sizes. I wondered if I should compete with "I Miss You More" plaques, because I believe my cats would buy them, if they had spare change, and would display them prominently upon my reentry at Catland.

Who missed me more while I was gone? Did Pye miss my dangling a feathered wand in front of her tiny face? Did Lydia miss my calling her "Richard"? (It's a long story.) Did Leo miss hearing me say, "it's time for the iPad"?

It's all silly, yet sentimental, stuff, and the list goes on for the daily rituals that sustain the cats and me. The simple truth is that I missed them more than they will ever know.

Calling All Cat People

I was excited to read that Shout! Factory has just released a collector’s edition of Cat People, the 1982 remake of the horror/ film noir classic. The Blu-ray edition is complete with an exclusive, specially commissioned poster that surely will appeal to, and maybe even frighten, cat people–that means us. There are only 200 copies of the poster available, so order yours as fast as possible.

I hear that kudos go to the black panthers in the film. I wonder if my very own Panther has seen and approved?

L.B., CFO

Our very sweet cat L.B. has a head for numbers and a body that is built like a linebacker's.

Happily, we have noticed that L.B. has taken to eating less recently—which is helping control his diabetes—and is now spending much more of his time studying stock and mutual-fund portfolios. All of us at Catland are very impressed by L.B.’s ability to use a calculator and to create spreadsheets as needed.

 

We are proud to announce that L.B. has been appointed the new CFO at Catland, effective immediately.

Have you ever been tempted to post your cat’s “title” and “resume” on LinkedIn?

Of Mice and Cat Ladies

Move over, Ylvis, because I, too, have a catchy tune: “What Does the Mouse Say?”

It seems that Pye loves mice—not the real-life “gruesome offerings,” as Maeve Brennan wrote in her story “Cat House” (1955), reprinted in the recently issued Big New Yorker Book of Cats. Make no mistake: Pye likes her mice to be made of cloth, and preferably stuffed with catnip.

The newly anointed Pye Palace (formerly the Expedition Room; sorry, Cat Man) is stocked with about 20 toy mice, and Pye likes to play with, attack, and hurl them all. We hear Pye running furiously about the room, stalking her prey. At some point in the early hours of the morning, usually around 3:00 a.m., she becomes exhausted and retires from the hunt. But not before leaving a perfectly aligned row of mice for us to discover upon awakening. Sometimes Pye chooses three mice, other times five.

We cannot walk into the Pye Palace without stepping over mice. We get it, Pye! We are honored by your carefully chosen gifts to us and especially delighted that the rodents are fake.

Did You Know?

Today is the opening of the annual London Art Fair, which has long been a destination for top collectors from around the world.

The fair is featuring an exhibition dedicated to the renowned artist Barbara Hepworth. Did you know that she was a Cat Lady? Apparently her feline friend felt right at home among her modernist sculptures.

Dame Barbara Hepworth and Her Cat, Nicholas. Photograph by
Ida Kar, National Portrait Gallery, London

Art + Cats + Ladies: A Cat-Lady Trifecta!