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November 14, 2003 FRIDAY CAT BLOGGING....It's been getting mighty chilly here in Southern California, with temperatures plunging well below 70 degrees some days. Inkblot has taken to solving this problem by burrowing under the blankets in the morning (and practically pushing Marian out of bed in the process), where he stays until outdoor temps are more to his liking. This picture shows him at his saucer-eyed best. Jasmine, meanwhile, learning a lesson from Greek mythology, hopes that by climbing a tree and getting closer to the sun she'll get warmer. I guess it must be working since she's up there every day, snoozing away in a crook in the branches. (In this picture she's on her way down. I'd take a picture of her up in her little cat-nest if I could, but she's such a camera hog that she instantly abandons whatever she's doing and heads toward me whenever she sees me taking pictures.) BONUS CATS: Reader Amy Brewer sends along a link to this animated cat, which will purr and meow if you treat it right. Jenn Manley Lee has a photoshopped guest cat up today and promises more later, while James Joyner has finally given us a picture of his cats too. And Defective Yeti compares the camouflage abilities of his cat with those of a spotted amphibian of some kind. The cat needs some work. Elsewhere, Xrlq (don't ask) discusses his theory of why liberals like cats and conservatives like dogs. Because liberals are smarter and lazier? Just remember, though: cat blogging Friday is an invective-free zone, so only witty and entertaining responses are allowed.
Comments
Being both a cat and a dog owner (two of each) my armchair psychoanalysis of this is that dog owners tend to prefer obediance while cat owners prefer independence. Or that dog owners prefer having an animal that's brave, loyal and trustworthy, versus the cat owner who prizes vanity, laziness and biting the hand that feeds it. Hmm... Posted by: David W. at November 14, 2003 12:05 PM | PERMALINKI like both cats & dogs (I have 2 cats and a dog), and if I had enough land, I would also have a couple of goats. Can you guess which side of the spectrum I'm on? Posted by: guess which party at November 14, 2003 12:15 PM | PERMALINKBoy do I fit this stereotype...among others I suppose. Two English Mastiffs. Posted by: spc67 at November 14, 2003 12:16 PM | PERMALINKSee the URL above. This is the only good use of cats!!!! Posted by: wjwrules at November 14, 2003 12:17 PM | PERMALINKSPC67 - Snap! (in fitting the stereotype) - I have two cats. (My parents are both also long-time left-wingers, though, and we used to have a dog.) Posted by: Jesurgislac at November 14, 2003 12:19 PM | PERMALINKAnyone see Meet the Parents with Deniro and Stiller? The scene when Stiller's character is trying to explain being a dog-person to Deniro's characters is hillarious. The stuff Deniro comes up with was really funny ( I don't buy it -- I love cats and dogs, but it is funny). I can't remember it all, but it seemed to culminate with 'So you require and emotionally shallow animal, then, Focker?' coming form Deniro. I ought to go put the DVD in and transcribe it. Posted by: Timothy Klein at November 14, 2003 12:20 PM | PERMALINKDog lovers = conservatives? Ridiculous. I'm liberal and I have two dogs, and I love them. I like cats too, but I'm allergic to them so I can't have one. Posted by: Rumblelizard at November 14, 2003 12:27 PM | PERMALINKOn the cat/dog dichotomy. Most evil dictators (Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, Napoleon) are apparently dog people and/or cat haters. From what reading I've done, the only 20th century Major Evil Dictator who was a cat person was Lenin. Posted by: FDRLincoln at November 14, 2003 12:29 PM | PERMALINKWaaaa, no links today to my FCB from Kevin! *snif* :) I put one up
this morning, and of course last Friday was Amy's Amazing Adventure,
where she got trapped and almost crushed behind a bookcase... I wonder--what is the libertarian's preferred animal? Posted by: David at November 14, 2003 12:40 PM | PERMALINKDavid, I nominate turtles, because they just pull their heads into their shells when confronted with "issues." ;) Posted by: Linkmeister at November 14, 2003 12:49 PM | PERMALINKHeh, I'd like to give a goat to Mr. McManus, because he obviously is trying very hard to get other's goats in the 'Liberal Hatred' discussion. Posted by: David W. at November 14, 2003 12:51 PM | PERMALINKAs an adult I have developed an allergy to cats; although I still like them, I can't be around them. My dad raised collies and a breed called kuvasz. He was as liberal as I am (maybe more so) as is everyone in my family (who are all dog lovers). As soon as I find myself living in a house again, I'm getting a dog. Posted by: Randy Paul at November 14, 2003 12:53 PM | PERMALINKFolks, if you're like me and don't immediately click the links, I urge you to do so. The animated cat is great, and the "camo-cat" will be instantly familiar to all those who've ever been around a cat. Posted by: Linkmeister at November 14, 2003 12:55 PM | PERMALINKWonderful pix. "...mighty chilly ... with temperatures falling well below 70 degrees..." Hah?! Snort! Sqweech, sqweech! Did my eyes really see that? Excuse me, while I climb back up on my chair and take another look. Posted by: frabjous at November 14, 2003 12:59 PM | PERMALINK When I was deathly ill with chickenpox in 1996 (at the age of 28, adult chickenpox is nasty), I was out of commission for about a month. I ran a fever of 102-104 (spiking to 106 on one occasion) for two weeks. During the worst of it, as I was covered with over 300 pox all over my body, I spent about 10 days lying on the living room floor in agony. My cat refused to leave my side. He would leave to eat and use the litterbox, and that was it. Otherwise he sat by me the whole time, day and night. Once, during the middle of the night, my fever spiked dangerously and I was delirious for awhile. My cat went into the other room and WOKE UP MY WIFE and demanded that she go into the living room to make sure I was ok. You can't tell me that cats don't love, or that they are incapable of thought. Cats are different than dogs, but they are clearly intelligent and emotional animals capable of love and loyalty. Posted by: FDRLincoln at November 14, 2003 01:02 PM | PERMALINKGreat story, FDRLincoln. Cats can indeed bond with people very deeply and are aware when someone's in distress. There's a reason why people who own pets live longer lives! Posted by: David W. at November 14, 2003 01:05 PM | PERMALINKI like the liberal cat owners vs. conservative dog owners theory, it meshes with my own crackpot theory. What about the Marxists? Do they have a preferred animal? Posted by: David at November 14, 2003 01:13 PM | PERMALINKDavid: I have two cats, Toonces and Spot. Toonces is 11 years old, black with some white mixed in, thin, very vocal, highly intelligent. He is the one who stayed with me when I was sick. If I go on a business trip or something, he wanders around the house caterwauling for several days. Drives my wife batty. Spot is 10 years old, orange tabby, large, muscular, was fat (25 pounds at one point, now down to 12), diabetic, and dumb as a rock. He is also very sweet and good natured, but he is basically just a cat, a very nice cat, but a cat. Toonces, on the other hand, is probably borderline sentient and I have what I consider a very deep friendship with him. The two cats get along very well, probably because Spot is dumb and submissive and lets Toonces make all the necessary feline decisions. Posted by: FDRLincoln at November 14, 2003 01:17 PM | PERMALINKWhat about the Marxists? Do they have a preferred animal? The certainly have a dislike for running dog lackeys of the bourgeoisie, if that's any help. Posted by: David W. at November 14, 2003 01:17 PM | PERMALINK(Disclaimer: Having spent the first 23 years of my life in close personal contact with thousands of hogs and cattle, I don't share my domicile with any filthy beast.) Dogs are suck-ups because they live and hunt in packs. In your household, you are the Alpha dog (If you're not, you better watch your ass). If starvation comes to the house, the dog figures you'll lead the hunt for food. Most cats (It seems all small cats, other than Hemingway's six-toed cats in Key West) live and hunt alone. Cats figure if starvation comes to the house, they'll just eat you or any other critter they come across. The sucking up to the Alpha does seem to explain conservatives and dogs. Posted by: Ras_Nesta at November 14, 2003 01:23 PM | PERMALINKI thought the Marxists preferred gorillas. Ba. Da. Bing. Posted by: David at November 14, 2003 01:26 PM | PERMALINKHey, two good Marxist jokes. But I thought Marxists preferred duck soup. Jeez, you people have got it all wrong. Dontcha ever watch the
movies? Evildoers prefer cats over dogs 7:1. (except for miniature
poodles, which are actually cats on steroids.) FDRLincoln, when I met my wife-to-be, she had a cat who decided I was o.k., which later I found was a good thing as my wife later told me that if her cat hadn't she might have had second thoughts because she trusted the instincts of her cat when it came to people. Cats don't lie and pretend to like someone when they really don't. Dogs don't either, but unlike cats they're willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, especially if someone they already trust introduces a stranger to them. Posted by: David W. at November 14, 2003 01:39 PM | PERMALINKA few years back, one of our cats got lost in the crawlspace under someone else's townhouse for several weeks. One time, two of the others meowed really loudly by the front door. Mrs. Xrlq figured they were trying to lead her to their missing comrade was. Wrong! Turns out, all they were trying to tell her was that they felt like playing outdoors. We finally got the missing cat back, a little underweight but otherwise healthy. The hero? A stranger and her dog. Posted by: Xrlq at November 14, 2003 01:45 PM | PERMALINKOk, the Meet the Parents scene is not as funny without the context and Deniro's delivery, but I wrote it down, so here it is: ---------- Pam's Dad: Greg, how come you don't like cats? Greg [Pauses, then stammering]: I don't not like cats, I just, I just prefer dogs, I mean I'm just more of a dog kond of, you know, you come home, they're wagging their little tails, happy to see you, kind of ..." Pam's Dad: You need that assurance, do you? You prefer an emotionally shallow animal? Greg: I ... Pam's Dad: You see, Greg, when you yell at a dog, his tail will go between his legs and cover his genitals, his ears will go down; a dog is very easy to break. But cats make you work for their affection. They don't sale out the way dogs do. Greg: Huh. Interestingly, Pam's Dad in the movie is an ex-CIA spy hunter, and seems like a conservative. Go figure. But that scene made me laugh. Posted by: Timothy Klein at November 14, 2003 01:46 PM | PERMALINKI like both cats and dogs. In early childhood I had a dog, and hated cats because the few I had met were mean as snakes. But later I realized that sweet cats existed. I'm a cat person now, because (1) Samantha already had a cat when I
met her, and (2) cats are somewhat easier to take care of than dogs.
But dogs are wonderful animals and I'm always hanging out with the dog
when I visit somebody who has one. A friend of mine is an ultra-right-wing reactionary, a real John Birch type. I'm not sure why we're friends....it's odd, we agree about most things, but on politics we're polar opposites. Anyway, he loves cats and doesn't like dogs much. I prefer cats, but I like dogs too. I'd get a dog for my son, who loves dogs, but we rent our house and the landlord will tolerate cats but won't allow dogs. Posted by: FDRLincoln at November 14, 2003 01:52 PM | PERMALINKI was reading some information on cat behavior. It turns out that a lot of the reasons cats do the things they do have to do with scent. Cats will rub up against you, not to show love, but to try and merge your smells together to create a group scent. This is why cats will sometimes try and put their butts in your face. They want you to smell their anal sacs to help with the group scent. I do believe cats are intellegent (my cat will jump on the couch then the recliner then climb to the top of the recliner then jump on the table then jump from the table to the barstool to the bar when I am preparing her food their). But I think a lot of their behavior is just misunderstood. Posted by: Tom K at November 14, 2003 01:57 PM | PERMALINKBy the way, I don't think I've ever posted a link to my cat-picture collection: http://world.std.com/~mmcirvin/bio.html#cats I need to put up some newer ones, especially of Radka, who looks more grown-up every day. This is why cats will sometimes try and put their butts in your face. They want you to smell their anal sacs to help with the group scent. Eew... Posted by: JP at November 14, 2003 02:01 PM | PERMALINKJames Joyner is doing some Friday cat blogging and serving as a counter-example to your rule, as well. Posted by: lefty skeptic at November 14, 2003 02:07 PM | PERMALINKCats are just as loving & loyal as dogs -- it's just that they take longer to bond with you. I like them both (grew up with a great dog, have two great cats now). The Wall Street Journal has a story about a kind of pet I'd never even heard of before today: sugar gliders. Apparently they are a tiny, nocturnal marsupials that sleep through the day and bounce around your home all night. Your pick as to which political constituency they represent. Posted by: Diana at November 14, 2003 02:14 PM | PERMALINKthis 'cats are for liberals' meme is hogwash. Posted by: littlefrisky at November 14, 2003 02:22 PM | PERMALINKCats are easier to take care of than dogs, and are therefore the pet-of-choice for people who are away from home quite a bit. I contend this is why single women often have cats (it was true in my case). Could it be that conservatives tend to spend more time at home? Posted by: denise at November 14, 2003 02:26 PM | PERMALINKI think the liberal/conservative cat/dog divide has more to do with money and home-ownership than the other way round. More leftie-types, myself included, live in small downtown apartments where a dog is almost impossible. More right-types joyfully leap to the 'burbs and do the dog/kid/wife thing. Anyone who thinks that cats don't care about their people has obviously never lived with one --or has lived with one that didn't like them much. Cats are the only beasts I know that actually make a distinction between people who like them and people who fake it. And cats have no suck-up factor: if they don't like you, they let you know, and they usually say it with claws. Posted by: jo. at November 14, 2003 02:32 PM | PERMALINKWhat an outrageous slur on dog-lovers! Who you calling conservative? Posted by: Frederick at November 14, 2003 03:03 PM | PERMALINKI don't do cat blogging, but I do nephew blogging. As far as dogs, I am a dog person. I have two Tibetan Mastiffs, and I run the world's first online dog show. We got a cat about a year ago. I didn't think I would like him, but he acts like a dog (albeit an even dumber-than-most-dogs dog), and he's very fluffy and nice. And my nephew calls him a "diddy dat." --Kynn Posted by: Kynn at November 14, 2003 03:11 PM | PERMALINKEliza Gilkyson said it best: Oh I wish I was lying like a cat in the sun Is there any empirical evidence that this is the case? Or, with inheritance. People tend to like the animals & political affiliations of their parents (maybe). So, earlier demographic trends might lead to the current situation even if they are no longer present. That was neither witty nor entertaining. So be it, Im too burnt out for humor right now... Wu Our parrot (using "my" loosely here) would like you to know that she is smarter than your dogs and cats. Seriously, the amusing thing about birds is that they are obsequious and imperious by turns. Cats and dogs like to be fondled and fussed over, but only a bird will make a serious attempt at grooming you. By the way, anyone thinking that cats don't emotionally cling and aren't protective has never lived with a Siamese. Posted by: Robuzo at November 14, 2003 03:39 PM | PERMALINK"It's been getting mighty chilly here in Southern California, with temperatures falling well below 70 degrees some days." Bwahahaha...gonna have to wear some socks with those funky shoes. Posted by: jdw at November 14, 2003 03:53 PM | PERMALINKOh, how cute, I want first dibs on a baby Inkblot, if every Inkblot and Jasmine get around to doing the wildthing (if their not fixed). Posted by: Cheryl at November 14, 2003 04:16 PM | PERMALINKI one of those..."I like most animals" kind of people. Mainly, I like cats, though and I've turned out to be a moderately liberal dem. My parents, on the other hand, are conservative and had both dogs and cats all their lives. I don't think politics plays any part. People who are nice overall, like animals in one way or another! now, for those who don't like cats (or for those who do) , check out: http://www.mycathatesyou.com/newlist.asp Posted by: misty at November 14, 2003 05:18 PM | PERMALINKI have two cats & three dogs - all equally adored. And my entire family is flaming liberal. So - only goes to prove that liberals are tolerant of all species and welcome all comers to "the big tent". Posted by: NC Progressive at November 14, 2003 06:17 PM | PERMALINKDogs are social animals, and their big deal is hierarchy and their place in it. Dog owners know that they must (to have a mannerly pet) establish themselves as the "alpha." And the only Republican caucus I ever attended (in Iowa) was definitely hierarchical and orderly--very strange. Cats don't care about hierarchy--their big issue is territory and who has it. They tend to dispute these issues, of course. Presidents generally, I think, are dog people--naturally enough, since they are generally hierarchy conscious. Thomas Jefferson is one whom I would nominate as a cat person--and of course he greatly increased the territory of the US through the Louisiana Purchase. Posted by: BayMike at November 14, 2003 06:23 PM | PERMALINKActually, I think cats (particularly female cats) do care about hierarchy if they live together. They bully each other and jockey for status. It's just not the axis of their existence as it is with dogs, and they do seem to make a sharp distinction between humans and alpha cats. In feral and farm cat communities, I've heard that the females tend
to band together in loose associations to raise and protect their
kittens, whereas the males are more nomadic and go around trying to kill
the kittens that aren't theirs. Some big cat species do similar
things. I had a friend who worked in animal research using dogs. His job required him to break dogs' legs so the mending process could be studied. He quit the job because the SECOND time he went in to break one dog's leg, the dog came up to him wagging his tail. I can see how a conservative would like dogs. Posted by: Zizka at November 14, 2003 07:13 PM | PERMALINKI am incredibly, incredibly allergic to cats (and dogs). Indeed I am swelling up and sneezing from these pictures alone. My question is this: why do cats love me? They really do. A neighbor's cat who "hates people" loves me and has jumped into my lap as I've read in the backyard on more than one occasion. I have nothing against cats as such. They just make me really, really sick. Why must each cat try to kill the thing he loves? Posted by: Thersites at November 14, 2003 07:14 PM | PERMALINKWe walrus kill the thing we love, Thersites, Cats confronted with strangers trying to pet them feel attacked. Strangers who ignore them, however, are clearly not threatening. That is why they go for the people who don't like cats. If you want to make a strange cat keep away, run toward it and try to grab it. It will run. If it's the neighbor's cat, everytime you see it try to grab it, and I guarantee it'll avoid you. I have no advice with respect for dogs. Posted by: Diana at November 14, 2003 08:25 PM | PERMALINKsorry, this liberal is a die hard dog lover. Don't like cats at all. Unless they are strictly indoor cats who don't go around Bushian-like killing every damn thing they get their claws on. Posted by: Mark H at November 14, 2003 08:43 PM | PERMALINKI don't own cats anymore, since I live not very far from a highway,
it was a CAT astrophe, and my wife is allergic to cats but I think I
should trade my wife for another stray-cat really soon. Nice pictures Posted by: Frenchy at November 14, 2003 08:50 PM | PERMALINKFrenchy, I hope for your sake that your wife does not read this blog. Ever. Otherwise, you are in big troulbe. ;-) Posted by: Timothy Klein at November 14, 2003 08:58 PM | PERMALINK:) Matt, I've heard the same thing about communities of female cats. Long ago, I saw a documentary (on PBS, I think) called "Tiger on the Tiles". Strange choice of title, because the it seems they behaved more like lions (i.e., a community) than the more solitary tigers. Anyway, the main purpose of the collective was to prevent males (who were skulking about, usually alone) from killing the offspring of rivals in order to establish their own genetic dominance. This is somewhat similar to the dynamics of a pride of lions. Posted by: Stephane at November 14, 2003 09:28 PM | PERMALINKMoitié Québecois. Mais je suis beaucoup plus à l'aise en Anglais. Posted by: Stephane at November 14, 2003 09:43 PM | PERMALINKI'll cross you around here then man. This week we lost our beloved senior cat, Sebastian. But thanks to you, Kevin, I decided that blogging on him was not frivolous. Don't know if I'll do it again, but at the time it seemed appropriate. Thanks. Posted by: MB at November 14, 2003 10:36 PM | PERMALINK
Would Chairman Mao qualify, on the basis of the name? Certainly he's in the top three for Major Evil Dictators. (Libertarian here, who loves cats, and dogs equally as much, and in fact most advanced mammals. Although raccoons in the garden can be a tremendous annoyance.)
One name: Elizabeth Marshall Thomas. The Hidden Life of Dogs. The Tribe of Cats. As a hereditary liberal and dog person, I have to say hooey. Even pigeons seem to think I'm copacetic. Mice have reason to think I'm nice. I hate to admit I like rats, too. A cat moved in on us, despite the hostility of some of our resident dogs. We called him Perro, because we sometimes mistook him for our male dog. After that dog's passing the cat served (as best a cat could) as the resident male. He was nuts for canteloupe, though. He'd chase you around the house if you were eating a slice. At about the same time, one of the dogs would pluck and eat hibiscus flowers straight off the bush. Southern California, Orange County, why do you ask? Posted by: bad Jim at November 15, 2003 02:48 AM | PERMALINKRepublicans own dogs because they have a desparate need to be loved. They own cats because they're lazy. Democrats have cats because they are secure enough to have a pet that thinks for itself. They own dogs because they are pro-family, and their definition of "family" is not just a husband and wife with children. :) Posted by: KeithH at November 15, 2003 09:16 AM | PERMALINKSurely cats are the ideal Libertarian pet? They're individualistic to the point of absurdity, shun government, and love hunting. (I'm a dog person. Spirit of the collective and all that. It's not an obedience thing, it's the pack mentality, which isn't about losing your individuality, but augmenting it. But the apartment is not dog-friendly, and my wife has the cat, which shows that I'm tolerant, if anything.) Posted by: nick sweeney at November 15, 2003 09:33 AM | PERMALINKRe: evil people & fictional CIA spy hunters like for cats.. Its simple really, its neither a conservative nor liberal view point.. As a person who has studied the finer (black) arts, you appreciate the cat for the apex predator it is.. They dont rely on packs to hunt, enhanced night vision, incredible grace & agility, the ability to fall great distances relatively unharmed, and a mean set of claws/teeth - plus cat's go for the "clean" kill & ambush.. for the throat.. dogs tend to run an animal down & wolfpack it do death.. lots of biting on the flanks & rear.. If I were a wildebeast I'd much rather have a lion pounce on my neck anyday... I think dogs are swell too, but I think it depends on the person really.. and how they view said animal. anthropomorphizing and all that.. Posted by: sUbversive at November 15, 2003 10:23 AM | PERMALINKBut cats themselves are Libertarians. Oh, they may feed at the "public trough, but they sure want you to know that they are, in fact, free agents. Posted by: Kevin Murphy at November 15, 2003 11:19 AM | PERMALINKIn the Netherlands we say that dogs have masters and cats have servants. "Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through snow." - Jeff Valdez I do think that women prefer cats slightly more than men do, and the fellas like dogs more than the girls do. Maybe the men are planning to go out hunting for a musk ox later. I'm the kind of guy who stays in the kitchen with the women (the conversation is better) while the men watch football. Of course, I'm a cat person. Posted by: andrew at November 17, 2003 03:47 AM | PERMALINKtwenty four inches of pain - xxx video clips - 24 inches of pain - cocks sex - deep dickin - first time amateur - gay closet movies - gay hitchhiker - gay hitch hiker - gaymen galore - gay men galore - blinddate bangers Posted by: big naturals at June 30, 2004 07:16 PM | PERMALINKBest XXX Sites - Excellent site. Keep up the good work.
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