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Kitty, the blog animal
January 15, 2008
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When I get home from my little adventures, Kitty will occasionally give my shoes a sniff...
If I could, I would bring her
sunshine in my pocket...
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Thanks for visiting - please tell a friend about Kitty BLOG...
stop by AphotoAday for your daily non-cat photo... and for 2, try Daily Duo.
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Kitty, the blog animal
January 14, 2008
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No, Kitty never gets to go anywhere... Not even to pretty places like
Point Lobos
-- where I went yesterday...
I told her all about the splashy adventure when I got home...
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Kitty, the blog animal
January 13, 2008
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Spring is a long, long way off...
But Kitty and I are both dreaming of
wildflowers...
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Kitty, the blog animal
January 12, 2008
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Kitty, the blog animal
January 11, 2008
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Kitty, the blog animal
January 10, 2008
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It's been so dark and gloomy at Kittyland recently that we pulled out the scrapbook
yesterday to see if we could find any
memories of sunlight...
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Kitty, the blog animal
January 9, 2008
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It's kind of difficult to see stars through clouds, so I had to reconstruct and illustrate the
Constellation of Kitty
pretty much from memory...
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Kitty, the blog animal
January 8, 2008
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Well, it could be Kitty and clover, or it could be clover and Kitty...
It sort of all depends on the focus...
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Kitty, the blog animal
January 7, 2008
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Seriously, sometimes I don't know which is stranger -- cats, or their owners...
Karen, owner of two Marmalades, sent me these photos showing what her cats are up to
these days...
Osamacat [ left ]
is still on the trail of Bin Laden, and Red [ right ]
wears that tin-foil hat to keep aliens from abducting him...
And by the way, everybody is cordially invited to
e-mail me if you've got a story
and/or a photo of your cat... I think Kitty is agreeable to sharing the spotlight...
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Kitty, the blog animal
January 6, 2008
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Well, it might be the 6th of January, but Kitty is still full of
razzle dazzle...
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Kitty, the blog animal
January 5, 2008
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Kitty came home
chromed yesterday, without much of an explanation...
Hair has been serving cats well for eons so I just don't
know why she has to keep up with each new fad... Oh well, maybe next week she might be
into rust... Never a dull moment around here at Kittyland...
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Kitty, the blog animal
January 4, 2008
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Kitty knows just about everything there is to know about
getting horizontal,
but I'm not sure if she would be able to identify this strange creature or not...
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Kitty, the blog animal
January 3, 2008
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If sleeping or taking naps had anything to do with thinking,
Kitty would have The Thinker beat by a mile...
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Kitty, the blog animal
January 2, 2008
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Shadow's dad, Larry Mennetti, sent this great photo of
Shadow
enjoying some freshly fallen snow...
Well, Larry, I hope Shadow eventually found his way inside and got warmed up...
Of course we don't have snow, but it's been cold here in California and
Kitty has been spending a lot of time in front of our heater... I can imagine that
if Kitty went skiing she would be like one of those cats who finds a warm place in the
lodge and never actually hits the slopes...
And by the way, everybody is cordially invited to
e-mail me if you've got a story
and/or a photo of your cat... I think Kitty is agreeable to sharing the spotlight...
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Kitty, the blog animal
Happy New Year, 2008
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It doesn't really take a lot to please Kitty -- she seems to be able to find
spectacular entertainment
in all the remote corners of her little world...
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 31, 2007
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Kitty and I intend to celebrate the arrival of 2008 with a
pretty sunrise...
We think a sunrise is far better than scary old fireworks...
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 30, 2007
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And another way to poke your eye out is to cuddle with a cat who still hasn't removed
their Christmas head-gear...
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 29, 2007
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And when Kitty is actually awake, she absolutely loves
to eat corn...
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 28, 2007
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You probably heard about Tatiana
and the horrible maulings at the San Francisco Zoo on Christmas
Day... I took this photo of a Syberian Tiger at the zoo about a year ago, but in comparing this photo with the one that ran with the Chronicle article, I can see that
this tiger is not Tatiana...
My guess is that the victims provoked the attack in some way, but
here is Kevin Fagan's report in the San Francisco Chronicle of what
they know so far:
--------------------------------------------------------
SAN FRANCISCO — It was a nightmare of carnage and confusion, with police attempting to find an escaped tiger that fatally mauled one San Francisco Zoo visitor and then apparently followed a trail of blood to attack two of his friends.
When police arrived at the zoo on Christmas evening, they were hampered by a lack of emergency lights, video surveillance cameras and maps. They didn't know how many animals might be on the loose or how many victims might have been injured.
The minimal evidence found at the scene included a shoe and blood in the 25-foot-wide moat that surrounds the tigers' grotto, raising questions about what role, if any, the victims might have had in accidentally helping the animal escape.
The three victims, all young men from San Jose, were visiting the zoo together. They were each present when the tiger escaped, killed 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr. with a savage slash to the throat, and injured the other two.
The names of the survivors, who are brothers ages 19 and 23, have not been released by authorities.
The brothers were in stable condition today at San Francisco General Hospital and were expected to be released within a few days, said Dr. William Schechter, chief of surgery. They suffered deep bites and claw wounds on their heads, necks, arms and hands, but were expected to recover fully.
The injured victims fled, and the tiger apparently followed them under rapidly darkening skies for 300 yards down a zoo pathway. As the tiger cornered and attacked one of the brothers, four police officers arrived, distracted the animal and shot it dead.
Zoo officials said they are trying to figure out how the 4-year-old Siberian tiger named Tatiana escaped from her enclosure shortly after the zoo's 5 p.m. closing time.
No doors to the grotto had been left ajar, they said. The animal is the same one who attacked a zookeeper almost exactly a year ago.
Officials speculated that one of the victims may have been dangling a leg or other body part over the 14-foot grotto wall and that Tatiana latched onto the limb and climbed out. Police sources said a footprint had been found on a metal fence, suggesting that someone had climbed it to get closer to the big cats.
Zoo Director Manuel Mollinedo said it was also likely that the animal was provoked.
"Somebody created a situation that really agitated her and gave her some sort of a method to break out," Mollinedo said. "There is no possible way the cat could have made it out of there in a single leap. I would surmise that there was help.
"A couple of feet dangling over the edge could possibly have done it," he added.
Sources said pinecones and sticks that were found in the moat might have been thrown at the animal. Those items could not have landed in the grotto naturally, they said.
However, police Sgt. Neville Gittens maintained that there was no reason to think that the victims were taunting the tiger.
The two survivors were in serious but stable condition Wednesday following surgery at San Francisco General Hospital, doctors said.
The zoo, which closed Wednesday, will remain shut today so that police continue their investigation. Mollinedo said he hopes the zoo will reopen Friday, but the tigers and lions will not be on display for at least a week.
Confusion during search
The hunt for the escaped tiger Tuesday was confused and chaotic, with police and paramedics frantically scrambling through the 1,000-acre zoo grounds to locate victims after discovering Sousa's body.
There are no surveillance cameras pointed at the big cats' grottos, so officers could not find out from zoo security guards what animal or animals had escaped. Initial calls for help didn't say what sort of animal had escaped, sources said. The lack of cameras also has made it difficult to ascertain how the attacks occurred.
Police said the investigation will focus on physical evidence collected at the zoo, witness statements, an autopsy of the victim and the necropsy of the tiger.
New cameras and a metal barrier will be installed to protect the public from the tigers and lions, Mollinedo said.
As darkness deepened Tuesday, officers found that the modest level of zoo lighting was insufficient to illuminate the trees, foliage and public areas where they initially feared that more animals might be lurking or more victims might be found. Firefighters standing on tall ladders outside the zoo illuminated the grounds with portable lights to help the search.
"We didn't know how many tigers were out," Mollinedo said. "I (was) under the impression we had two or three cats escaping. There was a sense of paranoia around here."
Investigators canvassed the zoo for hours Wednesday morning before finally determining that nobody else had been hurt.
Tiger tracked other victims
A Fire Department source said three paramedics found Sousa's body, with a wide gash across the neck, lying near the grotto. The enclosure is surrounded by a 25- to 30-foot-wide moat and a 14-foot-high wall.
The paramedics and an ambulance driver were told of additional victims outside the Terrace Cafe restaurant, about 300 yards east. When they arrived, they found the tiger standing over one of the brothers.
The paramedics and driver were soon joined by the four police officers, who distracted the tiger with the red lights of their two patrol cars before shooting her to death with their .40-caliber handguns.
Gittens said the officers did not want to shoot the animal while she was sitting next to the victim.
"I can only imagine the patrons walking around, and suddenly seeing this tiger," he said. "It was probably surreal."
Police were treating the zoo as a crime scene Wednesday. Yellow police tape surrounded the area near the cafe where the animal was slain.
It's not known why the tiger singled out the three visitors or why she tracked down the two wounded victims, apparently ignoring other zoo patrons.
Rochelle Dicker, an emergency room surgeon at San Francisco General Hospital who operated on the victims, said Wednesday that the two survivors were recovering remarkably well.
They were awake and stable, Dicker said.
Doctors are focusing on preventing infection from the bacteria that may be present in the men's wounds, she said. That bacteria is similar to the type found in the common house cat, officials said.
The zoo was eerily quiet on the day after the tragedy. The cafe where the attack victims were found was shuttered and still, and a dozen police officers gathered with zoo officials nearby, poring over maps and handing out equipment.
Zookeepers held a staff meeting and also met with grief counselors.
Visitors continued to filter up to the entrance, unaware of what had happened.
"Oh my gosh! I hadn't heard anything about a tiger," said one visitor, Komer Poodari of San Jose. "I guess we'll go to Fisherman's Wharf."
Mollinedo said the zoo has a response team armed with tranquilizers and firearms, but that the scene unfolded "so quickly that the officers found (Tatiana) first."
Earlier attack
This is the second time in just over a year that this same tiger attacked a human.
On Dec. 22, 2006, Tatiana chewed the flesh off zookeeper Lori Komejan's arm in front of about 50 visitors lingering in the Lion House after the cats were fed.
A state investigation later ruled that the zoo was at fault for the attack because of the way the cages were configured.
"There was never any consideration for putting her down. The tiger was acting like a normal tiger," Mollinedo said.
The public feeding demonstrations at the Lion House resumed in September after about $250,000 in safety upgrades. The city, which helps fund the zoo, is facing a lawsuit from Komejan and is assessing whether it is liable for the Christmas Day mauling, officials said.
Mollinedo has brought in colleagues from other accredited zoos to do a thorough analysis of the big cat exhibits.
"We want to make sure they are safe and see what kind of modifications should be done to ensure the safety" of people and animals, he said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will "in most likelihood" investigate the zoo's tiger facility, said agency spokesman Jim Brownlee.
Inspectors from the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which oversees the nation's zoos, will "probably be on location very soon," Brownlee said Wednesday night.
"We would look at the whole situation in a comprehensive manner," he said.
Other zoos await details
Keepers at other U.S. zoos said they were waiting for more details about the San Francisco attack before deciding whether to make changes in their tiger enclosures or security procedures. Moats and sheer walls are common methods of protecting visitors from large animals at outdoor zoo exhibits.
"We still don't know what happened," said Tony Vecchio, director of the Oregon Zoo in Portland. "We know what animals can do and we build barriers that are taller and wider than that. But one of the rules in the zoo business is that animals will always surprise you."
--------------------------------------------------------
San Francisco Chronicle reporters Jaxon VanDerbeken, Steve Rubenstein and Cecelia M. Vega contributed to this report.
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 27, 2007
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Kitty never gives me much of a report so it's
difficult to interpret what she might possibly be able to
see, but this is the time of year when she
puts on her mystical bright-green eyeglasses
and looks into the future...
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 26, 2007
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Well, I was wrong... I was absolutely certain Kitty would really love the
long ears
I got her for Christmas...
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Kitty, the blog animal
it's Christmas 2007
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On behalf of Kitty, I would like to wish you and yours
peace...
Not just for the holiday season, but for the next billion years...
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 24, 2007
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Eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York's Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become history's most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies, and other editorials, and on posters and stamps.
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DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.
"Some of my little friends say there is no
Santa Claus.
"Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's
so.'
"Please tell me the truth;
is there a Santa Claus?
"VIRGINIA
O'HANLON.
"115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET."
VIRGINIA,
your little friends are wrong. They have been
affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age.
They do not believe except [what] they see. They
think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible
by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether
they be men's or children's, are little. In this
great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an
ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless
world about him, as measured by the intelligence
capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes,
VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly
as love and generosity and devotion exist, and
you know that they abound and give to your life
its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would
be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It
would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS.
There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry,
no romance to make tolerable this existence. We
should have no enjoyment, except in sense and
sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills
the world would be extinguished.
Not
believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not
believe in fairies! You might get your papa to
hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas
Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did
not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that
prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no
sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real
things in the world are those that neither children
nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing
on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof
that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or
imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable
in the world.
You
may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes
the noise inside, but there is a veil covering
the unseen world which not the strongest man,
nor even the united strength of all the strongest
men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith,
fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that
curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty
and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA,
in all this world there is nothing else real and
abiding.
No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives,
and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia,
nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he
will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
------------------------------------------------------
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 23, 2007
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Look... up in the sky... is it a bird???
is it a plane???
--I've got Kitty on skywatch duty --
we're expecting someone from the north...
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 22, 2007
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As Kitty's social secretary, I was checking her engagements, and for the next couple
of weeks it will be nothing but non-stop
party, party, party...
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 21, 2007
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I'm just guessing, but I suppose about the only
question
Kitty has at this time of year is what she might be getting for Christmas...
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 20, 2007
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While outdoors, Kitty likes to keep a fairly low profile...
Blending-in and being stealthy takes a lot of practice...
Kitty is pretty good at it, but I think she should
tone-down those green eyes just a bit...
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 19, 2007
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I went way back into the archives and found this photo of Kitty,
but it's been so long ago that I can't remember if she was
flying through the air,
or just stretching on the floor... Either way, her
technique and form is pretty much the same...
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 18, 2007
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Kitty may need additional batteries, but...
According to the Wikipedia,
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
is Santa Claus's ninth and lead reindeer who possesses an unusually red-colored nose that gives off its own light, powerful enough to illuminate the team's path through inclement weather".
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 17, 2007
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I probably haven't told you that Kitty has been taking art classes at the local junior
college... Kitty has gravitated towards
"cubism"... As she explains it:
"Cubism is the breaking down of a subject into a number of facets, showing several different aspects of that subject simultaneously".
--I say go for it, Kitty...
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 16, 2007
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The weatherman has forecasted rain, but I'm going to
go-out-on-a-limb and predict that Kitty will find a way to stay perfectly dry...
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 15, 2007
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I keep thinking that we will eventually find some sort of gainful employment making full
use of the dark and mysterious side of Kitty...
She quit her job at the
KittyGallery
and is looking for something new...
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 14, 2007
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We'll have to look it up when she wakes up, but I'm guessing that a
snooze
is probably somewhere between a nap and a forty-winks...
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 13, 2007
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Energy conservation is in full-swing here at Kittyland, but early this morning Kitty
and I spent a bit of quality time huddled close to the heater...
Kitty loves the heater... Summer seems a
long way off...
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 12, 2007
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Profound or not, Kitty's sole purpose in life is to simply give it a
whirl...
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 11, 2007
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I should have known that Kitty's language
and the way it is enscribed, is quite different from our own...
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 10, 2007
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The lower two photos are from months ago, when the windows of this
not-so-fancy Chinatown cafe were quite a bit cleaner
than they were on Saturday (upper photo)...
The cat is well fed, beautiful, and obviously happy... Maybe some day when
the cafe is open, I'll stop by and pretend I'm just there for the food, and not to visit
their cat...
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 9, 2007
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Yes, that's Kitty, my faithful stay-at-home
homey...
And this is the look I sometimes get when I leave...
Almost as if she wants to go along...
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 8, 2007
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Kitty often passes time, perched half-way-in and half-way-out of her window mounted
cat door...
It's the best of both worlds, I guess...
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 7, 2007
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Jane, Busterina's political manager, sent in
Busterina's official portrait...
Jane writes:
It's the one we going to use in 2008. She's running for the Senate,
you know, on a platform of 'Long Afternoon Naps for All and Immediate Withdrawal from all Hostile Actions for Everyone'. Over here, in Palo Alto, we think she's a shoe-in,
who will restore honor and integrity and a much needed sense of warmth and softness,
to the national political arena.
------------------------------
You can count on our support, Busterina... Good luck...
And if you have a cute shot and/or story about your cat,
e-mail me
and we'll see if we can show it here...
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 6, 2007
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Karen sent this cute photo of her cat with the curious name of
Phoebe... I think Phoebe could tell a few stories --
I can tell that by just looking at her... And what a great name, Phoebe -- you just
don't hear that one too often these days...
Kitty and I have been brainstorming recently about cat names -- seems like we've
almost worn Kitty out... Phoebe would be a great new name for Kitty, but
of course, Phoebe is already taken...
And if you have a cute shot and/or story about your cat,
e-mail me
and we'll see if we can show it here...
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 5, 2007
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Yes Kitty, with this much rain, we should have more than enough weeds to
be able to lay around and chomp all summer long...
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 4, 2007
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I got an e-mail yesteray from Jade, who included this cute shot of
Bella
who turned a partially empty box of Pepsi into her own little fort...
This is what Jade wrote:
First off let me say thank you. I start off each day by checking in on Kitty.
She is quite beautiful and a real character too. I love the corn eating and the
raspberry pictures of her.
This picture is of my cat Bella who has designated herself guardian of the Pepsi.
No one and I mean no one gets one without her consent.
Needless to say I haven't had a pepsi in a week.
------------------------
Bella is a VERY cute cat, Jade... Thanks for sending the photo and note...
And if you have a cute shot and/or story about your cat,
e-mail me
and we'll see if we can show it here...
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 3, 2007
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O.k., to be perfectly honest, Kitty never goes anywhere... She just stays home...
But when I get home from my adventures, I spend a little time with her and tell
her all about the places I've been...
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 2, 2007
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The day before yesterday we mentioned Kitty's new friend, Gateway,
and how he broke his leg, but here is his older house-mate,
Shadow, playing dare-devil...
But Kitty is concerned... Be careful, Shadow...
Got a cute photo of your cat?
E-mail me
and we'll see if we can show it here...
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Kitty, the blog animal
December 1, 2007
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Burrrr...
It's probably colder where you live, but mornings have been getting pretty darned
chilly here in California...
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 30, 2007
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You might remember Shadow from the November 19 edition of KittyBLOG, and yesterday Shadow's
dad, Larry, sent me a photo of their other tuxedo-cat that goes by the name of
Gateway... The following is the harrowing story
of Gateway's accident and swift recovery:
-----------------------------------------------------------
I took this photo about 5 minutes before Gateway broke his rear leg!
We were playing out in the yard and I went back into the house for a few minutes and looked out the rear sliding door on the deck and Gateway was trying to get back inside and falling down all over the place. His leg was only being held on by the fur on the leg. We think he went up the fence and must have gotten caught by the leg when he tried to jump down or fell. Our Vet did a great job of setting and pinning the leg... it came out perfectly and he has full use. Marilyn stayed home and kept him as quiet as you can keep a one year old Cat. She had a bunch of special vitamins to promote healing and it seemed to work great... the Vet couldn't believe how quickly he healed.. less than half the usual time. He broke it at the rear "elbow" right at the joint. Quite the tough place to repair. He had a pin in through the joint and into the bone for a few weeks to keep it attached and straight. They don't give Cats any pain meds.. they want it to hurt so they don't do stupid cat stuff.. like jumping up and down off high furniture. When I brought him home from the vet and let him out of the carrier he immediately ran to the basement stairway and did a front handstand and went down the stairway on his front paws with his rear straight up in the air like a circus acrobat. He did fine.. I had a near heart attack. When he got to the bottom he just looked back kinda over his shoulder and said "how did you like that"? Then he lowered his rear legs slowly down to the floor. I knew right away we needed to close off the doors to all stairways up and down... to protect me more than him!!
One of the Vets wanted to just amputate the leg because of the severity of the break and it's location so close to the joint. I told her that it wasn't an option, he had to be repaired, he isn't just a Cat, he is my Friend not just a cat. So, all came out well in the end... all he has to show for it is a wide spot on the bone.
Hope you like the photo, it is one of my lucky favorites. It also has special meaning since it was just moments before the broken leg.
-----------------------------------------------------------
--Makes me extremely thankful that Kitty, so far, has never required a trip to the vet...
And by the way, everybody is cordially invited to
e-mail me if you've got a story
and/or a photo of your cat... I think Kitty is agreeable to sharing the spotlight...
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 30, 2007
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After years of unsuccessfully looking for a way to plug her in for recharging, the mystery
has been solved... Kitty runs on solar power...
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 29, 2007
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Taking a photo of Kitty can be problematic... I finally got a shot yesterday, but
usually Kitty wants to turn my photo-shoots into a petting zoo -- she moves in so close as to make shooting her portrait darned near impossible...
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 28, 2007
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I told Kitty that I would go think
about it, but that doubting-look might indicate she needs some additional reassurance...
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 26, 2007
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I suppose Kitty has some sort of system for all of her color-combinations,
but it's pretty easy to decypher that magenta-and-violet means
lets eat...
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 25, 2007
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Thanksgiving
may be over, but Kitty is still busy counting her blessings...
Mainly, I think she is probably thankful that she isn't terribly tasty...
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 24, 2007
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If past years are any indication, Kitty is planning to
sleep from now until Christmas...
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 23, 2007
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This time of year Kittyland fades slightly towards
black and white,
and Kitty uses her black and white markings to blend into the surroundings...
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 22, 2007
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 21, 2007
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 20, 2007
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I've been trying my best to explain to Kitty that George W. Bush wants to drop bombs on Iran,
not Kittyland -- but I'm having a hard time coming up with a rational explanation of how
bombing Iran is going to make Kittyland any safer...
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 19, 2007
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Kitty and I got a note from her old friend --
Shadow the Tuxedo Cat --
and now Kitty is green with envy
over Shadow's posh accomodations...
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 18, 2007
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I'm pretty sure Kitty thinks
the next best thing to being on my lap is being within a forest of green
weeds...
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 17, 2007
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And although we only see one ear in this photo, I guarantee that when conditions are right, Kitty receives a high-fidelity signal, in stereo...
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 16, 2007
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Hang on... Don't forget the sunscreen... Kitty is our navigator, and she has
set our course in a direction towards cosmic consciousness...
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 15, 2007
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Long range predictions for the world are dire -- but for right now, Kitty and I have
the safety of each-other and redwood trees...
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 14, 2007
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Finding a u.f.o.
is the easy part... --Explaining a u.f.o. is the hard part...
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 13, 2007
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And yes, on top of all her other duties and extensive nap schedule, Kitty still has time
to be a top-notch student of nature...
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 12, 2007
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Someday I should catalog all of Kitty's mugs, but this one with the
big round eyes
is one of her most effective -- never fails to win my heart...
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 11, 2007
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Kitty and I went out yesterday afternoon for a bit of
birdwatching...
These Mallards will be fine -- if they stay right where they are now...
You may have heard about our 58,000 gallon fuel-oil spill
from a ship bumping the Bay Bridge... The slick extends out the Golden Gate,
fouling all my favorite beaches, north and south... It's a genuine mess...
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 10, 2007
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Most living beings have similar features no matter which side they're on,
but Kitty has disproven that theory -- recombine Kitty and you're likely to get a
whole 'nother animal...
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 9, 2007
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Getting a
new photo
of Kitty can be challenging... Probably the most difficult thing is getting her to
stay-on-her-mark -- about four feet away --
instead of moving in closer to collect more pats-and-pets...
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 8, 2007
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Kitty is no slouch, but sometimes I have to marvel at what a huge project she has taken on
-- she is our local weed inspector...
The task might seem overwhelming at first glance, but she has a system --
she makes random spot checks... Watch out weeds -- Kitty is on the job...
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 7, 2007
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Kitty has high hopes of being the next cat on the bag...
After all, she has experience -- she poses with that yummy bag every chance she gets...
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 6, 2007
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Kitty isn't very big, but she still manages to commandeer all of the covers
and most of the bed-space... --But I probably wouldn't do much better with a soggy
sea lion...
I'll keep the cat and count my blessings...
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 5, 2007
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I was surfing my friend Helene's site -- PHOTOS REFLEXIONS CREATIONS
http://princessemerlin.blogspot.com
and immediately fell in love with her peaceful
mosaic of Merlin and Princesse...
I like how she has made a pattern of one soft, and another softer...
Very creative...
-----------------------------------------
Now, I guess I need to go ask Helene for permission to use her artwork
(I put the image on my server) before Kitty and I end up in jail...
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 4, 2007
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Here's a postcard for Kitty...
--Yesterday, about 200 miles north of Kittyland in the little town of
Miranda,
I met this friendly Siamese...
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 3, 2007
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 2, 2007
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Kitty's m.o. is to sit around until I give her a friendly
pat on the head...
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Kitty, the blog animal
November 1, 2007
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I'm not exactly sure who Kitty was trying to emulate -- perhaps C3po or somebody -- but now the only question now is
how we're going to get all that chrome off of her...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 31, 2007
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While up on Mount Tamalpais yesterday afternoon I spotted a
bobcat hunting for something tasty...
Of course I'm sure Kitty still remembers how to catch mice and the occasional lizzard --
but now she just sends me to the supermarket for her grub...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 30, 2007
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Kitty is the ultimate
observer...
It's just what she does... And she does a fine job of it too...
Some days she observes familiar and quiet things, and other days she enjoys soaking-up
exciting abstracts...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 29, 2007
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Well, it's always a tough choice for the photographer -- not knowing which to
focus on -- the clover or the cat...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 28, 2007
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Kitty has spent most of her life demonstrating the benefits of being the coolest cat
on the block... But yes Kitty -- some creatures just don't get it -- we still have
way too many un-cool hot dogs in this world...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 27, 2007
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For recreation
Kitty curls up, closes her eyes, and trots off to a totally different world
-- perhaps some sort of twilight-zone for cats...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 26, 2007
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Kitty will only tolerate a little bit of playful
ear-pulling
but I enjoy tugging on her ears at every opportunity...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 25, 2007
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So, I ask you -- with a cat this cute -- who do you think is the
boss around here???
And yeah, her nails are sharp and piercing, but she only bites when I misbehave...
Kitty is generally fair with my punishments...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 24, 2007
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And if I listen very closely and carefully, Kitty will sometimes
speak...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 23, 2007
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After a long day of sawing logs indoors on the couch, Kitty sometimes likes to go outside and
soak up the sun...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 22, 2007
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Over the weekend I was out taking pictures with a photographer from Ohio, Jan Bell, who owns
this cute and highly alert black doggie... Well, Jan really loves Brock, so I heard
a plethora of stories of Jan's adventures with his dog...
--Oh, I guess dogs can be just as fun as cats, but I think Kitty would see it from
a different perspective...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 21, 2007
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Kitty is getting anxious about her Halloween costume...
My original idea was to transform her into the spitting image of my old dog Mickey,
but Kitty didn't like the idea one bit, and now wants to go as
Mickey Mouse...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 20, 2007
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I think I should call the eye-doctor and find out how many
eyes Kitty is actually, in reality, supposed to have...
At this point I'm not quite sure if the problem is with me or her...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 19, 2007
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The county jail called... They said Kitty has promised to turn over a
new leaf,
so they're going to let her go...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 18, 2007
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The post office called... They said that yes, they already know that Kitty is
criminally cute, but their policy is to only display
wanted posters of the most dastardly and dispicable law breakers...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 17, 2007
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 16, 2007
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And in these days of electronic wiz-bang super-duper cats, it is reassuring to know that
Kitty still requires an old-fashioned wind-up key...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 15, 2007
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Kitty predicts just a few clouds
interspersed with vast expanses of warm sunlight...
Of course, the downside is that it's definitely Monday again...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 14, 2007
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The bit of nice weather
that we've been having has been interspersed by quite a bit of rain...
Kitty and I had to visit our scrapbook to find this summertime photo...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 13, 2007
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And while humans get rated for their vision, cats are sometimes rated for their
intensity...
--Kitty seems to be way off the scale...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 12, 2007
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Maybe some day I'll teach Kitty the formalities of how to shake hands, but in the mean
time I think she is happy with a simple
pat on the head...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 11, 2007
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Well, I think we've got just abut every type of
plug
that is imaginable... But Kitty seems to have a socket that I am totally
unfamiliar with...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 10, 2007
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Early this morning I made a mental note to "do" KittyBLOG later, but here it is,
noon...
And it is perfectly logical that Kitty is still hanging out in the same exact spot
in our kitchen where she has been since breakfast -- why go anywhere when it's going to
be another meal in a few hours...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 9, 2007
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It's dawn, and I wish I could tell you that Kitty
is on the job, but but until she wakes up, we're pretty much on our own...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 8, 2007
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I'm not exactly sure how she does it, but Kitty definitely
gets around...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 7, 2007
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It seems like the older Kitty gets, the more she just wants to lay around the house
and sleep... But today it was such a nice day that I spotted her on the porch outside
soaking up some warm afternoon sun...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 6, 2007
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When she is
awake and on duty
Kitty pretty much keeps her eyes peeled for all forms of
life, whether they be terrestrial or capable of flight...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 5, 2007
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I've always suspected that Kitty is somewhat on the artistic side, but I would have
never thought she would turn out to be a lover of
abstracts...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 4, 2007
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And while other neighborhood cats probably explore a much wider range, I've never seen
Kitty venture more than about twenty yards from home... And I am glad, because you know --
how you gonna keep em
down on the farm
after they've seen Paris...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 3, 2007
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I still haven't let Kitty know about video tapes and DVD's...
It's always much more romantic going to the
movies...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 2, 2007
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Fur might be a long way away, but here at Kittyland
we have Kitty's shed hair here, there, and all over the place...
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Kitty, the blog animal
October 1, 2007
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If there was anybody who didn't know what a watt was, it would be Kitty...
But here she is, putting out about ten watts...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 30, 2007
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We still love her, but our furry administrative assistant tends to leave a messy trail of shed
hair just about everyplace she goes... I guess shedding is the logical alternative to
visiting the barber... We've got hair just about everywhere, including the innards of our mouse...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 29, 2007
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In some situations Kitty is smart as a whip,
but at other times she just doesn't seem
to have a clue... The concept of arrows escapes her...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 28, 2007
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This blue-eyed
mysterious visitor
has been passing through our yard for quite a while now...
It's a sweet cat, but it won't let me pet it... Kitty really didn't approve
when it first started coming around -- she would hiss and growl -- but I think this pretty
cat's non-assuming manner and stark beauty has finally won Kitty over...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 27, 2007
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If Kitty wants to believe that her eyes are identical to
Joan Crawford's,
I'm just going to let her keep on believing that it's really true...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 26, 2007
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Kitty still has big ambitions, but the circus turned her down...
They told her she needed a lot more
flash in her act...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 25, 2007
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Kitty and I opened up our big
photo album... I like this one a lot...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 24, 2007
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Oh, you know how cats are -- they want to try every strange fad that comes along...
Kitty must think that chrome
is cool, but of course I prefer the softness and warmth of her regular fur...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 23, 2007
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Kitty is usually a pretty contented little individual, but occasionally, when she starts
complaining about the job of being a cat, I remind her that she is lucky to have turned
out as a cat -- she should be glad she didn't arrive in this world equipped with
webbed feet...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 22, 2007
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The Stinker (on the left)...
The Thinker (on the right)...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 21, 2007
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Oh, that Kitty and her ideas...
She thinks she can charge cat lovers 25 cents each to look deeply into her eyes,
but I suggested she work on her business plan a little bit before investing in more
telescopes...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 20, 2007
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They still haven't let me know why she is in hot water, but yes, the post office called...
They need a better set of Kitty's mug shots
-- she moved in the first one, and she's looking off into space in the second...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 19, 2007
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They're pretty basic rules, but having a meaningful conversation with Kitty requires
two basic qualities --
kindness and understanding...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 18, 2007
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According to our resident scientist:
(1) If it blows in the wind it's
probably a weed...
and (2) if it's small and moving it's probably a bug...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 17, 2007
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Even while resting, Kitty is no slacker... She usually takes a rather vigilant
approach to the honorable task of just hanging out...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 16, 2007
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Decyphering time from the face of a clock has always been a challenge for Kitty...
You see, in her world it's much simpler --
one sweet moment
just sort of turns into another, and another, and so on...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 15, 2007
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And for those who still refuse to believe --
here is actual proof that Kitty has the ability to change the
color of her eyes...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 14, 2007
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Somehow KittyBLOG slipped through the cracks today, so this is going out about six or seven hours late...
Fortunately, there has been absolutely nothing to report...
We'll keep you posted...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 13, 2007
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I guess there is a point in everybody's life when they stop to evaluate the benefits
of going off alone to live with egrets
somewhere by a pond...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 12, 2007
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Every parent knows they will eventually have to deal with those embarrasing little
questions -- and I guess with Kitty it's no different...
Questions like -- why some creatures, notably birds, have feathers -- and
why she, a feline, just has hair...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 11, 2007
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And there are times when Kitty is a
blend
of whatever is around her... She always gives
softness a run for it's money...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 10, 2007
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Kitty and I have been mulling around my recent pilgrimage to Sacramento, and we're trying to assess whether or not I was able to pull all of the right strings -- the ones that Kitty wanted me to pull for her... So far, one string is already working --
the sun is coming up...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 9, 2007
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Yes Kitty, believe it or not, those are roses from Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger's
own personal rose garden...
Actually, they're on the public side of the Capitol
Building fence... And even though I didn't see any signs prohibiting the public
from picking them, I don't think I would ever do that for fear of being run off or arested...
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I stopped at a produce stand on my way home from Sacramento and bought Kitty five ears of
good looking fresh sweet corn...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 8, 2007
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Oh, it's not that Kitty doesn't like dogs -- that really isn't the point...
After all, she spent the first three years of her life living with two rambunctious
hounds... But you know how dogs are -- just too loud and much too
uncouth -- fine for amusement and a run through the park -- but without much capacity
for achieving inner peace...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 7, 2007
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It seems like the older Kitty gets, the less time she spends outdoors where I have the
opportunity to take pictures of her... But yesterday, I finally managed to
snag one...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 6, 2007
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I've been trying to reassure Kitty that, for the moment, she is pretty safe right here
with me... But Yes Kitty, these are indeed
troublesome times we live in...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 5, 2007
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Believe it or not, Kitty does do some talking -- usually about food...
But for love she
tends to use her eyes to get her point across...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 4, 2007
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And yes, fur might be a long way away --
but closer to home, there is no shortage of Kitty's shed hairs all over the place...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 3, 2007
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Kitty is going to have to rely heavily on her
charm if she wants to work downtown...
Begging for food and managing our weeds is about all she has listed on her resume...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 2, 2007
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Occasionally I will hold Kitty in front of the mirror
expecting some reaction, but for some reason she never seems interested...
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Kitty, the blog animal
September 1, 2007
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I thought this joke
would get a laugh out of Kitty, but apparently not...
A dog went to a telegram office, took out a blank form and wrote: "Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof." The clerk examined the paper and politely told the dog, "There are only nine words here. You could send another 'Woof' for the same price." The dog replied, "But that would make no sense at all!"
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