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I just came across an awesome blog, The Conscious Cat a resource for conscious living, health and happiness for pets and their people.  The author of this blog is Ingrid King, also the author of Buckley’s Story – Lessons from a Feline Master Teacher.

In honor of their one year blog anniversary, they are having a fantastic giveaway, a gift basket from Whimsy Cats which includes an autographed copy of Buckley’s Story and lots of fun surprises for your feline family members.

If you’d like to enter the giveaway, go to The Conscious Cat and:

• Leave a comment on the anniversary post.
• Tweet about this giveaway or share it on Facebook for an additional chance to win and leave the link to your tweet/share in a separate comment.
• Subscribe to The Conscious Cat via  e-mail.  If you’re already subscribed, you’re automatically entered in the giveaway.
• Blog about this giveaway on your blog and leave the link in a separate comment.

The giveaway is open until midnight Saturday, March 15.

This cat begging for money was spotted in one of the cities of Belarus. He stays on his mat with a note that reads “need money for meat and fish, bless you”.

He doesn’t leave his place and watches over the money. His owner, an elderly woman, was found nearby. She said that she had rescued the cat from the “slaughters”, but at that time she had already owned some pets and couldn’t feed them all, so she decided to let the pets earn the money for themselves.

I looked and looked but could not find any photos of cats doing anything even remotely fast. So I am posting photos of me going fast.  At least it feels like I’m going fast, but my coach is always telling me to skate even faster.  Here is a spiral:

And a spin which is a little blurry (because I’m spinning fast!)

Seriously! Do you ever feel like your cat (or dog, or other pet) knows they have done something unacceptable and cares enough about it to look or act apologetic?  Do animals have a conscience?

Taco has this habit of reaching up and hugging me when he wants attention or anything from me, he does it quite often when I’m in the kitchen working.  Since I clip his claws, it’s usually not a problem (but annoying). I haven’t had a chance to do his manicure lately so his claws have gotten awfully sharp.  Today when he did his hug/give me attention routine, it really HURT, and I yelled.  He is not used to me yelling! So he ran right out of the kitchen, but two seconds later came in slowly meowing very loudly and looking straight into my eyes.  I swear he was saying “I’m sorry, you’re not mad at me are you?”  Then he got VERY loveable.

Cats, as much as we all adore them, have some rather UNDESIRABLE habits.  Here is Taco’s favorite:

Looks content, doesn’t he?  Of course we can remove him from the table 100 times, and he’ll happily return as soon as nobody’s looking.  Sometimes even when we are looking.  Just for the fun of it.  No, squirting him with water doesn’t help, he loves water.

Mango has an undesirable habit of napping on the clothes that I set out to wear.  Being very organized, I set my clothes out a few hours before I’m due to leave.  Mango does a great job of warming them up for me.  Unfortunately he also does a great job of sharing his mounds of poofy orange fur.

1. When in doubt, nap.

2. Fur is a harmless addition to any meal, plus it adds texture.

3. It’s not a twist-tie. It’s a fantasy flying furless thingy with an amazing ability to vanish.

4. You might as well take a small bite of everything on the table, that way it’s reasonably safe from being    eaten by someone else.

5. Anything on the floor is fair game, including feet.

6. Curtains really can’t hold much excess weight.

7. The best way to get whatever you want is to act awfully cute.

8. Yes, doors DO open if you stare at them long enough.

9. You shouldn’t jump on stuff that has a slippery surface.

10. Bugs are actually quite entertaining.

11. If you’re little, it’s best not to stick your head in the refrigerator if the person closing the door is not looking directly at you.

12. Stairs are not a good place for nighttime naps.

13. If you’re in a really bad mood, a nap will take care of it.

14. Almost anything has entertainment value. Especially crinkly stuff.

15. If you want to get in bed with someone you love, just scratch on their door.  It’s irresistible.

16. Barfing is not as awful as you might think. It also adds color and texture to any carpet.

17. Be persistent. Really persistent.

18. A good nap can fix almost any problem.

19. Sometimes, inspecting someone else’s car can turn into quite an adventure.

20. A screen does not have to be a barrier between you and the Great Outdoors. With the right technique this obstacle can be removed quite easily.

21. It’s acceptable to pee in the shower or bathtub if your regular toilet is unavailable.

22. A barking pit bull is not easily distracted. Therefore, you can race right past the nose of one. They are too stupid to register the fact that you are mere inches away from them while they are barking. When they shut up, it’s a different story.

23. If possible, always take naps in a patch of sunshine.

24. You can easily wake someone up just by walking on them.

25. You can keep a pit bull barking for hours just by staring calmly at it while you’re just out of reach. You can even take a leisurely bath.

26. If it stings, don’t touch it. Especially don’t eat it.

27. When you yawn, try to remember to put your tongue back in your mouth, otherwise someone will end up taking your picture.

28. You can cheer up a crying person simply by patting them gently on the face, looking into their eyes, and saying, “mew”.

29. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Don’t sweat the big stuff either.

30. If you curl up in the lap of someone you love and look at them with adoration, it will make you both very happy.

We have no cat sports photos, so I am posting Mommy of the Cats Sports, or one sport actually, which is artistic roller skating!  This is my very favorite sport, and I skate about 18 hours a week.

This photo is from the Memorial Day Meet in Hudson, MA. and it’s from my freestyle routine.

Karen McComb  is the lead author of a cat vocalization study performed at the University of Sussex. She got the idea of studying cat purrs while listening to her own cat purr, and noticing that cats seem to have a variety of purrs.

The University of Sussex study examined the acoustic structure of recorded cat purrs.  The researchers decided that all purrs are not the same; some contain an “embedded, high-pitched cry.”  Ten different cats purring were recorded and all human listeners in the study identified  ‘solicitation purring’ sounds.

McComb explained that what cats seem to be doing for the special purr “is producing the low fundamental frequency and its harmonics by muscular activation” (that has been associated with typical purring) “but also voicing a cry, probably with the inner edges of the vocal folds, which is then superimposed on the sound’s frequency spectrum.”

Virtually all listeners, whether or not they owned a cat themselves, identified the solicitation purring sounds as being more urgent than others.

They believe that human sensitivity to this type of purring may be innate in humans, drawing from a primal drive to respond to crying babies.  And you thought it was just purring…

I suppose this is a fairly odd topic, but I find it compelling, particularly in light of the fact that Beast, in the Wordless Wednesday photo in the previous post, seemed about to make that decision.

Beast started his life either as a stray, or neglected, nobody really knows and he’s not telling.  He was terrified of people, but finally made his way into a warm, friendly house full of cat-lovers.  These cat-lovers could not quite afford to have a cat but did their best to provide food and love.  Unfortunately Beast did not get “fixed”.    

He came to our house on a Sunday, after leaving the only real home he ever knew, and after leaving his chosen human.  Have you ever noticed that cats who have had a rough start will choose one person to love, while cats who have had a home full of loving humans will generally be quite social and willing to share their love with anyone?

Beast promptly found the tiniest most inconspicable little hole under the cellar stairs and made his way to the farthest reaches of the cellar BETWEEN THE WALLS.  This was a nice cool finished off room that seemed to be the perfect place to store a frazzled cat for a few days until his scheduled surgery.  We never saw that little hole.

Of course the logical thing to do was put out delectible food and water because everyone KNEW he would come out eventually to eat and drink.  He did not.

By Tuesday, he had not had a thing to eat or drink and we were desperate.  A friend came over and helped us remove the panelling, and with some squeezing between stinky moldy spider-infested walls I was able to pull him out and get him into a holeless room upstairs.  Good thing I’m little.  If our landlady, fondly referred to as The Wicked Witch of the West ever knew we had taken those walls apart she would have a major, broom-whacking, face-scrunching hissy fit.  I hope they look like they have not been tampered with.

Tuesday night, it was clear that Beast was dying of dehydration. He could not go for his surgery.  He absolutely refused water, milk, sardine juice, or affection.  We told him that we would not let him die.  He’d have to pick a different time for that, far into the future.  We told him that we loved him and he would have a good home.  We force-fed him drops of raw milk all night until he started drinking on his own.  He finally ate a bit the next day, had a whooping diarrhea blowout, got moved into the bathroom (easier to clean poo off the bathroom floor) and has been hiding under the tub for three weeks.

He has been eating well now for awhile, he’ll let us hold and pet him and he purrs up a storm, and he uses the litter box (yay) but the tub is his refuge.  His surgery is re-scheduled for 9/11.

I know he would have just let himself die that night, but it makes me wonder what goes on in his delicate little psyche that would allow him to just die.  I’m infinitely thankful that we got through to him and nudged him back to life.  He’s a good cat.  A bit introverted.  We now call him Emo-cat. You’ve got to have teenagers to figure that last one out.

My friend Becky over at Basically Becky sent me some pictures of her beautiful 5-month-old kitty, Gracie.

Becky has a really great blog that’s a mix of all kinds of interesting stuff, or as Becky puts it: “a general public record of my thoughts, opinions, ideas, useless bits of trivia, gossip and whatever else pops out of my head”   Becky has also had a series of very sad and unfortunate events this past year so you may want to show some support by leaving a word of encouragement or a donation.

And without further ado, here’s Gracie!

Tired baby…

Gracie wants OUT!

This is amazing! The Anibio Tic-Clip offers a revolutionary approach to protecting your pet from ticks and fleas, without pesticides, squeeze-ons, sprays, or topical application of any kind!

The Tic-Clip uses the power of the bioenergetic field around your pet to create an energy barrier that repels insect pests for two years. Tic-Clip tag is imprinted with an electromagnetic charge bearing a polarized energy signature. This energetic charge adapts to your companion’s unique bioenergy frequency and produces a vibrational field around the animal that repels ticks and fleas. Ticks and fleas simply do not react to the pet anymore.

This insect repellent collar tag was created in Germany and has been a huge success with pets throughout Europe.

Find more videos like this on DAYSTAR COMMAND

My friend FISHER over at Ask Fisher is having a contest!  And the prize is something amazing!

It is a real, hand-painted watercolor portrait of your cat, or pig or fish or whatever animal is high on your list of “adorable furry, finny or featherd friend”.

As if that’s not awesome enough, Fisher’s expertise is in giving advice on any issues or concerns that your beloved pet might be struggling with.  The advice, by the way, is truly insightful and helpful.  You can go on over to FISHER and read the rules of the contest right away because the winner will be notified on September 1, 2009 and that’s right around the corner.

This little kitty is actually having fun playing in the bathtub!

One of my favorite blogs is puppy on a roomba featuring Ty, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi.

Having no idea what a ROOMBA is, I just guessed that it was some sort of play-thing for dogs or puppies.  Yes, it’s OK to laugh, I have been living in a cave for the last 20 years or so.  Had no idea what was going on in the world until I got this computer.

Recently, they posted the cutest video of a cat on a roomba, here it is:

Now my curiosity has gotten the best of me and I just had to find out what a Roomba really is, and thank goodness for the internet I found out that it is a VACUUM CLEANER!  Honestly I would never have guessed!

Here is a picture   

Anyway, the video caught my eye because I just know Taco would have the time of his life with one of these things, since he was a kitten the kids have pulled him around on a boogie board (at least I know what THAT is) or even on pieces of cardboard.  Imagine that, you can entertain the cat and get the floors vacuumed at the same time.   What will they think of next?

Artist Sinclair Stratton creates stunning watercolor portraits of animals, capturing the essence of its’ energy and personality with vivid color.  Here are just a few of these amazing portraits:

Your purchase of a pet portrait will also support Art Supporting Animals

an organization dedicated to helping animals and raising awareness for artists. Here is a look at a  yoga mat available at ART SUPPORTING ANIMALS

Cats’ brains are more similar to the human brain than they are to dogs. In fact, cats and humans have identical regions in the brain responsible for emotion.

Cats wag their tails when they can’t decide what to do because they are in a stage of conflict, for example, they want to do two things at once.

If your cat is close to someone they love, a quivering tail is the greatest expression of love.

A thrashing tail means anger.

Yes, your cat can definitely read your moods, and will change behavior depending on how YOU are feeling.

The nose pad of a cat is ridged in it’s own unique pattern, just like a human’s fingerprint.

Cats hate the smell of lemon and orange.

Cats can see up to 120 feet away.

The average cat spends about 16 hours a day sleeping.  That means a seven-year-old cat has spent five years of its life sleeping!

This is a most amazing video, you have to see it to believe it!

Long before Mango appeared in what we fondly refer to as “The Wales House”, Kiwi and Kumquat accompanied me through the long journey of my strange and frequently tumultuous life.

Kumquat, Queen of cats, always appeared immaculately groomed, poised and statuesque.  Sensitive and full of love, she could inevitably be counted on to express her concern with gentle paw-pats and loud meows.

Her brother Kiwi, the scraggly, curly-furred runt, barfing daily just for the pure joy of it, frightened of the world, a lovable misfit in his sister’s kingdom was nonetheless adorable.

Kumquat passed on at 15 but Kiwi, forever sickly, lived to 18 before it was his turn to move on to better worlds.

So of course, when another little orange, curly-furred, frightened-of-the-world runt came along, we named him Mango.  It just seemed to be a perfect match, the departed Kiwi and Kumquat making way for another fruity namesake.

Now if you are a believer in such things as reincarnation, or counterparts, or the existence of a (or many) parallel universe, you’d swear that Mango was actually Kiwi, only just slightly different in a peculiar sort of way.  After all Mango is somewhat less curly and he does keep his barfing down to once a day or so.

The similarities are quite astonishing however. They both played the role of The Invisible Cat for at least a year after their initial appearance.  For those who have never experienced this phenomenon, it happens when you KNOW you have a cat, but the cat, being terrified of everything non-stationary (and stationary) decides to hide permanently except for quick midnight forays into the food bowl to refuel for the next barf.

Then there’s the curly orange fur oddity (perhaps they are distantly related to Daisy, of Daisy the Curly Cat fame), or perhaps it’s just simple scragglyness.

Either way, after 8 years I still catch myself calling Mango “Kiwi”.  So, for those of you who believe in reincarnation or something along those lines, does it apply to our furry friends?   Have you had a beloved pet die and months or years later had another come along that has many of the same personality and physical traits?

I’m not sure I like this at all, my first thought was that it is cruel, but the guy seems to love his cat and the cat seems relaxed and happy.  What do you think?