Cats

Weekend Cat Blogging #230: Hallowe’en Black Cat Edition!

Luna welcomes everyone to Weekend Cat Blogging #230. As has become an annual tradition here at CatSynth, we are hosting the Hallowe’en Edition in celebration of black cats.

Hallowe’en can be a difficult time for any cat, with kids and mischief-making and such. But it can be exceptionally hard for black cats. Hallowe’en traditions for celebrating the dark, macabre, and scary collide with the (primarily American) superstition that black cats are bad luck. You can read an interesting article on the history and mythology surrounding black cats:

On our cat forum recently, I asked the members what they thought of when they heard the words “black cat.” Being true cat lovers, they answered that the following words come to mind: mysterious, alluring, beautiful, playful, elegant and gorgeous. But when non-cat owners are asked the same question on another internet forum they come up with these words: bad luck, witches familiar, evil, demonic, mean, spooky and Halloween… So you can see the superstition lives on even today.

Indeed, many shelters block adoption of black cats in the weeks immediately before and after Hallowe’en, some blocking adoptions for the entire month of October. However, this practice is not without its controversy, as suggested in this recent article. But as Kathy Covey’s cat blog suggests, black cats can have a hard time being adopted at any time of the year.

However, we at CatSynth, and we suspect many of our readers, fall into the category who see black cats as alluring, beautiful and elegant – and of course, playful as well. And with that, we invite all our feline friends to join us in celebration of cats this Hallowe’en.

To participate, please leave a link to your post as a comment, and we will add you to the round-up throughout the weekend.

The Kitty Limericks blog featured black cats during the week leading up to Halloween, and on Friday Karen Jo composed and posted a limerick for Luna!

Luna’s a black cat with eyes of green —
One of the prettiest I’ve ever seen.
She loves her nip;
Goes on a trip.
Now she’s ready for Halloween.

Our friend Mickey is a bit nervous, but we’re pretty sure it has very little to do with being a black cat on Hallowe’en. Visit Mickey, Georgia and Tillie to find out more.

Hallowe’en of course features costumes, and Raymond is enjoying a Hello Kitty costume, i.e., by mauling and drooling on it rather than wearing it.

Hallowe’en is also about treats, and Jules enjoys banana popsicles. Vincent seems to prefer the more conventional mouse toy.

One needs a bag to tote all those treats, and the Criz Cats remind us to use bags responsibly. Reusable bags are the best option for Hallowe’en treats and all your carrying-stuff-around needs.

At sidewalk shoes, Patchouli says Happy Hallowe’en to everyone while remaining safely inside her screened-in porch. We at CatSynth definitely recommend that cats stay indoors this weekend.

Conventionally speaking, Hallowe’en treats are candy. But the cats over at Friends FurEver think that tuna makes a better treat that candy. I suspect that Luna agrees.

Hallowe’en is associated with autumn colors (including the iconic orange), and Ernie’s black fur complements the fall colors perfectly in this photo.

Salome (in black silhouette) has a “trick or treat” plan of her own at Paulchens FoodBlog?!

Our fellow “house panther” Mr. Hendrix (or perhaps his evil alter-ego Bendrix) and the “blurpy boy” wish everyone a Happy Hallowe’en! Seems like there ready to go and enjoy the unique holiday nightlife.

Weekend Cat Blogging: back on the patio

We had another warm weekend, so Luna and I enjoyed some late-October time out on the patio.

I particularly like this second photo, with its sparse quality. Luna and screen are discrete elements on the continuous field of stone squares.

Weekend Cat Blogging is being hosted this weekend by Samantha at the New Tuxedo Gang Hideout.

The Carnival of the Cats will be up today at When Cats Attack!.

The friday ark is at the modulator.

And don’t forget that Weekend Cat Blogging Hallowe’en Edition will be right here at CatSynth next Saturday!

CatSynth pic: Casio Bobcat

From Maggie Osterberg on flickr. Submitted by torley via twitter:

We have seen several pictures of Bob from Maggie Osterberg in the past, often with a Moog.

And please do check out yesterday’s black-cat photo if you have not already done so.

You can always submit photos to us @catsynth on twitter, facebook, or use the handy submission form.

Weekend Cat Blogging: at the table

I have been waiting for an appropriate moment to post this nearly perfect photo of Luna sitting at the dining room table:

and today seemed as good as any, especially with a Photo Hunt theme of “anything goes.”

Luna is quite fond of the glass furniture here at CatSynth HQ. We have seen how she likes to sit underneath this table as well and soak up the bright morning sun. The chairs are based on an Eames design. The table itself is of unknown origin, but I suspect it’s actually at a few decades old now. We tend to keep the decor relatively sparse and geometric as well, such as the simple blue bowl behind which Luna sits so politely.

Weekend Cat Blogging #228 is being hosted by Kashim at Paulchens FoodBlog?!

The Carnival of the Cats will be up this Sunday at ArtsyCatsy. Do scroll down while visiting to read and hear their Cry Out for Health Reform.

The Photo Hunt theme this week is Anything Goes 🙂, with apologies to Cole Porter.

And of course the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

CatSynth pic: mama & the wire-spaghetti

For National Feral Cat Day, we at CatSynth feature a picture of a former stray cat with a keyboard. From Poekie on flickr:

This is Mama, a stray cat, who has spent the last 2 years at the animal-shelter, where she gave birth to her son Zoen.
Mama ( we’re already calling her Mama Cat ), is very shy …. she doesn’t like anybody getting too close and spends most of her time in a dark, out-of-the-way corner…… we were warned she will be ” a bit of a challenge ”
Once the door of the cat-carrier opened, Mama Cat shot out in a flash and cowered in the dark, at the bottom of our cupboard, amoungst the cobwebs and wires, behind A.’s piano and synthesizer……. and there she still is !!!!

Mama is very slowly growing accustomed to us. She still
won’t let us touch her, but she has left her hidingplace and
now enjoys roaming around outside. Allthough she doesn’t
sleep indoors, she does come home to eat a few times a day,
so she must consider us to be her ‘home-base’.
She may never again be a lapcat, but as long as she seems
to be happy, so are we 🙂