Cats

Bloggers Choice Award Nominations

Well, it looks like we've been nominated for Blogger's Choice Awards in three categories:

My site was nominated for Best Geek Blog!

My site was nominated for Best Animal Blogger!

My site was nominated for Best Blog About Stuff!

Of course, half of all the sites I visit these days are nominated for Blogger's Choice Awards. But nonetheless, we at CatSynth ask for your support, if nothing else it's a bit of fun. I think our best chance is in the Geek Blog category. In the Animal Blogger category, there's very little chance of competing with sites like Cute Overload, dailykitten or the lolcats.

From the nominating statement:

“cats, synthesizers, music, art, opinion” Yes, it's a blog about cats and synths, a strange combination that seems to work. Lots of cute photos of cats posing with, and occasionally playing, music gear. Also features frequent appearances by the lovely black kitty Luna, pretty much the *star* of the site. This site is quite informative, in terms of various global issues, such as pet food recalls, interesting stats of highways, information about people and places (ie New Orleans). This website has many visitors, especially kitty lovers and those people who like music and synthesizers as well. It's got class, it's got variety, best of all, it's got kitties!

I'm glad someone out there appreciates my “highways” posts.

CatSynth pics: Mimì and Polyvoks

Remember Mimì, our intrepid little synth programmer?
Now she's taking her paws to the Russian (Soviet era) Polyvoks synthesizer.


Thanks as always to Eric of polynominal for submitting these photos of Mimì.

You can hear some samples of a Polyvoks at sequencer.de.

Seems approrpiate to feature a Russian synthesizer today, with the news of the passing of Boris Yeltsin today…

Weekend Cat Blogging #98: Endangered Wild Cats on "erf day"

On this Earth Day (or as Luna might say, “erfday”), we turn our attention to the big world outside the window.

Climate change is of course the big issue this Earth Day, and we encourage everyone to read the stats about climate change published earlier today. For Weeked Cat Blogging, we present some of the world's most endangered wild cats. The Cat Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union maintains information on the status of the 36 species of wild cat. We only have room for a few of them here.

Among the most endangered is the Iberian Lynx. According to IUCN CSG:

The decline of the lynx population since the 1960s has been primarily caused by habitat loss and a decline of their main prey species, the European rabbit…Nevertheless, there are some areas where habitat quality and rabbit density appear sufficient, yet no lynx are found. Particularly in these areas, it seems that humans are directly responsible for an appreciable level of lynx mortality (Delibes 1989).

Certainly, the policy of Fascist-era Spain of paying a bounty for killing lynxes didn't help. As if there weren't already enough resons to despise fascists.

In the Andes of South America, we find the gato andino or Andean mountain cat. This odd little cat (look at that tail!) is quite rare, living only the high-altitude rocky and semi-arid sections of the Andes. There is not a lot of information known about it, but the low population and specialized habitat would suggest that it is quite vulnerable to climate change.

The U.S. is not without its endangered cats. Perhaps the most endangered is the Florida Panther. Yes, it's not just the name of a hockey team, but a subspecies of cougar that were almost wiped out by development and bounty hunters, and now the few remaining panthers live in southwest Florida, one of the areas of the U.S. most threatened by global warming, tropical storms and rising sea levels.

Although Ocelots as a whole are not considered endangered, the subspecies found in Texas is in serious danger, according to the Environmental Defense Fund:

The tiny fraction of ocelot habitat that remains is largely fragmented, leaving most ocelots stranded on the 45,000-acre Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge and on a handful of private lands, with very little new habitat for the cats to raise future generations. Because the south Texas ocelots are found in such small and isolated groups, they tend to inbreed, making them increasingly vulnerable to extinction.

There are numerous groups working to protect wild cats from the many threats they face, climate change, habit loss, hunting, etc. The links throughout this article take you various agencies and private groups. Another is the International Society for Endangered Cats. And throughout the U.S., there are wild cat sanctuaries for displaced and/or abused animals.

We are happy to report that felis silvestris domesticus is doing quite well, and you can see many happy examples of this species at Weekend Cat Blogging #98, hosted this week by the three lovely striped kitties at Pet's Garden Blog.












Latest on the Pet Food Recall

Well, there's more disturbing news on the pet food recall.

First, from MedicineNet:

The massive recall of pet foods expanded again Thursday with the recall of products containing rice protein concentrate imported from China.

Blue Buffalo, of Wilton, Conn., said it was recalling all of its Spa Select Kitten dry food labeled “Best Used By Mar. 07 08 B.” … On Wednesday, Natural Balance Pet Foods, of Pacoima, Calif., recalled all its venison dog products and dry venison cat food after discovering they were contaminated with melamine…

So now it's not just wheat gluten, but rice protein as well, again from China. And also in dry food for kittens. But things get worse:

Meanwhile in South Africa, melamine has been found in Royal Canin pet food company's Vets Choice and Royal Canin dry dog and cat food sold exclusively in South Africa and Namibia. The source of the melamine appears to be from corn gluten imported from China, according to published reports.

Corn gluten is exceptionally scary for us because it's a major ingredient in Luna's food. So far, the contaminated corn gluten has not been found here in the United States, and I can't understand why as the largest corn producer in the world we would get any corn products from China. But it's enough of a scare that I have contacted the manufacturer or Luna's main dry food (which is not one of the main brands in the news) for additional information. I will share whatever information I find on this forum.

For more detailed information on individual brands, I recommend checking in with Pet Connection.

So we have three major food products from China. From the Associated Press:

“Melamine was found in all three of those ? it would certainly lend credibility to the theory that it may be intentional. That will be one of the theories we will pursue when we get into the plants in China,” Stephen Sundlof, the FDA's chief veterinarian, told reporters…FDA investigators were awaiting visas that would allow them to visit the Chinese plants where the vegetable protein ingredients were produced.

Good luck to the FDA getting any honest information on a visit to China if it ever happens. But there are questions about the FDA in this whole issue. On one hand, they are now floating the theory that melamine was introduced to purposely increase measured protein content. From David Goldstein at the Huffington Post:

One would expect the FDA to test this theory by directly measuring protein levels in melamine-contaminated samples to see if they otherwise fall below grade. One would also expect the FDA to release the names of all importers, distributors and manufacturers who are suspected of handling contaminated product. But then, one would expect a lot of things from the FDA that they have thus far failed to deliver.

Why are the FDA so slow to name names, particularly when it comes to the Chinese manufacturers and the US distributors that do business with them? Indeed, why don't we simply stop all Chinese imports of these ingredients?

Given the facts, it is now reasonable to assume either massive, industry-wide negligence, or intentional contamination, and that all Chinese produced high-protein food additives are now suspect.

China is becoming the Pakistan of food quality, and the danger is spreading to the human food supply (for those who are unmoved by the suffering of our companion animals). You have to wonder if there is politcal pressure not to go after China for this, as they are such an important partner for the big business interests in the U.S.

To date, 4,346 deceased pets reported by Pet Connection. We at CatSynth do not want to see this number continue to grow…







You can't buy publicity like…

Well, just as we take up the question of cats-and-synths versus dogs-and-synths, the blog Create Digital Music asks the same question, prominently featuring CatSynth and our presentations of Convoy the Cat and the now infamous catsynth tatoo.

Speaking of the tatoo post, it made “CatSynth” of the Day over at dreamchimney a couple weeks back. Congrats to ben who seems to be enjoying the moment.

And while writing this, we find one more surprise reference today, from bloggins:blog, who says, “i don?t know what this is, but, cats with synths are cool.”

We've certainly gotten some attention from these sites, and like they say, there's no such thing as bad publicity.

Most of the “CatSynth” media that has appeared lately was submitted directly to this site, with the balance coming our way via places like matrixsynth and sendling. Thanks everyone, and keep those pics, videos, and whatever else coming…




More CatSynth pics today

We have more cat-and-synth pictures for today. Originally from pzlonvent, via matrixsynth:

There are more pics at pzlonvent from the same series, include this one:

So many fun places for a cat to play among racks and shelves of synthesizers…

The posting at matrixsynth spurred a discussion of why there are so many pictures of cats and synthesizers, and so few of dogs. Not the first time that subject has come up. Certainly, the fact that there are so many interesting spots for a cat to explore (or take a nap) allows for more photo opportunities. They are also gerally more nimble and less clumsy than their canine counterparts.

I also tend to think that cats are in behavior and personality more compatible with the personalities and aesthetics of “synth geeks” (and electronic musicians in general). The aloofness and independence and air of sophistication are characteristics I certainly find more appealing than the stereotypical “loyalty and obedience” of dogs. Dogs are also high-maintanance, need a lot of attention and of course their “walks,” taking away from time in the studio, while a cat is content to sit on a ledge or on a lap. Certainlly, Luna sometimes sits on my lap in the studio, as can be seen in at least one earlier post. And her presence in the studio is always a delight. By contrast, a clumsy and messy dog demanding attention would be quite unwelcome.

Consider the aesthetics of cats, too. Cats are common in still life paintings and photography and lend an elegant quality, while dogs are more common in, say, poker scenes or creepy Norman Rockwell illustrations with kids. That is not to say I haven't seen some really great or endearing photos of dogs – but it is a very different aesthetic from cats.

Certainly, these are all opinions, and we at CatSynth freely admit our feline bias. But to the best of our knowledge, there is no DogSynth site…





Moo-gee-O!

No, this article has nothing to do with Moog. Rather, it's just a story with a happy ending published by the local SPCA a month or so ago (unfortunately, they appear to have removed the link to the original PDF). Everyone needs a happy story now and then, even the rather dark and cynical characters who spend time on this forum.

A cat had been found in a San Jose alley nursing her kittens. She had been a victim of animal cruelty and had a 14-inch slash that extended from under her left arm to the end of her stomach. She had been rushed to an emergency vet hospital where surgery was performed to stabilize her and clean and repair her wounds.

Now it's possible that the 14-inch slash on the cat's belly was an accident, but it's more likely that it was a deliberate act of cruelty. What sort of sick, depraved, person slashes a poor kitty, let alone a mother with kittens? I suspect kids. Pro-lifers, take notice! Fortunately, the cat did recover from her wounds:

Although in pain and barely alive, Kitty continued to love and care for her three kittens. The staff at the humane shelter quickly realized this was a special cat as she was extremely sociable and quite the purr-box.

She was then transfered to the Santa Cruz SPCA, where she acquired the name Princess Mugio. Mugio is a Latin verb for groan/roar/bellow, and of course, “moo.” The following is a quote from the person who fostered her during her recovery:

Upon laying my eyes on this severely injured cat, a tremendous wave of sorrow came over me. I could not understand what would possess someone to commit such a heinous act. Here laid this helpless animal, weighing a mere five pounds, suffering from a fourteen-inch thoracicabdominal wound. Princess Mugio had done nothing to deserve such abuse.

Pro-lifers, take note a second time.

Happily, Princess Mugio did make a full recovery, and became quite a charmer:

Princess grew stronger and healthier with each day. She began to flourish. Her unique personality slowly emerged. She began conversing more, especially in the mornings and when I would return from work. It became clear she was a remarkably intelligent cat.

Sounds a lot like Luna, who is not only a “princess”, but is also quite the conversationalist in the morning and evening (when I get home from work).

Eventually, Mugio was ready for a permanent home, and was featured as a “Pet of the Week,” with her own ad in the Santa Cruz Sentinel. It stated: Deserving Princess Seeks New Castle. The link takes you to their archives.

Apparently it didn't take long for someone to give her that “castle” and what appears to be a happy ending to what could have been a very tragic story.









Weekend "CatSynth" Blogging #97: Luna and TX802

Weekend Cat Blogging crosses the CatSynth juggernaut:

Here we see Luna posing next to a Yamaha TX802.

The shine on her fur on this photo looks a lot like the cute black cat Puddy, who is hosting Weekend Cat Blogging #97 along Kate at A Byootaful Life.