black cat

Weekend Cat Blogging and Photo Hunt: Haven

I took this Instagram of Luna napping on her beanbag chair in the studio area the other day. What could be more peaceful than a cat curled up in a favorite spot for a nap.

The image also brought to mind this week’s Photo Hunt theme of Haven at multiple levels. CatSynth HQ is itself a haven that protects us from the outside world. But within the overall expanse, the studio area provides another level of enclosure or refuge. And sinking into her beanbag chair, Luna finds a haven within a haven.

The theme also brings to mind the town of New Haven, Connecticut, where I attended Yale many years ago. I don’t have any photos of my own from that time, though I did do a Fun with Highways post about the town back in 2007.

The Saturday Photo Hunt is up. This week’s theme is Haven.

The Carnival of the Cats will be up on Sunday at iInfidel.

And the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

Weekend Cat Blogging with Luna

It’s a new year, and Luna is ready to play.

She always seems particularly eager for attention when I am about to leave home, which point she launches into a rather effective guilt trip. But this week she has been getting quite a bit of extra attention, between the New Years vacation and my feeling under the weather the last few days. It has actually been a good time to catch up on cats and electronic music.

The Carnival of the Cats will be hosted tomorrow by Nikita and Elvira at Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat.

And the Friday Ark is postponed until next week…

Weekend Cat Blogging: Contentment

Things are settling down into a more quiet rhythm here at CatSynth after New York and the recent shows back here in San Francisco. Here Luna basks in the sun near a pile of books.

And here is Luna licking her chops.

And she has plenty of reason to do so, especially after a yummy dinner of fish-cakes that we shared last weekend.

We will be hosting the Carnival of the Cats tomorrow. We are looking forward to a good turnout from those who blog about cats occasionally or all the time. You can send your links to carnivalofthecats(at)gmail.com or submit using the sometimes handy carnival submission form.

Weekend Cat Blogging is hosted this week by the late Meowza.

And the Friday Ark is at the modulator

Weekend Cat Blogging: Luna’s Birthday and Quiet Weekend

It’s a quiet rainy weekend here at CatSynth HQ. Indeed, we are expecting more nasty storms today and tomorrow. That makes it a perfect time to stay inside and catch up on things, and of course to extend celebrating Luna’s Birthday. If you haven’t already done so, go check out her birthday photos.

A friend of ours send a birthday card. Here we see Luna examining it.

With the quiet time ahead of us, it might also be a good opportunity to try a recipe from Meow Chow, particularly if it something that both felines and humans can enjoy.

I always notice how much the cat on the front of the book looks like Luna 🙂

Weekend Cat Blogging #390 is hosted by Kashim, Othello and Salome. They are also announcing that the Weekend Cat Blogging round-up will be coming to an end this month. It is a bit sad, but it does seem that it’s popularity has been dwindling. We will certainly be here to mark the final one later this month.

Meanwhile, the Carnival of the Cats continues, and will be up this Sunday at .

And the Friday Ark is at the modulator. They even had Luna’s birthday up before I could post it – thanks!

Happy Birthday Luna!

November 30 is Luna’s birthday as listed in her adoption records. My ketzela is officially eight years old today. She looks all grown up and beautiful in the portrait above, but she also can still seem like a kitten, as in this photo where she receives some birthday scritches.

Please join me in wishing her a Happy Birthday!

Weekend Cat Blogging: Luna (Noise Research)

We at CatSynth are always curious about musical contraptions whose names include “Luna”. The latest we have encountered is luna_NT from Luna Noise Research (aka luna_lab).

Of course, I had to coax Luna to pose with it. She was mildly curious (as she is with anything that arrives at CatSynth HQ).

But what does this contraption sound like? I managed to rustle up a 9-volt battery and fire it up. Here is a brief video of what we encountered:

You will have to pardon the bad iPhone videography. But it does give an idea of what the basic functions do. What I can do with it musically remains to be seen.

Weekend Cat Blogging #387 is hosted by Samantha, Clementine and Maverick.

The Carnival of the Cats will be up this Sunday at Mind of Mog.

And the Friday Ark is at the modulator

Weekend Cat Blogging: Public Service Announcements

It is interesting times for human and feline alike, particularly here in the United States. Our quadrennial civic ritual comes down to its final weekend.

Thanks to Ann from Zoolatry for this graphic. It’s a cat-friendly reminder to humans in the US to VOTE this coming Tuesday (if they have not done so already). Whatever your choices may be, it’s important to participate.

We are also thinking of all our friends – and family, too – that have been affected by Hurricane Sandy. As electricity and communications come back online, I have heard from family and from friends in both the experimental-music and cat-blogging communities, and happy that everyone seems to be OK (albeit still without power in some cases).

You can find a great list of resources for people with pets (courtesy of George the Duck). Now that the immediate emergency is subsiding, the attention shifts to the aftermath. A New Jersey has also set up a hotline for pet rescue. The Humane Society has set up rescue and shelter operations in NY and NJ as have numerous other organizations, both local and national. Our friends at PAWS in Norwalk, CT are also helping out, as they weathered the storm relatively well.

And of course, please support the help for humans and animal companions alike through donations to your favorite groups and local rescue efforts in the region.

This has also given us thought about disaster preparedness here in San Francisco, where we have our own worries. The site 72hours.org has great info specific to the Bay Area, including a section on preparedness for pets. We have been a bit lax about our preparedness kits despite having most of the pieces – it’s something we’re going to do soon!

Weekend Cat Blogging #386 is up at Mind of Mog.

The Carnival of the Cats will be hosted this Sunday by Nikita and Elvira from their new home in Houston, at Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat.

And the Friday Ark is at the modulator.