black cat

Weekend Cat Blogging #231: at home in the studio

A day when I was feeling mildly ill turned into an incredibly creative and productive day, including lots of time in the office/studio.

Here we see Luna sitting on the ledge that borders the studio area. In the background one of our main workstations, with Pro Tools running on the computer, and the trusty E-MU Proteus 2000 module off to the side (it’s back in its rack after the recent Reconnaissance Fly performance). One of several photographs by our friend Luxe hangs in the back.

The studio ledge is the highest point in CatSynth HQ, which makes it attractive to cats. There is also another workspace against the ledge where I often sit, so she likes to be nearby.

Note that the duck is actually musical instrument that I have used in several live shows :).

I do sometimes feel a little nervous when Luna gets up the ledge, given how high it is above the floor below. But I am putting my faith in her feline balance and dexterity. Eventually she comes done into the space itself to curl up for a nap, often on her favorite beanbag chair:

Weekend Cat Blogging #231 is being hosted by Diamond and Tristan over at digicats. Do check out their cool graphic featuring another black cat with green eyes and a human “cat woman” companion.

The Carnival of the Cats will be going to Nikita’s Place this Sunday.

And of course the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

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.

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 🙂

Midnight Monday: Cat in the Window

No, this is not Luna. This black cat, featured in a holiday window display at Macy’s in San Francisco, did bear a strong resemblance.

Macy’s and the San Francisco SPCA have a longstanding program that features adoptable animals (cats and dogs) in the store’s holiday window displays. You can find more info at the San Francisco SPCA site.

hpnyc.org on the F train

Yesterday while was in the F train in New York, a young blond man came through the crowded car soliciting donations. I would not have given him much notice, except that as he was carrying a small black cat, and supposedly collecting for an organization called “Homeless Pets NYC” with a website hpnyc.org. The URL will take you to a site that describes the person I saw and his black cat, and suggests that like most subway solicitations it’s a scam. Very sad.