carnival of the cats

Carnival of the Cats #360

We at CatSynth would like to welcome everyone to the 360th Carnival of the Cats, one of the longest running weekly roundups featuring cats from around the blogosphere.  You can find out more, including how to participate, at the Carnival of the Cats website.  If you would like to participate today, you can use the handy submission form, or leave a comment below.

First, we open with a fast-forward Luna’s WCB photo from yesterday.  She is after all the host for this week.

And while she keeps busy with her napping, we proceed to the carnival proper.  First up, we have Maddie relaxing in her box of paper.

It turns out that “Maddie in the box with paper” scans perfectly to “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”.  Trippy! The cats at StrangeRanger also have some new portraits posted today.

Next up, we have a few submissions from our friends Nikita and Elvira.  First, we see them enjoying a lazy Friday afternoon.  But they have also been industrious, registering for Blog Paws 2011.  This a leap of faith, as they and their dad (like many) had a rough 2010.  But there is also bright news, as Elvira prepares to celebrate her first birthday.

Happy birthday in advance!

We at CatSynth marked Groundhog Day this past Wednesday.  But Hakuna remains unimpressed. “Groundhog Day? Screw that. When’s Caturday?”

You have to appreciate that surly expression.

Rather than being surly, Samantha and Clementine seem fascinated by the snow that has been falling in Texas.

Based on all the commentary about the Super Bowl in Texas today, I am guessing this is not supposed to happen.

Catsparella presents this post featuring cats with heart-shaped fur markings:

This should probably come with a cuteness warning of some sort.

That concludes the carnival for now.  We will continue to update with any submissions we receive through the end of Sunday.  Thanks to all who participated.

Carnival of the Cats / Carnaval de los Gatos #324

We at CatSynth are happy to host another (slightly tardy) edition of Carnival of the Cats

¿Por qué en español? Well, this weekend happened to also be the big Carnaval festival in San Francisco.

I spent most of yesterday at Carnaval with friends, enjoying the music, the rather vibrant and colorful costumes, and the overall energy. Considering that this actually has very little to do with cats, however, let is move on to our regularly scheduled “carnival”:

It’s been a sunny and warm weekend for us. And for others, too. K.T. Cat shows his jungle heritage while enjoying some sunshine outdoors in this great “nature photo” at K T’s Sratching Post.

Our friend Nikita Cat is also enjoying the outdoors in a unique way, as he goes for a stroll outdoors with his dad. Literally, a stroll in a stroller. In addition to being a great way to enjoy some fresh air, it’s helping his dad’s continued recovery and rejuvenation. And he certainly gets some attention from passers by. And this is a lead in to Nikita’s second contribution concerning how much non-felines obsess over cats.

Elisson visits his elder daughter’s new digs and meets some of the animal residents, including Miss Kitty, who has adjusted well to domestic life after being adopted from the streets (I wonder if she should meet Mister Kitty). There is also Minnie, appropriately described as “one tiny ass dawg.”

At Elms in the Yard, Hadi is adjusting well and learning to trust humans after her past experiences (including the vet). As one can see from this image, she is learning not to trust but to quite appreciate belly rubs. Rahel also encountered a visitor in her home while preparing for bed. Fortunately, the stranger turned out to be a neighbors’ cat, and was soon back home safely.

At Dophin’s Dock, Dolphin says “goodbye” to Sigyn. But this story has a happy ending, as Sigyn is going to a new home where she should be able to enjoy a lot of love and attention.

Antics about at Life from a Cat’s Perspective, where Samantha and Clementine have a rough over a paper sack. They have a photo series with the action unfolding. Samantha does not look pleased.

That concludes our Carnival for this week. Thanks to everyone who participated.
(Note, if you had planned to participate but I missed your entry, please leave a comment or contact and I will be happy to add you.)

Weekend Cat Blogging and Photo Hunt: Sweet

Sometimes a theme can be so easy that it becomes a challenge.  Such is the case with this week’s Photo Hunt theme of sweet. Luna is the embodiment of sweetness, and the number of images in the CatSynth archives documenting this can be a bit overwhelming. So we start with the present. Luna often parks herself nearby my workstation in the studio/office and watches quietly. There is something quite sweet about her presence:

There is something very sweet about a sleeping cat, curled up and peaceful:

and of course getting pets and affection:

In retrospect, this really was not difficult at all.

Weekend Cat Blogging #252 is being hosted by our friend Nikita at Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat.

Photo Hunt #207 is hosted by tnchick. This week’s theme is sweet.

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

The Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos will be hosted this weekend Samantha and Clementine.

And the friday ark is at the modulator.

Carnival of the Cats #299

Luna and I welcome everyone to Carnival of the Cats #299.

We have unfortunately been experiencing technical difficulties with the main Blog Carnival submissions page. So this week’s Carnival is a little on the spare side. But we’re here for all the cats who made it, and we will leave the Carnival open for submissions through Monday by leaving a comment on this post. So without further adieu, here are the cats:

First up, Nikita reports on his recent visit to the Vet at Musings of a MadMacedonian. Looks like Nikita survived the experience and came home with a little less fur, but a few more “rewards” waiting for him. We at CatSynth also like the artwork in his vet’s office.

At Laurence Simon’s This Blog is Full of Crap, Piper is remembered and missed. Check out the video of Piper lashing her tail. “She was such a strange little cat.”

At Mind of Mog, Meowza demonstrates advanced yoga positions as part of his Wordless Wednesday offering.  He also reminds us that cleanliness and wordlessness go together. On the complete opposite end of the spectrum is his reaction to receiving his secret paws package today.

One thing that comes with the holiday season is an increase in sickness. This seems to hold true not only for humans, but cats as well, and the cats a When Cats Attack are dealing with the own round of plague and pestilence. We certainly hope they recover soon.

Sniffie and the other cats at Friends FurEver wish their canine family members a Happy 9th Birthday. We can’t think of a better present for a pair of handsome dogs than to be featured in a blog article devoted to cats :).

Sounds like things are getting a bit cold in Houston, and although Momma Grace and Company received almost no snow, it sounds like they got a decent covering of frost. Frost and snow are certainly pretty, but the cats have the right idea by staying toasty warm inside.

That concludes the Carnival of the Cats for now. If we missed you due to our technical difficulties, or you would like to be included, please let us know.

Weekend Cat Blogging and Art Review: Street Cats in San Francisco

It is relatively rare for me to encounter cats on my frequent walks around the city, especially in the more downtown or industrial sections near home. However, once in while I do see them, and in September I managed to even find a couple that sat still long enough to be photographed.

I espied this cat in on a front stoop in the Mission District, on my way to the Moe!kestra performance at Cellspace:


[click to enlarge.]

Though his face suggests a “don’t mess with me” attitude, he was actually quite friendly. He came up to greet me and even gave a couple of head butts.

On my way from the closing performances of the APAture Festival to Cartography of the Synchronous Telemtrist at the Community Music Center (also in the Mission District), I saw this cat on the sidewalk, and managed to get this particularly good photograph.

On the same walk, I came across a series of art installations in windows on 24th street. There was one installation at 24th and Treat, a tribute to a cat named Fred who had recently past away.

The painting, by artist D’arci Bruno, presides over a series of photographs and notes of remembrance left by Fred’s human and friends and family. I came back the next day to get a better look at the installation, and hopefully learn a little bit more about Fred, or about the project. There has been a lot of recent storefront art in the city, including the Present Tense Biennial and a Art in Storefronts project of the San Francisco Arts Commission. However, this piece was quite touching, perhaps because it was the surprise that I just happened to walk by, and of course because it memorialized a cat.

Weekend Cat Blogging is hosted by LB and breadchick at The Sour Dough.

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

And of course the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

Carnival of the Cats 290

We at CatSynth welcome everyone to the 290th Carnival of the Cats!

With our continued technical problems with CatSynth, it was a bit of a challenge to get this done before Sunday became a day other than Sunday, but here we are, and without further delay let us continue with the carnival…

First up, we have this textured and tender photograph from jams o donnell at The Poor Mouth.

More photography, this time a study in beige featuring Hakuna of Blog d’Elisson. Of course we prefer the official title of Latte e Cioccolatto.

At Elms in the Yard, Catschka is getting into all sorts of trouble. First she stalks an unsuspecting Her Ladyship, and then gets up on the neighbor’s sukkah without permission (for those unfamiliar with the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, go look it up). There is also a visit from Ms. Neighborcat.

Meowza’s activities are a bit more mundane, as he celebrates “Finally Friday” at Mind of Mog by washing himself.

Maddie of StrangeRanger has the right idea for this now-waning weekend: take it easy.

Diamond Emerald Eyes, who is also hosting Weekend Cat Blogging, has information on the HAPPY bill, a “very impurrrtant bill in House would allow pet caregivers to take a deduction on their tackes for pet care. We urge all humans, write to their representative supporting this bill!” It’s a start, but we at CatSynth would prefer to see the public option added to the bill.

At The Cat Post Intelligencer, there are lots of things the Cheysuli and family are thankful for this week, including this photo:

Autumn is coming, and Willow is enjoying the cooler weather, and very contentedly sits on the porch and watches for chipmunks.

Meanwhile, China Cat rediscovers her cozy bed as a preferred way to cope with the cooler weather. That certainly sounds like a good plan to us.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and sammawow presents Jeter’s Mom’s Breast Cancer 3-day walk, where is taking place here in San Francisco this weekend. Please visit and find out more about this great cause.

A final note, our friends and frequent hosts of Weekend Cat Blogging Samantha and Mr Tigger are missing! We are sending good thoughts and hope they are safely home again soon.

That concludes this week’s Carnival. Thanks for joining us. Next week, the carnival returns to Mind of Mog.

Weekend Cat Blogging and Photo Hunt: Twisted

The theme of this weekend’s Photo Hunt is twisted, which works for another entanglement with Weekend Cat Blogging

We have of course seen many photos of Luna around our musical equipment (such as our analog delay pedal used for some twisted effects by raising the feedback level):

or sometimes hiding behind it:

Musical gear often means tangled wires, which seems to spontaneously happen despite our best efforts. Just a series of seemingly inevitable Reidemeister moves.

Luna is remarkably good about leaving the cables alone, but she does have a weekness for the cable ties, the device we use in a vain attempt prevent our cables from getting twisted.

Luna is fond of these and the twist ties that come with packaging, and I have caught her carrying them around. The ties are of course immediately confiscated (much to her disappointment). I do my best to keep them stored away as I don’t think they are safe for cats.

Weekend Cat Blogging is being hosted by Sir Tristan Tabbycat Longtail at tabbylicious, who is also belatedly celebrating his “Gotcha Day.”

The Carnival of the Cats will be up this Sunday at When Cats Attack. Next week COTC will be here at CatSynth!

And of course the Friday Ark is the modulator.

Weekend Cat Blogging: Grass!

It seems like a fine weekend to enjoy some grass:

“Rosy’s” is our favorite brand, in part because of the little black cat on the tag. It has appeared previously on this site.

Luna had been obsessed lately with the grass growing the flower pots on our patio, so it seemed like she was really craving it. Perhaps this is a trait picked up from our friend Mickey.

(A bit of trivia: the photos in this article are scaled to 420 pixels.)

Weekend Cat Blogging is being hosted by Samantha and Tigger of Life from a Cat’s Perspective, now at their new home in Texas.

The Carnival of the Cats will be up this Sunday at House Panthers, of which Luna is a proud member.

And of course the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

Weekend Cat Blogging #198

I need a break, so Luna is taking care of Weekend Cat Blogging:

I wonder what she has to say today. Quite possibly something about how I have not been spending enough time at home of late. If you have any suggestions for her, leave us a comment.

One thing Luna is likely to talk about is our having a visitor this weekend, another black cat is staying with us on Sunday. It makes from some interesting encounters.

Luna is in the foreground.

Weekend Cat Blogging #198 is being hosted by our friends from Florida Samantha and Tigger.

The Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos is being hosted by fellow house panther Diamond Emerald Eyes.

It’s the fifth anniversary of The Carnival of Cats. The special edition will be held at When Cats Attack.

And of course the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

Weekend Cat Blogging: 月神

As part of my bid to learn at least a little bit of Chinese, I have given Luna an appropriate Chinese name: 月神, or “Queen of the Night”. The character 月 by itself refers to the moon.

And since my return our little Queen of the Night is enjoying, indeed demanding, much attention.

I did see more cats in China on this trip, this time mostly strays. This orange cat was in Fuxing Park in Shanghai.

Like most cities, there are lots of stray cats in Shanghai. I did hear from a friend who was showing me around that there is a new program to help feed and care for stray cats, but I have not been able to find any information online.

And now, for the first time in a while, we have an opportunity to relax, and to catch up on things at home:

Weekend Cat Blogging #197 is being hosted by LB and Breadchick at The Sour Dough. They have the winning combination of cats, music (audio gear) and red wine.

The auspicious Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos #88 is being hosted by Miz Mog and the Kitties at Mind of Mog. (Yes, it’s another Chinese reference, go look it up).

The Carnival of the Cats #261 will be up this Sunday at Nikitas Place

And of course the Friday Ark is at the modulator.