Weekend Cat Blogging: 6th Anniversary Edition

This weekend marks the 6th anniversary of Weekend Cat Blogging.  It was started by a group of food bloggers who took a break from the regular topics every weekend to post about their cats.  It is not an in appropriate combination, as like their human counterparts cats enjoy good food and good company.

We at CatSynth found Weekend Cat Blogging back in 2006 and have been regular participants ever since.  This is of course not a food blog, but we do appreciate food and have indeed made recipes posted by long-time participant.  Indeed, a diverse collection of bloggers have participated on and off over the years.

If you would like to participate in this anniversary edition, please leave a comment below, or tweet us @catsynth with hashtag #WCB.  We always welcome new participants!

We are also celebrating another anniversary this weekend: Luna’s adoption.  If you have not had a chance to yet, please visit Luna’s Gotcha Day post.

And so let us get on with round-up.

Jules of Judi’s Mind Over Matter has been a regular participant, and he can be counted on to make an appearance whenever we host.  Call it “black cat solidarity” if you will.  In any case, we think he makes a very handsome outdoor model, though he sometimes wants to eat the props.

Catsparella has a Caturday post featuring several cats from around the internet, including Mar (aka Mar(ilyn) Manson aka Tuxedo Bad-Ass).  In addition to having an interesting namesake, he is a cancer survivor.  He also loves eating spaghetti.  We wish him the best for a healthy and happy future!

Over at Gattina’s “My Cats and Funny Stories”, Rosie is practicing her seduction skills on one of the many cat statues that adorn their garden.  It makes for some very cute photographs.

At Pam’s Sidewalk Shoes, Smudge is posing on the garden pathway in an apparent attempt to distract us from the garden weeds.  We think it is a very handsome portrait.  And the weeds in the stones of the pathway add a rich texture to the image.

At The Chair Speaks, Pebbles enjoys a day of relaxing.  She evokes an image of poolside bliss on a deckchair.

Regular reads know that we at CatSynth are regulars in our local arts community in San Francisco, so it’s great to see our “TX furriends” Samantha and Clementine featured at a gallery near you.  That’s a gallery near you, not near us.  But it’s great to see their virtual art show – and nice prominent placement of their images (I particular like the big one of Clementine).

Our friends at Animal Shelter Volunteer Life present the cats in Cat Room 8 taking it easy on Sunday.  Our Sunday is busy as usual, so we will just have to live vicariously through their great photos.  These cats are likely dreaming of loving homes in their futures.

At Herman’s Hideaway, it appears that Herman and Emma are stuck in an infinite loop (are stuck in an infinite loop) as each watches, ready to pounce if the other does anything.  Read the post to find out the full story.

Our dear friends from Vienna Kashim, Othello, Salome and Astrid have been participating in Weekend Cat Blogging just about as long as we have.  They look back on WCB’s origins this week and link to their original post.  They also discuss the fun and value they have received from sharing these posts over the years, and we could not agree more!

As we wind down this edition of WCB, Ritzi shares a contented moment with a blanket at Mind of Mog.

Our friends Georgia and Tillie along with the rest of their household stopped by for the WCB 6th Anniversary.  Check out their Friday Close-ups!

It’s always great to here from another Luna!  This week Luna T Katt and Zulu are remembering Luna’s littermate Keiko, whom they lost to the rainbow bridge last year.  The kitten pictures are very cute – and they all miss her very much.

It seems that Gracie has been having trouble with the blogger monster and thus having trouble leaving comments for friends.  But she was able to make it though and wish Luna a happy 6th Gotcha Day and everyone a happy 6th Anniversary of WCB.

We will continue to post entries throughout the weekend, so please continue to comment or tweet us if you would like to participate.

Carnival of the Cats #377

We at CatSynth are happy to be hosting Carnival of the Cats this weekend.   For those who have no idea what this is, Carnival of the Cats is a long-running weekly round-up of cat-related blog posts from around the internet.   All blog authors with cat posts from the past week are encouraged to participate using the handy submission form, or by leaving us a comment below.

As usual, we’re off to a slow start this Sunday.  But with plenty of coffee and our eclectic music in the background, we are ready to begin.

We open with a sentimental post from Ellison of Lost in the Cheese Aisle. While Haukna sits quietly, it looks like she is being watched over by the late Matata on an electronic frame, while we imagine Gershwin’s classic in the background.

Good news from our friends at Animal Shelter Volunteer Life.  Long time shelter resident Bootz has found a new home.  It’s always nice to hear about more mature cats being adopted, and wish him well.

We loved reading this post from Catsparella about fashion photographer Kristina Wilson and her fondness for cats.  It was interesting read, lots of great pictures, and that first photo from Tokion Magazine is quite inspiring (not sure if the cat in the photo agrees, though).

At Gattina’s My Cats and Funny Stories, Rosie investigates one of the cat figurines in the garden.  She ponders whether this is in fact a dead cat, but after learning that it made of stone, decides it is a good place to rest.

At Meowsings of an Opinionated PussycatNikita and Elvira are helping their Dad heal from a serious ankle injury.  As one can see, it is quite an exhausting task.  We are glad that their Dad Kiril is on the mend.  They also want to thank everyone who has sent good wishes and healing thoughts.

StrangeRanger presents this study in black and white in lieu of “scintillating prose.”  It seems they have been busy tilling the earth and thus quite tired out.  We are of course fond of wordless images here at CatSynth, so welcome this “place holder” post.

Over at Mind of Mog, we have an exercise in contrasts.  Ritzi enjoys her spot on the sofa covers while Meowza enjoys rolling in the dirt.  He is also out enjoying a nice Sunday morning before it gets too hot outside.  That is something we definitely don’t have to worry about here this Sunday.

UPDATES: Samantha and Clementine share some glamor shots to share with us for the carnival. Visit their site for the full-size versions.

Finally, Nikita Cat asks the question “do cats watch too much TV?” There are reasons for and against watching television, with the observation that cats experience the images from this popular device differently. Read further to see the conclusions for yourself.

This concludes the carnival for this weekend!  We will continue to add late entries for the remainder of Sunday (US Pacific time) so let us know if you would like to participate.

Weekend Cat Blogging and Photo Hunt: Missed

The theme if this week’s Photo Hunt is missed.  So for our combined Weekend Cat Blogging and Photo Hunt post, we present Morty:

As one can see, Morty was a rather smart cat, and like some other individuals we may know enjoyed his coffee and newspaper every morning, and kept his cell phone nearby.  Though it does appear that Morty enjoyed the department-store ads more than the news.

The cell phone definitely dates this picture, which I’m pretty sure was taken in early 2002. Seen in comparison to the current iPhone, it is definitely not missed. I still have that coffee mug, which I had originally gotten from a used store when I first moved to California several years earlier.

Morty was actually the first cat I lived with.  He was a rather impish character, always getting into mischief but also seemingly aware that his cuteness would prevent him from getting in trouble.  Even though he often drove me crazy, I still miss him once in a while. (As far as I know, he is still alive and well and still making mischief.)


Appropriately for a post featuring a tabby cat, Weekend Cat Blogging #310 is hosted by the “three tabby cats in Vienna”, Kashim, Othello and Salome.

Photo Hunt 265 is hosted by tnchick. This week’s theme is missed.

The Carnival of the Cats will be hosted this Sunday be Samantha, Clementine and Maverick.

And the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

Weekend Cat Blogging #305

In the midst of all the other excitement going on, we at CatSynth are once again hosting Weekend Cat Blogging.  Honestly, we’d just like some extra time to rest, but we honor our commitments and are ready with our “WCB Street Sign” and this post.  And of course we look forward to seeing weekend feline friends old and new.

To participate, leave us a link to your cat-related post in the comments below.  You can also tweet us @catsynth with the hash tag #WCB.  We’ll add you to the round-up.  (Note that this week’s round-up will be a bit more sporadic and delayed given my focus on Open Studios this weekend and next week’s performance at the Marin Headlands, but it will be there.)

And so let us get on with the round-up.

It is usualy Jules who joins us from Judi’s Mind Over Matter, but this week it is Vincent who is featured.  It looks like he is enjoying some affection.

Arthur from Gattina’s My Cats and Funny Stories approves of a litterbox to have elegant surroundings.   As for us, we like the clean straight lines of the garden path.

It’s Caturday at Catsparella, which is when they feature a feline from one of there readers.  This weekend it is the aptly named Nosey Rosie, a cute tabby with an inquisitive nature.

There is some good news at The Chair Speaks, as Cinders is doing much better at recently being ill.  Here we see her resting in an airplane pose on newspaper and giving her thanks to all those who sent healing thoughts.

Speaking of newspapers, our friends at Animal Shelter Volunteer Life share the news that the well-informed newspaper-reading cat Conrad has been adopted.  They also list many other cats that have recently found their new homes.

Trees abound at Life From a Cat’s Perspective, where Samantha and Clementine interpret this week’s Photo Hunt theme of trees. They are also celebrating their 4th Blogoversary and we wish them well.

Over at Team Tabby, Moe says “This is what we do on Sunday“:

That sounds to us like a great way to spend a Sunday.

Naps are also good after a grooming session, as demonstrated by Luna and Zulu in their post :

They have the most amazing coloring.  It almost looks like one is an exact grayscale copy of the other.

Over at Pam’s Sidewalk Shoes, Coco reminds us to take time to smell the roses…err, tulips.  Something we at CatSynth need to keep in mind.

There are certainly times when we feel like this:

Check out the full size version from Kashim, Othello, Salome and Astrid at PaulChens FoodBlog?! for a cute image, even if “nobody’s home.”

At Whiskey Tango…Hello!, Allie and Chloe are showing off their better sides.  Readers can judge for themselves.

Finally, we have Meowza enjoying a nice day outside at Mind of Mog.

He stays happy and content via “canned kitty food, Temptations, mousies and lots of love.”

That concludes the round-up for this week.  Thanks to all who participated!

A bit of good news: Japan’s “Cat Island”

Last weekend we mentioned Tashirojima, Japan’s “Cat Island”. The island is populated by perhaps thousands of cats and 100 or so elderly human residents. The fear at first was that the island, right near the epicenter of the earthquake and tsunami, was lost. This week, we saw this article Discovery News reporting that the island survived!

Tashirojima, otherwise known as Japan’s “Cat Island” due to its numerous feline inhabitants, is intact after the recent devastating 9-magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami, according to Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support. However, like so many others devastated by the disaster, both the human and feline residents of the island need help.

They quote the group Japan Earthquake Animal Relief, which reported the news on their Facebook page:

Just to give everyone an update on Tashirojima, the cat island. The people and cats are safe but short of food. A volunteer looked into transporting food by boat, but there is too much debris in the water. A helicopter is the only way. The army will probably get a helicopter ready soon so we are looking into the possibility of asking them to take cat food too.

Additional information via this blog post, along with some beautiful photos.

It is a rare bit of good news in a disaster that seems to be getting worse every day, especially now with the nuclear disaster. It could be another round of danger for this island and extraordinary number of people in coming days.

You can support the efforts of Japan Earthquake Animal Relief and see more information on Facebook. They are a coalition of at least two animal-relief organizations working together. World Vets also has a fund for disaster relief in Japan.


I didn’t think it would be possible to make this a “Cat and Synthesizer” post, but I did read via matrixsynth, that is matching donations to SXSW’s Japan relief fund with subscriptions. (Puremagnetik is a subscription service for sound/instrument packs for use with Ableton Live! and other software environments.)

Weekend Cat Blogging #299

Weekend Cat Blogging #299 will be hosted here at CatSynth.  It’s like hosting #300, but one less. This comes in the midst of a busy weekend, including a performance tomorrow night and preparations for a big concert one week from now, but with some proper rest we should be ready to handle everything.

As usual, to participate please leave a comment on this post with a link to your contribution, or you can tweet us @catsynth with hashtag #WCB.  (Note that we won’t get to the round-up until Sunday due to the performances and other commitments.)

And now let us get on with the round-up.

Cats love boxes.  It’s a well-comfirmed fact.  But if one needs even more evidence, check out this cute cat-in-a-box picture courtesy of Pam’s Sidewalk Shoes.

It looks like there is a campaign underway at Mom’s Sunday Cafe concerning someone’s desire for a new yellow truck with gray interior…or perhaps just an interesting color fashion statement:

Jules is a very patient model for his mom’s experiments with Photoshop at Judi’s Mind of Matter.  I do like the direction the image is going, pushing the contrast to an extreme, where only Jules and the wall sockets are visible.

Luna and Zulu T Katt share a photo of Zulu enjoying a drink in the faucet.  It’s interesting how some cats seem to enjoy running water while others do not – nowhere near the universal appeal of boxes.

We will continue with the round-up later this afternoon.

The Cats of Wildcat Woods have taken a more subtle approach to Photo Hunt: Mostly Black.  The tabbies and tortoiseshells including Woody, Chica and Joey all have black as part of their markings.  They are also looking for a home for mostly black cat Avon.  Please click on her Petfinder link to find out more info.

At Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat, Elvira is enjoying her three two play cubes.

It looks like the last two have suffered from some rather enthusiastic clawing. She looks so innocent in that picture, though.

Finally, Tsunami is The Mighty Hunter Create with Joy:

We recognized Tsunami’s photo from this past Wordless Wednesday.

That concludes the Weekend Cat Blogging roundup for now. Thanks for being patient, and for the supporting words on the music events this week (last night’s performance in Oakland went quite well).

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.

Weekend Cat Blogging #296

It looks like it’s going to be another beautiful morning here.  Luna maintains her routine on sunny mornings of bedding down on a dining room chair.  And while I am busy working, she is dreaming:


The Carnival of the Cats will be hosted here at CatSynth tomorrow! If you would like to participate, please fill out the handy submission form.

Weekend Cat Blogging #296 is being hosted by Pam at Sidewalk Shoes.

And the Friday Ark has returned at the modulator.


Like many, we have been hungrily following the events in Egypt (if by some chance, you are not following this, you should be) – and excited to see hopeful changes for the people there. While the focus is of course on the major political changes and peoples’ safety, I did look into stories about animals in the land that once worshipped cats as gods. Through this article, we did read about Egyptian Mau Rescue, and browsed the Facebook page for the Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals. Ultimately, these visits ended up being a narrative about people and the challenges they face caring for animals amidst major upheaval.