CATSYNTH

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Tag: Cats

  • Weekend Cat Blogging #94 Roundup

    Oy, we're having a hard time getting the roundup out this morning – technical problems. But here we are. Welcome to the big Weekend Cat Blogging #94 roundup!. It's a sleepy foggy morning here on the California coast, but we've got coffee and catnip and some classic 1960s/1970s tunes, and we're ready to go!

    First up, we have Taboo trying to get some rest at Jelly Pizza. That seems like a good plan to us. Also, “a shout out to Vinnie and Sam and Mex and Kayla, lonely tonight as pack member Lola awaits possible surgery in the morning at the vet.” Get better soon, Lola!

    Only 668 days left…

    Over at whatdidyoueat, we got squirrels, courtesy of sher. Ths squirrels are quite cute, but Upsie reminds us they won't be cute forever. Don't worry, Upsie, we still love you!

    Kashim and Othello deal with workmen around the house and stressed nerves, but that doesn't mean Othello doesn't have time for a little Olive Ciabatta. Yum!

    Over at xenogere, Kazon is doing well today after an upset stomach earlier in the week. “He?s definitely acting like himself again,” and we think he's looking quite handsome, too.

    Next we drop in the House of the (Mostly) Black Cats. Mini helps out mom with jewelry, while Boni gets into the nip stash and now looks pretty strung out on the carpet. Reminds me of some of those wild parties we used to have around here…if it was a little later in the day, who knows we might have to join in the fun w/ Boni and Mini…

    Meanwhile, China Cat and Willow enjoy springtime in the porch. And who doesn't love springtime on the porch?

    At masak-masak, it's all about the action as Fluffy gets ready to sharpen her claws on the palm tree. Yes, she gets her own palm tree. Things aren't quite as happy for the “boy cat [who] had to take his medicine.” We hope he gets better soon.

    It's fun and games with Kate in the Kitchen and Busopher and Harmon. Can you see the cats in this picture? They look way too innocent in that photo, something must be going down…

    A wonderfull photograph of Tess in the afternoon sun awaits at The Hidden Paw. Very well done!

    A special exclusive this week as Cato meets the Great White Hope of Fatah al Felidae. I think this is one of those moments when we need to say “the opinions expressed here do not reflect the opinions of CatSynth.com, its staff or sponsors.” I have enough trouble at the airports as it is ;-).

    We make a new friend this weekend: Nitro from meowers from missouri. Read as he defends himself on 13 points. From what, we can only imagine…

    It's Toes Woes weekend at Artsy Catsy, where a very contrite-looking Rocky begs forgiveness for dislocating a toe of his human-artist Suzanne.

    Of course, the pet-food poison scare continues to concern many of us. Chuysuli has written an open letter to the makers of some popular pet-food brands.

    Tatts is looking really comfy over at the BeesHIVE. I love to see cats rolling around on the sidewalk like that when I'm out on one of my walks…

    Over at Rosa's Yummy Yums, the photogenic Fridolin is emperor of his domain, at least of his cat tree…

    At music and cats, there's no question of who was the alpha kitten. Now that the kitties are all grown up, though, it seems like Sergei is still the “alpha kitten.” Some things never change.

    Bienvenue to a new friend from France! Moon plays chat et souris. Hey, we have both a Moon and a Luna this weekend.

    It's a lazy Sunday over at Pet's Garden. Whoa, am I seeing triple? Or is just some of Boni's catnip for H(M)BC?

    Laziness seems to be in abundance this Sunday, for humans and felines alike at kross-eyed kitty. We, too, know the joy of a shared nap together.

    Baci gets to celebrate his very first spring over at fourfurrycats. And what better way to celebrate the arrive of spring than with some fine BBQ? That steak is looking pretty tasty… White wine doesn't quite pair with steak, but this label is still apropos.

    The title says it all at Restaurant Widow: You can't look at this picture without being filled with joy. Go take a look, and you won't be able to deny it. Those are some amazing little blue eyes…

    It's the battle of the fuzziest as wetseringhills. It's pretty much a toss-up, but I think Luna and I could give Barrett and Colin a good challenge in the fur department.

    We'll keep posting to the roundup throughout the weekend (as long as we can get ourselves up off our comfy surfaces), so keep those posts coming!





  • Rat poison found in recalled pet food

    There's a bit of a shadow over our WCB fun this weekend, as the pet food recall story continues to unfold. From today's Toronto Star:

    Rat poison has been found in pet food that sparked a massive recall and sent a scare through tens of thousands of pet owners across North America, but scientists said Friday they still don't know how it got there.

    The pet food is produced by Mississauga, Ont.-based Menu Foods and is blamed for the deaths of at least 16 cats and dogs.

    Four-month-old Tosa, pictured above, is being treated for kidney problems. Her vet “suspects may have been caused by pet foods.” She seems like a sweet baby, we hope she gets better.

    We also hope all our feline friends, including those who participate in WCB, remain safe and healthy.





  • Weekend Cat Blogging #94

    Luna and I will be hosting Weekend Cat Blogging again this weekend. So leave all your feline blog entries in the comments section, or contact us, and we'll include you in the big roundup starting tomorrow. And as always, new participants are always welcome!





  • Weekend Cat Blogging #93: Emerald Eyes at Rest

    We at CatSynth started this weekend a day early. Luna can be seen in restful repose Friday afternoon:

    Would that every Friday was like this one…

    For those who observe St. Patrick's Day today, what better than a lovely pair of emerald eyes?

    Over at I Got Two Shoes, host Kamikazee is decked out in his green finery. Check out the WCB cats enjoying either St. Patrick's Day or just another fine weekend.

    And don't forget, WCB 94 will be hosted right here at CatSynth!







  • Weekend Cat Blogging #92

    For WCB 92 this weekend, we dig back into the archive. Here we see a seemingly erudite Luna catching up on some reading during a cold, rainy weekend back in February.

    Metamagical Themas is quite a heavy tome for most humans, let alone cats. I suppose Luna is reminding me that I was going to post several more articles related to Hofstadter's writings. She also has a copy of the Yale alumni magazine and some modern furniture catalogs to keep her busy.

    While we at CatSynth wax a little bookish, feats of athletics abound at whatdidyoueat, where Sundance and a rather fluffy Upsie do battle, all in good fun, of course. They also happen to be hosting this weekend. Go check out the other kitties in various states of activity, or lack thereof…





  • Weekend Cat Blogging #91: Enjoying the outdoors from indoors

    Just a nice quiet day for us here at CatSynth to relax and do, well, not much of anything, except of course taking photos and videos and posting them on Weekend Cat Blogging.

    Here, Luna gets comfy near the glass doors downstairs:

    This week, we also have some Catster videos to share. Hear Luna's cute “hunting noises” and watch her tail go and she enjoys her favorite view out the bedroom window:

    Videos, Movies, Pet Profiles, Catster

    Another video from today over at Catster has Luna responding loudly to getting pet while surveying her domain…

    Hehehe…let's crack open a window!

    Click on the image above to enlarge, you can see another kitty outside (you can be sure that Luna sees him, too).

    The big WCB roundup is being hosted over at champaign taste, where Louis' enjoyment of the outdoors turned into a scary “Lost Cat” story for a day. Thankfully, he returned in the evening and everything is fine. We're glad the Louis made it home safely. Go read his story and check out the other kitties this weekend.







  • Catsynth story: "Mewg"

    Our friend and regular WCB'er whaleshaman posted this great story as a comment on the Waldorf Pulse and cats. I thought this was worth bringing forward as it's own article. Enjoy!

    certainly without cats the synthesizer would never even have come into existence AS WE KNOW IT.

    few know that robert “moog” really was a cat! his name is more correctly spelled “mewg,” but changed to hide his real identity.

    he had a cute little sporty car with the license plate “moog,” which he parked on broadway near columbia university in the riotous good old days [late 60s, early 70s].

    people used to stand around and stare, and through the fog of “herbal” smoke, proclaim knowingly: oh, man, he is SUCH a cool CAT. and btw, end the war but sieze the dean's office first.

    i suppose you're wondering how he got away with being a cat and having a drivers' license.

    apparently there was a motor vehicle office back in the 60s, on central avenue in white plains [near the county center where i went to music camp in the summer of '59]. the employees in that particular office were unusually corrupt [driven insane by the music camp's awful band rehearsals] and would license “anybody” who showed up.

    so that's how bobby the cool cat got to drive a car on broadway.

    true story — parts of it anyway.

    I can vouch for the DMV office on Central Ave. in White Plains, NY. That's where I got my first driver's permit and then license!

    Maybe Toonces should try them for his license as well…




  • CatSynth Pic: Waldorf Pulse and Cats

    This cute photo is originally from synx508 over at flickr comes to us via matrixsynth,

    Looks like we have mutual posts this week – in addition to our picking up the above photo, matrix has reposted Teodor Revolution from here.

    The cats-and-synths meme is growing! It's in our name, it's a frequent topic here, at matrixsynth and elsewhere, and the number of photos and videos of cats with synthesizers seems to be on the rise. What is it that makes cats and synthesizers go together? Or in some cases, not go together – there are several boorish comments posted on matrixsynth under Teodor Revolution. That aside, it might simply be the case that “synth people” tend to be “cat people.” Cats are small and curious and likely to explore our large racks of gear, finding warm nooks within. Additionally, cats are less likely to be banned from home studio environments. Certainly, Luna is a welcome presence in my studio. I would never extend the same priveledge to a dog (then again, I doubt I would let a dog enter my house at all).

    Please feel free to share you thoughts on the cat-synthesizer relationship below.







  • Weekend Cat Blogging #82: Black Pride

    This New Years edition of Weekend Cat Blogging is being hosted by Champaign Taste. We wish all our WCB friends, feline and human, a happy and healthy new year!

    Our contribution this week continues our tribute to James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, who is a hero of ours here at CatSynth; he passed away this past Monday. In addition to his music (which is playing in the background as I write this), he made contributions to civil rights and the “Black Power” movement, through his efforts to promote African American ownership of the distribution of music on records and radio, and of course his classic anthems such as “Say it Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud.” It is in honor of this anthem that Luna strikes a proud, stately pose this week, reminiscent of the iconography of the Egyptian goddess Bast:

    The connection between black cats and civil rights isn't entirely gratuitous. Consider the well-known symbol of the Black Panther Party. Although founded in Oakland in 1966, the story goes that the party took its symbol from the Lowndes County (Alabama) Freedom Organization:

    We chose for the emblem a black panther, a beautiful black animal which symbolizes the strength and dignity of black people, an animal that never strikes back until he's back so far into the wall, he's got nothing to do but spring out. Yeah. And when he springs he does not stop.

    Getting back to James Brown, I would be remiss if I did not also recognize one of my former cats Morty, the original “Supa-Bad Kitty”:

    He got his nickname for his constant mischief, like sitting on the dining room table, but remainingly devilishly lovable. Plus, he could shake his money maker like no other kitty I've met. I miss him – he was taken by a former girlfriend and although I haven't seen him in many years, I hope he is doing well.











  • Feline Alzheimer's disease

    News of a studly on Alzheimer's disease for readers with ageing feline and human friends:

    Ageing cats can develop a feline form of Alzheimer's disease, a new study reveals. Scientists at the Universities of Edinburgh, St Andrews, Bristol and California have identified a key protein which can build up in the nerve cells of a cat's brain and cause mental deterioration.

    In humans with Alzheimer's disease, this protein creates 'tangles' inside the nerve cells which inhibit messages being processed by the brain. The team says that the presence of this protein in cats is proof that they too can develop this type of disease…

    …”As with humans, the life expectancy of cats is increasing and with this longer life runs the greater chance of developing dementia. Recent studies suggest that 28% of pet cats aged 11-14 years develop at least one old-age related behaviour problem and this increases to more than 50% for cats over the age of 15.”

    Perhaps one of the things that makes cats and other companion animals so endearing is that they go through many of the same life stages as humans, from kittenhood/childhood to old age. Having recently observed a 96-year-old relative and a neighbor's 20-year old cat who recently passed away, one can see similarities in both the strong and the sad qualities. The old cat liked to simply rest in her favorite spots in the neighbors garden, staring out into the world. Her physical state deteriorated very quickly towards the end, but I believe she crossed the rainbow bridge quietly and peacefully. My relative is still with us (saw her on my recent New York trip), though her health and mental state has deteriorated quite a bit as well. Again, I find myself thinking of the similarities between humans and cats in this stage of life – though just as with human infants in comparison to kittens, older cats seem to on the whole do a better job of staying independent than their elderly human counterparts.

    I wonder if any of the stem cell research on Alzheimer's in applicable to cats…