fluffy

Weekend Cat Blogging with Marlon (aka Big Merp)

This weekend we check in on our feline pal in Oakland, Marlon.  We have dubbed him “Big Merp” for his large size and vocalizations that sound like “merp“.

This the face of a cat who has lived life hard, and just wants to chill out in his older years.  Fortunately, he is getting that opportunity as he has been spending more and more time indoors.  This included getting to stay indoors during the worst of the smoke from the wildfires to our north last month.

As we have mentioned before, it is clear he was a pet cat at one point in his life.  He enjoys the comforts of indoors, attention from humans, and food. Lots of food.  His friend Hissy is not so sure about the indoor life and is still wary of humans, but she does come around for food and to hang out with Big Merp.

The two of them clearly share a connection, even though they don’t always have the same outlook on life.  We hope Hissy does learn to trust people a bit more in the future.

We close with a reminder to readers to be kind to the cats – and other animals – that share our neighborhoods and spaces with us.  

Weekend Cat Blogging with Marlon…and Sophia

Today we visit with our feline friends in the Temescal neighborhood of Oakland.  First up is Marlon, formerly known as “Fluffy.”

Despite living outdoors, he is healthy and well-fed, and clearly has a past that includes life as a pet cat.  He loves people and didn’t need much convincing to spend time indoors.  Indeed, he is living it up with his indoor time, getting food and scritches and soft blankets to relax on.

He is a big fellow but has a tiny voice that sounds more like “merp” than “meow”.  I don’t yet have any video of his vocals, but you can see him thoroughly enjoying himself in this Instagram video with the music of John Schott playing in the background.

You can hear more of John Schott and his Actual Trio in this CatSynth TV video.  In the meantime, let’s check in with Sophia, formerly known as “Hissy.”

As one can see in this photo, she is a beautiful cat, with Siamese-like markings and a graceful bearing.  We think she might have once been a pet as well, but she is still extremely skittish around people.  I mostly just get a glimpse of her from a distance and she runs off at any attempts to get closer.  But she usually remains hidden nearby when Marlon is around.  The two of them seem to have a special bond, despite their divergent attitudes towards humans.

We hope all our human and feline friends have a lovely weekend.

Weekend Cat Blogging with Fluffy and Hissy

We introduce two new kitty pals today: Fluffy and Hissy.  They are outdoor kitties who live in the Temescal neighborhood of Oakland, California.

This is Fluffy.  He is a big fellow, and quite friendly.  As far as we know, he lives outdoors full time, but he is very comfortable around humans, especially when they provide food.

By contrast, Hissy is much more skittish around people, and it is quite difficult to photograph her.

Usually, Hissy backs away, but if one does get close, she lives up to her name.

Both Fluffy and Hissy seem to be healthy and well fed in comparison to some of the street cats I have encountered in the neighborhood, so they probably have a network of food and safety options, beyond our “satellite office” in the neighborhood.

We hope to get some better photographs of them soon.

 

Weekend Cat Blogging and Photo Hunt: Fluffy

For our combined Weekend Cat Blogging and Saturday Photo Hunt on the theme of fluffy, we have some unusually fluffy and quite playful photos of Luna:

Luna is technically a short-hair cat, but in the winter her fur gets longer and thicker, and is more visible when she rolls around instead of one her more staid poses. Of course, it’s nothing like the “floof” one sees on some cats.

These photos were done with the “big camera” – the iPhone (either straight or with Hipstamatic) is too slow to capture the detail of Luna’s fur.

Weekend Cat Blogging #347 is hosted by Salome at PaulChens FoodBlog?!

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

The Carnival of the Cats will be up tomorrow at Friends Furever.

And the Friday Ark is at the modulator.