a routine check-up

Shamus on view

 Me-usings and Me-emories

18 Jul 2022 - I consider myself very lucky to have multiple napping places.  Of course one only needs a single cushy spot, but to possess more is to feel extra special, able to indulge whims (how 'bout a northerly view today?), to throw a wrench into the  predictability engine.  When one isn't numero uno in the predator-prey hierarchy (and domestic felines prompt salivation in a number of maws), one must keep the aggressor guessing.  The cat who is always donning his habitual hat at half-past midday, may not live to see the sun set.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Variety keeps the brain sharp.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - idiosyncatic, to distinguish oneself as an individual (not so hard if you're a cat)

fancy seeing you

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

17 Jul 2022 - I do love that sharp, morning light... it may be why the shorter peep and I rise to see it.  And once the sun is up, so are the interlopers, which means my job starts early.  But work that keeps one attuned to nature and its cycles, affording time to appreciate blue skies and stormy gray ceilings and far-away-scented breezes, is worth any headaches incurred.  I suppose every profession has its detractions (nothing is purrfect), and anyone seeking employment should honestly answer the question, what is important to me?  Then life becomes enjoyable.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Money doesn't buy happiness.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

phrase of the day - take purrleasure in, to delight in, to relish (hold the pickle, purrlease)

I resemble that remark

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

16 Jul 2022 - You can ignore that stick-figure shadow seen from my portal... that is not what has my attention.  If a thing doesn't move, doesn't flinch, for my window of sustained glare, then its threat level is deemed low... and my eyes sweep for more pressing matters.  This vantage point often yields the shenanigans of squeeps and cheeps, typically in pursuit of another, and marked by scurrying noises and chirps of protest.  Evidently my species is not the only one with a working definition of interloper, not the only one laying claim to, and defending, territory.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

We are more alike

than different.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - homeowgeneous, of the same kind (most of which I don't like)

keen and barbaric

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

15 Jul 2022 - Most interlopers I encounter are a fraction of my size, and one would assume their brains are scaled accordingly.  Yet the sneakiness displayed by them is amazing... and keeps my job interesting.  Of course their very survival favors the ones who are good at hiding, at avoiding confrontations.  Even with their short lifespans, Darwin has a say.  A good ploy is to "disappear", the idea being that I will forget their presence, especially if they evade detection long enough... other, more pressing matters may arise and claim my attention.  In the featured encounter, I am in pursuit.  Truthfully I may have been the one who knocked it under this rug... if so, it's a lucky bugger.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Competition runs the spectrum

from friendly to life-and-death.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - furvid, passionate and intense (sometimes my lower jaw quivers)

how delightful

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

14 Jul 2022 - After a long period in the same position, the body benefits from a deep stretch.  Cats are caricatured by their highly arched backs, a stance we take when trying to look bigger/fiercer than we are.  But once our napping is done, nothing feels better than a slow elongation of our muscles, a deep curving of the spine.  Sometimes the effect is so pleasurable that I must curl myself back into a ball and resume my slumber... knowing that I'll be able to relish that waking ritual once again.  Life doesn't need to be complicated to be satisfying.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Be nice, to yourself

and to others.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

toon of the day - Tony the Tiger, an upbeat cousin known for his growly "grrrr-eat!"

Je me souviens

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

13 Jul 2022 - Cats are creatures of contrast:  they can disarm you with their purrs, and disarm you with their claws.  We are not of two personalities, but its volatile combination.  My aggressive side only gets expressed when I'm guarding my domicile, and even then I am not carried away by the blood's passion.  I bat, I leap, I hunker... until the nervy interloper grasps/gasps its mistake (or I lose interest, whichever comes first).  For me it is all in the pursuit of fun (while still doing my job).  My survival no longer depends upon my cunning... which was a very stressful way to live.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Nostalgia only remembers

the good parts.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - remeownisce, to recall enjoyable past events (mine tend to involve kibble)

a yen for yang

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

12 Jul 2022 - The shorter peep and I opt for a solid start to our day, by ingesting kibble of choice.  There is no disagreement about who eats what:  I like my treats, and her interest is confined to whatever it is she has selected.  But we keep one another company.  It is too early in the day for sedentary behavior, so I tend to visit, then run off, then return for a head pat, then run off, etc.  She is occupied by doodles on paper, and doesn't mind my popping in-and-out.  We are a good fit... literally, as I am very partial to her comfy lap (nothing else needs to be said).

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

There's nothing wrong with

sizing up a potential friend.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - compurrlementary, a completing combination, like meowtise and tender