Ladies and Gentlecats, and the Humans that love them...
In the spirit of the Holiday Season, just begun, it is with great pleasure that I have the very special honor, and responsibility, to bring to you, today...
Yes, Virginia, some folks, in the rest of the world, consider us a tasty delicacy, fit for a feast, every day, or just on Special Occasions such as Holidays.
While I use a collection of photos, like the above, to poke visual fun at my own expense, the subject IS one of serious concern to our Community, and while I consider my latest edition of Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat to be a story worth your time, I only recommend it to those Cats, and their Humans with STRONG CONSTITUTIONS (And maybe even nothing breakable within reach!), as the subject, and some links about it, IS disturbing.
Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat 19: Healthy Living Thru Cats Edition
Now let's get down to business!
This edition of the Carnival occurs at a special time of the year, and I am glad to see that many Kitties, and their humans, took time out to submit entries! ;-D
Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, are the 2 huge shopping days after Thanksgiving in which our Humans begin the ritual of Christmas Shopping that will last for almost 2 months.
On Black Friday, and even into the weekend itself, our Humans flock in a frenzy to Petco, Petsmart (In conjunction with Matt and The Pet Haven Blog and Website.), and similar establishments nationwide, looking for bargains on the MUST HAVE items (Hat Tip to Co-Creator, Arik Nordby!) for us, their Best Buds/ Buddettes, and Boon Companions!
They also dash off to other establishments, that just happen to be nearby, to find items for their spouses, children, and other family members, as well.
All this exercise has the added benefit of working off all the pounds gained while stuffing themselves with food on Thanksgiving Day (Thanks to the Turkey Cats, Reggie, Riley, Abby and Batman!)
On Cyber Monday many Humans, having shopped until they dropped, plop themselves down in front of their computers...AND SHOP SOME MORE!!
Meanwhile...we Cats, just sit, and watch the comings and goings, all weekend, with a combination of curiosity, and amusement, or even just studied DIS-INTEREST in some cases, over all the stuff clogging all available space in the house, and garage. ;-D
As regular readers know Nikita's Place is not a blog in the traditional sense since it is actually just the name of an Archive Category of Posts where all my contributions can be read at your leisure, and my name is listed as the proud author of each entry.
I call it a Blog within the Blog ;-D
I have not been blogging much the second half of the year, as I've been busy keeping an eye on Daddy as he deals with life in the struggling economy that our Humans are all dealing with these days, but an exploration of my "Blog" will entertain you, I'm sure, especially with my very busy, and sometimes stressful, Spring, when Daddy went on a lengthy vacation leaving me in charge (Lots of pictures!). ;-D
Most Feline Bloggers either contribute to their Humans blog, or have their own blogs entirely, and the Meowsing of Cats, or the Humans who blog about them, is the reason for the Carnival...so let's get this show on the road, and see what's going on with Cats, and their Humans, this week!
This Edition of the Carnival is dedicated to the memory of 15 year old Casey, who went to Rainbow Bridge, on the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 26th, after a long, hard fought, battle with cancer.
Casey never felt sorry for herself, no matter what challenges the cancer threw at her, and neither should we.
As her Human, Maureen Harmonay, of the Animal Translations Blog, writes:
This is a tribute I wrote to honor my cat, Casey, who just lost her
battle with cancer, after a 9-month struggle....Casey and I shared an unconditional love, and a bond that death may bend, but will not break. She had beautiful, intelligent, wide green eyes, but when they lost their lustre, I knew that I could not ask her to linger any longer in her physical body.
There are good links, in A Sad Farewell to a Beloved Feline Friend, to excellent veterinary clinics and a homeopathic veterinarian who specializes in cancer, and a very touching photo of Casey.
1. Diana L. Guerrero, of the Ark Animal Answers website, has an informative entry containing hints and tips for dealing with company and pet safety for pets on Thanksgiving Day and after.
Every year veterinary clinics flood with emergencies because of a lack of understanding and lack of safety preparations for pets.
So I want to remind you that there can be deadly consequences for animals during the holidays.
Holiday threats to animals not only include seasonal decorations, ornamental lighting, ingestion of inappropriate or toxic items, but also excessive consumption of rich foods or harmful food, burns from stoves or candle flames, and more.
Go for the amusing photos, stay for the useful information about Thanksgiving Day Safety Tips.
2. Aahz, of the blog Aahz Reviews Gilroy, has often wondered how a cat always lands on its feet.
I guess the explanations given by various felines of his acquaintance didn't cut the mustard, so he went looking elsewhere. ;-D
He has found a series of 5 photos, from a cool study, that satisfied him completely, and are a joy to look at. ;-D
3. Elisson, of Blog d'Elisson, has a great photo to share of a feline wannabe Bird Hunter.
4. Jams O'Donnell, of the blog The Poor Mouth, has a great photo to share that is absolutely beautiful in its dreamy, black and white, imagery.
The pure bliss of Love and Affection are a joy to behold.
5. Parker, of Perfectly Parker, may STILL be napping from all the Turkey he ate on Thursday.
6. Debra, of Manx News, shares cute photo of Abby, and some links to a few other weekly Feline Blog Events.
7. From Jerusalem comes Rahel, of Elms in the Yard, with prayers for the victims of the violence in Mumbai, and a beautiful photo of Three cats hanging out on Agrippas Street in downtown Jerusalem.
8. Mr. Jones soaks up the warmth of the sun on a chilly day, in this wonderful photo at AllanThinks Blog.
9. Bloggg is full of "Reality based ranting by the original Doubting Thomas", and in a recent post is shared the cute image of the family Cat, Ollie, that has everyone wondering if he needs a Shrink. ;-D
As the writer says...We’ve always said Ollie thinks he’s a dog.....well, now here’s proof.
10. From the Mind of Mog comes Stuffed! As usual the photos are utterly delightful! ;-D
11. Meowza, unlike moi, discreetly displays some tummy (As my many photos show...I don't do "discreet"! I proudly, and openly, display my "physique" for all to see and admire!), in this cute photo taken by Mog.
12. Mog takes a great photo of The Ilnfidel displaying annoyance at not getting any Turkey of Thursday.
I sympathize, neither did I . ;-D
13. Over at the Group Blog called House Panthers, it's beginning to look a lot like Grristmas and they have some Grristmas caroling to go along with the Festive Air, courtesy of Diamond Emerald-Eyes!
14. Diamond Emerald-Eyes has her own blog, too!
At Diamond's Lair, she has a wonderful photo filled T-day entry that begins with her reasons for being thankful this holiday season, and moves on the celebrate what is also her Purrthday!
Today is my Purrthday and the fourth anniversary of coming to live in my new home with this bean. Had a I stayed wild and still had to live outside, it's doubtful I'd have lived these four years. I certainly would not have lived them as comfortable as I am living them now.
As is fitting for her "Gobble till you Wobble" theme, the Thursday 13 collection of pictures, and links, have a mostly food related aspect to them. ;-D
As she informs me:
Our chef has whipped up a menu of 13 delectable felines for you to enjoy
so come on over and enjoy a Thanksgiving day Feast as we Talk Turkey at Diamond's Harvest Home!
15. Over at Tabbylicious, Tristan uses the camera to wonderful effect in a series of photos designed to help illustrate his discussion of the finer points of grooming.
16. Babeth, at the House of Chaos, writes that Freya is a potluck kitty...
Freya is a Gastropod. A stomach on legs. There’s not much else in her whenever she spots even the remotest possibility of food to be had, but the burning all-consuming desire to consume whatever edibles can be grabbed, bit and swallowed. Her obsession about food is so overwhelming that, whenever she hears someone being occupied in the Kitchen of Chaos, she will drop whatever she has been doing (taking a nap, stalking Hrimnir, teaching her kitten to lose a fight) in order to dash madly over to the kitchen counter, jump on it, and steal whatever the Simian in question had been trying to prepare.
This lengthy, entertaining, story is capped off with a wonderful group photo of "All 6 Feline Denizens of the House of Chaos doing what they love best… shoveling the grub." ;-D
17. John, at StrangeRanger, has some great photos to illustrate the story of the downs, and ups of the medical issues of Ivy, and how Maddie has been coping with the extra attention being shown the poor dear.
18. and 19. Artsy Catsy is the home of Fifteen formerly feral felines who train their human artists to create gifts for cat lovers! Thye donate a portion of their proceeds to needy Felines and those who help them.
In post 1 some purrs and purrayers are requested for a few worthy Cats, and Rocky's Mommy!
In Post 2 more purrs and purrayers are requested, and there's mention of a raffle!
20. Over at Life From a Cat's Perspective you can share a look at Sunday morning with Samantha and Mr. Tigger in a couple of cute photos.
21. and 22. As someone mentioned somewhere..."SISU is a blog that sneaks up on you with little cat feet, settles in, and doesn’t let go."
Cats and their humans are often an opinionated lot, especially the Conservative ones, as Daddy and I show all the time, and Sisu is as interesting, thought-provoking, and popular as they come.
Sissy Willis, provides the opinion, in a link-filled essay, and while Cats and their Humans, of a Liberal Persuasion, may get apoplexy, there is something about this post that everyone will agree on completely: The wonderful photos of Babe and Tiny, complete with colorful descriptions. ;-D
Yes, many opinions expressed by the students in the poll were silly.
Babe, and Tiny are again on glorious display in this post devoted soley to them, called Switching Places.
23. Over at Chey's Place, Cheysuli is thankful for other Cats, and for "Flash bulbs even if they give you red eye!"
24. Over at Catymology check out the beauty that is Aloysius as he ignores the flowers he can touch for contemplating the snow, and bushes that he can't. ;-D
And on that note, I hereby bring this edition of the Carnival of the Cats to a close!
Now, it's time for my Afternoon Nap! ;-D
***AFTER NAP UPDATE!***
25. At Pet's Garden Blog, Sir Woody is shown "demonstrating the high level of energy shared by all of us...", on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
What he's shown doing, so adorably, is just what I spent the last 4 hours doing. ;-D
***A kind note from the Human grieving for blessed Casey***
I awoke to find the following in my Inbox:
Hello,
I wanted to thank you for accepting my post about Casey for the Carnival, but most of all, for dedicating it to her.
I was very moved by your kind gesture.
With best wishes,
Maureen
U R Welcome!
I was honored to do so as Daddy and I, both, know the pain of loss when it comes to those Animal Companions close to us.
***END UPDATE***
The next edition will be hosted by Mind of Mog!
A brilliant carnival! Thanks for the kind words. :-)
Posted by: Sissy Willis | December 01, 2008 at 01:42 PM
Thank you for hosting the carnival, and for including my somewhat tardy entry.
Naps, you know, are very important at this time of year.
Purrs!
Posted by: Aloysius | December 01, 2008 at 08:17 PM