Sunday, April 26, 2009

Always Playful

Abby: Talk to the paw! That's what I say to Ms. C, who has neglected her secretarial duties for quite some time now. But please do not worry about us or her. She has started a new job, and new jobs are always exhausting, she says.


This week she was wearing one of her favorite skirts as she sat at her desk, and forgot to tie or tuck in the drawstrings of the skirt's waistband. Needless to say, if there is any excuse for me to play, I hop right on it, sometimes literally! Look at that string, it looks like a mouse's tail!


Carefully I balance on her lap and grip the "tail" in my jaws:


I try to take it away with me to the desktop. This is not as easy as it seems! In fact, it does not detach and let me run away with it as I hoped it would. Well, it was fun anyway. Maybe I should go in search of some more dangerous prey?


Ahhh, Stygia, you are in our chair. Perfect! Let's PLAY!!!




Friday, April 17, 2009

The 2009 Yoga Pose Contest

The Yoga Pose Contest winners are now official! We could not pick just one, we had to pick three of you! While everyone had something amazing to offer, we could not help but be amazed by Siena, Freya, and Ayla. Display your graphics with pride (and biggify for a better image!) Check out their blogs, and read more below about every contestants' pose:


Now we will feature a comprehensive guide for cats about Yoga, and the practice and poses you cats will most want to work on this year. We'll start with the three winners first!

SIENA: This is one of the most difficult positions not only to attain, but also to maintain: the Cirque du Chat pose. For safety's sake, if you are just beginning your Yoga practice, please do not attempt this position. although Siena certainly makes it look easy and comfortable. You may need to find a mentor to guide you safely and months of practice before you are ready. You should also check out Siena and Chilli's other great Yoga poses on their blog!


AYLA: This is called the Reverse Flat Cat Pose. While most cats have amazing flexibility, Ayla shows that North, South, East, West, and the 4th dimension may all be addressed at once during meditation. If you can do this, you can do just about anything!

FREYA: When humans do Yoga, they value things like having a straight back. For cats, it's different. We are naturally round creatures, and Freya demonstrates the Cat Crescent Pose. The more curvature that can be accomplished while simultaneously engaging in a feat of balance, the better!

AMBROSE: Grrreta shared with us this picture of her housemate, saying, "The name of the yoga position is called Downward-Facing Dog. That sounds like woofie yoga rather than cat yoga. I think Ambrose may be having an identity crisis." To do the impossible is impressive, as is this pose!


ERNIE:
This is a classic Pretzel Pose by Ernie. While it is one of the most basic poses, it is one of the most difficult to do well, and Ernie is flawless!


ELIN: With a consciousness for her surrounding decor, Elin performs the Cello and Bow pose, which requires stretching one leg towards the sky, while reaching under the tail. When you are really fluffy, as Elin is, Yoga can present some challenges.


DAISY: Daisy is a very accomplished cat in so many ways, from modeling to diplomacy. Here she demonstrates again what appears to be a fairly simple stretch, The Twist, but just get down on your mat and try to do it with this kind of finesse -- it's not so easy, is it? Daisy also demonstrates a proper use of the mat, which means NO CLAWS. It is a lot harder without claws, isn't it? Hee hee.

CLOUD: Cats have a lot more options than humans do when it comes to "tools" or "equipment" for practicing the art of Yoga. Here, Cloud has chosen a large and special pot to complete the My God, It's Full of Stars exercise.


CHASE: Our humans may make fun of us because (to them) it may not look like we are doing much of anything, when in fact we are engaging in rather intense meditative activities, like Chase demonstrates below. Ideally, the entire body should relax, including the face, and often (as shown in the detail), this means fangs should show.


SWEET PRALINE: You may think this is an action shot, but you are wrong. With back foot raised and ears folded, Sweet Praline can hold the Ewok Pose for hours! This is one of the few positions when it is actually easier to do if you have fluff.


PUFF: Puff demonstrates excellent poise with a Cello pose, but at the same time also shows the dangers of practicing Yoga outside. There is always the risk of collecting little bits of dirt or other items in your fur during a strenuous session, so be sure to clean thoroughly afterwards.

PARKER: Not every cat desires to attain this degree of skill when it comes to poses, but Parker has let go of her inhibitions to do the Y-Pose, which involves raising both hind legs to a 45-degree angle while tucking head to tail.


NIKO: Again, tools and props abound and are a boon for the beginning practitioner of cat yoga. As Niko demonstrates, something even as modest as a human's foot can serve as a valuable tool for the youngest apprentices.


MILLIE:
There is a time and a place for everything. Millie demonstrates for us the famouse Sundance pose. Not only does it offer a totally stimulating yet relaxing session in the sun, but it also helps to circulate the blood to areas that cannot be reached by simply curling up in a ball or crawling and resting on a human.

WALLY: Wally is actually a cat yoga expert, and we are surprised that he did not win this year's contest. We can only attribute it his modesty (ha ha). Nevertheless, for the uninhibited, check out Wally's Westward Stretch. It actually doesn't matter what direction you are facing, as long as your tail and front paws are all going in the same direction.



Ms. TRISTAN: Again, although this Supercat pose may seem basic to many of you, try sustaining it for a long period of time, and you will soon understand why it's so hard to remain as such. Other cats could be running by distracting you, spring smells, can-openers, and so forth.... FOCUS just like Tristan does, friends!

SEI-CHAN: Sei-Chan is our youngest contestant, and we know she has a lot to learn, but she is already demonstrating prowess in the limberness, stretching, flexibility, and focus departments. Who knows what next year will bring for such an inventive feline?



SKEETER: Though Skeeter passed over the bridge within the past year, we simply had to feature his amazing pose. The human he was in charge of explained, "Both back legs are extended forward and both front legs are tucked under the back 'knees.' The head is tucked deep into the chest in a meditative pose to blank out all sensory input." None of the rest of us have managed to accomplish this pose for any great length of time, so we greatly admire this feat. We are calling it the Skeeter Pose, of course.


ZOEY: Finally, we wanted to present you humans with a pose that you could actually have some hope of accomplishing. Zoey demonstrates the Person Pose, which is not particularly comfortable or dignified for any cat. It is, for sure, a great cat willing to demonstrate this pose officially for the world.


Thanks again for all the entries! It was so much fun. We have learned a lot and hope you have, too!


Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Sleepy Things, Silly Things

Stygia: First, I'd like to share with you one of my favorite spots in the house: my chair. It's in a corner, I get a good view, and it's close to a baseboard heater, so I was cozy all winter long! Another great thing about my spot is that there is a mirror on the wall right beside the chair, so no matter what way I face, I can get a 360-degree view of whatever might be coming my way (Abby!). The comfy red cushion is mine, and covered generously in my own lovely fur.


Now I need to tell you something about my silly sister, Abby. Ms. C was printing photos to send to her grandma, and for whatever reason, Abby just loves that printer. The very sound of the printer printing causes her to approach, and she will crawl all over it, waiting for paper to come out. After Ms. C made a copy of her resume, Abby hopped right up on to the scanner/copier part of the printer, and Ms. C pressed the SCAN button! I would never think of doing anything so . . . so unseemly!



Sunday, April 12, 2009

Happy Easter & Dog Days!

Abby & Stygia: We would like to wish you a happy Easter! To celebrate the day (it was windy but pretty), Ms. C went out for a walk at a local park. Spring has only just arrived to our area, and is nowhere near full bloom, but a few plants and trees are displaying their blossoms:


While she was out there, she also met a DOG. His name is Cody and he is about seven months old. She says he was extremely frisky and excited to be outside with the chance to really run around. He insisted on being in the picture with her that his people took for her:


What we were really interested in seeing was this, do you know what it is?


Yes, you are right. It's a birdhouse! And here is an inner view, as you can see it is inhabited, although no one was home at the time:


Last but not least, we wanted to make sure that there was also a friendly sign to hang on a door, since ours yesterday were a little catty. This one features Tom of The Poupounette -- it's clickable so you can biggify it to see it properly:


Friday, April 10, 2009

Cat Door-Signs

Abby: After our mom saw this picture of me today, she was inspired to make some signs for our doors and your doors. You can download them and print them out!

Here they are, for people and cats with attitude!




Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Cat Yoga

Abby: Ms. C and Mr. R have begun doing Yoga. I don't think I need to practice with them, as I am obviously a Guru. Look at this pose:

I challenge YOU to post your best Yoga poses on your blog sometime this week, then comment here! I will feature them all in a week. (or, you can email me your entries to tabbynormal AT gmail.com).


Ms C: Abby, somehow it looks like you need to do some meditation:



Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Abby: Can you see what I am getting into? Mmmm.... I bet it won't take you long to guess!

I love it so much, I love everything, I love this sweater I am hugging. My claws slide in and out as I hug it, rub my chin on it, and roll on it as best I can. Somehow this table seems a lot smaller than it did when they adopted me last June and I weight 5.5 pounds instead of 11 pounds.


I am inspired to go down to visit Mr. R, who is arranging things in this box. It definitely needs the BITEY!

I don't think I'm the only one getting into the 'nip, either!



Monday, April 6, 2009

Dreary Day

Abby: What better thing can you think of to do on a dreary day, besides have a nice long nap? Me neither, I could not think of much else. Ms. C went to the store, and was a bit surprised to find us both on the couch when she returned. We didn't leave any space for her. That's what you get for going out into the dreariness and not napping with us! I did show her my belly though as soon as she came over.


Ms. C's nephew got her these fun shoes when he was on vacation in Florida a few weeks ago. She decided to take a picture of herself wearing them for him, and she considered it important to get ME in the picture too. I can take a few minutes away from my nap-time to pose, and maybe chatter at some birds while I am at it:


And, just in case you wonder what we on the couch are dreaming about, it's this:



Saturday, April 4, 2009

Blog Hogs: Introducing Autumn!

Abby: Today I would like to introduce the cat who owns a human friend of ours (Ms. A), and her name is Autumn! Although, I think she prefers to think of herself as Her Royal Majesty, Autumn.

Autumn does not have a blog of her own. She is about 7.5 years old, weighs about 9 pounds, and is mostly Bengal bob-tail, with some bobcat and tabby in the mix.

Because of her Bengal background, one thing Autumn love love LOVES is water!! Can you imagine that?! She makes sure that Ms. A is on the alert and has all the taps on for her when she Arrives in the bathroom. Check out her happiness at being in a bathtub filling with water:

Autumn is a very selective cat. As she is the only female non-human in the household (she has 2 cat step-brothers, Loki and Brutus, as well as two doggy step-brothers, Llyr and Argo), she has a politically tough role to maintain.

She demands that her blanket be properly fluffed and placed in her favorite spots before she is content to settle down. As you can see, this is one of the ideal warm, high points in the household, and it is hers to occupy and snoopervise from:

Don't forget to visit House Panthers today to see Stygia! Have a great weekend!