Combs Spouts Off

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Posts Tagged ‘cats’

But did the engine purr?

Posted by Richard on July 31, 2007

Bumper, the kitten in the carA Missouri man complained to mechanics that his car was meowing. Amazingly, they took him seriously. And he was right: 

Robert Clark didn’t own a cat.

So where were those “meows” coming from?

At one time, the Grandview man pleaded with a crew of Firestone mechanics, “Guys, I’m not crazy. I’m telling you … there’s a cat in this car somewhere. I hear it. I don’t care how long it takes… you have to find it.”

Finally, after nearly giving up, they did. Or, when they took off the front bumper, maybe the cat just jumped out on its own. A little black kitten, just a few weeks old. Skinny, dirty, hungry, dehydrated and ready to fight.

Bumper — as he since has been named — had spent four hot days in the underbelly and engine compartment of a 2004 Chrysler Pacifica.

There's video of Bumper at CBS4Denver and a slideshow at KCTV5. He's a cutie. But mostly, I posted this because I couldn't resist the opportunity to refer to an engine purring.

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CatCam

Posted by Richard on June 20, 2007

Cats live longer, healthier lives if kept indoors, and you really shouldn't let your cat roam free. But if you're one of the many cat owners who does, do you ever wonder where your cat goes and what he does on a typical day? Jürgen Perthold did, and being an engineer type with a tendency to pursue "crazy" ideas, he did something about it. He invented the CatCam™.

Perthold's cat, Mr. Lee, wears the CatCam around his neck on his outings. A controller added by Perthold periodically snaps a picture. When Mr. Lee returns home, Perthold downloads the pictures. Check them out, they're pretty amazing.

If you want to try this with your cat, Perthold is offering kits and considering making complete CatCams. 

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Cat kneads dog

Posted by Richard on March 21, 2007

"The position of cats is highest when civilization is at its peak. The uses of the cow, the horse and the dog are obvious even to the illiterate, but one must be educated in the uses of a cat."

— Olivia Manning

One of the uses of a cat that I've certainly appreciated is kneading. The late Grizzly used to knead on me with a wonderful dedication, seriousness of purpose, and continuous big purr. God, how I miss him.

It never occurred to me that a dog might appreciate a cat's talent for kneading until Craig Ferguson played this video clip on tonight's Late Late Show. Note: Before the video begins playing, mute or turn down your speakers. The video seems to have been recorded while a shop vac or small jet engine was running nearby.

Hmm, I wonder if the PETA animal-rights types object to a cat being exploited by a dog, or if they only object to both being kept by humans. 

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Der Furrer?

Posted by Richard on August 25, 2006

Continuing the theme of odd items about cats, I present to you CatsThatLookLikeHitler.com:

a cat that looks like HitlerDoes your cat look like Adolf Hitler? Do you wake up in a cold sweat every night wondering if he’s going to up and invade Poland? Does he keep putting his right paw in the air while making a noise that sounds suspiciously like "Sieg Miaow"? If so, this is the website for you.

They refer to cats that look like Hitler as "kitlers." From the FAQ:

What is a Kitler?
Most cats possess that typically feline facial expression that implies a secret longing for world domination. All cats want to rule the world, that’s part of the nature of the species, but to be a genuine Kitler there has to be some other similarity with the notorious German dictator. We’re looking for that tiny, unfashionable moustache. Or does it even has the flock-of-seagulls hairdo? An evil glint in its eye?

Besides browsing the best kitler pictures, be sure to click the We Hate Kitlers link and read some of the over-the-top criticisms the site has gotten. Apparently, there are people out there who think that if you’re amused by a cat with a tiny mustache, that makes you a Jew-hating, genocidal monster. Sigh. They’re probably the same people who believe we should sit down and talk with Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran to see if we can’t just all get along.

(HT: Walter in Knoxpatch)
 

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Lola, the acro-cat

Posted by Richard on August 25, 2006

Lola the hand-standing kittenLola is a young kitten — six or seven weeks old — at Denver’s MaxFund animal shelter. Lola has a severe deformity and possible partial paralysis of the hind legs. Lola has developed a unique way of compensating. 9NEWS reporter Chris Vanderveen has the story. Be sure to click the link to the video under Additional Resources. You just have to watch Lola walk on her "hands."
 

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Watchcat vs. bear

Posted by Richard on June 19, 2006

About a week ago, I heard a story on the radio about the cat in New Jersey who treed a bear. Now I’ve seen the picture to prove it. From the New York Post:

A black bear picked the wrong New Jersey yard for a jaunt this week, running into a territorial tabby who ran the furry beast up a tree – twice.

Jack is a 10-year-old, 15-pound, declawed orange tabby. So much for my original theory that the bear ran off after getting its nose clawed. Shame on the owner, though, for declawing Jack (a procedure akin to amputating all your fingers), and double shame for letting a declawed cat outside. Good thing for Jack that he’s full of bluff and bluster, since he’s basically defenseless.

"We used to joke, ‘Jack’s on duty,’ never knowing he’d go after a bear," cat owner Donna Dickey told The Star-Ledger.

Neighbor Suzanne Giovanetti first spotted Jack’s accomplishment after her husband saw a bear climb a tree on the edge of their North Jersey home’s back yard on Sunday.

After about 15 minutes peering down at the cat from the tree, the bear descended and tried to run away, only to have Jack chase it up another tree.

Giovanetti provided the AP with this striking picture:

bear treed by tabby
Photo by AP Photo/Suzanne Giovanetti

Makes sense that it was a Joisy cat — even the neutered ones have cojones. And an orange tabby — tabbies all seem to have attitude.

(HT: The Gothamist via Tammy Bruce )
 

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Competing cats

Posted by Richard on June 14, 2006

I don’t think much of "reality" TV — the contrived competitions in particular. In fact, I pride myself on never having watched Fear Factor, Survivor Whatever, the Trump thing, the "weird people living together" thing, or any of the competitive singing, dancing, skating, and traveling things.

But the latest idea for a reality TV show sounds purrr-fectly delightful:

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Ten cats in search of owners will spend the next 10 days in a New York store window, their every move caught on camera for a reality TV show on which they will compete for best sleeper and mouse-catcher.

The show is the creation of a petfood company and will be shown on cable channel Animal Planet, as well as on the Web site www.MeowMixHouse.com where viewers will be asked to vote off one feline contestant each day.

The cats, chosen from shelters around the country, will compete for loudest purr, most prolific sleeper and who can catch the most toy mice. Kitties who get the boot will be adopted into permanent homes.

In the tradition of reality shows, the company will hire the top cat as "Feline Vice President of Research and Development," responsible for taste testing and product feedback.

I suppose I’ll have to check it out. Although I have to wonder about the long-term entertainment value of a show that features cats competitively sleeping.

 

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No Daily Kitten!

Posted by Richard on April 10, 2006

A Monday without a Daily Kitten sucks even more than a Monday usually sucks. This is sad news:

The Daily Kitten is currently experiencing technical difficulties. 
We hope to be back with you before too long.

Apologies for the inconvenience.

Thank goodness there’s Cute Overload, and of course, it has a Kittens category. Not to mention the new Cats ‘n’ Racks™ category!

Then there’s Kittenwar — bet you can’t click just one! And Cats in Sinks! Awwww, that’s so cute!

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