Latest Pet Rage?

ABC News reports that miniature pigs are being bred at a farm in Devon, England. The little piggies are said to be ideal pets and easy to house train. The breeder tries to sell the porkers in pairs so they will have the companionship of their own kind. The farm has a website at http://www.pennywellfarmcentre.co.uk/. The little guys look adorable.

Ogden Nash's View of an Ostrich

Here's another Ogden Nash poem:

The Ostrich

The ostrich roams the great Sahara.
Its mouth is wide, its neck is narra.
It has such long and lofty legs,
I'm glad it sits to lay its eggs.

I've been in love with Ogden Dash poetry as long as I can remember. His short and witty poems never fail to delight.

My Sidekick

Shasta (right) has complained recently that Ryder is getting too much press and that she gets none. I suppose she's right.

As you can see, Shasta is no lightweight. She also came to us as a very confused cat, unsure of how to approach life. I wish I could say that living with us has improved her outlook but I can't.

Despite her confusion about many things, she is very clear about her love for us. And ours for her.

Fattest Cat in the USA?

Meet Sam, a cat who lives near Atlanta, Georgia. He weighs a whopping 45 lbs. While looking for heavy cats, I learned that the Guinness Book of Records no longer lists records for overweight cats because of the danger of people overfeeding their animals just to set a record. Good for Guinness.

Go the Sam link to see additional pictures, especially the ones of Sam with his owner.

Regal Ryder

Ryder, The Regal, contemplates the coming cold season and doesn't look too happy about it. I don't understand why because he loves air conditioning and stands over the window unit whenever I turn it on.

Camouflage

Here's Sir Ryder with his soccer ball. Molly was watching him. Maybe she was wondering what was up with the black and white..........

Talented Cat

I love the felines that can do more than catch mice and ignore humans.

You Know You Are A Cat Person If.....

I just found an interesting website at www.felinefollies.com. Among their features I found this article titled "You Know You Are A Cat Person If......."

1. If all your Christmas presents are related to cats. — Leah
2. If, at 8:00 p.m. on a Friday night, you notice a small rash starting on your kitty’s neck, so you rush him to the emergency room and spend a week’s pay, just to be told it’s time for another bath. — Debra Franco
3. If, at bedtime, whichever cat’s not already in bed, you carry them to bed one at a time, in order of seniority. — Janet Fink
4. If, at night trying to get comfortable in bed, you feel as if you’re playing cat "Twister." — Dara Keenan
5. If, at night, your cat sleeps in bed with you and your spouse. — Dara Keenan
6. If, being a well brought-up young lady, your cat writes "thank you" letters for birthday and Christmas cards received. — Heather
7. If cardboard boxes and sisal are part of your home decor.
8. If cat germs mean nothing, and you and your cat drink out of the same glass. — Carol Thompson
9. If everyone around you hates cats, and your response is, "Well, you don’t have to visit." — Dawn Williford
10. If hairballs are a common topic of conversation among your friends.
11. If a friend gives you a cat scratching post and kitty toys for your birthday. — Joyce Wermont
12. If, after a hard day at work, you get home feeling tired, but you feed your kitties before doing anything else. — Cathy Higgins
13. If, after discovering the joys of cat ownership, you try to convince everyone you know — even lifelong cat haters — that they should adopt a cat.
14. If, after months of working on the family tree, tracing many generations across the world and time, the cat appears on the "tree" with his own branch. — Leisa Logan
15. If almost every checkout clerk at the grocery store greets you with, "How many cats do you have?"
16. If you come home from grocery shopping with several bags of cat food, a few cat toys, a bag of litter, cat treats — yet only a six-pack of soda and chips for yourself. — Yevarechya
17. If cleaning the litter isn’t a chore because you know the kitties will be much happier with a clean box. — Kerry Bolduc
18. If each one of your cats gets spoken to in their own individual "special voice."
19. If every meal is shared, no matter how hungry you are. — Kerry Bolduc
20. If every time you see a cat, you become very "maternal" and say, "Oh, pusshy pusshy pusshy!" — Fran

Roses and Ryder

I caught this picture of Sir Ryder when he was taking time to smell the roses..........

More Of Ogden Nash

Because Ogden Nash's poetry often is about animals, this blog seems an appropriate place to share some. This one is named The Panther.

A panther is like a leopard

Except it hasn't been peppered.

Should you behold a panther crouch

Prepare to say "Ouch".

Better yet, if called by a panther,

Don't anther.

Feline Love

I found this adorable picture on a website with many more adorable kitty pictures. Check it out.

Ryder's Snit

Ryder is in a snit because he can't go out on the porch due to construction. Today I found him pouting in one of the empty bookcases. H always feels that everyone should suffer as much as he does.

Ryder's Crazy Eyes

I love this picture of Sir Ryder. Even though his eyes are the same color, light plays a trick in this photo, giving him one green eye and one blue eye.

Meet Lily

This is Lily who arrived in the neighborhood in November. She has grown but is still very small and is eagerly learning her way in the world. I know she is of the canine ilk but we love her anyway.

Speaking of "ilk" reminds me of Ogden Nash who said:

A cow is of the bovine ilk.
One end is moo,
The other milk.

Sir Ryder's Bed

For years, Ryder slept in our bedroom in a basket that seemed too small for him. When he was my mother-in-law's cat, we used two identical baskets to pack her meals in and then to pick up the dirty dishes. When she passed away, the baskets sat idle until one day we found Ryder in one of them. I added a piece of sheepskin and he claimed the basket as his. About four years later, I decided he need a new piece of sheepskin. He never got in the basket again. Don't mess with the castles of royalty.

Shasta's Recovery

My sidekick, Shasta, has recovered from some unknown malaise. She was very lethargic for several days and stayed on my bed 24/7. Now she's back playing with Ryder and waiting for her friend, Molly, to visit.

She's also waiting for warmer weather so she can spend more time on the porch, watching the birds and other neighbors.

How's this for maternal love? Or is Mama holding the baby in place so she can catch some ZZZs? Whatever. I love the picture.

World's Ugliest Cats

When I look at this trio, I see my own cats differently; Shasta is smarter and Ryder is less bossy. The black and white cat is definitely having a bad hair day. The one crouching is pathetic and the hairless one ....well, what can you say about the hairless one? I've used this picture to show my cats why they should never sit like this but they ignore me.

"Cool" Picture

Most feline lovers have probably seen this photo already. I post it now to offer some relief from the heat wave blistering the lower forty-eight.

Molly's Cap

My neighbor, Molly, found a soda bottle cap on the floor and we discovered her sitting quietly, holding it in her mouth. Her human mom says that when Molly was a puppy, she used a bottle cap to retrieve because balls were too large.

I guess she was reminiscing about the "good old days" as she sat there, apparently lost in thought.