Mrrrrrr,
Well, there’s leaving, and then there’s arriving. With humans, both rarely seem to be discreet events. Cats, we wolf down a little extra food, make sure we have on a sturdy catsuit, and we leave. We get somewhere, wolf down a little food and go to sleep – a sure sign that we’ve arrived.
Alex and I have been unpacking with our humans. And I thought packing was difficult!
Unpacking can be fun for cats because there is lots of rumpled paper ready for pursuit. It is, at the same time, very boring for cats because of the prevalence of vacuum cleaner use and the constant morphing of cat runways: one minute a fellow can scamper from end to end of the house, unobstructed, chasing his gal pal, and the next minute there are 3 chairs to be climbed and 2 boxes to be forded.
It has only been a week since our good friend Joel backed the 14-foot high, 21-foot long truck, packed to the roof with people stuff, into the driveway after driving 1127 miles. Talk about a definition of friendship! We have other definitions ready at hand: friends helping repair a boat trailer, friends helping load heavy boxes, friends providing food and drink, friends simply being good companions.
Since the big truck backed up to the little house, a myriad of goodies have come out of the truck. The truck then disappeared – I dread to think that someone else will soon begin doing what we’ve been doing. We were left with a fully furnished front yard and garage. I was a bit worried about that, but the people did finally bring the stuff inside.
We unpacked a kitchen, put together two big beds, laid the thick rugs, hung clothes in closets, positioned litter boxes, settled chests of drawers (sometimes with a cat or two in them), lamps, electronics, a camel saddle, a horse saddle, and all the other stuff that people use and cats keep marked.
Then we did some very cool work cutting and laying a new floor in the basement. I was integral to this project, sitting on various portions of the flooring as it was cut, sometimes redirecting the angle of the cutting tool with my paw, and often going under the flooring just before it was laid to ensure the concrete was clean underneath. I was a little worried about installing this vinyl product, but it didn’t stink, required no glues (yucky and toxic) or tacks (bad for cat paws) so, given the ease of installation and the cushy, warm result (the basement is becoming part cat pad, part storage area), I think it was a sound choice.
Yesterday, after all this work and lots more shuffling things around and unpacking, our people reached a milestone – they claim they got all the furniture, rugs, lamps, and other goodies in their proper places. Of course there’s lots of little stuff yet…
We’ve got a nice big guestroom now with a nice comfy feather bed. Who’s first?!
Friday, April 27, 2007
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Food Foibles
Friends,
There are few things as important to me as food. Having been deprived of it for certain periods in my youth, I’m serious about what I eat, when I eat, and how much I eat. I like dry cat kibble augmented by the strategic and surreptitious enjoyment of my people’s food. Why, only today I was licking some lovely egg salad on fresh French bread in the temporary absence of my person! I also very much enjoy accenting various foods with a deep whiff of a good Bordeaux or, lately, a nice Long Island Cabernet.
It has come to my attention that Pounce Treats are one of the companion animal food items recently recalled because of contamination by melamine found in wheat gluten – one of the ingredients. I mentioned Pounce in a prior post and just want all of you to check the Food and Drug Administration’s web site before you share it, or any other processed animal food, with any cats.
Today, an even wider recall is being belatedly announced. Wilber Ellis, a large company that among a myriad of other things, supplies rice protein concentrate to several big American cat and dog food companies, found melamine in a supply shipment from China. Neither rice protein concentrate, nor wheat gluten, sound very tasty to me, and I’d prefer not having it in my food. I doubt that even dogs like the sound of this stuff.
Straight from the FDA web site: “melamine is a small, nitrogen-containing molecule that has a number of industrial uses, including as an industrial binding agent, flame retardant and as part of a polymer in the manufacture of cooking utensils and plates. Melamine has additionally been used as a fertilizer in some parts of the world. It is not registered for use as a fertilizer in the United States.” Mrooooow!
This is not the first time that lethal chemicals have gotten mixed up in food production chains. Unfortunately, many manufacturing or processing plants handle many different kinds of products. Mishandling and mix-ups are inevitable. Then again, a Reuter’s story suggests that the addition of melamine might have been a means to boosting the protein measurements (and dollar value) of the wheat and rice products. If this is true, it is an outrage. Animals in the care of humans should not die because they eat the food they are fed.
Alex and I hope that all people who care for animals in their homes are keeping an eye on the FDA page, The Humane Society web site, checking out a blog called Itchmo, or talking to your vet. We’ve just started eating a new food ourselves (trying to get off the corn fillers in our old food) and, frankly, our people can’t help but be nervous.
Random testing of relevant product facilities and stricter legal controls for how and where animal food (from cats to cattle) is processed would be a good idea. Laws could be tightened regarding ingredient labels. If a company changes the formulation of their product, they should have to change the bag label prior to its distribution and sale – I’ve heard this doesn’t always happen. These are partial solutions, but perhaps good steps toward a safer food supply for people and cats. Another good step would be investigative reporting of this situation by the press. We’d be interested to hear about other good steps.
Our people thoroughly research our food, what’s in it, consider the company that makes it, and yowl at appropriate responsible parties when bad things happen. As to the current dilemma, Alex and I have discussed the idea of our people cooking for us – some cats actually enjoy that – but I can’t imagine what the point is. Human food is only good when combined with the excitement of the clandestine lick or the purloined fragment.
There are few things as important to me as food. Having been deprived of it for certain periods in my youth, I’m serious about what I eat, when I eat, and how much I eat. I like dry cat kibble augmented by the strategic and surreptitious enjoyment of my people’s food. Why, only today I was licking some lovely egg salad on fresh French bread in the temporary absence of my person! I also very much enjoy accenting various foods with a deep whiff of a good Bordeaux or, lately, a nice Long Island Cabernet.
It has come to my attention that Pounce Treats are one of the companion animal food items recently recalled because of contamination by melamine found in wheat gluten – one of the ingredients. I mentioned Pounce in a prior post and just want all of you to check the Food and Drug Administration’s web site before you share it, or any other processed animal food, with any cats.
Today, an even wider recall is being belatedly announced. Wilber Ellis, a large company that among a myriad of other things, supplies rice protein concentrate to several big American cat and dog food companies, found melamine in a supply shipment from China. Neither rice protein concentrate, nor wheat gluten, sound very tasty to me, and I’d prefer not having it in my food. I doubt that even dogs like the sound of this stuff.
Straight from the FDA web site: “melamine is a small, nitrogen-containing molecule that has a number of industrial uses, including as an industrial binding agent, flame retardant and as part of a polymer in the manufacture of cooking utensils and plates. Melamine has additionally been used as a fertilizer in some parts of the world. It is not registered for use as a fertilizer in the United States.” Mrooooow!
This is not the first time that lethal chemicals have gotten mixed up in food production chains. Unfortunately, many manufacturing or processing plants handle many different kinds of products. Mishandling and mix-ups are inevitable. Then again, a Reuter’s story suggests that the addition of melamine might have been a means to boosting the protein measurements (and dollar value) of the wheat and rice products. If this is true, it is an outrage. Animals in the care of humans should not die because they eat the food they are fed.
Alex and I hope that all people who care for animals in their homes are keeping an eye on the FDA page, The Humane Society web site, checking out a blog called Itchmo, or talking to your vet. We’ve just started eating a new food ourselves (trying to get off the corn fillers in our old food) and, frankly, our people can’t help but be nervous.
Random testing of relevant product facilities and stricter legal controls for how and where animal food (from cats to cattle) is processed would be a good idea. Laws could be tightened regarding ingredient labels. If a company changes the formulation of their product, they should have to change the bag label prior to its distribution and sale – I’ve heard this doesn’t always happen. These are partial solutions, but perhaps good steps toward a safer food supply for people and cats. Another good step would be investigative reporting of this situation by the press. We’d be interested to hear about other good steps.
Our people thoroughly research our food, what’s in it, consider the company that makes it, and yowl at appropriate responsible parties when bad things happen. As to the current dilemma, Alex and I have discussed the idea of our people cooking for us – some cats actually enjoy that – but I can’t imagine what the point is. Human food is only good when combined with the excitement of the clandestine lick or the purloined fragment.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Human Politics and Journalism
Mrrrrrrrr,
Dear friends. I’ve been receiving e-mail requests for insight on the 2008 elections. I’m not a terribly political animal by nature, however, I do believe in the democratic process and the importance of all voices being heard. If I have thoughts to share with you as we get closer to the election, I’ll pass them on. Right now, I’m still adjusting to a Democratic field without Senator Feingold, reading up on Clinton, Edwards, and Obama, and wondering just what Mr. Gore is going to do, if anything.
I get much of my news from the web through standard sources like AP, Reuters, and, on the environmental front, Grist Magazine and High Country News. But I still love the touch and feel of newsprint under my paws. I am looking forward to receiving the Sunday edition
of the New York Times again, delivered right to my people’s door. Nothing like literally ripping through the sports section on the way to the Week in Review. In terms of weekly magazines, I enjoy The Economist and The Nation. I try to read them in nice light while sitting on a comfortable lap. (It helps to have your person turn the pages.)
I’ve also been known to use a headset to listen to NPR via the computer. It often helps me relax. It also gives me something to do when my person is being incredibly boring and I’m not up to a game of chase with Alex.
On a recent spin through The Economist on-line I found this cogent video analysis. Move your mouse cursor over the black box to reveal the player controls. Then, hit the “play” button (the funny triangle on the left). You must have the Adobe Flash Player installed on your computer to view the video.
Hope it works for you. This is my first foray into posting video on my blog. The video is no longer available, sorry!
Dear friends. I’ve been receiving e-mail requests for insight on the 2008 elections. I’m not a terribly political animal by nature, however, I do believe in the democratic process and the importance of all voices being heard. If I have thoughts to share with you as we get closer to the election, I’ll pass them on. Right now, I’m still adjusting to a Democratic field without Senator Feingold, reading up on Clinton, Edwards, and Obama, and wondering just what Mr. Gore is going to do, if anything.
I get much of my news from the web through standard sources like AP, Reuters, and, on the environmental front, Grist Magazine and High Country News. But I still love the touch and feel of newsprint under my paws. I am looking forward to receiving the Sunday edition
of the New York Times again, delivered right to my people’s door. Nothing like literally ripping through the sports section on the way to the Week in Review. In terms of weekly magazines, I enjoy The Economist and The Nation. I try to read them in nice light while sitting on a comfortable lap. (It helps to have your person turn the pages.)
I’ve also been known to use a headset to listen to NPR via the computer. It often helps me relax. It also gives me something to do when my person is being incredibly boring and I’m not up to a game of chase with Alex.
On a recent spin through The Economist on-line I found this cogent video analysis. Move your mouse cursor over the black box to reveal the player controls. Then, hit the “play” button (the funny triangle on the left). You must have the Adobe Flash Player installed on your computer to view the video.
Hope it works for you. This is my first foray into posting video on my blog. The video is no longer available, sorry!
Friday, April 13, 2007
Mountains, Rivers, and Tails
Day 2
We had made it to Milan, Ohio (exit 118) at the end of Day 1 and stayed in the Super 8 hotel. I am fond of Super 8 and Red Roof Inns because they are cat friendly. My person likes these two hotels in particular because they are convenient to the Four Monks Italian restaurant – an oasis of simple good food and wine amidst the culinary desert of I-80.
Speaking of food and wine, my suggestion to cat friendly hotel owners is this – a kitty hospitality basket. After a long day on the road, a little organic catnip, a can of Pounce, some fresh litter, bottled water, and something intriguing to play with after we get bored of smelling all four corners of the room, would mean a great deal. Think about it: happy cat people, less yowling, more sleep.
After our refreshing night of sleep, we skirted around Cleveland and, soon after, dipped into a wonderful gorge – the Cuyahoga River Valley – giving us a little taste of the geological wonders that awaited us in Pennsylvania. We also encountered “long scary truck.” Who decided that a big truck could safely pull th
ree long trailers down a highway at 65 mph? Watching these things slide and shift from side to side is, well, scary.
Did I mention that it rained through much of our trip? But on Day 2 of the drive, the clouds and the fog were quite wonderful.
Pennsylvania was a treat. Eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania have a lot in common – they are both dominated by the Ohio River Valley. As we drove further east on I-80, we met the impressive Appalachian Mountains – long wrinkly folds of hills running kitty corner from northeast to southwest.
The pictures we took didn’t do them justice but the clouds were quite wonderful and the rain had slowed to a light drizzle. Midway through the eastern half of the state we crossed the Susquehanna. As Midwesterners with experience in big rivers, my person and I were, nevertheless, again impressed by this winding big river.
When we hit New Jersey, almost eight hours after our driving day began, I had had enough. I relaxed in the back seat for the remainder of the trip, even though the Delaware Water Gap was ahead. I only came up to announce to my driver that I was ready to be home as we crossed the George Washington Bridge.
It was midnight by the time we navigated the twists and turns of the NYC expressway system, made the drive along the spine of the fish toward the lower end of the tail, and landed in the little house. At last, we were home on our island on an island.
I have instituted a six month moratorium on car travel for me and for Alex.
We had made it to Milan, Ohio (exit 118) at the end of Day 1 and stayed in the Super 8 hotel. I am fond of Super 8 and Red Roof Inns because they are cat friendly. My person likes these two hotels in particular because they are convenient to the Four Monks Italian restaurant – an oasis of simple good food and wine amidst the culinary desert of I-80.
Speaking of food and wine, my suggestion to cat friendly hotel owners is this – a kitty hospitality basket. After a long day on the road, a little organic catnip, a can of Pounce, some fresh litter, bottled water, and something intriguing to play with after we get bored of smelling all four corners of the room, would mean a great deal. Think about it: happy cat people, less yowling, more sleep.
After our refreshing night of sleep, we skirted around Cleveland and, soon after, dipped into a wonderful gorge – the Cuyahoga River Valley – giving us a little taste of the geological wonders that awaited us in Pennsylvania. We also encountered “long scary truck.” Who decided that a big truck could safely pull th
ree long trailers down a highway at 65 mph? Watching these things slide and shift from side to side is, well, scary.Did I mention that it rained through much of our trip? But on Day 2 of the drive, the clouds and the fog were quite wonderful.
Pennsylvania was a treat. Eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania have a lot in common – they are both dominated by the Ohio River Valley. As we drove further east on I-80, we met the impressive Appalachian Mountains – long wrinkly folds of hills running kitty corner from northeast to southwest.
The pictures we took didn’t do them justice but the clouds were quite wonderful and the rain had slowed to a light drizzle. Midway through the eastern half of the state we crossed the Susquehanna. As Midwesterners with experience in big rivers, my person and I were, nevertheless, again impressed by this winding big river.
When we hit New Jersey, almost eight hours after our driving day began, I had had enough. I relaxed in the back seat for the remainder of the trip, even though the Delaware Water Gap was ahead. I only came up to announce to my driver that I was ready to be home as we crossed the George Washington Bridge.
It was midnight by the time we navigated the twists and turns of the NYC expressway system, made the drive along the spine of the fish toward the lower end of the tail, and landed in the little house. At last, we were home on our island on an island.
I have instituted a six month moratorium on car travel for me and for Alex.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Wandering Indiana
Mrrrr,
Hello, friends! It has taken me a few days to catch up on sleep and food after that two-day, six-state, cross-country marathon. I wanted to share with you some scattered notes from my journey.
Day 1
Last time I traveled to New York, I was in the back seat of the car. I was so overwhelmed by Lake Michigan and Chicago that I fell asleep and missed all of Indiana.
This trip, my plan was to catch some sleep ahead of time so as to test a hypothesis. If Indiana is “the Crossroads of America,” as the state license plate proclaims, is it true that everyone just drives through – as one of my people maintains – or, do folks really live there?
I have concluded that people do live in Indiana, and it is a fairly cool state. I saw farms, homes, schools, hospitals, and more. My person would not stop for photo ops so I was forced to snap these while standing on her lap at 75mph.
The people of Indiana are on the cutting edge of some cool wildlife stuff. This blurry photo shows a radar detection system along the Indiana Toll Road. (And you thought it was an art shot.) If an animal comes within a few yards of the highway (it is set up for deer but I’m thinking a raccoon or a marmot might also set it off?), lights begin to flash and signs (the yellow blurry thing) attached to them tell drivers to slow down, as an animal may be on the road. Indiana State has been testing this system with the support of the Humane Society of the United States and others. It is going so well, they are expanding the system.
So, as darkness fell and we progressed eastward toward Ohio, the moon rose and I tucked into a satisfied snooze knowing my person’s perverse hyperbole (a relic dating back to her home state and the Hoosier/Show Me wars) about this lovely state had been put aside for good.
Hello, friends! It has taken me a few days to catch up on sleep and food after that two-day, six-state, cross-country marathon. I wanted to share with you some scattered notes from my journey.
Day 1
Last time I traveled to New York, I was in the back seat of the car. I was so overwhelmed by Lake Michigan and Chicago that I fell asleep and missed all of Indiana.
This trip, my plan was to catch some sleep ahead of time so as to test a hypothesis. If Indiana is “the Crossroads of America,” as the state license plate proclaims, is it true that everyone just drives through – as one of my people maintains – or, do folks really live there?
I have concluded that people do live in Indiana, and it is a fairly cool state. I saw farms, homes, schools, hospitals, and more. My person would not stop for photo ops so I was forced to snap these while standing on her lap at 75mph.
The people of Indiana are on the cutting edge of some cool wildlife stuff. This blurry photo shows a radar detection system along the Indiana Toll Road. (And you thought it was an art shot.) If an animal comes within a few yards of the highway (it is set up for deer but I’m thinking a raccoon or a marmot might also set it off?), lights begin to flash and signs (the yellow blurry thing) attached to them tell drivers to slow down, as an animal may be on the road. Indiana State has been testing this system with the support of the Humane Society of the United States and others. It is going so well, they are expanding the system.
So, as darkness fell and we progressed eastward toward Ohio, the moon rose and I tucked into a satisfied snooze knowing my person’s perverse hyperbole (a relic dating back to her home state and the Hoosier/Show Me wars) about this lovely state had been put aside for good.
Monday, April 2, 2007
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