Diesel Day #2

Mrrrrr Friends,

Another year has passed and another D-Day approaches. Mark your calendars – Monday May 26 is Diesel Day! Diesel Day is a national holiday this year – even the postman gets a day off!

I have a proposition for you about how to celebrate this fine holiday.

First, a little context: Diesel Day is my celebration day. It marks the anniversary of my adoption at the Sauk County Humane Society in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Since that wonderful moment, I’ve worked to make Diesel Day a day to recognize the joy that all furry, feathered, hoofed, and scaled critters bring into your lives. If you have a non-human companion, this is a great day to commemorate their coming into your life. It is also an important day for reaching out to those companion critters who don’t have homes and to the people and organizations who are caring for them and working to make their lives better.

Times are tough out there for humans and companion critters alike. Even in good times for humans, the number of homeless dogs, cats, birds, and other critters numbers in the tens of millions in the US alone. Every year, according to the Humane Society of the United States, 6 to 8 million cats and dogs enter animal shelters. This represents only a portion of the number of homeless, wanderer critters and does not take into account other companion species. In bad economic times, the number of animals surrendered to shelters, or simply turned out of their homes, increases dramatically. The burden on the 4000 to 5000 shelters in the US is prodigious.


Diesel Day is about helping out a little bit. Here’s my proposition: if you’ve been thinking of bringing a critter into your life and are able to make a long-term, indeed, life-long commitment, please consider adopting on Diesel Day. Visit your local shelter, introduce yourself to some of the critters and find out if one of them is that special someone.

If you can’t adopt, you can help my fellow companion critters by doing one of the following things:
1/ Make a donation to the Sauk County Humane Society - $5, $15, $50 or, better yet, $150 buys food, medical care, toys, pays the electric, heat, and other overhead and ensures this awesome shelter has the staff it needs to run efficiently. I urge you to write and send a check on or before Monday May 26, and note on it that you’ve contributed in celebration of Diesel Day – believe me, they remember me. SCHS: 618 Highway 136, Baraboo, WI 53913, http://www.saukhumane.org/

2/ Donate a HUGE bag of food to the Sauk County Humane Society. You know how I love food! I ate many bags when I was there. They serve Purina Cat and Kitten Chow. Take it right in and tell them you brought it in celebration of Diesel Day.

3/ Find your local shelter, go in, and ask them how you can help. If money is as tight for you as it is for them, consider volunteering an hour a two a week cleaning, working with records, or helping with the animals. You could even join the Board if you have that set of skills. Tell them a certain ex-shelter cat sent you.

4/ Ask your veterinarian if they support a local shelter by donating their time to help care for the animals there. Tell them it is important to you that there is a network of animal health care professionals supporting the local shelter. My Wisconsin vet, Mara, gave me a free first visit – complete with shots – because my person adopted me from the shelter.

Remember, most shelters are 501(c) 3 not-for-profit charities. They run entirely on donations – which are, for the money-minded among you, tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

As I said last year, giving away without regret is one of the most important things a being can do. You’ll be amazed at what comes back to you. I still have extended family in Wisconsin and, you never know, you may be directly aiding a furry cousin of mine…another future feline blogger.

Thanks for your support!

Dad

Mrrrr Friends,

I know you’ve been wondering where I’ve been. What could be keeping me from my blog? I haven’t given up on blogging, but it hasn’t been my top priority, what with all the other excitement in my life. I certainly appreciate the constancy of my readers, checking in on me.

I’ve delayed telling you the news, as I know you rely on me for the cold hard facts and this may stretch the human understanding, but I’ve become a Dad. Here’s a picture of my son, Rotor.

No, not the dog! The non-furry human one is my kid. His Mom lives down the street with a very accommodating human guy, who’s kindly agreed to be a foster parent. Rotor spends most of his time with them but comes to see us often. Kinda perfect, huh? My cat pal Trousers, or T-boy, and the dog April are his companions and partners in crime. Here, they are discussing the merits of kibble over blended parsnips. Rotor’s Mom really likes blended parsnips and thinks he should too, but I think you can see where his interests lie.

As all of you who have met me know, I am incredibly attractive to the women folk. Human women just fall all over themselves trying to pet me and scratch under my chin. They want me to lay on their laps. They check on me by phone and e-mail, they send me letters, pictures and bring food. It’s very flattering.

And of course I like the women folk. I especially like Rotor’s Mom. (That’s his cat name – you’re not getting his human name. I don’t want all of you tracking him down for some crazy scientific evidence.) She and I spent some quality time with each other two autumns ago, and in June last year, out came Rotor. I thought he’d be furrier, and I was surprised there was only one of him, but he’s a handful and I’m very proud of him – though he is growing kind of slowly.

Rotor’s human dad is a gentleman. He married Rotor’s mom knowing about our escapade together and has been very cool about ensuring that I have a role to play in the kid’s upbringing, though for a variety of human-centric reasons Rotor is officially his son.

Right now, I’m teaching the little one about walking on all fours. I’m looking forward to teaching him how to climb trees as well as introducing him to the many species of birds, bugs, mammals, reptiles and our favorite around here, turtles. I think Rotor is going to really like turtles. Indeed, I predict he will be a turtle scientist someday. But we are all going to have to wait a while on that. In the meantime, I’m looking into good colleges for him.

Wake Up

Mrrrr Friends,

Just a little tidbit to share with you as a way of saying hello! (Don't forget to turn your sound on!)



Occassionally, video demonstrations like this one produced by the CatCouncil for the Ethical Treatment of Humans, do slip out into the blogosphere. Since it was not intended for human viewing, I am reticent to comment on the intentions or recommendations of this video. I can only assure you that I myself eschew violence. Just remember, we're hungry, we're counting on you, we may not have thumbs, but we, nevertheless, have a few tricks up our paws.

Snow 101

Mrrrrr Friends,

As you know I’m a Wisconsin Snowcat. So imagine my pleasure on waking yesterday morning to find a lovely carpet of snow here in my new New York home. I’ve missed the frigid, snow-filled winter that other Snowcats in my home state have experienced this year. Nothing like falling to the bottom of a good 10 foot drift to help you rethink your priorities and the meaning of life! Snow in Wisconsin is not just about the joy of snow cat angels, sliding down hills, and playing guess-the-tracks, it’s about community, helping one another, and meeting your neighbors, furry and feathered.

I like snow. Actually, I love snow.

So moving to this water-based strip of land – while it has been a wonderful experience in new sights and sounds – has been disappointing on the snow front thus far this year. The beach is nice, but in summer it is warm out there when you’re furry. It is wicked hot to the paw, and the sand accumulated on your coat does not melt away when you come home – requiring assistance to be nicely groomed for the ladies.
Yesterday morning’s snowfall was quite fine: mostly plates, some with dendrites (petals to you), some wiithout. Humans recognize four kinds of snowflakes, as I understand it: plates, needles, columns (which we had earlier yesterday morning), and bricks. They can all have petals or not, depending on the circumstances, and when there are petals, there are always six, though they are rarely symmetrical.

But cats, especially Snowcats, are more explicit about snow…more like the Yu’pik or other Eskimo human groups. We think of snow in terms of how it rests on our coats, how in compresses under our paws, how long it lasts, how it holds a track, sticks to a tree trunk and – critically – how it tastes.

But after all this fun, I do note that my friends the Carolina Wrens, the Common Grackles and the two Red-tailed Hawks who are apartment hunting in the neighborhood, are convinced that spring is right around the corner. My little furry friends, the moles, have not chimed in yet.

I wonder what my old friend from Rock Springs, Marmot, is doing right now?

Endorsing Action

Mrrrr Friends,

I received a letter a couple weeks ago asking if I would consider a late run for the Democratic nomination. As you see here, because I value the opinion of my human friends, I did spend a bit of time pondering such an idea – thinking about what a cat’s roadmap for America would look like. I have, however, declined, using the reasonable excuse: I am, after all, a cat.

I mean, really, can you imagine a litterbox in the oval office?

In response to my decision, I’ve been asked for an endorsement prior to Super Tuesday. The pressure is too great. Hillary is likely going to defend my right to get cat food, but she seems to be pissing everyone off. Even The Nation is writing rather dismissive webitorials about her. And then there is the cold hard fact that while Barack Obama is not furry, he seems to get people engaged. It seems easy to make a prediction at this point.

I still think neither of them has a very good lap. And, I’d like to point out that while my people often are inspired to clean the litterbox, they don’t always actually clean the litterbox. Though I’d like to know what Mr. Feingold thinks – my home state senator – I’m putting my kibble on Senator Obama...Ted Kennedy has a great lap and he’s supporting him.

I am, however, a cat of action...I’ll be watching for thoughtful, progressive action. I want more than a good speech and grand ideas for creating consensus…I want a responsible decision maker.

And since inspiration actually does create action in the best of times, I’m passing on a couple links that might get you thinking and feeling passionately on a couple of my favorite issues. Take 20 minutes out of your day for each…it will get you thinking about where we are and where we might go as a bunch of individuals in a society, no matter who the First Lap is. Video and sound are required for one but not the other.

First, here’s Al Gore’s Nobel Prize speech. They call it a lecture; I call it worth a listen. First, go to the link in the right column of this blog called “Places to Go.” Then, when you get to the page, the video link is just under Al’s color photo. But you can also read the text version.

Another place to go when you have another 20 minutes (and can play video and sound) is called “The Story of Stuff.” The click link is just below Al’s Nobel speech link.

Watch these…then go vote in your primary or caucus. Tell them Diesel sent you.

Resolutions

Mrrrr Friends,

So I understand that people make New Year’s resolutions. (The concept of a structured year is pretty uptight if you ask me…cats roll with the seasons, the sun and moon rising and setting.)

My cat pal Alex and I thought about this custom a bit last night while our people were out imbibing and carousing and here’s my list. Alex is keeping hers to herself.

1. I resolve to climb at least 12 trees in the next human calendar year.
2. I resolve to stop trying to go into the bathroom to keep every guest that comes over company while they pee.
3. I resolve to learn to use the comma correctly.
4. I resolve to campaign for better treatment for all cats and to continue to teach people about the wonder of felines and the care and respect they need.
5. I resolve to speak up for all other animals, especially the wild things in all their forms (and I will not disregard dogs).
6. I resolve to TRY not to lick my person’s eyelids when she is sleeping but I nevertheless need attention (i.e. food).
7. I resolve to avoid scratching the dining table when I jump up on it (even though I am not supposed to jump up on it).
8. I resolve to sit patiently, thoughtfully, and critically on my person’s lap as she fulfills her own resolution to start her writing projects (but she doesn’t do resolutions…is that a girl thing?)
9. I resolve to restrain from tearing the weather stripping off the front door (thus reducing the energy savings in my people’s home and disappointing Al Gore) in my anticipation to go OUT.
10. I resolve to continue to try to raise funds for my good friends at the Sauk County Humane Society.

What do you resolve?

Happy Human New Year!