I have the cutest cats in the world

To wit: Please note the little tongue sticking out of Learned Claw's mouth.
Close up!
Looks like Learned Claw might need another bath. Sigh.

Wild hair up the butt

Every now and then, one of the kittens will run around like he's absolutely bonkers. Erik's favorite pastime when this happens is to chase something invisible around and around the cat tree. I have been trying for two years to capture this on video, and I was finally able to get a few seconds the other night--imagine this happening for 10 minutes at a time.

X-treme close up

Learned Claw, [fake] mouser

The thrill of the hunt

Earlier this evening, Learned Claw successfully stalked, caught, and delivered to me a black hair band.

I gave him a treat. (Along with cockroaches, bed bugs, and undergraduates, black hair bands represent a fast growing threat in my neighborhood.)

This mighty fluffy killer is now asleep on my stinky running clothes, stretching his little front legs out off the edge of the bed. Yawn, fluffy killer. Show us your fangs.

So helpful

If you ever need a paper written for you, Erik the Red is your guy. Mrrrrow?

there is no Erik, only ZULL

interlude

Kittens are very hyperactive--sprinting after each other from one end of apartment to the other (kitten tag?), skidding across kitchen on fluffy paws, and crashing into wall. Highly amusing.

My cats hate me, part 2: Erik the Red

Poor Erik. He had no idea what was coming. There he was, sitting on my shoulder, purring happily along, when --*plop*-- he's in a sink full of warm water. It was much easier to wash him than it was Learned Claw, simply because he is so much less fluffy. Erik, however, is not as good at being washed as Learned Claw is--he meows, he tries to climb out of the sink and up my neck, he tries to hide in my stomach (aw). Now he's clean, though.

My cats hate me, part 1: Learned Claw

I had to wash both cats. They were just too dirty. Learned Claw went first and got water all over me. He's not too bad about being washed--he just tries to escape every now and then, but is otherwise relatively zen. Sadly for him, he was wet for about three hours afterwards.

Les deux chatons grisâtres

You may not realize this, but when you are very low on litter it's not actually a good idea to pour the last crumbs into the litter box. This is because the very end of the litter container is very dusty and pouring that dust into your cat's litter box means that your cat will be scratching around in the dust every time it goes to the toilet. What this means is that your cat will end up litter-dust covered and then you will need to wash said cat.

If your cats happen to be named Learned Claw and Erik the Red, then you will be the disgusted owner of two grayish colored cats. The English 'grayish' is just not as good as the French 'grisâtre' for evoking the icky nasty sort of gray I'm confronted with in my otherwise quite cute and obsessively self-cleaning cats. Ick.

So now I have to wash them just as soon as the hot water in my damn apartment building turns back on for good.

how much fish weight can a cat carry?

via videosift.com
I have no idea what is going on in this video other than it is amazing.

According to the comments under this video, the conclusion of the clip (starting with the writing against the sunrise over the earth) says:
'in this way a new piece of trivia is born into the world:'
'the [fish-stealing stray cat] that is chased by sazae-san can steal a maximum load of approximately a 2-kg bonito (fish)'

WTF?

The tailor of a Cat Prin.

Want to transform your cat into a Frog? The above website is here to help:

CAT PRIN -- the tailor for a cat you know -- it is -- fact which will become dearer than former if a cat has clothes on
Don't you doubt? "Although I want to dress with dress extravagant with my cat, doesn't a cat dislike having" clothes on?
It is impossible that continue for time long to be sure, and you continue dressing a cat. But about [ to which you dress a cat and take a commemorative photo on special days, such as a birthday of a cat, ] is OK.

1. You need to dress a cat. And you will say to a cat together with a family. "It has changed just for a moment". [ "it being very dear" or ] You will pass pleasant one time.

2. If a family and a cat become fortunate, you will take a commemorative photo! Therefore, please photo your cat lovelily with much trouble.

3. If it finishes taking a photograph, you will make it remove clothes from a cat immediately. You will say then, without forgetting the language of gratitude to a cat. "-- be flooded -- a way -- good -- having done one's best -- ! -- "

Those Japanese, they think of everything.

welcome to my life in the morning

Video: "Morning Cat"

The co-owner of Erik the Red and Learned Claw should appreciate this video. He should also not watch it at le boulot because he will laut lauchen. It's just so true.

chasey snatchy clawy time

Learned Claw is, as you may have gathered, dear Reader, rather quiet and unassuming. He can be a sweet sweet cat (and a hungry hungry hungry cat), and he can be a lazy lazy cat (as when he likes to halfheartedly bite the toy I'm playing with and then drop it on the ground for me to pick up as in the beginning of the video below), but every now and then, he is the hyperactive kitten I adopted in July of 2005 (the payoff is at the end. It's worth the length of the video, trust me):
The added bonus is my roommate warbling along to Manic Monday.

bonus

The real upside of having two cats is that, when you're obsessively watching Grey's Anatomy, they will lie on either side of you to keep you warm and toasty.

because I can

I will post another picture of Erik being very un-Erik-like.It's like he's melting into his own fluff.

Erik the Red going crazy, Learned Claw going crazier

There was catnip involved.