Oh, good. You’re here. follow me. you won’t BELIEVE what they’ve done now.
you see that? that was once a perfectly wunnerful outdoor litter box.
Sure, they used some Fancypants French word for it, like “le sand box,” and it was used pretty regularly by Childrens, but they grew up and quickly found that a sand box was not place to bring a laptop. But it was, for all intents and purposes, a totally awesome litter box.
The only decent amenity this establishment ever had to offer, as far as I was concerned.
But do they ASK the opinion of their loyal clientele? Was a focus group ever convened? Did they spend a dime on Kitteh-centric marketing? Non, non et non. They just plowed on thru wif shovels and buckets and leafy plants and rocky rocks, and before you know it – Zen Garden Path with Bamboo and Stone Lantern. It’s like they paved paradise and put up a Shinto Shrine.
The sublime tranquility of it all is just killing me.
Still, I soldier on.
There are fings to chew on.
Double top secret places to hide. Freshly unearthed and terribly confused moles to corral. Birdies making pit-stops for worms. Stuffs to keep me busy.
But, now, if you’ll excuse me, I have “business” to attend to. That box in the basement, the one marked “Important Papers,” – should do in a pinch – at least until construction resume on my “Latrine du Chat en Plein Air.” I’ll let you know when the ribbon cutting ceremony begins.
I have been verrah bizy, as you know, what with spring gardening and all.
Every time the Humans here dig a hole in the yard, they find worms and grubs, which catch the eye of birdies, who, in turn, trigger ancient prey instincts in certain Stunningly Stealthy Huntresses, which, for some reason, makes Ms. Whatsername squeal Blue BloodyMurder (a thoughtless distraction, you can imagine, especially when one is in mid-pounce), so after an exciting, feather-filled fraction of a second, only the damn worm is happy and going back to his biziness and the rest of us need a strong drink.
As I have alluded to in teh past, Mrs. W. has a bad habit of blundering into the wrong place at the wrong time, igniting Cascades of Unintended Consequences, like she do, and so I post teh following educational video in teh hopes she’ll learn a thing or two. Hope springs eternal. Much like grubs.
oh! Pardon moi. sorry to yawn in yer face like that …I’m just settling in for tonight’s adventure.
NOT the normal, evaday, daytime adventure, of course. Not like today, when I sprinted, panther-like, all the way up a tree and leapt, ninja-like, onto the roof, and then meowed, pitiful-like, until the neighbors called Teh Authorities. Then, while Mrs. Whatsername crawled out a tiny dormer window wif an open can of tuna – I hopped back down the tree and on to the patio, skillfully knocking over potted herbs while I searched for a comfy spot to take a baff…until I remembered that I had, earlier that day, cut a hole in the kitchen screen window with my delicate little claw and so was able to saunter back inside and ask, very polite-like, for teh can of tuna.
So, like I said, no. Nothing so mundane as that. Time now for some real excitement.
Because tonight, for some reason, I am locked inside. There is sloppy, heavy-handed slab of duct tape where my intricately-cut screen hole used to be . But that’s okay, because I have a new adventure. Right now, I’m on the bed, all snuggled in tight, ready for a Beguiling Beddy-bye Story from the Reigning Monarch of REM Sleep – The Emerald-Eyed Empress of Snooze-ville –
Suzie Moonbeam!
(for those of you unawares – Suzie is the cat who has lived upstairs ever since I came to live here. She is an Ancient Tuxedo Kitteh – 13 entire years old, and Classy, as well as Wise. While she may not look like much other than a Penguin impersonating a Bowling Pin – she does, in fact, have an Amazing Superpower. Suzie can sleep All. Day. Long. I’ve clocked her at 23 3/4 hours, at a stretch, which must be some kind of record. Also, she can put everyone else to sleep. She’s like an Insomnia Atom Bomb. Mrs. W. has tried to read the same paragraph in a book for YEARS, but with Suzie in her face, purring in her full-0n Hypno-Kitteh style, sending her off to La-La Land to ride the Good Ship Somni-Pop…the book just falls on her face and That is That).
Suzie, a regular Voyager to Slumber City, is renowned for giving the most excellent Nocturnal Tours of the Snoozy Subconscious.
So! Suzie! Wifout further ado – what IS tonight’s Exciting Adventure?
http://youtu.be/jPhbVTf52Go
oh – my. this is gonna be good.
fanks to TadNPeanuts for this amazing and thought-provoking video. Mom, why AM I sushi? I’ll be finking about this for a while…
Good morning! time to open your furry little hearts, Purriors…
Wasn’t that wunnerful? Don’t you feel all at One wif teh world? Me too.
Well, that is just a start, as Mrs. W. is reaching a certain milestone birfday later this year and has decided to double-down on the exercise, causing her to become out-of-breafs and even more pungent with the whole Human Stink thing. She usually comes home from these workouts kinda giddy and dizzy, cuz the poor old girl ain’t what she used to be, but that’s okay, cuz we find that she sometimes gets confused and feeds us twice. then she passes out on the couch with an extra warm and sweaty lap.
I’d like to help her, but no matter how much I suggest it, she simply will NOT climb a tree wif me or dash through the under brush, or perform any other basic cardio. Also, could one of you Humans tell her that Sauvingon Blanc is NOT an energy drink? She won’t listen to me. Anyway, in a last ditch effort to get her to be SIRRIOUS about her workout, I am also posting this:
Happy Exercise, eva one!
fanks to that Handsome Mans Sho Ko, (hey! even I admit it. this is one Manly Specimen. Too bad for the rest of them are lacking in cat-like reflexes and sinewy muscley muscles…) for his amazing cat videos!
akshully, we would not have to resort to these EXTREEMS if Mrs. Whatsername had noticed that the Acro Cat Circus came to Maryland this weekend and had taken me to the show to get a paw print or two – but no. Again, she utterly and completely fails. She mumbled something lame about picking up a kid from college. You can clearly see where her misguided priorities lie. So now we all get to read about it AFTER TEH FACT, which, I’m sorry, furriends, is simply unacceptable. My favorite part of that article, btw, is this insightful observation:
“The circus cats “climb ladders, jump hoops, roll barrels, push shopping carts. Or sometimes lay on the floor, do nothing and groom inappropriately.… They’ll do things at their own pace.”
Yep. Sounds like it’s just the ticket for my unique skill set. In teh meantimes, enjoy this little video and keep an eye out for my name in lights on a marquee near you soon! (cuz soon enuff the name will have to change to something more appropriate like “Sparky Spitfire’s Amazing AcroCats.” Cuz, while their Human Trainer seems far more interesting than Mrs. W. could eva hope to be, I’m kinda thinking she’s expendable….)
oh, hello. i’m glad you’re here. something weird is going on. suddenly, i am filled wif some kind of static electricity that i can barely control. i’m all bouncy and giggly. more girly than a ninja is supposed to be, let’s just say that. it’s so embarrassing, especially for an Certified Action Cat like moi.
and now that i has tasted teh fruits of Whirlwind Romances (fanks Spitty!) and said Romancer drove off in his Furrari and left me here all alones, I only have the interwebs to keep me company. and so i found this:
i fink i’m in loves.
fanks Jumping Cat owner…um…do you speak English? Is there a fan-club? can i be president?
Mrs. W. has made me issue a WARNING that this video is, once again, NOT Grated – (it’s not cheddar, woman, but WUTeva…) and such behavior is not approved or condoned by the members and staff at SparkySpitfire Internationale, blah, blah, blah, but enjoy it anyway.
fanks to Nelayme for posting this thought-provoking and informative vid.
It is times for a little history and cultures and poetry and what nots!
Cherry Blossom Season is here in WashingtonDC, with the 101 year-old gift from our friends, the Japanese, who gave us hundreds of Cherry Trees so all Americans can enjoy the spectacular blossom time, filling the air wif fluffy pink pollen clouds all the way from teh Tidal Basin to teh Washington Monument. Which got me to thinking of another pair of of unlikely friends -the bee-too-tee-full and renowned Kitteh Geisha, Sakura Neko, and her poetry-slam rival, Hamu-san.
Neko-ko, as she was called, was famous for her charm, wit, and her mad skillz in singing, dancing and poetry. She would entertain big time Shogun and Samurai, sometimes bringing big Sumo wrestlers to tears wif her delicate and thought-provoking poetry.
such as this haiku in honor of the season:
white kitteh wif
cherry blossom nosticle;
Spring floats thru cat door
or this startlingly simple, yet evocative, poem:
Baff in Sun Puddle,
curl tight as a Cinnabun:
purr purr purr purr zzzz.
Now – not to be out done is another Poetry Legend of Teh Day, the great Hamu-san, Poet Hamsterate of the Imperial Court:
Despite her small size, Hamu was a spunky little fighter with a sharp tongue who used her mad satorizing skillz to knock the mighty down to size. A favorite poem of the day, often found scrawled on the walls outside the communal baff house and litter box:
Stupid Fleabag Cat,
claw stuck in rice paper door,
who’s the hunter now?
Or this:
Nap the entire day,
the lazy moocher kitteh
dreams he’s a lion
The Kittehs of the Imperial Court were pretty incensed, but even they had to agree Hamu-san, sometimes, had a point.
One day, at the request of the Emperor, Neko-ko and Hamu were invited to a poetry and dance smack-down. Hamu came prepared to please the Emperor, wif a little fan dance and a medley of Top Ten Noh Theater hits. And of course, her scathing poetry:
Watch Neko-ko dance:
leaping, spinning – but really,
Fleas are biting her.
Neko-ko came only with a plate. To the amazement of the Court, she put it on the floor, bowed to the Emperor and bowed to Hamu. Then she unsheathed a single claw and sliced little Hamu into bite-size pieces, saying:
Imperial snack,
tasty treat for Son of Heaven,
Hamster Sashimi.
then she handed it to the Emperor, who was well pleased and asked for wasabi.
So, there you go. A little bit of culture neva hurt anybuddy, right? Well, of course, other than Hamu-san. But she died for her art, so it’s all good. Now, I leaves you wif a modern look at Kitteh Geishas in training. I fink I would be good at that, don’t you?
thanks again to my friends, MaxAnd the Animals, where you can find these and other great vintage anthropomorphic prints at the Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MaxAndTheAnimals
Oh, hello. I didn’t see you there. Are you one of the roadies? or a guest? Cuz roadies need to go in the back entrance. Guests, I’m afraid, will just has to be patient and wait out front behind teh red velvet ropes. Sorry. We still has a lot of set up to do for my birfday.
But, since you’re here (and since you got past the Bouncer, who I’m gonna have to talk to ’bout that), why don’t you come wif me to the tree fort to see all the fun we have planned. Watch out for the Caterers. They still have a lot of ice statues to set up. Oh! Be careful. You don’t want to trip over teh cat niptini fountain. Ah, here we go. The DJ’s have arrived.
(Sounds good, but mebbe a little more bass? fanks guys)
Okay, let’s see…we also has lots of good noms on hand. My human sistah, Whozshe, just got back from NYC, where she picked up teh finest in treats at a fancy SoHo taxidermy shop (which, I fink, is French, for “Cat Deli”).
would you like a bat wing? or a freeze-dried mousie? Not cheap, that’s for sure, but we are a family of foodies, so we hate to skimp on teh finer fings in life. Besides. It’s not evaday you turn 2.
Also, we have a great entertainment lineup. I hate to spoil the surprise, but we were able to book a huge International A-lister. Let’s just say I was able to help him out of a jam wif teh INS.
oh, look! there’s his limo now. omc, look at the size of his entourage! i better go. Boy, a birfday is a lot work if you want it done right, but i also really want this party to be special – a way to say FANKS to all my bloggie friends. Looks like it will be another year o’ fun, thanks to you.
Shout outs and Purrs to all my Furry Friends,
Sparky Spitfire
FANKS! to DJ Larson for the scratching kitten vid and to Studio Vaayuu for teh Basket Kitteh Gagnam!
it is wif a heavy heart that i tell you the loss of my friend and neighbor, Longfellow, aka, Mr. Yappy.
yes, yes, he was really a “frenemy,” but I like to think we both enjoyed our little game. he got to bark himself into a pretzel and i got to pretend i had no earfly idea what was going one. i like to think that thoughts of killing me were the highlight of his day. I hope so.
The backyard is quiet today. i have to say, i don’t like it that way.
i’m sorry, Longfellow. i never meant to tease you. well. yes. I guess I did. but only a little. i wish we could have one more dash along the fence line and one more yaptastic session of barkosity. you did that better than any dog.
Oh, good. You’re here. follow me. you won’t BELIEVE what they’ve done now.
you see that? that was once a perfectly wunnerful outdoor litter box. 
but they grew up and quickly found that a sand box was not place to bring a laptop. But it was, for all intents and purposes, a totally awesome litter box. 
