Kittehs just know how to have fun! Direct link is here (2:00)

Normally I ignore these things, but seeing as how it’s TRex , I will comply. Trex has been a pal for a long time. Six Random Things About Me 1) I don't have a "real" cat right now. But I enjoy my virtual kittehs. The morning after I started my kitteh blog, I came downstairs to find a kitteh peering through the French doors. hmmm... 2) I came down with Rubella/ German measles while staying at the Stand Palace Hotel in Rangoon, Burma (or Yangoon as it is now). I had complained of feeling unwell, but my traveling companion was convinced that I just had a "bad attitude". 3) I love listening to "Books on Tape". My view is that listening to a story being told gets back to the early roots of story telling- a verbal tradition. 4) One of my all time favorite movies is "Better Off Dead". 5) At least 4 of the people I link at "these are not sweet kitteh blogs" are avowed kitteh lovers. I will try to get the goods on the others. 6) I asked...

If I weren't so far away, I would adopt this NoCal rescue kitteh in an instant. Direct link is here (1:31) Town Cats link here is A Nonprofit, No-Kill Feline Adoption Center/Shelter and Feral Cat Advocacy Organization serving Santa Clara County, California.

So, it is now confirmed via my research that kittehs love to watch nature programs on TV. Watch until the end of this- kitteh #2 is obviously very upset that she doesn't have the prime viewing seat! Direct link is here (2:30) p.s. Michael of Pictures of Cats has a great informational video about ragdoll cats here , and more details are here as to how this relatively recent cat breed came about.

I've been thinking about doing a post on "teh Awesome Equine Cat Brush" for quite a while. I finally had to do it, after seeing this, along with the Human's comments: Human: Poor Cody. He loves water soooo much, but his fur tends to get matted because of it. We had to take him to the groomer's for help this time around. The best they could save of his fur was "the lion cut". Most of his tail and mane were saved by my request. Cody's so easy going he was OK with it, but Jack (our red) didn't like it and would hiss at poor Cody. They're best buds again though - not to worry. :) I'm thinking that the Human of Cody and Jack needs to get "teh Awesome Equine Cat Brush". (Cody and Jack are Maine coons) Direct link here (1:45). OSTER FINE CURRY COMB- Highly durable. It can be stepped on, soaped, soaked, or abused. Fine Curry Comb Features: Fine fingers that massage the coat and loosen dirt for an overall cleaning. Rubberized comfort ...

Original is here . I love Fail Blog . Always makes me laugh.

And, there's Nora, the piano-playing cat- probably the most watched cat musician on YouTube. Direct link is here (2:49) Human says: This is not a trick that was taught to Nora. She began sitting at the piano at about one-year-old. She's four now. She plays only when the mood strikes her, which is usually several time a times a day for short periods.

Expert drummer. Or, I hope so. I'd hate to think the sound was faked. Direct link is here (1:09)

Nursery maine-coon`s LuKoshkino for the first time on the TV! Little did I know when I first found bortapir's wonderful videos posted on YouTube how the story would evolve/devolve. All I knew was that the sum total of the YouTubes he posted were quite wonderful. As I said in my first post about this, no single YouTube was "the best cat video ever" (phrase I have seen way too many times, watching kitteh videos). But, I watched them all, and put together, they really told a story of Maine coon kitteh love in a household in Russia. Here is my first post about these Maine coon kittehs in Russia. So, as it has turned out, bortapir and wife really love Maine coons (which was already apparent from previous YouTubes I'd watched), and that they love them so much that they started a Maine coon Nursery, that is, they became serious about Maine coons, and now have their own "cattery". The link is here. I previously posted an Italian TV interview with a man who breeds...

Two seemingly unrelated trains of thought came to mind, and coalesced for a post. It was prompted by a great post yesterday by Trex . Read it. He mentioned the loss of Elissa, his human friend, and also, the loss of Gus, his kitteh friend. The losses occurred some 2 years ago, and as a regular reader of TRex, I followed both events. Losing a friend, human or cat, can cut your guts right out. In the story about Elissa, TRex posted part of the lyrics of a Cyndi Lauper song- Time after Time. When you’re lost, You can look and you will find me. Time after time. When you fall, I will catch you, I will be waiting. Time after time… That's what friends are. This is just a great song. The following YouTube has the audio with the lyrics overlaid. Direct link is here (4:00) Now the idea of coupling this with information about pet insurance may seem a bit sordid, but trust me, that is not my intention. It's just that I had read some comments about various online friends almost losi...

-- Pictures are from an Italian cattery that raises Norwegian forest cats. I previously posted an interview with the owner of the cattery linked above. Michael at "Pictures of Cats" has a great page discussing the history of the Norwegian forest cat.

Direct link is here (1:13) Direct link is here (1:38) Yeah, cats do this kind of stuff. One of mine had an interesting variation. Meow, meow, food, food, walking on top of me, etc. I was awake, but trying to ignore it all. To see how long I could get away with it. And then, everything went quiet. No movement. I waited and waited, then cautiously opened one eye. And, what should I see but a kitteh nose, and kitteh eyes, checking me out at VERY close range. Wow, had she ever moved in on VERY quiet kitteh feet. I think she was trying to determine if I was dead or alive. twolf, my internet pal who sent me the Simon's cat links, said something like this: "She was trying to figure out where her next meal was coming from- if you were going to be it." UPDATE: litbrit posted a great link, How to tell is your cat is planning to kill you on TRex's blog

This is another video from the wonderful series that documents the life of Maine coons in a Russian household. The first installment, with more information is here After watching the first installment, Marion in Savannah, always the astute observer of cats, said: "Ah... I can see that they have one of the "I can travel all the way across the room without touching the floor" kittehs." Marion, I have news for you- they have flying electrobrooms. ("Flying electrobroom" was the title of the following YouTube.) And, it looks like they have a installed a training track for practice! Boris has told me that he has to rely on a translation program to write in English. (Uh, I have to do the same for anything not in English.) And, the translations programs I've used are, er, rather imprecise. I've been scratching my head, trying to figure out how the term "electrobroom" might have come about in translation. No idea. But, I have to say it is r...

Me, I only do foto op today. Foto is from this site

Once again destructive fires are raging across Southern California. It's fire season, the time of the Santa Ana. Anyone who knows SoCal knows what the Santa Ana is. It's an ugly wind, a dry wind, one that can turn the smallest ember into a raging destructive fire. The human consequences are obvious, but not so obvious the fate of animals and household pets. The following is just a sample, but it goes out with thanks to all of the animal shelters and private animal hospitals who are stepping up to help: VCA Animal Hospitals Offers Free Boarding for Pets Affected by Southern California Fires Horses and other large animals were being taken to a makeshift shelter in Hansen Dam Park. A mobile kennel was set up at Sylmar High School, and small pets can be taken to the Mission animal shelter At the Brea Community Center, 230 evacuated residents signed in for help, 65 stayed overnight, said Anthony Godoy, a Brea accountant acting as shelter manager. The center also was temporarily...

en Espana... Direct link is here (1:14) Direct link is here (0:41)

Well, of course the phrase "hidden YouTube world" comes from the perspective of a speaker of English. But, I've discovered that there are great YouTubes out there that can't be found using "English" search terms, because the search terms are posted in, say, Italian. This didn't turn up using "Norwegian forest cats", but instead via "gatti delle foreste Norvegesi". It's a TV interview with an Italian who breeds Norwegian forest cats. Yep, it's in Italian, and I have to confess that I understood hardly a word of it, except "la coda". Pretty easy to figure that out ;) la coda = the tail, especially as the visual was a close up of the kittehs tails. I've heard Maine coons described as a "tail with a cat attached", and since Norwegian forest cats are the ancestors of the Maine coon... same applies! But, you don't have to understand a word of Italian to enjoy this video- the kittehs speak the interna...

Kitteh è un gatto Norvegesi delle foreste. Direct link is here (1:13)

If I remember correctly, this is the first time ever that I have put up a YouTube that showed kitty doggy love. Oh, no, wait, I did once before, but it was totally different. This is just a wonderful YouTube. It was posted 1+ days ago, and I predict that it will get into the gazillion hits category, sooner or later. It deserves to, and not just for the great video, but because of the story behind it. Direct link is here (1:41) Human says: "Louie the Maine Coon regularly gives his little pet Miss Sassafrass (a miniature Schnauzer) a tidy bath. Oh if all the world were this sweet!" And this, added by Human in comments, in answer to the question "How old is Louie?": "Louie is almost 8. We had a Schnauzer that was killed in the pet food poisoning over a year ago and we had to get another pup right away because Louie was so sad we thought he was going die himself. When he saw Miss Sassafrass, he claimed her for his own. It's been true love ever since."...

Watch the first few seconds very closely! Very quick kitteh. Human says: "This is my 9 year old Maine Coon, Checker. I couldn't figure out why the water was always on when I got home until I caught him in the act!"

This post goes out with thanks to my internet pal twolf, who has, among other things, helped me when I lost the instruction book for my D60 Canon camera, made me an awesome "I can haz" version of bats for teaching, AND gave me first the Simon's Cat link. Oh, this YouTube is only sorta completely different, because this is true cat behavior, if not in details then certainly in spirit. Simon's Cat 'TV Dinner' Direct link is here (2:35)

I've fallen in YouTube love with Vinski and Ukko, two Norwegian forest cats in Finland: Vinski giving a tummy rub to his brother Ukko Direct link is here (0:22) Ruojis (the Human) says: Vinski (and Ukko) are always in the way when I'm hoovering. Me: But, that might help explain the gorgeous coats. Hoovering my cat Vinski Direct link is here (1:22) Michael of Pictures of Cats has a great YT that has lovely pictures and music and tells briefly the story of the Norwegian Forest cat. Direct link is here

I recently featured a charming YouTube about Henry, The Feline Fiber Artist . Now, thanks to more information provided by Anita, Henry's Human, I can give you the scoop! This is from the Bangor Public Library flyer advertising Henry's show of his fiber arts. --Fiber Art Wall Hangings by HENRY-- ~~Henry, Anita Louise McCormick's cat, is a fiber artist too! He specializes in creating unique fiber art wall hangings. Anita adopted Henry from the Airport Mall pet store in 2002 so her other kitty, Alice, would have another cat to play with. Henry's talent as a fiber artist was discovered when his frustration with traditional scratching posts led Anita to purchase rug remnant pieces from Marden's, and nail them to the wall. It did not take him long to discover that not only did he now have a great place to sharpen his claws, but it proved to be a wonderful outlet for his artistic abilities! When a new piece of rug is attached to the wall, Henry takes time to look it over...

Direct link is here (0:23) More at this site , part of the Museum of NonPrimate Art .

A short documentary about Henry, the first feline artist to have his work displayed at the Bangor Public Library. Direct link is here (1:45) p.s. I spent quite a bit of time poking around on the internet to see if I could find a local news article or more info about Henry, even checking out the Bangor Public Library website, but to no avail. If any one has a link, much appreciated if you would post it in the comments. Update- Anita sent me the clipping from the Bangor Public library, plus some great photos of Henry's works, so there's a follow-up post above.

According to "The Engineers' Guide to Cats" here , the correct name for this feline art activity is "post-modern cardboard deconstruction". Direct link is here (0:54)

I love finding vids of cats around the world. This YT is one of many that document the kitteh adventure in one Russian household. I've watched all of the kitteh vids from this YTer, "bortapir". As far as I tell, there are four Maine coon kittehs in this household. And, the kittehs have all kinds of nice toys to play with. Even though no single YT from bortapir is "the best cat video ever" (a phrase that SOME people put up in the YT title), as a collective aka oeuvre, they are wonderful, charming and fascinating. If you click on the direct link, you can then find more videos. Or, go to botrapir's YT page directly, to find them all, and where he provides this info: "I basically photograph, but here I will show my rare videos about myself, to a family, my favourite cats and everything that has drawn my attention and, I hope, can interest others.:)" (Boris, age 48, Ryazan, Russia) Title: "Evening ring and other entertainments". Direct l...

Talkative Maine coon kitteh and human discuss Tuna Flakes. Kitteh wins. Part of an occasional series- "How to talk to your Human". Direct link is here (2:13)

Direct link is here (2:01) Human says: "We put Neo in his room for being bad one night and heard a door open up. We thought someone was breaking into the apartment, but it was just Neo walking through the kitchen and asking us nicely why we put him in there. :)" Human also says: "Thanks to the tripod, without which there would not be a vid." Thus, vid cam was set up to capture kitteh behavior in situ.

In a previous post that featured kitteh turning on shower tap, I also noted a comment from Marion in Savannah: "I live in fear of a kitteh who solves the doorknob problem, however. Hoover is working on it from several angles..." I do, in fact, have an extensive YT library of cats and doorknobs, none of which I have shown thus far. But, now is the time. Almost without exception, the lever shaped "doorknob" was featured in the YTs I found. Thus: Direct link is here (0:53) This is one of the very few YTs I found featuring a real "doorknob"- round thingy that is used to open doors. Direct link is here (0:25) Upon close review of the second YT, I now see that the doorknob, even though round, has a textured surface. Aha! Leverage for kitteh paws. Marion in Savannah, so that I can continue to provide you with pertinent kitteh information, I do need know the details of the "doorknobs" that Hoover the Cat is dealing with. ;)

Direct link is here (0:57)