Only a few brave Humans are willing to go public with this information. But yes, there are cats who steal. I call them "kleptocats". There is accumulating evidence that socks are a top target. Direct link is here And this from a site that has tracked the kleptocat problem. Snippet: ~~`"I own a cat burglar, he goes into peoples' homes and steals things," Miss Peacock said. "It's an anxiety thing. He wants to please me by bringing me home presents." The oriental bi-colour cat steals at least one thing a day and has a fetish for socks. "His specialty is socks. He'll bring home one and go back to get the other. We have lots of pairs but it's really embarrassing as it's not just one a day, it was up to five or six!" Dandelion has expanded his collection to shoes, clothes, toys, purses, gloves, knickers, rags, pin cushions, sunhats, jewellery and much more. The clothesline is no barrier to Dandelion as he brings back clothes ...

I've worried about Tootsie getting bored, especially when I'm not around. I bought a few "official" kitty toys. The only one she liked was the feather toy. Deal is, though, that she ran off with the feather part, and I haven't been able to locate it. I'm beginning to suspect that this was her way of mentioning to me that she was now bored with the feather, rather than her having forgotten where she put it. Why do I say this? Well, she was really nutty for plastic straws for a few weeks. But now, they just don't seem to hold the same fascination. Used to be that she would throw these about, jump on them, and push them off high places, without any intervention from me. Now she pretty much ignores them, even when I try to get her interested. But, whew! Tootsie is a very resourceful cat. So, I am downstairs, and I hear thundering about upstairs. Not exactly the first time this has happened. She gets especially wild and crazy when I'm not watchin...

There's a whole YouTube "subgenre" of cats opening doors and drawers with intent. One from my "library" of such. It sure looks like the kitty has a plan. But is it a good plan? I can't help but wondering what was going through the kitty mind for this one. "I need to have a time out"? Or, is the kitty having a "I vont to be alone" Garbo moment? Grand Hotel is a great movie, btw. "I want to be alone" is #30 in the AFI list of great movie quotes, here. Anyone want to guess which was #1, before you peek at the list?

Maine coons are VERY athletic cats. I'm surprised this one hasn't been recruited as a soccer goalie. Direct link is here For you soccer fans out there, see what I mean? Great saves. UPDATE: Human says in comments: "My Maine Coons love a good jump around, It surprises me how high they can jump. For my next video I should get them little football shirts and setup some goal posts." I would love to see this, and think it would be a great YouTube hit, especially given the high quality of Human's videos. Oh, and my mistake- After watching for the umpteenth time, I figured out that there are two different kitties jumping around (Marmalade and Myrtle)- they look a lot alike, but front leg markings are different. Maybe they could wear different color soccer shirts.... Click on "Maine coons on You Tube" label for more great YouTubes of Maine coons.

This vid is ~ 5 mins, longer than I normally post, but it's worth watching every minute. And, there's the extra twist when the chihuahua's mate gets rejected in favor of the big furry cat. Poor doggie. Direct link is here Human says: "Our male cat, Nimrod (Maine coon), and our female chihuahua, Twinkie, expressing their love for one another. ~ They do this every once in a while, Twinkie usually instigates it by flopping down and begging for Nimrod to lick her. Sometimes she'll flop down in front of him in a spooning position and then slowly slide up into his arms, so she's being hugged by him, and then they start to make out. This time, she let Nimrod do most of the "loving". I felt sorry for poor Dobby, feeling rejected and like a third wheel." ~~More on this at the direct link above. Click on "Maine coons on You Tube" label for more great YouTubes of Maine coons.

Oh, I wish I could sleep this soundly! Direct link is here Follow link here for more information about the breed, and some great pictures. A few snippets: ~~It could be said that the British Shorthair Cat is as natural a breed as is possible today in that all registered breeds are now subject to human intervention. The breed originates from the British Domestic Shorthair or British Moggie, which has an extremely long history. Through selective breeding from the late 1800s the Moggie was transformed into a recognized breed; the British Shorthair. ~~ ~~The British Shorthair today looks very similar to the English cat of 110 years ago. ~~ ~~According to this website's (POC) long standing popularity poll the British Shorthair is one of the most popular ranking around 6th out of about 70 cat breeds.~~ You can take the poll here . My vote of course is for the Maine coon, but then I'm biased. :)

There was a huge thunder storm here the other evening. Poor Tootsie. It really freaked her out in way that I've not see before. She bolted to some hidey hole, but then I tried to comfort her. I called her, and she emerged, but she came to me in a manner of "walking" that was something I'd only seen a cat do once before. Yes, she came to me. But, the way she moved- every part of her was as close to the floor as possible. Her front part was so hunkered down that her shoulder blades were above her spine. Almost the same for her hind parts. Her belly and her tail were wiping the dust off the floor. Of course, I couldn't get a picture. I tried to find a picture online that showed this stance, without success. I tried every sort of google search term. She wasn't stalking. She wasn't creeping. She wasn't sneaking. She was doing something else more intense. Here are two images I found, which are the closest I could get to describing her stance....

I finally caught Tootsie on camera, doing PART of her cat yoga routine. She does this whenever she wakes up. This is just a sample! Tootsie is a rescue cat. She has turned into a whole new cat since I adopted her in January, less than two months ago. I decided to add the following picture- the online picture at the rescue site- to say two things: consider adopting a rescue cat if you can, and, Tootsie is a joy. I can't help but think that she is enjoying her new home. Click on the label "cat photography" to see more pictures of Tootsie the polydactyl Maine Coon.

Okay, so I started this post a few weeks back. This is what I wrote then: This is hilarious. It's new way to exercise the kitty. As a result of watching this video, I bought a Roomba online. I recently adopted a Maine coon (purebred) 5.5 yo female from a rescue shelter. She emerges from under the bed wearing dust bunnies. And, I want to make sure she gets enough exercise (indoor cat). The Roomba has yet to arrive, but I'm hoping it will help on both accounts... Direct link is here (3:15) I mentioned in a post about cat brushes- Will cat brushes become my new obsession? that I'd give an update on the Roomba project. There were some questions and opinions in the comment section. Marion in Savannah: Should I get one? Is it too good to be true? I can't give an authoritative answer to that- but I will reprise my comments and those of another Human (karen marie), edited a bit for clarity, with extra comments. We seem to have similar opinions and experience. First...

In the comment section of an earlier post Broccoli- Yummy, reader shakatany pointed me to youtubes of the Most Famous Broccoli Cat ever. Thanks, shakatany! Not to give anything away, but these are hilarious. And, I've included "Human" comments that are longer than usual, because it seems that there was an air of disbelief among some YouTube commenters that a kitty could be so nuts about broccoli. Or, that it was a bad thing. Read the comments from Human of Captain Pugwash below. Direct link is here Human says: We knew that Kiwi loves broccoli, but it was a surprise to find out that tiny Captain Pugwash not only loves it, but loves it truly, madly, fiercely!!! Listen to the growlies and look at the paw whappies! Direct link is here Human says: "Captain Pugwash went to his forever home tonight. We thought we'd show his new people what they were getting into, and get one last video of the now-famous broccoli kitten before he wasn't ours any more."...

Looking for a new cat toy? I'm gonna get one of these! Direct link is here Human says: Snow White meows for her new toy, the Helicopter! Watch an exotic shorthair cat take on a remote control helicopter and have the time of her life! This is her favorite toy and the Air Hogs Havoc Helicopter survives quite a lot of abuse. YouTube commenter says: Our cat, Grendel, kept getting up on the shelf and finding where we stored our helicopter. He'd drag it to a corner and "kill" it when we weren't watching! Human of Snow White replies: Snow White's trying to find the helicopter too, lol. We have to hide it from her! Here are some price comparisons link - looks like one helicopter is ~ $40.00. And here's a fun YouTube explaining how to control the helicopters (no kittehs involved)Direct link is here And, what exactly IS an "exotic shorthair"? Well, it's an actual cat breed! Michael has a great article that gives the details- starting with "T...

So, those of you who have been following my various kitteh posts will know that one of my YouTube "research interests" is "what do kittehs eat"- particularly, "what weird stuff do SOME kittehs like to eat?" These be unique kittehs. These cats like broccoli. Direct link is here Human says: Little itty bitty kitty cat who stole my broccoli off my plate, ran away with it, and ate it.. growling. And, the broccoli thief:Direct link is here "> For previous posts on weird kitty eats, click on the labels below- either "Yummy" or "Weird kitteh eats" and the full list will come up. These kitty yummies include watermelon, cantaloupe, corn on the cob, pumpkin (starting with the skin!) and tomatoes. But I have to say finding "broccoli"-- that was, er, unexpected.

I have oh so many YouTubes in my "kitteh library" that I haven't posted. Hundreds. I am thinking that this is the time to start pulling them out. Why? Well, because I've done SO much YouTube research, and uh, what better time than now to use my "library", as I am for now totally into taking cat photos... This is one of those classics that has a gazillion hits, and deservedly so. Direct link is here

I promise I will get back to posting great YouTubes of kittehs. Srsly. But right now I'm under "the I have a new cat" spell. Tootsie loves to play with plastic straws, but usually only when the lights are out. Oh yes, I can hear it, as the straws get picked up and dropped and rattled about. And then there are all the thumping noises as she bounds around. I did manage to catch her at it today, though. She picks up the straws with her polydactyl paws, and then tosses them around or executes a quick maneuver so that she can grab another part in her jaws. And then... hmmm... it all depends... so many options. Today she was on top of the bed, and dropped the captured straws onto the floor. Click on the label "cat photography" to see more pictures of Tootsie the polydactyl Maine Coon. Click on the label "polydactyl", for more polydactyl cats.

I'm well on the way, although I have acquired only five so far. So, Tootie did not like Teh Awesome Equine Cat Brush. And, I had driven miles across CT to find one for her (CT was site of previous purchase). Sigh. As my mother would say "well, that's the cat in her". Tootsie the Maine coon does not like ANY of the five cat brushes I've purchased. Actually, I've had greater success grooming her with my grandmother's rhinestone hair comb. That said, the Human in the household (that would be me) loves this purchase (to the right). I found it in the pet aisle at Publix. I thought, heck, what's another cat brush? I'll give it a try. My oh my! It takes the kitty hairs (and other random stuff) off clothing in a way that puts to shame that weird plastic item with the red velveteen brush surface. I used it to brush off a pair of gray wool slacks (part of my teaching uniform). They look brand new. Can't wait to try it on the car! For the money, ...

Oh, Hai! I've being taking more Tootsie photos. She was a challenging subject today. I just could not get her to play with straws the way she does when the lights are out. But, I did get her to give a "high five" to the ceiling cat. And, she hinted that she would like to have her tummy rubbed. She has quite a respectable Maine coon tail- but not yet up to "tail with a cat attached" status. Reports will continue. Click on the label "cat photography" to see more pictures of Tootsie the polydactyl Maine Coon.

Yes, she's a polydactyl. And, quite adept with those paws! More pix of Tootsie the Maine coon polydactyl here (she does yoga), here (she picks up straws with her paws), here (she's furry), and here (and she loves the feather toy).

Marion in Savannah, a faithful reader and commenter on this blog has often mentioned "Hoover the Cat" (picture below). I asked her how she got Hoover. Or, perhaps, more correctly, how Hoover got her. With her usual excellent command of all things kitteh, she replied. Here is Hoover on day 1, sleeping off the anesthetic after the visit to the vet. This is the story Marion in Savannah told me: ---Ah, where Hoover came from... I was sitting out in the garden last summer and a scrawny, SCRAWNY little gray kitten peeked around the corner of the house. I made welcoming noises and he came over to me. He was about 8 months old (best guess the vet and I could come up with), and had a ratty old flea collar on, so he must have been someone's kitteh at some point. (It's a scandal here. There are 3 colleges in town and the college kids have an appalling habit of abandoning pets when they leave for the summer, so that may be where he came from.) He came over, shed a few fl...

Direct link is here (0:57) Direct link is here (0:51) Previous instructional video on vacuuming a cat, More Vinski- getting a quick dustoff

Ohhh! I have discovered another cat that is destined to get a lot of YouTube viewing from me. Not sure if his name is Ｎyanta or Yanta. His Human is in Japan, and as Human says at at his YouTube channel -- "his mother is a white Persian cat, his father is a black cat. He is a very nice cat." I would add, having watched him in several YouTubes, he is also a very charming and lovable cat! Direct link is here (0:25) Another look at Nyanta- oh, this is charming! He is all stretched out. Direct link is here (0:56)

This is a quick post. I see that YouTube has DONE SOMETHING, that automatically adds the user's caption and the current YouTube rating to every video!!!!! Like to every YouTube I have ever posted. I haven't had time to check this out. BUT, let me say THIS IS NOT MY DOING. Frankly, I find this "new feature" very intrusive. However, the added info does go away once you click to play the video in the blog window, so it is not quite as bad as it might be. Sigh.

More evidence that kittehs are fascinated by small moving objects. And, these Maine coons aren't just watching, they are dancing along. ;) Direct link is here (3:59) Click "Maine coons on YouTube" label for more great YouTubes of Maine coons.

Direct link is here (1:06)

Dave the Maine coon is back! Dave's human has finally posted another YouTube of Dave. I've been waiting and waiting! I've featured two earlier YouTubes of Dave, and imo they are must-watch delightful. Not only is Dave delightful, but Dave's Human has great video "style". And, if you go to my original posts, you can read the entertaining and enlightening comments of Dave's Human. "Dave and the Straw" is here, and "Dave the Cat Playing Fetch" is here. Direct link to below is here (7:09)-(I usually post shorter stuff, but this is so much fun to watch!) Dave's Human says: Dave is a 3.5 year old Maine coon and likes to get a massage. But he'll tell you in no uncertain terms when he doesn't like what you are doing. I responded: Dave! I love Dave! What exactly did you do that he didn't like? Somehow from the vids of Dave before, he didn't seem like the biting type! Great video! Dave's Human says: The first thing i...

Direct link is here (1:52) Human says: Khan, 7 month old snow mink Bengal fascinated by bras soaking in the sink. I am unsure what he was more interested in the bras, or the bubbles p.s. "In the Hall of the Mountain King" is one of my favorite posts about what Bengals get up to, here. --YouTube reprise- Direct link is here (1:21) Human says: Maximus opening a drawer to get his toys and whatever else he finds entertaining.