Sunday 28th November 2004

In Edwardian London cats were still thought of as a lower form of pet. They were not usually considered as worthy subjects of illustrations. That is until Louis Wain started to draw them. Not content with drawing cats realistically his feline creations had human traits. They walked on two legs, smoked, played the fiddle and often wore human clothing. Louis Wain's cats were a big hit with adults as well as children. And then the cats began to change... Louis Wain - eccentric creator of cat art.

Thursday 2nd December 2004

Went to see my granddaughters last night. Baby Rebecca is gaining weight nicely and looks like a miniature version of her sister. It was fantastic playing with and cuddling the both of them, it's great to be a granddad.

Bonkers the cat seems to have adapted ok to a new addition to the household. She waited patently until Samantha and Rebecca had been put to bed before she approached me to be made a fuss of. I don't suppose that Lorraine, my daughter in law has much time for her little black cat now, but Bonkers seems to understand things and doesn't demand too much attention. On the other hand, maybe all she cares about is that she is still getting fed :0)

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Sunday 5th December 2004

Nothing added to this site this weekend. I've been busy with a few things, it's that time of year. I have managed to find time to get a bit of maintenance done on the site though, tidy up a few pages and such.

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Tibert the cat featured in the 12th century story Reynard the Fox. Tibert is given the task of bringing the wily fox to stand trial in front of the King. The fox all too readily agrees to go with the cat, but suggest that Tibert might like a meal of mice to fortify him for the long journey. Reynard takes the cat to a barn and tells him that there are mice aplenty inside. Tibert enters the barn only to be caught in a trap set for the fox. The trapped cat makes such a noise that the owner of the barn, a priest, leaps from his bed naked to kill what he thinks is the fox that has been trapped.

The priest starts to beat the occupant of the trap, the cat manages to avenge by biting off one of the priest's testicles (was this a children's story?) Tibert then escapes back to the King and tells him what has happened. Reynard the Fox is hung for his misdeeds with Tibert the cat sitting on top of the scaffold making sure that the rope is nice and tight. Yes, they knew how to write 'em in the 12th century.

Thursday 9th December 2004

The Pop artist Andy Warhol who died in 1987 was not known for his love of cats. but love them he did. He had two, Hester and Sam. In 1950 he created two cat books and had them privately printed in limited editions of 190 copies each. They were made public by his estate after his death.

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Tomorrow I'm going to the first of the seasons parties that I've been invited to. Well, it's not exactly a party, it's a gathering of old friends. I'm supposed to be going to another function on Saturday, but I think I will wheedle out of it. I'm getting old, can't be drinking and merry making two nights in a row. Best that I stay home and get some new content on this site.

Monday 13th December 2004

Well I've still not managed to get any new content written. I am working on it but the trouble is that there are so many things to get done in the lead up to Christmas. Thank goodness that I did a fair amount of my Christmas shopping online, it does save at lot of time and hassle. I did venture into the local shopping center on Saturday though - eeerch! I hate crowds, all that pushing and shoving.

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If you are going away over the Christmas holidays you won't forget to make arrangements for your cat will you? No, I know you won't. I'm playing Santa to little Bonkers. I'll be popping round to my son and daughter-in-law's place to make sure that the cat is OK. Of course, it would be nice if they were at home for Christmas so I could go visit them and see my granddaughters, but maybe next year.

Wednesday 15th December 2004

My thanks to Elaine of Online Scrapbooking Guide for pointing out that this blog had suddenly become unreadable. I had been having problems with it over the last week, but although it wasn't displaying exactly as I wanted, it was at least readable on my browser. Not so on all browsers it seems. I've made a few small changes and I hope that best cat art blog is now OK whatever browser you are viewing it from.

Tuesday 21st December 2004

Well, it's nearly here. Shopping all done? Christmas cards all posted? Maybe still a lot of work to be done for those with families, but I can pretty much relax now and please myself what I do and what I don't do.

Cats and other pets still need your care and love over the Christmas holiday of course, and I know that you will give it to them. Don't forget, as tempting as it may be to give your cat a treat, food meant for humans is not good for animals. If you want to give your kitty something special for Christmas get in some treats especially made for cats.

At The Animal Rescue Site, every day is a chance to make a difference to an animal in need. It's fast, free and easy - all you have to do is click. Yes, just by clicking a button You can help provide food for an animal in a shelter or sanctuary. While you are at the site why not bookmark it.
THE ANIMAL RESCUE SITE

Sunday 26th December 2004

I trust that you had a splendid Christmas day and that you are continuing the festivities. If you are anything like me you ate too much, drank too much and exercised not at all. I went for an early morning walk today to try and redress the balance, so now for the rest of the day I can eat and drink too much with a clear conscience.

I did manage to get two new pages onto this site - Aghhh! My Cat Has Got Fleas... Which, as you might guess, gives a few words of advice on what to do if you find some very unwelcome guests on your cat or about your home. The other page is House Cat Pictures Just some (very nice) art prints and posters of cats. Why house cat pictures?Well, some folks say house cats instead of domestic cats.

Tuesday 28th December 2004

The news of the Asia Quake is terrible. Nothing can be done for all the poor souls who have lost their lives but every effort must be made to aid survivors. The United Nations has said this will become the biggest relief effort the world has ever seen.

This time of year sees animal shelters and rescue centers overfilling with kittens and other pets that have been received as unwanted Christmas presents. Even more depressing, is the fact that at this time of year older pets get abandoned to make way for new ones. How inhumanly heartless can people be?

Saturday Ist January 2005

And a happy new year to you. May 2005 be all that you want it to be.

Tuesday 4th January 2005

As a Brit and a cat lover I find this story highly amusing.

Here in Britain a new Freedom of Information Act came into force on New Years Day. What this means apparently, is that 50,000 government files which until now have been kept secret, are now available for public scrutiny.

Now, many of these files must have been current all through the 'cold war' and must have contained stuff about spying and 'foreign agents'. This sort of stuff I can understand being kept secret. In fact I have no bones to make about all that tax the government squeezes out of me being spent in that way. But, it seems, there is at least one 'file' that has been labeled secret for all these years for no other reason than that government departments don't like the press making them look foolish.

The subject of one of these secret files is the 'Home Office Cat'.

In 1929 the Home Office was granted, by the Treasury, one pence per day for "the maintenance of an efficient office cat" and to this end they obtained a cat called Peter. I don't think that first bit was secret, in fact I'm sure that I've written about it in this blog at some time.

Anyway, in 1946 (when Peter was 17, a long living office cat and still only getting his penny a day) the Home Office received a note from the Treasury inquiring about Peter - "Our Treasury approval is for an efficient cat. Are you able to certify that he is still efficient? If not you will no doubt make him subject of an adverse report!"

The file does not disclose whether Peter was given an 'adverse report' or not, but the poor little soul was put to sleep in September of 1946. Wouldn't want taxpayers money wasted on a cat that wasn't 'an efficient cat.'

A new kitten that the Home Office named Peter II was given the job in June 1947, but unfortunately was hit by a car outside the offices shortly after.

Peter III was obtained in 1948. In 1962 H.M. Queen Elizabeth 11 was on an official visit to the Home Office. An HEO (a mid ranking civil servant)was standing by in his office ready to greet the Queen when he noticed something unsavory on a doormat. He threw the doormat out of a window just seconds before the Queen walked into the room. After official investigation it was pronounced "The offender was Peter."

Saturday 8th January 2005

New page on the site about Pet Health Insurance I don't know about you but I'm not exactly in love with insurance companies. I've very rarely been happy in my dealings with them. It must be stressed that I'm not specifically talking about cat health insurance companies, I've had more dealings with car and buildings insurance. It's just that all too frequently the happy, smiley faced when they are taking your premiums, insurance company, turns into the scowling, stern faced insurance company when it comes to paying out claims.

This usually because of all those tricky little exclusions in the policy that you either didn't know about, or had forgotten about. It's the same with pet health insurance. Your not covered for this, you are only covered for this much for that, and so on. This is the focus of the page - Pet Health Insurance. Does it make sense to take out pet insurance when there are so many exclusions? Would you be better off just setting some money aside for when your cat needs treatment? Of course, just one visit to the vet can be very expensive. Only you can determine.

Wednesday 12th January 2005

Andrea Ventura parked her Ford Aerostar van in a shopping center parking lot and got out to start her shopping trip, when she saw a little kitten run up into her engine. It appeared that the poor little kitty had got itself caught between the axle and the engine.

The Fire Service was called and the crew spent 45 minutes trying to coax the frightened kitten out. The Fire Department Captain decided that there was no alternative but to dismantle part of the car. The van was towed away to the service department at a nearby Ford dealer where, after inspection, it was found that the cat had crawled into the A-frame. The service department mechanics set to work and three hours later a rather grubby kitten was free.

Andrea Ventura adopted the kitten and called it... Aerostar.

Lots of new cat stories sent in by you - the visitors to best-cat-art.com, please keep them coming folks (300 to 900 words would be best.) The latest one Peanut and Rascal is a very touching read.

Sunday 16th January 2005

A black and white cat named Mischief who lives in Stevenage, England, won the 2005 Pet Slimmer of the Year contest today. The 6 year old lost 38% of his bodyweight, a hefty 5kg, to clinch the title. The cat, who lives with his owner and four other cats, couldn't fit through the cat flap before losing the weight. Mischief's 40 week diet paid off for his owner, the prize was a year's supply of pet food, plus a handy £500 worth of pet accessories and £2,000 worth of holiday vouchers.

Theophile Alexandre Steinlen painted posters in Paris in the late nineteenth century. He was very fond of cats, and often used his own cats as models and accommodated them in his posters. You can read about Steinlen's cat posters at this new page... Steinlen's cat's,

Wednesday 19th January 2005

The largest verified litter of kittens was born to Tarawood Antigone a four year old Siamese Burmese Queen at Kingham, Oxfordshire, UK. There were nineteen kittens, four were stillborn, fourteen males and one female survived.

Art.com - Art as Unique as You Are - Take $5 off any order over $50 from now until January 31 '05! Use coupon code NewYear at your shopping cart.

Have a look at their range of kitten and cat posters Buy Cats & Kittens posters and prints at Art.comdon't forget to use coupon code NewYear at your shopping cart.

Saturday 22nd January 2005

Deneen Justice, a resident of San Pedro, had been feeding some feral cats near her workplace when she noticed a kitten hobbling one morning. The little chap's whiskers were burnt off, his fur was singed and he had a deep cut on his leg. Justice tried without success to trap the kitten. Volunteer animal rescue workers finally managed to capture the injured kitten some two and a half weeks later, using Kentucky Fried Chicken as bait. By that time the kitty had chewed off part of two of his legs to stop infection spreading.

The infection could easily have killed the cat had he not partially amputated his legs, said Joanna Patrice, a spokeswoman for the animal rescue group C.A.R.E. By gnawing off burnt portions of his limbs, he prevented the infection from spreading, she said. George Grant, an animal surgeon who treated the brave little chap, said the cat saved his own life. A veterinarian who examined the feline said someone attacked him with a blowtorch. The kitten was found in an area where people often dump unwanted cats. The person responsible for the cruelty has never been found. The cat had been called 'Stubbs' by the rescue team but the Altadena couple, who adopted the cat renamed him Bravo.

Thursday 28th January 2005

Nene, a black-and-white cat was not having a good day. First he managed to fall out of a fourth floor window of his Bronx, New York, home. Only to find a growling unfriendly dog waiting for him where he landed. To escape Nene did what any cat would do, he scrambled up a tree - only to get stuck. Nene's owner, Maria Silver, tried and tried to coax the little cat down but he was staying put. Neighbors came out to help, some with ladders, some firing footballs in an effort to knock Nene free. An Animal Care and Control worker had no success.

Three days later in a rainstorm Maria was still trying to persuade her pet down from the tree. Teenagers Manuel Jimenez and Michael Vazquez happened to be passing and saw Maria's plight. Manuel climbed on the shoulders of Michael and somehow managed to get hold of Neme's paw. A short tug and Neme was safe in the arms of his owner. The cat who chewed on leaves and twigs during his tree misadventure, went upstairs for a feast. "He ate like a king," Maria said.

Sunday 30th January 2005

Nearly February so soon. I won't bore you by ranting on about time flying by too fast. I suppose the important thing about time is not how quick it does or doesn't pass, it's about how you use that time. Fill the moments, as they say.

I haven't seen any of my three grandchildren for a while and I've been missing them. Still, one evening this week I'll get to see Samantha and Rebecca, I'm really looking forward to that.

You will start to see advertisements around this site for Only Natural Pet Store. They supply, as their name suggests, natural products for pets, including of course cats. The range they carry really is impressive. Everything from natural cat flea and tick control, grooming and hygiene products, cat litter, natural hairball gel, all the way to natural cat food. Now, I don't usually like to advertise products that I have no experience of, I prefer to promote cat products that I can recommend, but...

...as I still don't have a cat (haven't quite got that house in the country yet) I can't recommend them from experience. I'm not saying Only Natural Pet Store's. products aren't good, they seem to be great, just that what you see on this site will be advertisements, not recommendations.

Friday 4th February 2005

There are some scumbags in this world. Matthew Gardeniers, aged 30, of Croydon a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, pleaded guilty to bludgeoning his own pet cat to death because it miaowed too much. An RSPCA chief investigator said the injuries to the female cat were the most disturbing he had seen on any animal. The low-life scum was sentenced to six months in prison. Six months! that is not nearly long enough. I don't want to sound like some 'hang 'em all' right winger, which I'm not, but animal cruelty makes my blood boil. What is wrong with these people? Does being cruel to a poor defenseless cat make them feel big or something? Sick is what they are, sick in the head.

New page added to the site - Self Cleaning Litter Box

Wednesday 9th February 2005

Tinker the Cat is quite a well off little moggy. In fact the little chap is worth a cool £450,000. That is the fortune that he inherited when his owner, Margaret Layne, passed away aged 89 last year. But now Eugene and Ann Wheatley, trustees of Tinker's fortune have had to move him from Harrow, London, England to a place of safety somewhere in Wales. You see ever since coming in to his fortune little Tinker has been receiving death threats.

You may have been thinking about building a web site of your own. You may have read this page - Build your own web site. If so, then you might like to know that the software that I use to create this site SBI, has a very tempting Valentine's Day special running from now until the stroke of midnight, February 14, 2004 - I LOVE SBI! Special

Monday 14th February 2005

Every child, sooner or later, asks for a pet. Kids have the 'knack' of getting their own way, whether by just looking angelic or by wearing you down with a campaign of whining. But when it comes to acquiring a pet for a kid you really should have a long hard think as to whether it would be for the best or not.

Who is going to be the one to actually take care of the animal? Who is going to remember to feed the cat, clean out the hamster cage, house train the puppy? It's true that growing up with a pet in the household can do wonders for a child's development, but there are so many things to consider... Choosing the Best Pets for Kids

Pet owners are now spending more than twice as much on their pets than they did a mere 10 years ago according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. They estimate that pet related spending will exceed [b]$35.9 Billion[/i] this year - wow!

Thursday 17th February 2005

Did you know that each and every cat has a unique nose print! I certainly did not know that until I read it just now, but apparently all cats nose prints are different, just like humans finger prints. You can imagine the scene. "OK, an felony has clearly been committed here. Somebody has purloined the cream" "None of you cats will be permitted to leave this kitchen until you've had your nose prints taken".

Nothing to do with cats, but to do with dogs - hunting hounds actually, but tomorrow 'hunting with dogs' becomes illegal in the UK. Good, long overdue. This barbaric practice involves using a pack of hounds to hunt down relatively harmless small animals, foxes or hares, and tear them to pieces. It is call variously 'hunting' or 'sport', I say it is neither. I say it is sheer bloodlust. Thank goodness it is now outlawed. Sorry about the rant.

Monday 21st February 2005

Brrrrr snow. I hate it. I wouldn't like to be a cat out in this weather, but then any cat with access to being inside will be inside, cats are not silly.

Saw my granddaughters yesterday. My son and I took Samantha, the elder one, to the children's playground. Screeching with delight at being pushed on the swings, being made dizzy on the roundabout and being caught at the bottom of the slide, little Samantha certainly seemed to enjoy herself and I did too. It's a privilege to be a granddad. My son and his family will be moving soon, if things go to plan. Now that there are four of them they need a bigger house and there is no way they could afford one in London. They will be moving out to the country, just where I'd like to move to, if only, if only. I shall miss not having them nearby. I shall miss Bonkers the cat as well.

I've updated the cat quiz page. Instead of forcing you to search all over the site for the answers, you can now find them here - cat quiz answers You can still search the site if you wish :0)

Friday 25th February 2005

I've had an email disputing what I wrote on Monday about cats and snow. The sender, very politely, pointed out that many cats are fascinated by snow and will happily play in it. She states that it would depend upon the breed, and more importantly, the personality of the individual cat. You know what?, the sender is right! Thinking about it, I have seen kitties jumping after snowflakes and leaving tracks in the snow. Perhaps I was a bit hasty with what I wrote.

Sticking with snow, how come that it needs just a little snow and the UK grinds to a halt? How do folks manage in Norway, Sweden, Canada etc.? Snow fell again last night so I allowed myself extra time to get to work. Leaving my front door, I found that it was only about 1 - 2 inches that was covering the roads. The bus arrived late, I'm not blaming the bus driver (I was one myself for 20 years) but the traffic was absolutely crawling along. Naturally all drivers were taking it easy and playing safe, I don't blame them, and I would myself if I were driving. Just scraped into work on time. But how on earth do countries where they regularly experience 3 or 4 feet of snow manage? Beats me.

There is nothing like having fine cat prints decorating the walls of your home.

Sunday 27th February 2005

Here is yet another news report about someone hoarding cats. Why does it happen, it's downright cruel. Warning ... you may find the story a little disturbing.

SPCA Investigators could not believe what they were seeing when they arrived at a home on Lamson Road in the Town of Tonawanda. Dozens of cats were inside, in disgusting conditions. SPCA Chief Investigator Michael Armatys: "We had a call from the hospital. Check the welfare of the animals, someone has been in... Read On, (opens new window)

Well, there's February almost gone. With time going by so fast I don't feel so foolish at having a page about Halloween and Cat Safety ready so early in the year :0)

Thursday 3rd March 2005

Geoff and Karen two friends of mine have got themselves a delightful black and white cat. Wendy, as the cat is named, is around one year old and full of cuteness and craftiness.

Wendy was adopted from a Cat Rescue. Full marks to Geoff and Karen I'm very impressed with them and I told them so. They had to prove themselves as adopters which meant a visit from one of the center's 'homing officers', but they were duly deemed suitable to adopt Wendy. My friends have two young children, George 7 and Celia 5, but the homing officer said Wendy was thought to be OK with kids, which is good because George can be very boisterous.

Wendy has been spayed (one of the advantages of adopting from Cat Rescue) and Geoff and Karen tell me they have registered with a vet. I spent a while happily playing with the very pretty moggy, became quite jealous actually.

Sunday 6th March 2005

According to the Guinness Book of Records in 1996 two rare Siamese diamond-eyed cats, named Phet and Ploy, got themselves wed at a ceremony in Thailand's biggest discotheque wearing matching pink outfits! The wedding bash cost Phet's owner Wichan Jaratarcha, $16,241. Both cats suffer from a rare type of cataract known as 'diamond eye'. In Thailand cats with this condition are believed to symbolize good fortune.

The WWF strongly criticized the event and the owner promised that the cats will receive proper medical attention. The wedding presents were donated to charitable projects for animal welfare.

Many folks love black and white art prints, posters and photo prints, the stark contrasts can make outstanding pictures. Same goes for cat art, black and white pictures of kitties can be very pleasing ... and so, I've added a new gallery page to the site - Black & white cat photo art - why not take a peep.

Wednesday 9th March 2005

Seems that there are people that don't think much of cats, feral ones at least.

Hunters in Wisconsin state will be asked to vote on 11th April on whether cats should be hunted!

A La Crosse fire fighter who hunts and traps wants to make free roaming domestic cats an unprotected species that could be shot at will by anyone with a small game hunting license.

The 48 year old firefighter said any cat not under its owner's direct control, or which does not have a collar, should be considered fair game.

OK we all know that feral cats can cause problems but this suggestion is barbaric plain and simple. Trap, neuter and return is the only humane, and in fact the only effective, way to control feral cat populations, this has been proved time and time again - trap and kill simply does not work! Further more, to have license to shoot any cat without a collar is to have license to kill peoples pets. Yes we know that any cat allowed outdoors should wear a collar, but many owners never 'get around' to getting a collar, they should but they don't. Good cat collars are break away collars and are designed to break off if snagged. Cats who have microchips implanted for identification seldom in fact wear collars

People of Wisconsin defeat this barbaric proposal!

Saturday 12th March 2005

Update to the post I made on Wednesday. Seems that the La Crosse fire fighter who asked Wisconsin state to allow hunters to kill stray cats says he's been getting death threats - Here's the story (opens in new window). Death threats are a bit extreme and of course I don't condone them, but I'm glad that there are those with strong feelings against his proposals.

Another page added today - Color Cat Photo Art
Color cat photo art - photographic color images of cats being cute, cats being playful, cats being funny and cats being just cats.

Wednesday 16th March 2005

Geoff and Karen have decided to make Wendy an indoor cat (see post for Thursday 3rd March). Can't say that I blame them, the traffic that thunders down their street is just as heavy as the traffic in mine. I believe cats are happiest when they are indoor/outdoor cats, but if you live in a city it's best to keep them indoors, which is why I don't have one. Geoff swears that the decision was made to save himself the trouble of putting in a cat flap, he is kidding of course.

Nothing new on the site at this time, but I am working on an article about allergies and pets, which I hope to finish soon Is it possible to keep your cat, dog, rabbit or hamster if you develop an allergic reaction? The article I'm planning will list ways that you can provide that your allergy is not too severe.

Saturday 19th March 2005

The times they are 'a changing!

Yes big changes are very, very probably coming to The Cat Art Blog. To give a hint as to what this will be - think of all those little orange buttons that you are starting to see on so many web sites.

What this will mean is that you won't have to come to Best Cat Art.com to read any new content or updates to the site, Best Cat Art.com will come to you! (of course, you will still be welcome to visit this site anytime you wish.)

The technology (how I hate 'technology') behind this exiting new way of receiving web content enables you to get newsfeeds from CNN or the BBC, other blogs apart from The Cat Art Blog as well as just about anything else. - News on upcoming movies, DVD releases, news about your favorite band (mine is The greatest rock 'n' roll band in the world - anything you like. And without ever having to reveal your email address.

Anytime that I post some cat or kitten news or put a new cat article on the site, you will get it instantly. Now, this is all well and good, trouble is all this 'technology' is a bit much for me, it doesn't easily sink into this old brain. Luckily for me the folks who's software I use to build this web site are bringing out a tool to hide all the technology from me and make this new way of delivering content simple ... I like simple. This will be available soon, and when it is I'll transfer The Cat Art Blog over to the new system. Everything will still be here as well so you can still come here to read this blog if you prefer.

Tuesday 22nd March 2005

Met up with my son and his family on Sunday in a local park. My newest little granddaughter, Rebecca, is now nearly 6 moths old, I can't believe it! She really is the happiest baby I've ever known, you only have to look at her and she smiles from ear to ear. Didn't see Bonkers their cat as I didn't go back to their place.

I've chopped off some of the oldest posts from this page and added them to a new archive page Cat Art Blog Archive 3. This will give plenty of room when The Cat Art Blog assumes its new format (see Saturday 19th March 2005,) cause presumably I'll have to blog more frequently, I'll just have to think hard about things to write about.

There is a new article Do I Have to Part With My Pet If I Have Pet Allergies? There are many types of allergies and being allergic to your own pet is quite common. What happens if you discover you are susceptible to pet allergies? Does this mean that your faithful dog, loving cat or beautiful rabbit has to go? Do you really have to say goodbye to your pet or is there hope that you can continue to enjoy the company of your friend?

Friday 25th March 2005

Happy Easter to you.

What's the connection between kittens and alarm clocks? A new type of clock has been invented that when the snooze button is pressed, the thing will roll off the bedside table(or whatever you keep it on) and wheel itself away and finds a spot to hide! When the alarm sounds again, you must get up out of bed and search for the thing. An internal processor helps the clock to find a new hiding place every day.

So where do kittens come into this? Seems that the inventor was inspired by kittens that he had that would bite his toes every morning. Well, sounds like something that might even get me out of bed quickly, on a cold workday morning it often takes me 30 minuets to get up. But I really think I'd rather have a kitten, biting my toes or not.

Here's a link to the story Kitten - Clock

Monday 28th March 2005

I've built a new page which is a listing of all the Cat Picture Galleries to be found on Best-Cat-Art.com. So if you want to find pictures, posters or art prints of a particular cat breed or a cat with a certain coat pattern, that's the page to use.

This is nothing to do with cats but I think that you may be interested. May I introduce you to Darren. Darren is totally blind but he didn't let that stop him from following his dream and becoming a professional disk jockey. He is all set to make an attempt to break the current world record for non-stop music DJing to raise lots of money for Dreamflight, which is a charity that gives extremely sick and disabled children the chance of their lifetime to go on a holiday to Disney World, Florida.

The current world record stands at 84 hours, phew! that's a lot of music. There are a lot of rules that Darren is going to have to follow to break that record, no pauses longer than ten seconds between disks, no premixing or pre recorded sections on CD's etc. And the event has to take place on stage in a club or similar venue with a dancing audience.

If you would like to know how you can help by sponsoring Darren, or how to volunteer to help at the event, here's Darren's Site.

Saturday 2nd April 2005

I might not be adding too much to this site in the days ahead, or posting to the Cat Art Blog. I'm busily cleaning up my old computer. Overtime I've accumulated far too much junk, I've downloaded this and downloaded that, and I'm afraid that this machine sometimes slows up so much it's hardly usable. This should not take me too long, so once again I'll be adding pages about cats and kittens every week or so.

Of course it could be that this computer is now just too old and tired to cope. If that is the case I'll somehow have to scrape enough pennies together to buy a new one. That scenario would also keep me from the Cat Art Blog but new computer or revitalized old 'puter, nothing will keep me from www.best-cat-art.com for long. Because, as you know, I really enjoy researching cat stuff and building pages of cat information for this site.

By the way, I've just replaced Internet Explorer with Firefox because so many people have recommended it to me. Looking good so far, lots of extra features and takes up less disk space.

Tuesday 5th April 2005

The ginger tabby that I bloged about last summer was in my wreck of a garden again yesterday evening. I opened the kitchen door to see what he would do. He cautiously made his way to the step stuck his head in and sniffed. The cat must have decided that the smell of my cooking (mostly ready meals and tins) was not too irresistible because he immediately drew back a few feet back into the garden. I was glad to see that he now has a collar, something the cat didn't have last year.

Despite what I said on Saturday about not having much time to update this site I have written a page about The Affects of Neutering on Male Cat Behavior.

Sunday 10th April 2005

Well I've spent most of my free time this week continuing to clean up my computer. I've discovered that somehow a couple or three pieces of spyware or scumware have found their way in. Got rid of all but one of them by using Ad-Aware (very good, and it's free) but that last one is proving stubborn.

Right enough of that, on to cats. Spent a great day at my son's house today, playing with my granddaughters and Bonkers the cat. My son and his family are moving soon (sob!) so there was work to be done shifting this and that, packing stuff and so on. I didn't know one cat could get under my feet quite so many times. When it came to eating we ordered pizza. As it was a fair spring day we sat outside for the meal.

Now I know that I should not have done this, pizza is not food for cats, but... Bonkers was sat staring at me. She knew she would not get anywhere with my son or my daughter-in-law. I could not resist throwing her a little piece. The cat was not interested in the base, of course, just the topping which was mostly cheese. You know how warm cheese stretches out into a string. Well it was quite hilarious watching Bonkers the cat trying to separate the topping from the base and ending up with a string of cheese. Her determination won of course. No, I did not give her any more.

Here's a short article about Pets With Disabilities. My cat Basil did not let loosing a leg stop him from getting on with life. Searching around the Internet I found that this is by no means unusual. Most pets with disabilities can still enjoy a high quality of life.

Wednesday 13th April 2005

I've never actually experienced this but a cat's coat can pick up quite a bit of static and this can discharge when you stroke your pet. Apparently this is likely to happen during long dry spells, which may explain why I've never experienced it, we don't get those around here.

It is said that this can be prevented by rubbing the cat with one of those paper sheets impregnated with fabric softener that you put in the tumble dryer. Apparently the chemicals do no harm to cats (that's what they say), but your cat may not like the scent.

Do you love those orangey rusty cats of fire? Are ginger kitties your favorite kind? Then you might enjoy Orange Cat Pictures

Saturday 16th April 2005

On Wednesday 9th March 2005 I made a post in this blog about Wisconsin state voting on whether feral cats should be hunted.

Sadly it looks like the bill has passed, the first hurdle anyway.

The Humane Society of the United States called this cruel and archaic. If the proposed hunting of domestic cats upsets you, you may want to visit this site Don't Shoot the Cat.(opens new window) and lend your support. Don't Shoot the Cat has already collected 28,000 signatures.

On a happier note, I've spruced up White Cat Pictures and added some new cat pics. White cats are always beautiful and look so elegant.

Tuesday 19th April 2005

A new page has been added with links to some terrific cat theme gifts. Many of us that like cats also like pictures, figurines and other items that depict cats and kittens ... and love to receive such things as gifts.

Mothers day is fast approaching, at least it is for those of you in the USA, here in the UK it's been and gone. If mom loves cats ... Great Cat Gifts Are Always Welcome

Human life can be roughly divided into three equal parts. Childhood and youth, adulthood, old age. A cats life is not only considerably shorter, but also spaced differently. One tenth kitten, eight tenths adult, and one tenth old age.

Monday 25th April 2005

No updates to the Cat Art Blog over the last week and no new pages added to www.best-cat-art.com. Why is that you ask?

It's because my computer has been out of action.

A short while ago I posted that I've had problems with spyware. Well, I don't know exactly how but last week I got a whole load more, and it made my computer unusable. I bought Norton Antivirus but unfortunately that didn't work too well, so in the end I called in a PC engineer... and Bingo! he seems to have done the trick (even though he did cost an arm and a leg).

I've a lot to catch up on. When I've got some cat news or I've updated www.best-cat-art.com, I shall post again.

Wednesday 27th April 2005

When training a cat, it is recommended that you make the first step giving your cat a name. Give your kitten a name as soon as you can and stick with that name. A kitten will soon learn to respond to its name if you use it repeatedly.

If you adopt an older cat it is best to keep to the name that it already has. Trying to get a cat used to a change of name would be very difficult indeed, the result would likely be confusion, making training impossible.

To break away from cats for the moment - can I ask you (if you have not done so already) to have a look at my friend Darren's site Don't Stop the Music . Darren is working hard to raise money for Dreamflight, a charity that gives extremely sick and disabled children the chance of their lifetime to go on a holiday to Disney World, Florida. And he is raising the money in a very novel way.

Sunday 1st May 2005

Anthropomorphic Cat Art. What cat art? Anthropomorphic, yes it's not a word that you use every day is it! :0) It simply means the device of giving animals, or even inanimate objects, human qualities. Such as in a cartoon. A cartoon cat may have the power of speech and be able to walk on two legs.

There have been thousands of anthropomorphic cats, in cartoons, in paintings and in stories. It's nothing new either, anthropomorphic cat art dates back centuries to Puss in Boots, or even before. Here is the new page > Anthropomorphic Cat Art

Took a little train ride today to see some friends that have moved away from the smoke into the countryside. As it was a beautiful sunny May Day when went for a hike along a canal bank.

It was heaven. Great to be breathing clean air and be away from the grime and squalor. Seeing that this is the Cat Art Blog, I should somehow relate this to cats, but the truth is I don't think we saw one single cat. Plenty of people walking dogs though. And something that I've never seen before in my life - a horse drawn barge. The horse was massive, a Shire horse I believe, pulling this long heavy narrow-boat with the greatest of ease.

It must be wonderful to live out in the English countryside. Lack of cats or not.

Thursday 5th May 2005

For those in the USA Mother's day will soon be with you. Don't forget Mum, sorry I mean Mom. Mother's are irreplaceable and you don't know what your Mother means to you until you no longer have one.

Art.com have a special for Mothers day... $10 off any order over $75 if you use coupon code Mommy at your shopping cart. If Mom loves cats... Buy Cats & Kittens posters and prints at Art.com This page also has some great Great Cat Gifts Are Always Welcome

Saturday 7th May 2005

If a cat is feeling content with its world the cat's ears will be forward pointing and its whiskers in a relaxed position. If the cat's ears are turned back, its whiskers bristled and pointing forwards the kitty is not so happy. If also its pupils are narrow slits, its tails a twitching and the cat's fur is standing on end the cat is very unhappy and is ready to fight!

If you are cuddling your cat or it is resting on your lap, it will sometimes knead with its paws in the same way that it did as a kitten against its mother's breast. This opening and closing of its paws tells you your cat is very content with you.

A sick cat will often hide. The feline knows that it is not in a condition to be able to defend itself so it hides out of reach of any possible predators.

There is so much that your cat can tell you by way of body language, it pays in spades to learn how your pet is communicating with you.

From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ...

CAT, n. A soft, indestructible automaton provided by nature to be kicked when things go wrong in the domestic circle.

Monday 9th May 2005

Do you know someone who is afraid of cats? You probably know plenty of folks who don't particularly like cats, but to be downright fearful of felines is a different kettle of fish. It is not as uncommon as you may think. People who have a phobia about cats may keep quite about it. Perhaps they feel folks won't understand ... The Fear of Cats - Ailurophobia

In 1961 a farmer in Scotland discovered a white cat with ears that were folded forwards. This cat produced a litter, some of the kittens also had folded ears. A British Shorthair was introduced into the line and the Scottish Fold breed had begun. The Cat Fancy of the United Kingdom will not recognize the breed because the same gene responsible for the folded ears, can also cause skeletal defects in some cats.

Friday 13th May 2005

Hey, be careful out there! It's Friday 13th. Best find yourself a lucky black cat. But the 13th or not, it is Friday, and that means no work until Monday - great feeling. No work that is unless you work shifts, in which case you have my sympathy. I know what that is like, and how it can mess your life up, I worked shifts for many years.

Here's an excellent story sent in by Harrison Youngblood about his missing cat Isis. It's always great to read about a missing cat that finds their own way back home. Being Reunited With Isis

Sunday 15th May 2005

Our friend the domestic cat goes right the way back to ancient Egypt. Cats were first invited into homes in Egypt to combat the problem of rats and other nasties. But it was not so long before these kitties became very much revered and even worshipped.

Egyptian cat art did not portray the cat as a pet, or a cute and cuddly creature but as animal with noble countenance. They presented the cat in their art as a god or goddess. Bronze, gold, crystal and other precious materials were used in the making of statues and figurines of cats. Here is a new page all about Egyptian Cat Art.

Tuesday 17th May 2005

A news release from PETA (people for the ethical treatment of animals) reports that someone has been throwing kittens out of a moving truck around the area of Punta Gorda, Florida. PETA is offering as much as "$1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for this violent crime."

The animal organization asks that this information be passed around. So, if you happen to know folks in that area please pass the details to them. And let's hope that the low life scum responsible is brought to justice - and given the harshest possible punishment.

Only Natural Pet Store retails all kinds of natural products for all kinds of pets, including of course, cats. This company offers vitamins, supplements, medicine, treats, chews, grooming supplies, cat litter, flea control products, and more. If you have not yet tried them, and would like to do so they are offering a 5% discount on your first order. Just use coupon code CJ15 - Save 5% on your first order at Only Natural Pet Store! Coupon code CJ15.

Saturday 2nd October 2004

I've added a page about Norwegian Forest Cats in the cat breed section. A handsome longhaired cat not unlike the Maine Coon. Norwegian Forest Cats are one of nature's natural breeds that developed to withstand the harsh climate of the Northern Hemisphere. Large, strong legged cats that are very skilled climbers and hunters, these beautiful longhaired felines reflect their working cat ancestry. Read all about 'em here > Norwegian Forest Cats

Tuesday 5th October 2004

It was once a trick of unscrupulous farmers to take a cat to market tied in a bag, and try and sell it as a suckling pig. If the prospective buyer asked to see the pig, he was told that it would be too risky to open it up as the animal might escape. But really, of course, he did not want to let the cat out of the bag. A popular name for the bag was a poke, hence - never buy a pig in a poke.

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Another cat book review is online > The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Cats - Cat Breeds and Cat Care long title - great book, a feast of information, advice on all aspects of kitten and cat care. Anything and everything you need to know about the well-being of your mouser.

Saturday 9th October 2004

Ever noticed that some cats will ignore a dish of clean water and drink from a dirty puddle in the garden, why should they do that? Two reasons, one is that tap water is often treated with chemicals, a cat's nose is far more sensitive than a human's nose and they find the smell of the chemicals repellent. The other reason is that the water dish has probably been washed with a detergent, and again the lingering odor is a big no-no for cats. The stale water of puddles is actually attractive as far as a cat is concerned, the rotting microorganisms and stuff in puddles is organic and therefore smells good to a mouser.

Rinsing the water dish more thoroughly than you would for a human, to get rid of all traces of detergent. And letting tap water stand for a time before presenting it to your cat, to let the chemicals settle, should have your cat lapping the water from the dish.

Tuesday 12th October 2004

Have you ever known a cat that went running to the telephone every time it rang, why did she do that? Well, it seems the reason that some cats do this because when you talk into the receiver the cat assumes that you are talking to her. Kitty does not know that there is someone at the end of the line, all the cat knows is that when the phone rings you go to it and start talking to her, which she enjoys. Additionally, when you are in the middle of a long conversation, chances are that you reach down and stroke kitty. So what the cat does know is when that ringing tone happens she gets talked to and stroked! No wonder she comes running.

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Don't forget to tell us about your cat. How did you come to be owned by your feline? Have you had your cat since he or she was a kitten? Or did you take on an adult cat? worry Tell us about your cat in your own words. Have fun writing it, I look forward to reading your cat or kitten story. Cat Story

Friday 15th October 2004

I went round to my son's place yesterday to see them all and enjoyed a very tasty curry. My beautiful little granddaughter was in high spirits, chasing around everywhere and enjoying a good shout. And that's the reason that I did not see much of Bonkers the cat. Every time the little black mouser entered the room to check out the visitor, me, Samantha let out a yell and made a lunge toward the cat. The poor thing left the room rather sharply, of course.

Samantha adores Bonkers and would not harm her but has been acting a little jealous and possessive lately, why? Well, in only a few short weeks Samantha will have a new baby brother or sister, and I will have another grandchild. I'm very excited :-)

Tuesday 19th October 2004

Having the ability to narrow the pupils of their eyes to slits, gives cats far better control over how much light enters their eyes than we humans have. Why is this important for cats? Because our furry friends have eyes that are sensitive enough to see in the dark, or very dim light, it is important not to be dazzled. They have vertical slits, instead of horizontal ones, so that these slits can work at right angles to their eyelids. This means that a cat probably has a better eye adjustment than any other animal.

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Added this new article Why does my cat drink dirty water? Which is an expansion of the blog entry I made on Saturday 9th October.

Monday 25th October 2004

I'm late posting to this blog, the last time was Tuesday. Excuses? How many excuses would you like. One of which is that there is a small glitch with this site, if you look at the top of this page you will see that the best-cat-art.com logo is missing. What's that you say? it's not missing?, oh good, that means that by the time that you are reading this the techno-boffins have fixed it :-)

And my other excuses? I have been a bit busy with the day job, enforced overtime :-( Also I took a night off, saw some friends that I have not seen for a while, and last, but not least, I will very soon be a granddad again - yippie! Ok, that's off my chest, next time I post it'll be about cats, I promise.

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I did have time to put up a page on Cat Scratching Posts Some tips and information about why cats scratch, and links to some quality scratching posts.

Friday 29th October 2004

I was having a discussion about pets with a colleague at work today. He is very much a dog person and doesn't see the attraction of keeping a cat. In fact he thinks that cats are pretty much a waste of time as pets, I don't think anything that I said helped to change his point of view. Like many people that have never shared their home with a moggie he has the mistaken belief that all cats are cold, unaffectionate creatures. Of course, most of us have known cats that are aloof and so independent that they don't appear to have any feeling whatsoever for their humans. I could not say anything to convince him that not all cats are like that.

Because I also know how great it is to have a dog as a pet, I did not disagree with him when he went banging on about what terrific companions dogs can be. This he mistook to be an admission that cats are an inferior pet!!! Well, each to their own, but I see his lack of appreciation of felines as very defiantly his loss.

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It's very nearly November already. Have you ordered your Cat Calendars for 2005 yet?

Tuesday 2nd November 2004

News reports from a couple of years ago state that researchers from Georgetown University in have been studying the use of robotic cats for health benefits. They claim that these feline automatons could be of particular benefit for the elderly. Now we do know that stroking your cat can be good for you, but robotic cats??? I just don't get it. What is the incentive to 'pet' a collection of transistors and gears encased in plastic, even if it is covered in artificial fur? How is owning one of these things going to be of any benefit to anyone, why not have a real living, breathing, fussy, obstinate, independent cat.

Friday 5th November 2004

Allposters.com are having a special on their clearance lines at the moment (sorry, I don't know how long this special will last). They have some deeply discounted posters and prints. When I checked it out I didn't see any cat or kitten prints, but they do have lots of good stuff on all sorts of topics. If you would like to take a look here's the link - http://www.allposters.com

Saturday 6th November 2004

YAHOOOOOOO! I'm a granddad again :0) Baby Rebecca Mary born late last night, mother and daughter doing well. I haven't seen Rebecca yet (I hope to soooon) My son told me that she is gorgeous, of course she is, she's my granddaughter! I'm very happy - can you tell?

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I've put up a new page. Not about cats this time, doesn't mention cats or kittens at all. It's about building a website and making a business of it. A couple of people have asked me about best-cat-art.com and the software I use to build it. So I thought this page > build your own website may answer a few questions.

Tuesday 9th November 2004

Went to say hello to little Rebecca Mary on Sunday and what a little darling she is. Mostly asleep, she awoke briefly looking a little puzzled, yawned, cried a bit, had her bottle and went back to sleep. Grandchildren are wonderful, bring on the next one, I want a dozen :0)

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Ever heard of cat racing? No, neither had I. But apparently it used to take place annually in 19th century Belgium. The poor cats were tied up in sacks until the clock struck midnight. The cats were then let out to race (how the heck do you get a cat to race?) The owner of the winning cat won a ham. Did this apparent ill treatment of cats end with the coming of the 20th century? No. In the 1930's a cat race track was opened at Portisham, Dorset, England. The cats were made to chase an electric mouse, believe it or not, down a 220 yard track. And as late as 1949 cat racing was staged in Kent. Happily this sport of bad taste did not prove anywhere near as popular as greyhound racing and has not been tried since.

Friday 12th November 2004

Many thanks to all of you that have posted your cat stories on Your Cat Story. All of them are marvelous, please keep 'em coming.

In case you haven't read them yet here are the four most recent.

Missy, a very pretty cat.

The Loss of my Siamese for 45 minutes

I Called Her...

A Cat Name Lucky

Tuesday 16th November 2004

Cat News report. Seems there are cats serving time at Indiana State Prison. But these cats are not cons - they're pets. The cats found their way into the maximum security prison through the north gate that once was the entrance for coal trains, some others came in via the maze of sewer pipes that run under the prison. For some time now prisoners have been adopting the cats as pets and , unsurprisingly, it has been found that the felines have a calming effect upon the inmates.

Thursday 18th November 2004

I've taken the Siamese Cats page and split it into three separate pages. As well as the original page there is a page on Modern Siamese Cats and Traditional Siamese Cats_____________________

Towser is listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as being the champion mouser of all time. This female tortoiseshell was owned by Glenturret Distillery Tayside, Scotland, is reported to have killed 28,899 mice in her lifetime (an average of 3 per day) I'm wondering if perhaps the mice sampled the produce of the distillery, making them just a shade easier to catch ;0). In any event, the distillery must have been pleased with her efforts, they erected a life-size statue of her.

Monday 22nd November 2004

Christmas will soon be here. Is it still OK to say Christmas? I ask because I hear tell that the politically correct brigade wants folks to stop calling Christmas trees by that name, and call them holiday trees instead. In fact, I understand that in several countries folks now say "happy holidays" instead of "happy Christmas"

Of course, I fully understand that one should take care not to give offense to people of different faiths, but I just don't understand how the word Christmas could cause offense? Oh well, there are many things that I do not understand. Now, as I was saying Christmas will soon be here and now is the time to order all those 2005 cat calendars to give as gifts, or perhaps your cat loving friends may prefer a cat figurine or two instead.___________________

New article added about cats and children.

Friday 26th November 2004

Received an email alert from Art.com about this discount coupon offer....

25% off All art prints and posters (except Vintage Originals and Kinkade) from now until 28th November 2004 use coupon code GiveThanks

Today is the 26th so that does not give you long, but what a nice saving to make. Very timely too with all those Christmas gifts to find ;0)

ART PRINTS - Art.com!

Don't forget the coupon code GiveThanks

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Monday 9th August 2004

According to the Guinness Book of Records the worlds largest collection of cat related items is held by Florence Groff of France, she has 11,717 of them. Florence, who lives with her four Siamese, began collecting cat stuff in 1979. Within her vast collection are 2,160 different cat figurines, 86 decorative plates, 48 fridge magnets, 60 pieces of crystalware, 36 stuffed toys, 140 metallic boxes, 2,666 cat postcards, 41 painted eggs and 9 cat lamps.

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Again according to the Guinness Book of Records, the longest single whisker recorded on a cat (6.5 in) was found on Ellie, a black and brown Maine Coon cat who belongs to Sheri and Mitchell Rutherford of Woodland Hills, California. The Rutherfords adopted Ellie from a rescue shelter when she was in a poor state, her fur was falling out and she had no whiskers. After some months of TLC she regained her health and her whiskers!

Thursday 12th August 2004

I've added a new article about Introducing a New Kitten to Your Older Cat. The process of introducing a new kitten to an older cat, can often be relatively stress free and need not be full of problems, if you follow a few simple tips.

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I've been reading an interesting press release about 'Dell' a back and white kitten rescued by Cats Protection volunteers from an unused garden well. Dell and one of her siblings became feral kittens when their mom disappeared, and had made a home for themselves in a garden in Crook, Co. Durham. The homeowner thought that the best thing that could be done for the kitties was to call in the Wear Valley and Darlington Cats Protection. However when the volunteers arrived there was no sign of the feline pair.

After an extensive search Branch volunteer, Ruth Ockendon, located Dell about four foot down the disused, well perched on a crevice. Sadly, the other kitten was not found despite another long search in the garden and surrounding area. Dell has fully recovered from her ordeal, growing into a playful kitten with a lust for life!

Sunday 15th August 2004

I've added another page in the series of cartoon cats. This one should have been mostly about Tom, but the little mouse Jerry gets equal attention, it just came out that way. Tom and Jerry The next in the series will be about that bad old cat Sylvester, I don't suppose that I'll be able to keep Twetty Pie out of it completely though :)

Whilst researching for the Tom and Jerry page I was taken back to watching those cartoons in the cinema as a child. As far as I can remember the cartoons were not advertised, you never knew that you were going to see one. What a bonus when you did. These cartoons, Tom and Jerry and others, have been often criticized for their violent content, some people think they are a bad influence on children. But do children really think that it is OK to act in the same way that the characters in cartoons do? Just my opinion but I don't think they do. I think kids do separate the world of cartoons from the real world. Those old cartoons where little mice got the better of cats that were determined to eat them, funny looking rabbits outwitted hunters and cats beat fearsome looking bulldogs, gave adults and kids alike a barrel of laughs. Pity that there is nothing like them today.

Thursday 19th August 2004

Do you read cat magazines? You can find various cat magazines featuring all kinds of cat related subjects, cat and kitten health, cat breeding, grooming etc. And you may be able to make a saving on the cover price by taking out a subscription online -