Jake moved in with me 8/27/26

Jake moved in with me two days ago, and I have questions.

Who has had her so far?  (Sheila and Judy, that I know of.)  When was she born?  What kind of cat is she?  Why is her tail so stubby?  Does she have a chip?  (Yes.)  Who's her vet?  (I got that info from Judy.)  Sheila named her "Jake," even though she's a girl.  Judy has had Jake since Sheila died, but the office says she cannot have two pets.  Since I used to have a cat, Judy asked me if I would take Jake.  I agreed and talked to the office.  The form that I must complete has 25 sheets of paper, and the pet fee has gone up to $300.  Whew!

Now, my next question is whether Jake will want to blog on Caturdays, the way Clawdia and Kiki did.

Today is International Cat Day

Clawdia at her window, and Kiki kissing me.  They are my most recent cats, so I have photos of them online (and on the sidebar to the right).  I'm also celebrating Duchess, the gray cat I rescued from a mud puddle when she was a kitten and I was only nine years old.  And then there's Jack, the gray and white cat who lived on the mountain with us.  I don't have a photo of him to share.  Sorry.  If you have (or ever had) a cat, please share a name or something about your cat in the comments.

Beginning ~ with the black cat superstition

Beginning

I can't think of a better way to kick things off than with a discussion of black cats and all the superstitions swirling around them.  Whether you are a cat person or a dog person, super religious or a stone-cold atheist, you've probably heard that seeing a black cat is a bad omen.

The Book of Superstitions: Black Cats, Yellow Flowers, Broken Mirrors, Cracked Sidewalks, and More Cultural Behaviors and Myths Explained ~ by Shelby El Otman, 2023, folk lore, 192 pages, 10/10

You'll learn the cultural histories behind some of the world's supernatural beliefs with this book:  things like Friday the 13th, rabbit feet, knocking on wood, walking under a ladder, and the curse of the evil eye.  I guess we all have a superstition or two.  The author unveils the origins of some of the most universal and and the little known superstitions that have influenced cultures around the world for centuries.  These include beliefs that gained a foothold in African and European folklore, notions from ancient Greece, and legends of the British Isles.  It's a captivating read that shows how superstitions vary from country to country.

I guess this could be called Caturday, a day early.  Clawdia would disagree with the idea that black cats are a bad omen, if she were still alive to still blog on Caturdays.  Click HERE to read about my little black cat named Clawdia (and what she posted on our blog).

Added later:  If you run into me today, you'll see I'm wearing black cat socks.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Book Beginnings on Fridays.

It's Caturday again

On Monday, one of my neighbors put this glass in the box by my

door and texted me:  "Guess what just wandered into your basket."

The words say, "Morris on glass is like sterling on silver."

I hope you have a purr-fect Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day with a cat?

It seems appropriate for Caturday.

This cat has a "thank you" sign

Look what I found online:

a cat holding a thank you note.

Clawdia thanked me by rubbing her head against my chin.

I'm sharing this picture on Caturday

(the day after Friday) because I think it's cute.

(Okay, you're cute, too.)

Mauhaus Cat Cafe

My neighbor Larry took me to Mauhaus Cat Cafe on Thursday, and this black cat seemed to be the one who was most willing to approach us to be petted.

Here's Larry taking a close-up photo of the same cat.  I simply zoomed in on any who didn't want to be close to me, but he is still using a flip phone without that feature.  This cat made a big leap onto a high walkway near the ceiling.  Do you think maybe it was showing off, hoping to go home with us?  It got our attention.

A cat book for Caturday

The Life and Love of Cats ~ by Lewis Blackwell, 2012, photography, 216 pages

The Life and Love of Cats takes us on an unforgettable journey; we travel from the homes of middle-America today, back to the demonized creatures hiding in the alleys of medieval Europe; from wild cousins on the plains of Africa to rare hybrid domestic breeds like the Savannah; and from fashionable show breeds to shelter cats lovingly rescued by volunteers.  Starting with the earliest records of domestic cats 9,000 years ago in Africa and the Mediterranean and moving to the present, the author weaves stories of one of humankind’s closest companions with a collection of more than 100 unforgettable images.  It's a beautiful book for cat lovers.

Someone on Amazon said, "It makes a statement on the coffee table."  I agree.  Because it is so heavy (4.9 pounds!), you could read it by leaning over the coffe table and turning the pages.  The pages are huge, so it isn't like you must hold this book up close to see the beautiful pictures.

(This picture is NOT from the book, but I like it.)

Cat sayings on bookmarks

1.  Every day is Caturday.

2.  Stay paw sitive.

3.  You are purrfect.

4.  You are the cats pajamas.

Shared by somebody online ~ not my cat

... but just right for a Caturday post.

A quote for Caturday

"If there is one spot of sun spilling onto the floor,

a cat will find it and soak it up." — J. A. McIntosh

This is a repeat of a post from 2017, found HERE.

The Caturday quote was illustrated by my cat CLAWDIA,

who lived with me and blogged about things on CATURDAYS.

She still graces the heading above and the sidebar.

This cat is REALLY stuck!

This cat is stuck between two trees.  HERE is an explanation of why cats get stuck in trees, but I'd say the cat in this photo is in a rather unique situation, wouldn't you?  After all, he/she is not stuck in a single tree, but TWO trees!!

Is this cat laughing at the cat stuck in trees up above?  How rude!

How sociable do you feel these days?

The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement ~ by David Brooks, 2011, psychology, xviii + 427 pages

This is the story of how success happens, told through the lives of one American couple, Harold and Erica — how they grow, push forward, are pulled back, fail, and succeed.  It shows a new understanding of human nature.  The unconscious mind, it turns out, is most of the mind — not a dark, vestigial place but a creative and enchanted one, where most of the brain’s work gets done.  This is the realm of emotions, intuitions, biases, longings, genetic predispositions, personality traits, and social norms:  the realm where character is formed and where our most important life decisions are made.

Drawing on a wealth of research from numerous disciplines, Brooks takes Harold and Erica from infancy to school; from the years that have come to define young adulthood to the high walls of poverty; from the nature of attachment, love, and commitment, to the nature of effective leadership.  He reveals the deeply social aspect of our very minds and exposes the bias in modern culture that overemphasizes rationalism, individualism, and IQ.  Along the way, he demolishes conventional definitions of success while looking toward a culture based on trust and humility.

Word of the Day

so·cia·ble / ˈsōSHəb(ə)l / adjective = willing to talk and engage in activities with other people; friendly.  Example:  "Being a sociable person, I love going out to lunch with a friend or two."

Caturday on Sunday

Have you heard of cats sitting in circles?  Even better, have you actually seen a cat do this?  I was fascinated when I read about it, HERE.  What do you think?

I've found pictures of cat sleeping in a circles, which they do with or without the help of a container (like the cat on the left curled up in).  It shows us just how flexible cats actually are.  This is how Clawdia (and my other cats) would often sleep, though not all the time.

How would you reply to this question:

On Friday, I came up with a weird thought:  If I asked you to think of your childhood, what's the first thing that comes to your mind?  For me, it was my special tree.  I wrote about it in 2012, HERE.  I loved climbing the plum tree in our yard.

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

Catastrophe

I haven't had a Caturday post in awhile, so here's something about cats to (maybe) make you laugh.  Have you ever experienced a CAT catastrophe, something catastrophic caused by a cat?  Please share it in a comment with the rest of us.

Cats, dogs, birds, horses ~ all of them heroes

Pet Heroes ~ by Nicole Corse, 2010, children's (ages 6-8), 32 pages, 10/10

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, especially when they are animals.  This book features 14 stories of pet heroes who either helped or rescued their owners or other animals.  Kids will love reading about these extraordinary pets, from service dogs to pot-bellied pigs.  (I see a cat at the top, so this works for a Caturday post.)

Bookstore cat

I went to Left Bank Books with Risé last Saturday (I mean Caturday, of course) and took a picture of this black cat in the window.  The cat was named by a child, I was told, so that why the poor cat is stuck with this LONG name:  Orleans Tennessee Maple.  I asked the employee to spell it, to be sure I had heard her correctly, so she spelled "Orleans" and said, "I'm not sure how to spell Tennessee."  Uh, not a problem, since that's where I'm from.  She was surprised, to say the least.

Caturday is the day between Friday and Sunday, a day for cats on this blog.

Caturday Stuff on Saturday

I've been sitting here thinking of things I could post on this blog, and I came up with what seems to me like a fun idea.  If you would like for me to feature your cat on a Caturday (that's the day between Friday and Sunday, you know), please email me a photo and whatever you feel is special about your cat.  In other words, what would you like to say about your special pet?  Or maybe even a whole family of cats.  How many do you have, anyway?  My email address is:  emerging.paradigm@yahoo.com

Another book about a cat

Willow the White House Cat ~ by Dr Jill Biden, illustrated by Kate Berube, 2024, children's picture book, 48 pages, 10/10

Willow, a farm cat from Pennsylvania, adjusts to her new home, the White House, where she finds new places to play and friendly staff members who, regardless of their busy schedules, warmly embrace her presence.

The story of how a cat named Willow made her way from a farm in Pennsylvania to her new home, the White House, and made new friends along the way.  When Willow leaves her cozy barn for Washington, DC, and the big white house where she will now live, Willow discovers new rooms to explore and is welcomed by the nice lady she met at Farmer Rick’s farm.

Willow meets so many new people — one who arranges the flow­ers, another who makes sweet things to eat, and the man with a nice smile who seems to be able to do everything at once.  Even though they are much bigger and busier than she is, each of them always seems to have time to say hello and make her feel at home in the big white house.  Willow enjoys discovering the White House and all the special people who make this house a home.

Caturday question

Caturday's cat is blue

Well, I actually posted it yesterday (HERE) to share my book beginnings.  This is the photo of a blue cat that I used.  Isn't it beautiful?  Here's another cat picture for today.