Products Curry Does Not Endorse

"Dear readers, I have recently learned about two absolutely ridiculous, humiliating feline products.  Only humans could come up with ideas so bad.  What do you guys do - spend all your waking thoughts figuring out how to embarass us, and solve some unimportant problem, for a profit?  I'm all for free enterprise, but this stuff is just crazy!  Here are two things I will never wear (and neither will Zorro or Grayson, but I can't speak for Willie):

#1 Humiliating Product: The CatBib

According to the website, the CatBib 'prevents your cat from catching and killing wildbirds.'  Okay, I think they've got a point there, because it 'interferes with your cat's hunting skills.'  But get this, they also say: 'without interfering with any other kitty activities.'  What?  You've got to be kidding me!  Have you seen this thing? By all means, it interferes with other kitty activities, namely with maintaining our air of dignity!  They also say it is 'comfortable and safe for your cat to wear.'  How on earth can that be?  What if you had some goofy neoprene bib hanging from your collar?  Would that feel good?  Would that make you happy, dear humans?  I think not.  In summary, the CatBib probably does do its job of saving the lives of a few poor little birdies, but at what expense?  Your cat will get beat up by all the other neighborhood felines.  And it will be your fault!

#2 Humiliating Product: Kitty Twitter

No, I'm not talking about cats like me who have our own Twitter accounts.  This is a bit different.  It's a prototype device that cats wear around their necks.  Once again, what IS it with humans strapping crap to our necks?  How would you like to wear a choker all the time?  Well, this Kitty Twitter concept might just be worse than the CatBib.  I like to call it 'Animal Farm Big Brother.'  This is for humans who just have to know what their cats are doing at all times.  It takes the nanny cam to a new level.  The Kitty Twitter would record your cat's every movement (by camera and GPS) when you are not home, and then broadcast said movements via Twitter.  It's the mastermind of Sony.  Of course, leave it to the Japanese to come up with something like this.  Remember, this is the country that gave us electronic pets (remember Tamagotchi?).  Well, I think the concept of Kitty Twitter is an invasion of privacy.  When we felines are home alone, that's our only time to be free of our over-protective humans.  I'm a grown up and I don't want my mom to know everything I do when she's not home.  Would you?  No!  It's not that I'm hiding anything, but c'mon, I'm a good cat, so grant me a measure of privacy now and then.  No wonder the photo shows a toy cat wearing the device.  No self-respecting feline would go for this.  Of course, my brother Willie might wear it, but I never said he was self-respecting.

So, there are two products that good cat lovers should never, ever buy!  Please, do us all a favor and steer clear of these horrible wastes of your hard-earned money.  Instead, buy more catnip, and give your cat more love and attention.  Don't, I beg of you, make your cat the laughingstock of your neighborhood."

Lions are Not Food!

"Nor are any cats, if you ask me.  I can't tell you how angry I am about the restaurant in Arizona that is serving lion meat in honor of the World Cup.  (Granted, they're probably not the only ones.)  They think THIS is the right way to honor one of Africa's great animals?  C'mon!  I'm a carnivore myself, but that is just WRONG!  Not only is the lion a beautiful, majestic animal, a symbol of raw power and strength, but a lion is a CAT!  It's not right to serve cat burgers!  No way, no how.  I weep for my lion brethren who are cruelly slaughtered for a mere hamburger.  Do these people not have cats as pets?  Do they not see the connection?  What's next, and should I be scared?  I know one thing, if I see anyone with a knife or a gun, I'm running!

So, let me take this opportunity to celebrate my beautiful cousins, the lions of Africa.  My words can't do these magnificent creatures justice, so I'll let this video speak for me.  (Wow, kudos to that one lion cub who showed no fear in the face of his daddy's fury!)  And to all you humans out there considering a lion burger, shame on you!"

The Bionic Cat

Several people have brought to my attention the recent story of the cat with bionic feet.  Click here for a link to a story about this British cat, Oscar, who is lucky to have his life.  And click here for a link to a video in which Oscar first tries out his bionic feet.  Of course, Curry thought this was an interesting story, and wanted to blog about it.  One of the reasons for her interest hits us close to home.  I'll let her explain.

"I'm glad that there are veterinarians who care so much about us cats that they would make bionic paws.  Oscar, the poor cat in the story, may not have been allowed to live, had he not received these bionic paws.  I know that I would be very traumatized without two of my feet.  It would be very hard to get around, and I wouldn't have the freedom to do all the things I like to do, like running and jumping, and exploring on my own, without needing my mom right there all the time.  Oscar was lucky, indeed.  He won't be able to get around exactly the same as before, but once he gets used to his new paws, it will be pretty close to normal.  Thank you, humans, for helping him! 

Stumpy, Grayson's Mother

After hearing Oscar's story, mom and I immediately thought of Grayson's mom, Stumpy.  (Let me explain right now that neither of us named her...that's Uncle John's 'clever' moniker for her.)  You see, Stumpy is missing the bottom half of one of her hind legs.  She was like this when John rescued her, a pregnant (with Grayson & company) stray.  Stumpy actually gets around very well.  She has learned to compensate for the loss of one leg.  She had no problems during her pregnancy or the raising of her litter (Grayson and the other kittens turned out just fine).  But, what would it be like for Stumpy if Uncle John bought her a bionic paw?  I asked Uncle John, and his response was 'that would cost more than my car.'  So, I guess that Stumpy will not be the second cat to benefit from a bionic paw.  Oh well, she's managing just fine as it is.  I'm still happy for Oscar, and I'm happy that those scientists and vets are thinking of us felines in their very important endeavors." 

Happy 1st Birthday to Grayson!

"It was my brother Grayson's birthday on Sunday, June 20th.  He's one year old.  Technically, we're considering him an adult, but you know how it is (just think of human 18 year olds).  He still has some growing and maturing to do before I will grant him the respect that an adult cat deserves.  We had a party for Grayson.  Mom has been getting into celebrating our birthdays lately.  She never used to do this, but then again, I never used to blog.  There's a time to start new habits, I guess.  So, Grayson's First Birthday party was quite a bit more involved than the little family get-togethers we had to celebrate Willie's Birthday or My Birthday.  Mom sent an invitation to several humans through Evite.  I was surprised that so many people wanted to come over and celebrate Grayson's birthday, but they did.  Just look at them in the photo.  I guess humans will go for any excuse to have wine and cheese.  Mom told me she would like me to thank our guests Jan, Nicole, Angela, Christine, Adam, Kim, Tina, Phyllis, Sheri, Mike and Marcia.  There were even more people who wanted to come, but couldn't make it, including our cat sitters Carlos and Deb, and our Uncle John who lives out of state.  It would seem that Grayson has a lot of friends, but since he hid in the bedroom for most of the party, I know they were really here to see me.

The party went down like this.  People started arriving, and Grayson and Zorro started hiding.  Willie and I had a good time because we are much more social cats.  Willie got to run out into the hall a couple times, so that made him happy.  I got to be petted on my head, so that made me happy.  Some of the silly humans brought birthday presents for Grayson.  Willie got first dibs on some cool catnip mice, because he couldn't keep his nose out of the bag.  Willie also got to try on Grayson's new Harley Davidson collar from Jan.  He didn't like it.  Grayson looked good in it though, as you can see from the photo.

The humans ate a lot of cheese and grapes and drank a lot of wine.  They also talked a lot.  Hey, I'm a Siamese cat, and I talk a lot.  If I think a human is talking a lot, it must be so.  These people wouldn't shut up.  But it's completely OK, because they are my mom's friends and they were all good to me.  While the humans were talking, drinking and eating, mom brought out Grayson's birthday cake.  Don't worry, I have no stories to share of goofy human traditions like wearing hats, lighting candles and singing.  The cake was presented to us in a very causal way, and we just ate.  It was a two-layer cake crafted from three cans of Fancy Feast and Laughing Cow cheese that mom tried to squeeze through a Ziploc, pastry bag style.  Mom's decorating skills leave a lot to be desired.  However, Willie (upper right corner of cake photo), Grayson and I ate.  Zorro was still playing shy boy at this point in the party, so no cake for him. 

After a while, some of the guests had to leave, so the party got a little more quiet, and Grayson and Zorro spent more time socializing.  Mom opened Grayson's presents, and we played with them a little bit (check out Zorro and  Grayson trying to get into the foam balls).  In addition to the Harley collar and the catnip mice, Grayson got a new dangly toy (fun!), a chirping chickadee toy, Temptations treats, and some other assorted goodies.  Mom's friends were very generous and all of us cats benefited! 

As the party started to wind down, I collected my thoughts.  (I'm happy to be a big sister to Grayson, even if he is still a bit of a pest.  I'm thinking that in a few more months he'll be fully grown and hopefully pestering me less.  I'm also happy mom has so many nice friends who pet me, talk to me, and let me smell their hair.)  When the last guests left, mom gave Grayson a big hug and told him how much she loves him.  She tells us this all the time, but it's always nice to hear it.  So, happy birthday to Grayson.  The next birthday is in July, and it's Zorro's 8th.  After that, no more cat birthdays until April!"

The Grayson-ator Strikes Again

Dear readers, I must once again apologize for my lag in posting Curry's blogs.  There's no excuse really, other than feeling a little busy since returning from vacation.  Curry has been hounding me (if cats can "hound") to post her blogs.  Then something happened last night that neither of us could ignore.  Little Grayson gave Curry another reason to blog.  Here, she tells the story.

"I'm getting tired of complaining when my mom is too busy to type up my blogs, so I'll just let it go in the future.  This is the last time I will tell her how frustrating it is to have blog material and no one to type it for me.  I promise, this is the last time I will figuratively roll my eyes at my mom's defense of being 'busy.'  So, with that, yes, mom's right, that Grayson is a character.  You'll recall my May 26th blog ('The Flying Grayson') that described Grayson's little adventure getting stuck behind the bookcases.  Mom was really worried that he'd do it again while she was in Costa Rica, and that he'd be trapped back there for hours at a time.  Grayson proved her wrong.  He didn't do it again that week, nor the week that mom returned.  But then a couple nights ago mom woke up to the sound of Grayson scratching and crying, and he had done it again. At 1:00 AM mom had to, once again, remove the books from the bookshelf, pull it out from the wall, and release my crazy little brother.  I was asleep in the bed at the time, so I didn't see him do it.  I heard him do it though, and I didn't care.  I didn't even get up when mom went to check on him.  Apparently Willie did though.  Mom said that Willie was sitting on the desk chair staring at the bookcases where Grayson was trapped.

So this got mom worried.  Would Grayson keep doing this?  Would he get hurt doing it?  Would he do it if she left for an overnight trip?  Well, the answer is: yes.  Grayson had every intention of continuing to jump into the hole and trap himself at the bottom of the six-foot tall bookcases.  He kept trying to jump down there last night while mom was home and watching him.  She would tell him 'no, Grayson!' and get out the water spray bottle to deter him.  It worked for a while, but that boy was determined.  He started easing the front of his body down the side of the bookcase, and just as mom yelled her final 'Grayson, no!' he went over the edge, sliding down six feet into the pit.  For about 30 seconds he said nothing, and mom kept calling to him to make sure he wasn't hurt.  Finally, he responded with his little meow, and we knew he was OK.  He was playing a game with mom.

Once more, mom removed the books, and scooted the bookcase out from the wall.  This time, she didn't put everything back the same way.  She moved the bookcase down a few inches.  It doesn't look quite as nice as the old right-angle set-up in the corner, but now there is a way to escape, should Grayson continue to play this game.  My guess is that he will soon lose interest in the game, since mom doesn't need to react to it anymore.  I have to say, at first I thought my brother was being a little bit stupid in continuing to jump into the hole, but now that I've seen the pattern (that he only did it when mom was home, that he never got hurt, that he was really just fishing for attention), I have a new-found respect for the little guy.  He's still not my favorite brother, but I think I'll let him live to his first birthday (which is in three days...mom's throwing a party)."

Costa Rican Beach Cat

"Hello again, everyone!  Mom stifled me for a week.  She took off on vacation to Costa Rica.  That meant that not only would the boys and I need to be alone for a week, but it also meant that I had no blog secretary.  Thus, no blog posts for a whole week!  Just for that, I'm not going to tell mom about all the fun we had with our cat sitter Carlos.  I'm not going to tell her that even though we missed her, we enjoyed a week of freedom with nobody telling us what we couldn't do!


When mom came home, she told us that she met a cat on the beach in Costa Rica.  At first I was a little jealous, but then I grew to pity this poor little guy.  Mom said that he was young and very skinny (she could see his ribs) and had some open wounds, possibly from fighting, or just from living in the wild.  Even though the bartender at the beach bar told her that this cat had a home, mom wasn't really sure about that.  How could anyone have a cat and take such poor care of him?  There was one thing that may indicate that he does have a home: mom said he was a real sweetheart around her and the other humans she was hanging out with.  So, he knew how to give and receive love.  And his affection may have been entirely genuine, or it was a strategy to get some of mom's lunch away from her.  She gave him a small bite of bread, and when he gobbled it up without chewing, she have him a whole slice.  We cats don't usually eat bread (nothing against it, but it's not meat), so if this guy was chowing down on the bread, you know he had to be hungry.  Mom soaked a second slice of bread in cheese sauce from her pasta, and the cat ate that up too.  Mom said she felt so sorry for this guy, but other than giving him some hearty food, she couldn't do much else.  After a while, he left.

Mom hopes, and I hope too, that this little cat really did have a home and that his people will treat his wounds and feed him better, but we're not so sure.  Mom said she saw a lot of cats in Costa Rica, and all of them were thin.  Some of them clearly did have homes, but just weren't as fat as us spoiled American cats.  Others were strays, and mom's heart went out to them as she thought about me and my brothers here at home, and how much she missed us.  There were lots of dogs in Costa Rica too, including on the beach, mom said.  Again, they were thinner than American dogs, and some appeared to be strays.  It was often hard for mom to tell the strays from the dogs with homes, because there didn't seem to be any kind of leash laws, and many dogs ran around without collars.  There were good dog sightings, mom said, like the happy dogs playing near the surf, and the ones running on the path with their humans.  But mom's experience with cats and dogs in Costa Rica was overwhelmingly sad.  She wished the animals were better cared for, but with many people just making ends meet, animals were not their top priority.  Stories like these remind me how lucky Zorro, Willie, Grayson and I really are.  We have a happy home with lots of love, food, toys, and comfortable places to sleep, and we get good veterinary care.  I may complain about my brothers sometimes, and I may seem aloof as if I don't care about things, but I do, and I'm proud to be my mom's Siamese girl."

Curry's on Vacation

Actually, that's not quite true. She isn't going anywhere. But I need to take a break from my duties as her blog secretary. She's not happy about this, believe me. Just like most cats, she likes to do what she wants, when she wants, and she doesn't like it when we humans stand in her way. I have just enough time to leave you with this message from Curry's own lips (and I've posted some of her baby pictures to amuse you as well):

"Thanks a LOT mom! Just when I start building up my readership, you need to go off the clock. I expect that you'll type extra fast to catch things up in June. Dear readers: this little blog hiatus really was not my idea. I'll miss you. Meows."

The Flying Grayson

Grayson gave me a scare the other night.  It was 12:30 AM and I was asleep.  I woke up to the sound of scuffling coming from the office.  I assumed it was just Grayson jumping to the top of the 6+ foot tall bookcase, which he had just recently proven capable of.  I saw him do it the night before.  Just like Curry does, he used my desk as a launch pad and flew 5 feet up to the top of the bookcase.  Once on top, it's fun for the cats because there are two bookcases set at a right angle in the corner, and an additional two along one wall, so it's kind of like a catwalk.  So, from my bed, I called out to Grayson to see if he was OK.  He heard me call him and meowed back...it was actually more like a little cry.  I kept calling his name, expecting him to come to me.  He kept answering but the sound of his voice didn't get any closer.  I immediately knew what had happened, and I knew that I would be taking a little break from my slumber.  Curry saw the whole thing, so I'll let her describe the events of the wee hours.

"I have no shortage of pesky little brothers.  Grayson bugs me most of all because he is a copy cat.  He had been watching me jump to the top of the bookcases for weeks.  Finally, the other day did it on his own.  Now he is probably going to keep me away from my favorite spot, but I'll deal with that later.  Here's what happened the other night.  Grayson jumped down into the opening between the two corner bookcases.  It's less than 12 inches square, and the bookcases are more than 6' tall, so he was stuck.  I wish I could make fun of him for doing something so idiotic, but I can't.  Why not?  Because I did the same thing a few years ago.  I know, you're thinking, 'but Curry, you're such a smart cat...why on earth would you jump into a trap like that?'  Well, the answer is that curiosity got the best of me.  I slid down the side of the bookcase and was halfway down before I realized there was no way back up.  Unfortunately, I tried this when mom was not home, so she found me like that after I'd been down there a while.  How long?  I'll never tell.  So, Grayson followed in my footsteps, literally.  He did it in the dark too, but at least mom was home and knew that he was crying for a good reason.  She got out of bed as soon as she had figured it out.  She had to remove all the books from one of the bookcases, and slowly ease it away from the wall inch by inch to let Grayson out.  Here's a picture mom took once Grayson was free and inspected for injuries (there were none...we cats are pretty darn tough).

So, as much as I want to make fun of my little brother, I can't.  I know exactly why he did it.  And I also know that he's very unlikely to do it again.  Mom worried that I'd do it again, and started devising schemes to plug the hole, or to rearrange furniture.  It was unnecessary.  I was curious, but I'm not stupid.  To this day, I love to hang out on top of the bookcases, but I'll never jump into the corner again.  While I say that Grayson probably won't do it again, I know there's a slight chance that he will.  After all, he's still a crazy young thing and thinks he's invincible.  I guess I'll try to be a good big sister and look out for him.  I can tell you that he's copycatted me again: he has started reaching over the top and knocking books to the floor.  Nothing against books, but it's kinda fun to do.  I don't begrudge Grayson this pleasure either.  What is it that you humans always say about imitation and flattery?  OK, I'll try to appreciate my brother.  Sigh."

Mom Cheated on Me

"Yes, you heard me.  Mom spent some time with and showed some love to another Siamese cat!  I wouldn't care if it had been any other cat breed or mutt, but I'm supposed to be her special Siamese girl.  Imagine my seething rage when I saw this photo.  That's mom with Arthur.  I think he's a Flame Point because he's kinda reddish.  You don't see a lot of Siamese cats with his coloring, so I'm even more mad that mom got all lovey-dovey with 'special' Arthur.  And what business does a Siamese cat have being red, anyway?  I know we come in different colors, but red?  In case you're interested, I'm considered a Seal Point Siamese.  That means that my 'points' are dark brown and my body is light brown.  When I was a kitten I was even lighter, a creamy beige.  Mind you, I'm the first to admit that I'm not a pure-bred Siamese (I'm 3/4), but who cares?  I'm all Siamese in my heart!

So, I guess you want to know who Arthur is.  He belongs to my mom's friend Sherri.  Mom went all the way to Connecticut for Sherri's surprise birthday party.  (I was upset that she left us for the weekend, but we had Carlos to take care of us, and it was only two nights.)  So while she's in West Hartford having a good old time, reconnecting with old friends, she takes some time out to love on Sierra and Gus (the dogs), Peanut (the snake), and Arthur.  Mom came home and told us about how sweet and affectionate Arthur is.  Did she think we needed to hear that?  She told us how much he likes to be held (more than me or my brothers) as if we would take kindly to that information.  I haven't met Arthur, but just look at him.  He thinks he owns my mom!  See how tight he's gripping her, like he never wants her to leave?  And see how content he is that he's closed his eyes?  I don't know for sure, but I bet he was also purring like crazy.  I can just tell, the way he's all happy in the photo.

All right, I guess I'm going to forgive mom.  After all, she did come home to us, and she was very sweet with us last night.  She didn't say anything about seeing Arthur again.  In fact, she told me that he is very happy in his own home with Sherri and company.  I'm kind of jealous of him, I suppose.  I wish I had dogs and a snake.  Maybe I can talk mom into bringing home some pets other than more cats.  I really could use a break from my brothers!"

Willie's Latest Escapades

"Willie isn't done being silly.  I blogged about my goofy brother on 3/31/10 ('Silly Willie'), but he insists on giving me more blog fodder.  Just look at this picture.  That crazy boy took mom's sweatshirt, which was hanging on the back of a chair.  Most cats would be content spending a few minutes kneading the fabric and then curling up for a nap right on top.  Not my brother Willie.  He crawled INTO the sweatshirt and down the sleeve, and proceeded to get himself stuck.  Look at him, all "mummified" in the sleeve, and unable to move.  If mom hadn't found him, he would have had one heck of a time getting out of that sweatshirt.  First of all, Willie's body is a little bit more plump than that sleeve is wide, so he was in there snugly.  Good thing that it had some stretch to it.  Secondly, he would have had absolutely no leverage for backing out of the thing.  Of course, I just sat there laughing silently at the deeds of a true feline dunce! 

In that first post about Willie, I said he was new to running outside the apartment door.  Well, now he's a pro.  Unless he's sound asleep or in the litter box, Willie ALWAYS tries to get through the open door.  Mom knows this, so she does what she can to block him.  Her success rate is about 70%.  For a clumsy cat, Willie is amazingly fast.  He almost always runs down the hall and just keeps on going.  Mom doesn't bother to chase him, because he's faster than her.  Instead, she slowly follows him down the hall until he hits a dead end, then carries him home.  Willie likes being carried home and I believe this is part of the game for him.  Last night, Willie had a new experience.  Mom failed to block him as she left the apartment to do laundry.  He got out into the hall but didn't run far.  Mom was able to lure him into the laundry room, which is conveniently located just around the corner from our apartment.  Willie explored the laundry room, to include the narrow spaces behind the machines, while mom loaded the laundry and started the washers.  When she was done, she carried him back home.  He must have thought this little visit to the laundry room was emblematic of some newly earned freedom.  Afterward, he stood at the door for nearly ten minutes, watching for movement in the doorknob, and calling for mom to let him out.  Willie doesn't talk much, so the fact that he was begging to be let out was noted by all of us (and heeded by none).

What a character I have for a brother.  I know he thinks he's got all this testosterone flowing and he's the alpha male, in charge of the other cats in the pack, but I know better.  I humor him and let him believe these things.  I know that I am of superior intellect and common sense, and I take great pride in pointing out the frivolities of Silly Willie.  I hope you're laughing with me, and at him!"