I'm Not A Cat Guy, But I'm Still Really Mourning Grumpy Cat

Grumpy Cat died last month at the age of 7. 

The big, sad news of the past month is that Grumpy Cat passed away back in mid-May at the age of 7.

She was a celebrity, and word of her passing was all over the news, seemingly almost to the level of press coverage at the deaths of Michael Jackson and Princess Di.

And no wonder. Grumpy Cat was the ultimate internet celebrity, becoming one of the most popular memes out there.

She went to the SXSW festival in 2013 and people lined up around the block to take selfies with Grumpy Cat. She was probably the hottest celebrity at the star-studded event.

Grumpy Cat did have a thrilling life, making appearances on television shows and ball games. She went to Broadway to visit the cast of "Cats," --- obviously!

Grumpy Cat also "wrote" a bestselling book called "Grumpy Cat: A Grumpy Book."

As NPR reported:

"The Grumpy Cat book promised to 'put any bad mood in perspective' - and that seems to be a main source of the mourning and tributes that were triggered by the unexpected and unwelcome news that one of the worlds most adorable grouches is no longer with us. 

'I loved the cat,' one fan wrote, 'I find the absolute pleasure of meeting her once and I will never forget it. I will never forget the first time I saw her face! I learned much from her an deeply saddened and devastated to hear of her passing.'"

This fame was all because Grumpy Cat was a relatable meme. I'm not really into internet memes, but this one fit my occasional moods perfectly. Same with everybody else. Grumpy Cat made it OK to not be relentlessly cheerful all the time, as long as you didn't let the grumpiness harden into hate or deep gloom.

Even President Obama, during a speech, did an imitation of Grumpy Cat while mocking some negative acting Republicans.

Some Idiot Is Shaving Cats In British Columbia

Jo Jo Yarjau holds her cat, which
was victimized by a weird
person in town who shaves square
patches out of cats like this one. 

People in Campbell River, British Columbia are worried about their cats.

For good reason. Some weirdo in the town is shaving small patches of fur from cats.

At least two people in Campbell River have said their cats have come home with small square patches of fur shaved from them.

This weirdness was first reported by the Campbell River Mirror newspaper and since picked up by media outlets across North America.

Two residents of the town Jo Jo Yarjau and Vance Assu, who lives around the corner from Yarjau, reported the savings.

Yarjau says her cat isn't particularly affectionate, so somebody had to lure the cat with food, then hold it down firmly during the precise shavings.

Yarjau and Assu said their cats are somewhat traumatized. They can tell because they are more jittery than they used to be.

The could keep their cats indoors so the sicko shaving the cats can't get at them, but they've been long time outdoor cats, and it's hard to keep them inside.

By the way, veterinarians state the obvious: You shouldn't shave a cat. You might injure it, and they need the fur. And the scary experience is obviously not good for them.

My guess is somebody around Campbell River has a strange fetish about cats. If you have a strange fetish, fine, unless it hurts somebody else, or some other being.

So, my message to the weird cat shaver in Campbell River: Get thyself in for counseling, STAT!

Or maybe somebody should shave weird squares into the cat fetish person's hair, to teach him or her a lesson?

Warfare Between Dog and Cat. Dog Eventually Wins. Or Not

From Andrew Sullivan's "Mental Health Break" videos, which offer a comical interlude between the usual musings on politics, we have two videos

The first is a hapless dog trying to reclaim his bed from a completely unimpressed cat:



Later, the puppy does manage to reclaim his bed, but notice how the cat pretends to "let" the dog have his bed back, and preens afterward.

No matter, the dog is happy. Watch:

Cats Hate Christmas, Too, Apparently

Cats like to kill Christmas trees, apparently.  

We set up our Christmas tree, finally, last evening.

Luckily we have dogs, not cats. The dogs are curious about the tree, but I don't detect any hostility from the dogs toward the tree. v

Cats, on the other hand, are a completely different story. It seems like every time I turn around I hear of somebody's cat deciding the Christmas tree is not proper household decor. So they attack it.

Or at the very least, regard a Christmas tree as an enormous kitty toy, just for them.

Want proof? Watch this video of feline Christmas destruction. Especially if you want a bit of a laugh:

Beautiful Short Film Showing How Dogs and Cats Live Better Than We Do

OK, let's get the complaints out of the way first. There's a point to this, trust me.

It's early Monday morning. I'm stressed. My husband just left for an out of town trip for work. He'll be gone for a week and I miss him already.

A promotional shot for the wonderful, beautiful
"Savour Every Moment" short film.  

One of our two dogs, the older, wiser one, Bailey, is sick. He won't eat, and he's lethargic. We don't know what's wrong. He's probably going to the veterinarian this afternoon. I'm terribly worried about him.

I'm behind with work and the work keeps piling up. I can't even find time to keep up with the messes I'm making, or break away for just a half hour to go to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription I need.

Sigh.

Alright, done with the complaints. Life isn't bad, of course, it's good. The problems outlined above are trivial. (Except for Bailey, of course)

All that said, I know I sometimes need to change my perspective. We all need that nudge some time.  I found a reminder, in the form of a beautiful short film,  on how to live that moved me to tears.

It's probably just my mood. But still.

Filmmaker Keith Hopkin has come up with a short film called "Savour Every Moment."  All it is is pretty much just dogs and cats playing, being goofy, having sublime, quiet moments.  Their lives seem so complete. I guess there's something to living in the moment.

Hopkin's  Facebook page also has lots of wonderful dog and other animal photos, to Savour some more

The notes on the YouTube video, which you will see at the bottom of this post, tell the story best:

"Dogs and cats seem to possess some inner secret to enjoying life.

They're able to savour every single moment of the day; all the fun moments, and the goofy ones. The playful moments, the loving moments. If our pets could talk, they might tell us: "When you're happy, don't forget to tell your face. Napping is beauty sleep for the soul. Eat like nobody's watching."

Oh, how I wish I could learn to live like that more often!  We all do. The animals in the video are giving us a primer on how to do that, and so do my Boys, Jackson the Cocker Spaniel and Bailey the Wonder Dog.

Jackson and Bailey often make me stop my work, my responsibilities, my obligations, to tussle with a toy, enjoy a nice chest or back rub, or just cuddle on the floor or couch.

They try really hard to tell me to live like this all the time, not just sometimes.

I know I can't live like them, of course. Humans have to be "productive" and "responsible"  I wonder if that frustrates the Boys, or do they just patiently live their happy, in the moment lives, hoping I finally catch on?

At least the Boys, and the film in this post, give us a chance to take a deep breath and just live. And smile. And that's something.

Here's the wonderful video. It's your lesson for your Monday

Dispute Over Cat In Library Shows There's Always Much More Under the Surface.

The Swansea, Mass. public library has a resident cat.

A guy named Patrick Higgins of Swansea, Mass. isn't allergic to cats and doesn't go to the town's public library.

Turns out Penny, the library cat
in Swansea, Mass., was just a
pawn in a long running local dispute

So no problem, right?  Well, yes.  Despite Higgins' lack of association with the library, he filed a complaint under the Americans With Disabilities Act to have Penny, the library cat removed.  He said people might be allergic to cats and not able to use the library.

But as you might imagine, there was an uproar against Higgins, who now might be the most disliked person in Swansea.  The Fall River (Mass.) Herald News editorialized against Higgins, saying in part:

"But Patrick, if you intended to hit a nerve, you've done so. Perhaps you can take some satisfaction from simply raising the issue. Maybe you could play nice and consider negotiating reasonably with the town.

Think about it. Penny's 14 years old. How much longer do you think she has left? Do you really want to uproot her at this stage in her life? Really? If you feel strongly about it, perhaps you could strike a compromise with the town that once Penny passes, it will be the end of Swansea's library cats. For now, though, leave it be, Patrick. Leave the kitty be."

  
On Friday, Higgins relented, basically taking the newspaper's suggestion and asking that the library post notices saying the cat is present and not get a cat after Penny goes. The library trustees will discuss this soon, local media say.  

After all this, it turns out the ADA might not require the removal of the cat anyway. ABC said Dana Iverson, speaking for the U.S. Justice Department, which handles ADA cases, said in most cases, only reasonable accommodations are needed if someone complains, such as warning signs or keeping the cat in certain rooms.

As usual in these cases, it appears the whole kerfuffle wasn't really about the cat. According to various articles in the Press Herald, Higgins is a thorn in the side to Swansea. He was on the town recreation commission, and people wanted him off, so during a town meeting in November, voters axed the panel.

He sued Swansea in December. Turns out Swansea was to hold its Town Meeting on Oct 29, but that's the day Hurricane Sandy hit. The meeting was postponed, and Higgins says there should have been a quorum of 75 people there to cancel it. (But then, there was that storm...)

And it turns out Higgins allegedly violated conditions of release and was jailed for a bit last fall in Pennsylvania, according to the Press Herald.   The paper reported his original conviction was for working full time at a fast food restaurant while collecting unemployment benefits.

That didn't endear Higgins to Swansea residents, apparently.

All this just goes to show this truism:  When there's a dispute over one simple issue, there's usually quite a huge back story to it.

Best Demonstration of Dog/Cat Differences EVER!

Hat tip to my husband Jeff Modereger for alerting me to this video that is the world's best demonstration EVER of what it's like to live with a dog vs. what it's like to live with a cat.

Human actors in the video show us the differences. The verbiage on the YouTube page is correct: We wouldn't want to live with our human friends if they acted like this, but if it's dogs and cats, it's all cool.

Now that I live with two dogs, and the fact I used to live with cats, had me nodding in complete understanding as I watched this and laughed. You will, too.