Sunday, June 14, 2009

A Small Cat-Apostrophe . . .

You may have seen the two posts just below here about cats and the good life cats have in general, even on three legs; and since doing those two posts, well, it's true, I've sort of had cats on the mind a bit these past few days, a sort of feline feeling, and for some reason, I thought I'd even seen a few more cats than usual in the neighborhood these past couple of days. But it wasn't until I read Jeff's post at Life Is Beautiful yesterday that I put two and two together to come up with a four-pawed conclusion . . .
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And it is this : The word got out on the street somehow that I was a sucker for posting pictures of cats on my blog, and that word travelled fast ! ! ! Already it got down to the cats in the south of France where Jeff lives, but I heard it had even crossed the ocean, as I started stumbling on other cat oriented blogs all of a sudden, like Attack of the Tabbies, and it was then that I realized I was in serious kitty litter ! ! !
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My goodness, when I got home from work this evening, here is the scene from the street in front of the house ! ! ! There were felines as far as the eye could see. . . they had come from all over Europe, clamoring and meowing in French, German, Hungarian, even Bulgarian, to try to claw their way into my blog ! I had to drive around the block and then slip in through the garden and back door ! And only just escaped a horde of tabbies who tried to leap on my back from our catalpa tree. . . It was shades of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds . . . I may have to board up the windows and plug the chimney !
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I'm not sure how I'm going to get rid of them ? ? ? Maybe I could tempt them with some young chicks like these ? If I let a bunch of these chicklets out at the far end of the street, maybe the cats would all run that way, and stop meowing around the house, there's no way I'll get any sleep tonight if they keep that ruckus up. . .
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Or perhaps it's some fish they'd like ? ? ? If I could drive slowly down the road dangling fish out the car windows, maybe they'd follow me away from here, like the pied piper . . . oh, I'm floundering for ideas. Perhaps if I just give in and post the above photo, that will satisfy them . . . hey, that's an idea . . . ok you wild cats, you're on the Magic Lantern Show now; so you can all stop your caterwauling and go home !
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28 comments:

James said...

That's the first step but I think Jeff should teach you how to speak the cat's language. If I'm not mistaken It's called Catonese.

jeff said...

Owen, you're a reel big fish ! ! !
My God ! Ils sont là ! Aaaaaaahhhhhhh !... C'est un cri de frayeur ! Même les poulets se reproduisent entre eux... Je viens d'éteindre mon poste de télé !... Owen, je viens de voir une quinzaine de Sarkozy entrain de laver leur voiture au karcher !... Et je suis sans effets de "beep" ! Serait-ce les restes de cette nuit ?
Ahlala ! Que ça fait du bien de voir enfin ton blog s'illuminer avec ton humour ! ça donne envie de revenir plus souvent ! Non mais c'est vrai avec tes cimes entières !... Pfffffffooouuuuuuuu !
Mais, total respect Owen ! Mais bon,....... !
Merci pour ton clin d'oeil Owen !
P....n Owen, je viens de voir bouger le poisson sur ton blog ! ! !... 8-0

The Sagittarian said...

I am not sure about your approach, the cats may clam up if you mussel in on them with fish; you would undoubtedly ruffle a few feathers if you baited them with chicks which could be eggs-actly what you're wanting of course.

Batteson.Ind said...

Told you cats were ethereal.. once you declare your love for them, they own your soul, no amount of chick flesh and colouredy fish will help you! RUN AWAAAYYY!!!

Cynthia Pittmann said...

Funny comments...especially the Sagittarian! I don't know if you really have that many cats or if it's all a gag, Owen. Now tell the truth...did these cats suddenly appear? Did you start feeding them? I'm overrun with dogs here...but a few years ago it was cats. I think they do know that a cat lover is near...but I think the same is true for dogs. <3

Laurie said...

Most exciting dear chap and very Hitchcockian, to say the least. I say, old boy, there seems to be an outbreak of punning going on - it's not right you know! Has everyone lost their marbles?

PS I got a very good book (seriously) from the library on how to speak cat. One word, myrrooo! - are you hungry - was always understood by all eight of my cats who would rush to the kitchen and stand by the food bowls.

Lynne with an e said...

Yes, you're right--obviously word is out on the catwalk about Owen's warm & fuzzy feelings for felines and now they all want to adopt you. What can a Kat man du?

robert said...

Lately cats are the favourite animals to my son and he tries to make there 'miau' voice, making a face just as if he had bitten into a lemon, making the sweetest sounds however.
Please have a nice start into the week.

Michelle said...

Owen,

I love these photos!

Michelle :)

Loulou said...

Owen, should you want to see a "cat on a hot tin roof"... you'd better cehck again Indiaphragme and follow this link: http://loulou-photos-india.blogspot.com/2009/03/chat-sur-un-toit-brulant-cat-on-hot-tin.html
As for "cat in Egypt", I have more than a surprise left in my hat (not sure about the English here...well... it's hot in Delhi, so let's say I have some good excuse, once). Miaouh.

Margaret Pangert said...

All you need is one big dog! That should do the trick. You do have quite a few tabbies there--the orange ones are the friendlier, more intelligent and personable ones. You might pick out one of those for keeping.
Owen, thanks for being a great blogger friend and encouraging my blogging and more importantly my being a chess piece on the board.
The photos are SO French! Are there still dozens of bird cages with birds at one point along the Seine? Do expatriated Koreans still eat cats? That's another idea. Bonne chance!

Buenos Aires Photoblog said...

Nice pictures! Buenos Aires has a lot of stray cats, too. Poor kittens...

Owen said...

Ahhh what can I say about all you fur-tive visitors, you sure don't pussyfoot around, that's clear...
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James, tsk, tsk, tsk, you apparently have a bit of a punny streak in your genes... Catonese ? Will have to work on purrfecting that, fur sure...

Oh no, even Jeff is making puns now ?!!! HELP !!! and in English at that ?!?!? Jeff, I guess you know the meanings of reel and real, and that one can be related to fishing??? Tu as fait exprès je pense, mais j'ai un doute.... en tout cas, si tu vois des poissons qui bougent là, effectivement, c'est très inquiètant. Vas voir ton toubib là rapidement ! Peut-être c'est dû aux vapeurs de la peinture, faut faire attn avec ça !!! Ou la *biiiiiiiip* ! Chai pas...

Dear dear Steve ! I hadn't looked at it from that point of view, hmmm, maybe you're right, maybe I should invite them all in for drinks ?! You know, one of them walked up to me and said with a very sassy meow in her best Catonese, "hi there big fella, I'm Pussy Galore" ! No comment ! I guess, as Sag would say, I'm just a lucky sod sometimes... :-D

Hi Amanda, that's a very fishy comment there... am not sure which solution you're for, but either way, the fur is going to fly around her fur sure ! hmm, baited chicks... sounds intriguing...

Oh Watercats, definitely, like I said, I'm in the deep smelly kitty litter now... I'm not sure running is an option though, there are too many of them out there...

Ahh Cynthia, I cannot tell a lie, since you asked, it is of course naught but a very tall tail, err, tale, dredged up purr-ely from my overtaxed imagination. I photographed the cats here on the campus of the American University in Beirut, Lebanon in April 2007, and the chicks and fish, or fish and chicks as the English say, were in a street market in Sidon (Saida) Lebanon on that same trip... There is a huge population of stray cats in Beirut, and the ones on the AU campus are fed by staff people daily... every evening a big crowd of kitties come out of nowhere for their dinner...

Hey Laurie, so, you have EIGHT cats??? Wow, that's quite a menagerie, I think Steve's quip may apply to you more than me here, we only have two, one of whom btw is featured on YouTube because she has a little drinking problem :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRt1FMG_waU

And yes, you are right, I think people are losing their marbles ! Or their furballs, I don't know which...

Louciao ! You win the Feline Felicity Punning Prize with that one ! My goodness... What can a Kat man du ????? Dreadful, absolutely dreadful... I hope you are slinking off after that outburst !!! LOL !!! You are a RIOT...

Robert, hi, I hope your son succeeds in learning to speak Catonese... it can be useful in life. Liked your cornerstone piece there...

Michelle; (a Beatles song comes to mind) THANK YOU ! That's the cat's meow...

Loulou, I have no doubt you have plenty of surprises for us up your sleeve, under your hat, or in your big bag of tricks ! Can't wait ! I'm sure we will allow the heat to explain any issues with language... and I did go look at your beautiful gray kitty... thx !

Hi Margaret, hmmm, don't know if anyone still eats cats in France, but yes, maybe if I was from a different culture, I might invite them all to a bbq... but I'm not, so I wont... ;-D (my own two cats are looking at me askance right now with a very reproving and admonishing look in their eyes !) Actually, as mentioned above, these photos were all taken in Lebanon... but Lebanon was formerly a French colony, so perhaps that explains the French feline feeling... The bird and animal market by the Seine is still there...

Amber said...

IS that photo true?! That is a dream come true for my husbnd and I! We are craving cats at the moment as there are very few in our town and ours are back home in Australia. I think we will have to come and visit your part of the world!

jeff said...

Tinquiètes ( au cas où ) amigOwen ! Je tombe sur ta photo de poissons alors que j'écoutais un morceau du groupe Reel Big Fish ! Incredible isn't it ?!? Pas de beep le matin... quoique !...
Ciao Owen !....<8:)

RosieK said...

Great photos and post - thanks for making me smile!

James said...

Hello again Owen, I would like to present you with the Uber Amazing Blog award. You can claim it at my Newtown blog.

Joanna Lee said...

Hi,

I just found you on my follower list! Thanks. I also signed up to your blog too! You are hilarious! I love all the word play and this post about the cat attacks is hilarious!

Are you sure you didn't personally invite them over and told them to pose?

I look forward to reading more.

Have a lovely day!

p.s. How cool to be living in France!

Nathalie H.D. said...

J'adore ta première photo, totalement traumatisante comme les oiseaux d'Hitchcock, un film que je n'ai jamais réussi à regarder en entier tellement j'avais peur.
Les films d'horreur ce n'est pas pour moi, je suis terrifiée, je prends tout au premier degré et je déchire les bras de mes voisins avec mes ongles. Alors tes chats, je les zappe et je les oublie !

Owen said...

Hi Nat ! tous ces chats étaient d'une gentillesse pas possible, ils avaient tous surtout soif des calins, il y a un qui a adopté notre fille, qui voulait rentrer à la maison... voilà, rien d'effrayant. Mais très marrant de voir toute une rue blindée de chats... pas pour les chatouilleux... :-D bonne semaine !

Hey Beatriz, very happy to see you here, always happy to meet new people from around the blogosphere, glad you enjoyed the cats... if you skim through the comments already left here, you'll see there are some terrible punsters out there who provoke me into making my own feeble attempts at word games. The cats were indeed invited, but not by me, they all came at once because it was their daily feeding time by staff at the American University in Beirut. Et oui, France is lots of fun ! I was impressed with your international background, and if I get any more burned out by my job, I may need an occupational therapist too ! LOL !

James, thanks so much, I'll come take a look... that's very very kind of you...

Rambling, more than welcome, anything we can all do to help each other keep smiling in these strange times is worthwhile !

Ah Jeff, pour un instant tu m'avais bluffé là... :-D

Catherine said...

love the surrealist trails you create!!

Margaret Pangert said...

You know, when I lived in Beirut, the vendors would send their wares up to your balcony on a rope. I do remember how wonderful the fish was! we spent l'estivation in Alay, up in the mountains. It was a great place at one time. Hopefully coming back.

desi said...

you really have a very good imagination and en even better way of storytelling!! I think the little chicks will do the trick. Cats like playing with their food..

Haha! what a cool way to start a Monday morning!

:)
Desi

Jilly said...

Oh very funny! Just what I needed today - a nice big laugh. You write so well as well as take great photographs.

Owen said...

Hi Jilly, Laughter is Golden ! Thx !

Desi, if you had 300 cats outside your house, your imagination would be busy too ! Glad it helped get the morning going... down in Winter-time South Africa !

Margaret, how long did you live in Beirut ? I only stayed in the area for two weeks, but the memories will last a lifetime... a very intense place for sure.

Catherine, many thanks, loved your shady cemetery photos there !

Anonymous said...

Kitties! Haha cute story Owen. Love the first picture.

Margaret Pangert said...

'72-'73: had to leave in a tank to get to the airport. what a shame. they had the best lifestyle.

Quill and Greyson said...

Another cat has found you!