Unposed chillin'

When you have sibling cats, one cat's habits will influence the other cat's personality, at least occasionally.  In this Spring 2005 photo, Rosie took a cue from her brother, Sammy, and didn't pose for the camera:

Actually, I think she was just sleepy.

Finishing the sentence CXXVIII

An unfinished sentence I wrote and three of its responses from September 1991:

Persistence pays off handsomely when...

...your boss decides to give you a two-week paid vacation just because he's sick of your face around the office when he's trying to take a nap. (Miranda G.)

...you finally get the lug nuts off your flat tire and make it to your best friend's wedding on time, dress intact. (Charlotte O.)

...the day comes to assign a monetary value to it. (Eric S.)

Watchcat protocol XI

We all have to sleep at some point:

When watchcats both need to catch up on sleep, as Rosie and Sammy did on this day in May 2004, it's necessary to use an outside watchcat.  I had it on good authority that our regular visitor, Stray Cat, fulfilled this role during such times.

The ever-perplexing Pepsi

Whenever you introduce a new element into your cats' world, even one as benign as a two-liter Pepsi, you have to expect that your cats will examine it in great detail:

Spring 2004: Rosie and Sammy investigate a two-liter bottle of Pepsi.  To protect her brother from the danger it might contain, Rosie shielded Sammy's eyes with her tail.

Helpful closed captioning

It wouldn't have been realistic to expect Animal Planet or any other network to provide English translations of animals' speech.  Thus, on a program like "Sunrise Earth," closed captioning often read like this:

Human viewers would helpfully learn when animals were grunting or squeaking that way.  Cat viewers, such as Sammy in April 2008, however, were content just to hear and see the animals.

Watchcat protocol X

You might be taking a cat's photo and not posing any harm to anyone.  Nevertheless, you might still find yourself in a watchcat's direct line of sight.  It's nothing personal.  The watchcat is just carrying out orders:

June 2012: Watchcat Sammy keeps tabs on my every move while Watchcat Rosie keeps tabs on her sector.

Tours--not just for humans

I can just imagine the narration here.  "Just ahead, you'll see--the pond, in which you swim every day of your life..."

June 2015: A guided tour of Des Peres Park.