Thomas O'Malley

Courage

2006-12-20T07:37:00.000+02:00

Deep down, we're all motivated by the same urges. Cats have the courage to live by them. - Jim Davis, American cartoonist

Useful?

2006-07-19T11:17:00.000+02:00

"You can keep a dog, but it is the cat who keeps people, because cats find humans useful domestic animals." --George Mikes

'n Intelligente mens, die George! Mense is handig. Hulle dra kos aan, borsel ons, streel ons, maak seker dat ons warm is... kortom - hulle maak seker dat ons gemaklik is.

Cat's pajamas

2006-07-18T10:41:00.000+02:00

When God made the world, He chose to put animals in it, and decided to give each whatever it wanted. All the animals formed a long line before His throne, and the cat quietly went to the end of the line. To the elephant and the bear He gave strength, to the rabbit and the deer, swiftness; to the owl, the ability to see at night, to the birds and the butterflies, great beauty; to the fox, cunning; to the monkey, intelligence; to the dog, loyalty; to the lion, courage; to the otter, playfulness. And all these were things the animals begged of God.

At last he came to the end of the line, and there sat the little cat, waiting patiently. "What will YOU have?" God asked the cat.

The cat shrugged modestly. "Oh, whatever scraps you have left over. I don't mind."

"But I'm God. I have everything left over."

"Then I'll have a little of everything, please."

And God gave a great shout of laughter at the cleverness of this small animal, and gave the cat everything she asked for, adding grace and elegance and, only for her, a gentle purr that would always attract humans and assure her a warm and comfortable home. But he took away her false modesty.

- Lenore Fleischer - The Cat's Pajamas

If pink is the new black, I guess this is the new elegance...

2006-07-11T10:14:00.000+02:00

"Cats are always elegant." --John Weitz

Why do I hiss?

2006-06-21T07:09:00.000+02:00

I read an interesting article on Petplace.com. It was written by a human to help humans understand and might therefore not be very accurate. After all, the writer never became a cat, did he?

Section: Hissing Cat

An angry cat can be quite intimidating. Your usually cool cat suddenly crouches, half opens his mouth, draws back his lips, and bares his teeth in a terrifying expression. And then he expels his breath in a loud hiss. It's enough to deter anyone – or anything.

But that's the whole point. And what could be more intimidating than sounding like one of the world's most fearsome animals – the snake. The sound your cat makes – as well as its grimace – resembles that of a snake right before it strikes. And the message is clear: This is a warning, and any further threatening behavior toward me is at your peril.

When your cat hisses, it is a defensive act; in fact, it's an evolutionary strategy of deception based on mimicry, and occurs when one species of animal looks like or behaves like another one. Mimicry is fairly common in the animal kingdom. For example, when burrowing owls are cornered, they produce a defensive hiss that mimics the rattle of a rattlesnake. Non-poisonous viceroy butterflies mimic the poisonous monarch butterfly in color, and as a result birds do not to eat them. And a beetle called the "locust borer" mimics the sound of a bee when picked up.

When your cat hisses at another cat, don't be too eager to intervene. Not only is hissing a defensive strategy; it is also a manner of communicating to establish house rules. A kitten may playfully pounce on an older cat, who will then hiss. Usually the kitten gets the point – that this older cat is not to be messed with. Your cat may also display this threatening behavior toward you. When your kitty hisses at you, it's best to ignore the behavior and walk away. Your pet will soon learn that this verbal display will get him no attention at all and should be saved for really threatening circumstances – not just silly old you.

Narcissism

2006-06-20T07:34:00.000+02:00

Cats are the ultimate narcissists. You can tell this by all the time they spend on personal grooming. Dogs aren't like this. A dog's idea of personal grooming is to roll in a dead fish. - James Gorman

Always the hunter...

2006-06-20T07:28:00.000+02:00

Prowling his own quiet backyard or asleep by the fire, he is still only a

whisker away from the wilds.

- Jean Burden

Trouble in paradise ;-)

2006-06-15T09:03:00.002+02:00

"After scolding one's cat, one looks into its face and is seized by the ugly suspicion that it understood every word and has filed it for reference." --Charlotte Gray

Fat or thin?

2006-06-15T09:03:00.001+02:00

"A cat sleeps fat, yet walks thin." - Unknown

Mine!

2006-06-15T09:03:00.000+02:00

"In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats." — English proverb

Must be a VERY happy boy ;-)

2006-06-09T11:34:00.000+02:00

One of the ways in which cats show happiness is by sleeping.- Cleveland Amory

At play...

2006-06-09T11:26:00.000+02:00

There is nothing in the animal world, to my mind,
more delightful than grown cats at play.
They are so swift and light and graceful, so subtle
and designing, and yet so richly comical.
- Monica Edwards

Cats defined

2006-06-08T08:42:00.000+02:00

Cat: A pygmy lion who loves mice, hates dogs and patronizes human beings. - Oliver Herford

Masterpieces

2006-06-08T08:38:00.000+02:00

The smallest feline is a masterpiece.

- Leonardo de Vinci

Priorities

2006-06-08T08:26:00.000+02:00

"Never ask a hungry cat whether he loves you for yourself alone."

--Dr. Louis J. Camuti

Toys?

2006-06-07T10:31:00.000+02:00

The world is a cat toy...

Postures

2006-06-07T10:12:00.000+02:00

"Cats only assume their strangest, most intriguing and most beautiful postures when it is impossible to photograph them.

Cat calendars disappoint for they only show the public range of cat positions."

--J.R. Coulson

Home

2006-06-07T09:55:00.000+02:00

"One small cat changes coming home to an empty house to coming home." --Pam Brown

Deep wells

2006-06-07T09:51:00.000+02:00

"The little furry buggers are just deep, deep wells you throw all your emotions into." --Bruce Schimmel

Ongerief? Hmph!

2006-05-23T10:24:00.000+02:00

"Cats can work out mathematically the exact place to sit that will cause most inconvenience."- Pam Brown

Dis natuurlik net 'n opinie! Daar is soms 'n dispuut in ons huis. Aanvanklik het ek daarvan gehou om saam met Emtia te bad, maar deesdae is sy in die pad. EK wil SELF bad. In warm water, nie te diep nie... veroorsaak dit nou ongerief 4:00 in die oggend?

Wie het die blomme hier gesit?

2006-04-21T08:16:00.000+02:00

"Cats don't like change without their consent."- Roger A. Caras

En die wenner is...

2006-04-21T08:11:00.000+02:00

...But nature does not say that cats are more valuable than mice; nature makes no remark on the subject. She does not even say that the cat is enviable or the mouse pitiable. We think the cat superior because we have (or most of us have) a particular philosophy to the effect that life is better than death. But if the mouse were a German pessimist mouse, he might not think that the cat had beaten him at all. He might think he had beaten the cat by getting to the grave first.

- Gilbert Keith Chesterton

My ander stokperdjie is...

2006-04-21T08:03:00.000+02:00

...om te jag!

Ek het in die afgelope 4 weke 12 geitjies, 3 sprinkane, 4 vlinders, 2 duiwe en 3 muise gevang. Natuurlik eet ek dit nie! Ek eet Hills en af en toe Whiskas Singles.

Hoekom doen ek dit dan? Vir ontspanning... oefening... om te wys ek kan al is daar 'n klokkie om my nek.

Nee, ek praat nie met die muis op die foto nie, want, soos jy behoort te weet...

"The cat does not negotiate with the mouse." - Robert K. Massie

Vas slaap?

2006-04-13T07:40:00.000+02:00

Wie weet? Dalk het Chateaubriand 'n punt gehad... hy was mos die mens wat geskryf het: "The cat pretends to sleep that it may see the more clearly."

Is dit wat ek doen? Vir my om te weet ;-)

Kop in die bos?

2006-03-07T11:32:00.000+02:00

Nee! My nuwe slaaproetine. Een keer onderstebo, draai 2 keer om, druk my kop in die kombers, draai 3 keer vinnig my pote oor my kop... ek mors my asem. Jy sal nie verstaan nie.

Eiesinnig? Nee, dis baas!

2006-02-28T10:14:00.000+02:00

The mathematical probability of a common cat doing exactly as it pleases is the one scientific absolute in the world. - Lynn M. Osband

My bed! My bank! My huis!

2006-02-28T09:43:00.000+02:00

"Cats can work out mathematically the exact place to sit that will cause the most inconvenience." --Pam Brown

Net een lewe?

2006-02-27T11:09:00.000+02:00

"Since each of us is blessed with only one life, why not live it with a cat?" --Robert Stearns

Insomnia

2006-02-24T07:57:00.000+02:00

"Cats are rather delicate creatures and they are subject to a good many ailments, but I never heard of one who suffered from insomnia." — Joseph Wood Krutch

Wie is die slimste?

2006-02-21T11:40:00.000+02:00

"Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through snow." — Jeff Valdez

Thomas is nie net slimmer as 'n hond nie, maar verbeel hom ook hy is slimmer as 'n mens ;-) Hy het om en om die lamp geloop asof hy probeer uitwerk het hoe dit dan nou werk? Die lamp is uit Marokko en Pieter het dit in Desember vir my gekoppel.

Baklei? Nee wat...

2006-01-30T08:12:00.000+02:00

"There are people who reshape the world by force or argument, but the cat just lies there, dozing, and the world quietly reshapes itself to suit his comfort and convenience."

Allen and Ivy Dodd

Snip-snip...

2006-01-27T07:50:00.000+02:00

Thomas het 'n woeste week gehad. Hy was terug veearts toe om seker te maak dat daar nie meer insidente tussen hom en Persiese prinsesse is nie.

Hy is nog so dronk soos 'n tor, maar slaap en eet en drink darem normaal...

Die foto is geneem voor hy dokter toe is... sy kombers, sy Tigger en catnip was in die mandjie ;-)

Every contented cat is an "it".

-Helen Powers on the virtue of neutering -

Any given Sunday...

2006-01-26T08:10:00.000+02:00

In its flawless grace and superior self-sufficiency I have seen a symbol of the perfect beauty and bland impersonality of the universe itself, objectively considered, and in its air of silent mystery there resides for me all the wonder and fascination of the unknown.

H. P. Lovecraft 1890-1937

Sandpaper kisses...

2006-01-20T11:55:00.000+02:00

Cat Kisses

Sandpaper kisses on a cheek or a chin that is the way for a day to begin
Sandpaper kisses a cuddle and a purr I have an alarm clock that's covered in fur! ...

Author Unknown

Ernest Hemingway het geskryf...

2006-01-20T09:17:00.000+02:00

"One cat just leads to another."

Hy was reg... Mitzi bly ook nou by ons.

Ja, ek word bederf, met goeie rede...

2006-01-20T08:53:00.000+02:00

"Nobody who is not prepared to spoil cats will get from them the reward they are able to give to those who do spoil them." --Sir Compton MacKenzie

(More) Lessons learnt... from a cat!

2005-12-30T09:12:00.000+02:00

Make the world your playground.
Whenever you miss the sandbox, cover it up.
Dragging a sock over it helps.
If you can't get your way, lay across the keyboard till you do.
When you are hungry, meow loudly so they feed you just to shut you up.
Always find a good patch of sun to nap in.
Nap often.
When in trouble, just purr and look cute.
Life is hard, and then you nap.
Curiosity never killed anything except maybe a few hours.
Variety is the spice of life.
One day, ignore people; the next day, annoy them, and play with them when they're busy.
Climb your way to the top, that's why the curtains are there.
Make your mark in the world, or at least spray in each corner.
Always give generously; a bird or rodent left on the bed tells them, "I care".

Lessons learnt

2005-12-30T09:06:00.000+02:00

Clear large space on table for wrapping present.
Go to closet and collect bag in which present is contained, and shut door.
Open door and remove cat from closet.
Go to cupboard and retrieve rolls of wrapping paper.
Go back and remove cat from cupboard.
Go to drawer, and collect transparent sticky tape, ribbons, scissors, labels, etc. . .
Lay out presents and wrapping materials on table, to enable wrapping strategy to be formed.
Go back to drawer to get string, remove cat that has been in the drawer since last visit and collect string.
Remove present from bag.
Remove cat from bag.
Open box to check present, remove cat from box, replace present.
Lay out paper to enable cutting to size.
Try and smooth out paper, realize cat is underneath and remove cat.
Cut the paper to size, keeping the cutting line straight.
Throw away first sheet as cat chased the scissors, and tore the paper.
Cut second sheet of paper to size - by putting cat in the bag the present came in.
Place present on paper.
Lift up edges of paper to seal in present. Wonder why edges don't reach. Realize cat is between present and paper. Remove cat.
Place object on paper, to hold in place while tearing transparent sticky tape.
Spend 20 minutes carefully trying to remove transparent sticky tape from cat with pair of nail scissors.
Seal paper with sticky tape, making corners as neat as possible.
Look for roll of ribbon. Chase cat down hall in order to retrieve ribbon.
Try to wrap present with ribbon in a two-directional turn.
Re-roll ribbon and remove paper, which is now torn due to cat's enthusiastic ribbon chase.
Repeat steps 13-20 until you reach last sheet of paper.
Decide to skip steps 13-17 in order to save time and reduce risk of losing last sheet of paper. Retrieve old cardboard box that is the right size for sheet of paper.
Put present in box, and tie down with string.
Remove string, open box and remove cat.
Put all packing materials in bag with present and head for locked room.
Once inside lockable room, lock door and start to relay out paper and materials.
Remove cat from box, unlock door, put cat outside door, close and relock.
Repeat previous step as often as is necessary (until you can hear cat from outside door)
Lay out last sheet of paper. (This will be difficult in the small area of the toilet, but do your best)
Discover cat has already torn paper. Unlock door go out and hunt through various cupboards, looking for sheet of last year's paper. Remember that you haven't got any left because cat helped with this last year as well.
Return to lockable room, lock door, and sit on toilet and try to make torn sheet of paper look presentable.
Seal box, wrap with paper and repair by very carefully sealing with sticky tape. Tie up with ribbon and decorate with bows to hide worst areas.
Label. Sit back and admire your handiwork, congratulate yourself on completing a difficult job.
Unlock door, and go to kitchen to make drink and feed cat.
Spend 15 minutes looking for cat until coming to obvious conclusion.
Unwrap present, untie box and remove cat.
Go to store and buy a gift bag

Mnr Sphynx

2005-12-30T07:52:00.000+02:00

Nothing is more majestic in this world than catching a glimpse of a cat lying proud, arms stretched in front of him, head held high -- mirroring the great Sphynx who came before him. - Larry H. Corbett, Jr., 20th century philosopher

Thomas en sy (ander) groot liefde... Mitzi

2005-12-30T07:45:00.000+02:00

To err is human; to purr is feline. - Robert Byrne

Spieëltjie, spieëltjie aan die wand...

2005-12-30T07:37:00.000+02:00

...wie is die mooiste in die land?

"The thing about cats, as you may find, is that no one knows what they have in mind." --John Ciardi

Cats & dogs ;-)

2005-12-20T10:14:00.000+02:00

A dog thinks:"Hey, those people I live with feed me, love me, provide me with a nice warm, dry house, pet me, and take good care of me.....They must be gods!"

A cat thinks:"Hey, these people I live with feed me, love me, provide me with a nice warm, dry house, me, and take good care of me..... I must be a god."--Unknown author

Kos, eet, kos, eet...

2005-12-20T10:02:00.000+02:00

Cats know how to obtain food without labor, shelter without confinement, and love without penalties. - W.L. George, American writer

Die beste geskenk...

2005-12-20T09:48:00.000+02:00

... is Thomas!

Toe ek begin het om geskenke toe te draai, het hy sommer in die sak by die ander gaan klim!

"When a cat adopts you, there is nothing to be done about it except to put up with it and wait until the wind changes." - T.S. Eliot

My vriendin, Emtia...

2005-12-17T20:35:00.000+02:00

Ja, ja! Sy is my vriendin en dit kan net werk omdat sy weet wat Theophile Gautier geskryf het. Hy was 'n Franse filosoof... ek neem aan jy het dit geweet?

Wat? Jy weet nie wat hy geskryf het nie? Dis hoekom jy nie my vriend is nie! Hier is dit...

If you are worthy of its affection, a cat will be your friend but never your slave. It is difficult to obtain the friendship of a cat. It is a philosophical animal, one that does not place its affections thoughtlessly.

Thomas is een jaar oud!

2005-12-17T20:30:00.000+02:00

Thomas verjaar die 16de Desember (want ek het so besluit). Vir sy verjaarsdag het hy Catnip en Fancy Feast gekry. Hy het die Catnip uitgeruik en oopgemaak voor hy verjaar het. Ek het geskrik, want hy was letterlik in die plastieksak en ek het gedink hy gaan versmoor in al die opwinding. Die Fancy Feast is verorber voor ek dit kon afneem, maar die Catnip effek is duidelik sigbaar op hierdie foto...

Unlike us, cats never outgrow their delight in cat capacities, nor do they settle finally for limitations. Cats, I think, live out their lives fulfilling their expectations. - Irving Townsend

Emtia het haar Marokkaanse goed opgehang, maar...

2005-12-17T19:49:00.000+02:00

... ek is die mooiste op die foto!

The cat is nature's beauty." --French proverb

Wat is die punt...

2005-12-17T19:36:00.000+02:00

....van ons uitsig as 'n kat dan nie eens die voëls van nader kan beskou nie?

Thomas hou van die balkon. Ek is nie seker waarna hy saans kyk nie, maar op hierdie foto (Donderdag voor werk) het daar 'n hele klomp voëltjies amper op sy oog-hoogte rondgevlieg. Of dalk... het hy sommer net gekyk hoe die son opkom of dalk... het hy ook gedink die son lyk goed op sy pels ;-)

"If you, like me, were made of fur and sun warmed you, like me, you'd purr." --Karla Kuskin

The cat who doesn't act finicky...

2005-12-15T10:54:00.000+02:00

...soon loses control of his owner. - Morris (the cat)

En net die volgende dag...

2005-12-15T10:13:00.000+02:00

...was hy weer 'mamma se seuntjie'! Geslaap.... en geslaap en bietije gaan eet en drink en weer geslaap...

"Drowsing, they take the noble attitude of a great sphinx, who, in a desert land, sleeps always, dreaming dreams that have no end." --Charles Baudelaire

Tom en sy trawant het die hele dag in die koppie gespeel...

2005-12-15T10:08:00.000+02:00

... en hy het nie kom eet nie, kon my blykbaar nie hoor nie.

Ek verstaan nou...

For a man to truly understand rejection, he must first be ignored by a cat. - Anonymous

MAAR, aan die ander kant...

The best exercise for a cat is another cat. - Jo and Paul Loeb, American animal trainers and writers

Thomas maak soos 'n kat!

2005-12-15T10:03:00.000+02:00

A Cat's hearing apparatus is built to allow the human voice to easily go in one ear and out the other. - Stephen Baker

En wanneer hy nie slaap nie....

2005-12-02T10:54:00.000+02:00

Cats are soft-furred mammals, who are mildly and clumsily predatory. They have anywhere from two to a dozen neurons. The baseline intellect of a cat has two states. (1) Chow state (feeding frenzy); and (2) Sleep mode (unconscious on your bed with whiskers twitching). - Elaine Richards

Snoozzzzzz....

2005-12-02T10:42:00.000+02:00

Cats sleep anywhere; any table, any chair, top of piano, window ledge, in the middle ... on the edge. - Eleanor Farjeon

Op die bed, in die middel of op die kant as jy dit sou verkies of op jou plek op die bank, in die kas .... en my Thomas is nie die uitsondering hier nie!

Hy word duidelik groot en ek reken hy slaap omtrent 15 ure per dag op die stadium.

Versierings...

2005-12-01T10:48:00.000+02:00

"Cats are living adornments." --Edwin Lent

En daarom het ons nie ander Kersversierings nodig nie (dink Thomas blykbaar). Hier het hy die Kersfeesballe bekruip en net voor dit het hy die liggies probeer afhaal.

Wat maak hy?

2005-12-01T10:37:00.000+02:00

Ek weet ook nie... dalk is ons nie veronderstel om te weet nie? Hy sit-hang soms so uit by die vensters. Soms met 'n gehoor (mense of katte) en soms sommer op sy eie.

A cat is a puzzle for which there is no solution. - Hazel Nicholson

Al die juniors kry name!

2005-12-01T10:26:00.000+02:00

They say the test of literary power is whether a man can write an inscription. I say, "Can he name a kitten? - Samuel Butler

Belinda het die toets geslaag! Die babas het name... Nemo, Sandals, Arial & Sylvester. Die foto is van die 'gesinnetjie' se splinternuwe naamplaatjies.

God gave man the cat ...

2005-11-22T10:03:00.000+02:00

...in order that he might have the pleasure of caressing a tiger. - Ancient proverb

Thomas O'Malley en die emmertjie

2005-11-22T09:58:00.000+02:00

Most of us rather like our cats to have a streak of wickedness. I should not feel quite easy in the company of any cat that walked about the house with a saintly expression. - Beverly Nichols

Ek en Tom stry oor die emmertjie! Hoekom? Hy wil dit altyd oop hê! Sy catnip is daarin... en as ek dit dan nie wil oopmaak nie, probeer hy maar net self!

After dark all cats are leopards. - Native American (Zuni) proverb

2005-11-22T09:57:00.000+02:00

Thomas sit saans op die balkon en staar. Ek verstom myself altyd oor die intensiteit waarmee hy waarneem. Dalk is dit wanneer hy ‘n tier is en die hele stad stukkie vir stukkie verower? Ander idees?

To gain the friendship ...

2005-11-22T09:49:00.000+02:00

... of a cat is a difficult thing. The cat is a philosophical, methodical, quiet animal, tenacious of its own habits, fond of order and cleanliness, and it does not lightly confer its friendship. If you are worthy of its affection, a cat will be your friend, but never your slave. He keeps his free will, though he loves, and he will not do for you what he thinks is unreasonable. But if he once gives himself to you it is with absolute confidence and affection. - Theophile Gautier, French writer and critic

We humans are indeed fortunate if we happen to be chosen to be owned by a cat. – Anonymous

Thomas bly een van die beste dinge in my lewe. Soms glo ek regtig dat hy verstaan. Hy kan my laat skaterlag en op ‘n lui middag kom strek hy hom uit op die teels en roer net wanneer ek beweeg. Dis verstommend om te dink dat die Here hierdie wesentjie met sy eie wil gemaak het en dat hy kies om elke dag terug te kom huis toe – om my te vermaak of seker te maak dat ek hom vermaak? (;-))

The smart cat ...

2005-11-22T09:08:00.000+02:00

....doesn't let on that he is. - H.G. Frommer

Thomas is beslis intelligent, jy kan dit sommer sien op die foto ;-) (Thomas O'Malley na bietjie Catnip)

Catnip ... die feite! (deesdae Tom se gunsteling happie)

2005-11-21T10:53:00.000+02:00

Catnip...and How it Affects Your Cat's Behavior
by: Dr. Nicholas Dodman

For all our scientific know-how, we still have not uncovered the secret of why cats are attracted to catnip. According to a dictionary definition, “catnip is a strong-scented mint (Nepeta cataria) that has whorls of small, pale flowers in terminal spikes and contains a substance attractive to cats.” But though still a mystery, the substance that attracts cats has been isolated. It’s a volatile turpenoid, and has a specific chemical name: nepetalactone. Nepetalactone is not attractive to all cats; only about 30 to 70 percent of cats are actually attracted to it. But when it works, it really works, appearing to drive cats wild with excitement.

The Catnip TripA cat reacts to catnip with ecstasy and unbounded joy. They are given to:
· Sniffing, chewing and batting around the catnip source, salivating profusely
· Shaking their heads
· Rolling and rubbing themselves on the floor
· Becoming ataxic, falling and stumbling
· Tandem kicking forward with the hind feet
· Excitement and chasing behavior Theories Behind CatnipNo one really knows why catnip is such a big attraction for cats. It is also unclear what sensations it is eliciting and what behavior(s) it is releasing. Here are a few possible explanations and discussion of the points that arise:
· Some of the behaviors look play-like, so cats under the influence of catnip do seem to be in a good mood and having fun.
· Chewing and salivating appears to be an appetitive response, one that is associated with getting food.
· Rolling and rubbing appear to be a sexual behavior mimicking being in heat.
· Tandem hind leg kicking behavior may indicate predatory behavior.
· Chasing behavior also indicates a predatory component.So Which Explanation Is It?It may be that they all are correct. Catnip, it seems, kindles a little bit of everything, exciting cats and allowing them to let go of their inhibitions. This implies a general excitatory effect on areas of the brain, particularly those centered in and around the hypothalamus, the region that controls appetitive, predatory and sexual behavior.Recent evidence is that nepetalactone, whose molecule has an opioid (opium-like)-shape, does indeed have an opium-like action. It stimulates certain types of opioid receptors in the same way morphine does. You might ask why an innocent plant would be harboring such a powerful chemical. The answer may be to attract insects that will subsequently assist in cross-pollination or help plants in other ways (e.g. wasps that are attracted will eat aphids). Lamiaceae-type plants may have evolved the ability to manufacture cyclopentanoids, known insect sex pheromones, to attract insects to assist in their own reproductive cycle.Along comes a cat with a nose for fun, discovers this interesting, perhaps pheromonally-attractive plant, which it proceeds to investigate and perhaps to chew. If he or she actually absorbs nepetalactone, the opioid-receptors, pleasure centers, and “go” systems of the brain will be activated and the cat will roll around in ecstasy. It has been shown that exposure to nepetalactone has an amphetamine-like effect in some animals and will cause certain repetitive behaviors. This goes along with the theory of opioid activation, as opioids, in some species – cats and horses included – do cause stimulation of “go system” neurochemicals (a.k.a. catecholamines), as amphetamine does. ConclusionAll this may sound a little far-fetched but does explain the known, observable facts. It also explains why some cats are immune. If a cat that is initially attracted to catnip does not ingest the material, it will not discover the “forbidden fruit” and will thus remain indifferent to the covert pleasures. Although it seems logical to assume that the estrus-like behaviors released by catnip would be a female-only phenomenon, this is not the case. Males, too, engage in rolling and rubbing behavior characteristic of estrus. This can be explained by the fact that no behavior is unique to any one sex, not even a sexual behavior. Although some people may be philosophically opposed to the drunken, appetitive, and seemingly erotic state that catnip produces, it has not been shown to be harmful and may even be beneficial in some circumstances. Catnip-sensitive, feuding cats have been made to perceive each other in a new light following the application of catnip to one or both cats. Also, the analgesic properties of catnip may be helpful for cats in pain. It seems that catnip in cats has similar effects to marijuana in people. Luckily we don’t need a campaign to legalize catnip for medical use in our feline friends.

Rustigheid

2005-11-14T09:50:00.000+02:00

"I put down my book, The Meaning of Zen, and see the cat smiling into her fur as she delicately combs it with her rough pink tongue. Cat, I would lend you this book to study but it appears you have already read it. She looks up and gives me her full gaze. Don't be ridiculous, she purrs. I wrote it." --Dilys Laing

Thomas word ‘n pappa...

2005-11-11T08:54:00.000+02:00

.... en Mitsi ‘n mamma! Hier is Mitsi en die babas...

Welkom in MY huis...

2005-11-11T08:52:00.000+02:00

“I own the house, they just pay the mortgage” – Sam Oscar

Who is the boss?

2005-11-11T08:43:00.000+02:00

“Cats are kindly masters, just so long as you remember your place” – Paul Gray

Nog slaap...

2005-11-11T08:41:00.000+02:00

“I purr therefore I am, I sleep therefore I am happy, I meow and therefore I am fed” – Catfucious, 590 B.C.

Did you know?

2005-11-11T08:38:00.000+02:00

“There are no ordinary cats” – Collette

Lees?

2005-11-11T08:36:00.000+02:00

“Isn’t it wonderful how cats can win friends and influence people without ever reading a book?”

Thomas slaap weer (of nog steeds)...

2005-11-11T08:33:00.000+02:00

...want, dis waarvoor ek gemaak is ;-). Mense is ‘n ander saak, luister hierna...

“Cats sleep because it is their sole purpose in life. Humans sleep so they have the energy to serve ‘their’ cat... – Puss Zi 4, 200 B.C.”

‘n Kat is nie net ‘n kat nie....

2005-11-11T08:31:00.000+02:00

.... ‘n Kat, soos ek, is baie spesiaal!

“Dogs are dogs, birds are birds, cats... are gods! – Tom Cat”

Thomas help tik...

2005-11-11T08:29:00.000+02:00

“A dog will sit beside you while you work. A cat will sit on the work.” – Pam Brown

Natuurlik gee ek om!

2005-11-11T08:27:00.000+02:00

“Cats do care. For example, they know instinctively what time we have to be at work in the morning and thy wake us up twenty minutes before the alarm goes off” – Michael Nelson

Nog ‘n bietjie slaap, nog ‘n bietjie sluimer...

2005-11-11T08:25:00.000+02:00

“Kittens are born with their eyes shut. They open them in about six days, take a look around and then close it for the better part of their natural lives” – Stephen Baker

Ek het julle mos vertel Emtia is op die regte pad! Kyk hier...

2005-11-11T08:23:00.000+02:00

“A cat is only technically an animal, being divine....” – Robert Lynd

Liefde...

2005-11-11T08:22:00.000+02:00

Cats allow us to love them, for which we should be duly grateful – Anne Taylor-Browne

Hmmm... slim kat, ekke, hier is een van die bewyse...

2005-11-11T08:18:00.000+02:00

“A wise cat acquires wisdom through spending long periods motionlessly staring into space considering issues of universal importance such as, ‘Where shall I sleep next?’”

Vriende?

2005-11-11T08:15:00.000+02:00

Wel, ek so kon gehad het as ek wou.... Tigger werk goed genoeg vir my.

“The cat could very well be man’s best friend, but would never stoop to admitting it.”

“Home is...

2005-11-11T08:12:00.000+02:00

... where my king size bed is” – Fat Boy Felix, 1997

...en Tigger! Hy het seker nie ‘n Tigger gehad nie?

“Every warmed cushion....

2005-11-11T08:06:00.000+02:00

... is made for a cat, every sunbeam finds a cat.” Hoe anders?

Natuurlik is ek lief vir myself...

2005-11-11T08:03:00.000+02:00

...en...

"All I ask is that you love me half as much as I love myself" – Molly Mogg, 2001

....en soms, net soms, val daar water uit die lug!

2005-11-11T07:53:00.000+02:00

Hierdie was my eerste reenbui. Ek is gelukkig nie bang vir donderweer nie, ek wil net graag binne wees wanneer dit gebeur.

en dan weer...

2005-11-10T09:08:00.000+02:00

... bad ek soms saam met Emtia in die mens-bad vol water. Die eerste keer was nie pret nie! Ek het ingeval. Hier is die foto's...

Thomas is 'n skoon kat

2005-11-10T09:06:00.000+02:00

Vanselfsprekend! Soms bad ek self (en was agter my ore)!

Stout?

2005-11-10T09:05:00.000+02:00

Nog nooit gesien nie! Net intelligent en daarom nuuskierig. Wat sou gebeur as ‘n mens (of kat) die hele toiletrol afrol?

Mens kry nie iets soos 'n gewone kat nie!

2005-11-10T09:04:00.000+02:00

Eendag wanneer ek groot is, gaan ek Suid-Afrika se eerste Ruimtekat wees. Intussen oefen ek in die tuimeldroer. Werk net so goed!

... en nog gym!

2005-11-10T09:00:00.000+02:00

Jip, daar is meer as een apparaat vir my om te gebruik. Hier is my krappaal / balk / slaansak. En die hunk op die foto? Natuurlik is dit ek!

Thomas gaan gym toe

2005-11-10T08:56:00.000+02:00

Natuurlik gaan ek gym toe... my eie gym. In die privaatheid van my huis!

Thomas ontmoet die bure

2005-11-10T08:50:00.000+02:00

Emtia het 'n klomp ander katte gehad... daar is nog 'n paar oor. Ek moes vanselfsprekend met party van hulle afreken, ander het ek net besoek en ek wou ook by party van hulle ietsie leer.

Een probleem - hulle kon nie antwoord nie ;-)

“To sing is human, to meow divine” – Zhuang Zi, 283-288

Thomas se avonture begin...

2005-11-08T11:05:00.000+02:00

Toe Thomas vier dae by my gebly het, het hy baie siek geword en is hy ampertjies dood. Ek het laat die Vrydagaand na die nood-veearts toe gegaan met die outjie toegedraai in 'n handdoek. Ek moes hom vashou terwyl ek bestuur het. Die probleem? Hy is te vroeg van sy mamma af en kon nog nie katkos eet nie. Hy moes elke halfuur (dag en nag) glukosestroop kry (met 'n inspuiting sy keel af). Van my vriende het ook vir die outjie gebid en hy het gesond geword!

Die foto is daardie naweek geneem.

Thomas 2005!

2005-11-08T11:00:00.000+02:00

Thomas O'Malley het aan die einde van Januarie 2005 in my hart kom kruip. Ek dink hy is min of meer Kersfees 2004 gebore...

Hy was skaars 15 cm lank toe hy ingetrek het!

I’m a little confection that will melt your heart – Kit E. Angel, B 2003