Oh and is that towel nice and warm yet?

I could do with a good cuddle.

Dripping Wet Cat

Jason the Video Lord | MySpace Video

The state owned and run zoo in Romania needs our serious attention. We can quickly turn the gaze of the world on Oradea and suggest some action to save 14 lions – including kittens.

Here are some ideas to put around. Tweet them but don’t bleat them. Then cheer yourself up with loking at the lions in the Kittenish Galleries. ( We referred to them as the Kitteries at one time).

Oradeans can catch rabbits and game to feed to the lions. They could organise collections from hotels and restaurants. They could go around door to door in the better areas as well as others to do a food collection and take it straight to the lions.  This may require some logistics.

All the things I am suggesting are strictly practical and there are many variations on all the themes. Take heart. I happen to know that they have some cool characters living around the locale. I have the pleasure of making contact through one who tweeted this and luckily I was following him too.

No grim details – the India Times has them all – and what an indictment on the name of Romania! I’m joining another fray instead – making amends. Already a zoo in Yorkshire is trying to raise £150,000 for their fares but why look to auntie Brittania just because she rules the waves?

Get to it I say. Since the audience is very international I expect some people who are due a holiday might book and go and volunteer for some mopping and cleaning. maybe someone can set up sale of zoo dung to someone with a farm who could mature it into a brand !ES! (‘Excellent Shit’) for the terraced house garden.

Zoo dung in clear polythene sacks promised as organic and special from the asses of the beautiful creatures in the Oradeans’ zoo. Who would not donate a premium price to have their gardens blessed with lion compost ? (keeps out the cats and foxes who have archtype memories of large cat creatures eating them)

Who will do a photo-reportage project of the transformation of the lions while they’re being fed the sausages from Herr Grandansplat and the best pickings from the local hotels? Who will record the team fun and spirit of the volunteers who come armed with bucket and spade?

Oradeans unite. Your example will inspire the Nigerians to make Lagos pretty and take vigilant pride in their ‘worst bits’. Who knows? the word Oradean will creep into our language as being

Oradeans: of ‘a people who forget about ‘they’ and pick up a broom to sweep their own front yards – starting with the zoo’. Originated 2009 in Oradea Romania.

- yes there is something special about black cats.

We mean black and white kittens – ( B/W photographs are fine and so is color).

They are hard to take – yet there is magic in black cats. People have attributed powers to them in the past. I remember as a child being given a black kitten with not a single white hair and grownups said that was lucky.

We are going to offer a prize for a good one to be announced, so send some in – and if there are a lot of white hairs on yours don’t worry I bet they are lucky too.

kitty paddle

I had a ginger tom that often came back very wet and given his nature it was not difficult to believe he may have been chasing a creature that tried to swim away and he went right on chasing. He was a feisty trier.  Siamese owners tell me that their cats swim from time to time – who knows? I even heard of a siamese who came in for a jacuzzi in the ample embrace of her new mum.  She grew out of it when she was old enough to talk to the other cats.

I see intensity in the eyes of the kitten – not panic. It does not hurt to swim and a lesson or two that it’s safe could only increase the confidence in a kitten.

That’s what I thought anyway. I think it’s alright to let cats in to our lives. I’ve never had a cat in a box in the car – they are always fine cuddling up and trusting the protection of the grown ups.

Cats detest smelling of soap and stuff so they despise baths but I’ve had many a kitten join me in my bath, if it doesn’t smell disgusting to them.  Bubble baths were shunned – kittys didn’t even walk the edge or pop up to say hello.

Buffy was apparently fearless and walked over my part submerged tummy. He got got a bit prickly with his pins at first so I told him it was not on with a mild reaction.  He learned that claws out meant sinking up to his knees. He soon caught on because I was fully focussed on him supporting him every inch in his tiny life adventure.

My view is that cats eyes are extremely expressive – famous for it. They show fear very well and this one didn’t seem intent on anything but swimming to the edge.

Any more stories of water loving cats?

PS Here’s the picture Kasia sent – she’s too shy to leave a comment.

from the Innocent English Site

Panthers seem to get up and running very fast. I guess the zoo keepers have to be very relaxed to handle these – vets are wary of even tiny domestic kittens.

Here’s the blog. Please join in.  Celebrating kittens is what we do  – and this gallery is a collection that does just that. Call them kittens or cubs – no matter. When scientists started applying latin names to sound more proper they came up with ‘felis catus‘ for the domestic cat – having found that cats were connected to happiness.  (felid same root as felicity and felix which mean happy)  Yes felis catus makes us happy.

We really want to hear from others who get what it is about a kitten.  The feel good factor is one thing – to me they represent innocence as well as happiness (was I right there)and they survive.

They are incredible mothers and can make the most wonderous companions possible.

We will get hold of care tips and training ideas that will make it all the more fun.  Send us your kittens – we will take care of them. (OK cubs as well – kittenish 2)