The Opinionated Pussycat

100 Word Cat Story 32: For Whom Does the Bell Toll? Not Me!

2013-05-24T23:37:17-05:00

Today is day 24 of a challenging creative journey; the Story a Day Challenge made by Marian Allen on her blog (Her day 24 story) .

My month long series begins here:

The idea for this story came to me as I lay contemplating the wonderful catbell of our friend Glogirly that daddy Kiril brought home from Blog Paws.

For Whom Does the Bell Toll? Not Me! - By Nikita Cat

For weeks there had been a determined lady wandering Whitechapel carrying a bell small enough for a cat to wear, calling out “Here kitty, kitty, kitty!” much to everyone’s amusement. Aubrey was not amused as it meant that the woman wanted to put it around his neck thus ending the pleasures of the chase when he was hungry. He kept to the shadows with such infinite precaution that everyone wondered if he was gone.

While Aubrey thought the bell was cruelty, from the point of view of the mice and rats this scheme would be perfection.

Time to move on.

The Blogs of Kiril Kundurazieff:

1. Mad Macedonian

2. The Opinionated Pussycat

3. SMFCB: A 365 Day Project

FNN SPECIAL REPURRT: A 111 yr. Old Book Autograph Mystery

2013-05-24T19:51:57-05:00

Hey, felinity assembled, boy do we have a mystery for you!

Elvira here and the above book is a 1st edition, published in 1901; because it has lost its dust jacket and the cover has a couple of stains, Daddy Kiril was able to get it through a seller on Amazon for $15.

There is a penciled note on the inside that shows the book was sold once upon a time for $70; Why? Here's why:

Who was Agnes Repplier?

I did a little research and it turns out she was a famous, but long forgotten, human essayist and author, born on April Fool's Day 1855, who lived until 1950.

"She was one of America's chief representatives of the discursive essay, displaying wide reading and apt quotation. Her writings contain literary criticism as well as comments on contemporary life." (Wikipedia)

The Fireside Sphinx is a 300 page history of domestic cats, especially famous cats, from antiquity to the end of the 19th century, illustrated by Elizabeth Bonsall, with many line drawings in the text. You can read it in PDF or even Kindle, if interested.

Oh, and before you show this to your human there is something you need to know in case you need to explain before they freak out; the word "pussy" appears throughout the book, it appears at our first look.

In fact, Nikita wonders why they didn't just call the book "The Fireside Pussy" and be done with it! Hee, hee!

To help educate your human I want to encourage you to read a controversial, thoroughly researched, essay Nikita once wrote before you show them this post:

Jan. 2010 - May I Have a Word?

So, what's the mystery?

The author autographed this copy for someone, a year after publication; where (other than her hometown of Philadelphia), why and for whom are mysteries that will probably never be solved, but at least we can possibly know exactly what she wrote.

That is where you and your human come in.

As you can see she has written her message in cursive and certain words on the 2nd and 5th lines need deciphering.

Leave your suggestions in the comments. :-D

The Great Cat Blog explains about "Libertas Sine Labore".

By the way, the author wrote a 2nd book on cats, in 1912, and daddy is getting a 1st edition copy, w/o dust jacket, he found on Amazon for $9 (More recent reproductions can be purchased as well)

The cat: Being a record of the endearments and invectives lavished by many writers upon an animal much loved and much abhorred (Our friends, the beasts)

****UPDATE -10pm****

The lady also wrote an essay in 1912 called - The Grocer's Cat

****END UPDATE****

100 Word Cat Story 31: The Whitechapel Pussy

2013-05-23T23:10:13-05:00

Today is day 23 of a challenging creative journey; the Story a Day Challenge made by Marian Allen on her blog (Her day 23 story) .

My month long series begins here:

The idea for this story came to me as I thought about where our hero might show up next on his travels...

The Whitechapel Pussy by Nikita Cat

He came silently out of the midnight shadows of August 31st, 2006; Watching. Stalking raddled, food crumb stuffed, East End rats and mice. Leaving a trail of partially eaten critters that cheered restaurant, café and market owners all across this part of London. Yes, something feline this way walked, for this was the stalking grounds of the Whitechapel Pussy.

Coming out of the late night fog at Tower Hill, right on the boundary between Scotland Yard territory and City of London Police territory, residents swear they have spotted him living in the back alley near the grim old London Wall.

My inspiration...

Day 24 = 100 Word Cat Story 32: For Whom Does the Bell Toll? Not Me!

The Blogs of Kiril Kundurazieff:

1. Mad Macedonian

2. The Opinionated Pussycat

3. SMFCB: A 365 Day Project

Carnival of the Cats #479: Blog Paws Edition

2013-05-23T21:47:56-05:00

For us Cat Bloggers the Carnival is a chance to discover blogs we might never have heard of, on subjects of all kinds!

Submissions can be sent to: carnivalofthecats(at)gmail.com

The Carnival Home Page, with an archive of past Carnivals, the Line-up for 2013, FAQ'S, and more, is HERE.

Good evening felinity assembled, Elvira Mistress of Felinity here, to host this mid-week edition of Carnival of the Cats, in celebration of the recent Blog Paws Pet Blogging and Social Media Conference.

The humans behind Glogirly and Cat Chat were just two of our friends that Daddy Kiril met during the fun time he had at this event.

Most of the blog entries to be shared in this editon will have the conference as their subject, but first I want to be sure to encourage everyone to keep the animal companions of the people of Moore, OK. and surrounding areas in your purrs and purrayers.

Please spread the word about the aid efforts of Blog Paws and Be the Change:

Blogger Disaster Response Network and Oklahoma

Now, on with the show!

1. Let's begin with a submission by StrangeRanger... Maddie says "Who me?"

2. Over at Adventures in a Writing Life, Catherine shares a story about her cats, cat treats and the sad state of affairs, in her home, one recent day.

3. Rascal and Rocco's human has laundry basket issues, hee, hee!

4. and 5. The mom of Cokie the Hollywood Insider heads out from SoCal for Blog Paws!

At Blog Paws the Stunt Double for Cokie was having Ferret issues. :-D

6. Over at Brian's Home, his human, Terry shares his "Reflections of a Blog Paws Newbie", with a lot of wonderful photos frfom the conference.

One of those photos shows daddy making a funny face while sitting at a table.

Daddy claims to have no clue why he's making the face.

7. and 8. Cat book Author Deborah Barnes, of Zee and Zoey, has a very thoughtful essay and shares lots of cool photos in,"Putting Blog Paws in Perspective."

Her cats are also, um, glad to see her back, in this fabulous photo.

Daddy bought a copy of her book for us to read and we are honored that she signed it to us! (Watch the great trailer about The Chronicles of Zee and Zoey)

"May all your days have a bit of the extraordinary!"

9. and 10. Over at Cat Chat see a beautiful photo of poor Cody as Mom Caren heads to Blog Paws without him.

Caren shares delectable photos of the tasty food the humans got to eat at Blog Paws.

11. and 12. Daddy wrote the first post of our Blog Paws coverage, this afternoon. It is a very thoughtful essay with a few photos.

FNN SPECIAL REPURRT: Putting a Human Face on a Pet Blogger Conference

Nikita wrote a week worth of his 100 Word Cat Story series about Aubrey the cat, for posting while he and I were at the vet:

100 Word Cat Story 24: The Conference Room (Each story ends with a link to the next one).

****UPDATE****

13. One more fabulous Blog Paws round-up for the road!

Daddy met Amy Shojai and got a pep talk and she has posted a wonderful, picture filled post about Blog Paws, with 3 videos, check it out!

****END UPDATE****

For anyone interested in sharing their Blog Paws posts over the next few weeks...

It's important to know that, if you won't be posting until after today, or had posts earlier this week, submissions can be made to any Carnival of the Cats going forward. Just send to the e-mail above.

FNN SPECIAL REPURRT: Putting a Human Face on a Pet Blogger Conference

2013-05-23T14:17:01-05:00

Where to begin?

Daddy Kiril, here, Feline News Network roving correspondent, with the first report from my trip to the Blog Paws Conference.

Don't worry, Nikita and Elvira Mistress of Felinity will have plenty to share, themselves, as the story of my trip unfolds.

From the moment I entered the lobby of the Sheraton Premiere, on Thursday morning, to the time I finally left to catch my flight home on Sunday afternoon, I had one of the best times of my life.

More than 500 bloggers attended the event, including 8 tables worth of newbies for the newbie breakfast on Friday.

As a newbie to Blog Paws conferences I admit to being a little nervous but, standing there in the lobby my nervousness soon disappeared as I heard my name called, turned around, & saw Caren Gittleman (Cat Chat); arms open wide, a smile on her face, charging forward to embrace me in a welcoming hug.

Soon I was walking the halls, attending my first speaker
session in the afternoon, and the welcome speech and get together in the evening, like I’d been coming to the conference since forever.

The people who attended this conference are bloggers, freelancers, published authors, writers all! They are rescue volunteers, shelter workers, veterinarians, blog readers, major names in our niche of social media, pet related retailers and food manufacturers, and more.

They are male and female, representing all age groups, social/economic status, races and many nations.

Unlike a comic book, or Star Trek convention people were not
the only ones playing dress up; from cats and kittens, chicks, dogs and
ferrets, to cute, but humongous wabbits, many animals were strutting their
stuff, dressed up and not.

I got to meet a pair of simply adorable 2-legged Kitties, as you can see:

Christine Michaels, of Pawsitively Humane, in the pink.

Author Deborah Barnes, of Zee and Zoey, in her famous leopard outfit.

During the day I would wear either my shirt with Nikita and Elvira on the front, or the one with the blog header design, as a way to make it easy for people to find me and learn about the Opinionated Pussycat.

For anyone who writes online as a pet blogger this event is the best hands-on introduction to how social media involvement is important.

You will get an ego boost in the most amusing way; imagine a 53-year-old, balding, dude finding himself being approached by a pair of women old enough to be his mother, all smiles as they breathlessly tell him they are big fans of his blog!

You will get an education on many subjects, at as many as 9 presentations that will help you be better at what you do.

You will make new friends, meet old ones only known via online interaction (Terry Frum, of Brian's Home! ), and connect with various industry types in many ways. Inspiration to be the best will come from attending the awards dinner recognizing some of the best in the world of pet blogging.

You will take a ton of photos (That's Kevin Hattori, of Animal Shelter Volunteer Life!)and pass out 100 of your blog cards, collecting just as many from others; buy a few things, including books you will get autographed, and maybe get pep talks about your writing efforts from the most unexpected people.

You will gain 3 lbs. eating fabulous free breakfasts, lunches and dinners, and leave your room key in your room at least twice….but, um, let’s not get too much into all of that, hee, hee!

The Blogs of Kiril Kundurazieff:

1. Mad Macedonian

2. The Opinionated Pussycat

3. SMFCB: A 365 Day Project

100 Word Cat Story 30: Letting Go

2013-05-22T23:37:05-05:00

Today is day 22 of a challenging creative journey; the Story a Day Challenge made by Marian Allen on her blog (Her day 22 story) .

My month long series begins here:

Here is my next one, as we begin to head into the home stretch....

Letting Go by Nikita Cat

Sept. 2005

Another year at Cambridge was beginning and as William packed for the trip back to school he contemplated the old photo in its frame on the wall of his room; he knew that Aubrey was probably long dead, but some part of him simply refused to let go of hope entirely so the photo remained in its place of honor, even as the family eventually adopted a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel they named Macbark that he loved in spite of himself.

Taking the photo down, he put it in a drawer, sighed, and closed the door behind him.

Day 23 = 100 Word Cat Story 31: The Whitechapel Pussy

The Blogs of Kiril Kundurazieff:

1. Mad Macedonian

2. The Opinionated Pussycat

3. SMFCB: A 365 Day Project

Blogger Disaster Response Network and Oklahoma

2013-05-22T20:56:42-05:00

Good evening felinity assembled:

Tonite I come to you with a call to action from Blog Paws, Be the Change and the Blogger Disaster Response Network, in the form of an e-mail alert received earleir today.

What happened in Oklahoma is beyond comprehension and humans and their animal companions need help to recover from this devastation.

Here's the deal...

"BlogPaws, Pet360 and World Vets are teaming up using the Blogger Disaster Response Network (BDRN) to step up for Oklahoma. We’ve all seen the images of devastation and we believe as a team we can make a big difference. The largest need at the moment is cash. BlogPaws is reaching out to the BDRN and all the sponsors of the 2013 conference to pledge a commitment for Oklahoma. This donation will go to the World Vets who are assessing the needs on site to make the best decision on where the money will go – based on their work in past disasters.

Donations will be collected by World Vets here through 11:59 PM Tuesday, May 28^th. The collective donation will be announced when the money is ready for delivery."

We, as a community of pet bloggers, can make a huge difference overall!

Click Donate!

Use this code to display the above badge and allow your readers to connect directly to the World Vets donation page:

< a href="http://blogp.ws/DonateOK">http://www.blogpawsbethechange.com/2013/05/TeamUp4OK-DonateBadge.jpg" border="0">

Finally, here is a resource of other ways to help and things to share with your readers.Things from who needs what to donations to where to look for lost and found pets.

We believe there is still so much hope for finding survivors and helping those survivors. Videos like this one prove that.

There is no obligation, merely a request and a hope you will join us in a community focus. We have no doubt all our hearts are sending love to everyone in Oklahoma right now.

Thank you for all each of you does for pets throughout the year."

The Blog Paws Team

------------------

From a post on the BDRN page:

"We are collecting donations for World Vets who is assessing the needs and will help accordingly. Collecting enough cash to make a difference is a huge goal of ours. BlogPaws Be The Change For Pets will match $1,000 of the first $1,000 raised by our community. Additionally, Pet360 has pledged a $1,000 donation to support the pets in need following this tragedy. Our friends at AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association), who are reaching out to their local Veterinarians, have also made a committment to a cash donation."

****915pm cst -- UPDATE****

Blog Paws -- Let's Team Up Again for Oklahoma! - UPDATES

****END UPDATE****

Purrs and Purrayers: Zozo Heads for the Bridge

2013-05-22T13:52:02-05:00

A long time ago, in 2002 and 2003, a human friend of daddy & I encouraged us to take our passion and talent for writing to the world of blogging...and her young cat, Zozo, enthusiastically seconded the motion.

Their encouragement, over the years, including many comments on our blogs, has meant so much to us, here at The Opinionated Pussycat, and on daddy's blog.

In recent months Zozo's health has been declining, even as she continued to put up a valiant fight.

Now, though, things have taken a turn for the worse and BJ has come to a decision. She is sure Zozo is fine with it and so....

She knew the end was coming even though Zozo eats well and her coat is still sleek and shiny, but when you are bone thin and becoming less surefooted, even you, the cat, know that your time is near. The last two days have not been pretty or easy for the brave ladies and that was just not acceptable to either of them.

So it was agreed and the appointment has been made for late this afternoon.

It breaks our hearts to hear this news, from our non-blogging friends and daddy wishes he could be there to hug BJ and I wish I could give her a comforting lap cat.

I ask our friends in the Cat Blogosphere to send purrs and purrayers for our friends in their time of need.

100 Word Cat Story 29: The Wandering Resourceful Cat

2013-05-21T23:32:52-05:00

Today is day 21 of a challenging creative journey; the Story a Day Challenge made by Marian Allen on her blog (Her day 21 story) .

My month long series begins here:

Some of you may have got the in joke about the title of yesterday's story and, if so, will no doubt be proud of yourselves today, too, hee, hee!

Here is my next one, an interlude before heading into the home stretch, paying homage to how far our hero has come this month.

The Wandering Resourceful Cat by Nikita Cat

Aubrey the Cat
the wandering resourceful Cat
whenever he gets to a new city
he does things different than most any other kitty.

Aubrey the cat
the wandering resourceful cat
you’ll be so amazed your head will shake
you’ll ask yourself, “did he really just do that?”
That's Aubrey; he's the wandering resourceful cat!

Aubrey the Cat
The wandering resourceful Cat
You never know where his journey will take him next
So don’t even try to guess.

Aubrey the Cat
The wandering resourceful Cat
He belongs to only one
Wiltshire is where he’s at
He’s Aubrey, the wandering resourceful cat!

Day 22 = 100 Word Cat Story 30: Letting Go

The Blogs of Kiril Kundurazieff:

1. Mad Macedonian

2. The Opinionated Pussycat

3. SMFCB: A 365 Day Project

100 Word Cat Story 28: Exit Stage Right

2013-05-20T21:20:01-05:00

Today is day 20 of a challenging creative journey; the Story a Day Challenge made by Marian Allen on her blog (Her day 20 story) .

My month long series begins here:

No prompt today, just an idea for a story to take Aubrey on to the next stage of his life journey.

Glad to be home, glad to have Daddy Kiril home; he tells Elvira and I that Blog Paws was awesome and he has a lot to share about it in the days ahead.

Exit Stage Right by Nikita Cat

FOR ADOPTION TO GOOD HOME:

Senior male cat, of undetermined age, with special needs, looking for forever home; excellent with children and dogs, enjoys gazing out windows and lying next to computers.

Has slight limp and signs of early onset arthritis in formerly broken right back leg; otherwise healthy as a horse.

Inquire within.
--------------------

When Aubrey saw the sign in the window he knew it was time to at last move on. As usual the janitor left the back door open when he tossed the trash…

The police and staff totally missed the thank you note on the computer.

Day 21 = 100 Word Cat Story 29: The Wandering Resourceful Cat

The Blogs of Kiril Kundurazieff:

1. Mad Macedonian

2. The Opinionated Pussycat

3. SMFCB: A 365 Day Project