Peppe In A Box!

We all loved Mozart in a box last year, and now it seems that Peppe is keeping the traditional of orange cats in a box alive. I think that he needs a box that he actually fits in.

Support The Kitties!

Ready for Their Close Up, originally uploaded by La Pauline.

As many of you know, I adopted Maestro and Mozart from a shelter in Montreal called the Candian Pet Rescue. It's run by one women named Maggie and basically she takes care of all the animals' needs (medical, etc.) until the are adopted.

She has a great adoption rate and really helps these creatures.

That said, she could really use some donations to help defray costs of food and vet visits. You can make a donation through PayPal.

Or drive up and adopt a furball. Believe me, her cats are worth it.

Weekend Cat Pictures and Links

Mozart understands the concept of a weekend. He sleeps most of the day and then loafs around the house as needed.

Thus far the weekend is going well for me. I've done some much needed shopping, will head out for a birthday dinner later on and at some point I would like to hit the beach.

There's a great piece in The New York Times magazine this weekend about Rick Rubin and his new post at Columbia Records. It's long, but a great article.

On a creepier note, I found this multimedia project from the St. Petersburg Times a few days ago about a 1987 murder case that was supposedly closed. Thanks to a recent fingerprint match, it seems that the guy who was locked up for the crime, the victim's husband, may not have donme it all. He has claimed his innocence all along. Check it out.

And since we all love bodega cats, here is my most recent snap of one named Nola, who lives over on Third Avenue.

Maestro and Mozart Get Shaved!

It seemed like a perfectly good idea at the time: get The Boys, Maestro and Mozartm shaved before the start of summer so that when the heat kicks in they won't suffer. After all, Le Doug had a Himalayan named Spitfire for years, and every May he would get shaved.

Our regular groomer doesn't do lion's cuts, which is when you shave almost all of a cat's fur off, leaving just a mane, booties and part of the tail. Instead, she referred us to another place just down the road.

Early this morning we dropped The Boys off and told the groomers not to be surprised is Maestro gave them a hard time. He can be a little wiley sometimes. Mozart, on the other hand, shouldn't be a problem.

Hours past and we didn't hear back from the groomer. Eventually we called and were told that Mozart bit one of the groomers and it was so bad that the groomer had to go to the doctor.

We went down to pick up The Boys and we were greeted by a very unhappy groomer. Turns out the guy that Mozart bit had to be taken to the hospital, because he might need stitches. It seems that when he was giving Mozart a bath Mozart sunk his teeth into him and sliced open his whole hand. This is odd, because Mozart only has three incisors, as opposed to four that normal cats have. Also, Doug and I give Mozart baths all the time and he's always like them. Methinks this groomer's technique could use a little improving.

The groomer that told us all this was really pissed off, as if Mozart's behavior was somehow a reflection on us. If it were socially acceptable to throw a shoe at us, I think this gal would have. Doug and I even came in with two bottles of Rose wine for the injured groomer, as a measure of goodwill. And not for nothing, but isn't getting bit by an animal an occupational hazard of being a pet groomer, the way electricians always risk getting zapped? Then again, if you know what you're doing, you probably won't get zapped, or bitten, for that matter.

Regardless, below are some photos of what The Boys looks like now that all their fur has been shaved off.

Inspecting Each Other's Damage


Forlorn


At least They Have Each Other


Ariel View of Maestro


Lion's Cat Mirror Image


Mozart Tries to Deal With Reality


.. And Eventually Settles in for a Nap

Mozart in a Box!

I never tire of photos of Mozart in a Box. For some reason the cat is obsessed with boxes, on many levels. I should also note that despite appearance, Mozart is not fat. In fact, at his last check up he only weighed in at 9.2 pounds. He's pretty much 90% fur and only 10% cat. That equals 100% awesome.