Felix and the FURminator, Part 1... and Part 2

Actually, this post (and video) should be called "Felix vs. the FURminator," or "FURminator FAIL," because, despite what many of you said, about pets just loving the FURminator, Felix did NOT enjoy being FURminated. In fact, he much preferred the lint roller. But as we all know from science class, experiments don't always turn out the way you planned or hoped -- but you still have to turn in a report.

But before you watch (and judge) the video, which was filmed by a giggling just-turned-11-year-old, a bit of background.

As many (if not most) of you know, we have two cats, Flora, a 15-pound torbie (i.e., a cross between a tortoiseshell and a tabby), who is six, and Felix, a three-year-old, three-foot-long mostly black cat who bares a striking resemblance to as well as the leaping abilities of a Sifaka lemur.

And both cats shed. A lot. Typically all over my laptop and my wireless keyboard and my desk and.... You get the drift. So in addition to keeping a dustbuster next to my office chair, I keep a lint roller. And every so often, I gently lint roll whichever cat happens to be in front of me.

I thought it a pretty good method, and blogged about it a while back. (Of course, the day we decided to film me lintrolling Flora, she got all uppity and started attacking the lint roller. But I guess that's what you get for trying to get a cat to act on cue.) Anyway, after seeing my post and the video, people started telling me about the FURminator de-shedding tool. People didn't just tell or write me about it, they RAVED about it. So, we gave in and bought one, finally, a couple weeks ago. And yesterday morning, in honor of J-THREE-O's 11th birthday, we decided to test it out.

So, without further ado, FriskieLand pictures and J-TWO-O Productions present "Felix and the FURminator, Part 1."



UPDATED 5/25/09: Felix and the FURminator, Part 2: This morning, during a quiet moment over breakfast, I decided to try FURminating Felix again -- without the bright lights and camera rolling. And I have to say, it was a success. Felix really seemed to enjoy being FURminated this time, purring loudly and rolling onto his back so I could FURminate his belly. The only problem was the shed fur, which I needed to lint roll up, so it didn't fly all over the kitchen. So as I FURminated, the spouse lint-rolled the excess fur off Felix and the chair, and I have to say, Felix really seemed to enjoy the combination de-shedding treatment. However, I think the FURminator people need to come up with a combination FURminator - Flowbee device, to instantly suck up all the excess fur. (Billy Mays, if you happen to be reading this, have your people call my people.) Next up, Flora (who is, as per usual, lounging across my desk, pawing my right hand as I type this)....

UPDATE #2: Flora and the FURminator: Feeling good about my earlier FURminator experience with Felix, I decided to have a go at Flora, who several times attempted (and succeeded) at whacking me with outstretched claws as I tried to FURminate her.

Still, I would have to call the experience a success as she seemed to (mostly) enjoy it, at least when I stuck to her back. Though objectively I think it's still a tie between the lint roller and the FURminator in terms of de-shedding enjoyment. And I still think there needs to be a vacuum/suction-type device attached to the FURminator to quickly suck up excess/shed fur.

The Continuing Adventures of Felix the Cat

I realize only die-hard cat fans and/or procrastinators and/or my immediate family members will read this blog post and watch these videos. But I don't care. A cat owner's gotta do what a cat owner with a video camera and a YouTube account has got to do. (Also, it's been a really crappy day and it was either post cute Felix videos or down the bottle of Smirnoff vodka chilling in the freezer.)

Presenting "The Continuing Adventures of Felix the Cat," aka our cat, Felix.

First up, "Felix vs. the Yogurt Container," a gripping tale of one black cat's addiction to Stonyfield Farm French Vanilla Yogurt.



(I love how Felix's purr reverberates against the yogurt container.)

Next up, "Felix vs. the Flat Panel TV," the poignant tale of a black cat who dreamed of becoming a tightrope walker in the circus -- only to have his dreams (and paws) dashed by a flat panel HGTV.



And finally, "Felix Takes a Licking, and Keeps on Licking," or one black cat's eternal quest for fresh tap water. (I laughed, I cried.)



To be continued...

Felix Navidad (or How to Put a Cat in a Santa Hat)

So for Christmas this year, we (okay, the daughter and I) thought it would be hysterical to take a picture of our black cat, Felix, in a Santa hat. Why? So we could wish our friends a Felix Navidad.*

Get it? Felix Navidad! It's a riff on José Feliciano's Christmas song, "Feliz Navidad" -- "one of the most downloaded and aired Christmas songs in the United States and Canada," per Wikipedia.

Easier said than done.

Let me just say, when it comes to putting a cat in a hat, unless you are Dr. Seuss (or these guys), good luck. Though we came close, as this photo and video (our third attempt at capturing getting Felix to wear a Santa hat) attest.



Note: No humans were injured in the making of this video. And, this evening -- wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles -- the daughter managed to get the Santa hat on Felix!

















Wishing you a Meowry Christmas...



*Also, we were totally jealous of all those rabbit owners who kept flaunting their Christmas outfit-wearing bunnies over on Disapproving Rabbits. And wanted to one up them by putting a cat in a Santa hat.

Do I look like a cat bed?!

Apparently, the answer is "Yes!"

No sooner had I sat down to work yesterday morning, than our lanky black cat, Felix (who when stretched out is approximately three feet long), decided to make himself comfortable in my lap. While I was typing, or trying to. This lasted for at least a couple of hours. (I also had a picture of Felix bathing himself in my lap, but it didn't come out so good.)
















Then later, after I finally managed to un-velcro Felix from my lap, wake up my legs, get dressed for the day, eat a little something, and return to work, he took up right where we had left off, making himself comfortable in my lap while I attempted to type and do research. (For the record, despite Felix, a very productive day.)
















Ah to be a cat -- or be able to relax like a cat. I am convinced cats can sleep or nap anywhere, at any time. Whereas I am so stressed about work, I can hardly eat or sleep. But when Felix is curled up in my lap, it definitely alleviates some of the stress. It also reminds me of that famous, though apocryphal, line Johnny Carson spoke to Zsa Zsa Gabor when she supposedly came on The Tonight Show with a cat on her lap and asked Carson if he'd like to pet her pussy.

Cats, laps, and laptops

I have a very healthy codependent relationship with my cat, Felix. I sit at the computer all day researching or writing articles (amongst other things), and Felix sits or sleeps quietly on my lap, keeping me warm (and company).

However, the other day, for whatever reason, Felix decided to forgo my lap and instead opted to curl up on my laptop.

This wouldn't have bothered me so much, except I was actually trying to get some work done. (Yes, jjv, I actually do work on occasion.) And Felix decided to rest his head and shoulders on my laptop's Caps Lock key.

SO I COULD ONLY TYPE LIKE THIS, WHICH I DON'T THINK MY CLIENT WOULD HAVE APPRECIATED.

WHEN I TRIED TO MOVE FELIX AND REGAIN CONTROL OF MY KEYBOARD, HE GAVE ME THE PAW.

SIGH.

Are you a Felix or an Oscar?

This Sunday's New York Times Magazine features an article titled "Understanding the Anxious Mind," which, having suffered from life-long anxiety, I was anxious to read. (Btw, if you or a loved one suffers from anxiety, you should read it too.)

I found the article very interesting, and enlightening, and was particularly amused by this bit, which appears near the end:

Because they are more restrained than their wilder peers... high-reactive [i.e., anxious] kids are less likely to experiment with drugs, to get pregnant or to drive recklessly. They grow up to be the Felix Ungers of the world... clearing a safe, neat path for the Oscar Madisons. [Emphasis is mine.]

People with a high-reactive [i.e., anxious] temperament — as long as it doesn’t show itself as a clinical disorder — are generally conscientious and almost obsessively well-prepared. Worriers are likely to be the most thorough workers and the most attentive friends. Someone who worries about being late will plan to get to places early. Someone anxious about giving a public lecture will work harder to prepare for it. Test-taking anxiety can lead to better studying; fear of traveling can lead to careful mapping of transit routes. [Ask the spouse and my mother about that one.]

If that doesn't describe me to a T, I don't know what does. (Honk, honk.) It also leads me to ask the question...

Do you see yourself more as a Felix or as an Oscar (or somewhere in between)? Take this short quiz and find out! (And let me know the answer in the Comments or on my Facebook page. Btw, I am a "June Cleaver," and am pretty sure the spouse is either "Fred Sanford" or "Oscar Madison." ; )



UPDATED 10/3/09: If you include emailed and FB responses, the majority of women who read this blog are June Cleavers (with one Felix Unger and one Roseanne Barr) and ALL of the men (with one exception) are Roseanne Barrs. Hmm...

Keeping up with the Finches

When last we left Mr. and Mrs. Finch, our two little lovebirds, they were keeping watch over their as yet unhatched eggs.

Since that post (from April 12, which I link to above), several of you have asked if the eggs had hatched. So at lunchtime I decided to take a look.

Behold!

I'm not exactly sure what we are looking at here. (I took the pictures on a step ladder, a few feet away from the nest, zooming in with my camera.) It looks like two or possibly three baby house finches and two or three as yet unhatched eggs.

And do you see how the nest is in the shape of a heart? How sweet is that?! All together now: AAAAW!

Here are the proud parents, Mr. and Mrs. Finch (taken using my Nikon D3100 and 55-200mm lens; the other photo I took with my little Canon PowerShot S95):

And here are our cats, Flora and Felix, who every morning rush to the front door to converse with the finches. (Felix, our black cat, has been trying to convince Mrs. Finch that he is really just a big black finch by hunkering down and doing his best house finch impression. So far Mrs. Finch ain't buyin' it, though she seems way more scared of me than Felix, sitting atop that bush just outside our front door and taunting Felix.)

I will attempt to get another shot in a few days. Stay tuned!

Twitter, so easy a cat can do it. Plus: Kitties!

I may be biased here, but I always thought our cats, Felix and Flora, were smarter than the average cat. But they are no Sockington (nickname "Socks").

Who is this Sockington and how could he possible be smarter than my two geniuses? Well, despite them being able to type, neither Felix nor Flora has figured out how to microblog, unlike Sockington, who apparently not only microblogs but has over 500,000 followers on Twitter.

And for those skeptics and haters who say it isn't Sockington at all but his chief of staff, Jason Scott, a 38-year-old computer historian and computer administrator from Waltham, MA, who is in fact ghost Tweeting for the gray-and-white feline, all I can say is your heart is two sizes too small. And watch for the announcement of Felix and Flora's Twitter pages.

Btw, speaking of Felix and Flora, the FURminator arrived in the mail about a week ago, and I am going to attempt to FURminate both cats this weekend. Video (and possibly Tweets) to come.

Lastly, in honor of Memorial Day weekend, a memorable kitty video clip, courtesy of friend of the blog VB and Cute Overload. (Note: No kitties were harmed in the making of this video.)



Wishing you a memorable holiday weekend...

Great movies + TV shows shouldn't be remade

By now most of you have probably heard that CBS gave the go-ahead to Matthew Perry (of Friends fame) to do a re-boot of The Odd Couple. (It debuts in mid-February.)

Granted, The Odd Couple has been remade several times since premiering on Broadway in 1965 (starring Walter Matthau as Oscar Madison and Art Carney as Felix Ungar, and directed by Mike Nichols). The two most successful remakes, or versions, being the 1968 film starring Walter Matthau (again as Oscar) and Jack Lemmon as Felix (now Unger, with an "e"), and the beloved 1970s television series of the same name starring Jack Klugman as Oscar and Tony Randall as Felix.

Since then every attempt at remaking the TV show (or movie) has flopped. And this one will, too. Why? I'll give you three reasons:

1) How can you possibly improve upon the Jack Klugman and Tony Randall television classic? (That's a rhetorical question. You can't.)

2) Matthew Perry? Really? The guy who hasn't had a hit since Friends, whose presence almost guarantees the movie or TV show will flop? (Is it just me, or is every character Perry plays just some version of Chandler? And admit it, you never really liked Chandler, did you?) Which CBS executive thought it a great idea to give this guy the green light to develop, produce, and star in the re-boot of a beloved series (as Oscar Madison)?

3) Re-boots, re-makes, or sequels, especially of classic or great TV shows or movies are never as good as the original (with possibly one or two exceptions, none of them recent).

With all of the writers out there looking for work, some of them even good, talented writers, you would think that movie studios and television networks could come up with something original. But no.

They have to go ahead and remake The Odd Couple. And Jurassic Park. And Ghostbusters.

None of them, I guarantee you, will be nearly as good, or as clever, or as  funny, or as witty, as the original. Though I have no doubt that Jurassic World, starring Chris Pratt, will take in millions of dollars, at least the first couple of weeks, as will the all-female version of Ghostbusters, starring Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig, which will basically be Bridesmaids II: Ghouls Gone Wild, with lots of crude and lewd humor.

Sigh.

Why, Hollywood? Why?

Mouse!

This is what greeted me (and my daughter) when we opened the door to our downstairs play area this morning -- along with two not-so-innocent-looking cats who acted as though it was no big deal, which really, it wasn't.

You live in the country (hey, compared to Manhattan, where I grew up, this IS the country). Mice live in the country. You do the math.

I am actually extemely proud of our little mousers (though I am sure it was mostly, if not all, Felix's doing). This is, I believe, their fourth or fifth kill since we've lived here (nine years now -- EEK -- now THAT's scary).

And contrary to the B. Kliban cat (at right), our cats do not eat them little mousies, nor bite their little heads off, nor nibble at their tiny feet. (Well, maybe there's a little nibbling.) They are just in it for the sport. Think mouse hockey.

Oh, and in case you're wondering what happened to the mouse, after snapping several mug shots of the victim (though actually my daughter took the one above), I donned my yellow latex gloves, grabbed a plastic bag, gently lifted and bagged the mouse, and deposited it in the garbage can in our garage -- without awaking the spouse, who is still sound asleep, upstairs.

As for Felix, he is taking a well deserved nap.

(Hmmm.... I wonder if Felix is keeping score, if in some dark corner downstairs he has one of those prison-wall-style hash mark systems noting his kills.)

Caption these two cat photos

I recently took these two photos of our cats, Felix and Flora. And I thought it would be fun to see what captions you guys could come up with, so many of you being either a) cat people, b) wordsmiths, or c) all of the above.

The first photo is of our cat, Felix, taken shortly after he jumped into our glassware cabinet (as I was about to put away some glasses.)

Any caption suggestions?

Next up, our cat Flora, who was (patiently? pissed off?) waiting for me by the front door as I went to get the mail the other day.

Leave your captions in the Comments section. I will let you know my favorites this coming week.

Presenting Son of Catzilla! The Sequel! Starring Felix T. Cat

(Okay, technically, it's The Adopted Brother of Catzilla! But Son of Catzilla! just sounded better.)

Our story begins innocently enough, in a typical suburban house, on a typical suburban street, in a typical suburban town, on a typically quiet Saturday morning...















Until... something dark and malevolent is awakened inside of Felix, adopted brother of... Catzilla!















And suddenly no one is safe from his wrath. Run for your lives, little Iwako Japanese hamster erasers!















Oh no! It is too late.















GULP!

Cat got your sink?

[Alternate title: Whose sink is it anyway?]

What is it about sinks, or running water, and cats?

First, it was our black cat, Felix. I don't know when the behavior began, but he will only drink from a faucet -- and only from either the kitchen faucet...



or the faucet in my bathroom sink. (For some reason he refuses to drink from the spouse's sink, which is less than two feet from my sink. Of course.)

Not only that, he gives us dirty looks and meows when we don't make with the water. Even though he is perfectly capable of turning the water on and off himself.

And now he has convinced our older cat, Flora, that drinking from the sink -- my sink -- is the only way to go. Unfortunately, Flora, who is 11 and weighs around 14 pounds, cannot jump up onto the bathroom counter (or refuses to). So I have to pick her up and deposit her by the sink -- or get an earful.

She then waits for me to turn on the faucet for her, at just the right speed or flow. She then daintily dips her paw in and licks the water from her furry wrist -- as Felix watches and waits his turn (and I brush my teeth and wash my face in the spouse's sink).



When I mentioned this problem to our vet, she suggested we get some sort of cat fountain. But I wonder if our cats would drink from it.

Any suggestions, cat people? I'd really like my sink back.

THIS JUST IN 5/8/14: This morning my sister-in-law emailed me several photos of her cats, Rusty and Socks, drinking water from a faucet (or waiting for their cat butler to turn on the faucet so they could drink from it). This photo of their cat Socks is my favorite.

Must run in the family. 

"May contain awesome."

Another Caturday, another cat-filled blog post. (Giving people a place to post and share their cat pictures and videos was, after all, why Al Gore invented the Internet.)

First up, cats and boxes, specifically my black cat, Felix, and what may very well be the most awesome box ever.

















May contain awesome indeed.

Next up, yet another brilliant French (or pseudo-French) cat video, titled "Henri 2, Paw de Deux" (though it should really be called "You Just Don't Understand Emo Cat's Pain" or "Existential Cat").



[H/T to my cousin, A., for posting the video on my Facebook wall.]

Felix feels your ennui, Henri.

(What is it about French cat videos that makes them extra awesome?)

Wishing you all an awesome, ennui-free weekend.

Anyone know the name of a good exorcist?

I'd like to think I'm not a superstitious person (she said, clutching her lucky rabbit's foot), but I'm starting to think our house may be haunted.

First, our garage door started mysteriously going up on its own, after both the spouse and/or I saw it shut.

Then the spouse mysteriously found himself locked in the garage. (I swear I had nothing to do with it.)

Then my car mysteriously died in same garage -- and every time I put the key in in the ignition to try to start it the headlights maniacally flashed, the wipers started wiping, and the radio blared, even though all those things were off (or had been when I last turned off the car).

Then this morning the stool I was sitting on in the kitchen mysteriously tipped over, sending Felix (my black cat, who was on my lap at the time) and me flying -- with Felix gripping me with his claws for dear life. (Let my just say "Ouch" doesn't begin to cover it.)

I think there can be only one explanation for these mysterious goings on: Poltergeist.

So if any of you knows of a method for safely removing poltergeist or the name of a good exorcist, please let me know. Soon. Before something really bad happens.

Cats do not want you to be productive

Cats just want you to feed them and pet them and provide them with mice and other toys to play with. They do not like when you play with other humans or talk to them on the phone or do work when there are far more important things to do, like playing and talking with them.

Don't believe me? I give you Exhibit A:














(Don't let that those innocent "Who me?" looks fool you. Those cats know perfectly well what they are doing, and it's downright anti-capitalistic, I say.)

Need more proof that cats do not want their humans to be productive? I give you Exhibit B.

Truly, it is amazing I get any work done. (Yeah, yeah, save the wisecracks. I can hear what you are thinking.) Btw, as I've been typing this, Flora, the cat pictured at left, has been in my face, sitting directly in front of me and pawing me as I type.

And if dealing with 15 pounds of feisty feline weren't bad enough, Felix (the black cat pictured above right) has taken a real shine to my shiny new Sony VIAO laptop, particularly the fan. Every opportunity he gets, Felix curls up on top of the computer, inevitably causing the keyboard to lock up. Nice.

But still, I love my cats, and find it sweet that they want to keep me company and do things with me (unlike certain adolescent females I can think of), which is why I am very gentle when throwing them off my desk or out of my office.

It's Caturday!

The perfect day for funny cat videos.

First up, "Halloween Kitties" (or why you should never try to put a costume on a cat, let alone three cats), from the same folks who brought you "An Engineer's Guide to Cats." (H/T to Larissa.)



Next up, "Simon's Cat." And despite this being a cartoon what you see is real.



Finally, Felix! He takes a licking and... keeps on licking!



Btw, you can also view this Felix video on YouTube, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCVw3rJK2NQ -- and feel free to share it with your friends. (Hint.)

Wishing you all a very happy Caturday! (Even you dog lovers.)

Cat shaming

"Sometimes I dream that I am a dog."

[Picture of our black cat, Felix, who fell asleep on our bed watching the presidential debate last night. Can't say I blame him. Felix is over three feet long when fully stretched out. He loves people and having his tummy rubbed. I'm telling you, the cat is part dog.]

UPDATED 10/7/12: A friend just mailed me this picture of her black Lab, Vinny, asleep. I rest my case.

Btw, if you would like me to shame your cat publicly, send a photo of your felonious feline, along with a caption, to me at moodyqt33@hotmail.com.

Cat vacuuming?!

I don't know about the rest of you cat owners, but my two felines run for the hills every time I turn on a Dustbuster or a vacuum. So I was very surprised to see this video of a cat being vacuumed -- and enjoying it.



Amazingly, this cat is far from alone in its love of being vacuumed (a fact I only now know thanks to the power of YouTube).



Are these cats deaf? I don't get it. I can barely FURminate or lint roll my two cats, Flora and Felix.

So cat people, have you ever vacuumed your feline?

And dog people, have you ever vacuumed your canine? Inquiring minds want to know.

Does your pet have a drinking problem?

Michael Phelps is not the only party animal out there.

What a pig*!

And speaking of pigs, Felix is such a water hog that he can't wait for me to fill (or refill) his water bowl.



He takes a licking and keeps on... licking.

Yeah, yeah, I know: I'm enabling him. But if I didn't run the water, he would lick directly from the faucet.

Btw, before you start making comments about the quality of the video, it was taken by my daughter, J-THREE-O, who was trying very hard not to laugh too much.

*Yes, that is a real pig, chugging an O'Doul's as some do-gooder animal rights people got all freaked out about the pig swilling real beer. And I took the picture. If you want to see one of the pigs in action (yes, there is more than one), go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWdmK65bxkg. And no, no member of the J-TWO-O family is responsible for that footage.