a most useful niche market

Here is something I need. I wish I didn't, and will work hard on rectifying the issue, but one of the staff is defooding all over.

I need a Caution: Cat Vomit sign.

For now, I caution you not to let your house cats into the dog food. It doesn't suit them -- did you know that dog food has no taurine, which cats must have for good vision? It's not an issue for dogs. But that's not the only reason dog food won't work. We'll discuss that a bit in the near future.

I'm hanging around that same old scene
My girlfriend Betsy she's just fourteen
There's nothing better for me to do
I'm living on dog food

Dog food is so good for you
It makes you strong and clever too
Dog food is a current craze
Eat some every day

I chew up my "sunday mirror"
I read about the rich i fear
Dog food is my whole life
Dog food composes my wife
-- Iggy Pop, "Dog Food," from the Soldier album

I've been dying to work that in somewhere.

a lao folktale: once the dog had three legs. . .

He was not happy with that because he could not run as fast as other animals and could not jump as far or as high as others who had four legs. So, he went up to the Great Indra's heaven to ask for his fourth leg.

"Oh, Great Indra, please give me the fourth leg like you did to other animals," asked the dog.

The Great Indra said, "Well, there is no leg left. I have given them all away to the other animals that came earlier. You are too late, Dog."

"Oh, please, Great Indra, please give it to me. If I don't get my fourth leg, I won't go down to earth," said the determined dog.

"I don't have any more leg to give you. I have given all legs away. All I have now are the legs of my stool. Well, since you insist, why don't you take one of the legs of my stool," suggested Indra.

"Oh, thanks so much Great Indra. Now I can jump as high or as far as others and I can run as fast as them too," said the dog.

"Now that you have the leg of my stool, Dog, you must promise to keep it as clean as possible. Don't you ever soil it in anyway," commanded Indra.

"Yes, Sire," confirmed the dog. "Even when I urinate, I will lift my fourth leg up to keep it clean."

* * *
I found this tale here.

i'm confused. plus, a cat in a knit squid hat

As a curator-type human interface, I am supposed to present manifestations of the companion animal in human civilization. I am further supposed to do this with some kind of salient point attached.

Key word: supposed.

And then I met Poor Mojo's Squid* while he had taken yarney knitted form and was ingesting a cat. The who to the what now? Exactly.

I think my point is, whatever it is cats make it extra funny. And yet again, tech type = cat accessory.

And you get instructions on knitting a squid hat.

*Meet him** right here.
**He has an entire cyberreality going on as best I can make out. He seems to like pirates. And he hasn't got an ass.

shouldn't they all have titles?

Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) was a British philosopher known for many accomplishments, including his advocacy of utilitarianism, a belief that an action's moral worth is judged solely by its overall usefulness to mankind.
He also asked that an auto-icon, or mummy, be made of his remains and dressed in his clothes, and kept in a cabinet at University College London, which he assisted in founding.
Sounds like no fun whatsoever at first. Wait, though: the was one of the earliest proponents of animal rights, and argued that the ability to suffer was reason enough to spare a creature torment whether it could reason or no.
And he must have had a sense of humour, because -- well, read what Carl Van Vechten wrote about his increasingly grandiose monikers for his kitty:

Jeremy Bentham, the apostle of utilitarianism, childless, and wifeless,lived in his house in London, surrounded by piles of books. Occasionally he wasvisited by admirers whom he turned away or treated with rudeness. Madame de Staël, for instance, sought an interview, and sent in her card. Charming Mr.Bentham wrote on it, “Mr. Bentham has nothing to say to Madame de Staël, and he is quite certain that Madame de Staël can have nothing to say to him,” and sent it down to her! But he adored his pussy-cats. His favourite was a cat named Langbourne, who afterwards became Sir John Langbourne, and still later the Reverend Sir John Langbourne, D. D. (italics mine)
-- From Carl Van Vechten (1880–1964). The Tiger in the House, chapter 12. 1922.

D.D. stands for "Doctor of Divinity". Do you think he called all that out while banging on the Rev.'s kitty bowl to come and get it? I've heard odder things.
There will be a curatorial break for a day or two. See you all in a bit.

i thought it was only a mynah story

Think carefully about your life and about your pets. You sit reading this, your cat in your lap or your dog at your side or your gerbil smoking round on its wheelything. You're safe. There's not going to be any late night knock at the door threatening you to give up your pet.

Or is there?

I went looking today for mynah bird stories and found an excellent one from Sri Lanka that offhandedly managed to remind me that some people live their lives and love their pets in states of unrest we can't even imagine. They do this with calm and sense, and their mynah birds live to an old age of 18. Even if the neighbors sometimes don't.

evil royal teckels

Kaiser William II was very fond of dachshunds, called Teckels in his German language. He is said to keep them closest always to his heart despite their being, as an eyewitness pointed out,

. . . biting, snarling little brutes with jaws measuring half the length of
their smooth bodies, and a corresponding penchant for people's calves,
skirts, and petticoats. . . A very funny incident in connection with the
Teckels happened in the winter of 1893, at the Berlin Schloss, when a select
company, in which the ladies in grand (dress) predominated, had assembled at
1:15 PM, in the Pillar Room, to await their Majesties coming, in order to form
the usual procession to the dining-hall, where a ceremonious breakfast awaited
us. . . Suddenly the portals opened -- bowings and scrapings, and most
submissive salutations -- but, lo! only the dachshunds rushed in.

. . . The Teckels, on their part, had no sooner caught sight of the silk
stockings of the courtiers, than they began to bark menacingly, causing these
worthies, who ten seconds before had paraded their calves with much gusto, to
withdraw behind the ladies they were to escort. But these precautionary
measures were seemingly superfluous, as the Kaiser's pets showed no particular
desire for a bite that afternoon. Instead, each separately squatted down
before Mesdames von Keller and von Gersdorff, and conducted himself in the most
reprehensible fashion.

To make things worse, just then their Majesties came in and the poor ladies were obliged to bow low, coming face to face with the fresh Teckel deposits. The Kaiser thought it was hilarious, as usual. The Empress had better manners, and left with a deep blush on her face.

-- Fischer, Henry W., The Private Lives of William II and his Consort. A Secret History of the Court of Berlin (London: 1904), p. 145, quoted in MacDonogh, Katharine, Reigning Cats and Dogs (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999), pp. 154-55.

if you're dogged by dreams

According to the Dream Dictionary at dreammoods.com, pets can symbolize things such as:

Dog: "To see a happily barking dog in your dream, symbolizes pleasures and much social activity. If the dog is barking ferociously, then it represents your habit of unnecessary barking at people and the situations around you. It could also mean unfriendly companions."

Cat: "If a cat is biting you, then it symbolizes the devouring female. Perhaps you are taking and taking without giving. You may be expressing some fear or frustration especially when something is not going as planned. If you see a cat with no tail, then it signifies a loss of independence and lack of autonomy."

Lizard: "To see a lizard in your dream, signifies your primal instincts and reactions toward sex, food, etc. and your anxieties toward these feelings."

Hamster: "To see a hamster in your dream, represents underdeveloped emotions."

Who's been in your dreams lately? Maybe you should see what's up with that.

drink! sing! purr!

Never too early to start limbering up for St. Patrick's Day, is it?

Oh Danny Boy, the alarm is not yet ringing.

But I awake with you licking me on my cheek.

The morning's come too soon, and you won't stop meowing.

Why won't you let me get one good night's sleep.

If you're not familiar with that version, ask your cat, who will tell you sure and ye should hie yerself to catdrinkingsongs.com. The way Marc Gunn tells it, he was in a session with some other Celts in a pub in Italy when he was asked for a song. Having busted out with "Wild Kitty," he was asked for the CD. So he made one. That story and a listen to "Wild Kitty" here.

Read lyrics and try a few songs on for size!

Curatorial note: I can't believe I found this.

first day of a new job

. . . and from now on will be posting in the late afternoon to early evening.

As you can see I had some help getting rested up for today.

obligatory year of the pig post

Happy Chinese New Year, everyone!

No doubt swine info is flowing fast and heavy, and you have a pretty good idea what Year of the Pig folks are like and whom they shouldn't marry, etc. So I'm not going to add to that.

Instead I suggest you enjoy a mooncake and take a look at

HER! aka Girl Vs. Pig, a webcomic

and renew your great respect for pigs by finding out how one started a war in the San Juan Islands.

moo / 2

I've just found out there's miniature cattle. I have no idea why that should surprise me so, as I have seen dwarf goats, mini horses, potbellied pigs and (I used to live near some of these) mini donkeys.

But cattle? They're big. As one of my friends said, "What's next? Mini elephants?" And then we all stopped and said, "Hey now, that would be cool."

Anyway they're out there. And the pages you may find on them have a tendency to feature pictures of steak and fries, so we may all have to check our sentiment at our keyboards. But they're undeniably cool if you like mini critters. They can be as small as 36" at maturity and about nine hundred pounds give or take. They eat 1/3 the amount that a full size cow needs. You can raise 10 of them on 5 acres, which would only fit 2 big'uns. They will come when you call them.

More about them here. Lots of pictures from an appealing breeder site here.

1 tv, 2 suits, 3 sofas, 4 carpets...

. . . These are just a few, a very few, of the items destroyed by Badger of Appleby-in-Westmorland, UK. A collie cross Golden Retriever, she has destroyed at least 12,000 British pounds' worth of stuff. Big stuff. Like walls and stuff.

Gee, she doesn't look that evil. But check out the list! (It's the "Read Badger's Story" link.)

This tale of woe and no shoes or underwear left comes to you courtesy of MyDarnDog.com, in a section called "Punk Pets". Not a look at pets of punks, though they obviously share the same devotion to anarchy as a guiding principle. Feel grateful. Or sympathetic. Notice that the drive to "parent" our companion animals is so strong we actually find their scorched-earth campaigns cute.

whimsical illustration

That's the heading on Joanne Kollman's homepage. Underneath in smaller lettering: "Oil Painting".

Joanne is an artist, and a friend of the Pet Museum. Her oils of the people and the Columbia River terrain among which she lives have a directness which will engage you. Her landscapes particularly capture a little of the Portland area at its warmest and most vivid -- no, it doesn't always rain in the Pacific NW.

But it's those whimsical illustrations I want to point out to you. Her portrayals of cats and dogs, anthropomorphized into dancers and diners, singers and coffee drinkers, sweep across the surface in waves of most joyful color. In her etchings she plays with line, gesture and detail with great surety. A comforting hot cup, a face raised in song are common threads in these works. We think of our pets as companions for times that we love, for quiet coffee with the cat, for a race round the park with the dog. When I look at Joanne's pet works I see the essence of all my favorite moments, and I think to myself, I know that's what the cats would do if they could; I wish they could.

And every time, I smile.

"my furry valentines"

". . . I’m writing a Valentine to the two most ardent and faithful loves in my life—my cat and my dog."

And Mary Beth Crain proceeded to do just that. Her article on Rhonda, Truman, and what they have taught her about unconditional love, was published last year in the online journal The SoMA Review. Though she firmly believes her pets were Heaven-sent, her examination of why that would be makes for surprisingly astringent and witty reading.

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone and everycreature.

you can't have this as a pet either, mate

The painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti had one of these, but to be fair it was in London in the 1860's and he likely got in under the radar. Not that they had radar back then. I'm mixing my metaphors.

He had a wombat.

Since wombats (Vombatus ursinus) are only found in Australia, no telling how he got one. But in this day and age when you can have a sugar glider or rubber boa or any number of other things that maybe don't come from your town, you may be forgiven for thinking a wombat a cool pet idea.

Russell the Wombat is happy to disabuse you of that notion and bluntly too. Look further down the page, there's actual bite photos! But the rest of his site is interesting, colorful and a nice trip down under. Go on now. G'day!

two scots in taormina

Taormina, Italy - that's the deep south. Makes for a warm escape for a couple of Scottish kids.

Particularly if they are covered in hair.

Like Boone and Kenzie, the two Scottish Terriers that star in their own travel website. It's called ScottieTails.com, and I only stumbled upon it yesterday via YouTube, where I enjoyed blonde (wheat-colored actually) miss Kenzie do a video appeal to date Barney, the First Dog.

As it turns out, they're experienced travelers and have gorgeous photo galleries to prove it. I found Rome particularly good, as at least I had been there and could attest to the quality of the pix. They've also been to Prague, Nice, Calais, Berlin, Amsterdam, Torino, Dublin, Madrid, Glasgow, Vegas. . . that's not even a quarter of their journeyings.

They even have a most handy page of helpful pet travel links! Didn't you always wish you could bring your dog with you? Perhaps you can with Boone and Kenzie's help.

Ah, tourists!

alf wight

Who's that?

You may well have read his books and seen the TV series based on them. You just didn't know it.

Alf Wight was the real name of James Herriot, the British country veterinarian who wrote the All Things Bright and Beautiful series. I remember those well for the glimpse they offered of life in the English country in the 40's, for the deft character studies of the folks (and animals!) around him, and not the least for their great feeling for the creatures in his care. Most were livestock, as appropriate to his time and place, but as the books progress you notice more companion-animal work, mirroring the growing awareness among pet owners that even little barn cats need love and attention.

I've always thought you can tell a lot about a person by how they treat their pets, and by and large the Herriot books bear that out.

Skeldale House, in the town of Thirsk, was the vet office. Now it is a museum dedicated to him and the way of life he celebrated.

Visit!

shopcat!

Cats at pet food stores. Cats in bookstores. Cats at Toyota dealerships, electrical suppliers, liquor stores, internet cafes. Yes, cats make for good business. And you can see that in action at Shopcat. (Look for catbystate here!)

a grimm hedgehog

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm -- who died in 1863 and 1859 respectively, in their seventies -- are the source of what we call the Grimm fairytales, such as Little Red Riding Hood, the Bremen Town Musicians, and Cinderella. However, they didn't write them as such: that is, they aren't the people who made them up. They collected the folktales of their German countrymen and published them, saving for posterity that part of their culture's oral tradition.

Do you think you have heard every Grimm tale? I thought I had. But there is a gem I had never read about a peasant couple whose son is half hedgehog. It's pretty grim in spots, pun intended, as many of the original tales are: there is child abandonment and death by spiking. But they all live happily ever after. Of course they do. Now have a look at

Hans-My-Hedgehog

as the year of the dog winds down

February 17th will be the last day of the Year of the Dog in Chinese astrology. If you were born in such a year, you are loyal, faithful, honest, discreet, fair-minded, practical, stubborn, temperamental, confident and eccentric.

Next up is year of the Pig, so I look forward to finding some fun museum entries on that. But in the meantime, I note that National Museums Liverpool has a great online exhibit on the Year of the Dog.

They note there are even dogfish swimming in the Aquarium! Though they admit those are actually a type of shark.

elizabethan doggie dis

William Harrison was a British natural historian of the 16th century. He, like other natural historians of this time, hadn't much to say for the tiny lapdogs so popular with gentlewomen at this time. Rather, he thought they were fluffy evidence of lax moral fibre, as his comment from 1588 below makes quite clear (in original spelling):

...little and prettie, proper and fine, and sought out far and neere to sastifie
the nice delicacie of dainty dames, and wanton womens willes; instruments of
follie to plaie and dallie withall, in trifling away the treasure oftime, to
withdraw their minds from more commendable exercises, and to content their
corrupt concupiscenceswith vaine disport, a sillie poore shift to shun their
irksome idleness. These Sybariticall puppies, the smaller they be. . . the
better they be accepted, the more pleasure also they provoke, as meet
plaiefellowes for minsing mistresses to beare in their bosoms, to keepe companie
withall in their chambers, to succour with sleepe in bed, and nourish with meat
at bord, to lie in their laps, and licke their lips as they lie. . . in their
wagons and coches.

-- Jesse, G.R., History of the British Dog, 2 vols. (London, 1856), 2.228; quoted in MacDonogh, Katharine, Reigning Cats and Dogs (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999), pp. 77-78.

I love that line about how they "licke their lips as they lie".

nutty

I was thinking about our recent foray into squirrel art history and nosing about for something of that ilk. I didn't find that this morning, but I have found someone who has everything I didn't know you needed for squirrel keeping, care and rehab.

Plus some cute squirrelly type tchotchkes ("thingies" for those of you who haven't heard this term in play back east) that appeal for Valentine's Day.

I imagine many of the supplies would do well for any small creature in need of food and help.

With great simplicity, she calls it The Squirrel Store.

painted butterflies

The papillon ("butterfly" in French) is a delicate toy spaniel that became popular in European courts around the 1500s. Often called "comforters," a term common to any small pet lapdog, one of their acknowledged uses was to provide something nice and warm to hold or to sit on your feet in a drafty palace.

They also provided an uncomplicated source of affection in a world where almost every human being around had an ulterior motive. (When you think about it, being a princess must have been awful.) Dogs, an easily recognizable symbol of fidelity -- hence the name "Fido" we all recognize --began popping up in royal portraiture to show a woman's loyalty to her husband, or larger dog breeds served as foils to a ruler's military prowess. The papillion, being so elegant and tiny, and easily acquired only by certain high circles, became one of THE dogs for gentlewomen to have.

The Papillon Club of America has done excellent art-history homework to prove it. They have created a gallery of Old Master paintings which include Papillons, and most enjoyable it is too.

the white jewel

"...completely white, eyes of clear mercury,
this cat if in any house,
brings long life and title,
material wealth coming in with no decrease
will be entertained with all things in happiness"

This is a verse from The Tamra Maew or Cat Book of Poems (1350 - 1767), the ancient Thai treatise on cats, regarding the breed known as Khao Manee. These were the true and beloved Royal Cats of Old Siam, and did not set a paw on American shores until 1999.

They are confident, snuggly, and want to please, though the American breeder who established them in this country notes that every litter has one self-centered kitten! Though their eyes may be blue or yellow, they may also sport one of each, a dramatic look against their snowy fur.

They are thought to bring excellent luck. And they have their own museum.

"Hurry and find a good cat to prosper and gain results"

"russian pet labrador reports $20 yearly income"

From the site russianspy.org:

A popular Russian daily, Komsomolskaya Pravda, tells a story of a pet labrador who reported an astonishingly high income of 500 rubles (approx. $20) after he had spent nights gathering coins in the courtyard of an apartment block where his owners live.

The dog called West has been living in the Shishakins family for two years now. The pet’s hobby is to collect coins in the courtyard, his owner Lyudmila Shishakina says.

“About a year ago, as the whole family gathered in the kitchen, West brought several coins in his teeth,” she says. “I still cannot figure out how he had managed to find him in the apartment. Most surprisingly, we had never trained him to do that. We laughed and awarded him with a piece of sausage and forgot everything about it.”

But the puppy, it appears, did not forget. Inspired by the prize he began to collect coins every time he was led outdoors. His daily “income” is 7 to 10 rubles.

“It’s fun to observe pedestrians dropping coins and our dog dashing to pick them up,” Igor Shishakin laughs.

The KP correspondent staged an experiment to test West’s abilities. The dog passed the test brilliantly. Over the past twelve months the smart pet has added a total of 500 rubles to the household budget.

bup bup! ham ham!

Oh, your dog says "woof woof"? (I heard a joke once about Bostonian dogs saying "Ahhf, ahhf.") Perhaps your dog should pick up some languages. It's a good skill to have you know.

Learn how to say "woof" all around the world here.

dog proverbs

"The barking of a dog does not disturb the man on a camel." -- Egyptian Proverb

"Children aren't dogs; adults aren't gods." -- Haitian Proverb

"Three things it is best to avoid: a strange dog, a flood, and a man who thinks he is wise." -- Welsh Proverb

"The dog's kennel is not the place to keep a sausage." -- Danish Proverb

"If you are a host to your guest, be a host to his dog also." -- Russian Proverb

"The greater love is a mother's; then comes a dog's; then a sweetheart's." -- Polish Proverb

"Show a dog a finger, and he wants the whole hand." -- Yiddish Proverb

"Every dog is allowed one bite." -- US Proverb

. . . and this one has nothing to do with dogs but cracked me up:

"When you go to a donkey's house, don't talk about ears." -- Jamaican Proverb