cat proverbs: scots, 1721

The following proverbs and their explanations are from A complete collection of Scottish proverbs: explained and made intelligible to the English reader, compiled by James Kelly, 1721.  I've kept the original spellings...

 - Cast the cat o'er him.  It is believed that when a Man is raving in a Fever, the Cat cast over him will cure him; apply'd to them whom we hear telling extravagant Things, as they were raving.

 - I am o'er old a Cat, to draw a Straw before my Nose.  That is, I am too old to be imposed upon.  A young Cat will jump at a Straw drawn before her, but not an old one; nothing being more playful than a young Cat, and nothing being more dull than an old one.

 - It was never for nothing that the Cat lick'd the Stone. (English) The cat knows whose lips he licks.  People who officiously offer their Service, may be suspected to have some selfish End in it.

 - You never bought Salt to the Cat.  You know not what it is to provide for a Family.

"that truly generous animal" - taylor on the dog

From Joseph Taylor's 1804 collection of dog anecdotes, which we've seen a time or two here.  This is the introduction to the book, a thoughtful and kind piece with the flavor of its time.  I've kept the original spelling and punctuation.

* * *

TO THE READER,

I HAVE long been a painful observer of the great cruelties which the brute creation Frequently undergo, and particularly the Dog, who is the subject, of the present work: It is but too obvious that young people, repeatedly, from incaution and not knowing their generous nature, inflict severe punishment on these kind creatures, which Divine Providence has been pleased to make subservient to us, without once considering how necessary they are, as links of the grand chain of the universe, for our assistance, amusement, and very frequently our preservation. I have, therefore, as the friend of that truly generous animal, whose merits I am proud to rehearse, completed with great pains, and at some expence, a volume of Canine Anecdotes, in hopes that the various instances of sagacity and faithful attachment which I have introduced, will prevent, in some measure, the future ill-treatment of merit so transcendant. This idea, even in anticipation, affords me much pleasure; and if my humble efforts meet your approbation, I shall conceive it a favourable omen, and flatter myself that an undertaking, founded on the abhorrence of barbarity, may not be found altogether undeserving the notice of benevolent beings, who wish to exterminate cruelty from a Christian land.

I am, with respect,
Your very humble servant, JOSEPH TAYLOR

From Joseph Taylor, The general character of the dog: illustrated by a variety of original and interesting anecdotes (London: Darton and Harvey, 1804) pps. iii-iv

vintage photo time

thanks ampersand

Memories of the sun on the water, of a puppy on a boat.

two friends through thick and thin

thanks wikimedia commons {public domain}

A woman and a cat, both clearly used to tough times, cling to each other as true friends do.  This is "Portrait of A." by the Russian painter Nikolai Nevrev (1830-1904).

kat von d's back. really

i took this!

I realize you have never seen Kat Von D from the back.  Well, here she is, sitting still for a minute - it doesn't happen much - and I think it's a perfect addendum to yesterday's post.

cats heart yarn

thanks wikimedia commons {PD-old-100}

Does that kitty face remind you of anyone? It's a close twin to the face that's been variously chewing on, yowling at, or smooching up to me this morning:  a Kat Von D of 1903.  Here is "Sitzendes Mädchen mit einer Katze" (Sitting Girl with a Cat), a watercolor by Albert Anker, the most popular genre painter of 19th-century Switzerland.

Having identified him as a genre painter, I want to be sure I give Anker (1831-1910) his full due.  It's true that he chose to paint calm daily scenes of uplifting feel, a choice made early on and backed by his youthful studies in theology.  He clearly geared his vision toward the best life could offer the general populace.  Yet he was well trained as an artist in all that Europe could provide in his time, with regular visits to Paris and occasional journeys elsewhere.  This is a person who not only kept himself well-informed on his craft and its culture, but used that knowledge so lightly and surely that he is still a favorite son among Swiss artists today.

i bet you saw this on thanksgiving

thanks wikimedia commons{{PD:US}}

Yep.  You have to keep the yummy stuff out of muzzle reach - true now and true in 1878, when the German Realist Wilhelm Trubner (1851-1917) painted this "Dogge mit Wurstschussel ( = Dog with sausage craving)," apparently also nicknamed "Caesar at the Rubicon."
Trubner believed that "beauty must lie in the painting itself, not in the subject," in the colors, handling, proportions - an abstract principle, seen here in about as concrete a subject as it gets.  I mean, what's more real than a begging dog?  Take a look at that great fur, though.  It's built out of blocks of rich variants of brown, but what do you see?  Velvety dog fur.  Oh, give that good boy a piece of sausage, already.

thanksgiving cat poem (thanks oliver herford)

A Thanksgiving Fable.
It was a hungry pussy cat, upon Thanksgiving morn,
And she watched a thankful little mouse that ate an ear of corn.
"If I ate that thankful little mouse, how thankful he should be,
When he has made a meal himself, to make a meal for me! 

Then with his thanks for having fed, and his thanks for feeding me, 

With all his thankfulness inside, how thankful I shall be!" 

Thus mused the hungry pussy cat, upon Thanksgiving Day; 

But the little mouse had overheard and declined (with thanks) to stay. 

—Our hero, Oliver Herford, in the Oregon Teachers' Monthly, Vol. 19 no. 3 (November 1914), p. 129.

oxherder dog

From 1840's The Natural History of Dogs, a work of typically 19th-century deep inquiry and quirky interpretation, here's a variant of the canine race "The Matin Dog, Canis laniarius."  (No, I hadn't heard of it either.) This dog has the specialized fortitude to wrangle oxen in the water, as so:

* * *

The Drover, or Cattle-dog of Cuba and Terra Firma, in America, we have seen in great numbers, and they perform a service which those of their tribe in Europe are scarcely fit for. We have often witnessed, when vessels with live stock arrive in our West India colonies, and the oxen are hoisted out by a sling passed round the base of their horns, the great assistance they afford to bring them to land. 

For, when the ox first suspended by the head is lowered, and allowed to fall into the water, men generally swim and guide it by the horns; but, at other times, this service is performed by one or two dogs, who, catching the bewildered animal by the ears, one on each side, force it to swim in the direction of the landing place, and instantly release their hold when they feel it touches the ground; for then the beast naturally walks up to the shore.

* * *

You may read of this marvel on page 154 in Volume 2.
The natural history of dogs: canidae or genus canis of authors; including also the genera hyaena and proteles, Volume 2, Charles Hamilton Smith, Sir William Jardine (W.H. Lizars, 1840).

recrowning poor dog farm: squirrel king

image copyright and by kindest permission of s.georgieff

I rather missed the Poor Dog Farm gang and asked Sam Georgieff if I could visit again.  (I had originally posted on Poor Dog Farm about two years ago.)  He said yes, so hooray, I have a reason to show you the Squirrel King!  Remember, these are executed in watercolor and you know how tough a medium that can be to control.  Impressive.

vintage photo time

ampersand xox 

No wonder this shaggy fellow is almost as big as this little girl - look at him eat.  The photo catches the blur of his tail wagging. Love it.

want to stick pins in your favorite movie character?

image copyright and by kindest permission of the artist

I have to fess up:  I squealed out loud upon discovering FatCatCrafts (I've been getting great inspiration on Etsy this week).  Crafter Kathleen is on a mission to save you from the usual tomato pincushion, and if you've got a yen to keep your pins in a kitty Indiana Jones (above), Doctor Who, a pirate, a ninja, or the cast of Star Wars, does she have the item for you.  Her story of how Halloween, her fat cat Spooky, and adventures in sewing turned into a parade of fabulous felines is engaging.  And on that subject she adds:

Pretty much anything can (inspire me) if I'm in the right mood set. Crafting in general, I was inspired by my mom. Growing up I saw her always tinkering with materials and I wanted to do it too. In regards to my pincushions, the original inspiration was from my fat cat Spooky. Her chubby shape is what prompted the initial shape I use. And with the different character cats, I'm a very visual person. So I may see some random something I like and that'll get me thinking about how I can turn it into a pincushion cat.

I've just seen "Skyfall."  If there had been a Bond kitty I think I'd have vaporized with glee, but I came pretty close with the James T Kirk.  Drop by Kathleen's shop and prepare to squeal.

cat people, a fantasy look

image copyright by and kindest courtesy of Donna M. Sanna, all rights reserved

At Etsy shop AnimalFancy, Donna Sanna's created a world full of gentle vintage-style portraits - of animals being people as only our memories could fashion them.  Above, "Paris" reminded me of Elizabeth, while this one is quite the essence of KatVonD.   Here's what Donna says about the alchemy she makes:
"As an anthropomorphic digital artist, I create these whimsical images as a means to bring forth the personalities of our beloved pets through body language, expression, wardrobe, and color. As all animal lovers know, each and every one has distinct character traits that effortlessly steal our hearts forever. I hope to capture those traits in my work and share my love for animals in a unique and delightful way."
By the way, she can do this for your pet, too. Imagine the possibilities!  I think of Elizabeth as a flapper...KatVonD as a 19th century New Englander...Veronica in Montmartre...

good night kat von d

She was too busy giving her face its bedtime wash to stay very still.

Night night for the Kat.

Sweet dreams, all.

**Note: She's parked dead center of the living room dog bed.

Dog?  Asleep on the couch.

dog in joyful air

thanks wikimedia commons {PD:US}

Somewhere in the storage of the Yale Center for British Art - one of my favorite buildings in the world - this fellow is forever leaping with excitement.  Perhaps he's going after a toy ball, or a tidbit.  Maybe it's time for walkies.  He's "Lady Londonderry's Dog," by British artist James Ward (1769-1859).  At the museum website we learn that this is "Probably a Study for the Painting, 'Portrait of Dash, a Favorite Spaniel, the Property of Lady Frances Vane Tempest,' Exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1819."  There's an excellent biographic essay on Ward here where I learn, not surprisingly, that he was one of the key British Romantic artists and also that he began his career after a youth of poverty as "a brittle, pious, and argumentative young man with incredible talents."  Someone, in other words, who was constantly fighting to soar and desperate not to sink to the ground - well, I wondered how he'd stepped into the intensity of this animal's spirit.

darwin, on the dog

Dogs Prepare for Sleep (From The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals)

Dogs, when they wish to go to sleep on a carpet or other hard surface, generally turn round and round and scratch the ground with their fore-paws in a senseless manner, as if they intended to trample down the grass and scoop out a hollow, as no doubt their wild parents did, when they lived on open grassy plains or in the woods.

 -- quoted in Praise of the Dog: An Anthology, Edith Bicknell, compiler (New York: E.P. Dutton), 1902, p. 170.

veterans, four-footed

I couldn't post yesterday, but it was Veterans' Day here in the States.  I always want to take time to thank those who have served and currently serve in our armed forces, who give up so much so that I can sit here snugly posting away.  Among those brave souls deserving thanks are some with fur, and the United States War Dog Association is for them.  There you can learn what sort of duties canine soldiers undertake, see the Wall of Honor, even find a regional chapter if you would like to be a part of this fine cause.  Lots there to see and think about.
Perhaps you'd like to adopt a deserving hero?  Military Working Dogs Adoptions can help you find a noble new family member.
And on the other side of the pet food aisle, I always love looking over these photos of some little orange kittens rescued by soldiers in Afghanistan, and hoping everyone made it home okay.

Thank you, veterans all, and bless you.

vintage photo time

couldn't help myself

No idea where this is from (other than that I bought it on Etsy), but those of you who have been following my recent "woes" on Facebook will understand immediately.  Long story short we had a spate of kitty aggro and  territorial pee around here.  So I caved in and bought a Feliway diffuser, which has been up for a week and a half, and I wish I had bought it much earlier.  Things are way friendlier around here!  Also had Elizabeth (the prime offender) checked at the vet, and found out that she needs to drink more water, so it's expensive ol' canned-only for that stripey princess for a while.  And as for toilet training, I haven't even begun to wrap my head around that, but in one of my very earliest posts I talk about how Charlie Mingus managed it.

clever dog lab

You know how your dog seems to have these decided opinions about what which kitten he likes best (Briar prefers Elizabeth), or how the couch is better than that big round squishy bed you so expensively bought him?  And how did he learn how to nose open the cabinet where you keep the peanut butter dog biscuits?  Does he really understand anything you say?  What could he do if you just knew how to teach him?
If only you both could fly to Vienna and spend some time at the Clever Dog Lab.  A scientific society linked to the Unit of Comparative Cognition at the University of Vienna, the personnel at the Clever Dog Lab want to find out more about how dogs learn and how they see their relationship with us.
Current studies include "Is your dog empathic?" and "How aging affects cognitive abilities in dogs."  You can also meet a lot of their doggy participants.  There's a lot to see at the Clever Dog Lab website.  Have fun!

edith sodergran wishes on a cat

I have a luck cat in my arms,
it spins threads of luck.
Luck cat, luck cat,
make for me three things:
make for me a golden ring,
to tell me that I am lucky;
make for me a mirror
to tell me that I am beautiful;
make for me a fan
to waft away my cumbersome thoughts.
Luck cat, luck cat,
spin for me some news of my future!

-- Finnish-Swedish poet Edith Sodergran (1892-1923).  Found along with photos of Sodergran and pets at this superdelicious BuzzFeed post: 30 Renowned Authors Inspired by Cats.

the political animal

Happy Election Day, everyone!  I found a slideshow of "Political Pets" from earlier this year at the Huffington Post.  It's diverting:  there's many Presidents and their pets of course, but Adolf Hitler's in the mix (once), there's Mussolini managing to look dour even holding his lion cub, and in my favorite, Churchill bends down to pat a street cat on the head.
Bonus!  I just found Wikipedia's list of United States Presidential Pets.  What kind of animal was "Royal Gift" and which President owned him? (Her? Hard to tell.) Who had the alligator?  Who owned the first Siamese in the US?  Have fun finding out.

(funny) vintage photo time

i bought this on etsy

"Rabbit and Shorty," says the note on the back.  I'm going to assume Shorty is the cat...the cat with the priceless i has bunnie look on his face.

pink tablecloth and dog

{{PD:Art}} thanks wikimedia commons

Around 1648 in Italy, the Baroque painter Giovanna Garzoni painted this oil on canvas of a tubby ...what is that? a spaniel? ... smiling on a pink cloth next to some bread.  You know she'll get some, for the humans have eaten their fill and left the flies to settle among the crumbs.  But dogs don't care about leftovers or flies, and clearly this one has spent her life being pampered.  She's a daily luxury, as is the delicate cup next to her, and she sports an elegant if rather bell-enhanced collar to prove it.  This cheerful portrait, titled only "Bitch," lives in Florence's Pitti Palace.

homeward hound

As I write this, I am wrapping up a week's hosting of an ad by my friends at Homeward Hound, a Seattle pet-sitting company.  Why are the folks there special?  Because not only do they have true love and care for people's animals, but they (Cat and Kelsey) are photographers and writers.  They've made their website and their Facebook page an oasis for those of us who need a sweet, puppy snap in the middle of the day...or night.  Their images are immediate and everyday, but catch the very exact second when there's a tender look, or a goofy grin, or an all-out run like Paradise was beckoning.
You don't have to live in Seattle (it's too wet anyway) to feel this happiness.  Just visit the website.  I hope you have fun.

hawk adopts kitten: strange and sweet

In an excerpt from a periodical called the Leisure Hour, here's a most striking example of opposites adopting each other:

* * *

A lady of the writer's acquaintance was once walking amid the scenery of the Isle of Wight, when she observed a little kitten curled up on a mossy bank in all the security of a, mid-day nap. It was a beautiful little creature, and the lady gently approached in order to stroke it, when suddenly down swooped an hawk, pounced upon the sleeping kitten, and completely hid it from her sight. It was a kestrel. Our friend was greatly shocked, and tried to rescue the little victim; but the kestrel stood at bay and refused to move. There he stood on the bank, firmly facing her; and all her efforts to drive him from his prey failed. 

The lady hurried on to a fisherman's cottage, which was near at hand, and told of the little tragedy with the eloquence of real feeling. But the fisher-folk were not so disconcerted, and, laughingly, said,—' It is always so; that hawk always comes down if anybody goes near the kitten. He has taken to the kitten, and he stays near at hand to watch whenever it goes to sleep.'
The case was so remarkable, that the lady inquired further into its history, and learned that the kitten's mother had died, and that the fisherman's family had suddenly missed the little nurseling. After some time they observed a kestrel hawk loitering about the cottage. They used to throw him scraps of meat, and they observed that he always carried off a portion of every meal, dragging even heavy bones away out of sight.

His movements were watched, and they saw that he carried the stores to the roof of his cottage. A ladder was placed, some one ascended, and there, nestling in a hole in the thatch, lay the lost kitten, thriving prosperously under the tender care of its strange foster-father. The foundling was brought down and restored to civilized life; but the bandit protector was not disposed to resign his charge, and ever kept at hand to fly to the rescue, whenever dangerous ladies threatened it with a caress.

* * *

I love this story.  Found on pages 661-2 of Beeton's Book of Poultry and Domestic Animals, Samuel Beeton, editor (London: Ward, Lock, and Tyler, 1870).