natural Posted May 11, 2021 (edited) ? Edited May 11, 2021 by natural ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Taomeow Posted May 27, 2021 (edited) This picture was taken by a friend of mine, the son of the great Boris Strugatsky (of sci-fi's Strugatsky Brothers). It's not a reflection in the mirror. It's his current cat, named Kalyam, captured at the moment of establishing a mysterious connection across time through the picture of one of his cats of decades earlier. All his sequential cats were always named Kalyam, after his father's sequential cats who were also always named Kalyam, including the cat of the main protagonist of "One Billion Years to the End of the World," Strugatskys' 1970s novel. The word itself is mysterious, apparently of Turkic origins and several historical connotations, one having to do with a writing implement used at the times of Genghis Khan, another one, with something small that is part of something big. Edited May 27, 2021 by Taomeow 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Taomeow Posted May 30, 2021 (edited) Found and lost a dog today. In that order. My son picked up in the street and brought in a tiny fluffy white thing with big ears, big intelligent eyes, a fragile physique and a calm, composed demeanor. Not shy, not scared, not clingy. Silent, friendly and very polite. It was less than half the size of an average cat and looked like a miniature cross between a little lamb and Falkor from The Never-Ending Story. The dog approached my son in an empty street and explained, with eye contact and body language, that it was lost. Not panicking or anything, just looking in the eye, then indicating with body language that the street was empty, no owner in sight, could you please assist me, sir. It had a collar with a tag. The tag said "Santa Monica" -- which is 115 miles away from where the encounter took place. There was a phone number too, so we called that number, an answering machine said we'd reached animal rescue service of Santa Monica police department. The dog was so tiny that to imagine it escaped from the cops and used its four little legs to walk 115 miles seemed like a stretch. It would take it 115 years. Several attempts to get anyone to return our calls to that number failed, so we started planning on keeping the dog. I know nothing about tiny dogs. If I hang out with other people's dogs, I favor big ones, I have an idea of what to expect of them, I know how to play with them, what they like to eat but shouldn't, what their level of intelligence is, what mood, and so on. But a tiny dog is something I don't understand. I mean, if you're into dogs, get a dog, and if you're into something that can fit in your purse, get a cat. Why overcomplicate things. So, I never thought of taking in a tiny dog, ever. And yet, within an hour of that Falkor-lamb hybrid appearing in my life, I decided that if all else fails, I'll give it a home. I fed it a bit of a hot dog and gave it some water -- both were accepted politely, with no sign of starvation or thirst, just well-behaved acceptance of my hospitality. Then the dog asked permission to sit on my lap. Permission granted, it did. I stroked it and it seemed quite relaxed and comfortable but didn't purr. If it was a cat I would be worried -- why, what am I doing wrong, why are you sitting on my lap being stroked and yet refusing to purr? Oh... Right. You're a dog. A purrless animal. The next attempt to call Santa Monica finally produced a person on the other end, who then identified the dog and the owner and the fact that the owner was visiting family in San Diego. So the dog didn't walk 115 miles after all. It took a car ride before getting lost. So we called the owner and the brief episode of my being in possession of a tiny dog ended with their happy reunion. Edited May 30, 2021 by Taomeow 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
old3bob Posted June 1, 2021 (edited) sounded like a mature little doggie...I've noticed cats usually have one acting personality while some dogs can range all over the place so to speak, as in happy to sad, friendly to not so friendly, etc.. Edited June 1, 2021 by old3bob Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Taomeow Posted June 3, 2021 He had to travel far but he finally found his lost cat. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
old3bob Posted June 28, 2021 This older video may already be on site (?) if not it goes to show a cat can be very protective... 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shevek Posted June 30, 2021 (edited) The elusive Chinese Mountain Cats on the Tibetan plateau have been in the science news after a study of their genetics... Quote We know that the domestic cat has distant relatives that roam the earth -- lions, tigers, cheetahs and mountain lions. Less familiar are the 38 distinct species in the Family Felidae, many with strange names like pampas cat, kodkod and rusty cat. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/06/210624135529.htm Quote A new genetic analysis of more than two dozen Chinese mountain cats concludes that the creature is not its own species, but rather a subspecies of feline that gave rise to several modern wildcats and the domestic cat. That demotion could hamper efforts to save the vulnerable animal https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/06/china-s-most-mysterious-wildcat-may-not-be-its-own-species Edited June 30, 2021 by Shevek 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Taomeow Posted June 30, 2021 4 hours ago, Shevek said: The elusive Chinese Mountain Cats on the Tibetan plateau have been in the science news after a study of their genetics... https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/06/210624135529.htm https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/06/china-s-most-mysterious-wildcat-may-not-be-its-own-species I guess no one is planning to consider the origin of this elusive cat in the light of the taoist tradition of "leaving the world" and "going into the mountains," hiding away from people and living in seclusion. But I have no trouble envisioning a taoist sage accompanied by her cat on that journey away from the "red dust of the world." Or by several cats if she was a bit of a cat lady. Maybe even goddess Chin Mu had something to do with it. 5 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nungali Posted July 8, 2021 (edited) I wonder if those 'scooter cats' are trained to protect the scooters ( like those 'mythical' ? temple cats ) ? Or maybe they just appreciate the warm convenient mobile 'cat pads' parked in the streets for them ? here is an interesting cat I saw on a doco the other night ( sorry if you already featured them and I missed it ) ; The Margay, or 'tree ocelot ' It can turn its ankles up to 180 degrees, so it can just 'walk' down a tree or grasp branches equally well with its fore and hind paws, and it is able to jump up to 12 ft (3.7 m) horizontally. A margay has been observed to mimic the vocalisation of a pied tamarin (Saguinus bicolor) infant while hunting. This represents the first observation of a Neotropical predator employing this type of mimicry. Edited July 8, 2021 by Nungali 7 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
old3bob Posted July 12, 2021 sharp looking boy or girl: 4 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nungali Posted July 12, 2021 ^ been out in the woods all week - didnt get a chance to shave . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Taomeow Posted July 12, 2021 4 minutes ago, Nungali said: ^ been out in the woods all week - didnt get a chance to shave . Girlfriend doesn't mind. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
old3bob Posted July 13, 2021 (edited) righto guy, but best to shower before snuggling if you haven't already done so Edited July 13, 2021 by old3bob 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Taomeow Posted July 16, 2021 A cat traffic light in Zelenogradsk, Russia. They also have a cat dormitory and cat food vending machines. 2 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
old3bob Posted July 19, 2021 underwater Jag it looks like the cat is swallowing food underwater? 3 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Taomeow Posted July 19, 2021 1 hour ago, old3bob said: underwater Jag it looks like the cat is swallowing food underwater? Yes. Pretty amazing. Normally, a land animal will drag the water animal it's interested in eating out of the water first. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Taomeow Posted July 20, 2021 No! I don't want any milk! Leave me alone! 1 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
old3bob Posted July 21, 2021 (funnier still if not photo-shoped?) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Taomeow Posted July 21, 2021 14 minutes ago, old3bob said: (funnier still if not photo-shoped?) I don't think it's photoshopped. Given a chance to interact, cows and cats often do, in all kinds of ways... 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
old3bob Posted July 21, 2021 wow-ie! and interesting. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
silent thunder Posted July 21, 2021 Cows are incredible creatures with strong and widely varied personalities. Much like most mammals, many breeds of reptile and every single bird I've ever had the joy to get to know personally. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zerostao Posted July 21, 2021 I lived on a small dairy once, 18 cows. at milking time, every barn cat made their presence known. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zerostao Posted July 21, 2021 2 hours ago, silent thunder said: Cows are incredible creatures with strong and widely varied personalities. Much like most mammals, many breeds of reptile and every single bird I've ever had the joy to get to know personally. 1 hour ago, zerostao said: I lived on a small dairy once, 18 cows. at milking time, every barn cat made their presence known. You're right about each cow having widely varied personalities. the same one tried to kick me every single morning. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
