KILLER BEASTS?
Natalie Angier of the New York Times reports that cats, our domesticated pets and their feral cousins, kill 2.4 Billion birds a year. They also kill 12.3 Billion mammals, like chipmunks voles and gophers. At least I hope they are getting the gophers, but that's another issue.
Well, our three are among that killing squad, though they look like a civil group here. Luke, front and center, is the Alpha and is true to his tiger/leopard ancestry. Little sister joy with the pink heart is following her tiger DNA coding as well. She is tenacious for such a cute little thing.
Hemingway, the orange polydactyl doesn't seem to be the hunter type. He's more interested in napping, playing and sitting on a lap. We haven't seen him express much curiosity in hunting, so maybe he'll help lower the curve. Can't get a bird from a lap, or in a nap.
A DAY WITH A WEIRD VIBE
The San Luis Obispo Tribune's "Flashback" listing of this day in history was almost enough to send me back under the covers.
January 30th has been besmirched by human endeavors. Consider the history:
January 30th has been besmirched by human endeavors. Consider the history:
-1933 Adolph Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany
-1649 King Charles I is beheaded
-1948 Mahatma Gandhi is assassinated
-1962 Two of the Flying Wallendas hire wire act die in an accident during a performance in Detroit
-1964 Ranger 6 is launched. It crashes on moon but fails to send back images
-1968 The Tet Offensive begins in the Viet Nam war
-1972 "Bloody Sunday"-13 Catholic civil rights marchers are shot to death by British soldiers in Northern Ireland
-1973 KISS performs its first show
This is also the birthday of Dick Cheney. But it too is the day that brought us Boris Spassky, Gene Hackman, Vanessa Redgrave, Phil Collins and Christian Bale. On reflection, that is a group of intense folk.
-1962 Two of the Flying Wallendas hire wire act die in an accident during a performance in Detroit
-1964 Ranger 6 is launched. It crashes on moon but fails to send back images
-1968 The Tet Offensive begins in the Viet Nam war
-1972 "Bloody Sunday"-13 Catholic civil rights marchers are shot to death by British soldiers in Northern Ireland
-1973 KISS performs its first show
This is also the birthday of Dick Cheney. But it too is the day that brought us Boris Spassky, Gene Hackman, Vanessa Redgrave, Phil Collins and Christian Bale. On reflection, that is a group of intense folk.
MOUNTAIN WAVES
So we end this brutal post with something soothing. As the old sarge used to say on Hill Street Blues, "Be careful out there!"
See you down the trail.
We've had 3 cats over the years, only one was a hunter of birds and small mammals. The middle cat was a big fat Persian who would lay on her back propped in a corner of the sofa with her legs spread and her fat belly hanging out, she wouldn't leave house if you paid her in fresh salmon. The last was a snow white Persian, when she went outside she never went a foot from the foundation. On the other hand she would sky up to the counter and lick the butter.
ReplyDeleteMy sister had a cat who not only murdered 2-3 birds a day, he was so tough he would bat bacon and sausage out of the frying pan. They are all around interesting animals, aren't they?
Great (!!!) Picture!
ReplyDeleteWhy isn't Dick Cheney's birth up there in the bulleted list? Huh?
ReplyDeleteLove the mountain waves. And I forgive you for reminding me that it's Dick Cheney's birthday.
ReplyDeleteOne of our cats preferred small garden lizards, delivered of course to our front porch!
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