It's M-m-m-m-my Pagoda!

Well, okay, yes, I know that *strictly speaking* this is not a pagoda.

But look--I live in a modest apartment in the middle of a city and what would the likes of me be doing with a pagoda anyway?

However, mere steps away in the park, there is a real pagoda:

Located at the edge of Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park where the Human likes to walk, there is a real, genu-wine pagoda that was a gift from Taipei in 1981. It is a super popular place for wedding photos and all kinds of other Human frivolities. And you know what? *I* would like to have this pagoda. We don't have a yard though, and I think it's too big for the living room. 

Pity. I would feel quite royal on a silken pillow right in the center.

Sunday Selfie: "I Should Have Named You Dusty"

. . . she says, just like it was nuffing insulting. Well, Kitties, I *am* insulted nonetheless.

I mean, if I *am* dusty, and I am neither confirming or denying any such thing, whose fault is that really?

Do *I* do (or more likely, not do) the housework here at Chez Spittola and the Human? I mean, do Kings vacuum? 

Well, I am sure you get my drift: Not the Kitty's fault.

 

Caturday Fill-ins

  
So the Human is old and addled and apparently so am I, especially when I am distracted by a sunny window. So of course we fuddled our way through Friday, minus the Fill-Ins. We hope we are still allowed to answer them, even though it is already Caturday!

Our friends at 15 and Meowing & Four-Legged Furballs created these intriguing Friday (Caturday) Fill-Ins:

1. Being a feline is a privilege.
2. I was so embarrassed when the Human made me post that snuggly picture yesterday, but now I am kinda proud of myself.
3. I can’t help but smile when I think about the LadyCats.
4. Absolutely everything has gotten out of hand.

True Confession: My Feral Card . . .

 . . . I'm afraid I have burned it. And quite a long time ago, too,  if the truth be told.

On this chilly afternoon, I snuggled in hard between the Human and the arm of the chair.

And I purred and I purred and I purred.

There! I've said it! I dare you to mock me! 

Actually, go ahead and mock me. I deserve it. 

Felines at Rest, Real and Imagined

 I'm a Good Boy, I am.

Is this guy a Good Boy too? 

And the Survey Says. . . 

Still an open question!

All-but-Wordless Wednesday: Caress . . . or Control?

 You be the judge!

Sweet Toesday

 I don't often show off my toes, but when I do they're the best toes!

Spittilocks & the Two Bears

The Human wanders through the streets with her phone, looking for things she can post on my blog. Understandably, I am less than thrilled about this.

The bear on the left is City Bear. He has lived the hard-knock life on San Francisco's mean streets and emerged battered and begrimed, but unbroken. He may be reduced to panhandling under a streetlamp, but he retains his dignity and independence.

Suburban Bear, on the other hand, is pristine and unmarked, slumped on a bench outside a fancy little Sausalito shop, waiting for his Human to stuff him inside his little wagon and drag him through the streets. Soooo humiliating!

Sunday Selfie: You Shouldn't Creep Up on Me

Sometimes, when I am startled, I cannot control where my teefs and claws 

end up. Really, you should know that by now, Human.

Caturday Outrage!

This Caturday I hide my handsome face in shame
to be a San Franciscan.

You kitties and Humans with photographic memories and too much time on your hands (or possibly too little occupying your mighty brains!) might remember our post from August 5 concerning delightful pandemic art, including this sweet little penguin family:

Well! The other day as the Human and her friend strolled through the tiny park, they were appalled to see that this whole wall had been painted over!  

Today the mystery was explained in this Cole Valley Improvement Association newsletter:

Well, I never!

Fantastic Furs and Friday Fill-Ins

 

Our friends at 15 and Meowing & Four-Legged Furballs created these intriguing Friday Fill-Ins:

1. I feel like Humans say "I feel like" all the time.

2. I wish I could exchange My Defective Human for Miss Megan from Sydney.

3. It’s time for me to have another high quality nap.

4. Biting my Human is really tempting these days because she is sitting on my chair too much.

Human Politics?

 Who cares?  Here's the most impawtant issue:  

Fevvers?

0r

Furs?

Underappreciated

Well, I never! A day late and a dollar short. Ten dollars short, if you ask me.  Maybe a thousand!

Black Cat Appreciation day came and went with nary a cuddle, treat or even a good wish. Honestly, just when you think you've got her well in paw, she pulls something like this. It's an outrage, Kitties!

Cold Pack Confrontation

So Furiends, as I have complained ad nauseam about the hots, today I will not complain at all! (The Human might want to, though.)  At left is that spendy cooling pad that the Human shelled out a lot of green papers for. I inspected it carefully and thoughtfully, and then walked away. I was scooped up like a sack of potatoes and re-placed on it several times, but the outcome was always the same. Sometimes it takes her awhile to absorb a lesson. 
Later, she wrapped an ancient $2.99 cold pack in an old hand towel and let me have that. And it was purrfect.

Sunday Selfie: It's Hot, Kitties, and I Mean Hot

Friday:       99℉
Saturday:   93℉

Now at first glance, this may not seem so very horrifying, but in a city where the mean August temperature is 68 degrees, it is not pretty, my furiends. You can trust me on this one. 

Also, because of that delightful average, almost no place has air conditioning, except movie theaters and hermetically sealed office buildings. And certainly not rent-controlled apartments in century-old buildings.

So she did buy me a very spendy cooling bed, which arrived today. Of course, cats being who they are, I have thus far refused to use it. It is, after all, the immutable law of felines that the more expensive the item, the lower the likelihood that Kitty will eat it/play with it/lie upon it. 

Good News/Bad News

So, Kitties, the Good News is that after a long, long drought, my beloved Kitty Grass is back for a return engagement in my daily diet! 

NomNomNomNomNom

The not-so-good (okay, Bad) News is that I am no longer allowed free access to eat as much as I want, whenever I want, which should be my right as a member of the feline family!

She says, But Spitty, you'd eat and eat and eat until you threw up, and then five minutes later you'd do it again. And again. And again. She says, I was tired of wiping it up and wiping it up and wiping it up!  

To which I say, And so?

Yeah, well, NOW the system has changed without any democratic vote being taken. And here's what happens: She plucks five or six measly blades and feeds them to me. And don't get me wrong: It is super-exciting! And I don't hork them up. And then later I can have some more.

I mean, I'm glad to have it, but it is sort of humiliating to be treated like an out of control kitten!

And don't think I can't hear what you're thinking out there. Just keep your traps shut, Humans!

Why I Am Forced to Hang Out in the Baffroom

So, as some of you may recall, last March I had a pretty big, pretty bad seizure, the cause of which was never identified with any certainty. I am pleased to say I've not had another in the ensuing (nearly) five months.

So, you may well ask, what does this have to do with my hanging out in the bathroom? 

Well, all on her own, absent any medical confirmation, she came to the conclusion that maybe part of the problem was that I had lain too long mere inches from the radiator and fried myself somehow. (Yeah, I know, I don't think so either.)

But she decided from that night forward, the radiators are things of the past. My comfy little hammock was removed and that was that. She decided she would just wear extra sweaters and stuff, and I, after all, had my furs.

That was fine--for *her* as she has lots of warm clothing (and, I would delicately point out, a layer or six of body fat). I, however, am quite small and slender under my glorious furs, and had to somehow make do.

Well, this is where the bathroom comes in. In the very spot I am lying upon, the floor is extra cozy warm, as the building's boiler room is directly below, keeping that little section of floor toasty warm, but not not nearly so fiery hot as the radiators.

And to be fair, she does supply many blankets. But still.

🌞 🌞 🌞 🌞 🌞 🌞 🌞 🌞 🌞 🌞 🌞 🌞 🌞 🌞 🌞

Friendly Fill-Ins: Our furiends at 15andMeowing came up with the first two and their co-host, Lorianne of Four-Legged Furballs, came up with the second two. I did #1 & #3 and the Human answered #s 2 & 4:

1. I like ketchup on the tips of my claws because it makes people wonder.

2.  Cilantro reminds me of soap, and yet I like it. 

3. It pains me to admit I seek, rather than avoid, cuddles. I'm so ashamed.

4. I can’t read without falling asleep.

Sun Salutation and Morning Ambulation

While I do my morning yoga, the Human usually takes a short walk to clear her head so she can be at her best for our boring pandemic life. I think it is a hopeless endeavor, but it gets her outta the house and outta my furs for awhile, so hey-ho, okay by me.
To amuse herself, she takes pictures of random things she finds along the way. Because she does not have her own blog, she wishes to share some here occasionally. We'll see how it goes.

Little Broken Barbie here met her demise in front of our building. She may have been trying for the Venus de Milo look, but . . . nope.

So these were rather neatly tossed on a bench in the park. Since the shoes are unscuffed and the bag still had its price tag, Sherlock and I surmise that they were probably shoplifted by someone who later decided they did not suit her (or his) fashion sense. In a less virus-conscious time, the Human might have checked them out herself. 

This lovely neighbor cat drew the Human's attention this very morning. She went up to the window and started talking to the sweet kitty. But oddly, the kitty did not check her out. Or talk back. Or breathe. In fact, as you have all no doubt figured out a WHOLE lot faster than the Human, this was not a RealKitty© at all, but rather a serene and silent stuffie. To be fair the Human did not have her glasses on. But still . . . really?

(Barely Wordy) Wednesday: When the Ritz Becomes the Motel 6

 Welp.....I've finished brushing myself. Guess I need to get started on preparing my dinner. This isn't going to look good on her purrformance review.

Tails & 'trails

Today we bring you a selection of old-school kitty funnies (the first two from the golden era of icanhascheezburger and the last one an old New Yorker cartoon) that the Human had posted in her office at school for like 15 years. 

Some adults thought the first two were in questionable taste, but her students thought they were funny. And me, well *I* approve of all of them.

But before you look, please pause to admire the Glory of My Tailio.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

    

Moi & Mini-Moi

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

A friend of the Human (and of Yours Truly) gave us these sweet little cards.
We can think of several uses for them, but the truth is I just want to save them
all so I can look at them whenever I want and admire myself.

Sunday Selfie: Two dinners!

                              

I've always been kind of a svelte boy, and now that I am officially ancient,

 I am even skinnier. So sometimes, if I don't eat my dinner right away, 

the Human gets all worried and opens another can of something

 she hopes I will like better. And sometimes, I like both and I eat both of them,

 and sometimes I was just foolin' and like the first one just fine,

 and sometimes I don't want either. She hates that! Let me tell you a secret, Kitties: 

There are times she has opened a *third* can, ha ha meow! Score!

Note:  As you can maybe tell, we are having trouble with the new blogger. Grrr. Was it broken? Did anything they did make it better? No and No. Most of our troubles are spacing- & alignment-related. I think she is capable of figuring it out. Eventually.

 

Where's Waldo?

 

Don't worry, Kitties.

Yours Truly is in here somewhere. 

I do lose my head from time to time, but not, you know, permanently or anything!

Sunshine SuperMancat

Hey! There was SUN today, Not a lot, and not for long,

but it was glorious while it lasted!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Friendly Fill-Ins

Our friends at 15 and Meowing & Four-Legged Furballs created these intriguing Fill-Ins!

1. One word to describe my week is satisfactory. I required that the Human post everyday and she did!
2. My biggest success has been demanding hallway time every day. Sometimes twice, Kitties, twice. Just think on that.

3. Not to brag, but I *got* that hallway time, Kitties, every single day!
4. For me, getting my way is the meaning of life.

Now This Is More Like It

I was freezing yesterday morning, and the Human really came through (for a change). 

She dragged out this soft blankie and made a warm little nest for me, and I confess I dove right in. I cannot tell you how very warm and comfortabuls it was!

Okay, 56° may not have been really freezing, but my bones (and the Human's, of course) are getting older and more than a bit rickety, and warm blankies are worth their weight in gold.

(Not Really) Wordless Wednesday: Pandemic Edition

My friends, this is my Pandemic Scream. Remember back in the 1970s when therapists encouraged the Primal Scream? (No? You don't? Well, that's cause you are not a Boomer!)

Anyway, those people thought they had problems. Smack my Furry Forehead!

Who would've thought fires, hurricanes and murder hornets would not even make the Top Five Troubles of Twenty/Twenty?

However . . . 

Pandemic Neighborhood Art! 

Notes:  Chalk art next to GG Bridge is Sutro Tower, an ugly but useful giant TV/radio/who-knows-what-all antenna atop Twin Peaks; the Honey Bear is a popular design, popping up all over, lately wearing a sweet little mask (this must be an older one); penguins are also by the Honey Bear guy (who goes by fnnch); the mural is on Grattan Street in Cole Valley, painted by the homeowner herself.*

*I am told this may be an alternative fact. The artist may or may not be the resident. Don't sue me, please. I'm only a kitty!

I Am a Secret Agent

And I am very, very good at my job. The Human says no one will ever spot me! 

But then she rolls her eyes.

I don't know how to take that. But it doesn't seem very polite or supportive of her, does it?

Sprawly, Sloppy Summer Sleepin'

A few days ago, the weather was sunny and tolerably warmish.

But now, Kitties, now?

Well now we is living at the North Pole is where we're living now.

I mean, does this look like Summer in the City to you?

Sunday Selfie: I Am a PlayBoy

No, now get your minds out of the gutter, Kitties and Humans! Or wait--

maybe I *am* that kind of PlayBoy too, and that's just a fine thing indeed.

But today, what concerns us is the PLAY part of PlayBoy. Ancient as I am, I retain a sort of growly-kittenlike fondness for several of my toys, including my green fishie sent to me long ago by my loyal, royal friend Punapippuri, King Kittycat of Finland(N), which you may remember from last Tuesday. My choice today, however, is an older-than-me cheap 

bamboo back-scratcher with a little hand at the top (minus its thumb, which was lost in the Great Back-Scratcher incident of 1997).

What I like to do is, I like to put the bitey on the little bamboo hand part. It's good practice.

Keeping Up with the Chonkos

Mr. (Gray) Chonko and Mrs. (Black) Chonko are two ferals that the Human feeds twice a week (don't worry though--other peeps feed them all the other days). 

Although normally I would be offended at her being with Other Cats, I do not begrudge the Mr. & Mrs. their daily foods (though as you might guess from their nickname, they lack the lean and hungry look of true ferals, who actually have to kill their own dinners).  

They are elderly for feral cats, at about 12 for Gray Boy and 10 or so for the Mrs. They are accustomed enough to the Human now that they don't bolt in fear, though Mr. Chonko is braver than his other half. The Human has become very fond of them, though they don't allow touching, and even if they did, she wouldn't, as they should not become too complacent around Humans.