July 9, 2017

At the Ecstasy Café...

P1130973

... you can dissolve into anything you like.

(Or, alternatively, do some shopping through The Althouse Amazon Portal.)

53 comments:

Etienne said...

If the collar is too tight, they stop breathing.

Kathryn51 said...

I somehow missed the context of the kitty photos. New pet? Substitute for Zeus (who no longer plays a significant role on the blog, unfortunately). Kitty Sitter for on a temporary basis? If there is an explanation, would you please repeat it. Kitty Sitter for on a temporary basis?

And another question that belongs in a Café Post - what is the proper salutation for Althouse now that you are retired? Is it offensive to continue to use "Professor"? Or, do you prefer Our Hostess [Host?]? Ms. Althouse? Just plain "Althouse"? Again, if this was previously answered, I missed it and would welcome an answer.

buwaya said...

Cats are purnicious.

Hagar said...

You should not put collars on cats. They may hang themselves on them.

Hagar said...

Once a President, always a President. Once a Professor, always a Professor.

Laslo Spatula said...

The Man Who Keeps Getting Reincarnated as Cats...

This is the sixth time I have been reincarnated as a cat.

After being a human being once, I at first thought coming back as a cat was a step down, spiritually. But after living a couple of cat lives I was finding that I quite liked being a cat, thank you very much.

Having been a human, I know what cats can do to get humans to cater to them, and I know just how much cats can get away with. I know that I need bear no responsibility. I know how to appear adorable while keeping a mind of mischievous thought. You try to put a bell on me and I will scratch you, and I feel no compunction in doing so: I DO NOT WANT THE BELL.

The thing is, cats don't naturally evolve to better accept people: whatever evolution they experience derives solely from the people who come back as cats. We rejoice in Freedom, a Freedom I never experienced as a human being. When I am upset I pee on the couch with no remorse.

I sit at the window and experience the sunshine on my head, and feel close to God.

As a cat my relationship with God has greater depth than when I was a human. As I human I temporized and waffled. As I cat I realize that God created the magnificent Song Bird, and then gave me the skill to eat it. With no compunction. With no remorse. Hamlet makes no sense to a cat.

Understanding this dynamic puts the universe in perspective, and then I take a nap. When I awake I expect to be fed, or I will pee on the couch. I WILL GRUDGINGLY ACCEPT THE COLLAR. I DO NOT WANT THE BELL.

I am Laslo.

bagoh20 said...

Never tried the stuff.

rhhardin said...

You can beat fleas with a snow of borax sprinkled on carpets and scuffed in and just left there. Works for decades without reapplication. The sharp crystals apparently damage flea shells.

There's some controversy about safety. Read and choose for yourself.

Of course if you have no carpets, you're out of luck.

Ralph L said...

The purrbox is set on high.

Kathryn, years ago it was just plain Althouse. I haven't heard otherwise, but I was offline when she retired.

Etienne said...

...what is the proper salutation...now that you are retired?

Madam.

Did you know in New Orleans, that the Madam is in charge of the house, and the Professor is the piano player?

rhhardin said...

There's loose skin over the shoulders. Cats need to have it kneeded, if what to do with the cat on your lap comes up.

Works on dogs too.

Gahrie said...

The cat belongs to a neighbor on vacation.

Althouse has said in the past that she prefers to be referred to as "Althouse".

rhhardin said...

One difference is that women do not have this loose skin.

victoria said...

Kitty heaven.


Vicki from Pasadena

Michael K said...

As long as it isn't MDMA.

tcrosse said...

Proof that cats don’t need drugs or a church for an ecstatic experience that helps transcend the self and connect to something bigger.

Freeman Hunt said...

When I was sixteen, I worked in the office of a pest control company. Some people would cry when you told them what they had to do to get rid of fleas. (Lot of work.)

Yancey Ward said...

Thread music: Dissolving.

Quaestor said...

You should not put collars on cats. They may hang themselves on them.

The determined cat will find a way regardless, feline existential angst being what it is.

Ann Althouse said...

1. Meade took responsibility for some neighbors' cat while they were away. The collar is necessary for identification and for a bell.

2. I've always preferred to be called Althouse, but Professor is still correct. I'm retired, but I have emerita stats.

Quaestor said...

The collar is necessary for identification and for a bell.

Without the collar, the cat would forget her own name.

Stupid cat.

madAsHell said...

My father-in-law was born in Chiapas. He came to the States over 60 years ago, but has never lost his accent.

Years ago, the brand name Packard Bell was used here in the US to market a very inexpensive computer. My father-in-law is a gadget nut. He always has the best cameras, computers....you name it.

One day he asked me, "Should I buy a Pecker Bell?"

"Hell Poppa, I wouldn't put a bell on my cat let alone my pecker!! Someone might hear you coming."

Ralph L said...

You can beat fleas with a snow of borax
Exterminators sprayed a solution of boric acid on the underside of my floor before the insulation. It soaks into the wood and kills bugs that eat it. Killed my powder-post beetles. I assume it's safer for me than chlordane.

Frequent and thorough vacuuming helps a lot.

madAsHell said...

What's the ratio of people that read the blog vs. those that read and comment?

JMW Turner said...

To need so little from us in order to be happy, the definition of a cat.

Robert said...

One of the first G20 stories that crossed my news feed was this wire service headline ...

"Donald Trump wins key climate, trade concessions at stormy G20"

Later headlines and much of what I have seen on Memeorandum do not echo the wire story.

Kevin said...

Catfé

Kathryn51 said...

Gahrie said...
The cat belongs to a neighbor on vacation.

Althouse has said in the past that she prefers to be referred to as "Althouse".


Gahrie, thanks for the prompt reply; and accurate as well! (later confirmed by the Professor).

Jael (Gone Windwalking) said...

"At the Ecstasy Café..."

At dawn my lover comes to me
And tells me of her dreams
With no attempts to shovel the glimpse
Into the ditch of what each one means
At times I think there are no words
But these to tell what's true
And there are no truths outside the Gates of Eden.

Rick.T. said...

Blogger Quaestor said...

"You should not put collars on cats. They may hang themselves on them.

The determined cat will find a way regardless, feline existential angst being what it is."

There are inexpensive breakaway collars made for cats. Any outdoor car should wear one of these instead of buckled ones for its safety.

Quaestor said...

@ Rick Turley

The part of my comment in italics is a direct quote from Hagar at 10:35.

The rest is a joke.

Hagar said...

It also makes it difficult for them to swallow mice whole. Which is what they do, and the collars may cause them to to choke.

dreams said...

Here's an update on the Dr No, I'm not going.

"Stuck at home: Dr Dao told DailyMail.com he was largely unable to leave the Elizabethtown, KY, home where he lives with his wife Theresa, also a doctor"

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4675700/Passenger-dragged-United-reveals-brain-damage-fear.html#ixzz4mMOcVBYQ
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Big Mike said...

The cat abides.

traditionalguy said...

A Victory Pic: That cat has surrendered to LaAlthouse. And it happened in only a few weeks. No one would have expected that, anymore than Meade once expected it.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Cat went from "Don't F with me " to -- "I will love U forever."

It's what they do. Show animals love and they give it back X 10. Tho - cats pick and choose more than dogs.

wild chicken said...

Things to like about Montana:

1. No cockroaches.
2. No rats.
3. No cat fleas.

Once written, twice... said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rick said...

The far left is reacting to a left wing journalist's supposed "takedown" of Trump.


link text

But here's the underlying criteria for Trump's failure:

'He was an uneasy, lonely, awkward figure at this gathering and you got the strong sense some of the leaders are trying to find the best way to work around him,' Uhlmann said.

So to sum up: far left leaders prefer an American President more committed to leftism than to America. The American left agrees and further has internalized this to such a degree they admit it in public.

Rick.T. said...

Blogger Quaestor said...

"@ Rick Turley

The part of my comment in italics is a direct quote from Hagar at 10:35.

The rest is a joke."

No worries. Although the stories I've heard and the animals I've seen....

Kevin said...

Meade took responsibility for some neighbors' cat while they were away.

It needs to be said by the cat experts on this thread: Meade seems to be doing an excellent job.

Ann Althouse said...

"It also makes it difficult for them to swallow mice whole. Which is what they do, and the collars may cause them to to choke."

That might explain this cat's catch and release approach to hunting.

Quaestor said...

Some years ago I got the same "collars are bad!" lecture from a vet tech when I brought in my barn cat for shots and examination. I made the same Camus-esque suicide joke and got the same uncomprehending reaction. I found lots of cats dead on the roadside from unsuccessful racing with cars, but I've never seen a cat choked to death on a half-swallowed mouse or a cat skeleton up in a tree. This causes me to wonder if cat ownership promotes death anxiety.

Cats are pretty damned stoic about injuries and sickness, which can lead apparently sudden death when in truth the cat was declining for days beforehand.

tcrosse said...

Cats do their best to hide sickness and injury so as not to make them vulnerable to predators.

Quaestor said...

"...the stories I've heard and the animals I've seen...."

Alex said...

Cats are always looking to mark their territory, which includes their human servants. Purrfect arrangement for them.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

I feel so sorry for our outdoor cat right now. It is very hot, 97, and has been for weeks and will be even hotter next week.

The poor guy is trying to find all the shady cool spaces. We have water bowls outside that are automatically filled with cold water. Keep the workshop door cracked open during the day where the ground floor is a big concrete slab that stays cool all day. In fact the shop is the coolest spot, other than inside our house. At least it cools down to about 52 at night.

Even though he is keeping to the shade, under the decks, in the shop and we feed him wet food more often to keep him hydrated, he is so miserable, lethargic and loosing some weight. Nothing not out of the ordinary in the summer. The winter weight is coming off...He is just a shadow of himself at 15 pounds compared to 19.

The heat is just terrible for the poor outside animals. He does sleep inside the shop at night to be protected from predators. Don't worry. It is nice in there in the second story if he decides to not sleep downstairs where there are also a couple of Eddy Bauer pet beds. Fully carpeted, futon to sleep on, cat beds in a couple of places. Window looking into a tree to espy the birds. Poor deprived cat.

We also have several bird bath type containers. It is hilarious to watch the birds taking full body baths and dipping into the cool clear water for drinks.

It is tough for the outside pets and wildlife right now. The best we can do is provide water water water and some food for the birds. The ground squirrels can go to Hell!

Also...Meade is doing such a good job, that I bet you now either own are are going to be sharing a cat :-)

Ann Althouse said...

Status, not stats

rcocean said...

Things to like about Montana:

1. Beautiful winters - almost like Florida!
2. Beautiful summers - almost like San Diego!

Mary Beth said...

The Hill is reporting: Comey’s private memos on Trump conversations contained classified material

http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/341225-comeys-private-memos-on-trump-conversations-contained-classified?rnd=1499645596

Chuck said...

So Trump gets up this morning and Tweets about forming a joint cyber-security unit, highly secure, with Russia.

Then, the whole world including senior Republicans ridicule the idea.

Then, Trump backs off the whole idea. Just ferget the whole thing...

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/884211874518192128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fpolitics%2Fla-pol-updates-everything-president-1499648416-htmlstory.html

When did Trump's use of Twitter become such a work of genius? I don't get this business about how Trump talks straight to the people without a media filter. Trump seems to need a filter! At least an editor. Maybe a minder. Or a babysitter.

Trump could speak directly to the American people by doing press conferences. Something Trump doesn't do anymore. Trump wants to put out statements but with no questions asked.

Jael (Gone Windwalking) said...

“Trump wants to put out statements but with no questions asked.”

Trump wants to put out statements that raise more questions than can possibly be answered and his great genius (when it’s working) is that his best suit is as a listener (not a talker) to all the cacophony of Pan’s feedback (out of the fire, into the Pan) before Trump acts - feedback that Trump gets for free, because the assholes won't quit talking (they really think it's about "words").

Someone will Tweet that he is having sex with Maureen Dowd right now.

CStanley said...

Blogger Kevin said...
Catfé


Catfefe