Here, Kitty kitty...

January 5, 2005 5:38 AM

If you have a cat, you'll recognize many of these immediately. Although some of them are availiable in a book, many of these have only appeared in the comic so far. Luckily, someone with far more spare time than I have has collected them for our enjoyment.
posted by ChrisR (41 comments total)

I don't like cats, but I enjoyed these comics a alot... maybe because they illustrated so clearly why I don't like cats.
posted by evoo at 6:06 AM on January 5, 2005

That's funny, because I (as a cat owner and appreciator) read them and saw clearly that Brooke McEldowney must really love cats. These are some of the quirks that make cats, in my opinion, the best pets there are.

[ducks the dog fan flames]
posted by ChrisR at 6:10 AM on January 5, 2005

The caricature of the cats' elasticity and facial expressions would be riotously perfect even without captions or context. If only Garfield had been so well-contrived.
posted by esoterica at 6:15 AM on January 5, 2005

I'm going to forward this to my nana! Do they sell sweatshirts with sewn-in dickies?
posted by Mayor Curley at 6:15 AM on January 5, 2005

Just a heads up to Get Fuzzy starring Bucky, a perpetually hostile siamese. I got two collections of the toons for Christmas and they're very funny.
posted by ao4047 at 6:22 AM on January 5, 2005

esoterica - I feel much the same way. Although the strip is not centered on the cat to the extend that Garfield is, really the two do mark polar opposites in the quality of their felines. Mind you, I haven't been able to tolerate Davis' strip since I was about 10, whereas 9 Chickweed Lane is both newer than that, and something that I've started to really appreciate in the last few years.

There are other good cat strips out there (for example, 101 Uses for a Dead Cat) but I'm always looking for more.
posted by ChrisR at 6:22 AM on January 5, 2005

I just got my cat a few months ago and this comic has helped explain much his "mysterious" behaviour. Now I see that there is no mystery, it's just his innate cat-ness. I think a guide on how to speak cat would be perfect. I need to tell him that pulling up the carpet is not a good way to wake me up in the morning.
posted by LunaticFringe at 6:24 AM on January 5, 2005

Very meta.
posted by mek at 6:37 AM on January 5, 2005

This is good. Thanks!
posted by birdherder at 7:00 AM on January 5, 2005

Aw! So is this a regular strip in the U.S. papers now? We adopted our cat out when we left there, and have somehow managed to avoid getting another, despite my pining; but this makes me want to start bullying cajoling Mr. taz to get another one...
posted by taz at 7:02 AM on January 5, 2005

I read the first page (ignoring the links at the top) and thought, perfect - nine hallmarks; nine lives. They were all spot-on and chuckle-worthy. Then I got to the bottom and saw there were hundreds more and I cringed.

As I suspected, the further ones dissipated the joke greatly, including both deviating wildly from the main concept into Garfield territory, and repeating supposed hallmarks with only slightly different illustrations (e.g. "mood swings"). Still, good link for those of us who choose to live with these odd animals.
posted by soyjoy at 7:06 AM on January 5, 2005

The cat's antics are amusing, but the relationship between the mother and daughter is so weird (they often appear to flirting with each other!) that I can't read the strip anymore.
posted by Carol Anne at 7:07 AM on January 5, 2005

My favorite hostile cartoon cat is far and away Looshkin.
posted by furiousthought at 7:29 AM on January 5, 2005

Funny and also very astute, good link! I'm about halfway through and haven't seen any flirting between mother and daughter, I think you just have a dirty mind Carol Anne.
posted by fvw at 7:30 AM on January 5, 2005

Spot on. Especially the "I am cat, I own the bed" one.
posted by everichon at 7:34 AM on January 5, 2005

fvw, I think Carol Anne might be thinking of the strip as a whole, however I cannot recall ever seeing anything in it that was as bizarre as that.

No mom/daughter stuff there, as far as I'm concerned.

However, I might have missed it. I only read it daily, you know.

As far as dilution goes, soyjoy, well... To each their own. I find myself laughing out loud at a significant moiety of them, given that the little grey bundle of destruction currently sitting on my feet is the perfect living example of the weird cat: (self-link)
posted by ChrisR at 7:44 AM on January 5, 2005

That first photo should be the official logo of every third MetaTalk thread, ChrisR.
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 7:52 AM on January 5, 2005

ChrisR - first of all, what the hell is a moiety?

And second of all, yes, that is just about the weirdest cat behavior I have ever seen - and believe me, I've seen some primo weirdness.

I suppose if you're already a fan of the strip it's easier to get into the further installments, but I was coming at it from the other side, jumping off from a self-contained page which seemed to encompass all the joke that was needed. Of course, I didn't check out every single page, so there may well have been good ones I missed, but my spot-check left me disappointed.

Why the heck is the woman so often wearing a leotard?
posted by soyjoy at 7:54 AM on January 5, 2005

Cat yawning is intimidating. So many sharp bits!
posted by rachsumat at 7:54 AM on January 5, 2005

Moiety: (2) A part, portion, or share.
posted by ChrisR at 7:57 AM on January 5, 2005

I think she should add a pair of leg warmers to the leotard, I've heard they're fashionable again.
posted by Gooney at 8:54 AM on January 5, 2005

That first photo should be the official logo of every third MetaTalk thread

Completely seconded. Also, what the hell is wrong with your cats, ChrisR? I am also experienced in feline oddity but that there is madness.
posted by furiousthought at 8:56 AM on January 5, 2005

Why the heck is the woman so often wearing a leotard?

She does ballet dancing. In ballet, a leotard is a standard part of the dance uniform.

And 23 - Saturation Purring is really one of the best. It was used against me at 5am by my cranky Tonkinese this morning, in conjunction with the classic 'the bed is mine' move.
posted by spinifex23 at 9:17 AM on January 5, 2005

The black one (Ivan) just won't ever drink from a bowl, and gets frantic whenever the tap is on. Ordinarily we try to discourage him, but this time we were too busy staring (and running to get the camera).

I can't explain the grey one (Fritz) . He's quite possibly the weirdest member of the feline taxonomical tree. This is only the most visible tip of the iceberg. I wish I kept good photographic archives of his wackiness. He's better than TV, I kid ye not.

On preview: spinifex23: Grey cat does that too -- his hobby is crawling under the covers just as I try to get to sleep and turning the volume up to maximum, followed by some cold nose-bumping where, well, ideally a cat wouldn't be putting a cold nose.
posted by ChrisR at 9:19 AM on January 5, 2005

You should get Ivan one of those kitty cat drinking fountains. Mine keeps my cats from hassling me for drinks from the faucet. But then, you might miss spectacular scenes like the bathing beauty pic...
posted by apis mellifera at 9:55 AM on January 5, 2005

As the caretaker of 5 home cats and a feral colony, I have to say, spot on! Thanks for the link, ChrisR.
posted by Lynsey at 10:01 AM on January 5, 2005

Thanks for the link; rarely have I seen a daily strip artist able to capture motion so well. I'd love to see some of these pieces animated.

And your cat's not the only one who likes the sink. My cats fight over who gets to drink from the sink tap, and, more importantly, who gets to hang out in the shower once the humans are done with it.
posted by jtron at 10:03 AM on January 5, 2005

I've only read the first few. I like "Changeable Agenda" best so far. My cat has some other strange behaviors that I'm still not sure are normal, so I'll be skimming through the rest. My cat, who I've had since he was a kitten, loves to fetch (dog kibble of all things); and since my dog doesn't, I have no idea where he picked up that skill.

Great link.
posted by effwerd at 10:20 AM on January 5, 2005

Fun but I'm not sure about this one. My guys seem to live only for tummy scratches.
posted by arse_hat at 10:43 AM on January 5, 2005

I don't understand why she does handstands in toe shoes.
posted by cilantro at 11:13 AM on January 5, 2005

Captured soooo well.

arse_hat - It's not a myth, my hands are permanently in shreds from the attempt at tummy scratches (and play fights)!
posted by floanna at 11:32 AM on January 5, 2005

Moiety: (2) A part, portion, or share.

D'oh! *slaps forehead* Like French "moitie," of course. Half. Never heard of it in English. Well, that sure clears that up.

Now: spinifex23, what the hell is this "ballet" thing?
posted by soyjoy at 11:47 AM on January 5, 2005

My cat, who I've had since he was a kitten, loves to fetch (dog kibble of all things); and since my dog doesn't, I have no idea where he picked up that skill.

Over the years I've encountered a few cats who fetched. Two were manxes, and IIRC that's somewhat normal behavior for that breed. I had a cat once who was a voracious eater. My roommate and I found the poor thing in an apartment parking lot, about 5 weeks old, emaciated and with a shaved tail. We took him in, and he was a great cat, very smart and looked great when he got healthy, but he had this serious survival instinct from his kitten days. He would literally claw your hand to get food from it. He'd draw blood to get you to drop a sandwich. We tried a squirt gun for a while, something I did not want to do but we didn't see much choice, and he soon learned to tolerate it and would slowly walk forward while the streams of water hit him in the forehead, determined to get that food you were eating. He would tear open loaves of bread on top of the refrigerator (placed there in a futile attempt to disuade him). He would eat literally any sort of food, from lettuce to very hot chile peppers (he'd gasp between bites, and then go right back to eating). We named him Lestat. Unfortunately, he died rather young from a car hitting him - we lived close to a busy street and tried to keep him inside, to no avail. I don't like to keep cats inside, but it was a dangerous street, though he wasn't having it and would race outside at the first opportunity, always coming back, but never quite understanding why he wasn't supposed to go out. Even though he was such a PITA at times, I still miss him.
posted by krinklyfig at 12:42 PM on January 5, 2005 [1 favorite]

Sorry to hear about Lestat. "Puppy-cats", cats with the personalities of dogs, are The Best! They're very social, play fetch, come when you call, but of course they're low-maintenance like any other cat. My past three cats have been that way to some degree; I'm starting to think it has something to do with how I raise them ...or maybe I've just been lucky.

Oh, and one of em, Kali, just *loves* broccoli. Freaky.
posted by LordSludge at 2:04 PM on January 5, 2005

I can vouch for the sun worship: one of my grandmother's two cats is completely blind, but he can still find sunny spots on floors and furniture with the accuracy of an infared detector.

I haven't seen any strips on litter box habits--surely this among the richest troves of neurotic cat behavior? The other cat at my grandmother's is constantly slipping outside when someone comes in or out, but he always comes back pretty quickly, since he's never realized that he can piss on the ground. He'll show up again after an hour or so, screeching and clawing at the door, then, when he's let in, he'll streak across the house straight for the catbox and pee for two minutes straight. Not a shining example of feline intelligence.
posted by crake at 2:45 PM on January 5, 2005

Thanks, ChrisR! I've loved Chickweed Lane for quite a while. Having the "Hallmarks of Felinity" in one place is a special treat.

My Oliver is a water cat. He loves to drink from the faucet and watch out if you're there washing your hands. Oliver will hook his paw around yours and pull it to himself and lick the water off of it. He also enjoys playing in the shower after we're done with it. He'll sit in there for hours, ass plopped in the wet, and watch water droplets run down the walls.
posted by deborah at 2:50 PM on January 5, 2005

Sorry to hear about Lestat, too, krinklyfig. They say the lifespan difference between outdoor and indoor cats is about 10 years. I've been lucky, my cat, Hexo, has been extremely good about sitting on my patio fence and never going over no matter how many dogs or cats parade by (and there are a lot in my apartment complex). He goes over accidentally every now and again and then either jumps back up or runs around to the front door. He also comes when I call him. He is definitely a puppy cat. (I like to think it's been the way I raised him, too, LordSludge.)

He's easy to please. Cat toys are the plastic strip holding the caps on gallon water jugs. He loves them and knows exactly when I'm pulling a new jug out of the fridge.

I took the punish with love approach since the other methods never seemed to work. If he did wrong I'd pick him up set him in my lap and cuddle, nuzzle, scratch and rub him, telling him in a sing-song voice what a bad kitty he is and how much I loved him. It's worked out great.

I don't know what kind of a cat he is. He's a grey and white but his tail is really bushy, like a duster. It's as wide as his body.

He loves my dog, Bobo (I'm not into cliché dog names, but this dog is a bobo dog). The dog likes the cat too but he doesn't like to show it when he knows I'm watching. It's really funny when the dog gets up to get away from the cat and the cat just follows him around the room. It's even funnier when I take the dog for a walk and the cat jumps at Bobo and wraps his arms around the dog's neck as we head for the door. The dog is a giant furball so he doesn't feel a thing.

I've always liked animals but I've never been a pet guy, but I got these pets because they were living on the streets and it's been the best thing for all of us. I now have to actively resist getting anymore pets. And I can't believe I just rambled on so much about my pets. What a pet geek I am. I'll stop now.
posted by effwerd at 3:55 PM on January 5, 2005

KittyFilter

hehe
posted by LordSludge at 5:21 PM on January 5, 2005

This made me laugh. Thanks ChrisR.
posted by quin at 8:55 PM on January 5, 2005

I've been afraid that my ideal spinster future is looked down upon.

Now I am sure that I am going to be an old cat lady. I thought even the gross ones were "cute".

This is my cat in every way, shape and form. Lord knows how many toes I've almost broken because of him.
posted by sian at 12:27 AM on January 6, 2005

Now that I'm done, I realized that he missed one! Oy, the 6 am Bladder Sit™!
posted by sian at 12:46 AM on January 6, 2005