Carnival of the Cats #283

Ah, my friends, what a pleasure it is to get out of my Dr. Rocky scrubs for a day, to get my staff out of their decontamination suits and finally slip back into our much more fun Carnival attire ...

Before we begin, all of us at Artsy Catsy want to thank all of you for your huge outpouring of support for my mom during her long illness. You've kept our hearts uplifted and we love you all!

And we want to dedicate this week's Carnival to our dear Auntie Deb, who has been struggling with illness even longer than our mom. Please get well soon, Auntie Deb!

We begin this week's Carnival with support to Spaz and his family during the trials and tribulations of his hyperthyroid treatment. Watch for an update soon at Who Moved My Bone?

Hemi and Cosette at Hemi'sPhere are also having trials and tribulations, where their new human baby, Ari, is cramping their style.

We could all use some smiles after all this illness! In Funny Animals Part 3 over at switch2life, you'll smile at kitties & puppies & lions & tigers & bears & - oh my, what on earth is that?!

More smiles await at StrangeRanger, where Maggie gives Cats in Bags a whole new level of cuteness!

And nothing like a woofie joke to bring a smile to a feline face. Get a good giggle from My Trip to Costco at So You Want to be a Banquet Manager.

Beauty abounds in the Cat Blogosphere. For instance, just witness the magnificence of Boris at The Poor Mouth.

And be sure to feast your eyes on the lovely calico gracing the grounds at Elms in the Yard.

Definitely do not miss the photos of Luna's natural beauty at CatSynth.

Beauty can sometimes be a bittersweet pleasure. Lovely Matata went to the Rainbow Bridge nearly a year and a half ago, and she is missed terribly by all. Blog d'Elisson shares a beautiful Video Memory: Scritching Matata.

Derby the Sassy Cat shares such a heartwarming story, From Bagdad with Love, about a special kitty who found a new home and new friends and, all the way from Iraq to the US, brought people together in caring and love.

Next, however, the Cat Blogosphere is more than smiles and beauty - it's a place for important information on bettering the lives of cats, and their humans, too. For instance, at Catymology, Aloysius reveals that clueless humans hire trainers to teach them how to relax ... when a cat could teach them for free!

Pet Prattle and Products outlines some very important Cat Owner Responsibilities. After all, we need more than food and an occasional cuddle!

And our ever-wise Meowza imparts a week of important lessons at both iMeowza and Mind of Mog ... On Mancat Monday, Meowza exhibits that a kitty must drink when thirsty. On Wordless Wednesday, he shows it is important to scritch when it itches. And finally, on Easy Like Sunday Evening, Meowza illustrates the importance of being silly!

Thank you all for joining us for Carnival of the Cats
and we'll see you at the Aug. 23 Carnival at Mind of Mog!

Dr. Rocky, Back on Call

Dr. Rocky: Hello again, my long lost friends! It's been four months since I've been able to blog, four of the most cat-astrophic months of my life! My mom has been very, very sick and I've been taking care of her ...

She got sick in April and just kept getting worse and worse with terrible pain and spending all her time in the human litter box and couldn't eat or do anything and none of her human vets could figure out what was wrong. All that time, we couldn't even sit on her lap because it hurt her too much.

Finally the doofus human vets found out she has a serious infection called Clostridium Difficile, or "C-diff". They said it can be fatal and they put her in the hospital right away, in isolation because it can be contagious. While she was there, my other human artists had to disinfect everything at Artsy Catsy with a special kind of bleach and - horrors! - now my staff and I have to be washed every day for two weeks because we can carry the C-diff spores :-( I like water, but this is definitely too much! Fortunately, we're now down to just being washed with cat wipes rather than a full dunking.

Then I had to hiss and scratch mom's health insurance because they didn't want to pay for the only drug that will treat her, and it costs over $1200 for a two-week supply!

But thankfully now the worst of it is over and I can get back to blogging and visiting with all of you - and I'm even going to host Carnival of the Cats this weekend, so don't forget to submit your posts to me!

I've missed you all so much, and it's so good to be back!

Easter Carnival of the Cats #265

Rocky: Happy Easter, everykitty! It's a busy day here -I'm a multi-tasking CEO today, juggling Easter eggs and Carnival of the Cats ... Okay, staff, everybody drop those eggs and let's roll out an eggstra special Easter edition of ...

First up ... humans, want to make us love you more – and make us smarter at the same time? These Big Cat Games suggested by Raising Whiskers will do the trick!

And, humans, sometimes you're not sure when we should go to the vet. This list of symptoms from GwenMart will help you understand when we’re having an emergency and when we can be treated at home.

There’s nothing we cats can’t do, including helping humans deal with telemarketers. Learn how at Puppies are Prozac ...

Then be sure to go meet Simba, the new cat-sittee bringing joy to the cat-sitter at Elms in the Yard.

Uh oh ... somebody spiked the cat food at The Poor Mouth!

Neighbor presents a stunning black on green image at Blog d’Elisson.

It's a classic. In Gone With the Wind, you can gaze upon the dashing Mr. Rhett, a smooth operator at Mélange. But take care not to disturb Lady Willow, a diva in sweet repose.

Whoa! Sawyer has inflicted mass destruction on the new kitty condo at No Deep Thoughts.

Go take a look at Jax … His pic needs a caption at Texas Oasis ...

Then look at these kitty pictures of Audace and Ruse! They have a big birthday coming up next week at Momma Grace & Company.

And here’s another Birthday Boy - Packet at TacJammer is now two years old.

LOL! Stuff NOT On My Cat … you can find out what it is at Small & Big. (Hint: think Sphynx)

Luna is having a magnificently triangular week over at CatSynth.

On Wordless Wednesday it looks as if some choice words may have been spoken at Mind of Mog.

That same Wordless Wednesday theme is continued at iInfidel ...

... and again on Wordless Wednesday at iMOG the bLOG. It’s contagious!

It’s all Tweeting and Tummies at iMeowza.

Ivy’s humans have been to school, learning how to give her subQ fluids at StrangeRanger. Let’s all send Ivy some healing purrs.

It's Kitten in the morning, kitten in the evening, kitten all night long at Watermark ... and some silly kitties are wishing you a Happy Spring.

Sunday is Funday, with a whole lotta pawtyin’ goin’ on at House of the (Mostly) Black Cats. And, everybody, let's wish their Mom Robyn well - she's having knee surgery tomorrow.

Rosie and Arthur are working hard at My Cats and Funny Stories, but they still took time out to send us all a wonderful Easter greeting ...

All of us at Artsy Catsy join them in wishing you the Happiest Easter ever!

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Don't miss next Sunday's Carnival of the Cats, to be hosted at

When Cats Attack!

Purrs for Pets in the Italian Earthquake

Rocky: We read the following news story today and it made us so sad. Lets all send our purrs and purrayers to the poor pets who are suffering after the earthquake in Italy last week.










Care arrives for pets lost, injured in Italy quake

L'AQUILA, Italy (AP) — Help started to arrive Thursday for the more than 2,000 cats and dogs believed to have been left homeless by the earthquake in Italy. The national animal protection agency, ENPA, said seven tons of feed had been delivered to L'Aquila for both domestic and farm animals.

Many pets and farm animals are believed to have died in houses and barns that collapsed during the quake Monday. Those that survived are showing signs of trauma, rescue officials said.

When the earthquake hit, the first thing Maria Grazia Broberzi grabbed was her cat, Pallina. The cat now sits in a cage in the tent she shares with her owner in a camp on the outskirts of the devastated city of L'Aquila. She has refused to eat or drink since the quake. Every time Broberzi approaches, Pallina hisses and growls.

"She never did this before," Broberzi said. "Sometimes we argued over who got the couch, but she was always affectionate."

At least 2,000 cats and dogs are believed lost in L'Aquila alone, said Silvia Damiani, an animal rights official from Bracciano, north of Rome.

Fausto Cavalieri, a veterinary student with the Red Cross, was working at tent city outside L'Aquila, which houses 1,700 people, unloading dog and cat food from trucks. The supplies also included materials to build kennels and computer chip readers to identify animals in the effort to reunite them with their owners.

"There are people who lost their animals, and animals who lost their owners," Cavalieri said.

Iolanda and Sandrino Tarquini, a couple in their 70's living now in the camp, were mourning their dog, a 10-year-old black pincher named Pisolo who died Thursday morning.

The couple could not get Pisolo his medication because the vet's office was destroyed by the quake. And they believe the rain and chill in the tent city contributed to his death.

"He had a coat but he wasn't wearing it," said Sandrino, as his wife cried.

Agricultural officials are beginning to assess the loss of farm animals. Cavalieri said many sheep and other farm animals were abandoned and will probably starve if they cannot be reached. He said he had already seen 200 hundred sheep crushed in a collapsed stall.

The Italian farm association Coldiretti said it was too soon to give an assessment of how many animals had been lost.

Late Wednesday evening in L'Aquila, a Yorkshire terrier walked in circles, ignoring a policeman's offer of a sandwich.

"I see a lot of these poor dogs," said the officer, Carlo Chipa. "You can tell they are domestic pets because they are healthy and well-fed, but they look lost and frightened."

Thursday 13: The Tail Tells All

Rocky: Hah, you silly humans thought we cats communicate only with our voices and whiskers. Well, listen and learn: our tails let us send messages to you without uttering a single meow, so it's best you learn right now what we're telling you ...

1) Tail flying high: "I feel great!"

2) Twitching tail: "I'm SO excited!!"

3) Puffed up tail: "I'm frightened and agitated - but look how big and mean I am!"

4) Quivering tail: "I love you and I'm giving you my greatest gesture of love."

5) Tail whipping rapidly from side to side: "Get out of my face or I'll attack!"

6) Tail swishing slowly side to side: "I'm a predator, gonna pounce now!"

7) Stiff tail at right angle to body: "Hi! I missed you!"

8) Tail bent in question mark: "Playtime! Get out the toys!!"

9) Tail tucked under body: "Oh, save me - I'm so scared!"

10) Tail held high like a flagpole: "Hey there, great to see you!"

11) Tail held high, the tip twitching: "I totally adore you!"

12) Tail wrapped around another cat: "You're my pal!"

13) Tail squished under human shoe: "YOU'RE ABOUT TO LOSE A LEG!!!"

Oscar: Hey, wait a minute! I don't have a tail! Does that mean I'm mute??

Rocky: Guess you'd better learn sign language, Oscar! Okay, now I gotta get my tail back to work planning the Easter edition of Carnival of the Cats, right here at Artsy Catsy this Sunday. Don't forget to submit your post HERE or email it to carnivalofthecats(at)gmail [dot] com

A Purr-fect Idea - Cat Cafés!

Rocky: As an executive CEO cat, I think this is a purr-fect idea: The latest craze in Japan is Cat Cafés … Yes, cat lovers are flocking to more than 40 Cat Cafés in Tokyo to pay 800 yen per hour to have coffee, tea or lunch with 20 or so resident cats. These Cat Cafés are so popular that reservations are needed on weekends, and in one of them the guest book has reached more than 18 volumes in less than a year! Okay, staff, let’s do it! Fracas, you put up the Artsy Catsy Café sign ... Lucy, jump into your waitress uniform ... Callie, get out the reservation book ... Mom, put on the coffee ... and I'll count the green papers!

Read about Japan's Cat Cafés:

Borrow A Cat’s Affection At Japan’s Cat Cafés

Tokyo's Cat Cafes: Patrons Pay To Sip Tea And Stroke Resident Cats

Cat Cafés: Recent Japanese Craze

How Bad is the Economy?

Very bad, indeed ...