cats are very intuitive creatures. I found the story of Oscar quite touching and profound, not grisly or creepy at all. I'd want a purring cat curled up on my bed as I drew my last breath.

The post time was 3:02. Most comment is posted at 3:12 ET so I assume the boredom has set in by now.

Kitties! Zoe will be happy when she gets here!

Cats are the best thing ever!

My guess is the cat is just attracted to people with fevers. I know my cat is.

Hey, that wicker basket might be the NEXT BIG THING. Muki, my Mom's cat has been curling up in the same one for YEARS! Seriously. We actually put one of those faux fleece liners in it so he could be comfy while snuggling in there.

Hey, that wicker basket might be the NEXT BIG THING. Muki, my Mom's cat has been curling up in the same one for YEARS! Seriously. We actually put one of those faux fleece liners in it so he could be comfy while snuggling in there.

I hope a Congratulations to your wife on her accomplishment will be okay as well. Those blue ribbons aren't easy to come by!

Love the picture of Domino! She looks very content. Aw, so cute!

..& I am strangely touched by the tale of Oscar, cat of death. Those brown tabbies with white markings are very, very dear to me. Little Natasha, the world's best cat ever-- she died in 1990 at 18 years--had similar markings. If I was ever down, she would be sweetly there for me.

Hey SIS! Oscar's sitting on Moms bed! AAAAARRRRGGGHHH!! Actually, I'm a bit nervous as my cat (Freida, big, black cat) is at the vet getting declawed. Had to; they're turning in on her and damaging her paws. Already cost me $200 and about to cost me $200 more. Thank God I'm a cat person. And Oscar gives me the willeys.

OK I was wrong. Should have followed Al's advice and clicked the link.

Going to have to go out and find a basket. I'm sure my cat would appreciate it to.

Kevin: "Also, a reminder: cat threads are for cat comments. (Example: "Aw, he's so cute!" Or: "Kitties!") No politics allowed. Them's the rules."

If your cats want to talk about politics, then they'll do so, regardless of what you say. Who are humans, that they would be so impertinent to even think to tell a cat otherwise?

Besides, your cats never told you that Al and egbert are their own virtual creation, which they dangle online before us because they are in fact merciless teases, and it amuses them to drive us to distraction.

Friday cat blogging rocks! I turned my daughter onto your site, she visits on Fridays to see what Inkblot and Domino are up to.

Doesn't the story of Oscar the Death Cat sound like the old superstition of cats stealing the breath of youngsters in the crib? Perhaps there is some link.

Does "I hate cats" count as an acceptable comment on Friday Catblogging posts? Actually we have two cats that I endure; my daughter and my wife brought them into the house.

I prefer the two dogs. They adore me no matter what I do. Makes me feel like W.

OOOOPS. Sorry about that one.

I'm in yr basket bannin yr politiks.

> No politics allowed. Them's the rules.

But then how will we know their positions on talking to dogs?

Cat laws:

* Always give generously. A small bird or rodent left on the bed tells them, I care.
* Climb your way to the top. That's why the drapes are there.
* Curiosity never killed anything except maybe a few hours.
* Find your place in the sun. Especially if it happens to be on that nice pile of warm, clean laundry.
* If you're not receiving enough attention, try knocking over several expensive antique lamps.
* Life is hard, then you nap.
* Make your mark in the world. Or at least spray in each corner.
* Never sleep alone when you can sleep on someone's face.
* Variety is the spice of life. One day ignore people, the next day annoy them.
* When eating out, think nothing of sending back your meal twenty or thirty times.
* When in doubt, cop an attitude.
* Never give a human an even break

How do we know Oscar's not KILLING nursing home patients, hmmmm?

My cat Max looks a lot like Domino. Congratulations to Marian on her two first place wins at the fair; my daughter just pre-registered for five different events at our county fair today, but we didn't see a goat that looked like our cat. How's that for staying on topic??

Love the kitty in the basket. All you need is fries and slaw.

But seriously folks, mine loves the laundry basket. Dirty clothes, clean clothes, no clothes, she isn't picky.

Liberal cats are better than conservative cats, because they're liberal.

I love Friday catblogging! I consider it the signal to turn off my work brain and turn on my weekend brain. Thanks, Kevin

We are owned by two cats. They favor any human who is sick and in bed by curling up with them to make them feel better. So far, they have never predicted anyone's death. (Fingers crossed).

The Oscar story has travelled surprisingly far indeed. You can find his photographs in the tabloids here in Finland as well as in Sweden!

Oscar is probably the world's most famous living feline right now...

Marcus

try converting the shadowed picture to black and white, then play with the contrast. Good idea, but it is a tone, not a color shot.

Ahhh, thanks Kevin, I've been waiting for this Friday's CB and we appreciate you making it a politics free zone.

I love the story about Oscar. Cats know when you're sad or sick and they stick by you -- at least mine always have.

Shoulder scratches for Domino and Inkblot from CT.

Ahhh, thanks Kevin, I've been waiting for this Friday's CB and we appreciate you making it a politics free zone.

I love the story about Oscar. Cats know when you're sad or sick and they stick by you -- at least mine always have.

Shoulder scratches for Domino and Inkblot from CT.

OMG kitties!!!!!1!!1!one!

Maybe Oscar should be sent to a certain "undisclosed location" to sleep with a certain snarly faced shotgun abuser

Meow !

"When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him." - Jonathan Swift

Oscar is obviously a Soul Hunter. All Minbari in that nursing home are warned.

So I see that Inkblot has finally moved off the table! Kevin, I hope you are using this time to launder all your tableclothes.

Domino is especially sweet this week, can hardly notice the pear shaped butt and jelllly bellly today.

Empress Cleopatra says meow and all have a good weekend.

Our cat predicts a backache by sleeping at my feet so that I get twisted into an uncomfortable position. Does that count?

When our daughter was five, she caught some sort of virus and was in bed with a temperature of 105 for several days. During that time, our tabby, Missy, stayed curled up next to her, leaving only briefly for food and potty breaks.
When the fever broke, the cat jumped down and resumed her normal life.
She was similarly solicitous of us when we were sick, so we started calling her "Nurse Missy."

Missy went to Cat Heaven almost fifteen years ago, but maybe Oscar is a distant descendant.

Domino looks like my Costavi, however Costavi much prefers a solid working stiff's cardboard box to the more upper crust woven baskets.

Lately I have taken to tossing a fake mouse in there with him and watch the box shake vigorously for several minutes accompanied by the sound of stuffed toy and belly swag being hurdled about its interior. I wonder if this potential energy is marketable as alternative fuel.

Monetary considerations aside, apparently much fun can be had with a big box and good fake mouse. I plan on trying it myself one of these days and figure the purchase of a refrigerator or large jet liner will provide the appropriate sized container for my particular needs, however I know not what to do about the actual fake mouse.

I understand the lure of said mice to creatures of the feline persuasion, but for people of the people persuasion, the thrill just isn’t there. I am figuring someone will have to toss in a gallon of Blue Bell ice-cream or a Seagram's and Coke for me to generate an equal amount of box-shaking enthusiasm as Costavi does over his mouse.

However, ice-cream containers or martini glasses just don't bat as well as fake mice do. So really, I am at a stand-still in my pursuit of fun and can only live vicariously through Costavi as he rids the world of yet another villainous fake mouse.

Any suggestions for viable substitutes for fake mouse will be gladly received and concidered.

Hava great week-end all, thanks Kevin for brightening what future historians will call the Busy Era with cat-blogging.

I can has Orange County Fair? Lolz.

Seriously, it's been a long time since I've been, tho I grew up very near to there. Haven't been to the fairgrounds since they moved the Highland Games to Pomona (LA Co. Fairgrounds), the venue with the horribly unnatural dyed-blue water in fountains. It's like frothy tidy bowl or something. (okay, back on topic) Definitely not something for Kittehz to drink out of.

I wanna see the goat! What day is goat-blogging?

What, no photo of the goat?

The death cat story is interesting and puzzling. I was going to mention it here today if you missed it but nothing gets by you Kevin.

As to Domino in the wicker basket. I've had two tabby cats (one currently) that regularly make a habit of finding small shoeboxes, inboxes, plastic racks in which to cram themselves. Often it looked uncomfortable to me.

Geez, a cat visits you and you die, and that's supposed to be a good thing about the cat?

Man, this world is run by the Feline Wurlitzer.

I was unaware of the cat-related only rule. Hmmm...

"George Bush doesn't care about cat people."

Kat-ye West.

Damnit.

Sick and dieing people don't move around as much, so they make better kittie cushions.

I was in bed flat on my back for 3 months a few years ago. My cat parked himself on my chest and was in heaven!

Don't your cats ever do anything. My cats have just completed a Triatholon for the Cure, and each one donated their allowance to a charitable cause. And they don't kill birds, in fact, they bring wounded or sick birds home in their mouths so they can receive veterinary attention.
And they each play an instrument, and have formed a band.
Your cats? Not so much, I daresay.
Unholter your gainsayer and vouschafe me a reply, if you dare!

I plan to use Oscar as a sermon illustration some time in the near future! That cat is quite a theologian.

Dona Jasmine requiem aeternam. She was the Primum mobile of Friday catblogging. Is a plaque somewhere in progress?

When I went to read about Oscar, the big half screen ad on the page was for Michael Moore's Sicko: weird. nursing home humor?

now I"ve read it. It would be interesting to know about the cases Oscar was wrong about (and wrong by how much?)

Mooser,
yours are not the words of the truly cat-owned.

Me thinks you actually share your abode with authentic if illegal Tazmanian devils wearing fake cat tails provided by the Australian witness protection program.

Actually, Adam, Bush has quite a nice looking, very-large solid black cat called "Kitty". Kitty evidently has another name, but s/he's called Kitty.

I saw him/her in one of those insane Xmas videos produced by the WH starring Barney and Beazley.

Is it me, or is this whole "Oscar the Death Cat" thing possibly the largest example we've had in a while of people not understanding the concept of confirmation bias?

Sounds like a circumstantial case could be made against Oscar. If he wasn't still alive one might suspect Oscar was the reincarnation of DR. K.

It is a neat story though.

Mooser - your cats get weekly allowances?

SSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhh everybody, don't let you cat read this blog.

Ahh, kitties.

Congrats to Ms. Drum on her wins.

This Oscar-critter has an amazing resemblance to our cat Mille - same longish fur, same colors and variations.

Luckily she doesn't really sleep much around in our bed, she's way too busy hunting mice at night. But next time I'll kick her out before it's too late :-)

Naaah, she can stay along with her brother Findus, who on the other hand isn't about to be kicked out of said bed - besides, animals have an extremely well developed sense of smell, so why shouldn't a cat be able to sense, somehow, a dying person by a scent way beyond our own capabilities?

And Mooser? MY cats are fluent in russian, play chess better than Deep Blue and do quantum mechanics in their spare time - just for the hell of it. Not to mention the dogs, the ponies and the horse - you wouldn't believe it ...

Having a purring cat leaning or lying on me causes me to well up with the most sublimely comforting and calming feeling of simple joy. Realizing that the cat may be doing this for warmth or his own pleasure does not in any way diminish the deep serenity it imparts. I am even happier that the cat is contented as well. Also, researchers have observed that cats do not purr when alone. Purring is a deliberate, voluntary act of social communication, so there is undoubtedly some communion happening between cat and an honored pillow-person. It would be fine to leave this life while enjoying this, one of life's most lovely experiences.

Also, a reminder: cat threads are for cat comments. (Example: "Aw, he's so cute!" Or: "Kitties!") No politics allowed. Them's the rules.

But, but..... I wanted to watch a debate between your cats. I am sure they've got great ideas about health, wealth and the mastery of their domain.

Re - Oscar the death cat, what an incredibly depressing story.

"Kitties!"

Another story about Oscar revealed the fact that the nursing home used heated blankets, and implied that the heat was turned on when the staff thought the patient was terminal. Oscar may well just be gunning for the heated blanket.
not to inject a note of cynicism here, or anything like that....

smartelephant: what do you mean that Freida's nails are turning in on her? growing? why not cut the nails instead of removing?

Kevin, your cats are adorable! And the name Inkblot is one of the cutest I've heard! (My cats are named Tchoupitoulas [Choppy, for short] and Tangelo. As you could guess from his name, Choppy is a hurricane rescue kitty from New Orleans. He is an American Shorthair/Abyssinian mix-- basically, if you dipped an Aby in grey tabby stripes, it'd be Choppy. Tangelo is a little orange tabby kitten, 8 weeks old, whom I just took in from a shelter in Brooklyn. Both are mischievous, playful cats!)

I agree with Madame Defarge. Having a cat snuggle up next to me or on me when I've gone to bed produces the most sublime feelings of contentment. Major league endorphins. THe only problem is that I only get to enjoy the feeling for about 9 or 10 seconds because I feel so good, I fall asleep immediately. And I'm willing to endure the not infrequently resulting backache for the privilege.

Ahhhhh -- well, I know we are not suppose to mention the Politico!!!!

But ah -- ah but I have to ask this, I mean - with the mention of "cloven hooves" along with what Ashcroft said about calico kitties (as oppose to simply black kittys) being demons and all, I mean - what kind of "evil" progessive Dem is the Drum family?

I wonder what biblical signs would Ashcroft see in this--this little coincidence????

Is Domino Kevins "familiar"?

Is Ms. Domino Marian's "familiar"?

All "pear-shaped butt" revelations aside, Ms Domino seems to have personality plus, and maybe that is why Inkblot is hiding in the shadows, cause Ms. Domino has attitude.

But again, in all seriousness, you centrist Dems have GOT to stop scaring the GOP natives like the - this goat looks like Domino.

And if your address is 666, than Jeebus save you dude.

Don't you think that it is just an evolutionary advantage for a small predator to be able to sense the impending death of a large animal that it couldn't kill on its own?

I had the same thought as peter.

Also, somebody told me they'd heard of other cats who seemed to have Oscar's instinct, and that made me wonder if finding the kitty in bed with the recently deceased led to that 'suck the breath away' superstition. Somebody suggested that earlier, too.

Great minds run in the same channels, or sleep in the same baskets.

Dig this video of two New York City kitties going at it to Wanda Jackson's classic rocker "Funnel Of Love":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2gyfQ-Krz0

Come on Kevin. You can't mention Marian's awards and then tell us we can only discuss your cats. Your life seems serene, like something from a different era: "Our house, is a very, very fine house, with two cats in the yard...." BTW I give Domino two weeks max in the basket.

"Another story about Oscar revealed the fact that the nursing home used heated blankets, and implied that the heat was turned on when the staff thought the patient was terminal. Oscar may well just be gunning for the heated blanket. "

I doubt the nursing home's policy is that only patients who are terminal get heated blankets, or heated blankets that are actually on. Besides, to read the original article Oscar seemingly makes his rounds down the hall and knows before he decides to enter the room that death is impending. And then hops up on the bed.

Someone was saying on the WaPo Q &A (with the doctor who wrote the article in the NEJM) that biologists know that when organisms decay they emit different odors. I think an explanation like that that's more likely.

me_again mentioned the "familiars". When we moved into our farmhouse seven years ago, we inherited two solid black cats. Mambo was obviously Charles' son--much larger and as yet unaltered.

Charles immediately took to me and would follow me everywhere. Down the long driveway to grab the paper, around the trails in the woods, everwhere. He was quite old, and indeed lost both upper fangs while we had him. We used to joke that he was my "familiar".

Both cats eventually became indoor/outdoor cats. Charles also passed a few years ago. Now Mambo, his son, has taken on the role of "familiar". He's quite large and enjoys his hunting. I like to call him "The Devil Dog from the Fiery Pits of Hell". He likes to bring me mouse butts.

Love Domino and Inkblot as always.

May be too late for a photo of the goat but how about a photo or two of your wife's winning entries?

Congratulations to Marian!

Isn't Oscar merely saying "Dibs on the tuna salad and pudding"?

That's a mighty progressive-lookin' basket, there

That Inkblot is such a cute kittie. He looks like he's in prison though, like Karl Rove will soon be. That's not a political comment, is it?

I've found a huge collection of cats in an expo here:
http://www.glcglc.net
Nice, enjoy!

I for one oppose those who are inflating the comment count with superfluous comments. This could affect any future line graphs.

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