Its Me, Ali Z!

Hello Pups and Kitties!  We have a lot of mail to take care of today, so lets get going!

We had one hold-over letter from Max Dog of South Africa and he was interested to know if the tailess Manx cat ever lost balance because of no tail?  This was most interesting to me, Max, to learn this cat is high in the hindquarters with the back legs much longer than the forelegs, thus causing the rump to be higher than the shoulders.  The shortness of back forms a continuous arch from shoulders to rump.  Now I have never met a Manx cat, so I was surprised they are very playful and they can jump higher than anyone could imagine.  It is not unusual to find them perching on the highest point in any room, and they are known as the feline sports cars with their acceleration and quick turns.  They show dog like behavior too by retrieving and burying their toys!  So, Max, no balance problems and highly unique to boot!

Cloud the Wonderdog  asked me what is my favorite food?  Fried squirrel of course, Cloud!  No, no, I am just joking, my favorite breakfast is a slice of Deli Ham (Huffle got me going on this!) and my favorite treat is tinned tiny Norwegian sardines in oil.  Nothing else so good!

Steve, Kat and Wilbur tell us their Mom likes to learn new things and she uses Wikipedia a lot.  Is that how you became so smart?    Hmmn, cats have ancient intelligence, but yes, I do like Wiki, also just typing a word into Google and see what comes up.  Its all very much fun, isn't it?

The Thundering Herd tells us our advice is great (Thank You!) but we feel a little left out. For some bizarre reason, on the rare times we see a cat, it gets all hissy and spitty at us.  Do you think we are itimidating?
Oh Herd, you are asking me if one domestic cat could be intimidated by six huge dogs staring at it?  Uhh, yes I think so, in fact it would be even more bizarre if the cat weren't terrified.  How about looking at the cat, one dog at a time?  If it remained quiet, Cat might tolerate it.  Hmmm, do you encourage this behavior in your dogs, by any chance? 

The Army of Four Our friend Zim writes that his brother Dave loves jazz and wants to come over next time I sit down to play some.  Would that be OK?     Why certainly it would be just wonderful to have an audience and if Dave plays, we could do a duet.  One of my favorites is Round Midnight . . .does Dave have a favorite?  From what I have read, Dave is a nice gentle dog, that wouldn't chase me, would he?   Let me know when he wants to come.

Hamish Westie disagreed with me last week about its better to be a member of a more popular genus (cats are more popular world wide than dogs)  saying surely there is a certain cachet attached to being a member of a more exclusive club?    Perhaps for you this is true, Hamish, but I can only see the cat as being much more loved as a pet, tidier in habits, gentler, more charming and thusly, more popular.  Perhaps to make yourself feel better (dogs) you can call it exclusivity.  Hmmm, then you asked me if I felt intimidated when Max speaks of the giant cats of Africa. . .and my answer there is no, I just don't waste my time feeling inferior, because I never come into contact with them.

Thanks to everybody who wrote a comment last week and I do hope I could be of help to you.  I just enjoy your mail so much!  Don't forget the Answer Dog on Mondays, Cloud the Wonder Dog likes to answer questions also!

Meow, meow,

Ali Zophia