10.19.2009

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

15 comments:

NAK and The Residents of The Khottage Now With KhattleDog! said...

Khan woo use a khamera?

I know your beaWOOtiful sisfur Stella mentioned she khouldn't (digit issues) but if woo khats are really sooooo highly developed one would think khamera proficiency should be in your skill sets -

Hugz&Khysses,
Khyra

Princess Eva and Brice said...

Somewhat related to MFT's comment - I've heard that some cats have extra toes. Do they work like thumbs?

Princess Eva

Maxmom said...

Hey there my favourite Kitty-cat!
Wow! That was a wonderfully informative post and answer to my question. Thank you! You really went to a lot of trouble to find the answer and it certainly is most interesting to read about that special Max-cat(oops, I mean...Manx). You are a star cat and we are grateful!
(Just by way of a little snippet of info from here...Do you know that it is rather hard to keep a cat here in SA - at least certainly in our household!? You see, we are the 'crime' capital of the world and our houses are secured with high walls, electric fences and internal house alarms. Unfortunately, because kitties have an independant streak, they set off alarms all the time, so it becomes a very difficult exercise to stop them causing trouble. It's a very sad situation, but unfortunately it is our reality here)
Anyway, our question for the week:
I posted a picture of a kitty on my blog the other day (ornamental) that ties up with the saying:
"CURIOUSITY KILLED THE CAT?". Any idea as to the origins of that saying?
Thank you for another wonderful post, Ali-Z. You are a wise kitty indeed. Love to your canine sista (& Mom)
MAXDOG IN SOUTH AFRICA

D.K. Wall said...

Not exactly any kitty-cats where we live, unless you count the bob-cat which is not exactly afraid of us. So the only cats we see are we are out walking in town and we are all together then.

The Army of Four said...

Woo, Ali Z. Thanks for saying I could come over when you play. I'm not so keen on cats like Zim, but jazz does make me totttttally relaxed - so it could work.
Do you know any Dave Brubeck?
I also like Samba music.
Luv,
Dave
PS: Bagpipes, too, but that's not jazz.

♥♥ The OP Pack ♥♥ said...

How do those sardines taste, Ali Z? We love ham too, but we haven't had sardines. Someone told mom that sardines would be a great way to put some more weight on Phantom.

Woos, the OP Pack

Cloud the Wonder Dog said...

Your favorite foods sound delicious Ali Z. Maybe we could sit down to a meal together sometime if you promise not to bop me on the head and I promise to be on my best behavior also. This brings me to my question fur the week:

Are cats psychic? Ever since I posted about Boomer bopping me on the head, she has done it more in the last few days than she has in the last year! And I SWEAR I haven't done anything to her!!! She will just saunter up to me and **WHACK** fur NO REASON AT ALL!!! So the only thing I can think of, is that since I put it "out there" that she hits me, she is picking up psychically on what I wrote and it's manifesting itself dis way. What do you think?

Luv,
Cloud

Anonymous said...

Dear Ali Z, You seem to have a very high opinion of yourself... and cats in general as compared to dogs.

I don't cough up hairballs OR shed.

Beat that...

and have a nice day:)

Martha said...

Hi Ali Z - you never fail to amaze us with your startling insights and opinions on cats, dogs and life in general!!!
love
Martha & Bailey xxxx

Hamish Westie said...

Hi Ali Z
Thank you for answering my questions so honestly! We can agree to differ on certain matters, I hope. I can see that we two do in fact have something in common. It is often said of Westies that we are 'not lacking in self-esteem'. I think the same might apply to your good self ?
Cheers, H.

Gus, Louie and Callie said...

Mom and Dad used to have a manx cat named Gato. She has crossed the rainbow bridge but she really was a good jumper.. She always brought mom home lizards as treasures..

Big Sloppy Kisses
Gus, Louie and Callie

Teddy Westlife said...

Well, I don't know how 'gentle' Davy is but if Zim comes over then I'm on my way - he's my bestest friend you know!

And I'm glad you get to eat ham, isn't it the best?

TwoSpecialWires said...

We've fallen so far behind! Just glancing back through your blog, we realize we need to set aside a good chunk of time to catch up, because we want to read every word that we've missed during our hiatus. We love you blog, and it appears it just keeps getting better and better!

G'night! Till tomorrow!
Jake and Fergi xxoo

Golden Samantha said...

Hey Ali Z! You are really good at this advice biz - I super enjoy your column every Tuesday! I wanted to share with you that "Round Midnight" is one of my mom's alltime faves too. She used to be a singer at weddings and performed that very song so many times. Still a fave, however, hehee!
Hugs xo
Ozzie and Sammie

Steve, Kat, & Wilbur said...

Ali Z, I need some advice.

Last night, when we went to bed, Wilbur was laying next to Mom and then Kat and I came into the bedroom and just like always, we laid down next to Mom's legs for our bedtime treat. Well, Wilbur just hissed and hissed at me! And I didn't do anything to him. What should I do so he doesn't do that anymore?

Steve