Its Me, Ali Z!

Good morning, Kitties and Pups, we have a lot of mail today, so lets get at it!

Mom's good friend Khyra  wrote asking something to the efffect that if I was so smart(dogs get sooo threatened by a smart cat!)  "can woo operate a khamera"?    This is something we are not doing right now but we are working on it.    A question asked by Princess Eva and Brice has something to do with this and we will be discussing it further in next weeks blog.  Exciting stuff!

Max in South Africa asked if we had any idea as to the origins of the old saw 'curiosity killed the cat'.  Let me tell you Max, this goes way, way back. The original proverb was 'care killed the cat' and it was first recorded in the English playwright Ben Jonson's play Every Man in His Humour, 1598.  Care is meaning worry or sorrow in this case.  You can read more about it at The Phrase Finder.

Dave at the Army of Four is a jazz afficionado like me and asked if I knew any Dave Brubeck music, and also samba music?   You might be interested to know, Dave, I am an old Dave Brubeck fan,almost all cats love his piano work!  But I am more fond of samba music than anything.,  Antonio Carlos Jobim is a big favorite and I try to play this style music daily.  It is so exotic and I just love to move around to it.  Do you?

Corcovado is a big favorite, and I would love to know yours so I could work on it before you come to visit.

Tank suggested that I had too high an opinion of myself and cats vs.dogs.  He said he doesn't cough up hair balls or shed and I should try and beat that.  Tank, I am sorry to hear that you are ill and I do hope this didn't have any effect on making you sick.  You must try not to get too excited over things like this and upset yourself.  We are hoping for a fast recovery for you!

My good friend Hamish of Scotland said I feel as though we have this one important thing in common and that is that we are not lacking in self esteem. What about you?    I agree with you totally, Hamish, and also feel that self esteem is a most important part of any animals life.  It gives you the ability to convey what you believe, and to come across to others with strength.  And yes, it can mean to agree to disagree as we have many times.

The OP Pack asked me how the sardines tasted that I recommended last week.  They are just lovely, fishy and oily, full of goodness.  However, my mother has a new recipe she is going to try for just her and I called Linguine with Sardines and Parsley (note this Huffle!) .  This sounds so excellent and we may give Stella a little taste of it to see if she is the gourmand we are.  Don't forget to buy King Oscar tiny sardines, though!

Our little friend Cloud is still having problems with his cat Boomer (who seems to be his mother's favorite for obvious reasons!).  Cloud asks, Are cats psychic?  Since I posted about Boomer hitting me on the head she has done it more times than ever.  This will probably stun you to know, Cloud, but cats know what you are thinking before you think it.  For instance, the time you humped Boomer (a very elderly cat) she knew what you were going to do, but simply couldn't believe you would have the audacity to do it.  So when she smacks you for what you say is No Reason, she is really smacking you for your bad thoughts.  My suggestion?  Stay outdoors and bark at squirrels.!

Our last letter is from Steve, Kat and Wilbur and Steve wrote that Wilbur the Cat was laying next to their Mom when they went to bed.  Steve and Kat layed down next to Mom's legs and Wilbur the cat, hissed and hissed at them, even though Steve says he did nothing to Wilbur.   Ah Steve, I wonder if it isn't like our friend Cloud, who thinks unpleasant thoughts about his cat and she is able to read those thoughts.  If that is the case, perhaps you could gentle up your thoughts a bit, or perhaps let your Mom know she should stop him from doing this.  Or perhaps, Dr. Steve, you need to work one of your famous prescriptions for Wilbur!

Good luck to everybody, my thanks for writing and sharing your thoughts with me.  It looks as if Cloud will not be answering questions quite so frequently, but do check in and see what he is up to.

Meow, Meow,

Ali Zophia