MM Au teaches Target a Lesson

Au is turning out to be an excellent tutor. He caught a small rat and brought it in to show Target.

Au dropped it on the floor, looked at our ten months old a man cat in training, and said "Meow!" Very definitely cat for "There you go, this is what I've been telling you about!"


Target approached it cautiously, patted it with his paw and was so excited, all he could do was purr. Au swelled with pride. I think he had more fun showing off his catch than he did killing it.

As the rat was dead, I let the two cats enjoy themselves for a while. Then I distracted them with supper and quietly disposed of the corpse.

I appreciate the care Au takes of his small friend but I secretly with he wouldn't be so thorough about the whole thing. I could have skipped this lesson no problem!

For more Monday Mancats visit M-Cats Club

Chester

It's been one horrible week... I've been super down and the cats aren't much better...

Target's instincts triumphed over his cat brain this morning when he jumped up into the window when he saw a squirrel sitting outside. Our junior cat bounced off the glass and fell into the sink which was full of soapy dishes. I didn't laugh so we got through that without too much hurt pride but I can tell he's not happy.

Au was beaten up by Yow Yow, the wickedly huge stray in our area, earlier in the week but he's now recovered from the shock. Now he's getting back his own on the world by sitting on our neighbour's wall and teasing Bushy the little Yorky who lives across the street.

Thank goodness it's Friday!

Here's a picture of Chester, the subject of tomorrow's Dog Talk column, only in the print version of Weekender section in The Star. There will be a nice surprise for readers soon so keep an eye out for it.

WW: Proof Cats Can Sleep Anywhere

This pretty girl was fast asleep outside our pub yesterday...

COT: Changing Faces

I changed the Katz Tales logo yesterday, replacing Scoop and Au on the sofa with Au and Target wrestling. It's stupid but it gives me a lump in my throat - I still miss our old fuzzy very much.





Plus I'm being emotionally blackmailed by a relative, and there's another bloody hooha in my neighbourhood about security so they're forcing us to get car stickers (because the electronic tags they made us pay for only worked a week, and the entry permits we paid for when we moved in somehow went by the wayside...). Called the office and they pointed me to our street representative who has run out, and a neighbour who hasn't been in the three times I've called.

This is a lousy week.

Monday Mancats: Happy Birthday Qwill!

Qwill who lives with my mum in San Agustin de Guadalix near Madrid in Spain is 16 years this week.

As you can see, Qwill is an aristocratic kitty. He loves people but he demands a lot of respect. This is not a cat whose tail you can tug playfully as you pass by!

Qwill has recently moved house (the second time in three years!) and is currently claiming his territory, advising the new neighbours of the proper way to greet, pet and spoil Siamese cats, and generally getting out and about.

Because he's getting to be an old boy, he jumps out of the living room window into the garden, but demands to be let in via the terrace door. And being a meezer with a raucous wail, he gets what he wants.

You've got to love those Siamese cats!

For more Monday Mancats visit M-Cats Club

Finding the Fish God

Malaysia has tonnes of lovely Indian temples, all decorated with amazing pictures of famous Hindu and Vedic stories. Thing is, I don't know anything about these traditions beyond the famous Ramayana story. Identifying pictures can therefore take a while - but hooray for the Internet!

This guy here turns out to be all about the Flood.

As the story goes Manu, the first man on earth, was washing his hands in a river when a fish swam up and said it feared for its life. The fish asked Manu for help. Manu put the fish in a jar and took it home. When the fish grew, Manu got a bigger jar. Eventually the fish grew seriously big so Manu put it in the ocean.

The grateful fish came back later to warn Manu a big flood was coming. Manu built a boat, and gathered the Seeds Of Life. The fish then towed Manu and his boat to the top of a mountain. Manu waited here as the flood waters came and went. He then used his seeds to start a new earth.

According to Hindu mythology the fish was the first Avatar or incarnation of Vishnu, the preserver of the cosmos along with Brahma and Shiva.

Vishnu has ten avatars, some of which we've already seen like Rama, Krishna, and the Buddha. His tenth avatar will herald the end of the world.

PS I'm trying out this new ad thing. It may take a few hours to get up and running but when you see a Nuffnang Ad, please let me know how it affects your loading time!

COT Toad Time

Target has been talking to the garden toad. But the way our kitten turns him upside down just for fun doesn't please our toad pal at all. Now whenever the toad sees Target he hides in a corner, puffs up and bleats at him. Target doesn't care. He's just too fascinated to let such an interesting creature alone. Poor old toad.

Howling Success

We've got a new guy in the minaret near to us and there is something about him that sets off our friend Doji, the little Spitz who lives next door.

When our new man chants the call to prayer, Doji sings along. And as our doggy pal is tone deaf, it's one weird way to be woken up at the crack of dawn.

Am thinking of entering him into the Akademie Fantasia contest - the Malaysian Idol competition. Here he is, looking modest.

If you've a chance, take a look at the following blogs that came to my notice this week: RWee: "14 hours to save the earth" and other dangerous tales… that has plenty of thought pieces plus The Bolehland Political News & Jokes that's full of coffee shop humour...

Have a good weekend!

Trashed

We had some left over chicken from yesterday so Au demanded a it for a special breakfast. Since then he's been running around like a maniac.

He's been in the kitchen cupboards, inside the car, on top of the wardrobe, up on the garden wall... And all the way he's been shouting, "Yik, yik, meow, meow-RAUF!" He's been totally wild.

But he's no longer the kitten he once was. Having charged up and down the stairs three times in less than a minute, Au finally collapsed into bed. He's totally trashed but from the manic purring I think he's having a blast.

Foolproof No Bake Chicken Liver Pâté

In Malaysia pâté costs a bomb which is daft because it's seriously cheap to make.

If you love that gourmet liver spread but can't handle bain marie's and all that sexy oven cooking stuff, check out my own recipe.... By all means pass it along if you like, but give me a link back to this page!

Ellen's Foolproof No Bake Chicken Liver Pâté Recipe:

12 chicken livers
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 large cloves garlic, chopped
5 slices smoked bacon
pepper and salt
150 g butter
big splash brandy
200 ml cream
Ground black pepper
Pinch salt

Melt butter in pan and gently cook livers, onion, garlic and bacon. Don't let the butter go brown! the whole lot should cook very softly and slowly.

Sprinkle generous amount of black pepper and little bit salt.

When everything is just cooked through, add in brandy. Stir. Switch
off heat and put the whole lot in a food processor. Add cream. Pulse
lightly until you have liver sludge.

Pour into container and refrigerate. Best left 24-48 hours to rest.
Eat within 5 days.

Best served with a robust red wine and melba toast.

Note 1 : You can leave out the bacon but then add more booze and pepper for flavour.

Note 2: You can also swap out brandy for whiskey.

Note 3: If you want to use purple onions, go ahead but suggest you leave out the bacon and go for pepper and whiskey instead.

Let me know how you like it!

Ripped Off!

My article Silly Geese and Golden Eggs published in The Star today has been ripped off and reposted here by mustwearmascara.blogspot.com and she's even had the cheek to remove my by-line!

I've had people using my stuff without permission before but to take off my byline is just too much.

Update: just checked back and got this message, "the blog at mustwearmascara.blogspot.com has been removed."

Update 2: if you want to take copies of things at lepak.com - ask! I usually say yes as long as full credit is given (with a link if you post it online) and no changes are made. But please, do ask.... ew AT lepak.com.

Update 3: The Perak State Department of Veterinary Services have posted my articles on their web site. I warned them in November last year they were stealing copyrighted work and they removed the two articles they'd taken. But later they reposted them and added 8 more! As this stuff never appears online they copytype my work from print publications and post it on their web site. Now I can't resell those articles - or use them for a book I was planning. Check it out at: http://tinyurl.com/6ko48m

COT Ghost Cat

I think a little bit of Scoop, our old cat who passed away last September, is back.

I made some chicken liver pâté last week. We were eating some on toast when Target turned up, whiskers twirling with interest. I gave him a crumb and he wolfed it down. A teaspoon later, it was obvious our kitten like the stuff.

Thing is, chicken liver and chicken liver pâté were always two of Scoop's favourite things. Scoop preferred boiled chicken liver to commercial cat food, so I went to the market twice a week to serve our old fuzzy his favourite dish fresh.

Now Target liked cat food when he first joined us but lately he's been sticking to biscuits. After the pâté incident I tried him on boiled chick liver and he went nuts over it.

I still miss old fuzzy very much. I expect to see him sitting at the gate when I come home, and I haven't dared move his towel from his kitchen chair or the box under the window where he used to window-watch (ie spy) on the neighbours.

So when I see Target in the kitchen guzzling liver I just need to half close my eyes - and it looks just like Scoop is back.

I've decided it's a good thing.

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