COT Midnight cat

I woke up at 2.37AM this morning with no idea what had woken me up. But the second I looked at the clock, Target opened an eye and decided it was the perfect time to snizzle. He was lying curled up against me so it was the work of a moment to snuggle up to my chin and give me fuzzy headbutts. He purred so loudly that Tom woke up too. Target promptly climbed over me so he could talk to both of us at the same time. He was in heaven, we were trying to pet him AND stay asleep.

Drifting off again, we were woken up again at about 6AM by Au. As he ran out of roast chicken yesterday afternoon, our senior fuzz was not in a good mood. He said hello rather grumpily and made Tom get up to give him some cat food. This is him looking grumpy on the left.

But Au's mood improved when I got up and went out. He knows a wet market run when he sees it. Now there is a piece of chicken roasting in the oven and Au is sitting in front of it, making sure he's on the scene the second it's ready.

Hopefully it will put him in a better mood!

For more Cats on Tuesday, visit Gattina. By the way, Cathy says that as Katz Tales is only out once a month now, and Dog Talk is out once a month only too, I should blog more often. I'll write posts on the next few Fridays. If there's enough traffic/interest, I'll continue.

Also, Katz Tales is out in the print version of The Star, the Malaysian national daily, Weekend section this Saturday. Buy it please and don't forget to write in for the picture contest! Details of how to enter are posted here.

Dear Dogs and Cats

I got this from my friend Liz who is a caving expert and it made me laugh so much I just had to post it!

The following was found posted very low on a refrigerator door:

Dear Dogs and Cats:

The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Racing me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than
you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort, however. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom! If, by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the door. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years - canine/feline attendance is not required.

The proper order for kissing is: Kiss me first, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough.

Finally, in fairness, dear pets, I have posted the following message on the front door:

TO ALL NON-PET OWNERS WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR PETS:

(1) They live here. You don't.
(2) If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it 'fur'-niture.
(3) I like my pets a lot better than I like most people. To you, they are animals. To me, they are adopted sons/daughters who are short, hairy, walk on all fours and don't speak clearly.

Remember, dogs and cats are better than kids because they
(1) eat less,
(2) don't ask for money all the time,
(3) are easier to train,
(4) normally come when called,
(5) never ask to drive the car,
(6) don't hang out with drug-using people;
(7) don't smoke or drink,
(8) don't want to wear your clothes,
(9) don't have to buy the latest fashions,
(10) don't need a gazillion dollars for college and
(11) if they get pregnant, you can sell their children …

Also, Au and Target are now certified International Bloggers. They received an award from Standtall last week on 16th June 2009 and are now totally puffed up with conceit and self-consequence.

I'd like to pass it on to the following people:

Dora whose It Meows make me laugh,
Ailurophile whose cat news from around the world is a true service - and work of art!
Zoolatry whose Friday, June 19, 2009 INTERNATIONAL BOX DAY was such fun,
The fluffies because their mum is so incredibly responsible about neutering,
Great Minds Think Alike because Minty and Honeybun are so cute.
This, That and the Other Thing because Kosmo is as "prosperous" as Au!
And finally Fun In The Sun because I can't imagine what it would be like to homeschool with such enthusiasm...

And here are the rules:

Link to the person who passed you this prize.
Display the badge, the rules and the questionnaire in all or one of your blogs
Publish the date when the award had passed to you.
Answer four questions following this :
1. The person who tagged you:
2. His/her site's title and url:
3. Date when you were tagged:
4. Persons you tagged:

List at least seven (7) friends in its list of blogs.
Come back to BLoGGiSTa iNFo CoRNeR and leave the URL of your Post in order for you/your Blog to be added to the Master List.

Happy Cats On Tuesday! As always, check the blog roll on the left for more, or visit Gattina.

The Dog Who Was Rescued By A Cat

Maggy and Romeo at Zoolatry have declared this day Friday, June 19, 2009 is INTERNATIONAL BOX DAY where we all post (or re-post) all the cats in boxes photos we can.
No prizes, no awards, just a box full FUN...

As Au is a serious box cat, here he is in his favourite box, an international shipping box with two layers that he mined paper from for several years!


Also, tomorrow in the Malaysian newspaper The Star, Weekender section, there will be a story about Conan the cat who rescued Molly the three legged dog. If you're in town, pick up a copy!

In the meantime, here are some pics that didn't make the final copy.

Conan the kitten helping himself to Molly's doggy biscuits.

Being well mannered, Conan rubs up against Molly to say, "Thanks!"

And after having enjoyed a snack, the two settle down for a nap. This is technically Molly's cage but as the door is always open, and Conan uses it as much as Molly, it is now their room.

COT Au's new box

Tom put an empty box outside and before we knew what was happening Au claimed it. He already has his own box upstairs on the landing but he now feels like a king with this extra "garden" box. Just look at that smug expression!

For Happy Cats On Tuesday! If you want to see more fuzzies, check out Gattina's blog or the links in the box in the sidebar.

If you're in Malaysia, buy The Star on Saturday and check the Weekender for a story about Conan, the cat who saved Molly the dog.

Cooking for dogs

There will be an article out in the Weekend section of The Star, the Malaysian national daily, tomorrow about the Barkery Bakery, a small home business venture run by Meem who cooks treats for dogs. Buy the paper and check it out!

Also, I've just found some seriously good people in Singapore who rescue stray cats. The Singapore Cat Welfare Society are on the Web and on Facebook so check them out when you have a minute.

Finally, I'm constantly looking to interview Malaysian women aged 21 to 40 on all sorts of subjects for various newspapers and magazines. If you like the idea of appearing in print (and maybe photographed by a professional magazine team too!) please drop me an email at ellenwhyte AT lepak.com. It would be helpful if you can tell me what state you live in, what job you do, and if you have kids.


If you want to adopt two cats, consider Nana and Ah Sui at Petfinder. Just click on the picture!

COT Cat Chat

English is a great language but it is short a few expressions. So here are a few definitions from our cat vocab:

Snizzle circle: a hair band. The origin of this term lies in Target's baby name, Mr Snizzles, as well as in the fact that these soft stretchy hair bands are his favourite toys.
Squizzle: to pet a cat, usually by bunching your fingers and running them under the chin or at the bit where the tail and backbone meet. (Note: Tom says, "scrizzle" so this word already has UK and US variations!)
Fuzzle: a friendly nickname for any cat but also a verb that describes those times when you're lying flat somewhere with a kitty on top of you who is absolutely boneless with bliss because you are squizzling him.
Kitty collapso: when a cat is so relaxed when sleeping that you check his breathing to make sure he's OK.

So this is how you get, "Target was playing with his snizzle circle until Au asked for squizzles. Then Target got all jealous so we fuzzled for a bit and now he's completely kitty collapso."

Happy Cats On Tuesday! If you want to see more fuzzies, check out Gattina's blog or the links in the box in the sidebar.

COT Treats!

Our friend Meem sent Au and Target a present: cat treats from Addiction! Au sniffed it all over and decided he wasn't a treat type of cat but Target was charmed.

Hmmm, which one shall I start with?

This one!

It's nice to have such generous friends! Hopefully Target absorbs the lesson and will soon stay to say hello to visitors instead of rushing off upstairs and hiding under the bed, shivering with terror.

Happy COT! For more Cats this Tuesday visit Gattina.

And don't forget that this Saturday Katz Tales will be published in the print version of the Malaysian national daily The Star, Weekend section. It's all about why cats eat grass. Check it out! For more about why cats eat grass, check COT When Cats Go Green

Notes for Tuesday Talk

Places to find info on Malaysia viewing/readership for various media:

Media Guide 2009: Malaysia Media and Advertising Guide Book (Perception Media, price RM30)

Audit Bureau Of Circulations publishes annual audit of print media online range 1988 to 2008.

Malaysia Communication and Multimedia Commission offers ADEX paper that analyses complete ad market in Malaysia with notes on international trends.

Nielson can be useful, esp for big picture overviews, like this one of 2006, and 2007.

The NST publishes readership numbers and ad rates so does The Star publish their readership numbers - and everyone elses! And Star ad rates are online too.

Wikipedia can be a useful source, for example Astro Wikipedia, and Radio.

Or you do Advanced Google search for "rate card" or ad rate and define .MY for Malaysian domain name.

Fights and Cheats

New Zealand print media Audit Bureau Circulation warning.

People Meter: how it works and one 2004 US controversy that caused ethnic tensions and one piece about the mobile people meter controversy and what Nielson say now about how they're trying to fix it.

Online audit issues
Interactive Media Audit Trails: Approaches and Issues has a good bit about auditing issues. Also check Jakob Nielson.