Au Speaks Out: An Impawtunt New Year Message

it's new year, a time when de survunts are apt to get squiffy.   Some katz get upset abowt dis but not me.  de reason is simple:

some of dis leads to more of dis!










when de survunts get squiffy, a sensibul kat waits until dey go into the kitshun for ice, and den asks for treats.

you can do dis as often as you like bekos squiffy survunts don't understand time furry well. and if de survunt says, "Au meow you just had a treat" you just say "meow meow, dat wasn't me, dat was Target" and de survunt will believe you.

so remember: a squiffy survunt is a generus survunt!

also, make sure you keep your tayul tucked away safely because a squiffy survunt is also a clumsy survunt...

my eyes say GIF ME A TREAT!

me and Target and Guido wish you all a purry furry happy treatfilled new year!



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This Can't Be The Real Meaning Of Boxing Day!

Everyone celebrates Boxing Day differently, but we bet few people do what we did.  This morning we boxed Guido up - and took him to the vet.

HELP!  This can't be what Boxing Day is about!!!

Guido was examined and then given his 5-in-1 vaccination.  He enjoyed the ear rubbing (looking for mites) and the tummy rubs (checking organ functions) and he didn't even feel the injection thanks to Dr Vijay's stealthy practice of rubbing ears at the front while sticking a needle in the bum, but all the same, Guido was glad to get out of there.

Get off me!

 Target gave Guido a hero's welcome.

"Oh my Cod!  Are you ok?" Target asks.

We are having roast pork for lunch, and Guido will have his own share.  Happy Boxing Day!

If you're looking for a good read, check out Logomania: Fate and Fortune that delves into the meaning and history of over 250 phrases.

Arranged by chapter so you can check out phrases linked by common imagery, and indexed so you can find the phrase you want quickly, this little reference is packed full of information. Each entry also comes with an example so that learners can see how the expression is used.

Click here to download a Sneak Peek printable PDF file.
Click here to buy online from MPH

The Most Expensive Tuxie Cat On The Street

This is the paw AFTER it was stitched!

About 5 weeks ago my neighbour Jamal managed to pick up and box up a stray tuxie cat who has been haunting our street for some months.

I'd volunteered to have him neutered, but when I saw him up close, I realised his front left paw was in a really bad state.

I took the tuxie cat to the vet, we gave him a huge shot of antibiotics, and then left him to starve overnight.  The next day, I went back, held him while he was given his knock-out shot, and we took a look at the damage.

I thought he'd been in an accident but the vet, our Dr Baz in SS14 Subang Jaya, says the damage was done by a knife.  And there was more than one cut.  Poor tuxie cat needed a serious operation and ended up with a dozen stitches.

Since that day he's been in Zaa's place, our local aquarium shop cum cat rescue centre in SS15/5A number 43.  He sits in his cage and eats and sleeps and heals and eats and sleeps and heals.  The tuxie cat is healing really fast but as the knife cuts were down to the bone, and it's on his elbow, it's taking a while.

Thank heavens the vet and Zaa give us a discount.  Even so, it's costing a bomb but it's worth it.  The tuxie cat has gone from a scared feral cat to a big purry fuzzy face.  That's Zaa's work.  And the fact that he's alive and not dying slowly and painfully of an infection is thanks to Dr Baz.

I'll keep you updated, but in the meantime, do me a Christmas favour?  I know this tuxie cat was once a pet.  He was dumped by some people who think that it's natural for cats to live wild on the streets.

Please show people who think that way this post.  And remind them that Tuxie got picked up; millions don't.

Adopting cats is for life, not just for kitten-hood.

Guido: My First Rat!

I caught a Rat! A Real Live Rat! I'm the Greatest Hunter in the Universe!

This is me with my Rat.

This is me Whapping the Rat.

This is me Tossing my Rat.  This is an Olympic Sport, I think.

I lent my rat to Target because I am a Furry Nice Generous Cat.

This is me, looking for my next Rat.

This is also my First Post.  It's a big week for Firsts.

LIM: That Christmas Spirit

So I'm sitting in the hairdresser, having a hair wash, and being tortured by a Christmas CD featuring a children's choir.  Luckily the hair dryers were going full blast so the sound was muffled.

As I was paying up, I said politely, "So are you going home to Ipoh for your Christmas holidays?" because I was intending to wish my mate a Merry Christmas.  

She looked blank and then said, "Oh no!  I'm a freethinker (atheist)!" adding conscientiously, "But I celebrate Chinese New Year."

"I thought with the Christmas music and all that you might celebrate...." I excused myself.

"We are all freethinkers," my mate said waving at her colleagues.  "That music is for clients like you."

"I'm a freethinker too, and I love Chinese New Year," I told her. "But I can't stand children's choirs."

"Me neither," she whispered.

"Hey, I'm a freethinker too!" said the man who was having his hair cut. "And I don't like this music either!"

"Me too!" said the lady next to him.

It dawned on us that none of the 7 people in the shop celebrate Christmas, and that all of us were enduring the music.

"Can we listen to the radio?" the lady customer asked plaintively.

I hope that wherever you're living that everyone is as thoughtful about the importance of various holidays to other communities.  And I really hope that you're not tortured by children's choirs!

Hear what Maggie, Whiskey and Bruce have to say about dogs speaking human languages in today's Dog Talk column published in The Star, section 2.  Print version only so please buy the paper!

Target: Bet You Can't See Me!

For more cats, check out Gattina's Cats on Tuesday.

We have a fan page on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/KatzTales A one stop centre for Au's tweets, quick updates and photos. Come like us?

Au and Guido: The Inspectors

There are some places where cats should not go: the crockery cupboard is one of them. But Au and Guido saw the door was open, and decided they had to Inspect.

We're counting plates, says Guido.  We're counting plates by stepping on them with our paws.

Now how do we get up there???

I'm happy to report that nothing was broken during the Inspection...

Logomania Fate & Fortune, our new book is out!

We've got a new book out!  It's based on the Logomania column in The Star, the Malaysian national daily newspaper. 


If you're looking for a Christmas, Gregorian New Year or Chinese New Year present, please take a look.  And also please tell other people about it by Sharing this post. 

For those of you who don't know us very well, we make our living by writing. It's a team effort.  Au is senior snooperviser, Target stands on the keyboard, and Guido provides purrs while I do the writing.

Hope you like it!

Logomania: Fate and Fortune
By Ellen Whyte 
Published by MPH 2011
ISBN: 9789675997624
RPP RM32.90

Logomania: Fate and Fortune takes a look at Chinese and Western horoscope signs and the history of related popular phrases.

If you have you ever wondered why a rabbit punch is so dangerous, what fishing in troubled waters is about, or whether having a Midas touch is lucky or not, this book is for you.

Logomania: Fate and Fortune delves into the meaning and history of over 250 phrases.

Arranged by chapter so you can check out phrases linked by common imagery, and indexed so you can find the phrase you want quickly, this little reference is packed full of information. Each entry also comes with an example so that learners can see how the expression is used.

Click here to download a Sneak Peek printable PDF file.
Click here to buy online from MPH

Target Gives Advice

So many of our friends are having a rough time.  Ginger Jasper isn't well, Lucy isn't feeling so hot either, and poor little Emma died last week leaving Herman and Karen Jo broken-hearted.  We're purring for them all.

To cheer us up, we've made a silly joke. 

Here's to better news today!

Miko and Mei Mei Go Wild

I went to the bank at 7 o'clock this morning and when I came back, I spotted Miko and Mei Mei aka The Gremlins who live next door running around the street. 

They were kicking up their heels, wagging their tails and running around like puppies. Although we live in a dead end street, every neighbour goes to work at that time, so there were cars about.

I couldn't catch Mei Mei but when a car stopped abruptly in front of Miko, I yelled so loudly that Miko lay down.  I scooped him up, and saw that Mei Mei had turned to follow me.

By cunningly telling Miko in a loud voice that I'd give him treats, I got Mei Mei to follow us all the way home. 

When I got them both back in their garden safely, their dad came out; he was panic-stricken when he realised what had happened.  Turned out the gate was not completely closed, and the Gremlins had wormed their way out of their garden and onto the street.

What a drama, huh?  But all's well that ends well.  

PS Mei Mei is the blonde on the left, and Miko is the dark boy on the right.