RIP Thera

 As Thera's human, I write with heavy heart that Thera died suddenly this morning of an apparent heart attack. She was a friendly and curious soul, and we will miss her deeply.

Thera reaching for the light: 2016-2022

Rest in peace, Thera. 

More Foraged Vegetable Matter

 My human's foraging behavior has expanded. First, as I mentioned in my last post, she went out and hunted wineberries, with which she ruined made ice cream.

Encouraged by that, she went out and found some more! Now she's fermenting their juices with honey to make mead. Basically, fermenting means taking the sugars that are in the berries and honey and converting them to alcohol. For us cats, that means converting something tasteless into something outright poisonous. I mean, why?

Fermentation at work

Next on the foraging list was grape leaves. These don't even smell interesting. My human made dinner out of them, though.

Grape leaves

Humans are weird. 

Hunting Vegetables

 My apologies for not posting lately--things got very boring around here. My humans got stuck in a rut and did nothing new or interesting for a whole year. 

But now they're exhibiting some new behavior. The latest one is Hunting for Vegetable Matter, which they call foraging. They seem to enjoy it. I get that hunting is fun, but vegetation...?! Not worth the effort!

Interesting smell!

My human went out hunting and came back with lots of wineberries. These small, red items of vegetable matter smell interesting, but for us cats the taste just doesn't live up to the smell. The humans seem to like them, though, and have even made ice cream with them. No accounting for taste!

A human taste

The Plastic Arts

 My humans have been accumulating plastic bags for over a year now. I think they intend to recycle them all eventually, once they're vaccinated and can run errands with less covid concern. Or maybe they're just lazy.

My housemate Hekla has a better idea, though. She has been upcycling the plastic into fine works of art and interior decoration. 

Interior decorating

Clearly, cats have a real contribution to make in the plastic arts.

Composition with bags and toy mouse

Spring!

 My apologies for not posting much recently. My humans settled into a remarkably boring routine, and I didn't get to observe much worth reporting on. In fact, I began to think that if I heard one more lecture on Tropical Meteorology I would have to take an extra nap!

Taking an extra nap

Now, though, spring is here. I've been enjoying basking in the stronger sunlight. Meanwhile, my humans have been stimulated into action, much of it gardening behavior. They have taken to raking, pruning, and planting. It seems to be largely pointless, but you have to remember that humans actually like plants. And gardening can be fun to watch!

It's spring!

The Superb Owl

 Yesterday the humans celebrated the day of the Superb Owl. I kept an eye and ear out for an owl all day but with no luck. Nary an owl! However, in honor of the occasion I am posting this photo of a barred owl I once saw. The photo is not great, but the owl qualifies as pretty superb.

For all you kittens out there, big owls like this one should only be observed from a safe distance, preferably from behind a glass window.

Barred owl (Styx varia)

Fidgety Humans

Does your human jump up to work, eat, play or just plain squirm just when you're getting really settled in for the long haul on your companionable nap at their side or on their lap? Yeah, mine too. I've tried training them out of it, with only moderate success.

But then, surprise, surprise, it turns out that all that hyperactivity is actually good for them! It's very healthy for them to move for at least two minutes per hour. Who'd have guessed? I'm only getting started on a nap after the first hour myself.

So are the humans on to something? Should we cats be sleeping less? 

Definitely not! I for one need my fifteen hours of sleep, and I suspect you do too. Just curl up, close your eyes, and let the humans do their thing. 

Let sleeping cats lie.