Qatteri Cat Takes a Bath
“The Qatteri Cat really needs a bath,” I say to my friend as we sip coffee in her living room, “He’s gotten all matted in the heat. The truth is, I’m afraid to bathe him. He has calmed down so much since we got him, but when he gets scared, his primitive brain takes over and he has scratched and bitten me.”
I am thinking particularly of when we first got him. He was scared of me, he didn’t much like women at all. He adored AdventureMan (still does) and slowly, slowly warmed up to me.
He had a house outside, called a “cat containment center.” Go ahead. Laugh. All our friends did, too, but it gave us peace of mind. Qatteri Cat could be outside in the garden, and we knew he was safe. People put out poisoned fish in our neighborhood, to kill stray cats, and we didn’t want that heartbreak.
(This is called the cat penthouse, and it is created by Kittywalk. They have all kinds of things for pets, including, I am not kidding, pet strollers, in case you want to take your cat for a walk, but they don’t walk, they ride. I cannot imagine using one of these pet strollers in Kuwait. . . . or anywhere.)
So Qatteri Cat is out in his cathouse, and I hear an snarling, howling YOWWWWWLLLLL. His friend, Satchmo, from up the street has wandered over to say hello and Qatteri Cat is totally out of control. He is mad, he is running and throwing himself against the walls of the kitty penthouse, and Satchmo – all he wants is to be friends!
I get the trusty squirt bottle and shoo Satchmo away. I talk calmly to Qatteri Cat, calmly, calmly, and I open the door. He tries to rush out and I get him by the scruff of the neck, you know, how they tell you so the cat will go immobile? He can’t scratch and bite if you have him by the scruff, right?
Wrong. Wrong. So very very very wrong.
I still have scars. I got him inside, and gave him a 30 minute time out in the bathroom to calm himself down. When I did that, he totally forgot what had happened and would be fine. Actually, most of the time 5 minutes was enough, but I figured with all that adrenelin going through his system, 30 might be safer.
Fast forward. Bath time.
My sweet friend really knows animals.
“Don’t try it alone, Intlxpatr. That isn’t a job for one person. Get AdventureMan to help you, tell him to hold him by the scruff of the neck! Like his mother. He needs to know you are in control.”
So yesterday, I talked AdventureMan through what we needed to do. I will get everything prepared, and then one of us has to hold the Qatteri Cat and one of us has to soap him, massage him and rinse all the soap out.
AdventureMan chose to hold the cat. I was greatly relieved.
We got him into the bidet (first mistake, QC is a BIG cat) with a towel in the bottom, and when I started pouring the water, QC started howling. We are not talking your everyday miow here, we are talking, as AdventureMan put it, the sound of a cat having surgery without anaesthesia. I was so afraid our neighbors were going to report us for pet torture – because that is what he was howling.
Not only that, but it’s one thing to try to hold a terrified cat by the scruff of the neck (bad enough!) and another thing totally to try to control a terrified, wet, soapy cat. I was scrubbing, pouring, QC was howling, AdventureMan is saying “Hurry up! hurry up! I can’t hold him much longer” and there is water water everywhere. We have the bathroom door closed, so when QC gets out of AdventureMan’s grasp, we quickly capture him again. We are all soaking wet, QC is still soapy, and AM and I are panting and laughing and we need to get this job DONE.
We transfer him to the bathtub and finish the rinsing, and wrap him in a towel. At no time does he stop his shrieking, not until we let go. He is still very very wet, but he won’t let us – or a towel – anywhere near him. Finally, I put a towel in a sunny spot and leave, and when I have been gone a significant amount of time, QC seeks the nice warm towel in a nice warm spot.
I check on him every ten minutes or so. He doesn’t want to see me. Finally, maybe an hour later, he comes in and stretches out on my legs. All is forgiven, if not forgotten.
But here is the really cool thing. As terrified as he was, he didn’t scratch and he didn’t bite. Maybe he might have, if AdventureMan had not held him firmly, but we have held him firmly before and gotten terribly scratched and bitten. I think, as bad as it was. Qatteri Cat trusts us enough to suspect we were not trying to kill him. And his coat is a lot nicer, now, except the holes show where I have been cutting out the lumps.
Vanity Fair Spoofs Obama Cover
Vanity Fair Spoofs New Yorker Cover
From AOL News
(July 23) – Call it the battle, albeit friendly, of political cartoon satire. A little more than a week after The New Yorker magazine caused a commotion with its controversial magazine cover of Barack Obama and his wife, Vanity Fair decided it wouldn’t be outdone.
This week, the magazine published a spoof cover — published only on the Vanity Fair Web site — of John McCain and his wife in a similar pose and in the same Oval Office setting.
But this image may create some of its own controversy. It shows the 71-year-old McCain, often the butt of age jokes, using a walker, and his wife Cindy — who once had a drug problem — cradling an armful of prescription pill bottles. A portrait of President Bush hangs above a fireplace where the Constitution is burning.
Grin for Today
I’ve always loved this joke. It is making the rounds again; thank you dear friend for forwarding it to me. 🙂
“The Obedient Wife”
There was a man who had worked all his life, had saved all of his money, and was a real “miser” when it came to his money.
Just before he died, he said to his wife…”When I die, I want you to take all my money and put it in the casket with me. I want to take my money to the afterlife with me.”
And so he got his wife to promise him, with all of her heart, that when he died, she would put all of the money into the casket with him.
Well, he died. He was stretched out in the casket, his wife was sitting there – dressed in black, and her friend was sitting next to her. When they finished the ceremony, and just before the undertakers got ready to close the casket, the wife said,
“Wait just a moment!”
She had a small metal box with her; she came over with the box and put it in the casket. Then the undertakers locked the casket down and they rolled it away. So her friend said,
“Girl, I know you were not fool enough to put all that money in there with your husband.”
The loyal wife replied, “Listen, I’m a Christian; I cannot go back on my word. I promised him that I was going to put that money into the casket with him.”
You mean to tell me you put that money in the casket with him!?!?!?”
“I sure did,” said the wife. “I got it all together, put it into my account, and wrote him a check…. If he can cash it, then he can spend it.”
Weight Loss: Fat Burning Beads
I could not believe my eyes. Would you buy these beads? You can read the entire story at BBC Health News.
‘Fat-burning’ bead marketing ends
A company that said its “fat-burning” beads triggered “automatic weight loss” has agreed to stop marketing in the UK.
One claim suggested that Accu-Slim Beads worked “faster than total starvation” by placing one bead behind each ear.
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) sought assurances from Global DM Licensing, based in Hong Kong, that it would stop mailings being sent to UK consumers.
The OFT says thousands fall victim to claims about weight loss products.
Misleading claims
The company, using the name The AccuSlim Centre, claimed the beads were “fat burning acupuncture without needles, diets, exercise or effort”.
It claimed that users could eat as much as they liked but still lose 30lbs in 30 days, as the bead stimulated acupressure points that led to automatic weight loss.
The company claimed guaranteed results and charged £65 for a package of up to 120 beads.
OOps – I just noticed that they only have to stop marketing these beads in the UK. So if someone approaches you on the streets of Kuwait offering to sell you fat-burning beads (wouldn’t you feel like punching someone who thought you needed fat burning beads?) DON’T BUY THEM! THEY DON’T WORK!
Cat Quotes (Only for Cat People!)
Cat Quotes:
“Managing senior programmers is like herding cats.” –Dave Platt
“Do not meddle in the affairs of cats, for they are subtle and will piss
on your computer.” –Bruce Graham
“There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast.” –Unknown
“Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never
forgotten this.” –Anonymous
“Cats are smarter than dogs. You can’t get eight cats to pull a sled
through snow.” –Jeff Valdez
“In a cat’s eye, all things belong to cats.” –English proverb
“As every cat owner knows, nobody owns a cat.” –Ellen Perry Berkeley
“One cat just leads to another.” –Ernest Hemingway
“Dogs come when they’re called; cats take a message and get back to you
later.” –Mary Bly
“Cats are rather delicate creatures and they are subject to a good many
ailments, but I never heard of one who suffered from insomnia.”
–Joseph Wood Krutch
“People that hate cats, will come back as mice in their next life.”
–Faith Resnick
“There are many intelligent species in the universe. They are all owned
by cats.” –Anonymous
“I have studied many philosophers and many cats. The wisdom of cats is
infinitely superior.” –Hippolyte Taine
“No heaven will not ever Heaven be; Unless my cats are there to welcome
me.” –Unknown
“There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and
cats.” –Albert Schweitzer
“The cat has too much spirit to have no heart.” –Ernest Menaul
“Dogs believe they are human. Cats believe they are God.”
“Time spent with cats is never wasted.” –Colette
“Some people say that cats are sneaky, evil, and cruel. True, and they
have many other fine qualities as well.” –Missy Dizick
“You will always be lucky if you know how to make friends with strange
cats.” –Colonial American proverb
“Cats seem to go on the principle that it never does any harm to ask for
what you want.” –Joseph Wood Krutch
more cat pictures
“I got rid of my husband. The cat was allergic.”
“My husband said it was him or the cat… I miss him sometimes.”
“Cats aren’t clean, they’re just covered with cat spit.
>>^,,^^,,^^,,^^,,^<
Cats don’t like being baptized.
A cat is always on the wrong side of the door.
A cat will always sit on whatever you’re trying to read.
A cat’s purr: The most effective stress medicine known.
Cats are quite good at domesticating humans.
Anything not nailed down is a cat toy.
Cats know Mom’s black suede gloves are giant tarantulas that need to be
killed.
Cats must attack their human’s shoelaces when they are tying them.
Cats must crawl into the dishwasher when it is full of clean dishes.
It’s always darkest before you step on the cat.
Cats must rub against your legs while you’re carrying two bags of
grocieries.
You’re not a real person until you’re ignored by a cat.
A Question of Balances
This made me laugh out loud – send to me by a good friend in, of course, Washington State:
God was missing for six days.. Eventually, Michael, the archangel, found him, resting on the seventh day.
He inquired, ‘Where have you been?’
God smiled deeply and proudly pointed downwards through the clouds, ‘Look, Michael. Look what I’ve made.’
Archangel Michael looked puzzled, and said, ‘What is it?’
‘It’s a planet,’ replied God, ‘and I’ve put life on it.. I’m going to call it Earth and it’s going to be a place to test Balance.’
‘Balance?’ inquired Michael, ‘I’m still confused.’
God explained, pointing to different parts of earth. ‘For example, northern Europe will be a place of great opportunity and wealth, while southern Europe is going to be poor. Over here I’ve placed a continent of white people, and over there is a continent of black people. Balance in all things.’
God continued pointing to different countries. ‘This one will be extremely hot, while this one will be very cold and covered in ice.’
The Archangel , impressed by God’s work, then pointed to a land area and said, ‘What’s that one?’
‘That’s Washington State, one of the most glorious places on earth. There are beautiful mountains, rivers and streams, lakes, forests, hills, and plains. The people from Washington State are going to be handsome, modest, intelligent, and humorous, and they are going to travel the world. They will be extremely sociable, hardworking, high achieving, carriers of peace, and producers of software.’
Michael gasped in wonder and admiration, but then asked, ‘But what about balance, God? You said there would be balance.’
God smiled, ‘There’s another Washington. Wait till you see the idiots I put there.
Obama Magazine Cover Controversy
This is the New Yorker magazine cover that is causing so much controversy in the USA – it shows a newly elected Obama showing up to work in the oval office (US President’s office) in Islamic dress and trading congratulatory fists with his terrorist dressed wife. Obama and his election campaign group find it distinctly unfunny.
Bush Tours America To Survey Damage Caused By His Presidency
 Hilarious video from The Onion.
Wrong, So Wrong
I was wrong, so wrong, and I admit it. I had scanned the news online. When I finally got my hands on a hard copy paper, I discover there IS news, news you don’t find online, and so much of it. Because I can’t copy it online, you will have to bear with my hand-typed-in renditions of the page 2 “In the News” section from the Kuwait Times.
1. Rehab Centers
Kuwait: Dr Haya al Metairi called for establishing a specialized health center to treat and rehabilitate homosexurals. She urged the authorities to impart moral guidance and offer psychological counseling to affected people (sic) instead of incriminating the phenomenon of homosexuality. She said she has already submitted a demand of establishing the center to the parliamentary committee for curbing negative invluences. She also called for the implementation of a draft law to evaluate the degree that the patient is psychologically affected. (sic)
Once diagnosed, appropriate psychological treatments should then be administered accordingly after referring those ailing from sexual deviation to the relevant health centers. She also called for subjecting them to periodic checkups as well as conducting awareness campaigns to expedite their rehabilitation.
Al Metairi urged the Ministry of Health to subject local pharmacies to strict surveillance, reported Al Watan. She said most pharmacies sell banned female hormone inducting drugs over the counter that could fatally endanger the lives of consumers. She said such pills activate female hormones, leading to weakening the male sexual organs. Prolonged use of such drugs transforms a man’s physical appearance to resemble that of a woman and also negatively reduced the power of their sexual organs.
2. Diplomatic Appointments
Kuwait: Undersecretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Khalid Al-Jarallah denied the involvement of wasta in admission tests held for inducting diplomats. He refuted reports that the ministry resorts to wasta, saying “The ministry never subjects itself to pressure from anyone, nor does it accept wasta in any form.”
He said appointing diplomats is a very sensitive issue as this select group represents the country abroad. Speaking on qualifications required to qualify for the posts, he said the maximum age required to qualify for the examinations is 24. No applicant under 24 has ever qualified for the written tests, he added. All candidates then have to mandatorily undergo a series of other appraisals and examinations before being finally accepted as diplomats, reported Al-Wasat. Written exams, which are graded by an expert panel of officials from the ministry are then followed by personal interviews and stringent brain storming sessions while grading the applicants on their personal capabilities.
3. No Blackouts
Kuwait: Fears of impeding electricity outages this summer dominated the Cabinet’s recent weekly meeting, officials said. The Ministry of Electricity and Water Mohammed Al-Olaim briefed the Cabinet with a detailed report on the current situation as well as details of the expected consumption as compared with the actual production.
He assured the Cabinet that he does not expect any electricity outage; scheduled or otherwise. He said the overall situation was under control with production exceeding the state’s consumption. “We are safely within the parameters of the green consumption line.” he added. He however slammed some local dailies of sparking unconfirmed reports of a power crisis, reported Al-Wasat. He said the reason electricity in some areas, was disrupted recently was due to technical snags leading to an overload, resulting from an excessive increase in day temperatures.
He said residents do not have to worry as technicians are on standby around the clock to deal with any contingency that might arise at any given time or place.
4. Donkey Ordered Out
Kuwait: The Minister of State for Municipa Affairs Dr. Fadel Safar saw a donkey grazing on a green patch while travelling through the capital recently. He called municipal officials and snstructed them to clear the mule off, reported Al-Watan. The officials in turn called capital police who arrived and took the animal to the Capital Security Directorate.
Laugh? Or cry?
Saving the Day
Wednesday morning, a million things to do, major projects, and I can’t think of a thing to write. I’ve scanned all the news, nothing I find that interesting/ shocking/ worth sharing.
I can Has Cheeseburger saves the day. I really had to stop, I laughed so hard at several:
more cat pictures
more cat pictures
more cat pictures
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Early Voting in Florida
Here There and Everywhere 