CatSynth

For this week’s Photo Hunt theme of lazy, we have a photo of Luna napping in an extraordinary sun patch.

While Luna may be able to enjoy a lazy time this weekend, I do not have that luxury. Both today and tomorrow are filled with band rehearsals – three rehearsals for two bands, including preparation for an album release next week – plus stops at an art exhibition and a cat video festival in Oakland tonight. Yes, a cat video festival. There are all of course rewarding experiences and I freely chose to commit to them, so I’m not complaining. But I do sometimes think there is wisdom in the path of the “lazy cat.”

I did hesitate to write this post because of the pejorative use of “lazy” to describe cats. It’s not uncommon to hear cats’ propensity for napping described this way, and I read frequent unfair comparisons to dogs. But domestic cats fill the roles they were bred for, and do so quite well. There are working cats, on farms, in wine cellars, and even at one of our neighborhood arts institutions, SOMArts. The role of the house cat is to provide companionship, an important social and emotional function. Luna does this spectacularly, as do many of the other cats I have met though blogs. And it not a role without risks, as companion animals are especially vulnerable to abuse (sadly, so are humans in domestic situations). So let us honor the “lazy cats” and maybe learn something from them about being in the moment.

The Saturday Photo Hunt is up. This week’s theme is lazy.

The Carnival of the Cats will be hosted this Sunday by the Florida Furkids.

And the Friday Ark is on hiatus this week, but will be back on May 17.

Coming downstairs a couple of days ago, I saw Luna posing exactly like this next to a sculpture and quickly snapped a photo:

As we have often shown on these pages, there are ample opportunities to Luna to pose with artwork here at CatSynth HQ, but this pose was exceptionally regal. I sometimes wonder if she is conscious of her poses (at least from the perspective of a cat).

This was the Instagram version of the photo. If you are on Instagram, you are welcome to follow as at catsynth.

The Carnival of the Cats will be up tomorrow at the newly redesigned Opinionated Pussycat.

And the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

We have another exceptionally cute Instagram of Luna this week:

This is another instance of our morning ritual where I put on my shoes – indicating that I am probably about to leave – and Luna comes running over and rolls around on the rug. She clearly wants me to stay and play with her, but the best I can do is promise to come back later. This leads to a roundabout entry in this week’s Photo Hunt, where the theme is Promise.

The Saturday Photo Hunt is up, with the theme of Promise.

The Carnival of the Cats will be hosted this Sunday by Nikita and Elvira.

And the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

Here we see Luna rolling around trying to be extra cute. This is a nearly daily ritual now, where she tries to convince me to stay and play with her instead of going out to whatever it is I am going to. She is hard to resist.

This photo was taken on the iPhone with Instagram, not nearly as versatile as Hipstamatic, but convenient for instant sharing. Especially with cat photos, it’s the camera (or camera app) that one has on hand that counts.

Weekend Cat Blogging #379 is up at Mind of Mog.

The Carnival of the Cats will be up tomorrow at Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat, where Nikita and Elvira are getting ready to move from California to Texas.

And the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

This week, we have an exercise in light and shadow with this Instagram photo of Luna on the window sill. It was taking around 1pm on a Sunday, not the best time of day for photos. But with cats, you can to take the shot when it happens using the tools at hand. The lighting places much of Luna in shadow, which makes her dark fur even darker. But there is also a patch of light on her fur.

Luna is happy to be home after I was out of town for a few days on my desert trip, which was full of quiet stark landscape, intense heat, and “self discovery.” I already shared one photo for the most recent Wordless Wednesday. I am sure I will be sharing more soon.

By coincidence Jules is also showing off light and shadow contrast on his black fur this weekend as he hosts Weekend Cat Blogging at Judi’s Mind Over Matter.

The Carnival of the Cats will be hosted this Sunday by Kashim, Othello and Salome.

And the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

Another from pulsewidthmod via Instagram.

I love that facial expression. “Let’s play music together.”

it’s another busy weekend ahead of us, so just have a quick post featuring our common morning rituals here at CatSynth HQ.

There is coffee (in a cat-themed mug), newspaper on the iPad, and of course Luna.

A big thank you to everyone who wrote in last weekend to wish Luna a happy Gotcha Day.

This weekend marks the 7th Anniversary of Weekend Cat Blogging. This special edition will be hosted by Kashim, Othello and Salome at PaulChens FoodBlog?!.

The Carnival of the Cats will be up this Sunday at iInfidel.

And the Friday Ark is at the modulator.