Category Archives: Cats

Crack, Bam, Dot—Creating Chaos Out of Colorful Order

When a neighbor recently invited me to play mah jongg, I balked. Having played once, more than a decade ago with my friend Claire, I didn’t want to appear foolish. So, I sought out Mr. Beamer Baclawski. He’s a fanatic, doesn’t suffer fools quietly, and did teach me to play Rummikub. I started with theContinue reading “Crack, Bam, Dot—Creating Chaos Out of Colorful Order”

Scrubbing for Wildlife

Mickey Blanchett takes after housemate Rick when it comes to observing birds. On a recent bus trip organized by the Calusa Nature Center to the Archbold Biological Station in Venus, Florida, Rick spotted horned owls, swallow-tailed kites, and caracara when everyone else saw cows. His wife, Nancy, is accustomed to people gathering around Rick whenContinue reading “Scrubbing for Wildlife”

Going Head-to-Head with Manatees

Pukka is not a people-friendly feline—unless, of course, he’s snuggling up with his housemates, Martha and Rick. Only then does he allow his true cat-onality to express itself. His prevalent feral spirit involves patrolling his environment, bringing home small rodents, and indulging a curiosity with another primitive mammal—the manatee. Not that Pukka would actually jumpContinue reading “Going Head-to-Head with Manatees”

Purr-fectly Understandable

John Caskey, an avid reader of this blog, shared with us the article, “Your Cats Can Tell When You’re Speaking to Them,” which appeared in the January 2023 issue of Scientific American. The author, Tanya Lewis, reported on a study published in Animal Cognition that found cats, like dogs, can discriminate speech addressed to themContinue reading “Purr-fectly Understandable”