A study at Edinburgh University has shown that cats are susceptible to Alzheimer’s Disease. It has long been known cats can suffer from dementia, but the study identified a key protein which can cause mental deterioration, similar to humans. [SNIP] Scientists already thought cats were susceptible to dementia because previous research identified thick, gritty plaquesContinue reading “On Feline Alzheimer's”
Category Archives: Cats
On a Screaming Cat
Percy has taken to sleeping on the bathroom sink counter. I'm not sure why, but he seems to like it. He perks up a little when someone walks by, he'll say something, and then he'll get petted. Maybe that's why he picked that spot–it's right inside the door. I was shaving. He didn't mind. HeContinue reading “On a Screaming Cat”
On July 4th
Today, we commemorate America’s Declaration of Independence from Britain over two centuries ago. Many of us, as Homer Simpson so proudly proclaimed, will spend today celebrating America by blowing up a small part of it. I’m reminded today of something I encountered last year, people in lawn chairs along the interstate to view fireworks. InContinue reading “On July 4th”
On Percy
After eleven days Percy’s come home. On the morning of the sixteenth there was a loud, fierce cat fight outside the house. A feral grey cat had moved into the neighborhood, and at times I’d see him at the edge of the woods or in the housing construction further down the street. I didn’t seeContinue reading “On Percy”
On the Cats and their Names
Have you ever been too tired to sleep? Maybe it's just the achiness. Maybe. My grandmother has never been able to tell the cats apart. Woody, Percy, Galahad, they might as well be the same cat as best she can tell. She knows there's more than one cat, though while she's aware that there areContinue reading “On the Cats and their Names”
More On Talking Cats
Today it was Woody, not Percy, that had to talk, and talk a lot. I’m not sure why he wanted outside so badly. It’s rather hot outside, positively muggy even. There’s talk of thunderstorms, of tornadoes. Woody wanted outside in that? Yet to leave him inside, he’d have kept me awake all night talking. I’veContinue reading “More On Talking Cats”
On Talking Cats
Why, oh why Percy, must you talk all the time? I think I much preferred Percy when he didn’t talk at all, which was the past year up until, oh, a few weeks ago. Now, he talks. Loud. Often. Persistent. If the past in any guide, tonight, in the early hours of the morning, he’llContinue reading “On Talking Cats”
On Cats and Sleeping
Percival, within the past few weeks, has decided he likes to talk. He used to be such a quiet cat, and now he has things to say. I think I preferred him when he was quiet. The bolt on my bedroom door’s knob doesn’t work. Well, actually it does, but it doesn’t hit the plateContinue reading “On Cats and Sleeping”
On a Life Philosophy
Happiness is watching the two-hour Boston Legal season finale cuddling two cats craving attention.
On Hyperventilation
Percy hyperventilates on a regular basis. It’s how he falls asleep. It’s a strange thing to watch. He’ll lie down, and then he’ll start to breath hard and fast. Five minutes of this, and he’ll pass out, and then he’s gone for six, eight hours. My sister asked about this one day–she saw Percy whileContinue reading “On Hyperventilation”