Blogpost – Page 8

March 31, 2012January 5, 2018

Handsome Mr Haywood

Cat of the Month ~ March 2012

Mr Haywood … one handsome Moggy

Photograph: Simon Cox

Mister Haywood is a sturdy moggy with a penchant for other folks stuff! He certainly caught our eye here at Moggyblog Central, didn’t he Norm?

Let’s let Simon Cox (Mr Haywood’s keeper) tell the story of this photograph (yesterday’s winner of the Guardian (U.K.) newspaper, cat photo competition)…..

“Mr Haywood rarely sleeps in the same place twice and if you bring anything home, especially for the kids, he thinks it’s for him”.

“The baby’s pram, a new laptop bag, shoe box etc, it’s all for him. Or in this case, the baby’s ‘Bumbo’ seat. It’s honestly not rigged up: I just walked in and found he’d squeezed his fat bum into the baby’s seat (I did put the cup of milk there for him)”.

Mr Haywood, sitting pretty

Photograph: Simon Cox

“Had I tried to put him in it I wouldn’t be typing this, as he’d have had my fingers off!”

“I think he decided that if this is how the baby gets fed, there was a good chance he might get a little extra attention!”

March 2, 2012January 7, 2018

European Lynx

Cat of the Month ~ February 2012

A European Lynx

Photograph: unknown

A lovely animal, especially his paws front and back, but it looks like lean times for our scrawny Lynx.

January 28, 2012January 9, 2018

White Tiger

Cat of the Month ~ January 2012

The White Tiger, rarely seen in the wild.

Photograph: animal-wildlife.blogspot.com

White tigers are basically a colour variant of the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris bengalensis), and are rarely found in the wild. It is though, reported as having been seen in the wild from time to time in the Assam, Bengal, and Bihar regions of India and especially from the former State of Rewa (in fact home to the very first white tiger). It is believed that all white tigers in captivity in the world today are the descendants of this single white tiger, caught (and named ‘Mohan’) by the Maharajah of Rewa in the year 1951.

The White Tiger is almost identical to the now famous Royal Bengal Tiger except for a genetic mutation that causes a change in the colour of the fur and eyes. The origin of the Bengal Tiger is believed to be from the region we know today as Siberia. From there, these Siberian Big Cats (Panthera tigris altaica) migrated south over the course of thousands of years (and as the climate of their native territory became colder). Today Asia, India and Malaysia all are home to tigers (some of which are white due to genetic mutation), although their numbers are dwindling.

White tigers are only born when two tigers that both carry the unusual gene for white colouring, mate. Unfortunately there are many forced breeding programs currently in progress which are detrimental to those tigers bred in captivity. This is indeed often a sad tale which is outlined in the following very serious and informative article [White Tigers – Conserving Misery]. (Not for the very young or easily upset, Ed)

Where present, white (and other) Bengal tigers will be found regions of dense undergrowth and forested areas where they can camouflage themselves and ambush their prey.

Though, today white tigers are mostly confined in zoos (for example the Nandan Kanan Zoo in Orissa, India) they are also found in many National parks, such as those in India and the Far East.

December 27, 2011January 8, 2018

Tiger in snowfall

Cat of the Month ~ December 2011

‘Warm Coat’

Photograph: Bobby McCloud

December 25, 2011January 5, 2018

Norman’s Christmas Message 2011

Seasons Greetings reader, whether you are cat, kitten, creature or human.

I hope you had a lovely calm and peaceful year and have an equally peaceful 2012.

Ahem miaow. I myself had a fairly uneventful time of it except for my run in with a veterinary dentist who had the audacity and wherewithal to extract my left rear molar without my consent (and very painful it was too). That, and of course my enforced summer stay in the local cattery (always a low point of my year)! Other than that I had a marvelous time, mainly sleeping but occasionally getting up to chase a bird, mouse or small human around the garden.

Norman gets excited as it’s Christmas again

Photograph: Ed @ moggyblog

Enough of me already! This season of the year is (as always) a time for us all, to think about one another, and for yours truly this means meditating on the sad plight of the tigers, lions and all the human hunted cats of this world. Also, consider (as I do) the unwanted street cats and the waifs & strays of our cities and the hardships they have to endure.

So I urge you dear reader to, reassess your priorities and to visit your local cat (or dog) sanctuary in the new year and, if you can, fit another ball of fur, claws and teeth (ouch) and sheer feline/canine delight into your clan, please do so.

As for our bigger cousins, let those with the means, help as much as they can. For the rest of us we will have to pray that the hunters realise the error of their ways in this coming year.

A very merry Christmas, good health and kind fortune to you all,

All my love, sincerely,

Norm
x x x

December 20, 2011September 1, 2021

Santa Claws

Here’s one for the festive season, reader.

December 4, 2011January 7, 2018

Cat paintings by Peter Robinson

We’ve been looking at these painting for many years (haven’t we Norm?) and find them fascinating. I’m including a selection of our favourites here. We especially like the one that’s a dead ringer for Norman himself! We’d like to thank Peter (Gordon and the all the cats too!) for letting us post them here.

Peters work is described on his own website …”Working in designer gouache and pastels, mostly from photographs, Peter paints his cats with colourful, intricate and detailed backgrounds”. To us, Peter seems to capture the real spirit of these cats, as well as making the works highly decorative. Wonderful!