Catfo

Thumbplay Lawsuit?

admin — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:04:10 +0000

I am not a cat but I speak on their behalf. The feline civil rights movement has made great advances in the past decade, removed from that abomination “Cats” the musical. For those of us on the front lines the departure of the play’s popularity was the work of blood, sweat, tears, and some whiskers. At least, so we thought, it was behind us.

Today I find Andrew Lloyd Webber’s music for cats available as a ringtone on Thumbplay?? These sad songs can cause painful flashbacks for Cats survivors. For victims and witnesses alike, the pain from this cat-astrophe issues back through our veins and tightens our hands (and paws) into clenched rebuke. These actions stand in stark contrast to the agreements made shortly before the turn of the millenium. Felinists won’t stand for: this is a call for a thumbplay lawsuit, demanding the removal of the ringtone. Meow is the time to act!!

I Can Haz Fone Call

admin — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 15:10:13 +0000

Manul (Pallas’ Cat)

The manul is commonly called the Pallas’ cat after German naturalist Peter Pallas (1741-1811) who first described the cat among his descriptions of much of the Russian fauna. Manul is the Russian as well as the Mongolian name. They are also called steppe cats and rock wildcats. They are well adapted to the various habitats they endure in central Asia and have been observed at altitudes in excess of 15,000 feet. Their short, thick legs and compact bodies enable them to climb rocky crevices and cliff faces easily.

The oldest living species of cat, the manul evolved some 10 million years ago. Its small broad head has large round eyes and blunt wide-set ears. The eyes, which are set high, contract to small circular pupils, rather than slitted pupils as in other small cats. They also have a well-developed nictating membrane that affords protection against wind and the regular dust storms that arise in parts of their range. The ears are small and set low on the sides, an adaptation to hunting in open country with little cover.

With an extremely thick and heavy coat, the manul has the longest and densest coat of any of the felid species. The underfur, the hair on the belly and tail, is nearly twice as long as on the top and sides. The thick fur insulates them, providing a good source of insulation against the frozen ground and snow. The tail can be wrapped around the feet or body like a thick muffler. The manul’s long coarse fur can be anywhere from sandy to grey to russet for the base coat with the tips of the guard hairs (the longer coarser hairs) being white, giving the cat an overall ‘frosted’ look. There are also some black spots on the forehead, and black stripes on each ruffed cheek as well as dark rings on the black-tipped tail. The lips, chin, and throat are all white.

This lolcat is from flickr user Edgar Thissen which is published under a Creative Common Attribution License..