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Just Some Cat Stuff
--What do cat actors say on stage?
--Tabby or not tabby!
--How do you know if your cat has eaten a duckling?
--She's got that down in the mouth look!
--What do you get if cross a cat with a canary?
--Shredded tweet!
--What do you get if you cross a cat with a tree?
--cat-a-log!
--Why did the cat join the Red Cross?
--Because she wanted to be a first-aid kit!
--How do you know that cats are sensitive creatures?
--They never cry over spilt milk!
--Why was the cat so small?
--Because it only ate condensed milk!
--What does the lion say to his friends before they go out hunting for food?
--"Let us prey."
--Why happened when the cat swallowed a coin?
--There was some money in the kitty!
--FROM THE "CAT SCRAPS" FILE: A LITTLE VOCABULARY:
the editor of "A Word A Day" newsletter, recently spotlighted this fascinating word "caterwaul." Since it relates to cats, I decided to borrow it from him and share his research with you. It is another one of those "cat"-chy words we all love to learn and use when we talk about our favorite subject - CATS!
--WORD: caterwaul \'ka-tehr-"wol\ (intransitive verb)
: to make a harsh cry
: to quarrel noisily
--EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
As Toonces darted across the main street, Dawn's piercing caterwaul was heard by the Jensen's at the other end of the block.
--WORD WISE:
From the Middle English "caterwawen." Date: 14th century. The earliest known use of this word comes in Chaucer's Wife of Bath's Prologue 1386: 'If the cat's skin be slick and grey, forth she will, ere any day be dawned, to show her skin, and go a-caterwauling.' The first element of the word is generally accepted to be cat, while the second (in Middle English it was usually -wawe or -wrawe) is resumably onomatopoeic, imitating the sound of a cat wailing or yowling.
It is not clear whether it was a purely native creation, or whether English borrowed it from Low German katerwaulen (where kater means 'tom cat').
So there you are!
"He [the cat] liked to peep into the refrigerator and risk having his head shut in by the closing door. He also climbed to the top of the stove, discontinuing the practice after he singed his tail."
--Lloyd Alexander
If you have to give your cat medication in pill form, here are a few tricks to help her to swallow. After you have placed the medicine in her mouth, carefully tip her head back and stroke her throat. Gently blowing air into her nostrils will also help her to swallow.
