THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

Have you ever wondered where the phrase “dog days of summer” came from or what it actually means? Well, with the hottest, sultriest days of summer upon us (in the Northern Hemisphere anyway), ‘ole Quaz decided to do a little research and find out.

Being a cat, I originally thought the “dog days of summer” meant that the weather was so hot, it turned dogs into panting, drooling oafs that just wanted to lie around and sleep all day (hey, wait a minute… the lying around and sleeping all day part of that sounds a bit like a cat!). But no. The term actually dates back to the olden days and has to do with the star Sirius, the brightest star in the heavens, which is also known as the Dog Star.

Sirius was nicknamed the “Dog Star” by the ancient Egyptians in honor of a god named Osirus, whose head resembled that of a dog (poor sap!). For around 20 days beginning in late July, Sirius actually rises and sets with the sun, so the Egyptians and Romans put two and two together and concluded that Sirius added its heat to the sun and made things extra hot… hence, the name “dog days of summer.”

Now this is all fine and good, but I DEMAND equal time for cats! Since we kitties are so cool, I think the powers that be should pick out a period in September or October, when things begin to turn a bit chilly, and call it the “cat days of fall.” Don’t you agree?

QUASI'S COOL CAT iMIX #2

Summer’s here and the time is right for dancing in the streets (as Martha & The Vandellas so eloquently sang back in the 1960s), so once again, for your enjoyment, I have created Quasi’s Cool Cat i-Mix #2. Yes, it’s another fan-tabulous mix of cat songs with classics such as “Cat Scratch Fever” and “China Cat Sunflower” alongside treasures including “Kitten I’m Smitten,” “Cat-A-Tonic,” and “Big Electric Cat.” Here’s the complete mix:

Put Your Cat Clothes On – Carl Perkins
Alley Cat – Bent Fabric
Cat Scratch Fever – Ted Nugent
Kitten I’m Smitten – When I Was 12
This Cat’s On a Hot Tin Roof – Brian Setzer
The Cat Song – Ray Stevens
China Cat Sunflower – Grateful Dead
The Siamese Cat Song – Peggy Lee with Si & Am
Cat-A-Tonic – Laurel Canyon Animal Company
Grey Cat – Peter Feldmann
The Kitty Cat Song – Lee Dorsey
The Cutest Kitten – Anthony Paule
Big Electric Cat – Adrian Belew
The Cat Came Back – Trout Fishing in America

Here’s a link…

Quasi's Cool Cat i-Mix #2

Proving, once again, that CATS ROCK!!!!

DAVE & PIPER'S NOT-SO-EXCELLENT ADVENTURE (PART 3)

After spending two disorienting nights in a hotel in Burbank, after an ultra-scary plane ride to New York, and after a couple weeks in discombobulating temporary living quarters, Dave, Piper and their human, Paula, are finally ensconced in their new home in lower Manhattan. Whew!

Dave and Piper now live on the 45th floor of a new apartment building on Liberty Street. For you kitties who can’t comprehend how high 45 floors is, it’s around the same height as Mt. Everest (trust me!). From their window, Dave and Piper can see the Statute of Liberty and the Hudson River, not to mention thousands of antlike people and cars down on the street. Yikes! I get vertigo just thinking about it! In fact, the other day, Dave chattered at a passing helicopter, thinking it was a pterodactyl or some other type of very large bird. And because the air is so thin at this altitude, Piper has to take frequent rest breaks when cleaning and preening for a hot night of clubbing (well… not really!).

Fortunately, all the furniture and household items (and cat toys) are now in place, so Dave and Piper are starting to feel right at home… in fact, that’s Piper in the photo dozing peacefully on the couch. Dave, meanwhile, has made his presence felt in the Big Apple by shredding the majority of Paula’s Sunday New York Times.

So after their not-so-excellent adventure, things seem to be returning to “normal” for Dave and Piper. And, hey, let’s face it… when you’re a kitty with a comfortable home, good food and a compliant human to love you, life is pretty good wherever you are.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

For your pleasure and amusement on this 4th of July weekend, here's my personal take on the holiday from a cat’s perspective, from the “Holiday Fun (& Danger)” chapter of The World Is Your Litter Box...

4th of July: The birthday of America with lots of patriotic razzle-dazzle, but not a good holiday for cats. Most Americans celebrate the 4th with backyard barbeques that fill the air with noxious, cloying smoke (Fools! Don't they realize that all this smoke is contributing to global warming?) Then when it gets dark, after gorging themselves and drinking copious amounts of beer, they go and watch explosions in the sky. While some of these explosions are quite pretty (and quite psychedelic if you’ve been sniffing catnip), they are loud and VERY SCARY. Apart from seeing homes festooned with American flags and hearing off-key versions of the Star Spangled Banner played by horrible high school bands, and the possibility of eating leftover BBQ, there is not much for a cat to look forward to on the 4th of July except the return of sanity on the 5th. NOTE: The 4th of July is a time you outdoor cats should stay inside. Believe it or not, some twisted humans will actually go out of their way to torment cats with fireworks. OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!

Here’s wishing everyone (cat, human and otherwise) a safe, happy and fun-filled 4th of July! And remember... DON'T play with fireworks!