#Strollercat

So this is interesting…yesterday I needed to run an errand in Cambridge, and since it didn’t involve groceries, I took Jacoby, in his stroller, along with me. Just a regular Tuesday, right?

Well…no. Even though it was after 6, the red line was still pretty crowded. As always, I tried to stay out of the way as much as I could. But evidently some people were still annoyed about the stroller on the train…and they Tweeted about it.

I had a run-in with a woman, too, who said she was allergic to cats (as am I) and how dare I bring a cat on the train? So…rather than arguing with her, I Tweeted about it.

Next thing I know, today my vet’s office calls me, saying someone from the Boston Herald wanted to interview “the woman with the cat in a stroller.” Turns out, after the bitchy Tweets, a bunch of pro-Strollercat Tweets started. And then, someone created a StrollerCat Twitter account! I guess it’s become kind of a thing…

I literally found out about this from the reporter who left her number with the vet’s office! It’s crazy, but I guess Jake’s a sort of Boston celebrity now. I actually did a pretty decent interview with the Herald, and they asked a lot about our therapy work and the CFA Ambassador program; the reporter said it was going to be a positive piece.

Interestingly enough, I made this back in September of last year…evidently, it’s @strollercat’s motto.

Aby-a-Day – October 31: Wordless Wednesday (Happy Halloween!)

Aby-a-Day – October 30: Spoiled for Choice (Cartoon Tuesday)

I think we’ve all been there…

(Click cartoon to embiggen, or you can view all cartoons in Slideshow mode on Flickr.)

Aby-a-Day – October 29: Urban Cowboy (Hipstamatic Monday)

I love riding the T with Jacoby.

It’s fun to watch other people watching him, and it’s fun to watch him on the train.

At times, he just seems so jaded. “Ho hum, here we are on the train. Yawn.”

What’s really funny is, he knows our “home” station, Broadway. When he hears the announcement on the loudspeaker: “Next stop, Broadway,” he gets all excited because he knows we’re getting off.

The thing is, though, that yesterday, after Petco we had to go downtown to CVS and the post office, so we went past Broadway without getting off.

Jake knew something was wrong. He got all agitated, meowing at me like, “MOM! MOM! THIS IS OUR STOP!!!”

I think he knows the word “Broadway,” as well as what our station looks like. Actually, it’s because he knows Broadway is “home” that he had his escalator accident two years ago last week.

Aby-a-Day – October 28: This ain’t my first rodeo

Today Jacoby and I went to the big Halloween costume contest at the Quincy Petco.

I found an incredible cowboy hat and kerchief at Petsmart last weekend (on sale for 50% off if you can believe it) and the instant I saw it, I knew it would be awesome on Jake.

He just needed a jacket to go with it. So, I took one of his harness-coats and added a little cowhide…

…and voilà! Jake’s a cowboy!

At Petco, they had a little runway set up. Of course, Jake rocked it.

It was the Feline Agility course all over again.

The great thing about this costume is that it’s also a harness, and it’s warm. Perfect for a late October outing.

Jake can move in it comfortably, and the hat doesn’t have to be on his head for the costume to work. He can have it pushed back and it still looks good.

I need to get a cowgirl costume, now, so that we match. It seems that human-pet matching outfits are all the rage. Besides the general costume contest, Blue Buffalo sponsored a special contest for the best lookalikes.

Since my Cleopatra outfit is in storage, I decided we’d go as Ellsbury and Pedroia.

Well…okay, we just wore Red Sox jerseys and hats. But he’s named Jacoby, and my jersey has Pedroia’s name and number, so there you go.

But it worked! We won!

It was a great party, too. There was face-painting, a scavenger hunt, cupcakes with worms in them, and a lot of great dogs – and cats – in costume.

I was thrilled to see another cat in the contest. And look! He was even in a stroller!

This is Mr. Pixel, aka SuperCat. He’s the first cat I’ve seen in a stroller outside of a cat show.

We let Mr. Pixel and Jake check out each other – and their pimped out rides.

Amazingly, they got along pretty well. I was surprised there was no hissing!

I was amused that he won a bag of BLUE Longevity, the cat food with the Aby on the front I noticed for the first time last week at Petsmart. How serendipitous!

You may also notice that the bag is full of bite holes…

…while I was putting the stroller away in the bike closet, Jake decided he wanted a snack and attacked his prize!

I guess that means it’s good food, if he wants to tear into the bag to eat it! And, I guess that’s the perfect end to a good day.

Cartoons: Not just for Tuesday anymore

After I put my Aby photo art calendar up for sale on Zazzle, it occurred to me that it would be really awesome to make a cartoon calendar, too. I’ve done quite a few cartoons I’m quite proud of this year, and many of them would work as calendar pages…so…

The Daily Abyssinian 2013 Cartoon Calendar by Talonvaki

Here’s a Cartoon Tuesday calendar for every day of 2013!

And don’t forget, if you order before 27 November, you can get 25% off by using promo code CALENDARTIME at checkout!

Aby-a-Day – October 27: Get thee hence, ye doltish, fat-boned bugswallower!

Jacoby’s not the only one getting ready for Halloween.

Angel is, too. I really want to take her to the costume contests the pet stores are having, but I’m afraid she may just be too timid to go out in public like that.

But inside her familiar walls, she’s the fiercest pirate on all the seven seas.

Especially when a certain camera ham decides to try to horn in on her action.

As if Jake doesn’t get enough photographic attention, right?

Apparently he doesn’t, since here he is, barging into Angel’s Halloween photos.

Angel was not amused, either.

And she let him know about it, too.

She’s growling at him in this photo.

Growling, and hissing…

I think Jake really blew it when he tried to play with the feathers on Angel’s hat.

This photo makes me laugh. It reminds me of that LOLcat where the lioness tells the lion she does not has a PMS…

After Angel gave him what-for, Jake thought he’d try barging in on a sweeter, gentler girlcat’s photo op.

I mean, what could be nicer and more feminine than Hello Kitty?

Grave tactical error on Jake’s part.

Angel only yelled at Jake. Kylie, for all her pink ribbons and hearts, really let him have it. With both paws! Pow! Pow!

Do NOT screw with Hello Kitty! She will mess you up!

Aby-a-Day – October 26: Tacoby Bellsbury (Fashion Friday Flashback)

Five years ago yesterday, Jacoby Ellsbury stole the first base in the World Series and won every person in America a free Taco Bell taco.

(image by Jeff Dockum, via Boston.com)

As you might imagine, this was a pretty big deal here in Boston. Five years later, people still talk about it when listing Ellsbury’s accomplishments.

In fact, at the time I created this LOLcat with Jake’s brother Gun-Hee, based on this hilarious on-air dugout conversation, and this classic LOLcat.

And when Jacoby was a kitten, I had to get him catnip taco toys.

So…when I saw this taco costume on sale at BaxterBoo…yeah, I had to get it.

The mistake I made, though, was taking Jake out into the hallway to photograph him.

And you know what happens when he’s out on the hallway carpet! He rolls.

At least he’s comfortable in whatever he’s wearing, wherever he’s wearing it.

Abys in Need – Craigslist Abys in Vancouver and San Francisco

Craiglist is having an Aby explosion lately. There was an Aby pair on Baltimore’s Craigslist, but happily, they were adopted this morning and are on their way to their new homes now.

But there’s another pair of Abys looking for a home on on Vancouver, BC’s Craigslist.

I love the description: Brother and Sister 3 years old. Must be adopted together. They are great cats. Very loving and affectionate. Quirky and a lot of fun. If you know this breed then I don’t need to explain. They are both very healthy indoor cats. Never been outside. Need a home where they will be cherished as they will be your little shadows. They are both fixed and have all shots and vet check ups up to date. These cats have been babied. Only serious cat lovers need apply. We will be very picky as to who we will allow to adopt these characters. Thanks for your interest.

These two are so amazing! I wish I lived closer…

And then we have Bella, in the East Bay :

CALL FARA AT 510 776-2147

BELLA IS A PUREBRED 7 YEAR OLD ABYSSINIAN.

VERY LOVING AND MOST AFFECTIONATE CAT IN THE WORLD….YET VERY MELLOW. SHE IS UP TO DATE ON ALL HER SHOTS SPAYED COMES WITH ALL SUPPLIES INCLUDING: FOOD, BOWLS, PET CARRIER, DELUXE COVERED LITTER PAN, TOYS AND MORE

VERY WELL BEHAVED AND RESPONDS TO HER NAME. SHE IS ALSO VERY GOOD WITH YOUNG CHILDREN AND OTHER CATS.

OWNER LEAVING STATE, RE-HOMING FEE DOES APPLY TO COVER COSTS OF SUPPLIES PROVIDED AND FOR RESPONSIBLE OWNERSHIP

SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY. CALL FARA AT (510) 776-2147 CANDIDATES WILL BE SCREENED.

Look as this sweetheart! I hope she finds a good home soon.

Aby-a-Day – October 25: Smart shopping

As you saw yesterday, Jacoby and I had a lot of fun just exploring Petsmart.

Since we didn’t have anything we had to do after the costume contest, we just kind of hung out and explored the store for a while.

I was playing my little “let’s find Abys” game. First, I found this awesome shopping bag. It may not be specifically Abyssinian, but it definitely harmonises well with a Ruddy, don’t you think?

The label shows how the pattern looks when the bag is unfolded. I love it, and 10% of the price goes to help homeless pets. Win-win, I say.

Then I found this photo on the Furminator display. It really cracks me up because Abys are pretty much the least sheddy cats I’ve ever lived with, so hey, let’s make them the poster cat for a shed prevention tool! The other thing that I found amusing was that this display was directly opposite the store’s Banfield Vet Hospital, where one of the staff was admiring Jake, exclaiming, “I’ve never seen a cat like that before!” Well…actually, there’s a photo of one right over there…

I usually manage to find an Aby on at least one cat food can label or bag. This Blue Buffalo one, for weight maintenance, was a new one I’d not seen before.

I also hasn’t seen this new Royal Canin Somali.

Look! More Somalis! Apart from food, I’ve hardly ever seen Somalis on packaging.

And here’s another Somali…who’s also a blue. I think this boy is so handsome…I wonder who his breeder is.

I think between the food aisles and the edible critters, Jake must get very hungry when we go to pet stores.

“Wait…these aren’t for eating?”

The first ever Daily Abyssinian Calendar!

I’ve made calendars for my family and friends featuring photo-art images of our cats since 2007 through Shutterfly. I’ve often been told I should offer them for sale, but I never really knew how.

Thanks to our friend Sparkle, now I do know how! I took some of my favourite Abyssinian pictures from the past six calendars and collected them into one colourful Aby-a-Day calendar.

Get your Daily Abyssinian 2013 Calendar by Talonvaki on Zazzle

Even better, if you order before 27 November, you can get 25% off by using promo code CALENDARTIME at checkout!

Aby-a-Day – October 24: Wordless Wednesday (Watch the Birdie)

Aby-a-Day – October 23: Follow the bouncing eyeball (Cartoon Tuesday)

I thought of this cartoon first…and then I discovered, to my delight, that they actually exist!

(Click cartoon to embiggen, or you can view all cartoons in Slideshow mode on Flickr.)

Aby-a-Day – October 22: Because you never know when you’ll need a bag of eyes (Hipstamatic Monday)

This just made me laugh.

We found these at CVS.

Bags of bouncy eyeballs.

I guess it’s true. CVS really does have everything!

I may have been a little more amused about these than I needed to be…

…but that’s just because I didn’t think such a thing existed! I mean, what a fun, albeit somewhat ghoulish, cat toy!

Aby-a-Day – October 21: Getting there is half the fun

So as I said yesterday, Jacoby and I missed the in-store contest costume yesterday because I hadn’t been to this Petsmart before and used my iPhone for directions. I blamed Siri, because that how I got to the map, but on reflection I think the misdirection was more the fault of Apple’s new iOS6 maps.

When I started walking, it definitely looked like I was going the right way. The little blue circle was moving towards the red one, and it all looked good. It’s hard to steer the stroller one-handed, so I put down the phone to concentrate on walking.

It was a gorgeous afternoon, and considering we were close to a subway and commuter rail station, an incredibly pretty and scenic stretch of sidewalk.

When we got to the point where it seemed like we should have been there and we still couldn’t see anything up ahead, I checked my phone again…and let’s just say the blue circle wasn’t where it should have been.

At least it was a lovely day for a walk, and we got to see some nice fall foliage. Although, I felt super stupid when I got turned around and realised just how close to the station the store actually was. At least I’ll know next time.

Aby-a-Day – October 20: Howl-o-Ween at Petsmart

Today Jacoby and I went to Petsmart to check out their “Howl-o-Ween” costume event. I mean, how could we resist?

I usually go to Petco, rather than Petsmart – nothing for or against either chain, it’s just that Petcos seem to have more urban-accessible stores (like the one in Manhattan) while Petsmarts seem to be found in more suburban stripmalls. There’s also one about 5 blocks from my mom’s house in Davis, too… So going to Petsmart is a bit like going to a different country: it’s similar, but excitingly different.

Jake went as Jacoby…It took me a little while to decide on his costume, but I ended up with his Red Sox uniform; that hat never fails to impress.

Thanks to a little misunderstanding with Siri, we just missed the in-store contest. But we did get there in time to get a Halloween photo taken. And Petsmart is having a big online costume contest, and I need to enter Angel in that, since she’s really not an in-store kind of girl.

I wasn’t in a costume, so I didn’t want to be in the photo with him, so Jake sat on the posing stool while the Petsmart people snapped his pic.

He actually sat on that stool for about ten minutes, while we waited for the photo to be printed and framed and I chatted with the staff. That’s my little posable action figure!

Next weekend, Petco is having their Halloween costume event…and you know we’ll be there, too.

Aby-a-Day – October 19: “My aura smiles and never frowns” (Fashion Friday)

Is there anything so cool as a punk rock hoodie with a faux-hawk?

If there is, I’d like to know what it is.

Black…check. Red plaid…check.

But you know what the best thing about this hoodie is?

(Besides the little earholes in the hood, I mean)

It’s from Build-a-Bear!

And, speaking of great fashion deals where you’d least expect them…

Remember this awesome Aby face T-shirt I posted about in July? Well, I found it on sale today! At BaxterBoo.com, of all places! I love BaxterBoo; Jacoby has some amazing coats and other clothes from there. But I never expected to find human clothing there! They have a great range of sizes in stock, too, according to the site: Small through 3XL! And, even better, if you order before October 21, promocode “WarmFuzzies25off” gets you an extra 25% off.

Aby-a-Day – October 18: So you think you’re sneaky…?

I’ve had to work from home this month – literally since the first of October.

Let me just say, it’s very interesting to see what the cats do when they’re used to no one being there and forget that someone is watching…

…like, counter-surfing when they think no-one can see.

Angel, evidently, goes on the kitchen counter a lot more than I ever suspected! Brazen hussy!

Whoops! She sees she’s been seen (try saying that five times fast)!

“Who, me?”

Yeah…she knows she’s busted.

Working from home…the next best thing to having one of those spycams that let you watch your cats online when you aren’t home.

Aby-a-Day – October 17: Wordless Wednesday (Scariest. Mask. EVER.)

Aby-a-Day – October 16: Wake-up Call (Cartoon Tuesday)

I have a great idea for an alarm clock for cat people.

I can sleep through clocks that ring, beep and screech, but I can’t sleep through this.

(Click cartoon to embiggen, or you can view all cartoons in Slideshow mode on Flickr.)