Björn was interviewed by the Göteborgs-Posten last Thursday bay a reporter doing a piece about Migrationsverket and the “love migration process” and people like us who either have a partner trying to move to be with them or who are that partner, and an article was published in last Saturday’s paper (that’s the big paper of the week there, Saturday instead of Sunday, so you have two days to read it all).
This was the main photo they used on the web version of the story and in the newspaper itself.
This is the front of the newspaper…
Look who made it to page 1!
This is the spread on pages 6 & 7 with sidebars about other aspects of Migrationsverket and Swedes waiting for their partners.
And the Swedish influence on my blog is already starting.
Björn and I went to ICA to get groceries and we happened to check the magazine section. I’ve had a link to Kattliv (Sweden’s biggest cat magazine) for years now, but this was the first time I’d seen a hard copy of the magazine itself.
Of course I had to leaf through it. I mean, it’s a cat magazine!
And what do you suppose I found?
An article about two Abyssinians! Their names are Rufus and Flora and they live on a farm in Legdeå, a small town between Umeå and Skellefteå in the Västerbotten region in northern Sweden.
They seem to have an awesome life ruling their humans, hanging out with horses, stalking chickens and hunting rats. I haven’t read the whole article, yet…but now I have something to practice with Björn!
She sent me a screenshot – oh, yeah, that’s definitely an Aby all right! Why is he just sitting outside? Ellen wrote: “It’s just a snap I took with my iPhone of a scene paused on TV. I took it because I thought I might be hallucinating until I rewound the DVR.
Don’t know if you’re familiar with the show, but this is an episode in which Tania Torres (daughter of Tia Maria, the awesomely formidable woman who runs both the show and the New Orleans shelter at its center) and her husband, Perry, decide to get another pit bull after Tania’s beloved Bluie has died. There they are, sitting in their backyard talking it over, while this gorgeous Abyssinian looks on.
‘Pssssst! All the companionship you will ever need is right in front of you!’ my brain hissed as I watched. But–sigh–they are dog people, obviously. I do wonder if the Aby is theirs, or was just hanging around the neighborhood, though I’d find the latter hard to believe–the cat was clearly in excellent shape, and looked quite comfortable.”
I did my due Google diligence and I could find nothing about the Torres family owning any cats…so I don’t know who that Aby is. But still, who’d ever think they’d see an Aby on a program about Pitbulls and Parolees?
She actually saw two versions: French and English. But in either language, that’s still an Aby about to knock over that antique vase! This one struck me as particularly amusing because, well…I work for a property insurance company! The only time I’ve ever had insurance and Abys combine before this was when I brought oneto work with me.
It’s not gone, gone…it’s “reinvented” itself as Catster Magazine to appeal to people who like to look at cats on the internet and will come out every other month. But it’s not the same. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I like looking at at cats on the internet as much as the next person. But there’s something about reading a magazine that’s been around your whole life, you know?
I always keep an eye out for old back issues that feature Abyssinians (I wish I still had my old copies from when I was in high school). A few weeks ago, I found this issue from 2003 on eBay. While I knew it had an Aby on the cover, as well as a feature article on the breed, I didn’t know about the bonus Aby.
Check out the cat food ad on the back cover! There was no mention of this little guy in the eBay listing…but isn’t it a great ad?
It not only features her Aby, GC RW Absolute Crawdaddy, doing agility…
But it also features this somali, named Kondwani. I’m not sure if it’s just that thing where once you have something, you notice it everywhere, but doesn’t it seem like Abys are getting more facetime in articles and advertisements lately?
It’s always so much fun to see pictures of Dillin…after all, he is Jake’s closest relative. I wonder if they would remember each other if we could reunite them?
Our friend Lisa Maria Padilla and Abys Racy and Twyla Mooner were recently featured in an article in the Washington Post
I love this one reader comment, too: “Currently [I have] 3 cats, two of which we raised as four day old kittens abandoned a couple years back by their mom. They all have learned little tricks, most of which involve ways to interact with their favorite humans and/or to get the occasional treat. In fact, every one of them responds to “Doors Closing” when I say it like the Metro announcement.
This proves that my cats are at least in one way smarter than many of my fellow commuters.”
It’s a crazy story, and of there’s just so much we don’t know about the situation beyond what the humans involved are telling reporters. Lux doesn’t seem to be giving many interviews, but cats don’t generally “go ballistic” unless they’re provoked.
To me, however, the most absurd thing about this whole thing is the “transcript” of the 911 call:
“Raaaaaarrrrrrr”? Really?
And then there’s the media calling Lux the attack cat a “Himalayan” when he’s clearly a black and white longhair. I’m sure Himalayan breeders the world over are just thrilled about their cats getting a false reputation of being an “aggressive” breed. And despite the fact that several photos of Lux have been widely circulated in the media and online, he’s still being called a Himalayan. That kind of negative press can take a lot to overcome.
Of course, when an Abyssinian gets media attention, it’s usually because they’re just being Abyssinians. And fortunately for everyone, they’re not really the violent type.
How awesome is this? It comes via Facebook, and an Aby breeder named Irina who writes:
“Our dear cats took part in photographing for advertising of exclusive Pet Carriers and Pet accessories for the Conde Nast Traveller magazine Eternity and Jevel estimated bags from Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Prada”
I don’t know if it’s in the English version of Conde Nast Traveller, but if I find it I’ll let you know.
I had no idea. I managed to sweet-talk a guy in the fulfillment department for a hard copy of that issue for Jake’s portfolio, but in the meantime, Marta sent me a scan, for which I am grateful:
I am disappointed that I wasn’t credited for my photo. It says “Photo Courtesy of Deb Gibbs,” who is in charge of the pet therapy program at Tufts Veterinary School…but I took that awesome photo and it’s be nice if people knew that…Deb says they’ll print a correction in the next issue, though.
I especially love this one the reporter, Sara Jacobi (no relation) took of Jacoby and me talking with Rachel Strutt from the Somerville Arts Council.
It was a long day for Jake – we were there eight hours, from noon til 8pm – but he handled it like a champ. We did take a little break at one point; Jake decided he needed to get away from his adoring public and took a little tour behind the curtains.
He was very interested in these kettle drums.
Jake wasn’t the only cat at the festival, though. This little black and white girl, Krufka, sat patiently on her own little sofa while her human read a story about her.
And as I mentioned on Sunday, Famous Seamus was also in attendance. He was such a sweet cat. And as his human said, he was twice the size of Jake! Jake’s such a big Aby…it was nice for someone to call him “small” for a change.
I also got to meet local author Clea Simon, which was awesome; I haven’t met many authors of books I’ve read! Her book The Feline Mystique is a fascinating study of the ancient relationship between women and cats. She also writes feline mysteries!
And we met Case and Emily, the creative geniuses behind Ferocious Friends cat toys…now, these things might just give Neko Flies a run for its money! Check out their video if you don’t believe me!
I also have to mention my favourite local video – this song by aspiring local singer-songwriter Kevin Choi! Not only is Kevin super-talented, but he’s a total cat person.
Jake watched over his book sales table while he was up on stage.
We got to meet another famous local cat, too – Famous Seamus!
Seamus is a huge cat. He has extra toes on all his feet, too.
I was amazed at how well he and Jake got along. Granted, we didn’t let them get too close to each other, but still.
The main part of the festival, of course, was the cat videos. They were shown in two parts, local videos and then international ones (including Henri le Chat Noir and Maru).
Jake actually watched the videos quite intently.
(This is the video he’s watching in the photo…)
It was super cute.
There was also a slideshow of local cats…and I was amazed to see a photo of Sierra Stinkface! The cat world is small, indeed. It was a really great day. I met some awesome people (including Case and Emily from Ferocious Friends, some of the most awesome wand toys I’ve seen in a while) and had some amazing conversations today.
Boston may be a big city…but in many ways, it’s a small town.
Jake’s also making a bit of a splash in the CFA; the show season runs from May 1 to April 30, and somehow Jake’s managed to squeak his way into the top 10 Abyssinians in Premiership…
Check it out:
ABYSSINIANS IN PREMIERSHIP (Region) – [Points] – (Rings)
1. Zehnder’s Roger Vivier of NuDawnz – Blue Male – (4) – [4844.85] – (100)
2. Anubis Taz Mania – Red Male – (1) – [1743.80] – (83)
3. Gil-Aby’s Trooper – Blue Male – (7) – [1331.55] – (88)
4. Lalima’s Mikhail Baryshnikov – Ruddy Male – (9) – [1095.55] – (97)
5. Anqet Binkhaaphajaosuduangjun – Ruddy Male – (5) – [781.95] – (32)
6. 3Janes Bama Tidal Wave – Ruddy Male – (7)[761.30] – (59)
7. Masmera D’Arte Meranti – Red Male – (A) -[263.40] – (16)
8. 3Janes Midnight Rambler – Ruddy Male – (5) – [235.50] – (36)
9. Astech’s Amelia Earheart – Ruddy Female – (3)- [155.10] – (6)
10. Pellburn Jacoby Stealin’ Home – Ruddy Male – (1) – [150.25] – (17)
Isn’t that exciting! He’s also one of the top 40 cats in Premiership in the North-Atlantic Region…we haven’t been to that many shows this season, but apparently he’s done better that I thought! I’m just happy to make one final in every show we enter.
Check this out…Abyfriend Katscan’s little girl Rosie is making it big on the CBC VancouverFacebook page:
Would you put your cat on a leash? Early Edition listener Kathy sent us this photo of her cat Rosie. (MJ)
My favourite comment was someone who said Yes, if it was a Bengal cat, otherwise no. I listed off the Abys I know who go out and about on their leashes, mentioning Jafari in Vancouver, Radar in NYC…and of course, Jacoby in Boston!
Stories like this always make me sad. Two seven-year-old bonded buddies, King Louie the Aby and Little Dragon the Egyptian Mau, are looking for a new home in Iowa. They’re being fostered on behalf of the Animal Rescue League of Iowa in Des Moines. It doesn’t say why these two gentlemen are in need of a new family, but they’ve been homeless for over a month already.
King Louie is a purebred red/sorrel Aby. He’s a little chubby, and he’s the shyer of the pair.
Little Dragon is a striking silver Egyptian Mau, and he’s said to be “like a dog” in many ways.
According to the website: These guys are a friendly pair who make themselves at home quickly. Dragon, a purebred Egyptian Mau, is the more affectionate, outgoing and vocal of the two. It may take a little longer for him to warm up, but once he does, he’ll be your best bud! He actually acts like a little dog sometimes — he likes being roughhoused, head-butted and scratched. Louie, a purebred Abyssinian, is a watcher-on-the-sidelines. He observes everything, and you can see how intelligent he is as he considers every situation. These boys are a great pair and love each other very much. They need a very quiet home with either older kids or no kids and preferably no other pets. Louie has a tendency toward bladder crystals, so he will need to be on special food for the rest of his life.
If you know anyone in the area who needs a couple of lovely boys, please contact Carol at cgriglione@arl-iowa.org.
