Tag Archives: dogs

Siamese Dream

NATIONAL SIAMESE CAT DAY - April 6, 2020 | National Today

“A rare, two headed snake was discovered in Florida today when a cat dragged it into a Palm Beach home. Said the homeowner: Gah! Get that cat outta here!” — Seth Meyers

Dos, the two-headed snake

This site occasionally teases that dogs are better than cats, usually because of jokes like the one Myers told last night.

It’s just too easy. If a meteor unleashed a virus that ballooned domestic pets to the size of Buicks, goldfish would hog pools, hamsters would consume couches, and cats would shred us like mama grizzlies. With dogs, your biggest threat would be slobber drownings. That and concern that dogs hump only your leg.

But in all honesty, as I begin to brush the cobwebs from my windshield to start looking toward a new companion, I wish adopting a cat were an option. Because one of the coolest I ever met has befriended me.

Alas, I can’t own a feline because of the transplant. The immunocompromised and pregnant are strongly discouraged from cat ownership because of the lethal risk of toxoplasmosis, a nasty organism that lives only in cat feces.

That’s a shame, because the truth is, when a cat loves you the way a dog does, it can be more of a dopamine rush.

I realized this after meeting a diminutive Siamese with what feels like a broken tail. She’s a tiny thing, as light as a sparrow. But she isn’t shy about being pet, and will drive her head forcibly into your hand to commence her massage. It’s wonderful.

Esme loved being pet, too. She would hop on the couch (when her legs worked), and sprawl against your side, exposing a pink, bulbous belly that demanded attention.

Esme | The HollywoodBowles - Page 4

It was unfailingly, unfathomably adorable. But it came with a price: She farted like a diesel truck engine, and her many bumps and warts made her look like an upended frog. The Siamese, on the other hand, is all petting pleasure, without the silent-but-deadlies.

And cats just feel better. Like a stuffed animal coming to life to huddle with you, but with a warmer, softer coat. The sound of a content cat purring is like hearing a perfectly-tuned violin.

I’m sure I will still joke about the evolutionary differences between wolf and mountain lion progeny. And the fact remains: Feline fanatics will boast about their cats being dog-like; canine connoisseurs don’t brag about their dogs being cat-like.

And I remain a dog guy. Through the windshield, I’m beginning to make out the prospects of a new live-in: tiny roommates; gigantic ones; siblings; duos, entire families.

But the truth about cats and dogs is this: They’re best when they’re a little bit of both.

To the Mutt in Us All

The Cost of Love | The HollywoodBowles

I came across your collar today
Sorting what remains
So faded
These eyes
Can barely make you out
But pretty in pink I breathe you in
And jingle jangle
For a moment I think you’re here
To know me
No me
Into the drawer to fragrant past days

In honor of National Make a Dog’s Day, let’s do so with four-pawed Factslaps (E&T Remix):

  • As of 2018, Americans own 89.7 million dogs.
  • The world’s oldest dog died at age 29.
  • Dogs poop in alignment with Earth’s magnetic field.
  • Humans and dogs first became best friends 30,000 years ago.
  • Every dog’s mitochondrial DNA is 99.9% the same as a gray wolf.
Gray Wolf | National Wildlife Federation
  • In English-speaking countries, the most popular names for dogs are Max and Molly.
100 Great Names for Dogs and Why Pick Them
  • Dogs have 13 blood types, horses have 8, cows have 9, while humans have only 4.
How do Human Blood Cells Differ from Animal Blood Cells?

Paul McCartney recorded an ultrasonic whistle audible only to dogs at the end of “A Day in the Life.”

A Beatles hit. It's rumored that, at the... - Skyview Animal Clinic |  Facebook

Of Polish, Paper and Pen

Esme | The HollywoodBowles - Page 4

“THE NEW DOG” BY LINDA PASTAN (abridged for Esme)

Into the gravity of my life,
the serious ceremonies
of polish and paper
and pen, has come

this manic animal
whose innocent disruptions
make nonsense
of my old simplicities-

as if I needed her
to prove again that after
all the careful planning,
anything can happen.