Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/08/18

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Subject: [Leica] Cat story
From: ricc at embarqmail.com (Ric Carter)
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 20:20:58 -0400
References: <AANLkTinmbedhWxDCD_Ko1JR=cp8_OELkBvpxW2Vgvs0+@mail.gmail.com> <8CAC7B68-2912-4A81-BCE4-4B2A5944F0C2@comcast.net>

lord, i remember that one now!

thanks!

ric


On Aug 18, 2010, at 7:36 PM, Richard Taylor wrote:

> Ah, Kliban - and the folk singing cat sitting on a tall stool with his 
> guitar:
> 
> "Love them little mousies, 
> Mousies that I love to eat, 
> bite their little heads off, 
> nibble on their tiny feet... 
> 
> Why do I remember this stuff????  
> 
> Regards, 
> 
> Dick
> 
> 
> 
> On Aug 18, 2010, at 6:19 PM, Lawrence Zeitlin wrote:
> 
>> Mark writes:
>> 
>> "The best purveyor of cat humor was B Kiilban who died in 1990.
>> 
>> I had his cat calendar.
>> 
>> Which looks like Jim's cat."
>> 
>> http://www.tcj.com/blog/unwitting-empire-b-klibans-cat/
>> 
>> 
>> --------------------
>> 
>> 
>> If we are still discussing cats, I have a cat story.
>> 
>> 
>> As some of you may know, I am an avid boater and spend much of my
>> recreational time on the water. Some time ago I was asked about what 
>> makes a
>> better boat pet, a cat or a dog. I posted my answer on a boating site.
>> Immediately after the short passage appeared I was contacted by a 
>> publisher
>> asking if I would expand my comments into a comic illustrated book. This 
>> was
>> during the height of the funny cat book craze. Does anyone remember "100
>> Uses for a Dead Cat." He asked me for proposed book titles. The best I 
>> could
>> come up with was "Raising Cats for Fur and Food." That seemed to dampen 
>> his
>> interest. Too bad I couldn't get B. Kilban to do the drawings. We might 
>> have
>> had a best seller.
>> 
>> 
>> Here is my answer about boat cats and dogs, posted on a boating web site:
>> 
>> 
>> - - - -
>> 
>> 
>> Many of us have boat dogs but since most boats have limited living space,
>> 
>> a cat might make a more reasonable boat pet. Cats are generally quiet, 
>> self
>> 
>> tending, chase away rats and roosting gulls, and, if you are lucky, are 
>> warm
>> and
>> 
>> cosy. We have had dogs and cats aboard. While I admit that dogs are
>> admirable
>> 
>> creatures and certainly more intelligent than cats, they can't be trained 
>> to
>> use
>> 
>> a litter box. Better for a house and yard than a boat.
>> 
>> 
>> We have fond memories of our Norwegian Fishing Cat. It loved to swim and
>> was
>> 
>> hard to keep out of the water. These cats were bred in Norway and Iceland
>> and
>> 
>> were trained to help fishermen capture the "one that got away." When a 
>> fish
>> 
>> slipped off the hook, the cat would leap off the boat and with its webbed
>> feet,
>> 
>> "pounce" on the escaped cod or mackerel and bring it back. As a reward, 
>> the
>> 
>> cat would get to eat an occasional fish.
>> 
>> 
>> Olaf, our Norwegian Fishing Cat, spent his younger years aboard a cod
>> fishing
>> 
>> smack, diving in to retrieve the one that "almost" got away. In a typical
>> day he
>> 
>> would catch a dozen or more fish, bringing them back to the boat. He more
>> 
>> than earned his keep. But the cold water takes its toll.
>> 
>> 
>> Olaf was retired after ten years of honorable service. Cat fishing is a
>> 
>> young feline's game. My wife's uncle sent Olaf to us to live out his
>> remaining
>> 
>> years. He had developed arthritis and was retired to the balmy climes of
>> 
>> upstate New York. Most of the fish he ate came out of cans. Olaf spent his
>> summers
>> 
>> paddling around our pond with an occasional jump into the Hudson River 
>> from
>> our
>> 
>> boat. Every few days we would throw him a couple of herring so he would
>> feel
>> 
>> at home.
>> 
>> 
>> Olaf passed away quietly in has sleep, aged 21, after consuming 3 cans of
>> 
>> brisling sardines. He had a smile on his whiskers and his breath smelled
>> like a
>> 
>> cannery. I can picture him today in Feline Valhalla attended by 70 nubile
>> 
>> female kitties gorging on smoked salmon with a cream cheese chaser. It 
>> would
>> be
>> 
>> hard to find a more suitable boat pet.
>> 
>> 
>> -----------------------
>> 
>> 
>> For those that doubt the story of the Norwegian Fishing Cat, here is a
>> 
>> passage from the Encyclopedia of Cats. Lumpkin, Susan and Seidensticker,
>> John. 1991.
>> 
>> Great Cats Majestic Creatures of the Wild. Rodale Press, Pa. Pgs 40, 172,
>> and
>> 
>> 173.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> THE   FISHING   CAT:   A   MOST   UNUSUAL   FELINE
>> 
>> 
>> APPEARANCE / SIZE:
>> 
>> This cat has a deep-chested body and comparatively short legs.
>> 
>> The front toes are partially webbed and the claws protrude slightly, even
>> 
>> when fully retracted. Small rounded ears are set well back on the large,
>> broad
>> 
>> head. The fur is short and course with gray or olive-brown background,
>> covered
>> 
>> with small black spots. A male weighs 24 to 27 pounds, while the females
>> are
>> 
>> smaller and weigh 13 to 16 pounds. The tail is unusually thick and 
>> muscular
>> near
>> 
>> the base, and is less then one-third of the animal's head and body length.
>> 
>> 
>> HABITAT / DISTRIBUTION:
>> 
>> This cat is usually associated with areas of thick cover near water, in
>> 
>> marshes, mangroves, and densely vegetated areas along rivers and streams. 
>> It
>> has a
>> 
>> discontinuous distribution in Asia. It is found in Southwest India, Sri
>> Lanka,
>> 
>> countries of the southern Himalayas, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma,
>> 
>> China, and the islands of Sumatra and Java. Despite this broad range, the
>> real
>> 
>> distribution of this animal is quite limited as the species is strongly 
>> tied
>> to
>> 
>> areas of suitable wetland habitat.
>> 
>> 
>> DIET:
>> 
>> In the wild these cars crouch on rocks and sand banks using
>> 
>> a paw to scoop out fish. They have also been observed seizing fish with
>> their
>> 
>> mouths. Sometimes they dive deeply for prey. Their powerful
>> 
>> build and strong swimming ability enable it to take a wide range of prey.
>> They
>> 
>> are said to be able to kill calves, dogs, birds, small mammals, snakes,
>> 
>> snails, and of course fish.
>> 
>> 
>> The Fishing Cat belongs to the Panthera lineage within the Feline Felidae
>> 
>> family. It is classified under the scientific name Felis Viverrina.
>> 
>> 
>> http://www.arkive.org/fishing-cat/prionailurus-viverrinus/image-G17843.html
>> 
>> 
>> --------------------------
>> 
>> 
>> Here is a quote from the Norsk Skovkattering, Danmark, a Danish cat
>> fanciers
>> 
>> magazine.
>> 
>> 
>> "There are many similarities between the Forest Cat and the Norwegian 
>> lynx.
>> 
>> The most apparent of these is that they are both big, long-legged cats 
>> with
>> 
>> large ruffs, and tufts at the tips of their ears. Moreover they both like
>> water,
>> 
>> and the stories of swimming Forest cats who catch their own fish in lakes
>> and
>> 
>> rivers are innumerable. Locals often refer to them as "Water Cats" or
>> "Fishing
>> 
>> Cats." The Forest cat evidently utilizes the same methods as the Norwegian
>> 
>> lynx when it goes fishing."
>> 
>> 
>> ---------------------------
>> 
>> 
>> So there are two theories about the origin of the Norwegian Fishing Cat.
>> The
>> 
>> first is that some cat loving Norwegian sailors brought a few breeding
>> pairs
>> 
>> of the fishing cats home from trips to Asia during the 1800s. Over the
>> years
>> 
>> the cats acclimated themselves to Norwegian weather but retained their
>> fishing
>> 
>> instincts. Although Norway is quite far north, the West coast is washed by
>> the
>> 
>> Gulf Stream and the winter weather is surprisingly mild. This is 
>> especially
>> 
>> true of the Lofoten Islands, the prime fishing area. The second theory is
>> that
>> 
>> the Fishing Cat is simply a variation of the Norwegian Forest Cat or
>> Norwegian
>> 
>> Lynx who adapted to a more marine environment. Or perhaps they are both 
>> the
>> 
>> same species. I'm sure DNA testing could tell.
>> 
>> 
>> Larry Z
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
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> 
> 
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In reply to: Message from lrzeitlin at gmail.com (Lawrence Zeitlin) ([Leica] Cat story)
Message from r.s.taylor at comcast.net (Richard Taylor) ([Leica] Cat story)