The Opinionated Pussycat

Daddy Kiril, a Multi-faceted Human....and He's All OURS!

  

Good afternoon, felinity assembled, especially anyone visiting for the first time!

 My name is Friday. I'm a bearded lady cat!

 I am the youngest member of the team, at almost 3, and the one with the fewest writing credits to her name on this blog.

A year without a computer did not help in that regard, but, anyway...it's my turn to post as we settle in for Daddy Kiril attending the Cat Writers' Association Conference, beginning this evening.

This post is about Daddy Kiril.

He is a human of many parts and interests.

He has been around animals all his life, mostly Dogs thru the 90's, before his personal and creative lives were forever changed by adopting a Maine Coon kitten he named Nikita, in 1998.

His politics are Conservative, his faith Christian, and we three picked that up from him, but his friends and fans are a varied lot, across the political and cultural spectrum, as are ours.

He found a way to share all of these interests in an entertaining, fashionable, way, by putting 15 Lapel Pins and a couple of buttons on his Stetson.

Hats are a thing in Texas, you see...not just as a fashion statement, but to keep the sun from boiling your head on particularly hot days, especially if you are partially, or totally, bald.

Anyway, more on that in a bit....first, though...

Doesn't he look handsome! 

We wanted him to dress in bright colors for the 2 main days of the conference, or at least in Calvin Klein...but except for his undies, that didn't happen.

He found some fancy Haggar pants on extreme sale at JC Penney and a nice shirt at Walmart.

The tie is years old and still looks good, though it has not been seen in public for a number of years.

Welcoming the CWA Conference and CFA Show To Houston

 

 

 Good evening, felinity assembled....Daddy Kiril here.

Do not worry, the girls will be holding the fort the rest of this busy week, this post concerns just why the week will be so busy.

On the banks of where White Oak Bayou and Buffalo Bayou meet a city was born, in the 1830's, a city that spread out and evolved into one of the most diverse in the nation.

Known for its economy built on space travel, medicine, oil, dining, and more, it is also a city known for its museums, its freeways, and its weather, hot and cold, dry and wet....often VERY wet.

It is a city known for its music, theatre and creative writing communities, as well.

There is also something else it is known for, for reasons good and bad...Cats and Dogs.

Lots of Cats and Dogs.

 Houston loves its pets....and that is a good thing... The Houston Cat Club has had a show since its founding in 1949.

Houston has also long had a serious problem with strays, as well, and has many rescue and shelter efforts across the city and county doing what they can to persevere over it.

With that introduction out of the way, as we prepare for the Cat Fanciers' Association Cat Show and Cat Writers' Association Annual Conference, June 7 thru 10, while Elvira, Sneakers and Friday will spend some time talking about that persistent issue....I want to talk about the type of perseverance that brings together a collection of humans who not only write cat blogs and cat books, but who blog and hope to publish books, or who hope to someday do one or both, but have yet to take the steps.

Purrfectly Delightful Examples of Felines and Fine Arts

Earlier this month Daddy Kiril had a week vacation from work.

The highlight of the week was his meeting a Dog and it's Music Playing Human...

or so I thought until he showed me photos from his final adventure!

Good evening, felinity assembled, Elvira Mistress of Felinity here.

For his last adventure daddy chose to visit the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

He shared photos of some of the things he saw on HIS blog, this evening, but left the best stuff to me to show off!

Well, OK, you and I might prefer what I am going to share, over what he shared, but we're felines, not humans, hee, hee!

Anyway...He saw many different exhibits, with artifacts and paintings from many places around the world, and many different eras of human, and feline, history.

Want proof that humans have always worshipped the ground we walked on? These things will convince even the most hardened skeptic.

Look at this! It's a feline incense burner, made of bronze, from 12th century Iran.

 

This is a 12th-17th century Tibetan lion made of gilted bronze.

Tibetan lions were symbols of courage and joy. They were seen as protectors of Buddha!

These creatures, with blue or green manes, are the national emblems of Tibet.

 

Daddy Kiril Encounters a Dog and it's Music Playing Human

Happy Tortie Tuesday morning, felinity assembled, Elvira Mistress of Felinity here!

Boy, do I have a story for you!

 

Daddy Kiril went on a bike ride on Sunday evening, around a nature preserve here in Houston.

 

He saw several dogs taking their humans out for walkies.

One such sighting led to a very special moment and to him doing a major music review on his own blog.

 

Friday's Birthday Preview 2: A Lizard Leaves a Lulu

His name is Guy Ko... he's a lizard.

What type of lizard he didn't say saying only that he felt admitting to what species he was allowed others to too easily  make assumptions that put him in a box he didn't belong in.

Okay...

Good morning, Daddy Kiril here...

I stepped outside my apartment, the other morning, World Cat Day as it turned out, and found myself looking at the most interesting little critter on the wall just below my apartment window.

He looked up at me and asked, matter-of-factly, "Is the Texian Tuxedo available?"

Just how long he had been there I never thought to ask and he never said.

I've chatted with a lizard before, but it has been a while so I admit to being a bit startled that this one was chatting me up.

(What the hell is it about lizards and Tuxedo cats, anyway?)

"Who's asking and why?" I replied.

When he told me he knew something about the youngest member of my feline family I told him that Sneakers was napping, but would interrupt her beauty sleep for this.

I went inside, grabbed my cell phone, a pen and a notepad and woke up Sneakers, careful not to disturb the napping Elvira and Friday.

I most certainly was not ready for what happened next....and neither was Sneakers.

NOTE: For those just checking in and scratching their heads...begin here.

Friday's Birthday Preview 1: A Mother's Burden and Search for Peace

Good evening felinity assembled....Daddy Kiril here.

I have a story to share.

The next few days celebrate the birthday of the youngest Opinionated Pussycat, Friday the Bearded Lady, a date we estimated, with the help of our vet, to be August 14th, 2015.

Next month we will celebrate her Gotcha Day, the day I found her, Sept. 4, though I didn't officially adopt her until the 18th.

For those unfamiliar with the events surrounding my finding her and her first few weeks in our home, we tell the story over 4 posts, full of photos and a few short videos.

Begin here.

I was walking down Beechnut, at Wilcrest, here in Houston, when a noise in some bushes got my attention.

I stuck what I found in a bag, then my shirt pocket, as I headed to my vet on the bus.

The little one was too young to have memories of her parents, or if she had any siblings, when I asked her later, so having unanswered questions about her past was something we helped her adjust to.

At least we assumed those questions would go unanswered...

This week began with a surprise and by the end of yesterday some answers were revealed.

With this post I will begin to tell you what was learned.

NOTE: As longtime readers know I am known to have language skills on a par with those of the fictional Dr. Doolittle. The story I will be sharing includes photo re-enactments created yesterday with the help and permission of those involved in the events described and are true to the best of my knowledge and ability to confirm....

  Arthur Storey Park is a large piece of land located off Bellaire Blvd and Beltway 8.

It has a huge pond, walking/jogging trails and picnic tables and Brays Bayou passes through it on its way to connect with Buffalo Bayou as that stream heads into the Houston Ship Channel.

It is a fine place for humans to hang out in and wild animals of various types call it home, comfortably co-existing with each other as nature intended, accepting the humans as well.

Even the occasional cat has found a home and food within its confines....this is the story of one such feline.

CWA Awards: No Certificates Hurts, But I'll Keep Pushing Myself

  Good afternoon felinity assembled, Daddy Kiril here, the girls are busy napping.

Not the best of weeks, the one just ended...

My old vacuum cleaner died and I have to try to replace it...

And that was before the news I got on Thursday, or how the weekend rain made my already on their last legs shoes even worse so that I have to really find a new pair (new model, actually, as this one's been discontinued), or  what happened on Friday the 13th (My bike, locked out front of my work, had its brakes damaged beyond repair by someone with a shopping cart, or three, so now I have to get them replaced).

Back to Thursday...

I pride myself as a poet and storyteller and have hopes of publishing beyond my blogs someday...Upping my game (And that of the cats as well, heh, heh) in new ways is part of the reason I am looking into relocating my blogs to Wordpress, the most popular platform for blogs and blog commenting, and one so many bloggers I know and admire use....

I took a huge step, in January, by daring to submit a poem and a short story to the 2015 Cat Writers' Association Communications Contest (Now in its 22nd year) for the first time, even though there was little chance of my being able to attend Blog Paws 2016 in June (I DID make the 22nd thru 26th a vacation time, anyway)....

The poem and related story, I wrote, were 2 of the best pieces of creative writing I've produced in my 13 years of blogging.

As I wrote in January on my blog, and Elvira shared here...

I am not ashamed to put them up against the work of anyone else out there and submit them as prime examples of my creativity and what it and the cat blog has to offer to a wider audience (If I had to submit traffic stats with my submission the fact I have little in the way of an audience and traffic would be glaring) and as something worth publishing in book form.

I've only been paid money for my writing once (other compensation has included product) and am not sure how I can monetize my blog considering my traffic (I think miniscule traffic is why Science Diet and Purina never followed up after our one time working together).

I submitted a short story that encompasses a ballad and a 4 part story originally posted on this blog in August 2014 (To read them begin here) and I submitted the ballad separately as well.

For the purpose of submission I edited the ballad post to better work as the start of the submitted version of the short story that the poem leads into.

The original tale was enhanced by photos I took to help tell the story and I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them.

It was one of the last times I used that camera, for a major project, before it was damaged beyond repair.

I hope to finally get a new camera, this year, so I can return to posting the unique photos my blogs are known for and not have to rely on a cell phone camera, to try to do so, any longer.

Daddy Kiril Saw Burger King Has "Dog " on It's Menu, Tries to "Have It Your Way"

Good evening felinity assembled!

Sneakers the Texian Tuxedo, here...

While this post is not about cats it DOES have as its inspiration one of the most memorable and controversial blog posts in the career of Mr. Nikita, our founder, so stick with me.

 

For 40 years the human fast food restaurant, Burger King, told its customers they "have the right to have what you want, exactly when you want it." Because "on the menu of life", the customer was special and "the almighty ruler".

Being a fan Daddy Kiril was understandably concerned when he saw something, at a local BK, last night.

Had something changed? Was BK really now selling what the huge sign seemed to imply it was selling? Was there enough customer interest, in America, in Texas, to justify this new item and was it even lawful?

The Houston Livestock & Rodeo was now in full swing, after all, so who knows, right?

Anyway, he went to the website and filled out the customer contact form, submitting a 500 character letter sharing his experience at the store....

 

Bappy Hirthday Daddy Kiril! He is 10 Cat Years Old Today!

 

Thank you Ann of Zoolatry for this wonderful image!

 

Happy 56th birthday daddy!

 

We love you!

 

Elvira Mistress of Felinity

 

Sneakers the Texian Tuxedo

 

Friday the Bearded Lady

 

 

 

 

Daddy Kiril Goes Inside with the Amazing Acro-Cats in Houston - Pt. 2

The Amazing Acro-Cats spent the last 2 weeks in Houston, at the Frenetic Theatre...and Daddy Kiril helped out on their first day and night as well as last Thursday evening and all afternoon and evening on Saturday; 20+ hours, total.

Good evening, felinity assembled, Elvira Mistress of Felinity, here, with a sequel to  my original post that shares scenes from those last 2 days.

In addition to the chores he had done the first time around he had chicken feeder added to the list, as well as stamping the paws of attendees and checking those paws as they entered the theatre.

He also had 2 tasks added to his on stage repertoire!

He was tasked with waving a giant cardboard  Oz the Cat to help promote his twitter account and was in charge of opening the carrier doors for  2 of the cats, deemed petable during the after show meet and greet, so they could go to their stations.

Sadly we have no pictures as they would have been too blurry if he used his cell phone camera.

However, if someone out there has video of Daddy Kiril waving the giant Oz around, or the moment he accidentally let a certain chime playing feline get too close to the treat cup and the hilarity that ensued, we'd love to share them in an update, hee, hee!

Today is Groundhog Day, the one day of the year a certain critter comes out to predict the weather...

The Acro-Cats have a Groundhog who actually does more than smile for the camera and look for his shadow...and he does this task several days a month for 10 months!