#cat tales

[detroitlib]

From our stacks: Photograph from Cat Tales: Classic Stories from Favorite Writers. With Photographs by Robin Upward. Introduction by Cleveland Amory. New York: Viking Studio Books, 1989.

[catastrophicalcat]

I have such mixed feelings about Catwoman's story in Knightfall.

On the one hand, cats! So many cats.

Plus, disguises for her heist! Which has a cat-saving angle:

But ugh. Azrael's thought about her are so gross. And I know that he's supposed to be gross, that's the point of the story. But it's still pretty meh to read about the wet dreams he's having about her.

And then their fight - Azrael continues to be gross. This is why consent is important, folks.

Overall, I think that I more like than dislike this story. Selina is being very heroic and clever and reasonable here, to better contrast what a creep Jean Paul Valley is. I guess this is better than the recent trend of showing Selina be rash and incompetent, to better contrast her with Bruce...

I knew of these issues prominently because of the role they will come to play in @chrisdee Cat-tales. It was pretty fun to read the primary source!

[cat-alyzing]

The Sisters

The sisters are the split of group of the first known group of wild cats at the lake called the Archaic Lake Cats. After being given a sign of a horrible wildfire that would destroy their summer site the cats leader Half Moon let the cats decide where they would be moving, to the mountains or far away into unknown land. When counted there was a tie and it was decided that they’d split apart, the cats heading to the mountains becoming the Tribe of Rushing Water and the ones going farther becoming the Sisters.

The Sisters run a matriarchal, crepuscular, and wandering group. They wake up in the early dawn and start traveling, or hunting if their settled, stopping midday to sleep and then doing more at dusk before sleeping in and out during the night. They have a democratic system where the cats choose the next pathfinder or on vote on any decision often with a special stone or object given to them when their fully grown.

Traits include long thin fur, larger bodies, big maws, flecked pelts and strange eye colors, wide thick paw pads for traveling. They have two specific bloodlines from the first Sister’s Stone and Sun. Stone’s descendants have thick gray fur and purple eyes with a white spot on their face and back while Sun’s descendants have warm coats with wavy fur, a darker spot on their chest, and banded stripes.

First Pathfinder was Stone (prev. Smooth Stone) and the Current Pathfinder is Moonlight one of her descendants

The Sister’s Ceremonies

The Shift Ceremony is done under the full moon a year and a half after a kitten is consider a adolescent. At this ceremony the cat is tested on their connection to their afterlife in various ways.

Calling is when a cat calls upon to create a connection to a spirit but not necessarily summon them rather to create a voice to talk to the cat. This is the easiest skill for a Sister to learn but only available to them as no one else can hear the whisperer. A cat practices this by opening up their vessel for a spirit to attach to but not enough to attempt a full summoning often learners figure this out by doing it again and again on their own since it is so particular to the cat themselves.

Pulling is a more specific and done after something has gone may it be a plant or creature to pull a last memory or sliver from the dead. Mostly used to bring back special herbs that have died away. This is done by tracking the site of where the thing passed and fueling it through the cat themselves, this can cause exhaustion if used on larger or long dead things. Practiced by rooting up the dirt under a dead flower and fueling it, once revived the cat has passed the test.

Summoning is easy once mastered but hard to figure out as it pulls the full ghostly form of a spirit and makes them visible to anything watching. It requires to call out and open up the cats spirit themselves for a ghost to latch onto as a anchor, and then the cat will pull them to the living plane. This is easy to hold and maintain but hard to figure out and a little dangerous to do if a spirit is particularly hostile, powerful, or wanting to steal the living cats spirit themselves. Most often done in cases of needing to speak to a lost one, wanting guidance, or advice though a spirit cannot just tell a cat all the truth just what they can process. (So if a cat was found dead a Sister couldn’t just summon the spirit and be told what killed them. The spirit would only be able to speak in already known truths, recall shared memories, or hopes instead of facts)

Singing is a very commonly done practice by the Sisters. They sing to build bonds, pass time, share stories, raise hope, and even to heal. To better connect to those not on the living plane they have sing. The stronger the voices and the more there are the stronger their connection will be.

New life celebrations are held after a cat announces new life and throughout the settling moon. After a cat says their expecting they are flowered with special items like pregnancy related herbs, flowers, stones, and prey to the cat and they are immediately nestled into the center of the sleeping pile. As they find a suitable place to settle the Sisters will create the safety den for them which is very protective most often in bramble bushes, caves, strong burrows, or under thorn bushes. The sisters will stay at this den until the kittens are able to properly travel with them most often around 3-4 moons. If a cat decides to stay with their kittens they are given a goodbye ceremony just like any cat would.

Goodbye gifting is the ceremony done when a cat chooses to travel away. The cats closest to the traveler will give them a special gift that they’ll take with them on their journeys as a connection back to their birth group. The night usually consists of group singing, getting the cat ready for travel, and hunting so they have some prey to set off with. Just before they leave they are touched by the pathfinder and looked upon as a official wayfarer wandering the land for whatever they want, or just to explore.

Life in the Sister’s

The Sisters are a very close group and see each other as all being connecting may that be by blood, friendship, spirituality or love. They often sleep in open areas so they have a habit of sleeping all together in a big pile of cats with certain cats on the inside circle like those expecting, injured, shorter furred, or the pathfinder.

Gender in the Sisters is very self respected. While the pathfinder is matriarchal it depends on the cat themselves, i they see themselves as being able to be the pathfinder by the groups standards then they are. They do not differentiate by the gender of a cat and the only difference being that one cat can carry kits and the other sires them. Nothing more then that. Stone herself was a trans molly and the tradition of looking past many built up ideas is close to their culture. Sexuality isn’t really a idea to the cats since it’s just what a cats like, similar to how one cat prefers birds to mice or fish to bugs.

Their also avid storyteller singing great tales they’ve picked up and grown over time. Their main ones are of the four gods that control aspects of life like life, death, peace chaos. A changed version is seen in the Tribe in their own culture. They also have a story about the “stuck sister” which has ties back to the ancient Fallen Leaves.

The story of the Stuck Sister is a old tale stemming from the loss of Stone and Shadow’s only child at the time Fallen Leaves during is coming of age ceremony. It is sung in parts, the initial loss and the restless grief most often by the lead singer being the loudest and the rest humming along.

(Think the kind of tempo in “Enchanters - Dragon Age: Inquisition”)

“Oh Fallen Leaves oh Fallen Leaves with your fur of red and white. How much you’ve grown and still so small always in a fright. You went inside where there was no light. Lost forever from my sight. Oh Fallen Leaves oh Fallen Leaves how you’ve stuck to my mind. I sing to you in hopes to see you in the stars once more. Oh Fallen Leaves oh Fallen Leaves where could you be? I should’ve known when the air got cold a thief would steal my shine. My little light oh my little light so bright with heart and mind. Trapped in the stone, no way home. As I grow old and you stay cold I hope to see you then. While I am gone, your song lives on, forever should they know. My Fallen Leaves my Fallen Leaves with a pelt of red and white.”

The tale of trickster refers to the autumnal god known for his many seeds of chaos sprouted across history. A warning tale about the signs if he is near. Said over and over to ward away the beast in its story this tale is most often spoke around prey during autumn.

Autumn Glee forever be a trick of the eye. For fear the changing shadows and darkness soon to blight. He is of chaos and pain always feasting for more. Do not feed the restless Sol or you may be his final feast. Always hungry ready to leap. Stay away from the dying leaves. He will rot your belly and steal your soul. Take your body for a stroll. Then when you get free, he will finally finish the feast. Do not fall for the leaves. Or you will be his next treat.

The Spirituality of The Sister’s

The Sister’s are polytheistic worshipping the gods of each seasons who control the different aspects of life though they don’t heavily worship them. More so showing their belief in tales or comments. They do believe in the planes of existence though. The idea of the living being on one plane, the ghosts, and the passed over. Spirits who are ghosts can be easily called upon and are still trapped on the living plane either by choice or not. The passed over cats are the spirits who have moved on and gone back into the world their energy giving life to new creatures like birds, kittens, mice whatever. They have a code of giving what they take and helping those in need, very often healing those who need it or providing protections.

Their specific connection to the dead is stronger because of their consistent belief in the practice and learning over generations how to best use their powers.

[kittymeiga]

i think you would appreciate this. i was talking to my sister and I told her that I was finally able to wash my bedding and she was like, "what was stopping you?" and then we both went "the cats".

at any given moment there is a cat on my bed. i caught a moment when there were no cats on the bed.

It is THE LAW™

You cannot disturb a sleeping angel just for mundane chores.

[weepingfoxfury]

The woman on the radio is still standing in for the man on the radio. The button pressing is going well. The Emerald Isle's entry, Bambi Thug, has their place in the Eurovision final ... the man on the radio and all Emeraldians will be cheering them on on Saturday. 'Everybody's Messing With Fire' is being sung by Clare Teal ... somehow appropriate that today's 'what's this music?' quiz is for Desperate Housewives. The traffic lady came and went with sad reports of refugee tents being moved from the Grand Canal and to avoid the area.

Strange noises from the long box hedge last night. Was feeding the new ghost cat under the car under the watchful eyes of Lady Clemence and Busterson ... all reasonably peaceful ... until ........... a mouse!! Bad time to make your move mousey! Lady Clemence leapt for it, as did Busterson ... then ghost cat swiftly turned, growled, grabbed poor mousey and barrelled through and disappeared into the hedge.

I went to look. Heard familiar unhappy 'this is mine!' noises. Realised Lady Clemence and Busterson were still over by the car looking puzzled. So who was in the hedge arguing over such a tiny meal???

The camera revealed all this morning. There are two ghost cats! One has short legs, the other long and has a limp. Both raid the biscuits left in the shed for Lady Clemence and Busterson. Signor Floyd also helps himself. The shed is now The Cat Cafè. How come I wasn't invited to the opening? Will I find menu requests?

Hmmmm ........ April/May is the time for newcomers ... if only they could tell their tales.

Just aswell none of them like coffee, so my coffee pot is safe. I shall ponder the potential for becoming local crazy cat hooman ... sincerely hope they are just ghost cats and not of the zombie variety! ;-) ...

[katelutter]

When Theo arrives at an American Cemetery near Anzio in Italy, will the rascally hero do the right thing? Hot Blogging with Chuck Katelutter.blogspot.com

[jupiterstupiter]

Cattails oc cattails oc

[a-pale-azure-moon]

Happy birthday to my lovely Luna. She's now fifteen (!) years young and still going strong. I'm so grateful for all the years we've had together and I hope there's still some more to come.

[dreamingmappist]

Heater gets turned on. My cat stands by her rug™️.

Me: You expect me to read your mind?

Her: silent and staring

Me: puts the rug under the bench closer to the heat vent

Her: snuggles in her spot™️.

Me: You’re lucky I’m psychic. pets her warm fur

[izzythehutt]

Are you a fan of Cat-Tales by Chris Dee? Any thoughts on it?

This question is so random, but as it happens, once upon a time I was a huge fan. In college mostly, which was when I was really into Batman and Superman.

I think my biggest critique was how many side characters there were and the biases of Chris herself against certain things in the continuity (Damian’s existence, eg.—probably just Talia in general.) I liked Selina having friendships with certain members of the Rogues, I enjoyed the storyline where Riddler figured out Bruce was Batman and that caused him an existential crisis.

I haven’t read it in years—did Bruce and Selina ever freaking get married?

[cloudselkie]

The cat tree has borne fruit.

[detroitlib]

From our stacks: Endpaper detail from Cat Tales: Classic Stories from Favorite Writers. With Photographs by Robin Upward. Introduction by Cleveland Amory. New York: Viking Studio Books, 1989.

[hussyknee]

Y'all ever look at your cat and realize "I'm living with a serial killer"?

[changeling-of-the-fae]

My grandparents have a cat. A very special cat. A cat with sensory sensitivities. She has particular feelings about Things Beneath Her Feet.

Tippytoes does not like cat litter. She does not like high end cat litter, she does not like low end cat litter; she does not like fancy cat litter substitutes.

She likes carpet. Soft, plushy, central-living-area carpet. Carpet with people adjacency.

Tippytoes likes carpet so much, she will hold her business until she can bring it inside.

My grandparents live in their own home, alone. They are in their mid-90's. They have sensory insensitivities and they do not know where Tippytoes goes.

Tomorrow they will have a visitor. A very important visitor. A visitor with a camera. She will determine how much credit my grandparents can get.

My grandparents need credit. Soft, plushy, security-cushion credit. Credit with low interest.

I have scrubbed, shampooed, soaked, soda-ed, and sucked the daylights from The Carpet to remove as much visible urine and discernible odor as humanly possible.

My olfactory senses have cut all contact. My shower, while a relief, could not sanitize my psyche. But I am finished. I can do no more in the Fight Against Odors.

I am lying in bed, clean now, and it is raining outside.

And above the pitter-patter, I can hear her.

Tippytoes has the most innocent, kitten-like mewl. It's unbecoming for a cat of her age.

But right now, she sounds pathetic. Miserable. Wet.

And against all reason, I want to let her in. Three days of crawling hands and knees through her litterbox, and I am tempted to rescue her from the dismal damp.

I tell you all this, not to show that I am A Good Grandaughter.

I tell you this because if, and I say if, a demon were to bait me with cats, chocolate, or a large iced coffee, I would lose.

I know that now.

When they ask what happened to me...just tell them I've let the vampire cat in.

[rj-drive-in]

A Cat May Look At A Horse Department:

A simple tale of love and heartbreak.

ABIGAIL’S CAT © 2023 by Rick Hutchins

Because I am old, you think I’ve lost my mind; but I remember when there was magic in the world.

In my prime, I worked at the smitty in the township and attempted to court the lovely Abigail. With long red locks and green eyes, her fair skin peppered with sweet brown freckles, she was a vision of loveliness. But she entertained no gentlemen callers. Since the consumption took her parents, she lived alone on her tiny farmstead.

Alone with her calico cat, whom she loved very much.

On one hot and dry summer day, Farmer Braddock stopped by the smitty and mentioned that Abigail’s cat had moved into his stable with his horses and would not leave. He had sent for Abigail.

Hoping to endear myself to her with my assistance, I hurried over the hill to the Braddock Farmstead; I stopped at the East window of the stable when I heard voices.

“Please come home,” I heard Abigail say.

“I can’t,” replied a masculine voice. “I am becoming a horse.”

I peered inside the window. The cool, dark stable was empty of horses, which were all in the field. But Abigail was there, facing a stall where her cat stood in the dust and strewn hay. The cat stood proudly, his muscles bunched, straining to be taller and larger.

“But you are a cat,” said Abigail.

“It was a mistake that I was born a cat,” said the animal. “In my heart, I am a horse. I must become what I truly am.”

Abigail turned away in tears and departed through the stable doors.

“Don’t cry!” called out the cat. “When my transformation is complete, I will sweep you upon my back and we will ride like the wind!”

For the next month, I courted Abigail with songs and gifts to ease her sorrow, but she would be neither wooed nor comforted.

Then, on the dusk of a late summer day, as I walked through the hills outside the township, I heard a sound above me. There on the blue ridge stood the figure of a mighty calico horse, on his back the form of a pale nude rider with long, flowing hair that flamed like the sunset. The horse reared up on his hind legs with a sound like throaty laughter and they were gone on the cool night breeze.

Abigail was never seen again.

Yes, I still remember when there was magic in the world; but she took it with her when she left.

[katelutter]

A glimpse into the past: When Theo, the gangster cat, sets his mind to ignoring the barrier and sniffing the Temple of Athena in Paestum, can the lure of snacks save the day? Hot Blogging with Chuck Katelutter.blogspot.com