Slash Dreams...

Of the day his fur returns to its full length.

So that he can eat it.

~5-Cat Style

ManCat Monday: Face-Reading

Q: How can you tell, from looking at a ManCat, that it is a Monday?

A: From how quickly his face goes from a to z.
(i.e. alert to zonked)

~5-Cat Style

Slash's Wrestling Strategy Needs Rethinking

Slash works hard at his wrestling games with Bronzy.

And he employs many tricks in a bid to win each match.
For example...

Distracting Bronzy with butterfly paw waves is a favourite.

So is threatening her with lionesque poses.

And to maneuver himself into the ideal pounce position...

Slash will hop quickly from one leg to another,
making him look as though he is krumping.

And when he finally gets into his desired pounce position...

He will hurl himself at Bronzy.
Sometimes quietly, sometimes with a terrific yell.

But, more often than not...

All these carefully thought-out strategies leave him at
the receiving end of a humiliating face-crunch.

The poor boy...

~5-Cat Style

Flashback Friday: What a Strange Bedfellow

As a kitten,
Slash was marvelous at falling asleep suddenly
in the strangest positions.

Like here...

He is sound asleep while artfully draped over an upright pillow.

No headrush problems for this little dude.

He is as comfy as can be.

~5-Cat Style

Welcome to Our Boudoir

Today, Slash and I will tell you all about our 'bedroom' history.

The first bed we ever had was Mommy's bed.

We started out sleeping beside her tummy,
then on her legs and finally,
we graduated to sleeping on top of her head.

That sleeping-on-the-head routine coincided nicely
with Mommy's decision to get us our own bed.

And she did!

But, while it was cosy at first, it steadily became more cramped.

So we were very grateful when one of Mommy's friends
got us a second bed last Christmas.

We can now sleep comfily
with lots of room to stretch and spread our limbs.

Slash, being a creature of habit,
preferred the first bed over the second for a long time.

That's because he is the type of kitty who
delights in the familiar and hisses at the new.

Slash enjoys the deep 'bucket' of the first bed.

He likes pressing his cheek against its soft interior.

And he likes the added security of having a 'roof' over his head.

It makes him feel like a King in a very safe castle.

I, on the other hand...

... Took to the second bed right away.

It is so thick and soft and very very inviting.

The very first time I laid down in it,
I was lost in its magic!

So I was happy to have it exclusively to myself.

Over time, Slash found out that
he actually quite approved of the second bed.

So now we take turns.

I will sometimes relax in the first bed.

While he chills out in the second.

Mommy arranged for both beds to be side-by-side
which works out very well for us.

Firstly, we really enjoy snoozing together.

And secondly, I've grown so used to Slash's snoring...

... That hearing it now is very comforting.

And best of all,
sleeping so close side-by-side...

... Allows us to exchange goodnight kisses.

We hope you have enjoyed this introduction to our beds.

We're going to drift off to slumberland now.
Maybe we'll see you there!

~5-Cat Style

Sleepy Sunday

I've gone without sleep for 38 hours working on a research paper.

It didn't help that both Slash and Bronzy
gave me a solid show of support
by snoozing soundly beside me for almost all 38 hours.

Well, I'm leaping into bed now to join them in their neverending siesta.

Have a sleepy Sunday, everyone!

~5-Cat Style

Please Leave the Dead Bear Alone

It has been a week since Knut the polar bear passed away suddenly in front of horrified zoo visitors. But the cause has yet to be confirmed.

Knut the German Polar Bear

Knut’s short life (only four years) had been wrecked with controversy since his birth, and so it is not unexpected that greater waves of controversy have erupted since his death. All this has brought zoos under severe public scrutiny, with huge uproars over the cheap exploitation and poor welfare of the captive animals.

Baby Knut with his Keeper, Thomas Dörflein

The Berlin Zoo isn’t helping matters. Not with their announcement of their intention to stuff the bear for public display with the flimsy excuse that it would allow Knut’s fans more time to say their goodbyes to him. Many are outraged, and rightly so. This is clearly a distasteful exploitation of the public’s love for the polar bear to earn the zoo more profits.

At such a time, the Berlin Zoo needs to be sensitive towards the feelings of the public and to handle such an emotional affair with delicacy, respect and class. I understand the zoo's need to keep the money coming in, but to be so obviously money-driven at such a time is being myopic. If the Berlin Zoo does go ahead with the taxidermy, it will be a PR disaster for all zoos and more so for the ones that are doing good work in conservation and welfare.

So I say to the Berlin Zoo, please leave Knut’s body alone. Rather than taxidermy, why not set up a gallery of his films and photos? That would be enough for fans to pay tribute to the polar bear they have already given their hearts to.

You will be missed, dear Knut

~5-Cat Style

*Update: Neurologists have confirmed that Knut suffered an epileptic fit that then caused him to fall into the pool and drown. They suspect that his father may have passed on a brain disorder to him. What that brain disorder is has yet to be determined.

Dazzling Wildlife Documentaries

I must apologise for being tardy with my blog entries. I am buried under heaps of work and shadowed by several looming deadlines.

For now, please allow me to cross-post an entry that I had written for my uni blog.

Enjoy! :)

~5-Cat Style

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Big Cats Rock!

I am a sucker for big cat documentaries.

Whenever an episode on one of the big cats comes on the telly, that’s it. I sprout claws and embed them firmly into the couch. Nothing will move me away from the flashy screen until the show is over.

Therefore, as an ardent devourer of big cat documentaries, I feel that you can trust me when I say that the best of these are created by Dereck and Beverly Joubert.

Dereck and Beverly Joubert are award-winning filmmakers from Botswana

Of all their films, my absolute favourite has to be Eye of the Leopard. It tracks the dramatic life of a 3-day-old leopard cub named Legadema for three years. Before this film, I never realised how swift and and agile leopards are in trees. The way these large, heavy beasts weave through the branches like little squirrels is a magnificent sight.

The mesmerising Lagedema

The most moving segment in this film has to be where Legadema kills a female baboon and stumbles unexpectedly upon her baby. Against our understanding of the viciousness of nature, Legadema picks the baby baboon up and begins to mother it.

National Geographic's Eye of the Leopard

You must now be wondering… So what happened to the baby baboon? Did it survive?

My words will do no justice to this tale. So I will just say, please watch this film to experience the roller-coaster of emotions and breathtaking visuals it will take you through.

Right now, I cannot wait to catch the Jouberts’ newly released film, The Last Lions.

It is about a lone lioness named Ma di Tau (“Mother of Lions”) and the unbelievable obstacles she has to overcome to keep her cubs alive. From an enemy pride of lionesses to hungry crocodiles and dangerous buffaloes, the struggle to survive is brutal.

The Last Lions Official Trailer

For now, I will leave you with a video of the Jouberts’ presentation at TED entitled Life Lessons from Big Cats. It is a peek into the lives of the Jouberts as wildlife film-makers and their efforts in ensuring the survival of the big cats in Africa.

PS. If you would like to contribute towards the big cat conservation, please click here and choose how you would like to help. Every small bit of effort will go a long way in protecting these amazing animals.