from pets.ca via sympatico

Black Cats

by Pets.ca

It's time to give them a break

You are walking down the street and a black cat crosses your path. What do you do? Whether you dismiss it or not, many people think of it as some kind of a bad omen. Black cats and bad luck is a superstition that has lived on even in modern society. Past events, and present misconceptions of these cats keep this unfortunate stereotype alive.

Black is a colour that often brings an emotional response. What do you think of when you imagine this colour? Night, darkness, boring, no colour, dark, evil, scary are all common (and generally negative) words to describe black. This negative connotation of the colour black also applies to black cats. The portrait of the black cat as an omen of bad luck began with accusations of witchcraft and witch-hunts many years ago. It was believed that black cats had magical powers that allowed them to transform themselves into witches. Thus, if a person were to see a black cat they would fear something bad was going to befall them. This type of thinking though happened hundreds of years ago, why is this belief still widespread?

This fear of black cats has carried on throughout all these years because humans continue to perpetuate the stereotype. We as a society have continued to use the black cat as a symbol of black magic, bad luck, and fear. There are many examples, but we will touch on a few of them to better your understanding of what must be done to change the public's view of black cats. Every year there is one holiday where we pass on the superstition about black cats to our offspring and this is Halloween. In present times this holiday is meant to be fun, and meant to give kids a chance to go door to door collecting free, yummy, sugary candy. Think for a moment about your Halloween decorations. Surely, many of you have black cats with their backs arched, hissing, and showing their teeth. Perhaps this cat is next to a witch, or maybe a full moon. Either way, in Halloween decorations, the black cat is always portrayed as a frightful beast. Secondly, myths and stories passed down generation-to-generation fuel the fire regarding black cats and their lack of luck. People tell stories about how they see a black cat one day and then they have an unfortunate event the next day. This is not to say the black cat was the cause, but since the superstition is so popular, people think back and try to relate the two events. Moreover, television shows and movies with supernatural content continually support the superstition. One example is the television show "Sabrina the Teenage Witch." Sabrina has a talking black cat named "Salem" that is a slick talker and always seems to cause unfortunate events to occur. It is therefore our own fault that this superstition has perpetuated for hundreds of years. It is time that we leave behind this habit of associating black cats with bad luck. It does not do us any good, and it is certainly not beneficial for black cats.

Even if you do not consciously think bad thoughts upon seeing a black cat, it leads to a general weariness or unconscious dislike for them. How else can we explain why the number of black cats adopted in animal shelters across North America is significantly lower than other coloured cats? The truly ironic part is that the only bad luck is for the black cat itself that has to live its life based on the label we have given it. This is why they often remain unnoticed and not adopted. The sad part is that potential black cat owners may be missing out. Colour is no indication of how great a pet cat can be. Oftentimes black cats are the ones with the most wonderful personalities and are extremely friendly. It's time to break the stereotype.

My ex always called Edgar my familiar, but that's just because he was jealous that Edgar loved me more (and rightly so!).

Your cat is Al Gore! Always the winner of the pawpular vote, Edgar is Al Gore! Green through and through, Edgar is super-careful about how he marks his territory and goes out of his way to cover his tracks. Though Edgar is a lover and not a fighter, he won't stray from your side when trouble flashes its ugly fangs. Not bothered by superfluous detail, Edgar can be counted on to report back to you with the facts at hand, no matter how nasty they may be. Not one to rely on his top-notch genes and breeding, scratching and clawing his way to the top is Edgar's modus pawperandi.

I think the cat has peed somewhere he is definitely not supposed to have peed.

I guess there won't be many folks around here tonight, what with the Oscars and all. I'm not an awards show person so I guess I'll just have to amuse myself tonight. Actually, I have things to do, and really, tonight would be ideal to get some of them done. I did bring a bit of work home that I need to get done, but that will wait until after this post, and for when Edgar decides to stop licking my fingers as I type!

I got some good news this week - I got a three point something percent raise and a bit of a bonus (same amount as last year). I really wasn't sure what the raise would look like considering I got that special raise in September. But I guess they can't exactly recognize you with one raise, then not give you the normal raise, right? Everyone who bonuses was a bit disappointed. Canada did well, and our office in particular did very well, but our revenue is but a drop of spit in the ocean of American revenue, and they sucked the big one this past year. Our head guy in Canada begs for as big a bonus pool as he can for us, but there's only so much he can do. It's a great company but there are certain things that they need to revisit. Then again, that's a familiar refrain with many companies. My point of view is that it's all extra money, so what the heck, right? They pay me well and I like what I do - what more can I ask for (other than extra vacation time!)?

At my performance review, I had said that I thought I should be leveled up. The boss didn't say too much, which I should have paid more attention to at the time. The last time I asked (to get to my current level), he was much more animated about asking for it for me. Well, this time, I had to actually ask if I got it and he said no. The next day, I was talking to our department head and from things she said, plus things I'm remembering, I don't think my boss even asked for it for me. I'm not sure if I'll come out and ask him, but we do have a goal-setting meeting coming up after he's back from holidays, so we'll see. It just really sucks because if you don't think I deserve it, come out and tell me you don't think I should get it yet, or tell me a better excuse than the one he came up with this week. Sortaboss definitely thinks I should be at the next level, but he's not my PDA (development coach, or whatever it stands for - professional development advisor, I think), and it would look rather slimy to ask to switch to him. Anyway, the talk with the department head was good. I told her some stuff that was on my mind, and she obviously took it to heart because she spoke with Sortaboss about it all the next day. None of it would have been a surprise to him because we talk so much already. My future is going to boil down to them rather than the boss, as far as I can tell and am concerned. I can't worry about someone's feelings when it's my future and career that are being affected.

Anyway, work stuff has been on my mind a lot the past few months. I could write a whole essay about it but why bore you all more than necessary? Oh wait, you're all watching the Oscars, anyway. I'd just be turning my fingertips to nubs typing it all out for no reason.

I'm still keeping an eye on Edgar. He has been eating a lot and doesn't seem to have lost any more weight, but he hasn't gained any back, either, from what I can tell. I wish I had a scale. I check out his belly when I give him a rub and I can feel a little round something on one side. It doesn't hurt him at all, and it hasn't gotten any bigger. I make sure to check it every day. Just when I think he's showing signs of slowing down, he gets all kittenish again. That makes me feel better.

No trip plans yet. We went to get our passports last week. There may be a slight delay for LBA's daughter, but we're keeping our fingers crossed. We each paid an additional ten dollars to guarantee that we'd be able to pick them up on March 5th, but luckily we don't need passports to go to the Dominican, just in case her daughter's doesn't come through in time. I think I'm wearing my eyes and mouse out by checking the web for deals. We're going to have to stay late one night at work this week to actually book the trip, I think. My beach coverup and sandals should be arriving this week, and I still need to go pick up a slightly larger suitcase than what I have. I saw a lovely one yesterday, so if I don't find something cheaper in the meantime, I'll go pick that one up, probably next weekend. Then it's only one week until we leave! My sister and her family are in Mexico right now, so I hope they're enjoying their vacation. I really need to get my crap in gear so that I get everything done that I want (and need) to get done before the trip. I am such a procrastinator!

Okay, I'm going to go do that bit of work I brought home before I forget about it. I think a nice mug of hot chocolate would go well, don't you?

Some of you will remember a couple of posts I made about the fabulous Navin. I had signed Edgar up for Catster just so I could send a message to Navin's folks. I don't get much of a chance to check out the "Navin and Buds" group, and hadn't been there for several months. Suddenly, yesterday and today, I got a couple of emails from Catster saying Edgar had received a couple of rosettes (Catster presents that show on your page for a month) and a friend request. The first one was from Navin himself. Edgar has received random things from him before so, although it was fun and interesting (and we always say thank you back to Navin's wonderful folks), I didn't think to check out the group until today when Edgar received the other two emails. Imagine my surprise when I saw that Edgar had been named Bud of Wednesday! The group names a bud for every day of the week and also has a Bud of the Week, chosen from the dailies. The group is huge, so there's no shortage of candidates. I thought this was so cute that I had to post about it. Edgar is not very well-known, so that made it that much more fun. It's the little things in life that make us smile, you know?

edit: Thanks to Peg of Tilling for pointing out that you have to be a member of the Catster group to view the page I linked to. Here's the text of the post:

Ok, our Bud of Wednesday is a very, very special fellow. His name is Edgar (what a cool name right?)
http://www.catster.com/cats/466724
Edgar has a beautiful and touching Gotcha story. Certainly Edgar got over a streak of bad luck when he met his mommy!
Edgar enjoys being brushed, being held so he can look over your shoulder and he loves to sleep with his mommy.
Congratulations to a very cool dude! 3 cheers for Edgar!
All my love,
Navin R. Johnson-Davis

no time for voxing - been sleeping, showering, playing with edgar - now it's time to leave to go shopping for a bit - I'll have a peek around vox later - and I have to do more loltheists - they liked my others so much that they want me to do more - ah, it takes so little to puff me up - lol

the only other thing I have time to say at the moment is:

I sure do love my kitty-cat - he's the sweetest thing ever!

Nablo07_seal

Edgar would like to wish you all a Happy Hallowe'en so he made a card! (how on earth did he know I love her???)

Edgarhat1

1 comment

And feel free to howl along with him to Warren Zevon:

You can also join in on This is Hallowe'en from The Nightmare Before Christmas, a favourite movie of mine: