Another Insane Devotion

Another insane devotion

I just finished reading the book Another Insane Devotion by Peter Trachtenberg.

I read the review of this book in the New York Times Sunday Book Review and knew I had to read it. It’s a lovely nonfiction book about the author’s relationships with his cats and his wife. During the course of the book, cats come in and out of his life; love waxes and wanes; and the author questions at times why he’s so devoted to these loves of his lives.

It’s a beautiful, and at times, melancholy, book on the nature of love of both human and beast. Anyone who’s ever experienced a devotion to a cat should read it. Men and Cats gives it two paws up.

 

Cat Yoga

When I received an e-mail with the subject “Cat Yoga on VICE” I forwarded it to my husband, saying “I like that I got an email with the subject ‘cat yoga’ in it – I was kind of like, why have I never before now received an email with the subject ‘cat yoga’? Seems so natural.”

Anyway, apparently the folks at Vice are doing a whole series on cats and… I dunno, cats on the Internet or something? Here’s the video. I also realized I know one of the people interviewed in the video, since I went to college with her. Hello Amy, if you happen to read this, and I’m glad to see we both appreciate funny cats.

Mow!

Somehow, my baby has turned into a toddler! And – no surprise here – he is obsessed with cats.

He loves our cats so much – although the feeling’s not entirely mutual. He gets so excited when he sees a cat – he’ll run over to them, giggle, and say “Mow! Mow!” (his version of “meow”), which will often send the cats flying out of reach. However, we’ve been working on approaching the cats GENTLY and QUIETLY and we do occasionally manage to pet them, or even sweetly kiss them (in Charley’s case). My little guy also calls out  Charley, aka “CHA-CHEY!” all the time.

He also knows where all the other cats on our street live. Our neighbor across the street has two cats, and  a yard/driveway filled with cat-themed objects, including cat planters. My guy will go up to each and every cat object and pet it, and kiss it, and reverently say, “Mow.” He tugs me down the street to the house with an indoor/outdoor cat, saying “Mow! Mow!” the whole way there. He’s delighted if the cat’s outside and disappointed if he’s not! He even kisses pictures of cats. Last weekend, he kissed a bag of cat food I’d just brought home, because it had a picture of a cat on it. “Mow,” he said after he kissed it. Mow, indeed.

 

John & Tommy

I know I am terribly remiss in updating with recent photos of cute men and cute cats – so allow me to make it up to you with another photo of a shirtless man and his feline companion. This is John (human) and Tommy (cat). John simply says, “Every so often I use a kitty pillow for my nap.” Great idea, John! Everyone knows kitty pillows are the best!