Epic's Journal

Epic The Cat versus the Winged Intruder (official trailer)

2010-11-01T10:56:00.000+01:00

Cats and kittens... and other anipals... I invite you to watch the action-packed trailer for my upcoming movie: Epic The Cat versus the Winged Intruder.

OK, I admit. I don't have a contract with a big studio yet, and the whole project is still pretty low budget... But perhaps some Hollywood directors will recognize my potential and make me the star of their next big blockbuster.

What do you think, do I have what it takes to be a movie star?

No such thing as a box too small

2010-09-22T12:10:00.000+02:00

Epic's First Law of Cat Physics:

There is no such thing as a box too small.

What a busy summer!

2010-09-17T12:21:00.000+02:00

Howdy friends! Missed me? I'm sorry for not posting any updates recently, but I decided to take a little break from blogging during the summer. After all, I had quite a busy schedule! Let me show you what I mean by that.

As you probably know, I'm an avid fly hunter. Now, that might sound easy, but if you want to catch flies, you have to put aside a lot of time for subtle observations of your surroundings. Here's one of the ways of doing it:

Now, it might seem like I'm just casually sitting on my cat tree, but let not my gentle looks deceive you! As soon as I spot anything flying around, I can switch to hunter mode in split of a second. And when that happens, no insect is safe!

See? Even the photo is blurry from all the fast action! Now, let me catch my breath for a little while...

Of course, after such a busy day you have to relax a bit to recharge your batteries. My favorite summer pose for that is flat on the back, belly up, ready for rubs.

And to keep in shape I also have to exercise regularly. Lately, I started doing yoga, and I can already do some pretty cool poses like this one:

So. I hope you enjoyed my summer update! I'll try to post more regularly now that I'm not that busy with air traffic control and fly hunting anymore (it seems that insect don't like flying in the rain...).

Tips for staying cool in the summer

2010-07-20T18:15:00.000+02:00

Summer is in full swing over here and while I enjoy the variety of insects in the air, I must say I'm not such a big fan of the summer heat. The temperatures in the past week have reached and passed 33 °C (over 90 °F), which isn't easy to deal with if you're covered in multiple layers of fur like I am.

So, here are some of my favorite stategies for coping with the heat:

Find a nice windy spot: Laying down close to the fan will make wind flow through your fur and keep you both fresh and super cute. Bonus points: humans won't be able to resist giving you a belly rub if you lay on your back and get your fur ruffled by the wind.

Save your energy: Plan your physical activity more carefully during the day. Early mornings and late evening are the best times to hunt flies, so just take it easy during the day, and find a cool spot for your afternoon nap.

Napping should become your full time job when it's hot

Water is your friend: Well, we all know cats and water don't mix well, but be prepared to make some exceptions during the summer. First, make sure to drink plenty of fresh water throughout the day. Next, (and I can't believe I'm going to say this...) allow your humans to help you out; let them pet you with a damp towel or wet hands. This will keep you fresh for a while, but don't show your humans you're enjoying the effects of water on your body, otherwise they might get some strange ideas. And oh, I also like to play with plastic bottle caps that float in a few centimeters of water. It's fun, and you don't even realize that you get wet while playing.

Get a good brush: Another thing your humans can help you with - it really helps to shed some extra fur! Look at how much fur I got rid of during my last session with the Furminator.

Wait... all that fur was on me?!?

Enjoy any cloudy or rainy weather: And my final tip is to be ready to seize up any cloudy or rainy periods that may come along between heat waves. With any luck, you might even be able to get some real wind in your fur, and if it doesn't rain too much, it's actually nice to sit on the window and get damp from the rain (but don't ever tell your humans you enjoy that!).

Aaah, getting some real wind in my fur during a cloudy day

I hope you find some of these tips useful; and please let me know if I'm missing anything important in the comments! Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a nice, cool spot waiting for me underneath the fan...

Epic's Water Quality Ranking

2010-07-01T17:14:00.002+02:00

I sometimes hear humans on TV or interwebs discussing whether it is better drink tap or bottled water. They seem pretty confused about this matter, so I hope I can shed some light on the subject based on my empirical evidence. So, here's my official water quality ranking:

Tap water somebody opens when you demand it: in other words, get in the bathtub, look cute, meow/chirp if necessary and voila! humans make the water flow. Easy, fresh and tasty!
Water in human glasses: just wait for the right moment when your humans walk out from the kitchen with a glass full of water and pretend to be super thirsty. Or, if they ignore you, just help yourself to a sip when they live the glass unattended. (Note: water in people's glasses often tastes better than on-demand tap water, but I just haven't figured out how to ask for water in human glasses whenever I want to, so I placed on-demand water in 1st place due to its accessibility)
Water in your bowl: yeah, I know it's fresh from the tap, but it just doesn't taste as good as the other two kinds. Although bowl water is perfectly acceptable if you want to get a drink while lying on the floor.

Bottled water? Forget it, my tongue just isn't that long. So, if you ask me, tap water always wins over bottled water; I don't know why humans can't appreciate the awesomeness of fresh tap water.

Cleanliness is next to Godliness

2010-06-29T10:44:00.000+02:00

Cats are well known for our cleanliness, as keeping our coats nice and clean is always one of the top priorities in our lives. But I think it's also important to keep your home clean. And as my humans sometimes forget to clean glass surfaces in our home, I like to give them a paw whenever I can spare a minute or two. Have a look!

The art of fly hunting

2010-06-10T17:40:00.001+02:00

A while back I shared a short video of my first attempts at catching flying insects. Thanks to all your helpful tips and a lot of practice, I think I now perfected my own technique of catching little flying prey. Here are my 3 basic steps:

Step 1: Acquire target: You always have to be ready to spot your prey. Don't really on humans for that, their eyesight is quite poor.
Step 2: Warming up: I like to warm up before getting to serious business with some vocal exercises. While warming up, keep your eyes locked on the target, plan ahead.
Step 3: The hunt: When you've studied your target and are all warmed up, it's time to jump into action! And I mean that literally. Don't be afraid to use your claws, and don't forget to use your tail for balance.

And as usually, here's a short clip of me demonstrating this technique:

I hope you find my tips useful - and if you've got any advice on how I could improve my technique, be sure to let me know in the comments!

Enjoying the warm weather

2010-06-08T11:48:00.001+02:00

Aaah, after a pretty cool and rainy May, it finally seems that we're getting ready for Summer. That means little flying insects are back in the air and that my humans are now leaving the window open for longer periods of time.

So, if you've been wondering what I've been up to since celebrating my 1st birthday, here's a little snapshot from my new full time job:

Chillaxing in my window hammock

You know how it's like - us cats have to make sure all traffic is counted and all birds closely observed. But I can't really complain about my job!

Celebrating my 1st birthday

2010-05-13T16:09:00.002+02:00

Dear anipals and human servants, it is with great pleasure that I would like to announce my resignation from the kitten club and at the same time apply for membership in the esteemed league of adult cats. I believe I am now old enough to officially graduate from kitten to cat. Let me introduce you to some evidence that shows the progress I have made in the first year of my life:

It all started on May 13, 2009 when my mom gave birth to 6 little kittens. I don't remember much of my early days, but I do remember my mom took good care of us. I was given the official name Flash'n Dash - Amor.

First official photo, still a bit unsure and way more ginger than I really am

(Photo by Suniva)

It was fun growing up with my big cat family, but it wasn't too long until my brothers and sisters started leaving home to live with other humans, and my mom was telling me that someday I would also find a new home. I wasn't quite sure what to think about that, so I wasn't too excited when some humans showed up around my 5 months birthday and started talking about taking me away from my cat family.

Listening to humans discussing my new home - should I be worried?

And sure enough, a week or so later, on October 17, I had to say goodbye to my cat family and after an hour long car drive, I first set paws and whiskers in my new home. It was a very interesting experience, and there was so much to explore! I also got a new, shorter name: Epic. And of course, I had to get used to my new human servants, which wasn't as difficult as I feared it would be.

1st day at my new home - this isn't bad at all!

At the end of October I started writing this journal to keep track of my new, exciting life and share my findings about the world.

Little explorer (November)

Meanwhile, my humans made sure I was getting good food, so was gaining about 1 kg per month in the first few months at my new home. Here's a chart of how I was gaining weight in the second half of my first year:

As you can see from my weight chart, my growth started slowing down in January, but I was still visibly growing up and started to develop more adult features.

Looking all grown up with my fluffy winter mane (January)

And today, I finally get to celebrate my first birthday! My humans have been telling me for some time that I'm a big cat already, but I am glad I finally have the numbers to prove it. As this is my first ever birthday I'm not quite sure what to expect from the celebrations, but I hear rumors that there will be many treats, cuddles and a lot of play time involved, which is just what a cat needs! And oh, a great thing about being officially an adult cat is that my humans now allow me to eat special, king size Maine Coon kibble that I simply adore!

I'm a big cat now!

I hope you enjoyed sharing my first year of life with me, and I promise to keep bringing you exciting reports of my cat life. Thanks for following me!

How to attract your humans' attention

2010-05-06T17:18:00.001+02:00

Ah, humans. Such wonderful creatures with the ability to turn almost every inanimate object into prey and keep us entertained for hours. Unfortunately, they also have the tendency to get sidetracked by their silly human stuff and neglect their main duty as servants of cats. And what can you do when that happens?

Here's my basic list of attention grabbers*:

Talking. We all know that cats don't really vocalize much among each other, but humans seem to like that, so try to imitate that. Of course, we, Maine Coons, have an unfair advantage in this area with our wide range of vocalization abilities.
Staring. Stare at your humans, and make sure you have big, cute eyes. Simply unresistable.
Tail swooshing. A universal sign that your require human attention and not receiving it.
Fooling around. Do something unusual that will make your humans go "awwww".

But hey, why am I writing this list when I can just show you my technique with a clip? Have a look, and see how I combine all listed elements into one Epic performance:

* Note: you can always combine one or more elements on the list depending on how busy your humans are.

Spring is my favorite season so far

2010-05-05T21:30:00.001+02:00

I'm not yet 1 year old, so I'm still can't tell for sure which is my favorite time of the year. I thought winter was pretty cool with snowflakes falling from the sky, but I must say I'm also enjoying spring a lot! It's not too hot yet, but it is warm enough for my humans to leave the window open for longer periods of time, and it seems that the warmer weather has awoken many strange, flying creatures I can play with. And what more could a cat wish for?

I still have to figure out the right technique for catching those little buggers though. Meanwhile, you can enjoy a short clip of one of my first hunting attempts. Let me know if I'm on the right track!

I love the cat net!

2010-05-01T10:39:00.003+02:00

A few days ago my humans got another package from the interwebz for me. There was something called a cat net in the box, and at first I couldn't really figure out what it was for and why I should be excited about this new purchase.

But after what seemed an eternity of my humans working in secrecy behind closed doors (can you imagine they didn't want my help?), it turns out that the cat net is installed on windows and gives my humans a sense of security about letting me watch birds with the window open. Of course, if you ask me, I don't need a security net to protect me - I'm a great acrobat and I'm not afraid of heights - but if that's what it takes for my humans to feel safer, I'm fine with that.

So, without further ado, let me show you some brand new photos of me studying ornithology and human traffic patterns with the window wide open. It sure feels nice to get some fresh air and listen to all the interesting outdoor sounds!

Inspector Epic: my classic pose

Taking a stroll along the window...

Yep, birds also look yummy, errrr.... I mean pretty from the other side

Cats have a busy life

2010-04-24T12:51:00.001+02:00

Sometimes cat life gets so busy, you don't even have time to pull your tongue back in your mouth.

You see, apart from my office job, I also have to keep track of the local bird population. It may sound easy, but ornithology is serious science and demands a keen eye and high levels of concentration.

7 tips on how to become an office cat

2010-04-19T09:07:00.003+02:00

I hope you all had a nice, lazy weekend. Today is Monday again, which probably means your humans will be back at the office pretending to be busy by endlessly staring at computer screens.

But don't think that your humans are the only ones that are good with all that computer "work"; cats can also easily become super helpful office cats! Here are 7 easy things you can do to blend into the office life and help your humans be more productive:

1) Help your humans fix their computers when something goes wrong. We all know cats are way better with wires than humans!

2) At the start of the work day check the printer status. You want to make sure the printer is ready to spit out paper you will be able to play with.

3) Check the battery level on laptops and be ready to pull the plug when they are fully recharged. You will be environmentally friendly by saving energy, plus the charging cable is fun to play with!

4) Check your human's Facebook News Feed while they take a break. You don't want them to miss anything important, do you?

5) When you notice any cat related posts on Facebook, make sure to "Like" them. Again, just making sure your humans notice things that really matter.

6) Warm your human's wrist during intensive computer work to prevent RSI. A little warmth goes a long way!

7) Make sure the computer mice don't escape. You can easily do that by taking a nap on the tail or (if it's a wireless mouse) just using the mouse as a pillow.

That's just a brief overview of some of my favorite office chores; please feel free to share other helpful tips in the comments. Have a great week at the office!

Cat vs. Balls on the Cat Tree

2010-04-17T09:27:00.005+02:00

A while ago I got an awesome cat tree that provides endless hours of entertainment and joy. One of the most interesting features about my cat tree are several strategically placed balls that are a lot of fun to play with. However, the problem is that the balls are confined to the tree, so you can't just take them to your cat cave or nest. And believe me, I tried for months to pull those hanging balls off - and I've got pretty strong paws! - but with no success.

Just when I was about to give up on ever getting those balls, I finally found a new effective technique for dealing with hanging balls! I still have to figure out how to get to the remaining cat tree balls in cages, but until then I think you might appreciate a demonstration of my special ball removal method:

I hope that helps, although I feel I must warn you that these hanging balls aren't as fun detached as they were on the cat tree *sigh*, so keep that in mind before attempting this irreversible procedure!

I make a great Lolcat!

2010-04-15T10:18:00.003+02:00

I've got some exciting news, dear friends: today one of my pictures got featured on I Can Has Cheezburger?, which is of course one of the best websites on the interwebz (just the Lolcats section, of course). So, make sure you visit ICHCheezburger today and take a look at my Lolcat debut.

And oh, my humans also say you can also capshun my other Lolcat ready pics ^^

April 14, 2010 shall be remembered in history books

as the day of my first Lolcat appearance

UPDATE: You can see more awesome Epic Lols at Wendy's LOL-Spot. Thanks for featuring me Wendy!

O hai guise, Epic is back!

2010-04-14T09:20:00.000+02:00

O hai everyone, Epic here! Yes, yes, I'm doing great, just didn't get a chance to blog much lately. You see, my humans have been pretending to be busy a lot by staring at computer screens and playing with their silly computer mice, so I really couldn't get my paws on their keyboards to steal a few minutes to write an update.

But don't worry; I had a serious talk with my humans and we all agreed I deserve at least a few minutes for blogging each week. (They still don't want to get me my own computer though...)

So, in case you've been wondering about what I've been doing lately: pretty much the usual cat stuff. Getting at least 16 hours of beauty sleep each day, charming guests, practicing my hunting skills on anything that moves and eating well. One of my favorite recent hobbies also includes exploring various new territories, so I'm gonna end this update with a snapshot from one of my travels into the depths of a closet and a promise to write more updates soon.

moar funny pictures

The subtle art of napping

2010-01-29T13:31:00.002+01:00

Ok, so I'm a cat. And cats are supposed to be really good at napping by default, so it really isn't a big news that napping in one of my favorite hobbies. But attracting human attention while napping is a special kind of art. An art that I've been practicing really hard lately.

Exhibit A: Looking cute while napping in my cat carrier;

Humans love it when they find you napping in unexpected places

Now, we all know that cats are naturally good at looking super cute when napping regardless of where or how they choose to nap. But here's something you might not know: making cute noises while napping will make you absolutely unresistable for humans. Let me show you how it's done:

Wordless Wednesday - Spoiled Kitty

2010-01-27T09:28:00.000+01:00

Don't tell anyone, but I love grooming myself while being held by my humans!

My awesome cat tree

2010-01-26T00:29:00.000+01:00

Today my humans suddenly got this really big box by mail. A box so big you could fit three adult Maine Coons in it! And guess what came in the box? A brand new cat tree! Just for me!

I cannot describe how excited I am about this new arrival. There's so much to do on the new tree: I can jump on it from different angles, use it as a scratching post, play with balls... oh my, it really is awesome! And a really good replacement for my old, small scratching post.

So, without further ado, let me share with you a short video of my first test ride of the tree, still fresh out of the box. My humans say we'll have to move the tree from the middle of our living room, although I honestly think it's fine where it is. Lots of room around, and I can monitor different parts of our home from the top platform.

What's so funny?

2010-01-21T17:32:00.004+01:00

Sometimes I really don't understand my humans and their weird sense of humor. For instance, they seem to find my latest favorite lying pose pictured below funny, and I don't really see why.

So I ask you, dear anipals, what's so funny about a cat stretching his paws? All I know is that this pose is extremely comfortable, and I do wish my humans would stop acting all silly every time I do it.

How to steal fridge magnets

2010-01-19T16:54:00.001+01:00

As you probably already know, I'm a proud member of the Naughty Kitty Club. And to keep my membership active, I feel like I have to do the occasional lil' naughty thing.

Like, for instance, stealing fridge magnets. Now, this isn't always as easy as it might sound, as humans tend to put their magnets high up on the fridge. And when they do that, it's not easy for a cat to reach them. But fear not, my friends, Epic shows you how you can steal some fridge magnets today just by using a nearby chair that humans left unattended. Watch and learn!

P.S.: Don't tell your humans you learned this trick from me.

I need my own computer

2010-01-18T16:45:00.008+01:00

Greetings, dear friends! Yes, yes, I'm still here, no need to worry. My humans have been really busy lately, and I just couldn't get my paws on a computer. You see, my humans close the door of the room with all the computers when they go out and during the night, so I can't even blog or tweet when I'm alone. They say that's for my own good, as I'd probably harm myself while chewing on cables, which is complete nonsense. Who has ever heard of a cat attracted to string-like thi-... oh wait, hm, never mind.

At least they let me nap on the computer desk...

Anyhow, my point is that I really deserve my own computer. Preferably one with lots of wires (I don't understand why are humans so crazy about wireless gadgets...) and one that doesn't come with software with cat-like typing detection. As you can see in the photo below, I already have some experience with fixing computers, so I see no reason why I shouldn't get a computer that will be all mine.

But alas! my humans say I'm too young to have my own computer, so they just promised to let me blog and tweet more often instead. And they also helped me set up my own Facebook page to make up for the lack of posts on my blog, so I guess I'll forgive them this time.

Happy Holidays

2009-12-24T09:50:00.002+01:00

I'd like to wish Happy Holidays to you, my furry and human friends. May the upcoming year be full of purrs, loving head butts and nibbles, and may your bowls or plates always be full of tuna.

My favorite kneading blanket

2009-12-22T09:23:00.000+01:00

Here's the thing: I usually don't like to sleep on soft surfaces, or even stay on them for long. I find the good ol' hard floor to be comfortably cool for a cat with a heavy coat like mine.

But I do admit I have a soft spot for a special blue blanket in my room. Well, I don't use it for sleeping, but it's really great for kneading (and occasional grooming)! Don't believe me? See the video below:

I love watching TV documentaries

2009-12-19T12:45:00.003+01:00

I like to think of myself as an educated kitten. And I love to expand my knowledge of the world around me by (among other things) watching documentaries on TV. Especially if they include birds, rodents or cats.

Recently, I've been watching David Attenborough's series The Life of Mammals. I like this show, as the human host doesn't get in the way too much, and he always makes sure we hear a lot of interesting sounds. Last night's episode was about rodents, and it was so interesting that I decided to get up-close with the subject.

I must add that the downside of TV documentaries is that they never come with real animals *sighs* Ah well, a cat can still dream, right?

I'm a Naughty Kitty!

2009-12-17T12:18:00.003+01:00

Well, to be honest, I'm not a very naughty kitty, but Amy and her naughty kitties said I could join the brand new Naughty Kitty Club anyway. And I also got a shiny new badge for joining! How cool is that?

I think I should share a naughty story to celebrate my new membership. Currently, my favorite naughty thing to do is playing with tissue paper that my humans keep by their bed and use it to blow their noses (what a silly human thing to do!). I like playing with tissue paper because it's soft and makes an interesting sound when I bite it. It almost feels like biting feathers.

My humans say I'm a naughty kitty for "stealing" their tissues, but I don't really understand what all the fuss is about. I get a nice, interactive toy, and they get to search for it around our home. I often hide it under the bed, but other random places are good too, just to keep things interesting. Fun for all, right? It's too bad my humans can't understand it.

Anyhow, if you're a naughty kitty too or know one, make sure to visit the Naughty Kitty Club blog and apply for membership (cool badge included!).

I love snowflakes!

2009-12-14T12:58:00.001+01:00

First, I must apologize for the lack of posts and tweets in the past week. My human has been through some sort of surgery, and as you all know, it's a cat's duty to cheer their humans up when they're not feeling well. I think I did a great job this time, as my human is recovering well and fast. She still needs my attention though, so I might not post as often just yet.

Anyhow, today I have a special news to share with you: it's snowing! So what, you say?! Well, it is a big deal for me, as I've never seen snow before! (I was born in May.) And I think watching snowflakes is pretty fun. Almost as fun as watching birds. Too bad my humans don't leave the windows open or I'd surely have a blast catching the white, puffy stuff!

Yesterday, I saw snowflakes for the very first time. Here's a short video of that:

I didn't realize the white stuff could stick to the ground though. But today we woke up into a white morning. I spent most of it on my perch (aka the speakers), watching the snow fall. It's so pretty!

"So white, so pretty..."

"Some day, little snowflake, some day you shall be mine..."

"Hey! Why are you looking at me? Take pictures of the snow!"

Happy Monday!

2009-12-07T11:01:00.002+01:00

I just wanted to wish you all a Happy Meow Monday with a short video of me fooling around on my favorite chair (and you can even hear my beautiful voice at the end of the clip!). We all know Mondays can be tough for our humans, so make sure you give them some extra cuteness today *nose tap*

Fiona needs our help

2009-12-06T11:58:00.001+01:00

Harry Spotter, my charming hairless blogging pal, recently got a new sister, Fiona. As it turns out, she's having some serious gum and teeth problems (I can't imagine how that must hurt!) and she needs blood work, biopsy, teeth cleaning and extractions done, which will cost her mom over 1 000 $ (yikes!). Fiona has had this problem for a while it seems, but her breeder doesn't want to take responsibility for these problems.

So, if you have any change left, I'm sure Fiona's family will appreciate your help - even spreading the word will help! You can find the ChipIn widget for Fiona's dental surgery bill on Harry's blog. I already got my humans to ChipIn (they say it's super easy to do that with PayPal) and I'm sending loud purrs to both Fiona and Harry!

Kreativ Blogger award

2009-12-04T19:41:00.006+01:00

My blogging friend Katie honored me with a really nice award: the Kreativ Blogger award! Thanks again Katie, it's a real pleasure to receive this award from you.

Now I just have to convince my humans to start printing all these awards and hang them in my room, so that all visitors can see that I'm more than just a pretty face *purrs*

Ok, before I get too excited, here are the responsibilities for each Kreativ Blogger award winner:

Copy and paste the Kreativ Blogger picture onto your blog. Check.
Thank the person who gave you the award and post a link to their blog. Check.
Write 7 things about yourself we do not know. Check, see below.
Choose 7 other bloggers to award. Check, see below.
Links to those 7 other bloggers. Check, see below.
Notify your 7 bloggers. ~~Will do as soon as I publish this post.~~ Check.

Ok, so I now have to share 7 things about me that you don't know yet. I already shared 10 interesting facts when I received the Honest Scrap award, but I'll try to think of 7 more:

I love the taste of cat toothpaste! I don't understand why my humans insist on brushing my teeth (or well, trying to brush my teeth) with the toothpaste instead of just giving it as a treat.
I love it when my humans play with this thing they call the Wii - it makes all sorts of funny things appear on the TV (though my humans aren't too happy when I try to catch them).
I love lying under the drying rack and I try my best to resist the urge to play with drying clothes.
I love exploring closets and drawers.
I haven't yet figured out a way to climb on the fridge on my own (my humans keep cat grass up there). I keep on trying though!
I think playing with cat grass is more fun than eating it.
I'm quite vocal, and can do a lot of different chirps and trills. My humans love all the sounds I can make, and they say that's a characteristic of my breed.

And now, my favorite part, I have the pleasure to pass* the Kreativ Blogger award to:

Albert The Cat - a very active and opinionated blogger.
Amy and The House of Cats - Amy is an awesome cat loving human. Plus, she's launching the Naughty Kitty Club, which is a great idea (I'll have to work on my naughtiness to apply!)
Ginger Jasper - a list like this just can't be complete without a hairy, ginger cat, don't you think? And he's also a very active blogger!
Linus The Cat - his extra thumb gives him a special blogging edge.
Romeo The Cat - this cat has some great wake up tactics!
The Island Cats - how cool is it to be an island cat?
Tygana @ One Cats Nip - I just love reading about his adventures.

*The blogs are listed in alphabetical order. I wish I could list more of you, dear blogging pals!

Basic tips for human visitors

2009-12-02T12:47:00.001+01:00

One of the side effects of being a beautiful cat is that I get a lot of human visitors, who all want to admire me and pet me. Nothing wrong with that, mind you, but I still think most humans would benefit from some basic tips on how to behave when visiting a cat.

Here are some of the most important things I wish my human visitors knew:

First of all, never forget that cats aren't dogs. We don't get super excited by human presence (especially if you're a new human). We have dignity, and we like to take our time to get to know you and trust you. You won't impress us by doing silly noises, especially if they're loud. That only makes you look silly and unattractive.

So, always give the cat some time to get used to you. Each new human means a lot of new smells. Your shoes, your bags, your clothes all have a mix of unique and exciting new smells, and it takes time to go through all that. I'll let you pet me when I get used to your smell and presence. Be patient. And make sure you don't make me feel cornered. Humans can be quite big and intimidating, so it's always welcome to have a clear exit path, you know, just in case.

Next, remember that gifts are always welcome. But bear in mind that it's usually not a good idea to bring food as a gift, unless you know our preferences. We usually don't appreciate sudden changes in our diet. On the other hand, it is worth noting that we never have enough toys. Just don't expect us to start playing with your toy right from the start. That doesn't mean we don't like it or don't appreciate the thought. It's just that we often like to take our time to explore possible uses of a new toy on our own, and the presence of a new human can be a distracting factor.

And finally, learn how to play with a cat. Feel free to consult our humans on which toy is best and which methods work best for us. If you're not the only visitor, please remember that we can't be in ten different places at once. I know you all want to play with me, but please learn to take turns. Hunting is a delicate art that requires a great deal of attention, and I just can't focus if you're moving three different kinds of toys in ten different directions at the same time.

Also, keep in mind that we all have different temperaments, and something that works for your cat or your neighbor's cat might not be well accepted by me or some other cat. And when in doubt, it's always wise to listen to our humans - after all, they are the ones that know us best.

7 awesome facts about humans (to be thankful for)

2009-11-26T14:44:00.001+01:00

In my previous post I presented a list of my favorite weird facts about humans. And as today many of my blogging friends are celebrating Thanksgiving, I figured it would be a great day to make a list of facts that make our humans awesome.

And so, without much further ado, I present you my list of favorite awesome facts about humans:

Even though they're pretty slow creatures, they do seem to be great at providing food. Somehow I suspect they don't hunt for it by themselves, as it'd take them a really long time to hunt, prepare AND package everything on their own. So I think they somehow make other humans do the job for them, which is really brilliant (a trick that was surely borrowed from us, cats).
They can do some really amazing things with their opposable thumbs and strange looking front paws. Like opening cans of food in a matter of seconds (although that could always be done faster!) or making the most boring things move like prey. I think that somehow makes up for the lack of proper claws.
They have a lot of great gadgets and tools that make their lives easier or more fun. Think microwave oven. Computers and the internet. Forks and knives. And let's not forget some of the wonderful human made cat toys and even brushes that help to keep our coats nice and tidy! Really amazing, although I'm pretty sure cats could invent al that and much more if only we had their thumbs and if... *purrs*... Sorry, where was I? I just took a little nap there. Ahem, moving on.
They fill their homes with a wide range of chewable things and toys that any cat can enjoy. Now, to a cat most things in human homes look like toys, but for some reason humans don't always agree with us (think wires). So, you should pay attention to how your humans react and learn about what you can chew or play with. Or, alternatively, you can just play with anything you want and look super cute when they catch you doing it. They won't be mad for long.
Speaking of cute - they seem to be unable to resist cute napping poses, which somehow always makes them want to pet our tummies and stroke our heads (can I hear you purring already?). That's an amazing characteristic!
Additionally, the sound of purring seems to make humans very happy, so you can use that plus your cuteness to get away with most things (hint: practice that big, cute eyes look) or get cuddled. A lot. The humans just can't seem to be able to resist that combination.
They make sure our litter boxes are always clean and fresh. Now that's something I gladly leave to my humans!

I thank thee, silly humans, with this cute napping pose
and the permission to rub my belly

So, you can see that these silly creatures do have some awesomeness in them. You just have to look a bit harder to find it.

And that's why I'd like to extend my soft paw today and send a big thank you to all the awesome humans, who take really good care of their cat (and other animal) friends and make sure we have happy, stress-free lives (all 9 of them). I just wish all cats in the world would have the pleasure of having an awesome human servant or two like we do. So, if you have the luck of owning some awesome humans, don't forget to give them a gentle, loving head butt today, to show them you appreciate their concern. Happy Thanksgiving!

7 weird facts about humans

2009-11-23T22:20:00.002+01:00

I really enjoy spending time with my humans and observe their silly habits. I've lived with humans since I was born, so I've had plenty of time to notice their unique characteristics. And they never stop to amaze me in so many different ways.

These are my favorite weird facts about humans:

They have no fur to speak of, although most humans have funny hair on their heads, and some also have parts of their faces covered with hair. Now, I've heard of cat breeds that don't have fur, but humans can't seem to be able to decide whether to keep or get rid of their hair!
They seem to be unable to groom themselves and have to take daily baths to get cleaned and (for some reason) change their smell. I'm all for embracing diversity here, as long as they don't try to bathe me!
They usually sleep through the night and don't want to play with me during that time. I occasionally bring my toy mouse into their bed in case they'd change their minds about that, but so far I've had little success.
Speaking of sleeping; for some reason they don't nap often or at all during the day. It's no wonder they're all tired during the night!
I've also noticed that they can't see well during the night. They keep turning the lights on when they're looking for me after sunset, even though I can see them quite well.
It's no wonder they choose to walk on their rear paws, as they're very slow and clumsy when they try to move on all four paws. Granted, their front paws have other advantages, but overall they are still pretty slow creatures.
And they seem unable to climb. At all. But I'm not really surprised about that, as their claws aren't really sharp and they are also of the wrong shape. My humans sometimes pretend to scratch my scratching post with me, but I can see they can't really do it properly. I feel sorry for them - scratching is fun, and climbing even more so!

Human paws: not great at moving or climbing,

but excellent for chin stroking *purrs*

But of course, you can't blame the humans for their uniqueness, you just have to learn how to live with them (or train them to do what you want *wink*). They are often silly, but overall I love having them around. And they do have some awesome characteristics as well, but I'll write more about that another time.

In the mean time, I'm curious to hear about what your favorite weird facts about humans are? Let me know by leaving a comment here or writing your own blog post about that!

A close encounter with a toy helicopter

2009-11-18T12:55:00.000+01:00

My humans allowed me to browse some of the closets today, and we found a very unusual and highly interesting toy. My humans say it's a toy helicopter, but I'm not really sure what it's supposed to be doing. All I know is that it has a funny nose that moves really fast sometimes, and I can also make it spin if I hit it with my paw correctly.

Check out a short video of my close encounter with this strange device, and let me know what you think about it!

I am the mighty tunnel cat!

2009-11-16T18:03:00.002+01:00

Yesterday my humans brought home an awesome new toy: a cat tunnel! With two holes in it! It actually belonged to a cat that once lived with my humans' family and it has been laying around their basement for some time now (yeah, I know, what a waste!). I don't mind the fact that it's been used before as long as it stays in my home from now on.

There are so many things I can do with my tunnel: I can jump inside from different directions, bite and scratch it, bring other toys in it, play peekaboo with my humans, and even sleep in it! I just can't get enough of it. It's too bad my humans don't let me play with it during the night (they say I'll make too much noise, pfft!).

Come play with me!

Fooling around in my new tunnel

Meet my nemesis

2009-11-15T15:28:00.002+01:00

My humans have this big, noisy machine they sometimes bring out, and I'm not quite sure why. I just think the safest thing to do when they wake it up is to hide in another room. Although I must say I'm curious about how this thing works (and why it's so noisy!) and why my humans insist on waking it up periodically. I don't think they really enjoy it that much either.

So far the only benefit I've noticed is that there aren't that many dusty pieces that get stuck in my tail after the big, noisy machine does its tour around the apartment. If you ask me, that doesn't seem to be a good reason to justify all that noise; after all, I have many hiding places that the big, noisy machine can't reach, and I can always get some dust there.

Anyhow, I'll try to find more about this strange machine in the future and I promise to report any additional findings.

Getting to know the enemy (while it sleeps)

Happy half birthday to me!

2009-11-13T21:27:00.002+01:00

Today I'm 6 months old! I almost forgot about that, because the last month of my life went by really fast, as it was full of excitement and new things: I got a new home, went to the vet a few times, got my own blog, and even had my first bath.

I feel like a big kitten now, and I'm already looking forward to my 1st full birthday when I'll be able to start eating adult cat food. And maybe my humans will even get me a cake... or a toy for big cats! I got several of my favorite treats (see below) for my half birthday today, so I have big hopes for the big 1 *paws crossed*

A box is all I need

2009-11-10T15:48:00.003+01:00

Today my humans brought home a big box of cat food and cat litter. The litter is the same one I've been using before, and I haven't yet tried the food, but the box... ah... the box itself is just awesome!

I already have a box to play with, but it's always great to get a new one. You know, there are all these new smells you can check out, the plastic wrappings you can play with, and something new to chew on. Plus, the new box has more than enough room for me (a very important factor for a Maine Coon!), so I decided to give it my paw of approval. I hope my humans keep bringing more boxes home!

I like this box!

I like chewing!

2009-11-09T10:12:00.000+01:00

I must admit that I'm still a big fan of chasing and chewing on plastic drinking straws. I just can't get enough of them, although my humans don't seem to like it when I bring them into their bed before dawn.

But I also like to chew on any other chewable thing (and that's a pretty broad category in my dictionary!). The other day I had so much fun chewing on my human's camera string that I didn't even realize that the camera was on and actually filming me. Oh well, I hope you enjoy this little video of me and... ah, who am I kidding... *of course* you'll enjoy it, it's me! So, just watch it, but beware: it has a lot of cute in it.

10 things you didn't know about me

2009-11-07T18:10:00.001+01:00

I'm so excited! Rumbles, my new Twitter pal and fellow blogger honored me with an award! It's my first award ever and I gladly accept it with open paws.

The deal is, when you receive this award, you write 10 interesting and honest facts about yourself. Then, you pass it on to a minimum of 7 other cat blogger friends. So, here we go....

If you look on my pedigree, you'll see that my full, official name is Flash'n'Dash - Amor (Amor is my cat dad's name). My humans thought it was too long, so they named me Epic (as in heroic, majestic, impressively great), which I think is a great name for any Maine Coon cat. But usually they just call me Epi, which is fine too.
When my humans came to see me and my cat family in my previous home, they had to decide whether to pick me or my brother, who looks a lot like me (only more puffy and a little bit brighter) and has a similar character. They ended up choosing me because of my adorable ear tips, awesome face marking and my lion-like ruff. If you ask me, they made the right choice, and I hope my lil'brother found a new home as good as mine.
I love cat food with tuna in it, but I don't like raw tuna that much.
I usually sleep and nap on the floor.
I love having my belly rubbed, so I often nap on my back with my belly exposed.
I like watching birds on TV, although I never seem to be able to catch one :(
I like head butting my humans (so does my cat dad), especially in the morning.
I like running around my home even if I don't have anything to chase.
I help my humans with all sorts of things, like typing, preparing food, doing laundry etc..
I get away with a lot of things because of my cuteness.

Me, being super cute while sleeping on the floor on my back

There, hope you found my list interesting. Now, my final task: choosing 7 cat bloggers, who deserve this award. I'm still new to the whole blogging thing, so I don't have many friends yet, but I'll list some interesting blogs I recently started reading:

Vets are a strange human subspecies

2009-11-06T19:58:00.003+01:00

My humans took me to see the vet, again. And I don't understand why they have to do that, it's not like I'm seriously ill or something *atchoo* Ok, well, I do sneeze from time to time, and get black stuff in my nose... But apart from that I'm fine, seriously.

Still, my humans were worried about my sneezing and dirty nose and they first took me to the vet about two weeks ago. It was not my first visit to the vet, of course, my previous human took me there a few times to get vaccinated and right before changing home to get neutered - I don't know what that means, and I'm not sure I want to know, but I do know that it wasn't pleasant!

Things I hate about vets

Anyhow, there are several things that I don't approve of when it comes to visiting the vet. I don't mind the traveling part that much, as one of my humans always sits next to my cage in the back of the car and talks to me. But that place... ugh, there's always at least a few dogs there, and I don't know what to do about them. I've never had contact with them, and they always act so silly. I think cats are so much smarter than dogs. Last time, one of them tried to lick my cage, and I showed her who the cat is by roaring at her!

And there's the vets themselves. I don't know what's wrong with this human subspecies, but they always poke me in uncomfortable places. And then they also tell my humans to do silly things, like give me pills or clean my nose. And they tell them I have a nasal infection, which is just silly! *atchoo* And oh! Let's not forget that last time, I also got microchipped! I didn't like the human that microchipped me at all, as he didn't rub my belly and he also stung me a little. My humans say the microchip in my left shoulder will help them find me if I ever get lost. I have no idea how and I don't plan to get lost anyway, but it's nice to see them caring for me.

I don't mind the pills when they come with food

So, after the first visit the humans started giving me small, pink pills twice a day (I think they're called antibiotics?). At first I didn't want to eat them, but then I figured out that I also get yummy food with the pills, so I don't mind that anymore. I'm a good cat, eat my pill, and them enjoy the real food.

My humans also started cleaning my nose. I don't like that one little bit, it's so annoying! Luckily, they stopped doing that every day, and the pills seem to be working (don't tell the vets I said that!), as I don't get that much black stuff in my nose anymore. I also sneeze less. Despite this, the vet I saw today said I'll have to eat the pills for a little bit longer, until I stop sneezing completely. I'm ok with it if I'll keep getting the yummy food twice a day.

But I sure do hope I won't have to see another vet soon. Let them poke dogs all they want, we cats can take care of ourselves just fine!

Water tastes better from glasses

2009-11-05T15:14:00.009+01:00

Even though I don't like baths and getting my fur wet, I just love drinking fresh water! My humans say I drink a lot of water, but I don't really know if that's true. I drink when I feel like it, and luckily for me, my humans always make sure there's fresh water in my bowl. Though if you ask me, I think that water tastes so much better when I drink it from the big human glasses. Plus, they are also more handy when we're playing in the big room, as I don't have to go to the kitchen, where my bowls are.

Enjoying a sip

Mmmmm water

Baths and cats don't mix well!

2009-11-02T19:29:00.012+01:00

Now, I must say I get along with my humans quite well. We've only been together for a bit over than two weeks now, but they have pleased me with the amount of attention they've given me so far. They don't allow me to play with everything, but overall they're quite well trained.

However, at times they get some pretty silly ideas! (Honestly, I don't know why they think they are an intelligent species...) Like taking me to the vet. Or cleaning my ears. And yesterday they did something that scared me so much more than a mere visit to the vet. They somehow got the idea that I should have a bath! Me! I mean, I saw them looking up stuff about me on the Internet, and they have a book about cats as well (very nice to sit on!), so one would expect all these things teach silly humans about the fact that cats are perfectly capable of cleaning themselves.

So, let this post be a lesson that baths and cats don't mix well or well, at all! And I've also got plenty of LOLcat evidence to back up my claims!

THE bath and the failed escape attempt

So, here comes my bath story. Yesterday, sometime between my third and fourth nap, my humans put me into the bath, which had quite a lot of water in it, so I immediately got my paws wet. And then they started pouring water all over my body! On my precious fur! Luckily, they didn't get my head wet, but I still didn't like the whole thing one little bit. My heart started racing like mad, and when they started applying shampoo, I just panicked! I jumped out of the bath and just wanted to get out of the bathroom. But the door was closed, there was no escape! I was trapped!

I don't remember much about what happened next. My humans somehow put me back into the water, poured some more water on me, and then the water was gone, and I was being wrapped in towels. Lots of towels. Phew!

At least I got treats...

The humans were super nice afterward - they gave me treats and my favorite food (mmmm, tuna!), but it took me a while to calm down before I could eat anything. Not to mention it took me about an hour to clean myself after that horrible bath and put all my fur back in place!

I do think my humans got the message though and I hope they won't make me go through another bath ever again. I think I accidentally scratched one of my humans during the whole procedure, but I can't really remember how and when. I think they understand, as they are still being super nice to me. And oh, as a protest I didn't sleep in their bed tonight! I think they missed me.

Bottom line: DO NOT WANT!

Overall, I'm just glad I survived my first (and hopefully last) bath. I still don't want to go into the bathroom after what happened yesterday (you never know what might happen!). And I must also say that I'm very happy that my humans had the decency not to take any pictures of me during the whole bath thing. I'd be quite embarrassed to be seen around the Internet with my fur all wet. Mind you, I'm not saying I didn't look good, but you know... that kind of stuff just isn't very flattering for a cat.

My humans insist I post a link to the wikiHow article on How to Bathe a Cat, but if you want a cat's opinion - just don't bathe a cat, ever! We'll take care of it on our own, thank you very much!

Blogging is hard work...

2009-10-31T11:07:00.001+01:00

Luckily, my humans have really comfortable cushions on their desks, so I can take naps and rest from all that hard work. Though I must say that I have no idea why my humans call these cushions mice, but don't let me play with their long tails.

I'm an awesome hunter!

2009-10-30T14:35:00.004+01:00

My humans were kind enough to make a short video clip that clearly demonstrates my awesome hunting skills. No drinking straw is safe when I'm around!

My favorite sleeping pose

2009-10-29T17:29:00.000+01:00

Today I want to share with you a photo of my favorite sleeping pose. I find it very comfortable and I've noticed that it often encourages my humans to come over and rub my belly. Bonus points!

Beauty shot

2009-10-28T15:40:00.000+01:00

I usually don't like posing for pictures, as I'm way too busy chasing things around and keeping track of what's going on around me, but today I let my human take some pictures of me anyway. I'll understand if you want to pet me and give me treats after seeing this picture.

Favorite toy of the week #1

2009-10-28T15:30:00.002+01:00

Currently, my adult teeth are still growing, so I like to chew on things. A lot!

Luckily my humans soon figured that out, so they gave me plastic drinking straws to play with and chew on. I just love them! They are especially great when I can make my humans move them around, so I can practice my hunting skills. I think I'm getting quite good at that!

My toilet, let me show it to you

2009-10-28T15:07:00.000+01:00

I just have to share with you a picture of my awesome toilet. It's big and comfortable, and the humans make sure it's cleaned at least once a day, usually in the morning after I take care of my main toilet business.

At first I wanted to help my humans learn how to clean my litter box properly, but they seem pretty good at it, so I now just play around while they do the cleaning. Though I must say they use some pretty appealing plastic bags while cleaning my toilet, but they never let me play with them. Ah well, I've got lots of other toys anyway.

During the first days I was a bit confused by the transparent front door, but I have now learned not to exit the toilet that way. It doesn't really bother me, as the back door is big enough for me and I can also use it to peek at my humans.

P.S.: The humans tell me they've got the idea for my toilet from ikea hacker.

About Epic

2009-10-27T22:45:00.010+01:00

Oh hai guise! I'm pleased about your interest in me, Epic the Cat.

I'm a beautiful Maine Coon (yes, you may adore me and pet me on my tummy), who likes to enjoy his cat life. I have two servants (I think they call themselves humans?) that provide me with food, hugs and kisses, a clean toilet and lots of toys. In exchange I allow them to play with me. They say I'm a very good kitten, which of course should be obvious by now.

You can also learn more about me by reading my 10 things you didn't know about me post.

In this journal you'll be able to follow my day to day thoughts and adventures and of course enjoy many pictures and videos of my beautiful self. I'll be happy to read your comments and I'll try to reply as soon as I finish my beauty nap(s).

You can also follow me on Twitter and YouTube, become my fan on Facebook or e-mail me at EpicTheCat (at) gmail [dot] com