Thursday, August 13, 2020

COVID-19 Prevention, Kitty Style

Hi everyone,

The kitties have a public service announcement. See below and follow these simple rules to save lives. You know it's serious when cats are willing to get their paws wet.

COVID-19 Public Service Announcement

Be careful out there,

Monday, August 10, 2020

Welcome, Byzee!

Hi everyone,
Unlike everybody else in our Kitty family, our second honorary piggy kitty came from a pet store. Usually, buying animals from pet stores is against our principles, but this little one was a thoughtful gift, and soon the Kitties realized that Byzee's origin story was just like theirs. After all, everyone's just looking for a place to be loved.

Like one of his heroes Gil from Finding Nemo, Byzee spent his early days planning his escape from the guinea pig pen in which he and so many others were placed. He knew he was destined for something better.

My sister's work friends picked Byzee out and gave him to my sister after she fell so in love with Carmella, the OG guinea pig who honorably served as a school class mascot before retiring to my sister's home. At first, we thought Byzee was another girl. When we realized our mistake and apologized, Byzee said, "Hey, whatever, man. We're all the same on the inside." Byzee was tiny then, but he had big ideas.

Byzee is named after two legendary beings, the Star Wars saga's Baby Yoda and Avatar's extraordinary fire bender Zuko. Byzee also keeps busy – always on alert, practicing old and new hobbies, and itching to run the growing obstacle course in his new home. Byzee eyes are different colors – one is blue and one is brown – and he and The Mother Kitty discuss this uniqueness endlessly, including their mutual admiration for fellow multicolored-eye glam rocker David Bowie.

Byzee is a wild rock star at heart. Since he moved into my sister's house, he has let his hair grow out like Jerry Garcia, and he's been dreaming of being in a band ever since we watched School of Rock together. He practices all sort of instruments but seems to like the keyboards and drums the best. Most of his favorite musicians play classic rock – The Doors, Cream, The Grateful Dead, ELO, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. But Byzee's got soul too, often grooving to Funkadelic, Al Green, Stevie Wonder, and Chuck Berry. And, he surprises us all whenever he sings along to newer music, from the likes of Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, and Alicia Keys. But I guess we shouldn't be surprised – he's always up with the times and trends, exploring the latest things.

Byzee doesn't watch much TV, unless I make him sit still for a movie that provides life lessons, but he loves a good goofy comedy. His favorite actors include Steve Carrell, Will Ferrell, Michael Keaton, Holly Hunter, Bill Murray, and Jeff Bridges. His favorite films include Young Frankenstein, Johnny Dangerously, Elf, and any of the Cohen Brothers movies (though he's too young to watch the R-rated ones). Last night, we watched City Lights, so now Comet (our resident silent movie expert) is telling him all about Charlie Chaplin.

But Byzee is more of a hands-on kind of piggy. When not creating music or watching a comedy classic, he likes to build things. He would rather spend his time outside in the wilderness, but his fancy cage is the next best thing. He dreams of remodeling his cage into a guinea pig mansion of his dreams (see below). It's a work in progress, and his new home offers plenty to do and places to run as it is. Most important, there are places to hide and spy: Byzee is always on the look out for his new nemesis Stephen. Don't worry – he's okay with it now that he knows Stephen is everyone's nemesis and, also, Stephen's brain is about the same size as his.)

Byzee

Like Carmella, Byzee likes to chill with a good book and fresh food, including his favorites, bananas, parsley, and pepper plant leaves. Right now, we are reading The Daily Show (The Book) by Chis Smith together, and he just asked me who Stephen Colbert is. Byzee's still got a lot to learn, but he's getting there – fast.

Welcome to the family, Byzee!