Talisker, 2011-2023

Talisker, our cat

Content note: pet death. Please don’t offer consolation about afterlives or souls: we don’t believe in that and find those ideas deeply distressing.

Our cat Talisker died yesterday, Thursday December 28 2023.

Talisker (a.k.a. Tali), named after the Scotch whisky, was sweet and persnickety, stand-offish and affectionate, demanding and loving. She wanted things her way: she wanted laps to be exactly horizontal, she wanted skritches exactly how she wanted them and expected us to figure it out. She would often sit on our laps, demand intense attention for five minutes, then wander off. But she was almost always in the same room as us. She loved us and liked us and wanted our company, sometimes on our laps or at our feet, sometimes from a few feet away. When she did settle in on you for a long stretch, she really blissed out, and it was special:  it meant she deeply loved you and trusted you. Ingrid was her extra special person, and she sat with Ingrid a lot: I was her second-favorite human, and I felt it as a great honor.

And Talisker loved her sister Comet, wildly and ridiculously. The two of them were an extraordinary bonded pair, especially considering how different they were. Comet is a high-intensity cat, super playful and affectionate, with a constant need for activity and absolutely no boundaries. It was clear that Talisker sometimes found her annoying, but she had nearly infinite patience with her sister, and the two of them snuggled and played together for hours every day. (We sometimes called them the Two-Headed Tabby Monster.) Comet misses her terribly, and we miss Team Tabby almost as much as we miss Talisker for her own self.

Talisker had cancer for over a year and a half: we gave her treatment that worked well for quite a while, but then it stopped working. We tried a stronger chemo but it didn’t take, and we made the hard decision to have her euthanized. She died at home with us, safe and warm and loved. We love her and we miss her.

Talisker and Comet, our cats
The two-headed tabby monster.
Talisker, our cat
Talisker on high alert. I believe this was when she first encountered my trike. “What exactly is this bullshit?”
Talisker and Comet, our cats
Team Tabby.
Talisker, our cat
Blissed-out Tali.
Talisker, our cat
Talisker, Queen of All She Surveys, Conqueror of the Catnip Toy.
Talisker and Comet, our cats
One more of Team Tabby in the fuzzy cat bed. They loved each other so much.

Again, please don’t offer consolation about afterlives or souls. We don’t believe in that and find those ideas deeply distressing. Thanks.

Talisker, 2011-2023
{advertisement}

Steven Universe Episode 10: Steven’s Lion

steven universe episode 10 stevens lion 1

Ingrid and I are re-watching the entire Steven Universe series — yet again — and I thought I’d blog some of my observations. Please note: I’m not writing these as a series summary or recap. I’m just writing down some of my observations and reactions, about individual episodes and the show as a whole. These posts will probably make more sense if you’ve already seen the show, but I hope they inspire the rest of you to check it out, as it really is one of the richest and most emotionally intense things I’ve seen on TV. This post contains spoilers about Steven Universe: the show as a whole, and/or about Episode 10: Steven’s Lion.

“You’re like the cotton candy of the jungle!”

Lion!

Lion, Lion, Lion, Lion, Lion, Lion, Lion, Lion, LION!

When you ask Steven Universe fans which character they identify with most — not their favorite, but the one they identify with — it seems, from my not-at-all scientific observations, that the most common answers are Amethyst and Pearl.* People who are more anxious and detail-oriented identify deeply with Pearl; people who are more casual and impulsive identify with Amethyst. When I thought about which Stevenverse characters I identified with most, though, for a while I was stuck. I’m anxious, but nowhere near as much as Pearl; I’m impulsive, but nowhere near as much as Amethyst. I have some things in common with many of the characters, but none of them jumped out as my personal stand-in.

And then it struck me: Lion.

Lion is a sensualist, a lover of food and naps. Lion is not very attentive to authority: he’s not defiant of authority, so much as he is baffled by the very idea. When he’s asked or told to do something, he first has to understand why it’s important (or why it would benefit him: in “It Could’ve Been Great,” Steven has to explain to him that the destruction of the earth will mean the loss of treats and naps). Lion also tends to get lost in his own private world, and he can be a little clueless about what other people want from him. But Lion is also intensely affectionate, and fiercely loyal. Lion will go to great lengths to help and protect Steven and others he cares about. (Well, mostly Steven.) Yup — I’m Lion.

Also — kitty! (If you haven’t seen the Lion in a Box video, check it out immediately.) Continue reading “Steven Universe Episode 10: Steven’s Lion”

Steven Universe Episode 10: Steven’s Lion

Steven Universe Theme Song Parody, Cat Edition

So I’ve written a song parody of the Steven Universe theme song, based on our cats. Because of course I have.

We
Are the tabby cats
We’ll lie around all day
And if you make the bed
We’ll both get in the way

That’s why the mamas of this world
Believe in
Comet, Talisker, and purrrrrr
And SLEEPING!

Comet and Talisker snuggling asleep on bed 1000

(For those who aren’t Steven Universe fans, here’s the theme song, and the extended opening with the extended theme song.)

If you enjoyed this cat-themed song parody, you may also enjoy:

Saturday Night’s Alright For Biting
Love Me, Love Me, Love Me — I’m A Kittycat!
Everyone Knows It’s Comet!
The Comet Song: Theme from “Cat Over the Fridge Up High,” by ReasJack

Steven Universe Theme Song Parody, Cat Edition

Do Cats Know What We Think Is Cute?

I swear — sometimes I think our cats know what’s cute.

Or, to be more precise: I don’t think our cats have the faintest concept of “cuteness.” But they know what gets our attention. They know that when they do the tuck-and-roll, the upside-down gaze, the crossed paws, the stretched-out paws, the nuzzle-nibble, the squirming on the back, the paw over the nose, the showing off of the belly with the paws in the air, the paws wrapped around our hand — it gets our attention. It gets us to give them skritches, and make cooing noises. It gets us to put down our devices or stop watching TV, and focus the full firehose of our attention on them. They know that when they do certain particular cat-like things, it gets our positive attention — more so than when they just sit there.

Comet especially. Talisker, I think, doesn’t care that much what we think of her — but Comet is an attention hog, and she knows how to go through her paces to get the attention she craves.

Yes, you heard me:

I’m saying felinity is performative.

Comet upside down gaze

Comet upside down gaze with paws in air

Talisker belly

More nuclear cuteness and performance of felinity after the jump. Continue reading “Do Cats Know What We Think Is Cute?”

Do Cats Know What We Think Is Cute?

Greta’s Secular Students Week Blogathon – Pics of the Cat Bath!

SSA Week logo

My mini-blogathon for Secular Students Week is almost over!

This week is Secular Students Week, when people around the Internet are celebrating the fantastic work the Secular Student Alliance is doing to empower students. Their goal is to get 500 donations now through June 17th: if they do, they’ll receive a $20,000 challenge grant! Help them keep up their amazing work by giving this week. A gift of $5, $10, or $20 will go a long way towards helping them reach this goal and empower secular students: please give today!

In today’s mini-blogathon, I’ll post a new blog post once an hour, from now (a little after 9:00 am Pacific time) until 5:00 pm Pacific time. In addition, for every donation that’s made today via my blogathon, I’ll post a new cat photo!

Two more donations have come in since the last round of cat pics — so as promised, here are more cat photos! I’m feeling generous, so you get the full five-photo series of The Cat Bath!

cat bath 1

cat bath 2

cat bath 3

cat bath 4

cat bath 5

Remember — each donation, no matter how small, gets a new cat picture!

Once again — please support the Secular Student Alliance! Help them get their challenge grant of $20,000 by reaching their goal of 500 donations now through June 17th. Even small donations help. Please support them today!

Comforting Thoughts book cover oblong 100 JPG
Coming Out Atheist
Bending
why are you atheists so angry
Greta Christina is author of four books: Comforting Thoughts About Death That Have Nothing to Do with God, Coming Out Atheist: How to Do It, How to Help Each Other, and Why, Why Are You Atheists So Angry? 99 Things That Piss Off the Godless, and Bending: Dirty Kinky Stories About Pain, Power, Religion, Unicorns, & More.

Greta’s Secular Students Week Blogathon – Pics of the Cat Bath!

Greta’s Secular Students Week Blogathon – More Cat Pics, With Snuggling And Bonus Yawn!

SSA Week logo

I’m doing a mini-blogathon today for Secular Students Week!

This week is Secular Students Week, when people around the Internet are celebrating the fantastic work the Secular Student Alliance is doing to empower students. Their goal is to get 500 donations now through June 17th: if they do, they’ll receive a $20,000 challenge grant! Help them keep up their amazing work by giving this week. A gift of $5, $10, or $20 will go a long way towards helping them reach this goal and empower secular students: please give today!

In today’s mini-blogathon, I’ll post a new blog post once an hour, from now (a little after 9:00 am Pacific time) until 5:00 pm Pacific time. In addition, for every donation that’s made today via my blogathon, I’ll post a new cat photo!

Two more donations have come in since the last round of cat pics — so as promised, here are two more cat photo! With a bonus one this time, just because. In this series, you’ve got the head resting on the fuzzy belleh; you’ve got the upside-down gaze; AND you’ve got the yawn! It’s the whole package, people!

comet and talisker snuggling plus head resting on fuzzy bely

comet and talisker snuggling plus upside down gaze

comet and talisker snuggling plus yawn

Remember — each donation, no matter how small, gets a new cat picture!

Once again — please support the Secular Student Alliance! Help them get their challenge grant of $20,000 by reaching their goal of 500 donations now through June 17th. Even small donations help. Please support them today!

Comforting Thoughts book cover oblong 100 JPG
Coming Out Atheist
Bending
why are you atheists so angry
Greta Christina is author of four books: Comforting Thoughts About Death That Have Nothing to Do with God, Coming Out Atheist: How to Do It, How to Help Each Other, and Why, Why Are You Atheists So Angry? 99 Things That Piss Off the Godless, and Bending: Dirty Kinky Stories About Pain, Power, Religion, Unicorns, & More.

Greta’s Secular Students Week Blogathon – More Cat Pics, With Snuggling And Bonus Yawn!