We Have Achieved Total Caturation
Posted on February 27, 2013 Posted by John Scalzi 50 Comments
Which is to say, here are all three Scalzi cats in my office at one time: Zeus on the chair, Ghlaghghee on the chaise, and Lopsided Cat on the low window table. Collect them all! Also, Daisy the dog was in the room just before the picture was taken, but you only have my word on that. You can also see two ukuleles (one right-handed and one left-handed), a mandolin and a tenor guitar, and, of course, the Mallet of Loving Correction. Truly a busy picture. But, mostly: Hey, cats.
Is wading through the cats a big job?
Your Dell is touchscreen, correct? Have the cats twigged that they can add “pressing nose on screen” to “Sitting on Keyboard” and “Swatting mouse” to their repertoire of methods for stopping production?
Adorable little bundles of allergens. Would love and hug and squeeze.
And sneeze. Lots.
Still worth it.
The Mallet is awesome.
….plus you can see the floor now! Look, you have a nice area rug as well! Who knew?
Is this a test or do I just need to clean off my monitor? I declare, I cannot see a cat on the chest under the window. I do see what looks like a fuzzy pillow or two.
“Scalzi says 3 cats. Here are 2.”
I want to know more about the lefty ukulele! I’m a lefty & just picking up the uke, I didn’t make too much of an effort to find a left-handed instrument, although I was tempted, because what i read was basically that they were virtually impossible to find & that re-stringing a standard one was a disaster waiting to happen due to the different size grooves on the nut & bridge, among other things. If you’re left-handed, do you find it easier to play that way? Worth seeking one out?
@marzo – that’s pretty much what cats at rest look like. 2 fuzzy pillows. :P
Lopsided Cat is camouflaged.
[Deleted for being off-topic – JS]
THAT’s not “total caturation”, Scalzi – living with nine cats like we do is “total caturation”!
“…here are all three Scalzi cats in their office, which they deign to permit my presence in, at one time.”
Fixed that for you.
You obviously have not reached cat saturation, as there’s still a place for you to sit.
I have that chair in red!
I’m glad to read that I’m not the only one unable to spot Lopsided Cat, although it does make me worry about John’s brain.
Awesome camoflage on the Lopsided Cat. Nice of the cats to let you use their office.
Cats are assembled in the sacred triangle form. This is a residual trait from the time that they were worshiped in Egypt as gods…the divine pyramid shape..this is a token to inspire those with opposable thumbs to feed said cat…
… swoons….
That rug really ties the room together.
uh-oh, is it true that vampires won’t show up in a photograph?
I’ll see your three with three Maine Coons in my man cave and my new acoustic guitar. I have no mallet but my Obama action figure does have a stern expression.
I know it’s dinner time for the cats when I can see Altair, Lucifer, Tabitha and Phoebe glaring at me at the same time. Happens most evenings while I’m trying to play games…
Lopsided Cat for the win. I still don’t see where that silly cat is. I always have my seat stolen when I leave it. I wonder if the same things happens in the Scalzi household.
It tickles me no end to see the mallet displayed like that. Even cooler than we pictured it in our heads lo those many moons ago.
Do not become supercaturated, or kittens will begin to precipitate out of thin air.
Obligatory “Awwww”.
Impressive collection of instruments there. Have you looked into baritone ukes? I’d imagine they’re similar to the tenor guitar in tone. (My mother had one, but I passed it on to a friend of hers, as my own guitar was mostlly neglected. The piano, she is a jealous instrument. Though apparently less so of the Celtic harp.)
“Caturation” sounds like it involves cat pee everywhere, which is never a good thing.
Great camouflage on that cat in the window — looks an awful lot like something to sit on…
Fine office! Movable cats! But — just wondering — over the long run is it good to have the wooden and glued (and pretty) musical instrument so close to the window? Temperature changes, expansion and contraction, etc. (I understand it is cold up there…when I lived up in MN I always kept guitars and such away from heaters and windows.) And Redshirts was great.
Is ‘Lopsided’ some kind of Midwestern slang for ‘invisible’?
Cat ears trigger touch screens remarkably well. Tails not so much.
Am so glad others had trouble finding Lopsided Cat. He is a master of disguise.
We only have two kitties, which is plenty enough that the couch achieves caturation daily.
I’ve got five (rather, they’ve got me). Fortunately, they’re seldom in the same room at the same time.
They are all so cute, even camouflage cat ha ha. We had 3 but we’re down to 2 now. The older of the two (Phoebe) has the same sort of attitude Zeus seems to have from this photo (think the Wolf from Shrek: “What?”). And do your cats always lay apart or do they cuddle a lot? Ours cuddle (but they are sisters, so… I’m not sure if that has something to do with it).
Good pic. Do they stay when you “come to work”?
It’s the same color as Lopsided Cat, but after zooming in on the window, I still think Lopsided Cat has been erased…erased from time. My partner thinks it’s an afghan or blanket or something. Either that, or catouflage is a clear violation of the Treaty of Algeron’s ban on cloaking devices, though not the Kittymer Accords. Where’s Harrison Ford’s image enhancer when you really need it? It’s the bin Laden Situation Room photo all over again, I tell ya…
as one of this country’s most popular comedic personalities, Seth MacFarlane, might be heard saying… “That’s a lot of pussy”
I’m going to vote for Guitars over cats in every election….
Is fluffy sporting dread locks? Or just going for the Raggity Andy look?
The Mallet of Loving Correction must be a LART +5.
A couple more, and you will achieve Critical Cats, triggering the Catapocalypse.
Add me to the list of the visually challenged. I only see two cats as well. They look blissed out though.
The lefty ukulele is of course for the use of mirror-universe Good Hnoj Izlacs.
I think Mr. Scalzi is trying to pull a STNG “There Are Four Lights!” on his fans. I only see two cats! I shall not give in to your torture!
If you look at the window seat/chest, you will see Lopsided Cat just right of centre, snuggled up to the folded blanket which is left of centre :).
OMG! I didn’t realise there was an actual physical mallet. I’m afeared. 0.o
BTW John,
Ever heard of Toxoplasma Gondii? A parasite nearly all cats carry that is highly correlated with psychiatric disorders?
Having three cats might not be such a good idea.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis#Possible_link_to_psychiatric_disorders
I’m sane AND SO IS MY IMAGINARY IGUANA FRIEND BARNABY.
So, uhh… how often do you have to vacuum the cat hair out of/off of your computers? This looks like a recipe for clogged fan vents.
@matx: “A couple more, and you will achieve Critical Cats, triggering the Catapocalypse”
Every single one of my cats, I am informed, is a Critical Cat, and there’s a substantial British Bombay glowering at me to enforce this finding.