One trick pussy

[sd gross]

:spider::kitty::spider:
How Is it possible that a creature who enjoys inflicting suffering, fear, pain, misery and death, who is entirely lacking in compassion, consideration, and good will, who loves to denigrate, demean and steal food from the hungry, who relishes murdering the helpless, who is undeniably greedy, self-serving, lazy, cruel, sneaky and totally intractable - could be loved by tens of millions of free-thinking individuals? I'm not referring to Hitler, Count Vlad, Stalin, or the Mongol Horde - I'm talking about Garfield. The Cat.
Elevated to the status of a folk hero, admired by tens of millions, most of whom regard his persona and actions as humorous, this living horror has reached iconic status in our media and our culture.
Does he represent the true (closet?) values of most Americans? Is this who we'd like our children to emulate?
To me, this is very scary.

He reminds me of the feral tomcats who would sneak up on unsuspecting squirrels and birds in the courtyard behind our NYC apartment house and then spray on the big steam radiator in the building's lobby.
For more than 40 years, this Beast, has apparently been adored by millions.
But what do I know?
I've never "owned" a cat.
Nor have I ever voted Republican.

[Gene]

Hey ! What do you want from the poor guy ? It's a cat eat bird world.

["Mad" Miles]

I've never found Garfield funny. I don't read that comic.

I love cats. Grew up with them. But I'm allergic, so I don't have one in my small apartment.

Cats are predators. So are dogs. So are humans.

What I don't like about Garfield is that it celebrates a callous, selfish character. As you, SD Gross, point out.

I used to also hate "Blondie", but now I read it and enjoy it. Tastes change. Growing older I'm a little more tolerant. I still don't think Dagwood Bumstead is all that funny, but once and a while I chuckle at his bonehead, selfish, lazy antics. He's a boorish everyman, and the joke is on him.

Garfield is evil masquerading as cute. Not for me!

[sd gross]

Thanks for the response. I used to hate Dagwood too - I couldn't stand the way he let Mr. Dithers kick him around and abuse him emotionally. And didn't he know the phone was going to ring as soon as he settled into his bathtub? Also I envied at his ability to pig out & remain slim. Especially with all the down time he spent on the sofa. I think I started liking it when Blondie put her own business together.
The other comic strip I can't stand is Prince Valiant. You might as well have a strip called "Mussolini & His Pals"
I was raised in NYC where the Sunday Daily News comics were so much fun it spoiled me forever.
Smilin' Jack, Little Orphan Annie, L'il Abner, Smokey Stover!
How could I forget "Scram Gravy Ain't Wavy"?
(I think that's where Wavy Gravy's name originated.
Thanks for the input! Always good to hear from you.
s

I've never found Garfield funny. I don't read that comic.

I love cats. Grew up with them. But I'm allergic, so I don't have one in my small apartment.

Cats are predators. So are dogs. So are humans.

What I don't like about Garfield is that it celebrates a callous, selfish character. As you, SD Gross, point out.

I used to also hate "Blondie", but now I read it and enjoy it. Tastes change. Growing older I'm a little more tolerant. I still don't think Dagwood Bumstead is all that funny, but once and a while I chuckle at his bonehead, selfish, lazy antics. He's a boorish everyman, and the joke is on him.

Garfield is evil masquerading as cute. Not for me!

[2Bwacco]

I think it can be said that cats "live in the moment" much as Cesar Millan's evaluation of dog psychology.

The writer of the Garfield strip has strived mightily to portray the cat as a human.

wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong ... actually cats are "better" than humans lacking the capacity for deceit and psychological game playing.

i have a colony of cats, semi feral, outdoor, i like to think i am giving them a chance to live their lives in peace; all i "ask" is a little mousin', rattin' in return.

one of the last periods in history where the cat was persecuted resulted in the "Black Plague" or bubonic plague because the rat population (containing the plague host rat flea) thrived without the predatory presence of the domestic cat.

it is no surprise the ancient Egyptians worshiped the cat. Its presence guaranteed the grain food supply was protected from rats and mice. The pyramids could not have been built without that daily bread and/or beer quota to the workers.

i hope you get to know "a good cat" some day ... one of mine always insists on blazing the trail for me (kinda like a dog).

["Mad" Miles]

"The other comic strip I can't stand is Prince Valiant. You might as well have a strip called "Mussolini & His Pals" "

It's funny how tastes differ. Because I enjoy PV.

Maybe because I have since childhood. Maybe because a good part of my fantasy life in late childhood / early adolescence involved wanting to be a medieval knight. When I wasn't imagining myself a Cheyenne Dog Soldier. (Don't worry, I know the PV comic has no connection to history of any real kind. It's a fantasy goof, mixing and blending European myths.)

Lest anyone fear I have fascistic tendencies, I came up with this riff back when I was substitute teaching in public schools. When someone called me, "Sir", I would reply. Please don't call me Sir, my father, grandfathers and great-great-grandfather were army officers. I used to want to be a medieval knight, until I realized that knights were just the biggest rapists and pillagers on the block. Just call me, "Mr." or if we become friends, "Guy, Dude or Hey You...".

Didn't use that while teaching in prison, the whole, "Sir" thing, is so entrenched there, that it's a sign of disrespect not to use it, or even to criticise its use. I called my students, "Sir" or "Mr. Their Last Name".

Chaque un son gout!

[Spike]

"i have a colony of cats, semi feral, outdoor, i like to think i am giving them a chance to live their lives in peace"

Let me preface by saying...I come in peace.

I never gave much thought to the social comment on the funny pages but that's what they are, social comment by the author/illustrator.

Among the many reasons I left Mexico was an uncontrolable (humanely) population of domestic and feral cats that grew with the years. Removing dozens of cats at a time (up to 70) didn't dent it for long. The lawns, gardens and yards became open cat toilets. Ashtrays for guests became litter boxes. While their presence did humans a lot of good on rodent control, I saw the impact on lizards, birds and other small "prey". I also saw a lot of sick, hungry and fearful cats.

Closer to home, what is the impact of 10 cats living, eating and deficating in a small area of one community? The cost of responsibly feeding and caring for one small dog is high in my experience. Almost like a kid without insurance. Realistically, fleas, ticks, heartworm and a score of pet issues are way beyond our ability to defend without high cost or organically.

In the woods, we're just learning the importance of bears, coons and other critters dragging their spoils from the water to the land to fertilize and nourish the Earth. If we lose the salmon, we lose a lot more.

Checking my crab traps at Doran beach a few weeks back, I got to thinking about the bad water grades this beach has. No wonder since it looks like a dog run mostr days. I'm happy to report there is a preponderance of poop scooping going on too. I told my partner long ago that not picking up that hot warm load was grounds for divorce. She changed her ways and is much happier about it. Eventually, it all goes to the sea.

At the same beach, 2 very young dog walking kids strolled away from their pup's new deposit. 15 minutes later, they were back with their Mom scouring the beach until they found it. I boomed a big thank you and my gratitude. Good kids, GREAT MOM!

I'd like to respectfully state, without attacking the writer or their best intentions, that I believe fostering a colony of cats is bad for the environment. The money spent on keeping them fed and healthy, plus a few volunteer hours to compliment the donation, would better serve the many cats (and other pets) in need.

[2Bwacco]

...thanks for your concern.... hoping you will channel your concerns into forgotten felines' efforts, things like that.

my more than 15 acre property is handling the feline byproducts OK ... my dog enjoys cleaning up too

my cats are neutered/spayed and get their shots from forgotten felines .. BLESS THEM! :)

[Thad]

[sd gross]

I Should have known my denigrating (read: exposing) Garfield for the spider-stomping, gluttonous, dog-abusing self-centered, slothful albeit malicious twit that he is, would awaken in legions of pussophiles a need to defend the sanctity and inherent saintliness of felines wherever they may be. At least people aren't seeing images of weeping Garfields in their tuna sandwiches.
But aside from the wraithlike Toms whose lust yielded yowls which filled the tenement alleyways on hot New York nights, I did get to know a cat who roomed with us in San Francisco. His name was Tiny Montgomery and he believed he was a puppy because his best friends were two pups who lived with us too. One winter weekend we drove up to the Sierra and hiked several miles to the crest of Sonora Pass, and the pups labored up the snowy hill with us, with Tiny Montgomery perking along on front of them. He would grow tired and he'd catnap cradled in our arms and then hop down to continue his mighty trek. Our flat had exposed beams covered in burlap and Tiny's best trick was walking upside down on the ceiling.
However - Garfield is no Tiny Montgomery nor is he a feral cat. He's a selfish jerk.

But since the subject of ferals has come up, I'm sharing two informative pieces. The first is from the NY Times and the second is from the files of National Geographic

"As a wildlife rehabilitator, I see firsthand the damage cats do to birds. Of all the ways human beings casually slaughter “protected” wildlife, letting domesticated cats outside is by far the most egregious, and the most easily shrugged off. People who wouldn’t dream of taking a shotgun and blasting a bird out of a tree let their cats outside, which accomplishes the exact same thing but in a slower and more horrifying way. The cat doesn’t need to tear the bird to pieces, either: one tiny nick will of a cat’s claw or tooth will subject the bird to enough bacteria to kill it, only it will take the bird one or two days to die. If the bird is a single parent feeding nestlings, they will all starve to death.

Precautionary measures simply do not work. During an 18-month period, a single cat roaming a wildlife experiment station killed over 1,600 birds and small mammals. A study in England showed that cats wearing bells killed more birds than cats without them; during a study in Kansas, a free-roaming declawed cat killed more birds than the cats with claws.

Those who profess to love the cats they let outside ignore the fact that the average life span of an indoor cat is 15-19 years, while the life span of cats allowed outside is two to three. Outdoor cats fall prey to cars, animal attacks (including dogs, wildlife and other cats), human abuse, poisoning, traps and a host of diseases, including rabies. Those who “love” their cats might want to show it by keeping them inside, where they are safe and secure. And perhaps those who profess to “love” nature shouldn’t advertise their hypocrisy by allowing their pets to slaughter the dwindling wildlife populations around them.

Ron Jurek, a wildlife biologist for the California Department of Fish and Game, has kept a close eye on the impact feral and free-roaming domestic cats have on native species, like the California least tern, a federal endangered bird that nests along the coast.

"Cats do kill wildlife to a significant degree, which is not a popular notion with a lot of people," he said.

In urban areas, he said, there are hundreds of cats per square mile (1.6 square kilometers)—more cats than nature can support.

Exact numbers are unknown, but some experts estimate that each year domestic and feral cats kill hundreds of millions of birds, and more than a billion small mammals, such as rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks.

Feline predators are believed to prey on common species, such as cardinals, blue jays, and house wrens, as well as rare and endangered species, such as piping plovers and Florida scrub jays.

For more than ten years, Jurek says, feral and domestic cats have been a persistent problem in California, killing one or two colonies of least terns each year. The small white birds are part of an intense monitoring program with a tremendous number of volunteers who watch the colonies throughout the six-month nesting season."

There's more but you get the idea. Please look at the Big Picture and choose what you do wisely.

[2Bwacco]

today i saw a redtail hawk sunning himself in the topmost reaches of a redwood tree -- from 1,000 ft. away i could see him.

i harbor no ill will toward birds, i enjoy birds a lot, my cats do not have my "permission" to kill birds, the previous owner of our property planted many bird attracting plants in the garden. A lot of my trees put the birds way way way out of reach of the cats. The birds continue to nest on my property.

one pleasant little titmouse bird comes regularly to feed on cat food. he watches carefully, swoops down when safe and grabs a piece, takes it to a tree branch where he smashes it against the branch and eats it. the blue jays feed on cat food too. the position where the cat food is located is not conducive to stealthy bird hunting. i want the birds to live...i do need the cats help with rodentia though!

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