Author Archive
Sphero: Part Ball, Part Robot, All Cat Toy
Yep, it’s a robotic cat toy. That pretty much says it all. Ok, so it wasn’t designed to be a cat toy, but still…
Now, you might not realize it, but Pittsburgh is actually a robot kind of town, so I’ve seen some impressive things: self driving SUV’s, plant sorting treadmills, road painting robots, gas line inspecting robots, mining robots, and even six ton car-crushing robots. And I’m sure the people who built all those would be quick to point out that this thing is actually some kind of mobile ground-based teleoperated sphere, and not a robot, since it isn’t autonomous. But it’s shiny, I can drive it from my phone, and cats dig it. I think that’s pretty hard to top!
Towser the Mouser
So much is said about working dogs that we often think of and treat cats as purely companion animals. But felines can earn their keep if you give them the chance, too. My two kitties keep my basement free from spiders, daddy long legs, and centipedes. Seem like it’s not a big deal? Well, I am not fond of spiders and it is very comforting to know when I go downstairs to play guitar that I don’t have to worry about some creepy thing crawling out of the sound hole. My fuzzy buddies have my back. But this pales in comparison to some working cats; and the best of the best, the creme de la creme, A-number-one, the toughest thing on four furry feet… is Towser!
Mysteries of the Feline Tummy
Every morning, my one cat Snuggles jumps up into bed and demands tummy rubs. He just flops over on his side, raises his leg in the air, and sticks his formidable tummy out at me. Recently, as I pet him and he happily purred away, a question occurred to me. It’s a question that seems so obvious that I can’t believe I’d lived with cats all my life and have never pondered it before. Ready to have your minds blown? Ok. Pop quiz: do cats have belly buttons?
High Society Rodents
Now, I know not all pets are for all people (introducing me to your pet tarantula would get a panicked and possibly violent reaction out of me) but look at that cute little bugger up there! Irresistible. And highfalutin. Don’t believe me? Last weekend was the New York City Fancy Rat Convention. That’s right. Fancy. Rats.
