Chat Aux Sphynx: 04/01/2007

Monday, April 30, 2007

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Good Luck Mom & Dad!

My humans are running the Hamburg Marathon today. I want to wish them all the best. Good luck and have fun!

C and K completing C's first half-marathon

This photo is of my humans running my mom's first half-marathon (it was my dad's second half-marathon) in October 2004.

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Keep Our Pets Safe Cyber-March

Although the pet food recalls haven't affected those of us here in the EU (stringent regulations concerning animal feed, including pet food, were developed in the EU after mad cow disease became a major issue) , the entire tainted pet food mess in North America is still of concern. So many pets have become ill or died, and it's hard to know what foods are now safe! Every day more foods are being recalled, including very high-end brands that were supposed to be organic.

The Keep Our Pets Safe cyber-march is on today, and there are memorial marches in cities all over Canada and the United States. A postcard blitz is also being organized in the U.S., to demonstrate the scope of this pet food recall, as the FDA continues to publicize only "16 confirmed deaths" when there have been reports of many, many more.

I hope that this tainted pet food tragedy will be a wake-up call for the U.S. and Canada to strengthen their regulations concerning pet food, just as mad cow disease provided the impetus for reform in the E.U.

My thoughts and prayers are with all the animals who have become sick or died from eating tainted pet food, and their families and those who loved them.

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Rare

Dragonheart, a black and white Sphynx kitten

(Click photo for a larger image)

I'm rare! Yep, Sphynx are still a rare breed, especially here in Germany. Up until recently, the German Protection of Animals Act prohibited the breeding of animals that were considered to be "deformed" and they considered breeds such as the Sphynx, Manx and Scottish Fold to be "deformed", just because we don't look like other cats! Which is absolutely ridiculous. We are not "deformed", we are the result of a naturally occurring genetic mutation. In Sphynx, hairlessness results from a mutation of the same gene that produces the curly hair in Devon Rex cats.

So Sphynx remain rare, especially here in Germany.

Friday, April 27, 2007

Frootbat Friday

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Acatemy Awards!

Vote for Sphynx Sports in Skeezix' Acatemy Awards!.

You can view my video and leave your comments here. Comments may determine some of the awards!

Thank you for your support!

(New posts can be found below this one.)

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Thursday Thirteen

My humans are off to Hamburg today where they will be running the Hamburg Marathon on Sunday, April 29th. In honour of them, I bring you:

#17 - 13 Things About the Marathon

A Marathon is 26.2 miles / 42.2 kilometres.
This will be my humans' second marathon. They ran their first in the Fall of 2005, the Prince Edward County Marathon.
The name, "marathon", comes from the legend of Pheidippides, a Greek soldier, who was sent from the town of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been miraculously defeated in the Battle of Marathon. It is said that he ran the entire distance without stopping, but moments after proclaiming his message to the city he collapsed dead from exhaustion.
The modern marathon was first run during the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens. This first Olympic marathon was 40 km (24.85 miles). It was an Olympic race for men only until 1984.
The women's marathon was introduced at the 1984 Summer Olympics (Los Angeles, USA).
The length of a marathon was at first not fixed since all that was important was that all athletes competed on the same course. The exact length of an Olympic marathon varied depending on the route established for each venue so the choice of distance was somewhat arbitrary.
The marathon at the 1908 Olympic Games in London was set to measure exactly 26 miles and to start on ‘The Long Walk’ – a magnificent avenue in the grounds of Windsor Castle. At his own request it was scheduled to be started by King Edward VII personally. It was only on the day before the race that it was extended by 385 yards from its set 26 miles so that the King could start the race in the Great Courtyard of the Castle (385 yards up the hill) and so that the runners would cross the finish line in front of his wife Queen Alexandra in the Royal family's viewing box in the Olympic Arena - so the length became 42.195 km (26 miles 385 yards).
A fixed distance of 42.195 km was adopted in 1921 by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) as the official marathon distance.
The world record time for men over the distance is 2 hours 4 minutes and 55 seconds, set in the Berlin Marathon by Paul Tergat of Kenya on September 28, 2003.
The world record for women was set by Paula Radcliffe of United Kingdom in the London Marathon on 13 April 2003, in 2 hours 15 minutes and 25 seconds.
In 2006, in the U.S.A. (the only country I could find statistics for) there were more than 397,000 marathon finishers.
Last year, over 23,000 individuals ran the Hamburg Marathon.
I wish my humans all the best on Sunday! Good luck mom and dad!

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Thinking Blogger Award

I have been nominated for the Thinking Blogger Award by Vader's Mom and by Forty Paws. I would like to thank both of them for the honour!

I try to educate people (and cats and other animals) about the Sphynx breed through my blog, so it means a lot of me to have been nominated. I hope I have shown people that Sphynx, although hairless and unique in many ways, are also very much like other cats!

Here are the rules

If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think
Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme
Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog). That was that! Please, remember to tag blogs with real merits, i.e. relative content, and above all - blogs that really get you thinking!

I would like to nominate:

Cheysuli. Chey is a Siamese who has a lot to say. She is running for president and has a lot of views and opinions on many different issues. Her blog is one of the first cat blogs my mom read, and one of the reasons that my mom let me have a blog when I came to live with my humans.

Mélange. Gorgeous cats and beautiful photography are the highlights of this blog. She always has thoughtful reflections and appropriate quotes for each of her photos. I enjoy my visits here.

mw-artco. Her beautiful paintings and ACEO always inspire thought. I enjoy learning about the creative process through her blog. She also painted a beautiful portrait of Whiskers, the cat who owned my mom before me.

Millie. Millie has taught us about quilting, as her mom has been busy making "Bizzy for Gizzy" quilts to help pay for Gizzy's vet bills. Gizzy has sadly now gone to the Rainbow Bridge. Millie's story is an inspirational one, as she was rescued from the streets after being hit by a car, and now has a "bionic" leg.

Kaze. Kaze is a beautiful cat and a fellow frootbat. She reminds us that purring is important, and that play is as important as eating and sleeping. Her experiences with some mean humans (which I have also experienced) also remind us that "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

Wordless Wednesday: Shhh!

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Wednedsay Whine

Why am I whining? My humans are leaving me again!!! They are flying to Hamburg tomorrow, since they are going to be running a marathon (26.2 miles / 42.2 km) in Hamburg on Sunday. They won't be home until Monday! I am going to miss them.

A very nice cat-sitter is coming to take care of me - the same one who looked after me when my humans were in Prague. She comes twice a day and feeds me, changes my water, cleans my litterbox, pets me and plays with me. But still, I miss my humans!

Especially at night. I normally sleep curled up between them, or curled up in the crook on my mom's legs. In the morning I rub my face on dad's face, telling him it's time to wake up and feed me. When they are gone, I can't do that! When they were in Prague, I slept on the bed between their two pillows, and so the sheet ended up really dirty, from the oil on my skin rubbing off on the sheet. Serves them right, for leaving me alone!

I am very proud of my humans. They love running, they are very fit, and they can run far. Still, I wish they wouldn't leave me!

The photos are from their half-marathon in Prague. The quality isn't great, since my mom take to take a digital photo of the hard copy photo - they left their scanner in Canada, since they wouldn't be able to use it here, because the electricity supply is different.

You are all welcome to teleport over while my humans are gone. I have lots of toys, some organic catnip, and yummy Almo Nature 100% organic, human-quality, hormone-free stinky goodness.

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Cats on Tuesday: Trackball Fun

One of my favourite toys is my trackball. I've already shared one video of my trackball, but here's another one.

If you are having trouble viewing the video, you can try viewing another version here.

For those of you who can't view video, here's a photo of me playing with my trackball.

To join in with Cats on Tuesday, check out My Cats and Funny Stories.

Monday, April 23, 2007

My Bizzy for Gizzy Flying Quilt

My Bizzy for Gizzy Flying Quilt arrived! Boy, it sure smells interesting!

Look! It has dragons on it! Isn't that coo!?! Dragons and flames!!!

Thank you for moving the quilt into the sun, mom. I like it here.

My quilt is very warm and cozy. I love the colours too!

My quilt is beautiful! I love it! Thank you Millie and Gizzy's mom. I will think of Gizzy every time I lie on it. All of the flying quilts have become wonderful tributes to Gizzy's memory.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!

Today is my humans' 3rd Wedding Anniversary. 3 years ago today they were married along the Mayan Riviera in Mexico. They say it was the happiest day of their lives and a fairy-tale wedding. Looking at the photos, I can see that it was a wonderful setting for a wedding. I am very happy that they are married, because they are the best humans a cat could ever have. I love them both very much.

You can view all of their wedding photos here.

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Photo Hunters

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Steps

Here are some photos of me taking my first steps outside on my harness.

In this photo, I am exploring the balcony at the chalet we stayed in during our trip to Switzerland in February. These were my first steps outside on my harness.

In this photo, I am exploring the patio and yard at our home in Munich. These were my first steps outside at home.

(Click either of the photos above to view a larger image)

Friday, April 20, 2007

Frootbat Friday

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Thanks to everyone who wished my dad a happy birthday yesterday! He had a great day and received a couple of old comic books (an old Superboy and an old Adventure Comics) from mom and I.

My mom and dad will celebrate dad's birthday, and their 3rd anniversary on Saturday evening. Their actual Anniversary is on Sunday, the 22nd, but they are going out on Saturday to celebrate.

Are you Frooty? Leave your link below.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Thursday Thirteen

Today is my human dad's birthday! Happy Birthday Dad! In honour of his birthday, I present:

#16 - 13 Things About My Dad

He is an engineering officer in the Canadian Forces. He serves in the Canadian Land Force (regular army) and currently holds the rank of major. The red uniform that my dad is wearing in the photo to the right is called "Mess Kit" or "Mess Dress". It is the formal, dress uniform for army officers. It is the military equivalent of a civilian tuxedo.
He is currently posted as a Verbindungsoffizier (exchange/liaison officer) at the Pionierschule (German military engineering school) in Munich. In summer 2009, he will be posted back to Canada. We won't know where until early in 2009.
He has served in a lot of missions overseas. He was in Kuwait during the first Gulf War, and opened up the Canadian Embassy in Kuwait after the Iraqis were forced out. He has done peacekeeping tours in Haiti, Bosnia, and Eritrea, and spent 6 months in England studying at Schrivenham, doing graduate-level work in explosive chemistry. He has also served in domestic operations, such as during the Winnipeg Floods in 1997. When we are posted back to Canada, he will probably end up doing a tour in Afghanistan, unless Canada has a change of government before then, and we pull out of that country. But under the current government, Canada is in Afghanistan for the long haul.
He was born on April 19, 1965 in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. He is 7 years older than my mom.
Although he is from Newfoundland, he doesn't have a Newfie accent. Well, mom says he only has one if he's had a lot of beer to drink! It is funny that he doesn't have an accent because both his mom and his sister do!
He studied chemistry at Memorial University (in Newfoundland) and has a Bachelor of Science degree. To be an engineering officer in the Canadian Forces, you do not need to have an engineering degree. You can have an engineering degree, or a degree in physics or chemistry
While at university, he served in the Reserves, first as a sapper, then as an officer, in 56 Field Engineer Squadron. When he graduated from university, he applied to join the regular force, and was accepted.
He has his "jumper's wings" which means that he has passed the military parachuting course. One of his first postings was as an airborne engineer.
He loves running and is a lifelong runner. He's a fast runner, even though he isn't built like a typical runner. He has run a bunch of half-marathons, one marathon (with another one coming up on April 29th), and many, many shorter races. He is also a basketball player, and currently plays with one of the local leagues here in Munich.
He is an avid comic book collector and has collected and read them throughout his life. He also enjoys reading books, both fiction and non-fiction, especially science fiction, military history, science and current events books.
He is allergic to cats, but fortunately isn't allergic to Sphynx! Which is why I came to live with my humans.
He is a good dad! He makes a good perch and I often perch on one of his legs, either when he is sitting up on lying down. He feeds me every morning, even though I wake him up a few minutes (or more) before the cat food alarm goes off.
I am very proud of my dad, and of the job he does! He has helped people all over the world, and he keeps us safe. I love him very much!

I would like to thank all the military personnel who serve and keep us safe, like my dad, and the Cyclone Cats' Man in Green. All of the military personnel serving overseas, away from their families, are always in my thoughts and prayers.

Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag Papa!
Happy Birthday Dad!

Wordless Wednesday

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Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Cats on Tuesday: Sphynx Colours

This week I will provide you all with a short primer on Sphynx colours.

Sphynx can basically come in any colour that other cats come in, except those colours that are determined by the placement of colour on the shaft of the hair itself, since we have no fur.

Most Sphynx will have hair on the bridge of their nose. By checking out the colour of the fur on a Sphynx' nose, you can determine at least one of their colours.

I am a black and white Sphynx. You can see these colours on the fur on my nose. For the rest of my body, where I have pink skin, I would have white fur, if I had fur; and where my skin is grey, I would have black fur, if I had fur. My pattern would be considered a tuxedo pattern, because the white/pink colour is concentrated on my neck, chest, and belly, as well as on my lower legs.

For solid Sphynx colours, such as white, black, blue, red, cream, etc., the cat has one level tone of colour from the nose to the tip of the tail. The Cat Fancier's Association Sphynx breed standard indicates what colour the nose leather and paw pads should be.

With classic tabby patterns, mackerel tabby patterns, and spotted tabby patterns, the markings should be clearly defined on the legs and tail of the Sphynx. A tabby Sphynx will have the tabby "M" on their forehead and will have chest necklaces and body markings as defined by the breed standard. The tabby pattern does tend to fade on the hairless body. My sire, Champion HairNSkin Obi Wan Kenobi, is a Brown Classic Tabby and White. You can view some photos of him on my breeder's website, HairNSkin.

Sphynx also come in pointed colours, like Siamese. Point restricted colours show little or no colour contrast between the body and the points in the mature Sphynx. Although born very light in color, the pointed Sphynx will darken and appear solid in color as an adult. The eye colour of a pointed Sphynx will be vivid blue. The nose leather and paw pad colour will be the appropriate colour for their coat (ie. dark brown/black for seal points, brown or cinnamon for chocolate points, blue for blue points, etc.) My dam, New Taj Mahal Sherazade of HairNSkin is a blue point. The photo to the left is of my dam. It is courtesy of my breeder, HairNSkin.

Sphynx can also be tortoiseshell and calico in colour. Like with other breeds, normally only females will be tortoiseshell or calico.

Bi-Colour Sphynx can be the combination of almost any colour and white, such as a solid colour and white, tabby and white, tortoiseshell and white, pointed and white, etc. Van Bi-Coloured Sphynx have the colour confined to the extremities: the head, tail, and legs.

Sphynx also come in mink patterns, and in sable, champagne and platinum colours.

(Click any of the photos above to view a larger image. On my breeder's website, click any of the small thumbnails to view a larger image.)

Any questions about Sphynx or Sphynx colours? Feel free to ask them in your comments, and I'll try to answer them in a future edition of Cats on Tuesday.

To join in with Cats on Tuesday, check out My Cats and Funny Stories.

Monday, April 16, 2007

Movie Monday: Round and Round

In this movie, I am enjoying one of my ball tracks. This is the one with the cardboard scratching surface in the middle. It normally has a pom-pom on a spring attached to the side, but my mom took it off to film the video so she could see me!

I really like my two balls tracks. They are both a lot of fun to play with. You can view the video of me playing with my other ball track here.

If you are having trouble viewing the video, you can try clicking here.

Do you have a post for Monday? Leave your link below!
Don't forget the voting for the new Tuxedo Gang Hideout Logo and the voting for the Blogger's Choice Awards!

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Strolling Sunday

The weather here in Munich has been beautiful, sunny and warm! Yesterday the temperature reached 25°C and it is supposed to be that warm again here today!

Because it has been so warm, my humans have taken me out strolling a few times. I really enjoy it! I like looking at everything that is going on and I really enjoy checking out the birdies. We stroll through the Englischer Garten, which is a large park here in the middle of Munich. There are lots of wonderful trails that go through the park, with people walking, Nordic walking, running, walking their dogs, biking, and just enjoying the beautiful weather and scenery.

The photos below are from Easter Monday. The park is even greener this weekend. Over the course of the past week, the leaves have started opening on the trees so everything is looking very green.

At the park, I saw my first ducks! They are very interesting birds, since they swim in the water. I guess they like water a lot more than I do!

Don't forget to check out the Birthday greetings for Caesar and Prinnie below!

Happy Birthday Caesar and Prinnie!

Happy Birthday Caesar and Princess! Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag!

They are 16 years old today! Stop by their new blog and wish them a very happy birthday.

Saturday, April 14, 2007

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Hobby

(Click either photo to view a larger image)

As a cat, one of my favourite hobbies is playing with my various toys. (Blogging in another favourite hobby!) One of my favourite toys is my ball track. I like this ball track because it is three toys in one! It has the ball that I enjoy batting around the track, it has the fluffy pom-pom that I enjoy tackling, and it has a wonderful cardboard scratching surface in the middle for scratching!

Friday, April 13, 2007

Frootbat Friday

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In our living room/family room, we have HUGE windows that go from floor to ceiling along the entire wall. When the afternoon sun shines in, I like to sit in the sun and watch the birds that perch in the trees or fly by outside.

Are you frooty? Leave your link below.