Cat Head In A Jar

http://boknowsonline.com/2008/07/23/cat-head-in-a-jar/#more-628 ^

[fings]

It seems the mainstream media loves cats and will gives them favorable treatment all the time. That’s why I find it incumbent upon myself to put stories on this blog about the realty of the the feline class. It doesn’t hurt if there’s a degrading picture to go along with it.

Take for instance this story of a kitty wasting taxpayer resources, by getting her head stuck in a jar.

[econjack]

You can’t imagine how disappointed I was when I saw the body still attached to the head. Very misleading headline. :>)

[KarlInOhio]

You have to start your Bonsai Kitten project when they are young and flexible. If you start that late you'll just end up frustrated and displeased with the results.

[cyclotic]

I got flamed bad on FR once when commenting on a story about two stray dogs who fell through the ice. I suggested that calling the rescue team over was a nice training opportunity, but that it would have been far more humane to dispatch a sniper to take the dogs out more quickly

[autumnraine]

What is that from? I remember reading or seeing something many years ago with that and I can’t remember what it’s from.

[ChurtleDawg]

The fact is that firefighters have been helping families with their wayward pets for a very long time. I think it is a good tradition and not a waste of money. It would be far worse to make taxpayers suffer because no one would help them.

In this case, the firefighters should have just told the family over the telephone how to free their pet

[econjack]

A TV ad for cat food recently had a picture of a cute kitten play with a ball while a clowder of cats are talking about how cute he is. They keep making such comments until you hear a door open and human voices in the background. Then you hear:

"They're back! Quick, act like a cat!"

[cyclotic]

A couple years ago, a skunk got his head in a mayonaisse jar. A cop shot the jar with a pellet gun, breaking the jar and freeing the skunk.

Quick and painless.

[KarlInOhio]

What is that from? I remember reading or seeing something many years ago with that and I can’t remember what it’s from.

Bonsai Kitten was a web hoax a few years ago, just google for it. Its originator claimed that he was growing cats inside of glass jars, but in reality they were just pictures of kittens put into glass jars like this cat tried to do (or maybe with their faces shoved up against glass similar to the jar... I don't recall any pictures of a full cat in a jar).

[autumnraine]

I knew I remembered it from a few years ago. Thanks!

[Slings and Arrows]

He was looking for the door and got confused - the car kept telling him "The door is a jar."

[Daffynition]

He's movin'-on-up from cans to jars. I think this means he's AlBore's recycling cat .

[Slings and Arrows]

"Hmmmf. Amateur."

[Jaded]

Why would you call firefighters unless the cat was on fire? Call the emergency/ after hours vet.

[Jaded]

That’s cute.

[Daffynition]

OUCH!

[Slings and Arrows]

The little piglet just looks so happy. Apparently he can’t read.

[Pistolshot]

[Daffynition]

Do you grade him on a bell curve or bell jar?

[econjack]

Good Grief!! I've waited two decades to find a situation where I could use the phrase "a clowder of cats" and not one person noticed!?

[RepoGirl]

I did. I was impressed at the word use. Except, at first I read “a chowder of cats” and thought, “Cat chowder...mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...”

[econjack]

Hmmm...cat chowder? Probably not on my menu tonight, but it was nice of you to notice! Just between the two of us, I should have lied and said there were several kittens playing, then I could have used:

“...a kindle of kittens were playing in front of a clowder of cats...”

Think anyone would have noticed?

[LucyT]

"a clowder of cats"

I noticed, too, but just like RepoGirl, at first glance thought it was “a chowder of cats.” Malapropisms are always fun.

[kitkat]

***Good Grief!! I’ve waited two decades to find a situation where I could use the phrase “a clowder of cats” and not one person noticed!? ***

I noticed. I NOTICED! I am enchanted by the expression. (Wonder how long it will be before *I* can find an occasion to use it.)

[econjack]

Well...I think it was worth the wait! Any bets on how long it will take to work in “a sounder of swine”?? :>)

[econjack]

Wonder how long it will be before *I* can find an occasion to use it.

Hopefully not two decades!!! (Thanks!)

[LucyT]

Any bets on how long it will take to work in “a sounder of swine”??

Would you please ping me if you are able to use "a sounder of swine," lol.

[cynwoody]

What is that from? I remember reading or seeing something many years ago with that and I can’t remember what it’s from.

FBI Goes After Bonsaikitten.com

[LucyT]

According to the info at this link, it’s a “flock of camels.” Camels?

http://homepages.shu.ac.uk/~acsdry/quizes/mammals.htm

[A knight without armor]

“Why would you call firefighters unless the cat was on fire? Call the emergency/ after hours vet.”

You might if there is one in your community and/or you have the wheels to get there or taxi money, etc.

I do know from my experience calling 911 for assistance (for a human thank you very much) that they can surprise you with what they dispatch to you. I can actually see firemen coming to help a stuck cat.

There is an Animal Rescue show on tv and it is amazing how many firemen and such gather to spend hours helping little animals all the way up to horses and cows. And they commonly show the same thing in other countries. Go figure but I think it is nice and beats the other stuff on the news.

[econjack]

I've also had private emails about collective nouns. A great book with over 1,000 entries is An Exaltation of Larks by James Lipton. It also gives a history of how and why such words came about. Some of my favorites:

A leap of leopards

A charm of finches

A skulk of thieves

A parliament of owls

A whisper of nightengales

A crash of rhinoceroses

An ostentation of peacocks

A cowardice of curs

Kinda fun to know...kinda hard to use!

[xsmommy]

wow those are great! and i am terribly impressed with your use of clowder of cats! all i learned of collective nouns came from the book i used to read to my kids when they were little

[LucyT]

Thanks for the tip about the book, An Exaltation of Larks.

Your list is delightful; this is one I hadn't heard before:

A cowardice of curs

Cur:

1. A dog considered to be inferior or undesirable; a mongrel.
2. A base or cowardly person.

[null and void]

Also known as Congress...

[RepoGirl]

A sounder of swine? I think you could work that in easily in any thread regarding Nancy Pelosi and her pals.

[econjack]

I was not aware of this book...I’ll need to get a copy. Thanks!

[nw_arizona_granny]

LOL, bump.

[Slings and Arrows]

One of my favs: A murder of crows.

[xsmommy]

i am thinking we are going to have to have a collective noun day next week on the Word for the Day thread!

[Hegewisch Dupa]

As long as it doesn’t interfere with Gerund Thursday or Onomatopoeic Monday

[xsmommy]

today is Ger day? who knew?

[econjack]

The following web site:

http://www.ojohaven.com/collectives/submit.html

has a pretty good list and also provides a means by which you can submit a 1) new collective noun you read in print somewhere but that is not currently on the list, or 2) a collective noun you created. I submitted “a rumble of gangs”, but have not heard back whether it is accepted.

[Mjaye]

Hmm, and your link also mentions “a crash of rhinoceroses”. Rhinocerii? Reminds me of my favorite newscast of all time, when an L.A. reporter was describing an animal compound being flooded when a river overflowed, something like this:

“This just in, residents just reported two hippopotamooses swimming down the river, make that two hippopotameese..., never mind, it was one hippopotamus followed by another hippopotamus”.

[LucyT]

Thanks, Mjaye, how’d you remember how to spell...um...what you said, lol.

Pinging y’all to a funny comment.

[LucyT]

we are going to have to have a collective noun day next week on the Word for the Day thread!

Would you please ping me? I usually read TWFTD, but don't want to miss cnd (collective noun day.)

[Slings and Arrows]

The Hippopotamus

Behold the hippopotamus!
We laugh at how he looks to us,
And yet in moments dank and grim,
I wonder how we look to him.

Peace, peace, thou hippopotamus!
We really look all right to us,
As you no doubt delight the eye
Of other hippopotami.

— Ogden Nash

[econjack]

That reminds me of something I saw on TV years ago where a guy with a stutter was trying to suggest going to the laboratory to conduct an experiment. He said:

Let’s gggg....go...t-t-to the laaaa...
Let’s gggg....go...t-t-to the laaaa...labbbbb...
Let’s gggg....go...t-t-to the laaaa...laborrrrr...
Let’s go to the scientific place.

[xsmommy]

sure!

[LucyT]

A couple of days ago, I was trying to tell a friend there were several moose on the mountain, then said oh, maybe it was meeses, no, must be mooses, finally said there was more than one moose up there.

[LucyT]

Thanks. That’s neat.