Breaking Cat News by Georgia Dunn for January 13, 2023

Look at that yowling in panel 3!

Don’t quite understand the last panel.

I’m with Sophie here. I don’t like change. I don’t fear it but it can make me anxious. Please Tommy, help Sophie calm her fears.

They are both being asked to do something that is very difficult for them. Sophie is being asked to change, something she really doesn’t want to do or even to face, while Tommy is being asked to focus, something that is, ah, shall we say, really not his strong suit.

Sophie has such dainty little toe beans on her delicate little paws. I know Tommy loves her, but he does not understand her.

He is, Sophie. He’s focussing YOU.

OT

Change is both the hardest and the most important thing to master in life, even if it takes a lifetime to master it, and even then . . . The theme of my book Teleria is all about change and its gravity. To quote my character, Kyra, when offering advice to her troubled daughter-in-law, Ciara, “Indeed, the only constant in life is change. If you do not wish to change, you do not wish to live.”

Sophie, I can’t possibly focus on anything other than your beautiful, expressive face and all those toe beans!

Jeff Beck, one of the best guitar players ever, passed away the other day.

Besides the toe beans, we get two panels of Sophie’s little pink tongue. :-)

Jan. 11 Dr. Scuttles on Twitter: "I miss my podcast. Forever annoyed at the powers that be canceling it. Maybe it was TOO CONTROVERSIAL that I blamed merfolk for what befell Jim Hoffa, but I STAND BY MY RESEARCH.

Also consider myself a great fan of the man. Indeed, I am “a friend of Jimmy Hoffa’s.” If you have it, a truck brought it! That’s sound turtle logic too. We haul freight each day, these heavy shells. We are nature’s tiny mack trucks. Only snails are smaller mack trucks than us!

But I digress. I’ve already said too much.

Loving seeing Sophie in so much detail. She’s usual more of a background, shy girl so nice to see her in details, although not liking seeing her distress. Hang in there Miss Sophie!

Change is scary when you have no control over any part of it.

Ah, I see, Georgia must be scared of cats! ;-D

OT POTP to poor little Pixie at TinyKittens in Canada, struggling to overcome complications during her spay.

Here we see how one of Sophie’s creations about change affected Puck

https://www.gocomics.com/breaking-cat-news/2019/01/20 “Good Work”

Georgia comments there that this is one of her favourite strips.

I don’t like change, either…but somebody has to clean those litter boxes!

Understandable. I like ghost stories even though ghosts are scary!

Tommy-‘Okie dokie! I’m focused…maybe it’s that pointy thing, that sticks out of the water…’Sophie; ’SIGH!

“We’re all paper towels!”

https://www.gocomics.com/breaking-cat-news/2019/01/13

I see Tommy as an extrovert, and Sophie as an introvert. He draws energy from being social and is talkative, especially small talk. Sophie on the other hand is re-energized by alone time, and prefers an in-depth conversation. I think this is part of why they wear each other out, and seem to get on each other’s nerves. She can be social if it’s on her own terms as we saw when she joined the BCW tournament.

Thomas, shift out of reporter mode and back into besties mode.

It’s not in Thomas’ nature to focus.

Thomas, I agree—it’s absolutely those big teeth. Now please focus on being the supportive, wonderful friend you know how to be.

That’s an artist for you, Sophie has a certain and powerful way of looking at things. Tommy’s never going to get through to her unless it’s on her own level, and I look forward to seeing him try.

I’m afraid of Gin. Please send Gin so I can conquer my fear.

*Also vermouth and olives…just sayin…

Meanwhile, Back on the Nile

Sophititi: There’s been so much going on in the past holiday season, it’s been a bit overwhelming.

Maat-Tilda: That’s when it’s good to focus on something to get re-settled.

Alice-Ata: This is the time when we look for new places to uh, go shopping.

Soph: You know, it may be a good idea to find found objects in a new place.

Tillie: And who finds better found objects than raccoons?

Soph: Are Kara and Vann available?

Tillie: Yes.

Alice-Ata: Nezumi-San and I would like to accompany you.

Soph: The more the merrier!

Tillie: We’re going to Afar!

We lost two of our cats this week, one to kidney and the other to pneumonia . Hard to lose one but two in two days is really trying. Love this strip.

O.t. I posted this very late last night about Floyd.

I can only change if forced. Then its fine. Its not the change that’s hard as much as the decision to do so. So if I dont have to I won’t

Thanks to everyone yesterday who explained what was going on.

Sophie usually doesn’t care what Tommy thinks—or so she appears.

Poor Sophie, her expression in the second panel. She is terrified! So, Tommy, focus on her and what she is saying and feeling. Change is difficult for many people.

This is more related to yesterday’s strip, but I didn’t think of it until late last night just before I went to bed. I got to thinking that we had seen Sophie in her window before and I was right we have seen her at least once before in it, https://www.gocomics.com/breaking-cat-news/2016/07/28

Poor Sophie! You will love the house when you see it kitten

Tommy has revealed his alter-ego, Captain Tangent! He’s come to save the day and did you know that there are more than five hundred species of sharks?

Thomas. So sweet.

Oh, get up

Mm

Still don’t know what I was waiting for

And my time was running wild, a million dead-end streets and

Every time I thought I’d got it made

It seemed the taste was not so sweet

So, I turned myself to face me

But I’ve never caught a glimpse

Of how the others must see the faker

I’m much too fast to take that test

(Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes) turn and face the strange (ch-ch-changes)

Don’t wanna be a richer cat

(Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes) turn and face the strange (ch-ch-changes)

Just gonna have to be a different cat

Time may change me but I can’t trace time

Ooh, yeah

I watch the ripples change their size

But never leave the stream of warm impermanence and

So, the days float through my eyes but still the days seem the same

And these children that you spit on as they try to change their worlds

Are immune to your consultations

They’re quite aware of what they’re going through

(Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes) turn and face the strange (ch-ch-changes)

Don’t tell them to grow up, or out of it

(Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes) turn and face the strange (ch-ch-changes)

Where’s your shame? You’ve left us up to our necks in it

Time may change me but you can’t trace time

Strange fascination, fascinating me

Ah, changes are taking the pace I’m going through

(Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes) turn and face the strange (ch-ch-changes)

Ooh, look out you rock ’n rollers

(Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes) turn and face the strange (ch-ch-changes)

Pretty soon now you’re gonna get older

Time may change me but I can’t trace time

I said that time may change me but I can’t trace time

I love how Georgia conveys sadness on Sophie’s face in panel two. She’s really a talented artist.

Know what else has big teeth? Cats!

Sophie, sweetie, Tommy is a floofyhead. He’s a mental ginger; he truly can’t help it.

Thomas.

Tommy lacks artistic temperament.

I like this, as it’s often true: just because you cover a subject in your work dosen’t mean you lik eit. Granted the pieces did come out as positive towards change.. but given that never reflected sophie’s actual behavior (especially during the Tusslemania arc), and that the scariest thing she could possibly think of was literally called “the unknown” Georgia has well set it up over a few years. I don’t know if she intended to move Sophie during all this, but it shows how well crafted it is that it’s genuinely hard to tell if this was planned all along or at least for the past few years or Georgia just winged that mother to the point the pieces fell in place.

Sophie reminds me painfully of my late, beloved Fuzzbutt. He loved tiny changes. A moved piece of furniture, a new toy a new fenced in area to hunt in. He hated big changes. When we retired, sold the house and moved into an RV for a couple of years of travel he hated it. Unfortunately his long running battle with bladder problems flared up with the stress and we lost him almost over night. Some kitties just don’t do change.

He is focusing. Unfortunately, he’s focusing on the next Shark Week on Discovery.

I thank everybody who sent healing orb notes yesterday, the fuzzy blanket, the toy, and the love. I got out from under the bed today and have been having a great day with the cats, who also came out from under the bed, where it is safe, to face the world around us.

OT: Rose