Breaking Cat News by Georgia Dunn for November 17, 2023

Champion climber, and all around great Mom Cat, saves the day. Again. But ask yourself this important question…… How long before she’s up there again? And when will Iggy POP up on the scene?

Bea gets to the floor, “You see? I told you I could do it!”

Sandpaper will fix that. And a new coat of paint.

Of course, then you have to repaint all the other door frames to match…

Shred that frame, Sweetie.

Puck is so sweetly patient!

Puck certainly soothes me.

D’awwwwwwwwwwwww!!!! Pucky is the bestest meow helper! Experienced and wise, teaching young Ora Zella how to get herself out of the lurch with a reassuring smile and calm manner.

I love that Puck doesn’t really have to do anything, he just has to tell Ora Zella to come back, and she comes sliding right down. Of course, that door frame has seen better days, but who cares?

The perspective in the second panel is AWESOME!

Puck is so sweet.

My late, lamented Nimitz used to stand and shred door frames until we got meter-high scratch posts with a cat platform on top. Our frames have been safe ever since.

The varnish is doomed.

We just had our painter touch up the window trim above the couch facing the street, where our dear departed Spicy (lower right) used to express her interest in the neighborhood shenanigans.

Mom cat had you rescued her, you may have quelled some of her independence and autonomy streak.

Instead, you have enabled both , by being the calm voice of comfort, showing her that it was her, all along, who had the power to go home. Much like Dorothy’s time in the land of OZ , you provided OZ with the power.

But Puck, our sage like Mom-Cat; was there any other choice for you? I think not, your power rises from true love and devotion to Mom’s brood. A happy and independent fire cat is what any Mom would want for their child.

Still, I would have loved to have witnessed Burt’s magical rescue from afar, using his Drone Camera.

OZ is about to get a really sharp claw. Beware, she might scratch you when she gets down…

All excellent questions! I’ll get my first cuppa coffee and contemplate this now.

Clouded leopards have ankles that rotate 180 degrees backward to allow them to descend from trees head-first. Pity our domestic felines don’t have that feature.

O.Z. is the cutest thing in cats.

OT a terrifying cat from legend

A PSA, Georgia on FB has posted regarding the last panel….

“So based on the comments today, I’m hearing that this needs to be on a mug immediately, right? (I’ll see what I can do!)”

Keep an eye on her Zazzle store!

The Woman must be out running errands or visiting friends or else surely she would have been on the scene by now.

I love the perspective in panel (2).

A teachable moment!

I KNEW it would be Puck who got her down.

(Help) She needs somebody

(Help) Not just anybody

(Help) You know she needs someone, (Help!)

When she was younger so much younger yesterday

She never needed anybody’s help, they just got in her way

But now she’s hangin’ on and feels not so self assured

Now she shrieks as she freaks ‘cause she can’t get to the floor

He’ll help her ’cause he knows she can get down

And Pucky is the best to have around

He’ll help her get her paws back on the ground

He’s pleased, pleased to help O.Z.

O.Z.! Pucky, ooh

- John Lennon – Help! – The Beatles

Adorably hysterical shrieking lol!

Pucky to the rescue.

Look at her crampons!

Again From Wicked: For Good

Ora Zella: Unlimited

Just look up here

Unlimited

Now what do I do?

Puck: Now it’s up to you

You can do this

Now it’s up to you!

Ora Z: I’ve heard it said

That we all have our friends for a reason

Bringing something we must learn!

I don’t want to learn right now,

I need you to come up here and get me,

There’s time later for me to learn!

Puck: We must all keep learning, that’s true

But you can do this today

Because I know you!

Like a tiny bolt of lightning as it runs through the house

Like a set of tiny claws as they grab on to the wood

Ora Z: I don’t know if I can do any better

But because I know you,

I know I can do good!

Positive encouragement, beats hysterical shrieking, er…most of the time…also, a good wood filler may also help!

Meanwhile, Back on the Nile

At the Artisans’ Studio

Arachna Spider: What do you think about this web design?

Maat-Tilda: I think it’s lovely. Do you want to use some of Fe-Anaro’s jewels for decoration, Ari?

Ari: Yes. I think that would be lovely.

Tillie: It was so great to find a trove of jewels at the oPyramid. (Formerly the You Call That a Pyramid)

Sophititi: And I’m glad you found a way to eliminate the sticky part of the web.

Ari: Yes. Somehow I think we’ll need the strength of web silk, however.

Soph: Why do you think that?

Ari: Wait for it…

Ora Z: It’s me, Little O, you know!

Good job, Puck! Those are some sharp claws.

I’ve been waiting for Climbing Champion Pucky to come to Ora’s rescue – yay!

Nicely done, Puck!

The reason cats have trouble getting down from heights is that their legs are jointed in such a way that they have to descend backwards. That means they can’t see where they’re going, meaning that they don’t know what may be waiting for them on the ground. Squirrels don’t have that problem because their legs are jointed in such a way that they can descend headfirst. Bears don’t have the problem because even though they too have to back their way down they figure they can handle whatever there may be waiting for them.

Barbara freaks out when Roy wants to jump down, “His hips! his hips!” yes, it is about 40 inches to the bed, but it’s A BED, not jagged rocks at the bottom of a cliff. We used to do a little “tightrope act” sometimes he would try to walk the pole to the other side. So I would hold him, supporting his belly as we acted out the “Crossing the Desert” to her applause. He is too old now, but we think Roy Batty would have made a great circus cat.

Once again my first true smile of the day comes from Georgia and her wonderful art!

Aaaaa, the woodwork is ruined!! This is why Poppy wears nail caps.

Not worries kid. You is suppose to has nine lifes.

Get the new Ora Zella PLANE TOOL at your local Cat Home Depot !!!

(In fine print): " Quality of Cat Plane Tool and planed surface varies. Consult a Handyman. " … :)

Ora Z. as she reaches the bottom: “Whew! Glad I’m safe.”

Ora Z., one minute later, “That was fun, let’s do it again!”

OT: Today’s Snow Sez is wonderful… #PeaceOnEarth

https://www.gocomics.Com/snow-sez/2023/11/17

BONUS: ᵀᶦⁿʸ ᵀᴼᴱᴮᴱᴬᴺˢᵎ ᵗᶦⁿʸ ⁼ˢᵠᵘᵉᵉᵉᵉᵉᵉᵉᵉᵉᵉ⁼ so as not to wake up the sleeping kittens…

The shaving curls in the last panel—I actually laughed out loud!

Puck is an experienced climber with a heart of gold.

I have a feeling this is something that actually happened in real life. Has Georgia ever confirmed which of the cats helped carve designs into the woodwork?

Panels 2 and 3 reminds me of many an exchange I’ve had coaching young athletes. Almost always they were surprised to find they could in fact do it.

Oh Puck. She’s still at a tender age. Maybe if she had a big, soft cushion to land on. Like Tommy! Or Trevor!

Love the curls of “wood divots”!

Ah yes, one of the great problems in a cat’s life. They actually did not evolve to climb things like trees, door trim etc. Their claws are do not work well for backing down a tree or other such things. It takes time and experience for a cat to learn such things on their own and resist doing such activities unless it is a matter of life and death.

“hysterical shrieking”!!! Well, if they wanted the column look on the door frame, they have it now.

Love the artwork details, in the last panel especially. Ora Z is planing that wood like a sharp vintage Stanley, great chip curls.