Breaking Cat News by Georgia Dunn for August 22, 2023

Definitely an increased Robber Mouse presence this week. Can’t wait to hear what they have to say! Maybe they’ve found something out!

I can remember my Mother trying to tell me about a particular girlfriend, and my refusal to see it. You never see the door more clearly than after you walked in to it, several times. LOL

Hmm. Little ears are listening, and little minds might just have some ideas. (They have a long history with Wicket, after all!)

What a different Owl and Pussycat story that was, that was, what a different sad story it was.

So Mags is freshly vengeful. Wicket, you are……well, you know

This time he must be plucked…

It’s good you had a wise father to protect you, Mags.

Occasionally, in my counseling days, I’d have a case where the jilted one confronted his/her replacement. Usually that encounter went poorly, but sometimes the two discovered they had a common grievance, as seems to be the case with Mags and Baba.

“What a guy” Baba, you have his essence boiled down for you (and us).

Out of morbid curiosity, I wondered if owls were edible, and was surprised to learn that they are. Aside from the fact that it’s illegal to eat owls, it’s discouraged due to their diet of rodents, etc. I wouldn’t actually go so far as to put Wicket into a stew, I’d be sorely tempted to make a credible threat, maybe even recite a recipe, something French like L’Hibou a la Soubise.

Bravo for Great Boot! Well done, old fellow.

dun… dun…. duuuunnnn!!

Is this conference safe from The Eye of The Dark Lord in his Quinn fastness? He has sent out his Nazmôl to scourge the land. Are they seeking The Ring that he got from the pig and gave to Baba mouse? Will we see four small adventurers attempt to penetrate his domain? I’m sure that there is much to see yet.

Totally O.T.

I just had to share. I do not know how I have lived 71 years and am only tonight discovering Quokkas. They are the cutest animal I have ever seen. Look them up for a smile.

It’s a wonder he could keep all the ladies straight. I’ll bet anything those two weren’t the only ones.

Well, Owl be danged! He didn’t give a Hoot about you! You are both Wiser, now!

Wicket may be the master mind but they still have to deal with Monty and his army of moles.

I want the cats back.

So he was proposing marriage to each of them AT THE SAME TIME! What a ————.

Wicket is “playing the field” in more ways than one!

In the last panel, Alice’s expression clearly states, “We’ve got to make a plan.”

Of course Great Boot would be suspicious. As we learned from the July Bug arc, nobody owns the sky. Luckily Alice and Natasha are there, they know how to make a plan to defeat the Wicked.

What A Guy, Indeed!

Dog Eat Doug by Brian Anderson is quite funny today.

Meanwhile, Back on the Nile

At the Royal Dining Room at Afar

Obadiah Opossum: That was a delicious meal. My compliments to the chef.

Queen Mags: Would like to see the chef?

Obie: Yes, Your Majesty. I haven’t seen my cousin in ages.

Enter Patrice Possum

Patrice: G’day, mates from Egypt. It was a pleasure to throw a shrimp on the barbie for you…Obie! Is that you?

Obie: Sure is, ’Trice. Long time no see! That was a fair dinkum delicious meal.

Patrice: Well, thank you! Let me clean up and we can catch up.

Obie: Sure. I’ll help.

At the Royal Afar Library

Beaver Lee Cleary: It’s always a pleasure to meet with you. I understand you have some classic scrolls to show me.

Beatrixia: Yes. We recently discovered the lost You Call That a Pyramid. We renamed it the oPyramid. It may not look like much from the outside, but it’s has treasures on the inside.

Violet-Ifa: We were hoping you would come back to see the library. We’ve found classics like the works of Erma Bombosis, and the Church of Cat Collected Recipes.

Bev: I would love to visit. Summer Scroll Club is over, and things are fairly quiet.

Bea: Great! We’ll have a real treasure hunt!

“Like 10 minutes before” I died laughing. I think I’ll be randomly saying that to myself and chuckling all day.

Where are the chickadees?

Oh mag… I’m also amazed how much georgia has thought out in advance. It’s clear she had wicket’s backstory with mag planned from her introduction, possibly before we even met her, and likely planned out when to use it. I also like that it was like “ten minutes before”, with Old Boot likely being the reason Wicket was injured in the first place.

A few people have remarked that they would like to return to the BCN Team, and I understand. I love the antics of Elvis, Ora, and all the rest. However, people need to understand you have to allow your characters and plot lines an opportunity to grow and expand. Keeping the world you build one-dimensional, as it were, would stifle creativity. The old comic strips like Blondie and Beetle Bailey were excellent but never grew, and after a while, they became stagnant. The other challenge is fitting a complex storyline into three (maybe four) panels. Rather than stifle creativity, artists such as Georgia are able to keep the story moving and interesting.

The challenge of coming up with new ideas for a strip that runs every day of the week is a challenging feat. Sit back and enjoy the story. I’m sure our intrepid reporters are busy working behind the scenes gathering the news even now. They will be back on the air with late-breaking cat news. :-)

So, the bit about dancing by the light of the moon was a lie. Instead they went after Wicket with a runcible spoon.

Ladies, this is your time to shine. Make Wicket rue the day he pecked his way out of the shell.

I love how the story is rolling along.

OT buttering paws

Can we get back to the cats, please?

I’m usually just a lurker, but since no one has shared the news from Dr. Scuttles on the dead Birdie place, had to drop in: “An unexpected visit from my longtime friend Wicket this afternoon. His lamented news from several months back has come to pass, he was at last released from the QWRC. Spent too long in my backyard, asking if I’d heard about the moles over at the Big Pink House…” So he’s on the loose and interested in the moles.

[in my most whiny-babying voice] Can we get back to subplot 2A, please?

who knew an Owl could be such a ‘hound dog’

I’ve heard of “burning your bridges”, but Wicket is a veritable arsonist!

Mags and Baba are still capable of throwing a tad bit of shade at each other.

Good on Old Boot for putting his paw down and putting a stop to that nonsense; if young Mouse had had a father present in her early life, I’m sure he would have done the very same. I’m sure Angus, Lady Jane, and all the other adult cats at the Quinn Shelter tried, but they had no authority to forbid the match, even when they could see the coming disaster.

I admit getting caught up sometimes in trying to analyze why people do the things they do. But I am so puzzled by folks who seem unable to just skip over a comic (or book or TV show for that matter) that they don’t like. Give it a glance, if it’s not what you want to see/read, go on to something else for that day.

I’m not even gonna speculate on where this will go. Georgia’s creative; I am not.

Oh yeah, what a guy, him. -sarcasm-

You know, in practical terms I feel confident the actual Lord and Lady of the fields are that big pair of hawks with a nest in the top of that tree over there. When they glide over, everyone scrambles, owls, moles, cats, and raccoons alike.

A lowdown, despicable, cheating guy, actually.

There is a scene in “In the Heat of the Night” where the creepy diner guy turns on the radio and (if I recall correctly) kinda dances around to a rockabilly-sounding song called “Foul Owl is on the Prowl.” I now have that song stuck in my head.

To those of you who are wishing the cats to return, please keep in mind that, first, Baba IS a cat, so there’s that. But also, this is Georgia’s comic and she is taking it in the direction SHE wants it to go. She has said this will be a very long arc (likely to last into the fall or longer). We all love the cats and their antics, but many of us enjoy the backstories and all the antics of all of the creatures, Robber Mice and wild land creatures included. There is nothing that says you have to read the comic. If you no longer wish to be a part of the Orb, we will not hold you here. We have enjoyed any comments you have made in the past, and will miss you if you decide to leave. The vast majority of us (probably 99.9% of us) will remain and continue to enjoy all of Georgia’s art work and stories. Thank you for your comments.

Happy OT:

Wicket is such a cad!

I hope this time is the charm. He has formidable opponents.

Sue Ellen posted this under one of Robin’s comments above, but I think it should be in a comment slot more readily seen. It fills in a hole we have been speculating about.

There was an update from Dr. Scuttles yesterday, it seems Wicket is no longer in the sanctuary. Here is the info from Dr. Scuttles:

An unexpected visit from my longtime friend Wicket this afternoon. His lamented news from several months back has come to pass, he was at last released from the QWRC. Spent too long in my backyard, asking if I’d heard about the moles over at the Big Pink House…

I told him indeed I had. He said it was an awful business… We looked at each other a long time.

I said if I ever found who had forced Old Mag out of her dumpster, I would likely snip-snap my jaws and clip their wings. Wicket replied, “Dear fellow… Moles don’t have wings!”

He laughed heartily and I told him it was nearly time for my supper. He flew off and said he’d visit again soon. He has a lot of time, now that he is out of QWRC…

He thinks I don’t know.

He thinks you don’t know.

But we know.

Don’t we, dear listeners?

OT: Kitten watch at TK!

Those poor ladies! He’s such a slime!

Fix that tyrant for good.

Government bureaucracy OT:

Athena undoubtedly disowned that bird of ill omen. What he needs is a murder of crows, or an unkindness of ravens.

Apropos of nothing, today I have to get out and I want to get stuff to make cucumber sandwiches. It’s just too hot to cook anything.

So … Some folks here today have postulated and posited about consuming owl meat. Therefore – after a little research, I discovered that owl meat (when it comes to taste), is often described as having a similar flavor to (you guessed it) Chicken, but with a stronger and more gamey taste. The meat is also said to have a distinct smell, which can be off-putting to some people.

BUT, in the name of Research !, a young panel of taste-testers was assembled – and here’s how it went down: …

[Kids at a table – with a big plate of cooked owl meat (we’ll say, Wicket)]

…

Kid #1: “What’s this stuff?”

Kid #2: “Some [owl meat (Wicket)]. Supposed to be good for you.”

Kid #1: “Did you try it?”

Kid #2: “I’m not gonna try it! YOU try it!”

Kid #1: “I’m not gonna try it!

Kid #2: “Let’s get Mikey!!”

Kid #1: “YEAH !!” …

Kid #2: “He won’t eat it. He hates EVERYTHING !” …

[Mikey looks at the plate – and eats the owl meat (Wicket)].

Kid #2: “He LIKES It ! – Hey MIKEY!!” …

[All the kids eat the owl meat (Wicket)].

…

AND – There you have it! … Glad I could help! And yes, … I’m so SILLY !! (hee-hee)! … :)

OT

Ot – my place :)