Breaking Cat News by Georgia Dunn for December 09, 2023

That is one aggressive newspaper flick there Elvis! But somehow I don’t think Ora Zella is going to be disappointed. She has her jar, and even poked holes in the top!

Not to worry. “Stay up” and “kitten” are biologically incompatible. I’m sure Ora Zella will juuuuuuust miss him.

Did…did she poke holes in the top with her fangs?

“I stayed up all night with a half-frozen and lost kitten, a situation that I did not cause, by the way. So, I’m thinking that it’s your turn to _”volunteer"_ for this duty.

O.T. TROUBLE posting from last night — not good.

How did Ora Zella poke the holes in the top? I think her fangs in panel 2 give a very good clue! And kudos to everyone yesterday who recommended that holes needed to be poked in the top.

I think the top is loose. The jar is ajar…

I wonder if Mom Cat or Dad Cat will save the day, so to speak. I can totally see Puck as Santa Claws. Or maybe Lupin’s conscience causes him to perform a noble act? I can’t wait to find out.

Another Burt snark.

I’m expecting a real, full size Santa to be worked into the story to make an appearance ala the mailman for Puck. Christmas magic for an overwhelmed kitten.

0.T. TROUBLE UPDATED – BAD NEWS from Lady Bri late last night: He just had three seizures. We’re rushing him to the After Hours Vet. :( We’re so scared for him! Please continue sending paw power and prayers. His regular vet didn’t have his anticonvulsants in stocks…they said they might have them Monday night. Timing couldn’t be worse.

PLEASE be praying or do what ever you do to help save our Lady B’s Trouble!!

To paraphrase the immortal words of one Chief Martin Brody, “You’re gonna to need a bigger jar!”

Being a bit hard on Lupin, I think. Regardless of what he said, she would have cooked up some way to trap Santa.

OT: A Pathetically Trained Human.

Elvis is having none of Puck’s nonsense. I ❤️ Elvis.

I love panel three here

Guess, this time Santa’s not coming through the chimney, but he will use “the Doors”

Zella, Santa’s on the way

Not to end in your jar

Oh, don’t ask why

Oh, don’t ask why

Hey dmah, enigmamz, scyphl26, David Rickard, you called it!

Make sure to put a stick and a leaf in the bottle to remind him of home.

No, wait, that’s for a frog….

Three different paws full of toe beans, from three different cats! Where’s my fainting couch? SQUEEEEE!

How can Lupin fix this?

Like a kitten can stay up all night. They are asleep more than they are awake.

Elvis, he can’t read your whiskers with the paper in the way.

I wonder how Ora Zella imagines Santa as…

Maybe Jules can make a December appearance, and wear a Santa suit, to let OZ ‘catch’ him!

Capture shape shifting alien cat in a jar? Alien astronut theorists suggest that obviously shape shifting alien cat is just gets beams him up through some sortsa teleportation device outta there. No wonder you is can never catches him with anything.

Oh, Ora! JARming as always!

“I poked holes in the top.” Tiny little pat-pat. Too cute!!!!

I think Lupin is raising his paw to volunteer for overnight duty in the last panel. He’s sorry.

I could see panel four two ways. Either Elvis is mad at Lupin, or that’s his tough way of saying “This is a job for Dad Cat!”

I haven’t heard a really good newspaper flick since I accidentally spoke aloud in the reading room of the Athenaeum in 1978.

He’d better watch out

He’d better be spry

He’d better re-route

I’m telling him why, Ora’s gonna be waiting around

She’s gonna insist

Her trapping device

Removes any doubt

Although warned twice, Ora’s gonna be waiting around

And Lupin won’t be sleeping

He has to stay awake

He knows bottling Santa isn’t good

In fact one mega bonkers mistake

He’s gotta visit all cities and towns

Can’t let Ora take Santa down

J. Fred Coots / Haven Gillespie – Santa Claus Is Coming to Town

Meanwhile, Back on the Nile

Iggy: I’m going to practice my drums for when Cousin Ziggy’s ship puts in to port.

Ora Z: I wonder if I can make more percussion instruments for the band.

Iggy: Let’s go to the oPyramid (formerly the You Call That a Pyramid?) to see if Mandy and Lynn have any extra wood scraps from their instrument shop.

Ora Z: Maybe they’ll have some to burn, too.

Puckmosis: Not likely. They use just about every piece of wood. And other stuff, too.

Iggy: But it can’t hurt to pay them a visit.

At Mandy and Lynn’s Luthier Shop

Mandy: Hey, guys! What brings you to the luthier shop?

Iggy: We were wondering how you were doing. And if you have any scraps for percussion instruments.

Lynn: Well, luthiers make stringed instruments, but are always ready to lend a paw for music. How is your band Mallets Towards None doing, Ora?

Ora Z: We’ll be getting together for a concert when the Red Planet Spider comes into port.

Mandy: Oh, that’s the ship your cousin Ziggy Starcross is on, isn’t it, Iggy?

Iggy: That’s right. I know he loves his guitar.

Lynn: We’ll have to invent some other instruments for him.

I predict that Ora Zella will get evidence of Santa’s reality and her little heart will not be broken.

I volunteer Lupin. He started this, after all.

In fairness, though, all of this probably wouldn’t have been a problem at all were it not for Ora Zella being involved.

I love how Lupin is kind of sheepishly putting up his paw and waving it when Elvis asks for volunteers. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

You’d better listen to Puck, Ora Zella. Santa kind of has a whole big thing about who’s not being nice.

Jars are good for carrying moonbeams home. Not good for capturing Santa Claus’.

I love this poking holes in the jar!

Am I the only one who would really love an Elvis “Aggressive newspaper flex” mug?♥

Like this comment for an Iggy story arc!

I’ll be leaving shortly to go see @rs0204 at the book fair! Need 2 of his books, plus check out the other authors.

OZ is going to learn more about Santa whether she wants to or not.

There’s a commonly-memed image on the Internet of Tommy Lee Jones staring disapprovingly from behind a newspaper. Elvis is proving to be a fantastic understudy.

Man, even Burt is throwing shade at him. Tough break.

Love how Georgia’s signature is on the newspaper. Great detail.

Simple explanation: Santa has had years to learn all the tricks kids might come up with to see or catch him, and knows how to foil them all. Ora Z is very smart, but the centuries-old elf is smarter.

Love the aggressive newspaper flex. Alas, that’s one thing you can’t do when reading news on a phone or tablet.

Remembered from the “Monkey House” strip (which folded ca 2002): “If you go to bed and stay there, Santa will put your presents under the tree. If you don’t, he’ll just dump them someplace and I’ll have to put them there myself.”

The orange plush is started to leave the bedroom more often to explore the rest of the trailer. This means coming in contact with the princess and the lil gray guy. Hissing has happened. No swats that I saw.

Thanks again for all the prayers and good thoughts for my plushy girl! I’ll be going back to my Tommybaum avatar shortly.

I can see Elvis flexing a newspaper menacingly.

Three cheers for Pucky toe beans!

Oh, the fangs!!

The small book fair at the St. Louis Littery Guild was fun. I met some nice people, sold a few books, and was surprised and delighted when Lucy LuLu paid a visit. I wish I could meet more of the fine people of the Orb. Maybe one day, there will be an opportunity to do book signings in more places. I can always hope.

Sending prayers!

I’m starting to wonder what Ora wants to do with Santa.

This, of course, leads to the question, "Does Santa Claus exist in the BCN-verse? That may sound like a stupid question, but Santa does in the Garfield-verse.

At least Ora Zella was thoughtful enough to poke holes in the lid.

I always love Elvish with the cheater glasses shaking the newspaper or fluffing a pillow, etc. =D

Nice going, Lupin.

Oh come on, Elvis! What would you have told her, there is no Santa?