CAPITAL CAT

Do you have "Cattitude"?

In my blog of last week, I mentioned this air of change that has settled over DC since January. The District has a new spring in its step and it is contagious. I watched the new president, this Obama chap, the day he was sworn in. Now he’s one cool “cat” (that’s a high compliment for a human). He has this quiet confidence...just like a cat. It's like when I know I can take over my human’s favorite chair and that her protests are useless. It’s pretty simple. I just patiently but persistently nuzzle into the small corner of the chair. My human will slide over to make more room and I stretch my forelegs out to fill that space (always coming into contact with the human by pushing against her legs). She gives me more space and soon gives up. At that point I own the chair.

It’s that sort of confidence Obama has when talking to other humans. He remains catlike in his demeanor. My experience with humans is that keeping them calm is the first step in making sure they don’t overreact to a problem, so they won't forget to give me my dinner and I have a warm place to sleep. Let's see how well Obama is able to keep everyone calm.

What I’ve noticed about humans is they tend to panic if things don’t happen RIGHT NOW! Even though they agree that this economy mess has taken years to get to this point, too many are saying, "Fix it right now!" Well, maybe a little catlike patience is called for. If anyone were to listen to me, I’d suggest we all take a feline approach. We all know about a cat’s nine lives. Encountering one problem may mean one of those lives is gone, but there are eight more left. That’s exactly what has happened to one of my humans. He lost something called job a little while ago. I’ve let him know that he’s got plenty more lives left; he can stay positive and remember to put his human ingenuity to work. I do not intend to miss any meals over this little setback.

That way of thinking is known in the feline world as “cattitude”.

Introducing CAPITAL CAT

I’m a kitty, the Capital Cat with “CATtitude” and stories to tell. I live amongst the power brokers of the nation—in Washington DC—where consequential decisions are made and a little intrigue reigns. This is the power center of the United States and maybe even the world. This is the big leagues.

 

I’m a relative newcomer, having lived around DC for three and a half years. It takes time to get your bearings and learn the lay of the land. I am happy that my humans decided to move here. Even though elsewhere there is a certain amount of trash talking of DC that goes on, from my feline point of view, DC has a style that those who don’t know the capital well just don’t understand. What DC has, in the language of Pierre L’Enfant, the District’s original designer, is a je ne se quoi.

I’ve watched visitors, as they stroll the Mall staring up at the Washington Monument or the Capitol Building—itself sitting there on the a hill 88 feet above the Potomac River— snapping thousands of pictures and gawking at the sights. Once you’ve been here, there’s something you take home that becomes part of you. This wonderful city is the cradle of American democracy. It’s what makes the U.S. uniquely American.

 

About me

I’m a black and white tuxedo cat, with my own dapper bow tie (you’ll see a few dapper DC chaps in bow ties) and my own “CATtitude”. What you’ll find with me as you read my DC stories is that this CATtitude gives me a perspective on DC most humans miss. There is so much going on behind the curtain here, Toto, that a surface look at DC will never give you an understanding. I’m no wizard, leave that up to the professionals, I’m just a kitty who must show off the town I’ve fallen for.

 

Okay, the truth, I am not actually writing this blog. I have enlisted my human to do it. The main reason is the keyboard is way too hard for me to get my paws around. For instance, if I wrote the word “cat” myself, it would come out like this xfczweasdrvtyrg on the screen. The letters c..a..t are in that mess, but trust me having the human do the keying in of the letters is far, far better. The human listens to what I have to say and then faithfully enters the exact thoughts in readable type.

 

About my blog

The stories, observations and information sent out through my blog are intended to capture and interpret the “change” in the air here that suddenly came over DC this past January. Normally, kittens aren’t crazy about change. But what I’ve felt is a breath of air, and sniffed a freshness in it since January, a feeling that a new day is dawning. I’ll try to capture what’s happening and put a feline interpretation to it to help my readers understand DC a little better. Also look out for some historic notes, read about neighborhoods and learn some inside info about the power center of America.

 

I‘ve used the term “CATtitude” a few times and maybe I should explain what it means. It’s not in the regular dictionary, but a definition is:

 

CATtitude (n) cat´-i-tude: 1) The ability of a feline to hold its humans in a constant state of servitude through a general aloofness (except when hungry) and devil-may-careness. Characterized by the phrase, “Oh, you want me…I’ll get back to you in my own sweet time”. 2) Being able to deliver a vast array of emotions using one and only one facial expression, best described by the word “blasé”.

 

If you’re a cat lover, you will recognize instantly what CATtitude means. It’s the kitty sitting on the newspaper exactly when you’re reading it. It’s the kitty knocking over a chess piece or using a checker as a play mouse at just the moment you’re about to make a crucial move. It’s the kitty producing a massive yawn right at the moment you’re scolding it for pushing a half-full food dish from the countertop to the floor. It’s also the kitty sleeping with front paws crossed over its nose; or finding a warm spot in the sun to wash its tail; or bumping your nose with its head to say, “I love you.”

 

What Capital CATtitude means is very well expressed in this picture… That’s me enjoying a little grooming on the roof of a very famous DC landmark.

 

On this building,

CATtitude means…the veto is mine!

That’s what Capital CATtitude means…