Thursday Thirteen, Edition 2

This is a photo of me yearning to go outside before the move to the new Morning Scratch facility. I've had a discussion with my investor about being more proactive in taking photos for the newspaper. It's ridiculous that I must use file photos.

With warm days upon us, I've been thinking of the wonderful feeling of grass between my toes. Other cats have launched Strolling Season. I don't have a stroller, but I do have a too-small-for-my-now-bigger-belly harness, with leash. I've submitted a buy request to my investor for a new harness. I'm sure she'll find the money for it; we can always cut back on supplies for Kat 3 and Sara, if we're short on cash.

I've been thinking of:

1. Marking my territory. With the move recently to the new Morning Scratch facility, I've yet to mark my backyard as mine.

2. Eating grass and puking

3. Chasing bugs

4. Hurting bugs

5. Eating bugs

6. Sniffing the fresh air while on the other side of the window screen.

7. "Fertilizing" the garden

8. Walking the yard with my investor -- alone time to talk about my business goals without Kat 3 and Sara butting in.

9. Lying in the wheelbarrow.

10. Lying at my investor's investor's feet while he relaxes in the backyard, too.

11. Well, really, lying anywhere I want in the backyard.

12. Trying to climb over the fence into the neighbor's yard fast enough that I'm not caught and put back on the ground.

13. Eating grass and puking

-Bogdan, editor, The Morning Scratch

Working on Wednesday (Staff Meeting)

Sara and Kat 3 intently listen to Mr. Bogdan during today's Morning Scratch staff meeting.

Because I was feeling better, I rounded up the workers and held our first staff meeting this morning. Having everycat on the same page is important. As you can see, Sara and Kat 3 are taking their assignments very seriously. During the meeting, we also decided to leave all business affairs to our investor so that we can focus on responsible, community-based journalism, such as advocating for fair treatment in the Household (more food bowls and toys) and for government-mandated recreation time (someone buy me a new harness, already!).

-Bogdan, the editor

Feeling sickly

There must be a bug going around California. Skeezix has been sick, and I've been feeling under the weather, as well. I also was shoved into a "prizzin box" and taken to the V-E-T. I returned home, but with antibiotics, which taste absolutely terrible. My investor and typist has also been feeling bad, so unfortunately she hasn't been helping me much with typing. I hope to start posting regularly again later this week.

Get well soon, Skeezix!

-Bogdan, editor

I'm a Winner Wednesday

"What? What? I won TWO prizes?" Bogdan said.

LOCAL CAT IS VICTORIOUS

By Bogdan, editor
Reporter Kat 3 contributed to this report

Cat of the Household Bogdan, the editor of The Morning Scratch, emerged Wednesday a winner.
Before this time, his winnerability was in question, as he had never won anything before.
Bogdan won the "Where in the World is DKM?" contest on the Diva Kitty & the Fluffies blog by successfully guessing DKM was in Sparks, Nev. He will receive a kitty goodie bag.
Also, he received Honorable Mention in the Friends of Skeezix "How I Got My Name" contest on Catster. He was given 20 Zealies for that honor.
"I guess it's just a Bogdan kind of day," Bogdan told Morning Scratch reporter Kat 3, who is assisting the editor in writing this story to diffuse any conflicts of interest that may arise by the winner, well, writing about himself winning.
"I'm quite surprised and honored. And I sure like winning, I'll tell you that much," Bogdan continued. "It's awfully nice of kitties and their people to hold contests and give away prizes."
Bogdan praised all entrants in both contests and spoke highly of the winners of the FOS contest, Ele' and Gimmie.
"They sure had good stories. And a sense of humor, to boot."
Bogdan also said he would like to thank Skeezix and DKM for holding exciting contests that he could win.

Bogdan's "How I Got My Name" entry:
I was named Bogdan by my rescuer after the musician Bogdan Raczynski. My investor, who is demanding I also call her Mom, kept the name because she says it makes me a Polish cat, and she's a quarter Polish. She also lets me eat human Polish food. Perogi, anyone?

Obituary: Fish, 2002-2007

Family photo taken Dec. 20, 2006: Clockwise from left, Fish, Bogdan, Sara and Kat 3.

Three goldfish and a suckerfish, all of California and at least four years old, died within the last few days in their tank they've called home since 2002. They lived happy, long lives, moving several times with the family, sometimes as far as several hundred miles. The last move several weeks ago proved to weigh on them too heavily physically, the family said.
The family tried using antibiotics to clear them of medical conditions they had developed but were unsuccessful.
"I will miss them," Kat 3 said. "I would sit on top of their tank and watch over them, sometimes spending so many hours there with them that I would fall asleep."
Funeral services were held in the backyard.

Made by a Meezer Monday

The Morning Scratch recently moved to a new facility. While Bogdan is busy resting up to cover the big stories (at least that's what he says), I'm setting up the place.

My first project is the table in the living room. Here I am making sure all of the pieces have arrived. I also checked all the holes in the wood for food - just in case. (By the way, there wasn't any food. Phooey.)

Even though I am an experienced catpenter, I always study the directions.

What? ...... Duh. I know the directions are upside down, silly!

And, poof! I'm done. My Meezer muscles got a bit of a work out. I think it's time to relax and admire my work. Where's my after-building-table snack??? Service, please! Teehee.

(Preparing for) Fashion Show Friday

Because I am a professional model, I must practice, practice, practice.
The aspects of modeling I believe to be the most important are grooming and catwalk walking. I shall demonstrate:


Walking: This is not my best turn, but as you can see, I try to keep a nice curve to my tail as I make my catwalk twirl. I also make eye contact with my audience. A lot of professional models don't do that, but I also want to be a movie star like Daisy, so I think eye contact is important in case a big-time director is watching.



Grooming: As a model, you must always look your best. That means many hours of your day are devoted to cleaning yourself or having someone groom you. Also, you must always be surrounded by gifts from other people to show how important you are. These gifts are from Scooter. OK, so they weren't all for me, but Kat 3 doesn't seem to mind. (And there she is admiring me.)

Thursday Thirteen

Here I am, preparing to take notes for my next big newspaper assignment.

This is The Morning Scratch's very first Thursday Thirteen.

Here are thirteen headlines The Morning Scratch staff hopes to write in the next year, with the contributor in parenthesis.

1. Cats take over MTV, launch own slew of reality shows. (Sara)

2. The never-ending food bowl is discovered in the rain forests of Brazil. (Kat 3)

3. Everything is on sale at www.2dogsandacat.com/. (Sara)

4. Cat wins "American Idol." (Bogdan)

5. Mu shue Pooh King Cat starts selling his "chicky-flavored cat nip." (Bogdan)

6. Dishwasher breaks; Kat 3 hired as replacement. (Kat 3)

7. Jeter Harris interns at The Morning Scratch under pseudonym Jimmy Olsen. (Bogdan)

8. Cats turn video cameras on humans, show embarrassing footage on "America's Funniest Home Videos." (Bogdan)

9. Skeezix is biggest craze to hit Japan since Godzilla. (Kat 3)

10. Water baths are outlawed. (Bogdan)

11. Airlines debut "furrrst-class," in which cats and other animals get special treatment while flying to all their important engagements. (Sara)

12. To stay in shape, 23 hours of sleep each day is necessary, researchers find. (Bogdan)

13. All corners of the universe are fitted with self-scratchers. (Kat 3)

The staff at the Morning Scratch would like to thank everyone for the great welcoming you've given us! It's much more than we expected. We'll visit you all soon!

P.S. We haven't figured out how to do that linky thing that's on everyone else's Thursday Thirteen.
P.P.S. We also haven't figured out why visual verification doesn't work for us, making it so we can't post comments some places!