Cats of the Zodiac 8-Scorpio
Readers, I grovel. I have the heart and soul of an unset jelly.
Zodiacally speaking we are three quarters of the way through Scorpio, and I haven’t...
Superstar Saka SIgning Sensation
As promised, an update on FC Clowder City, the team Roger and I are building for our foray into Fantasy Premier League. We are field testing the efficacy...
Catty Scarlatti
It was Domenico Scarlatti’s birthday on 27 October. He would have been 339 years old. An absolute baroque star and pioneering king of the keyboards (harpsichord...
FC Clowder City
Can the feline factor influence the beautiful game?
During the Euros this summer we ran an experiment to see if we could predict the outcome using...
Félicette Astrocat
I have to report a shaming oversight.
It was 61 years ago today, 18 October, that Félicette became the first (and so far only) astrocat. I am mortified...
Cats of the Zodiac 7 - Libra
After a few weeks of being harangued for your own good by Virgo, please welcome Libra, oozing charm, their weapon of choice, to seduce with comfort and...
Old T.S. Possum
Happy Birthday Old Possum, born 26 September, 1888 in St Louis, Missouri. One of the most significant figures in modernist literature, he was a poet,...
Faulkner’s Clowder
Happy Birthday William Faulkner, novelist, poet and screenwriter, born 25 September 1897 in New Albany, Mississippi. Nobel Laureate and two-time Pulitzer...
Correction: Two Lions
Typical. The minute I publish our helpful naming suggestions, the Starmers unleash the new asset. Here he is. Fluffy, white and adorable, as anticipated....
‘A Very Fine Cat Indeed’
Samuel Johnson, the Sage of Lichfield, was born on 18 September (or 7 September if you are using the old system. It is very confusing, the result of...
Three Lions in Downing Street
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and family are now established in Number 10, along with JoJo, the family cat. Larry and JoJo have been circling each...
Cats of the Zodiac 6 - Virgo
Virgo, the Clean Up Queen
Leo has left the building. We know this because cat hairs smother every soft surface, playfully eviscerated catnip toys...
Tuxedo Junction
It’s Tuxie Appreciation Day, 9 September.I know. It seems only yesterday that we were appreciating the Cary Grants of the cat world on Tuxedo Cat Appreciation...
White Cat Day
White Cat Day is celebrated on 5 September.If you are anywhere near a white cat, Belvedere and I advise you in the strongest possible terms to start...
Agent Orange
Celebrate ten years of Ginger Cat Appreciation Day, which happens on the first day of every September. Software engineer Chris Roy set up GCAD in 2014...
Fly Me to the Meown
Belvedere and I (and Roger) have just caught Fly me to the Moon, a very entertaining movie directed by Greg Berlanti about a handsome black cat’s pivotal...
Black Cat Appreciation Day
It’s Black Cat Appreciation Day 17 August.
Do not confuse this with National Black Cat Day, which is celebrated on 27 October.
As you can see,...
The OTHER Cat of Science
Put the Schrödinger feline back in the box. I give you Mačak. Thanks to Mačak we have alternating current (AC), wifi, wireless comms, smartphones, the...
Now you see it...
Enigmatic street artist Banksy has been sparking joy in the UK – well, London mainly – with a series of delightful silhouettes of animals having fun:...
THE Cat of Science
Happy Birthday to Erwin Schrödinger, Nobel laureate and pioneer of quantum mechanics, born in Vienna 12 August 1887.
Why is Schrödinger’s work so...
International Cat Day
Please excuse the tardy post, Belvedere and I (and Roger) have been celebrating International Cat Day (8 August) and things got a little raucous.International...
JD Vance, oh dear
Belvedere is urging me to comment on the egregious remarks made by JD Vance. Donald Trurmp’s running mate, apparently of his own free will. He once called...
Cats of the Zodiac 5 - Leo
Enter Their Majesty. It’s Leo time. Red carpets, fanfares and foie gras all round! After all that Cancerian moony moodiness, it is a great relief to...
Under New Management
England went out against Spain (no dishonour) and the manager, Gareth Southgate, has resigned, despite his considerable achievements. England are the...
Arriba La Roja
Well done Selección Española de Fútbol.The official name of the conquistadors who took the Henry Delaunay Trophy, see image, at the final of the Euros....
Hats off to Larry
The UK have just held a General Election. For professional reasons, Belvedere and I must eschew expressing any political opinion, so we could not possibly...
EURO 24 5July Update
Well here we are at the quarter finals. It’s been a tedious trudge through mostly unconvincing group games and frankly excruciating knockouts. Will it...
Meet Roger
As you will know, it has recently been Bring Your Cat to Work Day (see post Monday 24 June.)
Belvedere and I have been mulling on this, as we didn’t...
Cats of the Zodiac 4 - Cancer
Here come the Moon Cats. After the hyperactive hurly burly of Gemini, Cancerian cats make a soothing, restful change. (Take a look at The Feline Zodiac). Think...
Cat World Domination Day
It is now twelve years since the Day was inaugurated on 24 June 2012. It has been an unqualified success. As Belvedere points out, many times, cats have...
Take your Cat to Work Day
Isn’t this an inspired idea? It’s something Belvedere and I can really get behind. It’s only been a thing since 2021, when it was set up by enterprising...
Mrkgnao!
This was the yowl heard though the streets of Dublin on 16 June, as fans of James Joyce, cats, and James Joyce AND cats celebrated Bloomsday. It is all...
UEFA Euro 2024
You may not think so to look at me, but I am a great fan of the beautiful game. Belvedere is betrothed to the eggy ball, but retains a passing interest. And...
Cats of the Zodiac 3 - Gemini
Gemini May 21 to June 21That beautiful bovine Taurus interlude that lulled you into a 25/7 sleep pattern is well over. It’s Gemini time. Lock up all...
Jellicle Joy
It’s 43 years since Cats the musical opened in the New London Theatre in Covent Garden. That’s 304 in cat years. It was a huge success, running uninterrupted...
D DAY CAT
Thomas Oscar RN. It’s the 80th anniversary of D-Day on 6 June. In 1944, it saw the launch of Operation Overlord, the largest amphibious invasion in military...
Florence Nightingale and Mr Bismarck
No not that one. Belvedere has kindly pointed out that if it WERE that one, the heading would have to be Prince von Bismarck. He is a stickler for protocol. Technically,...
Audrey and Orangey
Audrey Hepburn, luminous film star, fabulous fashion icon, and all-round class act, would have been 105 this month, on 4 May. The force was certainly...
The Laureate of Nonsense
The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea In a beautiful pea-green boat,They took some honey, and plenty of money, Wrapped up in a five-pound note.The...
Cat the Great and the Cats
Although born German, Catherine the Great became the Empress of All the Russias, ruling from 1762 until her death in 1796. Her long reign saw the expansion...
Cats of the Zodiac 2 - Taurus
It’s Taurus Time.
Actually it was 10 days ago, but things slid.
Our astrologer Stella Hyde was very generous about it because, as she points out,...
National Tabby Day
They’ve got stripes! They’ve got spots! They’ve got Ms on their heads! They are smart, capable, resilient, adaptable and the most ubiquitous mogs on...
Van Cats Victorious
Great news from Turkey! The Van cat population is surging. Van cats are a naturally occuring breed from the Van Province in eastern Turkey. It’s home...
Birthday Bard
William Shakespeare was born 23 April 1564 and very poetically died on the same date 52 years later. You couldn’t make it up, although he could, as it...
Cool Cat, Hot Temper
This week, jazz buffs celebrate Charles Mingus, born in Nogales, Arizona on 22 April 1922. Virtuoso double bassist, keyboard player, bandleader, composer...
Show some Tortitude
Show some Tortitude
Tortitude is what tortoiseshell cats have.
This is what Tortie (or Torty ) Cat Appreciation Day (celebrated on 17 April.) Is...
National Haiku Poetry Day
National Haiku Poetry DayThis week saw the annual celebration of Japan’s celebrated poetic style, the haiku (on 17 April – a significant number, as you...
Iron Man, Cat Man
Happy Birthday week to Robert Downey Jr.Born on 4 April, 1965, Robert Downey Jnr (pause for swoon) is one of Hollywood’s highest paid and rated actors. RDJ...
We are Siamese, if you please
Siamese Cat Day is celebrated every year on 6 April. If you are lucky enough to have a Siamese cat, step up the praise and pampering. Don’t worry that...
Cats of the Zodiac 1 - Aries
As Aries headbutts Pisces out of the way, we welcome the zodiacal New Year, which starts round about the Spring Equinox (20 March this year). Aries is...
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
It’s Respect Your Cat Day on Thursday 28 March.Belvedere, along with many other cat commentators, harrumphs that this is a ridiculously egregious notion,...
One Cool Cat
It’s Steve McQueen’s birthday on Saturday March 24. (Steve McQueen the actor, not Steve McQueen the artist and film maker, who is equally cool in a...
World Poetry Day
World Poetry Day, instigated in 1999 by UNESCO, falls on Thursday, March 21. Many poets were and are cat lovers, and many wrote specific poems about...
The Fourth Plinth Winner - Not the Cat
Disappointing news, ailurophiles. The verdict is in, and the winner of the coveted position on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, London, has been...
Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig Ort!
Happy St Patrick’s Day for Sunday, 17 March to all Irish cats and cats of Ireland , all 355,00 of you.
This Feast Day for the patron saint is celebrated...
St Gertrude of Nivelles
Cats have their very own patron saint.
It’s true. Gertrude of Nivelles is the holy cat lady of all felines everywhere, regardless of breed or colour....
Albert Einstein
Congratulations to Oppenheimer, which has just swept up seven Oscars, thanks to Christopher Nolan’s directoral prowess and Cillian Murphy’s outstanding...
Cat and Mouse Act
This week sees International Women’s Day on 8 Msrch
This poster, created in 1914 as an advertisement for The Suffragette newspaper, is a timely reminder...
Maurice Ravel
Joyeux Anniversaire to Maurice Ravel, BOTD in 1875.
Regarded as France’s greatest living composer the during his lifetime, Ravel cuts an enigmatic...
The Fourth Plinth
Cats and cat lovers assemble – and more importantly, vote. The ballot to choose the new occupant of Trafalgar Square’s famous Fourth Plinth is open....
National Cat Day in Russia
Greetings glorious koshki. koty and kotyata of Russia. Today we celebrate you.Russia is home to some 23 million cats. Over half the population claim...
Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant Hapus
Happy St David’s day to all you cats of Cymru from the Clowder Press. There are at least 620,000 of you and counting. Most of you probably speak Welsh,...
All the Single Ladies
All the Single Ladies. Today’s the day. It’s Leap Year, it’s February 29, and now’s the time for women to propose to the man of their choice. Also...
Neko no Hi!
It’s National Cat Day in Japan on February 22. The date for this annual feline celebration was chosen in 1978 by the Executive Cat Day Committee , after...
Do the Right Thing
It’s a big year for German philosopher Immanuel Kant. This month sees the 220th anniversary of his death, and in April we will celebrate his tercentenary.
Kant...
Cats of the Zodiac 12 - Pisces
Time to splashdown into Pisces, the watery sign at the end of the zodiac. Aquarian enigma gives way to Piscean entropy. Pisces is the sign of dissolution,...
Presidential Cats
It’s the third Monday in February, and so Presidents Day in USA. It started out as a celebration of the two most famous presidents George Washington...
Happy Birthday Ed Sheeran
Today is the birthday of supertalented singer-songwriter and megastar, Ed Sheeran. He has sold 150 million records and has had 14 Number One hits with...
World Cat Day
Today, February 17, it is World Cat Day in USA. The day was chosen to commemorate the mighty Socks Rodham Clinton, who died on this day in 2009 What...
For all Cat Lovers
Happy Valentine’s Day to all cat lovers and lovers of cats everywhere. We are marking the occasion with one of Ian Heath’s gorgeous illustrations...
Cats up Trees
We have been avidly following the news about a heroic chap in New Jersey who rescues cats that, for reasons, get themselves stuck up trees. Steve Murrow,...
Argylle
Well, this is a bit embarrassing.
The movie Argylle, a spoof spy caper for a family audience, was premiered in the UK on February 2. It stars Chip...
Bukowski on Cats
Belvedere is a big Bukowski fan. He tells me that the ‘laureate of American lowlife’, Charles Bukowski (1920-1994), the mean, tough, hard-drinking, womanising...
Kitted Out on the Cat Walk
Belvedere, who is a shameless frockist, is extremely diverted by the news from the Catwalk. Of course, we have been here before, and leopard print has...
Wolfie the Cat
On 27 January it was the birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, infant phenomenon, child prodigy and cosmic musical genius. He was born in Vienna in 1756...
Tuxedo Cat Appreciation Day
Today, January 29, we celebrate Tuxedo Cat Appreciation Day. (This is different from Tuxie Appreciation Day, September 9, which we will be marking when...
Nuevo Gato Viejo
Belvedere assures me that this is Spanish for New Old Cat, so I hope it is, and that none of our Spanish speaking subscribers will be insulted.
In...
Cats of the Zodiac 11 - Aquarius
It is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius... no it really is. It’s all to do with the Precession of the Equinoxes. This level of brain is way beyond our...
Burns Night
January 25 is Burns Night, dedicated the the Scottish bard Robert (‘Rabbie’) Burns, who was BOTD in 1759. It's celebrated by absolutely everyone anywhere...
Edgar Allan Poe
Happy Birthday on 19th January to Edgar Allan Poe, US writer, editor, and literary critic and God of Goth. He struggled for recognition all his short...
Happy Birthday Cary Grant
If ever there was a cat in human form it was Cary Grant. Think about it:effortlessly handsome
suave and sleek
intelligent
self-possessed
charming
enigmatic
immaculately...
News! YouTube Channel
Belvedere and I are pleased to announce the opening of the Clowder Press YouTube Channel. You can see all Belvedere’s film recommendations here as well...
Cats at Sea
Following the maritime triumph of SC Oli Williams (see blog 04-01), Belvedere has become quite unbearably nautical; he has taken to purring in the present...
Like some cat from Japan
That was Ziggy Stardust, one of the many avatars of David Bowie, himself one of the coolest of cats. It was his birthday on January 8th, and he died...
Hawking the Enforcer
January 8th is also the birthday of physicist superstar Stephen Hawking. Although he apparently liked cats, the love did not extend to the Most Famous...
Oli Aboard
A first for maritime moggies: Oli Williams, an intrepid ten-year-old grey tuxie, has made history co-crewing the 12m (40ft) Sylph IV in the annual Sydney...
Happy New Year 2024
Happy New Year
On behalf of the Clowder Press, Belvedere and I wish you all a very happy, peaceful and prosperous New Year.
Matisse’s Cat
December 31st marked the birthday of Henri Matisse,(1869-1954) one of the towering figures of 20th century art. Draughtsman, printmaker, sculptor, painter,...
Boxing Day
Belvedere and I have been relaxing over our cream bowls throughout the Christmas break and meditating on 26th December, aka Boxing Day in UK.
Why...
Christopher Hitchens Being Uncontrary
Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are God. Whereas owners...
Sir Isaac Newton
Cats possess an inbuilt gravity mediator (explained in How Cats Work), a sophisticated self-righting apparatus that ensures we always land on our feet,...
Cats of the Zodiac 10 - Capricorn
Capricorn Rising. (Neither Belvedere nor I are Capricorns, so we asked Stella Hyde to explain.) The boss cat stalks in to clear up Sagittarius chaos....
Merry Christmas from Belvedere and Belvedere
The Belevederes send their Christmas greetings to all our readers...
Belvedere Recommends
Clowder Press are always keen to support fellow publishers, especially those who produce cat based titles. When one rises, we all rise, and so forth....
Scottish Fold Day
December 13th is the day dedicated to Foldies round the world. All Scottish Folds are descended from one farm cat, Susie, who possessed the signature...
Happy Birthday Taylor Swift
It’s Swiftmas!
By an amazing chunk of coincidence, it is Taylor Swift’s birthday on December 13th, the very day that Scottish Folds celebrate their...
Time Magazine Cat of The Year
Behold the glory that is Benjamin Button, a handsome blue-eyed ragdoll, posing with his attendant, mega-ailurophile Taylor Swift, who coincidentally...
The Niner List: Movies
Every month (or so) Belvedere and I will be posting Niner Lists, showcasing our nine top picks in various categories.
This month it’s the Top Nine...
Ian Heath
All the cats who appear in Clever Cats, Creative Cats and Cat Rules are the work of Ian Heath. Belvedere interviewed him recently, to see how he does...
Napoleon
Ridley Scott’s new film Napoleon, about the colossus of Europe, is just out. Belvedere and I very much enjoyed Mr Scott’s film Alien, starring the heroic...
Mark Twain
Happy birthday to Mark Twain (aka Samuel L.anghorne Clemens) btd 1835 in Florida, Missouri (population 100 at the time). Supreme humorist, writer, journo,...
National Tuxedo Cat Day
Happy National Tuxedo Cat Day to all the Cary Grants of the feliverse. They, and their butlers, consider themselves ultra smart, although there is no...
Groucho. Keeping it real
A black cat crossing your path signifies that the animal is going somewhere."
Groucho Marx
Welcome to The Scratching Post
Welcome to our Scratching Post, the Clowder Press Blog. hosted by Belvedere and Belvedere, curators and social media wranglers for the Clowder Press....
Cats in Music
Excellent take on 'Duetto buffo di due gatti', aka The Cat Duet, sung by Chichi Enu and Adrienne Ivey. Ten years old, but timeless. Belvedere and I do...
Cats of the Zodiac 9 - Sagittarius
Sagittarius rides again. Meet the enthusiastic feline agents of chaos, main set on burning through all nine lives at once. Nail everything down. Embrace...
Cats of Science
Happy Birthday to Edwin Powell Hubble (1889-1953), father of galaxies, revealer of the expanding universe, star college basketball player and, more importantly,...
Italian Black Cat Day
Gatti Neri Assemble!
Today Italy and now the US mark La Giornata del Gato Nero (Black Cat Day). Support your beautiful voids.
The Day was launched...