March 05, 2004

Winged Cats. That's right, cats with wings. Folklore is replete with stories about such creatures... but could they possibly be real? Sort of. Here's the good guts on flappy cats, with pics. Warning for the squeamish: don't scroll to the very bottom of page; b&w pic of a man with pendulous facial skin abnormality - most people won't find this too bad, tho'.
posted by Nostrildamus 20 years ago
  • Damn! I wish I could find this old link. does any one remember some list of silly physics questions? my fav: if you throw a cat out a window with a piece of buttered bread tied to its back, butter side up, on which side will it land: butter or cat's feet? mock if you will but I found this hysterically funny at the time.
  • wow. Yes, the man with the melting face was a little startling. I notice that the cats are almost all long-haired breeds? No moggies or short-haired Abyssinians, say? Medusa: Maybe buttered cats' feet? Cats are very flexible :->
  • great link nostril. I've seen plenty of cats with low-grade winging. Always wondered what was going on there. Now show me some winged pigs and you'll be cooking.
  • Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! *pause...breathe* WOOOOOOOOOOHAAAAA HAAAAA HAAAA!!!!!! This one's my favourite. This is all utterly wonderful. Hang on, that man with the melting face... I've seen him before...
  • Knew it.
  • Oh wow, this is a great site. Tons of info for cat geeks, but it avoids the saccharine tone loathed by black-hearted cynics everywhere. Thanks Nostrildamus! I notice that the cats are almost all long-haired breeds? No moggies or short-haired Abyssinians, say? Alnedra, I wondered about that too. Maybe the wings are huge, concentrated dreadlocks. Cat fur topiary?
  • The one I heard was, if you tied a piece of buttered toast to a cat's back and threw it buttered side up, would it spin continually? (Buttered side always lands butter side down, but cats always land on their feet.)
  • note to self: read article all the way through before posting
  • This fellow is supposedly half-lion, half-eagle.
  • And by idiocy I mean idiocy belonging to and created by me... LOOK OVER THERE! /runs out the door, slips on another banana peel
  • Got your cat-and-toast-powered perpetual motion machine here. (Scroll down.)
  • Perpetual Scroedinger toast?
  • Oops...supposed to be Schrodinger, d'uh.
  • Alnedra, yeah, I think this is something that only happens with longhairs. My cat is a longhair and she sometimes gets these dreadlocky things as shinything says, in her 'shirtfront' under the chin; they're like felt but rougher consistency, so I suppose this is what these wings are. It's worth noting that a lot of these cats seem to be feral, no one is grooming them. Also, some cats seem to have problems reaching their backs to lick themselves, so that might factor in. flashboy, you scare me. forksclovetofu, thankyou. Winged Pigs, you say? Well, this is the best I can do. :)
  • Hey, Flash
  • Nostrildamus: Uh. Yes I did read the article (even though it doesn't sound that way...). I was just wondering if the skin condition is the cause for some of these 'wings', why aren't there any records of short-haired cats getting them? Think I should have qualified my original remark with "matted fur aside"?
  • dude, that winged pig site rocks.
  • I recieved the following message a few weeks ago, from an old friend with whom I have not spoken for some time, although I was not suprised by his communication: "I have happened across your website. I don't know if this is relevant but 'The Twilit Julia Aerhart Reds' is indisputably a fine title - redolent of unspeakable acts performed in a sorority, a coven. The kind where the members believe it a priestly function to take on themselves all human vileness. A bleeding sky, horrendous glottal pig noises, a twisted army trance, and a choice between two identical fates." At that time, my website was not called The Twilit Julia Aerhart Reds. It is nice to know that Julia Erhart has a PhD in the History of Consciousness, though; maybe this is significant?
  • Well, she's certainly a member of one sorority. *coughs*
  • Alnedra, I didn't read your comment, I have a policy whereby I imagine what people are saying based upon a holistic interpretation of their screen name, and therefore in your case I recommend tramadol hydrochloride 200mg. At this time I am floating 6 inches above my chair. BTW, there are.
  • Thread 1301. Where dreams take wing.
  • Nostrildamus: Fair enough. I couldn't find anything on the web about it, but you're probably right. I'll take a raincheck on the painkiller. They tend to put me to sleep. OTOH, that might not be a bad thing.
  • >>"Squitten" is a term used to describe supposed cat-squirrel hybrids. !
  • Life imitates Ursula LeGuin?
  • La blague comes On buttered cats' feet...
  • Up until now, nobody's had the bad taste to mention Linda McCartney.