Swizzle Sticks

Jessica Walliser from SavvyGardening.com shared this photo of Swizzle tempting fate by closely inspecting a sharp, flowering cactus on a window sill.

She said, "He is age 6 and was adopted as a kitten for my son’s 10^th birthday from Animal Friends shelter in Pittsburgh, PA (with his sister, Alyssa). Swizzle is super persnickety. He reminds us of Niles from the television show Frasier." 

"We also call him Swiz-whiz. He’s an indoor-only cat, a very loud purr-er, sleek as silk, and a giant scaredy cat. When chasing a feather on a string, he can twisty-jump a good 4 to 5 feet into the air. He lives up to the name Swizzle."

A Prickly Pair

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A post shared by Follow me👉@laylaylom_nsn ✌ (@laylaylom_nsn)

This video was shared on Instagram by @laylaylom_nsn. I am not sure of the origin of the video and am awaiting details on this kitty. 

I will share them when I have them. Meanwhile, enjoy this sweet cactus-loving cat.

Cactus Cats

This photo of a kitty in a spine-filled landscape was shared by Travis on Flickr. He writes, "Cats seemed to be everywhere in this outer plaza. There was a subtle hint of cat smell and food and water dishes were hidden in at least two places around the plaza (in Centro, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico). There seemed to be two cat factions -- the north and the south. They didn't mix well."

"This is the north side where this one cat was sleeping in the cactus enjoying his afternoon siesta. It was amazing how these cats could walk in and around the cactus seemingly without getting hurt. There was no cactus on the south side of the plaza, these cats were able to hide a bit better. I probably counted at least two dozen cats in this area."

After seeing Travis' photo, I googled for cats and cactus, I found that this page collects lots of photos from all around the Web of cats caressing, sleeping on, and nibbling on cactus.

Why do cats find cactus irresistible? Is it the rough texture? The sense of danger? Or just plain fool-hardy bravado? Whatever makes cats and cactus engage with each other, they sure do look pretty together.