Sunday, January 04, 2009

Sunday Night at the Cafe: The Cat Purrs



The BabyBlueCafe's house cat, Madeleine, sits in a chair and purrs while WTOP News Radio (Washington DC) plays in the background. The short film was made using the LG Lotus cellphone camcorder.

Madeleine - or Maddie - is named after author Madeleine L'Engle. She is a nine-year-old Maine Coon Cat who was rescued as a little baby kitten from a house fire by very kind firemen who took her in their firetruck to the local vet, where she was joyfully adopted by BB. To this day she hides when sirens and flashing lights are near, or when the Gracie Mansion Yule Log shows up on TV.

Maddie made her debut at the Cafe on November 8, 2006, and prefers Purina's Friskies for dinner.

2 comments:

Andy said...

Maddie is a cutie! How are Maine Coon Cats as to disposition and the like?

I have an 18 yr old blue point Siamese and a 16 yr old seal point himalayan (Mistie & Sassy). Two grand dames

Unknown said...

Here's what Wiki says:

"Maine Coons are known as the "gentle giants" and possess above-average intelligence, making them relatively easy to train. They are known for being loyal to their family and cautious—albeit not mean—around strangers, but are independent and not clingy. The Maine Coon is generally not known for being a "lap cat" but their gentle disposition makes the breed relaxed around dogs, other cats, and children. They are playful throughout their lives, with males tending to be aloof and females generally possessing more dignity. Many Maine Coons have a fascination with water and some theorize that this personality trait comes from their ancestors, who were aboard ships for much of their lives."

I agree with this summation, including the bit about their interest in water, which is really something (I keep wondering if Maddie and her predecessors - Emily and Charlotte who were also Maine Coons - thought that a fish might appear one day in their water bowls!). One other aspect about Maine Coons is that they have this trill sound which I guess is their way of saying "hello" or "feed me now" which ever comes first.

bb