Wordless Wednesday – Canary? Eaten.

Wordless Wednesday – Canary? Eaten.


Cat who swallowed the canary.

At first glance you’ll think this post (again, deliberately not wordless to please the Google gods) is not food related. But you’re wrong. First of all, this is the orange tabby who inspired the header image. Because of him, I now cover butter with plastic wrap when I leave it to soften. When I cook, he sits by my feet and demands to sniff my fingers at regular intervals. He dislikes onions, ginger and citrus. Dairy is another story. Should I bake with less offensive items, he sprawls on top of the refrigerator and supervises, quietly shedding.

Although I rarely write about my pets directly, his ubiquitous fur and insatiable curiosity impacts this blog on a regular basis. More than once I’ve digitally plucked an orange hair from a dish before posting a photo. He frequently wanders into the frame during shots and if I shoo him away, he leaves with a farewell head butt to the lens. Some photographers use Vaseline to soften shots. Cat saliva works well, too.

Because of  him and his short-haired brother my kitchen will never pass a health inspection and my wardrobe always looks like I’ve been rolling around in a vacuum cleaner bag. That’s the reality of life behind the monitor. And you’d never know it from this glamour shot.

How do your pets impact your cooking or dining? Or is my open-concept home to blame for all this bother?

No Comments
  • Kathryn
    Posted at 10:15h, 02 March

    Great photo.

    The furry orange cat who lives with me is just too laid-back & fluffy to be concerned with the goings-on in the kitchen (unless he thinks it reads ‘cat food’). On the other hand, his brother (grey & sleek) has an annoying habit of appearing on the counter beside me to investigate. Back on the floor, he is content to run back & forth and get under my feet. Perhaps he is only waiting for a sniff.

    On the topic of photographs, I have many glamour photos of Orange Cat and at least as many photos of the grey cat’s butt as he runs from the shot.

  • Peggasus
    Posted at 11:10h, 02 March

    Well, not especially kitchen related, but the black cat has figured out how to open cabinet doors! I have found him in by the pots and pans, in with the placemats, under the computer desk and several bathroom sinks. Then it’s just ‘whack whack whack’ from the inside until I come to let him out. He hasn’t figured that out yet!

  • Doreen Pendgracs
    Posted at 12:02h, 02 March

    Gorgeous cat shot, Charmian. He is indeed a handsome feline.

    My cat, Junior, loves the sound of the can opener, and will come (nearly) running to the kitchen when he hears the sound of it — just incase I might be opening a can of tuna. He LOVES it when I give him the juice from the tuna tin. (He also like the salmon juice, but not nearly as much as the tuna.

    Unfortunately, I don’t open that many cans of tuna, so more often than not … I’ve got to sadly tell him, “Sorry. It’s not tuna.”

  • Maggie
    Posted at 21:14h, 02 March

    My dogs don’t bother me but they love to wait on the mat. You never know when something is going to land on the floor. Who needs a robot sweeper when there are four-legged dust busters on hand?

  • Robin Smart
    Posted at 22:33h, 02 March

    Believe it or not it is my husband who comes for the sound of the can opener. He likes the “juice” off the salmon when I open a tin. Apparently I don’t need to have a cat that needs kitty litter when I have him. Something to do with his mother giving the liquid out of the salmon tin when he was young. He will NEVER have as much hair as the fine proud boy in your picture, but I’m keeping him anyway.
    Cheers,
    Robin

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 11:07h, 04 March

    Cats underfoot? I’ve tripped more often than I can count!

    I have a few “butt shots” too. Normally our brown tabby is the one who sits still and the orange one is impossible to capture with a camera. He is “my” cat and makes sure I notice when he’s cuddling with Andrew. I think he wants to make sure I’m suitably jealous.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 11:08h, 04 March

    Hilarious! Fortunately, our cats haven’t figured out how to open a cabinet door, but when we do, they love to hop in.

    Thanks for sharing this fun story!

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 11:10h, 04 March

    Tuna is a huge hit with our cats, too. Our normally reserved brown tabby goes nuts for it. Fortunately, they don’t associate the can opener with tuna (90% of our tins are tomatoes or coconut milk) but they know the sound of the lid coming off the yogurt.

    Give Junior some tuna for me. I think his story deserves a reward.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 11:15h, 04 March

    Oh, dogs are great for this. Drop an egg? No problem! It’s cleaned up in a second. Their tales act as good sweepers, too.

    Your dog must be well trained to wait on the mat. I once lost an entire pan of peanut butter squares to an undisciplined dog. Gone is 6 seconds flat!

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 11:17h, 04 March

    That’s a first for me! I’m now tempted to open a can of tuna in his presence. Wonder who would win. Your husband or the cats? My bet is the cats. They’re quick and wily. Your husband’s too polite and gentle.

  • Lori
    Posted at 20:00h, 10 March

    I bake homemade cookies for Tango -he seems to know when I am baking for him and loves to sit in front of the oven waiting for a “warm from the oven” biscuit! He loves to lick yogurt containers as well, gently taking them from your hand and taking them to his mat ….

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 09:03h, 14 March

    You make your own dog biscuits? Lucky Tango! I can just see him waiting for them to emerge from the oven.

    Our cats like yogurt, too. Wonder what it is about fermented milk and domestic pets?

    Thanks for sharing the story.