Fabulous Felines – #140 – The Great Sphinx of Giza

Maybe the most fabulous feline of all time? A matter of opinion…

From Wikipedia: The Great Sphinx of Giza is a limestone statue of a reclining sphinx, a mythical creature with the head of a human, and the body of a lion facing directly from west to east, it stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt. The face of the Sphinx appears to represent the pharaoh Khafre. The Sphinx is the oldest known monumental sculpture in Egypt and one of the most recognizable statues in the world. The archaeological evidence suggests that it was created by ancient Egyptians of the Old Kingdom during the reign of Khafre (c. 2558–2532 BC).

Twenty years ago I enrolled in the now-defunct Archaeology Certificate Program at the Cotsen Institute (UCLA). At the time it was the hardest thing I had ever done but I made it through and enjoyed every minute. My main interest was Roman mosaics. But then I fell in love with Egyptian history and vowed to visit the country before I left the planet. The opportunity arose in February 2023 and a friend and I made the long slog on Qatar Airlines to Cairo.

I could write a book! As my companion so aptly commented, she is enjoying the memories of the trip more than the actual trip itself. I’m still working my way through the approximately 1500 photos I took with my trusty Canon T7i DSLR and my new Galaxy S22 Ultra phone. (A short while after I returned home the S23 came out but I have no complaints about the S22.) I’ve been posting handfuls of photos at a time on my Facebook page (along with all my other adventures). Look for Roslyn M Wilkins if you are interested.

Fabulous Felines – #139 – Coronation of King Charles III

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Freddie woke me up at 2:00 AM Pacific Time to watch the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla “live.” This is the second coronation in my lifetime. Charles is a year younger than me. Will I live to see a third coronation? Long Live the King!

As I am Freddie’s Cat Mother, does that make him a British Citizen too??!!

Freddie was glued to the screen the entire time. He likes to watch TV with captions as he’s a little hard of hearing–especially with those Brit accents!

Fabulous Felines – #137 – celebration of the life of P-22

Students from the Esperanza elementary school in Los Angeles honor the mountain lion P-22 on 4 February. Photograph: Scott Mitchell/Zuma Press Wire/Rex/Shutterstock

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/06/los-angeles-p22-mountain-lion-memorial-greek-theater

I streamed the touching tribute to LA’s most famous mountain lion as it was held live at the Greek Theater in Griffith Park (his home for over ten years) to a sellout crowd of 6,000 people. His fame brought attention to the plight of all cougars and other wildlife roaming the dangerous built environment in Southern California. Partly because of him the $90 million Wallis Annenberg wildlife crossing is already under construction over a 10-lane stretch of the 101 freeway in Agoura Hills. Ms. Annenberg spoke at the memorial.

Fabulous Felines – #136 – RIP P-80

Although P-22 was probably our most famous Southern California cougar, there are many others roaming the region. Unfortunately, the kill rate for these magnificent creatures is quite high, mostly by encountering vehicles on the road. P-80 was killed on on January 22, 2023, along Pacific Coast Highway, a treacherous stretch of road for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians of the human kind, let alone our four-legged population. This was about a month after the death of P-22.

“The cougar [P-80] had been tracked by National Park Service scientists as part of a long-term study. He was noted for his physical abnormalities: a kinked tail and only one descended testicle, according to the park service.

“Biologists said the traits were signs of low genetic diversity, or inbreeding, in the area, and the discovery “underscores the need for measures to better support this population,” wildlife biologist Jeff Sickich said in 2020.”

Read the full story at https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/29/us/california-mountain-lion-dead-p81-car/index.html

Fabulous Felines – #135 – Cat TV

Freddie has discovered Cat TV! He enjoys watching bird videos but he goes crazy over squirrels and mice. He sees squirrels on the trees outside the living room window. But I doubt he’s ever seen a real live mouse in his life.

I tried fish videos but he has no interest whatsoever. He likes the jerky, quick movements of birds, squirrels and mice. Fish move too slowly and smoothly for his taste.

I’ve created a monster as he now runs into the living room and sits in front of the TV first thing in the morning waiting for me to turn it on. He doesn’t even bother to go into the kitchen for breakfast like he used to. Maybe he’ll lose some weight by feeding his brain instead of his tummy! And now he is an “only” cat he sleeps a lot. But who can sleep with rodents running across the screen?

When I’m working in my office he likes to sit on my keyboard or curl up in my lap. But as I also have a TV in my office, instead of bothering me, now he sits on top of the printer for a good view of his videos. So it’s working out for both of us!

Happy New Year!

Freddie and I wish you and your four-legged* friends the best year ever! (*Or however many legs they may have.)

Fabulous Felines – #134 – LA’s famous P-22 Mountain Lion Euthanized

This is the link to a story about P-22 that explains everything better than I can. He was beloved by everyone (except the hit and run driver who finished him off) and I shed a tear to hear of his demise.

Mountain Lion P-22, The ‘Hollywood Cat,’ Is Euthanized | Culver City, CA Patch

Fabulous Felines – #133 – life on mars

I watched the live stream on February 18 of the Perseverance landing on Mars. I was very excited to see the first photo transmitted from the planet’s surface. Imagine my surprise when Freddie’s head popped up! He’s gone missing before but this is the farthest from home he has ever traveled. Fortunately the Starship Enterprise was in the vicinity and was able to transport him home.

Nobody has been using the cat condo lately so I decided to take it over as a foot rest while watching TV.  Of course as soon as I did that, Frankie figured out it was the perfect place for him to hang out. CATS!

And I wonder why my clothes always come out of the dryer covered with cat hairs. Don’t worry, I had the setting on delicates so he didn’t shrink too much!

Fabulous Felines – #132 – blankie time and good news for cougars

Usually no matter how much coaxing I do, Frankie will not take a nap with me on the sofa. He actually craves being picked up, but only in the kitchen for whatever weird reason.

(Freddie has no such problem and will often settle down with me on the sofa whether I want him to or not.)

However, lately it has been VERY chilly (for Los Angeles) and my heater doesn’t do a good job. So Frankie has been forced to come and snuggle with me in the evenings… two evenings in a row in fact, wow, a miracle!

Unfortunately for him I don’t sit still for very long but when I move him off my lap he stays under the blanket purring loudly. 

Good news for the Mountain Lions of Los Angeles

Two decades of study by the National Park Service in the Los Angeles area has shown roads and development are not only proving deadly for animals trying to cross [the freeways], but have also created islands of habitat that can genetically isolate all wildlife—from bobcats to birds to lizards. The species most immediately at risk, the mountain lion, could vanish from the area in less than 50 years. Of all the area roads, multiple research and planning efforts have identified the 101 Freeway as the most significant barrier to the ecological health of the region, and a possible extinction vortex.

Recently I was on a Zoom meeting sponsored by the West LA Group of the Sierra Club regarding the overpass. It seems that by the end of 2021, if everything continues on track, work could begin on the world’s largest wildlife crossing at Liberty Canyon, less than 30 miles west of downtown Los Angeles as the crow flies or 40 miles by freeway (64 km). Very exciting news.

For more information please visit the Save LA Cougars website here!