Weekend Open Thread

Greetings, Cutetropolitans! Today reader SoccerSue shares some pics and video of an adorable cat with an unusual tail.

After almost 4 years of being catless, we finally adopted a new fur baby! Meet Julius, the orange bobtail! He’s a friendly, snuggly love bug who purrs nonstop, plays hard and sleeps harder, and has an abundance of orange cat energy. His tail has a mind of its own!

You haven’t seen the end of me yet!
Ok, technically you have, but still…
The front of me is also cute.
You already voted!

35 thoughts on “Weekend Open Thread

  1. allein šŸ¾ May 4, 2024 / 8:08 am

    A bobtail? Does he have bells on?

    I want tickets to this Riverdance show. Will take that Uber to get there..




    • 6rabbits May 4, 2024 / 8:41 am

      I LOVE the little river dancer that starts this episode! So freaking cute! Thanks for posting this each week, otherwise I forget to watch!šŸ˜ƒ

      • DEBG May 4, 2024 / 1:15 pm

        What 6Rabbits said! I’d forget to watch too, and that would be a tragedy.

      • allein šŸ¾ May 4, 2024 / 1:24 pm

        I subscribe to the channel on youtube so whenever they post something the channel pops to the top of the subscriptions list in my sidebar with a little red dot next to it.

  2. Ricky & Bibi's Mom May 4, 2024 / 8:23 am

    It’s Orange Julius! A devilish good cat!

    • 6rabbits May 4, 2024 / 8:34 am

      I remember that drink! In the 80s my sister worked there.

      • allein šŸ¾ May 4, 2024 / 9:40 am

        When I was in college I worked in our little campus fast-food-type restaurant and one of my coworkers taught me how to make an Orange Julius knockoff with vanilla ice cream, orange juice, and sugar. I leave out the sugar and it’s more like a Creamsicle milkshake. Now I want one.

        • 6rabbits May 4, 2024 / 9:45 am

          Whatā€™s the measurements of each for a glass? That sounds divine! (Iā€™ll use sweetener not sugar)

          • allein šŸ¾ May 4, 2024 / 10:11 am

            I have no idea…we had a milkshake machine (basically just a row of three stick blenders) with the metal cups with fill lines on the inside. When I make it I just do a couple scoops of ice cream in a mug and then top it off with juice and mix it up.

            Here’s an actual copycat recipe.
            https://www.thecountrycook.net/copycat-orange-julius/

            • 6rabbits May 4, 2024 / 10:24 am

              Thanks!ā˜ŗļø

        • Kar May 4, 2024 / 3:36 pm

          My father would make ‘orange specials’ for us as a treat:

          orange juice
          vanilla ice cream
          ice
          sprite or gingerale

          put in whatever porportions tickle you into a blender, blend and serve.

    • Georgiana May 4, 2024 / 9:28 am

      We have Orange Julep here which is pretty much the same thing, as a kid I used to accompany my dad to the office on Saturdays and he would to stop there on the way to get me one of those delicious drinks.

    • SoccerSue May 4, 2024 / 11:41 am

      Thank you for featuring him, Mike!

      I wish I could take credit for the name, but he came to us with it. I loved Orange Julius as a kid, and there are actually still a few around here (Pacific NW area).

      He’s not the brightest cat, but that’s just part of his charm. He makes us laugh on a daily basis with his antics.

      • DEBG May 4, 2024 / 12:47 pm

        He’s completely wonderful. I love that tail so much.

  3. Alice Shortcake May 4, 2024 / 8:24 am

    Julius demonstrates that it’s not what you’ve got, it what you do with it!

    I saw a a cute thing in York city centre a few days ago – a very elderly small dog being
    pushed in a wagon bearing the sign “I’m old and nervous with tiny legs, please be kind”.

    Not much to relate from the Shortcakery save that the War on Greenfly is making progress. After I carefully removed every aphid from the rosebuds with a brush and sprayed with diluted white vinegar they seem to have got the message that they aren’t welcome!

    I’m really looking forward to my holiday in Glastonbury and Avebury next week. The weather is set to improve but I’m taking an umbrella and raincoat just in case.

  4. 6rabbits May 4, 2024 / 8:48 am

    Julius is adorable! Love how his little bob tail wagsšŸ˜† Glad youā€™ve got a master of your house againšŸ˜‰

    Got to finish sorting clothes today. Already sent one trash bag full to the womenā€™s shelter. Since retirement I just donā€™t need so many clothes options! Iā€™m keeping favorites, but really donā€™t need much of the stuff I wore to
    teachā€”especially all the different holiday clothes! My sister suggested taking them to a consignment store, but I think itā€™s more important that women in need have them.

    • DEBG May 4, 2024 / 12:48 pm

      I keep meaning to do this, and now you’ve inspired me. Too many sweaters in my world, and my young relatives don’t seem interested.

  5. AJ May 4, 2024 / 9:03 am

    Congrats on the new fur baby, heā€™s adorable! That tail just cracked me up. Canā€™t wait to hear more tales (and see pics) of all his adventures.

    Off to the Reagan Presidential Library today. They have an exhibit on the SDI or ā€œStarwarsā€ project plus items from the Star Wars movies. So what better way to celebrate Star Wars Day than seeing it. May the Fourth be with you all!

  6. Georgiana May 4, 2024 / 9:50 am

    I think bobtails are cute and I love orange cats so Julius is doubly cute!

    This week I went to see my doctor to ask if I could go on Ozempic with the idea that if I can loose some weight my back wouldn’t hurt so much and also it would be good for my diabetes. She checked the rules and the Government would not pay for it because I’m not fat enough and my diabetes is well controlled on medications I already take LOL!! I could have it if I paid for it myself but it’s way too expensive for that.

    But the good news is she’s going to made a request for me to see a rheumatologists so I can maybe get injections in my spine to numb the pain so maybe I could stay standing for more than 5 minutes without pain.

    Hope everyone has a good weekend!

    • 6rabbits May 4, 2024 / 10:27 am

      As a fellow diabetic, I wish you luck! Weird that insurance wonā€™t pay when Iā€™ve read that ANYone who wants to lose weight is trying it! Apparently itā€™s made it hard for diabetics to get it regularly, even tho designed for us.

      • Georgiana May 4, 2024 / 11:57 am

        In QuĆ©bec you can be covered by private insurance through your employer (I’m retired) or the Government covers most of the cost of your medications and you pay the rest. As an example one of my medication for diabetes cost $90.76, the Government pays $66.54 and I pay $24.22 The downside is they have guideline and they don’t pay if it’s not judged to be medical necessary witch in my case wasn’t.

        • DEBG May 4, 2024 / 12:50 pm

          I hope you get some relief on both fronts, Georgiana. The regs around what does and doesn’t get paid for often seem to make no sense! Especially in the US–I’m surprised that Canada doesn’t have better rules. Usually you folks do things so much better than us on the healthcare front.

          • kermit May 4, 2024 / 3:08 pm

            The myth of quality Canadian healthcare loves to be spread by people who don’t tend to be sick, or have a chronic illness themselves or with their family members.

            It’s very easy to have that impression when you’re not actually dealing with the system and fighting to get access to proper care.

      • kermit May 4, 2024 / 3:05 pm

        One of the joys of provincial health insurance is that they can deny to cover procedures/treatments because the illness is not bad enough, and current method of managing symptoms is “working”.

        See for example this horror story of a little boy with an eye disease, who was told he’d have to go blind first before the surgery he needs now is covered. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/boy-s-parents-pay-to-save-his-sight-1.3474473.

        This is one of the many reasons you see people save up and just go to the US for treatment, screening etc.

        • Sowmya May 5, 2024 / 5:45 pm

          Canadian health care provider of 30+ years here – having dealt with chronic illness in both parents and a new life-altering medical condition in my husband, all while COVID was raging around us, I am still glad that despite the struggles of the Canadian health care system (mostly the result of underfunding in the hope of squeezing ā€œefficienciesā€ out of already overwhelmed healthcare providers!), at least there are not insurance hassles or bankruptcy to add to the situation. I hope that Pharmacare & the new federal dental care plan will help as many people as possible. Iā€™d far rather have my taxes support practical assistance of this sort!
          Sending good wishes and healing vibes (or at least Very Loud Purrs) to all those dealing with health issues for themselves or their families!

          • 6rabbits May 5, 2024 / 5:55 pm

            Shoot! I wish thatā€™s what MY taxes supported! Even tho there are problems Iā€™d rather have the ones spoken of instead of the INSANE medical system in the U.S!

          • kermit May 5, 2024 / 9:55 pm

            I don’t know anyone with a serious chronic illness in Canada who is not living in poverty because they can’t work and disability payments are so small as to be laughable.

            The Canadian healthcare system has more administrators employed than actual healthcare workers. That’s how we get decisions to let a young boy go blind before treatment coverage is offered. Value for dollars spent is near the bottom of the G7 nations.

            I’m not going to spoil a fun site to engage in this further, so this is where I leave it.

    • belphebe May 4, 2024 / 9:29 pm

      Sorry they wouldn’t cover the Ozempic for you Georgiana, but I can see why: that stuff is outrageously expensive! $600 for 3 months! At least that was the cost 6 years ago.
      And it doesn’t work any better for weight loss than anything else a person can try. It only works if a person is committed to changing their diet and exercise plan. I speak from experience. I was on Ozempic for a few years until I couldn’t get coverage anymore. (Insurance company said check with province, province said nope, not covering that cost, insurance said we aren’t either.)
      I am “type 2” diabetic, with numbers in the low end of the diabetic range. The Ozempic did help with my A1C values, but it did not help me lose weight. Some weeks I thought I was eating properly, but still didn’t lose. Now I just try to lose weight on my own. Still not making as much progress as I would like, but just need to focus on “diet and exercise”.

      As for the cat, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bobtail cat before. Or at least not one with a “long” bobtail. I thought the tail was much shorter. Lovely kitty though.

  7. DEBG May 4, 2024 / 1:23 pm

    Happy Caturday, everybody! And welcome to sweet Julius! I hope we see lots more of him. Soccersue, I can’t believe anyone could survive 4 years without a cat, but obviously the universe was waiting to send you this wonderful guy.

    It’s grey and chilly today, and that’s okay. I’m done with chores–it’s so gratifying to be in a clean house again, with newly divided Tradescantia in their new pots. I’ve even listed my new fiber and yarn in my spreadsheet and Ravelry notebook! In other words, one end of my kitchen island has now been cleaned off!!!!

    Yarn came from a local shop that had its first anniversary in this location, last weekend. I met some wonderful people and may finally get involved in the local guild scene. When I lived in Greeley and worked in Boulder 4 days a week, going to meetings just wasn’t going to happen, because it felt like I was never home. But it was so much fun to chat with these other fiber junkies! And I’m home a lot more now, and it would be good to get out more.

    Weaving, finishing a knitted jacket from handspun, and a wedding tomorrow afternoon will round out my weekend. I’m listening to the last of the Firefly novels. If you enjoyed the show, you’ll probably enjoy the books that were published–I’ve really loved them and have planned a rewatch binge.

    Hugs to you all.

  8. Kar May 5, 2024 / 3:22 am

    This weekend’s kind of crazy.

    May the Fourth
    Cinqo De Mayo
    Kentucky Derby
    FCBD

    In other words, a good weekend to party and be a geek.

    • allein šŸ¾ May 5, 2024 / 9:29 am

      My cousin’s daughter and son-in-law were at the derby. (They live in Kentucky.)

    • 6rabbits May 5, 2024 / 5:52 pm

      I used to counted cross-stitch all the time. Those squirrels are adorable!

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