The Cat Sage
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catsandstrategy.bsky.social
The Cat Sage
@catsandstrategy.bsky.social
5.2K followers 120 following 570 posts
Strategist, historian, writer, and voracious reader of science fiction and fantasy. My wife and I have had five cats together that we spoil outrageously. He/him.
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catsandstrategy.bsky.social
No elephants, but some very cool giraffes, rhinos, giant tortoises, and a Sumatran tiger.
A giraffe stands next to a feeding platform, stretching its long neck to receive food. A pair of white rhinoceros, or chubby unicorns as some call them, lay in the sun with their bodies touching. A giant tortoise strides through a shady enclosure with its neck outstretched. A Sumatran tiger stands near the wall of its enclosure, with its striped face observing the crowd.
November 10, 2025 at 9:46 PM
catsandstrategy.bsky.social
Today we took advantage of the holiday to go to the San Antonio Zoo. It’s a small zoo, but well designed, with an excellent reptile house. It also has some..: unique… exhibits you won’t see in many other places.
A king cobra rests in an enclosure with its head snaking out from beneath a log. The a section of the cobra’s body lies against the back wall, showing that the snake has to be at least 9-10 feet long. A huge Grand Cayman Iguana sits on a bed of wood chips. It is a bright blueish green with giant rounded cheeks. A full-grown hippopotamus, one of the most dangerous animals in Africa, stands in the water behind a thick pane of glass. A small child is looking through the glass. A zoo sign points the way to the grottos, the reptile house, the exit, the Beastro & restrooms… and the chupacabra.
November 10, 2025 at 9:46 PM
catsandstrategy.bsky.social
It’s another Sunday for Pratchett and pedicures. I think I’m just in the mood for the Watch series right now but I am tempted to pull down my copy of Carpe Jugulum at some point.
A copy of Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett sits atop a man’s leg. The cover depicts a red sky over a blue light bursting through a wall behind a man in chainmail wielding a sword.
November 9, 2025 at 8:24 PM
catsandstrategy.bsky.social
On a happier note, we’ve had these two for nine years and this is the first time this has EVER happened. They’ve never cuddled together. I guess being the two elders in a house with a younger cat is bringing them together.
A pale orange cat and a black cat are lying on a Halloween themed white blanket with their backsides touching. The orange cat has his head buried under a blue blanket. The picture is taken from a top down perspective. A pale orange cat and a black cat are lying on a Halloween themed white blanket with their backsides touching. The orange cat has his head buried under a blue blanket. The picture is taken from the side and more of the couch is visible.
November 8, 2025 at 7:03 PM
catsandstrategy.bsky.social
The Council meets to discuss their dinner mysteriously being a full hour late. They do not understand Daylight Savings Time.
A brown tabby cat, a pale orange cat, and a black cat stand in a triangle on a wooden floor. All three are looking up at a counter where food is presumably being prepared.
November 3, 2025 at 2:34 AM
catsandstrategy.bsky.social
When your humans are eating cake and they didn’t give YOU any!
A pale orange cat sits atop a marble-topped kitchen island next to a box of cat food staring at the camera with a look of disappointment and disapproval.
October 26, 2025 at 1:30 AM
catsandstrategy.bsky.social
Thomas has taken to curling up in the sink when I’m in the bathroom since he knows that will get him attention, and today I found him curled up in the basket for the first time. Truly the comfiest of little men.
A brown tabby cat curls up on his side in a bathroom sink with his head pressed into a man’s hand. The hand is scratching his cheek and chin, and he looks very content. A brown tabby catch is curled up in a wicker basket atop a black blanket. He looks relaxed, as though he has been taking a nap.
October 22, 2025 at 2:31 AM
catsandstrategy.bsky.social
Who robbed the Louvre? Right answers only.
October 19, 2025 at 11:46 PM
catsandstrategy.bsky.social
Picked up a new copy of an old classic before today’s pedicure. I was thinking about million to one chances the other day and that brought this to mind.
A copy of the book “Guards! Guards!” By Terry Pratchett with a cover showing a man holding a small dragon with a burning city in the background while a larger dragon rises from the flames. A pedicure basin and a man’s leg are visible behind the book.
October 19, 2025 at 7:26 PM
catsandstrategy.bsky.social
No Kings protest in the morning, attempt to recreate a Halal Guys platter in the evening. Hundreds of people showed up in a small city in Texas, and I think we came pretty close on the platter.
A red and white bowl filled with rice, chopped chicken, and an assortment of vegetables including lettuce, onions, peppers, and cucumbers. The food is covered in a white sauce with multiple lines of red sauce criss-crossing the top.
October 18, 2025 at 11:56 PM
catsandstrategy.bsky.social
Thomas’s personality is starting to come out as he settles in. He very much takes attention on his terms, but when he wants to cuddle he turns into the world’s happiest cat. On weekdays I have to pet him before I shave, and we bought a bed for him in our room. All the cats take treats together now.
A brown tabby cat is sprawled across a human’s lap, his eyes closed in delight as two sets of human hands are petting him. A brown tabby cat stands with his back paws in a bathroom sink, vigorously rubbing his face into a human hands. His mouth is slightly open with joy. A brown tabby cat lies curled in a gray bed on the floor, with a wand toy in front of the bed. He is alert and looking off in the distance. A black, brown tabby, and orange cat stand in a rough triangle on the floor, eating wet food out of porcelain bowls. A human in green pants is standing between the orange and black cats.
October 12, 2025 at 11:34 PM
catsandstrategy.bsky.social
In 1933 Kurt von Hammerstein classified officers based on whether they were industrious or lazy and clever or stupid. All officers except those that were stupid and industrious had value. Such men were dangerous because they would pursue their stupidity with great energy. Guess where we are now?
A chart classifying officers among two axes based on whether they are industrious or lazy and clever or stupid. Those who are stupid and industrious are labeled as dangerous while all others are given a role.
October 9, 2025 at 2:53 AM
catsandstrategy.bsky.social
Kitty cuddles over the past few days. Alexander and Thomas are not quite playing together yet, but can play near each other and tolerate sharing space. Artemis demands her own lap time, but Thomas also hopped up and demanded cuddles. He sometimes grabs your arm and pulls it in for attention.
A pale orange tabby and a brown tabby lay on a carpeted floor with a cat toy made of curled ribbons laying between them. The cats are facing each other. A plush black cat lays on her side close to a human’s pajama-clad leg. Her eyes are closed and she appears content. A brown tabby cat lays on his side on a blue blanket, looking up at the camera. A human’s hand is laying against his side, and one of the cat’s paws is draped over the thumb. A brown tabby lays on a blue blanket with his paw wrapped around a human’s wrist. The human is scratching the cat’s chin, which is apparently greatly pleasing to the cat.
October 4, 2025 at 11:59 PM
catsandstrategy.bsky.social
Thomas hopped up in my lap this morning and demanded cuddles and pets. He makes the most ridiculous faces when getting pet on the face and top of the head. Alexander accepted this for a few minutes before the growls started, then left and Artemis came to sniff his tail and make a stinky face.
A brown tabby cat is smooshing his face into a human hand, clearly delighted with the petting he is receiving. One fang is visible in the corner of his mouth. A brown tabby cat curls up in a human’s lap with his head laying on their stomach and chest. A brown tabby cat laying in a human’s lap looks over at an orange buff tabby who is sitting on another human’s blanket-covered feet. A human is petting the orange cat. A black cat sits on the floor, looking up at a brown tabby cat’s tail that is laying against a human’s leg. She is clearly not impressed.
September 27, 2025 at 7:58 PM
catsandstrategy.bsky.social
Thomas update: continuing to settle in. We have morning cuddles on the bed, he absolutely loves to play, and he’s a sink-drinker. Tonight he climbed into the cat tree. Introductions are proceeding, but while there’s some hissing for the most part they’re tolerating each other. I’ll take it.
A brown tabby cat is curled up against a human’s side while getting his ears scratched. A brown tabby cat is leaping at a red and yellow bird toy with his paws outstretched and his mouth open. A brown tabby cat is sitting in front of a sink, drinking directly from the fountain with his head tilted to the side. A brown tabby cat lays atop a black cat tree with his paws curled over the edge, looking off to his left.
September 22, 2025 at 4:22 AM
catsandstrategy.bsky.social
Some of the art is a time abyss, like this vase that’s more than 5,000 years old. The beautifully preserved katana here is more than 700 years old. Other things highlighted the weirdness of history. Yes, that is a statue of Zeus as a swan impregnating Leda and St. Michael with faces for nipples.
A grey and tan clay vase with elaborate handles and a wide mouth sits in a display case behind glass. A katana scabbard with a handle attached arcs above a hilt less katana blade, which gleams brightly under the lights. A damaged statue of a woman and a swan sits on a pedestal, with the heads of both missing. The woman and the swan are locked in a passionate embrace with the swan’s foot grasping at the woman’s thigh. A painting of the Archangel Michael depicts the angel as a winged youth in armor, with his eyes cast up toward heaven. His breastplate features two faces that resemble depictions of the sun and moon where his nipples should be.
September 20, 2025 at 11:26 PM
catsandstrategy.bsky.social
This is just a tiny sampling of the beautiful art on display, including one of only 4 sand mandalas on display in the U.S. The pottery was a high point, and you could really see the difference between various periods.
A large blue Chinese vase depicting a scene of cranes in the ocean and sky around a boat. A folding screen decorated with a large picture of a tiger. The legs of one person can be seen in the lower left corner where the tiger is mauling them and a person dressed in red has their arms wrapped around the tiger’s neck: A brightly colored sand mandala depicts Buddhist religious imagery including praying figures and elaborate temples. A framed painting depicts a large castle on top of steep cliffs above the Rone River. The painting has an impressionist style.
September 20, 2025 at 11:26 PM
catsandstrategy.bsky.social
Today we visited the San Antonio Museum of Art, which has a fantastic collection of art including exhibits from the Pacific, China, Japan, Korea, Rome, Greece, Egypt, Europe, Texas, and Central America. We spent almost the entire day here and didn’t see everything.
The outside of the San Antonio Museum of Art. The building is made of sand colored brick with two wings shaped like castle towers, connected by a sky bridge. A bright abstract piece of art made up of strips of white and blue material. The material is glossy, made by layering metal oxides over canvas. A centuries old Chinese statue of a dog behind glass, with its head raised and ears perked up. A woman’s silk robe from the Chinese Qing dynasty. The robe is bright red with embroidered flowers and other patterns and a striped blue bottom.
September 20, 2025 at 11:26 PM
catsandstrategy.bsky.social
On a related note, dear San Antonio I’m concerned about your river water. It’s bright green, 17% alcohol by volume, and tastes like a margarita.
A plastic bottle filled with a green liquid is sitting on a wooden table in front of a glass full of ice. A label on the bottle reads “San Antonio River Water.”
September 20, 2025 at 6:51 PM
catsandstrategy.bsky.social
Living with a cat who has just been released to roam the whole house is like living with a furry little cryptid. You see them out of the corner of your eye and they occasionally emerge to chirp at you, accept pets, and eat some food, but otherwise they’re a source of mysterious noises in the night.
A brown tabby stands on a grey carpet, looking up at the camera with one paw stretched forward. His whiskers are spread out and his tail is waving.
September 16, 2025 at 2:45 AM
catsandstrategy.bsky.social
We decided to go with Thomas since he seemed to like the name. Today he went to his first vet visit with us, where he was diagnosed as a handsome boy with a stressed bladder. Hopefully we’ll get that under control in the next couple of days and he can join the others roaming the house.
A brown tabby with one tipped ear sits on a red blanket in a veterinary office, his front paws folded against his chest. He looks slightly annoyed, but otherwise calm.
September 10, 2025 at 11:08 PM
catsandstrategy.bsky.social
This morning he was even more friendly and hard at work in the biscuit factory after getting some pets. He and the other cats have been sniffing each other through the door but there have been no signs of hostility so we may try some baby gate introductions today if all goes well.
A brown tabby is shoving his face into a human’s hand with his tail whipping happily. A brown tabby cat is busily making biscuits on top of a black and brown blanket. A brown tabby is laying in his side, face pressed against a catnip dynamite toy with his paws stretched toward a person’s leg. A brown tabby cat lies on his side, turned slightly so that his slightly paler belly is visible. His back paws and one front paw are stretched out while one front paw is curled in.
September 7, 2025 at 4:53 PM
catsandstrategy.bsky.social
He spent yesterday decompressing in our spare room, but was already playing and coming up to get affection. He’s a total nip head and didn’t appreciate when I got too close to the catnip toy while he was playing with it, but even then he gave me a gentle swat with his claws sheathed.
A brown tabby with one ear tip clipped stands in front of a cardboard bed, looking at the camera. A brown tabby lays peacefully underneath a futon frame, sleeping on his side with his eyes closed. A cardboard bed is visible in the foreground. A brown tabby sniffs at a red catnip toy shaped like a stick of dynamite, clearly interested in the offering. A brown tabby stands in front of a pair of red food bowls, chowing down on some wet cat food.
September 7, 2025 at 4:53 PM
catsandstrategy.bsky.social
We have twin cats! How wonderful!
An orange cat lies across a blue rug, looking up at a dangling ribbon toy.
September 6, 2025 at 4:36 AM
catsandstrategy.bsky.social
Big Texas thunderstorm tonight, the kind where the whole sky lights up and the thunder rattles the windows. Artemis refuses to be bothered, while Alexander has decided to hide at the top of the cat tree.
A black cat curls up into a tight ball on top of a cardboard bed next to a small cat tree. An orange cat is curled up in the top platform of a black and red cat tree with one eye warily looking out at his surroundings.
September 1, 2025 at 1:35 AM