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Filmmakers and felines: Jean Cocteau had a club for cat lovers!
01.10.2018
10:38 am
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If you like movies, then you probably have at least a passing familiarity with French director/artist Jean Cocteau. Maybe you picked up La Belle et la bête (1946) or Orphée (1950) during a half-price Criterion sale at Barnes & Noble. Maybe someone in film school made you watch Le Sang d’un Poète (1930) in some experimental film class and you thought: “What is this? This is some weird ass shit but…I like it! It’s definitely different than those other experimental guys. I might be able to get down with…what’s this dude’s name? Cocteau?”

Most cinephiles and culture vultures know the basics: Cocteau was French. He was gay. His social set was expansive, attracting everyone from Proust, Man Ray, and Pablo Picasso to queer artists like Gertrude Stein, Jean Genet, and Marlene Dietrich. Basic knowledge is fine if that’s all you want, but Jean Cocteau is SO much more interesting. His art was hot, his writing was beautiful, he was controversial…but let’s get real: What makes this Frenchman unique?

He loved the hell out of cats and he was not afraid to let the world know it!

Cocteau was romantically involved with his lead actor, Jean Marais for over two decades. It’s unclear whether Marais also enjoyed cats so that part of their affair is still a mystery. We do know that Cocteau firmly supported his lover’s close relationship with the dog he saved during WWII, Muluk. 

Clearly, bringing Muluk on-set was no problem. Wonder if it was in his contract?
 

 
What is it they say—opposites attract? If that’s the case and if we place cats and dogs on the spectrum as polar opposites, then these two men probably had a banging sex life! While Marais, son of a veterinarian, was fond enough of his dog to take glamour shots with him and signed autographs on pictures that featured himself and Muluk together, Jean Cocteau was much more than your average cat guy. More than your average cat lady, even. Cocteau believed in felines.
 

Jean Cocteau illustrated this lovely book of poetry in 1962, ‘La dame aux Chats’ (The Lady with Cats).
 

 
One of the illustrations: the lady with the cats!
 

These days Jean Cocteau might even be more notable on the internet for his heavily meme-d quotes about cats than for his elegant film work.

1) “I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul.”

2) “I prefer cats over dogs because police cats don’t exist.”

 

 
Cocteau made a great deal of art, but he made a lot of cat-related art. Not only is it vast and multi-faceted, spanning from sculpture to murals to sketch, it’s also extremely joyful. The Cocteau cats are a real treasure. 
 
Cocteau painted this in the local chapel near where he lived in Milly-la-Forêt, in 1959, where he wished to be buried (and was). It is still there.
 

As a cat lover, Cocteau shared his home with multiple feline companions. While not able to divine every furry friend’s name, two of his marvelous cats went by Madeline and Karoun. Cocteau was quite close with Karoun and nicknamed his furry buddy “King of Cats,” even dedicating a whole book to him! Lucky cat!
 
Much more after the jump…

READ ON
Posted by Ariel Schudson
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01.10.2018
10:38 am
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Rock stars with their cats and dogs

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Cool pictures of musicians with their pet dogs and cats, which show how even the most self-obsessed, narcissistic Rock god has a smidgen of humanity to care about someone other than themselves. Though admittedly, Iggy Pop looks like he’s about to eat his pet dog.
 
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Patti Smith and stylist.
 
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This is not a doggy bag, Iggy.
 
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There’s a cat in there somewhere with Joey Ramone.
 
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Tupac Shakur and a future internet meme.
 
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Bjork and a kissing cousin.
 
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O Superdog: Laurie Anderson and friend.
 
More cats and dogs and musicians, after the jump…
 

READ ON
Posted by Paul Gallagher
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03.27.2014
04:30 pm
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Cat Scratch Jesus Lizard: David Yow channels his inner B. Kliban
10.18.2013
11:48 am
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Last week, when we spoke to David Yow about his forthcoming Jesus Lizard: Book, he completely neglected to mention to us that he had a second book in the works. A book of cat drawings, and just about all of them groaner puns. Through his publisher, Akashik Books, Yow said:

I love cats. Always have. The only time I didn’t have a cat was a brief hell in Chicago where I lived in an apartment whose landlord didn’t allow them. At that place, I had a life-sized cardboard cutout of a cat which I named Toody. I also love wordplay. I’m the only adult I hang out with who still gets a kick out of puns. I make up palindromes. I used to write songs and poems (these days, I leave that for the songwriters and poets); in this book of cat-pun drawings, I have made a concerted effort to come up with ideas that range from really funny to really amusing. The entire litter of animals in this book are line drawings that are ‘coloured in’ with photographic textures, and each cat is dropped into a photographic setting. Yep, that’s the truth.

 
yowcatatonic
Catatonic
 
yowcatburglar
Cat Burglar
 
yowcatnip
Cat Nip
 
yowcatoninetails
Cat-O-Nine Tails
 
Et cetera. There are many more of these to be seen at Yow’s web site. And that’s the only place you’ll be able to see them for awhile. The book won’t actually be out until next summer.

It’s charming that he thinks people will like pictures of cats, but frankly, I’m skeptical. Who the hell buys cat stuff?

Below, fan-made video for Scratch Acid’s “Cannibal” (NSFW)

 
Previous, More Previous

Posted by Ron Kretsch
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10.18.2013
11:48 am
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Batman and Captain America rescue a cat
09.10.2013
10:24 am
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Firefighters were surprised to find they were beaten to the scene of a fire in Milton, West Virginia, on Saturday, by Batman and Captain America.

Dressed in their iconic costumes, the two superheroes were making quick work of rescuing a cat trapped in the house by the fire.

Batman and Captain America gave their secret identities as John Buckland and Troy Marcum, two local men who had been dressed in costume for an event at the nearby American Legion Post, where they had been teaching children “positive lessons.”

When Captain America and Batman saw the smoke billowing from the house, they quit the class, and ran straight towards the burning house, in a bid to rescue anyone inside.

Buckland had been a firefighter, before starting his Hero 4 Higher business, had also worked as a firefighter when stationed in Iraq.

The dynamic duo burst open the front door (KA-POW!!). Entered the building (RRRIIFF!!). Smashed open a window (CRASSSH!!!). Realized no-one was home (“What the…!?!”). Then Batman “grabbed something furry” (THHHWWWPPPTT!!). Before the two heroes made their speedy exit (WHOOOOSSSHHH!!).

The bundle of fur turned out to be the household’s cat, which Batman resuscitated on the grass outside. Having been saved from a near cat-astrophe, the fiery feline could only hiss at the superhero saviors.
 

 
Via WCHSTV, H/T Arbroath

Posted by Paul Gallagher
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09.10.2013
10:24 am
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Dead animal lover eaten by her pet cats
08.14.2013
09:29 am
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The body of a dead woman was “eaten by her own cats” as she lay undiscovered in her home for several weeks.

The body of 56-year-old Janet Veal was found “gnawed and eaten” by her pet cats that had been left without food for up to three months.

At an inquest held at the Coroner’s Court, in Southampton, England, police officers explained how they gained access to Ms. Veal’s house after neighbors noted a build-up of mail at the address.

On entry to the premises, police found a number of dead dogs and cats in the ground floor of the building. Ms. Veal’s partially eaten body was discovered in the kitchen. Coroner Keith Wiseman said at the inquest:

“These animals had been, the officer thought, confined in these two rooms downstairs for what may well have been a period of many weeks, stretching quite possibly into several months

“This too was a distressing experience because it was clear that certain parts of Mrs Veal’s body were missing and had, the officer formed the view, effectively been gnawed and eaten away by the animals.

“One can only imagine the difficulty with the scene the officer was having to deal with.

—snip—

“There is no indication otherwise and no suggestion, if I can go to the complete extreme, any suggestion that she had been in any way attacked by the animals while she was alive.

He went on to say: “Given the background history and findings I am prepared to find on the balance of probabilities this was sadly a natural death that led to really very untoward consequences because of the inability of Mrs Veal to get any assistance for herself and to be confined in the way that she was in this property with a number of animals that had not been fed for quite a long period of time.”

Due to decomposition of Ms. Veal’s body, the autopsy was unable to determine cause of death, though her medical records stated a history of chest problems.

Ms. Veal had lived alone since her husband moved out of their family home the previous year. Neighbors described her as “reclusive,” and an animal lover.
 

 
Via The Independent

Posted by Paul Gallagher
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08.14.2013
09:29 am
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Cat-speak: How to read your feline’s body language, a primer
07.31.2013
06:25 pm
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Apparently, cats are far more complex and subtle in their behavior than dogs or even humans. Yet most cat owners fail to recognize what their feline friends are trying to communicate.

For example, as Nicky Trevorrow from Cat Protection explains, why does a cat claw and bite when you rub its tummy?

“When a cat throws itself on its side and shows its belly, most people misinterpret this behaviour and think that it wants its belly rubbed but will get grabbed by their hand and the cat will bite them.

“What the cat is actually doing is showing a greeting behaviour and showing trust. It is actually an abuse of that trust to stroke its belly. What the cat would rather you do is to give it a slight head rub.

“When a cat comes towards you with their tail upwards, it is a sign of their greeting. The best thing to do is to acknowledge their greeting and give their head a rub.”

After a survey of 1,100 cat owners, Cat Protection discovered that 75% of respondents did not know what a cat’s upright tail meant; 33% didn’t know what their cat was showing contentment by slow-blinking; while 50% thought cats show stress by licking their lips; and 65% thought purring was a sign of contentment (while it can actually be a sign of pain).

To help cat owners understand what their cat is saying, the Cat Protection charity has produced the following short film, which helps explain:

• The greeting – when the cat walks towards you with its tail up, it means it is saying hello
• The sign of trust – when the cat rolls on its back exposing its stomach it is showing it trusts you rather than wanting its belly rubbed.
• The leg rub – when the cats rubs its head and body against your legs it is saying you smell strange and is trying to mark you with its scent
• Flattened ears – when the cat flattens its ears it is frightened and needs somewhere to hide
• Licking of lips – while after eating this can just be it is cleaning itself, at other times it can be a sign of nausea or stress
• The slow blink – the cat will slowly close and open its eyes, turning its head to one side, meaning it is relaxed and is not feeling threatened

Now you know what little Chairman Miaow is saying. Though personally, I prefer dogs, because they’re fun, enthusiastically happy about life, and easy to beat at cards.
 

 
Via the Daily Telegraph

Posted by Paul Gallagher
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07.31.2013
06:25 pm
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Soldier returns after six months and cat sees him for the first time
07.24.2013
01:10 pm
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If you own a cat, you already know how this one is going to play out!
 

 

Posted by Tara McGinley
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07.24.2013
01:10 pm
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New Cat Species: Found on Google Street View?
05.07.2013
09:19 am
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Cute and strange at the same time. A cat “cut-in-half” / shortened by Google Street View’s camera.
 
Previously on Dangerous MInds

Hand-job on Temperance Street (NSFW)


 
Via Google Street View
 

Posted by Paul Gallagher
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05.07.2013
09:19 am
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Brilliant: Cat scores a soap opera soundtrack (no, really!)
04.17.2013
08:49 pm
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Redditor PGERMS was crushin’ on a girl so hard that he made this utterly brilliant video for her. Apparently she mentioned the music in her favorite TV soap was so bad, her cat could have scored it. Well, PGERMS decided to test that theory “with great success.”

Here are a few choice responses in the reddit thread after folks watched it:

andehpandeh: “As a film composer, this makes me feel absolutely worthless to the world.”

Cyhawk: “I’m the guy who writes the music for soap operas. How do you think this makes ME feel? I should get this cat…”

Posted by Tara McGinley
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04.17.2013
08:49 pm
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Yes, this really exists: ‘Tell Your Cat You’re Pregnant’
03.06.2013
10:36 am
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Tell Your Cat You’re Pregnant: Baby and Toy Sounds for Preparing Your Cat for a Baby by Dr Lewis Kirkham is, well, I’ll let the blurb do the explaining:

Pregnant and worried about your cat coping? Here are 13 tracks of baby & toy sounds to prepare a cat for the arrival of a human baby. Designed by a behavior veterinarian, it is the most comprehensive range sounds available to best prepare your cat.

You can listen to Dr Lewis Kirkham’s soundtrack with titles like “Delightful Squeals” and “Grunts & Yawns” here.

Via Nerdcore via Animal NY

Posted by Tara McGinley
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03.06.2013
10:36 am
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Amazing: Cat recreates Prodigy’s infamous ‘Smack My Bitch Up’ video
11.30.2012
01:07 pm
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A hilarious and clever recreation of Prodigy’s “Smack My Bitch Up”... cat style.

Update: This is actually a video for Superchunk’s “Crossed Wires” which someone re-edited and set to Prodigy’s “Smack My Bitch Up.”
 

 
With thanks to Nerdcore

Posted by Tara McGinley
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11.30.2012
01:07 pm
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‘Game of Thrones’ theme sung by a Siamese cat
08.21.2012
01:20 pm
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As much as I try not to post kitteh-related stuff on DM, THIS video could not be avoided.

Thank you, Internet!
 

 
Via BuzzFeed

Posted by Tara McGinley
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08.21.2012
01:20 pm
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‘Songs About My Cat’: New Glenn Danzig album
06.14.2012
03:47 pm
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People just love them some Glenn Danzig, don’t they?
 
Previously on Dangerous Minds:
‘What’s That In Danzigs?’: A Glenn Danzig calculator
 
Via WMFU

Posted by Tara McGinley
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06.14.2012
03:47 pm
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Indifferent cats spotted in amateur porn
06.01.2012
02:18 pm
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The very NSFW site Indifferent Cats in Amateur Porn, as one might deduce from the name, is dedicated to indifferent cats showing up in amateur porn videos.

Via Nerdcore

 

Posted by Tara McGinley
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06.01.2012
02:18 pm
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Extreme close-up of a cat’s tongue
03.30.2012
01:08 pm
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And now you know why your cat’s tongue feels like sandpaper when it licks you. 
 

 
Via reddit

Posted by Tara McGinley
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03.30.2012
01:08 pm
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