Superstitions are especially prone to confirmation bias, and they survive because common sense and confirmation bias sometimes reinforce each other. Are black cats unlucky? Cats, black or otherwise, by their nature tend to get underfoot, but we might only remember the black ones who trip us up. I actually live with a lovely black cat named Carla, and I can confirm that she is, on occasion, a menace to my navigation of the stairs. A superstitious person might nod here knowingly,; the fact that Carla is also the only cat in the house, of course, or whether other cat owners have tumbled over their tabbies will mean nothing.
— Tom Nichols, The Death of Expertise
Tag: cats
Furry Tails August 2026 Events
Nipclub July 23, 2026: Sekurity Update
Nipclub July 23rd, 2026, Sekurity Update by Slinky, @Slinky_the_Cat, Sekurity Agent, Late Nite shift
It’s the Experimental Aircraft Association air show tonight for Nipclub!
I had my own tiny police ‘thopter, and I landed it in the parking lot before going into the bar. It was so much fun!
Harvey was there and was wistful, as his family had just lost their ginger kitty, Jack the Ginger Ninja. Paw hugs all around, along with a photo for remembrance. Jack seemed like a wonderful cat.
Most of the usual pals were there: Amber and Precious, Gator, Pearl, etc. I hadn’t seen Moo yet, though! Everyone watched all the cool aircraft take off and land.
Moo arrived just before K-Boi concluded his shift. His humans required an early start after his departure.
With all these cool planes around, I thought I should zip around in my cold-war era Avro Vulcan delta-wing bomber for LATE NITE! So I messaged a crew member to get it ready.
Amber and Precious tried to request a song about Snoopy from Alfie the DJ. Pearl talked about a semi-feral cat they rescued from a colony near their home. When sheltered indoors and attended to, the sickly ginger cat recovered. She shared photos of him; he’s super handsome now.
Pearl served first-class noms and drinks- champagne all around! Amidst champagne consumption and TJS’s conversations with everyone, mechanics tended to my aircraft.
I took it out later for a trip around the field!
Louis incorporated sky and airplane mentions into the playlist; I relaxed while my Avro received approval for its flyover. We were still drinking champagne and listening to the Foo Fighters.
The Avro was sitting on the tarmac, and Angus wanted a ride! With TJS and Gator joining, we donned our gear, crammed into the small cockpit, and lifted off. What a plane! We went so fast and high up; it was jaw-dropping. And so loud!
Pearl was back in the bar serving blue sky donuts while Louis played Tom Petty and Pink Floyd. We’re zooming around in the sky; I fly up, then level out at about 20,000 feet and fly around the field before landing.
Pearl finished her shift right before we landed, so I took over the bar. Mechanics handled the jet’s maintenance and brought it back to its hangar.
I made niptinis and taquitos and then offered some tequila shots.
Louis and Angus played music and lamented about the loss of Ozzy Osbourne a year ago; Gator and I admired the aircraft taking off and landing.
Louis continued songs about flying, and I made lobster mac and cheese. Apparently, it smelled so good, K-Boi woke up,stepped into the bar, and sat down for a snack!
Gator was fading, and even Angus admitted to being tired.
It was getting late, and all that flying made me tired! We played a few more songs before cleaning, boxing leftovers, and securing the bar. What a fun time!
Until next week!
Slinky the Cat
Quote: William S. Burroughs on Cats
My relationships with my cats has saved me from a deadly, pervasive ignorance.
— William S. Burroughs, “The Cat Inside“
Nipclub July 16, 2026: Sekurity Update
Nipclub July 16th, 2026, Sekurity Update by Slinky, @Slinky_the_Cat, Sekurity Agent, Late Nite shift
Nipclub was doing a night kayaking trip with lights in the water and under the boats; it’s called Glow Kayaking!
I dropped by the Nipclub bar, reached via the nearby river, shortly after returning from Mauna Kea’s peak. Moo and Pearl were there to greet me and asked about monsoon rain in Jakku. Pearl served up the sweet treats first: “glownuts”, donuts with neon frosting, and sparkly, glowing shots of something fun to drink.
Angus was there and looked good with his floofy fur growing back after his summer haircut. Moo asked about the different desert landscapes where Pearl and I live and showed us beautiful photos with giant saguaro cacti and storm clouds- definitely a scene from Jakku.
Mizz Bassie arrived, and we talked about well water vs. city water vs. rainwater. Rainwater is magical for plants, especially in the desert during the monsoon!
Angus, kayaking perhaps after consuming too many glow shots, tumbled out of his vessel! Luckily, he was wearing a life vest. He got right back in and was off down the river again!
P and Jeego were out in their glass-bottomed kayak, enjoying the cool evening. Mizz Bassie was also in a cool kayak that looks like it’s lit from within. Grilled salmon steaks and cocktails all around while we continued weather talk and more kayaking.
Gator came back; apparently, he fell asleep. Just in time for LATE NITE! Gator departed soon thereafter because of his humans’ exhaustion from insufficient sleep. He mentioned the fires in Canada and how they are affecting the air where he lives; very hazy and smoky.
Pearl served a special chocolate cake with glow-in-the-dark frosting, and we were excited about how cool everything looked at the party. I mentioned that the cake appeared to have radium frosting, so I passed on the cake.
Mizz Bassie headed out early as her human hadn’t gotten enough sleep either.
LATE NITE was official as soon as Louis started playing his set list. He started off with some Rammstein, so I thought the theme was techno metal, nu metal, etc.
Moo also took off, so I escorted her to her car and went back out onto the dance floor. We talked about music, and Rammstein came up again; someone mentioned the song “Feuer Frei!” It’s the Rammstein song that opened the xXx 2002 action film. Pearl found the video for us to watch in the bar. It was so cool to watch again!
Louis also played Babymetal, a kawaii band from Japan, classic Nightwish, and more eclectic rock music.
Pearl served up blueberry crumble cheesecake and rose’ wine and turned the bar over to me for the last hour. I listened to Louis and Angus Tag team music while I put out a tray of tequila shots and some crispy potato skin appetizers- something savory.
Louis and Angus kept up with music, tipping kayaks, and I served coffee and cookies as a nightcap.
I had to close about 15 minutes early as I can’t always stay up furever! The human had to work early the next day. Louis and Angus probably played music in the parking lot into the wee hours….
Until next week!
Slinky the Cat
Quote: Peter S. Beagle on Cats
I am what I am. I would tell you what you want to know if I could, for you have been kind to me. But I am a cat, and no cat anywhere ever gave anyone a straight answer.
— Peter S. Beagle, The Last Unicorn
The Last Unicorn is about a unicorn who may be the last one left. So, naturally, she leaves her forest to find the others. Along the way, she finds friendship, love, trouble, and plenty of heartache. Even author Ursula K. Le Guin said Peter S. Beagle gave the story his “own particular magic.”
Nipclub July 9, 2026: Sekurity Update
Nipclub July 9th, 2026, Sekurity Update by Slinky, @Slinky_the_Cat, Sekurity Agent, Late Nite shift
We’re skydiving tonight!
I jumped out of a plane right into the Nipclub parking lot! It was so cool. A couple of pals were jumping tandem right before I landed.
Alfie was in the DJ booth playing a splendid set of skydiving-themed tunes, including ones by Poly Styrene, Weezer, and Whitsett. Pearl served cookies with parachutes on them and blue sky-colored cocktails when I walked in.
We discussed those dreaded sky zombies, kind of like UAP’s only smaller. I zapped some with my laser!
Ragamuffin showed us her hurt paw, but it seemed survivable and was getting better after a vet trip and some medicine. Mizz Bassie and Angus were here, as well as the usual pals.
More snacks arrived that included little pretzel-bite pigs in a blanket that Gator made earlier, parachute beer, and delicious quesadillas with fresh pico de gallo.
Angus jumped out of a plane and was having a blast! He made about 5 or 6 jumps before LATE NITE started!
Gator experienced X difficulties: reaching a threshold, facing lockout, then regaining access. On and off invisibility! Gator said they’re having a heat wave at their house with high heat and humidity! Sounded awful.
Louis showed up talking about ducks again. It’s time for LATE NITE music about flying, and Louis switched with Alfie for DJ duties. He played more themed songs such as Steve Miller Band, Lenny Kravitz, and Ozzy Osbourne. Louis and Angus, such great friends, chatted about music nonstop in the DJ booth, and they were excited about each musical selection.
TJS showed up on time and greeted everyone.
With Gator still present, music played loudly, while Pearl provided us with cocktails and additional snacks. We enjoyed our conversation concerning music.
4PupDad showed up; we haven’t seen him for ages! What a pleasant surprise!
Gator lamented the loss of the free TweetDeck app when it was easy to pre-program music set lists and see all conversations at the same time. It was cool!
I remember using Hootsuite years ago when it was still free.
More snacks kept coming out of the kitchen: cheesecake cookies and Leap of Faith cocktails! Additional music flowed from many requests, with Louis and Gator contributing their own selections.
I made some song suggestions, and another pal we hadn’t seen for a while showed up, Amber and Precious!
We talked about state fairs with free or cheap concerts, the majestic Frisian horses, and other attractions at fairs such as SummerFest and the California State Fair in Sacramento. The free live music shows were the best.
After Pearl went home, I served Aviation cocktails and more pretzel piggies to the LATE NITE diehard crew. It seems like we never sleep!
The falling from the sky theme just kept going. They took the theme to the nth degree with Joe Satriani’s “Surfing with the Alien,” REM’s “Fall On Me,” and Patsy Cline’s “I Fall to Pieces,” and we were there for it!
Moo, Gator, Angus, Louis, and TJS were still there, and I was getting ready to wind it down, but the rest wanted to keep partying! I asked Gator or TJS if they could lock up this time.
I walked outside and floated away as they kept it going for another hour.
Until next week!
Slinky the Cat
Quote: Charles Bukowski on Cats
when I am feeling
low
all i have to do is
watch my cats
and my
courage
returns
— Charles Bukowski, On Cats
Nipclub July 2, 2026: Sekurity Update
Nipclub July 2nd, 2026, Sekurity Update by Slinky, @Slinky_the_Cat, Sekurity Agent, Late Nite shift
Area 51 party tonight! We know the truth is out there!
Sekurity dressed just like the actors in Men in Black. Gator and 21 others were already in the bar, drinking and carousing. Jeego and P were talking about Seafair (a traditional Seattle summer festival) and a July 4th fireworks display! Humans remembered it back in the day as mainly boat races and fireworks. Hydroplane races were the coolest. It was always a great time that created wonderful memories.
Mizz Bassie and Gator were here, and Gator showed off a photo of his new buddy, Koda the Catahoula mix dog. He’s very handsome! We watched the sky, and I looked for suspicious activity. So far, I’d seen orbs flying around the bar outside.
Pearl served grilled salmon and alien shot drinks inspired by the film Alien. She made me a plate as I downed a Xenomorph blood cocktail shot and went outside. I looked for evidence of any close encounters, such as crop circles or tiny grey creatures running around.
I saw some cows beaming up, so I zapped the ships with my sekurity laser, and they let the cows go, gently letting them land on the ground again before lumbering off. The ships sped away, leaving no trace. At least the cows were unharmed.
Back in the bar, I finished my salmon, and Louis announced an alien and UFO-themed playlist! Time to kick off LATE NITE the Area 51 way!
Pearl served flying saucer pasta and purple butter and some superb green cocktails in sparkly glasses. Louis was in the DJ booth and started off with a cover of Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm! It’s a ‘90s classic! He played fun music such as The Steve Miller Band and Black Sabbath, while we ate space burgers with crazy cocktails!
We danced like crazy while Louis and Angus kept up the tunes. I had a song request, a ska song by an obscure band, and Louis found it! Martian Girl! by the Aquabats. I requested another song, Goo Goo Muck by The Cramps, to mix things up, and Louis played it. He had not heard of it before!
Pearl left, which left me in control of the bar until closing. More music such as Jefferson Starship and Rob Zombie, while I served alien green cocktails and green tea eggs that looked like alien pods, plus lobster mac and cheese, as you must have some normal-looking food sometimes!
Louis played alien-themed songs interspersed with a few patriotic songs to celebrate the upcoming 250 Years of Independence. TJS showed up again towards the end of LATE NITE for some dancing. We wound it down with dessert: red velvet cake-cheesecake squares with fresh blueberries in anticipation of this holiday weekend, with some Irish coffee shots.
I set everyone up with to-go bags of alien cookies, cheesecake squares, and other snacks and sent them on their way before I set the alarm, locked up, and tipped my hat toward our alien friends in the skies.
Until next week!
Slinky the Cat
Quote: Ray Bradbury On Cats
That’s the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.
— Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing
The Anipal Times 