Tag Archives: Alberto Contador

Alberto Opines on the Tour de France

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Mainzer cats in bike race

Hello Furiends,
Alberto here. I am feeling the need to opine about this thing you humans call the “Tour de France” because it’s kind of  a big deal around our house, especially with the Male Human. He gets up , feeds the Tribe and manages to get to the place he calls “work” to watch the Tour by 5:00am. Now this early schedule is of no consequence to me as I’ve had my breakfast and morning head scratch and I know there will be more petting after my early morning nap when the Female Human finally appears from the bedroom.

Tour de France 2018You may be asking, “Why is the Male Human so crazy about this ‘Tour de France’ thingy”? I think it’s because he likes to hop on his metal machine with the two skinny wheels and torture himself frequently, like those Tour humans. I find this kind of exertion baffling and so does the Female Human. She has her own metal machine with not so skinny wheels and a basket in the front. She has floated the idea of putting one of us in the basket but her lack of coordination and tepid attitude toward her own machine has me less than enthusiastic about the prospect, especially since she has been known to run into parked cars and mailboxes.

My Connection

img_1787But I digress. I have some interest in the Tour de France because I am named after a famous Tour de France rider (now retired) named Alberto Contador.  I am sure you can see the resemblance., he’s a lean mean biking machine and I am a lean, mean feline machine!  I must say however, I am a bit dismayed by my namesake’s comment upon his retirement, he said, “I’ll gain weight and you’ll make jokes about it.”  I want to say “Alberto, don’t let yourself go! Have you seen my brother Oliver?! ” I’m happy to report he’s kept his lean physique so far. If you want to learn more about Alberto (the human) you can watch this video on Youtube, The Best of Alberto Contador. If you want to know more about Alberto, the feline, just subscribe to our blog.

 

Alberto’s Fun Facts About The Tour

  • Those pedaling humans use a lot of water, more than 42,000 water bottles will be used this year.(I wonder what size litter box they need for so much water drinking)
  • The average cyclist will burn around 4,000-5,000 calories during each stage of the Tour (about 123,900 for the race). That translates into eating 252 McDonald’s double cheeseburgers. (Note to the Female Human, you may want to consider a little more peddling on your metal machine!)
  • There are 3.5 million watching the Tour de France on television around the world. (I’ve watched a little of it on our big black box, it’s definitely not as fun as watching birds and squirrels on the upstairs balcony).
  • The first winner of the Tour de France was Maurice Garin. He won in 1904 but was later disqualified for cheating after he was caught taking a train in the Alps. (This feline says “kudos” to him for his ingenuity!)

Garin_M2

Still Not Sure…

Fat Ronaldo soccer player
Although I will respect the Male Human’s obsession with this Tour de France thingy I still don’t get it. From this feline’s point of view it’s far too much work  for too little reward. I will say though that it’s pretty cool being named after a famous cyclist and much better than being named after say,  the soccer player “Fat Ronaldo”!

 

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 5/16

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siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Folks,
It’s time for me to share my meanderings on the Internet Superhighway and my favorite feline news stories.

I hope you enjoy,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

Milwaukee’s First Cat Cafe Offers Wine and Felines – Journal Sentinel

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I am not in Milwaukee in this photo but I do enjoy the bouquet of a nice red. But I digress. I liked this new take on cat cafe’s. The owner of the cafe, Katy McHugh, says that she met a wonderful yellow tabby at an Amsterdam cat cafe. She enjoyed a good conversation with her human friend and the purring feline in her lap, so much that she didn’t want to leave.   That’s how  The Sip & Purr was created.

Now before anyone who does not imbibe gets their whiskers in a twist, the Sip & Purr will also serve coffee and snacks, so there’s something for every human. And best of all, the felines at the cafe will all be available for adoption. I hope all my Milwaukee friends will head on over to the Sip & Purr after it opens on June 1st and, if you do, please  opine about your experience in the comment section.

11 Cat Birthday Party Ideas That Will Honestly Beat Any Human Party There Is – Bustle

cat birthday pinatas

The Tribe of Five belongs to a lot of cat groups and every day we see feline birthday notifications, many of them photos of the kitty party.  If you are inclined to throw your cat a birthday bash, these tips are for you. The Female Human couldn’t pick a favorite, she loved the kitty cookies, the mini cat pinata and the crystal cat ears headband. You humans will have to decide for yourselves.

Sad Cat with Permanent Frown Named Luhu Finds Happiness (and Followers) on Instagram-PeoplePets

sad cat

Looks can be deceiving. This kitty named Luhu may look sad but he’s a happy kitty. He lives in Beijing, China with his human, Maggie Liu. He may look like he’s frowning but he’s a happy guy, loves to play and is full of purrs.  Luhu was born with  developmental defects which account for his sad appearance. His original human didn’t have the time to give him the care he needed so Maggie Liu adopted him. Luhu shares his home with two other felines.  His unusual expression has made him an Instagram sensation, so if you want to see more of Luhu, just go to his Instagram account.

Wacky Names for Dogs and Cats – Post Gazette

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The 2018 pet name winners are an orange and white cat named Pablo Purrcasso and a white pitbull named Isabella Miss Worldwide Boo Boo.  The article got me thinking, you humans come up with some strange name combinations. Take my name for instance, because I’m a lean, mean moving machine and The Male Human is quite the cycling  aficionado , I ended up with the name Alberto Contador. So as you purruse the names on this year’s list like Sir Reginald Fluffybutt or  Princess Consuela Bananahammock,just remember there’s a story behind every feline’s name.

Student’s Cuddle Kittens to Help Reduce Stress From Finals – 9news.com

student cuddling kitten

Sometimes we felines don’t get enough credit for the good things we do and sometimes, doing good things is just letting humans hold us. Case in point, check out the story of the students from Metropolitan State University who had the opportunity to spend some stress-reducing kitten time. The nice humans from The Feline Fix and Metro Denver C.A.T. teamed up to bring seven-week-old kittens to the school’s Biology Department to provide some relief during a notoriously stressful time. And, the kittens will all be eligible for adoption when they’re 12 weeks old. Good thinking humans, two paws up!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alberto Opines on Dr. Seuss in this week’s Friendly Fill ins # 95

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Hello Folks,
Alberto here doing this week’s fill ins. If you’d like to join the blog hop, head on over to McGuffy’s Reader or, to our friends who co-host the hop, 15andmeowing.  You can also add your “Seussian” fill ins in the comments in this blog post.

“Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is you-er than you!
Dr. Seuss

Here are this week’s fill ins:

1. My favorite Dr. Seuss book is _________________.
2. The most interesting person I have ever met is ______________.
3. Besides books by Dr. Seuss, my favourite book as a child was                       .
4. Lately, I have been working on                          .

Here are my fill in responses:

1.My favorite Dr. Seuss book is The Cat In The Hat (of course, what did you expect me to say?)

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2.The most interesting person I’ve ever met is purrhaps the relative of my humans who has been staying with us. This human enjoys doing puzzles and I enjoy helping challenge him by knocking those little pieces on the floor or, in some cases snacking on them. This human foolishly attempts to protect his puzzles with cardboard (to no avail I might add). My humans have never introduced me to this wonderful feline activity.

 

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3.Besides books by Dr. Seuss, my favorite book as a child was not really a book at all. You see I was a 21st Century kitten and I spent less time reading and more time playing games on the iPad. I would like to report that as an almost adult cat, I have become more litter-ary.

 

 

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4.Lately, I have been working on getting The Female Human in gear to update our website (FelineOpines.com) . She added a nice section about Cat Cafes from Katzenworld and also linked to a website that lists cat cafes all over the world. Nice job Human.