Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for August 26, 2014

Calvin, you shouldn’t have started it.

What a fine rubbing!

So reminds me of my ex.

Just like a real house cat!

@ThirdguyShe tuckered you out, huh?

My cat does this….really!

Nice kitty, nice kitty.

Cats are always…cats!

On the late kitty Mud (RIP), I would get a mouth bite and a back claw rake if I started a belly stroke. On Sumi (current kitty), I get a gentle mouth-closing and talon-extended paw hold if I stop the belly strokes, neither of which cause damage but ‘encourage’ me to continue. If I rescue another cat, I will have to keep notes

I know of a cat that won’t have anything to do with anyone EXCEPT when it climbs upon the ‘scratching tower’ and ‘presents’ its ‘backside’ wanting a scratch. If doesn’t get one within a certain amount of time, it commences to ‘Meow’ everyone until someone ‘does the deed’.

“Ay, there’s the rub!”— Attributed to William Shakespeare’s dog

Lucy was sometimes kind to Snoopy during her early years:Click here: Peanuts (May 22, 1960)Click here: Red and Rover (February 17, 2013)Click here: Mutts (May 21, 2010)Click here: Mutts (May 30, 2013)

This is why I don’t like cats.

The cat will let you know when you have permission to stop.This is the other side of getting the cat to do something itdoesn’t want to do.

Belly rubs are some of my favorite things. They’re also my master’s favorite thing too.

You stopped rubbing before your fingers fell off, Calvin… obviously you weren’t done

I have a dog that puts her paw on my arm when I stop scratching her belly. Every. Single. Time.

Don’t rub Hobbes the wrong way, Calvin!

The good news — Hobbes did not perform the classic feline butthole-to-your-face thank you maneuver.

You know, you really have to appreciate all of the talent and hard work that went into the illustrating of these frames. The story is predominantly told by the expressions on the characters’ faces and by their body language. This strip has brought us all so much joy over the years. What a great legacy. Thanks, Bill :~) (also I clicked over to “How Calvin and Hobbes met Pearls Before Swine” for another smile today)

I currently have two cats. One likes to be patted on the back, hard; you can play him like a drum. I tried it once on the other cat and received an “Are you out of your mind?” look that stopped me cold. Each cat is a world unto himself with his own set of acceptable forms of affection.

This gonna be a total pain for Calvin.

One of my cats is like Hobbes; if I pet her & start to walk away before she feels like she has been worshiped enough, she will reach out & paw at me & hiss! If I turn around & continue petting her, she purrs up a storm!The problem is the fact that thousands of years ago, ancient Egyptians worshiped cats as gods, & the cats have never forgotten!

My wife’s Jack Russell Terrier is very territorial with both her spatial range and people. However, her interaction with strangers is completely paradoxical. Newcomers that acknowledge and try to pet her are received coldly, escalating to growls and bites if they do not vacate her personal space. However, new people that ignore her (like service people in the house doing their jobs) prove to be irresistible temptations, get invited to play fetch, and have their laps immediately occupied as soon as being seated.

Of course, the whole breed is crazy, but this individual has the genes that express idiosyncrasy in spades.

See what you started, Calvin! ;)