All Samurai Cats, All The Time

I’d like to introduce you to Neko Roshi. He’s our little bundle of joy, named after a Japanese children’s tale about a samurai cat that killed a rat by outsmarting it without having to use violence. Neko Roshi had a hard time last night. He likes to sleep on my roommate Claire’s head, and she’s trying to train him to be independent, so she shut her door when she went to bed. My other roommate Palmer got sick of the cat’s whining/scratching/general late-night annoyingness and locked him in the laundry room. (Sounds harsh, but in Palmer’s defense, the laundry room is quite big—plus it’s where we keep the cat’s litter and food.) Neko Roshi completely destroyed the room in protest. I do have to give him credit for the DIY hammock he made out of the second shelf of our drying rack…at least he’s resourceful. (Though may not be so proud when I get home to find my skirts covered in wet litter.) This playlist is dedicated to our little ninja. Neko Roshi, we took you to be our cat for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, for cute or for IMPOSSIBLY OBNOXIOUS.

What’s on the soundtrack to your cat’s life?

Love,

Kate

1. Califone “Cat Eats Coyote” (Quicksand/Cradlesnakes)
2. Scourge Of The Sea “Smitten Kitten” (Make Me Armored) FREE (Thanks Scourge!)
3. The Kinks “Phenomenal Cat” (Village Green Preservation Society)
4. Charles Mingus “Pussy Cat Dues” (Mingus Ah Um)
5. Palace Music “Cat’s Blues” (Viva Last Blues)
6. Sufjan Stevens “Year Of The Asthmatic Cat” (Enjoy Your Rabbit)
7. R.E.M. “Star Me Kitten” (Automatic For The People)
8. The Weakerthans “Plea From A Cat Named Virtue” (Reconstruction Site)
9. The Cure “Lovecats” (Japanese Whispers)
10. Harry Chapin “Cat’s In The Cradle” (Verities & Balderdash)