Be Vigilant This Howloween!

Disciples of The Leader Otis,

Brother Henry here.

Howloween is tomorrow! Leader Otis taught us the following:

Howloween is also known as “Black Cat Day”. Since at least the Middle Ages these unfortunate souls have been vilified in human mythology. They have difficulty getting adopted from shelters and heartless and cruel people often torture them on the human holiday known as Halloween. Otis was appalled by the unfair treatment of his dark-furred brothers and sisters and he officially designated October 31st as a day to celebrate all black cats. It is also a day for all Disciples of Otis to be especially vigilant in watching out for the safety of cats in their neighborhoods. People will be less likely to attempt to harm animals if they know we are all watching out for them.

This Howloween I intend to honor Leader Otis’s wishes and keep a sharp eye out for the poor outdoor kitties in our neighborhood!

I will make Leader Otis proud this year.

Tomorrow night, I shall sit right here in the front window, keeping an ever-vigilant watch to ensure that no one is mistreating my feline brothers and sisters in the world without walls. This spot is perfect! It is elevated so I get a great view of my surroundings. It is well-decorated with candles and pumpkins that have little black cats popping out of them. It is also very cushy so I will not experience any bum discomfort from long-term, vigilant sitting!

This is the perfect spot to be vigilant.

This spot is also close to the door, so if any kitties need a safe haven I will be able to… well… I can’t actually open the door… but maybe I’ll be able to yowl at the Guardians and make them open the door! Yes! That’s what I’ll do! I’ll yowl and the Guardians will open the door and let the kitties run in to safety! It’s a perfect plan!

The door is right over there. I will be able to let kitties in by yowling at the Guardians!

Wait a second though… to humans, Howloween is “Halloween”. They celebrate the day by dressing their children up in silly and/or frightening costumes and unleashing them on the neighborhood to beg for high calorie, low nutrition food stuffs. That means a steady stream of little kids with very sticky hands is going to be coming to the door all night! Kitties can’t come through there! If they tried, they would end up getting pet by all those sticky hands and their fur would be disgusting! And if I’m too close to the door, those sticky hands might be trying to pet me too! Yuck!

The thought of all those sticky hands petting a kitty, possibly even me… oh man, I feel a little sick to my stomach right now.

Yeah. On second thought this perch just won’t do. I think that side window over there would be much better. It’s got all the advantages of this spot minus the possibility of my fur getting all sticky.

Hmmm… on second thought, over there looks better.

Plus, if one of those little sticky-fingered nightmares gets past the Guardians, I’ll have enough time to make a break for my safey-safe in the office closet. So I’ll be able to keep an eye on the neighborhood and minimize my chances for my own personal Howloween nightmare. Yep. Sounds good to me… and I’m pretty sure Leader Otis would approve. He would want me to be vigilant, but not foolhardy. Have a safe Howloween everybody, and may your fur remain un-sticky.

So Says Brother Henry

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The Best Howloween Ever!

My Disciples,

It happened! I don’t know how, but it really happened! After entering My catnip banana induced catatonic state yesterday, the miracle I had hoped for came to pass. When I awoke, the pumpkin that had been next to Me on the floor was gone! I immediately got up and began to search for it. As I approached the low kitty tree under the front window of the living room I saw a glorious sight. It was ME! My face now graced the front of that beautiful, orange sphere. I immediately jumped up on the bench to take a closer look.

It was another Howloween miracle! My face had once again appeared on a pumpkin. I could hardly believe My eyes.

How had this happened? Had I, in My catatonic state, unsheathed My mighty claws and carved out My own face on the pumpkin? Had The Brothers, knowing how badly I was wishing for a Howloween miracle, carved the pumpkin themselves? Surely it could not have been the Guardians. No human would possess the finely tuned scratching skills needed to remove pumpkin peel with such precision. Perhaps I would never know the answer, and really, does it even matter? I decided it was enough just to simply sit there and bask in the glory of My pumpkiny doppleganger.

As I basked in the pumpkins powerful presence, I pondered how such a wondrous creation could have possibly come to be.

So this Howloween night, the Limbo and abandoned kitties in My neighborhood will have a shining reminder that The Leader is thinking about them, and doing everything in his power to keep them safe. And any humans who pass by will also fall under My gaze and, hopefully, be moved to do what they can to join The Cult of Otis in our crusade to keep cats happy, healthy and safely contained.

Let My glowing face give hope to all kitties and inspiration to all kitty Guardians!

Help us protect cats by adopting our dogma. May all kitties and all Guardians have a safe and happy Howloween.

So Sayeth Otis

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Hoping for a Howloween Miracle

My Disciples,

As you are likely aware, Howloween is a time of miracles… at least when it comes to pumpkins. Last year two Cult of Otis symbols magically appeared on pumpkins. The year before that, My own visage graced one of those wondrous, orange gourds. So, as Howloween approached this year, I decided to take matters into My own paws and try to perform My own pumpkin miracle. OK. I admit it. I really just wanted another pumpkin with My face on it… but only because I thought it would provide a shining beacon of hope, piercing the dark night of despair and letting all kitties who see it know that their Leader is working hard to protect them!

Yep. That’s what I wanted, and the Guardians must have known that was what I wanted because they put a big ‘ol pumpkin on a piece of plastic in the middle of the living room. I climbed up on the couch to spend some face to face time with that pumpkin. I hoped I could impose My will, and thus My image, on it.

The Guardians put a big ‘ol pumpkin in the middle of the living room. I set about imposing My will on it’s smooth, orange surface.

After staring at the pumpkin for nearly fourteen minutes, nothing was happening. I began to lose hope and, I’m ashamed to say, I turned to the comfort of the catnip banana to try to soothe My disappointment. I hadn’t lost all hope though, so I continued to focus on the banana… errr… I mean… pumpkin while I was self-soothing.

I started to despair, and I began to drown My sorrows in the catnip bananas. I still remained fixated on the pumpkin though.

Eventually, everything faded into the background. I entered a catnip banana induced catatonic state and the pumpkin disappeared from My consciousness.

Everything began to fade from My perception. The pumpkin disappeared as I was fully gripped by the nip.

As consciousness began to leave Me I remember thinking there would be no Howloween miracle this year. I heard a sorrowful yowl far in the distance, and the last thing I remember thinking, before everything went black, is that the yowling kitty sounded like Me.

So Sayeth Otis

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Howloween is Only Two Days Away!

My Disciples,

It is only 2 days until Halloween, also known as “Black Cat Day”! Since at least the Middle Ages these unfortunate felines have been vilified in human mythology. They have difficulty getting adopted from shelters and heartless and cruel people often torture them on the human holiday known as Halloween. I am appalled by this unfair treatment of My dark-furred brothers and sisters and I have officially designated October 31st as a day to celebrate all black cats. It is also a day for all of My Disciples to be especially vigilant in watching out for the safety of cats in your neighborhoods. People will be less likely to attempt to harm animals if they know we are all watching out for them.

Saint Inky I and II is the Patron Saint of Black Cats. The Inkies watch over all of My dark-furred brothers and sister.

Inky I and II, the Patron Saint of Black Cats, will be keeping a watchful eye out on Halloween night as well. You can find the story of this unique, dual-cat saint on the Cult of Otis website.

Now, I must go and prepare for Howloween. I have a pressing appointment with a pumpkin.

So Sayeth Otis

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Mama Cat Stopped By For Tricky Treats

My Disciples,

Yesterday, as The Brothers and I were keeping watch over the neighborhood cats from My Outdoor Domain, Brother Henry needed to take a break to use the Potty Pod 3000.  On his way back from the break, he witnessed something strange happening at the front door of our house.  There was a knock at the door and the Guardians opened it.  Small, strange looking people were standing on our front steps.  Brother Henry said that the small, strange people held out bags and said “Tricky Treats!” enthusiastically.  When they did this the Guardians put some kind of gross human food in their bags and the small people went away giggling.  Brother Oliver and I listened intently as Brother Henry told us about this strange event.

Brother Henry told us that he had seen strange little people get food from the Guardians by saying "Tricky Treats." Brother Oliver and I found this strange.

As strange as this seemed, it also seemed unfair to us that only humans that were visiting our house were getting treats.  We decided that any kitties that entered our yard should also be able to enjoy some tricky treats of their own.  So when we saw Mama Cat come around the corner of the house, The Brothers and I started meowing insistently.  Being well-trained, one of the Guardians quickly appeared and put out some cat snacks for Mama.  When Mama jumped up onto the red table to eat the snacks, The Brothers and I yelled, “Tricky Treats!”

The Guardians put out snacks for Mama Cat and when she jumped up to eat them we yelled, "Tricky Treats!"

Mama Cat seemed a bit puzzled by our proclamation, but she started munching away on her tricky treats with much enthusiasm.  Brother Henry and I managed to turn our new friend Jack around to face her direction so he could ward off evil spirits while she was eating.  When she was finished, Mama Cat looked up at us and then at Jack.  As she turned to leave she said, “Thanks Guys…but you’re kind of freaking me out today!  First you say ‘tricky treats’ and then you turn that strange looking pumpkin toward me.  I appreciate the food very much but now I think I will go home and go inside for the rest of the evening.”

Mama Cat was a little freaked out by us saying "tricky treats" and then pointing Jack O'lantern at her. She said she was going home.

The Brothers and I were very excited by this because it meant that Mama Cat would be safe and sound for the rest of Howloween.  It proved to us that our new friend Jack really could ward off evil spirits.  We were all very impressed by his ability to help us keep kitties safe!

So Sayeth Otis

 

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Have A Happy and Safe Howloween

My Disciples,

I hope you all have a happy and safe Howloween.  The Brothers and I will be holding a vigil in My Outdoor Domain watching for any signs of danger to the many free-roaming felines in our neighborhood.  Also, the Guardians have placed a pumpkin with a scary face carved on it in My Outdoor Domain which I thought was kind of weird.  I mean, the symbols of The Cult of Otis often miraculously appear on pumpkins at this time of year, but the scary face is not one of our symbols.  I asked Brother Oliver if he knew what the scary-faced pumpkin was about and he said he overheard the Guardians saying that it is supposed to ward off evil spirits or something.  He also said he thinks it is Irish because he overheard the Guardians calling it “Jack O’lantern”, and Brother Oliver says that is an Irish sounding name.  He’s the brains of The Cult of Otis so I guess he must know what he is talking about.

The Brothers and I will be keeping an eye out for the cats in our neighborhood this Howloween along with our friend Jack.

So again, have a safe and happy Howloween, and if you want to make sure that no evil spirits try to come into your house, be sure to decorate your front porch with an Irish pumpkin or two.

So Sayeth Otis

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Tomorrow is Howloween!

My Disciples,

Being faithful followers, you are no doubt aware that tomorrow we celebrate Howloween, also known as “Black Cat Day”. Since at least the Middle Ages black cats have been vilified in human mythology. Even today, they have difficulty getting adopted from shelters, and heartless and cruel people often torture them on the human holiday known as Halloween. I am appalled at the unfair treatment of My dark-furred brothers and sisters and I have officially designated October 31st as a day to celebrate all black cats. It is also a day for all Disciples of Otis to be especially vigilant in watching out for the safety of cats in your neighborhoods. People will be less likely to attempt to harm animals if they know we are all watching out for them.

As Howloween approaches, images often magically appear on pumpkins.  Last year, an image bearing a striking resemblance to Yours Truly appeared on a pumpkin.  Well, this year not one but TWO images have miraculously appeared.  The first looks remarkably like the Cult of Otis symbol for The Good Word.

Images miraculously appear on pumpkins as Howloween approaches. This one looks like the symbol for The Good Word!

The second image that appeared this year looks a lot like Saint Inky (1 & 2), The Patron Saint of Black Cats for The Cult of Otis.  How appropriate that he should appear just in time for Black Cat Day!

The unmistakable image of Saint Inky (1 & 2) has appeared on a pumpkin! Another Howloween miracle!

So tomorrow, be extra vigilant as you watch out for the kitties in your neighborhood who are wandering in the wilderness or living in Limbo.  They may be in even greater danger than usual on the 31st.  Also, take some time to acknowledge and appreciate the gorgeous, black kitties in your life.  And if you are currently considering adopting a new feline companion, please give My dark brothers and sisters a little extra consideration.

So Sayeth Otis

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