Into the Forest discussion

I wanted to share this article: Meet Jesper, The Norwegian "Skiing Cat" which after I saw Jesper in action reminded me of Freyja's chariot drawn by two cats.

Haha, that's funny. He reminds me of a cat I had as a kid, though that cat was lazy and would not have been down with skiing!

I absolutely adore the painting of Freyja and her chariot pulled by cats!
I am ambivalent about the video. I am having a hard time believing the cat really likes this activity.

I don't really know how it came about that they got the cat to do that (I'm kind of sad they didn't explain it), I don't think it was purposely in a mimicry of Freyja's harnessed cats pulling a chariot - that's only what I thought of when I saw Jesper in action.

Serena wrote: "I don't really know how it came about that they got the cat to do that (I'm kind of sad they didn't explain it), I don't think it was purposely in a mimicry of Freyja's harnessed cats pulling a cha..."

It looks a bit like a Maine Coon cat to me. Maybe it's a cross-breed?

Apparently (according to a friend who was thinking about getting one), the Maine Coons are easier to train than other cats. She said that they're a little more dog-like in their behaviors. More willing to do tricks, walk on a leash, play fetch, etc.


When I saw this, my first thought was of Haruki Murakami... He seems to be obsessed with cats! I'm sure he'd want to reference Freyja. Though, he probably already has, and I just haven't read enough of his work.

I think the breed is partly Norwegian Forest Cat, as they are in Norway. Maine Coons look a lot like them I think from what I can tell by photos. It wouldn't surprise me if Haruki did know, although I wonder at the cultural undertones, would he associate the cats with the two tailed bad luck ones or the lucky cats of Japanese folklore?

Of his books which would you recommend for a beginner to his work? Where to start?

Serena wrote: "I think the breed is partly Norwegian Forest Cat, as they are in Norway. Maine Coons look a lot like them I think from what I can tell by photos. It wouldn't surprise me if Haruki did know, althoug..."

Ah! Norwegian Forest Cat makes more sense considering the locale. I wonder if they have a similar temperament.

I haven't read too much Murakami, actually. I read Kafka on the Shore but I didn't like it much. I have 1Q84 too, and have been dreading reading it cause it's so long and I didn't like his other book. But even just one was enough for me to realize how much he LOVES talking about cats.