Science fiction, fantasy, mystery and what-not
Floofatorium (floofintition) – a house or public building’s part where the housepets congregate.
In use: “With its cozy queen bed, three chairs, and a sliding door and windows that let in light, the guest room soon became the floofatorium during the day.”
Well, they’ve done it, they’ve changed their clocks, setting the time back an hour, “Falling back,” as they like to say in America.
It’s an easy task that he does before going to bed. He has five clocks to change. It’s amazing that the house has five clocks. One is mechanical and battery operated. The rest, on the thermostat, bedroom clock-radio, microwave, and stove, are electronic. Strange that they must be changed manually, but there you go. He confirms, while doing his task, that the guest room clock radio is unplugged. That’s to save energy. He smiles at that.
The household has four televisions. It’s a ridiculous number for a couple who spends a few hours with the TV at night, and always watch together. But there’s been a progression, so the older flat screen digital televisions find homes in the master and guest bedrooms. Neither room had a television before. Each television has time built into its systems. Software manages falling back for him. Same with the Fitbits, computers, tablets, VCR, and phones, but not the cars.
Time is everywhere. For days after going through the change, he thinks, “What is the real time? It’s actually really seven now.” He thinks about how this change affects the daylight, and the temperatures he endures, which affects how he dresses, and his daily plans. He likes the light arriving earlier but he misses the late day light.
He wonders, in the end, what the real time is. His body isn’t certain. One thing he notes: the cats admirably adjusted to the change.
He was in Walmart, a store that he detests and avoids, but here he was, because he was being supportive. While there, WTH, the thinking goes, look at the cat food offerings and prices to update his mental database of such things. This is mostly because the little cat is ill. Always a picky eater, his disease has exacerbated this, so cans are opened for the little feline to pick his way through. Some are more successful than others, but his usual favorites have been soundly rejected. New flavors are required.
So he’s in the aisle, examining prices and offerings beside a couple who are about fifteen years older than him (he thinks), making them in their late seventies. The woman says, “Chicken and waffle cat food.”
Before thinking can be processed, his mouth is engaged. “No way. Really? You have to be making that up.”
She points out the package and he examines it. The three agree, it’s an absurd idea. None of them are buying it,
They talk, of course, about their cats’ eating habits, and how all are picky eaters. The man relates a tale about one cat.
The man loves the shrimp he buys at Costco. So does the cat, who gets aggressive about it, trying to steal it out of his hand and off his plate when he’s eating. He gives the cat some, of course, because he’s a human, and the cat is in charge. Yes, clearly. We all know this.
But, here is the punch line. The cat won’t touch any cat food with shrimp in it.
“Figures,” the man says, walking away. “Cats, right?”
Floofdoctrinate (floofinition) – to teach pet fundamentals or rudiments; to imbue with a partisan point of view or principle that favor housepets.
In use: “People argue that cats are better than dogs in floofdoctrinating humans about what is wanted and accepted.”
Floofucate (floofintion) – give intellectual, moral, and social instruction about having housepets or being a housepet.
In use: “He’d never had a cat before, but the kitten soon floofucated him about cat rules.”
Today’s choice is for my little buddy, the mighty Quinn. Here’s Manfred Mann performing their hit-record version of the Bob Dylan song, “Quinn the Eskimo” (1968).
Floofcapade (floofinition) – a show put on by or for housepets.
In use: “When the puppies met the cats, it became quite a floofcapade. The fearless puppies hustled up to the tom and queen. Bewildered, the two cats raised paws to swat but didn’t hit anyone, instead leaning forward to sniff the puppies. To the puppies, that meant lick, sniff, and jump on. Watching with alarm, Susan awaited the cat’s response, but to her surprise, they let the puppies chase them around.
“Animals would never stop surprising her, she thought.”
Floofvitational (floofinition) – an exclusive event centered around housepets.
In use: “Dinner was a floofvitational as the cats, dogs, and bird jostled for their part of the evening repast. Having another human in, even if she was a date and potential mate, put a damper on this day’s floofvitational as the animal retreated from the stranger, except for Penny. Penny was always ready to eat and didn’t care who else was there, as long as he got his share.”
Lycanfloofpy (floofinition) – a delusion that a housepet has become a wolf; a housepet’s assumption of the form and characteristics of a wolf held to be possible by witchcraft, magic, or quantum mechanics.
In use: “If your cat suffers from lycanfloofpy, they’re apt to howl at the moon when it’s full, and become more predatory, stalking you and others as though it’s hungry like a wolf.”
Floofpensity (floofinition) – a housepet’s inclination or natural tendency to behave in a particular way.
Michael Seidel, writer 