Author: thebigbuddy

Note To Self: Acting Like A Lunatic While Watching Sports Isn’t Good For My Cat

Cats are highly attuned to our emotions, especially when we share a strong bond with our little buddies.

I realized I needed to calm down when Bud turned and gave me a wide-eyed, uncertain stare.

It was the fourth quarter of the NBA Finals’ second game, and the San Antonio Spurs were chipping away at the New York Knicks’ lead with ample help from the referees.

The Spurs collapsed in as the Knicks’ Karl Anthony Towns (KAT, or Big Kat as he’s fondly known) drove the lane, pummeling him and grabbing at his shooting hand while the refs just watched.

It had been happening all night. Spurs star Victor Wembanyama even grabbed a much smaller Knicks player by the neck and tossed him at one point without so much as a peep from the refs.

(Above: 7’4″ Spurs center Victor Wembanyama grabs 6-foot Knicks points guard Jose Alvarado by the neck and tosses him. The refs did nothing.)

I shouted something not nice as the refs ignored the bludgeoning and the Spurs barreled down the other end for another bucket.

Then I saw Bud’s alarmed face and his uncertain crouch.

“Aw, sh–,” I said, softening my tone and doing my best to sound reassuring. “Not you, Bud. I love you, little guy.”

I held out my fingers, Bud rubbed his cheek against them happily, and we returned to watching the game as I scratched his head.

Still, it was a much-needed reminder that our little pals look to us for emotional cues, and our bad moods have a profound impact on them.

Jalen Brunson is the Knicks’ captain and point guard. Josh Hart (header image) is the team’s “Hart and soul.” Credit: Wikimedia Commons

I will never forget what my brother observed one day when Buddy was still a kitten: “You’re his whole world.”

Bud likes to pretend otherwise, of course, but the point stands. He picks up on everything, and it is deeply unfair for me to allow any outside emotions to impact him. Making sure he’s happy means everything to me.

The comedian Bill Burr has a bit about this, putting it in more crude — but much more hilarious — terms:

Happily, despite the abominable officiating, the Knicks won the game. They have now won 13 games in a row in the playoffs (!), they haven’t lost a game in six weeks, and after defeating the Spurs twice on their home court, the Knicks return to New York two wins away from being NBA champions…for the first time in 53 years.

It’s not only a big deal to me and millions of New Yorkers, it’s something I’ve wanted so badly since I was a kid watching the Knicks reach the Finals in 1994 and 1999, falling agonizingly short both times.

The Knicks came within a game of winning it all in the 1994 NBA Finals when Patrick Ewing (pictured) was the team’s leader.

Wembanyama, San Antonio’s best player, is a towering 7’4″ and doesn’t even have to jump to dunk the basketball, while the Knicks’ best player is Jalen Brunson, who at six feet tall is diminutive by NBA standards.

Wembanyama was the number one pick in his draft, already hailed as the future of the sport before he set foot on the hardwood. Brunson was the 33rd pick in the second round in his draft class, an afterthought who wasn’t predicted to be anything more than a bench player at best.

OG Anunoby, who hails from the UK, is a lockdown defender and explosive scorer. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

When the Knicks signed Brunson four years ago, the entire sports world laughed. One ESPN “expert” insisted the idiot Knicks had pinned their hopes on a “role player,” while another compared Brunson to one of the team’s all time great busts. A third declared the Knicks would never win anything with Brunson leading the team.

And yet here we are on the cusp of history. The Knicks aren’t just two games from a championship, and they haven’t merely punched their ticket to the Finals. They have absolutely obliterated every team they’ve faced, sweeping the last two series and winning by a margin of almost 24 points per game.

But it ain’t over until they win it, so I’m heartened by what the Knicks’ KAT and Mikal Bridges both said after the last two games: they’re treating each game as if they have no lead, as if they must fight tooth and nail to save their season. They are not resting on their laurels, they’re not taking anything for granted, and they refuse to underestimate their opponents.

So let’s hope they win two more and finally bring a championship home, at which time Bud and I will partay!

Wordless Wednesday: Just Bud

It’s little Buddy! What more could you possibly want?

I took this photo on Monday, capturing Bud in the moments between him screeching at me, I believe for snacks. Although it could have been a demand for me to sit on the couch so he can then sit on me. I forget.

There is a practical side to taking random photos like this, which is that it’s easier to really look at nonverbal indicators of health and mood. In this photo his ears are up and relaxed, his whiskers are relaxed, and he’s chill. Aside from making loud and insistent demands of me, that is. Anyway, here he is in all his 12-year-old glory:

Buddy The Cat’s Weekly Horoscopes: 6/1/2026

The internet’s only horoscope read by a cat!

Aries: Although you’re already considered really, really ridiculously good-looking, your handsomeness will increase by 11.72%. An unexpected visitor could come knocking on your door. Will they bring trouble, or an array of brand new boxes? It’s up to you to manifest the result!

Taurus: Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow? Go ahead and take that nap, and another. You may find yourself switching napping spots, but your human’s lap is always a classic. It’s warm, comfortable, secure, and your human can’t go anywhere without you knowing about it.

Gemini: Prepare yourself for a particularly delicious week! New yums are on the horizon, my friend, and if you play your cards right, you’ll feast on this newfound bounty. Make sure you tell your human he or she has served you well. Our inferiors need a little encouragement now and then. Meanwhile you contemplate a new hairstyle. Should you go with a daring new look or keep things simple? The answer is yes.

Cancer: You know the annoying neighbor cat, the one who’s always bragging about his luxury condo, fancy window ledge and abundance of toys? His humans are going to adopt a dog. LOL!

Leo: You’ll feel particularly appreciated and honored when the local delicatessen names a magnificent sandwich after you. Your social group may seem a little boring lately, but the arrival of exciting new cats could shake things up.

Should you betray the Colonel?

Virgo: You may be feeling down on your luck of late, but all that’s about to change when you discover Colonel Sanders’ secret recipe with all 11 herbs and spices! You can earn a tidy sum by settling with KFC and agreeing to keep this sacred knowledge hidden, or you could go public with the recipe and become a celebrated hero. The choice is yours.

Libra: You feel it’s time to do some interior redecorating but your humans disagree. Ignore them. A long-lost friend may try to get in touch. Reestablishing the relationship could yield many benefits, but could also disrupt your nap schedule. Tread carefully.

Scorpio: The sudden emergence of a powerful citrus scent in your domicile threatens to drive you to the brink of madness. You must race against time to find the source of this vile olfactory intruder before it’s too late. Steel yourself: as old enemies return, it’s crucial that you keep your claws sharp!

Sagittarius: You may feel as if luck has abandoned you, but don’t fret! Statistics show 97% of gamblers quit right before the big payout! All you have to do is make one more wager…

Capricorn: Your fortunes could change rapidly when an attorney informs you a long-lost relative named you as the sole beneficiary of their will! Your joy will be short-lived, however, when you realize 50 million rubles is equal to about $17.32. But cheer up! That’ll keep you in snacks for a while!

Aquarius: How many of these stupid signs are there? What? My mic is on? Oh crap… My editors say I’m not including enough mystical stuff, so uh, this month will bring you news from the Second Chamber of Eternity, where stars shimmer like opalescent lilies in the lake of the palace of the celestial maidens. Then it, uh, circumnavigated Saturn like debris on its accretion disk until arriving in your life in the form of mystical stardust. Also, you will discover a delicious new form of cheese.

Pisces: If a spectral figure appears to you inside your litter box, it would be wise to listen to what it has to say. You will be faced with a daunting challenge this week as you find several interior doors closed, culminating in your human using the bathroom without you. Don’t read too much into it. You’re still best pals, and soon you’ll discover riding in a baby bjorn is a great way to experience the outdoors!

Tune in next week when Buddy the Cat will probably offer new horoscopes. For entertainment purposes only. Buddy does not guarantee that you’ll discover a delicious new kind of cheese.

Hugely Popular ‘Warrior Cats’ Book Series Scores A TV Adaptation

The novels have sold almost 100 million copies worldwide and have prompted millions of kids to read.

Warrior Cats, a series of books that have sold in excess of 90 million copies worldwide, will be adapted as an animated series.

The new TV series is already in production with Chinese media giant Tencent producing in tandem with El Guiri Studios, an animation studio in Madrid.

The series will likely premiere in 2027.

I read the first volume of Warriors a few years ago to see what all the fuss was about and found a much better story than I expected. The narrative follows a young domestic cat named Rusty who ditches his comfortable life to join a clan of stray and feral cats living in the woods near his former home.

Warriors imagines groups of cats living in clans and working together to survive in a dangerous world.

As he adjusts to his new surroundings, he’s welcomed and supported by the clan’s cats, but others mock him as a “kittypet.” Rusty is determined to prove himself and his value to the clan.

The narrative is well paced, and there’s a compelling mix of world-building and action. The series is written for younger readers, probably appealing most to teens and pre-teens, but the authors — who collectively work under the pen name Erin Hunter — don’t condescend to their audience.

There’s tragedy, despair and death, but the book treats them with appropriate gravity, never trivializing events.

At a time when 28 percent of American adults are functionally illiterate, more than half read below a sixth-grade level, and schools are churning out graduates who struggle to read simple sentences, you’ve got to reach younger readers where they are.

We’re living through an unprecedented backslide in capability, one that cannot be fully explained by COVID-prompted disruptions to education.

Well-written books like Warriors are crucial in getting kids to read and turning it from a chore to something they enjoy. In a way, they’re this generation’s version of Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. Let’s hope the animated series inspires even more kids to pick up the books it’s based on.