Happy St. Patrick's Day

A Happy St. Patrick's Day to all! Please take a pair of glasses with you when you leave and pass them out to your friends to wear today.



Today is a most exciting day to be in Ireland, front row seats to one of the biggest parties there is.


Graphics by Karl

Meeting everyone at the Temple Bar before the parade begins.


Graphics by Asta & Sassy


Graphics by Momo

The parade was a blast to be in. So much going on we couldn't decide what to look at and what to do next.


Graphics by Sassy Fashions by Karl

We are all gathered in the Red Room to get ready to for the costume ball that was being held in St. Patrick's Hall in the Dublin Castle.


Graphics by Karl

The night is in full swing and was Emil as we danced the night away.


Graphics by Asta & Sassy

With the help of Asta and her idea we planned a surprise for Stanley. Got ya Stanley!



Say it isn't so. It isn't time to leave is it? Since we are all aboard our wonderful flying van heading over Ireland the answer must be yes that the Ireland adventure is over. I have a feeling that someday we will return.

Be sure to check out the other stories from our Irish travelers with Momo Opus & Roscoe, Karl, Emil, & Mrs. Oz, Ruis, Asta, Stanley, Momo & Pinot, Charlie, Socks, Scylla & Charybdis.

Day 4: The Brewery & More

Day four of our trip in Ireland found us with a free morning. We decided to take advantage of the magnificent cliffs surrounding Dublin bay to enjoy the view and do some climbing.

Graphics by Sassy


Graphics by Sassy
l-r: Momo Doggie, Sassy, Charydis, Charlie, Ms Oz, Ruis, Karl, Pinot, Roscoe, Socks, Momo Kitty, Opus, Stanley, Asta, Emil & Scylla.
The group waiting to go inside Ireland's famous Guinness Brewery.


After the tour of the brewery we found our way to the top floor where a pint of free beer was given out. Of course, Sassy and Roscoe could not resist serving up a few drinks.


Graphics by Momo, fashions by Sassy
Group shot outside the Dublin Castle.



We had to wait for Scylla to join us at The Guinea Pig Cafe Restaurant. There seemed to be a mix up on her part as to where we were meeting. Guess she only heard the words "guinea pig" and of course was at the local pet shop wondering where we were! We finally found her and had a lovely time together at the cafe.

Don't forget St. Patrick's Day tomorrow with Momo Opus & Roscoe, Karl, Emil, & Mrs. Oz, Ruis, Asta, Stanley, Momo & Pinot, Charlie, Socks, Scylla & Charybdis. Visit their place for more of Ireland.

Day 3: The Furry Bagpipe Band

Day number three over and what a fun day it was! We awoke this morning feeling a little bit sleepy. Someone on our floor had too much to drink at the pub last night, though we don't know who as we were too tired (and afraid) to go see who was making all the noise. Now we aren't blaming anyone in our group, HOWEVER... 2am is far too late to be play Thundering Herds of Elephants. Could you keep it down tonight? Please????

This morning we visited the Ashford Castle. It seems that Ireland is full of castles! They sure are old and pretty. It was another great day to walk around, exploring the castle and its grounds. As you can see by the photo, the longer we are here the more we are dressing like the locals. They still stare at us, but we think it has to do with us being such well dressed, Irish-looking, house pets. Once we get the accent down, we will be able to pass for locals!

photo by Karl

After our tour of the castle, we took a break in the form of a picnic! Apparently we all had too much champagne. After a few hours, we had all shed our fancy clothes and posed for the cameras in nothing but Irish hats and smiles! CHEESE!

photo by Asta and Sassy

After lunch and a cat nap, we all dressed up in our best Irish clothes, complete with Kilts. Then it was time to perform at the Furry Bagpipe Festival.



Sixteen cats and dogs from around the world make up the first ever, International Interspeices Irish Bagpipe Band! Don't we just look cute in our skirts! If you think we look good, you should have heard us play! Next year Roscoe wants us all to play our own music WHILE we dance in Lord of the Dance. That cat has got too much ambition!

At the end of the day, everyone went their own way. Some hit the hotel pool, some went for a romantic stroll, while others headed back out for a night at the pub. As for us, we retired to our room early to do what we do best, sleep!

Lets just hope that those thundering herds of elephants keep it down tonight!

Day 2: Lord of the Dance

It has been another fun filled day in Ireland. We are here with our friends and sleeping in a fanatic castle! What more could a cat want? Well, besides some caviar and warm milk....

Our day started bright and early, as we had plenty of sight seeing to do. We all wanted to see Ireland's famous Blarney Castle and so that was our first stop.

photo by Sassy

It was a beautiful day in Ireland, perfect weather for exploring the castle and the grounds. Of course, the most famous part of Blarney Castle is its magical stone. Legend has it that Irish kings were crowned upon that very stone. They say that if you kiss the Blarney Stone upside down it will give you the gift of eloquence. Roscoe and I didn't kiss the stone for simple reason that were are both a bit afraid of heights. Our brave friend, Ruis, gave it a go as Karl hung on to him to keep him safe.

photo by Karl

After spending hours wandering around the old castle, we were all a bit tired and decided it was the perfect time to refuel. Our next stop was the local pub. We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting, drinking, laughing, and singing Irish folk songs at the pub. It was the perfect afternoon.

photo by Asta and Sassy

We wish we could have stayed at that pub all day, but there just wasn't time. We had all been personally invited by Michael Flatley to dance in his world famous show, Lord of the Dance.

photo by Sassy

We were suppose to all be back up dancers in the show, but the star tripped on a slippery fish that had been place just outside of his dressing room door. Oddly enough, Roscoe knew every step of the show and was ready at a moments notice to fill in as Michael Flatley's understudy. It all seemed a bit suspicious, but there wasn't time to dig deeper; the theater was packed with a sold out audience.


We had such a wonderful time! Can you imagine 16 pets from all corners of the world coming together to dance the Irish jig in front of a human audience? They hadn't seen anything like it and by the end of the show, they were all on their feet cheering!

photos above by Cat Naps with addtions by Momo Kitty

Not only did we get a standing ovation, we also got two encores and ten cat calls! We didn't want the night to be over but alas, all good things must come to an end. Sassy met us back stage in our dressing rooms to deliver a couple of gifts.

She had Lord of Dance programs made up for both Roscoe
and myself. She is such a thoughtful cat.

photos above and review by Sassy

"Roscoe and Opus received a personal invitation by Micahel Flately to appear in a guest performance at the Point Theater. From the moment Opus and Roscoe took the stage and the light went down to the last encore, the audience was spellbound by a masterfully orchestrated combination of precision dancing, state of the art lighting and pyrotechnics. The performance witnessed tonight left no soul untouched!" -The Irish Tattered Taps

On our way back to the hotel, someone in the magic van suggested that we take our show on the road full time. Can anyone say "World Tour"?

Day 1: Ireland or Bust!

About a month ago our friends Socks, Scylla and Charybdis extended an invitation to anyone who would like to join them for the Saint Patrick's Day festival in Ireland. Being sophisticated, world-traveling cats, we jumped at the chance and took them up on their offer. All in all, they had thirteen cats and dogs sign up to join the three of them on an Irish Adventure. Since Ireland is so close to Italy, we thought it would be fun to kick off our adventure with a pizza picnic under the Leaning Tower of Pisa. So, we invited our friends to stop by for lunch before heading to the Saint Patrick's Day party.

photo by Sassy

The Party Animals, in no particular order

Socks, Scylla and Charybdis,
Momo Kitty,
Sassy Kat,
Momo and Pinot,
Mrs. Oz, Emil, Karl
Ruis,
Charlie,
Asta
her boyfriend, Stanley,
and the two of us, Opus and Roscoe

What a wonderful day it was to have a picnic! The weather in Tuscany was just perfect, not too hot and not too cold. We arrived early and set up our blanket, on the green grass of the Field of Miracles, and patiently waited for our friends to arrive.

Momo, who is always ahead of the group since she lives in the future (Australia) was the first to arrive. One by one, our friends traveled to Italy to join us for a lazy afternoon picnic. It was so good to see everyone again. We ate our little hearts out and enjoyed nothing but mouth-watering, fantastic, homemade, Italian pizza!

photo by Asta

After such a HUGE meal, we thought it would best to just take a nap in the afternoon sun, but our adventurous friends all wanted to climb to the top of the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa (which is simply called "The Tower" in Italy). We didn't really feel like dragging our pizza filled bellies UP the tower, but how could we refuse the wishes of our dearest friends?

Part of the way up The Tower someone, who shall remain nameless, thought it would be fun to play "Thundering Herds of Elephants". The next thing we knew, all sixteen of us house pets were racing UP the tower! We went around and around and around and around and around... well, you get the picture. By the time we made it to the top, we were all so dizzy and exhausted.

But the views were spectacular!

We stayed at the top for a while, admiring the views of Pisa and the surrounding hills. The sun as shining down upon us all, making it the perfect spot to take a sun bath. Just when we closed our eyes for a little nap, we heard the call. We still aren't sure who yelled it, but we jumped to our feet at once.

"Thundering Herds of Elephants!!!!!!!"

That was all it took to get 4 dogs, 12 cats and 64 paws racing back down the tower. We aren't sure if was the vibration from all of us running down the steps or if was all the pizza we had at lunch but, as we ran out the door of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the tower "leaned" right over on its side and broke into pieces.

It was all over the evening news....

English Translation:
Mama mia! The Tower is Broken!
Local police are not speaking publicly about the disastrous turn of events in the city Pisa. Late this afternoon, the famous leaning tower fell over on its side and broke into thousands of pieces. Eye witnesses state seeing a rowdy group of international pets wearing Saint Patrick Day hats rushing out of the building moments before its collapse. Terrorism is not suspected. Locals of the city fear that all the King's horses and all the King's men won't be able to put back the pieces again.

We didn't stick around for questioning (or deportation). All of us jumped into the Magic Flying Travel Van and started off for the Saint Patrick's Day festival in Ireland.

Let's hope we don't break anything old in Ireland!

It didn't take much time for us to reach our destination in our magic van. Before long, we were all standing in the lobby of the Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel, checking into our rooms. All of us stayed there except for Asta and Stanley, who rented a private, romantic cottage.

photo by Karl; edited by Momo Kitty, Asta and Sassy

Once we had our keys in paw, we all rushed up to check out our rooms. This time we opted NOT to play "Thundering Herds of Elephants" as we didn't want to get into trouble again.

photo by Sassy; edited by Momo Kitty

Some of our friends headed out to explore the town while others went straight for the local pub. Be sure to visit our friends mentioned above to hear their take on the days events. As for us, we took a relaxing dip in the pool with the other CCSI excutives while Asta acted our life guard.

photo by Sassy

Then it was off to bed for a long over due cat nap.

It is important that we get our beauty sleep,
tomorrow is another busy day.!

Waiting for Our Friends

The big day is almost here! We were invited to join some friends in Ireland for the Great Saint Patrick's Day festival. We thought it would be fun to invite everyone to Italy for lunch before we head over to the Green Isles. What better place to have a picnic than in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, on the green grass carpet of the Field of Miracles! We decided we had better get to Pisa a day early to set everything up for our guests. They will be arriving in Italy tomorrow! We can't wait to see them!

We had better get to work!
There is a lot to set up before everyone gets here!

Little Productions had Moved

What started out as a small production company has turned into something much bigger than any of us could have imagined.

(photo by Sassy)

CCSI is taking the animal kingdom by storm! After our big win at the Acatemy awards this year, CCSI was picked up by a major network. Now that we have the big bucks behind us, we decided it was time to move into a studio worthy of our work! hehehehehe!

(Opus trying out the Little Studios Library)

Head on over to Sassy's for a tour of The Little Producitons Studio and be sure to enjoy a glass of champange and chocolate truffles while you are there.

SURPRISE!

Today there is a wonderful surprise party over at Jan's Funny Farm. We are celebrating the birthdays of our friends Rusty and Samaritan. Be sure to stop in for some cake and to wish our friends a happy birthday. See you there!

Invitation by Sassy

The Winners!

Head on over to the Red Carpet Buzz to see who the winners are! It was an exciting contest which resulted in a few ties. Plus we had a very special award to hand out, Cat of the Year 2008. Go on over now to find out who took home the coveted title.

We also have participant certificates to hand out. If you were in the contest, be sure to email us to we can send you yours.

Concatulations to the winners and to all of the participants. Thank you for making the Red Carpet Buzz Contest so much fun!

The Red Carpet Buzz Contest,
a Little Production