Ace of Spades Pet Thread, February 24

Good afternoon and welcome to the almost world famous Ace of Spades Pet Thread. Thanks for stopping by. Kick back and enjoy the world of animals.

Would you like a treat?

Let's relax a little with the animals and leave the world of politics and current events outside today.

Hiya K.T.

My daughter sent this to me and I thought it was cool and you could use it on the pet thread. I'm mostly a lurker but when I do post in the comments I've been using "GoofusMaximus"

Thanks for taking over the Saturday thread activities. I enjoy them.

Thanks to your daughter for the unusual photo. Almost worthy of Google Gemini, but more creative!

There was no actual cat armor that we know of in the day of Henry VIII. But there actually was a Dagobert I. (More on the armor below.)

Dagobert I, King of the Franks (c. 603-639 AD), was the last influential monarch of the Merovingian dynasty. Initially ruling Austrasia, he later inherited Neustria and Burgundy. Dagobert, the eldest son of Chlothar II, became king of Austrasia at a young age, strategically appointed by his father to secure alliances. Chlothar's attempts to manage alliances were challenging, and eventually, Alsace and other regions were conceded to Dagobert by Austrasian nobility.

Dagobert established the Duchy of Alsace to defend against Burgundian and Alemannic threats, appointing Gundoin as its first duke. After his father's death in 629, Dagobert inherited Neustria and Burgundy, facing opposition from his half-brother Charibert. In a bid to consolidate power, Dagobert assassinated rivals and made strategic alliances, including a treaty with the Byzantine emperor Heraclius, enforcing the compulsory baptism of Jews.

Under Dagobert's rule, Frankish society experienced integration, economic improvement, and religious dominance of the Catholic faith. Despite cooperative policies, Dagobert engaged in plunder-raids, accumulating wealth, such as a 200,000 gold solidi raid in Spain. After the assassination of Charibert and Chilperic in 632, Dagobert became a powerful and respected Merovingian king. He led campaigns against the Slavic Wends, facing defeat at Wogastisburg but succeeding through Alemannic and Lombard allies. Despite accepting a Saxon agreement to rescind tribute, the Wends continued attacks, reflecting the complex geopolitical challenges of Dagobert's reign.

There is also a Throne of Dagobert.

All parts of the throne are made of bronze. The lower part is shaped as a curule seat decorated with four leopard heads, three of which are believed to be original. This was initially a faldstool or folding chair intended for an itinerant monarch, with leather bands probably used for seating. Its date has long been debated. In the 1850s it was believed to be as recent as the 11th century.[1] A later scholarly consensus attributed it to the Carolingian renaissance, and the French National Library correspondingly estimates it between the late 8th and early 9th centuries.[2] Recent examination, however, supports a 7th-century dating, consistent with the traditional attribution to Dagobert I, who died in 639, and legendary goldsmith Saint Eligius.[3] The upper part, made of rinceaux-decorated armrests and a pedimented back, is generally thought to be Carolingian of the 9th century. The throne was repaired in the mid-12th century (the rear right-side leopard head may date from that era) and again in the late 13th century.[2]

Leopards!

You can't have a leopard as a pet, but maybe you could have a Bengal Cat. Not a good choice if you want a "chill cat":

That cat armor you saw above is not just AI fiction, it is art!

Artist Creates Cat And Mice Armor Based On Different Historical Eras

Canadian sculptor and blacksmith Jeff de Boer creates impressive metal armor for cats and mice based on different historical eras. He started making these sculptures . . . as a little side project on his sculpting class. The side project eventually turned out to be the work of a lifetime. From ancient samurai armor to Renessaince knight armor suits - over these years Jeff has created too many of them to count himself.

Jeff uses various metals for his creations, but mostly bronze and copper. One tiny Medieval armor for a mouse takes from 10 to 40 hours to make, and a cat armor takes from 50 to 200 hours. He has tried putting the shields on his cat only once and still has the scars.

He has published a book featuring some of these sculptures. There are many impressive photos at the link which may allow you to imagine cats, rats and mice at war. Here are a few thumbnail examples:

Edo Period Samurat General

Persian Cat and Crusader Mouse

Bat Cat

15th Century Maximilian Rat

Would your Siamese cat wear this?

Tournament Mouse Armor

Dragon Cat

READY FOR WORK?

Meet the irrigation dog 🌾🐕 pic.twitter.com/VQhzwauKHv

— Animals Being Bros (@animalbeingbro) August 17, 2023

From Jewells:

This is Precious the pug. Oh my goodness it took every ounce of self control to not go over there and grab her! She will be with a foster for now. They have been really bad about giving us background for the new dogs so I don't know anything about her. Looking at her I'd say owner surrender due to owners health.

I can fully understand your desire to grab Precious, Jewells!

Say "hi" To George and Gracie! They were rescues. We saved them six years ago. They didn't know what grass or stairs were and we were able to give them all the love they missed in their first six years. Gracie left us Last Thanksgiving. George is doing better after mourning her. I made/make their food from scratch. George is a man's man and Gracie was just a Marilyn Monroe type of beauty.

dcw

So sorry you lost beautiful Gracie. So glad that you still have wonderful George.

What great pets today. Thank you for sharing them with us.

If you would like to send pet and/or animal stories, links, etc. for the Ace of Spades Pet Thread, the address is:

petmorons at protonmail dot com

Remember to include the nic or name by which you wish to be known when you comment at AoSHQ, or let us know if you want to remain a lurker.

Until next Saturday, have a great week!

If you start feeling nostalgic, here a link to last week's Pet Thread, the Ace of Spades Pet Thread, February 17 Some special PetMoron stories and photos there.

I closed the comments on this post so you wouldn't get banned for commenting on a week-old post, but don't try it anyway.

posted by K.T. at 03:24 PM

| Access Comments