Cheetah love

As some already know, I have a fondness for the live animal-cams at the National Zoo's website. This morning I tuned in to the cheetah cubs and their mother (this is the second letter in recent months, born April 14), to see them arrayed along the walls of their enclosure: mom against the outer cage wall, five babes opposite, each with back against the wall and legs straight out in front. The cubs are particularly adorable when mimicking mom, and all seem to be frustrated by the heat.

I also recommend the giant panda cams, if for no other reason than to get a clearer idea of what our cat Harley is like. Imagine a 13-pound black cat built much like these pandas, carrying herself much the way they do. Fortunately for us, she has not developed the pseudo-thumb of the panda, but you may be interested to know that the panda's cat-like attributes are reflected in its Latin name, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, meaning "cat-footed, black-and-white animal."