Episode 25: A Cat Prince Distinguishes Himself by Abigail Hilton
Lexis is a prince, the child of a cruel and fearsome king. He is destined to become the king in his father’s place. That is, if he can survive the death duel he must fight with his brother, the other cat prince. And now, as his father’s army is sacking and destroying an enemy city, Lexis seeks a way to outdo his brother. There must be some way in this battle to distinguish himself.
Also, Big and Rish talk about cats and dogs, and give their opinion on which ones are better. Warning, if you love cats, this show may offend you.
A special thanks to Ric Vinhage for helping with the editing of today’s episode.
http://media.libsyn.com/media/dunesteef/Dunesteef_25_A_Cat_Prince_Distinguishes_Himself_by_Abigail_Hilton.mp3%20Right click to download the episode HERE.
Related Links:
The Prophet Of Panamindorah
Abbie Hilton’s Site
Jonathan Coulton’s Site
Photo by MaryEllen and Paul
The Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine 
March 11, 2009 at 10:51 pm
Oh, you guys did such a good job. :)
And kudos for picking up the dog/cat thing. That was in my mind when I wrote the story. I thought it was funny that neither of you mentioned the most objectionable thing about cats: they like to hurt things. Dogs will also toy with prey, but not as predictably or to the same degree. Cats seem to torture things with great pleasure and malice aforethought.
Cats are also dangerous. They have claws, and because of their shorter rostrum, their bite can exert more points per square inch than a dog of equal size. There’s a reason that we keep two-hundred-pound pet dogs, but not two-hundred-pound pet cats. We keep dogs that are larger than wolves, but very few people keep pet cats the size of their average wild counterparts. We keep only tiny little cats, because we can only control tiny little cats.
And yet, they are clever and beautiful and affectionate (if they like you) and loyal in their way. They make deeply pleasing sounds. They lower blood pressure. They are ethical dilemmas. They are very like authors, who also like to torture things (characters), who delight in being the gods of their own little created worlds with the power of life and death over all and sundry.
My cat also likes to interrupt my podcast. I released the blooper episode for Prophet today, which consists mainly of me saying things like, “Nim, stop doing that. Nim, be quiet. Nim, do you need to go out?” Since he’s now a voice on the podcast, I decided he needed a picture, so he’s up on my website. And look at that face. This is what greets me daily. I mean, how could you dislike that face?
March 11, 2009 at 10:58 pm
Not points, pounds. Pounds per square inch. *sigh* Word Fail.
March 12, 2009 at 12:18 pm
I have four cats. (I had five, but one died a few years ago.) I am a very creative person (I think) — I write, I do a little design, and I’ve written some songs (some good, some horrific). I also enjoy drawing floor plans.
However, my cats are 75% assholes. Linus pees and poops everywhere except the litterbox. Margot allows my daughter to terrorize her instead of hiding somewhere (we have a few places the kid can’t get to due to baby gates). Tuesday is overweight and the instant the food bowl is empty she starts to howl. Truffle — MY cat — is very aloof until I sit on the couch; then she pesters me for affection.
I do like cats. But I like dogs more, partially for the reason that Big said — dogs need people.
We got the first two cats because we wanted pets but both worked long hours. We got the next three to save them from being brought to the pound. But no more cats. No more pets. Maybe I’ll get a 2 or 3 year old dog from the shelter once all the cats are gone. I much prefer dogs.
March 12, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Just wanna say that I started Abigail Hilton’s “Prophet of Panamindorah” trilogy on podiobooks…VERY good story!
Thanks for the tip guys! Keep up the good work Abbie!
March 12, 2009 at 3:48 pm
*is delighted* Thanks, Nicole!
March 12, 2009 at 9:31 pm
Y’know, we weren’t hard enough on dogs in the show. There are some monstrous dogs out there that never got their deserved browbeating from us. When it comes down to it, I hate pit bulls more than I hate cats. Cats despise and ignore people, but pit bulls and rottweilers tear peoples faces off. And what’s worse, dogs tend to bite children, the most vulnerable of all as well. I was bit by more than one dog in my childhood. If someone gets bit by a cat, it’s no big deal, cats are small, unless you’re Sigfried (or was it Roy) then your pet cat does no damage at all. So, I guess, I hate cats for their utter disdain they display towards those who love and care for them. But I hate big dogs that bite even more.
March 13, 2009 at 1:29 am
You neglected to mention that cats are clean. They wash themselves daily. If you see a dog “washing” himself, it’s disgusting. Oh, and they drink out of the toilet.
March 13, 2009 at 4:44 am
The show seemed to be making a case that it is OK for “dogs” to be smelly because you can wash them, but it is not OK for “cats” to be unsociable after you get one because you want a pet to take care of itself. Cats can be very sociable,friendly, and involved in household routine, but you need to commit time to the animal, play with it, leash train it, and let it help you read, watch tv, play, use the computer, cook, or whatnot. Cats have about a 6 wk window during which they need to be socialized or they tend to pick one person as their friend and interact cautiously with the rest of the world. Also, toms are often more outgoing than females.
March 13, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Marybaker speaks the truth. I know you guys are being silly, but in all seriousness, the socialization period for kittens is somewhere around 3-9 weeks of age. That’s when they established “us” and “them.” This corresponds to 2 – 4 month old puppy. This is why we don’t take kittens to socialization classes. They socialize very young, when they’re still with their mother. It is therefore incumbent upon the owner of the mother cat to make sure they’re exposed to lots of people, dogs, noises, and stimuli during that period. Kittens who grow up in busy households, offices, and apartment complexes tend to be social, friendly, unflappable cats. If they do not get exposure during that period, they tend to view new people and animals as threatening and scary. Depending on their personality and level of intelligence (which varies as much as it does in people), they can learn new tricks as adults, but it’s harder and slower. That early socialization makes all the difference if you want a cat that’s going to love everyone and not be startled by anything.
March 13, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Funny that you mentioned Siegfried and Roy. My aunt was Roy Horn’s housekeeper (Roy being the one that was mauled by the tiger), so she had interesting insights and stories to tell about the duo. When Roy “retired” from the show due to his injuries, she lost her job.
So hey, I stand by my cat-hating statements.
March 13, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Yeah… And the truth about white tigers is nothing so romantic as wizard blood. It’s a sordid tail of inbreeding and culling of throw-away cubs. I guess my version is sordid, too, but in a different way. The truth is just as ugly.
March 30, 2009 at 5:59 am
Dog lover here. If I die in my chair I want a pet that will sit by my side, not eat my face.
My dog just about ended up on the Dunesteef. When I recorded ‘The Seas of Castle Hill Road’ my dog—who lives outside—would keep coming around the side of the house to whine at the window. I’d have to pause the recording, run outside, throw the ball for ten minutes, then come inside for a retake and continue. Quarter of an hour later the cycle would start again.
I don’t think any Jake noises ended up on the recording.
Oh, and I should also say that I loved the story. I really want to discover more about Lexis—why is a he such a… such a… (oh, I don’t believe I’m going to say it, but it’s the perfect word!) pussy? I mean, why did he turn out nothing like his brother? This universe needs some exploring!
I might play this story next time the family goes on a trip—I think my 11 year old daughter would like it. Then, the novel! Looks like we need some seriously long road trips this year!
April 2, 2009 at 9:45 am
Hey, Cameron.
> This universe needs some exploring!
I’m glad you think so! :)
> I think my 11 year old daughter would like it.
Well, I would certainly have liked it at 11, and I’ve been told that I’ve got kids as young as 6 in my audience. That said, there’s a reason I put the “13 and older” stamp on it. It’s violent, but if the level of violence in this story wouldn’t bother your daughter, then the book shouldn’t either. It also mentions sex, but only in the past or the future, never narrated in the present. The younger listeners who actually send me fan mail tend to be about 16, and I think that’s my target age for Prophet.
October 20, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Interesting story of hope and destruction. A nice dichotomy that the author weaved together well. I really enjoyed it.