Wednesday 6 June 2012

About The 'Catcopter' Video

Yesterday I posted a video about the 'Catcopter.' That sparked some negative reactions. I apologize for upsetting the catlovers among my readers. That was never my intention. The reason why I posted this video was because it was doing the rounds on the Internet and I just wanted to show it.

Orville was the cat of Dutch artist Bart Jansen. Orville was hit by a car earlier this year and Jansen just wanted to honor his fallen friend. It's weird to do that this way but he's an artist and artists sometimes do strange things. He appears to have genuinely loved Orville. Nevertheless I understand I have to be more careful because upsetting my readers is not what I had in mind.

News about the 'Catcopter' video.

23 comment(s):

Betsy said...

well Gerard, you should keep in mind that the presurfer is your thing and not a democratic thing... it would become very dull. and we go to your blog and can choose to see what we want. if you don't like it, don't click it....
captkrik.nl

Miss Rare said...

Ofcourse Gerard decides what to post, however, sometimes people can respond heavily to certain video's. I have nothing against stuffing animals for the owners love for its pet, but putting it into a toy, i think is disrespectful. In this case, maybe Gerard should have put a warning in the text. If he had, then people could've decide whether to watch or not.

Jummy said...

I found the catcopter a bit creepy, but I support your decision to post it 100%. You have a responsibility to be yourself.

Dave said...

It was cool...keep up the good work!

Anonymous said...

As an animal lover I found the video off-putting but I don't blame you, I blame him. You're right, it was on a bunch of other sites. No worries here, I love your site.

Anonymous said...

Though,as a cat fancier,I found the
idea initially"wrong",after some thought...is it any worse than having a deceased pet/animal stuffed for display? Orville's spirit per se had"crossed the rainbow bridge".While the public usage of his"pelt"may in poor taste,what cat wouldn't want to fly
? :)

Bill Peschel said...

Besides, doesn't every cat dream they can fly, especially when those juicy, delicious birds can?

Gerard, in today's internet you will find people who will complain about anything. Consider their words, but follow your own voice. Twisting yourself to meet a stranger's opinion will only bring unhappiness, because you'll be reflexively self-censoring yourself.

kdub_nyc said...

I saw that video five different places before you posted it, it's all over the internet - how did the ppl that complained avoid being bombarded by it elsewhere?? I adore cats, and I wouldn't choose to do this particular thing with either of mine upon their demise, but I'm not going to cry about it to everyone that posted it on their blogs/Facebook pages/Twitter feeds.

Don't apologize for posting it and offending some people. Don't even apologize for apologizing - I won't accept it! This is your blog.

Tom G. (Maryland) said...

Screw 'em. Post what you want, Gerard. I love cats! I found the video a bit disturbing, but I was able to share it with a friend who I knew would find it amusing. He did, and he shared it with some of his cat-loving friends. If the person who called you a /b/tard (in the original post's comments) had read the text above the video, how could she not understand what she was about to see? If you're disturbed by things like this, don't watch. If the artist had done this to a live cat, I could understand the reaction. Be yourself, Gerard.

Ima said...

If I think I might not like something, I don't click it. Simple

Anonymous said...

Come on folks! Tell me of one single cat that wouldn't want to fly! The moggy was kaput and bless, in it's post "being" career, became a bird... What's not to like? And to qualify, I lost a cat, a friendly and fun buddy, to a car, and I see nothing even vaguely or remotely upsetting about this video. Ironically she was named Cassidy after the Grateful Dead tune... Which happens to have a lyric "Flight of the seabirds,
Scattered like lost words, Wheel to the storm and fly." So there! :-)

Anonymous said...

I thought it was hilarious good fun. Once an animal is dead it isn't going to mind being stuffed or any such thing.

Anonymous said...

I thought it was awesome!

Anonymous said...

Gerard:even Jesus,could not... everybody knows how people around the world are...never mind what they think.Just put here what you want!

LadyBelle said...

When I first saw the video on your site, I was deeply upset. When the video appeared on another site, the author posted the story that went with it, and that the cat was a loved pet who had died. I still chose to not watch the video, but telling the background made it much less upsetting, and didn't make it look like the blogger was supporting animal cruelty. I think when posting something like this that can be upsetting, maybe some text explaining the video can work wonders.

Anonymous said...

after seeing the video, i have changed my will. instead of scattering my ashes, my family will be waving goodbye and laughing their asses off as i fly away!

Arevanye said...

You're doing great, Gerard. Not to worry, people get upset but then they get over it. Thanks for all you do.

Anonymous said...

I watched the video and thought that cat was just a stuffed toy. It was comical and now that I know it was real, doesn't bother me in the least bit.

Anonymous said...

I'm amazed people are actually taken aback by the Orvillecopter......grow up.

Brian K said...

I was one of those people who had a negative response, but my objection wasn't with The Presurfer, it was with the guy who made the catcopter! Keep posting Gerard!

Anonymous said...

Please don't change a thing.... your site is a treasure and I visit it daily. Sometimes creepy is needed to provide a relief from our mundane and wretched daily little lives. I'm a cat lover and found the concept of a flying cat-aver fascinating. Now I find myself sitting face to face with my elderly puss who by this time is certainly on life number 9. I have begun accumulating the necessary components to convert her to an mp3 player when she finally slides off this mortal coil. Any suggestions as to where to put the earphone jack?

WordyGrrl said...

A lot of pet lovers are upset by how the artist used the "left behind" body of his pet cat -- but at the same time, a lot of we humans don't care how our remains are handled after our death. "Eh, just donate then cremate and dump the remains someplace you think I would like to be if I was still living. KThxBye."

Anonymous said...

It's your site; post what you want to post. No need to apologize or explain. If somebody doesn't like it, they can go elsewhere.