Do pets take after their human companions? I wonder.

As a kid, I used to love going for a ride on the carousel. Even as an adult, I still do. There's something about these amusement rides that appeals deep inside. The colorful carousel horses, the rotary motion, the up and down rocking-- I can't explain it, but I love it.

When Gertie cat (and her brother Eddie cat) came to live here, they discovered the roll around office chair, and in no time, they had their own carousel, powered by yours truly. They have been riding it for years! As kittens they would ride together, but as adults they are too big to both fit, so they take turns! This is a video of Gertie cat going for a ride on her personal carousel.

No carousel would be complete without some mechanical organ music. The music in this video comes from one of the best recordings of a mechanical organ I have ever heard! This organ was built in 1910 by Carl Frei Sr. in Antwerp. It was restored and enlarged as a 112-note keyless (mechanical) organ (I believe it was rebuilt by Carl Frei Jr. in 1962) and is owned by George Cushing of Thursford, Norfolk, UK. The sound is stunning for an instrument of this type.

Mechanical organs (sometimes called band organs and concert organs) almost always are found on Carousels. They wouldn't be the same without them! So this music is just the ticket for a kitty cat ride. The album is put out by DECCA/Eclipse. "Carl Frei Concert Organ" #ECS 2080, released in 1966.