Monthly Archives: October 2018

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 10/31

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siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello There Furiends!
It’s been quite busy at the Feline Opines offices and we are way, way behind in reading and commenting on the blogs of all our fellow feline bloggers. But, we have our purrsonal assistant on the job and she should have us caught up soon. A-pawlogies for our lateness!

I hope you all had a chance to see our Halloween movie. Let us know what you thought. We’ll be having a give-away for some Feline Opines merchandise soon so stay tuned!
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

Petcurean announces call for submissions for national Uplift the Underdog: Cat Edition contest to raise awareness for overlooked, adoptable shelter cats – Cision

Petcurean Underdog Cat Edition

Sometimes the big hearts of humans just overwhelms me. This is one such case. As part of its commitment to putting pets first, premium pet food manufacturer, Petcurean, is pleased to announce the “Uplift the Underdog: Cat Edition” contest.  The program’s goal is to help increase adoption consideration for “underdog cats” – cats who are traditionally less likely to get adopted due to age, medical challenges, appearance, or other issues. The contest is open to all rescue groups and animal shelters across the United States and Canada now through November 16, 2018. Two Paws up for Petcurean!

Historic Cat Photos – Popular Photography

Morris the cat orange tabby

I know that National Cat Day was two days ago but this article celebrating the fabulous feline in history is worth a share. The photo here is of Morris, that very famous feline during one of his purrress conferences.

Nine Photos of Military Troops With Cats – Business Insider

ww ii pilot with cat on his shoulder

This is another delightful walk through history in celebration of National Cat Day.

Poorly Drawn Cats on Twitter, It’s a Thing – Mashable

 

poorly drawn cats

Okay, no offense intended to the artists but meowza, this is a thing??!! If these folks are making money from this we need to get our Human Slackers on the ball and do some drawing because trust me, they would be experts at poorly drawn cats, poorly drawn dogs…and the list goes on!

Unlike Lazy Humans, Cats Actually Have to Work for Their Food Study Says – The Frisky

gray and white cat at dry food bowl

And speaking of Human Slackers, this new study says that we felines prefer to work for our food. The Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery found that, as natural foragers, cats greatly enjoy “food puzzles” or tricky feedinhg set-ups that require us to work for our food.  Now I can say for myself that I love the food puzzles. Our Alpha Tucker would much rather be served his food than have to forage !

 

 

 

 

 

Tucker Opines on Treats, Black Cats and Watching TV Alone.

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Hi There Furiends,
Tucker here. I’ll be doing the fill-ins this week. The Friday Fill Ins are a wonderful blog hop and you can hop on over to the host’s blogs and enter. Just visit 15AndMeowing or Four-Legged Furballs  and add your fill in answers. Of course, you are always welcome to opine about your answers in our comment section.

Purrs & Head Bonks,
Tucker_SigInChair

Here are this week’s fill ins:

1. _______________________ is an awful _______________________.

2.  I always read __________________________ sections of the newspaper.

3. Black cats _________.

4. _________ is my favorite treat.

Here are my answers:

1. Sitting by myself with no one to cuddle with when the Humans watch the moving picture box is an awful way to spend an evening!

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2.  I always read zero sections of the newspaper. I have no idea what a newspaper is because our Humans are geeks and they get all their news on those flat tablet thingies that we play “Jitterbug” on.  The photo below is Alberto playing Jitterbug, I find the game a bit childish for an Alpha to play. 
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3. Black cats are absolutely pawsome! Check out some of these amazing black cat photos.

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4. Any treat is my favorite treat. Some cats eat to live, I live to eat. Every night when The Female Human comes home, I seat myself at the counter awaiting my before dinner treat, followed by my after dinner treat.

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Walk Through The Web Wednesday 10/24

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siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends,
It’s that time of the week again when I do my web wandering and look for feline related gems on the internet. I hope you enjoy this week’s compilation.

Purrs & Head Bonks,

Siamese cat with blue eyes

Awesome Cat Saves Owner From House Fire – The Frisky

tabby saves owner from fire

Two paws up for Sully the tabby cat  who rescued her human, Craig Geeves from a fire in his home . Geeves was taking an afternoon nap when Sully jumped on his chest and began meowing loudly to wake him up. He said, “She was standing on my head screaming, the loudest scream I’ve ever heard from a cat screaming at me and then I smelt the smoke and jumped out of bed … she saved my life.”

Not only did Sully save her human’s life but her timely warning kept the fire from spreading to the other houses in the neighborhood. Dogs aren’t the only creatures who are man’s best friend. Just ask Craig Geeves!

It Took Five Felines To Play Church the Cat in the remake of Pet Sematary – SYFyWire

tabby cat actor in pet sematary

Five  cats, all rescues, were cast to play Church the feline in the Stephen King Movie. One feline dropped out after getting scared on the set, but the rest of the cat actors had a pretty cushy set up. They were accommodated in five trailers, along with their human trainers, although one had to be kept in a separate trailer from the others because it did not get along with its cat-castmates.

The film crew even built a “catio,” where the hard-working kitties could play and relax between takes. Being a feline actor is no walk in the park. They had two months of training before the ten-week shoot.  The best news is that all felines found furever homes after their acting stint was over!

Okawa City Launches Line of Miniature Cat Furniture -Spoon & Tamago

cat sleeping on miniature furniture made for felines

Okawa City in Fukuoka prefecture is known as one of Japan’s furniture capitals. The Okawa Kagu, a furniture group in this city has now produced a line a high quality, miniature furniture for cats.

Okawa Kagu’s cat furniture is produced with the same craftmanship that goes into any other piece. Actually, the cat furniture is just miniature versions of actual pieces the furniture makers have designed. The cat sofa was designed and produced by Hiromatsu Furniture. The cat bed was designed and produced by Tateno Mokuzai. If you think you need to order furniture for you and your feline, check out the photos and videos in the article.

This Stylish Cardboard Box Is Designed to Be Your Cat’s New Favorite Hideout – MentalFloss

Tabby Cat in fancy cardboard box

All I have to say is…why the heck didn’t a human invent this earlier?? My Humans (especially The Female Human) do a lot of griping about having to leave boxes around

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Which box? This one or the fancy Purrfect Cat box? Alberto,, FelineOpines.net

the house so we can sit in them. The Female Human keeps meowing about this thing she calls “aesthetics” and “decor”. Well, here’s the answer to the box conundrum. the Purrfect Cat Box designed by Colorado-based inventor Scott Salzman who has this box on Indegogo. It’s made to be just the right size for ultimate kitty comfort. At about the size of a shoebox, it’s big enough for most cats to squeeze into without being cramped. Now I’d call that a “win-win”!

 

 

 

 

 

Firefighters, tree service rescue cat dropped in tree by hawk- fox8news.com

tiny kitten dropped in tree by hawk

Fluffy the kitten had quite a day and could be one of the luckiest felines on the planet. Fluffy’s human saw her waaaay up in a tree. So far up that the little kitty couldn’t get herself down. It was the fire department in Stark County who rescued the kitten  after it was apparently grabbed by a hawk.

Fire Chief Rick Annen quickly theorized how the kitten ended up so far up in the tree. He saw hawks sitting on top of a barn across the street.

When firefighters realized they couldn’t reach the top of the tree, they called a tree service to help. A crew from T. Rowley Lawns used a crane and bucket to reach the little one and get her to safety.

“I’m just truly amazed that she made it that long and these guys are here to help,” Albert said. Fluffy is safe at home with her human. Two paws up for the firefighters and tree service who saved Fluffy’s life! And a word to Fluffy….stay inside!

Oliver Opines on Halloween Friendly Fill Ins

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Hello Furiends,
Oliver here. I’m doing the fill ins this week as I have a lot to opine about with these questions. If you feel like opining, head on over to the blog host’s sites, 15andMeowing and Four-Legged Furballs. If you prefer to opine here, just leave your thoughts in our comment section.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
black and white cat Oliver

 

This week’s fill ins:

1. For Halloween, I want to be _____________________.
2. _____________________ makes me feel like royalty.
3. On a dark and stormy night, I _________.
4. If I had a witch’s cauldron, I would stir up a potion for _________.
My Answers:
1. For Halloween, I want to be left alone and for those mini-humans to stop leaning on the door bell!
black and white cat complains about Halloween
2. My beautiful felted flower bed makes me feel like royalty. 
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3. On a dark and stormy night, I hide away until the scary stuff is over!
black and white cat hiding under blanket
4. If I had a witch’s cauldron, I would stir up a potion for getting rid of Jasmine’s kidney disease so The Female Human wouldn’t have to stick her with a needle and give her fluids every other day!
Lilac poiont Siamese

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 10/17

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siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hey There Furiends,
Here are my Wednesday web wanderings for the week. Feline Opines has some exciting news..we’ll be releasing our first Halloween video on October 29th, featuring Alfred Hiss-cock. We’re very excited about it, I hope it doesn’t scare you too much~

Purrs & head Bonks,

Siamese cat with blue eyes

THE CAT-COVERED LOUIS VUITTON X GRACE CODDINGTON CAPSULE COLLECTION – Fashionista

Louis Vitton cat themed luggage and products

Attention all feline fashionistas. If you only want designer everything then Louis has just made your day. In a co-clawberation with Grace Coddington  a new feline-furendly collection has been released. Oh my whiskers, this stuff is fancy!

The State Department’s Cat Photo Email Is Perhaps The Cutest Pic You’ll See Today – Bustle

cat in onesie

As my faithful readers know., I prefer to stay away from things purrlitical (unless my brother is running for Purresident) and you humans seem to get your whiskers in quite a twist when you talk about purrlitical stuff. But this is a good story and I don’t think anyone will be upset.

Instead of an invitation, the U.S. State Department accidentally emailed a cat photo to some lucky recipients last week. The U.S. embassy in Canberra said the cat photo and accompanying email was “a training error” in a statement to the Australian Associated Press.

The email newsletter was titled “meeting” and included some Latin paragraphs and the option to RSVP, as well as the cat photo. US Mission to Australia Public Affairs Counsellor Gavin Sundwall sent an apology acknowledging the error two days later, according to the Australian Associated Press. “Sorry to disappoint those of you who were hoping to attend this ‘cat pajama-jam’ party, but such an event falls well outside our area of expertise,” Sundwall wrote in an email. I don’t know about you but I feel much better knowing that folks in our government are cat lovers!

Snapchat’s Face Feature For Cats Is What Every Pet Owner Has Been Dreaming Of – Bustle

snapchat cat face feature

Snapchat users rejoice. there is now a  Snapchat’s selfie filters for cats. The social media app where you waste hours applying funny filters to your face announced the new cat filters on Twitter, and people are wasting no time snapping their cats, effectively giving a whole new meaning to the term cat glasses. So if you felines want a new look in your photos, have your humans head on over and get you some selfie filters!

These Insta-famous felines prove how photogenic black cats truly are – Mashable

black cat scottish fold

Black cats are the bomb and this month is International Black Cat Awareness Month. I’ve written about our angel Buster who was one pawsome and handsome dude. If you appreciate “felines noir” than you should head over to Stephen Lopez’s   crouchendcatclowder Instagram account where he documents the life of his handsome black cats Mr. Bob and Miss Molly (and his tabby cat Alfie,) in London, England. He said in an email that black cats are wonderful and because they’re generally “underdogs” and they “tend to shine more to stand out and get attention.” Here’s a paws up to black cats!

The Klepto Kitty With Very Specific Tastes – stuff

KleptoKitty

Why are you staring at a photo of shoes you ask? Well, Cooper, a 3-year old Tabby who lives in England has brought home more than 100 shoes in a series of thefts he undertakes at night. When Cooper was adopted from The Cats Protection League last August, his humans were made aware of his criminal habits. Evidently, Cooper’s crime spree has a seasonal aspect. He stopped thieving in January and didn’t start again until September.

The Tribe Opines on Books, Getting Stuck and Other Stuff

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Happy Fur-iday! And when it’s Fur-iday you know one of the Tribe of Five will be opining on Friendly Fill Ins. We couldn’t decide who would get to answer the fill ins so Olilver, Lily and I are all opining this week.  This is a blog hop hosted by our furiends from 15andMeowing and Four-Legged Furballs. You can hop on over to their sites and join the fun or, if you prefer, you can opine in our comment form.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

Here are this week’s fill ins:

1. I have _______________ for ____________.

2. _________________ make me _____________________.
3. I’m surprised that _________.

4. To make a long story short, ________

Here are our answers:

1. Lily:  I have no patience for felines who are not well-read. The Caticons book is fantastic and we’re reading a new book we’ll be reviewing soon called Prancie’s Prayer.

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2.Alberto: Being interrupted in the middle of my favorite TV show makes me cranky!

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3. Oliver: I’m surprised that giving The Female Human my saddest face has no affect on her when she sits at the counter having breakfast.

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4. Oliver: To make a long story short, I underestimated my girth when I squeezed under the kitchen stool. 

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Walk Through The Web Wednesday 10/10

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siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hi There Furiends,
I hope that you had a great week wherever you are. It is still beautiful in my neck of the woods. The fall colors are amazing and there are lots more critters showing up for a handout since the weather has cooled.  I hope you enjoy this week’s finds from my web wanderings.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

Woman Nabs Coveted Job of Russian Town’s Cat Chief – Huffpost

CatChief

Okay, you know I love stories about cats with jobs but I also love stories about humans with cat-related jobs and this one is great! The advertisement for this job in a  Russian town said, “Wanted: Cat chief. Location: Zelenogradsk, Russia: Duties: tending to the town’s approximately 70 stray cats.”

There were about 80 humans who applied for this job in a town that is working to brand itself as Russia’s most foremost cat-loving community. Local resident Svetlana Logunova won the job and she received a bicycle and uniform with  a bright green jacket, black bow tie and hat. And she gets paid to do this! It’s only about $85.00 per month (5,700 roubles) but she’s happy with her new career. She loves feeding the cats, petting them and giving them a turn around the town in the basket on her bicycle. Paws up to this Russian town for trying an innovative solution to it’s feral kitties.  Be sure and click on the link to watch the video.

Ten Best Beach Destinations for People Who Love Cats – Coastal Living

black and white cat on the beach

When humans travel what should they want to do? Spend time with felines, of course!
This article highlights some purrfect vacation destinations where humans can interact with many fabulous felines. They even include Amsterdam, although not technically on the beach, it still offers the  Poezenboot, or “Catboat,” which sits on the picturesque Singel Canal. The sanctuary started in the ‘60s, when a cat caretaker living alongside the canal pondered the question, “If people could live on houseboats…why not cats?”  I featured this on an earlier Web Wednesdsay but it’s worth another mention. The destinations include Hemmingway’s 6-toed cats of Key West, a big cat sanctuary in Floirida, a Greek Island, a cat village in Malta and more. Meowza, I think it’s time for The Humans to get out their travel calendar and start thinking about their next vacation!

A black cat named Monk has been gaining popularity on social media thanks to his enormous fangs – Sputnik

Black cat with long fangs

My regular readers know how much I hate costumes for cats! The humans tried that with me once….once being the operative word. You can read about that fiasco on our blog, I do love however, when a feline attracts positive attention because of their unusual looks. Monk is a case in point. Now, I do not agree with the ensemble they’ve dressed him in but he seems to be okay with it so who am I to judge?  Monk has a great Instagram account called Monk & Bean (Bean is his brother). You’re one handsome guy Monk!

Story About Missing Cat Will Actually Brighten Your Day – Metro.co.uk

Black cat om wood stump

There is nothing joyful about a cat missing from home but sometimes stories have happy…and funny endings. The story of Stu is one such story told by his human in tweets. It’s a story of a cat doing what cats do…causing their humans to worry for no good reason and then strolling home, completely unaware of the trauma he’s caused.

These Cat Slippers Purr When You Walk – PopSugar

cat slippers that purr

I hear The Female Human complain about how much she misses us when she and The Male Human have to travel, so I’ve put these slippers on the Christmas list.  These big paw pairs of  Twitchy Kitty Cat Paw Slippers ($35) are purrrty amazing! They actually purr when you walk. I mean, what footwear could be better than this? Now if anyone could tell me where a feline can get his paws on $35.00 I’d appreciate it.