Hello Furiends, We’ve missed some of these Friday blog hops. The staff has been a bit preoccupied with other stuff although it is the contention of Tribe of Five that nothing is more important than our blog posts! I hope you enjoy my answers this week.
This is a blog hop meaning that you can hop on over to our furiends 15andmeowing and Four-Legged Furballs and enter your blog post. If you purrfer you can opine about your answers in our comment section. Purrs & Head Bonks,
Here are this week’s fill ins:
1. Superbowl Sunday ________________________.
2. __________________bores me.
3. If you have _________, you have everything.
4. My skill set could get me a job at _________.
Here are my answers:
1. Superbowl Sunday bores me.
“This is me not caring a bit about the Superbowl (unless Superbowl means an extra large bowl of kibble for me!” -Oliver
2. Standard, typical cat poses bore me.
“If you can’t be creative about your feline poses, why bother? This is one of my more favorite moves.” -Oliver
3. If you have a human who loves you and who wears fuzzy blankie PJs for you to stretch out on, you have everything.
“I know the Female Human bought these PJs just for me. She’s thoughtful like that.” -Oliver
4. My skill set could get me a job at a detective agency. I am the epitome of stealth.
“I’ve been on this stakeout for hours and not one bird or squirrel has spotted me yet!” -Agent Oliver
I hope you are staying warm and safe wherever you are. All the cats and kittens in the mid east US are freezing their whiskers off today! Oliver and I keep ourselves warm and cozy on snowy days by chatting by the fire
“Hey Oliver, will you meow at The Female Human and ask her to bring us a snack?”
The Female Human is always meowing about how I get in the way or prance
across her computer keyboard when she’s working. Well, all working humans now
have a reason to rejoice. Meet the CATable where humans and felines can work in
purrfect harmony. The table, carved from one piece of wood, is entirely flat on
top aside from one cat-sized hole that leads to small network of tunnels,
hideouts and caves carved into the side of the table. With these additions you
and your feline can work together.
The
creative folks at LYCS recently created a 2.0 version of the CATable, as well.
This version consists of stackable blocks which can be built up to be
aesthetically pleasing shelving for you, and an “ant farm” of sorts for your
cat.
Find out about these feline/human work tables at the LYCS’ website.
Where there’s will, there’s a way. This woman saw a very handsome feline across the street from her workplace every day. And how do you communicate with a feline across the street from you? Good old fashioned pen and paper of course. She posted a sign in her window asking for the cat’s name and six weeks later the cat’s human posted a sign with the cat’s name..Marshall. The woman tweeted about this and Marshall and his story went viral. This is a delightful story and shows the resourcefulness and determination of those who love cats. Be sure to read the tweets and find out how other cats and their humans got in on the story.
Oh I do love creative adoption ideas and this one is a doozy. The
Richmond Flying Squirrels, the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, are taking advantage of
America’s love affair with cats.
The Squirrels announced on Monday that
they will plaster the face of a local shelter cat on their jerseys for a game
this spring and are asking people to vote on their favorite feline candidate. The
idea is that the program will promote the adoption of cats in need of a home.
There are three candidates Dove, Duke Silver and Big Guy, all from the Richmond SPCA. And the program is working…Dove was adopted before the end of the contest! And the humans who adopt the three cats will also be eligible to throw out a first pitch for the Squirrels. The team’s jerseys will be auctioned off after the game with all proceeds going to the Richmond SPCA, so humans…..PLAY BALL!
World’s first AI-powered stray cat shelter
Wan Xi, a computer engineer based in Beijing, created
the most innovative feral cat shelter I’ve
ever heard of.
The refuge provides felines with food and water,
plus a temperature-controlled environment which keeps the mercury at 27°C. It’s
also able to identify 174 types of cat
while flagging-up possible diseases via the use of a smart camera.
Mr Xi just wanted to provide a warm place for feral
cats but then his vision got bigger after he worked with a team of animal
welfare experts.
They provided him with detailed evidence which
showed how many of China’s 40,000 strays die within two years because the
felines don’t get medical attention during the early stages of illnesses. This
amazing shelter is self-powered and manned by volunteers who are alerted to any
concerns by regular updated data sent to their office.
Two paws up Mr. Xi, now let’s get cracking and get these out to every city in the world!
You humans have been arguing about which species is better, cats or dogs, for years. We felines never argue about this as we know we are superior. For you humans still arguing this issue, I suggest the new monopoly game that can settle the argument. The game is played in teams so you’ll have a “Team Dog” and a “Team Cat”. Instead of buying properties, teams travel the Monopoly board and pick up funny titles and traits — like Trick Master and Best Pout. The team with the most titles at the end of the game takes home the win for their species of choice.
It’s a beautiful day in my neighborhood. We had quite a bit of snow last night and this morning and The Tribe and I are enjoying the beautiful view from the bedroom (and watching all the furry and feathered freeloaders coming to the upstairs deck). Wherever you are my furiends, stay warm and safe and enjoy the day. Purrs & Head Bonks,
I’m not a fan of controversial purrlitical news items (unless it’s my brother running for Purresident) but sometimes I have to raise a paw in acknowledgment of those in purrlitical office who take the time and energy to look after felines. Moshe Lion, the mayor of Jerusalem, has approved 100 thousand nis per year to build feeding stations for Jerusalem’s street cats. Now that’s about $ 27,222.00 dollars in in the good ole’ US of A. It came about because the city changed its garbage disposal system to containers that are underground. This worried the good folks of Jerusalem because they were afraid the city’s stray cats, not being able to forage in the garbage, might starve. So this fine purrlitician is having feeding stations built where the new earth-buried garbage cans are located. City hall estimates that they will use about 210 food bags per month and 2500 bags per year. Mr. Mayor, the Tribe of Five sends you a hearty mazel tov!
Oh my whiskers, my column is late today because I couldn’t stop laughing. But this is a serious tale as well.
Teddy, a Russian blue, failed to come home in early January, so his humans reported him missing to Animal Search UK, an online database for lost pets.
They were soon contacted by a couple 11 milesway who said they’d taken in a Russina blue with the same markings. Teddy’s humans went to retrieve him and all was right with the word. Sort of that is,because a few days later the humans discovered they had two identical Russian Blues in their house!
There was no Russian Blue in the Animal Search data base so these resourceful humans took feline #2 to the vet to be scanned for a microchip and lo and behold, they found an address and the cat’s name,Nigel. Nigel’s family had recently moved to the area and Nigel escaped his new abode and went exploring.
The moral to this story is this, make sure your felines have identification, even house cats. The Tribe of Five is in the process of writing an article about an amazing company that has, what we believe, is an innovative solution to help humans reunite with their felines. Stay safe my furiends, and make sure you have a way to get back to your humans if you get lost!
Alberto – “This is me being very social with my Female Human.”
How do I love this headline…let me count the ways! We felines get a bad rap about our purrsonalities and our inability to commit or show love.
Researchers from Oregon State University conducted tests with 23 shelter cats and 23 pet cats. They put the felines in rooms with some humans who completely ignored them and others who talked to them and petted them. Even though the humans were strangers, the cats spent much more time with the humans who paid them attention. The researchers found that when you call us felines by our names, we pay more attention. (Duh, they needed science to figure this out?!) And, for all you nay saying folks who call us unloving, the study showed that cats will choose interaction with humans over food and toys. So there you go, another urban legend debunked. You can read about the study in Science Alert.
The Female Human and her sister run a local Lost pet group and their favorite saying to humans looking for their lost pets is, “Never give up!” This story is a purrfect illustration of that. A feline made a what seemed to be a return from the dead when he appeared three years after his owners were told he had been run over and killed.
The human and her daughter were devastated when they were told their beloved Sidney had been run over and taken to the landfillby local workers. . When they received a call almost three years later from a woman who said she’d found Sidney they were incredulous.
The lady insisted it was Sidney (now six) who was alive and well and living 12 miles from them. The family had mourned Sidney and finally had dealt with the loss of their beloved feline. They didn’t believe it could be true that Sidney was alive but still they couldn’t ignore the call and went to visit the woman who said she had Sidney. She insisted it wasn’t some sort of a sick joke and that she’d had Sidney scanned and his microchip provided his name and address. The lady said Sidney had been living rough and was a little wild….until he saw his humans. He rolled over on his back and started meowing for a belly rub. Now that’s what I call a happy ending!
Mr. Chandoha with his son Enrico and a subject in his home studio in 1961. CreditWalter Chandoha Archive
If there ever was a king of cat photography, it was Walter Chandoha. It all started one winter evening evening in 1949, Walter Chandoha was walking to his three-room apartment in Astoria, Queens, when he spotted an abandoned gray kitten shivering in the snow. He put the kitten in a pocket of his Army coat and brought it home to his wife, Maria.
The kittens antics were frenzied and the couple to named him Loco. Locos frenzied moves inspired. Mr. Chandoha (pronounced shan-DOE-uh) to photograph him. Loco’s photos quickly sold to newspapers and magazines around the world and a career was born.
Taking pictures of cats soon began to look like a more fulfilling career path than the one in advertising that Mr. Chandoha had planned while attending New York University, after serving in World War II. So, after graduating, he turned to freelance photography for a living — and, by the mid-1950s, he was the dominant commercial cat photographer of his era.
By the time of his death on January 11th of this year, Mr. Chandoha had taken about 90,000 cat photos. I think this man must have been greeted by so many felines who crossed the Rainbow Bridge ahead of him and I bet our Miss P. and Buster said hello too (and those two are very photogenic.) I wonder if they take pictures in heaven?
The Tribe received an email from a very nice human named Franz Ombler from the University of Otago, New Zealand. Now this isn’t about the New Zealand police cat (I may have to report on him later) but it’s about the good folks at the university who need to gather some data and test some technology. If you have a moment head on over to the survey and see what kinds of felines suit you best.
So what do you do when the felines and canines can’t get along? You ent the felines an apartment, that’s what you do! A human dad in Silicone Valley, in an attempt to keep the peace between his daughter’s cats and his fiancees dog opted for an innovative solution. He rented the cats a $1500.00 a month studio apartment for the felines, complete with Apple TV. The solution is only temporary until his daughter finishes school and gets her own place. I wonder if they asked the cats if they preferred Roku or Apple TV.
Okay, I admit I had to have The Female Human read this to me three times before I understood what this is all about. Evidently, in Japan, there’s a floor heater called a “kotatsu”. One gentleman (a local poultry dealer…I know, I didn’t get the chicken connection either) devised a new take on this heater just for cats. He offers a large box of the very popular mikan oranges with his cat sized kotatsu. And evidently this new product is a huge hit. The product debuted in December and over 1,000 sets have been sold. This just goes to show that if you combine the right marketing plan (a love of felines, delicious oranges and heat) you have a winner. The cardboard kotatsu kit and 5 kilograms of the mandarin oranges costs 3,922 yen ($36.31) (tax is extra). One important point, this cardboard kitty kotatsu does not have a heater but a warm quilt over it will keep your felines cozy. I had the staff purruse Amazon.com and they did find a kotatsu for cats, but not one with oranges. Oh well, I suppose you could always send your staff to the store for the oranges.
Cats make everything better! This “Bohemian Catsody” is also fitting because if you know anything about Freddie Mercury, you know he was a feline aficionado . At one time he was living with 10 cats in his mansion so we know Freddie would approve!
I
did a feature a while back about the wonderful care the strays of Istanbul
receive. The town of Bursa is just as cat loving as Istanbul. In the winter
they live in villas that are reserved just for them. The municipality built the
“Cat Villas” that house about 200 stray felines. In the winter they have warmth
and plenty of space to roam. There is also a Stray Animal Natural Life and
Treatment Center there that hosts injured and sick cats. When the weather is
nice, the cats can stroll in the villa gardens. Once the cats are rehabilitated
and ready, they are adopted out to furever homes. I think The Tribe needs to
talk to The Female Human about our own “cat villa”.
Hello Furiends, I have my whiskers in a twist today. Staff has been slacking off this week. The Purrsonal Assistant says it’s because she’s been busy entering our blog, some photos, etc. in the #CWA (Cat Writer’s Association) contest. IMHO she had plenty of time to do that, get our social media done, feed us, clean our litter boxes, freshen our cat grass, go to the place she calls work……hmm, okay, maybe I’d better lighten up on The Purrsonal Assistant.
While I go give The Female Human (Purrsonal Assistant aka staff) an apologetic head bonk, I hope you will purruse these new listings and enjoy them. Purrs & Head Bonks,
I don’t know what to be excited about more….the information about the new Algonquin Hotel cat or the fact that I discovered a website called Hotels With Cats! The website is travel information for cat lovers, meowza, I love discovering new things.
But back to Hamlet. I’ve reported in the past about a previous Algonquin feline and I must say, that is one of the cushiest feline jobs ever. The Algonquin Cat custom has a long tradition. It is New York’s oldest working hotel and has had a feline mascot since a stray cat wandered in during the 1920’s. The name “Hamlet” was suggested by the actor John Barrymore and this is the name all the male cats have had. Female cats are called Matilda. The hotel has an executive assistant who also serves as Chief Cat Officer (a bit like our Female Human who also serves as our Purrsonal Assistant). Hamlet VIII has his own business card and also receives fan mail and presents from around the world is one lucky former feral rescue!
“So Oliver, what do you think Basepaws would say about our heritage and history…could two brothers ever look (or act) less alike?”
This feline DNA thing is pretty cool. You humans can find out about our ancestral roots, get a health report and see if our genetics influence our risk for certain health issues or if we’re carrying a genetic disorder (like Oliver who seems to be carrying the “fat” gene). And if that information isn’t fantastic enough you humans can also find out neat things about us like predictions about our purrsonality, whether we might be likely to form a catnip addiction and other fun facts. This Basepaws stuff is the cat’s meow!
A feline treadmill for $1800.00? I’m not so sure. We opined about snoopervising The Female Human when she set up her treadmill and our positions in the mat and machine pretty much say it all. This is as much effort as we care to exert (come to think of it, The Female Human hasn’t exerted much effort on that machine lately either).
Still, when I look at my roly poly brother I have to admit that the idea of some exercise for the little fellow might be a good idea. Meet The Little Cat, an exercise machine from South Korea’s Pet Ding. Now if you felines can get over the fact that this thing looks like a hamster wheel, it has some cool features. It’s pricey because it has all kinds of goodies like LED lights inside the wheel designed to attract the feline to the wheel and to keep the feline interested while he’s moving on it. And of course, there’s an app that goes with it as well. Humans get a live feed of the kitty work outs and they can also record their voice to encourage their kitty to move faster. The Little Cat is expected to be available for purchase in March. I think for now, I’ll just chase Oliver up and down the stairs for his daily exercise.
Oh how I love shelters that come up with innovative programs that help felines and humans too. Hermitage No-Kill Cat Shelter and Sanctuary in Tucson teamed up with the Southern Arizona Veterans Administration Health Care System (SAVAHCS) for the ‘Meows for Military’ program which is in its third year.
The Meows for Military program provides weekly cat visits to SAVAHCS. The felines are all chosen for this purrrticular mission of being Feline Ambassadors. The veterans and humans receive love and some of the felines even receive a furever home through the program. Animal assisted therapy is proven to be a success and helps humans lower blood pressure, decrease rates of depression and anxiety and promote healing. Meowza, I love this idea.
“I am NOT hiding in this photo because The Female Human takes us to a cat friendly practice where we have no fear and no need to hide.” – Alberto, FelineOpines.net
There are some funny photos here showing how many of my feline furiends attempt to keep away from the vet but I have to say, going to the place of white coats with the stabby people can be nerve wracking. The Tribe of Five used to hide until the people with the white coats where we go built a brand new, fearless practice. Oliver and I opined about this place and it is amazing. I would suggest that all my feline furiends talk to your humans and have them find a cat friendly place with white coats too.
Hello there furiends, Oliver here opining that I am thankful for soft blankets The Female Human puts on the furniture and the close proximity of the fireplace on cold, wet days. I hope all my feline furiends are warm and safe today.
Do you want to meow about what you’re thankful for? Just head on over to Brian’s Home Blog and join the blog hop!
Hello Furiends, I hope you’re walkin’ into good things this year. The Female Human has been dealing with a bunch of stuff she calls “stress”. When I told her I didn’t understand what this “stress” is she explained that it’s a bit like when someone rings our doorbell..over and over. Meowza! That stress stuff is nasty!
I’m glad that she’s feeling up to her Purrsonal Assistant duties again and I hope you enjoy these first 2019 web wanderings. Purrs & Head Bonks,
Normer Adams retired from
his career as a social worker and now works as a treed-cat rescuer. In less than 2 years since he began his cat
saving crusade he’s rescued 91 felines (an average of one a week).
Now you humans know we cats
are great at climbing trees but we’re not so great at getting down the tree.
Mostly we try to back down but Adams has seen cats trying to head down face
first and when we do that we drop like a rock.
I saw two paws up to this man who understands felines and who is
willing to help extricate us from our mistakes!
You folks know how much I love stories about cats with jobs. We felines like to make a contribution to society and if it gets us a home in the bargain, all the better. This is another wonderful working cat program. I just love it when humans think outside the box (although we felines prefer to think inside the box!)
I realize many of you humans are big fans of online games but don’t leave your feline out of the fun. The cat in this video is called Mao Mao and she took over the game when her human set the tablet down. I might remind you all that our Female Human gave us a little iPad to play with when we were kittens. I got bored with the fish game but now I’m thinking I should check out some of the other games. Play on my feline furiends! And check out Mao Mao’s moves on the video. http://digg.com/video/cat-plays-tablet?jwsource=cl
What’s better than a cat café? How about a cat café that runs out of cats and has partnered with a rabbit rescue to find furever homes for bunnies. Talk about a win-win situation! Vancouver’s very popular Catfe has been such a success that they ran out of felines in December. So what did these enterprising humans do? They partnered with Rabbitats Rescue society in an event that’s so popular it’s been extended to the end of the months. And the coolness factor for this cat café is pretty big…it was actually visited by Adele! Check out the video!
We love it when humans come together to do good things for felines and these 65 people did a great thing for feral cats in Omaha by building them shelters. These “crafty humans” built out of 20-gallon plastic storage bins. Each volunteer provided at least one bin that was filled with Styrofoam and filled with straw. I think my feline furiends should get your humans involved in something like this, especially if you live in a cold place like we do!
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