Hello Furiends,
Oh my whiskers, it’s Wednesday again! It’s also a day away from that holiday that you humans love so much, I like to call it “Howl-oween”. This holiday has been a bit of a problem for me as The Female Human felt it would be funny to dress me up. There was the dinosaur costume debacle and then the sushi costume…don’t even make me go there.

Oliver and I decided that we would take this Howl-oween thing into our own paws and last year we debuted our fur-raising movie, “You Never Walk Alone”. Since we didn’t get around to making a new film, we’ll share this one with you again. Get out the popcorn and please, this is just too scary for kittens! Enjoy the film and I hope you enjoy this week’s web wanderings.

S

Denver’s newest hotel restaurant is the cat lady-themed pizzeria we didn’t know we needed

Gattara translates roughly from Italian to “cat lady,” as in the crazy variety. And Gattara’s menu, under longtime Colorado chef Thomas Newsted, focuses on wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas and other Italian fare. Just be sure when you go, you get a “kitty bag” because we felines love to lick the top of pizzas.

The 16 most ridiculous cat Halloween costumes

Okay, I’ve already given you my opinion on this Howl-oween stuff for felines.The fact that any self respecting cat would allow themselves to be stuffed into one of these ridiculous outfits boggles my mind. Humans, STOP THE MADNESS!

Miss Manners: They’re staying in the cats’ room but they’re rude to the cats

As we covered many topics about felines and etiquette and we did have a chapter on guests, in our book “Felines Opine on Etiquette, What Humans Need to Know About Guests, Cat Sitting and Furniture, we thought this letter to Miss Manners was very timely. We hope you find it helpful as it is the desire of The Tribe of Five to help you humans avoid awkward situations.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: We have a small house, and family and friends are always welcome. We also have six cats, and their care and comfort are important.

We have to keep our cats separate so they don’t fight (everyone is spayed/neutered; they just don’t get along), so two cats live in what used to be our guest room.

We explain this to our overnight guests, several of whom are allergic to cats and/or don’t like cats, and they still insist everything will be fine. They then refuse to let the cats in the room during the day, while the distressed cats howl and claw the door. Frankly, I don’t care if the cats take their jewelry, but I do care if the cats choke on it.

There are also simple things that must be done when living with cats, like making sure indoor cats don’t run out the door, keeping toilet lids down, and keeping breakable things out of their reach. It seems our guests simply don’t care, and don’t comply.

I don’t see why this is all so hard to understand. The cats need care and consideration; they are not disposable furry houseplants.

To be fair, we stay with these pet-less folks when visiting them, so we can’t ask them not to stay with us. I’ve even tried putting Post-it notes around the house, reminding guests to keep doors and toilet lids closed, etc., which was considered rude. How do we handle this situation politely so there are no hurt feelings?

GENTLE READER: Well, it is too late for the cats, who have already been rudely locked out of their rooms and probably have something to say about it.

Miss Manners does have a certain sympathy for guests who do not wish to be woken up by persistent fur balls looking for fun — or having their belongings gone through in their absence.

However, you must be more forceful in setting the rules when you issue invitations.

“You are so kind to say that you don’t mind cohabitating with the cats, but I am worried that keeping them safe is proving bothersome to you. I understand if you need to find another place to stay and of course, I am happy to do likewise when we visit you.”

Rescue cat returns the favor, alerts sleeping owner to apartment fire

Five years ago in Ithaca. NY Danielle Schafer rescued a kitten off the side of the road. Last week the cat, named Kitty returned the favor. Kitty used all her 12-pound weight to jump on her human’s chest to wake her up, alerting her to the flames in the apartment.  Schafer rushed to the kitchen and saw the fire. She ran back to her bedroom to get Kitty and take the feline and herself to safety.

The smoke was so thick and Kitty was nowhere to be seen. Finally, Schafer was forced to get to safety. Once outside, she helped the family who lived in the apartment above her escape the worsening flames. The parents dropped their two small children, clad only in diapers, into the outstretched arms of Schafer and a neighbor.

By the time the flames were extinguished, 12 people had escaped to safety. Schafer’s only thought was to get back into the building and save the cat who had saved her. She screamed and cried as she searched and one of the firefighters assured her that they had gone through her apartment and there was no cat in her bedroom.

She crawled through bushes, looked under cars calling, “Kitty, Kitty!”

In the midst of her frenzied search, she heard a firefighter yelling for her. She asked, “Is my cat dead?” “No,” the firefighter said. “Look.” In his arms, was a small gray cat. “It was like a movie,” Schafer said of the moment she was reunited with Kitty.

And where was Kitty all that time? The story was amazing. Kitty had hunkered down and made a cocoon in the pillows of the bed to protect herself against the raging fire’s thick black smoke. The small cat, stayed there for over seven hours until the persistent firefighter found her.

Kitty was treated for smoke inhalation and corneal abrasions at Cornell’s Companion Animal Hospital, where she stayed for several days.

Kitty and her human are doing well. Ah, I love a happy ending.

Poppy, Bella top list as most popular cat names.

A pet insurance firm marked National Cat Day by releasing its annual list of the most popular cat names of the year.

John Lewis Pet Insurance, which offers insurance policies for cats, dogs and other pets, said the most popular cat name among surveyed customers in 2019 was Poppy. Rounding out the top 10 were Bella, Molly, Tilly, Daisy, Lola, Millie, Rosie, Luna and Lily. The first traditionally masculine name on the list, Charlie, came in at No. 11. The name Smudge made its first appearance on the annual list this year, coming in at 21st in popularity.

Our Lily is quite pleased to have made this list. The Tribe of Five have never met a feline named Poppy. We’d love to hear from the Poppies out there.