Hello Furiends,
Meowza, this week has been all about Oliver. He gets to pick the winner in last week’s contest, he don’s a pirate costume to announce that a winner has been selected and then he tells me that I can’t announce the winner in my own weekly feature unless I wear this stupid hat.

Mind you, I was planning on wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving but not in this humiliating manner!

But let’s get back to the contest. We have some smart and creative blog followers but our furiends at Eastside Cats were the first with the correct answer. We’re having our purrsonal assistant contact them for an address to send their two Felines Opine books.

So what was Oliver doing? The photo of the evening feeding frenzy had the clue. Oliver, the little heat seeking feline that he is, found out that sleeping on the counter when the dishwasher is going is a cozy place to be! Concatulations Eastside Cats for being so well versed in the ways of felines.

he Female Human was working in her office at home the other night and Oliver came running in with a rugby ball she had purchased in Ireland. He was picking it up in his teeth, tossing it around and swatting it all over the house. By the time The Female Human extricated herself from her computer and got her phone ready to capture Oliver’s smooth rugby moves he was pretty much finished. You’ll see in the little video below below that Oliver was pretty much done with the rugby session and you’ll hear The Female Human’s whine. When will you humans realize that part of the cat code is “stop doing whatever you’re doing when the humans try to capture it on film.”

Well, let’s get to my feline features of the week. The Tribe of Five wishes you all a very happy Thanksgiving (and lots of turkey leftovers!)

River the beloved neighborhood feline is back

River the cat is a beloved feline in La Jolla, CA. When La Jolla resident Ariel Wagner read a news story that River was missing she sprang into action.

River is well known for his friendly demeanor, greeting pedestrians and visiting stores on the north end of Girard Avenue. Sometimes he was even spotted hanging out inside the tops of the umbrellas at Pannikin Coffee & Tea.

Wagner began to search the web for photos of lost cats and came across River’s photo.

Evidently he’d been taken in by a woman who owns a gymnastics studio in Clairemont. She renanmed him Zoom the Acrobatic Cat, because his favorite past time is  high-jumping.  The woman had a dog that did not get along with the cat so “Zoom” was transferred to a new foster home and this is where Wagner found him.  After making sure that Wagner was who she said she was and “Zoom” was actually River, he was returned to Stasia Osment, the La Jollan who has provided him with food, a water bowl and a litter box on a nightly basis for almost two years. (His previous human decided to let River roam free because he was miserable inside her house.)

“I’m elated, I’m ecstatic!” Osment said. “Since he’s been back, I’m so happy. He’s been doing his cruising again.  River’s human fan club is very happy that he’s back.

Support homeless pets and satisfy your shoe fashion passion

Skechers x Felix the Cat lifestyle footwear for women launched this month in celebration of the iconic  silent screen star’s 100th anniversary. Felix the Cat’s comic strips, character prints, logo details and classic colors are featured on several of Skechers’ popular designs. Initial styles include the brand’s Skecher Street chunky platform cleated and slip-on sneakers, as well as Skechers’ BOBS for Cats alpargatas and casual comfort sneakers.

For every purchase of BOBS from Skechers shoes featuring Felix the Cat, Skechers will make a donation to Petco Foundation to help save the lives of cats and dogs.* Since 2015, the Company has donated more than $4.58 million to animal welfare organizations through sales of its BOBS from Skechers collection — funds that have helped more than 847,000 pets in the United States, including more than 487,000 animals saved through adoptions.

Paws up to Sketchers!

The Meow Meow Temple in Kyoto

I’ve told you about some really  cool feline places in Japan but this one is new to me. In English it’s called the Meow Meow Temple (Nyan Nyan Ji) and is dedicated to felines. You can find this wonderful place in Kyoto.  The temple has a priestess and cat monk named Koyuki. There are other felines that hang out at the temple. Go inside the temple and enjoy cat-themed food and beverage.

The Round Robot Feline Babysitter

Anyone who lives with a feline knows that environmental enrichment is crucial for us hence all the toys, scratchers, cat trees, etc. in the house. We miss you humans when you’re gone and playing with our toys isn’t as fun as having you there to play with us. But that’s all changed with the Ebo, a new cat companion robot now on Kickstarter.

Ebo is a small, round robot that can autonomously roll around the house, keeping us felines busy when you’re gone. Its erratic movements are designed to mimic those of an animal, and it makes noises and sports an LED screen that lights up like a pair of eyes. Ebo also packs some more traditional cat toys, too. The swappable head piece has feathers or string and there’s a built-in laser pointer, and what feline doesn’t love a laser pointer?

It’s designed to withstand scratching, pawing, drooling or chewing and if it’s knocked over it can right itself. The robot can scan the room to detect obstacles and it’s collision sensors will make it change directions.

If playtime has gone on too long and Ebo runs low on energy it will automatically return to it’s charging dock. The battery lasts about 2 hours and takes about 2 hours to charge.

Ebo has a built in camera and microphone that you can access through a smartphone app. And while you’re talking to your feline, you can control the Ebo’s movements. There is a standard and pro version of Ebo. The pro version uses AI to analyze the feline’s behavior and mood to decide how to better play.

If you have a CHONKY cat at your house, you might be interested in the option of a collar that tracks the feline’s steps and other health metrics so that Ebo becomes your cat’s purrsonal trainer.

Ebo is currently being funded through a Kickstarter program and has already made it’s $5,000.00 goal. Early bird pledges start at US$158 for the Ebo Standard Christmas version, which includes a little Santa and reindeer suit for the robot and are due to ship in December. You can see more photos and watch a video of Ebo by clicking here.

Bow Chicka Meow Meow

Paws up to the Octopi Brewing of Waunakee, WI.  They’ve created  Bow Chicka Meow Meow!, stout that benefits the Dane County Humane Society. They expect the brew to raise about $1600.00 for the Humane Society. Thanks to their help, so  far in 2019 the Dane County Humane Society has taken in over 2,400 cats and has been able to place more than 90 percent of those animals in adoptions or sanctuary programs.

The idea for the beer and it’s name came from the Dane County Humane Society staff. Bow Chicka Meow Meow! is sold in six-packs of 12-ounce cans for around $11.

I applaud this brewery because it seems like most brewers favor canines (we have a brewery in our town called Laughing Dog and they sponsor Yappy Hours . I am thrilled that felines are getting into the brewery game!