Hello there furiends,
We are getting ready for fall in our neck of the woods and the colors are just beginning to change. Now that it’s cooler some of us are rethinking our stance on snuggling. As some of you know, Angel Tucker was Lily’s cuddle buddy and you’d never see him without her snuggled in next to him. Although, I have to say, Angel Tucker was an equal opportunity snuggler and he never chased anyone away as evidenced in these photos.

I am a manly man cat and don’t like to be caught showing my softer side so imagine my chagrin when The Female Human came home and discovered Lily and I in this compromising position.

So now you know I’m a bit of a pushover and I am taking grief from my brofur, Oliver.

Well, enough about me, it’s time to look at the best of feline news on the web and don’t forget to stop by tomorrow for our Remember Me Thursday celebration and light a candle for shelter pets.

A cat named Grudge is beaming into ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ season 3

The Female Human and I aren’t SciFi fans. To be honest, we’d rather curl up on the sofa and watch a good British mystery but when a feline is cast as a major star in a SciFi program, I’ve got to give him a shout out.

Season 3 of Star Trek Discovery will be introducing a handsome 18 pound Maine Coon whose Star Trek name is Grudge and real name is Leeu. . Grudge/Leeu already has  busy Instagram and Twitter accounts.

Evidently the human actors are impressed with Leeu’s stamina and acting talents.

For my SciFi, feline loving furiends, there was a feline owned by Data called Spot and Neelix who was owned by Reginald Barclay of “Star Trek Voyager”. And if you really want to do a deep dive into other Trekkie felines, there are quite a few listed in the article.

Pause for Purrs | Workplace cats charm customers and employees alike

My regular readers know how much I love stories about working cats. This article from Texarkana, Arkansas sings the praises of felinse who are employed.

There’s Caspar who works at Hightech Signs whose main job is as customer greeter. He positions himself by the door ready to meow at everyone who comes in. If the customer doesn’t respond to Caspar’s meows, he will meow again until the human gets the message.

Caspar showed up years ago when he was a kitten, no one there was in a position to take a cat home with them. Caspar took care of that dilemma right away and when they arrived at work the next day they found him settled in and quite comfortable.

Caspar has been an integral part of the business ever since and even sports a tag with the words “Greeter”.

Then there’s Tuxie and Buttah who work at Three Chicks Feed, Seed and Cafe, Tuxie has been there for four years, since he was a kitten trapped at the bottom of a barrel in the back of the store, starved and skinny. Buttah, a female orange tabby, was dropped off at the store.

Tuxie’s coworkers describe him as relaxed and fun, while Buttah is the cool queen of the Café.

Persnickety Too has a customer relations cat who serves also as merchandise inspector.

“Bean came to us in 2016,” said Carrie Atkinson, owner of this floral shop.

They fell in love with Bean, but couldn’t take her home, because their dogs unfortunately killed cats they caught outside, Atkinson said. “It was decided to take Bean to the shop and she settled in nicely. She asks to be let in the cooler and go in and investigate the merchandise, When she’s done, she will let us know she’s ready to be let out.”

“She has a special relationship with Debra, our mail lady,” Atkinson said. “No matter what time of day it is, Bean will stop whatever she is doing to give her attention.”

So folks, if you are going to be visiting Texarkana be sure and visit these shop cats and if you have a shop, why not give a cat a job?

New Survey Finds that 85 Percent of Cat Owners Experience Therapeutic Benefits from Their Cat

Purina Cat Chow is taking cat therapy to the next level and has donated $30,000.00 to Pet Partners to fund training and registration of therapy cat teams.

According to a recent survey conducted by Purina Cat Chow, 85 percent of cat owners agree that they have had therapeutic benefits from their cats and that becoming a cat owner has improved their quality of life (86 percent). While three-fourths of cat owners agree that society does not understand the benefits of having a cat, nearly all (94 percent) agree that many people can benefit from spending time with cats.

“While most people tend to associate therapy animals with dogs, cats also provide a variety of mental and physiological benefits,” said Dr. Annie Valuska, Ph.D., senior pet behavior expert at Purina Cat Chow. “Cat owners often have lower stress levels than non-pet owners, which can improve blood pressure and cardiovascular health over time. Cats can also boost our mental health, decreasing feelings of loneliness and increasing a sense of purpose.”

Cats of all kinds can become great therapy animals. Take Tommy the blind cat for example. Even after losing his sight, the eight-year-old tabby passed his therapy pet evaluation with excellence. Now, as a registered therapy cat with Pet Partners, he loves helping people of all ages with his handler, Christy Santoro.

As people spend more time at home with their cats, Purina Cat Chow and Pet Partners encourage cat owners to learn how to become a therapy animal team with your cat. Thanks in part to Purina Cat Chow’s donation, Pet Partners is offering online training courses and discounted registration of therapy cat teams. Cats and cat owners can give back without even having to leave their homes. Together, Cat Chow and Pet Partners are working to enhance the well-being of local communities with the help of cats. 

To learn more about registering you and your cat to become a therapy animal team visit this link.

Meet the cat ladies of Rome and see their feline sanctuary

In the proximity of  the 1,900-year-old site of the Pantheon and the world-famous Trevi fountain, you may see a Tabby lounging in the sun on a piece of marble or a Siamese stretched out against an ancient column.  The Largo di Torre Argentina is located in the center of Rome and is home to about 200 cats.

“I adore cats,” says Silvia Viviani, the 80-year-old who founded the volunteer-led shelter in 1994, which spays, neuters, and feeds strays.. “I find them fascinating, lovable and, loving, supremely elegant, the most beautiful animals in the world,” she adds. “Nay, they are my personal evidence of the existence of God.”

Italy’s ban on killing homeless cats has created quite a feral population and stray cats in Rome have always found places that will provide them shelter.

Viviani’s full time operation feeds vaccinates and encourages adoption of the strays under her care. All of her  strays were given the status of Roman Biocultural Heritage by the Municipality of Rome in 2001, meaning that if five or more cats live together in a “natural urban habitat” they can’t be moved away.

Rome has quite a population of gattare, which in the local dialect means “cat ladies” who are known to push shopping carts laden with snacks for the local felines.  The title of cat lady is considered an aristocratic title and these cat ladies come from every walk of life.

Every day, volunteers feed, clean, and nurture the many abandoned cats found in and around Torre Argentina. According to the sanctuary, it has identified and sterilized more than 50,000 cats across the city since 2010.

It is this feline’s purrayer that the city of Rome as well as it’s citizens will continue to care for these feral cats .

This Japanese Inn Is Offering Sleepovers With Cats to Encourage Adoption

While we’re on the subject of world travel, I would  be remiss if I didn’t  direct your attention to  My Cat Yogawara, an inn that offers trial sleepovers with their resident felines.

Traditional Japanese inns, called Ryokans are famous for their signature designs and furnishings as well as communal baths and excellent service. The My Cat Yogawara is a Ryokan with a feline bonus. The owner wanted to match those seeking to try out cat companionship.

The inn’s rates are very reasonable and there is a range of room options some housing up to five people so that the whole family can experience what it’s like to live with a cat.

If you are interested in the feline program you must first spend time in the neighboring cat cafe. The staff will determine how comfortable you are with the felines and which ones you bond with best.  The guests are referred to as “foster parents” must agree to the rules for being a good roommate and caregiver to a feline. The feline guests arrive at 5:30pm and stay until 9:00am. Guests are asked not to leave the cat unattended and encouraged to bond with their feline guest.

If the guests enjoy their sleepovers, they can move on to the next phase, filling out an adoption application followed up by an interview. This last stage is so staff can determine if the guest and the cat are a good match. Once adopted, cats are then called “graduates” and are celebrated at their departure.

I say paws up for this new approach to cat adoption.