Even Kitties Get The Blues

Hi there furiends, Lily here.

Ever since Angel Tucker crossed the Rainbow Bridge I’ve been sad and anxious. Tucker was my cuddle buddy and protector and now that he’s gone and I’m left with the two hooligan brothers, Oliver and Alberto, life has changed a lot.

My buddy Angel Tucker



I’m not as comfortable hanging out in my old spots because I don’t have my protector and I’m not a very bold kitty by nature. My anxious behavior has prompted the Human to do some research to help me.

Is a grieving kitty an anxious kitty?

Grief can make us anxious. There are two main factors that contribute to making us anxious, our genetics and our environment.  It’s easy enough for my Human to understand what goes on in my environment but how can she find out about my genetics when I was adopted from the shelter and she has no history about my feline family? Well, that’s why she had my DNA test done with Basepaws

This is me at the shelter the day I met The Female Human. – Lily



As a feline that doesn’t understand things too “sciency” I will try to explain this to the best or my ability.


The science of being anxious

There are humans who have studied anxiety, specifically separation anxiety in felines. This can be separation from our humans or our other furry family members.  We know what happened in my environment to cause me to be more anxious (the loss of Tucker) but what are the genetic reasons for my anxious behavior?

Now, getting back to DNA, did you know that studies have been done that indicate some cat breeds can be calmer than others? For instance, an article on the Purina site states that Birmans, British Shorthair, Persian and Ragdoll breeds tend to be calmer.  If you look at my DNA breed make-up from my Basepaws report, you’ll see I have very little “calm kitty” in me.

As I mentioned earlier, genetics and environment contribute to feline anxiety but did you know that environment can actually change your genetics? Things like stress, trauma, diet, etc. can all effect change and not always in a good way.

How do you know if your kitty is blue?

I think most humans know their fur kids well enough to notice when behavior changes and/or circumstances in the home changes.  Any behavior change should be taken seriously and potential medical issues should be ruled out with your veterinarian.  If like me, your feline is grieving the loss of a buddy and feeling like the “odd cat out” you can be pretty sure your cat is blue.

Me, keeping watch for the brother bullies

Sad kitties are often more lethargic than usual, we don’t hang out in our favorite places anymore, we may want more attention from our humans or just stick close to our human as I do since I’ve lost my feline protector.  We can act as though we are on high alert, never allowing ourselves to be in a place where we could be trapped. In other words, we will act anxious.

So what do you do when your kitty is blue?

We felines can grieve and, like grief with you humans, there is no specific behavior or timeline that we follow when we grieve. While we are going through our sad times giving us extra love and attention always helps.  Talk to us (yes, we do respond to your calming voice) and you might even consider some calming products such as Feliway pheromone spray or plug in or a natural calming product formulated for cats.

Believe it or not, music helps many of us. Our Tribe purrrticularly likes Music for cats. You could even sit with us for a while and watch some of the pawsome movies for cats on Amazon Prime or Cat TV on YouTube.

I hope my furiends who’ve lost their best buddies over the Rainbow Bridge won’t be blue much longer and, if you and your humans have found ways to help you with your grief and anxiey, meow about it in the comments and share what worked for you.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 10/28

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello There Furiends,
I hope all is fine in your neck of the woods. It’s been quite chilly here and it’s always a bit of a transition for these heat loving felines to get used to the chillier weather. Oliver prefers to hang out in front of the fire, Lily likes to sit under a map to warm up and me, well I just head back to bed and under the covers.

I hope you enjoy this week’s web wanderings and stay warm!

The Home Detection Test Aims to Detect Early Signs of Urinary Tract Disorders in Cats

Did you know that about 50% of felines who have one episode of feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) will have a recurrence? That’s the bad news. The good news is that Royal Canin USA and Blücare have teamed up to create an in-home system that works as an early detection of blood in cat urine. It’s a non-invasive test that cat owners can use at home.

Dr. Brent Mayabb, Global Chief Medical Officer for Royal Canin noted, “Cats are very good at masking, meaning that many cats show little to no clinical signs in the early stages of common diseases, It is our objective to create a convenient experience that is less stressful for both cats and cat owners. Hematuria Detection, technology by Blücare, allows vets and their clients to work together to manage the health of the pet and provide peace-of-mind for the owner.”

This detection, technology by Blücare, is an easy-to-use product with white granules designed to be evenly distributed over clean cat litter. Features and benefits of this product include:

•           NON-DISRUPTIVE: The non-invasive, at-home test reduces stress for cats as the test is administered in the comfort of the cat’s environment.

•           RELIABLE: Allows detection of microhematuria, which is blood invisible to the naked eye.

•           SIMPLE AND QUICK 2: The granules are easy to spread into existing, clean litter while achieving clear results within a few seconds. Results remain visible for 48 hours.

It’s easy, just three steps; 

1.         SPREAD: Evenly spread the granules over clean litter and wait for the cat to urinate.

2.         INSPECT: After the cat urinates, inspect the litter box. If the granules are white or yellow, the test is negative. If the granules are blue, the test is positive as it shows the presence of blood in the cat’s urine.

3.         CONSULT: Contact a veterinarian if the granules are blue to confirm the results and determine next steps

The Royal Canin Hematuria Detection, technology by Blücare is available now through veterinarians nationwide. To learn more about this product, click here.

Video of cat running the wrong way down an escalator has over a million views

An eyewitness filmed a cat attempting to descend an escalator that was going up. This 25-second video has already had more than –6 million clicks.

His antics also attracted quite a crowd at the bottom of the escalator. The presumably exhausted feline finally came to a stop and let the moving stairs carry him to the top.

There were a number of opinions on the felines purpose. Some called him stubborn, some stated the cat was using the escalator as his private treadmill and someone referred to him as a sports lover.

Whatever the cat’s reason, we will never know but it sure provided 25 seconds of entertainment! You can watch the video on the website.

Campaign to elect a feline mayor of Oakland heats up

 

Now I normally have a strict NO POLITICAL STORIES rule in my Wednesday feature as  you humans can’t talk about this subject without hissing and howling at eachj other. I do, however, make an exception when a feline throws  his hat into the ring. Many of you may remember, our very own Oliver ran for Purresident and we were quite busy campaigning for him and his running mate, Olive from Three Chatty Cats.

Sadly, none of the Tribe was interested in a purrlitical career but this doesn’t apply to Wally, a handsome ginger man-cat. Wally doesn’t have an official owner, he just showed up at the block where Heather La Mastro lives over five years ago. The neighborhood fed him and looked after him so he stayed. He is well loved and has been dubbed “Mayor of 55th St.” With so many of the good folks on 55th street in lockdown and bored, they began to float the idea of approaching Wally to run. He does have three opponents, Betty, a gray tabby and two dogs, Mimi and Macy. The Tribe has decided Wally has their vote and are urging you all to support him with his Twitter hashtag #Wally4Mayor. Oliver is busy contacting his former supporters to ask them to back Wally.

These rescue organizations are good luck for black cats

Susanna Finn, the Assistant Director of Black Cat Rescue adopted Olivia and has also fostered 37 cats. (Susanna Finn)

Since National Black Cat Day was yesterday, I wanted to give a shout out to all you house panthers. This time of year is not such a good time for black cats but fortunately, black-cat rescue organizations across the United States are working hard to change the misconceptions about black cats and find them furever homes.Tracey Lenac runs Black Cat Holistic Rescue in Los Angeles, California and rescued her first black kitten 23 years ago. Across the country, Susanna Finn is assistant director of Black Cat Rescue in Boston, Massachusetts. Her organization finds homes for black cats, including a pudgy three-legged cat named Shelly and a skinny, mostly-bald cat named Snoopy. Finn and her co-workers promote black cats as funny, friendly and loving.

It is challenging to capture the beauty of black felines in photos. Our Human always had difficulty catching our Angel Buster in the proper lighting. Natural lighting is always best or a brightly colored background.


Jaggers Journey in Oregon finds homes for blackcats. The director,  Leah Lyman says, “Black cats have amazing personalities,” she says. “People need to open their hearts to them.”

And while we’re celebrating the beauty of black cats,  here are some interesting facts’;

• The Egyptian goddess of protection, Bastet, is often depicted as a black cat.

• Sailors used to believe black cats on a ship brought good luck. Fishermen’s wives kept black cats, hoping to ensure a husband’s safe return from sea.

• Some theaters have historically kept black cats to bring luck to a performance.

Biotech Company announces two pilot clinical studies in treating feline diabetes

The concern about feline diabetes is why our Human is working hard to help Oliver slim down a bit.

 Scout Bio is working on two potential  therapeutic applications for cats with diabetes. The goal is to first, replace daily insulin injections with a single injection of SB-009 to treat feline diabetes and second to significantly increase the percentage of cats entering remission when SB-009 is given with insulin.


Mark Heffernan, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Scout Bio remarked, “This one-time injectable therapy for feline diabetes has the potential to provide a convenient single treatment that is an alternative to the burden of twice daily insulin injections. We believe SB-009 has the potential to be a blockbuster product for animal health.”

This product is being developed in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania’s Gene Therapy Program.  We are purraying that this product will work!

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 10/21

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Happy Wednesday Furiends,

Fall has come in all its glory to our neck of the woods. Oliver loves to sit on the living room window sill and watch the leaves fall and check out what beasts are in the forests, racoons, deer, moose, bear, skuk, even the visiting neighborhood felines hunting mice. A cat never knows what he’ll see down there!

Lily is far less interested in what goes on in the woods and is much more intereted in what’s going on inside the house.

Oliver is struggling during this time of “weight management”. The Human took a seminar on feline obesity and life hasn’t been the same for poor Ollie. He struggles between attempting to squeeze himself in tight places and begging for tuna casserole. Sigh, life is hard for a portly feline.

Gee, Al fits in here just fine.
I swear this bed shrunk in the washer!
Oh come on, just a little bite of tuna casserole won’t set my diet back that far!

Well, that’s the news from our neck of the woods now let’s check out the feline news from around the web.

Cat Cafe opening in Georgetown thanks to local home builder

Stories where you humans go above and beyond to help kitties find furever homes just make my whiskers quiver. And, thanks to Paul Haddix and Haddix Construction the Central Purrk Café will be opening in a few months.

The company is donating their services to help build the interior cat lounge where adoptable cats will recline in fancy modern digs.

Adoptable felines from the Lexington Humane Society and Scott County Humane Society will occupy the cat lounge area of the café.    

Visitors can reserve time in the cat lounge at $12.00 per hour, $6.00 per half hour. The lounge has a “free roam” area where visitors can get know the cats in an environment that is more like a home, allowing the humans to picture the kitties in their own homes.

Central Purrk will also host special events like Yoga with Cats, Trivia Nights, Beer & Wine Tastings, and offer birthday or other party packages. All cats are adoptable directly from the cat café and 100% of the adoption fees go to the respective humane society. Cats will be spayed or neutered, up to date on their vaccines and be microchipped.

Scaredy Cat first horror movie for cats

Temptations, the cat treat company premiered the first ever horror movie for cats last week.

The story is about a kitty who makes his way through a haunted house. While storm rages outside, a ball of yarn leads the cat from room to room with all kinds of scary things around each corner. The kitty finally ends up in the kitchen to face the scariest thing of all…a cucumber!

So have your human break out the Temptation movie treats and watch this together this Halloween.

Behind prison walls, cats and inmates rehabilitate each other through animal care program

We felines don’t care much about your past. We just want you to pet us and love us and feed us. This arrangement works out purrfectly at the Pendleton Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison in Indianapolis.

Six hours every day, seven days a week the handful of men selected for the FORWARD program (Felines and Offenders Rehabilitation with Affection, Reformation and Dedication.) care for more than 20 cats. Those kitties repay the care and housing they receive while they’re prepared for adoption with love and affection for their inmate caretakers. The inmates gain skills such as empathy, responsibility and self-esteem.  Many inmates have said that caring for the cats gives them a reason to get up in the morning. I say this is a purrfect “win-win’ situation!

A tale of two kitties: Blind cat and feline friend win $1500 for local shelter

This is an encouraging tale for all my feline furiends who have challenges. Determined kitties can accomplish great things with the help of their humans. These best furiends, Penelope and Orville just helped their local shelter, Hancock County Humane Society, win $1,500.00, $1,000.99 in cash and $500.00 for food.

Shelter volunteer Kathleen Free wrote the story about Penelope, a kitty born with no eyes, and Orville, the kitten who befriended her and became her “seeing-eye cat. The story won the Clear the Shelters Adoption Story Challenge hosted by The Animal Rescue Site and GreaterGood.org.

 Clear the Shelters Adoption Story Challenge hosted by The Animal Rescue Site and GreaterGood.org. Winners were chosen by online voters.  

The story earned them 6th place and the cash and food for their shelter. Pawsome job pussycats!

Fancy Feast Feline Advent Calendar

Humans, it’s never too early to spoil your felines for the holidays and at this price ($23.00) you can’t afford not to buy it. And since humans like Christmas too, there’s a beautiful kitty ornament included. Don’t wait, go to Chewy and make your felines happy for the holidays.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 10/14

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends,
I hope this Wednesday finds you well. It’s been a bit boring in our neck of the woods and it appears that The Human has taken this lull in the schedule to mock us. Granted, Oliver seems to have received the worst of it. She entered two social media events, #childhoodphotochallenge and #unflatteringcatphotochallenge. I have posted the photos below and will let you be the judge.

Okay, this one isn’t too bad but poor Oliver in the next photo….
Oliver may have lost a large part of his fan base with this pic!

I would suggest to all my furiends that you watch carefully what contests your humans enter you in!

And now, lets see what happened in the feline news world this week.

Shelter cats make themselves at home in library

Sometimes  you’re looking for a book, sometimes you’re looking for a cat and now you don’t have to decide between the two at the Auburn Public Library in Maine due to their cooperation with the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society.  You can find feline’s hanging out in the library’s teen room.  Customers can come in with a 30-minute browsing pass. That gets them in the library for 30 minutes, whether they want to look at books, read the newspaper, visit with the cats and yes, some come specifically to visit with the cats.

Paws Up award by FelineOpines.net for humans who do amazing things for cats

Library staff approached the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society about getting a feline boarder last spring. Employees had returned from their COVID-19 shutdown, but the library was still closed to patrons. A temporary resident cat felt like a good morale booster.

This library receives our Paws Up award for creative thinking and for helping more felines find homes!

Fat Cat Books helps senior cats find homes

 Wow! You humans are really stepping up  your game when it comes to helping felines find their furever homes. The Feline Advocates of Leon County Florida opened a new book store earlier this month called Fat Cat Books.

Paws Up award by FelineOpines.net for humans who do amazing things for cats

The book store is part of Fat Cat Café, also operated by the Feline Advocates of Leon County. Organization leaders say while the café is home to a lot of kittens, the book store is geared toward senior cats.

Eight to ten cats will live inside the store, all of them up for adoption. The book store opened last week has already had three cats find their furever homes.

Another well-earned Paws Up award!

Cat is escorted off train after being caught on board ‘without a ticket’

Evidently, the Chinese take umbrage to a feline hitching a free ride on a train. Humph, I bet this wouldn’t have happened in a cat loving country like Japan!

Cat returned home after four month adventure in Iceland

We felines have a way of getting around and Gunnlaugur is no exception. He lives in the north of Icland in a village called Varmahlio.

Gunnlaugur the cat, who lives in the northern village of Hofsos, was found around 31 miles away in Varmahlio, where locals had posted a picture of him online in hopes of finding his owners.

Gunnlaugur first went missing in June, but his humans said it isn’t unusual for him to disappear for several weeks at a time so it was a while before they figured he was missing.  He had appeared in Vaermahlio and fortunately, someone had seen a Facebook post about the missing feline so they were able to reunite him with his family.

These two villages are abut 50 kilometers apart (about 31 miles) and ther are many lakes and rivers the cat would have had to navigate to get there.

His humans, upon his return home, remarked that he was a bit portly when he left but is now slim and trim and he has returned to his job keeping mice at bay in the stable and enjoying his equine friends.

Cats and their human doubles

You humans have been meowing for years about dogs who resemble their owners but nobody (until photographer Gerrard Gethings began to photograph feines and their look-alike humans.

Gethings first started with a series about dogs that resemble people before he began his feline photography. He does say that shooting cats is more difficult because cat’s (if they deign to come out from under the bed and join you) are easily fed up.

No matter what he had to go through to get these pics, I say they are amazing! Who knew humans could look as good as cats?

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 10/7

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends,
I hope you are having as beautiful a fall season as we are in our neck of the woods. The sun is lovely and The Tribe is enjoying finding all our favorite sunning spots. My favorite is in the bed next to The Human’s desk but often Oliver decides he wants to horn in on my space. Noted below is his sneaky way of stealing my sunny spot. He squeezes in next to me and then begins a campaign of licking me until I get so annoyed I give him the bed. He’s really annoying.

Lily, on the other hand purrfers to find a sunny spot by herself.

The other bit of news is that Oliver is considering changing his look (he’s decided that just being a black and white feline is boring). He presents his new “looks” for your consideration. What do you think?

Enough about Oliver’s identity crisis, it’s time to check out this week’s feline headlines.

Pawprint of Britain shows where most cat lovers live

We know our furiends across the pond love us moggies. And now, whether you live in the UK and want to locate to a cat friendly community or you want to visit in a cat friendly area there is now a cat friendly map of Britain.

The historic naval city of Plymouth beat the seaside town of Brighton to win the title of ‘cat capital’ of Britain. Research discovered that two thirds (66.1 per cent) of people who live in Plymouth are feline aficionados.  Plymouth shares top spot with the cities of Brighton (a close second), Nottingham (third)  and Sheffield (fourth). Southampton, also a seaport was number five.

The list of top 15 UK cities where felines rule is, : 1. Plymouth – 66.1 per cent; 2. Brighton – 66 per cent; 3. Nottingham – 63 per cent; 4. Sheffield – 61 per cent; 5. Southampton – 59 per cent; 6. London – 58 per cent; 7. Norwich – 58 per cent; 8. Manchester – 57 per cent; 9. Bristol – 55 per cent; 10. Birmingham – 55 per cent; 11. Liverpool – 53 per cent; 12. Edinburgh – 53 per cent; 13. Glasgow – 51 per cent; 14. Leeds – 49 per cent; 15. Newcastle – 49 per cent.

Why Do So Many Heavy Metal Fans Love Cats? ROB HALFORD Weighs In

I’d be a lyin’ feline if I said this question hasn’t occurred to me.  There is a whole Pinterest page devoted to heavy metal musicians and their felines.

Judas Priest singer, Rob Halford explained why he likes to blow up social media with pictures of him attired in cat themed t-shirts.  He said, “I think I have about a hundred cat t-shirts now. I used to have a beautiful kitty cat called Ben, who lived a long life.”

Asked his opinion as to why so many heavy metal guys love felines he said,  “They’re beautiful creatures. I think the reason why we like ’em in our metal community is because they’re fiercely independent. You think you know your cat, [but] the cat knows you better than you do. And they’re so full of character and knocking things off the shelf and looking at you as if to say, ‘Look what I can do.’ But I love ’em for that. They’re beautiful creatures,”.

This feline likes the idea of heavy metal cats and says, rock on!   

Purrfect Delivery

If you think your mail carrier has an attitude then you need to meet Eric and Ollie who are deliverers with catitude!

Like the Instagram stars they are, these two Persians wear their uniforms with pride. We asked our Human how she would feel about a feline delivery purrson and she said she thought that would be cool but she’s not so sure she’d feel comfortable that our Chewy order would make it to our house intact.

What do felines and Tesla have in common?

Kettleman City Supercharger is a popular charging spot for Tesla owners … and cats. Fox26 has reported that there are around 60 kitties that live at the Supercharger

Now folks are looking to raise money ($3600.00) to care for these cats and they’re doing it through GoFundMe so the King County Animal Service can for the kittens.  This money will provide care and help prepare the kittens for adoption (.

FURNITURE MEETS CAT LOVERS FOR MODERN DESIGNS THAT HELP YOU PERFECT YOUR WORK-PET BALANCE!

I’ve featured some great human/cat furniture but this desk is my all-time fave! The designer of this desk says that a home should be designed for all it’s inhabitants.  I know our Human would love a desk like this and we bet she’d get her work done much faster!

There’s a lot of pawsome furniture for cats and their humans to share and for cats to use exclusively in this article (some I’ve reported on before).

Walk Through The Web Wednesday..on Thursday 10/01

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello There Furiends,
We’ve managed to get ourselves organized and ready to present this week’s web’s wanderings. The Human has been subjecting us to hard labor. Every time she changes the bedding we have to be there to snoopervise and when she turns the mattress, well that makes the work twice as hard! And there were other menial tasks we were forced to do. Now I ask you, should famous internet feines like us be subjected to such lowly labor??

You weren’t planning on bringing the vacuum monster in here were you?
Well who else was going to keep an eye on the chicken in the crock pot if I don’t do it?

Yes, it’s been a busy week and now it’s time for some good kitty stories.

Why Orange Cats Are Special, According to Science

Well who knew that there was so much scientific information on orange cats? As our Tribe has no orange kitties we’ve never been exposed to any of this info but we do have many orange furiends out there in cyberspace.

Science has determined that orange cats are more affectionate. Some say this is because the orange color is sex linked and there are more male orangies than female and current research states that males are slightly more friendly than females.

In a 1995 study,Pontier et al. that studied the  frequency of the orange gene variant among cat populations indicated that there are numerous traits that separate orange felines from their other colored compadres.

Here are a few of the conclusions from this study:

1. Orange cats are more common in rural (less dense) as opposed to urban environments. This finding suggests that orange cats may enjoy greater reproductive success in particular social conditions.

2. Orange cats are less common in areas with greater mortality risk. This finding indicates that orange cats may be more likely to engage in risky behaviors that result in death.

3. Orange males weigh more than cats of other colors, and orange females weigh less than cats of other colors.

The study indicates that male orange city kitties who are very competitive may heighten their risk of death (e.g., through fights with cats or other animals), thus driving down the proportions of orange cats..

Personality traits attributed to color is not a new idea and students have shown differences between rodents and birds based on their colors.

What do my orange furiends think about all this sciency stuff?  

Viking Cats: The Preferred Pets of the Northmen

A few Wednesdays ago I did a feature on cats in Japanese history and this week I’m bringing you some history of the majestic Viking cat. Yes, the Vikings kept pet cats!

Norse mythology has many tales of cats, the Norse god Freyja drove a chariot pulled by two cats. Those cats are called  ‘gib-cats’ and are depicted as grey or blue in color. The cats were a gift from Thor, and she used them to travel to the funeral of Baldur, her lover.

There’s also the Scandinavian folk tale of a cat that helps a poor man. First the cat wins a castle of silver and gold by tricking a troll – keeping it talking until sunrise when it turned to stone. Then, the cat asks the poor man to cut off its head. Hey, I wouldn’t mind tricking troll to get a castle for The Tribe and our Human to live in!

The ferocious wolf Fenrir is restrained by a chain called Gleipnir, made from six magical ingredients including ‘the sound of a cat walking’. And finally, once of the Frost Giants tricked Thor into trying to lift up a huge cat. When Thor could only lift one paw, the cat was revealed to be the Jormungandr – the mighty serpent that encircles Midgard.

It’s likely that the Vikings played a part in spreading felines around the globe. A study concluded in 2016 analyzed the remains of over 200 cats from 30 different archaeological sites throughout Africa and Eurasia to find out about the history of the domestic cat.

As early humans spread across the globe and started planting crops, these crops would attract vermin such as mice and rats. These vermin then attracted cats, protecting precious crops from being eaten. And, since cats are so loveable and fluffy it didn’t take them long to weasel their way into the hearts and hearths of the humans.

There is no firm data that tells us when cats reached Scandinavia but scientists believe thy were there during the Iron Age. Remains found in a Viking trading port in the Baltic Sea in Northern Germany indicate that cats were providing their valuable services to humans by the Middle Ages.

Cats were welcome on Viking ships as their presence there would ensure that the food supply would be intact and unspoiled by disease bearing vermin.  

Another phenomenon of the ancestors of the Viking felines is their size…they are large! Today’s descendants of the Viking Cats are called the Norwegian Forest Cat and they are quite handsome!

Lewes MP’s cat is in the running to become ‘Purr Minister’
Collar

I do not get into purrlitical stories unless they feature felines and this one does! Collar, a feline who resides at the home of a Member of Parliament, is the running for the award  of  Purr Minister.

MPs and peers will also be putting forward their cats to a public vote for Purr Minister 2020 – the title of the nation’s favorite feline in Westminster.

Collar’s human said, “I think that being a stray, Collar represents exactly what they are all about and I hope that when voting opens to the public people will be able to support Collar to become Purr Minister.”

Each cat-idate in the runninbg has a “manifursto” explaining why they should land the role.

Collar’s “manifursto” says: “Being a stray and someone who didn’t have a home, I searched high and low to find someone to love me, look after me and be my servants. I was lucky as I found a loving home which already had cats so I have allowed them to look after me.”

Kitty see, kitty do: cat imitates human, in first scientific demonstration of behavior

 A feline named Ebisu may be the world’s first literal copycat. Researchers have revealed that the Japanese cat can imitate the actions of her owner under controlled scientific conditions.

The discovery came about unexpectedly. Claudia Fugazza, an ethologist at Eötvös Loránd University, had been studying dog cognition for nearly 10 years using “Do as I do” training. In this method, a researcher first trains a dog or other animal to copy a behavior it already knows—such as rolling over—by saying “Do as I do,” demonstrating the behavior, and then saying “Do it!” The dog is then rewarded for its success. Over time, the animal learns that “Do it!” means “copy me.” The approach can be used to test whether animals can truly imitate—that is, copy actions they have never done before, such as ringing a bell.

Fugazza, met  Fumi Higaki, a dog trainer in Ichinomiya, Japan, who told her that  she had trained one of her cats with the “Do as I do” method. Her cat, an 11-year-old female named Ebisu (after the Japanese god of prosperity) was highly food motivated, making her easy to train. Her owner said“She often snuck into my dog training classes because she knew the people there had good treats,”

Well, if that’s the case, our Oliver should be brilliant at this training!

Higaki showed that Ebisu could copy familiar actions, like opening a plastic drawer and biting a rubber string. Then she asked the cat to imitate two new behaviors. While standing before Ebisu, who sat on a countertop next to a cardboard box, Higaki raised her right hand and touched the box. At other times, she bent down and rubbed her face against the box.

In 16 subsequent trials, Ebisu accurately copied her owner more than 81% of the time.

So there you have it, we felines are capable of waaaay more than some of you humans give us credit for!

Once-abandoned cat with different colored eyes, extra toes becomes Instagram famous

Sansa the Polydactyl Cat — named after the Game of Thrones character Sansa Stark — was adopted by her current owner in 2016 after being abandoned by her previous owner.

This beautiful white kitty with one blue and one green eye has now become an Instagram star with over 23,500 followers. Clearly The Tribe needs to up our game in the Instagram department!

Here eye color condition is called heterochromia and  Sansa  has other challenges, was also born with a seizure disorder called feline hyperesthesia and a congenital physical anomaly called polydactyl that makes her have more toes on her paws.

When her current owners found her in a New York City Petco, Sansa was “dealing with anxiety and heartbreak” from being abandoned. Thank goodness Sansa found a wonderful furever home and she’s now settled in.

Sansa is a loving cat to her humans and has become very social as well. “She sits on our lap on the couch every day and sleeps on the bed with us every night. She seems to know whenever Jack or I aren’t feeling well and will stay right by our sides.”