Well hello there furiends,
It’s the fist day of September and it’s a lovely fall day in our neck of the woods. It’s been a strange couple of months. We went from telling The Human, “Move the fan closer to me” to “Put another blanket on the bed!” But it is beautiful now and we are thankful that the awful heat is gone. Many of the fires around us are mostly contained although our beautiful forests are still burning. We also remember our furiends in Canada and Califirnia who are besieged by fires too.

Things were fairly uneventful this week except for…..THE INCIDENT! Oliver, Lily and I were sitting in the window sill awaiting The Human’s arrival from that place called “work” and much to our dismay we spied an interloper in the front garden. To add insult to injury, The Human, upon arriving home and spying said interloper, walked over and had a bit of a conversation with the trespassing Tabby. The cat meowed with her for a while, then turned and used the driftwood as a scratching post and headed home. Such hubris!

• 

• 

Each of us had our own reaction to this betrayal.

• 

• 

• 

I think you humans should consider the effect your random encounters with other animals has on us.

Finally, I wanted to share this exciting piece of news with you. I know times have been hard for our humans with the business shutdowns and many of our humans out of work. I am happy to report that there is finally an opportunity for felines to help contribute to the family income. You’re welcome.

10 of the best days out for cats and cat-lovers in the UK

This one’s for all my moggie furiends in the UK or for those of you who will be there visiting.Here are ten pawsome places to visit.

Maison de Moggy, Edinburgh
This is Scotland’s first cat café and is home to 12 cats and is one of the only cat café’s in the world to have a Sphynx cat. Everything is designed for the comfort  and entertainment of the felines. Visitors can can have tea and homemade cakes (good vegan and GF options) while visiting with the feline residents. A cat nanny is on duty at all times. Reservations are required.

Strattons, Norfolk
This is a family-run boutique hotel  that offers not only lodging but  a restaurant, deli and lifestyle shop, and is home to Bert and Mr B, two felines who can usually be found snoozing in the lounge, or sunning themselves in the gardens outside. All 14 bedrooms have their own eclectic style.

Louis Wain collection, Kent
The collelction of Louis Wain’s famous cat art is located in Beckenham in the Bethlem Museum of the Mind. .  There are 55 works on display. Louis Wain will become even more famous as  Benedict Cumberbatch will be playing him in a biography still to be released.

The Wildcat Trail, Cairngorms 
If you purrfur to walk on the wild side, then this is the place for yuu.  There are just a few thousand wildcats still prowling the Scottish countryside and you might just spot one here. If you’re not willing to take your chances with our wild feline relatives, then the Wildcat Experience in the village of Newtonmore is a bit more tame.  There are 132 painted models of wildcats dotted around gardens, on roofs and in trees – with certificates given to children who spot more than 25.

Summer Lodge Hotel, Dorset
This is the place to go if you and your feline like to travel.   There is  a dedicated pet concierge to look ensure every cat’s stay is purrfect.. This beautiful  country house hotel  has lovely gardens (a nice place to stroll with a harness and leash) and the rooms have a pet food and water stations as well as cat beds and treats. This is a great place for people and pets to be pampered.

Hello Kitty Secret Garden, East Sussex 
Every young cat lover should visit here. The gardens are in, Drusillas Park  which features Europe’s first Hello Kitty attraction, with three gentle rides and a Hello Kitty house. The zoo is also home to servals and meerkats (don’t be fooled these are NOT certified felines but are in the mongoose family but they’re cute and the meerkat experience is fun.

Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium, London 
This isThe UK’s oldest cat café. The friendly feine residents roam freely and love to greet guests. There are climbning trees, shelves and other feline furniture but also comfy seating for humans.  Visits are pre-booked in 90-minute slots, with classic tea and cake available as well as sandwiches and alcoholic drinks. Children must be over 12.

Hazlitts, London  
If you book space in this boutique hotel you can curl up with a book…and a cat in the hotel lounge. Sir Godfrey is the resident cat – a friendly ginger fellow who’s called the place home for nine years, he is very much in charge (as it should be). This cozy spot will warm your heart and what could be a better evening entertainment than  gin and tonics with Sir Godfrey in the library?  

The Cat Gallery, York 
Three cheers for the  city of York with a cat-themed shop and walking trail that takes you by the city’s stone and sculpture cats. The Cat Gallery (thecatgallery.co.uk) sells everything from hoodies, bags and homewares to toys and bowls, feeding mats, collars and calming sprays.

Tiggers Cottage, Berkshire   
Here’s a another delightful cat-friendly place to stay. Tiggers cottage is a beautiful  tudor building. You can explore this part of the Thames on the pathway or rent a boat. (Note, un less you’re traveling with a water loving adventure feline, maybe let the cat stay at the hotel). Across the river is Cookham, where the artist Stanley Spencer once lived.   

Meet the evacu-cats: Readers share pictures of feline flights from Hurricane Ida

Hurricane snacks, full tank of gas, important documents, angrily meowing cat— all the important essentials you need when you’re fleeing a hurricane.  

Thank goodness the humans make sure their kitties are with them when they leave for safety but the kitties are less than enthused about the road trip. You can see some of the heartwarming (and hilarious) photos in this article and you can also find travel tips from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Humane Society of the United States and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Tips for evacuation

-Make sure your feline is microchipped and wearing a collar with an ID tag (that has your cell number on it)

-Have your cat in a harness with a leash whenever he/she is in the car

-Don’t let your cat roam in the vehicle. Cats are safest in a crate anchored by a seat belt.

-Always put us in the back seat, even when we’re in our carriers. We can be injured in the front seat if the air bag is deployed. -Never let a pet ride in the back of an open pickup truck.

-Keep our heads inside the car

-Make frequent stops and present the litter box to your kitty.  

We hope none of you ever have to evacuate from your home and we are purraying that all our furiends in the path of Ida are safe.

Cat shows began in the UK in 1871, with proud cat owners grabbing the chance to show off their perfect pets.

• 

• 

• 

The first cat show took place in Crystal Palace, south-east London, in 1871 and the LondonCats Worldwide (LCWW) 150th anniversary celebration show took place. With two days and 200 competitors .

There were five competition classes: kittens, cats, alters (cats that have been neutered or spayed), household pets and household pet kittens (so there you go, you don’t have to be a fancy breed of feline to be entered in shows).

This show is because a man named Harrison Weir, put on that first show in 1871. Weir, an artist, cat lover and illustrator, conceived the idea of a fancy – a Victorian term for an animal competition, which is still in use today – at which cats of different breeds could be judged according to a set of standards. Fancy and non-fancy (non-pedigree) cats were categorised by length of fur, colour and shape. Many of the rules that Weir – known posthumously as “the father of the cat fancy” – set out are still largely upheld today.

That first 2-day event attracted 20,000 spectators and had 170 feline competitors.  This was the first time a Siamese appeared in a British show.  The second show, in 1871 introduced a category for “the working man’s cat”. Now I’m not sure what they considered a “working man’s cat”but I’m guessing it’s a feline without a fancy bloodline and pedigree.  Eventually the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF), was created. This is the organization which hosts cats shows and registers breeds to this day.

There was a brief hiatus during the two world wars but otherwise, these shows have been going strong.

Weir founded cat fancies “so that the different breeds, colours, markings etc might be more carefully attended to and the domestic cat sitting in front of the fire would then possess a beauty and an attractiveness to its owner unobserved and unknown because [it was] uncultivated before”. But he came to regret his creation. In 1892, Weir was unhappy with the way the National Cat Club changed, stating: “I found the principal idea of many of its members consisted not so much in promoting the welfare of the cat as of winning prizes.”

If you’ve ever been to a cat show full of primped, pampered, cosseted cats and their human attendants you might think that in ancient times, people  worshiped cats and it seems like things haven’t really changed!

‘Mission mainland’: 200 adoptable cats, kittens to fly from Hawaii to Seattle

Nearly 200 cats and kittens from the island of Kauai were ready to say “aloha” to new lives in Washington and beyond.

With the help of the nonprofit Wings of Rescue and jet charter Evojets, the Kauai Humane Society (KHS) piloted its first “Mission Mainland” flight from the island to Seattle with 200 adoptable cats and kittens onboard.

The shelter, which has accepted over 700 neonatal kittens this year alone is currently above capacity,and is  hoping to alleviate overcrowding and rehome some of the 400 cats currently in its care on the mainland.

“With the limited resident population in Kauai we must look beyond our island for positive outcomes for our animals,” KHS Executive Director Nicole Crane said in a new release Monday. “Shelters are stressful places for animals that are waiting to find comfort in their new and loving homes.”

A full list of the adoptable felines was posted and they are working hard to find furever homes .

This isn’t the first time four-legged friends have come across the Pacific in search of their forever homes: over 600 pets arrived at Boeing Field from Hawaii last October as a result of overcrowded shelters amid the pandemic. The operation was one of the largest animal rescue flights in history, and the pets were rehomed throughout the Pacific Northwest and Canada.

I love it when you humans get creative in finding furever homes for us!

Arnold, the purr-fect police officer

Meet Arnold, the newest New Zealand police pawficer. The Facebook announcement of Arnold’s hiring said, “Arnold’s trainer (whose identity we have to keep top-secret) has trained him to do all kinds of special tricks – he can even jump through hoops!,” police said.

“We hope his training video helps spread a bit of cheer and leaves you and your family feline a little better this lockdown (and yes, this was filmed before Alert Level 4).”

The video shows him doing tricks and even going on a bit of a bush search mission – well, for a lost sunglasses case, anyway.

The police are hoping to post more videos of Arnold in the coming weeks with Super Secret Agent Arnold.