Hello Furiends, It’s been a hectic week, our Purrsonal Assistant is busy judging the Cat Writer’s Association annual contest (there are a lot of talented humans in that group) and she keeps telling us she’s overwhelmed. I’ve said to her, “Human, your schedule should not affect our weekly postings” but I feel it’s falling on deaf ears. It is for this reason that I’ve had to bypass the news and share a few images with you from recent holidays that we here at Feline Opines like to celebrate.
I hope you enjoy them and celebrated them yourselves. Paws crossed the coming week will allow us to get back to our regular schedule!
Every May 28, National Hamburger Day celebrates America’s most iconic food. Americans eat over 50 billion burgers a year, so it’s only fitting we set aside a whole day for these special sandwiches. Originating in Hamburg, Germany, the hamburger as we know it was developed in Seymour, Wisconsin, a town still famous for its hamburger heroics.
Lily notices that The Human purrfers chardonnay but Lily doesn’t like the smell of any wine. Chardonnay Day was created by Rick Bakas to boost sales in the wine industry after the bank crisis of 2008. It was meticulously slotted around National Wine Day and the Thursday before Memorial Day to keep up the celebratory spirits.
Brother’s Day has been celebrated on May 24 since the year 2005. Although the exact details of the holiday are unknown, it was Alabama-based C. Daniel Rhodes who had first organized the holiday and its proceedings. In some regions, National Brother’s Day is an unofficial holiday. It is not to be confused with National Siblings Day, which takes place in April.
The beginning of the National Polka Festival® in Ennis, Texas began as an idea. Raymond Zapletal, Len Gehrig, and Joe Liska of Ennis had been to other cities and seen the large response to polka bands from the people of Czechoslovakian descent, and they believed the people could be brought to their small town of Ennis for the same reasons. So in 1967, Zapletal, Gehrig, and Liska brought their idea to the Chamber of Commerce manager Jack McKay. If the idea were to succeed, it would require the joint effort of the Chamber and the citizens of Ennis. Jack McKay agreed the idea could greatly benefit Ennis and the Czechoslovakian community in the area, and one of the largest polka festival in the country had its’ beginning. Zapletal, Gehrig, and Liska agreed to take care of getting the bands for Ennis’ fraternal halls and the Chamber agreed in turn to organize the parade and downtown festivities. Within three years the festival was a raging success with as many as 30,000 people attending from all over the country to enjoy music and entertainment at the four halls.
Even though this is a celebration from the Czechoslovakian community, our Purrsonal Assistant is from Germany and has taught us to enjoy polka music too.
We hope you enjoyed some of our favorite holidays and that you will find time to celebrate the ones you like too.
Happy Wednesday Furiends! We’re humming along here in our neck of the woods. The Human is working on editing her first book in her cozy series and Ollie and I are looking forward to her getting that book out so we can be famous. I am looking forward to signing pawtographs.
We have a nice litter box at Feline Opines International Headquarters and Oliver decided he’d like to do a “jungly” photo shoot. He wants to know what you think.
Beware the jungle cat!The wild cat sniffs the air searching for prey.I’m watching you Human!
Neither Lily nor I had the desire to pose for any pictures this week so I’ll move on along to this week’s feline internet news.
Sanjana Gajbhive from Earth.com wrote an article about robots as cat sitters. Noted was a recent research project called Cat Royale which talked about building trust between cats and robots. Now this feline is no fan of machine, I mean the vacuum monster alone is enough to give a feline a nervous breakdown!
Cat Royale, an award-winning research project, resulted from collaboration between University of Nottingham scientists and Blast Theory artists. This project crafted a “multispecies world.” In it, three cats lived with a robotic arm. They coexisted for six hours each day across twelve days. Good grief humans, coexistence is not what we cat’s want, we need pets, headbutts and skritches.
The researchers of this project wanted to find out what influenced feline-robot trust.
Some findings have been that the environment and the role of the humans in that environment were all factors in the cat’s trust of the robot. Well DUH!
“At first glance, the project is about designing a robot to enrich the lives of a family of cats by playing with them,” said Professor Steve Benford, who led the research. “Under the surface, however, it explores the question of what it takes to trust a robot to look after our loved ones and potentially ourselves.”
The robotic arm at the heart of Cat Royale engaged the feline participants through a variety of playful interactions, including dragging a toy mouse, dangling a feather “bird,” and dispensing treats. An integrated AI system observed the cats’ reactions, learning their preferences and tailoring play sessions accordingly. They designed an environment that was pleasing to the cats.
The researcher’s goal is to create a multi’species system but this cat would ask, what about the human/animal bond? Our Human spent quite a bit of time studying this and she too is a bit skeptical about this.
At least the researcher’s did acknowledge the importance of human involvement in areas like breakdown recovery, animal welfare, and audience engagement. In other words, even in a world of advanced robots, the human touch remains essential. Well, there you go!
Their conclusion is that if you humans want robots to take care of your felines, you’d have to give your home a robot friendly makeover and that you humans have to understand that even the most advanced robot can’t replace the warmth and understanding of a human caregiver. I have three words for all the humans out there-HUMAN-CAT-SITTER.
A recent report from a German pet trade and industry association, revealed that Germans love their pets. Well, our Human is German and she can attest to that! In 2023, 34.3 million dogs, cats, small animals and pet birds lived in German households. There were also numerous animals in terrariums and ornamental fish in aquariums and garden ponds.
According to a market research survey from Skopos done for the Pet Supplies Industry Association 45% of German households have pets.
Felines are still Germany’s number one pet: a total of 15.7 million of them lived in 25% of German households in 2023. In 42% of all cat-owning households there were two or more cats at home.
The head of the market research team said,” We are all the more pleased that the total number of pets kept in households in Germany has remained stable at a high level over the past few years.” I would say they should be pleased that the vast majority of German households are cat lovers!
Sophie Roberts, Lifestyle and Travel Editor for Mirror UK reported on the lack of enthusiasm one cat had regarding the Northern Lights as one man’s cat was photographed with the colorful sky as a background and looking completely unimpressed.
I don’t know what the sky was like in your neck of the woods but it was pretty amazing here. Still, not amazing enough for the Tribe to remove ourselves from the bed and do any sky gazing.
This is how one guy described his cat’s reaction on X: “My cat just experienced the aurora borealis – one of the world’s most radiant natural phenomena – and she doesn’t care.”
His post went viral getting got more than 1.7 million views.
In a Newsweek article this week, a couple who thought they had a broken Roomba discovered their cats were the culprits.
Their cat Winnie became a media star when her human shared a video of her on TikTok. The video shows clearly that the Roomba wasn’t broken, only “detained” by Winnie’s actions.
Some people think Winnie was playing with the Roomba. This feline believes that Winnie was protecting the other cats in the household by keeping the dreaded vacuum monster away from them. Go Winnie!
“Hey neighbors, it’s me, Oliver, in the window. Tell your dog to shut up!”
Reddit users have weighed in on the letter, which asks the homeowner to “please keep your cats out of the window”. Oh my whiskers, the hubris!
A Reddit user shared a letter sent by a neighbor requesting the poster keep their cats “out of the window,” as the cats are causing the neighbor’s dog to bark.Seriously??!!
In a post shared to Reddit, the cat owner wrote, “I own my own home, and I have three cats (plus two new babies I found outside). Two of them love to sit in the window when it’s nice out. They do nothing but sleep. We keep the windows open as we don’t have AC yet.”
But evidently the cats’ habit of sunning in the window inflamed the neighbor who sent a letter reading: “Hey neighbor! Can you please keep your cats out of the window? They are causing my dog to sit in the window and bark all day long. I work from home, so this is very difficult. Thanks.”
What would say to a neighbor who asked your human to keep you out of the window?
This week’s video “pick of the litter”
There are so many human social media influencers. This feline influencer, Uno the Orange cat, is teaching cats how to live the Vida Loca. It should be a must watch for every feline.
Hello Furiends! Spring is here in our neck of the woods and we’re very happy about that. In our r staff meeting this week I was reminded by Lily and Oliver that we have been negligent in celebrating some of the unusual and wonderful holidays that many observe. We decided we’d share a few of them with you this week.
National Train Day is celebrated on May 11 of this year. If you are a train aficionado learn more by clicking here.
Lily (and the hamster) were a bit confused by National Hamster Day, which began in 2012, by hamster loving folks who wanted to give these pint sized pets their own day.
Better sleep month is one of Oliver’s favorite holidays (next to Eat What You Want Day). Yes, it is a holiday and there’s a Better Sleep Council that can provide information about how you and your humans can get more Z’s. Oliver and Alberto each have their own take on this holiday.
We’ve got lots more interesting and unusual holidays to share with you in the future. In the meantime we invite you to enjoy this week’s feline related news items.
The Human says she’s never lived with a ginger cat and thought I should feature this article by BBC news since she sees lots of ginger cat memes across her social media feed. After she assured me that this was not a set up for bringing another cat into the house, I agreed to include this article.
Roger Tabor, an English biologist and cat behavior expert says “”archetypal ‘big old ginger tom’ is the classic cat next door” and their behaviour could be down to the Vikings.”
He said that “the scientific consensus has been there are some breed temperament differences, such as lively Burmese or placid Persians, but not differences on colour,” he said.
“However, studies of owners’ perceptions tell a different story, with calico and grey cats being ‘aloof’ and the ginger cat being seen as ‘friendlier and more affectionate’.”
“Measurements have also shown that generally male ginger toms are heavier than most cats of other colours.”
The article then featured some ginger cats to give the reader some insight into their purrsonalities.
Henry the hospital worker
Ginger tom Henry works with staff and patients at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.
Although he has a home near the hospital, he likes to wander the corridors and food hall, receiving pets and attention . His presence is credited with calming staff and patients and he has won the acceptance of the hospital staff over the years.
Nala the stationmaster
Nala likes the business of the Stevenage railway station in Hertfordshire where he greets commuters. Like Henry, Nala seems more than happy spending his days with the public,perched on top of ticket machines.
Ernie the artful burglar
Sydney Reid, owner of ginger Ernie, in Cambridgeshire, England describes Ernie this way, “Ernie is a total menace, we’ve had a pure white, a pure black, a tabby, a tuxedo – and Ernie – and he’s the only one to cause such problems within the neighborhood – what is it about ginger cats?” she said. Ernie has put on quite a bit of weight due to his “breaking and entering” of neighbor’s homes to steal food. Ernie’s human said, “We once had a neighbor knock on our door to let us know he’d taken an entire resting roast chicken off her kitchen side and out her kitchen window.”
The trolley tomcats
Gingers seem to be adept at finding places where they can find food and company. These gingers like to hang out at supermarkets. Pumpkin ignored staff who tried to “ban” him from his local Tesco branch near Norwich. In Ely, Cambridgeshire, Garfield became so popular with Sainsbury’s shoppers that after his death a eulogy was held at the city’s cathedral and a brass monument erected in his memory.
The busy bookworms
Three-legged ginger tom Jasper rose to fame in 2017 after his owner started taking him to work at the University of Cambridge’s Marshall Library of Economics.
“Tea with Jasper” events were popular with students who credited meeting the cat as helping reduce exam stress. They are still holding “Meet Jaspar” events.
The the University of East Anglia in Norwich has its own ginger bookworm, Sylvester.
Sylvester tours the campus grounds and buildings and attends lectures or takes a nap on the library information desk. He has his own Facebook group where students and staff proudly post photographs of their encounters with him.
‘A Viking disposition’
We realize Oliver isn’t a ginger but he insisted we use this photo from a previous blog post.
Cat expert Mr. Tabor says that the friendliness and confidence of gingers could be one of the reasons cats were so popular with the Vikings.
Neil B Todd mapped the presence of the feline ginger gene in places where Viking settlements were located in the Scientific American almost 50 years ago. His belief was that the Vikings carried ginger cats from Turkey and around the Black Sea to Scandanavia and Britain. He found that the city of York, once a Viking community, still has a higher population of gingers than London. He thought it might have been the cat’s distinctive fur or the friendly, less fearful demeanor of the ginger that attracted them. “Ginger cats themselves could be said to have a Viking disposition, friendly to people they get on with, but fierce with opponent tom cats.”
Although I feel we felines get a bad rap as regards our affection for our humans, I decided to include this article by Scott Travers so you more insecure humans could have some reassurance that we do love you. Here are some ways we show you our love.
1. We ‘Slow Blink’ At You
Some people call this the cat kiss. Slow blinks begin with some half blinks and then usually followed with more4 prolonged blinks or even closing of the eyes. Scientific research has shown that these are not random blinks, but are an intentional way we felines communicate. When we slow blink we are showing contentment and comfort. Research has also shown the cats will often slow blink in response to a slow blink from their humans and they will also be more likely to approach someone who slow blinks at them. Try this out. Sit with your feline and tell them what a good cat they are, slow blink a little and see how your feline responds.
2. Their Tail Is Up Around You
Cats use many forms of body language to communicate with each other. The tail up display is a signal of friendliness when cats are interacting with each other. Kittens will often raise their tails when greeting their mother.
There is a hierarchy in tail-up communication; lower-ranking cats are more likely to use this posture, while high-ranking individuals receive it more frequently. This insinuates that the tail-up display can be a sign of acknowledging the higher social status of the other cat.
When the tail up behavior is used with humans it indicates they feel the human is important and may indicate that they see the human as a parent or friend. It means the cat is comfortable around you and trusts you.
3. They ‘Talk’ To You
Research has suggested that meowing is a more neutral or negative communication. Cats are believed to have the most extensive vocal repertoires of all carnivores. Outside of meowing, the researchers found other forms of feline vocalization to be more strongly indicative of affection or happiness such as trilling which sounds like a meow and purr combined. Cats will trill to greet or to get attention. They will often trill see a human they are bonded with or when they are excited (like when the human opens the pantry and reaches for the treats)
Chatter is another feline verbalization. It’s created by rapid movements of the jaw and a series of quick staccato sounds. Cats chatter when they watch birds or other prey animals through a window or screen. Chatter indicates the cat is highly engaged and excited to interact with you or something in their environment.
Then there is the purr which is probably the most recognized sign of a happy feline. And although it is recognized as a sign that the cat feeling comfort, safety and happiness. It can also be a sign that cats are nervous (I have been known to purr at the vet’s office). But when we felines purr around you, we are saying, “I love you human.”
I am not a feline that believes in star charts, tarot cards or other mystical things but I did find this article by Angela Vuckovic about cat paw reading interesting.
She writes that this paw reading phenomenon had it’s origin in Japan and as my regular readers know, I have featured many cat focused articles from the feline-loving folks in Japan. And the newest feline frenzy in Japan is paw reading.
It’s called “Nekteso”, which essentially means the art of reading cat paws. It began with a cat loving fortune teller named Mr. Akatsuki, presented his observations about the link between paw shapes and personalities in cats. Nothing in the article said this was reliable but it’s an interesting concept. Mr. Akatsuki is so enthused about his paw reading work that he wrote a book with paw reading instructions. He says there are five main types of cat personalities, with 13 sub-types, all determined by the slight differences in their toe beans.
Type A Cat (Heart-shaped middle toe bean)
These are the cuddlebugs of the feline world. They are friendly and love to snuggle with their humans or other animal friends. They are also believers that food is love.
Type B Cat (Rounded middle toe bean)
Theses felines are adventurous and social and function well in a multi-cat household.
Type C Cat (Flat-topped middle toe bean with two side bulges)
Type C cats are quiet and solitary. Their preference is to be the only pet in the household. They are wary of strangers but are calm and dignified which makes them great meowdels for your social media posts.
Type D Cat (Similar to C type, but less pronounced)
These cats are not known for their big personalities and are more aloof. They don’t show interest in many things and will only tolerate the humans they have deemed worthy of their presence.
Type E Cat (Toe beans form a triangle)
According to Mr. Akatsuki, these cats are crazy and you’ll be lucky if you get a chance to take a close look at their toe beans (hmm, sounds like our very own “Princess Stabby Toes” Lily).
The Human is determined to get a close look at our toe beans and I’ll report her findings in a future column.
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