Hello there furiends!
We realize we are publishing this on Thursday and not Wednesday. I could tell you why this happened but better that I just continue on with the post.

We live in a place that isn’t known for it’s heat but we do have a week or two in the summer when it’s in the high 90s or low 100s. This was the week. Meowza was it hot! but we muddled through and managed to have a good week anyway. I know many of my furiends are experiencing heat so remind your humans to keep your water bowls filled and for heaven sake, find a cool spot in front of a fan or an air conditioning vent (we don’t have air conditioning in our neck of the woods) and keep a low profile until it gets cooler!

Here’s a glimpse of our week.

WOMAN RESCUES NEIGHBOR’S ESCAPED CAT BY USING HER OWN KITTY AS A LURE!

I know many of you humans know the sheer panic felt when one of your feline friends escapes from the house. This story posted by tag24 documents which came from TIkTok user @sayhitomylittlefriends documents the feline “rescue” event.

The video shows two cats, one that is outside and another at an open window who seems to be getting ready to escape too. The TikTok user approaches the first cat, attempting to get it back inside it’s house, saying, “Oh my God, get inside. Get in your house.”

While neither of the cats pay attention to the distraught woman, a third cat appears on the scene, and the chaos seems to escalate but then disaster is avoided. This cat is the woman’s feline named  Jerry.

Jerry’s timely intervention proves to be what was needed as he helps to lure the curious escapee back to safety.

Scientists pinpoint strategies that could stop cats from scratching your furniture

If your humans are meowing about you scratching their furniture, you may want to tell them to read this article I found in Eurekalert.org. This international team of reseachers studied what the factors are that cause us to use your furniture as scratching posts and pubished those findings in Frontiers in Veterinary Science.

The researchers asked more than 1,200 cat owners in France about the daily lives and characteristics of their felines and any undesired scratching behaviors. The study’s funder, Ceva Santé Animale, helped with collecting this data.

The researchers’ results indicated that there are several factors that influence cats’ scratching behavior. “We see a clear link between certain environmental and behavioral factors and increased scratching behavior in cats,” Salgirli Demirbas explained. “Specifically, the presence of children in the home as well as high levels of play and nocturnal activity significantly contribute to increased scratching. Cats described as aggressive or disruptive also exhibited higher levels of scratching.”

While some factors that favor scratching – such as the cat’s personality or the presence of children – cannot be changed, there are ways to stop or mitigate the scratching. Placing scratching posts in areas the cat frequently passes or near to their preferred resting spot helps as does the use of pheromones. The Human uses Feliway for multicat homes to keep us calm.  

“Providing safe hiding places, elevated observation spots, and ample play opportunities can also help alleviate stress and engage the cat in more constructive activities,” Salgirli Demirbas pointed out. The key is to establish multiple short play sessions that mimic successful hunting scenarios. These play sessions are more likely to sustain cats’ interest and reduce stress, which ultimately can reduce excessive scratching on furniture. They can also foster the bond between cats and their caretakers, the researchers said.

“Understanding the underlying emotional motivations of scratching behavior, such as frustration, which seem to be linked to personality traits and environmental factors, allows caregivers to address these issues directly,” said Salgirli Demirbas. There will be future research on this issue with the goal  to develop more effective strategies to manage this behavior, ultimately enhancing the bond and harmony between cats and their caregivers.

Cat-themed Telegram game teams up with millions of community players to rescue stray cats

GameFi, the combination of gaming and decentralized finance, has soared in popularity, particularly for its play-to-earn (P2E) model, which enables players to gain real-world value. Now mind you, this feline has absolutely no knowledge about this, nor does The Human.

What we did find interesting is a gaming bot called Catizen. It’s on the cloud-based messaging app Telegram (we do know what that is), According to the company, “Catizen provides players with a virtual environment where they can experience relaxation and comfort away from the fast-paced and stressful crypto and gaming world. While players have a pleasant time with the easy-to-play and quickly-learned game structure, they also benefit from P2E game dynamics.” (And I only understood about half of that)

Within the whimsical Meowverse, players start with a digital cat, which not only serves as their companion but also unlocks further game features and opportunities for rewards. Users can merge and enhance their cats, climb the leaderboards, and reap greater benefits as they progress.

The platform also hosts a cute artificial intelligence game called Al Kitty. Users can feed kitties, take care of them, raise kittens and help cats make friends. Younger players can especially accompany the cats’ growth and learn from them.

Catizen, generates revenue through in-game purchases. What we found interesting is that Catizen has community-driven initiatives that appear to be making a tangible difference in the non-profit sphere. With over 1.7 million players, nearly 1.25 million onchain users and over $10 million in-game purchase revenue generated in ten weeks, Catizen pledges 1% of in-game purchase revenue to nonprofits, letting the community vote on the beneficiaries. Catizen plans to continue this journey with its community by launching charity campaigns.

Catizen also encourages users to share stories of saving stray cats which creates a sense of unity and purpose. Participants can post images, videos or text on Twitter or Telegram using their Catizen UID. Community members shared over 10,000 posts about their stories and past experiences with stray cats in just one week, highlighting their active participation. Catizen plans to launch voting for nonprofit institutions, where the community will choose which organizations to support.

I think this is a great idea. If you’re going to play a game that offers in-app purchases why not one that donates money to save cats?

How a cat named Bootsy turned a street of strangers into a community

This story, written by Mike Hohnen for the Guardian, who is the human who lives with Bootsy the cat is heartwarming. The author says that Bootsy had a problem with minding other people’s boundaries, sometimes helping himself to whatever was on the table in someone else’s  house for instance. This is why he assumed the worst when he received a call from someone who phoned him about Bootsy.

This was no complaint though. The caller wanted to let Mike know Bootsy was sleeping on a chair in her back yard and just wanted him to know where the feline was.  He went to meet the neighbor and there began a friendship that transformed a neighborhood in Sydney, Australia.

This story in it’s entirety is a delightful read and today, four years after that phone call,  Bootsy wanders off to the 87 year old neighbor Enid’s house when Mike goes to work, returning to his home in the afternoon.  Bootsy’s visits have become an important part of Enid’s daily routine.

And Enid isn’t the only human who knows and loves Bootsy. Bootsy can be seen accompanying Enid down the neighborhood streets neighbors stop to greet them both. And through Bootsy’s friendship with Enid, friendships grew between humans in the neighborhood as well.

This is a happy tale of how one feline brought an entire neighborhood together. His human says that Bootsy has shown them the way towards community – and there’s no going back for any of them. Be sure and click on the link and read the whole heart-warming story.

This cat HATES optical illusions.