Oliver Opines on Creation, Fireplaces and other Feline Stuff on Friday Fill Ins 117

Hey Furiends,
It’s Friday! Now I know that this day is one of great delight to humans who leave their felines at home and go to that place called “work” but for us cats, it’s just another day, As far as we are concerned, every day is Caturday.  I’m doing this week’s fill ins and I hope you enjoy my answers. You can purrticipate by heading over to the hosts, 15andmeowing or Four Legged Fur Balls and join the blog hop. You are always welcome to opine about your fill in answers in the comment section of this blog post too.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
black and white cat Oliver

This Week’s Questions:

1. I have faith in ________________.
2. Yesterday, I ____________________.
3. My favorite place to be is _________.
4. If I was granted one wish, it would be _________.

Here Are My Answers:

1. I have faith in God.  He created all the animals and I think He did a heck of a good job of it. I mean, look at me. As I said in our book about Psalm 104:24-25:

“God did indeed create a variety of creatures and every morning when the female human fills the bird feeder, I see them, large and small. I wonder if all kitties get to see so much of God’s creation. Do you humans appreciate God’s creation as much as I do? Maybe you need to find a wide window ledge to stretch out on and enjoy the wonder of what God has made.”

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2. Yesterday, I spent a great deal of time attending to my luxurious and immaculately white fur. Looking this good takes a lot of work!
black and white cat cleans his fur
3. My favorite place to be is anywhere there is sun or warmth. Even in the summer I like to find a warm, sunny spot.
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4. If I was granted one wish, it would be that every kitty would find a furever home! Alberto and I as well as the rest of The Tribe were adopted. These are our kitten pictures from our Adopt a Cat Month post. 
June is adopt a cat month, black and white and siamese kitteen

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 8/1

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends,
It’s time to meander down the Internet Highway and see what fabulous feline news is out there. I hope you enjoy this week’s stories.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

London’s Catfest, London’s Answer to CatCon – Katzenworld

catfest-London

I have reported on CatCon, a truly fabulous feline festival and now those moggy-loving humans across the pond are giving CatCon a run for it’s money.  The promo says that CatFest will bring stylish buzz-worthy cat products, inspiring talks, books & art, music, fancy dress (that’s what the folks across the pond call “costumes”) vegan street food, cat-themed cakes and cocktails..all while helping cats in need. Meowza! Those folks know how img_2054to throw a purrfectly fabulous pawty! While The Female Human was oohing and aahing over the cat related jewelry and clothing, The Male Human decided the “Howler” cat house that looks like an amp is the cat’s meow. And since my brother Oliver and I are quite mewsical and especially enjoy the days The Male Human changes his guitar strings, we think this would be a purrfect addition to our house!

 

 

17 Cat Owners Who Set The Bar Extremely High – Buzzfeed

InteriorDesigner

Every one of my feline furiends must insist their humans read this article! The Tribe of Five  can’t decide which we like the best. I am purrsonally fond of the human who hired an interior designer to create cat space for his felines. Lily loves the built in catio (we have a pop up tent thingy but it doesn’t hold a candle to this amazing space). Oliver thinks the birthday pawties are nice as does Tucker (anything that includes food is top on the list for those two). Jasmine thinks the tent and tablet is the least humans can do for their felines in residence! What’s your favorite?

Missing Pet Parakeet Rescued By Neighbor’s Cat – US Magazine

cat and parakeet

Now I will be the first feline to give credit where credit is due but methinks making this cat a rescuer might be stretching the truth a tad. While it’s true that Rosie Bloom, a little budgie had been missing for 7 weeks, the fact that 7-month old feline Bear showed up with said budgie in his mouth could not be strictly described as a rescue. You see, our furiend Bear,, who lives about a mile away from the Budgie and her humans, is in the habit of delivering mice and other birds to his family. Fortunately, for all involved, the screaming budgie was removed from Bear’s mouth and eventually found her way home via a Facebook post. Hero or not, Bear did perpetrate the rescue of this feathered friend and everyone lived happily ever after. The end.

It Turns Our Cats And Dogs Get Along Fine – Mother Nature Network

cat and dog cuddling

Finally after years of us felines getting a bad rap about our ability to coexist with canines, the truth comes out. A new study in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior — one that uniquely looks at the relationship between cats and dogs sharing the same home — suggests we get along just fine. The researchers surveyed 748 households with canines and felines.  These homes were located all over the world in places like the good old U.S of A, Europe, Australia and more. Over 80% of those folks said that the inter-species relationships were just fine.  And how many said that there were relationship issues in their homes, only 3%. So folks if you’ve been wanting to adopt a dog to add to your feline household or a cat to add to your canine household, get to the shelter and do it now!

Reading Program Lowers Anxiety Within Cats, Kids – KFox14

child reads to shelter cat

I’ve heard a lot about great programs where little humans go to libraries or shelters and read to dogs. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think this is a noble and pawsome thing to do (they do it at our local shelter too), but I’ve had my whiskers in a bit of a twist because I never heard or read anything about the benefits of little humans reading to shelter cats. Until now that is.  This program doesn’t just improve social skills for the little humans but for the felines as well. It also helps to calm cats and help relieve the stress they feel because shelters can be stressful places. Does your shelter have a program to read to cats? Tell us about it! If you don’t and want to learn more, check out El Paso Animal Services Facebook page.

 

 

Lily Opines on Friendly Fill Ins 7/27

Hi There Furiends,
Lily here. It’s my turn to opine on the Friday Fill ins. The Female Human (also referred to img_4850as our “purrsonal assistant”) asked me to send her apologies in not transcribing our responses to your comments on our blog this week. Jasmine had to go to  emergency in the place of the white coats Saturday night and only came home Wednesday. She’s been on a special diet, antibiotics and pain killers for a few days and is finally beginning to feel better but the Female Human has been playing “nurse”.  This is Jasmine a few days ago, she’s looking much better now and beginning to act like her old diva self.

Things are getting back to normal and we’ll be having our assistant transcribing our responses soon! As always, you can hop on over to the hosts of this blog hop at 15andmeowing or Four-Legged Furballs. And of course, you are always welcome to opine about  your fill in answers in the comment section of this post.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
LilyLogo

This Week’s Fill Ins

1. I deserve a gold star for _________________ today.

2. Right now, I am loving _____________.

3. The best advice I’ve ever been given is _________.

4. If I had to choose a new first name, it would be _________.

My Answers:

1. I deserve a gold star for not licking the butter the Female Human left out on the counter today. I eyed it for quite a while but I restrained myself.

I'm eyeing the butter but I've decided to be a good cat.

Lily

2. Right now, I am loving  the summer weather and sitting on the window ledge at the stairs watching the local wildlife come to our little waterfall to drink and take a bath.
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3. The best advice I’ve ever been given is when you’re an adopted kitty, find another feline in the Tribe that can be your cuddle buddy. Tucker is my cuddle buddy.
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4. If I had to choose a new first name, it would be Your Royal Highness, Your Majesty or Queen of the Universe, any of these would be acceptable .
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Walk Through the Web Wednesday 7/25

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends,
It’s time to take a stroll along the information highway to see what new and unusual feline news items are out there. I hope you enjoy this week’s finds.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

What Do Cats Dream About? – Mother Nature Network

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As you humans know, we felines sleep a lot and I know I’ve heard my humans say, “I wonder what they dream about.”  Well. did you know that we felines have REM (rapid eye movement) sleep just like you humans? In the 1960’s sleep researcher Michel Jouvet studied sleep in cats. A veterinary neurologist, Adriann Morrison has written a review of this research.

As we felines sleep about 15 hours per day I’d say it’s a good idea to study an activity we are so committed to! Have you ever looked at your feline in residence and wondered iof they were asleep or awake? Turns out that we can slide effortlessly into rest and sleep. And we cats can have nightmares but it’s recommended not to wake us up or you may suffer the consequences! There’s lots of good stuff about what happens when we felines sleep and how we sleep so check out this article.

There’s A Really Weird Link Between Cats And Entrepreneurs – Science Alert

cat on smart phone with coffee

Our Feline Human refers to herself as a “serial entrepreneur” and she’s had cats living with her all her life so I’m thinking this theory may make some sense. The article begins with this statement, “A protozoan parasite found in cats could be having a rather odd effect on the brains of humans it infects, which under the right circumstances just might turn them into the next Elon Musk.” Hah, if only. Our Female Human might be a serial entrepreneur but she certainly hasn’t brought home the kind of cash that Elon Musk has!

Still. the article is interesting. The article concludes with:

Nobody is suggesting you should go out and buy your kids a cat in the hope it will infect them with the skills to help them to take over Silicon Valley.

Nonetheless, the study does provide an interesting perspective on the ways epidemiology can have a small but powerful force on the psychology that builds culture.

And maybe, just maybe, shows why cats deserve their place of worship on the internet.

The findings are due to be published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B (link down at time of writing).

Shelter Cats Saved For Adoption Are Flown From Van Nuys to Washington – Los Angeles Daily News

shelter cats flown from California to Washington to be adopted

130 shelter cats from the Los Angeles area wait to board their private flight to Seattle and new homes in mission of “Operation Homeward Bound.” The cats are being flown to the Seattle area where they will be adopted to their forever homes. Wings of Rescue and the Jackson Galaxy Project worked in conjunction to save the cats from the Los Angeles City Shelters. (Photo by David Crane, Daily News/SCNG)

I love how humans are so creative in helping save felines! The life of these shelter cats were saved when they were flown to Everett Washington and will escape euthanization because of over crowding and be placed in shelters who have room for them and are working to find them furever homes.  This project, titled “Operation Homeward Bound” was created by the original Cat Daddy, Jackson Galaxy in partnership with the non-profits,  Greatergood.org  a
nd Wings of Rescue. 

These humans have things figured out. LA and most shelters across the country are flooded with cats this time of year (one shelter in Downey took in 140 kittens in one day recently). So these smart and caring folks find shelters that need cats. Washington has a lot of space for cats and many residents are on waiting lists to adopt a feline when one becomes available (now The Tribe of Five says, you should always adopt in pairs. This is what our Humans do and it works great!).

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

Kudos to you humans and Feline Opines is bestowing the  Paws Up award to all of you!

 

 

 

Stop The Stupid Sterotype of the Crazy Cat Lady! – Girls And Their Cats

photographer breaks stereotype of the crazy cat lady

The photographer, BriAnne Wills and her rescue feline

You humans seen to love to perpetrate the myth that women with cats are on the margins of society, frumpy and without any iota of a social life. We felines don’t appreciate this and we are thrilled that BriAnne Wills,  an attractive Brooklyn-based fashion photographer  decided to photograph girls and their cats and break the stupid crazy cat lady stereotype. We felines appreciate this very much because we enjoy living with female humans who are savvy, hip and definitely NOT crazy!

 

 

Sweet Tart Is A Cat And The Mayor Of A Small Michigan Town – Jezebel

Sweet Tart the feline mayor of Omena, Michigan

After reading this article, my brofur Oliver is becoming more hopeful about making another run for Purresident. This mayoral feline from Omena, Michigan was inaugurated as it’s fourth mayor. The 9-year old Sweet Tart beat out 13 dogs, a goat, a peacock, a chicken and one other feline to win the position.  Believe it or not more than 7,000 people voted in the election (and the town’s population is only 280!) Everyone was charged $1.00 per vote and the money collected was donated to the Omena Historical Society.

And that’s the beauty of technology. Through paypal and social media, a feline finds himsef elected mayor and the local historical society receives $7,000.00 in donations.  Concatulations to mayor Sweet Tart!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 7/18

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends,
It’s Albert, walkin’ the web and looking to bring you unusual news and tidbits of the feline variety.

I hope you enjoy this week’s offerings.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

8 Cat Themed Pregnancy Announcement Ideas That Are Cute & Hilarious – Romper

tabby cat in pregnancy announcement picture
This is a pawsome article. When  you humans have your little human kittens, it’s really nice if you let your feline in residence purrticipate in the announcement and these humans did just that.

Now including a pet in pregnancy announcements is not really new, but what is new is that the felines are getting their five minutes of fame now (usually the humans include the canines). I love this idea and, if any of you humans out there have done this or are planning on doing this, please let us know. We’d love to feature your pics!

10 Science-Backed Tips for Getting a Cat to Like You – Mental Floss

human petting a gray cat

Folks, I just want to tell you that this Mikel Delgado is one smart human! She received her Ph.D. at UC-Berkeley in psychology studying animal behavior and human-pet relationships. So I say, you humans should pay attention to what she says!

There are a lot of great tips like letting us felines make the first move (we hate being rushed), pay attention to how we felines greet each other, we often approach another cat in a nose to nose way. You can simulate this by bending down and offer a finger tip toward the cat’s nose…and let us decide how we’re going to respond. And for goodness sake people, if you get a negative response, BACK AWAY and don’t force it! Chances are we’ll come around soon. And I beg you, please share this with your friends who are clueless about cats!

Retired Math Teacher Finds Solution to Help Save Local Cats – 3WEARTV.com

homeless cat gets help in Ft. Walton Beach, FL

Paws Up award by FelineOpines.net for humans who do amazing things for catsThis human gets our  Paws up award. When she saw the massive population of stray and abandoned animals, she used her math training to devise a systematic approach to do something about it.

Sara DeMonbrun said, “I’ve been an animal lover all my life and I couldn’t bear to see these little cute little animals running around without a home.” She started an organization called S.O.C.K.S (Save Our Cats and Kittens). She recruited three people at the beginning to help her. Through Sara’s efforts as well as her husband and volunteers the number of animals being euthanized in Fort Walton Beach, FL has been reduced drastically. Today, Sara is dealing with Parkinson’s Disease but she’s still focused on her mission to save as many cats as she can.  To keep Sara’s legacy going, S.O.C.K.S. has begun Sara’s Angel Tree where people can sponsor a leaf in tribute to or in memory of their own favorite feline.  Watch the video of this wonderful place.

CatCon 2018 – The Feline Event of the Year!

CatCon 2018

Oh my whiskers, I sure wish I didn’t hate travel so much or I’d head right on over to Pasadena, CA on August 4 & 5! There will be all sorts of celebrities there, even Moshow the Cat Rapper! You humans can arrange for a meet and greet with him. Lil Bub will there along with other pawsome feline celebrities. There will also be some fantastic classes that help humans understand how to care for their felines and some wild and wacky ones too like, Engineering for Cats: What Cat Care and Airplane Design Have in Common. Aerospace engineer, cat-enthusiast and author Mac Delaney conducts this workshop that takes you through how to improve your cat’s life with some of his amazing DIY projects.  Humans, get yourselves to CatCon!!!

KFC taps cats to hawk chicken – QSR Web

cats in KFC commercial

I’ve always been a believer that cats are the best salespurrsons and now it appears KFC has seen the light as well.  Can cats sell chicken? Well KFC is testing this as they built a giant automated “Colonel-esque3” cat tower and featured it in a livestream event  on Facebook. This event took place yesterday 7/17 from 2 to 6pm Eastern Time on the Super Deluxe Facebook page.  I certainly hope these kitties received the regular Screen Actor’s Guild payment!

 

 

Oliver Opines on Friendly Fill Ins # 113

Hello Folks,
Oliver here. I’m doing the fill ins this week, I hope you enjoy them! You can join the blog hop by visiting our friends 15 And Meowing or Four-Legged Furballs. If you just want to opine on our blog, you can always leave your fill ins in the comments of this post.
Purrs & Head Bonks,

black and white cat Oliver

 

This Week’s Fill Ins:

1. As a child, I feared ______________.
2. Friday the 13th _____________________.

3. I think _________ is my best quality.

4. You can’t go wrong with _________.

My Answers:

1. As a child, I feared starvation. I was the runt of the litter and felt like I never got enough to eat. (I realize that you’d never guess that to look at me now!)
oliverundertable

Me as a kitten

blac,kand white cat on the dining room table

Me today

2. Friday the 13th is a day to celebrate the beauty of black cats. This is Buster. He crossed the Rainbow Bridge before Alberto and I came to live with the Humans but I hear he was wonderful.
Black cat in the garden

3. I think my luxurious fur coat and the heart over my eye are my best quality.

black and white cat with a heart over his eye

4. You can’t go wrong with a great profile shot in your portfolio.
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Happy Independence Day!

In honor of Independence Day the Tribe decided to share a list of the 10 most independent cat breeds. Want to know why they are considered the most independent breeds? Read the article.

• British Shorthair.

• Ragdoll

• Persian.

• American Wirehair.

• Siamese.

• Manx.

• Norwegian Forest Cat.

• Somali

  • Scottish Fold
  • Russian Blue

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 6/27

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello There Furiends,
It’s that time again for me to sniff out some of the less publicized and more interesting feline related postings on the information highway. IO hope you enjoy this week’s finds.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

Why Cats Make The Best Drinking Buddies, A Treatise – Vinepair
cats make good drinking buddies

Please understand that I am not promoting over imbibing for you humans. I am a cat of moderation and think you humans should be the same. I do have to say this article is clever, even if it does take some digs at us felines. But I say, if you can’t laugh at yourself, you’re going to be pretty miserable. After the author says that “cats are grumpy, they really only care about themselves, and boy, do they judge you. ” He redeems himself with, ” Once they’re on your side, however, they’re loyal. Feline camaraderie feels infinitely more meaningful than its barking equivalent.”

Cats love computers at Lakeland SPCA – Fox 13

CatsComputers

I love stories about the creativity of humans when it comes to shelter kitties. This was a new one and it’s great. The good folks at the SPCA of Florida discovered that a warm laptop and the glow of the screen captivates felines. They decided they’d play kitten friendly videos on laptops and the results were purrfect.

The kittens watch videos like “Barnyard Buffet” where mice run through pieces of cheese, birds flutter by and bugs are all over the screen. The kittens are reacting with the videos and their environment is enriched greatly.  Human experts say that the visual stimulation is good for the cats and that they love the computers because they are a nice place to snuggle and warm up.  When Oliver and I were kittens, we had an iPad mini to play with and we loved the Friskies app Jitterbug Maybe you humans should start donating your old laptops to your local shelter.

Cats on Catnip-The Amazing Photos of Andrew Martilla – Insider

andrew Martilla cats on catnip photos

Photographer Andrew Marttila is a photographer famous for capturing the awesomeness of us felines. His latest project is  “Cats on Catnip,” which allows you humans in to the realm of feline nip addiction. Now I realize I said earlier that I am a feline of moderation but I forgot to mention that does not include catnip! Each member of The Tribe of Five has a different reaction to nip but we all agree, Tucker can be a mean drunk!

Does Having A Cat Reduce Stress? Science Says A Feline Friend Can Definitely Help You Chill – Elite Daily

cats reduce stress in humans

You humans keep on debating this issue and I decided I’d put this issue to rest because science has proved it!  For instance, a 2009 study published in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Neurology found that having a cat can — get this — reduce your risk of having a stroke or heart attack by a third.  Professor Adnan Qureshi, a researcher from the University of Minnesota who led the study, told The Telegraph that even he and his team were amazed by the numbers in their findings. He also said that he believes that “stroking the pet could cut the level of stress-related hormones in the blood.”
So can we put this ridiculous argument to rest finally? Cats are good for your health humans. My Humans think insurance companies should offer a discount for those who live with felines.

Only a Few More Days to Celebrate June as Adopt A Cat Month

June is adopt a cat month

I’m sharing this ad from our local Panhandle Animal Shelter.  All of The Tribe of Five were adopted and Oliver, Lily and I came from Panhandle Animal shelter. Please consider giving a feline a furever home this month. If you’re in doubt, just ask our Humans. They love their furry family! I’m sharing pics from our feline family album. Now go adopt a cat!

June is adopt a cat month, black and white and siamese kitteen

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oliver Opines on Friendly Friday Fill Ins-Week 110

Hi Furiends,
Oliver here. I’m taking the Fill Ins this week. It’s really fun and I encourage you to purrticipate. Just head on over to our friends 15andmeowing or their co hosts Four-Legged Furballs and enter the blog hop. You are always welcome to opine about your fill in answers in the comments of my post too.  I hope you enjoy my answers.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Oliver

black and white cat Oliver

Fill In Questions

1. My favorite scent is ________________.

2. I hope to __________________ this weekend.
3. _________ is music to my ears.

4. Home is where _________.

My Answers:

1. My favorite scent is fresh box. Ah, there’s nothing like it!
Black and white cat Oliver in a box

2. I hope to spend some quality time sunning on the upstairs deck this weekend. 

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3. The sound of a cat food can opening is music to my ears.

Black and white cat sits on stool waiting for dinner

Hey, is that the stinky sardine stuff I like?

4. Home is where all my toys are.

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Walk Through The Web Wednesday 6/6

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends,
Alberto here with my Wednesday web wanderings. This week  I found lots of things for you humans to spend your money on so get out your credit card and enjoy!
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

11 Expert Tips for Adopting a Cat – Mental Floss

Lily_Kitten

Lily at the shelter the day the female human met her.

The best thing about this article is the word “ADOPT”. The Tribe of Five were all adopted by the Male and Female Human. The second best thing about this article is #5..”consider multiple cats”. Our humans learned that long ago and they adopt in “2s”  now. You humans should try it!

So, There;s a Secret World for Cat Lovers on Amazon – House Beautiful

items for cat lovers on amazon

Well who’d a thunk it? There’s a secret list on Amazon of purrfect items for the human cat lover in  your life. The list is called “The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee” and there’s some great stuff there. And while we’re on the subject of fun merchandise for cat lovers, I need to mention that the Tribe of Five opened a store with FelineOpines merchandise. We’re just getting it going but we’ve got logo t-s and bags and mugs. Visit often to see what new items we add. Here’s a little sample of what we have.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Cat Hats Disney Style – Taxi

Disney hats for cats

If the truth be told, The Female Human has a pink Minnie Mouse ears hat (with her name embroidered on it) sitting on the top of the cabinet in her office. Now, as if it isn’t enough for humans to humiliate themselves, Disney Japan and cat hat maker Necos have collaborated to create these Disney cat hats. You can order a hat from your feline’s favorite Disney character, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy or Chip & Dale. Just a note to our Male and Female Humans……DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!

This Man Has Been Creating Cat Cartoons for Over 20 Years – Bored Panda

Scott Metzger cat cartoons

If I ever hear The Female Human laughing out loud, there’s a good chance she’s reading a Scott Metzger cartoon. This guy really gets felines! That’s probably because he lives with two rescue cats, Hannah and Max. If you visit Metzger Cartoons, you’ll see that he also does cartoons for barkies too but I believe the feline ones are much more funny!

KittyKorner on Kickstarter Cuts Door Corners for Cats – Reddit

kitty korner cat door

Neither of our humans are very handy and then add to that the Female Human’s obsession with home aesthetics which explains why there aren’t a lot of feline home adjustments built into our house. That’s why we’re giving KittyKorner two paws up because it’s a simple hinge system. So simple our humans could probably handle it.  It’s created for inside doors to allow felines to come and go as we desire while till keeping the kids and the barkies out of the room.

The product has been tested on robust felines so I think it would work okay for Tucker and Oliver. If you humans think this is something you need in your house, head on over to Kickstarter and help the KittyKorner reach it’s financing goals.