Walk Through The Web Wednesday 1/30

Posted on January 30, 2019 by Feline Opines

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Happy Wednesday My Furiends!

I hope you are staying warm and safe wherever you are. All the cats and kittens in the mid east US are freezing their whiskers off today! Oliver and I keep ourselves warm and cozy on snowy days by chatting by the fire

Siamese cat and black and white cat in front of the fire — “Hey Oliver, will you meow at The Female Human and ask her to bring us a snack?”

Purrs & Head Bonks,
Alberto

New Table Designed to be a Coworking Space for Humans & Felines

The Female Human is always meowing about how I get in the way or prance across her computer keyboard when she’s working. Well, all working humans now have a reason to rejoice. Meet the CATable where humans and felines can work in purrfect harmony. The table, carved from one piece of wood, is entirely flat on top aside from one cat-sized hole that leads to small network of tunnels, hideouts and caves carved into the side of the table. With these additions you and your feline can work together.

The creative folks at LYCS recently created a 2.0 version of the CATable, as well. This version consists of stackable blocks which can be built up to be aesthetically pleasing shelving for you, and an “ant farm” of sorts for your cat.

Find out about these feline/human work tables at the LYCS’ website.

Woman figures out the perfect way to ask for the name of a cat in another building

Where there’s will, there’s a way. This woman saw a very handsome feline across the street from her workplace every day. And how do you communicate with a feline across the street from you? Good old fashioned pen and paper of course. She posted a sign in her window asking for the cat’s name and six weeks later the cat’s human posted a sign with the cat’s name..Marshall. The woman tweeted about this and Marshall and his story went viral. This is a delightful story and shows the resourcefulness and determination of those who love cats. Be sure to read the tweets and find out how other cats and their humans got in on the story.

Minor league baseball team using jersey promo to find homes for cats

Oh I do love creative adoption ideas and this one is a doozy. The Richmond Flying Squirrels, the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, are taking advantage of America’s love affair with cats.

The Squirrels announced on Monday that they will plaster the face of a local shelter cat on their jerseys for a game this spring and are asking people to vote on their favorite feline candidate. The idea is that the program will promote the adoption of cats in need of a home.

There are three candidates Dove, Duke Silver and Big Guy, all from the Richmond SPCA. And the program is working…Dove was adopted before the end of the contest! And the humans who adopt the three cats will also be eligible to throw out a first pitch for the Squirrels. The team’s jerseys will be auctioned off after the game with all proceeds going to the Richmond SPCA, so humans…..PLAY BALL!

World’s first AI-powered stray cat shelter

Wan Xi, a computer engineer based in Beijing, created the most innovative feral cat shelter I’ve ever heard of.

The refuge provides felines with food and water, plus a temperature-controlled environment which keeps the mercury at 27°C. It’s also able to identify 174 types of cat while flagging-up possible diseases via the use of a smart camera.

Mr Xi just wanted to provide a warm place for feral cats but then his vision got bigger after he worked with a team of animal welfare experts.

They provided him with detailed evidence which showed how many of China’s 40,000 strays die within two years because the felines don’t get medical attention during the early stages of illnesses. This amazing shelter is self-powered and manned by volunteers who are alerted to any concerns by regular updated data sent to their office.

Two paws up Mr. Xi, now let’s get cracking and get these out to every city in the world!

A Cats vs. Dogs Version of Monopoly Is Coming to Help Pet Lovers Finally Settle the Classic Rivalry

You humans have been arguing about which species is better, cats or dogs, for years. We felines never argue about this as we know we are superior. For you humans still arguing this issue, I suggest the new monopoly game that can settle the argument. The game is played in teams so you’ll have a “Team Dog” and a “Team Cat”. Instead of buying properties, teams travel the Monopoly board and pick up funny titles and traits — like Trick Master and Best Pout. The team with the most titles at the end of the game takes home the win for their species of choice.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 1/23

Posted on January 23, 2019 by Feline Opines

Hello There Furiends,

It’s a beautiful day in my neighborhood. We had quite a bit of snow last night and this morning and The Tribe and I are enjoying the beautiful view from the bedroom (and watching all the furry and feathered freeloaders coming to the upstairs deck). Wherever you are my furiends, stay warm and safe and enjoy the day.
Purrs & Head Bonks,

Jerusalem Mayor Provides Annual Budget For Cat Food

I’m not a fan of controversial purrlitical news items (unless it’s my brother running for Purresident) but sometimes I have to raise a paw in acknowledgment of those in purrlitical office who take the time and energy to look after felines. Moshe Lion, the mayor of Jerusalem, has approved 100 thousand nis per year to build feeding stations for Jerusalem’s street cats. Now that’s about $ 27,222.00 dollars in in the good ole’ US of A. It came about because the city changed its garbage disposal system to containers that are underground. This worried the good folks of Jerusalem because they were afraid the city’s stray cats, not being able to forage in the garbage, might starve. So this fine purrlitician is having feeding stations built where the new earth-buried garbage cans are located. City hall estimates that they will use about 210 food bags per month and 2500 bags per year. Mr. Mayor, the Tribe of Five sends you a hearty mazel tov!

British couple celebrate cat’s return after rescuing imposter by mistake

Oh my whiskers, my column is late today because I couldn’t stop laughing. But this is a serious tale as well.

Teddy, a Russian blue, failed to come home in early January, so his humans reported him missing to Animal Search UK, an online database for lost pets.

They were soon contacted by a couple 11 milesway who said they’d taken in a Russina blue with the same markings. Teddy’s humans went to retrieve him and all was right with the word. Sort of that is,because a few days later the humans discovered they had two identical Russian Blues in their house!

There was no Russian Blue in the Animal Search data base so these resourceful humans took feline #2 to the vet to be scanned for a microchip and lo and behold, they found an address and the cat’s name,Nigel. Nigel’s family had recently moved to the area and Nigel escaped his new abode and went exploring.

The moral to this story is this, make sure your felines have identification, even house cats. The Tribe of Five is in the process of writing an article about an amazing company that has, what we believe, is an innovative solution to help humans reunite with their felines. Stay safe my furiends, and make sure you have a way to get back to your humans if you get lost!

If You Think Cats Are “Aloof” & “Antisocial” It Isn’t The Cat..It’s You!

Alberto –
“This is me being very social with my Female Human.”

How do I love this headline…let me count the ways! We felines get a bad rap about our purrsonalities and our inability to commit or show love.

Researchers from Oregon State University conducted tests with 23 shelter cats and 23 pet cats. They put the felines in rooms with some humans who completely ignored them and others who talked to them and petted them. Even though the humans were strangers, the cats spent much more time with the humans who paid them attention. The researchers found that when you call us felines by our names, we pay more attention. (Duh, they needed science to figure this out?!) And, for all you nay saying folks who call us unloving, the study showed that cats will choose interaction with humans over food and toys. So there you go, another urban legend debunked. You can read about the study in Science Alert.

The Cat With Nine Lives…Or Two At Least

The Female Human and her sister run a local Lost pet group and their favorite saying to humans looking for their lost pets is, “Never give up!” This story is a purrfect illustration of that. A feline made a what seemed to be a return from the dead when he appeared three years after his owners were told he had been run over and killed.

The human and her daughter were devastated when they were told their beloved Sidney had been run over and taken to the landfillby local workers. . When they received a call almost three years later from a woman who said she’d found Sidney they were incredulous.

The lady insisted it was Sidney (now six) who was alive and well and living 12 miles from them. The family had mourned Sidney and finally had dealt with the loss of their beloved feline. They didn’t believe it could be true that Sidney was alive but still they couldn’t ignore the call and went to visit the woman who said she had Sidney. She insisted it wasn’t some sort of a sick joke and that she’d had Sidney scanned and his microchip provided his name and address. The lady said Sidney had been living rough and was a little wild….until he saw his humans. He rolled over on his back and started meowing for a belly rub. Now that’s what I call a happy ending!

We Pay Homage to Walter Chandoha, Cat Photographer

Mr. Chandoha with his son Enrico and a subject in his home studio in 1961. CreditWalter Chandoha Archive

If there ever was a king of cat photography, it was Walter Chandoha. It all started one winter evening evening in 1949, Walter Chandoha was walking to his three-room apartment in Astoria, Queens, when he spotted an abandoned gray kitten shivering in the snow. He put the kitten in a pocket of his Army coat and brought it home to his wife, Maria.

The kittens antics were frenzied and the couple to named him Loco. Locos frenzied moves inspired. Mr. Chandoha (pronounced shan-DOE-uh) to photograph him. Loco’s photos quickly sold to newspapers and magazines around the world and a career was born.

Taking pictures of cats soon began to look like a more fulfilling career path than the one in advertising that Mr. Chandoha had planned while attending New York University, after serving in World War II. So, after graduating, he turned to freelance photography for a living — and, by the mid-1950s, he was the dominant commercial cat photographer of his era.

By the time of his death on January 11th of this year, Mr. Chandoha had taken about 90,000 cat photos. I think this man must have been greeted by so many felines who crossed the Rainbow Bridge ahead of him and I bet our Miss P. and Buster said hello too (and those two are very photogenic.) I wonder if they take pictures in heaven?

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 1/16

Posted on January 16, 2019 by Feline Opines

Happy Wednesday Furiends,
It’s time for me to share my web wanderings with you. I hope you enjoy this week’s finds!
Purrs & Head Bonks,

What Is Your Cat Type?

The Tribe received an email from a very nice human named Franz Ombler from the University of Otago, New Zealand. Now this isn’t about the New Zealand police cat (I may have to report on him later) but it’s about the good folks at the university who need to gather some data and test some technology. If you have a moment head on over to the survey and see what kinds of felines suit you best.

Two Cats, an Apartment and Apple TV

So what do you do when the felines and canines can’t get along? You ent the felines an apartment, that’s what you do! A human dad in Silicone Valley, in an attempt to keep the peace between his daughter’s cats and his fiancees dog opted for an innovative solution. He rented the cats a $1500.00 a month studio apartment for the felines, complete with Apple TV. The solution is only temporary until his daughter finishes school and gets her own place. I wonder if they asked the cats if they preferred Roku or Apple TV.

Japanese Kotatsu with Oranges-for Felines

Okay, I admit I had to have The Female Human read this to me three times before I understood what this is all about. Evidently, in Japan, there’s a floor heater called a “kotatsu”. One gentleman (a local poultry dealer…I know, I didn’t get the chicken connection either) devised a new take on this heater just for cats. He offers a large box of the very popular mikan oranges with his cat sized kotatsu. And evidently this new product is a huge hit. The product debuted in December and over 1,000 sets have been sold. This just goes to show that if you combine the right marketing plan (a love of felines, delicious oranges and heat) you have a winner. The cardboard kotatsu kit and 5 kilograms of the mandarin oranges costs 3,922 yen ($36.31) (tax is extra). One important point, this cardboard kitty kotatsu does not have a heater but a warm quilt over it will keep your felines cozy. I had the staff purruse Amazon.com and they did find a kotatsu for cats, but not one with oranges. Oh well, I suppose you could always send your staff to the store for the oranges.

Bohemian Catsody

Cats make everything better! This “Bohemian Catsody” is also fitting because if you know anything about Freddie Mercury, you know he was a feline aficionado . At one time he was living with 10 cats in his mansion so we know Freddie would approve!

Stray cats of Turkey’s Bursa live under one welcoming roof

I did a feature a while back about the wonderful care the strays of Istanbul receive. The town of Bursa is just as cat loving as Istanbul. In the winter they live in villas that are reserved just for them. The municipality built the “Cat Villas” that house about 200 stray felines. In the winter they have warmth and plenty of space to roam. There is also a Stray Animal Natural Life and Treatment Center there that hosts injured and sick cats. When the weather is nice, the cats can stroll in the villa gardens. Once the cats are rehabilitated and ready, they are adopted out to furever homes. I think The Tribe needs to talk to The Female Human about our own “cat villa”.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday….on Friday??

Posted on January 11, 2019 by Feline Opines

Hello Furiends,
I have my whiskers in a twist today. Staff has been slacking off this week. The Purrsonal Assistant says it’s because she’s been busy entering our blog, some photos, etc. in the #CWA (Cat Writer’s Association) contest. IMHO she had plenty of time to do that, get our social media done, feed us, clean our litter boxes, freshen our cat grass, go to the place she calls work……hmm, okay, maybe I’d better lighten up on The Purrsonal Assistant.

While I go give The Female Human (Purrsonal Assistant aka staff) an apologetic head bonk, I hope you will purruse these new listings and enjoy them.
Purrs & Head Bonks,

Meet Hamlet VIII, The Newest Algonquin Hotel Cat

I don’t know what to be excited about more….the information about the new Algonquin Hotel cat or the fact that I discovered a website called Hotels With Cats! The website is travel information for cat lovers, meowza, I love discovering new things.

But back to Hamlet. I’ve reported in the past about a previous Algonquin feline and I must say, that is one of the cushiest feline jobs ever. The Algonquin Cat custom has a long tradition. It is New York’s oldest working hotel and has had a feline mascot since a stray cat wandered in during the 1920’s. The name “Hamlet” was suggested by the actor John Barrymore and this is the name all the male cats have had. Female cats are called Matilda. The hotel has an executive assistant who also serves as Chief Cat Officer (a bit like our Female Human who also serves as our Purrsonal Assistant). Hamlet VIII has his own business card and also receives fan mail and presents from around the world is one lucky former feral rescue!

Basepaws-the 23andMe for Felines

“So Oliver, what do you think Basepaws would say about our heritage and history…could two brothers ever look (or act) less alike?”

This feline DNA thing is pretty cool. You humans can find out about our ancestral roots, get a health report and see if our genetics influence our risk for certain health issues or if we’re carrying a genetic disorder (like Oliver who seems to be carrying the “fat” gene). And if that information isn’t fantastic enough you humans can also find out neat things about us like predictions about our purrsonality, whether we might be likely to form a catnip addiction and other fun facts. This Basepaws stuff is the cat’s meow!

$1800.00 Feline Treadmill for Your Fat Cat

A feline treadmill for $1800.00? I’m not so sure. We opined about snoopervising The Female Human when she set up her treadmill and our positions in the mat and machine pretty much say it all. This is as much effort as we care to exert (come to think of it, The Female Human hasn’t exerted much effort on that machine lately either).

Still, when I look at my roly poly brother I have to admit that the idea of some exercise for the little fellow might be a good idea. Meet The Little Cat, an exercise machine from South Korea’s Pet Ding. Now if you felines can get over the fact that this thing looks like a hamster wheel, it has some cool features. It’s pricey because it has all kinds of goodies like LED lights inside the wheel designed to attract the feline to the wheel and to keep the feline interested while he’s moving on it. And of course, there’s an app that goes with it as well. Humans get a live feed of the kitty work outs and they can also record their voice to encourage their kitty to move faster. The Little Cat is expected to be available for purchase in March. I think for now, I’ll just chase Oliver up and down the stairs for his daily exercise.

https://youtu.be/3US_jzrvSxY

Meows for Military Program a Success in Tucson

Oh how I love shelters that come up with innovative programs that help felines and humans too. Hermitage No-Kill Cat Shelter and Sanctuary in Tucson teamed up with the Southern Arizona Veterans Administration Health Care System (SAVAHCS) for the ‘Meows for Military’ program which is in its third year.

The Meows for Military program provides weekly cat visits to SAVAHCS. The felines are all chosen for this purrrticular mission of being Feline Ambassadors. The veterans and humans receive love and some of the felines even receive a furever home through the program. Animal assisted therapy is proven to be a success and helps humans lower blood pressure, decrease rates of depression and anxiety and promote healing. Meowza, I love this idea.

Crazy Places Cat’s Hide At The Vets

“I am NOT hiding in this photo because The Female Human takes us to a cat friendly practice where we have no fear and no need to hide.” – Alberto, FelineOpines.net

There are some funny photos here showing how many of my feline furiends attempt to keep away from the vet but I have to say, going to the place of white coats with the stabby people can be nerve wracking. The Tribe of Five used to hide until the people with the white coats where we go built a brand new, fearless practice. Oliver and I opined about this place and it is amazing. I would suggest that all my feline furiends talk to your humans and have them find a cat friendly place with white coats too.

Oliver Opines on Thankful Thursday

Posted on January 3, 2019 by Feline Opines

Hello there furiends,
Oliver here opining that I am thankful for soft blankets The Female Human puts on the furniture and the close proximity of the fireplace on cold, wet days. I hope all my feline furiends are warm and safe today.

Do you want to meow about what you’re thankful for? Just head on over to Brian’s Home Blog and join the blog hop!

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 1/2/19

Posted on January 2, 2019 by Feline Opines

Hello Furiends,
I hope you’re walkin’ into good things this year. The Female Human has been dealing with a bunch of stuff she calls “stress”. When I told her I didn’t understand what this “stress” is she explained that it’s a bit like when someone rings our doorbell..over and over. Meowza! That stress stuff is nasty!

I’m glad that she’s feeling up to her Purrsonal Assistant duties again and I hope you enjoy these first 2019 web wanderings.
Purrs & Head Bonks,

A Hero Who Gets Cats Out of Tricky Tree Situations

Normer Adams retired from his career as a social worker and now works as a treed-cat rescuer. In less than 2 years since he began his cat saving crusade he’s rescued 91 felines (an average of one a week).

Now you humans know we cats are great at climbing trees but we’re not so great at getting down the tree. Mostly we try to back down but Adams has seen cats trying to head down face first and when we do that we drop like a rock.

I saw two paws up to this man who understands felines and who is willing to help extricate us from our mistakes!

Ontario SPCA is Hiring Cats!

You folks know how much I love stories about cats with jobs. We felines like to make a contribution to society and if it gets us a home in the bargain, all the better. This is another wonderful working cat program. I just love it when humans think outside the box (although we felines prefer to think inside the box!)

Cat Beats Owners Score on Fruit Ninja

I realize many of you humans are big fans of online games but don’t leave your feline out of the fun. The cat in this video is called Mao Mao and she took over the game when her human set the tablet down. I might remind you all that our Female Human gave us a little iPad to play with when we were kittens. I got bored with the fish game but now I’m thinking I should check out some of the other games. Play on my feline furiends! And check out Mao Mao’s moves on the video.
http://digg.com/video/cat-plays-tablet?jwsource=cl

Vancouver Cat Cafe Runs Out of Cats Now Has Bunnies

What’s better than a cat café? How about a cat café that runs out of cats and has partnered with a rabbit rescue to find furever homes for bunnies. Talk about a win-win situation! Vancouver’s very popular Catfe has been such a success that they ran out of felines in December. So what did these enterprising humans do? They partnered with Rabbitats Rescue society in an event that’s so popular it’s been extended to the end of the months. And the coolness factor for this cat café is pretty big…it was actually visited by Adele! Check out the video!

Kitty lovers become builders to provide Omaha’s feral cat population shelter for the winter

We love it when humans come together to do good things for felines and these 65 people did a great thing for feral cats in Omaha by building them shelters. These “crafty humans” built out of 20-gallon plastic storage bins. Each volunteer provided at least one bin that was filled with Styrofoam and filled with straw. I think my feline furiends should get your humans involved in something like this, especially if you live in a cold place like we do!

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 12/12

Posted on December 12, 2018 by Feline Opines

Hello Furiends,
I don’t know what it looks like at your house but it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here. None of The Tribe of Five want to get out on the upstairs deck when The Female Human goes out to fill the bird feeder…brrr it’s cold out there. We’re staying warm and cozy by the fireplace until it warms up.

I hope you enjoy this week’s web wanderings.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
.

Gift Guide for Cats and Cat Lovers – Tuft + Paw (and a Giveaway!)

The Tribe of Five gets to see and often try some fabulous stuff and it takes quite a bit for us to be blown away. When we saw the great gifts from Tuft + Paw (for felines and the humans who love them) we said, “Meowza!” We think you’ll enjoy purrusing their online catalog.

And guess what? The good folks at Tuft + Paw are giving away two “fish” cat toys to some lucky winner. To enter, just send an email to FelineOpines@gmail.com and type “I want my cat toy” in the subject. Two winners will be drawn at random at the end of the month and we’ll notify the winners and get their address information.

This Mischievous Cat Got Himself Trapped In A Car Engine But Now He’s Like Yeah, Whatever

Dominic Pimenta, a doctor who lives in London, drove his wife to her night shift — about half an hour from their home — and on his way back, he stopped in at the supermarket for milk. When he got out of the car he heard meowing. He checked around everywhere and couldn’t find the source but still he kept hearing the meowing. Then he realized it was coming from his car. After enlisting the help of a passerby who was a nurse, they discovered Max inside the car engine. The fire brigade was called and after a complicated extrication Max was freed. And today he’s prancing around like nothing ever happened. Good grief my furiends, stay away from human’s cars!

It’s Not Too Late To Get Your Vote in For Coolest Cat

Head on Over to The Cool Cat Gallery and cast your vote for the coolest cat in Livingston Parrish. I’m rather fond of Flapjack.

Seven Ways to Tell If Your Cat is Mad at You.

First, allow me to say that some cats just look like they are angry. Take our Alpha Tucker for instance. He is a sweet guy but sometimes he does look a bit grumpy. Having said that,it does happen that we felines get miffed about things. I would suggest if you have a feline in residence that you read this article in order that you are able to take care of the expected apology post-haste.

It’s Best To Talk To Your Cats

Might I suggest that you take a break from all the great cat photos and videos online and take some time to have a conversation with your felines? We know our names and we often respond to you when you talk to us. Jasmine addresses this issue in our new book Felines Opine on Etiquette (What Humans Need to Know About Guests, Cat Sitters and Furniture) and says that her Siamese heritage accounts for her being a very “yakky” feline. And she also says that she appreciates it when humans engage her in conversation and she never judges any human on their cat language skills. We felines just appreciate the effort humans make when they talk to us.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 12/5

Posted on December 5, 2018 by Feline Opines

A Convention Dedicated To Cats in Denver

Two paws up for the good folks in Denver who created the “Snowcats Cat Convention. Humans will love all the vendors there and there will be meet and greets with famous cats like Lil Bub and Baloo The Cat. (Now I ask you, when will the Tribe of Five get on that list of famous cats?!). The most innovative event at this conference is not the holiday cat sweater contest (which isn’t too shabby), no, it’s the “catchelor auction”where cat loving men are auctioned off for dates (Note to single cat ladies,get yourself to Denver!)

You’ll hear great performances from one of our favorite human celebrities like MoShow, The Cat Rapper.

And of course, there will be an adoption eventas well. Lest you scoff at Denver for hosting this feline extravaganza, they’ve already sold 1800 tickets and the event isn’t until next weekend. They expect a turnout of 3,000 people and yes, you can buy a ticket for your cat to accompany you too!

Great Cat Quotes

There are humans who don’t always understand the way other humans love felines. This collection of 25 cat quotes (plus the beautiful kitchen pictures) will help you explain this to your uneducated furiends. How sad that there are humans who are so unenlightened as to not see the beautify and benefit of living with cats!

What Do Princess Auto and Cold Kitties Have in Common?

The animal shelter on Prince Edward Island in Canada was out of power for a very long time and it was cold! The shelter had a generator but it would only power two rooms, leaving Kitty Corner and adjacent rooms in the cold. The enterprising humans at the shelter posted their problem on Facebook, looking for another generator to borrow. Community members responded quickly and one of the first was Princess Auto. They brought a generator and hooked it up and wouldn’t you know it, the power came back on.

But the shelter had another problem as the basement had flooded and their sump pump didn’t work. The good humans at Princess Auto came through again and brought them a pump and the basement was cleared of water.

Two paws up to the helpful humans on Prince Edward Island who came through for a shelter of cold kitties!

A 39-year-old became a millionaire with an invention that potty-trains cats

This just might be the “scoop” of the century (MOL). Seriously though, what a win win. The Human gets a million and never scoops another litter box again. I love it when Human and feline plans come together so well! Watch the video to see how it works.

Five Cool Inventions for Cats

While we’re on the subject of inventions for cats, you should check these out. The Kitty City looks like a fun play area but for some of us lean more toward the zaftig side (I’m not going to name names….Oliver), I’m not too sure how it would hold up.

The Mod Kat litter box is very interesting but I still haven’tfigured out how to get inside it.

The Catit 2.0 Wellness center speaks to me, I mean what feline could resist something that offers relaxation and grooming?

The Pets Best Hidden litter box is nice however The Female Human purchased one of these for us and Oliver and I spent copious amounts of time chewing away and getting read of the faux palm frond on top (just a word to the wise pet owner)

My favorite in this list is the Frolic Cat toy. We have one of these and we love it, although we refer to it as the “red dot machine”.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 11/28

Posted on November 28, 2018 by Feline Opines

Hello My Furiends,
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your humans and other furry and feathered friends. Our Humans went away for a few days but we were very well cared for by our cat sitter, Cathy. I was a bit miffed however when The Male and Female Human came home smelling of puppy! It took me a few days to get over this betrayal but all is forgiven now and the provision of extra petting and treats helped.
Purrs & Head Bonks,

Cat’s in Literature? It’s a Long Tail

“Mrs. Tabitha’s Cats Academy” (London, Ernest Nister, 1892 (c) The British Library Board)

The fact that cats are associated with litter-ary tomes is no news to this feline.A new exhibition at the British Library explores the rich literary history of us wonderful felines through a purr-fect display of books, manuscripts and artwork. The exhibition is titled, Cats on the Page,and features exhibits from the 16th century to the modern era. Much of the exhibition is from children’s literature like Cat in the Hat, Mog (the feline hero of a series by Judith Kerr) and a pictureof Beatrix Potter’s Kitty-in-Boots by Quentin Blake. Leave it to our feline loving friends across the pond to honor cats with an exhibition at the British Library. Our American museums need to step it up!

Argos Selling “Parasol” Christmas Trees for Cat Owners

Two paws up forthese enterprising British humans! The company says that it will “keep yourcat’s claws far away from low-hanging baubles and also offerloads of extra room for presents and/or activities.”

This tree sells for £33.33(about $42.77 US). Now some of you humans may be meowing that this is rather pricey but I ask you, isn’t your cat’s happiness worth it? How many more year swill you deprive your felines from a festive Christmas fir? And if you are feeling fancy you cam pay a little more for a sow covered effect. Felines unite! Insist that your humans provide you with a Christmas tree this year. And by the way, these tree makers have evidently not encountered a feline like myself who is a master of climbing up things and knocking down things. If you have a feline in residence like me, you may want to put that tree in cement. Oh, and unless your a lucky moggie across the pond, your humans will not be able to purchase this tree as Argos does not do international delivery (hiss).

Christmas Cat Cost Causes Controversy

Now far be it from me to meow about the cost of anything feline related but methinks purrhaps the City of Reykjavík went a bit over the top here. The city council spent a total of 4.4 million ISK on a large LED Christmas Cat on Lækjartorg Square. (I had our Purrsonal Assistant find out how much this is in USD and it’s about $35 million). When I asked why they would have a huge cat statue at Christmas, I was expecting a warm and fuzzy story. What I got was the legend of the Yule Cat which is pretty horrifying, The legend says this is a huge and vicious cat said to lurk about the snowy countryside during Christmas time and eat people who have not received any new clothes to wear before Christmas Eve. Seriously???? A people eating cat?? I say, “Get your money back Reykjavík and stop perpetrating this horrible fable! Hiss.

High Speed Video of Cat Tongues Reveal Another Reason Whey They’re Superior

Okay, you humans have been meowing about the raspy tongues of your felines for years. Well this should put all that kvetching to rest once and for all. First and foremost,stop giving us baths because scientists have proved that we felines are way better at cleaning ourselves than you are. Your assistance is superfluous.

A very smart scientistnamed David Hu used videos taken with high speed cameras to study the feline’sgrooming techniques. He learned that we felines have a four-phase grooming regime that is aided by tiny spikes on our tongues (so far this is not new information to me or my humans who have often suffered the “kiss” across the face from a raspy tongue). Evidently what is new information is the specifics of the construction of these little spikes and that they fill up with saliva.

The four-step process we cats use to groom ourselves the little spikes is quite efficient. The tongue first extends outwards from the mouth, then the little spikey thingies stiffen and finally, when we complete the sweeping lick across our luxurious fur, it deposits water that’s stored in the hollow cavities in the spikey thingies. One final note, the tongues of our barkie furiends is flat and cannot transport water. Score another one for the felines!

Cats drinking from taps are the best new entertainment online

It is a fact that we felines own the internet and there’s always something new to enjoy about us. The latest phenomenon is cats drinking from faucets. Now frankly, I find this fascination puzzling. All of The Tribe of Five have been or are faucet drinkers. Felines poised over faucets are nothing new. Still, Dusty, an Alaskan feline more adept at lapping at air than drinking water, has had over 38,000 people talking about his antics on social media. As a result, many folks are posting other feline’s water drinking attempts. At the risk of sounding bitter I cannot help but get my whiskers in a bit of a twist. I am a feline who opines on his own blog, who has (IMHO) some rather pithy comments in my blog and who has yet to get over 38,000 folks starting conversations about me. Seriously, what does a cat have to do?

Tucker Reviews The Book, Prancie’s Prayer

Posted on November 23, 2018 by Feline Opines

Hello There Furiends,
The Feline received a book called Prancie’s Prayer in the mail and since it was about a feline, The Tribe of Five was very interested to find out what the book was all about. Besides, we wrote a devotional book for cat lovers so the word “prayer” got our attention!

Lacking opposable thumbs, Alberto and I couldn’t flip through the book and read it for ourselves, although we tried, actually Alberto tried, I am wise enough to know it would be an effort in futility.

I give up. Will you please read this book to us?

The Female Human did read us the book and we loved it! There are lots of great things in this story but I don’t want to ruin it for those of you who haven’t read it. I will say this, if you love homeless kitties, your heart will be warmed by this story and, never jump to wrong conclusions about a feline’s behavior!

The holiday season is coming and I think this book would make a great gift for mini humans who love cats or just love a story with a great ending,

Purrs & Head Bonks,
Your Furiend Tucker