Walk Through The Web Wednesday 5/23

Posted on May 23, 2018 by Feline Opines

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hi There Furiends,
Alberto here. I’m walking again and took my actual first walk of the season with the Female Human. We had a discussion about my need for a slightly larger and comfortale halter, a guy grows in a year! But I digress.

Here are my Wednesday web wanderings, enjoy!
Purrs & Head Bonks,

Siamese cat with blue eyes

5 Destinations For The Obsessive Cat Lover In Your Life- awol.junkee.com

CatTravel

I’ve covered cat cafe’s and cat islands so this may be a bit of a red-do but it is a nice list for travelling feline lovers. Now I want to find out about that museum for internet cats, how do I and the rest of The Tribe of Five get in there?

5 Tips for Training Your Cat That Actually Work – Bustle

training cats

What’s with the number 5 this week? But I digress. The Female Human has had cat training on the brain lately as she’s writing a mystery that includes a sniffer dog and two felines that help solve a crime. Purrsonally, the entire training thing bores me but I am a smart feline and know that if I learn certain things, I get great rewards so maybe I shouldn’t be too hasty!

The Million Cat Challenge Reaches Goal of Savings Cats One Year Early – USMagazine.com

million cat challenge

Did you humans know there was a million cat challenge? Did you know that more than 1,000 animal shelters in North America purrticipated? Did you know the campaign began four years ago and as of December 31, 2017 all those shelters saved 1,148,129 cats?

There’s nothing better than saving feline lives and this group has accomplished that big time. Two paws up!

I Photograph Men With Their Cats And The Result Is Cuteness Overload! – Bored Panda

men and their cats

The Female Human always says that, “Real men love cats”. We know this to be true in our house because The Male Human is a cat lover. This photographer immortalizes the love of male humans and their cats and the photos are pawsitively wonderful!

8 Tips For Bonding With Your Cat The First Week You Get One – Bustle

tips for bonding with your new cat

Well, looks like we broke the “5 things” trend. I bet the million folks who adopted those felines from the previous article were wondering how to make their kitty feel at home in their new abode. These tips are very good and work well whether you’re bringing a kitten or an older kitty into your home and heart. We felines adapt well into new surroundings, all we ask is that you have a little patience and a little care as we get used to you and the new place.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 5/16

Posted on May 16, 2018 by Feline Opines

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Folks,
It’s time for me to share my meanderings on the Internet Superhighway and my favorite feline news stories.

I hope you enjoy,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

Milwaukee’s First Cat Cafe Offers Wine and Felines – Journal Sentinel

Al_Wine

I am not in Milwaukee in this photo but I do enjoy the bouquet of a nice red. But I digress. I liked this new take on cat cafe’s. The owner of the cafe, Katy McHugh, says that she met a wonderful yellow tabby at an Amsterdam cat cafe. She enjoyed a good conversation with her human friend and the purring feline in her lap, so much that she didn’t want to leave. That’s how The Sip & Purr was created.

Now before anyone who does not imbibe gets their whiskers in a twist, the Sip & Purr will also serve coffee and snacks, so there’s something for every human. And best of all, the felines at the cafe will all be available for adoption. I hope all my Milwaukee friends will head on over to the Sip & Purr after it opens on June 1st and, if you do, please opine about your experience in the comment section.

11 Cat Birthday Party Ideas That Will Honestly Beat Any Human Party There Is – Bustle

cat birthday pinatas

The Tribe of Five belongs to a lot of cat groups and every day we see feline birthday notifications, many of them photos of the kitty party. If you are inclined to throw your cat a birthday bash, these tips are for you. The Female Human couldn’t pick a favorite, she loved the kitty cookies, the mini cat pinata and the crystal cat ears headband. You humans will have to decide for yourselves.

Sad Cat with Permanent Frown Named Luhu Finds Happiness (and Followers) on Instagram-PeoplePets

sad cat

Looks can be deceiving. This kitty named Luhu may look sad but he’s a happy kitty. He lives in Beijing, China with his human, Maggie Liu. He may look like he’s frowning but he’s a happy guy, loves to play and is full of purrs. Luhu was born with developmental defects which account for his sad appearance. His original human didn’t have the time to give him the care he needed so Maggie Liu adopted him. Luhu shares his home with two other felines. His unusual expression has made him an Instagram sensation, so if you want to see more of Luhu, just go to his Instagram account.

Wacky Names for Dogs and Cats – Post Gazette

The 2018 pet name winners are an orange and white cat named Pablo Purrcasso and a white pitbull named Isabella Miss Worldwide Boo Boo. The article got me thinking, you humans come up with some strange name combinations. Take my name for instance, because I’m a lean, mean moving machine and The Male Human is quite the cycling aficionado , I ended up with the name Alberto Contador. So as you purruse the names on this year’s list like Sir Reginald Fluffybutt or Princess Consuela Bananahammock,just remember there’s a story behind every feline’s name.

Student’s Cuddle Kittens to Help Reduce Stress From Finals – 9news.com

student cuddling kitten

Sometimes we felines don’t get enough credit for the good things we do and sometimes, doing good things is just letting humans hold us. Case in point, check out the story of the students from Metropolitan State University who had the opportunity to spend some stress-reducing kitten time. The nice humans from The Feline Fix and Metro Denver C.A.T. teamed up to bring seven-week-old kittens to the school’s Biology Department to provide some relief during a notoriously stressful time. And, the kittens will all be eligible for adoption when they’re 12 weeks old. Good thinking humans, two paws up!

Walk Through the Web Wednesday 5/09

Posted on May 9, 2018 by Feline Opines

WebWednesday

Hello My Furiends,
Alberto here with my weekly web wanderings. I hope you enjoy this week’s stories.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

Vintage Photos of Pampered Cats – National Geographic

Lily_Kitten

If you think cat photos are a new phenomenon, think again. We felines have been admired and photographed for many years. One well known photographer, Willard Culver spent months in the abodes of some of the countries most wealthy folks, staging photos of their fabulous felines. The photos were featured in the November 1938 issue of National Geographic. I must say, we felines haven’t lost our beauty over the years. No wonder you humans are so fascinated with us!

Why Do Cats Wag Their Tails? – Gizmodo

CatTailWag

Now, I don’t know if I would describe cats as “wagging their tails”, that’s more of a canine activity. I would prefer if the article would have been titled, “Why Do Cats Swish Their Tails Elegantly?”. But I digress. I must give a two paws up to Gizmodo who sought out a number of cat specialists to answer this question. The short answer, our tails are our emotional barometers. If you want more specifics you definitely want to read the article.

7 Apps All Cat Owners Should Have – Bustle

CatApps

Our Male and Female Humans are real geeks and often that benefits The Tribe of Five. When Oliver and I were kittens we had our own iPad to play kitty games with. But there are more uses for technology than just playing. There are first aid apps for felines, 11Pets that remind humans when they need to give their felines in residence medication and other important cat reminders, a cat clicker training app and of course, fun apps for kitties to play with (if you humans have your faces in your phones, maybe the felines should get a little phone time too!)

Dogs and Cats and Decorating – The NY Times

CatDecorating

The Female Human is all about aesthetics (she even relegated our cat tree to the downstairs TV room) so she was thrilled when I showed her this article. I was less thrilled because of all the good advice and lovely photos there was no photo with a cat in it. So I had my purrsonal assistant do some further research and she found an excellent article from HGTV that was solely dedicated to felines (Purrfect Design Ideas Your Cat Will Love). This is also where the photo came from. So decorate away humans but remember, cat hair is a fashion assessory!

Seven Ways to TurnYour Partner Into A Cat Person – Bustle

getpartnertolikecats

This is a subject that The Female Human knows about! As soon as she and the Male Human got married she made sure he knew how much she wanted a cat. One day he finally looked at her and said, “Okay, we can get a cat but you have to clean the litter box!” She wrote all about this in her story, “All My Children Wear Fur Coats” in Chicken Soup for the Soul, My Very Good, Very Bad Cat.” (I was surprised that you could get this book at Chewy.com!

There are some good tips if you are looking for ways to convince the folks who share your home that a feline is a good idea such as showing them how to interact with felines (maybe take them to a cat cafe), teach them things cats like and do not like (and remember, cats are different. I love water, the other cats in the Tribe, not so much). So start studying and get that feline into your home (and remember, adopt, don’t shop!)

Walk Through the Web Wednesday 4/25

Posted on April 25, 2018 by Feline Opines

WebWednesday

Hi There Folks,
Alberto here. I’m a bit tired from my #BlogPaws reporting gig (and I still have a wrap-up post to do) but had to make time to do my regular Wednesday wanderings through the world wide web.

I hope you enjoy this week’s finds,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

Firefighters Rescue Man Stuck in a Tree Rescuing a Cat Stuck in A Tree – PeoplePets

All I can say about this article is Bwaaahaaahaa and I’m surprised it’s never happened before! A kind human attempted to rescue the cat (it’s still not clear if he was a stranger or a friend of the cat’s humans) and instead of being hailed a rescuer he became the rescued. The good news is feline and human were successfully extricated from the tree and no firefighters were injured in the process. Meowza, be careful out there folks (and make sure your ladder is tall enough!)

Cats Photoshopped Into Food are So Cute You Could Just Eat Them Up – My Modern Met

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Okay, I’m not sure if I find this terribly artistic or just terrible in general. Russian artist Ksenia decided she wanted to create photos that would show us what it would look like if felines showed up in our food. For more images, check out her Cats in Food series on Instagram. Some of these photos are MOL pictures but I find the Tabby Burger a bit disturbing.

Massage therapy can improve your cat’s quality of life – Pittsburgh City Paper

cat massage therapist

Ooh, kitty spa time, I could get into that! But then I read further and this massage thing for felines is a healthy option. A few things you should know though, first and foremost, massages should be done by a trained massage therapist or a human who’s been trained by a professional in how to provide a massage for their kitties.

Massage doesn’t just make kitties feel better, it’s important and helpful for older felines, felines who are stressed or afraid or cats with medical issues like feline arthritis. Katie Tontala is a licensed massage therapist and she runs a website called Cat Behavior Demystified. She teaches humans in her area how to massage their cats and also volunteers her time massaging shelter cats to make them less stressed and skittish.

She calls her massage technique “focused petting” and says that humans will know if they’re massaging their feline correctly when the cat becomes a massage junkie.

A Cat Lover’s Dream Job – Fox6 Milwaukee

sip & purr cat cafe Milwaukee

For you Milwaukee cat loving humans in need of employment, here’s a job for you. Milwaukee’s first cat cafe, The Sip & Purr Cafe is looking for a few good people to work part time in the cat lounge. Requirements include cat rescue, fostering or veterinary experience, a love of people and cats, as “caring for our cats and guests is the number one responsibility of “Cat Lounge Concierges,” and experience cleaning — including litter boxes.

Lakeland Animal Shelter is a partner with Sip & Purr in this endeavor. So hurry up humans, get those resumes in!

KC’s Scoot The Cat is Now Internet Famous – The Kansas City Star

medical student and his cat Scoot

Scooter the cat with paralyzed hind legs is an inspiration to Kansas City medical student Sam Tochtrop who studies at the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. Sam even goes so far as to say he never liked cats, in fact hated cats, but “Scoot” captured his heart immediately.

Because she was born with a deformity, her hind legs don’t work but Sam takes good care of her and ensures she has a wonderful life (they even go traveling together). He says that Scoot is teaching him how to be a good, compassionate doctor. Humans, please don’t just walk by a kitty at the shelter because they’re not perfect, you may just meet your best furiend ever, like Sam did. You can check out Sam and Scoot on their Instagram account.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 4/4

Posted on April 4, 2018 by Feline Opines

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Friends,
Alberto here. Boy have we been busy with the April Blogging A to Z Challenge. My little feline noggin is getting tired looking for new ideas to write about every day. You know we felines are not overly excited about working under pressure but we committed to do the thing and The Tribe of Five believes in following through with our commitments. The Female Human is a bit cranky about all the typing though.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

Man Has Genius Plan to Feed Cat When Keys are Misplaced – LAD Bible

Let me just say that this is one of the nightmares The Tribe of Five has every time the Humans go away. Humans, PLEASE make sure that the cat feeder has keys before you leave town. Evidently, someone from work was going to drop the keys through the mail slot of the neighbor’s door so they could feed the cat. Except it was the wrong door and the neighbor had no key. What did the neighbor do? Their solution was quite innovative but let this be a lesson to all you humans!

Boy Bullied Because of His Unusual Eyes Finds Purrfect Friend – Love What Matters

boy with multicolor eyes adopts cat with same condition

We felines will never understand why you humans bully. Granted, we felines will mix it up a bit now and then but it’s only for play. The little boy’s parents were shown a photo from a rescue in Minnesota. Now mind you any cat photo is worth another look but this cat was extra special! The kitty had a cleft lip and heterochromia iridum (different colored eyes) just like the little boy Madden. The boy’s parents knew that cat was destined to be a part of their family. Some kind friends helped the family fund the road trip from Oklahoma to Minnesota. If there ever was a match made in heaven, this one is it. We give this story a 2-paws up and wish Madden and his feline friend many happy years!

What Your Cat’s DNA Can Tell You – LifeHacker

cat dna kit basepaws

We felines are curious things. I mean, look at me and my brother Oliver. One of us looks like a pure-bred Siamese and the other, hmmm, is a stocky black and white feline with a heart over his eye. Our Humans often say they’d love to know the story of every Tribe of Five member but because we were all rescues they have no history about us. And then there’s our strange behaviors like why do we all run and hide when a human sneezes, why do some of us love beef and the others turn their noses up at it, and there are lots more questions the Humans would like to have answered.

Now not all of your questions about your fabulous felines can be answered but you can get more information about them from Basepaws, a company that says through a DNA kit, you can learn about your feline’s ancestry and their habits.

Our humans were intrigued by this article because the human who wrote it said that the kit covers several areas such as health, ancestry, predicting traits, physical traits and more. Can you imagine what our Humans could learn about us? Now that I think about it, I’m not so sure I want them to know all our secrets!

Catios Are The Newest Way to Spoil Your Felines – Simplemost

black cat in outdoor catio

I’ve reported on catios before but they are becoming more of a “thing” and, as felines who enjoy the out of doors safely at our house, I thought this article was great, offering many options for you humans to choose from. Our Humans didn’t want a permanent structure built on the house (and during times when we have 6 months of winter I can understand) so they got us a “pop-up” catio that can be moved from the upstairs deck to downstairs by the waterfall or on the front porch. We blogged about it if you want to see what our catio is like. So my feline friends, tell your humans to get you a catio posthaste!

Crazy Cat Guy – PeopleMusic

song I happen to like cats

When The Female Human read this article she said, “Hah, I knew it! There are crazy cat guys too!” Now I am confused as to why The Female Human found this surprising, after all, she’s married to a crazy cat guy…but I digress.

The singer, Granger Smith recently wrote a parody of his song, “It Happens Like That” titled, “I happen to like cats” and we think it’s quite a catchy tune. The best part about this song is that he and his crew took over a cat cafe to film the video and this wasn’t some publicity stunt, Granger Smith DOES like cats! Meow!

Alberto Opines on Dr. Seuss in this week’s Friendly Fill ins # 95

Posted on March 2, 2018 by Feline Opines

Hello Folks,
Alberto here doing this week’s fill ins. If you’d like to join the blog hop, head on over to McGuffy’s Reader or, to our friends who co-host the hop, 15andmeowing. You can also add your “Seussian” fill ins in the comments in this blog post.

“Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is you-er than you!
Dr. Seuss

Here are this week’s fill ins:

1. My favorite Dr. Seuss book is _________________.
2. The most interesting person I have ever met is ______________.
3. Besides books by Dr. Seuss, my favourite book as a child was .
4. Lately, I have been working on .

Here are my fill in responses:

1.My favorite Dr. Seuss book is The Cat In The Hat (of course, what did you expect me to say?)

2.The most interesting person I’ve ever met is purrhaps the relative of my humans who has been staying with us. This human enjoys doing puzzles and I enjoy helping challenge him by knocking those little pieces on the floor or, in some cases snacking on them. This human foolishly attempts to protect his puzzles with cardboard (to no avail I might add). My humans have never introduced me to this wonderful feline activity.

3.Besides books by Dr. Seuss, my favorite book as a child was not really a book at all. You see I was a 21st Century kitten and I spent less time reading and more time playing games on the iPad. I would like to report that as an almost adult cat, I have become more litter-ary.

4.Lately, I have been working on getting The Female Human in gear to update our website (FelineOpines.com) . She added a nice section about Cat Cafes from Katzenworld and also linked to a website that lists cat cafes all over the world. Nice job Human.

Walk Through the Web Wednesday 1/3

Posted on January 3, 2018 by Feline Opines

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Hello Friends,
This is my first web wander of 2018. I hope this new year finds you all healthy and happy. The Tribe of Five is spending our time curled up in our humans laps, in front of the fireplace or snuggled under a warm throw on the living room sofas.

Stay safe and warm! Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

Netflix Employee’s Cats React to A Scene in “Stranger Things” – Hello Giggles

cats watching stranger things on netflix

Our humans often sit in front of the big black watching moving images. I know that they did watch this thing they call “Stranger Things” and I must say, I’m very happy that I missed this scene. And I am appalled and dismayed that these humans who work at Netflix forced their cats to watch this scary stuff!

93-Year old “Furry Godmother” Knits Blankets for Homeless Cats – People Pets

KNITTING

Two paws up for this amazing lady. She shows the world that there is always something you can do for felines, regardless of where you live or regardless of your age. Emma Eng knits blankets for the Seattle Humane in Bellevue, WA. She decided late in 2017 that she would knit blankets for homeless kittyies and by New Year’s Day she’d knitted over 40 blankets! Meowza, when that lady decides to do something she doesn’t mess around! So take note humans, you’re never too old to do something nice for animals!

Every Cat Deserves A Castle – Spokesman Review

catcastle

Not only is this a purrrfect project, the event was held in our own back yard (so to speak). The South Hill Library held an event last fall (how did my humans not hear about this??”!!) where families could come and build a castle for their felines (materials were provided). I must admit I do have my whiskers in a bit of a twist because the humans missed out on this but I am happy to report that I put my purrsonal assistant on the job and she came up with some instructions on the web so, if your humans haven’t built you a castle yet they can begin posthaste. You’re welcome.
10 Steps for building your own cardboard cat castle – Cardboard Cat Furniture DIY

What is a Cat Cafe? – Katzenworld

CatCafe

Those of you who follow my Wednesday wanderings know I love to report on cat cafe’s,. As I matter of fact, I’ve been bugging my purrsonal assistant to get off the exercise ball she uses as a desk chair and put together some sort of cat cafe guide on our website. Well wouldn’t you know, our Friends at Katzenworld did just that with a definitive article providing answers to every question you might have had about cat cafes. Once you’ve learned what they’re all about, you probably want to go to one. All you have to do is go to The Neighbor’s Cat Global Cat Cafe Resource which is the Tripadvisor for cat cafes. Now if we only had one near us!

Guinness World Records Spends Day at Longest Running Pet Shelter – Laughing Squid

Guinness

Now here is a record to be proud of. The Battersea Dog & Cats Home has been in it’s current location since 1871. Meowza, these good folks have been finding furever homes for animals for more than 145 years, now that’s dedication! Since their beginning, they’ve cared for 3.1 million dogs and cats. Not only has this organization been critical in helping animals, they’ve shaped people’s attitudes toward homeless animals and influenced laws for animals in the UK and around the world. Two paws up to the Battersea Dog & Cats Home.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 12/13

Posted on December 13, 2017 by Feline Opines

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Hello Friends,
Alberto here. Every week my purrsonal assistant brings me the best of feline stories on the internet and I select my five favorites. This week is all about creative ways humans are working with shelters to help felines find furever homes and make the time the cats do spend in the shelter much better. Does your shelter do anything newsworthy for felines? I’d love to hear about it!
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

Cats in the Office Can be a Stress Reliever – The Virginia Pilot Online

Black and White Cat on a ladder in an art gallery I picked this story because it covers two of my favorite topics, cats with jobs and new, creative ways to help shelter kitties be adopted. The Law Offices of Waldo & Lyle, have three office cats, all rescues and all beloved by the staff and clients. The office administrator says this about the effect of the working legal felines, ““They bring joy and they brighten our day,” They all have different personalities and love people. Even Hilde, who hides during the day, wants to be around you when it’s quiet and calm.”

And then there’s the Harbor Gallery who has gallery cats (and sometimes a gallery dog). The gallery owner says, “They lay in the front windows and entice people in, I believe they make the gallery more home-like, friendly and warm.”

If your shelter hasn’t found creative ways to help shelter cats, purrrhaps you should suggest a working cat program.

Don’t Touch that cat: Humane Society program focuses on felines’ minds, not their cuddles – CBCnews

shelter worker plays with cat

Two paws up to the Winniepeg Humane Society for their new program that focus’ on felines mental well-being. Shelter cats get bored and even depressed or stressed. These shelter employees and volunteers are being trained to broaden the range of activities for the felines in their care. After working hard to enrich the environment and life of their shelter cats, the shelter director has noticed that the cats are now more engaged with visitors, sitting in the front of their cages and looking to be touched by visitors. Improving the mental health of the cats improves their physical well being. Watch the video and see how happy these shelter cats are with the new program.

This idea is excellent for the cats in your home too. Are you at work all day? What does your kitty have to play with while you’re gone? Are there window sills to sit in, places to climb and toys to distract? We felines only have two speeds, fast or stop so when we’re not “stopping” (aka sleeping) we want to have some fun.

//www.cbc.ca/i/caffeine/syndicate/?mediaId=1115036739615

Even a 2-Year Old Human Can Make a Big Difference for Cats! – LoveMeow

2 year old boy fosters kittens

Dear humans, this is the way you train future adult humans to care for and about felines-start early! Sam is a two year-old boy who so far, has helped to foster 17 kittens. His mom brought the first group of fosters home from Cat House on The Kings. Sam doesn’t do his fostering alone, it’s a family affair. Sam is gentle with the kittens and is learning about the importance of fostering to help cats find furever families (My brother Oliver and I were fostered). Sam’s mom says, “Any time we get new babies, Sam looks at them and says, ‘Hi little boo boos, they are so cute, so precious’.”

Be sure and watch the video with the article and purrhaps Sam’s story will inspire some of you human parents out there to teach your kids about fostering.

Felines, Coffee Relieve Stress at Library – The Daily Tribune News

Cat_Cafe_053_1_copy

My readers know I love a good cat cafe story and this is one of the best!

Since the Christmas season can be a stressful time of year, the Bartow County Library System in Georgia is offering a way to relax and unwind while helping the shelter find furever homes for their felines.

The Cartersville Public Library partnered with the Etowah Valley Humane Society to host its first Pages & Paws Cat Cafe. The cafe took place from 1pm-5pm and was a great success (and coffee was donated by a local company). Now that is innovative thinking and I’ve always said there is a littter-ary side to every feline!

Does your local library and shelter partner for occasional cat cafe’s?

Finding Homes for Elderly Felines – The Riverdale Press

SusanWolfCat-4

Cats on Wheels was founded by New Yorker, Susan Wolfe who has been an active volunteer at the Manhattan Animal Care Center, playing with the cats, cleaning their kennels and writing short biographies about them. Her passion is to find loving homes for cats who’ve celebrated their eighth birthdays, the ones often passed over for adoption. She said, ““I realized when I was volunteering at the shelter, these incredibly wonderful, beautiful cats were at risk of being euthanized,” “It just became a mission for me to find a home for as many of them as I could.”

And this was why she co-founded Seniors 4 Seniors Cats on Wheels with fellow volunteer Brooke Smith. The organization offers prospective pet adopters rides to the center to and assisting them in finding a cat to adopt.

She also works to debunk the myths about older cats, especially the idea that they won’t be around long. Cats can live up to 20 years. Another belief is that health care costs of an older pet are prohibitive. All shelter cats receive thorough health exams from veterinarians.

Two paws up for the Seniors 4 Cats on Wheels program and the creative humans who go above and beyond to help these older kitties find furever homes!

What creative things does your shelter do to help felines? I’d love to hear about them and feature them in my Wednesday wanderings.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 12/6

Posted on December 6, 2017 by Feline Opines

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Hello Friends, Furry, Feathered and Otherwise,

I’m back after my holiday hiatus. The humans went away and we had a very nice cat sitter. I must say, at least on behalf of The Tribe of Five that staying at home and having a nice cat sitter come in twice a day is soooo much better than being hauled away to some place to stay in a cage. If you have a great cat sitter, tell us about them. Two paws up for all cat sitters!

Now, let’s get to the items I found on my weekly wanderings through the web.

Purrs & Head Bonks,
AlHead

Alberto

Twitter Account Pairs Cat Pics with Metal Lyrics and it’s Purrfect – I Can Haz

Cheeseburger?

Sphynx cat with raised paw

No matter how floofy and sweet we felines look, if you look a little deeper, you’ll find many of us have an affinity with rock and roll and metal. The humans behind the Twitter Account, Black Metal Cats understands this very well. I admit I’m a little more rock and roll than I am metal. My theme song would be “Born to Be Wild” but every feline can enjoy a little darkness now and then.

The Cat Who Swims Like an Otter – I Heart Cats.com

Siamese cat swimming in pool

Adventure cats are the cat’s meow and I am purrrticularily interested in cats who swim. As you may know, the female human and i are planning on being kayak buddies. Unfortunately, it took us a while to find just the right life jacket (don’t I look handsome?) and then the skies were so filled with smoke from the forest fires that surrounded us that the air quality was not good for humans or animals. So, onward and upward and looking forward to next summer. Siamese cat in life jacket

But in the meantime, I want to learn from other fearless felines that like the water. Sasha is just such a feline. Sasha likes to take a swim in her pool and acts like it’s no big deal. if you don’t believe me, check out this video of her swimming. As much as I admire Shasha’s pool adventures, it’s still good to be safe. We live near big lakes and rivers and those conditions can be dangerous so I always recommend a life jacket (like the fashionable one I’m sporting)

Man’s Adopted Cat is His Favorite Climbing Partner – Bored Panda

black cat climbs mountains with her human

Now if you’re just catching your breath over the swimming feline Sasha, this one might just put you over the edge. Meet Millie and her human Craig Armstrong. Craig found a feline that shares his love of exploring, camping and climbing and the two have had some wonderful adventures. Craig says that “Ever since Millie climbed up onto my shoulder at the adoption center in Utah, I knew we’d make a good team.”

The female human was very pleased to see the precautions Craig takes with Millie but thankfully, she has not suggested that we add mountain climbing to our summer adventures! You can follow Craig and Millie’s adventures on their Instagram account.

Max the Banned Cat Meets with Macalester President – Star Tribune

Max the orange tabby

Dear Humans, this is a cautionary tale for you, never, EVER underestimate the power of felines and social media. Max, the Orange Tabby first came to fame when he began sneaking into the library at Macalester College. Now what can be so bad about a cat with litter-ary aspirations? Evidently quite a bit according to the librarian , who maxposter banned him from the building and even went so far as to create a wanted poster for the door.

Max’s plight created a stir on campus. There were cartoons about Max, a student created a library card for Max and there were #FreeMax comments all over campus. When social media picked up the story more people joined the Max bandwagon and an international hue and cry was raised for Max the Library Cat.

Things reached the point where the college President arranged a meeting with Max. You can see the video on the page with the story. The sit down was not a great success, with the college President complaining that a cat is more famous than he is. The rest of the meeting was interesting. You must watch the video. Suffice to say, Max had the upper paw! Sheesh, what’s a cat have to do to keep a job?

KitTea Cat Cafe Offers Caturday Cartoons and bottomless Cereal Bar -KitTea Cat Cafe

KitTea

If you follow me Wednesday wanderings you know I love to report on Cat Cafe’s, especially the ones opening up all over this nation. If you think a cat cafe is just a place to see or interact with cats you’ve got another think coming. Take the Kit Tea Cat Cafe for Front+Sign+How+We+Work+-+2017 instance, they do lots of neat things there and, aside from their special events, they even make it easy for visitors to understand what the cat cafe experience is. Check out their easy to understand graphic for visitors.

You can book any regular visit online and even book the special events like the yoga nights, Happy Meowr, Mewvie Nights, The Caturday Morning Cartoons and more. Follow the Kit Tea Cat Cafe on Instagram.

This Caturday Morning event really intrigues me. Here is how they advertise it:

Have mew heard about our Caturday Morning Cartoons event? Come in your best jammies and curl up like a cat (with a cat) to watch an hour of nostalgic 90’s/80’s cartoons and commercial clips on our big screen – surrounded by 10+ sanctuary kitties. A cereal bar filled with sugary sweet cereals will also be available to make it the ultimate Caturday morning!

Includes:
Bottomless cereal bar (assortment of sugary childhood favorites)
A morning of streaming cartoons in our Cat Lounge

The female human said if we lived close to San Francisco she’d be there! Great job Kit Tea Cat Cafe! See you at the breakfast bowl.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 11/15

Posted on November 15, 2017 by Feline Opines

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Hello Friends,
Alberto here with my Wednesday wandering through the web. I hope you enjoy the feline finds!
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

Cat Whisperer Firefighter – itv.com

fire fighter rescues cat on roof

Once again, our friends across the “pond” prove that they are ahead of the curve when it comes to moggie care. The Shropshire Fire and rescue and the RSPCA were called to a house for assistance for a feline named Tinkerbell who’d been stuck on a roof for two days.

A firefighter named Andy (but also referred to as “the cat whisperer” climbed the ladder to the roof, spoke to the frightened feline and she walked right into the carrier he put out for her. The entire rescue took about 45 minutes.

Does your town have a cat whisperer? I think every town needs one!

Cat Cosplay – @Cat_Cosplay on Twitter/Instagram and Facebook

Dap-purr Steampunk Cat @CatCosplayInc

What is this madness the humans call “cosplay”? I had my purrsonal assistant look up the definition of this strange practice. It is “the practice of dressing up as a character from a movie, book, or video game, especially one from the Japanese genres of manga and anime.” Okay humans, dress up like anything you like but do you really have to bring felines into this wacky ritual?

After my stringent warning to the humans about NEVER attempting to stuff me in a costume again and, after so many of my feline friends chimed in regarding my “no costume” rule I was dismayed to see so many cats in costumes! I cannot wrap my kitty head around this and would love to hear from any “cosplay kitties” as to why you enjoy this (at least you look like you’re enjoying yourself in the photos).

This Man and His Cats Recreate Scenes From Famous Movies – Good Housekeeping

man and black cat share a string of spaghetti

Aaaaand, yet another human who thinks it’s a great idea to dress up his cats (at least most of these are photoshopped to save the poor felines the indignity and trauma of costumes).

Now this human (who clearly has too much time on his hands) loves films so much, he’s dragged his poor kitties into his passion and recreates his favorite scenes from films.

Good grief humans, can’t you go through a day without humiliating your felines??!! I long for the days in Egypt when we cats were revered like gods.

SNAP CAT – CATS AND BUNNIES LOOKS EXACTLY THE SAME – Storytrender

siamese kitten and look alike bunny

Now I’ve had many folks see my photo and say things like, “Oh, he looks just like my Siamese cat!” but I’ve never heard anyone say I resemble a rabbit. But animal photographer Mark Taylor, from the UK decided to photograph look-alike felines and bunnies and I must say, I think he nailed it! Purrrruse the photos and see if you can find a bunny that resembles your feline visage.

Salt Lake’s first cat cafe – The Salt Lake Tribune

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune) Melissa Davis, left and Jackie Rogers play and pet cats at Tinker’s Cat Cafe.

I am a fan of cat cafes and am always excited to hear about new ones. And I’m purring with delight to know that the trend is getting closer to our Idaho home! Tinkers Cat Cafe sounds like a wonderful place and it, as most of the cat cafes we’ve featured, was inspired by the feline cafes in Japan.

The cafe has a cat side and a food side with delicious food and drinks brought in from local establishments . The Cafe owner says they carry the best bagels in town from Ditta Cafe, cool cat-shaped cookies from Les Madelines and they also offer vegan and gluten-free options. The goal is to keep the humans and the cats happy.

All the cats are available for adoption. There are no kittens there as kittens adopt quickly. Two paws up for Tinkers Cat Cafe. I’d love to hear from any of my readers who’ve visited a cat cafe, drop me a line and tell me about your experience.

“Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is you-er than you! Dr. Seuss

Here are this week’s fill ins:

Here are my fill in responses:

Alberto

“Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is you-er than you!
Dr. Seuss