Walk Through The Web Wednesday 7/14

Posted on July 14, 2021 by Feline Opines

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Happy Wednesday Furiends,
We are still suffering from the heat in our neck of the woods. The Human is getting a bit cranky and muttering under her breath, “I moved to this area to be away from the heat!”. While we sympathize, her issues are of no consequence to us as long as meals and snacks are on time and those cooling machine thingies are in full operation.

Now don’t get me wrong, we here at The Tribe would purrfur cooler weather ourselves and I, for one, will be very happy when it’s time to snuggle up next to the fire again.

Lily is no big fan of the heat either.

“I’m not coming out of this box until fallo!”

Oliver has chosen to beat the heat by celebrating Shark Awareness Day today.

As always, The Tribe is wishing you all a cool, comfortable week filled with tuna and catnip..

Feline employee of the Year honored with a new beer release at Marker 48 Brewery

Released on Caturday , the Tangerine Wheat Ale brewed honors Marker 48’s favorite brewery cat Willy (Willie).

Oh my whiskers, this is my kind of story. My readers know how I like to report about working cats but this news item takes the professional feline story to a whole new level. The owners of this brewery are extremely enlightened, much more so than brewery in our neck of the woods called Laughing Dog. They host things called “Yappy Hour” . Yappy Hour, can you believe it? Makes me want to hiss every time they advertise another canine centered event!

But I digress and say thank goodness kitties are finally getting their due recognition in the brewing world by Marker 48 Brewery . Not only did these wonderful humans brew a beer to honor a deserving feline employee, they commissioned some limited edition merch as well. We sent our Purrsonal Assistant to the brewery’s site with credit card in hand to order some of the beer and maybe some merch to see if she could order merch but it looks like you have to live in or near Brooksville, Florida to do that.. If any of my furiends live near this fantastic feline loving place, please visit Willy Nelson, taste some of his beer and meow about it on our blog.

Feline Fine: Cat Enjoys Private Transatlantic Boeing 767 Flight

Special 4-legged guests living their best life up in the sky during a transatlantic flight on Comlux flagship SkyLady

🎵: Mauve#luxurytravel #businessaviation #aviationlovers #boeing #petfriendly pic.twitter.com/0tFif67EXZ
— Comlux (@_Comlux) July 7, 2021

We felines deserve only the best and this feline is getting the best of everything, even a personal charter flight on SkyLady of Comlux. There are no tacky carriers, small cat beds or quarantine time for this feline. The Transatlantic crossing VIP kitty guest and his/her human wanted to remain anonymous so we don’t know the cat’s destination but the airline posted a nice video on Twitter to show how the cat is living the Vida Loca. Meowza, how nice would it be to have the run of a luxury plane that can seat 55 people? I wonder how many cats that translates to.

Many cats are living their best lives but this cat has taken that concept to an entirely new level. Methinks it’s time for The Human to step up her game.

A giant 3D cat has taken over one of Tokyo’s biggest billboards

And now that there are cats who have beers brewed in their honor and who travel by private chartered et, a gigantic 3D cat has on a billboard in Tokyo shouldn’t surprise anyone.

The cat appears between advertisements and is amazingly realistic. And it doesn’t just move, it meows too! If you’re in Tokyo, you can see the cat between 7 a.m. and 1 a.m.. The video changes throughout the day. The calico cat is first startled awake in the morning, and by the afternoon it can be seen standing up and meowing at passersby. In the evening, it lies down and falls asleep with its head rested on its paws. The billboard is located over the east exit of Shinjuku train station, an area known as a busy shopping and business center. According to a website launched for the display, which is known as Cross Shinjuku Vision, 190,000 people pass the screen every weekday.

Hmm, maybe the time is getting closer when cats will rule the world (at least virtually).

Orlando Cat Café Will Donate Pet Oxygen Masks To Lake County Fire Rescue For Use In Saving Cats, Dogs After Fires

Oxygen masks save kitties lives. Does your fire department have them?

I’ve reported on many cat cafes and am a fan but have never heard of any that raised money for kitty oxygen masks. This is exactly what Orlando Cat Café did when they donated two pet oxygen masks to the Lake Country Fire Rescue. These masks revive cats and dogs who suffer from smoke inhalation after a fire.

We were intrigued with the issue of pet oxygen masks and thought that every fire department should have some so we sent our Purrsonal Assistant out on the web to learn more. To our delight, we found Project Breathe, a pet oxygen mask donation program from the good folks at Invisible Fence. Does your fire department have these life-saving masks? Why not meow at them and find out? And paws up to Invisible Fence for caring for animals!

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FELINE FINE!: Rescue cat climbs New Hampshire’s 48 tallest mountains in nine months

Not every feline thinks that travel in a private jet or having a beer named after you is living their best life. There are some cats like Floki who live lives of adventure . Floki and her hiking companion,, Mel Elam have summited every mountain in New Hampshire over 4,000 feet!

Elam had a chocolate lab hiking companion for years who had passed away. She went to the shelter to find a new buddy to take a look at a litter of kittens she’d seen there. Her plans changed when Floki reached out her paw as Elam walked by, insisting that she be picked as the new companion. When Floki was 4 months old, she had a harness and a leash and the duo headed out for their first hiking adventure.

Floki took to the adventure life and the two are looking forward to many more adventures to come. Even though this feline is a bit on the lazy side and my brother Oliver prefers to take his outside adventures in the cat stroller, we think adventure cats are cool cats!

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 6/30

Posted on June 30, 2021 by Feline Opines

Hi there furiends,

I sure hope it’s cooler in your neck of the woods than it is in ours. We are suffering through unusual record breaking heat here in the Inland Northwest. So unusual in fact, that most folks don’t have air conditioners. Just so you know what I’m talking about here’s Weather Kitty’s report for the moment (it’s supposed to hit 102 today!)

“Sigh, when will winter be here?” – Alberto

Stay cool my furiends and make sure that your humans drop some ice cubes in your water bowl!

Rescue attempt leaves cat and owner stuck in tree

MOL!! Here’s a word for you cat parents crazy enough to climb up a tree to assist your stranded feline…DON’T!

A pet parent in Oklahoma found out the hard way that this is a bad idea when he found himself stuck up in the tree with his cat. The Tulsa Fire Department’s report noted:

“Around 3:45 pm, Captain Alan Hancock and his Engine 27 A Platoon crew responded to a rescue near S. 94th E. Avenue and E. 27th Street,” the Tulsa Fire Department wrote on Facebook. “Apparently a cat climbed high up into a tree. Its owner was so concerned for the feline that he climbed up to attempt a rescue. Unfortunately, they both found themselves in a dangerous predicament high above the ground, unable to get down safely.”

Both human and cat were rescued. You can watch the video here

How vets saved Babi the cat’s life with a few shots of vodka

In a little town in South Africa, Babi, a ginger cat underwent unusual emergency treatment.

The cat’s owner noticed Babi was acting funny and refused to eat. He was barely able to stand. They scooped him up and carried him, without a box, almost 2km across the valley from Mashaeng township to the veterinary clinic in Fouriesburg, South Africa.

The veterinary team suspected poisoning so a urine sample was taken. The urine was a strange lime yellow color and tested extremely high for increased glucose levels. Diabetes was ruled out. The next potential prognosis by the vets was kidney failure. They considered that it was a cold time of year and thought it could be potential antifreeze poisoning.

They were worried as the prognosis for antifreeze poisoning is very poor if not caught early. Because the cat had vomited while in their care, they thought that they had caught it early enough and decided to try and save Babi. They did some quick internet research on antifreeze poisoning and read that the urine would be fluorescent; they confirmed with a fluorescent lamp that the urine was neon and the diagnosis was confirmed.

“Anti-freeze poisoning is treated with intravenous ethanol and that isn’t something that we have just lying around, so back to Google we went; what could we use in its place?” the vet said.

One of the vets raced to the local liquor store and bought the purest bottle of vodka she could find. They then dosed Babi with a drip after they figured out the dosage.

Even though they did dilute the vodka, poor Babi did get drunk. They repeated the treatment every six hours for a day and a half and then every eight hours for another day.

The propylene glycol in anti-freeze causes crystals to form in the kidneys which destroys the tubules in the kidneys. Ethanol, or in this case vodka, dissolves the crystals and allows them to pass in the urine.

By the fourth treatment, Babi was almost back to normal. He was eating and he looked like a million bucks. They kept him for a couple of days for observation and his family was thrilled to have him back in their arms again when he went home.

Bravo to these fantastic veterinarians but humans, please don’t treat your cats with alcohol!

This cat is no couch potato

I love to report about adventure cats and Salem is one of these felines with a heartwarming story. Salem’s human, Shawn Crassweller, came across Salem about two years ago when he was on a walk. He heard a truck speed up and saw Salem in the middle of the road. He ran to the cat, scooped her up and took her to safety. The cat followed him for more than eight blocks to his house. He left the back gate open as well as the back door of the house. She walked back and forth between the gate and the door for a few minutes, finally settling on the door and yelling as if to say, “Let’s get inside!” Crassweller says Salem has been with him ever since that day.

Crasweller says Salem rescued him that day too. His ex had just left him as well as his godson and two roommates. Having Salem in his house forced him to get out of bed and care for her, keeping him from succumbing to depression.

He trained Salem to sit on his shoulder while he longboards around the city. Once he was able to walk around his house, bent over digging in cupboards, or open the fridge without her jumping off, he started going outside with her hanging out beside his head. Now Salem goes biking, longboarding and hiking with him. He does make sure Salem wears a harness on their outdoor excursions.

Crassweller and Salem are planning a camping trip to Waterton Lakes National Park. Salem will get her own tent, complete with a litter box, and will sit in a backpack while Crassweller hikes.

Crassweller says that being an adventure kitty means having the right temperament and he’s thankful that his cat shares his passion for the outdoors and also loves to be hugged.

I’d say Salem found the purrfect human!

Cats that care lead the way among National Cat Awards finalists

The lineup for this year’s National Cat Protection Awards is dominated by felines who have helped people through difficult times.

This year’s event – sponsored by Purina – is comprised of four categories: Furr-ever Friends, Most Caring Cat, Outstanding Rescue Cat and Purina Better Together.

Among the hopefuls are Minty, from Holywell, Flintshire, who lost one of his legs after being hit by a car. He cares for his young human who has severe learning difficulties as well as other medical conditions. When things get difficult, Minty rubs his face on Connor’s hand to calm him. Minty also helped Connor to learn to climb the stairs. He spent hours jumping one step at a time, stopping to allow Connor to catch up. Connor’s mom said, “It was incredible to witness him patiently encourage Connor to achieve something he found so difficult. She also said, “Connor can be very loud, and his medical conditions mean he’s very wobbly and clumsy. Many pets would understandably keep their distance, but not Minty – when Connor is at his most in need, Minty is there like a shot.”

And if you think Minty’s story is pawsome I encourage you to visit the article to learn about cats like Paddy, who makes daily trips to Co-op Funeralcare’s Mayfields Remembrance Park near his home to comfort mourners. Then there’s Bruno who came into his human’s lives after their five-day old daughter died. Caring for Bruno and his littermates who were found in a box helped them cope with their loss.

While learning to live with their grief, Caroline and Damon found a box of four abandoned kittens and took them in, deciding to keep Bruno after rehoming the other three.

Winners of each category will receive a trophy, a £100 ($138.00 USD) pet store voucher, a year’s subscription to Cats Protection’s magazine and three months of Purina cat food.

The winners will be announced on August 5, while a week later the National Cat of the Year will be decided by a celebrity panel.

Cat allegedly stolen by Uber Eats driver located, reunited with its owner

.Oh my whiskers, this is the third catnapping article I’ve reported on in the last month! At least this story lets us know the outcome. An 18-year old feline named Hog and her human, Patrick Lewis were reunited after she’d been cat napped.

Lewis despaired of every seeing her again and then the cat was discovered in someone’s back yard in Van Nuys when their dog kept barking at something in the yard. Upon discovering the cat, the homeowner said she was sure the feline belonged to someone. She searched social media and found a listing on Next Door about Hog. She contacted Lewis immediately.

Hog was stolen from Lewis’ front yard in Studio City and the culprit was a food delivery driver, caught on camera taking the cat. After the story was featured on the news, the Uber Eats driver contacted the family, telling them she thought the cat was a stray and that she gave it to a family at the animal shelter.

The female Uber Eats driver was reportedly delivering food to another home on Laurelwood Dr. when she took the cat who was sitting on the sidewalk. Hog’s collar, tags and all, were found on the sidewalk.

Lewis called the Uber Eats driver after Hog was located, and said that she started crying. He said there were no hard feelings, he’s just happy to have Hog back home.

In a written statement to FOX 11, an Uber Eats spokesperson said, “What the customer reported is unacceptable. We are working to get the cat returned, stand ready to help in the police investigation, and will take the appropriate action against the delivery person.”

So folks, I will repeat to you what The Human always says regarding random cats that you might encounter…think LOST not stray!

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 7/29

Posted on July 29, 2020 by Feline Opines

Hello Furiends,
Well, the heat finally hit our neck of the woods. None of us are thrilled about it.

“Oh for heavens sake Human, it’s hot and we want to go outside!” – Oliver

Thankfully, The Female Human invited us out to the upstairs deck. It was wonderful but we did tell her the deck could do with a good sweeping!

Well, it was a nice time outside and if it stays this hot I think there will be more times out there..

Now, let’s get on with this week’s feline web finds!

Cat hitches a ride to the U.S.

You humans need to keep track of your felines! I can’t believe how many stories I’ve featured this year about hitchhiking cats! There was even one who stowed away on a plane.

This feline from Redvers, Saskatoon in Canada took an unexpected trip to the United States. Thankfully he made it back home thanks to the help of truck driver Jack Shao.

Chylisse Marchand said she let Spooky the cat outside along with her two other cats Wednesday night. “I just kind of assumed that in the morning … they would all three come running the way they normally do,” she said. “And my other two cats did but Spooky did not.”

Chylisse began to grow more nervous as the day went on. She went through her community searching for her kitty but no one had seen a black cat.

Imagine how surprised she was when her veterinarian called her at 11:30pm and said, “I have a Jack Shao, a trucker on the other line, he’s in the U.S. right now, but he has your cat.”

The trucker was going to be back in Redvers the next day and was willing to bring the cat back but he was nerovous about bringing a cat across the border (Spooky wasn’t carrying his passport with him).

Marchand phoned the border and made arrangements for Spooky to cross and arranged to meet the truck driver to pick up Spooky.

It was a happy reunion and a good reminder to you humans that July is National Lost Pet Prevention Month. If Spooky wouldn’t have been microchipped, he might never had made it home.

Woman makes traditional Chinese clothing for cats

Qiu Qiao has been making clothes for her cat, Liu Liu. Since she decided to quit her job and turn her cat clothes into a business, she’s been cashing in. She designs, selects fabrics and matching accessories for her feline clothing line. Her Taobao shop in China sold out of all it’s items on opening day.

Now, a year after the store opened she has 16,000 fans for her clothing line and her top model, Liu Liu.

I happen to know a number of felines who enjoy wearing clothing and think they would look pawsome in some of these outfits.

Financial analyst quits job to become a full time cat artist

No, this lady isn’t painting cats on canvas….the cats are the canvas!

After being stressed out by her corporate job, Patricia Lee decided she’d switch careers and use her artsy side to become a cat groomer.

Patricia has creatively groomed over thirty different cats, and does traditional cat grooming as well. Her star feline runway model, Princess Shadowina, with whom Patricia has won several awards, passed away at the age of 20 earlier this year. She is now training two of her current pet cats, two-and-a-half-year-old Special Agent Gibbs and five-and-a-half-year-old IV Baby to be her next catwalk models to showcase her crazy designs.

Patricia said: ‘Dogs can guide themselves down the runway to be judged in grooming competitions, but I have to steer the cats myself. ‘They take longer to groom than dogs because they don’t stand still. (Well if I had some wacky human heading toward me with clippers and dye, I wouldn’t stand still either!)

It’s not surprising that Patricia has faced some negative comments from people who accuse her of mistreating her feline friends, but she says she is certain that the cats love being groomed as much as she loves grooming them. She said: ‘It’s not cruel as you’re not doing the designs on every single animal. ‘It’s all about doing it on the right animals.‘If it’s a cat that doesn’t like being handled then it’s not the right candidate. ‘My other cat Squishy doesn’t get creatively groomed because she doesn’t like being petted. ‘It depends on the character of the cats.’

Hmm, what do you think furiends? I took a look at the photos and those kitties didn’t look too happy.

WeCare Smart Health monitor for cats

It this monitor can do all it says it can do we are on board! Having lost our beloved Tucker and Jasmine in the last 4 months, we know how fast feline health can change.. These folks are running a Kickstarter program to fund their WeCare health monitor that they say works by monitoring litterbox habits by marking subtle changes in weight and other litterbox issues.

Our first thought was, “how does this work in multi cat households” but it appears they’ve already thought about that. Evidently the device recognizes different cats and each cat’s health history can be tracked separately. Now all we need to find out is if our humans can afford multiple devices for all the litter boxes in the house. What do you think about this?

Shelter uses old debate to fund new facility

A creative animal shelter is using the age old debate, “Are cats or dogs better?” to raise money for a new facility. Tri-County Humane Society in Minnesota is asking animal lovers to put their votes (and their money) where their hearts are. Money donated will benefit all the animals that TCJHS cares for and help them move into their new facility. They need lots of votes as the new facility is still about $2 million short of opening.

Those who give at least $50 through the Cats Vs. Dogs campaign will be able to have their pet’s photo featured in a mosaic that will be hung in the new shelter. I would certainly hope that my readers would be voting for the felines!

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 7/8

Posted on July 8, 2020 by Feline Opines

Hello Furiends,
I hope all of you in the good old U.S.A. had a fantastic Independence Day. Our Female Human had a great time, helping to build floats and hanging out with her relatives at the lake. The closest we felines got to water was the shower in the Human’s bathroom!

I am not happy. The Female Human left us alone and spent time hanging out with a dog!

So we were left behind and the Human scampered off to the lake to spend time with her human relatives and (gasp) our canine cousin. And where were we? Left alone at home. Oh the cruelty!

While she galavanted around the lake with our canine cousin, the only water we had to play in was the shower but there was no one to turn the water on for us!

Well, enough griping, let’s get on with the best of the feline news for this week.

Saddest Cat In The World?

I’ve reported on the new “Grumpy Cat” and now I’ve found out there is a “saddest cat in the world”.

This feline from China has markings that make him look very sad. A student first spotted the cat, videoed him and posted the video on TikTok. The cat became a world-wide sensation and some folks call him “a real life emoji” The student believes the cat is a stray and returns to the street regularly to make sure he has food and water and is okay. I sure hope someone gives this melancholy guy a furever home soon.

Man Runs Cat Shaped Route To Celebrate

Bob Carter, the coordinator of Honiton Cat’s Protection was so excited about the shelter’s reopening that he and four members of Axe Valley Runners in England ran a 5K route shaped like a cat. The women in the race wore cat ears.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, those Brits are cat loving folks!

Cat Steals Some Milk during Online Church Service

I reported on the antics of the cat at Canterbury Cathedral when he disappeared under the Dean’s robes during an online church service. Well, that camera loving feline made another appearance on an online church video when he hopped on a chair next to the Dean to help himself to some milk.

What Do Cats Dream About?

Do felines dream? According to Dr. Katy Nelson, senior vet at Chewy the answer is yes. Dr. Nelson says, “There are two types of sleep: REM and non-REM,” During REM, the sleeper’s eyes move rapidly and the brain’s activity is similar to an awake state. This is when dreaming occurs. Young animals spend more time in REM than older animals possibly due to the large amount of new information that they encounter each day and the need to process it all.

You humans dream about your lives and, according to Dr. Nelson so do cats. She says, “Well, since we’re unable to ask them what they dream about, we have to deduce that, similar to us, they dream about their day,. If they went outside and saw a bird and another kitty friend, those images are likely what is playing through their mind during sleep. Perhaps they’re even dreaming about you, their delicious dinner, and the pens and chapstick that they pushed off of your table just so they could watch them fall!”

Can cats have nightmares? The doctor says, “Just like us, animals dreams may not always be happy or based on their reality. Nightmares are suspected to be the way that our minds determine the best course of action in case that dream experience occurs during waking hours,” says Dr. Nelson. “Our cats aren’t likely to dream of monsters or missing a final exam like we do, but who knows…maybe they dream of oversized mice or seeing the bottom of their food bowl!”

And that answers the mystery of “do cats dream”! And right now, I’m dreaming of some nice tuna for dinner.

Cat Stows Away On A Military Cargo Plane

I’ve reported on cats taking “surprise” vacations in the past but this is a new one. This feline hitched a ride on a military flight that landed in Bangor Maine Tuesday night and flew out Wednesday.

The airport marketing director, Aimiee Thibodeau said, “We’re calling it the feline recovery mission.” No one is sure when the friendly gray and white male boarded the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III cargo plane.

The origin of the flight was Travis Air Force Base in California and it made a stop in Colorado Springs before arriving in Bangor.

The plane’s flight crew discovered the cat in the cargo hold hiding behind some crates. It wasn’t clear if the cat was discovered in-flight or after landing in Bangor. Crew members brought the cat to the airport maintenance office, where the feline stowaway tried to make a break for it but was quickly captured. Once the cat was in the captor’s arms he snuggled down and began purring.

The cat was taken to the Bangor Humane Society where he is now resting after his possible 3,200 mile trip which could have been even longer as the plane was headed overseas.

The mission now is to get the cat back home. Both Air Force bases have been contacted but no one knew about a lost cat but the shelter workers are sure that this cat did have a home.

A photo of the cat has been posted on the airports Facebook page and the Human Society will be posting a photo on their social media.

The Shelter says the cat doesn’t have a microchip but they are convinced by their observations of the behavior of the cat that he has a home……somewhere.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 5/13

Posted on May 13, 2020 by Feline Opines

Happy Wednesday Furiends,
Just when we were doing the happy dance and getting ready for The Female Human to get the catio out, our beautiful weather took a turn and now we’re back in the 40 degree area. Sigh. We did manage to get a shot of the view downstairs from the living room window when the sun was out. We’re keeping our paws crossed that catio weather and sun puddles will make their appeaance soon!

Our view from the back of the living room sofa. We love watching the robins taking a bath in our little waterfall.

In other breaking news, The Female Human actually caught Oliver and Lily snuggling! Mind you this only happened once but it sure made her happy. Lily misses her buddy Tucker so we’re hoping this wasn’t just a fluke.

Lily stealthily made her way over to Oliver when he was sleeping and a surreptitious snuggle was accomplished.

This stay at home thingy has definitely affected my waistline. The Female Human is working at that place she calls her “business” and therefore failing in her duty to mind my kibble consumption during the day (not to mention my plastic chewing). Sigh, I hope my life jacket still fits this summer!

Jasmine has this nice cat tree in her space, it’s clearly not made large enough for robust felines like myself.

Finally, we must take a moment to commend The Female Human. She is finally accomplishing something she’s wanted to do for years and just received her diploma (with “Distinction” she insisted I note) for her Feline Behavior and Psychology course. She’s always been a bit of a “know it all” when it comes to cats and now she’s really full of it…..cat behavior and psychology knowledge that is. She is now working on a course to become a Pet Bereavement Counselor.

Okay, enough about us, let’s take a look at what I found on my web wanderings.

How To Find A Cat in 10 (easy-ish) Steps

As I’ve noted before, The Female Human and her sister founded and operate a lost pet group in our community. She’s always meowing about the fact that people immediately think “stray” and not lost when they encounter an unfamiliar feline. This makes it hard for the folks who are desperate to find their lost feline. This article from Jack Hagerman from the Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA has some great tips to help you find your missing feline.

Not all missing cats are lost or want to be found. Cats are notorious for hiding in impossible places. Before you assume kitty is missing, make a thorough search indoors, around the porch, garage and yards armed with a flashlight and the tastiest, smelliest treats.
Don’t waste time. If you know your cat is missing, immediately post photos and a description of your cat, including the neighborhood you live in on NextDoor, Facebook and any other social media platform you use. The more neighbors and friends who are aware, the more eyes you’ll have looking out for your kitty.
Think like your cat. If you were a cat, where would you go? Begin around your house and spread out to the immediate neighbors on all sides. Where does your cat normally head? What is the most likely escape route? What are her favorite bushes or hiding spots? Crouch low under porches, scan high on roof lines and tree branches. Could something have recently happened to spook them? Construction or a new neighbor’s cat or dog?
While you’re searching, ask pedestrians, knock on neighbor’s doors and show a photo. Ask if you can check their garage, sheds, under the porch. This is no time to be shy.
Leave a missing cat report with your vet, all the other local vets, shelters and rescue groups. If you live in one of our animal control service cities*, make sure to check out “lost and found” section of your shelter’s website regularly.
When you return home, leave food and water outside your door. Fearful cats will often slink out after dark. Leaving a baby monitor near the food may detect faint meows. Also consider searching late at night when the rest of the world is asleep.
Enlist family and friends to help post flyers and spread the word. Have push pins, tape and a staple gun, depending on the surface. The best posting spots include street intersection poles, local bulletin boards at grocery stores, library, laundromat and community center.
If you’ve recently moved, extend your search to your old neighborhood.
Persevere! Cats have returned weeks and months later. Keep networking, and asking neighbors if they’ve noticed anything. Keep your fliers or posters fresh with a “Still Missing” header.
Remember, you seriously improve your chances of finding your lost cat if your cat is microchipped and is wearing identification on a collar around their neck.

Quarantine Cat Film Festival

Oliver’s film has been entered in the video competition

In order to help movie theaters that have been shut down an independent movie theater owner came up with a brilliant plan and created the Quarantine Cat Film Festival. This cat video festival will be live streamed on Friday, June 29, 2020. A portion of the monies raised from ticket sales will go to benefit local independent movie theaters. It’s expected that over 100 movie theaters will be involved.

We say “Paws Up” to Brian Mendelssohn, founder of Row House Cinema and his wife (who made the brilliant suggestion to have a cat film festival).

The Female Human sent in our very own film “Bring Me My Catpuccino” starring Oliver!

Cat Insists on Having A Conversation With a Non-Cat Person

The Feline Human has been heard to say often that “If there is a room full of cat lovers and one non-cat person in the group, the cat will make a beeline for the non-cat person.” She’s got it right and this cat decides he wants to get up close and personal with this lady who is clearly not a cat fan.

Tiktok user John Gonzalez captured this momentous moment on video.
The Tribe is a bit put off by the lady’s expression of horror.

Pizzeria Owner Gets 25 Dog and Cats Adopted

You know how much I love it when people come up with creative ideas to help animals find a furever home and this lady’s idea is pawsome! Mary Alloy, owner of Just Pizza & Wing Co. in Amherst,NY came up with a purrfect way to help her local shelter, Niagara County SPCA.

Since February she’s put over 5,000 flyers with adoptable pets on her pizza boxes and so far over 25 dogs and cats have been adopted. She also rewards the clients who adopt with a $50.00 gift certificate for her pizzeria.

A Cat’s Eye View of The Australian Outback

Kartika is not a regular cat. The four year old Bengal has quite a taste for adventure and satisfies it as she travels the outback with her human, Lou Meyers. Kartika has spent most of her life traveling across Australia. When she was a kitten she learned quickly that when the leash and harness came out, fun times were ahead.

Despite the fact that Bengals are known for having an affinity for water Kartika is no water lover which could be because there is little of it in the outback.

A Bengal cat is perfect for the adventure life because Bengals are very active, have strong personalities and like to explore (get into things). Bengals require lots of care and exercise.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday, on Thursday Because Our Purrsonal Assistant Has Lost All Sense of Time 4/30

Posted on April 30, 2020 by Feline Opines

Well hi there furiends,
I do apologize for the late post. The Female Human (aka our Purrsonal Assistant and General Lackey) has been in quite a state. In addition to writing blogs and books, she has a thingy she calls a “business”. Well this “business” hasn’t been too busy lately and she has been rather discombobulated. This business thingy will be opening May 1 and now The Human is really in a tiz. All that is to say, she has failed to properly prioritize and my weekly feature is a day late. Sigh. It’s so hard to get good help.

This week’s report about the goings on in our neck of the woods is pretty boring. The Female Human is running around like her hair is on fire. While she’s not getting any of the green stuff for her business, she has been working on two diploma/certificate courses, Feline Behavior & Psychology and Pet Grief Counseling. There has been no lollygagging around the house or working on home projects, she is in full freak out mode.

“Human, take a deep breath, count to three and relax!”-Alberto

In the chaos of our lives, I am happy to report that our county had only four cases of the nasty virus and our family and furiends here are healthy. I pray this is the same for all of you, Still, service at our house has left a bit to be desired but then again, The Female Human is our only staff and we must make sure we don’t cross the line.

‘Thank you human, you may place the wet food bowl down there. And no. I do not want to engage in this new “chase the ball” exercise.- Oliver

All things considered, things are looking up, we are beginning to see some green and warmer temperatures and The Female Human has promised that if she ever sees that check they are supposed to be sending everyone, she will splurge on a cat stroller so we can check out our neighborhood.

“You humans need to be more cat-like. Chill. relax and eat your greens!”-Lily

Buddy the cat returns to original owners after 9 years

photo courtesy of the North Platte Telegraph

We know our humans are devastated when their feline friends go missing. This was the case with a man named Russ Small whose beloved lynx point Siamese went missing. Buddy and his human were exactly that, buddies. The feline always wanted to be with Russ, when he was working on cars or in the garage. And while he worked Russ would talk to Buddy and Buddy would talk (or meow) back. And then one day Buddy disappeared and despite all their efforts, they couldn’t find him.

Fast forward almost nine years when Russ’s wife noticed a picture on Fur The Love of Paws Facebook page and was sure it was Buddy, now 16. The couple was sure it was “their” Buddy and cementing this belief were that the “stray” cat the shelter called “Cyrus” had an eye condition that Buddy had and had the exact same markings.

Russ and Kim went to check out the cat and Buddy ran to them almost immediately. Now Buddy spends his days back in the garage with Russ and they have returned to their special brand of feline/human conversation.

The feline/human bond is a real thing (another subject our Human is studying) and quite remarkable. In a 2019 study Kristyn Vitale, researcher at Oregon State University’s Human-Animal Interaction Lab said “Like dogs, cats display social flexibility in regard to their attachments with humans,”” The majority of cats are securely attached to their owner and use them as a source of security in a novel environment.”

Fodor’s Can’t Book You A Trip But They Will Take You On A Virtual Tour of The Cutest Kittens in the world.

What does a major travel company do when they can’t book humans on travel? They feature photos of the cutest kittens from all around the world. This photo is the Andean Mountain Cat (photo courtesy of Lupo/Wikimediacommons). This cute little feline is very rare and can be found in Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. There have only been 10 sightings of this shy cat in 25 years! Be sure and “travel” with Fodor’s Travel to see the rest of the rare felines.

Lanai Cat Sanctuary fights COVID-19 isolation with yoga with 650 cats

Lanai is the only Hawaiian island that is COVID-19 free

Crazy things happen in these crazy days. The Lanai Cat Sanctuary (I’ve reported on this place in a previous Web Wednesday segment) relies on about 15,000 visitors a year to fund its programs but currently they have no visitors. These creative folks held a live streamed Yoga with Cats event. The sanctuary teamed with Anne Van Valkenburg, the wellness manager of the uber-exclusive Sensei Lanai, A Four Seasons Resort.

“This is a time where we are all keeping our distance and trying to find ways to keep close,” says Sanctuary Executive Director Keoni Vaughn. “We are really isolated in such a remote location and the sanctuary is completely off the grid with no electricity or Internet. So this is one way to bring everyone close and hopefully, ease some of the stress that everyone is experiencing.”

The Lanai Cat Sanctuary located in their current location in 2009. Since then, more than 2,000 cats have been sterilized, preventing the birth of thousands of kittens. They’ve found homes for more than 400 cats through it’s adoption program. The sanctuary now houses nearly 650 sterilized cats.

On Screen Cat Fight Caught on Screen as Wood-TV 8 Meteorologist Streams

We’ve been seeing many felines showing up at show tapings, business meetings and streaming events while humans are staying at home. While most felines are cute and add a bit of whimsy to these videos, these two cats were clearly squaring off for a bit of a tiff while the meteorologist, blissfully unaware of the drama behind him, soldiered on with his report.

Viewers of the forecast were left in the dark as to which cat won the altercation although there has been much speculation. JoJo Girard from MIX.95.7 noted. “As far as I can determine, the fatter, white cat had offended the black and orange cat (probably ate all his food) and the black and orange cat was having none of it, and thus went on the attack.”

Viewers have been clamoring for the fight outcome, sending comments like, “Can we get an insider piece on whatever drama is happening in the back?”

I have to say that as a feline in the public eye, I am shocked and dismayed at the behavior of these two. Please my fellow high profile felines, if you are going to be making more public appearances, for heaven’s sake,try to have a bit of decorum.

Couch Potato Cats Finally Get Their Own Couches

Since you humans have turned into bona fide couch potatoes and are now occupying the sofa that is designated for feline use only during the day, it’s time to rethink your feline’s comfort.

Someone has unearthed a 1998 pamphlet called “Crochet Kitty Couches” by Candy Clayton. If you don’t have this gem, you can get patterns from the book online at Annie’s Craft Store available as a print to order for $8.99 or a digital download for $5.99

The patterns offer a blue couch, a green sofa and a pink chair and the details are amazing. All instructions you need as to how to fill the furniture with foam are included.

People are publishing photos of their kitty couch creations on Annie’s Craft Store Facebook page and, there is a Reddit sub-thread about crocheting that displays some as well. The moral is, if you humans are going to plant yourself on our sofa space, then we need our own sofas!

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 4/22

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Feline Opines

Hello Furiends,
I hope this finds you all healthy and still holding on to your sanity. The Tribe is trying to keep pawsitive and since the snow is finally melting, there is more to see outside. The neighborhood moose has been making his rounds and as soon as the spring bulbs come up, the deer will be showing up in the front garden to chomp on them (this makesThe Female Human very cranky!)

Now that the snow is finally melting and the sunshine is making an occasional appearance, The Tribe is taking advantage of every sun puddle we can find.

And speaking of Oliver, he’s really getting cranky about the Sunday morning wake up call for this “church” thing. In the good old days, The Female Human quietly slipped out of the house to go to this “church” place leaving us to snooze in as late as we wanted.

“Human, these early morning Sunday wake up calls are starting to get on my nerves. Have you noticed that my expression isn’t any happier this Sunday than it was last Sunday?”
-Oliver

We’er getting so bored we decided to help The Female Human when she brings out that pink, comfy mat that she claims she does “exercises” on while watching a lady on the TV. I think she should just leave the thing out in the living room and let Oliver and I have fun with it.

But enough about the Tribe. Let’s talk about the interesting feline stuff we found on the wen this week.

Big Boy the UC Santa Barbara Cat is Enjoying the Indoor LIfe

There are a lot of campus kitties and I hope they are all being looked after as well as this UC Santa Barbara cat named Big Boy. Despite the fact that most employees are working at home now, Big Boy was offered a luxurious stay at the home of his “person of record”.

His daily schedule consists of feedings, occasional nizzles with the resident canine and a lot of naps. He’s enjoying the domestic life so much the human is considering offering him retirement from being the community cat so he can continue the cushy life he is enjoying now. Right now his other human caretakers are considering his future when everyone returns to school. Maybe semi-retirement will work but, whatever it is, we know Big Boy has good care! You can see more photos of Big Boy enjoying his new life here.

Soothing sounds of nature played to keep cats calm during lockdown

Do you know that we felines can be easily stressed? There are many reasons for this but one of the big ones is changing our routine. Cat’s like predictability and routine and when shelter cats are cut off from the world and don’t have access to their shelter workers and the public they are stressed.

This wonderful human,Senior cat care assistant Jane Francis realized that even though the workers were taking care of cats in her shelter, things were really quiet so she decided that, “… stimulating as many senses and natural behaviours as possible, without overloading them, could only be beneficial for the cats, especially the more sociable ones and kittens who are still learning about the world around them.”

She noticed that the cats and especially the kittens seemed to flourish and become more confident after they introduced the sounds into the shelter. You can watch a short video of Charlie the cat’s response to the soothing music.

MP3 players were set up in the cats’ pens for them to enjoy a variety of sounds like rainfall and bird songs, general garden sounds and other sounds of natue and the cats are responding positively! Way to go Mitcham Homing Centre in Surrey, run by Cats Protection!.

Sick of Being Stuck AT Home? This Traveling Cat’s New Book Will “Take You Away”

Suki makes a purrfect virtual tour guide. She has traveled the world with her humans Martina Gutfreund and Kenny Hildebrandt and now her humans have compiled her travels in a new book, Travels of Suki the Adventure Cat, which will be available in May from Andrews McMeel Publishing.

Suki came to live with her humans three years ago and they knew they wanted Suki to travel everywhere they went…and she did. Suki has taken to the wandering life like a duck to water. Her humans call her “extremely curious, energetic and bold”, traits that make her the purrfect adventure cat.

Regardless of where they go, Suki is content on their trips as long as she gets to visit nature — she adores “hiking, canoeing, or just lounging in the woods” — and even earns her keep with modeling sessions.

St. Petersburg cat cafe launches online video service featuring Hermitage felines

And speaking of virtual travel, a famous Cat Café in St. Petersburg Russia has launched an online video service where cat lovers can watch the felines.

The café has published CV’s for all the felines as they all are available for adoption. The Café states that, “All our cats have a veterinary passport and a “dowry.” Now I’ve never heard of a cat with a dowry but purrhaps this description is due to the difficulty of translating from Russian to English.

Man Files HR Complaint Against His Feline At Home Coworke r

“Human, when are you leaving the house and going back to work???”
Alberto

Andrew Stych and his wife, Sheila, are experiencing the phenomenon of working at home with four felines. One of the feline coworkers, Penelope, has proven to be a bit of a problem, so much so that Andrew had to file a complaint with HR.

“Penelope, this letter serves to formally document your failure to comply with household regulations, and your lack of adherence to workspace polices,” says the hilarious letter. “You have been a great contributor to workplace morale and have been meeting your quota with regards to cuteness and chasing hair ties. However, your continual insistence on attempting to (or succeeding in) shutting off the power strip and computer in the middle of work hours, insistence on stepping on the keyboard during critical company events, and general mayhem has resulted in significant loss of productivity. We value your contribution to the household, but you must demonstrate an immediate and permanent alteration to your workplace habits or you may face more severe repercussions up to and and including withholding treats.”

Evidently, the whole human/feline coworking thing may not be as successful as some of you humans think.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 1/22

Posted on January 22, 2020 by Feline Opines

Hello Furiends,
Greetings from the snowy, blowy Inland Northwest. The humans are slipping and sliding all over the roads in their metal machines. We felines, on the other hand are staying close to home and keeping cozy.

Oliver and I are expurrts at staying warm.

I have been working though. Seems as if I can’t leave our Purrsonal Assistant alone for a minute so I have to snoopervise her every move. I did demand an “Al extension” on the desk and that my bed be placed there. If I have to work, I’m going to be comfy!

I hope you are all safe and well and that this little sign in our office will resonate with you.

Cat lovers urged to nominate their furry friends in National Cat Awards 2020

Jeffree, last year’s overall winner. Photo: metro.uk.co

Bad news for us North American felines but great news for felines across the pond. It’s time for nominations for National Cat of the Year 2020 . Last year’s overall winner, Jeffree took the title for helping teenager Finn Hackeson, who has Asperger syndrome, cope with the death of his father.

Other categories include ‘Hero Cat’ for cats that have saved the day and ‘Most Caring Cat’ for pets that have positively impacted a person’s health or wellbeing.

The ‘Furr-ever Friends’ category is aimed at bringing in tales of friendship between children and cats.

The ‘Outstanding Rescue Cat’ is a special award for the most fabulous felines that have been adopted from animal charities. There is also a Purina “Better Together” award to celebrate the special bond between a feline and a human.

The award ceremony will be a star-studded event at London’s Savoy Hotel and is sponsored by PURINA.

So my UK moggie furiends, ,get your humans in gear and have them enter the contest.

CHONKY cats beware, there’s a new f eline fitness tracker in town!

The PurrSong Pendant is a tiny device that measures cat’s activity and our sleep. Who knew, a fitness tracker just for felines? The idea behind PurrSong is to get data about our regular routines and to keep track of any times we change those routines. Changes in behavior could indicate there is something wrong. We cats are sneaky in hiding when we don’t feel good and this little gadget might just give you humans a heads up and get us to the vet sooner. The information is sent to an app on the human’s smart phone and will alert to abnormal patterns. The device attaches to our collars. The PurrSong Pendant will be released later this year and will sell for about $100.00. You can watch a video about this cat fitness tracker here.

Eagle Scout’s service project benefits shelter cats.

Contributed photo Marek Jablonski stands in front of the cat playground he built as an Eagle Scout service project for the Marshalltown Animal Rescue League.

Marshalltown High School student Marek Jablonski took the little things to another level when he helped renovate the Marshalltown Animal Rescue League’s cat playpen as his Eagle Scout public service project. We felines know how important environment enrichment is for us and it’s even more important for shelter kitties.

Jablonski created a wall climbing feature that allows kitties to get to the very top of the wall. When Jablonski visited the shelter he saw three kittens sitting on one of the steps, staring out the window

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

We give Marek Jablonski a paws up award for this pawsome gift to the shelter.

Feline Social Club offer s sound healing for kitties

Sound-healer Santiago Rodriguez plays some pet sounds as the cats try to be cool about it. Long Beach Post News

Since opening in September 2019, Feline Good Social Club has been a haven for the cat-deprived. If you can’t have a kitty of your own, you can pay $15.00 for a hour for lunch, a break or just some feline time. The Feline Good Social Club’s slogan is “get giddy with a kitty” and encourages all it’s patrons to enjoy the feline company they provide. The organization is a nonprofit, everyone there is a volunteer and the funds received used for facility upkeep, cat food, kitty letter, etc.

The Feline Good Social Club plans events with feline friendly titles such as Cats & Mats Yoga, Paint & Purrs, a cat toy making craft event and a cat-themed movie night. Last weekend Sound Healing with Illuminate Life came in to allow felines and humans to enjoy an unusual meditation session. The event was such a success they are considering doing it on a monthly basis. You can visit The Feline Good Social Club (and meet the kitties available for adoption) at their website or follow them on Facebook.

Homele ss cats airlifted to new homes in Washington

I’ve reported on Wings of Rescue and The Jackson Galaxy Project before. These wonderful folks (and others) fly felines (and doggos too) to places where they will have a better chance of being adopted. These 118 cats were airlifted from shelters in Louisiana and Mississippi to Washington State where folks are looking for kitties to give a furever home. Paws up to these folks who work so hard to get kitties adopted, even if it means transporting them thousands of miles away.

The cats chosen to be flown out came from Jefferson Parish Animal Shelter, St. Charles Animal Shelter, and Oktibbeha Humane Society.

Wings of Rescue has flown over 41,000 pets to safety since 2012. The Jackson Galaxy Project’s mission statement is “To improve the lives of animals at risk by transforming
the places they live and helping the people who care for them” and working with Wings of Rescue is only one part of their mission.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 1/08

Posted on January 8, 2020 by Feline Opines

Hello there furiends,
Yes, I admit it, I took some time off and I quite enjoyed the rest (you know we felines need our rest!) But the proverbial party is over and it’s time to get back to work. I have a lot to cover since I’ve been slacking (and gave our Purrsonal assistant some time off). The Female Human is not a fan of early mornings and she and Oliver enjoyed hanging out and having a conversation over coffee (Oliver doesn’t drink coffee, he just likes the warmth of the cup).

I on the other hand, have been chomping at the bit to get back to work. The Female Human has an office that is for working and for doing crafts. I must say I love all the craft goodies on the shelf. I have no idea why she gets her whiskers in such a twist when I help myself to some craft supplies, sheesh, how selfish can you get?

“Hmm, let’s see what I can get into here. She really needs to tidy up these shelves.”
Alberto

The good thing about The Female Human having this craft/work situation is that she has a table rather than a desk and this table has an “Alberto extension”. This makes it much easier for me to snoopervise her while she works.

Well, it’s time for me to get to the feline news.

CHONK Statistics Revealed

For those of you who follow my Wednesday web wanderings, you know that our all time favorite Facebook group is This Cat is CHONKY. The humans and felines in this group are some of the greatest we’ve ever met (we’ll be writing more about why this is) but for now, here is only one example. A very mathematically motivated human in the group has created a Universal CHONK index so that the debate about whether your home is filled with CHONKS, SLONKS or FLOOFS can finally be steeled.

Ellis Mumford-Russell has taken on this herculean task and it has settled many debates in the CHONK community. We now have numerical and provable CHONK standards. If this is all a bit confusing to you I suggest you join the This Cat is CHONKY group and get to know the CHONKS AND the wonderful humans they live with and for heaven’s sake before you identify your felines as HEFTY CHONK, MEGA CHONK, etc. please refer to this index.

Universal Chonk Index Update

It is with great pleasure that I unveil the findings of our UCI survey. I charted the 54 data points, which you can see here.

(explanation of UCI here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/133018060894811/permalink/560333531496593/?hc_location=ufi)

A few things:
1. You’ll see cat names listed on the bottom. If people didn’t list cat names, I put the human’s name with an asterisk after
2. Remember, the smaller the number, the more chonky the cat

Most Chonky Cat = Matita w/UCI 1.17
Most Slonky Cat = Noel w/UCI 4.75
Average = 1.8657
Median = 1.7222
Mode = 1.7000

UPDATE: photos now included below for Matita and Noel so that we can see the scale of C H O N K –> S L O N K ??

Proposed Chonk Standards

Given that I presume that the sample group skews chonky, I propose the following standards:
this cat is C H O N K Y ≤ 1.7
this cat is A V E R A G E = 1.71-1.9
this cat is S L O N K Y ≥ 2

Diving further into the data, here are my suggested parameters for the following categories of cat:
some sort of snake cat ≥ 4
l o n g b o i ≥ 3
A fine boi = 1.71-2.9
He Chomnk = 1.6-1.7
A Heckin’ Chonker = 1.5-1.59
H E F T Y C H O N K = 1.4-1.49
M E G A C H O N K E R = 1.3-1.39
AW LAWD HE COMIN’ ≤ 1.29

Use these findings as you see fit.

View the data here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UlWWRg6kLF1-MIT7om4WV-7TmsX-t1AAwuEX7DMy7OI/edit?usp=sharing

LuluPet’s AI Litterbox will analyze your feline’s “deposits” and check for health issues

LuluPet’s intelligent litter box not only detects littering frequency and litter weight but also the condition of the litter (normal, constipation, diarrhea, etc.). After judging litter conditions through the use of AI image restoration, it uses this data to notify the owner of the cat’s health.

If our Female Human had a dollar for every time she’s had to describe to the vet the appearance and texture of the poop of The Tribe of Five, she’d be a rich woman, And gathering this information accurately when you have a multi cat household and numerous cat boxes is like searching for the holy grail.

But take heart humans, LuLuPet has a litter box with “built-in stool and urine image recognition” to analyze our… deposits. And why have an AI litter box that does this? It’s for the health of your felines, of course. The Female Human paid purrrticular attention when she read that the LuLuPet device can be set to determine which poop is from which cat.

When the cat walks into the litter box, the information is sent to an app on the human’s phone. The company says that the litter box is Alexa- and Google Home-enabled. This offers more questions than answers. Whose voice does it respond to? If it’s the felines, do we have to learn special meows? If it’s the human, what is the voice command? The next feature has Oliver’s whiskers in a twist because the litter box can weigh your feline and determine whether the cat is too fat. That brings me to another question; will they be employing the CHONK data information noted in the article above?

Evidently this wonder litter box can also determine if the cat needs more food or water.

LuluPets joins many other smart litter boxes but most of those boxes focus on cleaning the box and not analyzing the cat’s health. And there’s even a built in camera although this causes me to wonder, can’t a cat get some privacy?! The thought of my human watching me “do my business” over her phone app is a bit off-putting and frankly, an invasion of my privacy. LuluPet says that these photos are uploaded to the LuluPet library and are used to compare the different “deposits” of the other felines.

Now don’t get me wrong, this thing could really be a help with cat health, but I’m having a bit of difficulty believing that it will be as effective as the company says it will be. But, time will tell. This smart litter box is slated to be sold on Amazon in March for $149.00.

Canyon Ranch Inspired Resort for Felines…Human send me right meow!

Cat’s Meow resort was founded by Kim Thomas who took her business acumen and love of cats and created her feline resort, Cat’s Meow. She refers to it as the Canyon Ranch for felines. She began her feline career with a pet sitter service and said that she noticed many of the cats she cared for were in need of grooming. She did her research, connected with the National Cat Groomer’s institute and became a master cat groomer.

She loved grooming felines, bet felt something was missing in the marketplace. She wanted to create a place where cats could enjoy luxurious, stress-free, happy cat boarding without the distraction and fear of dogs —- along with the latest in cat grooming. and Cat’s Meow Resort was born.

The spaces at Cat’s Meow are pawsome and very elegant and the grooming options are amazing. If you want to up your feline’s star quality, this is the place to stay. I would be tempted but traveling. If I didn’t find the idea of being stuffed in a carrier and traveling the 2682 miles from my home to the resort holds no interest for me! If any of my east coast feline furiends have a stay or a grooming session there, let me know.

Gus the Cat Entered in Australian Dog Swimming Race

. Gus also enjoys paddle-boarding, cycling and hiking. Photograph: Alec Smart

The Scotland Island dog swimming race has been held for 44 years in the Sydney area. This year an entrant nabbed Gus shook things up a bit as he is an 11-month old Tonkinese cat. Gus’ human, Glenn Druery had been training the feline in Middle Harbor. Gus enjoys other water sports like kayaking and paddle boarding.

The Tonkinese breed is a cross between Siamese and Burmese and is known for not being fearful of water. Still, Gus is nowhere near the size and strength of the dogs that compete in the 500 meter swim. Druery checked the rules and noted that a human can swim alongside the four legged contestants.

Needless to say, ther4 was controversy about Gus’ entering the race with many saying that it should be kept as a dog race, stating reasons such as, “it’s cruel to the cat, it’s dangerous to the cat and it will upset the dogs.”

Druery assured the sceptics that he’d be swimming alongside Gus and, if Gus ran into any trouble, he’d climb on Druery’s shoulders.

Druery’s black Border collie, Bob, swam in the race twice and finished third and was declared the overall winner in the 2015 race. Sadly, Bob passed away from cancer.

Gus came in first in his category and is now a feline Australian sensation.

Osaka Hotel Offers Rooms With A View….Of Cats

Each room has an observation window looking into the cat’s play area

There are hotels for cats and now there are hotels for cat lovers. Neko Hatago is a hotel where guests can watch 16 resident rescue cats chilling in the adjacent cat café Neko Yokujo through an observation window in each hotel room. The hotel opened in mid-December. It has a traditional Japanese aesthetic, with traditional wooden fixtures, tatami mats and a rainbow Mt Fuji mural presiding over the cat café. The hotel is more hostel than a luxury property. The rooms have individual bunks for one or two people with a separate shared bath facility. There is an observation window in each room that looks into the cats play area. The windows are designed so you can observe the cats but neither you nor the other human guests can see each other. There are radio controlled toys that you can use to play with the cats.

Rates run between 8500 Yen ($79.00 USD) to 11,500 Yen ($105.00 USD) and include a two-hour session in the cat café outside of regular hours. And, if you and one of the kitties connect you can adopt a new friend as all the cats are available for adoption.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 12/11

Posted on December 11, 2019 by Feline Opines

Happy Wednesday Furiends,
How is everything in your neck of the woods? Nothing much new to report but we did have a sprinkling of snow here in the valley. The ski area is getting enough to open all the trails and that’s a good thing. The Female Human purrfers a “light sprinkling” but I keep telling her snow shoveling is a good workout (and it’s quite amewsing to sit on the window sill and watch her). We kinda’ liked the white stuff we saw out of the window this morning, puts us in a festive mood.

The Female Human purchased a new kitchen rug without our consent. What hubris! I immediately went into the kitchen to see if I would be willing to give it a paws up. I must say I like it much better than the old one.

Even though I am the official snooperviser in the house, Oliver had to get into the act too. He is the living, breathing example of a copycat.

I do have one question for you. I have had this “cardboard sofa” since I was a kitten. It’s my favorite thing to hang out in when I’m chillin’ and keeping an eye on the goings on in the house. The Female Human thinks I should have a bigger one and frankly, it is getting a bit difficult to squeeze my large (but lean and athletic) frame into this one. If any of you know of a larger version of this cardboard sofa, please meow at us and let us know.

It is getting a bit tight in my little cardboard sofa.

That’s enough about The Tribe of Five. Let’s get on with the latest feline news. Be sure and read to the end as I’ve added a new feature, “Alberto’s Weekly Feline Web Star” and who knows, some of you might end up in my Wednesday blog feature one of these days.

The age old battle, cats vs Christmas trees

My readers are well aware of the fact that this feline despises cat stereotypes but I must say, this is one stereotype that is not only true but hilarious. In our defense, if you humans insist on setting up something in the house that looks like a festive feline fun house you shouldn’t be surprised if it is the object of our shenanigans.

Two-day fair hosts thousands of cats in Moscow

Mewoza this was quite an event. Two days and 2,000 cats from 12 countries! I was purrticularily interested when I read in another article that one of the events was cat dancing. This caused me to set my purrsonal assistant on a quest to find out about this. Sadly, she failed to find any info about the cat dancing at the event but she reminded me I did do a report about the Moscow Cat Theater in a previous Wednesday feature. Evidently those Russian cats are quite accomplished. She found information about Russian dancing cats and about the Savitsky Cats, The Savitsky Cats are a family from the Ukraine that consists of mother Svitlana, daughter Marina, son Misha, and their 10 felines. Here’s a little clip when the Savitsky Cats were on America’s Got Talent (which is confusing to me if they are Russian cats-oh well).

Cats with jobs: Collierville Feline hires herself as a greeter

Cinnamon greets staff and visitors at the Collierville shelter

Cinnamon, a “semi-feral” cat resides in the outdoor area behind the shelter. In addition to her job description of “mouse removal” she decided that she needed to expand her business repertoire and has a new job as shelter greeter. It appears Cinnamon wasn’t getting enough human interaction and greeting filled that need.

Now lest you worry about the TNR feral cats who reside at the shelter, have no fear. They are well taken care of. They have small, warm houses to live in and special fan cooled areas for the summer.

The shelter will always try to help these kitties adapt to indoor life but for some, the “wild and free” lifestyle is more to their liking. The shelter staff says that Cinnamon has been there long enough to be accustomed to their routines. She’ll greet anyone who will let her, but never tries to get inside the building. I think Cinnamon has a pretty nice gig, a nice outside area to roam in and a job with room and board and benefits. Paws up to the good folks at the Collierville shelter for thinking outside the box!

New homes in Japan are designed with felines in mind

There is so much The Tribe loves about this house but this is The Female Human’s favorite thing. a litter box near the human toilet, with a cover to lock away smells, and a sunken design so stray litter can be easily swept back into the box.

Oh my whiskers, I’m telling The Female Human we must move to Japan posthaste. She’s not so keen on the idea so we’re trying to see if there are any innovative architechts furmiliar with these plans here in the good old US of A.

Felissimo is famous cat related brand in Japan that produces fantastical feline products has just won a gold medal with this concept. They collaborated with Wada Kosan, a company that develops rental condominiums in Kobe, Japan. The new cat homes took two years to develop with the input from professional architechts and cat owning Felissimo Cat club members.

These designs are purrfection and even the outside is a hat tip to felines as the building exteriors are designed to look like calico cat fur. Tenants in these luxury rentals will receive a 5,000 yen ($46.05) coupon every month for Felissimo products. Someone send me to Japan!

Stowaway cat was found at a British port after surviving a 12-day journey on a cargo ship from Israel.

Izzy, the stowaway cat from Israel is looking for a home in her new country.

The tortoiseshell cat, thought to be about a year old, was discovered in a container which arrived at Southampton in April. Following a four-month quarantine stay, she has been named Izzy and is being cared for at the Cats Protection Newbury Adoption Centre, in Thatcham, Berkshire, which is hoping to find her a new home.

The shelter says, “Izzy is quite a shy cat, and we think she must have been a street cat in Israel – used to being around people, but not being handled.” They said they’ll never know her full story, but it’s most likely she snuck into the container looking for food or somewhere cosy to sleep, and ended up getting locked in.

It’s quite remarkable that she survived for so long without food or water in what must have been very uncomfortable conditions. Izzy is described as “An independent girl, and she’d suit a home where she can have plenty of outdoor space. It may be that she’ll prefer to spend most of her time outdoors at first, but once she gets settled, she may well begin to come inside the home.”

As Izzy has been through a lot, the shelter would love to see her go to a home with a patient human who can give her the stable home she needs after such a turbulent few months.

Paws crossed that Izzy finds the purrfect home!

Alberto’s Weekly Feline web star

Hey furiends, I’m excited about this new feature I’m adding. I will be showcasing felines that I know (some of my feline blogging furiends) and felines furiends I meet in the many cat groups I belong to. This week I’m introducing you to my furiend Bear Cat. He and his pawtner in crime, Ellie Mae are fellow feline bloggers and they’re always good for some shenanigans. I think this photo of Bear Cat says it all. Go visit them at Momma Kat and Her Bear Cat.