Our furiends are pretty smart! Alberto will announce the winner in this week’s Walk Through The Web Wednesday.
Ding, ding ding, we have a winner!
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Category Archives: Cat Writers Muse Award winning blog
Walk Through The Web Wednesday 11/20
Hello There Furiends,
How are things in your neck of the woods? To be honest, it’s been a bit boring here. The Female Human is always meowing about keeping things tidy but when dinner time comes things don’t look so tidy. Tucker is afraid he’ll miss an eating opportunity, Lily doesn’t want to fight for her food with Oliver (who normally sits on the rug howling like a banshee) and I need to be up there to snoopervise.
I mentioned that Oliver likes to sit on the floor and wait for his meals, which is why this sight that welcomed our Human the other morning had her quite purr-plexed. It took her a while to figure out what Ollie was doing up there. I’m going to post the photos and see if you can figure out why he’s there and the first one to respond with the right answer in the comments will win one each of our Felines Opine books. (Hint, you might get a clue from the dinner photo). Happy guessing!
While you folks are trying to work out what in the world my crazy brother is up to, I’ll share my newsworthy finds in this week’s web wanderings.
Man plays piano for his rescue cats
This musician has 19 rescue cats, and they all love their piano-playing human more than anything. But there’s also a wonderful story behind the music. .
About 10 years ago, Sarper Duman, a 28-year-old pianist and music teacher ,suffering from deep depression attempted suicide. After spending an extended time in recovery he was in a park one day and a cat crawled up to him. He wanted to help this cat because he had needed so much help himself. That first rescue cat turned into 19 cats.
Duman began posting videos of his music loving felines and his Instagram followers went from 300 to 55,000 overnight. Today over a million people enjoy his videos. But, as you can imagine, 19 cats require a lot of food, litter and vet visits. Duman decided to set up a Patreon page for his followers to help earn some support from his videos. Duman expands his love of animals to strays around his home and his office and sometimes, people who know of his work, abandon sick and wounded cats at his house or work.
“Thanks to you and your endless support,” he says, “I have been able to help these poor animals to get the necessary medical treatment.”
If you want to watch Sarper’s videos, check out his Instagram page – and if you want to help him look after his cats, you can become a patron here.
Bonnie & Clyde rule the roost at Atlanta store
Okay humans this one is going o be a bit confusing. Bonnie and Clyde are cats, not humans. The Atlanta they’re talking about is not in Georgia, ,it’s in Texas-who knew?
Now that I’ve gotten all that straightened out I can tell you about these cats with jobs (and you know how much I love stories about cats with jobs)’
Customers at Atlanta Athletics are always greeted by the two felines employed there. Their job consists of stretching out on the floor awaiting belly rubs and customer service.
Clyde, the white cat, runs to greet customers as soon as he hears the front door opening. Bonnie, the black cat is slightly pickier as she likes some customers, others, not so much. Both cats agree that they love the Fed Ex, box delivering guy. I was unable to find out what salary these felines earn but based on their appearance, whatever it is it’s plenty to keep them healthy and happy. Working cats rock!
A cat’s journey from Portland to Santa Fe
Our Female Human runs a social media lost pet group for our area. She works hard to keep people who are looking for their lost felines optimistic and says that when humans see a cat they think stray before they ever think lost. This is why she ( and I ) love stories like this.
After five years of being gone from home, a beautiful black cat named Sasha, appeared in Santa Fe. This is exciting enough but when you realize that Sasha’s former home is in Portland, Oregon! After roaming the city streets of Santa Fe Sasha was picked up and taken to the animal shelter.
Shasha’s microchip revealed that his owner was Viktor Usov, who reported the cat missing years ago. (Note to you humans, microchipping is important!)
The shelter’s public relations officer, Murad Kirdar was astonished the cat made an almost 1400 mile journey. “Cats are notorious for jumping U-Hauls, trains and cars. Somehow it hitched a ride and ended up here,” Kirdar says. “How he managed to survive to get here is the million dollar question. I can tell you he hasn’t missed a meal.”
Thanks to the generosity of American Airlines, Kirdar and Sasha flew to return Sasha to his home and human in Portland. Kirdar says he has bonded with Sasha, and plans to keep in touch.
Minneapolis Airport therapy cat Stitches is the new favorite feline of the internet
Here’s another pawsome feline occupation. Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport is one of only two in the nation to employ a therapy cat. The other airport is Denver and I reported on that feline in one of my Walk Through The Web Wednesday features.
Stitches, has proven to be a calming influence in the hectic atmosphere of this large airport. It isn’t only the travelers who enjoy the 11-year old Stitches, it’s the airport employees as well.
Stitches knows quite a bit about stress as she was rescued after hurricane Hugo. “She’s wonderful. I’ve never seen such a calm collected cat,” pilot Andrew Dean said.
MSP Airport has had a therapy program for four years, with 96 dogs. Stitches is the very first cat.
“We knew going into it that people would really love Stitches, what we didn’t know is we would get media attention from around the world and that she would become this sensation,” MSP Foundation director of travelers’ assistance Laura Sartain said.
Way to go Stitches! Let’s get more felines in airports.
Man converts coolers to winter housing for feral cats
A wonderful man in Ogden, Utah turns old coolers into warm, insulated spaces for feral cats to take refuge in the winter. This DIY project only takes about five minutes and you can see how easy it is by watching the video.
He uses a 6 inch drill bit to drill through the cooler, then add some pipe insulation to pad it. You put straw on the inside and the project is finished.
These cat coolers are brilliant and in climates like the Inland Northwest where we live, they are a blessing for feral kitties.
We give our paws up award to this kind-hearted human, Philip Rogich. If you want to see how easy these cat coolers are to make, watch the video.
Walk Through The Web Wednesday 11/06
Hello :Furiends,
How is your week going? The Tribe of Five had a pretty good week, a Chewy order AND an order from Petco, it’s been box heaven. Although the weather is cold in our neck of the woods so far, the snow has not made an appearance and there are some beautiful sunny days. The Tribe loves to find sun puddles wherever we can.
We also have a bit of news. The Female Human is constantly meowing about being able to have someplace on our blog to opine. We reminded her that the name of this blog is Feline Opines, the world from a feline point of view, but this has had no effect on her so we will be launching a page on our blog just for the human to opine about feline things. Sheesh, everyone has to get in the game.
I hope you enjoy my internet finds that highlight how wonderful we felines are.
Don’t Fence Me In!
Quilty, a 7-year old cat available for adoption at the Friends For Life Animal Rescue and Adoption Organization in Houston got himself into trouble for freeing his fellow prisoners…err, feline rescues. He didn’t do it once or even twice. He keeps himself busy at night by freeing all the felines and calling them all to a meeting in the lobby. We say “way to go Quilty” and take the marketing campaign to get yourself adopted into your own paws.
Thousands of cats are rescued by tree climbers
I featured a story not too long ago about a hapless feline wo got himself stuck in a tree for hours during a storm. People, people, a cat will not always get itself out of a tree and this feline is very grateful for tree climbers who come to our rescue. For more stories from Canopy Cat Rescue, click here. If you live in Washington or Oregon, have your humans put this company on speed dial!
Should cats eat their greens?
Do felines need to eat their greens? I’ve been snacking on wheat grass ever since I was a kitten. Lori Teller, a clinical associate professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, provided some information on cats eating grass.
“Cat grass isn’t any one type of grass but can be a combination of grasses, such as rye, barley, oat and wheat,” Teller said. “Cat owners can buy kits at many stores to grow cat grass for their kitties.”
“Cat grass is not a required part of a cat’s diet if the food they are eating is well-balanced, but it is something that many cats enjoy,” Teller said. “Especially for indoor cats, it can be a source of environmental enrichment. In some cases, it may provide some micronutrients, such as vitamins A and D.”
The article goes on to say the experts really don’t know why cats like to eat grass. I would add that not all felines like cat grass. Tucker and Oliver are a bit “take it or leave it” about our cat grass but you would think the female felines in The Tribe are addicted to the stuff!
Traveling cats embark on the journey of a lifetime
We felines hate it when our humans are away from us for too long, These kitties are so bonded to their human that his frequent trips away from home made them very sad. His human, Daisuke Nagasawa decided he would try bringing them along with him when he traveled. Watch the video and see how happy the felines are now.
The agony of betrayal
Sometimes you humans can be clueless. Case in point. These humans bring home a kitten and then eave the cat in residence to sit by and watch them play with said kitten. Seriously, bring the cat into the process or there will be some swatty, swatty, hissy later! You can watch the video here.
Walk Through the Web Wednesday 10/23
Hello There Furiends,
I hope your week is going well. Things are good in our neck of the woods. Now that it’s fall and the temperatures are cooler (and The Female Human is stingy with the heat when she’s not home) The Tribe is getting back into “cuddle” mode. This is fine unless Oliver, the space hog shows up. No matter where I am he has to intrude and hog most of the space.
When he’s done bugging me, Oliver will wander over to bug Tucker. Tucker does not put up with any guff so Oliver’s “snuggle time” is considerably shorter with Tucker.
-Tucker
Lily is Tucker’s official cuddle buddy and she’s the only one he’ll let get this closes to him.
And after he’s done bugging everyone Oliver heads over for some love from our human, Oliver is a dork.
It’s always a little wacky at our house,. I think this sign says it all about our Human.
I hope things are all good in your neck of the woods (even if they’re wacky or you have a space hog like Olliver) and that you enjoy this week’s web wanderings.
Hero cats save italian couple
Perhaps calling the cats heroes is a bit of a stretch but their grateful humans believe they are. Claudio Piana and his wife Sabrina Pellegrini were sleeping in their home in Campo Ligure as torrential rains pummeled the area. Claudio said, “My wife got up because Simba and Mose, our cats, were making a noise and woke us up. She realized they were playing with a piece of plaster which had just fallen off the ceiling. Then we saw cracks opening in the walls.”
There had already been tragedies from this torrential downpour, a taxi driver was killed and dozens of people were evacuated from their homes. Rivers have overflowed, bridges have been washed away and this all created landslides. The couple were unaware that their home was damaged until the cats woke them up and tipped them off. They managed to get to their car but were trapped in a river of flowing mud. Their house collapsed and they lost everything in the landslide – except their felines who are safe with their humans. Note to humans, if we wake you up in the middle of the night you may want to see what we’re up to, it could save your life!
dear humans, please check your luggage!
Nick and Voirrey Coole were perplexed when they were pulled aside by airport security and asked if they knew what was seen when one of their carry-on bags was scanned. The couple was on their way to New York for a birthday celebration and were stumped by the question They had no idea what the security person was talking about.
The scanner found a cat, the couple’s black cat Candy, who had burrowed her way into the bag which was fairly empty so that the couple could put their New York purchases in it.
Everyone had a good laugh and Candy’s human grandpa came and picked her up so her humans could continue their trip. Again I say, humans PLEASE check your suitcases before you head to the airport!
MAN AFRAID OF HEIGHTS AND NOT FOND OF CATS IS A FELINE HERO
Last weekend was the fourth day of gusty winds, rain and sleet in Grand Traverse County, Michigan. It was a terrible time for a tabby named Milo to be stuck 80 feet up in a pine tree. Milo’s humans could not coax, scare or demand that he come down and they were at their wits end. Milo’s cries could be heard through the closed doors and instead of coming down, he climbed higher and higher in the tree as he hung on for dear life in the wind tossed branches.
Milo’s humans called the fire department, animal control and every tree service in the area with no luck. They finally resorted to Facebook to ask for help and the post describing Milo’s 4-day plight tugged at the soft heart of Matthew Leddy and he decided he would do something he never thought he’d ever do. Matthew Leddy doesn’t like heights and he’s not that fond of cats.
He consulted with a friend who had done cat rescues . His friend told him to bring a backpack that he could zip the cat in for protection for himself and the cat. He contacted Milo’s family and the rescue was arranged.
It took a few tries to get Milo in the bag but he finally managed to get him zipped in (all except his tail). After a tense descent, Milo was reunited with his happy family and Matthew was thrilled to see how happy they (and the cat) were.
Milo is back at home, dry, safe, happy and we hope thankful! You can watch a video of MIlo’s rescue here.
THE ISTANBUL INTERNATIONAL CAT BEAUTY CONTEST
There is an International Cat Beauty Contest and I didn’t know about it? I have my whiskers in quite a twist about this. There are 200 cats taking part in the pageant being held Oct. 21-Nov. 3 and none of them are me. Despite the Female Human’s reluctance to go to the time and expense to fly me to the Istanbul Fair Center in Turkey, I found out that since I don’t have a pedigree or breed, I don’t qualify, so I won’t be attending.. Hmph!
I do grudgingly acknowledge the beauty and majesty of the Van breeds that will be competing. Van cats are fairly large, they have white coats and often have a ruddy color on their heads or hind quarters. Their eyes are either blue or amber or, they have one of each – Meowza!
Van cats are believed to be one of the oldest cat breed in the world and are often referred to as Turkish Vans.
Beautiful though they may be, I still think I could give those fancy felines a run for their money. All I have to do is enter in the “Cattus Fabulosa” category (that’s Latin for fabulous feline!”)
CAT MAKE UP ARTIST IS AN ACTUAL JOB
Church (or to be more accurate, the cats who play Church) the handsome Maine Coon in the 2019 movie Pet Sematary has his own makeup artist. I was surprised as I thought humans made the changes they needed with technology but that’s not so.
Groomer Tanya Graham and trainers Melissa Millett and Kirk Jarrett talked to The Cut about the cat makeover process. Here are some interesting tidbits. There are multiple cats in the movie. It took them almost two months of training to get them comfortable with the makeup process. The makeup used was digestible and safe for felines. The ingredients are approved by American Humane but the content of those ingredients is a trade secret.
The cat makeup artist did disclose some information however. For instance, egg whites and Cherry Knoll chalk block was used to make the fur look matted and then leaves, dry grass and light dirt was stuck on the top of that mixture. Fake blood was syrup with organic food coloring. The trainer and makeup artist said at no time did the cats look stressed and they enjoyed snacks and playing with toys while their makeup was done.
Makeup took about 10 minutes per cat. The cats were very pam-purred. They had their own trailers and bathing areas.
There were two “lead” cats out of the five feline cast members, Leo and Tonic. Tonic was 10 months old when he started training for his role. Leo is the older guy, much calmer and quiet and loves to interact with humans. He does a high five, catches treats like a dog and is very confident. He enjoys meet and greets and is usually the one who does the premiers.
Hmmmmm, I wonder if I should get The Female Human busy on checking out the possibilities of a Hollywood career for me.
Walk Through The Web Wednesday 10/16
Hello Furiends,
Good grief, it’s Wednesday already! I don’t know about the rest of my feline furiends but life in The Tribe of Five always seems to be hectic. Although we love our Female Human, sometimes I really wonder if she’s attending to our needs properly.
Case in point. I have a toy box and it would be nice if The Female Human took some time to root around in there and find something new for me to play with but nooooooooo-I have to hop in there and look for myself.
And don’t get me started on meal service. The Female Human’s schedule is far too erratic for us and sometimes we have to remind her that she is late for meal time.
“Good morning Human. Will there be breakfast soon?” -Oliver
“Excuuuuuuse us but dinner is 30 minutes late and NO, you may NOT have a glass of wine before you feed us!” -Alberto
Sigh, I hope the level of service is more consistent in your house! But, enough whining, let’s get on with our Wednesday web wanderings.
Hunky Australian Firefighters Pose with Rescue Cats for a Purrfect 2020 Calendar
Okay, full disclosure, I’m including this news piece in a transparent attempt to apologize to The Female Human for my snarky comments earlier. If your female humans love cats (and shirtless first responders) you may want to show them this. The firefighters posed with rescue kitties for their annual calendar that benefits children’s organizations and rescue and therapy animals. And if your female human wants to see some more photos. please direct her to this slideshow.
Phew! The Cats In Okishima, Japan are Relocated & Safe as Hagibis Typhoon Hit Yesterday
I’ve reported often about the Japanese humans and their love of felines, especially 
Okishima the cat island. When I heard that the Hagibis typhoon (the worst storm in 60 years) was going to hit my feline and human furiends I was quite distraught. I am happy to report that all is well! The cats were relocated to a safe place for a few days until the storm was over. You can read tweets in the article about how the cats were looked after. We’re giving the humans on Okishima Cat Island our Paws Up award!
Alabama cat cafe burglarized as cats sit idly by
The human who wrote this piece for the NY Times fancies himself as quite the comedian. He opened with, “It was a purr-fect crime and the thief showed no meow-cy.”
Not only do I find his humor lacking but the pot shot he takes at the felines for doing nothing to stop the burglar has my whiskers in a twist.
The café owner of Gatos and Beans said “All the kitties were hiding,” They had a very rough night.”
Fortunately they didn’t get away with much and the kitties are all reported to be okay. Of course the “dog people” had to chime in. One snarky comment on social media said,“Open a dog cafe and it won’t happen lol”. I am not amused.
5 Airbnbs With Cats That Are Purr-fect For Your Next Trip
Feline loving humans rejoice! You may have to leave your kitty home but you can still get your feline fix on the road. The chic, mid-century home near Seattle has two cats named Nero and Nala, who are always available for snuggles. The stylish city accomodations in Copenhagen are within walking distance of everything you want to see and home to Coco who is very sociable. And since the Netherlands is only a hop, skip and a jump from Copenhagen, be sure to book in this Amsterdam apartment with a balcony and beautiful views of the city. If the weather is nice you can share your morning coffee out on the balcony with the resident felines, Ollie and Omar.
A private room in Kreuzberg , near Berlin offers comfort and cats. It doesn’t get any better than that, and finally, if you’re headed for an extended tour of the cat cafes in Tokyo, this private room is the place for you. And of course, it includes multiple felines.
The Hambone Award – the most unusual pet mishaps and the incredible recoveries that follow.
Two felines are in the running for the 2019 Hambone Award presented by Nationwide insurance. While reviewing the hundreds of thousands of pet insurance claims that come in annually, Nationwide associates noticed an abundance of claims that were unusually quirky. From the pooch who was carried away by an owl to the cat who fell three stories and lived to purr about it, these claims were in a league of their own and deserved special attention.
Inspired by these unique stories, Nationwide created the Hambone Award® to honor the most unusual pet insurance claim of the year. Each claim exemplifies the inspiring strengths of our pets, the harrowing actions of our pet parents and the amazing skills of trusted veterinarians.
All nominees considered for the award have made full recoveries and their owners received insurance reimbursement for eligible expenses.
This year’s feline finalists are Jasper, a Texas feline who narrowly escaped a dryer accident and Minnow, the Tabby who was saved by her real life guardian angel. Head on over and vote for your favorite.
Walk Through The Web Wednesday 10/9
Hello There Furiends,
How are things in your neck of the woods? Our woods are getting a bit windy and frosty these days. Now mind you, we felines understand that we live in a four seasons kind of place but good grief, there needs to be some rules about when these seasons start. We already had snow last week (before The Female Human had time to get rid of the leaves in the yard!). Thankfully the snow didn’t stay but brrrrrr is it chilly and windy out there. Oliver was watching the enthusiastic waving of the flag on our front porch the other day.
Last weekend it got so chilly that The Female Human turned on the fireplace (yes, she’s lazy, we have a gas fireplace so all she has to do is flick a switch and not drag in a bunch of wood.) Oliver loves the fireplace so much that he even made a movie about it. Sometimes I wonder about my brofur.
The Tribe is back to snuggling together again too. I do sometimes wonder if Oliver has any concept of personal space though.
I checked in with Jasmine and she said she is feeling great now that The Female Human has been giving her Scruffy Paws Kidney Vitalize Chews. And wonder of wonder, Miss Picky really likes them! She’s put on a bit more weight although our furry diva has always been very tiny.
Alberto, what are you doing in my room? I’d really rather be alone!” -Jasmine
All in all, things are quite fine at our house and, as you can see, I’m just chillin’ and waiting for The Female Human to open a drawer or cabinet so I can get into it and look for rubber bands, plastic, or any other enticing thing to play with.
A different kind of love
Love doesn’t always look the way you think it should. Take Mo and Cricket for instance. Mo, a feline, is in love with his next door canine neighbor, Cricket. Mo loves Cricket so much that he heads over to Cricket’s house every day.
George the cat becomes a star thanks to his solo adventures on buses and trains
George, a 7-year old rescue Tabby is a special breed of adventure cat because he likes to choose his own adventures and go sans humans. He’s tried to hitch a ride to Scotland, regularly sneaks onto public busses ending up miles from home and even likes to take the occasional train trip. His travels have now been chronicled on Facebook and his page also helps those who have encountered George, far from his home, contact his humans. There are many “George sightings” on his page.
George’s usual trips take him away from home for about three hours and, if he is gone longer his humans know that it’s time to put out the alarm. When George is home he is a great comfort and feline nursemaid to his human, Dennis who suffers from dementia. And George loves to be held and petted by any humans he comes across outside of the house.
One of George’s recent adventures took him in the direction of a safari park with a bunch of school kids. George didn’t make the full journey however, his human said, “Fortunately the bus stopped and chucked him out before arriving there.”
The epitome of Feline Fashion – a behind the scenes look
Those of you who follow my Wednesday web wanderings know I love to report on this event. The Algonquin Cat’s Annual Celebration & Cat Fashion Show has been happening for 10 years in early August. It’s a benefit for The Mayors Alliance for NYC’s Animals. This year the theme was “It’s a small world” and cats were dressed up to represent nine different countries. Be sure and watch the behind the scenes video.
Revenge is sweet – and wet!
You humans say that you can be petty to each other, well evidently that goes for cats too. These two got into a hilariously petty (and one-sided) cat fight.
The story was first posted on Twitter, the feline’s human said, “My cat came inside soaking wet, so I did some investigating and found this. She posted a video. Then she noted in another Tweet, “We did a further investigation, it was plotted revenge.” Both videos document the altercation and are hilarious (unless you’re the cat that got shoved in the pool).
How to hold a cat
Snark warning – I can’t believe a human actually wrote an article about how to hold a cat. Cats are all different and you need to get to know us so you can understand HOW we want to be held and IF we want to be held. Take Lily for instance. She does NOT want to be held and for the foolish human who refuses to believe this, The Female Human always has a supply of bandages available.
For every rule about holding a cat, there are cats who break those rules so, humans, read this article if you must be remember, not all cats are alike.
Oliver on Thankful Thursday
Hello there furiends,
I’m purrticipating in Thankful Thursday on Brian’s Home blog. As far as The Tribe of Five is concerned, there is ALWAYS something to be thankful for! I am thankful when The Female Human takes time to let me cuddle with her on the sofa.
Walk Through The Web Wednesday 10/2
Hello There Furiends,
Another week another Wednesday. I have nothing exciting to report from our neck of the woods but I do have a bit of a rant to share with you. It appears to me that The Female Human does not apurreciate all that I do around the house, nor am I properly respected by my fellow felines.
Case in point. I am always “Johnny on the spot” when it comes to helping around the house. Here you can see that I have taken time away from my important profession of feline blogging and writing to lend a paw in the kitchen and still, The Female Human does not show the proper apurreciation.
“Yeah, looks like the dishwasher missed a few spots with the cutlery. You might want to run these through again.”
“Well EXCUSE ME for trying to help around the house. Sheesh, what’s a cat got to do to get some apurreciation around here.”
And it hasn’t been any better with my feline family either. Just the other night I sauntered into the kitchen to enjoy my dinner and this is what I found.
“Whoops, sorry dude, I didn’t think you were coming for dinner.” Oliver
After the week I’d had, I figured when The Female Human came home and parked her purse on the counter I would be welcome to snoop through it and what a discovery I made!
“Yum, what’s that delicious smell in there?”
“Oh happy day look what I foiund!”
“Nom. nom,nom…”
I hope you all had a better week than I did and I hope you enjoy this week’s Wednesday web wanderings.
Special feline parlays her unusual looks into creating a non-profit
Do you know what kind of humans I admire most? Those who adopt older shelter cats or cats with special needs. The ones who take their kindness a step farther and help others are the cat’s meow!
Maya the cat is a special and wonderful feline and although her eyes are asymmetrical and her legs are short she is loved and she’s making a difference in the world. Maya was born with an extra chromosome, which means she doesn’t have peripheral vision and which gives her a unique look.
Maya was almost euthanized in a Virginia shelter after she was found beside a dumpster behind a Chinese restaurant. By the time she was taken to the shelter she was very sick. After three months at the shelter, Maya was scheduled to be euthanized but Odd Cat Sanctuary MA rescued her. They then posted her on their website. Her human, Lauren Beader and her fiancé, Harrison Makofsky saw her and ran over to adopt her. They didn’t just give her a loving forever home but they also made her an Instagram star.
Now they’ve leveraged Maya’s fame into great charitable works and a non-profit.
Maya’s humans wrote a children’s book last year and donated all the proceeds to Odd Cat Sanctuary MA and the Special Olympics, Massachusetts and that turned into the humans (and Maya, of course) creating the non profit organization, AllWorthy.
Maya is the face of the new organization that educates about and promotes disability inclusion and acceptance. She lives with her humans and her fur sister, Dragon, whose back legs are paralyzed. I think the partnership between Maya and her humans is absolutely purrfect!
Bohdi, the all season adventure cat from the Rockies
Oh how I admire adventure cats! Granted, Oliver and I do stroll around our garden and neighborhood but this cat, Bodhi, is a hardcore, fearless adventure feline! Bodhi hikes the Canadian Rockies with his human and he has an Instagram account that chronicles his adventures so more timid kitties can live vicariously through his photos.
Bodhi’s human says his training took a lot of patience but now Bodhi is an all season adventure cat. In the summer he sometimes exchanges his harness for a life vest for paddle boarding and swimming. Lest you think Bodhi’s human is not aware that there are big animals out there in the wilderness, she says that Bodhi will sense the presence of another creature and let her know he wants to go to his safe spot on her shoulders.
Mother and daughter sew pillows for shelter cats
You humans who come up with creative ideas to help shelter kitties are heroes! In Tunkhannock, PA an 88 year-old woman and her daughter have been making pillows for the Meshoppen Cat Rescue. The kitties love the pillows that keep them cozy, warm and comforted and they help the humans too. Bertha Singer, the 88-year old mother has early-onset dementia and keeping her hands busy helps keep her mind active. These ladies deserve a Paws Up Award!
Trader Joe’s Advent calendars are on the way
Our Female Human is German and one of her favorite things about Christmas is Advent calenders. She likes to make them and buy them for the adults and kids she knows. So I got to thinking, “Hey, what about us felines?!” I decided to do some research on this and found out that Trader Joe’s is coming out with a feline Advent calendar this year (let’s not discuss the fact that they’ve had a canine Advent calendar for a while). Then I thought, “What if you don’t have a Trader Joe’s near your house?” (our closest is two hours away) and so I checked on Amazon and sure enough there were all kinds. So I say, humans (especially those of you of German or Austrian origin) no more excuses, get your felines their own Advent calendar!
Slay dragons, help cats
This is for all you feline loving gamers. Now you can sit in front of the monitor or TV, slay virtual dragons and earn money for cats. From October 3 to December 9, ZeniMax will donate $1.00 for every five dragons killed in the Elder Scrolls Online game. The money will be given to the Best Friends Animal Society and Four Paws Charities. Zenimax is committed to donating up to $200,000.00 in the Slay the Dragons, Save the Cats campaign. Humans, fire up your online game and start killing dragons for a good cause!
Walk Through The Web Wednesday 9/25
Hello There Furiends,
How has your week been going? The Tribe of Five is celebrating #RememberMeThursday all week and we’re reminiscing about when we were adopted because we want to shine a light on adoption. All five of us were adopted. Tucker and Jasmine from a kind lady that rescued cats and Lily, myself and Oliver came from Panhandle Animal Shelter. Our shelter has a fantastic program called “Home to Home” which helps pets get adopted from their homes so they don’t have to ever be in a shelter. The Female Human wrote an article about how well this program works and how it helps the animals and the humans. And guess what, this program is being implemented by shelters all over the country so, if your local shelter wants to get involved, have them click on this link to learn more.
The Female Human is part of a large group of pet bloggers and writers who purrticipate in the Helen Woodward Animal Center’s #RememberMeThursday program. You can visit the website and find all kinds of cool stuff, even a song to download by Stevie Woodward called, This Candle Burns Bright. It’s 99 cents well spent!
Here is our #RememberMeThursday slide show, enjoy! And now for some feline news.
Even shy cats are bonded to their human caregivers.
Lily is the shyest cat in The Tribe and she loves our Human. Don’t pick her up unless you don’t mind being slashed but when The Female Human sits quietly at her desk, Lily is in her lap.
I hate to even have to feature this article but there are still humans out there who think we felines are not as loving as canines. I guess we just have to let science prove how wrong they are!
There’s a lot of science in this article so I’ll give you the feline, Alberto version. The scientists who did this study replicated a test that was created in the 1970’s that measured parent-infant bonds. That test placed a mother and baby in an unfamiliar room, where they would stay together for a few minutes, and then the mother would leave. Researchers watched to see how the baby reacted, and what his or her response was upon the mother’s return. Scientists have used this test with dogs but never us felines.
They brought in 79 kittens and had them each spend two minutes in a new space with their owner. Then the owner would leave for two minutes, followed by a two minute reunion period.
Many kittens did show signs of distress—like unhappy vocalizations—when their humans left. In fact, 70 of them fit the distinct attachment style. They found that about 64.3% were “securely attached” to their owner.
What did they learn? The test outcomes followed the pattern seen with children and dogs. So humans, we are as loving as kids and dogs, we just show our affection differently and in our own way.
10 Noises your cat makes and what they all mean
Oliver always has a lot to say, here he’s telling me off ,but our feline communications is not so simple as you humans may think. Every one of The Tribe has a different way of meowing and our human has learned what they all mean. The pet expert in this article says a short, high-pitched meow means that we are saying hello. This may be true but it also means, when Oliver speaks this way, “I can see the bottom of my kibble bowl, please fix this problem post haste.”
A drawn out meow means we are trying to get your attention. This is true. Alberto sits outside The Female Human’s bedroom door and sings the song of his people this way as an attempt to gain access.
As for the other 8 sounds, I leave it to my feline furiends to discuss this with your humans and see if you think they are right.
Why house cats change their sleeping spots so often
I seem to be all “sciency” this week but this is a question The Female Human often asks. The Tribe is constantly choosing different sleeping spots. As the article notes, sometimes it has to do with the temperature., You don’t see Tucker and Lily cuddling like they are in this photo on hot summer days but as soon as things cool off, cuddling begins.
What I think is very cool is that we domesticated felines are exhibiting habits from our wilder days. Our ancient ancestors changed their sleeping locations as protection from predators. There are some other interesting tidbits in the article about how fascinating we felines are.
Moscow cat theater turns felines into thespians
The Moscow Cat Theatre has been using feline actors for 30 years. The talented felines in this troupe ride bikes, walk on wires and perform acrobatic and aerial acts. How do they get these feline thespians to learn their roles? Dmitry Kuklachev, The theatre’s Art Director, said “A cat will never do anything under constraint. But it is possible to make an arrangement with cats, using their natural abilities and needs. And, if there is love and mutual understanding. In general, love and respect give more than banal training. It is impossible to punish a cat backstage, and then, make her perform tricks onstage. With cats it doesn’t work.” Dmitry is a wise man!
The circus began when a circus clown’s son found a kitten who was “very communicative and cheerful”. During a curtain call, he came out with the kitten on his shoulder. And he saw that the spectators warmly reacted to this. So he started developing the tricks with cats and after 20 years in the circus established his own theatre.
This is no small theater troupe; there are about 200 feline performers, most of them acting in 12 performances. There are about 30 who are “pensioners” now and have retired from performing.
It takes about a year to prepare a new performer, from its first appearance in the theatre to the entrance upon the stage. The cats have to go through two castings, first, talent and then, tests, confirming that they are healthy.
Some of this troupe have gone on to more fame and fortune like Boris, a tomcat who works in cat food commercials.
Hmm, maybe I have what it takes to be an actor cat, I’m certainly handsome enough!
Cat survives 15-mile Las Vegas commute in car’s bumper
A Las Vegas Review-Journal employee was approached with a strange question. “Do you own the green or blue car parked outside the newsroom? Because there’s definitely a cat stuck inside of your bumper,”
People immediately ran to the car to check on the cat. He was breathing and seemed to be okay but getting him out of the bumper was another story. Animal control came to the rescue and dislodged the cat’s tail, then his rear legs and after wrapping the cat in a towel pulled him out of the bumper to safety.
The poor cat was dehydrated and panting but very much alive. He was cared for at the Animal Foundation by veterinarians and after he received a clean bill of health he was neutered and ear tipped as part of the “Community Cats” program. He was released back to his neighborhood and “Bumper” as they named him, took off in a hurry.
It’s still a mystery as to how Bumper got stuck in the bumper of the car but this is a cautionary tale for all you humans. Check your cars before you drive off because you could have a feline hitchhiker.
Walk Through The Web Wednesday 9/18
Hello There Furiends,
The Female Human is getting back to her happy place and that makes The Tribe of Five happy as well. Fall is definitely here. For some reason, I always feel more hungry when the weather is cooler. This is why I’ve developed a helpful skill. When The Female Human opens the refrigerator door I can hop inside in 3 seconds before she notices. This allows me to purruse the contents but I’ve got to tell you, there’s not much of interest in there.
What are these strange red things?
Human, please remove these red things and replace them with some nice, stinky fish.
As you know, food is of great importance to us and when The Female Human arrives with grocery bags, we are always excited, until we find out there is nothing in there for us. Note that this is not Tucker’s happy face.
I don’t see any cat treats in here.
Even though we are balanced on the edge of starvation, we still like to keep ourselves in shape and entertained so we often have cat races, or as we prefer to call them, zoomie sessions. This is Tucker and I getting ready at the starting gate, er rug.
On your mark, get set…zoom!
I hope you are all having some fun at home and that your humans don’t forget the treats when they’re shopping.
Groom Loves His Cat So Much, He Made the Feline His Best Man
You may recognize this dapper feline from the video channel Aaron’s Animals. His name is Prince Michael and I must admit I am a total fan boy. This human and feline have been besties since Prince Michael’s gotcha day and it’s only fitting that he’d be in the wedding. The human, Aaron Benitez says, ““We really are best friends, on and off the screen. I know I can always count on Prince Michael to put a smile on my face when I’m down or be my wingman when I’m up.” Now that’s what I call a purrfect furiendship. Now the only question is, will there be a wedding video on Aaron’s Animals?
“Mountain Lion” turns out to be a cat named Cookie
This story comes under the heading, “You city folk need to get out in nature more”. There was quite a bruh-ha-ha about a “mountain lion” roaming around a Georgetown neighborhood. Dr. Lee Morgan at Georgetown Veterinary Hospital studied the film and came to the conclusion that since mountain lions don’t have striped tails and the paws on this cat were far too small to be a mountain lion, it wasn’t a mountain lion. The good doctor’s theories were proven correct when a woman called the veterinary clinic and said she thought the cat in the video was her feline, Cookie. The doctor took Cookie’s file out and realized this was indeed the cat in the movie. Cookie is unusual feline, a Bengal-Burmese-Brown Tabby mix (in other words, a very long cat, kind of like me).
Cookie’s human assured the neighborhood that he is very friendly and docile and while the community pondered as to the reason the cat was roaming the around at that late hour, The vet said, “It’s not my business what [he] was doing out at 4 a.m..”
Professor Doerack, the campus Casanova cat
Campus cats have always been a “thing” but this scholarly feline takes being a campus cat to an entire new level. Professor Doerack.is a Maine Coon and Persian mix, and has been made an official student at the University of Groningen, Netherlands complete with ID card. He does have a permanent home with former students but he still loves to roam the campus, waltzing into his favorite classrooms. It’s said that the Furry Professor averages about 150 hugs a day. (My human needs to step up her game!)
Cats
That time the CIA tried to train cats to be spies
My regular readers know how much I love features about cats with jobs and this one is fantastic. The CIA decided that felines would make purrfect partners to obtain secret information. They quickly figured out that cats were not the best animals for their plan.
The CIA’s idea was that cats could be used to listen to private meetings and dubbed the experiment Acoustic Kitty. This happened in the 1960s when an attempt was made to listen to an unidentified head of state who was around some feral cats. The government planned to implant a small transmitter into the back of a cat’s neck with a microphone attached by a thin cord to the cat’s ear.
Needless to say they found out post haste that this was not a good idea. A Smithsonian.com article about Acoustic Kitty noted, “Cats are infamously disobedient, but the CIA believed that with the right training, they could become spies.” Well EXCUSE ME, this feline objects to the moniker, “disobedient”. I prefer to describe us as creatures who are not slavishly devoted to serving anyone.”.
All kidding aside though, what the scientists did to these hapless kittys was not funny and I, for one am thankful this project was a failure.
10 pictures that prove the world’s most powerful weapons are less scary when there’s a giant cat sitting on them
The fact that we felines sit, sleep and drape ourselves over anything and everything inspired this human to create Military Giant Cats (@ GiantCat9 on Twitter) which features giant cats in varying positions with military weapons and weapons systems.
The creator of these photos who identifies himself as Thomas, told Insider magazine, “I started this weird account because I love the absurdity of [the] internet, I love the cats, I worked several years in the defense industry.”
He says that he photoshops photos of felines that people send him onto airplanes, submarines, battlefields, tanks, etc.
So my furiends, get your humans to send this guy a pic of you and you too may find yourself part of the Military Giant Cats group.
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