Hello Friends, Furry, Feathered and Otherwise,
Alberto here. I’ve missed a couple of my Wednesday postings because my purrrsonal assistant (the female human) has been traveling and evidently my blogging needs were put on the back burner for a family wedding…priorities people! But she is back and typing for me so here are my favorite finds from purrrrusing the world-wide web.
Your Friend,
Feline Focused Happy Hour in Portland – The Portland Mercury
Where we live here in the Inland Northwest, many wineries, breweries, restaurants, etc. host “Yappy Hours” for the dogs and dog people in our community to benefit our local shelter. I have always wondered why there were no cat loving drinkers out there who would take on a bit of imbibing on behalf of felines and feline lovers. Well. leave it to Portland to be the first. This happy hour is called “I love Cats. And Drinking” and is advertised as a place where people can talk about cats without feeling judged. They will feature cat themed games, trivia, entertainment such as “Meowoke”, cat themed comedy and lots more. Evidently there has been a long running battle between Seattle and Portland as to which city is the most cat friendly. Well Portland, you’ve got my vote. Two Paws Up for a happy hour for feline lovers. (If we lived closer I would insist that my humans attend!)
Shy Cat gets job as receptionist after more than 400 days at shelter –Evening Standard
As you may know, every member of The Tribe of Five is a rescue and we have a soft spot in our hearts for happy shelter kitty stories. This one is wonderful. Champas, a white cat spent 400 days at the Animal Welfare League in NSW, Australia. He was so shy and fearful, he would run and hide whenever anyone came to visit him. Thank goodness the staff there are proactive and they appointed Champas as their first reception cat in an attempt to show potential adopters how good-natured and loveable he is. They posted photos of Champas on Facebook, while he was hard at work, complete with descriptive signs that further explained his purrrrsonality. The job not only got him out of his shell but the Facebook posts snagged him a forever home!
Shelter Cats Visit Seniors Who Can’t Have Pets – I Heart Cats
Here’s another great story about shelter cats. There are many older people who have to move to places where pets are not allowed. Everyone who is an animal lover knows that without the company of furry four-legged friends, life just isn’t the same. The Bangor Humane Society, in Maine regularly packs up some of their felines and takes them to local nursing homes to visit people who can no longer care for pets. It’s a win-win. The folks in the home get some feline love in their lives (purrs and head bonks) and the kitties get much-needed socialization. Well done Bangor Humane Society!
Every Office Needs A Kitty Kondo: Check Out A Cat At The Cat Library – Cattime.com
Here’s another wonderful shelter story. I love it when shelters are creative in working to adopt out the kitties in their care. I have reported on cat cafes, cat hotels, cat yoga but now there are cat libraries! The Animal Care Center of Mesilla Valley in New Mexico has come up with a purrrrrfect idea to promote feline adoptions. They have created a cat library located inside a government building where over 800 employees have the opportunity to “check out ” a cat or kitten and take them to their desk for up to an hour a day. The cats are socialized and the “borrow before you adopt” idea seems to be working as other businesses are thinking about establishing cat libraries in their facilities.
The female human tells me that the Guantanamo Navy Base in Cuba is very controversial but this is one thing happening there that everyone can agree on. The base, best known as a wartime prison, has lots and lots and lots of felines. It is estimated that there about 500 feral kitties there. Troops, civilians and visitors are now working together with the 
reported about the fantastic feral feline film done in Riga and now I’m happy to report that this city is looking out for their feral film stars in an ingenious way. Weather gets cold in that part of the world and the good people of Riga went to work to help their kitties keep warm in the cold. The female human watches some TV program that talks about tiny houses for humans and this is the same thing, feline style. All houses are built by local carpenters from donations made via the local non-profit 
A Russian store employee captured the criminal behavior of this cat when she broke into Russia’s Vladivostok International Airport after hours and made a beeline for a popular seafood store, gobbling up $1000.00 worth of seafood. The video went viral and concerned cat folks from around the world responded, wanting to pay for her thievery, for a vet check up (after eating all that salty seafood) and there were offers of adoption as well. Even one of Russia’s most famous cat trainers offered to adopt her and make her a star in his show. After purrrusing her options, the feline decided to join the 
When a German passenger noticed an orange Tabby sleeping peacefully on a seat in the subway car in Baden Wurtenberg, Germany he and other passengers were surprised to see the relaxed feline, snoozing away. . No one knew where he came from and they politely allowed him to sleep all the way to the subway’s destination in Kirchheim. The passenger took a photo of the sleeping commuter and posted on social media noting that this little guy’s owners might be looking for him. The cat was taken to an animal shelter and was reunited with his humans there. The new version of the feline hobo!
What’s better than a wedding? The wedding of two veterinarians who invite two kittens to the event. This couple invited two cute little tuxedo kittens to the wedding and the reception and as you can see on the website, included them in all the important wedding photos. They even included a number of feline touches in the wedding decor. The couple both volunteer at their local shelter, 
The job market for felines is opening up. Today I found out about Ron, an orange Tabby who provides nursing services to cats and dog patients at the Northfield Veterinary Hospital in Denver. Ron assists the veterinary staff with felines and canines who are having non-sterile dental work and his nursing talents are becoming so well known that his services are being requested on a regular basis. Ron has recently retired and is now enjoying cuddling with the humans in his forever home.
I’m so excited to be doing my first movie review. It’s about a new movie made in Japan that will leave you “feline” fine after you watch it. The story is about a novelist who moves to the country when a fortune teller advises him to do so. . While living in an old house, the writer meets the neighborhood cat who befriends him and brings joy into his life. This friendship causes him to go on a quest to find out what makes cats happy and this sets him on the path of becoming a “cat collector”
The female human ordered some very fine catnip for us from Meowijuana (you can 
A cat walked into a nursing home……and the rest is history. This beautiful feline, now known as Oreo, wandered into St. Augustine Health Ministries in Cleveland, Ohio one day and she worked her way into an important job.
The D.C. based, Humane Rescue Alliance is putting felines to work in local businesses. They provide businesses with resident felines, “hired” to patrol the property and keep rodents away. In return, feral cats get homes — and they earn their keep.
I’ve written about the feline employees in the British government before and Larry in purrticular. Larry is one of several Whitehall pets, which include dogs. Unfortunately, Larry has been caught in the act of non-mousing. Rumor has it that rather than catching rodents, Larry is taking cat naps and has recently been caught in the act by a photographer, leading some in government to speculate that Larry may lack the killer instinct important for politics. A photographer recently reported that Larry came face to face with a tiny mouse, which he allowed to escape after he played with it a while. 
I love stories about adventure cats as much as I do stories about cats with jobs. These two felines, Fish and Chips were adopted at different times, and are now the best of adventure-seeking friends. The female human wanted to adopt a kitten but the male human (thinking he was really a dog person) wasn’t so sure. Then he discovered one of my favorite websites, 
Speaking of adventure, one photographer , Andrew Marttila’s photography series captures the feline residents of Cat Island in a beautiful pictorial album at Creative Boom.
Well folks, it’s the end of an era and cats prove that they are taking over the world. The famous Westminster Dog show actually featured felines this year? If you’re wondering why, allow me to enlighten you. Now before any of you canine fans get your tails in a twist, yes, for the first time in the events 140 year history felines were in attendance but they did not compete, they were part of a “meet the breeds” event. Still, not too shabby for us felines and who knows, today the Westminster Dog Show, tomorrow the Iditarod (snuggled safely inside the sleigh, of course.)
While we’re on the subject as felines as job morale boosters, check out this Japanese office that “employs” nine felines. In addition to the furry feline employees, this office celebrates every day as “bring your pet to work day”. And if you aren’t impressed enough with this feline friendly employer, get a load of this…if you don’t have your own feline, the company offers a 5,000 yen monthly bonus ($42.00), called a “cat bonus” for anyone who is willing to adopt a cat of their own! I think a few U.S. companies ought to adopt this excellent practice!
Just when you think you’ve read about all the pawlitical cats in the UK, there’s a new job announcement. These two felines, hired as mousers, have the run of Whitehall and they seem to be enjoying their job.
I’ve written about the cats in the British Foreign Office and the Chief Mouser at 10 Downing Street and this week, I learned that there is a Chief Mouser at the HM Treasury too! Now I’m a red, white and blue blooded American feline but I must say, I have been thinking of attempting to convince the humans that we must relocate to the British Isles posthaste! Those folks know the value of felines (or moggies, as they call them). This photo pictures the “Honorable Chief Feline” emerging from the budget briefcase and Gladstone even tweeted about #Budget2017. I like the attitude of Gladstone’s fellow workers, one said, “You can still get on with work – and if you’re in a bad mood you can play with him in your lunch hour and he will cheer you up!”
My next working cat story is from….you guessed it, England! Felix came to the station in Yorkshire when she was a kitten in 2011 and she has recently received a purrrmotion Senior Pest Controller and has received a high-vis vest as well. She works hard keeping mice away and chasing pigeons off of the platform. There’s nothing like a girl in a uniform to make me purr!
Every working cat needs some R&R and Weston the cat from Washington state enjoys sledding with his human. Weston and his female feline friend, Elinore, the Adventure Cats, enjoy spending outdoor time with their humans. I watched the video but it freaked meow-out. Not so sure I’m ready for a sled ride but I do enjoy jamming down the stairs in our house and sliding into the wall.
As you may know the Tribe of Five and their humans reside in the Inland Northwest which is why I was purrrticularily thrilled to read that the first Oregon Film festival on March 11th. Now we do things a bit differently than they do in Howly-wood so this festival isn’t going to compete with the Internet Cat video Festival at the Hollywood Theatre. This festival will not feature already famous (and in my humble opinion overly exposed) feline stars like Grumpy Cat, Lil Bub or Maru. This festival will be featuring the future feline film stars.
This story is a public service announcement. I know that many of my feline friends out there have (ahem) a bit of a “nip” problem. Properly managed this does not need to cause said felines down the path of crime and over indulgence. This feline, unfortunately, did not have a friend, furry or otherwise, who talked to him about catnip and this, sadly is the result. After all, if you humans and other felines don’t talk to your cat about catnip, who will?
The course of true love can be a wild ride as two humans recently discovered. They meet through an online dating service and soon discovered that their felines were long-lost brothers. Come to find out, the humans had adopted these brothers from the same shelter four days apart. “”After realizing that we had long-lost cat brothers, we were amazed and felt like it was serendipity!” says Cavin. “It was love at first sight when we met and the cats just solidified that we truly belong together!”
The humans have friends who recently moved to Iceland. I kept thinking, “Iceland, what in the world is in Iceland?” Well, come to find out, those Iceland folks are pretty clever and have created a new reality show, which is, as the review says, is just about everything you could want in a reality show. The advertisement says, “
You know how much I love working cat stories so you can imagine how excited I was to find this article that talks about how great felines are for search and rescue. “Experts say cats may hold even more potential than dogs when it comes to sniffing out missing persons, bombs drugs and diseases.” I have two feline friends,
Hello World,
Will I run for purrresident again? I haven’t decided but I can assure all my cat-stituents that there will be some purrlitical campaign in my future. As I look at my options I am incorporating a strict regime of rest and reflection.
Members of the mobile SWAT team in Roxbury have constructed some fancy digs for their calico “unofficial” mascot SWAT.
George, the tabby has decided that the retail life is for him. He’s created quite a sensation in the Wilko store (a budget store) in Bristol, England.
IndieWire refers to this feline film as “technically a sophisticated, artful documentary from Turkish film maker Ceyda Tourun.”. That’s a bunch of human language to say that this movie tells the story of Turkish felines and the humans who love them. Although stray cats are sort of a cultural thing in Turkey, their cats are loved and cared for by the people of Instanbul. The film opened in New York on Feb. 0 and will be in Los Angeles on Friday. You can watch a 
We felines, by nature, are athletic and supple. Why even Tucker, our 16-pound Alpha can leap onto a high stool and onto the kitchen counter in an elegant and acrobatic movement. But Jesper, the Norwegian athlete takes athleticism to an entirely new level. He even has his own 
Last week I told you about a fancy feline hotel in Indonesia and this week I’ve discovered an entire chain of feline luxury hotels in England.
I’m not a big fan of travel, as a matter of fact, I hate anything that has to do with a carrier and a car but I must say, if the humans ever decide to take me to Kuala Lumpur, I’m demanding that they get me a reservation at Catzonia. This is every traveling cat’s dream with 35 bedrooms, airport pick-up, spa treatments and a lounge area. Heck, with complimentary airport pick-up, the humans could send me on a little getaway all by myself. This place caters to the most finicky of felines and even offers a kitty dating service. And, if the humans are worried about me traveling by myself, Catzonia has that covered as well, all rooms have 24 hour CCTV coverage that can be watched via iPhone so the humans need not worry about me. All that luxury is making me rethink my aversion to travel. Pack my bags humans, I’m off to Kuala Lumpur!
I fancy myself as a fashionable sort of guy so when I discovered this new trend I found it quite interesting (especially in light of the cold climate where we live and the fact that the humans have something called a “nest” that makes the house cooler when they are at work. I have no idea why they call it a nest, there’s not a bird in sight but I do have to say that a cat shouldn’t have to snuggle on a faux fur throw in the sofa just to stay warm until the humans return home!) During the colder times of the day, a scarf might just come in handy. Valentines Day is coming soon and I think every human should consider getting a Nekko muffler for their beloved felines (at $17.50 each it’s a deal!)
This is a multi function collar that is really made more for the convenience of the humans than us felines. It has many functions and is run with a smart phone app and can track us, train us (well, the training thing must be for the dogs, certainly NOT the felines), monitor our activity (hmmm, does that mean the humans will know when I’m on the kitchen counter?), monitor our health, open the pet door, dispense food communicating (not sure how this works unless the collar thingy speaks fluent feline), has an anti-barking reminder (again, this is for the canines only), and perimeter barriers (again, this must be for the doggies, cat’s do not recognize barriers). The collar has something called a display that tells other humans where you live and how to contact your people in case you just manage to slip through the legs of any company that comes to the front door. You can’t buy this thing yet but when it’s ready the cost will be about $99.00. Frankly, I’d rather have a new cat scratcher.
You know how much I love working cats so I had to feature this article about Larry, the Cat at 10 Downing Street. Although Larry is a public official, he does have an important job as Chief Mouser. There were rumors circulating that the former Prime Minister was no great fan of Larry’s but a recent interview has shown this not to be true. Cameron noted that he made a special effort to take a cat “selfie” before he left his position. Larry and 
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