A Furry Christmas Walk Through the Web Wednesday 12/23

Posted on December 23, 2020 by Feline Opines

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends,
It’s almost Christmas and The Tribe is looking forward to the celebration. We each wanted to record a purrsonal Holiday message and we wish you a festive season, no matter what event you celebrate in December and that you enjoy the web gems I found for you this week.

We also wanted to share a Catmas Carol with you. Every year the Human takes our Catmas Carol book out and we enjoy some feline caroling. Here is one of our favorites!

From Lily

From Oliver

From Alberto

A Christmas miracle

Gary and Deb Mosberger’s cat had been missing for five weeks. Every pet parent is happy when their lost fur kid finds his way home but this reunion was a true Christmas miracle.

December has always been hard for the Mosbergers as their son Vinny was killed by a drunk driver 18 years ago on December 9^th.

Vinnie loved cats and had many throughout his life. Having cats in the home help the Mosbergers feel closer to Vinnie and they added two cats to the home last year. The cats, Abe and Lincoln, like to stroll around the neighborhood, letting themselves in the house through a window.

On November 5^th, the cats left the house for their daily stroll. Lincoln came back, Abe didn’t. When he didn’t return by the next day the Mosbergers checked with all their neighbors, put up posters around town and contacted shelters in their area.

Deb Mosberger woke up on December 9^th, the anniversary of Vinnie’s death. She said that Vinnie knew how much she and his dad loved their felines and so she said, “Okay Vinnie, it would be nice if you could bring Abe home.” All throughout the day she felt Vinnie would bring the missing cat home and she even told her neighbors.

That evening, while she worked in the kitchen she heard crying at the window, it was Abe, 18 years to the day that Vinnie had died. The cat was skinny and scared after his 5-week ordeal and was very happy to be home.

Deb Mosberger said that ever since her son died, she hated the month of December. Abe changed all that this December 9th. She said, “Now I can love December again because of this Christmas miracle.”

Shelter cat named Frank wins $10K for Kent County animal shelter in national contest

A cat named Frank just won $10,000.00 for his shelter, Focus on Ferals. Franks sweet face and heartwarming story earned him the top spot in the recent Arm & Hammer Cat Litter contest, “Purrfectly Impurrfect”.

There were about 2,000 shelter cats nominated for the prize. The purpose of the contest was to highlight stray cats overlooked because of their age, appearance or misunderstood personalities. The goal is to help these cats find homes too.

Due to the campaign’s success, Arm & Hammer established the Feline Generous “Kitty,” a fund that will donate $50,000 to shelters and shelter cats in need each year.

Focus on Ferals staff said Frank can make their “hearts explode with love” but also prompts them to “burst into tears,” given his injuries and scars. Five-year-old Frank arrived at the shelter with an ear infection and a cheek injury, where a bone fragment eventually had to be removed.

Despite all this, shelter workers say Frank has quirky facial expressions and cries out for attention. His lovable personality and charm attract volunteers and fellow cats like his best friend, Pickles. For more information about the shelter and its mission, visit its website or check out Focus on Ferals’ Facebook page.

The cat ate my….

We’ve all heard the old excuse, “the dog ate my homework”. Well my furiends, it’s not just dogs that like to chew or shred paper (or plastic, like yours truly).

A young human from Malaysia, who had just earned his university degree came in to his room to see that his cat had ripped it up.

Afif Adlan Mohd Hanafiah graduated with a finance, accounting, and management degree from the University of Nottingham in July and had been proudly displaying his diploma, until his cat shredded it. He tweeted a photo of the “crime scene” and the rest, as they say, is history. His post currently has over 53,700 retweets and 254,600 likes.

Study shows we felines love our pet parents much more than anyone thought

Okay, first I have to say that this study must have been done for people who really don’t know, love and understand cats. Any true cat parent knows we love and are bonded to our humans!

A 2019 study from researchers at Oregon State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences published in the journal Current Biology, indicates that like children and dogs, cats forge a similar attachment to the humans raising them. Well, DUH! Attachment, is a relevant behavior that applies to cats as much as other pets.

For the study, researchers had kittens and cats participate in a “secure base test”— similar to a test that is conducted on babies and dogs to study their attachment behaviors—in which cats are separated and reunited with their owners over the course of a few minutes to determine if the animals were securely or insecurely attached to their owners. Of the 70 kittens researchers were able to classify, 64.3% were found to be securely attached and 35.7% were insecurely attached. For the 38 adult cats they tested, the results were 65.8% securely attached and 34.2% insecurely attached.

To see if the kittens’ attachment style could be modified, the researchers had kittens undergo a six-week training course. No significant differences were found, indicating the lasting power of an initial attachment style, as in humans.

“Once an attachment style has been established between the cat and its caregiver, it appears to remain relatively stable over time, even after a training and socialization intervention,” Vitale commented in the same media statement.

If there’s one important thing you humans can learn from this is that it is important to spend time with your kitten to establish the attachment bond early.

I’m still not sure why the university had to spend money to study this but, if it helps non-cat folks understand what amazing and loving creatures we are, then I say, paws up!

The answer to that age old question. Why do cats like to hide under the Christmas tree?

Now I know many of you humans want to know why we felines love to destroy the Christmas tree but that explaination would take waaaay to long so I thought I’d take the simpler question, “Why do cats want to hide under the Christmas tree?”

You’ve seen us snuggle between the presents, rolling around in the ribbons and you’ve probably wondered, “why?” Dr. Ignacio Casali and Dr.Adrew Lee, both DVMs, tackle the answer.

Despite the fact that we are soooo cute cuddling under the pine boughs, we can also get up to a bit of mischief. Sometimes it’s the dangling ornaments that are just asking to be swatted or those flickering lights that draw us to the bottom of the tree.

There is another reason we want to dive into the depths of your holiday tree, it’s because it’s like a cardboard box on steroids to a cat, according to Dr. Lee. “It can provide height, a place to hide, and is full of toys — all things that cats love.” In a sense, it is the perfect playground for your feline friend. Dr. Casali agrees adding that your Christmas tree could provide us kitties with a sense of shelter or comfort.

Despite the fact that we felines love the bottom of the tree, you humans need to watch what we are playing with from the tree. Dr. Casali says, “During this time of the year, we see cats that come into the emergency room with foreign materials in the stomach, which many times come from Christmas decorations. Cats like to play with the strings and the ornaments, which they can swallow.” Dr. Casali reminds you humans to keep a close eye on us and, if we do swallow part of an ornament or another kind of décor, call the vet right away!

Oh, and be prepared for us to be bummed when you take down that fun tree with all it’s hanging cat toys!

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 8/19

Posted on August 19, 2020 by Feline Opines

Happy Wednesday Furiends!
The heat is back in our neck of the woods but The Human has set us up quite well while she is away at that place she calls “work”. I hope you all are staying cool and comfortable. We are carrying on as usual on the upstairs deck because it is always shady there. You can see how “active” we are.

When the Human received the beautiful Muse medallion, we felt it was only fitting that we wear it for a while, after all, any product of this blog is thanks to the felines! The problem is that thing is HEAVY!

And now, on with the best about felines from the World Wide Web!

Cargo the stowaway cat finds a home

Meowza am I excited! It’s rare that I get to do a follow up on a previous feature. In my July 8^th Walk Through The Wednesday feature I reported on a kitty that stowed away on a military cargo plane and landed in Bangor Maine.

Well, the cat has a home and a name! Cargo the cat was first fostered and then adopted by Nanci Hamlin and her boyfriend who both work at the Bangor airport and had been following the cat’s story ever since he was discovered hiding under a cargo pallet in the belly of the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III cargo plane.

Looking for Cargo’s family was difficult as the plane originated in California and made a stop in Colorado before landing in Bangor. Fortunately, the pilot of the Europe bound plane found the cat before they left for their next destination.

Finding a stow away cat was a first for the pilot and the staff at the airport. As I reported, Cargo was taken to the local Humane Society and they contacted shelters in California and officials at Air Force Bases as well as social media. No one came forward to claim Cargo.

When this kitty’s family could not be located the shelter put him up for adoption and that’s when he found his furever home.

Cargo now lives with four other cats and an Alaskan husky and fits in purrfectly. His humans say he took over the house right away and Cargo’s best buddy is the dog, Akiko.

Now, Cargo is allowed outside only with human supervision. His humans say that it seems he wants to know what is outside but she says,” He’s an indoor cat now.”

We are thrilled that Cargo has a home and Cargo my furiend, this feline advises you to stick to the inside and stay away from cargo planes!

Most Americans with cats say they couldn’t have survived lockdown without their feline furiends

“You may now commence the Zoom meeting Human” – Alberto

I often get my whiskers in a twist when I search the web for my feline features. There are too many people who have too much negative to say about us felines! This article made me very happy though. Evidently three-quarters of Americans say they couldn’t have lasted through lockdown without their cats.

A new poll questioned 2,000 people (57% of whom also have dogs – we won’t hold that against them) listed the benefits their feline furiends provided them during their isolation.

Fifty-seven percent said that their feelings of anxiety were eased and they felt less alone. Forty nine percent said they felt less anxious with their in-house purr therapist by their side.

In addition 41% said their felines gave them someone to talk to and 35% said their kitties brought a feeling of positivity to their days.

The poll was conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Royal Canin following International Cat Day Aug. 8.

While spending more time together two-thirds (66%) of cat owners surveyed learned or noticed something new about their pet, and three out of four respondents became closer to their kitty as a result of the quarantine.

Being cooped-up indoors gave respondents time to uncover a new spot their cat enjoys hiding in (64%), notice a new behavior (57%) and discover a new food their pet likes (55%).

Despite all the good things humans found that their cats brought to them in the lockdown, 73% of those surveyed said their cat seems to be ready for some space. (Well DUH, who wants their human hogging their favorite spot on the sofa all day or constantly interrupting nap time??)

Felines with disabilities to take spotlight at Alternative Cat Awards

This makes my kitty heart melt. Imperfect felines will be in the spotlight at Cats Protection’s #AlternativeCatAwards, a virtual celebration of cats with impurrfections.

This event was created after siblings Kathe and Keller came to the Cats Protection’s Forth Valley Adoption Centre, in Ochilvale Terrace, Fishcross,. These kitties needed someone to see past their disabilities and fall in love with them..

Both kitties have mild cerebellar hypoplasia, a condition in which the brain does not develop properly, affecting balance and co-ordination and making them wobble when they walk. Keller is also deaf, but this does not hold him back, and he loves to play with his sister.

Thankfully, these challenges didn’t stop Elaine Baxter from adopting them. Elaine was looking to fill the gap left by the death of her beloved 16-year-old cat Vinnie. Elaine was already used to dealing with cats with special needs, as Vinnie had diabetes for eight years.

Roslyn McKay, the shelter director said “We are delighted Kathe and Keller have settled in so well to their new home. They are real characters and firm favorites with the staff. “Disabled cats really shouldn’t put off experienced owners. They may require a little extra care or consideration but they have plenty of love to give.’

And now, disabled cats have their own category for this year’s virtual Alternative Cat Awards. All humans of disabled cats are invited to share videos of their #PurrfectlyImperfect cats, enjoying happy, healthy lives with a disability, health issue or superficial aesthetic deformity. Videos need to be shared on Twitter and Instagram using #AlternativeCatAwards before August 21.

Bravo to all you humans who give love and homes to these special cats!

‘He’s an artist’: Philly cat captivates social media with piano prowess

Winslow’s new single, “Bean Gotta Scream”

Okay, this story and the next one are targeted toward our very own Oliver. I’m not saying he’s fat but the Tribe has wellness exams next week and Oliver has “blossomed” quite a bit since his last visit!

This story is about a Philadelphia kitty who plays the piano for his food. Why is this you may ask?

Well it seems that Winslow, a former stray, needed to shed a few pounds but the famished feline would scream between his morning and evening feedings. And then one day, one of Winslow’s humans decided to use his fascination with a toy piano they had to attempt to help Winslow deal with his diet (and help the humans with his screaming)..

The human started splitting his snacks into smaller portions and began to teach him how to play for his snacks. Once she decided to video one of Winslows “concerts” he became a sensation. Now Winslow has been on the radio and even has a single on Spotify.

Winslow also has his own music video and song called “Bean Gotta Scream”.

And the best news is that Winslow has lost weight too! Oliver, I think you need to get a piano!

Automatic cat weighing machine knows which cat it is feeding

The Human is always meowing about the difficulties of a multi-cat household when it comes to putting cats on special diets. Neither Lily nor I have an eating problem but there is another feline (who shall remain nameless) who never met a food he didn’t like.

Well this new gadget in the making just might solve these problems. Psy0rz has joined with Meowton to create a weighing machine/feeder combo designed to regulate feline diets.

The system has a scale to weight the cat, a food area with dispenser and a scale for the food bowl. The cat has to stand on the scale to have the food dispensed. The feeder identifies each cat by weight and controls the quantity of food dispensed.

There is a live stream where you can see the device in action.

Oliver, your free feeding days may be coming to an end!

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 8/12

Posted on August 12, 2020 by Feline Opines

Hello Furiends,
I hope this week finds you well. So many of my feline buddies have suffered through hurricanes, tornadoes, wind storms and lightning storms. Meowza, it’s dangerous out there and purraying you all are safe.

The most important news of the week for our neck of the woods is that we won a Muse Medallion award from CWA! We are excited!

In other more boring news, the temperatures are back to what they should be here in the Northwest and it’s cool enough in the mornings for Oliver and I to cuddle in bed.

Well, enough about us, let’s see what wonders the world-wide web holds for felines this week.

Mewsical cats from around the world

Cat videos with classical mewsic. What more could you ask for? Here are a few of the internet’s favourite felines with aspirations to be the next Dame Joan, Martha Argerich, or Berliner Philharmoniker.

Writer of Cats entertains his cat with Prokofiev

How cool would it be to be a cat living in the home of the writer of Cats? I’d say purrfectly wonderful.Andrew Lloyd Webber serenaded his cat with a brief performance of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf on the weekend .Sitting in front of his gleaming grand piano, the Cats composer gave his own feline, Fez, a special musical treat.

It looks like Fez is enjoying the private concert!

Shoe stealing cat burglar

Meowza! It seems like every week I’m reporting on another feline who has sticky paws. Last week it was a swim goggle stealing burglar, this week’s offender has a penchant for shoes,

Jordan the cat from Pennsylvania has a human who is attempting to atone for Jordan’s sins. She has created a Facebook page to try and reunite the purrloined shoes with their owners. Now that a camera has been installed to catch Jordan’s thievery on film, he’s garnered quite a few fans.

The camera has captured the klepto cat jumping a fence with a shoe in his mouth-he is determined! Good grief, what will felines be stealing next – priceless art work?

McDonald’s is selling the cutest cat grips to keep your fingers clean and bother your felines

If you want to eat French fries and keep your paws clean you’ll love these cat paw grips. The good news is you can use them to play with your cat after the fries are gone. The bad news is that, as of now, you can only get them from McDonald’s in China. IMHO I don’t think it’s too much to ask for our humans to hop on over to China to get us a great cat toy. Sadly, I discovered that this special ended in July so stop your humans before they book a flight.

Kamwei Fong’s new illustrations are purrfectly delightful.

Kamwei Fong loves to draw cats and his latest illustrations of black cats, called “Wonderfurryland” depict a plethora of felines with rotund bodies, puffy tails and whimsical poses. Fong even inked cat-shaped environmental fixtures, like a moon, sun, and mountain, into the black-and-white landscape.

The Malaysian artist said that it took him more than a month to complete this work. We say “paws up” for these wonderful pieces of art. You can see more on his Instagram page. Gee, I wonder if he’d be interested in a rotund model for his next series, Oliver is available.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 5/27

Posted on May 27, 2020 by Feline Opines

Happy Wednesday My Furiends,
Since The Female Human had an extra day to stay home with us we took full advantage of her presence. Whether she was watching the TV or trying to get a little yoga time in, we made sure to show her lots of love. There is always a bit of a kerfuffle when Oliver and I decide we want lap time at the same time (we are not small felines)

Lily has quite a different technique. She jumps up on the back of the sofa and than places herself strategically half on the sofa back and half on The Female Human’s shoulder.

“Human, please stay still, I am a tiny cat and I can’t imagine that your shoulder would suffer any ill effects from me perching here.”

In an effort to mitigate the leg, back and shoulder pain The Female Human is meowing about (I think she’s a bit of a hypochondriac) she does yoga to help. It’s a good thing she has The Tribe to help her with this endeavor.

“Human, clearly you are doing this wrong. Just watch how the lady on the TV does it. Sheesh, do I have to help you with everything? And by the way, you need a pedicure.”

As you can see, our Human would be in trouble if we weren’t around to take care of her. But, enough about us, it’s time to enjoy this week’s web wanderinbgs.,

Man builds luxury catio for his felines

Be sure and check out **the video** of this amazing feline palace.

All right humans, it’s time for you to up your catio game. I know The Female Human needs to pay attention to this as her idea of a catio is a pop-up thingy she puts on the front porch and upstairs deck.

This Cat Daddy in Georgia built what he calls, “Chateau de Chatons” (the kitten’s castle). This is definitely a castle, with a drinking fountain, scratching post, some cat furniture, a hammock and a ramp that connects to a “penthouse perch” that’s built into a tree. Meowza, those felines are living their best lives!

So all you humans take note, The Tribe gives this palatial outdoor kitty playpen the “Paws Up” award!

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

Why do cats like to sit in squares?

Now that The Feline Human is a certified cat behaviorist she is always reading stuff about what makes felines tick. This article speaks to the age old question…..”What is it about cats and boxes?”

Dr. Michelle Burch, DVM, a cat expert has some thoughts about this. She says that squares make felines feel secure and safe and that if you draw a square on the floor, your feline will come running. (The Female Human has not tried this yet, if any of your humans have, please meow about it in the comments)

Dr. Claudine Siever, DVM says in order to understand our fascination with squares you have to go back to our kittenhood. Kittens derive a sense of comfort and security from cuddling with their mother and siblings. As adult cats, boxes bring back that feeling of family love. These memories release happy hormone (like endorphin and oxytocin) and these reduce stress.

Squares also make a great hiding place where can pounce out and attack other cats in the house or our humans. It also provides a good place for us to hide when we’re a bit stressed or feeling needy.

Hmm, I wonder if The Tribe should get a great big box for our Human so she can hide in it when she’s stressed.

Trey Anastasio walks a mile in his cat’s shoes in New Quarantine Tune, “If I Could See The World”

Now I am a feline not well versed in the world of human music. My tastes lean more toward David Teie’s Music for Cats. As a matter of fact, The Tribe did a review of the first album (with videos) if you want to hear our favorite mewsic.

Still, I have to give this Trey Anastasio two paws up for looking at the quarantine through his cat Joey’s eyes, because, as all my furiends know, seeing life from a feline point of view is the best way! Joey actually shows his purrrspective of his home in the video, a “cat’s eye view “ if you will. There is also a cameo appearance from the other cat in residence who has not been named.

Cat vanishes under the Dean of Canterbury’s robes during sermon

Be sure and watch **the video** of Leo’s appearance during the morning prayers.

Since you humans have been stuck at home, The Tribe has had “video church” for a while. Now I must say, if The Human’s Pastor had thought to invite a feline, we might have stuck around for the sermon.

Leo, the Canterbury Cathedral cat has made himself famous after brazenly disrupting a recording of morning prayers.

The video of morning prayers captured Leo sauntering into view and then disappearing under the robes of the Dean of Canterbury.

The Revd Dr Robert Willis maintained his composure and continued with his sermon despite Leo’s shenanigans.

This was the press release from the Canterbury Cathedral Spokesperson:

“He has been enjoying making our daily broadcasts since March and, whilst he would be happy to be in every one, we have tried to include the others to prevent them getting jealous.

“With over 20,000 visitors to the Deanery and its gardens each year – and over 1.5 million to the cathedral – he is used to being on show and, having been born in the Deanery and growing up here, he is very used to company and is a very friendly and happy little cat (if not the brightest of the four).

“He loves to socialise with the cathedral’s many pilgrims and visitors and takes his role as ambassador very seriously.

“In calmer times he finds a cosy place in the house or sunny spot in the gardens to sleep.”

Feng shui for felines: Create positive energy for your cat — and yourself

“Human, when the feng shui lady said to get us a water fountain, she didn’t mean the sink!?”

Our in-house feline behavior expert had to admit she knows nothing about feng shui and the positive affect it can have on cats but Cynthia Chomos, a feng shui consultant and founder-designer at Seattle’s Catio Spaces understands.

First of all, for the unenlightened, feng shui is the Chinese art of placement, a design system that created harmonious living spaces based on “chi” energy. Cats add positive energy in homes and Chomos believes that acknowledging the feline’s primal preference for the outdoors by providing fresh air and the sights and sounds of the natural makes our quality of life better. The Female Human is all for The Tribe to live our best lives so here are a few tips from the article.

Find a welcoming power spot for your felines (and your humans) outside the direct path entering a room. Cats prefer a wall that provides support from behind and provides a commanding view of their territory. Choose and place cat furniture, high cat trees, low domes, shelters or boxes, along the wall based on your feline’s comfort zone. (Now The Female Human hasn’t figure out where our comfort zone is but she put a great cat tree in her office by the window and we have a pawsome view of the woods below us.

Another recommendation is a catio because they keep us safe. Even though I griped about our pop-up catio, I have to say it’s really nice and we love being outside.

Provide a Zen space to relax. Feng shui practitioners hold that chi energy is both yin (restful) and yang (stimulating). A home needs both for the right balance. Cats need a cozy bed or hammock in a quiet room or Zen space for a catnap away from disturbances such as loud noises, remodeling projects, vacuum cleaners or unfamiliar people.

Stimulate yang energy indoors. Stimulate yang energy for your cat with daily playtime and a shelf near a window that offers the warmth of the sun and birdwatching opportunities. You don’t have to know anything about feng shui to know that playtime with your felines is critical to our health, happiness and our bond with our humans.

Litter box placement is always critical, even if you’re not looking to “feng shui” your home for your feline. Keep the box away from places where doors may be slammed, loud noises happen or anywhere where we can be startled while using the litter box. Remember, if we have a bad experience with our litter box, we may just stop using it.

Finally, feng shui suggests that you consider water fountains in the house. There are many nifty kitty drinking fountains (feng shui says to put the fountain in the north or southeast are of the house away from the food bowl.

In general, if your home is harmonious and attractive to the humans and felines, life will be enhanced for everyone.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 3/11

Posted on March 11, 2020 by Feline Opines

Hello There Furiends,
There’s nothing newsworthy to report from our house. We did do a review on a new cat tree and it was exciting snoopervising The Human while she put the thing together. The weather here is getting old. These felines are ready for some warm weather and sunning time on the upstairs deck. By the looks of things (a yard still full of snow) this will be a while so The Tribe decided to do some daydreaming about what we’d like to be doing today.

I love warm places. The Female Human could send me to a nice, warm, beachy area and I would be one contented kitty!
Alberto

As our readers already know, I am a quiet feline who purrfers solitude and the finer things in life. I wouldn’t mind brightening up my day with a little catnip tea party.
Jasmine

I too enjoy a sunny day, as long as it includes a well stocked picnic basket with some delicious goodies (you know, all the stuff I’m not allowed to eat!)
Oliver

It’s been a tough month so all this feline wants is a little zen and relaxation. Point me to the nearest kitty spa!
Lily

What are you dreaming about? Meow about it in the comments. And now, let’s get to this week’s noteworthy feline news.

This Museum in Poland Is Dedicated to Cats

Feline lovers in Poland now have their own museum to enjoy all things cat. The Cat Museum in Krakow, Poland was created by a cat-loving Ukrainian couple, Nataliya Koshivaya and her husband, in June 2019. The couple has an ever-growing collection of kitty-inspired knick-knacks and tchotchkes, according to First News.

At the museum you’ll find things like cat-shaped soap dispensers, sponge rests, and teapots as well as dozens of decorative items like snow globes, paintings, pillows, and figurines from around the world,

At last count the museum had about 1,000 items crammed into its 15 square meter (161 square feet) space.

This cat collection started 15 years ago a tiny cat figurine and the rest, as they say, is history. I have a feeling this is the story with many of you humans. I’m thinking The Female Human could open her own cat museum!

While there are plenty of kitty-inspired items to peruse, unfortunately, the museum is not a place to see, play with, or adopt live cats. Koshivaya told CBS Miami that perhaps someday the museum will be able to house cats as well.

The museum currently has a 4.5-star rating on Trip Advisor and is becoming one of the “must-see” places to visit while in Krakow. You can virtually visit the Cat Museum by checking out their Facebook page.

Bookstore Cats Inducted into Feline Historical Society

My Shelf Books and Gifts in Wellsboro, PA has two bookstore cats, Huck and Finn. The human bookstore owner refers to Huck and Finn as “the hardest working cats in the book business” and they have recently been named as honorary members of the Feline Historical Society (who knew there was a Feline Historical Society?).

These feline brothers, with 14 other cats from 12 bookstores across the U.S. were invited to join the society by Thunderstone books as a celebration of the book, “The Only True Biography of Benjamin Franklin, Told by His Cat, Missy Hooper (with Hardly Any Help from Dan Greenburg).” The book is written by Dan Greenburg and is a novel for eight to twelve-year old readers.

The email announcing the news was sent to Huck via email from the publisher. Huck was a bit offended as there was no mention of his brother but that situation was quickly rectified.

Huck and Finn have been featured in the book “Huck & Finn, Bookstore Cats” and he also made an appearance in The Totally Ninja Raccoon series and Brandon Schultz’s “Bookstore Cats.”

Feng shui for felines: Create positive energy for your cat — and yourself

I don’t know anything about this Feng shui business but I do know that it’s easy to relax in our house.
Oliver

I know nothing about this feng shui stuff but the human who wrote this article sure does. Cynthia Chomos is a feng shui consultant and founder-designer at Seattle’s Catio Spaces, and a member of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties.

She says that cats prefer outdoor experiences inside and like fresh air, the sights, the sounds and the stimulation of the natural world and says feng shui practices provide a balanced, stimulationg environment.

How do you offer feng shui to your feline? She suggests first finding a welcoming “power spot” . Power spots, whether for humans or cats are located outside the direct path entering a room. She says find a wall and place the feline furniture (cat trees, low shelters, boxes, etc.) along the wall.

She also suggests catios (cat patios) for the outside. Our feeding areas need to be serene, we need a zen place to relax and she says it’s good to stimulate yang energy. You can do this by playing with us daily and provide a high spot or shelf for bird watching.

There are many more tips in the article and Cynthia Chomos reminds you humans that your energy affects us felines so if you keep your lives in balance, it helps us keep our lives in balance too.

Tentative and Musically Gifted Cat Playing a Theremin Has Given Us the Song of the Season

Meowza, this news item is fascinating. You have to watch the video of this feline waving his paws while some strange noises come out of a box. When the cat changes position, the sound changes too. The cat looks a little confused and so was I when I watched the video. This kitty doesn’t understand that he’s playing a theremin.

And what is a theremin? It’s an invisible instrument invented by Lev Termen, a Russian physicist in 1919. He created it by accident when he was working on a machine that measured the density of gasses. He found out that when he moved his hands over it the sounds changed and voila –the theremin was born.

It works with two antennas, one controls pitch and the other controls volume. I’ve reported on feline mewsic but never reported on a feline MAKING mewsic! Make sure you watch the video of this little guy composing a “song”.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 2/26

Posted on February 26, 2020 by Feline Opines

Hello Furiends,
I hope your week has gone well and that this week’s feline news report finds you healthy and happy.

We actually had sunshine this week. I must say though, I was a bit annoyed by the laughter from The Human when she came in the office and saw me soaking up some vitamin C. Seriously, I have no idea what she found so amusing.

Lily is still adjusting to the change in the Tribe and the loss of Tucker. She is a tiny little feline and she hasn’t been eating so The Female Human went to talk to the people in the white coats about this. She came home with some food called Hills AD Diet for cats and dogs. Now I’ve never heard of a food for cats AND dogs but evidently this is what they give patients when they are not eating well. And I must say it works! Lily is eating again and perking up, even coming over to get her “before bed treats”.The hardest part of this is keeping the stuff away from Oliver who needs no appetite stimulation!

Jasmine enjoys watching what’s going on in the woods.

The Female Human was a little stressed out about Tucker’s sister Jasmine after Tucker crossed the Rainbow Bridge. She took Jasmine to have her blood work done and her regular wellness check. Well guess what….Jasmine’s kidney numbers are lower than when she was first diagnosed with kidney disease. Meowza, you should have seen our Human doing the happy dance.

Oliver misses the big guy too so he spends some quality time with The Female Human in the evening. He’ll even hang out with her when she has a glass of wine on the weekend (note, Oliver does not drink wine)

And, as far as the problem with Oliver and I giving Lily a bad time…..things haven’t changed too much but it seems lately Lily is standing up for herself more.

Well, that’s all the news about the Tribe, now, on to the news!

What’s the best music for reducing cats’ stress levels?

A few years ago we opined about cat music on our website (yes we have a website in addition to this blog that our Purrsonal Assistant does not promote enough). We have mewsic at our house and we quite like it. The Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery recently reported on the stress-lowering effects of music in cats. This study says that classical rather than pop or heavy metal soothes felines best….well DUH! I don’t think you need to be a scientist to figure that out!

Now they did dig a little deeper and said that cat-specific music with ‘melodic’ lines based on cat vocalizations (like purring) sooths us. We also purrfer frequencies similar to feline vocal ranges, which are two octaves higher than those of humans.

These scientists studied 20 domestic cadts, playimg 20 minutes of cat-specific music, classical music or no music at random veterinary visits 2 weeks apart. They used cat stress scores (checking the feline’s body posture., ear placement, etc.) as well as how the cat’s responded to being handled. They drew blood samples to mark the physiological stress levels.

And what did they find out? Cat specific music might indeed lower stress levels. Now, I don’t want to sound snarky here but when this scientific study ends with, ““[C]at-specific music may benefit cats by decreasing the stress levels and increasing the quality of care in veterinary clinical settings.” I’m not impressed. Even our Female Human knows that our cat mewsic may calm us down but at least I give the researchers an “A” for effort. You can watch the videos on our website and come to your own scientific conclusions as to whether we were less stressed when listing to our Music for Cats album.

Miau Miau Clothing Company- shopping with a purpose to help homeless cats

Any company whose motto is, “life is better with cats!” is my kind of company! The company’s founder began this company after being inspired after she rescued a litter of kittens and their mother a few years ago. That rescue experience made her realize that there are thousands of cats and kittens who are not as fortunate as the ones she rescued. The company values are: Improving the Lives of Homeless Cats and Kittens – Advocating for Animals and their Rescuers – Compassion – Making a Difference.

Now who wouldn’t love to do business with a company like that! The Female Human loves their clothes and is going to order the pink hoodie. They have lots of great stuff like a “Cat Daddy” bottle opener, pawsome pins and bags, hats, jewelry and goodies for the felines in your life.

Boris the Yoga Cat

Every time The Female Human gets out h er yoga mat, Oliver and I head on over to snoopervise (well I snoopervise, Oliver splays himself out on the mat) and she gets her whiskers in a twist and shoos us away. Now that I’ve found Boris. the yoga cat I’m going to make a case for us doing yoga with our Human. If you check out Boris’ Instagram you will see there is not a pose that can’t be done with a kiitty!

11 Secrets Your Cat’s Tail Is Trying to Tell You

I don’t think you humans pay enough attention to our tails as they can tell you a lot. I’m not going into all 11 of the tail signs but I will highlight a few. You can read about all of them here.

Straight Up: When we stand with our tails straight up, pointing at the ceiling, it means we are happy, confident and willing to be friendly so come on over and give us a pet!

Fuzzy Tail: Well, that’s what we call it at our house. It’s when our tails get fuzzed up 3 times their regular size. If we are startled, scared or feeling threatened we will floof ourselves out to appear as big as possible. Trust me, you don’t want to pet us when are tails are fuzzy!

The Fast Flicking Tail: When you see us flicking our tails from side to side, the message we’re sending you is that something is wrong. It can be fear but it can also mean we are annoyed or reacting to something we don’t like.

The Slow Moving Gentle Tail Flick: This means we are zeroed in on something, that we’re very focused. We may be getting ready to pounce on a toy, another cat or a mouse. Basically it’s showing our intention to make a move.

I’ll let you read about the rest of the tail signals for yourself. Just remember, we are telling you a lot with our tails!

Your Cat Actually Has a Legit Reason For Getting Hyper Every Night at Bedtime

“It’s quite all right human, go back to bed. I’m just helping you arrange this mess.” – Alberto

Evidently, the fact that we get the zoomies at night is not because felines are nocturnal. Shelly Zacharias, DVM, VPM and vice president of Medical Affairs at Gallant, in an interview by POPSUGAR, said that cats are actually crepuscular, meaning their waking hours are at both sunrise and sunset.

Well that information is all well and good but our Female Human wants to know how to keep us from waking her in the middle of the night with our antics. Some suggest that you humans play with us before bedtime. Also, some interesting toys for us to play with while you are sleeping will help keep us busy.

If you have any foodaholic felines in your house (I shall not name names) you might want to consider splitting the evening meal in two. Feed us one earlier in the evening and the other one right before you go to bed. This is supposed to keep us from bugging you for food but evidently ,the expert that suggested this has never met Oliver.

They also suggest puzzle feeders. I don’t know about the rest of you felines out there but The Female Human tried that on us. We quickly let her know we do NOT work for food.

The article also suggests that you humans ignore us if we wake you up. That might work for some but when you suddenly find a 17-pound feline on your chest, your desire to breathe will take over your desire to ignore us.

Our Female Human has decided that the best remedy for our nighttime zoomies is to close her bedroom door (and then prepare herself for the havoc she sees in the morning). MOL

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 11/20

Posted on November 20, 2019 by Feline Opines

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!

The first to guess correctly why Oliver is in this position in this unusual place wins both of 9ur books!

This was what The Female Human saw in the morning. Needles to say she wasn’t thrilled with the sight.

Instead of responding to “Oliver, what are you doing up there?!” Oliver just cuddled up closer to the side of the counter. What in the world is Oliver doing??

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 9/26

Posted on September 26, 2018 by Feline Opines

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends,
It’s that time again. I hope you like this Wednesday’s web wanderings, there is some good stuff there and some humans who are doing an amazing job for felines.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

Cat Owners Spend A Lot Of Time Talking to Their Felines – NY Post

My human and I having a serious conversation about her mocking me. Alberto FelineOpines.net

Now why in the world this idea of humans talking to cats is newsworthy is beyond this feline’s comprehension. Duh, of course humans talk to their cats! The photo above is The Female Human explaining to me that she wasn’t mocking me, just doing a little something for the human kids who come to our door in funny outfits and expect candy. This article provides some interesting tidbits but again, some of “findings” are no-brainers for anyone who shares their life with felines, like the fact that 93% of humans with cats in their homes say they have a strong connection with their felines. Of course they do!!

The Best Mewsic Ever! Bongo Cat – Kotaku

Felines and humans alike enjoy mewsic and what better way to enjoy your favorite tunes that with Bongo Cat? He started out as a humble bongo playing feline and then many more animators jumped in and Bong Cat now plays a plethora of mewsical instruments. If you want to hear the full scope of this tuneful cat, go to Twitter and enter #BongoCat. There are quite a few tuneful entries in this article.
https://youtu.be/dMA8PswEosY

Pet Shelter Where 75-Year-Old Naps With Cats Raised Enough Funds To Cover The Year – HuffPost

man naps with cats at shelter

This story is for all you humans who don’t think you can do anything to help the lives of shelter cats and it’s also a tale of how one good deed can take over the internet and provide for a shelter. The photos above were taken by the founder of Safe Haven, Elizabeth Feldhausen and, as the article says, “they hit the internet like catnip”.

The cat-napper, Terry Lauerman, has one desire, for people to donate to the cage free sanctuary that rescues disabled cats who would otherwise be in danger of euthanasia. And meowza did the humans respond! The shelter director said, ““We did make more than our operating costs for last year.” Depending on the condition of the cats we take in, it could cover our costs for a year, or it could cover about 50 cats’ surgeries.”

Paws Up award by FelineOpines.net for humans who do amazing things for cats
The Tribe of Five gives Mr. Lauerman and all the humans who donated our “Paws Up” Award!

Blind Kitty Helps Get His Grandma Cancer Free With Hospital Visits & Cuddles – People

This is a story that shows you should never underestimate the power of purrs, love and adoption. Susan Smith and her husband saw Donny, a 2-year-old rescue cat born without eyes and with the neurological condition Cerebellar Hyperplasia, which causes him to wobble and fall over when he walks. Donny was adopted and added to the Smith’s furry family of 3 blind cats and a blind dog.

Donny’s amazing purrsonality made itself known quickly and his humans had him joined NSALA’s Outreach Program as a therapy cat. Through this program, Donny makes regular visits to hospitals, nursing homes and Alzheimer’s facilities where he contentedly sits in the laps of residents and patients and receives countless pats.

When Smith’s 88-year-old mother was diagnosed with lung cancer and moved into a hospital for a more than a month to receive radiation treatments, Donny already had all the credentials and skills he needed to soothe her and after 17 radiation treatments and visits from Donny, grandma was pronounced cancer free! Follow Donny and the rest of his furry siblings on Instagram.

Never, ever underestimate the power of the purr! You go Donny!

What can cats eat? Papa’s Cat Café teaches local kids how to care for their felines – Missourian

If you follow my Wednesday web wanderings you know I am a HUGE fan of cat cafes. As a matter of fact, we have a cat cafe section on our website (it’s found under “The Felines Opine About”, you’ll see “Cat Cafes). This cat cafe (Poppa’s Cat Cafe in Missouri) has a twist that we really like, it teaches mini humans how to take care of the felines in their lives during their Saturday morning Cat Academy. The mini humans get a lesson about cats, story time, a cat-themed craft and an extra 30 minutes of kitty cuddle time.

I think this would be a great idea for all cat cafes and some shelters too!

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 9/5

Posted on September 5, 2018 by Feline Opines

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hi There Furiends,
Fall has arrived here in the Inland Northwest. Our summer was waaaaay too short, we had so much smoke we were stuck inside for most of the time. Ah well, if the weather says nice I still may get some kayak training with The Female Human!

Here are my finds for the week, enjoy!
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

A Cats Only Grooming Salon – Pilot Online

cat being washed at cat salon

Prepare to have all your cat grooming stereotypes blown away! There is a feline only grooming salon in Yorktown, VA. The owners of Purricious Styles say that cats are not as adverse to water as you humans may think (and of course, I wholeheartedly agree). What I do take exception to is that they also state they have special equipment like muzzle cones for “snippy cats”. Muzzles, snippy cats?? Hmmm. If your feline in residence is looking for a new do and you live in the area, you might want to call Purricious Styles
and see about getting kitty a lion or teddy bear clip. As for me, I’ll just leave my handsome fur the way it is.

Headed to the Vet? Calm Your Cat With a New Feline Radio Station- Mental Floss

Siamese cat listens to music

We felines are not so fond of being shoved in a box, dumped in the metal moving machine and being taken to the place with white coats. I don’t know about the rest of you but all the members of The Tribe of Five loudly sing the song of their people all the way. If we’re singing anyway yu might as well turn on the radio to Calm Pet Radio. It not only provides music but it calms us down as well.

Cat Calm Radio plays music by David Teie, a composer who writes music targeted at cats’ preferences. His songs feature sounds that will be familiar and soothing to cats, like beats similar to the sound of suckling milk, played at the frequencies cats use to communicate with each other. Researchers have found that cats respond better to his cat-specific tunes than to human music. We didn’t need researchers to tell us this. The Female Human purchased the first album from Davied Teje called Music for Cats and we like it very much.

The online cat music station was launched in honor of National Take Your Cat to the Vet Day on August 22. “We’re one of the only radio stations to play species-specific music, designed to have a calming effect on your cat in the car, especially on trips to the vet,” the website explains. You can listen online here. We opined about this music on our website FelineOpines.com and you can even see videos of our first experiences with our favorite mewsic.

The Best Cosplaying Cats of All Time – Gamebyte

cosplay black and white cat

If any of you are wondering, “What the heck is cosplay and what does it have to do with cats?” , allow me to explain. Cosplay is a strange hobby that many humans don’t want to admit they are involved in. The short definition (according to Wickipedia) is, ” a contraction of the words costume play, is a performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear self-made costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character.” Okay, I’m fine with humans putting on silly costumes but when you take your feline and stuff him or her into a ridiculous costume and then take photos for all the world to see, well that’s another matter completely!

I must admit that most of the cosplay cats in this article look pretty proud of themselves, but in case my Humans get any great ideas, thanks but no thanks, The Tribe of Five have taken a vote and it was a unanimous NO to cosplay and costumes of any sort.

This Collection Turns Your Existing Furniture Into a Cat Tree – Apartment Therapy

black cat on cat furniture

The Female Human is always griping about how scroungy our existing cat furniture looks, how expensive new cat trees are, blah, blah,blah. Well now some smart humans have come up with a way to turn existing furniture in cat furniture!

Often cat furniture is bulky, ugly and can’t fit into smaller spaces. Even though we felines love to sleep on your stuff (your bed, your computer keyboard, your face….) we still need a place of our own. The folks at Catssup have come up with some purrfect feline furniture designs. Now you don’t have to buy a new piece of furniture, you transform your existing furniture into cat friendly furniture! The people at Catssup say it’s space saving, easy to install and integrates easily into any human home. This is what the designers of Catssup say about their furniture, “”Instinctively, cats are more comfortable with heights because it provides them with a secure vantage point to survey the world below. Unfortunately, many modern households are unable to provide vertical spaces due to limited interior space and the bulkiness of conventional cat trees.”. Well, I say tell your humans to get out their credit card and head over to Catssup right away!

These Cat Face Towels Will Make Washing Off Your Makeup WAY More Fun – Bustle

cat face towel with ginger cat face

If your female human spends every night washing off the stuff she put on her face in the morning, you may want to point her in the direction of these towels. Once again, our friends across the pond, who are always ahead of the game when it comes to felines, have created these fun face towels (or wash clothes as we call them in the good old U.S. of A.) These Cat Face Towels from Firebox are the cat’s meow for your bathroom.

kitty-coin-bank_29845 Firebox is an online retailer based in London that offers all kinds of unusual gifts, home decor, techie gadgets, food, and drink. There are quite a few fun things for cat lovers, Pusheen slippers, cat mugs and even a wonderful kitty coin bank where you can drop your savings to use to buy something special for your feline.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 4/4

Posted on April 4, 2018 by Feline Opines

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

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

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

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

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

boy with multicolor eyes adopts cat with same condition

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

What Your Cat’s DNA Can Tell You – LifeHacker

cat dna kit basepaws

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

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

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

Catios Are The Newest Way to Spoil Your Felines – Simplemost

black cat in outdoor catio

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

Crazy Cat Guy – PeopleMusic

song I happen to like cats

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

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