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Category Archives: cats
Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 6/19
Hello Furiends,
It looks like it might be summer here, finally. I know some of you are suffering from the heat already and I hope your humans have air conditioning, fans or other cooling means available to you.
Did you know this is one of the best months of the year for kitties? June is National Adopt a Cat Month! Needless to say, the three shelter kitties in this home are thankful that The Human adopted us from our local shelter.
Oliver and I were foster “failures” and The Human says it’s a failure she’s thankful for. She was at an event at the shelter when one of the shelter board members introduced her to Lily and it was love at first sight. There are so many kitties waiting in shelters around the world for forever homes. Please consider bringing one home to your house!
Cat refuses to let human leave
I think all my feline furiends will agree that it’s nicer when our humans stay home with us. This kitty, caught in a TikTok video, foils his human’s attempt to leave the house in a hilarious way.
I would note that this is an orange cat (I recently shared an article about orange cats and how energetic they are). The cat takes possession of the human’s keys and hisses whenever she tries to take them off the table.
For all of you who don’t believe we felines are smart, BondVet recently declared that we have brains that allow us to problem solve, remember things in the past.
The humorous scene highlights cats’ intelligence and the attachment they can have toward their owners. According to BondVet, we felines have brains that allow us to solve problems, remember past events, and understand our human’s emotions. It’s said we have the intelligence of a human two year old.
In other words, this kitty who is guarding the keys knows exactly what he’s doing!
Cats May Be The Only Mammals Who Can’t Taste This 1 Flavor
Amy Glover at the Huff Post UK filed this interesting report about cats and our ability to taste sweet things. Have you ever wondered why your cat tries to steal a bite of your pizza but refuses to eat the expensive canned food you just bought him? What flavors motivate us? Well the Scientific American says that we felines are missing a vital protein that is necessary to taste sweets. The article says that the sweet receptor consists of two coupled proteins generated by two separate genes: known as Tas1r2 and Tas1r3,” We felines “lack 247 base pairs of the amino acids that make up the DNA of the Tas1r2 gene.”
What does that mean? We probably taste something when we eat sweets but we don’t taste what you humans do.
PetMD writes that cats are “seemingly alone among the mammal groups” with this evolutionary quirk regarding tasting sweets.
Despite this physical reality some of my feline friends seem to love sweets but experts say it’s probably the fat in the sweets, not the sugar that attracts them.
What tastes do we like? The article says we “also have interest in anything with animal protein in it (such as milk, cream, or ice cream), foods with strong smells, or warm food (the temperature of freshly killed prey),” they add ― and anything with a new mouth feel is likely to pique their curiosity.
And if you’re feeling bad that we can’t taste sweets, we do taste some flavors that you humans have, like adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a compound that provides energy for living cells.
Cat kidney transplants: For some, the pricey procedure is well worth it
We lost our dear Jasmine due to complications from kidney disease. The human gave her subQ fluids every other day, fed her special food and supplements but the disease took her away from us. For years kidney disease has just been a fact of life for older kitties but things are changing. This article by Marlene Cimons from The Washington Post brings news about kidney transplants for cats.
When the feline “Despy” suddenly developed a congenital form of advanced kidney disease at age 2 the veterinarian gave him only months to live. His human vowed to do whatever he could to save the cat. “He took care of me when I was sick,” says Segal, a software developer who lives in San Jose. “It was my turn to take care of him. It’s that’s simple.”
Segal, then living in the Boston area, drove his cat to the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in Philadelphia where Despy underwent a kidney transplant in 2018. Today, Despy is thriving. So is Stevie, the kidney donor cat from a local shelter that Segal agreed to adopt as part of the renal transplant. He adores them both. “They play together, they groom each other, they roughhouse,” Segal says. “We’ve become a comfortable, loving family.”
Chronic kidney disease is one of the most common conditions in aging cats and a leading cause of death. It can also be inherited, which is what happened in Despy’s case, and can result from toxin exposure, such as eating lilies. (A cat who eats even a small amount from any part of a lily plant can suffer fatal kidney failure within days.)
Kidney transplants in cats began more than 25 years ago, although they still are rare, and only three facilities perform them: Penn Vet, the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine.
Penn Vet has performed 185 transplants since 1998, the Georgia school more than 40 since 2009, and Wisconsin 87 since 1996.
Not all cats are candidates for the procedure, and for those who are, it can be expensive, up to $25,000 for the surgeries to retrieve the donor kidney and transplant it into the recipient cat. Yet the surgeons who do them say they find it personally gratifying to give people more time with their cherished companions. Also, they add, the surgeries and long-term follow-up in cats can provide knowledge that potentially can benefit human health.
Most cats gain an average of two to three years, although there are exceptions. Despy, for example, is six years post-transplant. “Our longest survivor was nearly 13 years,” says Chad Schmiedt, the Alison Bradbury chair in feline health at the Georgia veterinary school. “Shilo was 3 when we did the transplant in June 2009 and lived until April 2022.”
About 40 percent “go out three years post-transplant,” says Robert J. Hardie, clinical professor of small-animal soft-tissue surgery at the Wisconsin veterinary school, adding that survival often depends on whether postsurgical complications occur. “Some live longer. We’ve had some out 10 years.” At Penn Vet, up to 70 percent are alive and doing well one year after transplant, and two recipients lived 13 years after the surgery.
“It is a life-expanding procedure with the possibility of relatively good outcomes — sometimes dramatic outcomes — in terms of longevity that is of great value to many pet parents,” Hardie says. Moreover, scientists could learn more about immunosuppression in cats that could be applicable to humans, he says.
The cats getting new kidneys typically are between the ages of 8 and 12, although younger cats without other potentially serious medical conditions often do better and live longer, experts say. Schmiedt usually won’t perform a transplant on a cat older than 16. Hardie says the oldest cat transplanted at Wisconsin was 18. Aronson once did one on a nearly 18-year-old who had no other health problems and was youthful in behavior and who lived for another two years with the new kidney.
Cats with moderate kidney disease are better candidates than those with mild or advanced disease, because of the balance between surgery risks and benefits, although age provides an advantage for young cats who may have advanced kidney disease. The cats also can’t have chronic infections or cancer because they must take the immunosuppressive drug cyclosporine for life, which can worsen both conditions. Severe heart disease also rules them out. “You want a recipient who has the best chance of making it” through surgery and beyond, Schmiedt says.
Matching is easier for cats than it is for humans needing a transplant because there are only two blood types among all cats.
Although this transplant is expensive it is still good news for kitties like Despy. His human says he’s full of energy and living his best life.
Kidney transplants for dogs is more challenging as dogs often suffer problems with immunosuppression.
Woman wakes up with four cats in bed with her. She only has three cats.
Anne-Sophie Mielke and Steffi Feldman from TAG24 provided this amusing story.
A Reddit user (username u/trixy_treat), shared a picture on the platform that has Reddit users talking. The lady who lives in Britain found herself snuggling in bed one morning with four cute felines who were nestled into her blankets and pillows. This woman sleeps with her cats so the sight was not unusual as she lives with three cats named, Pancake, the Tortie; Oreo, and Quinn. The fourth cat was not a member of her household but a visiting neighbor feline.
The visitor named Bluey, lives next door and is a buddy of her cat Quinn. The woman supposes that Bluely enjoys sleeping at her house because he lives with a large dog and a toddler.
If Bluey doesn’t sleep over he will appear at her window and meow loudly for her cats to come and play. Now it seems he’s graduated from morning play time to sleep overs.
House of Black Cat Magic celebrates 1 year of business, helping home 150 black cats
The House of Black Cat Magic in Asheville, N.C. hosts parties, community events and more in its Black Cat Lounge, giving people a chance to meet a variety of cats that are up for adoptions.
Joel SeymourSun from ABC13 News reported about their anniversary celebration, their first anniversary “purrty, “magical market” and a silent auction and cat food drive to benefit Binx’s Home for Black Cats food pantry.
Sterling “TrapKing” Davis, who runs TNR Humane Cat Solutions, was there to offer informative sessions about the importance of TNR programs — Trap, Neuter, Return — which help stabilize feral or community cat colonies by trapping them, then spaying or neutering them, and finally, returning the cats back to their community so they can live out their days without continuing to reproduce. We love Sterling, he is a rock star among his feline fans.
Sterling said about TNR, “”A lot of areas, they get a lot of cats so they overpopulate, they start fighting over resources, they end up getting sick, injured, harmful to one another,” Davis said. “So, it’s good to control the population in a good way… that’s what TNR is — you’ve got to spay and neuter your pets!”
I love humans who go above and beyond to help ferals and work to find forever homes for cats.
The Catio Guy
The Human does not support allowing us to go outside as there are all kinds of predators in our neck of the woods but she does provide the opportunity for us to sit on the upstairs patio in our own pop-up catio.
This guy custom builds cations and they are amazing. We definitely think this is a home renovation The Human should consider.
How many of my feline furiends out there can rock a skateboard like this guy?
Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 6/5
Happy Wednesday Furiends!
How are things in your neck of the woods? We’re hanging in there, our weather however, can’t decide if it’s late winter or spring. Still, since we’re indoor felines, the weather has little effect on us. Things are getting greener and The Human is opening the windows more so that’s good.
Oliver and I do a lot of play fighting and my whiskers are the constant casualty. Now, although it’s not unusual for felines to scuffle and for whiskers to be lost. Our whiskers help us navigate through our environment and are our most important sensory organs. As long as the follicles aren’t damaged, my whiskers do grow back but it takes time. Do any of my furiends out there have a feline sibling that shortens your whiskers?
Oliver likes to celebrate holidays and his visual contribution this week is his celebration of Hot Air Balloon Day (which is today)
And finally, Miss Lily loved the story of cats in mining towns so much she asked our Purrsonal Assistant to make an image placing her in the past in the days of the cats in mines.
Here are this week’s stories and our video of the week, we hope you enjoy!
New ‘Salty Licorice’ Cat Coat Pattern Linked to Genetic Mutation, Study Finds
A group of scientists at the University of Helsinki in Finland discovered a genetic mutation that creates the recently discovered “salty licorice” coloring found in some cats.
According to the scientists’ study of these felines, published in the Journal of Animal Genetics in May. This coat pattern is similar to tuxedo coats, but the “salty licorice” felines differ with dark markings on their faces and dots and an increasing amount of white towards the back portion of the body. Their tails tend to be primarily white. The pattern was first observed among the Finnish domestic cat population in 2007.
The researchers found that the pattern is linked to a variant of the KIT proto-oncogene (KIT) gene, which is “associated with an absence of melanocytes in the skin and hair follicles” and commonly causes the white coat appearance in various domestic animal species.
If any of my furiends are from Finland, I’d love to know if you’ve met one of these unusual felines.
Cats in mining camps
Well of course this article caught my eye as we are Idaho felines. In this article from the Idaho Press on Rick Just’s History Corner, I learned that in the 1860s, in Placerville and other mining camps in Idaho, cats were prized for their ability to keep rodents at bay. The article’s author found a 1934 edition of the Idaho that talked about miners’ cabins being often overrun with field mice and chipmunks.
An entrepreneurial fellow from Oregon named Mooney sold pest control cats in the mining camps. Most of them were gray tabbies with no claim fancy pedigree, yet despite that fact, each sold for $10 which would be more than $300 today.
Mr. Mooney stayed overnight with the Moores of Placerville and gave a pair of kittens to their daughter Lizzie. In later years, Lizzie (then Mrs. Sisk) told of litter after litter of kittens that came along, fetching $2.50 for each tiny cat. For many years after, Placerville was known as the home of large gray cats who kept themselves healthy and large due to an endless supply of mice.
Houtong Cat Village: Taiwan’s Cat-Themed Coal Mining Village
I was so intrigued by the mining kitties story, I sent our Purrsonal Assistant off to find out more about cats in mining villages. She came across an article by Nick Kembel on a website called “Taiwan Obsessed” about his visit to Houtong Cat Village. The photos her are all Nick’s.
Houtong was once a thriving coal mining town and today is home to hundreds of cats. The history of the mining in Houtong is preserved in a park. It’s interesting that the word “Houtong” means monkey as there used to be a cave with monkeys nearby. At its peak, the town had more than 6,000 residents. After the coal mining industry declined in the 1990s most left, and only a few hundred people still live there today.
Your first introduction to the town will probably when you walk through the Cat Bridge. It was built in 2012 and its design pays homage to the old mining tunnels. Since the bridge is covered, it offers shelter to the local felines and you will probably encounter felines napping there.
Several hours in town can be spent checking out the ruins of the coal plant, browse the souvenir shops, drink a cat foam latte and meet a bunch of new feline furiends.
The cat connection began in 2008 when a local resident and cat lover started encouraging locals to take in stray cats. The idea really took off, putting Houtong back on the map as Taiwan’s premier cat village.
The 200+ cats that live in Houtong today are mostly strays that have been sterilized and those cats are identified with the standard TNR procedure of a clipped ear. The cats mostly seem to co-exist, with each claiming its own territory and snoozing spots within the three-lane village built on a hill looking over the train station.
You can’t make your way through the village without stopping to pet the cats sleeping and relaxing along the way.
The local shops offer a plethora of cat themed souvenirs and food items.
The ‘Feline States of America’: How Cats Helped Shape the US
And the search for cats in history continued and our Purrsonal assistant found this article by Joy Powers of NPR in Milwaukee. It doesn’t deal with cats in mining towns but it is about the history of cats in the U.S. She interviewed cat historian Paul Koudounaris (who knew there were cat historians?) who said (about cats), “They were domesticated, they were raised to the highest of the highs and they were plunged down to the lowest of the lows and then very, very slowly by the end of the 19th century, they finally built themselves up to be companions again,”
Koudounaris said that many cats came to the Americas by ship with early colonists. They were known as ship cats, they were used to get rid of rodents and protect the boat’s food supply. These cats were one-way passengers and got off the boats at the same time the humans did.
Although cats continued to face persecution in Europe at the time, some early colonists recognized the benefit of the feline’s hunting skills to handle pest controls. In fact, cats were some of the first animals employed by the U.S. Army.
“The United States Army had hired cats long before they had hired dogs,” he explains. “The United States Army had hired cats in the 19th century, again, to protect the commissaries.”
Even though cats played an important role in early U.S. history, it took a few centuries for them to be considered companion animals instead of working animals. Koudounaris says the transition happened slowly, spurred by their popularity in the West (particularly among cowboys who would use cats to watch their rations). Creative folks, like Mark Twain, started bringing cats indoors and their popularity as house pets grew.
Koudounaris is currently writing a book profiling some of America’s most famous cats, including some of the more well-known ship cats like Kiddo, a cat onboard the airship America, the first dirigible aircraft that tried to cross the Atlantic. Unfortunately the dirigible crashed but thankfully Kiddo survived and he went on a national tour in 1911, making $2,000 a week. Our Human wants to know what we could do to make $2,000.00 a week!
This one will make you say “Awwwwwww”
Walk Through the Web Wednesday 5/29
Hello Furiends,
It’s been a hectic week, our Purrsonal Assistant is busy judging the Cat Writer’s Association annual contest (there are a lot of talented humans in that group) and she keeps telling us she’s overwhelmed. I’ve said to her, “Human, your schedule should not affect our weekly postings” but I feel it’s falling on deaf ears. It is for this reason that I’ve had to bypass the news and share a few images with you from recent holidays that we here at Feline Opines like to celebrate.
I hope you enjoy them and celebrated them yourselves. Paws crossed the coming week will allow us to get back to our regular schedule!
May 28, National Hamburger Day
Every May 28, National Hamburger Day celebrates America’s most iconic food. Americans eat over 50 billion burgers a year, so it’s only fitting we set aside a whole day for these special sandwiches. Originating in Hamburg, Germany, the hamburger as we know it was developed in Seymour, Wisconsin, a town still famous for its hamburger heroics.
May 23, National Chardonnay Day
Lily notices that The Human purrfers chardonnay but Lily doesn’t like the smell of any wine. Chardonnay Day was created by Rick Bakas to boost sales in the wine industry after the bank crisis of 2008. It was meticulously slotted around National Wine Day and the Thursday before Memorial Day to keep up the celebratory spirits.
National Brother’s Day, May 24
Brother’s Day has been celebrated on May 24 since the year 2005. Although the exact details of the holiday are unknown, it was Alabama-based C. Daniel Rhodes who had first organized the holiday and its proceedings. In some regions, National Brother’s Day is an unofficial holiday. It is not to be confused with National Siblings Day, which takes place in April.
National Polka Weekend, May 24-26
The beginning of the National Polka Festival® in Ennis, Texas began as an idea. Raymond Zapletal, Len Gehrig, and Joe Liska of Ennis had been to other cities and seen the large response to polka bands from the people of Czechoslovakian descent, and they believed the people could be brought to their small town of Ennis for the same reasons. So in 1967, Zapletal, Gehrig, and Liska brought their idea to the Chamber of Commerce manager Jack McKay. If the idea were to succeed, it would require the joint effort of the Chamber and the citizens of Ennis. Jack McKay agreed the idea could greatly benefit Ennis and the Czechoslovakian community in the area, and one of the largest polka festival in the country had its’ beginning. Zapletal, Gehrig, and Liska agreed to take care of getting the bands for Ennis’ fraternal halls and the Chamber agreed in turn to organize the parade and downtown festivities. Within three years the festival was a raging success with as many as 30,000 people attending from all over the country to enjoy music and entertainment at the four halls.
Even though this is a celebration from the Czechoslovakian community, our Purrsonal Assistant is from Germany and has taught us to enjoy polka music too.
We hope you enjoyed some of our favorite holidays and that you will find time to celebrate the ones you like too.
Memorial Day
Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 5/15
Happy Wednesday Furiends!
We’re humming along here in our neck of the woods. The Human is working on editing her first book in her cozy series and Ollie and I are looking forward to her getting that book out so we can be famous. I am looking forward to signing pawtographs.
We have a nice litter box at Feline Opines International Headquarters and Oliver decided he’d like to do a “jungly” photo shoot. He wants to know what you think.
Neither Lily nor I had the desire to pose for any pictures this week so I’ll move on along to this week’s feline internet news.
Would you trust a robot to look after your cat?
Sanjana Gajbhive from Earth.com wrote an article about robots as cat sitters. Noted was a recent research project called Cat Royale which talked about building trust between cats and robots. Now this feline is no fan of machine, I mean the vacuum monster alone is enough to give a feline a nervous breakdown!
Cat Royale, an award-winning research project, resulted from collaboration between University of Nottingham scientists and Blast Theory artists. This project crafted a “multispecies world.” In it, three cats lived with a robotic arm. They coexisted for six hours each day across twelve days. Good grief humans, coexistence is not what we cat’s want, we need pets, headbutts and skritches.
The researchers of this project wanted to find out what influenced feline-robot trust.
Some findings have been that the environment and the role of the humans in that environment were all factors in the cat’s trust of the robot. Well DUH!
“At first glance, the project is about designing a robot to enrich the lives of a family of cats by playing with them,” said Professor Steve Benford, who led the research. “Under the surface, however, it explores the question of what it takes to trust a robot to look after our loved ones and potentially ourselves.”
The robotic arm at the heart of Cat Royale engaged the feline participants through a variety of playful interactions, including dragging a toy mouse, dangling a feather “bird,” and dispensing treats. An integrated AI system observed the cats’ reactions, learning their preferences and tailoring play sessions accordingly. They designed an environment that was pleasing to the cats.
The researcher’s goal is to create a multi’species system but this cat would ask, what about the human/animal bond? Our Human spent quite a bit of time studying this and she too is a bit skeptical about this.
At least the researcher’s did acknowledge the importance of human involvement in areas like breakdown recovery, animal welfare, and audience engagement. In other words, even in a world of advanced robots, the human touch remains essential. Well, there you go!
Their conclusion is that if you humans want robots to take care of your felines, you’d have to give your home a robot friendly makeover and that you humans have to understand that even the most advanced robot can’t replace the warmth and understanding of a human caregiver. I have three words for all the humans out there-HUMAN-CAT-SITTER.
In Germany, cats remain the most popular pet
A recent report from a German pet trade and industry association, revealed that Germans love their pets. Well, our Human is German and she can attest to that! In 2023, 34.3 million dogs, cats, small animals and pet birds lived in German households. There were also numerous animals in terrariums and ornamental fish in aquariums and garden ponds.
According to a market research survey from Skopos done for the Pet Supplies Industry Association 45% of German households have pets.
Felines are still Germany’s number one pet: a total of 15.7 million of them lived in 25% of German households in 2023. In 42% of all cat-owning households there were two or more cats at home.
The head of the market research team said,” We are all the more pleased that the total number of pets kept in households in Germany has remained stable at a high level over the past few years.” I would say they should be pleased that the vast majority of German households are cat lovers!
Cat’s nonchalant reaction to Northern Lights leaves everyone laughing
Sophie Roberts, Lifestyle and Travel Editor for Mirror UK reported on the lack of enthusiasm one cat had regarding the Northern Lights as one man’s cat was photographed with the colorful sky as a background and looking completely unimpressed.
I don’t know what the sky was like in your neck of the woods but it was pretty amazing here. Still, not amazing enough for the Tribe to remove ourselves from the bed and do any sky gazing.
This is how one guy described his cat’s reaction on X: “My cat just experienced the aurora borealis – one of the world’s most radiant natural phenomena – and she doesn’t care.”
His post went viral getting got more than 1.7 million views.
Cat Owners Thought Their Roomba Was Broken, Until They Discovered the Truth
In a Newsweek article this week, a couple who thought they had a broken Roomba discovered their cats were the culprits.
Their cat Winnie became a media star when her human shared a video of her on TikTok. The video shows clearly that the Roomba wasn’t broken, only “detained” by Winnie’s actions.
Some people think Winnie was playing with the Roomba. This feline believes that Winnie was protecting the other cats in the household by keeping the dreaded vacuum monster away from them. Go Winnie!
Homeowner Sends Neighbor a Note — and Asks Them to Not Let Cats Look Out the Window
Reddit users have weighed in on the letter, which asks the homeowner to “please keep your cats out of the window”. Oh my whiskers, the hubris!
A Reddit user shared a letter sent by a neighbor requesting the poster keep their cats “out of the window,” as the cats are causing the neighbor’s dog to bark.Seriously??!!
In a post shared to Reddit, the cat owner wrote, “I own my own home, and I have three cats (plus two new babies I found outside). Two of them love to sit in the window when it’s nice out. They do nothing but sleep. We keep the windows open as we don’t have AC yet.”
But evidently the cats’ habit of sunning in the window inflamed the neighbor who sent a letter reading: “Hey neighbor! Can you please keep your cats out of the window? They are causing my dog to sit in the window and bark all day long. I work from home, so this is very difficult. Thanks.”
What would say to a neighbor who asked your human to keep you out of the window?
There are so many human social media influencers. This feline influencer, Uno the Orange cat, is teaching cats how to live the Vida Loca. It should be a must watch for every feline.
Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 5/8
Hello Furiends!
Spring is here in our neck of the woods and we’re very happy about that. In our r staff meeting this week I was reminded by Lily and Oliver that we have been negligent in celebrating some of the unusual and wonderful holidays that many observe. We decided we’d share a few of them with you this week.
National Train Day is celebrated on May 11 of this year. If you are a train aficionado learn more by clicking here.
Lily (and the hamster) were a bit confused by National Hamster Day, which began in 2012, by hamster loving folks who wanted to give these pint sized pets their own day.
Better sleep month is one of Oliver’s favorite holidays (next to Eat What You Want Day). Yes, it is a holiday and there’s a Better Sleep Council that can provide information about how you and your humans can get more Z’s. Oliver and Alberto each have their own take on this holiday.
We’ve got lots more interesting and unusual holidays to share with you in the future. In the meantime we invite you to enjoy this week’s feline related news items.
The Truth About Ginger Tom Cats
The Human says she’s never lived with a ginger cat and thought I should feature this article by BBC news since she sees lots of ginger cat memes across her social media feed. After she assured me that this was not a set up for bringing another cat into the house, I agreed to include this article.
Roger Tabor, an English biologist and cat behavior expert says “”archetypal ‘big old ginger tom’ is the classic cat next door” and their behaviour could be down to the Vikings.”
He said that “the scientific consensus has been there are some breed temperament differences, such as lively Burmese or placid Persians, but not differences on colour,” he said.
“However, studies of owners’ perceptions tell a different story, with calico and grey cats being ‘aloof’ and the ginger cat being seen as ‘friendlier and more affectionate’.”
“Measurements have also shown that generally male ginger toms are heavier than most cats of other colours.”
The article then featured some ginger cats to give the reader some insight into their purrsonalities.
Henry the hospital worker
Ginger tom Henry works with staff and patients at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.
Although he has a home near the hospital, he likes to wander the corridors and food hall, receiving pets and attention . His presence is credited with calming staff and patients and he has won the acceptance of the hospital staff over the years.
Nala the stationmaster
Nala likes the business of the Stevenage railway station in Hertfordshire where he greets commuters. Like Henry, Nala seems more than happy spending his days with the public, perched on top of ticket machines.
Ernie the artful burglar
Sydney Reid, owner of ginger Ernie, in Cambridgeshire, England describes Ernie this way, “Ernie is a total menace, we’ve had a pure white, a pure black, a tabby, a tuxedo – and Ernie – and he’s the only one to cause such problems within the neighborhood – what is it about ginger cats?” she said. Ernie has put on quite a bit of weight due to his “breaking and entering” of neighbor’s homes to steal food. Ernie’s human said, “We once had a neighbor knock on our door to let us know he’d taken an entire resting roast chicken off her kitchen side and out her kitchen window.”
The trolley tomcats
Gingers seem to be adept at finding places where they can find food and company. These gingers like to hang out at supermarkets. Pumpkin ignored staff who tried to “ban” him from his local Tesco branch near Norwich. In Ely, Cambridgeshire, Garfield became so popular with Sainsbury’s shoppers that after his death a eulogy was held at the city’s cathedral and a brass monument erected in his memory.
The busy bookworms
Three-legged ginger tom Jasper rose to fame in 2017 after his owner started taking him to work at the University of Cambridge’s Marshall Library of Economics.
“Tea with Jasper” events were popular with students who credited meeting the cat as helping reduce exam stress. They are still holding “Meet Jaspar” events.
The the University of East Anglia in Norwich has its own ginger bookworm, Sylvester.
Sylvester tours the campus grounds and buildings and attends lectures or takes a nap on the library information desk. He has his own Facebook group where students and staff proudly post photographs of their encounters with him.
‘A Viking disposition’
Cat expert Mr. Tabor says that the friendliness and confidence of gingers could be one of the reasons cats were so popular with the Vikings.
Neil B Todd mapped the presence of the feline ginger gene in places where Viking settlements were located in the Scientific American almost 50 years ago. His belief was that the Vikings carried ginger cats from Turkey and around the Black Sea to Scandanavia and Britain. He found that the city of York, once a Viking community, still has a higher population of gingers than London. He thought it might have been the cat’s distinctive fur or the friendly, less fearful demeanor of the ginger that attracted them. “Ginger cats themselves could be said to have a Viking disposition, friendly to people they get on with, but fierce with opponent tom cats.”
3 Science-Backed Ways To Tell If Your Cat Actually Likes You
Although I feel we felines get a bad rap as regards our affection for our humans, I decided to include this article by Scott Travers so you more insecure humans could have some reassurance that we do love you. Here are some ways we show you our love.
1. We ‘Slow Blink’ At You
Some people call this the cat kiss. Slow blinks begin with some half blinks and then usually followed with more4 prolonged blinks or even closing of the eyes. Scientific research has shown that these are not random blinks, but are an intentional way we felines communicate. When we slow blink we are showing contentment and comfort. Research has also shown the cats will often slow blink in response to a slow blink from their humans and they will also be more likely to approach someone who slow blinks at them. Try this out. Sit with your feline and tell them what a good cat they are, slow blink a little and see how your feline responds.
2. Their Tail Is Up Around You
Cats use many forms of body language to communicate with each other. The tail up display is a signal of friendliness when cats are interacting with each other. Kittens will often raise their tails when greeting their mother.
There is a hierarchy in tail-up communication; lower-ranking cats are more likely to use this posture, while high-ranking individuals receive it more frequently. This insinuates that the tail-up display can be a sign of acknowledging the higher social status of the other cat.
When the tail up behavior is used with humans it indicates they feel the human is important and may indicate that they see the human as a parent or friend. It means the cat is comfortable around you and trusts you.
3. They ‘Talk’ To You
Research has suggested that meowing is a more neutral or negative communication. Cats are believed to have the most extensive vocal repertoires of all carnivores. Outside of meowing, the researchers found other forms of feline vocalization to be more strongly indicative of affection or happiness such as trilling which sounds like a meow and purr combined. Cats will trill to greet or to get attention. They will often trill see a human they are bonded with or when they are excited (like when the human opens the pantry and reaches for the treats)
Chatter is another feline verbalization. It’s created by rapid movements of the jaw and a series of quick staccato sounds. Cats chatter when they watch birds or other prey animals through a window or screen. Chatter indicates the cat is highly engaged and excited to interact with you or something in their environment.
Then there is the purr which is probably the most recognized sign of a happy feline. And although it is recognized as a sign that the cat feeling comfort, safety and happiness. It can also be a sign that cats are nervous (I have been known to purr at the vet’s office). But when we felines purr around you, we are saying, “I love you human.”
Discover Your Cat’s Personality by Reading Their Palms
I am not a feline that believes in star charts, tarot cards or other mystical things but I did find this article by Angela Vuckovic about cat paw reading interesting.
She writes that this paw reading phenomenon had it’s origin in Japan and as my regular readers know, I have featured many cat focused articles from the feline-loving folks in Japan. And the newest feline frenzy in Japan is paw reading.
It’s called “Nekteso”, which essentially means the art of reading cat paws. It began with a cat loving fortune teller named Mr. Akatsuki, presented his observations about the link between paw shapes and personalities in cats. Nothing in the article said this was reliable but it’s an interesting concept. Mr. Akatsuki is so enthused about his paw reading work that he wrote a book with paw reading instructions. He says there are five main types of cat personalities, with 13 sub-types, all determined by the slight differences in their toe beans.
Type A Cat (Heart-shaped middle toe bean)
These are the cuddlebugs of the feline world. They are friendly and love to snuggle with their humans or other animal friends. They are also believers that food is love.
Type B Cat (Rounded middle toe bean)
Theses felines are adventurous and social and function well in a multi-cat household.
Type C Cat (Flat-topped middle toe bean with two side bulges)
Type C cats are quiet and solitary. Their preference is to be the only pet in the household. They are wary of strangers but are calm and dignified which makes them great meowdels for your social media posts.
Type D Cat (Similar to C type, but less pronounced)
These cats are not known for their big personalities and are more aloof. They don’t show interest in many things and will only tolerate the humans they have deemed worthy of their presence.
Type E Cat (Toe beans form a triangle)
According to Mr. Akatsuki, these cats are crazy and you’ll be lucky if you get a chance to take a close look at their toe beans (hmm, sounds like our very own “Princess Stabby Toes” Lily).
The Human is determined to get a close look at our toe beans and I’ll report her findings in a future column.
Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 5/1/2024
Happy Wednesday Furiends,
Now before you start meowing at me, yes, I know we skipped last Wednesday. Things in our neck of the woods were a bit harried but I am happy to report we are back on track.
And speaking of our neck of the woods, I do believe spring is really here…finally! Now before you get too excited, spring around here takes it’s time and at the moment this is the state of our weather.
Still, we do enjoy the random bout of sunshine and when it happens, we take full advantage of it as you will see in this collection of photographs I have titled, “Sun Puddles”.
We hope you’re enjoy the sun puddles in your neck of the woods.
Stowaway cat accidentally mailed to California in returned package
Although I normally stay away from news stories that are all over the internet, I just had to report on this one. First, let me remind you of two things, cats love boxes and cats will climb inside said boxes at every opportunity. Humans, for heaven’s sake, don’t tape up a box before you do a feline inspectikon!!!!
This is the sad tail of a feline who was mailed hundreds of miles in a box that had items being returned. Galena, the Utah feline had disappeared from her Utah home and her humans launched a widespread neighborhood search. But Galena wasn’t in the neighborhood, she was in an Amazon facility in California!
Thankfully she was rescued by a worker there, in good health despite the fact that it had been days since she’d had food and water. This heroic Amazon worker also took her to the vet to see if she had a microchip and that’s how her family was found.
Needless to say, her humans were over the moon to hear she was found and quite befuddled when they heard where she was. The humans flew more than 1,000 miles to California to bring Galena home.
Poor Galena, who had been frightend during her stay in California, stopped shaking as soon as she was in her human’s arms.
Galena’s human encourages everyone to microchip their cats and to “triple check” their Amazon boxes.
A Day in the Life of the World’s Most Pampered Hotel Cat
I don’t usually feature travel articles but I made an exception for this article by James Wong at Fodor’s Travel and that’s because he wrote about Europe’s prestigious Oetker hotels, a chain that provide an elegant welcome with hotel felines.
Their Le Bristol in Paris has Socrate and Brenners Park in Baden-Baden has Kléopatre. The Lanesborough in London is home to Lilibet, a Siberian Forest cat named after the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Lilibet arrived in 2019 as a kitten and is now the hotel’s most spoiled and loved inhabitant. She has a hotel cat committee to see to her every need and quite an online following. The hotel’s social media engagement skyrockets whenever she makes an appearance.
James Wong decided to check into the hotel and experience the presence of Lilibet close up and purrsonal. Here is his report.
“I walked through Hyde Park for my first meeting with a cat, more nervous than the time I tried to get in the same elevator as Anna Wintour. Like Madame W., cats are famously aloof creatures, yet adored the world over. Lilibet has strutted her stuff on BBC News, been photographed for high-end editorials, and is consistently captured by fans on countless social media reels.
I was greeted by handsomely-dressed doormen at the grand entrance, and took a seat at check-in. No sign of Lilibet yet. The suspense! The cat committee was deciding on festivities for her fifth birthday. “Last year she enjoyed a photoshoot with a beautiful cake,” I was told. Lilibet’s an Aries like Mariah Carey, Elton John, and Posh Spice: Darling divas partial to a splash of opulence. I was led through an intricate marble hallway within the former 18th-century home of Viscount Lanesborough, today akin to the V&A museum. A passage flowing with ornamental plasterwork, gold leaf accents, and trompe l’oeil. It’s a catwalk like no other.
It goes without saying my room was equally a showstopper. Each of the hotel’s 93 boudoirs is uniquely furnished with regal interiors and cleverly placed technology. TVs are concealed behind classical oil paintings. My personal butler demonstrated how to operate it. Lili and I would be watching a movie of her choice tonight. “Would you like us to prepare the film on this television, or the other one?” I looked around. Which painting was it in? At the flip of a switch, another screen lifted out of what I initially thought was a bookshelf at the foot of the bed. There’s my answer. “We’ll have popcorn ready for you, and some Dreamies for Lili. They’re her favorite treat,” the butler added.
I noticed a cake decorated with pink paws on the table and a card beside it. The inside read, “Welcome to my humble abode. I can’t wait to spend some quality time with you. Love, Lilibet.”
With a couple of hours before dinner, I ventured down to The Lanesborough Club & Spa, an underground cavern of serenity for R&R. No sign of Lili en route. The concierge offered clues. “She often sits on the balcony overlooking the Basia Hamilton portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and sometimes she helps Victor greet guests at the door.” So I quizzed Victor the doorman. He talked about her kitten days, and how he’s one of the few humans she’s never clawed.
“Lilibet loves being pet by guests, but not for too long, she’ll let you know when she’s done,” he laughed. “Visitors can’t get enough of her, regardless, and gifts are delivered all the time.” Gifts, you say? “Yes, everything, but especially treats. She gets lots of fancy chicken soup.”
Further investigation led me to discover that Lili was once gifted an actual gold necklace by designers Ralph & Russo. The hand-crafted collar features the hotel’s crown sigil with her name and number. Lilibet sports it on special occasions.
Post-nap, I visited The Library Bar, adjacent to Lili’s evening hangout, The Withdrawing Room. It’s here that we finally (finally!) met. She was people-watching as the sunset illuminated the corner of Wellington Arch across the street, unflinching as I reached over and touched her unbelievably soft fur.
Siberian Forest cat fur is hypoallergenic, FYI, so no hiss-terics necessary. While I was tempted to pick Her Majesty up, I remembered my chat with Victor and gave her space. At the bar, I ordered the Lilibet Cocktail, made with Earl Grey-infused gin and frothing with English Chardonnay wine flavored with chocolate. It certainly gave me the pre-dinner meows.
I suggested we dine at Gordon Ramsey’s Lucky Cat in nearby Mayfair. “Lilibet will adore the sashimi,” I said. “It’s always amazing.” Alas, I learned domestic cats aren’t able to eat raw sushi, and even if they were, Lili’s not keen on leaving the premises for supper.
Mary in guest relations clarifies, “She runs right back in when she’s taken outside, but doesn’t mind venturing out for grooming.” No sashimi party for us then; unless it’s for the cat spa, this feline’s staying put. “She’s tried caviar though,” admitted Mary.
Instead we stayed in and did dinner in the hotel–separately (Lili needs space, remember). I tucked into a perfectly burnished Beef Wellington at The Lanesborough Grill under a crystal chandelier, no less, while Lili, somewhere in the building, enjoyed Purina Gourmet slow-cooked beef. Curious, I googled the brand. The website states it, “appeals to cats with a taste for the finer things.”
Lili was waiting for me in the room by the time I’d finished my Carrot and Walnut cake, running around excitedly. Clearly, distance made her kitty heart grow fonder. Our butler had laid out a magnificent spread of treats, including Lili’s snacks, special cat milk, and assorted toy mice. I slipped into a robe and hit play on the Puss in Boots sequel, as Lili dashed behind the floral curtains. After enticing her with a trail of treats, I was able to seat her on my lap for 102 minutes of animated adventure. She purred, fixated on the screen, and stayed with me for exactly four minutes before scurrying behind a sofa. Surely she wouldn’t want to miss Kitty Softpaw’s grand entrance? I thought and I went to pick her up. Out came claws. Lili made it very clear she was not interested in Salma Hayek. Perhaps we should have gone with Halle Berry in Catwoman? My feline friend avoided the TV until her 10 p.m. pick-up, and I was given a plush version of Lilibet for company until her return the next morning.
At 9 a.m., Lili was back and ever so thrilled to see me. She’d thankfully forgotten I’d subjected her to Salma Hayek last night. The butler wheeled in our farewell breakfast: avocado toast with poached eggs for me, and a tuna mousse for Lili. Ravished, she jumped on the opposite chair. I took a mouthful as she stared on, as if to say ”come over, feed me!” And so I obliged. She licked a scoop of tuna mousse on my fingertip and I returned to my chair, hoping that acted as permission for her to dig in, but to no avail. I put down my fork, and well, Lili insisted I hand-feed the whole breakfast to her. Ah, this must be what it’s like to live in a luxury hotel, I figured. Butlers on call, fine dining, and oodles of pampering–life here’s not far from life at neighboring Buckingham Palace. The Lanesborough is where anyone who steps inside gets the royal treatment, even if (and in Lili’s case, especially when) they’re a pet cat.”
Meowza, where does a feline sign up for a job with this hotel chain?
Cats Cameos in Music videos
Believe it or not, felines have been making appearances in music videos (or making our own music videos). We have obviously conquered Hollywood and now our charisma and ability to capture an audience has moved us into the music field.
Purrhaps one of the most iconic feline musical appearances is in the music video for “The Love Cats” by The Cure. The band doesn’t just refer to felines, they also feature cats on film.
Janet Jackson was one of the early feline adapters is Janet Jackson who featured a cat cameo in her1986 music video “When I Think of You.” A feline wanders through the street dancers.
Ed Sheeran’s “Drunk” presents the story of friendship between him a cat and highlights the bond the human and feline have. Paula Abdul’s “Opposites Attract,” had a cartoon cat named MC Skat Kat who performs a duet with Abdul.
Some people wonder why artists use cats in their music videos and my response is that we are photogenic, charming and we are capable of showing a wide range of emotion. I mean, all you have to do is purruse the internet…we own it!
So my furiends, if you can’t get a job at a luxury hotel, maybe you want to try the music video biz.
The Cat Distribution System at Work
A young boy went to his local animal shelter to adopt a kitten. As soon as he stepped into the cat section one feline made a beeline to him, wrapped his paws around him in a hug. This my furiends, is a purrfect example of how the Cat Distribution System works, The cat picks you.
And that’s what happened. Although the boy went to the shelter to find a kitten, this cat chose him as his forever human
The smile on the boy’s face says it all. He now has a cat!
I’m starting a new feature on Wednesdays. The Human and I watch so many cat videos on social media and there is always one or two that we feel are outstanding. This is this week’s top cat video. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 4/17
Happy Wednesday my furiends,
This week we’ve been having some fun with cat groups. As you might guess, The Human is a member of multiple cat groups on the web and we have our own Facebook page as well. One of the groups we subscribe to is “This Cat is GROMPY”. The Human was messing around with different features on her camera and submitted this photo to the group This Cat is GROMPY. So far I’ve received almost 500 reactions and comments. Some folks asked for a full cat photo so they could see what I really looked like. I don’t know, do I look that GROMPY?
We also belong to the group, “This Cat is CHONKY”. Someone put out a requests for photos of CHONKS when they were babies. Here is Oliver’s
Lily, not a GROMP or CHONK had The Human do a few glamour shots .
And finally, here is our photo celebrating National Pet Day on our Facebook page.
Well, that’s a glimpse of our week. I hope your week was purrfect!
Cat looks fur-ious after being chiseled out of wall
This story reminds me of that saying I’ve heard you humans use, “no good deed goes unpunished”. This feline got himself in a pickle and found himself between two walls and the object of a rescue by firefighters. The Fire Captain said crews, “carefully chiseled” out the hapless feline and that it is now safe and sound.
Despite being rescued from death’s clutches, this cat does not look grateful at all!
Cats Are Finally Having a Big Hollywood Meow-Ment
After reading this article I’m thinking about having The Human find me an agent! Cats are showing up in all kinds of films these days. In Steven Zaillian’s Netflix series Ripley, a Maine Coon with the screen name Lucio, plays a main character role.
Then there’s Paramount’s upcoming A Quiet Place: Day One, about a woman struggling to escape an alien invasion with her tuxedo cat, Frodo. Last fall, Disney’s The Marvels co-starred a deadly super-powered ginger cat, Goose. In Matthew Vaughn’s spy comedy Argylle, which has just started streaming on Apple TV+, Bryce Dallas Howard is on the run from assassins with her Scottish Fold, Alfie.
As you can see my feline furiends, there are more and more lead roles for felines who can act. We felines have gotten leading roles in animated movies but live action film parts have been few and far between for us.
There would be the rare cat part such as Disney’s 1965 film That Darn Cat and the Coen brothers’ 2013 dramedy Inside Llewyn Davis and that’s just about it. The reason for this is stated that cats have long had a reputation for messing up scenes and testing even the most patient of filmmakers. This has caused us to be treated more like a movie prop than a true actor.
In an early draft of Argylle, Vaughn says his novelist Elly (Howard) likewise left her cat at home before embarking on an adventure with superspy Aidan (Sam Rockwell). “Then I saw a Taylor Swift documentary where she has her cat in a cat-pack and I remember thinking it was a crazy image,” Vaughn recalls when speaking to The Hollywood Reporter. “I thought having the three of them going on an adventure together would be fantastic. I was nervous about it being a cat, because cats aren’t exactly the most trainable animal.” Yet by the time the movie was released, Aflie was front and center in the marketing campaign.
Zaillian was also wary of giving a cat such an important role in his adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley. “I had written the cat into the scripts, and I did it with some trepidation,” says the Oscar winner, who recast the role Lucio twice before finding the majestic and judge-y looking King. “I had this idea that the only witnesses to Tom’s crimes would be animals that couldn’t testify and people who might be uncomfortable testifying. The cat, of course, was the tricky one. [During casting,] owners would bring cats into the office and think you would want them to do tricks. But what we wanted was a cat that could just be really chill, and comfortable with people and cameras.”
And in the upcoming Quiet Place prequel, writer-director Michael Sarnoski (who previously made the Nicolas Cage animal-centric film Pig) likewise gave a cat a hefty role. The movie’s cat wrangler, Jo Vaughan (who also worked on The Marvels), says Day One might be the finest cat performance she’s ever seen in film due to Frodo’s relationship with the story’s human characters, combined with some thrilling action sequences.
Why are cats bring written in as major characters in films? First, cats are a hot item right now and let’s face it, we own the internet. There are so many cat videos showing off our many talents and these would have to have captured the attention of Hollywood decision makers. And decision makers like Argylle are realizing how emotive we felines are. Add to this the advancement of CG animation technology and Hollywood is becoming more and more open to hiring felines.
Finally, there are more humans who now know how to teach us to do stuff so acting cats have a much better repertoire.
So my furiends, brush up that resume and film an audition and prepare yourself for stardom!
The cat distribution system worked its magic once again when a kitten followed a man into his home
The Human has been hearing the phrase “kitten (or cat) distribution system a lot lately. Here is a wonderful story that explains what it means.
Redditor r/BurtMaclin23 had never owned a cat although he’s lived lived just about every pet you can imagine like dogs, ducks, chickens, and pigs, reptiles and parrots.
He shared a story of how a kitten walked into his life on a recent post shared to the subreddit r/cats. He was outside one morning when a kitten saw him and followed him back inside. He had seen the kitten previously, but when trying to call her over, she ran away from him and into the woods.
This day, she walked inside with him without hesitation, “trying to infiltrate” his home, he wrote. His dog of 15 years had died two months prior to the kitten’s arrival so he figured the timing was right and let the tiny kitten stay. He turned to Reddit asking users for advice and tips to make her comfortable.
After no one responded to his queries to see if the kitten had a home he took her to the vet and checked if she was chipped. Now he’[s happy that no one claimed her because he’s enjoying her. He said, “We are doing great! She is a handful and very opinionated but extremely affectionate,” r/BurtMaclin23, who asked for his real name not to be used, told Newsweek via Reddit messaging. “I still miss my dog but I think this kitten found me right when I needed her.”
So that is how the cat/kitten distribution system works. Someone needs a cat (even if they don’t know it) and a cat shows up and finds themselves a forever home!
The Human has been hearing the phrase “kitten (or cat) distribution system a lot lately. Here is a wonderful story that explains what it means.
Redditor r/BurtMaclin23 had never owned a cat although he’s lived lived just about every pet you can imagine like dogs, ducks, chickens, and pigs, reptiles and parrots.
He shared a story of how a kitten walked into his life on a recent post shared to the subreddit r/cats. He was outside one morning when a kitten saw him and followed him back inside. He had seen the kitten previously, but when trying to call her over, she ran away from him and into the woods.
This day, she walked inside with him without hesitation, “trying to infiltrate” his home, he wrote. His dog of 15 years had died two months prior to the kitten’s arrival so he figured the timing was right and let the tiny kitten stay. He turned to Reddit asking users for advice and tips to make her comfortable.
After no one responded to his queries to see if the kitten had a home he took her to the vet and checked if she was chipped. Now he’[s happy that no one claimed her because he’s enjoying her. He said, “We are doing great! She is a handful and very opinionated but extremely affectionate,” r/BurtMaclin23, who asked for his real name not to be used, told Newsweek via Reddit messaging. “I still miss my dog but I think this kitten found me right when I needed her.”
So that is how the cat/kitten distribution system works. Someone needs a cat (even if they don’t know it) and a cat shows up and finds themselves a forever home!
The Human has been hearing the phrase “kitten (or cat) distribution system a lot lately. Here is a wonderful story that explains what it means.
Redditor r/BurtMaclin23 had never owned a cat although he’s lived lived just about every pet you can imagine like dogs, ducks, chickens, and pigs, reptiles and parrots.
He shared a story of how a kitten walked into his life on a recent post shared to the subreddit r/cats. He was outside one morning when a kitten saw him and followed him back inside. He had seen the kitten previously, but when trying to call her over, she ran away from him and into the woods.
This day, she walked inside with him without hesitation, “trying to infiltrate” his home, he wrote. His dog of 15 years had died two months prior to the kitten’s arrival so he figured the timing was right and let the tiny kitten stay. He turned to Reddit asking users for advice and tips to make her comfortable.
After no one responded to his queries to see if the kitten had a home he took her to the vet and checked if she was chipped. Now he’[s happy that no one claimed her because he’s enjoying her. He said, “We are doing great! She is a handful and very opinionated but extremely affectionate,” r/BurtMaclin23, who asked for his real name not to be used, told Newsweek via Reddit messaging. “I still miss my dog but I think this kitten found me right when I needed her.”
So that is how the cat/kitten distribution system works. Someone needs a cat (even if they don’t know it) and a cat shows up and finds themselves a forever home!
The artist Gustav Klimt was a Cat Daddy
Famous Austrian artist Gustav Klimt loved cats so much that he let them take over his studio and his heart. When art critic Arthur Roessler visited the painter’s studio, he was reportedly shocked by the conditions he met.
“As I sat with Klimt and rummaged around in a heap of papers, surrounded by eight or 10 meowing, purring cats, play fighting with each other, so much so that the rustling study sheets just went flying, I asked him, puzzled, why he tolerated such antics spoiling hundreds of the most beautiful drawings,” Roessler wrote.
Klimt was pointedly unbothered by the chaos around him. “No, my friend, even if they crumple and tear one or the other pieces of paper,” he told the critic. “It doesn’t matter; they only pee on the others, and, you know, it makes the best fixing agent.”
It hasn’t been determined if Klimt used cat pee as a fixative on his work. Probably Klimt was tired about being questioned about the cats in his studio and made the claim as a joke.
Klimt was quite a recluse and lifted himself out of poverty with his art. He moved from his country life to live in the elegant city of Vienna. Although the elite of Vienna purchased his art, they shunned him in society due to his country dialect and manners which were not fit to move in their society.
No wonder he turned to his furry friends for company. An iconic photo, shot by photographer Moriz Naehr, depicted him standing outside his studio, wearing one of the floor-length caftans he painted in, cradling his beloved cat Katze.
It’s interesting that despite his deep affection for cats he never painted them. Last year, however, the Vienna Tourist Board mashed up the internet’s love of cats with Klimt’s and launched their campaign titled UnArtificial Art. They used A.I. to reimagine Klimt’s iconic artwork, The Kiss, replacing the lovers in the painting with sorrowful felines in a tender embrace.
Image above: Gustav Klimt, The Kiss (1907–1908). Collection of the Belvedere, Vienna. Right: A.I. picture generated on Midjourney by Vienna Tourist Board. Photos: © Belvedere Museum and Vienna Tourist Board.
Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 4/10
Hello Furiends,
We are finally back in touch with the world – translation, our internet is working again. Meowza that was not fun!
While we were out of touch with the world we were spending time in staff meetings and drawing up some plans for our blog that we think you will like. There will be more about this next week. Oliver, Lily and I are exhausted from trying to keep our Purrsonal Assistant focused. Sigh, it’s a hard job but someone’s gotta’ do it. Here are some snapshots of our week.
I am exhausted from trying to keep our Purrsonal Assistant focused. – Oliver
A new declaration in Mexico gives 19 cats roaming the presidential palace food and care fur-ever
Paws up; to the humans at Mexido’s National Palace. There has been a colony of feral cats living on the premesis,and the government has made it clear they are welcome to live there. They will greet visitors and roam the grounds and gardens.
“They have access to every part of the palace, so they walk in on meetings, interviews and wander onto camera,” said Jesús Arias, the palace veterinarian, as a handful of feline friends brush against his ankles.
Now the place of the cats is official after the government of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared them to be “living fixed assets,” the first animals in Mexico to receive the title. By declaring the felines as “fixed assets” López Obrador’s government has obligated the country’s Treasury to give them food and care for them for the rest of their lives, even after the leader leaves office in October. The cats all have names and are loved by palace staff and tourists.
Staff say they remember the feral cats living among the cacti and dense brush of the gardens as far back as 50 years ago. This feline is happy to see this 50 year tradition continued!
‘They thought I was crazy’: Okanagan’s first cat cafe thriving after nearly one year
Here at Feline Opines, we love to feature cat cafes. The Human, who has been an entrepreneur all her life, also loves to hear success stories about these café’s. Ashley Karnes, owner of the Catelowna Cat Café in Kelowna, Okanagen, Canada, says that despite some naysayers, the Okanagan’s B.C. first cat cafe is thriving nearly one year after opening.
Many people told her she was crazy when she opened the café. Karnes partnered adoption agencies and rescues from B.C. and Saskatchewan and since she opened in June 2023, the cafe has seen 156 adoptions! At this time Catelowna has 30 cats ready to find their furever homes.
One of Catelowna’s regular visitors said. “I do like coming here. It’s fun to cuddle the kitties because I have dogs at home. I can’t have cats, so this is where I get my cat fix,” Reservations at the cafe. But this café and o9ther cat cafes do much more than give humans an experience, they also offer socialization for the kittens and cats which makes them much more adoptable.
Do you have a cat café near you? If you do, I encourage you to visit them.
Pet food company to pay a cat lover $10K to cuddle with kittens, raise support for adoption shelters
When I read this I demanded that The Human submit an application immediately. Can you imagine how many cat toys, treats and a fancy new cat tower $10K could buy? Yes, it’s true, ACANA pet foods is going to pay $10,000 to one lucky cat lover for cuddling with kittens. All you humans have to do is reply to a questionnaire.
In addition to the $10K prize, ACANA cat food will arrange for the winner to spend four hours cuddling with cats at Best Friends Animal Society this June. (Best Friends is one of the BEST places and is one of the leading national animal welfare organizations dedicated to ending the killing of cats and dogs in animal shelters). All this is to bring attention to “kitten season” that happens in May through November every year. Kitten season results in an influx of kittens in shelters, often overwhelming the shelter resources.
ACANA wants to educate the public about the kitten problem and to promote adoption. As many of you know Oliver, Lily and I were adopted from our local shelter. ACANA also wants to encourage people to help out at their local shelters.
Let’s spread the word about kitten season and let’s work to empty the shelters so that every cat in our communities has a forever home!
‘Walking my cat on a lead changed my life’
Cats on leashes is becoming a phenomenon and their photos and stories are filling up the web. BBC spoke to three owners of “adventure cats”, who have roamed the British countryside with their feline companions and to discover why they take their felines on outdoor adventures.
“He’s fearless, nothing fazes him” said Jade de Monyé. She adventures with Figaro, a Maine Coon cross Ragdoll. She was Inspired by world-travelling adventure cat Suki, Ms de Monyé, decided to harness train Figaro when he was a kitten.. Figaro took to the harness immediately. “I’ve never seen a cat that’s so happy to just be out – he’s always got the little happy high tail, his eyes are never big and scary,” she said. “I’ll open the car door with his lead on and it’s up to him if he wants to get out. I never push him into anything.” She also phones public venues ahead to check whether she can bring Figaro and avoids places with dogs off leash.
Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2019, Ms de Monyé said taking Figaro on walks had “changed her life”. “On my days off I’d just shut myself away and feel sorry for myself,” she said. “He almost forces me to get out of the house.” “It’s not like walking a dog,” she said. “It’s going where the cat wants to go. He does like to sit a lot at the water’s edge and just watch all the birds. “You can 100% train a cat, it’s just a lot harder,” she added.
Anna Dukes Sydney and her cat Roland travel around town in a stroller nicknamed the “meow-cedes Benz” She takes her Sphynx and Blue Point Siamese, Roland and Sydney on trips in her camper van. The cats have explored campsites and beaches across the UK, although they prefer to avoid seawater. “There are signs saying no dogs on the beach, but it doesn’t say anything about cats,” Ms Dukes said. “I’m always mindful if they’re on the lead as I’ve been told, no matter what, cats can escape if they want to.” Cautious about dogs and people with allergies, Ms Dukes stays outside pubs and cafes, with the cats in their “meow-cedes Benz” stroller.
Jordan Gregory, and Jess Young, consulted a vet before taking British Shorthair, Moss, out on a leash. “We didn’t want her to just stay indoors all the time,” Gregory near Chingford in a house with a garden, but they still take the “chilled out” feline out in a specialist backpack. “We don’t have a car and travel everywhere by train,” Mr Gregory said. “She’ll go to Waterloo in the bag. On the train we’ll take her out… and she’ll just sit on our laps.” Moss is always kept on a leash during her train travel. She has climbed a mountain in the Lake District and, although she “prefers not to be rained on”, also “loves being in a tent,” Mr Gregory said. “There are some people who don’t really get it or somehow take offence,” he added. “[But] I don’t think I’m subjecting her to some kind of cruelty.”
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