Hi folks,

Oliver here. It’s fall in my neck of the woods and it’s quite the job being Chief Leaf watcher!​

Hi Folks,

Oliver here. The feline human was telling us that the month of October is Black Cat Awareness Month. We didn’t realize that some people don’t like black cats and that there are many wrong ideas about these fabulous felines. The Tribe of Five decided we wanted to support our ebony feline friends and, since I am the closest Tribe member to being a black cat, I won the job of official spokespurrson.  I hope you enjoy my first post about these amazing cats and I hope you would consider adopting a black cat!

Our Beloved Buster

I’m beginning this series with a tribute to a former member of The Tribe of Five. I never got to meet him but Tucker and Jasmine knew him (they moved all the way from sunny California to our home here in the Inland Northwest with him). They told me he was a great guy, sweet, loving and funny.  The humans still get misty eyed when they think about him. So here’s to Buster, a very handsome and well loved black cat.

An All Black Cat Cafe in Japan

There are many cat cafes in Japan but this one only features black kitties. Each cat has a distinctive collar to identify them. What a cool idea. I wonder if anyone will be opening an all “black and white cat cafe” soon?

Black Cats and Sailors 

Sailors enjoyed having cats on board as the cats would keep the mice away from their food supplies. They also felt they were good luck and British sailors chose black cats to sail with them as they believed the would guarantee them a safe return home.

Well, those are my first “Black Cat Facts”. Stay tuned for more information about these pawsome felines.

Purrs & Head Bonks,

Oliver

Hello Friends,
So this happened. Evidently, the female human weighed in on the subject of canines? Really? We were shocked and a bit amused but after having the male human read the questions and answers to us, we had to agree, she made sense!

We don’t do this often but here you go, some great advice about canines at Pet Wellness Advisor, “The Biggest Mistakes Dog Owners Make” 

Purrs & Head Bonks,

Hello Friends,
Wow, it’s Wednesday already and time for me to share my favorite finds on the web. There is a theme this week and it’s British..seems our friends across the pond have the most pawsome feline news this week, so Tally Ho and enjoy this week’s listings.
Purrs & Head Bonks from  your friend,

   A Fluffy Dog and Cat Pop Up Coming to Soho – Time Out London

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, those Brits know a thing or two about showcasing moggies (and in this case doggies as well). The Guinness World Record folks will launch a pop up in London on October  27-28 at 2 Soho Square, W1D 3PX.

If you happen to be in the area, you can book a spot by sending an email to: amazinganimals@hopeandglorypr.com.  (I’m hoping our friends at Katzenworld  will meander on over there and report on the event.

This “fluffytorium” as it’s being billed, will afford people the opportunity to pet some of the world’s longest haired cats and dogs in a fluffy, fur decorated room.

The event is to introduce their new book, Amazing Animals, and attendees will have an opportunity to obtain a copy of the book at  no charge.   A word to my cat loving audience, Friday is feline day.  If you book for Saturday, you will be petting furry canines.

Shear Madness – The Daily Mail

Sometimes, the things humans do just make me shake my head. Purruse these cat and dog hair cuts and you’ll be wondering too. Note to my humans…..don’t even think about it!

Genie Crowned as UK’s Top Cat – Katzenworld

And speaking of our friends at Katzenworld, I found this report of a UK Top Cat competition.

Genie, a black and white 8-year old cat was the overall winner in the 2017 Cats Protection’s National Cat Awards. Genie won her title thorough her love and help for her 12-year old human Evie as she fights bone cancer.

Genie has been the catalyst for Evie to get out of the hospital and get home.

The celebrity judging panel had quite list of distinguished felines to choose from in this yearly competition. Head on over to Katzenworld and read about Genie and Evie and the other incredible felines that were in the running for this top feline honor in the UK.

 Denver Airport Therapy Dog Squad Gets A New Feline Member – NDTV

Yes Virginia, there IS such a thing as a therapy cat. Just go to the Denver International Airport to find out. The airport has maintained a Canine Airport Therapy Squad, referred to as CATS, and now they have a real cat on their crew. Xeli, the handsome Tabby is the first cat to join the all-dogs league as a therapy kitten to greet travellers. The CATS program at the airport is designed to help relieve travelling stress and anxiety. The female human is not a happy flyer and she’s hoping her next flight takes her through Denver so she can get some stress reduction therapy from Xeli.

Veteran Credits Cat For Saving His Life – LAD Bible

The female loves what she calls “feel good” stories and this one is the best. For anyone who doesn’t believe that we felines can’t contribute significantly to the lives of humans, you must read this.

Seargeant Josh Marino suffered a traumatic brain injury from a mortar during his tour in Iraq. His life was changed after this experience and he returned home with post-traumatic stress disorder. He lost all interest in living and planned to take his own life, until a little kitten meowed her way into his heart and helped him heal.  You’ll have to click here to read the rest of the story.

The Tribe of Five Felines Opine to save lives.

Hello All,
Jasmine here. Did you know it’s #RememberMeThursday? Do you know what #RememberMeThursday is? It’s an important event every year that is designed to honor and remember rescue animals and to share the importance of pet adoption with the world!

Every one of the #TribeOfFive is an adopted kitty. Two of us from a rescue in California and three of us from our local shelter, Panhandle Animal Shelter. It is our hope that  ALL pets find their furever homes.

Head on over to the Remember Me Thursday website to enter your rescues in the fantastic Remember the Rescue contest, light a candle for a rescue you’ve loved and lost and learn more about pet adoption and the amazing Helen Woodward Animal Center.

I hope you enjoy these adoption stories (and baby pictures) of The Tribe of Five.
Purrs & Head Bonks<

We went to the site and  lit a candle for our loved and missed Miss. P and Buster and thought about how much fun it was to know them. Oliver and Alberto never met them but Jasmine knew Miss P. and she was one of Miss P.’s favorite snuggle buddies.

After we lit our candles we had some fun pulling out old baby pictures.

Tucker the day he was rescued with his sister Jasmine

Tucker and I (Jasmine) were rescued by a very kind lady in California who took in our mom and all our siblings. The humans brought Tucker and me home with them when the rescue lady told them that we were best friends.  What evil being would separate best friends? Not our humans.

Jasmine the day she was rescued with her brother Tucker

I’m named after the nice human who rescued us.

Lily at the shelter the day the female human met her.

Tucker and I moved here from California and after the humans were here for a while (and after our beloved Miss P. and Buster crossed the rainbow bridge) the female human met Lily at the Panhandle Animal Shelter.  The female human says she saw those eyes and it was love at first sight. Lily became part of the Tribe.

Oliver as a kitten

Finally, the humans decided to foster two kittens for the Panhandle Animal Shelter. Can you spell f-o-s-t-e-r- f-a-i-l-u-r-e?  (The female human says she will never regret this one “failure” in her life). The arrival of Oliver and Alberto turned our Tribe of Three into a Tribe of Five. Don’t tell them I said this but I kind of like those two goofballs.

And that, my friends are our adoption stories.  Our humans would tell you that adopting The Tribe of Five was one of the greatest things they’ve ever done. And even though Buster and Miss P. are no longer with us, they would never have missed all the years they had with them. The female human says that every feline that has been in her life has left paw prints on her heart.

Alberto as a kitten

Hello There Folks,
Alberto here with my weekly purrusal of noteworthy news about felines.

I hope you enjoy this week’s selections.
Purrs & Head Bonks,

Inside Crumbs & Whiskers the Bi-Coastal Cat Cafe – Mental Floss

The flagship Washington, D.C. location of Crumbs & Whiskers. Courtesy of Crumbs & Whiskers

Kanchan Singh was inspired by the cat cafes she visited on her trip to the orient and vowed that she would quit her corporate job and open the first cat cafe in Washington DC and that’s just what she did.  Now three years later, she has opened another cafe in Los Angeles and has plans for others cities.

Customers pay to enjoy coffee and snack time (food and drinks are all prepared off site for health and safety reasons) and also participate in activities such as cat yoga and other fundraising events for local stray cats. You can find more information on Crumbs & Whiskers on their website.

Man cycles his cats from Amsterdam to London in a specially adapted cat bike-Mirror

Thomas Vles, from Poopy Cat “innovative and cool products for your beloved cat”, took his felines on a biking adventure from Amsterdam to London to celebrate the launch of his new shop.

His cats, Mushi and Cheesy accompanied him in a specially designed “Kittymobile” converted from a traditional Dutch bakfiets bicycle.

The office at the Poopy Cat company has more cats working there than people. I say all offices should strive for this human/feline balance but I’m not so sure about the 300 mile bike ride!

The amazing tale of Smokey the police station cat…and her kitten Bandit-LincolnshireLive

The Skegness Police Station discovered  a little cat hanging around the back of their station house. They checked to see if she was chipped and also checked to make sure someone wasn’t looking for her. When it became clear she was homeless they began feeding her and then found out she was pregnant. The little gray cat gave birth to a kitten they named Bandit. They found a forever home for Bandit and Smokey, the mother, now has a permanent job and a permanent home with the Skegness Police.

Australian Charity Releases Album of Cat Themed Ballads for Feline Fundraising-Mental Floss

In order to  bring attention to the 35,000 cats that end up in pounds and shelters, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA)  created Cat Ballads: Music to Improve the Lives of Cats.  The message of the music is to encourage people to keep closer tabs on their cats and to neuter and spay their felines. The Cat Ballads website has an option for cat friendly or human friendly version.

Kitten Kindergarten Helps Families Raise Well-Adjusted, Confident Cats-I Heart Cats

Okay, I must confess, I have secretly snickered behind my paw whenever I heard of humans taking their canines to dog obedience classes. Heh, heh, no classes for the mighty feline.  All that changed when I heard about Kitten Kindergarten.

The San Diego Humane Society  recently implemented a program called Kitten Kindergarten. They offer all kinds of interesting things for kittens up to 13 weeks to learn such as play time (well, the humans call it “kitten socialization”, carrier desensitization and vet visit practice, leash and harness training (I LOVE strolling while wearing my leash and harness), grooming care and lots more! Now all this sounds like great fun and good things for kittens to know but I do have an observation.  Human kindergarten includes during snack time and I saw no mention of snacks on the course desctiption!

Hello Friends,

Alberto here. I am very embarrassed to say that my purrrrsonal assistant is still playing “catch up” as she fell seriously behind in her work due to summer activities. Now I’m a fair minded feline and I understand that staff needs a holiday now and then but I must say, when it comes to letting work pile up, well, I’m not okay with that.
 I do believe she understands my frustration now after I took that zucchini out of the vegetable basket and left a number of bite marks in it. When you can’t talk you must find other ways to express yourself. Sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures.

But I digress. The purpose of this blog is to tell you about the wonderful interview I did with my friends Snoops and Kommando at Adventures in Cheeseland. I must say they are excellent interviewers and really got me talking about the Tribe of Five and our lives here in the Inland Northwest. 

It was an honor to be featured in an interview with our friends Snoops and Kommando and I would highly recommend that you stroll on over to Cheeseland  to see what they’ve been up to. I would say their house is much more interesting than it is here with the Tribe of Five, they even have a hedgehog that chimes in once in a while!

A big shout out and thank you to our friends and Purrs and Head Bonks to our readers!

Alberto