Walk Through The Web Wednesday 4/8

Posted on April 8, 2020 by Feline Opines

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello My Furiends,
How is the forced incarceration with your humans going? We find it a bit weird and sometimes stressful. The Female Human often wants to sit in our designated spots on our furniture and, we can’t figure out why our treat times have not been increased now that she has a little more time at home. There are some new things on the itinerary too. Now, instead of going to this place called “church” our Sunday naps are interrupted for this “church” thing.

“I have no idea why The Human interrupted my Sunday nap to force me to watch this thing called “church” and to top it off, there were NO snacks involved.” – Oliver

In the spirit of lending a helping paw, Oliver has appointed himself the “Director of the Door” and ensures that there are no unauthorized comings or goings.

Lily is taking things in stride. As long as she can nibble on her grass and snoopervise the neighborhood from the kitchen window, she is quite content.

The best advice we can give to all our furiends is make sure you spend time with those you love and let them know you love them.

Before I bring you this week’s feline focused news I wanted to say that I always seek to provide upbeat and pawsitive news items in this weekly feature. If I could have included only articles that had nothing to do with COVID-19, self-distancing, isolation or quarantine I would have but sadly, these are the topics everywhere in our world. But rest assured, this feline looked long and hard for positive, funny and/or uplifting articles. I hope you enjoy them.

Inter-Species Happiness Means Having a Cat Ramp

There are many reasons to have your csabinet maker install a kitty ramp in your house. It allows the felines to bypass the kitchen, allows the cats a place to hang out when non-feline loving guests are in the house. And most important of all, when the house barkie is a little too rambunctious, the cats who live here can easily escape.

The ramp is constructed of 1 X 6 inch wood beans with side rails. We think every kitty should have a ramp in their house!

These Pokeman Loving Cats Will Make Your Day

Clearly you humans have waaaaay too much time on your hands but, if you spend your time coming up with stuff like this to delight feline lovers around the world, then we’re okay with it.

There is a new place to while away some time called kitties dressed up as Pokemon to make us smile.

You will see how fans of Pokeman have dressed up their cats as their favorite pocket monsters.

Two Companies Join Forces to Design Mix and Match Furniture for Cats

Benjamin Hubert‘s design agency Layer has collaborated with American startup Cat Person on a collection of modular furniture for cats that can change as the animal grows. The line includes a modular feeding station called the Mesa Bowl and an adaptable 3-in-1 canopy bed.

Those of you humans who are a bit OCD about décor (our Female Human is) will apurreciate the fabric and color options. The folks behind these products said, “The collection is based on extensive research into cat and cat owner behaviours to find new insights that have driven innovative features,”

The Mesa Bowl is a modular feeding station with a round bowl made from durable non-BPA plastic and a sculptural stand, which sit on a semi-rigid plastic placemat to make the area easy to clean. This bowl is designed to avoid whisker fatigue which is what happens when cat’s whiskers continually brush up against the sides of their food or drink bowls. Kittens can use the bowl directly on the mat and then, when they grow up the bowl can be placed on the stand .

The Canopy Bed has three different configurations to fit a feline’s changing moods. If kitty is feeling more reclusive, the cone-shaped fabric can be added or folded down to half it’s height to remove the over the head cover. It can also be taken off completely if kitty is feeling sociable. And get this, the bed is made from memory foam! Now that’s living.

Humans Are Creating Games And Sports To Play With Their Cats During Lockdown

Continuing with the themer, “You humans have waaay to much time on your hands” I bring you some of the creative sport and game ideas people are playing with their felines. Our friends of the British purrsuasion are playing cat cricket with their moggies. You can also find directions for playing cat air hockey, cat dominoes and my favorite, cat bowling. Bravo humans!

Cats Protection Educates Future Feline Parents During Lockdown

Paws up for the education experts at Cats Protection, the U.K.’s largest feline charity. They’ve come to the rescue of lockdown families with feline-themed resource packs including quizzes, worksheets, creative writing exercises and recipes.

The learning tools in the Moggy Modules cover the five welfare needs we felines have: a place to live, behaviour, the right diet, good healthcare and space. They are designed to educate and entertain the cat owners of the future.

And when the little humans have completed the courses, they can download and print a color certificate of completion. Meowza, I love this idea!

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 1/08

Posted on January 8, 2020 by Feline Opines

Hello there furiends,
Yes, I admit it, I took some time off and I quite enjoyed the rest (you know we felines need our rest!) But the proverbial party is over and it’s time to get back to work. I have a lot to cover since I’ve been slacking (and gave our Purrsonal assistant some time off). The Female Human is not a fan of early mornings and she and Oliver enjoyed hanging out and having a conversation over coffee (Oliver doesn’t drink coffee, he just likes the warmth of the cup).

I on the other hand, have been chomping at the bit to get back to work. The Female Human has an office that is for working and for doing crafts. I must say I love all the craft goodies on the shelf. I have no idea why she gets her whiskers in such a twist when I help myself to some craft supplies, sheesh, how selfish can you get?

“Hmm, let’s see what I can get into here. She really needs to tidy up these shelves.”
Alberto

The good thing about The Female Human having this craft/work situation is that she has a table rather than a desk and this table has an “Alberto extension”. This makes it much easier for me to snoopervise her while she works.

Well, it’s time for me to get to the feline news.

CHONK Statistics Revealed

For those of you who follow my Wednesday web wanderings, you know that our all time favorite Facebook group is This Cat is CHONKY. The humans and felines in this group are some of the greatest we’ve ever met (we’ll be writing more about why this is) but for now, here is only one example. A very mathematically motivated human in the group has created a Universal CHONK index so that the debate about whether your home is filled with CHONKS, SLONKS or FLOOFS can finally be steeled.

Ellis Mumford-Russell has taken on this herculean task and it has settled many debates in the CHONK community. We now have numerical and provable CHONK standards. If this is all a bit confusing to you I suggest you join the This Cat is CHONKY group and get to know the CHONKS AND the wonderful humans they live with and for heaven’s sake before you identify your felines as HEFTY CHONK, MEGA CHONK, etc. please refer to this index.

Universal Chonk Index Update

It is with great pleasure that I unveil the findings of our UCI survey. I charted the 54 data points, which you can see here.

(explanation of UCI here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/133018060894811/permalink/560333531496593/?hc_location=ufi)

A few things:
1. You’ll see cat names listed on the bottom. If people didn’t list cat names, I put the human’s name with an asterisk after
2. Remember, the smaller the number, the more chonky the cat

Most Chonky Cat = Matita w/UCI 1.17
Most Slonky Cat = Noel w/UCI 4.75
Average = 1.8657
Median = 1.7222
Mode = 1.7000

UPDATE: photos now included below for Matita and Noel so that we can see the scale of C H O N K –> S L O N K ??

Proposed Chonk Standards

Given that I presume that the sample group skews chonky, I propose the following standards:
this cat is C H O N K Y ≤ 1.7
this cat is A V E R A G E = 1.71-1.9
this cat is S L O N K Y ≥ 2

Diving further into the data, here are my suggested parameters for the following categories of cat:
some sort of snake cat ≥ 4
l o n g b o i ≥ 3
A fine boi = 1.71-2.9
He Chomnk = 1.6-1.7
A Heckin’ Chonker = 1.5-1.59
H E F T Y C H O N K = 1.4-1.49
M E G A C H O N K E R = 1.3-1.39
AW LAWD HE COMIN’ ≤ 1.29

Use these findings as you see fit.

View the data here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UlWWRg6kLF1-MIT7om4WV-7TmsX-t1AAwuEX7DMy7OI/edit?usp=sharing

LuluPet’s AI Litterbox will analyze your feline’s “deposits” and check for health issues

LuluPet’s intelligent litter box not only detects littering frequency and litter weight but also the condition of the litter (normal, constipation, diarrhea, etc.). After judging litter conditions through the use of AI image restoration, it uses this data to notify the owner of the cat’s health.

If our Female Human had a dollar for every time she’s had to describe to the vet the appearance and texture of the poop of The Tribe of Five, she’d be a rich woman, And gathering this information accurately when you have a multi cat household and numerous cat boxes is like searching for the holy grail.

But take heart humans, LuLuPet has a litter box with “built-in stool and urine image recognition” to analyze our… deposits. And why have an AI litter box that does this? It’s for the health of your felines, of course. The Female Human paid purrrticular attention when she read that the LuLuPet device can be set to determine which poop is from which cat.

When the cat walks into the litter box, the information is sent to an app on the human’s phone. The company says that the litter box is Alexa- and Google Home-enabled. This offers more questions than answers. Whose voice does it respond to? If it’s the felines, do we have to learn special meows? If it’s the human, what is the voice command? The next feature has Oliver’s whiskers in a twist because the litter box can weigh your feline and determine whether the cat is too fat. That brings me to another question; will they be employing the CHONK data information noted in the article above?

Evidently this wonder litter box can also determine if the cat needs more food or water.

LuluPets joins many other smart litter boxes but most of those boxes focus on cleaning the box and not analyzing the cat’s health. And there’s even a built in camera although this causes me to wonder, can’t a cat get some privacy?! The thought of my human watching me “do my business” over her phone app is a bit off-putting and frankly, an invasion of my privacy. LuluPet says that these photos are uploaded to the LuluPet library and are used to compare the different “deposits” of the other felines.

Now don’t get me wrong, this thing could really be a help with cat health, but I’m having a bit of difficulty believing that it will be as effective as the company says it will be. But, time will tell. This smart litter box is slated to be sold on Amazon in March for $149.00.

Canyon Ranch Inspired Resort for Felines…Human send me right meow!

Cat’s Meow resort was founded by Kim Thomas who took her business acumen and love of cats and created her feline resort, Cat’s Meow. She refers to it as the Canyon Ranch for felines. She began her feline career with a pet sitter service and said that she noticed many of the cats she cared for were in need of grooming. She did her research, connected with the National Cat Groomer’s institute and became a master cat groomer.

She loved grooming felines, bet felt something was missing in the marketplace. She wanted to create a place where cats could enjoy luxurious, stress-free, happy cat boarding without the distraction and fear of dogs —- along with the latest in cat grooming. and Cat’s Meow Resort was born.

The spaces at Cat’s Meow are pawsome and very elegant and the grooming options are amazing. If you want to up your feline’s star quality, this is the place to stay. I would be tempted but traveling. If I didn’t find the idea of being stuffed in a carrier and traveling the 2682 miles from my home to the resort holds no interest for me! If any of my east coast feline furiends have a stay or a grooming session there, let me know.

Gus the Cat Entered in Australian Dog Swimming Race

. Gus also enjoys paddle-boarding, cycling and hiking. Photograph: Alec Smart

The Scotland Island dog swimming race has been held for 44 years in the Sydney area. This year an entrant nabbed Gus shook things up a bit as he is an 11-month old Tonkinese cat. Gus’ human, Glenn Druery had been training the feline in Middle Harbor. Gus enjoys other water sports like kayaking and paddle boarding.

The Tonkinese breed is a cross between Siamese and Burmese and is known for not being fearful of water. Still, Gus is nowhere near the size and strength of the dogs that compete in the 500 meter swim. Druery checked the rules and noted that a human can swim alongside the four legged contestants.

Needless to say, ther4 was controversy about Gus’ entering the race with many saying that it should be kept as a dog race, stating reasons such as, “it’s cruel to the cat, it’s dangerous to the cat and it will upset the dogs.”

Druery assured the sceptics that he’d be swimming alongside Gus and, if Gus ran into any trouble, he’d climb on Druery’s shoulders.

Druery’s black Border collie, Bob, swam in the race twice and finished third and was declared the overall winner in the 2015 race. Sadly, Bob passed away from cancer.

Gus came in first in his category and is now a feline Australian sensation.

Osaka Hotel Offers Rooms With A View….Of Cats

Each room has an observation window looking into the cat’s play area

There are hotels for cats and now there are hotels for cat lovers. Neko Hatago is a hotel where guests can watch 16 resident rescue cats chilling in the adjacent cat café Neko Yokujo through an observation window in each hotel room. The hotel opened in mid-December. It has a traditional Japanese aesthetic, with traditional wooden fixtures, tatami mats and a rainbow Mt Fuji mural presiding over the cat café. The hotel is more hostel than a luxury property. The rooms have individual bunks for one or two people with a separate shared bath facility. There is an observation window in each room that looks into the cats play area. The windows are designed so you can observe the cats but neither you nor the other human guests can see each other. There are radio controlled toys that you can use to play with the cats.

Rates run between 8500 Yen ($79.00 USD) to 11,500 Yen ($105.00 USD) and include a two-hour session in the cat café outside of regular hours. And, if you and one of the kitties connect you can adopt a new friend as all the cats are available for adoption.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 10/30

Posted on October 30, 2019 by Feline Opines

Hello Furiends,
Oh my whiskers, it’s Wednesday again! It’s also a day away from that holiday that you humans love so much, I like to call it “Howl-oween”. This holiday has been a bit of a problem for me as The Female Human felt it would be funny to dress me up. There was the dinosaur costume debacle and then the sushi costume…don’t even make me go there.

Human, i suggest you close our bedroom door tonight when you go to bed! -Alberto

Oliver and I decided that we would take this Howl-oween thing into our own paws and last year we debuted our fur-raising movie, “You Never Walk Alone”. Since we didn’t get around to making a new film, we’ll share this one with you again. Get out the popcorn and please, this is just too scary for kittens! Enjoy the film and I hope you enjoy this week’s web wanderings.

S

Denver’s newest hotel restaurant is the cat lady-themed pizzeria we didn’t know we needed

Gattara, the new restaurant at the Warwick hotel in Denver, is named for the Italian word for “cat lady.” Here, a mural in the restaurant by Miguel Cruz. (Josie Sexton, The Denver Post)

Gattara translates roughly from Italian to “cat lady,” as in the crazy variety. And Gattara’s menu, under longtime Colorado chef Thomas Newsted, focuses on wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas and other Italian fare. Just be sure when you go, you get a “kitty bag” because we felines love to lick the top of pizzas.

The 16 most ridiculous cat Halloween costumes

Okay, I’ve already given you my opinion on this Howl-oween stuff for felines.The fact that any self respecting cat would allow themselves to be stuffed into one of these ridiculous outfits boggles my mind. Humans, STOP THE MADNESS!

Miss Manners: They’re staying in the cats’ room but they’re rude to the cats

As we covered many topics about felines and etiquette and we did have a chapter on guests, in our book “Felines Opine on Etiquette, What Humans Need to Know About Guests, Cat Sitting and Furniture, we thought this letter to Miss Manners was very timely. We hope you find it helpful as it is the desire of The Tribe of Five to help you humans avoid awkward situations.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: We have a small house, and family and friends are always welcome. We also have six cats, and their care and comfort are important.

We have to keep our cats separate so they don’t fight (everyone is spayed/neutered; they just don’t get along), so two cats live in what used to be our guest room.

We explain this to our overnight guests, several of whom are allergic to cats and/or don’t like cats, and they still insist everything will be fine. They then refuse to let the cats in the room during the day, while the distressed cats howl and claw the door. Frankly, I don’t care if the cats take their jewelry, but I do care if the cats choke on it.

There are also simple things that must be done when living with cats, like making sure indoor cats don’t run out the door, keeping toilet lids down, and keeping breakable things out of their reach. It seems our guests simply don’t care, and don’t comply.

I don’t see why this is all so hard to understand. The cats need care and consideration; they are not disposable furry houseplants.

To be fair, we stay with these pet-less folks when visiting them, so we can’t ask them not to stay with us. I’ve even tried putting Post-it notes around the house, reminding guests to keep doors and toilet lids closed, etc., which was considered rude. How do we handle this situation politely so there are no hurt feelings?

GENTLE READER: Well, it is too late for the cats, who have already been rudely locked out of their rooms and probably have something to say about it.

Miss Manners does have a certain sympathy for guests who do not wish to be woken up by persistent fur balls looking for fun — or having their belongings gone through in their absence.

However, you must be more forceful in setting the rules when you issue invitations.

“You are so kind to say that you don’t mind cohabitating with the cats, but I am worried that keeping them safe is proving bothersome to you. I understand if you need to find another place to stay and of course, I am happy to do likewise when we visit you.”

Rescue cat returns the favor, alerts sleeping owner to apartment fire

Five years ago in Ithaca. NY Danielle Schafer rescued a kitten off the side of the road. Last week the cat, named Kitty returned the favor. Kitty used all her 12-pound weight to jump on her human’s chest to wake her up, alerting her to the flames in the apartment. Schafer rushed to the kitchen and saw the fire. She ran back to her bedroom to get Kitty and take the feline and herself to safety.

The smoke was so thick and Kitty was nowhere to be seen. Finally, Schafer was forced to get to safety. Once outside, she helped the family who lived in the apartment above her escape the worsening flames. The parents dropped their two small children, clad only in diapers, into the outstretched arms of Schafer and a neighbor.

By the time the flames were extinguished, 12 people had escaped to safety. Schafer’s only thought was to get back into the building and save the cat who had saved her. She screamed and cried as she searched and one of the firefighters assured her that they had gone through her apartment and there was no cat in her bedroom.

She crawled through bushes, looked under cars calling, “Kitty, Kitty!”

In the midst of her frenzied search, she heard a firefighter yelling for her. She asked, “Is my cat dead?” “No,” the firefighter said. “Look.” In his arms, was a small gray cat. “It was like a movie,” Schafer said of the moment she was reunited with Kitty.

And where was Kitty all that time? The story was amazing. Kitty had hunkered down and made a cocoon in the pillows of the bed to protect herself against the raging fire’s thick black smoke. The small cat, stayed there for over seven hours until the persistent firefighter found her.

Kitty was treated for smoke inhalation and corneal abrasions at Cornell’s Companion Animal Hospital, where she stayed for several days.

Kitty and her human are doing well. Ah, I love a happy ending.

Poppy, Bella top list as most popular cat names.

“Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part. What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, By any other name would smell as sweet.”
William Shakespeare

A pet insurance firm marked National Cat Day by releasing its annual list of the most popular cat names of the year.

John Lewis Pet Insurance, which offers insurance policies for cats, dogs and other pets, said the most popular cat name among surveyed customers in 2019 was Poppy. Rounding out the top 10 were Bella, Molly, Tilly, Daisy, Lola, Millie, Rosie, Luna and Lily. The first traditionally masculine name on the list, Charlie, came in at No. 11. The name Smudge made its first appearance on the annual list this year, coming in at 21st in popularity.

Our Lily is quite pleased to have made this list. The Tribe of Five have never met a feline named Poppy. We’d love to hear from the Poppies out there.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 10/16

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Feline Opines

Hello Furiends,
Good grief, it’s Wednesday already! I don’t know about the rest of my feline furiends but life in The Tribe of Five always seems to be hectic. Although we love our Female Human, sometimes I really wonder if she’s attending to our needs properly.

Case in point. I have a toy box and it would be nice if The Female Human took some time to root around in there and find something new for me to play with but nooooooooo-I have to hop in there and look for myself.

And don’t get me started on meal service. The Female Human’s schedule is far too erratic for us and sometimes we have to remind her that she is late for meal time.

“Good morning Human. Will there be breakfast soon?” -Oliver

“Excuuuuuuse us but dinner is 30 minutes late and NO, you may NOT have a glass of wine before you feed us!” -Alberto

Sigh, I hope the level of service is more consistent in your house! But, enough whining, let’s get on with our Wednesday web wanderings.

Hunky Australian Firefighters Pose with Rescue Cats for a Purrfect 2020 Calendar

Okay, full disclosure, I’m including this news piece in a transparent attempt to apologize to The Female Human for my snarky comments earlier. If your female humans love cats (and shirtless first responders) you may want to show them this. The firefighters posed with rescue kitties for their annual calendar that benefits children’s organizations and rescue and therapy animals. And if your female human wants to see some more photos. please direct her to this slideshow.

Phew! The Cats In Okishima, Japan are Relocated & Safe as Hagibis Typhoon Hit Yesterday

I’ve reported often about the Japanese humans and their love of felines, especially Okishima the cat island. When I heard that the Hagibis typhoon (the worst storm in 60 years) was going to hit my feline and human furiends I was quite distraught. I am happy to report that all is well! The cats were relocated to a safe place for a few days until the storm was over. You can read tweets in the article about how the cats were looked after. We’re giving the humans on Okishima Cat Island our Paws Up award!

Alabama cat cafe burglarized as cats sit idly by

The human who wrote this piece for the NY Times fancies himself as quite the comedian. He opened with, “It was a purr-fect crime and the thief showed no meow-cy.”

Not only do I find his humor lacking but the pot shot he takes at the felines for doing nothing to stop the burglar has my whiskers in a twist.

The café owner of Gatos and Beans said “All the kitties were hiding,” They had a very rough night.”

Fortunately they didn’t get away with much and the kitties are all reported to be okay. Of course the “dog people” had to chime in. One snarky comment on social media said,“Open a dog cafe and it won’t happen lol”. I am not amused.

5 Airbnbs With Cats That Are Purr-fect For Your Next Trip

Feline loving humans rejoice! You may have to leave your kitty home but you can still get your feline fix on the road. The chic, mid-century home near Seattle has two cats named Nero and Nala, who are always available for snuggles. The stylish city accomodations in Copenhagen are within walking distance of everything you want to see and home to Coco who is very sociable. And since the Netherlands is only a hop, skip and a jump from Copenhagen, be sure to book in this Amsterdam apartment with a balcony and beautiful views of the city. If the weather is nice you can share your morning coffee out on the balcony with the resident felines, Ollie and Omar.

A private room in Kreuzberg , near Berlin offers comfort and cats. It doesn’t get any better than that, and finally, if you’re headed for an extended tour of the cat cafes in Tokyo, this private room is the place for you. And of course, it includes multiple felines.

The Hambone Award – the most unusual pet mishaps and the incredible recoveries that follow.

Two felines are in the running for the 2019 Hambone Award presented by Nationwide insurance. While reviewing the hundreds of thousands of pet insurance claims that come in annually, Nationwide associates noticed an abundance of claims that were unusually quirky. From the pooch who was carried away by an owl to the cat who fell three stories and lived to purr about it, these claims were in a league of their own and deserved special attention.

Inspired by these unique stories, Nationwide created the Hambone Award® to honor the most unusual pet insurance claim of the year. Each claim exemplifies the inspiring strengths of our pets, the harrowing actions of our pet parents and the amazing skills of trusted veterinarians.

All nominees considered for the award have made full recoveries and their owners received insurance reimbursement for eligible expenses.

This year’s feline finalists are Jasper, a Texas feline who narrowly escaped a dryer accident and Minnow, the Tabby who was saved by her real life guardian angel. Head on over and vote for your favorite.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 8/14

Posted on August 14, 2019 by Feline Opines

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello There Furiends,
I can’t believe it’s Wednesday already! Things in our neck of the woods are going well. Just when we got used to the D-O-G, she left for her home in Arizona. Things are not near as exciting now and the Tribe is going to take a video of the squirrel to send to KD to enjoy.

The squirrel action pales in comparison to the raccoon family antics at the upstairs bird feeder. Momma and her little hooligans are making regular visits to raid the squirrel and bird food. They are so brazen that even when The Female Human stands on the porch and takes their pictures they are not phazed. All I have to say is, they better stay away from our food!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

That’s the latest here and now on to my weekly web wanderings. Enjoy!

Turkey has so, so many cats

TrurkishCats

Meowza, did you know that cats are the most beloved animal in Istanbul? They’re also one of the city’s biggest attractions. Stray cats usually take the best seats at cafes and restaurants in Istanbul without anyone even bothering moving them. They maneuver around tables and customers, inside and out of the buildings in search of the most comfortable spot.

No one knows the exact number of cats in the city although someone said there could be a million. Even though they are popular, these stray kitties still struggle to survive. Thankfully, there are people like Rana Babaç Çelebi, the founder of the Cats of Istanbul, who care for them along with a few other groups as well. Cats of Istanbul has about 300 active volunteers who get together whenever action is needed, like fixing some cages in shelters, setting up cat houses in the neighborhood, feeding the cats when the weather is bad or simply just giving them affection.

Some districts have created cat houses in parks, while other individuals spend money and time to install beautiful cat houses around their neighborhoods. There are three big shelters in the city, which Sable and Çelebi said don’t have the best reputation for care. And as the value of the Turkish lira drops, the cost of medicine and food has increased, which makes their cat-relief work even harder.

The first felines arrived in Istanbul on merchant ships from Egypt during the Ottoman Empire. The people of the day gladly kept the newly arrived cats because the city’s wooden houses attracted a lot of rats and the felines helped keep the rat population under control. Now the humans of Istanbul are returning the favor by helping the stray cats.

Scientists may have figured out why cats eat grass

Lily loves her grass

A presentation last week at the International Society for Applied Ethology annual meeting in Bergen, Norway offered evidence on why cats eat grass and say it’s what we do when we want to fix an upset stomach.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis conducted a survey of 1021 cat owners who spent at least three hours a day observing their pet’s activities and found that of the 71 percent of cats caught chomping on grass, about a quarter wound up vomiting afterward—but roughly 91 percent of respondents reported that their cats did not appear to be ill before dining out on roughage.

So if they weren’t self-medicating a sick stomach, what happened? Well the scientists don’t have an answer for that. They did say that it’s evolutionary behavior and, that grass consumption increases muscle activity in the digestive tract, which could force out unwanted contents. Cats have traditionally had to deal with parasites like hookworms or roundworms as a byproduct of devouring rodents, though it’s likely that most cats who aren’t on a diet of rat meat don’t have any parasites to treat. Still, the instinct to chew grass remains.

The Tribe of Five says this just might be a bunch of hooey! Some of us love snacking on grass, some of us could care less and even 16-year old Jasmine has her morning grass munch every day and she’s been following that ritual ever since she was a kitten. So much for science.

Giving cats a special food may one day help people with cat allergies

cat-allergies

The good folks at Purina may one day help humans who sniffle and sneeze around cats by changing the food the cat eats! The food would contain an antibody to the major allergy-causing protein in cats. This protein is called Fel d1. New research indicates that feeding this antibody to cats changes the protein so that the human immune system can’t recognize it, and that reduces the allergic response.

Nestlé Purina researchers conducted a small pilot study with 11 people allergic to cats. These people were exposed in a test chamber to hair from cats fed the antibody diet. They were also exposed to hair from cats fed a normal, control diet. The people had reduced nasal symptoms and less itchy, scratchy eyes with the hair from cats fed the special diet. These preliminary findings were released in June. The researchers presented them in Lisbon, Portugal.

Meowza, this would be a great thing if you can stop human sniffling by just changing our food!

NYC’s bodega cats have a feline fest on International Cat Day

From “Bodega Cats of Instagram”

By day, their job is to greet people and pose in funny, whimsical ways for pictures that wind up on @bodegacats Instagram page.. By night, things get a little more intense, with bodega cats expected to walk the perimeters of their stores and keep invading vermin at bay. The iconic city cats got their big break in 2012, when Brooklynite Rob Hitt walked into his Williamsburg bodega for an egg-and-cheese sandwich and saw a photographic feline. It was “everything you would imagine in a bodega cat, so I took a picture of it,” he said. Now @bodegacats has 205K Instagram followers and its own Twitter channel at 262k followers. Hitt tries to leverage the attention for the greater good. Meow on bodega cats, I salute you!

‘Show us your cats’: Cat lovers unite for walking cat tour in Minneapolis neighborhood

CatTour

Sometimes you humans come up with really great ideas. The good folks in Minneapolis came up with a doozy. They conduct walking cat tours in their neighborhoods. People gather at a meeting spot and then move door to door for feline viewing. They get to meet some pretty fabulous felines and humans too.

One human said, “A cat tour is just a way to meet your neighbors and go out in the community and meet people with animals and pets.”

Well, we have walking art tours, history tours, winery tours, etc. in our neck of the woods. Why not a cat tour? Watch the video and see what you think.

Five Felines and One D-O-G (Jasmine Opines)

Posted on August 9, 2019 by Feline Opines

Hello Furiends,

There’s been a lot of change at our house and one of the most dramatic has been the arrival of two human friends and their canine. First, let me explain that the Tribe has never seen a canine, never heard a canine and never knew that anything like a canine existed. We see deer, raccoons and the occasional bear from our window perches but a canine, never seen such an animal.

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Needless to say, we were all a bit rattled by the arrival of this four-legged guest. Last year, the Tribe wrote a book for humans about proper etiquette regarding pet sitting. furniture and guests. Never in our wildest dreams did we think we needed to include a section about other animal guests!

The Female Human quite likes this dog although the rest of the Tribe is still deciding how we feel.

KD the (gasp) dog at our house waiting for the squirrel to come to the upstairs deck.

First of all, the dog has taken over the bird/squirrel viewing area. This is of great concern to Oliver and Alberto. I don’t see why sharing the space is such a big deal to Ollie and Al but I do understand that the excited barking noise the dog makes when she sees the squirrel can be rather disconcerting. Or perhaps, terrifying is a better word because when she barks, Lily, Al and Oliver jump and then slip and side across the floors (like cartoon characters), looking for a place to hide. (Note, KD has never done anything aggressive to these chickens so their dramatic reaction is a bit over the top).

Lily is on canine watch. Tucker is watching the kitchen.

Since KD and her humans are staying downstairs, one feline is always tasked with guard duty at the top of the stairs. Tucker is exempt from this duty because he could care less. The dog has not interfered with Tucker’s breakfast, dinner or snack schedule so he refuses to purrticipate in this feline drama.

As soon as the dog’s paws touch the first step downstairs, the warning is issued and cats jump and scatter, heading off in various directions. This is a good thing for Oliver as a little exercise is needed where he’s concerned.

Alberto has proven himself to be quite the wimp. When the dog is in the house, Al whines and meows until The Female Human allows him access into my domain. I thought that I would be completely unaffected by what goes on in the rest of the house but now I have to share my space with this whiny, wimpy feline. Sheesh Al, get a grip.

Lily is quite content to hang out on top of the cat condo. Alberto will join her sometimes if he can’t weasel his way into the bedroom.

Lily takes a more pragmatic approach. She hangs out in the office, on top of the cat condo and demands that her wet food breakfast and dinner be served there. She seems to be quite content with this arrangement and, as that room is a dog free zone, she feels safe.

“Human, why does that canine make such a loud noise?” – Oliver

Oliver is almost as chill as Tucker unless KD the canine barks. He then hides under the small table in the living room or comes into the home office to complain to The Female Human.

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As I noted, this is Tucker, not bothered or interested in our canine guest.

final-56 As for me, well, I am usually unaffected by what happens in the rest of the house but Alberto, the big baby is getting on my last nerve. Sigh. Still, we are all furry family members and I realize I must extend some grace toward him.

So, my feline furiends, if you ever have a canine visitor, I hope they are as polite and well-behaved as ours. KD is a nice doggie (but don’t tell her I said that.)

Purrs & Head Bonks,

JasmineSig

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 7/10

Posted on July 10, 2019 by Feline Opines

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends,
Alberto here. I sure hope your summer is going better than ours! Our main staff and General Lackey ended up in the emergency room on July 4th with a newly diagnosed ulcer. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m as sympathetic as the next feline but I did have to ask myself, “How does this affect me?”

KD the (gasp) dog at our house waiting for the squirrel to come to the upstairs deck.

In addition, we have some human furiends staying at our house who have a …get ready for it…DOG! The Tribe has never seen a dog and worse, never heard a dog bark! I have demanded access to the bedroom at night. Oliver spends his time hiding under the table in the living room and Lily runs around with her big eyes even bigger.

This is Tucker at the vet. The meds made him pretty woozy.

Tucker could care less but that might be due to the fact that the medication he was on zonked him out so bad he couldn’t walk without stumbling. This resulted in an emergency visit to the vet on Sunday (fortunately our place with the white coats, Pend Oreille Veterinary Service is open 7 days a week (at least fortunately in this case but not so great that The Female Human can now drag us there any day of the week!). He was so out of it The Female Human didn’t even have to put him in the carrier. She just wrapped him in a beach towel.

The vets take care of the Tribe very well and even though it took the poor guy a few days to recover he’s now on new meds and back to his sassy, treat-begging self.

Remember how I had to apologize on The Female Human’s behalf last Wednesday? Well, she’s still behind but working hard to catch up. We are giving her a bit of a break as long as she promises to respond to all our correspondence for us by the end of the week.

Okay, enough about us, let’s get to this week’s web wanderings!

11 Facts About Hemmingway’s Cats

Ernest Hemingway

I had to ask The Female Human, “Who is this Hemmingway person and what’s the deal about his cats?” She said the short version of the story is that Ernest Hemingway was given a white six-toed cat by a ship’s captain . Now many of the cats who live at his home (which is now a museum) are descendants of that original cat, named Snow White. Now all the cats at the museum are polydactyl. Hemmingway named all of his cats after famous people and the museum follows that tradition today.

There’s lots of interesting information about these felines. As I mentioned they are all 6-toed, they survived hurricane Irma, one of the cats was “jailed” and a federal complaint was filed against them. For more information on these facts and the other 7 facts, you’ll have to read the article.

Gatos and Beans, Alabama’s 1st cat café, opening August 1

GatosAndBeans

I love reporting on cat cafes, especially when they have something unusual to offer. This cafe has amazing feline art like the mural in the photo above. Gatos and Beans will be a combo adoption center, cat therapy place for people who can’t have cats at home, and a café / bar for humans. ‘Sounds absolutely purrfect to me.

Gatos and Beans is a family affair: The Steward family,Kelli, Stephen and Stephen’s two sons are the owners. Kelli has worked at a local veterinary clinic for more than 20 years and was looking for a new animal related endeavor. In November 2018, they won second place in REV Birmingham‘s The Big Pitch Competition, and since then, they haven’t looked back.

Gatos and Beans will operate like most of the 99 or 100 other cat café’s in the country. You will buy a ticket for coffee and time with the fabulous felines. And if you want more, you’re always welcome to upgrade to get a fancy coffee drink, beer, wine, or a snack. If you live in the area you can get your pre-opening offer now, or keep checking their website to see when they open reservations.

Catcam videos reveal cats don’t sleep all day

Tucker is very serious about nap time.

This one is filed under my “Duh! Why did you humans spend time and money on studying this?”

Maren Huck, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Derby, in the United Kingdom, recruited 21 English felines and put cameras on them. Of the 21, 16 tolerated the Oreo-sized cameras enough to count as participants in this project.

This human felt that cats #1 activity is sleeping. This was not what her study proved. Huck said,their top activity actually was “resting” – not sleeping, and the study showed that another preferred pastime was “exploring,” which Huck said amounts to “sniffing at plants or things.” There’s a whole lot more stuff in this article but I ask you humans, did you really need to spend the time and money for this?

Liam Gallagher assures brother Noel that his cat is safe amid feud

Liam Gallagher holds his kitten Sid, which he adopted from Wood Green, The Animals Charity. Picture: Wood Green, The Animals Charity

I don’t follow human music but evidently this Liam Gallagher (the former Oasis frontman) and his brother Noel had a spat and he took the argument a bit too far when Liam involved the cat, suggesting his brother doesn’t even think about kidnapping the cat. ‘And don’t try and kidnap the cat either, we’ve just employed Ross Kemp as his close protection officer,’ he said. Liam quickly apologised, saying: ‘My sincere apologies to my beautiful mum and my lovely niece Anais for getting caught up in all of this childish behaviour, I love you both dearly LG x.’

He has also found himself in the position of responding to concerns regarding the cat. ‘Did you kidnap Noel’s cat?’ a fan tweeted. ‘Wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole,’ the singer responded. Well that settles that then. Like his brother, Liam is a devoted cat fan, and last year he gave a home to two unwanted felines, who were being looked after at The Animals Charity in London.

People, people, if you can’t get along, PLEASE leave the cat out of it!

Artist designs tattoo sleeves for hairless cats to keep them warm in winter

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Feline fashion is a “thing”. I purrsonally know a fabulous feline fashionista, Coco the Couture Cat, but this is a new kind of feline fashion. Artist and animal fashion designer, Airie McCready, has tapped into a niche market with her inspired invention Tattcats. The sheer jumpers are made with a soft material that’s good for the cat’s skin, and are designed to look like a sleeve of tattoos to keep your hairless cat warm this winter. “These cats get cold because they don’t have any fur,” McCready said. So now my hairless feline friends can stay warm and comfy and look edgy too. Rock on my furiends, rock on!

Alberto Opines on Friday Fill Ins #159

Posted on May 31, 2019 by Feline Opines

Hello There Furiends,
Alberto here. I’m doing the Friday Fill Ins this week (Oliver has had far too much blog exposure lately! This is a blog hop which means you can hop on over to the hosts, 15andmeowing or Four-Legged Furballs and enter your blog post or, just opine about them in our comments section.

Enjoy!

Here are this week’s questions:

1. I would love to be a personal assistant to ___________________________.

2. If I had a boat, I would name it ________________________.

3. I want to improve my _________.

4. Surprises are _________.

Here are my answers:

1. I would love to be a personal assistant to the manager of a box factory. I can’t think of any other product I could be more excited about.

Good morning sir. May I shred some papers for you? Knock over your coffee? Alberto

2. If I had a boat, I would name it the SS Alberto. If The Female Human ever gets the lead out and takes me in the kayak, I will tell her she needs to rename it.

Me, still waiting for the female human to take me kayaking, Who could resist how handsome I look in my live vest? Alberto

3. I want to improve my guest greeting skills. This is the little settee in the foyer and I love to hang out here and greet guests. The problem is, some that haven’t met me before have been a bit startled.

Why hello there, Welcome to the house of Felines. Alberto

4. Surprises are great as long as you are the one doing the surprising.

Why hello there, don’t I make a lovely dining room table decoration? Alberto

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 3/21

Posted on March 21, 2019 by Feline Opines

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

I know, it’s another Wednesday feature on Thursday. The Female Human stayed home because some movers were coming to move furniture in our house. She’s moving the guest bedroom room downstairs and her craft room upstairs where the guest bedroom is now. She dragged stuff out of rooms, stacked everything up and waited..and waited…and waited and is still waiting for them to show up.

In the meantime, the Tribe is a bit freaked out that our little world has been turned topsy turvy. Not a good week for any of us. Sigh.

Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

Cat Lover Behind Change in City Ordinance

CityJCouncil

Now this is the type of purrlitical involvement a feline can get behind. Last November, Jim Vesock went to the city’s pet shelter to adopt a sister for his two black cats but was told that this was not possible. The city’s code allowed for up to four domestic pets in a household but a maximum of two cats and two dogs.

Now I am a more libertarian leaning feline and the thought that any government can tell any responsible human how many felines can be in there home makes me want to hiss. Thank goodness we don’t live in that city or the Tribe of Five would be The Tribe of Two!

The shelter told him the only way to change this law was to do it through the city council and so he went to meetings, lobbied council members and his efforts paid off and now humans can adopt up to four cats or four dogs. This will help shelter kitties and will, of course, bring more feline happiness into the lives of humans. Two paws up for Mr. Vesock!

Kitty Crack – Is It Unethical To Give Your Cat Catnip?

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The debate about “the nip” continues. This article argues that humans might not be considering animal ethics when they give us catnip. Now our Human has always monitored our behavior on the nip very closely. I can tell you that four of the five of us are model feline citizens when we’re under the influence and we quite enjoy it. One of The Tribe who shall remain anonymous (Tucker) is a mean nipper and his ingestion of the nip is watched carefully. All in all, The Tribe of Five votes for nip and we request that the writer of this article stop raining on our parade. What do you think?

Look Before You Lock To Protect Kitties

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This is an important reminder for all humans. We kitties like to check out new spaces and sheds, shops, garages and the like are tempting places for us to explore. This kitty named Wispa disappeared from her home and her human searched for her everywhere…almost. Twenty days after Wispa went missing she was found locked in someone’s garage.

Wispa lost as lot of weight and the vet said she wouldn’t have lasted for too many more days.

Thankfully Wispa is now recovered. We had a similar situation in our community where a feline was locked in someone’s shop for months. She was found after several months but is still dealing with health issues. So humans, PLEASE check these spaces on a regular basis!

Major Campaign Launched To Help Find Purrfect Landlords

Once again I have to give a hat tip to the folks across the pond and their feline loving ways. The CATS Protection , the UK’s largest cat charity is offering free guidance to landlords and rental agents to make sure that rental agreements. A study was conducted and it was discovered that less than half of private rented housing allows cats. Meowza, that’s 42% and that’s not good.

The charity launched a website that helps landlords and renters to be cat friendly. Kudos to the CATS Protection charity!! The folks in the good ole’ US of A could use this info as well.

Would You Pay Money To Smell Like A Cat?

“Tucker, what is that pawsome after shave you’re wearing?” -Lily

Now I don’t know about the rest of you felines, but I don’t think there is a cat smell. My fur might bear the faint fragrance of the Female Human’s perfume after she pets me and I may smell of fresh grass in the summer after a roll in the garden but cat scent? I think not.

But there are other folks who clearly think there is a cat smell and a Japanese company Yamamoto Perfumery is counting on the fact tact that the scent of cat forehead is one that you definitely want to smell like. They came to this conclusion after conducting extensive research in cat cafes throughout Japan. They sniffed the foreheads of felines and recorded the fragrance notes and this resulted in the creation of “Fluffy Forehead Fragrance Fabric Water,” a home fragrance that purportedly smells just like a cat. According to customers surveyed, a cat smells like “sunshine,” “a futon that’s been dried in the sun” and “sweet bread.”

cathead Designed to be sprayed onto fabrics, the product retails for 1,293 yen (US$10.60) and is perfect for freshening up cushions and blankets. Felissimo suggests the best way to enjoy the fragrance is with their lineup of kitty head cushions, available in three different colours for 3,125 yen each, a bargain at just over $28.00 US.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 12/12

Posted on December 12, 2018 by Feline Opines

Hello Furiends,
I don’t know what it looks like at your house but it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here. None of The Tribe of Five want to get out on the upstairs deck when The Female Human goes out to fill the bird feeder…brrr it’s cold out there. We’re staying warm and cozy by the fireplace until it warms up.

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

Gift Guide for Cats and Cat Lovers – Tuft + Paw (and a Giveaway!)

The Tribe of Five gets to see and often try some fabulous stuff and it takes quite a bit for us to be blown away. When we saw the great gifts from Tuft + Paw (for felines and the humans who love them) we said, “Meowza!” We think you’ll enjoy purrusing their online catalog.

And guess what? The good folks at Tuft + Paw are giving away two “fish” cat toys to some lucky winner. To enter, just send an email to FelineOpines@gmail.com and type “I want my cat toy” in the subject. Two winners will be drawn at random at the end of the month and we’ll notify the winners and get their address information.

This Mischievous Cat Got Himself Trapped In A Car Engine But Now He’s Like Yeah, Whatever

Dominic Pimenta, a doctor who lives in London, drove his wife to her night shift — about half an hour from their home — and on his way back, he stopped in at the supermarket for milk. When he got out of the car he heard meowing. He checked around everywhere and couldn’t find the source but still he kept hearing the meowing. Then he realized it was coming from his car. After enlisting the help of a passerby who was a nurse, they discovered Max inside the car engine. The fire brigade was called and after a complicated extrication Max was freed. And today he’s prancing around like nothing ever happened. Good grief my furiends, stay away from human’s cars!

It’s Not Too Late To Get Your Vote in For Coolest Cat

Head on Over to The Cool Cat Gallery and cast your vote for the coolest cat in Livingston Parrish. I’m rather fond of Flapjack.

Seven Ways to Tell If Your Cat is Mad at You.

First, allow me to say that some cats just look like they are angry. Take our Alpha Tucker for instance. He is a sweet guy but sometimes he does look a bit grumpy. Having said that,it does happen that we felines get miffed about things. I would suggest if you have a feline in residence that you read this article in order that you are able to take care of the expected apology post-haste.

It’s Best To Talk To Your Cats

Might I suggest that you take a break from all the great cat photos and videos online and take some time to have a conversation with your felines? We know our names and we often respond to you when you talk to us. Jasmine addresses this issue in our new book Felines Opine on Etiquette (What Humans Need to Know About Guests, Cat Sitters and Furniture) and says that her Siamese heritage accounts for her being a very “yakky” feline. And she also says that she appreciates it when humans engage her in conversation and she never judges any human on their cat language skills. We felines just appreciate the effort humans make when they talk to us.