Walk Through The Web Wednesday 7/14

Posted on July 14, 2021 by Feline Opines

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Happy Wednesday Furiends,
We are still suffering from the heat in our neck of the woods. The Human is getting a bit cranky and muttering under her breath, “I moved to this area to be away from the heat!”. While we sympathize, her issues are of no consequence to us as long as meals and snacks are on time and those cooling machine thingies are in full operation.

Now don’t get me wrong, we here at The Tribe would purrfur cooler weather ourselves and I, for one, will be very happy when it’s time to snuggle up next to the fire again.

Lily is no big fan of the heat either.

“I’m not coming out of this box until fallo!”

Oliver has chosen to beat the heat by celebrating Shark Awareness Day today.

As always, The Tribe is wishing you all a cool, comfortable week filled with tuna and catnip..

Feline employee of the Year honored with a new beer release at Marker 48 Brewery

Released on Caturday , the Tangerine Wheat Ale brewed honors Marker 48’s favorite brewery cat Willy (Willie).

Oh my whiskers, this is my kind of story. My readers know how I like to report about working cats but this news item takes the professional feline story to a whole new level. The owners of this brewery are extremely enlightened, much more so than brewery in our neck of the woods called Laughing Dog. They host things called “Yappy Hour” . Yappy Hour, can you believe it? Makes me want to hiss every time they advertise another canine centered event!

But I digress and say thank goodness kitties are finally getting their due recognition in the brewing world by Marker 48 Brewery . Not only did these wonderful humans brew a beer to honor a deserving feline employee, they commissioned some limited edition merch as well. We sent our Purrsonal Assistant to the brewery’s site with credit card in hand to order some of the beer and maybe some merch to see if she could order merch but it looks like you have to live in or near Brooksville, Florida to do that.. If any of my furiends live near this fantastic feline loving place, please visit Willy Nelson, taste some of his beer and meow about it on our blog.

Feline Fine: Cat Enjoys Private Transatlantic Boeing 767 Flight

Special 4-legged guests living their best life up in the sky during a transatlantic flight on Comlux flagship SkyLady

🎵: Mauve#luxurytravel #businessaviation #aviationlovers #boeing #petfriendly pic.twitter.com/0tFif67EXZ
— Comlux (@_Comlux) July 7, 2021

We felines deserve only the best and this feline is getting the best of everything, even a personal charter flight on SkyLady of Comlux. There are no tacky carriers, small cat beds or quarantine time for this feline. The Transatlantic crossing VIP kitty guest and his/her human wanted to remain anonymous so we don’t know the cat’s destination but the airline posted a nice video on Twitter to show how the cat is living the Vida Loca. Meowza, how nice would it be to have the run of a luxury plane that can seat 55 people? I wonder how many cats that translates to.

Many cats are living their best lives but this cat has taken that concept to an entirely new level. Methinks it’s time for The Human to step up her game.

A giant 3D cat has taken over one of Tokyo’s biggest billboards

And now that there are cats who have beers brewed in their honor and who travel by private chartered et, a gigantic 3D cat has on a billboard in Tokyo shouldn’t surprise anyone.

The cat appears between advertisements and is amazingly realistic. And it doesn’t just move, it meows too! If you’re in Tokyo, you can see the cat between 7 a.m. and 1 a.m.. The video changes throughout the day. The calico cat is first startled awake in the morning, and by the afternoon it can be seen standing up and meowing at passersby. In the evening, it lies down and falls asleep with its head rested on its paws. The billboard is located over the east exit of Shinjuku train station, an area known as a busy shopping and business center. According to a website launched for the display, which is known as Cross Shinjuku Vision, 190,000 people pass the screen every weekday.

Hmm, maybe the time is getting closer when cats will rule the world (at least virtually).

Orlando Cat Café Will Donate Pet Oxygen Masks To Lake County Fire Rescue For Use In Saving Cats, Dogs After Fires

Oxygen masks save kitties lives. Does your fire department have them?

I’ve reported on many cat cafes and am a fan but have never heard of any that raised money for kitty oxygen masks. This is exactly what Orlando Cat Café did when they donated two pet oxygen masks to the Lake Country Fire Rescue. These masks revive cats and dogs who suffer from smoke inhalation after a fire.

We were intrigued with the issue of pet oxygen masks and thought that every fire department should have some so we sent our Purrsonal Assistant out on the web to learn more. To our delight, we found Project Breathe, a pet oxygen mask donation program from the good folks at Invisible Fence. Does your fire department have these life-saving masks? Why not meow at them and find out? And paws up to Invisible Fence for caring for animals!

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FELINE FINE!: Rescue cat climbs New Hampshire’s 48 tallest mountains in nine months

Not every feline thinks that travel in a private jet or having a beer named after you is living their best life. There are some cats like Floki who live lives of adventure . Floki and her hiking companion,, Mel Elam have summited every mountain in New Hampshire over 4,000 feet!

Elam had a chocolate lab hiking companion for years who had passed away. She went to the shelter to find a new buddy to take a look at a litter of kittens she’d seen there. Her plans changed when Floki reached out her paw as Elam walked by, insisting that she be picked as the new companion. When Floki was 4 months old, she had a harness and a leash and the duo headed out for their first hiking adventure.

Floki took to the adventure life and the two are looking forward to many more adventures to come. Even though this feline is a bit on the lazy side and my brother Oliver prefers to take his outside adventures in the cat stroller, we think adventure cats are cool cats!

The Tribe Opines about how to celebrate Anti-Boredom month

Posted on July 10, 2020 by Feline Opines

The Tribe at FelineOpines wants to help you fight off boredom so they’ve put together some suggestions to keep you free of ennui.

Discover Your Inner Chef – Explore The Kitchen: Learn to Cook or Sharpen Your Cooking Skills

Discover Your Hidden Talents -Decorating, Writing, Media, etc.

If I move that flower a little more to the right I will have achieved Feng Shui

Now if I just paw this a bit to the left….

This blogging thing is a breeze, don’t know why our Purrsonal Assistant is always complaining!

Take a stroll, sniff the air, find a sun puddle

Tired of the toys you have? Get some new ones or create your own.

And don’t forget to dream!

Oliver Opines About Legal Stuff

Posted on June 22, 2020 by Feline Opines

Hello Furiends,
Oliver here. Many of you may have noticed that Alberto’s “Walk Through The Web Wednesday” feature was not posted last week. There was no post, no explanation, and no mea culpa from our Purrsonal Assistant.

In light of these distressing circumstances, my legal services were called upon. Alberto (who is also my firms Purralegal ) brought his case to my office.

Alberto, Purralegal at Oliver & Associates, Feline Law

It appears that a gross violation of the contract between Feline Opines and it’s lackey…er…Purrsonal Assistant has occurred.

The Purrsonal Assistant has been tasked with ensuring our words and thoughts are presented on a regular basis on this blog as well as providing some other ancillary duties as dictated…err..requested by the feline members of this blog.

We live in Idaho which is a “work at will” state, the legal definition of “work at will” is ,””there is no set length for an employment relationship and either the employer or the employee may end it at any time, with or without notice; with or without cause.” At first blush the egregious lack of follow through by our Purrsonal Assistant would require immediate dismissal. However, being the cautious and thorough attorney I am, I did suggest to my clients (Alberto and Lily) that they carefully consider the repercussions of such an action.

Lily, being more reflective and cautious than Alberto, went for a stroll in the garden outside my office to ponder the advice I’d given. She came back with some thoughtful and important questions that Alberto had failed to ask.

She first asked about the definition of “ancillary”. I responded, “It is providing necessary support to the primary activities or operation of an organization, institution, industry, or system.”

When she asked what some of those services might be I noted, feeding, brushing, treats, petting, etc..

The next thing she said was, “What in the world was Alberto thinking?!” She marched back into the office and chastised Alberto for shoddy purralegal work, reminding him that if they proceeded in this legal action and fired the Purrsonal Assistant, they would be missing a lot more than blog posts.

The conversation turned into a hissing match and I decided to retire to my office until some conclusion (and semblance of peace) had been reached. Volatile meetings are a recurring problem when you handle feline legal matters.

When Alberto and Lily calmed down, I suggested we convene again.

The culmination of our meeting was that Alberto would take the threat of firing the Purrsonal Assistant off the table as long as she signed a pledge to be more conscientious in her blog duties and immediately place an order with Chewy for a case of their favorite treats.

All in all, I must say that I’m quite proud of my legal guidance and would like to announce that my office is open for any and all feline clients who wish to seek my advice.

P.S. As a result of the recent legal settlement, Alberto’s regular “Walk Through The Web Wednesday” feature will appear this week.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 5/20

Posted on May 20, 2020 by Feline Opines

Happy Wednesday Furiends!
FINALLY the weather is warming up and the garden is starting to green up. The Female Human decided that Oliver, Lily and I should be able to take a stroll in the garden and that’s what happened. All three of us got to take a stroll. But it didn’t quite end the way The Female Human (or we) expected,

“Human, when will all the flowers be out?”

This was me before a very loud metal machine came by our yard and completely freaked me out. I tried to get out of the halter, twisted myself into a furry version of a pretzel and hissed and spit. The Female Human swooped me up (to the detriment of the skin on her arms) and got me inside.

“Human, I do NOT wish to walk in the garden and I demand you open the door right meow!”

As Oliver is the most mellow one in the Tribe, The Female Human figured that she could take him outside without any drama. As you may have observed by the facial expression, placement of the ears and his insistence on staying by the door, this outside experience was not welcome. I had already gone back inside and told him of the terrors that awaited him so he was having none of it.

“Human, I’d have a much better time if you took this lumberjack straight jacket off me.”

Lily was next. As she had darted out the door twice during the “cats in the garden” exercise, The Female Human knew she was ready for an outdoor adventure. All was fine for a few minutes until Lily tried to do a Harry Houdini escape from the halter. Oliver and I watched the Kabuki theater from the window. The Human grabbed and grasped at Lily so she wouldn’t get away once she’d freed herself from the restrictions of the halter. Lily (also known as Princess Stabby Toes”) left her mark all over the Human’s arms. Lily was safely returned into the house. This also explains the lack of feline photos actually IN the garden MOL!

The Female human poured herself a glass of wine and went out to enjoy the tranquility of the front porch sans felines.

Enough about us, let’s get to this Wednesday’s web wonders.

Why the pet industry hopes Americans will start treating their cats more like dogs

Well evidently barkies have been getting the lion’s share of pet stores and manufactures attention because cat owners are cheap. Last year spending per dog was $1381.00 per pet and per cat was $908.00. Fortunately, the retail world is hoping to get cat owners to spend more money on us fabulous felines and there is some good news on the horizon.

:An AlixPartners analysis of APPA’s data found that expenditures on vitamins, treats, toys, and grooming aids are all seeing significant growth among cat owners. But you human cat folks have to open your wallets a little wider. At the moment feline expenditures account for only about 7% of the $7 billion spent annually on pet treats. Cat treat makers are looking to make that percentage rise.

Now, because The Female Human was too cheap to buy a subscription to Forbes, I didn’t get to finish reading this one but I did have her find some more information on the pet industry for those of you who are interested.

I can tell you that The Tribe is tired of The Female Human buying our halters and life jackets and such in the dog section. It’s time for manufacturers to step up and for our humans to starty spending!

A New York start-up that offers online vet visits for dogs and cats is suddenly thriving in the coronavirus lockdown

Bond Vet opened its first veterinary care facility in Brooklyn less than a year ago. Someday, it planned to ramp up a remote health offering to save pet owners time and money.

That schedule changed dramatically in March, after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the state’s stay-at-home order in response to the rapidly spreading coronavirus. Bond Vet quickly set up a system using Google’s video technology to book 20-minute video consultations for $50, limiting clinic visits to emergencies and urgent care.

Bond vet says these video consultations are now increasing over 200% a month and that about half are resolved with the prescription of food or medicine.

Shane Kelly is the CEO of Destination Pet, a nationwide network of pet care services and he has a different take on video visits. He compares veterinarians to pediatricians, who rely heavily on in-person consultations.

“The patient can’t communicate, can’t speak, which puts certain limitations on primary care with telehealth,” said Kelly. Still, he says that the current pandemic is highlighting the importance of remote health and that “telehealth is definitely a growing part of the business all the way around.”

The Female Human says that if a video vet visit would be reasonable enough that more people would call the vet that would be a good thing. She also believes though, that having the vet be able to touch and observe us first-hand is the best health check-up and many times, the issues we’ve had have been diagnosed through blood work and scans. What do you all think about this?

Findlay Toyota offers ‘Certified Pre-Owned Cat Adoptions’ in partnership with SPCA

The Nevada shelter is not the first to use t ihs adoption idea. Several years a go a shelter in Canada used the same theme in t his hilarious video.

Ah, I love it when you humans get creative about finding felines forever homes. The Nevada SPCA is hosting a virtual fee-waived cat adoption promotion beginning Monday, May 18 through Memorial Day, Monday, May 25. Community sponsor Findlay Toyota will be covering the adoption fees on all “certified pre-owned cats” adult cats aged 6 months and older, so that they may find loving new homes.

Potential adopters can visit the website at nevadaspca.org to view available cats. An email can be sent to info@nevadaspca.org with the name of the cat along with contact information.

All adult “certified pre-owned, fuel-efficient” cats 6 months and older will have their adoption fees waived during this time. All cats will come spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped. Once an adoption is finalized and a pick-up time appointment is scheduled, new adopters can come and pick up their new pet curbside.

This idea is working during the lockdown so maybe our local shelter wants to give it a try.

CHarmony cat dating program to help homeless felines

And here’s yet another clever idea to get kitties adopted during the lockdown. Carol’s Ferals, in Grand Rapid Michigan are using a dating model for their felines needing a home. Each cat has a purrsonality profile on “CHarmony” designed to bring cats together with a human that is their best match.

Since the humans can’t visit the cats yet they will “meet” them during a virtual adoption counseling session.

Bravo humans and keep up the creative work to help homeless kitties.

Traits All Cat Lovers Have In Common That Are Helping Us Through Isolation

Look at my brother Oliver and I, how could you not love having felines for company??

During these days when many of you humans are stuck in your homes you may feel lonely and what better companion to have with you but a cat? Still, I get it, you might be missing other humans as well so, until you can, once again, hang out with your human furiends take solace in the fact that there are many cat lovers out there who share much in common with you. Shona Hendley, who wrote about these 8 traits hits the nail on the head. I took her categories and “felined” them up with my own comments.

1. You love cats more than people : Of course you do, cats are far more loyal, loving, wise, entertaining, respectful and caring than humans.

2. You’re attracted to other cat lovers: Our Female Human would love to spend time with a cat lover much more than someone who is indifferent to felines or who, (gasp) dislikes cats.

3. You’re obsessed with social media cats and cat videos: Well DUH, you’re reading a blog written by a cat aren’t you?

4. Your cat is not your pet. Your cat is your furry child: Of course we are. A true cal lover never allows the words, “It’s just a cat” to pass their lips!

5. You talk about your cat a lot: That depends on our definition of “a lot”.

6. You include your cat in most social media posts: Who wouldn’t want to feature their delightful, adorable feline companions in most (if not all) of their social media posts?

7. You love all things “cat”: If you ever meet The Female Human in purrson, you would know this is true, cat sweaters, purses, scarves, coffee mugs and the list goes on. Come to think of it, it’s time for a bit of a clean out at home.

8. You are smart! Of course you are, you love the superior species!

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 5/13

Posted on May 13, 2020 by Feline Opines

Happy Wednesday Furiends,
Just when we were doing the happy dance and getting ready for The Female Human to get the catio out, our beautiful weather took a turn and now we’re back in the 40 degree area. Sigh. We did manage to get a shot of the view downstairs from the living room window when the sun was out. We’re keeping our paws crossed that catio weather and sun puddles will make their appeaance soon!

Our view from the back of the living room sofa. We love watching the robins taking a bath in our little waterfall.

In other breaking news, The Female Human actually caught Oliver and Lily snuggling! Mind you this only happened once but it sure made her happy. Lily misses her buddy Tucker so we’re hoping this wasn’t just a fluke.

Lily stealthily made her way over to Oliver when he was sleeping and a surreptitious snuggle was accomplished.

This stay at home thingy has definitely affected my waistline. The Female Human is working at that place she calls her “business” and therefore failing in her duty to mind my kibble consumption during the day (not to mention my plastic chewing). Sigh, I hope my life jacket still fits this summer!

Jasmine has this nice cat tree in her space, it’s clearly not made large enough for robust felines like myself.

Finally, we must take a moment to commend The Female Human. She is finally accomplishing something she’s wanted to do for years and just received her diploma (with “Distinction” she insisted I note) for her Feline Behavior and Psychology course. She’s always been a bit of a “know it all” when it comes to cats and now she’s really full of it…..cat behavior and psychology knowledge that is. She is now working on a course to become a Pet Bereavement Counselor.

Okay, enough about us, let’s take a look at what I found on my web wanderings.

How To Find A Cat in 10 (easy-ish) Steps

As I’ve noted before, The Female Human and her sister founded and operate a lost pet group in our community. She’s always meowing about the fact that people immediately think “stray” and not lost when they encounter an unfamiliar feline. This makes it hard for the folks who are desperate to find their lost feline. This article from Jack Hagerman from the Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA has some great tips to help you find your missing feline.

Not all missing cats are lost or want to be found. Cats are notorious for hiding in impossible places. Before you assume kitty is missing, make a thorough search indoors, around the porch, garage and yards armed with a flashlight and the tastiest, smelliest treats.
Don’t waste time. If you know your cat is missing, immediately post photos and a description of your cat, including the neighborhood you live in on NextDoor, Facebook and any other social media platform you use. The more neighbors and friends who are aware, the more eyes you’ll have looking out for your kitty.
Think like your cat. If you were a cat, where would you go? Begin around your house and spread out to the immediate neighbors on all sides. Where does your cat normally head? What is the most likely escape route? What are her favorite bushes or hiding spots? Crouch low under porches, scan high on roof lines and tree branches. Could something have recently happened to spook them? Construction or a new neighbor’s cat or dog?
While you’re searching, ask pedestrians, knock on neighbor’s doors and show a photo. Ask if you can check their garage, sheds, under the porch. This is no time to be shy.
Leave a missing cat report with your vet, all the other local vets, shelters and rescue groups. If you live in one of our animal control service cities*, make sure to check out “lost and found” section of your shelter’s website regularly.
When you return home, leave food and water outside your door. Fearful cats will often slink out after dark. Leaving a baby monitor near the food may detect faint meows. Also consider searching late at night when the rest of the world is asleep.
Enlist family and friends to help post flyers and spread the word. Have push pins, tape and a staple gun, depending on the surface. The best posting spots include street intersection poles, local bulletin boards at grocery stores, library, laundromat and community center.
If you’ve recently moved, extend your search to your old neighborhood.
Persevere! Cats have returned weeks and months later. Keep networking, and asking neighbors if they’ve noticed anything. Keep your fliers or posters fresh with a “Still Missing” header.
Remember, you seriously improve your chances of finding your lost cat if your cat is microchipped and is wearing identification on a collar around their neck.

Quarantine Cat Film Festival

Oliver’s film has been entered in the video competition

In order to help movie theaters that have been shut down an independent movie theater owner came up with a brilliant plan and created the Quarantine Cat Film Festival. This cat video festival will be live streamed on Friday, June 29, 2020. A portion of the monies raised from ticket sales will go to benefit local independent movie theaters. It’s expected that over 100 movie theaters will be involved.

We say “Paws Up” to Brian Mendelssohn, founder of Row House Cinema and his wife (who made the brilliant suggestion to have a cat film festival).

The Female Human sent in our very own film “Bring Me My Catpuccino” starring Oliver!

Cat Insists on Having A Conversation With a Non-Cat Person

The Feline Human has been heard to say often that “If there is a room full of cat lovers and one non-cat person in the group, the cat will make a beeline for the non-cat person.” She’s got it right and this cat decides he wants to get up close and personal with this lady who is clearly not a cat fan.

Tiktok user John Gonzalez captured this momentous moment on video.
The Tribe is a bit put off by the lady’s expression of horror.

Pizzeria Owner Gets 25 Dog and Cats Adopted

You know how much I love it when people come up with creative ideas to help animals find a furever home and this lady’s idea is pawsome! Mary Alloy, owner of Just Pizza & Wing Co. in Amherst,NY came up with a purrfect way to help her local shelter, Niagara County SPCA.

Since February she’s put over 5,000 flyers with adoptable pets on her pizza boxes and so far over 25 dogs and cats have been adopted. She also rewards the clients who adopt with a $50.00 gift certificate for her pizzeria.

A Cat’s Eye View of The Australian Outback

Kartika is not a regular cat. The four year old Bengal has quite a taste for adventure and satisfies it as she travels the outback with her human, Lou Meyers. Kartika has spent most of her life traveling across Australia. When she was a kitten she learned quickly that when the leash and harness came out, fun times were ahead.

Despite the fact that Bengals are known for having an affinity for water Kartika is no water lover which could be because there is little of it in the outback.

A Bengal cat is perfect for the adventure life because Bengals are very active, have strong personalities and like to explore (get into things). Bengals require lots of care and exercise.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 5/6

Posted on May 6, 2020 by Feline Opines

Happy Wednesday Furiends,
I hope you are all well and looking forward to life becoming more normal again. We would have had an excellent photo for you but The Female Human couldn’t get herself together enough to get the shot so I’m reduced to only sharing the story with you. Still, I think you’ll find our weekly local report very a-moosing.

Last night, The Female Human walked out of our next door neighbor’s house and noticed that the neighbors across the street were on their porch yelling at her and waving their arms. These are fairly new neighbors so she doesn’t know them and didn’t want to appear as if she was judging them so she smiled and continued to stroll down the driveway. The words finally became a bit clearer and she heard “MOOSE! MOOSE! MOOSE!” Thinking that they surely would not be so rude as to be referring to her appearance, she saw them gesturing to her right and turned her head to take a look. There less than the social distancing six feet recommended was a very large young moose, standing next to the cars in the driveway.

The Female Human has lived in Northern Idaho long enough to know that you never mess with a moose. They are extremely large, fairly bad tempered and have no problem charging anything. As she looked at the moose she could tell he was getting annoyed with the neighbors yelling and arm waving. He snorted a few times and, before he could head in her direction she hightailed it over to our house and ran inside. Yes, this would have been a fantastic photo op but she didn’t take the time to get her phone out of her pocket and shoot the picture. Sigh. Due to her failure to capture the moment, I am reduced to using a video and a link to an article in Sandpoint Magazine called, Urban Moose-The Good Life In The City, to show how these beasts have no boundaries and believe they own the forests and the city streets here!

.So now you know why these kitties enjoy sitting in the window and watching our local wildlife walk by!

“Hey Human, the moose is back, get your camera!” – Alberto & Lily

Well that’s enough moose talk, now on to the feline news from around the web.

U.K. Wildlife Park Welcomes Two Tiny Members of the World’s Smallest Cat Breed

I’ve always thought of my wild cousins as great, big fear inducing felines. Imagine my surprise when I heard about these little guys!

These two live in the Porfell Wildlife Park and Sanctuary in Cornwall, England and are Rusty Spotted Cats, the worlds smallest cat breed.

These two tiny felines are rusty-spotted cats, the world’s smallest cat breed. The rusty-spotted cat grows to be just 35 cm (not quite 14 inches)- 48 cm (not quite 19 inches) in length. It is believed that these cats are only 2 of around 40 in captivity in the world.

In the wild, these tiny kitties are found in Asia. You can learn more about our little friends here.

Elmo, the Gardening Glove Loving Cat

This klepto kitty made the BBC news with his penchant for stealing one purrticular type of item.

His human, Vikki Maddocks reports that to date Elmo has lifted 14 gloves from the neighbors in the past year. Also interesting to note is that he normally brings one glove home and then goes later to retrieve it’s match.

Elmo drops his treasure at Maddock’s feet and meows proudly.

Why gardening gloves? Trudi Atkinson, a cat behaviorist says it’s possible that Elmo’s mother taught him to hunt using replacement items if real prey was not available. If Elmo’s human reinforced this behavior by petting him or reacting in a positive manner to his “gifts” he would be motivated to continue his thievery.

Evidently this gardening glove stealing is a thing in England. Last year a female cat named Bella received media attention for her glove napping.

Message in a Bottle. Neighbors in Isolation Stay Connected with Carrier Cat

Who says you need skype, text or phone calls during isolation? Sam Cramer has found a much better way to communicate with her neighbors, Cat Mail.

It all started one day when Cramer’s cat Bella wandered into the house with a new collar. Cramer was confused because Bella had never worn a collar. Her first thought was that this wasn’t Bella but she said, “I check out the cat and, yes, it has the same scraggly ears and, yes, it has a bad attitude so it’s definitely my cat.”

Then she noticed a glass bottle with a cork stopper attached to the collar with a hand written note inside. The note was a message from her next door neighbors telling her that Bella had been visiting them for a few weeks

Cramer wrote a note apologizing for Bella if she’d been cranky and apologized for Bella’s intrusion.

The neighbor’s responding “cat mail” assured her that Bella was “no bother.”

The 15-year old daughter of the neighbor wanted to make sure Bella was not a stray and figured the cat mail might be a good way to find out if she had a home.

“I just thought it would be a good way to know if she had a home and a name and now it’s turned into a daily thing,” she said. “We’re always really excited to see her at the door.”

As the lonely days of the pandemic drag on, all parties cherish the tiny notes Bella brings.

These neighbors have decided that cat mail will continue long after their quarantine is over.

This international star has never left her Portland home

Portland’s ‘Owl Kitty’ has appeared in some of the greatest movies ever made. Her human, Tibo Charroppin says her work has been watched more than 50 million times on her Instagram page. The most amazing thing is that Owl Kitty has accomplished all this without ever leaving Portland.

Owl Kitty is her stage name. Her real name is Lizzy who was adopted from a local shelter. Charroppin said she’s been acting like a diva ever since she was a kitten and she was a natural to become a star. She’s appeared in scenes from many major motion pictures such as Star Wars and The Matrix.

How has this feline diva managed to become a star? Her human is a full time video editor so he has all the skills needed to insert Owl Kitty in the middle of famous scenes. The Human’s partner, Olivia Boone is the social media manager for a major non-profit organization so she had the skills to get Owl Kitty properly launched on the web.

Charroppin also does “behind the scenes” videos to document the process of filming Owl Kitty and those are as popular as the furry diva’s movie shorts. And if you have an aspiring feline actor in your house, Charroppin also offers tutorials to teach you the process.

If you would like to view more of Owl Kitty’s films, visit her Instagram account.

Cat vs. chants: Friendly feline tests Buddhist monk’s patience

This Thai temple cat’s refusal to be ignored during the five-hour-long New Year’s prayers was a true test of the patience of this monk. The video of this monk gently trying to move the cat away took Thailand by storm and now is reaching around the world.

After he tried numerous times to move the cat off his lap because the cat was kneading his shoulder and blocking his view of his prayer book, the monk finally realized that resistance would be futile and petted the feline.

Thailand has many cats that roam freely around the temples and they are called, you guessed it, temple cats. It is reported that all the temple cats are fat due to the love and good care they receive.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 11/06

Posted on November 6, 2019 by Feline Opines

Hello :Furiends,
How is your week going? The Tribe of Five had a pretty good week, a Chewy order AND an order from Petco, it’s been box heaven. Although the weather is cold in our neck of the woods so far, the snow has not made an appearance and there are some beautiful sunny days. The Tribe loves to find sun puddles wherever we can.

“Can’t a cat take a nap without having a camera shoved in her face?” -Lily

“This is my sun puddle location, stay away!” -Tucker

“Hey Ollie, can you scoot over just a bit?” -Alberto

“No I will not wake up and show you my beautiful blue eyes!” -Jasmine

We also have a bit of news. The Female Human is constantly meowing about being able to have someplace on our blog to opine. We reminded her that the name of this blog is Feline Opines, the world from a feline point of view, but this has had no effect on her so we will be launching a page on our blog just for the human to opine about feline things. Sheesh, everyone has to get in the game.

I hope you enjoy my internet finds that highlight how wonderful we felines are.

Don’t Fence Me In!

Quilty, a 7-year old cat available for adoption at the Friends For Life Animal Rescue and Adoption Organization in Houston got himself into trouble for freeing his fellow prisoners…err, feline rescues. He didn’t do it once or even twice. He keeps himself busy at night by freeing all the felines and calling them all to a meeting in the lobby. We say “way to go Quilty” and take the marketing campaign to get yourself adopted into your own paws.

Thousands of cats are rescued by tree climbers

I featured a story not too long ago about a hapless feline wo got himself stuck in a tree for hours during a storm. People, people, a cat will not always get itself out of a tree and this feline is very grateful for tree climbers who come to our rescue. For more stories from Canopy Cat Rescue, click here. If you live in Washington or Oregon, have your humans put this company on speed dial!

S hould cats eat their greens?

Do felines need to eat their greens? I’ve been snacking on wheat grass ever since I was a kitten. Lori Teller, a clinical associate professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, provided some information on cats eating grass.

“Cat grass isn’t any one type of grass but can be a combination of grasses, such as rye, barley, oat and wheat,” Teller said. “Cat owners can buy kits at many stores to grow cat grass for their kitties.”

“Cat grass is not a required part of a cat’s diet if the food they are eating is well-balanced, but it is something that many cats enjoy,” Teller said. “Especially for indoor cats, it can be a source of environmental enrichment. In some cases, it may provide some micronutrients, such as vitamins A and D.”

The article goes on to say the experts really don’t know why cats like to eat grass. I would add that not all felines like cat grass. Tucker and Oliver are a bit “take it or leave it” about our cat grass but you would think the female felines in The Tribe are addicted to the stuff!

Traveling cats embark on the journey of a lifetime

We felines hate it when our humans are away from us for too long, These kitties are so bonded to their human that his frequent trips away from home made them very sad. His human, Daisuke Nagasawa decided he would try bringing them along with him when he traveled. Watch the video and see how happy the felines are now.

The agony of betrayal

Sometimes you humans can be clueless. Case in point. These humans bring home a kitten and then eave the cat in residence to sit by and watch them play with said kitten. Seriously, bring the cat into the process or there will be some swatty, swatty, hissy later! You can watch the video here.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 10/2

Posted on October 2, 2019 by Feline Opines

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello There Furiends,
Another week another Wednesday. I have nothing exciting to report from our neck of the woods but I do have a bit of a rant to share with you. It appears to me that The Female Human does not apurreciate all that I do around the house, nor am I properly respected by my fellow felines.

Case in point. I am always “Johnny on the spot” when it comes to helping around the house. Here you can see that I have taken time away from my important profession of feline blogging and writing to lend a paw in the kitchen and still, The Female Human does not show the proper apurreciation.

“Yeah, looks like the dishwasher missed a few spots with the cutlery. You might want to run these through again.”

“Well EXCUSE ME for trying to help around the house. Sheesh, what’s a cat got to do to get some apurreciation around here.”

And it hasn’t been any better with my feline family either. Just the other night I sauntered into the kitchen to enjoy my dinner and this is what I found.

“Whoops, sorry dude, I didn’t think you were coming for dinner.” Oliver

After the week I’d had, I figured when The Female Human came home and parked her purse on the counter I would be welcome to snoop through it and what a discovery I made!

“Yum, what’s that delicious smell in there?”

“Oh happy day look what I foiund!”

“Nom. nom,nom…”

I hope you all had a better week than I did and I hope you enjoy this week’s Wednesday web wanderings.

Special feline parlays her unusual looks into creating a non-profit

Maya

Do you know what kind of humans I admire most? Those who adopt older shelter cats or cats with special needs. The ones who take their kindness a step farther and help others are the cat’s meow!

Maya the cat is a special and wonderful feline and although her eyes are asymmetrical and her legs are short she is loved and she’s making a difference in the world. Maya was born with an extra chromosome, which means she doesn’t have peripheral vision and which gives her a unique look.

Maya was almost euthanized in a Virginia shelter after she was found beside a dumpster behind a Chinese restaurant. By the time she was taken to the shelter she was very sick. After three months at the shelter, Maya was scheduled to be euthanized but Odd Cat Sanctuary MA rescued her. They then posted her on their website. Her human, Lauren Beader and her fiancé, Harrison Makofsky saw her and ran over to adopt her. They didn’t just give her a loving forever home but they also made her an Instagram star.

Now they’ve leveraged Maya’s fame into great charitable works and a non-profit.

Maya’s humans wrote a children’s book last year and donated all the proceeds to Odd Cat Sanctuary MA and the Special Olympics, Massachusetts and that turned into the humans (and Maya, of course) creating the non profit organization, AllWorthy.

Maya is the face of the new organization that educates about and promotes disability inclusion and acceptance. She lives with her humans and her fur sister, Dragon, whose back legs are paralyzed. I think the partnership between Maya and her humans is absolutely purrfect!

Bohdi, the all season adventure cat from the Rockies

Bodhi

Oh how I admire adventure cats! Granted, Oliver and I do stroll around our garden and neighborhood but this cat, Bodhi, is a hardcore, fearless adventure feline! Bodhi hikes the Canadian Rockies with his human and he has an Instagram account that chronicles his adventures so more timid kitties can live vicariously through his photos.

Bodhi’s human says his training took a lot of patience but now Bodhi is an all season adventure cat. In the summer he sometimes exchanges his harness for a life vest for paddle boarding and swimming. Lest you think Bodhi’s human is not aware that there are big animals out there in the wilderness, she says that Bodhi will sense the presence of another creature and let her know he wants to go to his safe spot on her shoulders.

Mother and daughter sew pillows for shelter cats

Pillows

You humans who come up with creative ideas to help shelter kitties are heroes! In Tunkhannock, PA an 88 year-old woman and her daughter have been making pillows for the Meshoppen Cat Rescue. The kitties love the pillows that keep them cozy, warm and comforted and they help the humans too. Bertha Singer, the 88-year old mother has early-onset dementia and keeping her hands busy helps keep her mind active. These ladies deserve a Paws Up Award! Paws Up award by FelineOpines.net for humans who do amazing things for cats

Trader Joe’s Advent calendars are on the way

Our Female Human is German and one of her favorite things about Christmas is Advent calenders. She likes to make them and buy them for the adults and kids she knows. So I got to thinking, “Hey, what about us felines?!” I decided to do some research on this and found out that Trader Joe’s is coming out with a feline Advent calendar this year (let’s not discuss the fact that they’ve had a canine Advent calendar for a while). Then I thought, “What if you don’t have a Trader Joe’s near your house?” (our closest is two hours away) and so I checked on Amazon and sure enough there were all kinds. So I say, humans (especially those of you of German or Austrian origin) no more excuses, get your felines their own Advent calendar!

Slay dragons, help cats

dragons

This is for all you feline loving gamers. Now you can sit in front of the monitor or TV, slay virtual dragons and earn money for cats. From October 3 to December 9, ZeniMax will donate $1.00 for every five dragons killed in the Elder Scrolls Online game. The money will be given to the Best Friends Animal Society and Four Paws Charities. Zenimax is committed to donating up to $200,000.00 in the Slay the Dragons, Save the Cats campaign. Humans, fire up your online game and start killing dragons for a good cause!

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 7/17

Posted on July 17, 2019 by Feline Opines

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello There Furiends,
It’s been an eventful week. As those of you who follow my Wednesday wanderings know, things have been rather…err…exciting at our house. I thought I’d let each Tribe member bring you up to date.

Lily

I figured out that the dog can’t get on our cat tree so I climb to the very top and hide out until the offensive canine is gone. This is working very well for me as Oliver and Alberto (who enjoy chasing me around) can’t get to me either!

Oliver

Thankfully, meal time is not afffected by our canine visitor and best of all, The Female Human doesn’t have as much time to monitor my eating so it’s pretty much a win-win for this feline.

Alberto

It’s been working out great for me. The Female Human allows me into Jasmine’s domain in the back of the house and I’m loving it. There are new things to explore and I can roam around back there without being bothered by the visiting canine.

Jasmine

My life used to be so serene and quiet and now I have to share my domain with that idiot, Alberto. He’s always hogging my toys and cat scratcher and trying to take The Female Human’s attention from me.

Tucker

I’m still on meds but at least I’m not weaving and bobbing around the house. One good thing about this medication-nothing bothers me anymore, the visitors, the dog, even the vacuum monster. It’s all cool dude.

So as you can see, we are all coping with this change in our circumstances. As for the Female Human, she had her follow up with her regular doctor. It looks like the ulcer was caught early and she’s staying away from anything that can aggravate it (and she’s down to one medication). Unfortunately, the caffeine ban has made her a little ditsy and she’s not quite so perky in the morning.

So that’s the latest with us. How are you all doing? I hope you are doing well and that you enjoy my web wanderings this Wednesday.

Cat Lady Refined

CatFAshionista

Oh my whiskers, I’ve seen how some of you feline lovers dress and some of you could use a little fashion assistance. Well break out the catnip and sing the song of your people because CatFashionista.com is here! If you’re not sure if you are a cat fashionista here is the company’s definition: “You’re an unabashed cat lover and you’re not shy about it. You don’t keep the love for felines only in your heart. You wear it on your sleeve… Literally. We hear you. Because you care about design, we’ve curated a collection of apparel and accessories that express your inner cat lady, while keeping your look chic. You’re a fiery, fearless, cat fashionista.”

Well, I don’t know about your humans but our human fits this bill purrfectly. As a matter of fact we caught her purr-using the outfits on the site and she’s drooling over the blue velour jacket with “Cat Lady” embroidered on the back!

Indiana City Letting Residents Pay off Parking Tickets by Donating Cat Food to Local Shelter

CatParking

You know how I love when humans find creative ways to help felines and this is very creative. The good folks in Muncie, Indiana were very creative when they announced a new partnership aiming to help out their local shelter, which is currently home to over 350 cats and kittens in dire need of supplies.

For one week only, the police department allowed residents to pay off their parking tickets by donating cat supplies including litter and food to the shelter — no cash required.

“MACS has partnered with the Muncie Police Department with a wonderful program that allows people who have parking tickets to pay their tickets with cat/kitten food, litter, wet/pate canned food, beds, blankets, etc. in lieu of paying with money,” the post explained.

“We’re in dire need of supplies for the large volume of cats/kittens being cared for here at MACS, and they keep pouring in our doors,” the post continued. “We are incredibly grateful for the the support we receive from the community, and this is such a wonderful opportunity to help your local shelter.” Well done humans, well done!

More than 120 dogs, cats in path of Tropical Storm Barry in Louisiana are flown to safety

Storm

Paws up for the Humane Society who is always involved in getting shelter animals to safety before disasters. The Humane Society evacuated animals that were up for adoption in Louisiana shelters, which helps increase capacity for dogs and cats that may be displaced in the storm.

Ahead of Tropical Storm Barry making landfall along the Louisiana coast, more than 120 dogs and cats in the storm’s path were flown to safety. They were flown flown to Manassas in northern Virginia,t where they were taken to nearby shelters and prepared for adoption.

Meet Fiji, A Ship’s Cat

ShipCat

Did you know there are still ship’s cats? One made her appearance in Cleveland last weekend on board one of the 11 tall ships visiting there. Her name is Fiji and she’s been around the world twice, and she’s only four years old.

Fiji is the official ship cat of the Picton Castle. She often disembarks from the ship and explores ports of call as the ships travel around the world for the various festivals they take part in. She was adopted from an animal shelter in Fiji – hence the name – at just six weeks old. Sometimes Fiji explores a little too far from the ship as she did in Buffalo, New York. She went on an extended shore leave but fortunately found by someone who googled her name and the name of her ship and managed to reunite her with her human shipmates. The Picton Castle is a three-masted tall ship based in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is sailing the Great Lakes during the summer, making port in several cities across North America. Fiji (and her other feline crew mate) are listed with the rest of the human crew on the ship’s website.

Hotels are meow accommodating cats

HotelCats

I’ve reported on cat hotels and even hotels for humans that accept cats but now there are hotels that not only accept felines, they embrace us.

“We have the necessities when you’re traveling with a cat,” said Mark Hayes, manager of the Kimpton Aertson Hotel in Nashville. “A litter box comes with the room as well as a little bed for them and we put out some bowls for food and water. We don’t necessarily supply food but we’re happy to source anything locally. We know that cats can be pretty finicky with their diets, we kind of let the guests guide us in what they need. We also have toys available.”

Housekeeping will even scoop the litter box for you – meowza! And Kimpton hotels welcome feline guests for free. They began the cat program thinking they’d just provide litter boxes but then they noticed humans were arriving with their cats on leashes and in strollers and decided there was an opportunity to expand their feline services. They now have litter boxes, toys, comfortable cat beds and the concierge is well versed in cat friendly businesses in the area and good places to walk your feline. Now, savvy businesses have sprung up around the cat friendly hotel and even a cat cafe called Mewsic Kitty Cafe. There is no charge and no deposit for feline guests. (The Female Human is thinking about giving herself a little vacay and checking us all into a cat friendly hotel.)

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 4/17

Posted on April 17, 2019 by Feline Opines

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends,
Alberto here. It’s Wednesday already, I tell you it’s hard for a cat to squeeze in all the naps, playing and eating that needs to be done in 7 days. In this short video you can see how much I’m enjoying the new set up upstairs in what the deluded Female Human refers to as “her office and craft room”. Ya’ right!

Here’s hoping you enjoy this week’s web wanderings.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Alberto
Siamese cat with blue eyes

Smithsonian Archive Exhibit Proves Cats are Artists Best Friends

Picasso with his cat Minou

The writer of this article said that if Instagram would have been around during Henri Matisse’s lifetime his feed would have been full of photos of his 3 cats, Minouche, Coussi, and La Puce. His felines were never far when he painted. And then there’s Pablo Picasso whose feline friend Minou was always at his side. And the list goes on and you’ll just have to read the article to see why this Smithsonian Arhive show proves that artists like cats more than dogs.

Take a Cat Home from the Zoo!

catsatthezoo

Soon you will be able to take a cat home from the zoo…not a tiger, lion or jaguar but a feline that will fit purrfectly in your home.

Two paws up for the El Paso zoo for having an adoption event in a place where animal lovers go. The El Paso zoo is partnering with the El Paso Animal Services shelter in Catz at the Zoo. The domestic felines will be hanging out in a cat café at the zoo designed just for the occasion. The Petco Foundation donated a half million dollars to build the zoo cat café, the first one of it’s kind. Bravo El Paso!

Random cat sneaks into house to snuggle up to man recovering from surgery

CatSurgery

A British official tweeted this photo and it’s going crazy. The Female Human always says cats make the best nurses and this proves it!

New Website Pinpoints Whether Cats Are Picky Eaters or Sick

A new website launched by KindredBio called PickyOrSick.com helps you humans see if we felines are just being picky or if we need to go see the vet. It’s a science based program that offers a 5-question quiz to encourage owners to seek veterinary advice about changes in our eating habits. There are suggestions for determining hether our behavior is a sign of illness or just pickiness. There is a log you humans can download to track our eating habits and, in the event you have to haul us off to the place of the white coats, they have tips as to how to make the trip less stressful for us.

5 Seattle-area adventure cats you need to follow on Instagram

Moose the Adventure Cat

This is a shout out to my Northwest feline furiends. The Tribe of Five resides in the Inland Northwest but we like adventure too! Adventure cats are a big thing these days as humans realize that we can be fun in the outdoors as well. Check out the Adventure Cat website there are tons of helpful guides) and The Female Human is purrusing it regularly to prepare me to go kayaking with her this summer. I hope you enjoy my five Pacific Northwest furiends!