Since tomorrow is a holiday and the Human is taking a min-vacation for the rest of the week, I decided to give her a reprieve from her usual Wednesday blog duties. Actually “mini-vacation” is not exactly true as she will be finishing up our third Felines Opine book for publication (Its called “Are There Head Bonks in Heaven?”). She’ll be spending some quality time with the Tribe (we expect some petting and head bonk sessions by the fireplace!) and with some her favorite humans.
We did want to meow at all our furiends and tell you how thankful we are for all of you. We are thankful for our home, for each other and for the love we get every day. Our purrayer is that every kitty will find a furever home this season.
Although it’s not over yet, we are reflecting on this year, there has been much loss, many kitties crossing the Rainbow Bridge and some wonderful humans we know who are now in heaven. We are thankful to have known them all, furry and non-furry.
We wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving. I’ll be back next Wednesday with my reports on all the best feline news on the world-wide web. Give your humans (and furry siblings) lots of love and hopefully there will be some turkey in your future.
Stay safe, warm and happy. Oliver, LIly and I send you…
I hope you are doing well. Because of the fires and the terrible smoke, walks in the cat stroller have been momentarily stopped and the windows in our house remain firmly closed. We had a nasty wind storm last week and then some fires in our neck of the woods. Many of our furiends were evacuated but we are happy to say, they have all returned to their homes now. This is a photo of one f the fires near us.
We are also having horrible air quality because of the fires in all the surrounding states. This photo might give you an idea of what it looks like – same view a few days apart.
Still, we are in much better shape than many of our Northwest and coastal furiends and we are purraying that you all remain safe. Since we can’t sit on the upstairs deck or take a stroller ride, we aren’t doing much of anything. I’m hanging out by the shower and demanding to be let in and Oliver is practicing relaxing, I think he’s got it down well, what do you think?
Stay safe dear furiends and I hope you enjoy this week’s feline news.
Did you know that Grumpy Cat’s name was Tardar Sauce and that this little undersized kitten with abnormal features became an international sensation when her human began posting pictures of her on social media? That little feline became so famous that her human was able to quit her waitressing job when the cat began raking in millions from modeling and purrsonal appearances. Sadly, Grumpy Cat crossed the Rainbow Bridge last year at the age of seven..
Lil Bub had an extreme form of feline dwarfism, that left her limbs and jaw much smaller than the rest of her body and this created that cute “tongue out of the mouth” look she was famous for. Her human, after finding that she would suffer from osteoporosis, began working with scientists to sequence her genome and help other kitties with the same condition. Lil Bub did much to help other feilknes and was mourned when she crossed the Rainbow Bridge last year after suffering a severe bone infection.
Ollie’s purrsonal favorite feline celebrity is Shironeko, one of the most mellow cats in the world. Shironeko has been delighting fans on social media since 2006 by balancing flowers, fruits, frogs, and other items on his head. Shironeko crossed the Rainbow Bridge this year at the age of seventeen and it is our Oliver’s goal to become just as famous for being lazy….errr…chill and relaxed.
Be sure and check out the article to learn about other famous felines such as Spartacus the Serval, Sir Stuffington and Smudge the Cat.
Spartacus, the 18 kilogram (over 39 ½ pounds) African serval managed to escape from his house and spent a number of days in the wilds of New Hampshire.
He was “trapped” near his home and returned to his family in good health. Evidently the family dog spooked Spartacus and he did a runner.
Spartacus was adopted from a zoo four years ago, has all his papers in order and lives in the lap of luxury as an indoor kitty. We are very happy Spartacus is home!
Canadian cats in Vancouver rejoice. The moth outbreak happening there is a boon for felines. Chasing these winged insects is bringing Canadian kitties all kinds of exercise and fun. So while our furiends up north are housebound due to the smokey conditions, a few good moth chases a day will chase away the blues and boredom as well. A note, veterinarians said that the moths the cats are chasing are not toxic or poisonous but the powder the moths carry on their wings may irritate their eyes or mouths.
Turkey’s capital city Istanbul is known for its massive population of cats. These felines are so involved in the human activities that they can even make a surprise appearance at athletic events.
A recent video shared by the Turkish Athletics Federation shows a cat darting across the finish line at the Balkan U20 Men’s Athletics Championship on September 13. The athletes dodged the ferocious feline near the finish line. There was a winner of the race but it wasn’t the cat!
Kiki, the adorable American Shorthair cat lives peacefully with her three Shiba Inu siblings; Saki, Ibuki, and Hazuki.Kiki acts like she’s one of the canine gang and the photos of these furry family members are taking Instagram by storm,. Check out the photos for yourself and you’ll see what a great team Kiki is with the Shiba Inus in her family.
Our angels leave forever paw prints on our hearts💕.
We are purrticipating in Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day.This special event and blog hop was established by Deb Barnes to honor our beloved fur kids. We invite you to join the blog hop or tell us about your Rainbow Bridge fur kids in the comments.
We have some wonderful furiends at Zoolatry who create beautiful monthly tributes to those who have crossed the Rainbow Bridge. We wanted to share the tributes for our Angel Tribe members Tucker and his sister Jasmine. We sure do miss them!
If you click on the photo it will take you to their memorial page
Hello Furiends, Thanks to the excellent work of our legal representative Oliver , my weekly feature is back on track.
It’s been a good week in our neck of the woods. I learned something new, ducks beg! Check out our little video. That was one bold mallard!
I can’t believe The Female Human was so enamoured of this bird!
the Female Human went to some event where she had to dress in clothes like humans wore in the 1920’s. She spent a lot of time working on her hat and I really don’t understand why she got so annoyed with me when I offered her some advice.
Calm down, I’m only trimming that blue stuff a little.
I don’t know, I still think you need let me finish this up for you.
The whole endeavor stressed me out so I had to retire to the shower and ask the human to turn on the water. Sheesh, a cat’s life is complicated!
Ah well, it’s time to get to our web worthy feline news stories.
Don’t let this guy’s grumpy face fool you. This cat named Pearl is serious about his job. He’s been guarding a watermelon farm for almost 6 years and is much loved by his humans. His human says he is the sweetest feline in the village.
Pon the cat has an interesting habit, he loves to rest his head on anything you put under his chin . His YouTube Channel, Pon’s Diary documents the daily life of this Scottish Fold from Japan. Why does he do this? It may have something to do with the scent glands under his chin. Cats use these glands to mark their territory and Pon may just be a bit obsessive of making sure he marks everything that he comes in contact with.
A woman believes her security camera captured her dead cat’s ghost curled up on the sofa. A note before you watch the video, the cat at the start of the video is a real living cat. After that cat leaves the room the “ghost cat” fades into view in the middle of the sofa. Is it her dearly departed cat or is it a pillow? What do you think?
I am writing this post from the depths of the rawness of recent grief. My beloved Jasmine followed her brother Tucker across the Rainbow Bridge three days ago. Tucker and Jasmine were in my life for 17 years but no matter how many years we have with them, we still want more.
As I suffered through the loss of Tucker in February someone asked me how old he was. When I said 17 the person said, “Well, at 17 he had a good run.” I don’t believe this comment was made to hurt me but it did. This is not the first time someone has dismissed or belittled the grief I’ve suffered at the loss of a fur kid.
It was Tucker’s loss that prompted me to enroll in a certificate course for pet bereavement counseling. I had no idea I would be grieving his sister only four months later and that I would become my own bereavement counselor.
I am learning that each loss is unique and grief takes many forms. The circumstances of the loss of our cats vary, sometimes we have to make the decision to help them over the Rainbow Bridge, and other times that decision is taken out of our hands when our felines pass away suddenly or, we may never have closure as they just disappear.
Grief isn’t logical
Loss is always traumatic but when the loss is sudden or unexpected it can affect us very deeply and for an extended period of time.
This was the case with my beloved coal black, green-eyed mellow tempered and loving Buster. Buster never insisted on anything. He always expressed pleasure at every petting he received, every treat he was offered and every stroll around the back yard. We shared twelve wonderful years together until the evening we were sitting together in the downstairs TV room. He woke from his nap with a scream, had a seizure and died. It was 11:00pm and there was nothing I could do until the next morning. I wrapped him lovingly in a blanket, placed him in a carrier and put him in my car in the garage. My logical mind said, “He’s gone.” My heart and emotions said, “What if you’re wrong?” I worried that it had all been a horrible mistake and that he’d be sitting up in the box wondering why he was in the car. I went out to the garage several times during the night to check on him.
Buster’s ashes were spread in the beautiful memorial rose garden behind my veterinary clinic. I couldn’t bring myself to visit that garden. I moved along in life, shedding tears when I found a favorite toy of his, looked at photographs and when the tape of the moment of his death ran in my head. I believed that time would heal my broken heart and I soldiered on.
It was about a year later I decided I wanted to bring a kitten into the family. I was excited (who doesn’t love a kitten?) and entered the kitten room at the shelter with anticipation. The room was full of sweet little guys – and all of them were black. I felt my chest constrict and my eyes filled with tears. I ran out of the room and the shelter. There was no adoption that day and not for many months later.
Traumatic Grief
My logical mind couldn’t understand my reaction and it was only when I was working through my bereavement counseling course that I began to understand the particular grief I suffered at Buster’s death.
I watched Buster suffer at the end. I never had a chance to say good-bye. I couldn’t stroke him and tell him how much I loved him in his last moments of life. His sudden and traumatic death left me with many unresolved feelings.
According to the Ralph Site, a pet loss support group, “Sudden and unexpected pet loss can cause pet parents to exhibit physical and emotional symptoms of shock. If your bereavement has just happened – or you’re reading this on behalf of someone it’s just happened to – you may find yourself shaking, experiencing palpitations, headaches, stomach aches, sleeplessness and more. Some people even show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is defined as ‘recurring memories and a heightened state of arousal that lingers for more than a month after a traumatic event’. You don’t even have to have witnessed your pet’s passing to feel traumatized. Sometimes not having been there can be just as painful.”
I realized that the loss of Buster had traumatized me in a way that my other losses had not. Please make no mistake, every loss is traumatic but my reaction to this death was unhealthy and extended. My mind constantly cycled through the same questions, “Did I do something wrong? Why didn’t I see this coming? Did I take care of him the best I could? Did he know how much I loved him?” The tape of his passing played repetitively in my head. I felt tormented.
Healing and moving forward
There is no timeline on grief, every situation is different, every person is different and therefore there is no one size fits all formula to recover from the grief you feel. In sharing my journey to healing my hope is that there will be something in these five points that those of you who are suffering from loss can take and use to find your own healing. They are helping me deal with the loss of Jasmine.
1-Feel Your Pain: No one likes to hurt but not allowing the grief to work itself through is unhealthy, physically and mentally. As awful as it is, there is healing in feeling the pain.
2-Accept solace from those who understand: Find the people who will cry with you, comfort you and who understand the grief you are feeling. Stay away from those whose attitude is, “It was only a cat.”
3-Stop the Distressing Tape in Your Head: This is not an easy thing to do. I am a person of faith and when that tape starts running I stop it with prayer. If prayer isn’t part of your lifestyle acknowledge what is happening and refuse to let the tape play. Replace those images with thoughts of happy days, remember the joy and love you shared with your cat. Refuse to allow the tape to play and every time it starts, fix your mind on something else.
4-Dump the Guilt: Refuse to play the “what if” game. Remind yourself of the care and love you lavished on your cat, focus on the wonderful times you had together, not the last moments of your cat’s life. The fact that you are grieving so much is a testimonial to the love you had for your fur kid.
5-Don’t dwell on the death, honor the life: Honoring your cat’s life needs to be done in the way that is best for you. Some people write a letter, some set up a memorial, some talk to others about their cat; some have a memorial service or another memorial type of activity.
My closure and healing will come soon not just for Buster but for my recently deceased and beloved Tucker and Jasmine. I will go, for the first time, to the rose garden where their ashes have been spread and I will remember them with some friends who also have recently lost their beloved fur kids. I will celebrate their lives and the love they brought into my life.
The answer is……..there is no answer
We all grieve differently and we move through our grief differently. The key is moving through it so that it isn’t detrimental to our physical and emotional health. This is why it’s so important to say goodbye, in whatever way is best for us as it will help navigate this rocky path of grief. When we say a proper goodbye to our beloved felines we find that in time (and that time is different for everyone) we focus on our cat’s life and how much we loved them, and not the loss. Our memories of them will be full of the happy days, the joy and the love.
Wherever you are on your journey of grief, I hope that you will find some help from my story. If you do not have supportive, understanding people around you, I highly recommend The Ralph Site Facebook page and group to share your story. You are always welcome to have a discussion in this blog in the comments or contact me directly. Don’t suffer alone, there are many of us who understand what you are going through.
Well hi there furiends, I do apologize for the late post. The Female Human (aka our Purrsonal Assistant and General Lackey) has been in quite a state. In addition to writing blogs and books, she has a thingy she calls a “business”. Well this “business” hasn’t been too busy lately and she has been rather discombobulated. This business thingy will be opening May 1 and now The Human is really in a tiz. All that is to say, she has failed to properly prioritize and my weekly feature is a day late. Sigh. It’s so hard to get good help.
This week’s report about the goings on in our neck of the woods is pretty boring. The Female Human is running around like her hair is on fire. While she’s not getting any of the green stuff for her business, she has been working on two diploma/certificate courses, Feline Behavior & Psychology and Pet Grief Counseling. There has been no lollygagging around the house or working on home projects, she is in full freak out mode.
“Human, take a deep breath, count to three and relax!”-Alberto
In the chaos of our lives, I am happy to report that our county had only four cases of the nasty virus and our family and furiends here are healthy. I pray this is the same for all of you, Still, service at our house has left a bit to be desired but then again, The Female Human is our only staff and we must make sure we don’t cross the line.
‘Thank you human, you may place the wet food bowl down there. And no. I do not want to engage in this new “chase the ball” exercise.- Oliver
All things considered, things are looking up, we are beginning to see some green and warmer temperatures and The Female Human has promised that if she ever sees that check they are supposed to be sending everyone, she will splurge on a cat stroller so we can check out our neighborhood.
“You humans need to be more cat-like. Chill. relax and eat your greens!”-Lily
We know our humans are devastated when their feline friends go missing. This was the case with a man named Russ Small whose beloved lynx point Siamese went missing. Buddy and his human were exactly that, buddies. The feline always wanted to be with Russ, when he was working on cars or in the garage. And while he worked Russ would talk to Buddy and Buddy would talk (or meow) back. And then one day Buddy disappeared and despite all their efforts, they couldn’t find him.
Fast forward almost nine years when Russ’s wife noticed a picture on Fur The Love of Paws Facebook page and was sure it was Buddy, now 16. The couple was sure it was “their” Buddy and cementing this belief were that the “stray” cat the shelter called “Cyrus” had an eye condition that Buddy had and had the exact same markings.
Russ and Kim went to check out the cat and Buddy ran to them almost immediately. Now Buddy spends his days back in the garage with Russ and they have returned to their special brand of feline/human conversation.
The feline/human bond is a real thing (another subject our Human is studying) and quite remarkable. In a 2019 study Kristyn Vitale, researcher at Oregon State University’s Human-Animal Interaction Lab said “Like dogs, cats display social flexibility in regard to their attachments with humans,”” The majority of cats are securely attached to their owner and use them as a source of security in a novel environment.”
What does a major travel company do when they can’t book humans on travel? They feature photos of the cutest kittens from all around the world. This photo is the Andean Mountain Cat (photo courtesy of Lupo/Wikimediacommons). This cute little feline is very rare and can be found in Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. There have only been 10 sightings of this shy cat in 25 years! Be sure and “travel” with Fodor’s Travel to see the rest of the rare felines.
Lanai is the only Hawaiian island that is COVID-19 free
Crazy things happen in these crazy days. The Lanai Cat Sanctuary (I’ve reported on this place in a previous Web Wednesday segment) relies on about 15,000 visitors a year to fund its programs but currently they have no visitors. These creative folks held a live streamed Yoga with Cats event. The sanctuary teamed with Anne Van Valkenburg, the wellness manager of the uber-exclusive Sensei Lanai, A Four Seasons Resort.
“This is a time where we are all keeping our distance and trying to find ways to keep close,” says Sanctuary Executive Director Keoni Vaughn. “We are really isolated in such a remote location and the sanctuary is completely off the grid with no electricity or Internet. So this is one way to bring everyone close and hopefully, ease some of the stress that everyone is experiencing.”
The Lanai Cat Sanctuary located in their current location in 2009. Since then, more than 2,000 cats have been sterilized, preventing the birth of thousands of kittens. They’ve found homes for more than 400 cats through it’s adoption program. The sanctuary now houses nearly 650 sterilized cats.
We’ve been seeing many felines showing up at show tapings, business meetings and streaming events while humans are staying at home. While most felines are cute and add a bit of whimsy to these videos, these two cats were clearly squaring off for a bit of a tiff while the meteorologist, blissfully unaware of the drama behind him, soldiered on with his report.
Viewers of the forecast were left in the dark as to which cat won the altercation although there has been much speculation. JoJo Girard from MIX.95.7 noted. “As far as I can determine, the fatter, white cat had offended the black and orange cat (probably ate all his food) and the black and orange cat was having none of it, and thus went on the attack.”
Viewers have been clamoring for the fight outcome, sending comments like, “Can we get an insider piece on whatever drama is happening in the back?”
I have to say that as a feline in the public eye, I am shocked and dismayed at the behavior of these two. Please my fellow high profile felines, if you are going to be making more public appearances, for heaven’s sake,try to have a bit of decorum.
Since you humans have turned into bona fide couch potatoes and are now occupying the sofa that is designated for feline use only during the day, it’s time to rethink your feline’s comfort.
Someone has unearthed a 1998 pamphlet called “Crochet Kitty Couches” by Candy Clayton. If you don’t have this gem, you can get patterns from the book online at Annie’s Craft Store available as a print to order for $8.99 or a digital download for $5.99
The patterns offer a blue couch, a green sofa and a pink chair and the details are amazing. All instructions you need as to how to fill the furniture with foam are included.
People are publishing photos of their kitty couch creations on Annie’s Craft Store Facebook page and, there is a Reddit sub-thread about crocheting that displays some as well. The moral is, if you humans are going to plant yourself on our sofa space, then we need our own sofas!
Happy Wednesday My Furiends! The Tribe is slowly getting back to normal. The Female Human always makes sure she gives us cuddle time (Oliver is a bit more demanding than the rest of us).
“Human, you’re not done petting me area you?” – Oliver
Lily is eating better and Oliver and I are trying to keep from chasing her all over the house (the little water squirt bottle that’s sprayed in our faces when The Human catches us treating her like prey has helped as well)
Lily is relaxing more and here she is enjoying a brief moment by the fire
I spend supervised time with Jasmine in her “apartment” in the back of the house. She’ll tolerate Oliver and sadly, still connects Lily with the cat that came with her and bullied Jasmine so Lily is not a visitor. I like to hang out on Jasmine’s cat condo.
Well, it’s time to bring you my feline stories of the week. Enjoy!
If you follow my Wednesday web wanderings, you already know I feature many news items from Japan. Things like feline ID cards, condos designed for cats and their people, hotels where windows look into a feline playground and lots more. And now, those wonderful folks in Japan have created diapers for cats.
There are many reasons why a kitty might need a diaper, temporarily or permanently; diseases, post-surgery, spraying outside the litterbox, inconvenience due to age, etc. This “absorption wear”, as described by Unicharm, the product creators, were created after lengthy study of the feline body shape.
The high waist is said to help the snug fit along the cat’s body and will not hinder the cat from jumping and move with ease. Feline grooming and licking will not peel off the wide tape and the area for the tail will accommodate the floofiest of cats.
Each diaper is said to absorb moisture for up to 12 hours, and the absorbent, breathable sheet inside is made with ultra-fine silk-like fibers that are soft for kitty’s fur. There is no price noted at this time for the Manner Wear diapers. They will be released on the Japanese market on March 9th.
And here is more fantastic feline news from Japan. If you will be sharing your new home or apartment with a feline in Japan, call Necorepa Real Estate, Japan’s very first real estate agency that exclusively works with properties that allow cats.
Necorepa Real Estate is a collaborative venture between Neco Republic, an animal welfare organization that also runs a chain of cat cafes/adoption centers for rescue cats (plus a cat hotel) and Tokyo-based realtor Innov. The company doesn’t just list apartments that merely allow cats, either, but ones with features that make them extra attractive to the cats themselves, like the climbing/play ledges and places specifically designed for litter boxes.
If a property is very cat friendly, it earns the Nekorepa Seal of Approval . They must satisfy three criteria: abundant natural sunlight (to enhance cat naps), floors and walls with scratch-resistant surfaces, and a design that ensures your furry friend can’t slip out of the apartment and get lost while you’re away from home.
A portion of initial lease fees, as well as 222 yen (US$2) of each tenant’s monthly rent in properties managed directly by the company, is donated to Neco Republic’s cat cafes, to help keep the felines healthy and happy during their wait to find permanent homes. Most of Necorepa Real Estate’s apartments are in Tokyo, but it also has properties in Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, and Aichi Prefectures, with its full listings available online through its website here.
A London couple has let the cat out of the bag, at least regarding how they amuse their “super clingy” cat while focusing on their work-from-home jobs.
I do object to the word “clingy”. In our house we prefer the word “cuddly”. Lily is a great cuddler and has been called a “love bug” so she’s often referred to as Lily Bug.
A London couple’s cat Ziggy is a cuddle bug too. Both humans now work from home and Ziggy decided that their laps should be available 24/7. This put a crimp in the human’s work day so they came up with the idea of creating a “lap” out of sweat pants and sneakers, stuffed so that the lap would be inviting and soft. This faux lap was placed on the sofa with a heated map. Ziggy is in heaven. Hmmmm, maybe Lily needs one of these!
While we don’t get purrlitical on Feline Opines, Oliver did throw his hat into the ring in 2016 to run for Purresident. Sadly, his inexperience (he was a kitten) was his downfall. You can read about his campaign here. Since we haven’t had any feline Purresidents in the White House, we wanted to find out if any felines ever resided in the White House.
The first known cat in the White House was named Tabby, who lived with Abraham Lincoln and his family. There was another feline there too named Dixie. Lincoln treated his cats as family members (as it should be!). During one formal White House banquet he fed Tabby from the table with a gold fork. Mrs. Lincoln was appalled and told her husband this was “shameful in front of the guests.” (I hiss in her general direction!).
President Lincoln once remarked, “Dixie is smarter than my whole cabinet! And furthermore, she doesn’t talk back!”
During the siege of Petersburg in March 1865, (a few weeks prior to his assisination) Lincoln was distracted the sounds of kittens meowing. He found the kittens, brought them inside and cuddled them in his lap. Lincoln whispered to the cats, “Kitties, thank God you are cats, and can’t understand this terrible strife that is going on,” later remarking to a colonel that he hoped “these poor little motherless waifs are given plenty of milk and treated kindly.”
The first purebred cat in the White House was “Siam,” who was also the first Siamese cat to arrive in the U.S. in 1878. She was a gift to First Lady Lucy Hayes from the American Consul in Bangkok, Thailand. Nearly a century later, Gerald Ford’s daughter Susan brought another Siamese, “Shan,” to live at Pennsylvania Avenue.
The Teddy Roosevelt White House had Slippers and Tom Quartz, Woodrow Wilson had Puffins, and Calvin Coolidge had Tiger, who accompanied him around the White House. “Socks,” Chelsea Clinton’s cat, was a handsome tuxedo cat who came from a shelter. At this time there is no feline residing in the White House.
I love it when shelters dream up creative fund raising ideas and this one is a doozy. For a donation of $20.00 or more, the Concho Valley Paws shelter in Texas painted the name of your ex on the bottom of a litterbox and, as they said in their promotion, they will let their team of “well-fed felines super poopers cover your former #1 with plenty of #2.
Hello Furiends, I hope your week has gone well and that this week’s feline news report finds you healthy and happy.
We actually had sunshine this week. I must say though, I was a bit annoyed by the laughter from The Human when she came in the office and saw me soaking up some vitamin C. Seriously, I have no idea what she found so amusing.
Lily is still missing her buddy Tucker.
Lily is still adjusting to the change in the Tribe and the loss of Tucker. She is a tiny little feline and she hasn’t been eating so The Female Human went to talk to the people in the white coats about this. She came home with some food called Hills AD Diet for cats and dogs. Now I’ve never heard of a food for cats AND dogs but evidently this is what they give patients when they are not eating well. And I must say it works! Lily is eating again and perking up, even coming over to get her “before bed treats”.The hardest part of this is keeping the stuff away from Oliver who needs no appetite stimulation!
Jasmine enjoys watching what’s going on in the woods.
The Female Human was a little stressed out about Tucker’s sister Jasmine after Tucker crossed the Rainbow Bridge. She took Jasmine to have her blood work done and her regular wellness check. Well guess what….Jasmine’s kidney numbers are lower than when she was first diagnosed with kidney disease. Meowza, you should have seen our Human doing the happy dance.
Oliver misses the big guy too so he spends some quality time with The Female Human in the evening. He’ll even hang out with her when she has a glass of wine on the weekend (note, Oliver does not drink wine)
And, as far as the problem with Oliver and I giving Lily a bad time…..things haven’t changed too much but it seems lately Lily is standing up for herself more.
Well, that’s all the news about the Tribe, now, on to the news!
A few years ago we opined about cat music on our website (yes we have a website in addition to this blog that our Purrsonal Assistant does not promote enough). We have mewsic at our house and we quite like it. The Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery recently reported on the stress-lowering effects of music in cats. This study says that classical rather than pop or heavy metal soothes felines best….well DUH! I don’t think you need to be a scientist to figure that out!
Now they did dig a little deeper and said that cat-specific music with ‘melodic’ lines based on cat vocalizations (like purring) sooths us. We also purrfer frequencies similar to feline vocal ranges, which are two octaves higher than those of humans.
These scientists studied 20 domestic cadts, playimg 20 minutes of cat-specific music, classical music or no music at random veterinary visits 2 weeks apart. They used cat stress scores (checking the feline’s body posture., ear placement, etc.) as well as how the cat’s responded to being handled. They drew blood samples to mark the physiological stress levels.
And what did they find out? Cat specific music might indeed lower stress levels. Now, I don’t want to sound snarky here but when this scientific study ends with, ““[C]at-specific music may benefit cats by decreasing the stress levels and increasing the quality of care in veterinary clinical settings.” I’m not impressed. Even our Female Human knows that our cat mewsic may calm us down but at least I give the researchers an “A” for effort. You can watch the videos on our website and come to your own scientific conclusions as to whether we were less stressed when listing to our Music for Cats album.
Any company whose motto is, “life is better with cats!” is my kind of company! The company’s founder began this company after being inspired after she rescued a litter of kittens and their mother a few years ago. That rescue experience made her realize that there are thousands of cats and kittens who are not as fortunate as the ones she rescued. The company values are: Improving the Lives of Homeless Cats and Kittens – Advocating for Animals and their Rescuers – Compassion – Making a Difference.
Now who wouldn’t love to do business with a company like that! The Female Human loves their clothes and is going to order the pink hoodie. They have lots of great stuff like a “Cat Daddy” bottle opener, pawsome pins and bags, hats, jewelry and goodies for the felines in your life.
Every time The Female Human gets out h er yoga mat, Oliver and I head on over to snoopervise (well I snoopervise, Oliver splays himself out on the mat) and she gets her whiskers in a twist and shoos us away. Now that I’ve found Boris. the yoga cat I’m going to make a case for us doing yoga with our Human. If you check out Boris’ Instagram you will see there is not a pose that can’t be done with a kiitty!
I don’t think you humans pay enough attention to our tails as they can tell you a lot. I’m not going into all 11 of the tail signs but I will highlight a few. You can read about all of them here.
Straight Up: When we stand with our tails straight up, pointing at the ceiling, it means we are happy, confident and willing to be friendly so come on over and give us a pet!
Fuzzy Tail: Well, that’s what we call it at our house. It’s when our tails get fuzzed up 3 times their regular size. If we are startled, scared or feeling threatened we will floof ourselves out to appear as big as possible. Trust me, you don’t want to pet us when are tails are fuzzy!
The Fast Flicking Tail: When you see us flicking our tails from side to side, the message we’re sending you is that something is wrong. It can be fear but it can also mean we are annoyed or reacting to something we don’t like.
The Slow Moving Gentle Tail Flick: This means we are zeroed in on something, that we’re very focused. We may be getting ready to pounce on a toy, another cat or a mouse. Basically it’s showing our intention to make a move.
I’ll let you read about the rest of the tail signals for yourself. Just remember, we are telling you a lot with our tails!
“It’s quite all right human, go back to bed. I’m just helping you arrange this mess.” – Alberto
Evidently, the fact that we get the zoomies at night is not because felines are nocturnal. Shelly Zacharias, DVM, VPM and vice president of Medical Affairs at Gallant, in an interview by POPSUGAR, said that cats are actually crepuscular, meaning their waking hours are at both sunrise and sunset.
Well that information is all well and good but our Female Human wants to know how to keep us from waking her in the middle of the night with our antics. Some suggest that you humans play with us before bedtime. Also, some interesting toys for us to play with while you are sleeping will help keep us busy.
If you have any foodaholic felines in your house (I shall not name names) you might want to consider splitting the evening meal in two. Feed us one earlier in the evening and the other one right before you go to bed. This is supposed to keep us from bugging you for food but evidently ,the expert that suggested this has never met Oliver.
They also suggest puzzle feeders. I don’t know about the rest of you felines out there but The Female Human tried that on us. We quickly let her know we do NOT work for food.
The article also suggests that you humans ignore us if we wake you up. That might work for some but when you suddenly find a 17-pound feline on your chest, your desire to breathe will take over your desire to ignore us.
Our Female Human has decided that the best remedy for our nighttime zoomies is to close her bedroom door (and then prepare herself for the havoc she sees in the morning). MOL
Hello Furiends, We’re getting used to the “new normal” at our house since Angel Tucker crossed the Rainbow Bridge. As my brother Oliver and I are still young-ish felines we are easily bored and always looking for a bit of fun. Lately, our “fun” has consisted of chasing Lily down the stairs and then not letting her come pack up the stairs. The Human keeps telling us to stop being “hooligans” (whatever that means, I’m sure it’s complimentary because we are such good kitties). Lily has taken to sitting on the ledge by the stairs and watching our every move. The Human is spraying pheromone stuff all over the house but so far, it has not had the desired effects.
“Human, would you PLEASE tell Al and Ollie to stop bullying me? “Frankly, I think Lily is being a bit over dramatic.” – Oliver“Okay, I admit I have a twinge of guilt for ganging up on Lily.” – Alberto” I could care less what you two knuckleheads get up to. I have my own domain in the back of the house, safe from hooligans!” – Jasmine
If any of our furiends have advice for The Human as to how to keep us from treating Lily like prey, she’d sure like to hear it!
Okay, enough about us, let’s get on the the feline gems I found this week.
Purina Pro Plan LiveClear will be sold in veterinary clinics, online and in pet specialty retail outlets in three formulas—Adult Chicken & Rice, Adult Salmon & Rice, and Adult Sensitive Skin & Stomach Turkey & Oat Meal.
I’ve reported on many methods attempting to stop or mitigate the cat allergies that many humans suffer from and now there is a product coming to market in April that purports to do this. Purina Pro Pan LiveClear is formulated with a protein sourced from eggs that contain an anti Fel d1 antibody. Humans react to the protein Fel d1, produced by cats in their salivary glands. The protein is transferred to he cat’s hair and skin during grooming and it is eventually shed into the environment. It took more than ten years of research but the Purina Institute says this cat food, the first and only cat food capable of reducing the allergens in cat hair and dander is ready for the market.
Statistics show that about 20% of adult humans in the world are allergic to cats (meowza, that’s a lot!) but a study that was published last year in Immunity, Inflammation found that 47% fewer allergens were found in the hair and dander of cats eating Pro Plan LIveClear. These results manifested in the third week of feeding the cats the new product on a daily basis. The same study also found that active Fel d 1 production decreased in 97% of cats (with individual variability).
How does it work? As the cat eats the kibble coated with the special egg powder it neutralizes the Fel d 1.
Now our Human is very picky about what she feeds us and her first question was, “Is it safe for the cats?” Purina’s Director of veterinary technical communication, Jason Gagne said that the safety of the feline consumers was a key consideration. The goal was to neutralize the protein without impacting the physiology of the felines. The egg coating is perfectly healthy for cats to eat.
If you want to read more about the “sciency” details, be sure and read the article. We’re keeping our paws crossed that this will work and that more kitties will find furever homes because their humans no longer have to worry about sneezing, itching and other allergic reactions.
“We just hit it off, and we’ve been together ever since,” – Gary and Rascal
Our Human knows many people who take their felines to places to share them with others. Lots of folks at the Green Acres retirement home look forward to the bi-monthly visits from the non-profit organization, Country Cat Lady. As a rule there are about 12 residents ready to meet the dozen cats who come to visit. The organization has been in existence a little less than two years after the founder realized what a help her cats were with her special needs son.
The Country Cat Lady’s cats are trained to be support animals through exposure to people. After they graduate from their training, they are adopted out as support animals. Even if some of the cats don’t make the cut, they are adopted out to loving, furever homes.
The top tier cats live with the Country Cat Lady and they are the ones who travel to places like Green Acres. This is how Gary DeLude met a black cat named Trailblazer (although Gary refers to him as Rascal).DeLude says he can walk into the room, depressed about something and sitting down with Rascal makes him “feel better all over”. The Country Cat Lady has promised Gary that his buddy Rascal will stay with her so he can continue to come and visit.
The Country Cat Lady is now seeking partnerships, donations and support so she can continue and even expand her work.
What a pawsome job the Country Cat Lady has and she is helping so many people.. I hope you have something like this in your community and, if you don’t, find a human to start one!
Naughty cat disrupts live orchestra concert and steals the show
Oh my whiskers, this is hilarious. We’ve seen cats racing across sports fields, hanging out in stores and other places but this has to be my favorite “cat bomb”. The feline loving musicians try to welcome the music loving kitty but clearly this cat is having none of it. He was there for the music and not to make new friends!
At first I had my whiskers in a twist and was quite outraged that a government would require felines to register. Then I read the article and realized this is an optional thing and might even help the humans of felines in the area.
Kanagawa Prefecture, Tokyo’s neighbor to the south, is home to 9.2 million people, just about all of whom have a form of ID. It may be a driver’s license, a student ID, or a resident card, but there’s some sort of document that says “This is who I am.” Now the felines who decide to have an ID can have one too through a partnership between the Kanagawa Prefectural government and pet-related media company PECO.
You can have the basic information on your card as well as your birth date, name of your human family members, special tricks or abilities you want the world to know about and even your motto. (Mine would be “I’m always feline fine”).
There are cards for doggos too but since this is a cat only blog I don’t feel the need to expound any further. Oh, and the cards are free!
Visitors enjoy a footbath while playing with cats at the Neko Yokujo cat bath house in Osaka’s Chuo Ward. (Mainichi/Ryoichi Mochizuki)
My last feature also comes from Japan. We’ve seen cat cafes, cat hostels, condos designed for cats ad their humans, cat ID cards and other fantastic feline stuff and this is yet another creative way the folks in Osaka are finding a new way to hang out with cats.
Neko Yokujo, “cat bath house” in Japanese, is operated by Gifu-based firm Neco Republic, which manages cat cafes across the country. The 15 felines at Neko Yokujo are rescues and all are available for adoption. And there is a hostel where guests can stay with cats, Neko Yokujo attached to the cat bath house. Meowza, I say it’s time for the good old US of A to catch up with all the fantastic feline venues in Japan!
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