Walk Through The Web Wednesday 9/12

 

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hey there furiends,
It’s been a busy week and fall is definitely coming in our neck of the woods. I hope you are all well and that you enjoy this week’s web wanderings.
Purrs & head Bonks,

Siamese cat with blue eyes

Cat got your wallet? CryptoKitties virtual feline fetches $170K in crypto cash – Digital Trends

Dragon Crypto Kitty

It makes sense to me that felines would take over the crypto currency craze. There is a new “Game” on the Ethereum blockchain that lets you purchase and collect virtual cats, and then breed them with each other to try to create valuable new creatures with rare attributes, or “catributes,”. It’s called   and recently  the most expensive in-app purchase to date happened with the sale of a CryptoKitty named Dragon for approximately $170,000, or the equivalent of 600 ETH in cryptocurrency. Now I don’t understand crypto currency but I do understand $170,000.00! Meowza, that’s a lot of catnip!

Shelter Features Unique Cat Foster Program – The Augusta Chronicle

prisoner and cat

You all know how much I love innovative ideas to help shelter or feral cats and this one helps the cats and the people too. The Animal Advocates, a non-profit organization that helps homeless animals in Barnwell, started the MeowMates program at the Allendale Correctional Institute in 2013. Hundreds of cats have been fostered by inmates – also known as “pet dads” – where they are socialized and cared for before being adopted.

This program is working so well and is so innovative that MeowMates will be featured on an episode of the popular television show “My Cat from Hell” this Saturday, Sept. 15 at 9 p.m. on Animal Planet.

“I feel the special partnership is making a huge impact on both our animals and our pet dads and it is my hope that maybe other rescues across the U.S. will see the segment and begin their own collaboration with a prison in their area,” said Vikki Scott, president of the Animal Advocates.

The Tribe of Five gives this this program our “Paws Up” Award because it’s good for the felines and the humans!

17 Cats to follow on Instagram – Romper

CatsofInstagram

Now before I tell you about other cats on Instagram, please allow me to remind you that The Tribe of Five at Feline Opines is also on Instagram and we hope you’re following us!

Okay, now that that’s settled I can continue. These 17 cats are quite interesting and I bet you’ve seen many of them and there are probably some you’ve never seen.  Had on over and check out some of these cool cats (and don’t forget the Feline Opines page!)

Senior kitties relax through their golden years at Cat’s Cradle in Lutz – Fox 13

senior cat sanctuary

Any time humans go above and beyond for felines I want to tell the world about it. This is what the Cat’s Cradle Sanctuary is doing.  They  only take senior cats that have no chance of being adopted. “What we’re trying to do here is to give these senior cats a wonderful environment for their final years,” Bruce Jenkins explained.

Everything is designed and set up[ for the comfort and enjoyment of these senior felines and that comes at quite a cost. Expenses can run over $1,000 a month. God bless this couple who are making the senior years of these cats their best years!

Hurricane Preparation Tips for Cat Caregivers, Pet Owners in Path of Florence – Alley Cat Allies

AlleyCatAlliesResponse

Alley Cat Allies is a wonderful organization whose sole purpose is to help felines. And as we pray for our furiends in the path of hurricane Florence, we wanted to share some of their emergency preparedness tips.  Please stay safe and be prepared!

  1. Make sure to have descriptions of the community cats (sometimes called feral cats) you care for and your pets, along with photos. If you need to look for displaced cats in shelters or other rescue areas after the storm, this will help accurately identify them. Make sure all pet tags and animal microchips have up-to-date information.
  2. Enlist a back-up caregiver who is responsible for the community cats in your absence, and network with other community cat caregivers in your area to set up a “buddy system.” This will create a safety net of care for the cats. You may be able to find other cat caregivers in your area through our Feral Friends Network™.
  3. Create an emergency contact card for your community cat colonies and pets in case you are not immediately available. Include all contact information for your substitute caregiver. Carry this card in your wallet and your car, give copies to your backup caregiver, and post it somewhere visible in your home like on the refrigerator.
  4. Make a list of local shelters and their contact information. You will need this information in case you need their help or resources.
  5. Keep an emergency supply kit on hand and know where to find it quickly. Disaster kit basics for pets include a pet first-aid kit, a supply of prescription medications for pets, veterinary and microchip ID records, three to seven days of pet food and dishes, a seven-day supply of bottled water per person and per pet, a litter box and litter, a leash and collar, crate or carrier, blankets, and photos of pets and cats in colonies.
  6. Protect outdoor cat shelters by turning the openings away from the storm surge, or, if possible, by moving them to slightly higher ground nearby.
  7. Fill multiple food and water bowls in case you may be away for an extended time.
  8. Do not try to bring unsocialized community cats with you if you evacuate. Remember, community cats are resourceful. The outdoors is their home, so they know how to deal with weather.

Since it’s not possible to bring community cats with you when evacuating from disasters, they need their own special disaster plan. Read our Disaster Proofing a Community Cat Colony resource for guidance.

Finally, you can always reach out to Feral Friends Network™ members in your area for help in preparing community cats for a disaster or finding them after the danger has passed.

 

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 9/5

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hi There Furiends,
Fall has arrived here in the Inland Northwest. Our summer was waaaaay too short, we had so much smoke we were stuck inside for most of the time.  Ah well, if the weather says nice I still may get some kayak training with The Female Human!

Here are my finds for the week, enjoy!
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

A Cats Only Grooming Salon – Pilot Online

cat being washed at cat salon

Prepare to have all your cat grooming stereotypes blown away! There is a feline only grooming salon in Yorktown, VA.  The owners of Purricious Styles  say that cats are not as adverse to water as you humans may think (and of course, I wholeheartedly agree). What I do take exception to is that they also state they have special equipment like muzzle cones for “snippy cats”. Muzzles, snippy cats?? Hmmm. If your feline in residence is looking for a new do and you live in the area, you might want to call Purricious Styles 
and see about getting kitty a lion or teddy bear clip. As for me, I’ll just leave my handsome fur the way it is.

Headed to the Vet? Calm Your Cat With a New Feline Radio Station- Mental Floss

Siamese cat listens to music

We felines are not so fond of being shoved in a box, dumped in the metal moving machine and being taken to the place with white coats. I don’t know about the rest of you but all the members of The Tribe of Five loudly sing the song of their people all the way. If we’re singing anyway yu might as well turn on the radio to Calm Pet Radio. It not only provides music but it calms us down as well.

Cat Calm Radio plays music by David Teie, a composer who writes music targeted at cats’ preferences. His songs feature sounds that will be familiar and soothing to cats, like beats similar to the sound of suckling milk, played at the frequencies cats use to communicate with each other. Researchers have found that cats respond better to his cat-specific tunes than to human music. We didn’t need researchers to tell us this. The Female Human purchased the first album from Davied Teje called Music for Cats and we like it very much.

The online cat music station was launched in honor of National Take Your Cat to the Vet Day on August 22. “We’re one of the only radio stations to play species-specific music, designed to have a calming effect on your cat in the car, especially on trips to the vet,” the website explains. You can listen online here.  We opined about this music on our website FelineOpines.com and you can even see videos of our first experiences with our favorite mewsic.

The Best Cosplaying Cats of All Time – Gamebyte

cosplay black and white cat

If any of you are wondering, “What the heck is cosplay and what does it have to do with cats?” , allow me to explain. Cosplay is a strange hobby that many humans don’t want to admit they are involved in.  The short definition (according to Wickipedia) is, ” a contraction of the words costume play, is a performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear self-made costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character.” Okay, I’m fine with humans putting on silly costumes but when you take your feline and stuff him or her into a ridiculous costume and then take photos for all the world to see, well that’s another matter completely! 

I must admit that most of the cosplay cats in this article look pretty proud of themselves, but in case my Humans get any great ideas, thanks but no thanks, The Tribe of Five have taken a vote and it was a unanimous NO to cosplay and costumes of any sort.

This Collection Turns Your Existing Furniture Into a Cat Tree – Apartment Therapy

black cat on cat furniture

The Female Human is always griping about how scroungy our existing cat furniture looks, how expensive new cat trees are, blah, blah,blah. Well now some smart humans have come up with a way to turn existing furniture in cat furniture!

Often cat furniture is bulky, ugly and can’t fit into smaller spaces. Even though we felines love to sleep on your stuff (your bed, your computer keyboard, your face….) we still need a place of our own.  The folks at Catssup have come up with some purrfect feline furniture designs. Now you don’t have to buy a new piece of furniture, you transform your existing furniture into cat friendly furniture!  The people at Catssup say it’s space saving, easy to install and integrates easily into any human home.  This is what the designers of Catssup say about their furniture, “”Instinctively, cats are more comfortable with heights because it provides them with a secure vantage point to survey the world below. Unfortunately, many modern households are unable to provide vertical spaces due to limited interior space and the bulkiness of conventional cat trees.”. Well, I say tell your humans to get out their credit card and head over to Catssup right away!

These Cat Face Towels Will Make Washing Off Your Makeup WAY More Fun – Bustle

cat face towel with ginger cat face

If your female human spends every night washing off the stuff she put on her face in the morning, you may want to point her in the direction of these towels. Once again, our friends across the pond, who are always ahead of the game when it comes to felines, have created these fun face towels (or wash clothes as we call them in the good old U.S. of A.) These  Cat Face Towels from Firebox  are the cat’s meow for your bathroom.

kitty-coin-bank_29845Firebox is an online retailer based in London that offers all kinds of  unusual gifts, home decor, techie gadgets, food, and drink. There are quite a few fun things for cat lovers, Pusheen slippers, cat mugs and even a wonderful kitty coin bank where you can drop your savings to use to buy something special for your feline.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 8/29

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Well hello there furiends,
Boy did Wednesday come quick this week. Our terrible smokey air is getting better and we even had rain this week! The temperatures are much cooler and fall is coming. Here’s hoping all the fires that surround us will be contained completely. We worry about the humans and the poor forest creatures that are burned out of their homes.

I hope you enjoy this week’s items.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

These Cats (and a dog and a chicken) make way more money than you – Fashion Spot

ChoupetteLAGERFILED

Choupette Lagerfeld

The Female Human is constantly whining about The Tribe of Five “earning our keep”. We remind her that we are internet sensations and she responds with “Show me the money.”  Now in our defense, Karl Lagerfeld’s is already famous and his cat, Choupette, earns the equivalent of 692 black Chanel 2.55 handbags annually — or a total of $3,808,000. With 114,000 followers on Instagram, Choupette rose to fame in 2012 when she started her modeling career in V magazine. Two years later, her book Choupette: The Private Life of a High Flying Fashion Cat was published. Not too shabby for a young cat. (I think it’s important to insert here that The Tribe of Five wrote a book too). So, my response to The Female Human is, “What have you done to become famous?”

Now the phenom, Grumpy Cat, became famous all on his own and his human remains in the background. Grumpy earns $12,693,333 a year. (That’s a lot of catnip!).  And do you remember Keyboard Cat? He has now crossed the rainbow bridge but he’s still bringing in $95,200,000 a year! If you want to know what other famous pets earn, go to Pets of the Net, an online calculator created by pet food brand Webbox, and find out  how much six of the most beloved and popular pets are earning. Meowza, The Tribe of Five really needs to step up our game!

 

 

Nathan the Beach Cat – Popsugar

black cat loves swimming in the ocean

What’s cooler than a sleek house panther? A house panther that likes to swim in the ocean! Nathan — or Nathan the Beach Cat was found in a box on the freeway in Australia and adopted by humans Rian and Mel and now she’s living the vida loca!

Nathan has to 318,000 Instagram followers and is capturing the attention of the internet because of her swimming skills. Nathan’s favorite pastimes are swimming our lounging on the beach with her humans.

cat on boogie board in the oceanThe Tribe of Five have a water loving feline friend called Purrseidon who is an ocean loving, boogie boarding feline. You can read Purrseidon’s story here. 

You can also read about Purrseidon’s first boogie board lesson in case your feline in residence is interested in this sport.
Sadly, due to the fires that have surrounded us all  summer and the very unhealthy air quality, my kayaking training has been postponed. I’m crossing my paws that we have a long, warm fall so that The Female Human and I can give it a try.

 

Purr-fectly adorable: 5 cute things we saw at Pop Cats in Austin – Austin360.com

cat art

You know I’m a sucker for feline themed events. This one called Pop Cats,  a vendor market, adoption fair and overall celebration of all things cats in Austin, Texas sounds like it was a purrfect event. There was cat art, the cat rapper Moshow, a caticorn, a cat cosplay and of course, cats, cats and more cats. I’m glad the humans had fun but the most important part of this event was the cats, those who were looking for furever homes and those who traveled to the event with their humans (this was a BYOC (bring your own cat) event).

Why Do Cats Eat Grass? – Mother Nature Network

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The Tribe of Five loves our grass. Normally we eat wheat grass but we have been known to munch on the grass outside as well.  There are lots of reasons we eat grass.  Grass acts as a natural laxative, when we have tummy aches, eating grass often helps us get rid of whatever is bothering us (can you say “hair ball”?). Sometimes if we felines eat grass obsessively it can mean we are stressed.

If you humans want to provide grass to your felines in residence, pleases make sure it is good for us!

 

 

Adorable Rescue Kittens Get a Sweet Newborn Photo Shoot to Help Them Get Adopted – My Modern Met

Ginger kitten in baby picture

I am always a fan of creative ideas that shelters use to promote feline adoptions. Photographers have a very important role to play and the more creative the photos. the better chance the feline has of finding a furever home. We have a great photo lady at our shelter (Panhandle Animal Shelter) and she’s always coming up with new ideas.

A human named Brandy Suppi rescued a Momma cat who had just had kittens. She asked her friend, photographer Heather Scott of LaMon photography to do a newborn kitten shoot. Well, all you have to do is look at these pictures to know these humans came up with a fantastic idea! The photos and adoption information was posted on Facebook 
and it looks like these little guys will all be enjoying a furever home soon.  Does your local shelter have a “picture lady” or “picture guy”? Maybe they might want to try kitten baby photos!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 8/22

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hi There Furiends,
It’s Wednesday again and I’m bringing you the best of my web wanderings of the week.  I hope you enjoy this week’s finds.
Purrs & Head Bonks
Siamese cat with blue eyes

Office Envy, Inside Appneta and It’s Special Area for Cats and Dogs – BOSTINNO

APPNeta

Frankly, this feline is a bit weary of hearing offices tout the fact that they are “dog friendly”. What about feline friendly?! Why are humans with felines in residence discriminated against? When I saw this feature I was quite the happy kitty as this company, APPNeta located in Boston, MA has a corner dedicated to the four-legged kids of the employees complete with toys, food and a soft cushion. This all sounds great but this feline had a hard time finding any evidence that cats are welcome there (I found one photo of a little dog running around). There is no cat tree, no litter box and the toys look distinctly canine. I made our Purrsonal Assistant try to blow up the photos on the board to see if any cats were featured but she couldn’t get a clear enough look. So, although they say cats are welcome, I cannot guarantee that felines actually go to work there. If any of my readers are in the Boston area or know about this company, I’d love to know if cats are really welcome. Conclusion, it’s a great idea but is it really hosting cats?

University Allows Dogs and Cats to Live in Dorm – nbc-2.com

cats in dorms

While we’re on the subject of humans finally thinking outside the box when it comes to felines, this is a great example. I cam across this article about Southeast Missouri State University allowing students to bring their feline (oh yeah, and canine) friends to college. They have a special dorm that is pet friendly for this one year pilot program. Pet owning students are already applying for the program. Now don’t despair human students if you don’t live in Missouri. I also found a list of the 25 most pet friendly colleges.  Two paws up to these forward thinking humans!

Yes, You Can Hold Your Cat Like A Baby – Lifehack

tabby cat in a snuggly

Now let me just say that this photo does not make me want to jump into one of those hangy things and truth be told, that feline isn’t looking over the moon about this idea.

Veterinarian Dr. Uri Burstyn has a series of videos on handling cats on YouTube under his secondary identity as the Helpful Vancouver Vet. And wouldn’t you know, one of the most frequent questions he gets is from humans asking if it’s okay to hold their felines like babies.  In other words, flipping the feline over on it’s back. The short answer is maybe, it depends on the cat and your relationship with said cat.

orange tabby in a slilng carrierI like how the writer of the article put it, “The reason you can’t just grab any cat baby-style is obviously because you’re turning the pointy ends towards your face, and a cat that doesn’t like this position or who is easily started will use your face as a ladder to escape. “.  And as if it isn’t enough for you humans to hold us like babies you also seem to want to insert in contraptions that are made to carry babies. As regards the photo on the top I say “No way!” The slingy-side thing might work. The Tribe of Five is still discussing the issue. What do you think my feline friends? Do you like to be held baby style?

 

The 8 Best Toys for Cats Home Alone – Bustle

siamese cat with cat tunnel

If your humans leave the house to go to the place they call “work” so that they can buy you fancy food, treats and toys then these items are for you. We all know that when that front door shuts, there is a long time before you get any cuddles, treats, or ear scratches. So what’s a cat to do? Well we don’t sleep all day so our humans would be smart to find us some toys that will make the time pass more quickly.

I liked the tunnel and the activity toys but there is one they didn’t mention that we have at our house and that’s the battery operated red dot machine.  Do you have a favorite toy that helps you pass the time until your humans return home?

I Went On A 4,000-Mile Road Trip With My Cat And This Is What Happened – Matador Network

orange tabby in backpack with window

This is a great story on so many levels. First and foremost, this cat is a formal feral who had a hard life until she was adopted. This is what the author says, “Last year, I took in a six-year-old feral cat with three teeth and mouth herpes. We named her FatFace, and she has become the center of my universe.” It’s a love story.

It’s also a realistic adventure story as the author chronicles Fat Face’s long journey from it’s shaky beginning to the end when Fat Face hung out on the center console and watched the world go by.

Finally, it’s a “how to” of you are contemplating a long car adventure with your humans. All in all a great story!

 

 

 

 

Alberto Opines on Sleeping Positions, Snoopervising and Other Stuff on Friendly Fill Ins 118

Hello There,
I’m doing the Friendly Fill Ins this week and hope you enjoy my answers. This is a blog tour so you can hop on over to the host’s sites, 15 And Meowing or Four Legged Fur Balls to enter. If you prefer, you can opine about your answers in the comment section of this post.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

Here are this Week’s Questions:

1. I am going_________________.
2. I want to be more ______________.

3. Once in a blue moon, I _________.

4. I have a large collection of _________.0

Here are My Answers:

1. I am going to be more creative in the sleeping positions I choose. Here are some of my “greatest hits”

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

2. I want to be more assertive when it comes to fighting for a spot in a box. Oliver seems to be taking over the box supply. I think I’m too polite. 
OllieAlinboximg_5143

3. Once in a blue moon, I have to have a serious discussion with our Purrsonal Assistant about her job purrformance.

Al_computer

Need I remind you that “Walk Through The Web Wednesday” needs to actually be published on Wednesday?

 

4. I have a large collection of toys and I still can’t find anything to play with.
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Walk Through The Web Wednesday 8/15 Alberto Opines on

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Happy Wednesday My Furiends,
I don’t know what Wednesday means to you but at our house it means the humans in the big noisy truck come by our driveway, grab the green and the blue things The Humans keep in the garage and dump the contents into the truck. The Tribe of Five have pondered this weekly ritual and can only surmise it is some sort of human kitty litter cleaning exercise.  Anyway, I hope you enjoy these little gems I found in my weekly purrusal of the web.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

Local Musician Takes Care of Stray Cats – News Channel 5 Nashville

Nashville musician feeds stray black cat

I am a great mewsic fan which is why this news story resonated with me. A songwriter in Nashville, Chris Gantry, leaves his house at 3a.m. to feed stray cats in his old neighborhood. He wants to bring attention to the growing stray cat population and raise awareness for these feral felines. He even wrote a song about it. He is a staunch supporter for  TNR (trapping, neutering, and releasing stray cats) that have been on the streets their entire lives. He works with Metro Animal Care and Control with his TNR efforts.

He knows all his feral furiends but is especially close to a black cat called Midnight, who is the only feral not afraid to show herself to him in the day light.  He calls her the Queen of Belmont.  He calls Midnight a fierce, beautiful young black cat.

Before Gantry could trap her and get her spayed, she had one litter of kittens and  Gantry took them to get neutered and adopted. He says of Midnight, “This cat is wild. She would never let anybody touch her accept me. Unfortunately, that’s the tough part.”

Two paws up for Chris Gantry and his work for feral cats!

California community cat garden helps feral cats get adopted – abc7 eyewitness News

cat garden gets feral cats adopted

Whenever you humans come up with a creative idea to help homeless kitties, I say “Bravo”. There is a lady in Milpitas, California doing just that.  Instead of euthanizing feral felines, they’re gently coaxed to trust humans and to become loving house or yard pets.

Lorrie Sprain works in administration at the Humane Society of Silicon Valley. But she focuses a lot of her attention in a garden just a few feet away. It’s called the Marilyn & Fred Anderson Community Cat Garden, a fenced in area which feral cats call home.

This lady is a real life cat whisperer who talks lovingly and softly to the new kitties who arrive at the garden, gradually winning their trust and calming them down. She says, “”You have to have patience, and you can get them to come out and eventually you can pet them.”  The process can take a month but the rewards are great. This program has adopted out 260 felines.

Many feral cats taken to shelters are given a death sentence and this program gives them the second chance they deserve.
The community cat garden has been so successful, the Humane Society of Silicon Valley has gotten additional funding to expand it from a current capacity of about 12 to 24.

Bravo, purrs, head bonks and two paws up for this innovative program!

Pick A Cat Name Your Cat Will Answer To – Lifehacker

black and white cat under sofa

This is Oliver ignoring The Female Human

Dr. Uri Burstyn has created a YouTube video that gives you humans some insight into naming us felines.  The doctor explains that we felines have ears that are fine tuned to hear high pitched noises. He uses his cat Lancelot as an example. Lancelot doesn’t really respond to his name but if he hears “Lan-CEY!” he does pay attention.

Now this makes me wonder if this is why The Humans have nicknames for all of us. Maybe they instinctively figured out that we respond to some names and not others. For instance, Tucker is often referred to as “Tuck-EEE” and Jasmine is “Jaz-EEE”. Lily is often called Lily Bug or Bug but based on this doctor’s premise, The Humans should just call her “Lil-EEE”. Oliver is “Oll-EEE” bat sadly, I am referred to as “Alberto or Al”. Purrhaps it’s time The Humans gave me a new nickname!

New TV Show Looking for Crazy Cats – ChronicleLive.UK

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Once again our friends across the pond have something new and exciting for felines (and actually their humans as well). A new TV show is asking folks to send in information about their crazy cats. The call out from Athena Films, reads “We are on the lookout for crazy moggies for new series on when cats attack!

As hard as you many find it to believe, some of us do exhibit behavior that makes life with us a little difficult. You know, stuff like having to wear gloves and body armor to clip nails or needing an extra hour to get your furry family member into a carrier for that visit to the place with white coats. I certainly hope they will be offering advice and help to both the humans and the felines!

Aberdeen University’s favourite feline voted one of Europe’s cutest cats – The Press and Journal

white cat Buttons from Aberdeen college

Aberdeen University’s favourite feline, Buttons, has been voted one of Europe’s cutest cats in an international ranking of campus animals. Buttons is a white tomcat and is a celebrity on campus, known to spend most of his time near the philosophy department.

Study.Eu, which offers information on English-taught study programmes in Europe, chose the puss based on his “political ambitions”. Earlier this year Buttons was nominated by students to become the university’s new rector, a position once held by Sir Winston Churchill.

His supporters claimed that since the cat was “apolitical” and “fluffy,” he would have been the “ideal candidate”. Sadly, Buttons did not win the seat but remained in good spirits after the loss.

 

 

 

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 8/8

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello My Furiends,
Meong, לילל,   miyavlamak,   mjau,  Μιάου.  Why am I meowing at you in Indonesian, Hebrew, Azerbaijani, Swedish and Greek? Well, because it’s International Cat Day today, of course! In honor of this impurrtant holiday I’ll be featuring stories from around the world that celebrate our feline holiday.

Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

 

Miaow! The luxury London cat hotel that offers an ‘A La Cat’ menu and paw massages – Evening Standard

gray cat sleeping at the Longcroft cat hotel

If we’re going to highlight International cat related news items, we must highlight posh feline accommodations across the pond. If any of my feline furiends are planning to travel to the UK, posh digs are a must. Make sure your humans book you into one of the Longcroft Cat Hotels.  Rooms are temperature controlled and sound proofed and, if you travel with a kitty buddy, there are double rooms. Order off the a la cat menu which offers plates of slow cooked chicken, salmon and king prawns on bone china, and be sure to book a staff member,  trained by vets, to give you a “relaxing paw massages”. I say the humans in the US need to think about opening hotels like this!

Tokyo Lucky Cat Temple Draws Instagramers – Rappler

Tokyo lucky cat temple

If you’re traveling to Japan, you don’t want to miss the Lucky Cat Temple in Tokyo. The  Gotokuji temple has long attracted spiritual visitors with its thousands of figurines of beckoning white cats, thought to bring good luck. Lately, another group of visitors have been visiting, : Instagrammers.

One visitor said, “I actually Googled ‘Instagram spots Tokyo’. This was named one of the most ‘Instagrammable spots.'”  Don’t forget to put this on your itinerary if your travels take you to Tokyo and make sure your human snaps a shot of you sitting next to one of the statues with one paw up.

International Cats, 10 Unusual Breeds from Around the World – Getty Images

Siberian cat

Just when you thought you knew everything about cat breeds….these photos come out. The pictures of these majestic felines are amazing and the information about them is even more interesting. Did you know that it’s considered good fortune if a Japanese Bobtail crosses your path? And there is a breed of cat from Turkey that is indigenous to the Lake Van region of Eastern Turkey, These cats are snow-white  and is said to be one of the oldest domestic breeds in the world.  And then there’s my majestic friend in the photo, the Siberian cat. These felines are rugged and their thick, luxurious coat allows them to thrive in the subartic climate of Russia. Russian fairy tales depict this cat as magical creatures who protect children. No offense to my Siberian cat friends but IMHO all us felines are magical creatures!

DNA Study Shows How Cats Used Humans to Take Over the World – Haaretz Israel

CatDNA

We felines were famous long before the internet was invented and were a part of the ancient human world. A DNA study went back thousands of years and found evidence of two major dispersals from the Middle East, in which people evidently took cats with them. Genetic signatures the felines had on those journeys are still seen in most modern-day breeds. Researchers analyzed DNA from 209 ancient cats as old as 9,000 years from Europe, Africa and Asia, including some ancient Egyptian cat mummies.

With our ancient and proud heritage, I think you humans should show us a little more respect!

Get Catty! Celebrate International Cat Day by Looking Like a Kitten – The Indian Free Press Journal

cat fashion

For my final  world-wide cat article, we’re hopping over to Mumbai, India. Many feline fashionistas think Karl Lagerfeld, who made his kitty Choupette into a style icon is the cat’s meow of feline fashion but there are other designers that can qualify. We cats have inspired kitten heels, catwalks and much more. Designer Aniket Satam, from Mumbai says, “Cat fashion is about unabashedly celebrating the love for this feline divinity. Embrace the diva-like quality that comes with the feline species. They have always been these mystical creatures who are so intriguing. Felines have this star-like quality that appeals to me the most,”   And to that I say an enthusiastic “Meow!”

 

 

 

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 8/1

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends,
It’s time to meander down the Internet Highway and see what fabulous feline news is out there. I hope you enjoy this week’s stories.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

London’s Catfest, London’s Answer to CatCon – Katzenworld

catfest-London

I have reported on CatCon, a truly fabulous feline festival and now those moggy-loving humans across the pond are giving CatCon a run for it’s money.  The promo says that CatFest will bring stylish buzz-worthy cat products, inspiring talks, books & art, music, fancy dress (that’s what the folks across the pond call “costumes”) vegan street food, cat-themed cakes and cocktails..all while helping cats in need. Meowza! Those folks know how img_2054to throw a purrfectly fabulous pawty! While The Female Human was oohing and aahing over the cat related jewelry and clothing, The Male Human decided the “Howler” cat house that looks like an amp is the cat’s meow. And since my brother Oliver and I are quite mewsical and especially enjoy the days The Male Human changes his guitar strings, we think this would be a purrfect addition to our house!

 

 

17 Cat Owners Who Set The Bar Extremely High – Buzzfeed

InteriorDesigner

Every one of my feline furiends must insist their humans read this article! The Tribe of Five  can’t decide which we like the best. I am purrsonally fond of the human who hired an interior designer to create cat space for his felines. Lily loves the built in catio (we have a pop up tent thingy but it doesn’t hold a candle to this amazing space). Oliver thinks the birthday pawties are nice as does Tucker (anything that includes food is top on the list for those two). Jasmine thinks the tent and tablet is the least humans can do for their felines in residence! What’s your favorite?

Missing Pet Parakeet Rescued By Neighbor’s Cat – US Magazine

cat and parakeet

Now I will be the first feline to give credit where credit is due but methinks making this cat a rescuer might be stretching the truth a tad. While it’s true that Rosie Bloom, a little budgie had been missing for 7 weeks, the fact that 7-month old feline Bear showed up with said budgie in his mouth could not be strictly described as a rescue. You see, our furiend Bear,, who lives about a mile away from the Budgie and her humans, is in the habit of delivering mice and other birds to his family. Fortunately, for all involved, the screaming budgie was removed from Bear’s mouth and eventually found her way home via a Facebook post. Hero or not, Bear did perpetrate the rescue of this feathered friend and everyone lived happily ever after. The end.

It Turns Our Cats And Dogs Get Along Fine – Mother Nature Network

cat and dog cuddling

Finally after years of us felines getting a bad rap about our ability to coexist with canines, the truth comes out. A new study in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior — one that uniquely looks at the relationship between cats and dogs sharing the same home — suggests we get along just fine. The researchers surveyed 748 households with canines and felines.  These homes were located all over the world in places like the good old U.S of A, Europe, Australia and more. Over 80% of those folks said that the inter-species relationships were just fine.  And how many said that there were relationship issues in their homes, only 3%. So folks if you’ve been wanting to adopt a dog to add to your feline household or a cat to add to your canine household, get to the shelter and do it now!

Reading Program Lowers Anxiety Within Cats, Kids – KFox14

child reads to shelter cat

I’ve heard a lot about great programs where little humans go to libraries or shelters and read to dogs. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think this is a noble and pawsome thing to do (they do it at our local shelter too), but I’ve had my whiskers in a bit of a twist because I never heard or read anything about the benefits of little humans reading to shelter cats. Until now that is.  This program doesn’t just improve social skills for the little humans but for the felines as well. It also helps to calm cats and help relieve the stress they feel because shelters can be stressful places. Does your shelter have a program to read to cats? Tell us about it! If you don’t and want to learn more, check out El Paso Animal Services Facebook page.

 

 

Walk Through the Web Wednesday 7/25

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends,
It’s time to take a stroll along the information highway to see what new and unusual feline news items are out there. I hope you enjoy this week’s finds.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

What Do Cats Dream About? – Mother Nature Network

img_4633

As you humans know, we felines sleep a lot and I know I’ve heard my humans say, “I wonder what they dream about.”  Well. did you know that we felines have REM (rapid eye movement) sleep just like you humans? In the 1960’s sleep researcher Michel Jouvet studied sleep in cats. A veterinary neurologist, Adriann Morrison has written a review of this research.

As we felines sleep about 15 hours per day I’d say it’s a good idea to study an activity we are so committed to! Have you ever looked at your feline in residence and wondered iof they were asleep or awake? Turns out that we can slide effortlessly into rest and sleep. And we cats can have nightmares but it’s recommended not to wake us up or you may suffer the consequences! There’s lots of good stuff about what happens when we felines sleep and how we sleep so check out this article.

There’s A Really Weird Link Between Cats And Entrepreneurs – Science Alert

cat on smart phone with coffee

Our Feline Human refers to herself as a “serial entrepreneur” and she’s had cats living with her all her life so I’m thinking this theory may make some sense. The article begins with this statement, “A protozoan parasite found in cats could be having a rather odd effect on the brains of humans it infects, which under the right circumstances just might turn them into the next Elon Musk.” Hah, if only. Our Female Human might be a serial entrepreneur but she certainly hasn’t brought home the kind of cash that Elon Musk has!

Still. the article is interesting. The article concludes with:

Nobody is suggesting you should go out and buy your kids a cat in the hope it will infect them with the skills to help them to take over Silicon Valley.

Nonetheless, the study does provide an interesting perspective on the ways epidemiology can have a small but powerful force on the psychology that builds culture.

And maybe, just maybe, shows why cats deserve their place of worship on the internet.

The findings are due to be published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B (link down at time of writing).

Shelter Cats Saved For Adoption Are Flown From Van Nuys to Washington – Los Angeles Daily News

shelter cats flown from California to Washington to be adopted

130 shelter cats from the Los Angeles area wait to board their private flight to Seattle and new homes in mission of “Operation Homeward Bound.” The cats are being flown to the Seattle area where they will be adopted to their forever homes. Wings of Rescue and the Jackson Galaxy Project worked in conjunction to save the cats from the Los Angeles City Shelters. (Photo by David Crane, Daily News/SCNG)

I love how humans are so creative in helping save felines! The life of these shelter cats were saved when they were flown to Everett Washington and will escape euthanization because of over crowding and be placed in shelters who have room for them and are working to find them furever homes.  This project, titled “Operation Homeward Bound” was created by the original Cat Daddy, Jackson Galaxy in partnership with the non-profits,  Greatergood.org  a
nd Wings of Rescue. 

These humans have things figured out. LA and most shelters across the country are flooded with cats this time of year (one shelter in Downey took in 140 kittens in one day recently). So these smart and caring folks find shelters that need cats. Washington has a lot of space for cats and many residents are on waiting lists to adopt a feline when one becomes available (now The Tribe of Five says, you should always adopt in pairs. This is what our Humans do and it works great!).

Paws Up award by FelineOpines.net for humans who do amazing things for cats

Kudos to you humans and Feline Opines is bestowing the  Paws Up award to all of you!

 

 

 

Stop The Stupid Sterotype of the Crazy Cat Lady! – Girls And Their Cats

photographer breaks stereotype of the crazy cat lady

The photographer, BriAnne Wills and her rescue feline

You humans seen to love to perpetrate the myth that women with cats are on the margins of society, frumpy and without any iota of a social life. We felines don’t appreciate this and we are thrilled that BriAnne Wills,  an attractive Brooklyn-based fashion photographer  decided to photograph girls and their cats and break the stupid crazy cat lady stereotype. We felines appreciate this very much because we enjoy living with female humans who are savvy, hip and definitely NOT crazy!

 

 

Sweet Tart Is A Cat And The Mayor Of A Small Michigan Town – Jezebel

Sweet Tart the feline mayor of Omena, Michigan

After reading this article, my brofur Oliver is becoming more hopeful about making another run for Purresident. This mayoral feline from Omena, Michigan was inaugurated as it’s fourth mayor. The 9-year old Sweet Tart beat out 13 dogs, a goat, a peacock, a chicken and one other feline to win the position.  Believe it or not more than 7,000 people voted in the election (and the town’s population is only 280!) Everyone was charged $1.00 per vote and the money collected was donated to the Omena Historical Society.

And that’s the beauty of technology. Through paypal and social media, a feline finds himsef elected mayor and the local historical society receives $7,000.00 in donations.  Concatulations to mayor Sweet Tart!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 7/18

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends,
It’s Albert, walkin’ the web and looking to bring you unusual news and tidbits of the feline variety.

I hope you enjoy this week’s offerings.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

8 Cat Themed Pregnancy Announcement Ideas That Are Cute & Hilarious – Romper

tabby cat in pregnancy announcement picture
This is a pawsome article. When  you humans have your little human kittens, it’s really nice if you let your feline in residence purrticipate in the announcement and these humans did just that.

Now including a pet in pregnancy announcements is not really new, but what is new is that the felines are getting their five minutes of fame now (usually the humans include the canines). I love this idea and, if any of you humans out there have done this or are planning on doing this, please let us know. We’d love to feature your pics!

10 Science-Backed Tips for Getting a Cat to Like You – Mental Floss

human petting a gray cat

Folks, I just want to tell you that this Mikel Delgado is one smart human! She received her Ph.D. at UC-Berkeley in psychology studying animal behavior and human-pet relationships. So I say, you humans should pay attention to what she says!

There are a lot of great tips like letting us felines make the first move (we hate being rushed), pay attention to how we felines greet each other, we often approach another cat in a nose to nose way. You can simulate this by bending down and offer a finger tip toward the cat’s nose…and let us decide how we’re going to respond. And for goodness sake people, if you get a negative response, BACK AWAY and don’t force it! Chances are we’ll come around soon. And I beg you, please share this with your friends who are clueless about cats!

Retired Math Teacher Finds Solution to Help Save Local Cats – 3WEARTV.com

homeless cat gets help in Ft. Walton Beach, FL

Paws Up award by FelineOpines.net for humans who do amazing things for catsThis human gets our  Paws up award. When she saw the massive population of stray and abandoned animals, she used her math training to devise a systematic approach to do something about it.

Sara DeMonbrun said, “I’ve been an animal lover all my life and I couldn’t bear to see these little cute little animals running around without a home.” She started an organization called S.O.C.K.S (Save Our Cats and Kittens). She recruited three people at the beginning to help her. Through Sara’s efforts as well as her husband and volunteers the number of animals being euthanized in Fort Walton Beach, FL has been reduced drastically. Today, Sara is dealing with Parkinson’s Disease but she’s still focused on her mission to save as many cats as she can.  To keep Sara’s legacy going, S.O.C.K.S. has begun Sara’s Angel Tree where people can sponsor a leaf in tribute to or in memory of their own favorite feline.  Watch the video of this wonderful place.

CatCon 2018 – The Feline Event of the Year!

CatCon 2018

Oh my whiskers, I sure wish I didn’t hate travel so much or I’d head right on over to Pasadena, CA on August 4 & 5! There will be all sorts of celebrities there, even Moshow the Cat Rapper! You humans can arrange for a meet and greet with him. Lil Bub will there along with other pawsome feline celebrities. There will also be some fantastic classes that help humans understand how to care for their felines and some wild and wacky ones too like, Engineering for Cats: What Cat Care and Airplane Design Have in Common. Aerospace engineer, cat-enthusiast and author Mac Delaney conducts this workshop that takes you through how to improve your cat’s life with some of his amazing DIY projects.  Humans, get yourselves to CatCon!!!

KFC taps cats to hawk chicken – QSR Web

cats in KFC commercial

I’ve always been a believer that cats are the best salespurrsons and now it appears KFC has seen the light as well.  Can cats sell chicken? Well KFC is testing this as they built a giant automated “Colonel-esque3” cat tower and featured it in a livestream event  on Facebook. This event took place yesterday 7/17 from 2 to 6pm Eastern Time on the Super Deluxe Facebook page.  I certainly hope these kitties received the regular Screen Actor’s Guild payment!