Walk Through The Web Wednesday 10/26

Posted on October 26, 2022 by Feline Opines

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends,
How are things in your neck of the woods? We are settling in to the cozy part of fall and love it when The Human turns on the fireplace. She got us a new fury rug which is quite soft and comfy. I purrfer hanging out on the cat scratcher but Oliver, who always enjoys life’s comforts, has commandeered the rug. It’s pretty clear how he feels about that new rug by the expression on his face.

The dreaded door-bell ringing festival is coming next Monday. If The Human cared about us, she’d hang a note on the door addressing those candy beggars that says, “Please knock quietly and for heaven’s sake DO NOT RING THE DOORBELL!” Hand in hand with this terrifying practice is the “Let’s stuff our hapless felines in ridiculous costumes” tradition. Oliver, Lily and I have made it quite clear that costumes are a “no-go” for us. Still, we didn’t want to be total party poopers so we suggested The Human Photoshop us in clothing, places and situations that we think would be fun. She agreed and we hope you enjoy the results.

Hello old Chaps, Sir Oliver here.
Join me in my library for a port or a beer.
This feline enjoys the luxurious things
Like roast beef or trifle, every luxury life brings

Hi there, it’s Al, feline adventurer of great fame
All the  jungle creatures know me by name.
I chase tropical birds and hang out with gorillas
I’d rather sleep in the trees than doze off in a villa

My name is Lil-ee, the classiest of the bunch.
I enjoy some champagne and an escargot lunch.
With my beret and beautiful pearls
I’m the talk of Par-ee and an elegant girl.

That’s it for our silliness. Now let’s take a look at all the feline related news of the week.

Your cat really does prefer your voice to that of a stranger

The web has exploded with articles about a study done by Charlotte de Mouzon at University Paris Nanterre in France.

De Mouzon and her colleagues tested the behavior of 16 cats, nine males and seven females, all living in studio apartments either as single pets with a female owner or as pairs of cats with a couple. The cats ranged in age from 8 months to 2 years, and their owners were all veterinary students at the National Veterinary School in Alfort, near Paris.

The team recorded the owners calling their cats by name, as they would normally. The owners were also asked to say things relating to one of four contexts: “Do you want to play?”, “Do you want to eat?”, “See you later!” and “How are you?” The team then recorded the pet owners saying the same phrases to people, now using the style of speech they would typically use with friends or adult family members as opposed to the tone of voice they use for their felines.

Sixteen women – not known to the cats – also had their voices recorded as they said the same four things to adult humans and to cats that they saw in videos in de Mouzon’s laboratory, using the same styles of speaking as the cat owners.

The cats heard all the recordings in their own homes, with their owners present but not interacting with them. When they heard the voices of their owners, the cats tended to interrupt their behavior and begin doing something else, such as looking around, moving their ears and tails, or even becoming completely still.

Even when they heard strangers speaking to them in a high-pitched, affectionate manner, calling them by name and inviting them to play or eat, the cats essentially ignored them, says de Mouzon. However, she did note that this might be because all the cats were indoor pets, with few opportunities to interact with strangers.

The findings provide further evidence that cats have strong social cognitive skills and that they are “sensitive and communicative individuals”, said Mouzon. Youi can click here to read the details about the study.

Hungry Cat tries to steal chips

This little video gives you a glimpse into the life of The Human who is still suffering due to her refusal to take Oliver off the D-I-E-T

San Francisco’s Store Cat Map

Oh meowza, this human has done a brilliant thing! Chris Arvin’s mapmaking has made him a Twitter star and his latest map is a BIG winner! The map is titled, “San Francisco Store Cats”

He’s located the best of the best store cats such as Lilly of Michaelis Wine & Spirits and Tosca of Nabila’s Naturals. He has even included notations about which cats are especially friendly.

Cat Daddies- The Movie

https://youtu.be/LpKespCG-XM

Oh my whiskers, The Human is quite excited about this movie. The film is described as, “A heartwarming and tender portrait of a diverse group of men whose lives have been forever changed by their love of cats, CAT DADDIES takes us on an inspiring journey all across the United States during the challenging early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when people desperately needed hope and companionship.

These “cat dads” come from a variety of lifestyles. There is a firefighter, truck driver, a stuntman, an ad executive who has become a cat rescuer, a police officer and the list goes on.

The Human is hoping this film will show that the love of cats has no gender and that it will take some of the heat off the cat ladies of the world.

Cat Owners Discuss The Musical, Fictional, And Mythological Influences Behind Their Cats’ Names: Thread

We love hearing how our feline furiends got their names and now, thanks to Flattery Cat Café’s October 19^th tweet asking what inspired the naming of their cat, I found some great stories! I was named by someone who was a Tour de France aficionado and my sleekness and speed earned me my moniker. Oliver was the runt of the litter and was so tiny and always hungry when he came to the house with me, he reminded The Human of Oliver Twist, constantly asking, “May I have some more please?” Lily was named after the little girl next door who loved felines but whose dad was allergic. The human Lily could visit the feline Lily whenever she wanted until she moved away.

How do you, my feline furiends get your names? Meow about it in the comment section, we’d love to hear your stories!

Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 10/19

Posted on October 19, 2022 by Feline Opines

Hello Furiends,
It’s been a busy week here in our neck of the woods. Most of the time was devoted to The Human putting the finishing touches on her purresentation at the Cat Writers Association conference. She enjoyed some great seminars at the virtual conference. We liked it because she was at home with us on Friday and Saturday. We were very instrumental in helping her during the course of the conference as displayed in these photos. We have a nice view from the office window and since she was sitting at the big table, we were able to take over her pink office chair occasionally.

When we got bored we checked for squirrels
When The Human abandons the pink chair, it’s ours!
Alberto concentrating on the conference,
Alberto concentrates in a bed in the cat tree in the office
Oliver takes a break from learning to check out the woods.
Lily goes for a change of scene and hangs out in the living room.
Oliver returns to his focus on the programs.

After the conference, we went in the kitchen to see what the human was making from her Hello Fresh delivery. We were incensed to find out she was making a meatless dish and hastily made our way back to our sleeping stations on the cat tree in the office. It was a nice weekend and I’m sure The Human appreciated all the assistance we provided.

Where’s the meat and what’s up with the kale?

Today is “Evaluate Your Life” day and Lily, Oliver and I spent some time to honor the day. We suggest you do the same.

I hope you enjoy this week’s feline news.

A homeless cat is rescued and then finds an amazing furever home

We love The Dodo and find some of the most heartwarming videos there. This one gave The Human leaky eyes (she said only because it had such a happy ending). This kitty was abandoned when his humans moved away, was rescued and then adopted by a family that takes him on boat trips. This little movie is like a fantastic fairy tale. You can keep up with all of Richey, Kiley, Lori and Jason’s adventures on Facebook.

Video game based in Maine follows 9 cats after humans mysteriously disappear

Meowza, there are a lot of video games featuring cats and here’s the latest on the list created by a man from Portland, Maine. The game features nine cats on a fictional island in Casco Bay.

The creator of the game, Eric Blumrick, calls this an adventure game about cats and their encounters in the small island town where they live. The cats wake up one morning and find that all the humans have disappeared. The game poses the question, “Are the humans worth bringing back?”

The cats need to discover what humanity is and what it is to be human and as they do, they discover the story of the island and its history.

“In the end, once they uncover all the stories of Peace Island, it will be up to the cats and the players to decide whether the humans are worth bringing back,”

Dark Chocolate Cats

Please note, this product is for you humans only and it’s pretty clever. The Burdick Chocolates menagerie, well known for its silk-tailed mice, now includes cats. The company created dark chocolate felines with a cherry ganache filling and a curved cashew tail. They’re almost two inches long, come six to a box and are being sold for a limited time online and at the L.A. Burdick shops in New York, Chicago, Washington and New England. The box of six chocolate kitties sells for $27.00

Hysterical compilation of news reporters’ cats making guest appearances

It’s clear from these videos that when TV reporters work from home, their felines like to get in the act too.

Hurricane Ian cats rescued by Indiana women on vacation

Two Indiana women, Samantha Grimes and Holly Irwin were vacationing in Florida news reports about animals in need because of the hurricane. Both women who work in animal rescue and are board members and volunteers at SOAR Initiative Indianapolis knew they wanted to do something.

When they heard that shelter doors had been reopened, they loaded 35 cats into crates and put them in their Kia Sportage. They had to move all of their items into the storage compartment on top of the car to fit the cats in.

I would say these Indiana tourists went above and beyond and that animal rescue folks are never “off the clock”.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 10/11

Posted on October 12, 2022 by Feline Opines

Hello Furiends,
I hope your week is going well. We had a good day with the book launch which leads me to a shameless bit of self promotion. For today’s launch, Baker Books is offering a limited amount of gifts with purchase so you can buy a Christmas present and get a present for yourself!

Baker Books is offering a limited amount of free Christmas cards with book purchase.

It’s getting cool enough in our neck of the woods for some fireplace time. The important thing about this photo is that LIly is finally joining us. Photo #1 shows how tentative she is. Photo #2 shows she’s finally relaxing.

Lily deciding if it’s okay to relax with her brothers.

The other day I was snoopervising The Human in the kitchen and she YELLED at me. Sheesh, what an ingrate!

And finally, I bring you the sad tale of Oliver and the invisible falling leaves. Oliver still hasn’t grasped the idea that those leaves have to be very yellow before they blow off the trees.

“Sigh, how long must I sit here and wait for the leaves to fall?”
“What do you mean I’m early?”
“Look at all those leaves, why don’t they blow past the window?”
“Wait? What is this word “wait”?

And lest you think Oliver’s leaf chasing obsession is dumb or no fun, take a look at how much he has enjoyed it in the past.

Well, that’s it for our news in this neck of the woods. Hope you enjoy this week’s news and enjoy fall in your neck of the woods.

Caring Cat Steps In To Raise An Orphaned Baby Bobcat

Workers from the M illstone Wildlife Center in New Hampshire were alerted to a baby bobcat who’d been abandoned by her mother. When they found the 6-week old kitten she was in good physical health but cried constantly for her mother.

The kitten’s rescuers got in touch with Spicy Cats, a rescue and rehabilator for feral felines. One of their feline residents, Honeybun was an expert in fostering as she had raised several litters of kittens that were not her own.

Raising a wild kitten was a new endeavor for Honeybun but as Caroline, the president of Spicy Cats told the Dodo, “ She’s very, very maternal and patient so we knew she’d be perfect for the bobkitten,”

The kitten’s crying soon stopped as she accepted Honeybun’s mothering and Honeybun was patient with the rambunctious kitten.

Despite providing love and care for the bobkitten, Honeybun won’t be able to teach her the skills she’ll need to survive in the wild so she will only have a “baby nanny” role. When the kitten is ready, she’ll be placed with another bobcat at the Millstone Wildlife Center and a spring release is planned.

The kitten’s future success is due to the wonderful humans at the Millstone Wildlife Center, Spicy Cats and especially to foster mom Honeybun.

Runaways and dramatic entrances: here are some of the city’s favorite cats

This is a delightful tale of the cat loving folks in Norwich England. There are some famous felines that the community embraces as their own like Budge, who resides in the Cathedral grounds. Budge has been caught napping in the nativity scene during the Christmas season. Since he first visited the Cathedral in 2018 at the Good Friday service, he has been in the habit of making his visits a daily thing.

Another famous Norwich kitty is Wendy, the deaf cat who went on a 15-mile adventure after sneaking into the back of a delivery van. She had all her fans worried until she turned up in Tasburgh five days after she went missing.

The good folks of Norwich also are known to rally around humans who have felines with needs like Peppa who was adopted by eight-year old Savannah Baum. Peppa was in desperate need of dental surgery at the cost of UKL 1,140. (The Human shuddered when she read this part having just paid for dental surgery for Lily and Oliver). The wonderful people of Norwich donated to the operation so Peppa could stay healthy and she and Savannah could have many more years together.

Note to all my feline furiends in the UK, if you’re in need of a place to live, might I suggest Norwich?

Larry the cat takes on fox outside No 10

And speaking about England, our furiend Larry the Cat is in the news again. As I have previously reported, Larry’s title is chief mouser to the Cabinet Office, and now he’s been sighted taking on much larger prey when he takes on a fox.

The fox, looking worse for the wear retreats from Larry’s aggressive moves.

If you’re wondering what Larry the former Battersea Dogs and Cats Home feline who was hired based on recommendation for his mousing skills, does besides chasing vermin and foxes, his other duties include greeting guests to the house, inspecting security defenses and testing antique furniture for napping quality.

A poet, a doctor, a muse: Meet the bookstore cats of Philadelphia

If you can’t travel to Norwich, England to visit their felines, you can stay on this side of the ocean and visit the famous bookstore cats of Philadelphia. If Philadelphia doesn’t work for you don’t despair, there are bookstore cats in other cities. For instance, over 55,000 people follow the New York City-based Instagram account @bookstorecats, which is dedicated to showing off felines residing at independent bookstores all over, from Missouri to Texas to Hawaii.

But I’m talking about the Philly bookstore cats so here goes.

Molly’s Bookstore and Records on South 9^th Street has a customer service feline in their employ. The cat, Mrs. Stevenson, sits in the window, raising her paw to greet patrons and invite people in to the store. Her humam employer refers to her as a people magnet, drawing people into the store. Mrs. Stevenson was named after a character in a Canadian comedy show.

Millie, the feline worker at The Last Word Bookshop at 220 S. 40^th St. spends much of her time in the lap of the shop owner. When she’s not there, you can often find her in her kitty hammock near the local history section, hiding under the children’s book table or chilling at the checkout counter. Millie’s predecessor Lester, crossed The Rainbow Bridge in the spring of 2021 after he’d been a loyal employee for 15 years. Millie’s owner was being moved to an assisted living community so the bookstore hired her and never looked back. Millie settled in to her new home and has many fans who come into the shop just to see her.

Found lounging around the Friends of the Free Library’s bookstore at 311 N. 20th St., Geoffrey Chaucer — or just Chaucer, for short. He took up residence in the store when he was two and now he’s a handsome 10-year old feline. His human employers and coworkers love him. He has a few designated food and napping stations around the store and sometimes, when he’s had enough of people, will hide away on a bed beneath the bookshelves.

There are a few clues at The Book Trader at 7 N 2^nd St that will alert you to the fact that you will find a feline employee inside. The tree outside has a sign that reads, CATS ONLY, PLEASE” and as you approach the door you’ll see a little speech bubble affixed to the glass that reads, “CAUTION: Please don’t let frisky cat outside! Thank you.” The “frisky” cat, Dr. Abraham Pickles is rather lazy and spends more time gazing out the windows or sleeping rather than tryig to escape. The 6-year old Dr. Pickles, has lived in the store for half his life. Dr. Pickles is pretty friendly to customers, but he doesn’t hesitate to give someone the whacky paw if they pet him too much. The store sells Dr. Pickles post cards and if you can’t get to Philadelphia to meet him you can follow his adventures on Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/thedrpicklesofbooktrader/

Not every cat is cut out to be a bookstore employee and that was made clear to to Spiral Bookcase (4257 Main St. in Manayunk)owner Victoria Mier when she took store cat Calliope home with her during the pandemic.

When the previous feline employee, Amelia, crossed over The Rainbow Bridge several years ago, Calliope arrived one day when the bookstore was doing an adoption event.

Calliope — who’s now a 7- or 8-year-old Torby — was pretty shy and hid behind stacks of books for her few months but adjusted and loved to do figure-eights (accompanied by loud meows) around people’s feet to get their attention.

During the shut down, the bookstore owner took Calliope home with her. The feline loved it there and was more comfortable than she had been in the store. Although Calliope is retired now or, as some suggest, she’s not retired, just working from home.

Cosplay isn’t just for Humans

The Human has furiends that enjoy cosplay but she never knew felines enjoyed it too. I would rather eat tasteless kibble for a week than be forced to wear any kind of a costume but I know there are cats out there who don’t mind the occasional outfit. We choses a few of our favorites but don’t forget to click on the link in the heading to find you favorites. Or go directly to the Cat Cosplay Twitter account to find out what’s new.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 10/05

Posted on October 5, 2022 by Feline Opines

Hello Furiends,
Fall is here and we love the cozy weather, especially when The Human comes home and turns on the fireplace for us for a little while.

The Human bought us a drinking fountain. Lily and I are cutting it a wide swath but it’s early days yet and frankly, I don’t see the need to drink from that thing when I have The Human trained to turn on the bathroom faucet for me. Oliver is an early adaptor and he was the first to check it out and and he drinks out of it. Lily and I are in “wait and see” mode.

Speaking of The Human, she had some work to do at home and I love helping her. Here’s a little slide show about my position as her purrsonal assistant.

“Hello Human, I’m here to help”
“As soon as I’m done makin biscuits we can get started working”
“FINE, I’ll just sit next to you on this chair .”

The Human asked Lily if she’d model her new collar (made from kimono fabric) since we talked about it last week. Lily took the meowdeling session quite seriously.

“How’s this pose?”
“Wait, maybe my staring off in the distance pose is better.”

And then there’s the magical day that The Human caught Ollie and I snuggling Lily (we rarely allow any photos of these events).

“Do you really need to take that photo?”
“I decided to let Lily snuggle. Let’s not make a big deal about it!”

And finally, one of the rarest photos of all, all three of us in one shot!

Well, that’s it for the happenings in our neck of the woods. And now the news.

Michigan man’s cats are tallest and have longest tail in the world, Guinness World Records says

Oliver wanted to use this news item to campaign to end his D-I-E-T but after purrusing the story I had to give him the sad news that “biggest” as described in this article is not girth, but length and height.

Two cats who live in Detroit have received the Guinness World Records declaration as the tallest and longest feline tail

Will Powers who owns the cats has a history of having big felines. Two of his previous cats hold the all-time records for tallest cat and cat with the longest tail before both perished in a fire.

Now, Fenrir Antares Powers which is a Savannah breed, and Altair Cygnus Powers which is a Maine Coon breed, have taken over the record of the largest living cats in terms of height and tail length.

“Call him the Big Chungus or the Chonk, he just grew and grew like Clifford the Big Red Dog,” Powers said in an interview with Guinness World Records, talking about Fenrir.

Fenrir is 18.83 inches tall. He comes from a long line of massive house cats and is the current record holder for tallest living cat. Powers says he is very loving, very outgoing, and he’s often used as a therapy animal at Powers pet rescue.

He also has a voracious appetite and is known for grabbing food off the counter – something only a cat with his size could pull off. He can even open doors when he wants to walk through the home.

The other cat, Altair is also called ‘The Floofus” due to his long and very fluffy tail which measures at 16.07 inches. His personality is a bit different from the other five cats that live with Powers. He loves cuddles and being held.

Maine Coon cats reach their maximum growth at age 5, Altair is not 5 yet so who knows how long his tail will end up being.

We have asked The Human to get out the tape measure and see how tall we are and how long our tails are. We’ll report back next week.

Tiny kitten in Sarasota, Florida, is a Hurricane Ian survivor as shelter misses worst of storm

There are many stories of wonderful humans caring for and saving kitties during and after Hurricane Ian. We especially liked this story. A small staff at an animal shelter in Sarasota, Florida, managed to take care of over 100 cats and a four-day-old kitten even in the midst of the horrible storm,.

At Cat Depot in Sarasota, staff members hunkered down inside the shelter overnight as wind banged at their windows amid the hurricane. Some water did make its way inside the building. One of the workers said, “[It was] dripping off … and then collecting it into the litter box at the bottom,”

The people there mopped and cleaned all night. The center has a steel roof which is great for surviving a hurricane but lousy for peace and quiet and the cats were bombarded with much noise. The cats had places to hide and the staff put up sound adsorbing material to counter the noise.

Insulation on the roof partly came off, some items inside like dishes and laundry facilities were lost and the hot water and power in the building went out. Needless to say the staff got little-to-no sleep the night Ian hit.

Cat Depot also opened its building to the public if anyone wanted to drop off their animals as they braced for the storm. They are hoping to reopen on Saturday

The nonprofit relies on community donations and volunteers, and the cleanup process takes all hands on deck. The staff is grateful they missed the worst of Ian — and that all the animals are safe. Paws Up to these wonderful humans!!

Whiskers & Wine has been promoted as the first full-service cat lounge, bar and restaurant in America

As soon as we found this article, The Human said, “sign me up”. The owner of Whiskers and Wine, Nicole Smith said her vision was to build a place for the community to gather, while having food and drinks, surrounded by adoptable cats. With specialty cocktails like Jaz’s Pearfect Meowtini, Nick’s Whiskey Meower and the Peach Pussycat, the space is dedicated to felines down to the decor and the rooftop lounge where cats can catch some sun.

The cats come from Saving One Life, an animal rescue group dedicated to giving shelter and medical care to stray, abandoned and surrendered felines until they find permanent adoptive homes.

Just to make sure that people don’t get tipsy and decide to take a cat home rightaway there’s an adoption application to make sure that the kitties go to furever homes.

All the food and drinks are prepared behind glass, and there is a separate area where guests can watch the cats, but almost everyone enjoys the up-close company of cats.

The Human says this is her purrfect idea of a date, too bad it’s too far to get to San Diego from Northern Idaho!

It only costs $30 to reserve your cat therapy session and you can spend 90 minutes hanging out with the cats while enjoying food and drinks. Meowza, what a fun time! If any of our furiends live in San Diego and visit Whiskers & Wine, meow at us and let us know what you thought.

Big dog obsessed with cats gets his own feline

Archie the Samoyed is so obsessed with cats that he insists on greeting every feline he sees. Even when he’s at doggy daycare surrounded by other dogs, he begs to go outside to watch the cats for hours on end, which they call his “Cat TV.” His humans finally caved and got Archie his very own kitten. .It took B the kitten a little time to get used to Archie, but now they go on walks together and cuddle as well. To keep up with Archie & B, follow along on TikTok https://thedo.do/archieandbTT

“Headless” cats win photo award

The Comedy Pet Photo Awards has announced the winners of the 2022 competition with top honors going to Kenichi Morinaga with his photo of two cats sitting on a fence that makes them appear as if they are headlessly conjoined.

The photo, titled Boom! Boom! depicts a cartoon-like connection of two cats, beat out about 2,000 other entries to take the top prize, some of which were shown in the list of finalists published in July. The photographer is from Japan and says he enjoys visiting the small islands around his country and taking photos of the street cats he finds there.

This photo was also picked as the winner of the Best Cat photo category, took home the £2,000 cash prize, plus a £5,000 donation from Animal Friends Pet Insurance that goes to an animal welfare or conservation charity of his choice.

He says that after much deliberation, he decided to make his donation to The Cat Welfare Group, an organization based on the U.K’s South Coast that helps rescue and re-home stray and abandoned cats.

The Comedy Pet Photo Awards says that judging this year was the closest it has ever seen, with just 10 points separating the top six places and seven different countries were represented in the Category Winners, which are listed below.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 9/28

Posted on September 28, 2022 by Feline Opines

Hello Furiends,
Fall is arriving in our neck of the woods and Oliver is looking forward to sitting on the back of the sofa and chasing leaves across the large Livingroom windows (it will be a while before that happens though).

When Lily went in for her dental surgery, the vet and The Human realized that her collar had rubbed the fur off around her neck. Lily went collarless until the fur grew back while The Human searched high and low for the purrfect collar, which she found. The collar is light, made from kimono material and doesn’t rub Lily at all. Lily likes it and the human once again can keep track of Lily’s comings and goings. The Human knows the sound of each of our collar bells which means we can’t get away with anything!

Aside from Lily’s collar things are pretty much the same here, although Oliver’s food fanaticism is ramping up. We put this little video together to show what “poor” Oliver deals with on a daily basis.

And that leads me to the next part of our post……the news!

AI-Powered Litterbox System Offers New Standard of Care for Cat Owners

If you’re like our Human, trying to figure out everyone’s health via the litter box can be a nightmare. Purina Petcare has launched the Petivity Smart Litterbox system with a smart phone app and litterbox monitor that will tracks behavioral data that allow humans to care for their felines. Purina Petcare is touting this as a new standard of care that uses artificial intelligence to learn each cat’s litterbox patterns and identify subtle but meaningful changes in weigh, frequency,waste type and elimination schedule.

The system detects meaningful changes that indicate a veterinary visit may be needed and sends an alert through the app.

The box can be used with up to three cats and is marketed as allowing pet owners to play a more proactive role in the health of their felines. The system is available for purchase at petivity.com for $199.99.

Mandarin Monday: Roaring Iron? Foot Long Jade? How Ancient Chinese Named Their Cats

According to historical records and archaeological discoveries, ancient Chinese kept cats far back into history. Once the Silk Road was established during the West Han Dynasty, a variety of feline species came to China and began mating, resulting in more diverse local breeds.

Cats were originally trained as rat hunters and were only later revered for their purrsonaities and over time, developed unusual names for their felines.

Chinese Li Hua/ Dragon Li
This cat is a local pedigree with a long history in China and has won international recognition. It’s a lively breed and an excellent rat hunter. Those with yellow and orange fur are called jú māo Orange Cat or Big Orange and are known by their ravenous appetites and chubby physiques.

Lin Qing Lion Cat
It is a hybrid breed that has ancestors from both the blue-eyed Persian cat and yellow-eyed local cats of Shandong Province. The cats with both yellow and blue eyes are rarer to find but also a signature trait of this breed. In a document from 1934, Lin Qing Lion Cat was listed as a local specialty, and some of the names of fur colors that show up later were originally invented specifically for this breed.

Zhou Four Ears Cat
Four Ears cats call Szechuan Province – especially the city Jian home. They got their name because compared to other species, their ear flaps are more prominent and were even recognized as a separate set of ears in the past. Four Ears cats were considered to be the divine cat and can be found among the tributes to the emperor.

Colors

Ancient Chinese tended to name things with poetic names, and the color of their feline friends’ fur was no different. Here, I’ve collected some of the more interesting ones.

Good for all seasons
This is the name for monotone cats, and for each different color, there is a corresponding name. For instance, the pure white ones are usually called chǐ yù or xiāo fēi liàn which means “a foot long jade” and “flying white silk in the night,” respectively. The pitch-black cats are referred to as wūyún bào cloudy panther or xiào tiě roaring iron, while the fully yellow felines are called jīn sī hǔ the golden tiger.

Hold the butterfly/cicada in the mouth
These two names are used to refer to two totally opposite-looking cats. The former one is for the black cat that only has a small cluster of white fur around its mouth, while the latter one is for the white cat that has black fur in the same area.

Embroider Tiger
White cats with yellow or orange dots on its fur.

The general who bears a seal
White cats with a patch of yellow fur on their back usually get this name, as if they were generals picked by the emperor for the domestic rat-hunting war. The ones with the yellow patch on the top of their heads have an even more specific name: jiāngjūn guà yìn the general hangs the seal on its head.

Black jade with a hanging pearl
In a rare case, you may encounter a black cat whose tip of the tail is powdered with pure white.

Stepping on the snow to look for the wintersweet
This is the black cat that wears tiny white socks when they are born.

Dark clouds above the snow
If a cat is pitch black when looking from above but pure white when you see it from its belly, then it will get this name.

Golden quilt, silver bed
Cats that are yellow on the back but have a white belly and limp.

Drag a spear in the snow
The white cat who has a black tail.

Golden hairpin in the silver vase
The white cat who has a yellow tail.

Needle hides in the ink
The black cat who has a white tail.

Whip the silk ball
This name was invented for white cats that have “the seal” on their head or back and also have a different color tail. The whip refers to their tails while the silk ball means the seal on their backs. It can also be drag the spear with the seal on its head or back.

The silk rolling on the ground/ Hawksbill
There are some cats that have mottled fur combining all three colors, which makes them look like a piece of shiny fabric stained with dirt, or a hawksbill, a kind of turtle whose shell shares a similar color as this breed of cats. If this type of mottled fur only appears around the mouth and head, the cats can be called roaring rosy clouds.

There you go, a whole list of names for your next kitten.

Nicolas Cage Loves His Cat. The Internet Was Made for This Moment

Nicolas Cage has a cat and now they’ve inspired an art exhibit.

The art will be displayed at CatCon, from Oct. 1-2 in Pasadena, California.

Seven artists are bringing their brushstrokes and pixels to CatCon for Uncaged: The Unbearable Weight of Genius Cat Art.

The art in Uncaged will be on sale both in person at Cat Con and online via Cat Art Show. Ten percent of proceeds will benefit three cat-related charities, with this new Cage-cat genre hopefully benefitting all of meme-kind.

Oil Paintings of Cats Stealing Food Throughout Art History

If you enjoy those funny social media memes of cat’s cat-napping human food don’t think this is a new phenomenon. The Twitter account, Cats of Yore points out that felines have been stealing food for centuries.,

The Cats of Yore account was created by Molly Hodgdon, and one of her favorite sub-genres of art is Cats Stealing Food in Still Life Paintings,” she writes in the first tweet. “It’s so wonderfully disrespectful. So here is a thread celebrating the need for snacks triumphing over art.”

Head on over to Twitter to see all the featured paintings and remember, when we swipe something tasty from your table, we’re only carrying on a centuries old tradition.

#RememberMeThursday -The Felines Celebrate Their Adoptions -2022

Posted on September 22, 2022 by Feline Opines

Hey there furiends, We are excited to share our video for #RememberMeThursday as we shine a light on pet adoption and share our stories. You’ll get to hear the official song too! And don’t forget to check out our contest too.

And here’s this years contest.
The theme is “That Was Then, This Is Now” and we want to see the pawsome transformation from our adopted furiends from before adoption to today. And even if you we3re adopted off the street or the front porch of the house you went to you qualify. Send us a photo collage or a couple of photos with a short explanation about your transformation to FelineOpines@gmail.com. The winner will receive a $50.00 gift card for their shelter from Chewy, our 3 Feline Opines Books and a copy of the new compilation book (The Human has a story in it) called “The Cat In The Christmas Tree”.

We hope you’ll purrticipate and remember to spread the word about adoption! #RememberMeThursday #SeeTheLight

Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 9/21

Posted on September 21, 2022 by Feline Opines

Happy Wednesday!
We are busy here in our neck of the woods getting ready for our #RememberMeThursday celebration and contest which is why our local news is a bit thin today.

This is one of our favorite celebrations as it honors adoption and brings awareness about orphaned cats (and other animals). The good folks at Helen Woodward Animal Center created this event that is now world-wide.

“Changing one mind can save a life.”
Helen Woodward Animal center

We will be doing another contest to celebrate this event so check us out tomorrow for the details and in the meantime, share the news about #RememberMeThursday to #SeeTheLight about pet adoption.

Let’s take a look at this week’s feline news.

Cat can’t stop eating corn

Since my brofur Oliver has some strange food tastes I couldn’t resist this one. I did do some research about corn and found some good info at catvetinfo.com.

Cats can eat corn and it has a high amount of fiber (helps digestion and regulates bowel movement). It also creates a sense of fullness so if you have any CHONKY cats at your house adding a little corn might make them feel fuller for a longer time and cause them to eat less. But, be careful because corn is full of carbs and we felines don’t digest carbs well and the carbs in corn is sugar and that can cause higher blood sugar levels that could put your corn eating kitty in danger of having cardiovascular and heart disease if he eats too much corn.

In general, according to the article, steamed corn and corn on the cob, IN MODERRATION and without any butter, salt or other things you put on your corn, are an okay snack for adult felines (not kittens) and some of us are crazy for it, like our furiend in the video.

And believe it or not, some cats love to chew on corn stalks!

Deaf Cat’s Protective Gesture Toward Blind Cat Absolutely Melts Our Hearts

Oh my whiskers, if this story doesn’t bring a tear to your eye you have a cold heart.

They call him ‘gramps’ for a reason.

Gramps the cat, at TikTok known as @grampsthecat is a wonderful furiend and care giver to his blind buddy. These cats have already had to overcome challenges. Gramps buddy, Helen, is blind and Gramps is deaf. But now, these two unrelated cats have a bond that mimics what siblings do for each other. The owner showed what Gramps does if anyone gets too close to Helen and it’s precious. It’ll completely melt your heart when you see it!

Watch the video and see how Gramps puts his paw on her. And kudos to the humans who adopted Gramps, a senior cat, and deaf and Helen who is blind. There is a special place in heaven for humans who give special needs and elderly cats a forever home!

Woman Going For A Jog Finds A Meowing Stray Cat

https://youtu.be/tVhlJIS53iE

This lady just wanted to go fur a run and ended up with a feline in her life. She was concerned to bring the kitty home because her Corgi hates cats. Well, watch what happens when they meet. You can follow Gritty and Tyrion on Instagram.

Caught on camera: Missing cat rings family’s doorbell

This is not a video, please see below for the video link

This should put an end to those rude comments about cats being dumb. Meet Lily, an 8-year old kitty who enjoyed exploring but always came home after her exploring ventures were over.

After Lily’s humans moved to a new neighborhood in Mastic Beach, N.Y., Lily – unfamiliar with the area – went missing after about two weeks.

On about the fourth day she was missing, the family was at home and their Ring doorbell rang. It was pretty late so the humans were a little nervous until they checked the Alexa screen to see who was at the door. There was Lily waiting to be let inside! You can see the video here.

So there you go. When we felines stare at you and watch what you’re doing, we’re storing that info!

SPCA sponsors adopt-a-rama for black cats

Despite what tradition says, black cats bring good luck. They also represent prosperity and good luck in other parts of the world! For instance:

* In Scotland, if a black cat appears on your doorstep, it is seen as a sign of prosperity.

* In the south of France, black cats are referred ‘magical cats’ and, according to local folklore, feeding and treating them well will bring good luck to the owner.

* Owning a black cat in Asia is considered lucky

* In parts of England, a black cat as a wedding gift is thought to bring good luck to the bride.

* In northern Europe, taking in and caring for a black cat can ensure fair weather and safe passage during voyages on the sea.

* If you hear a black cat sneeze in Italy, you’re in for a streak of good luck.

* Black cats are a symbol of good luck in Japan and if someone sees a black cat crossing their path, they say ‘konichiwa’ and take control of their own luck.

Black cats have a bad rap and around Halloween, there are humans who seek to harm them (our local shelter does not allow adoptions right before Halloween). Black cats are so pawsome. Our Angel Buster was an amazing and beautiful green-eyed, silky long haired sweet guy. Do yourself a favor and give a black a forever home.

The Human Speaks

Posted on September 19, 2022 by Feline Opines

The Human can only hope to be as famous and cool as we are!

We’ve decided to allow The Human her 15 minutes of fame because Mollie Hunt, the writer of Crazy Cat Mysteries did a pawsome article about her.

We don’t want her to get too used to the limelight but we’ll give her some space on our blog for this one! So if you’re interested in learning a little more about us and The Human you just might enjoy this.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 9/14

Posted on September 14, 2022 by Feline Opines

Hello Furiends,
We had some excitement in our neck of the woods when the mail human brought a package to our house from the Tooth Fairy by way of our good furiends at 15 and Meowing. While we loved the contents of the package The Human (and myself who was thankful they remembered me) loved the note! Thanks so much for these great tooth soothing toys!

We all took off with one of the toys. Oliver is shown below enjoying the one he snagged.

The Human had to take Oliver back to the stabby place for the white coat people to check his progress after his dental surgery. Oliver (and I) purfer to ride in the passenger seat in our vests and leash than to be stuffed inside a carrier. As you can see Oliver did quite well.

All went well until The Human pulled into the parking lot of the stabby place. Oliver is no fool, he knew where he was.

All went well at the check up. There are still a few stitches that need to dissolve but all in all the little guy has recovered nicely. He has returned to his snoopervisor position on the counter to oversee The Human making dinner. Also, Oliver has slimmed down to a svelte 18 1/2 pounds but he is working hard on getting those pounds back as his mouth heals.

Let me know before you start chopping the onions.

I hope things have been going well in your neck of the woods and now, this week’s feline news.

A cartoon video of the history of cats

This is a great (and fun) review of how we felines ended up all over the world and why we are so much like our ancient ancestors.

A cat who’s obsessed with potatoes – and why

In an attempt to gain some of their cat’s affection away from her husband, a woman plans a strange tactic to gain his love back. Needless to say, this story intrigued us as we are Idaho felines (although we’re nowhere near where they grow potatoes!)

Neighborhood cats become famous video stars

Whenever Chris Watson walks his neighborhood and says, “Here, kitty-kitty,” cats come running. Chris is a cat whisperer, a Pied Piper of felines, Catluminati. Watson has become a social media sensation, racking up millions of views of videos showing his near-daily cat walking ritual. He says,. “I just walk through Tacoma neighborhoods, and I find cats that are friendly, and then I kneel down to them to get them to come visit, and I pet them on camera”

His intentional cat petting has garnered him 1.6 million followers on TikTok and 118,000 follows on Instagram. One of his videos, of an unusually patterned cat who exchanges kisses with him, has been viewed 15.6 million times and has 21,000 comments.

Watson has been able to quit his job as an ad producer and shift to Catluminati as his full-time job. He makes his money through sponsorships. He also sells Catluminati merchandise including T-shirts and hoodies. Watson wouldn’t say how much he makes but called it a comfortable income.

“It’s more than I’ve ever made in my life,” he said. At this point, I could hear The Human mumbling about how The Tribe should be earning some money too.

Watson recently adopted a tabby named Scamper and he also does feline charity work. He’s raised funds to help sick cats, alerted the public to missing cats and promotes nonprofits that aid, foster and provide felines for adoption. He doesn’t know where Catluminati will take him next, but he vows he will never lose the spontaneity that has made him a success. “If you’re enjoying yourself while you’re doing what you’re doing, other people are going to enjoy it too,” Watson said. “That’s one thing I’m never going to leave behind — the fun.”

Getting purrlitical at No. 10

Last week I featured Larry the Cat’s campaign to be Prime Minister of England but Larry doesn’t have to be PM to reside at No. 10 Downing Street. Moments after Prime Minister Boris Johnson pulled out of Downing Street for the last time on Tuesday, a familiar brown-and-white tabby slipped out of the door of No. 10 and perched on the doorstep.

Larry the Cat was staking his claim to Downing Street, as the fourth prime minister (under Larry’s watch) prepared to move in.

Larry will greet the house’s next occupant, Liz Truss, when she arrives on Tuesday afternoon, as he did Mr. Johnson and his predecessor, Theresa May, when they took up residency. .He arrived in 2012 as a rescue stray to be a pet for the children of Prime Minister David Cameron. In subsequent years, he was given the exalted title of chief mouser to the Cabinet Office, a post he has carried out with mixed results, depending on who is passing judgment.

In his farewell remarks, Mr. Johnson gave Larry a shout out, noting that he had overcome an initially adversarial relationship with the family dog, Dilyn.

“If Dilyn and Larry can put behind them their occasional differences,” Mr. Johnson declared, “then so can the Conservative Party.”

Larry is part of a long tradition of cats in the British government. For centuries, the feline employees have tackled rodent problems in the halls of power, although it was not until the late 1920s that records of payments for their upkeep started, when the Home Office made a request for a penny a day for cat food. (I bet The Human wishes prices for cat food are would be that low today!)

As Britain awaited updates on a post-Brexit trade deal, Larry managed to get people’s minds off the deal when he found himself embarking on an ambitious (and failed) attack on a pigeon.

Much like other occupants of No. 10, Larry has not escaped criticism of his job performance. British tabloids called him “Lazy Larry,” when Downing Street officials had to call in pest control to supplement his efforts. He also developed an antagonistic relationship with the Foreign Office’s own mouser, Palmerston, who has since retired from public duty.

For the last few years, Larry’s comings and goings have been a media staple for cameras waiting for news outside Downing Street. He has become a social media presence, with his own Twitter account that posts occasionally snarky observations about rotating cast of prime ministers who occupy the house.

Larry even figured in the Conservative Party leadership race. During a campaign event in August, Ms. Truss, Britain’s foreign secretary, noted that she had an “extremely positive” relationship with Larry, saying: “He frequently sidles up to me. I think I’m one of his preferred cabinet ministers.”

I believe Ms. Truss paid attention to Larry’s popularity and she suggested that the cat’s place in Downing Street will be secure. Clearly Ms. Truss is a wise woman, at least when it comes to cats.

Walk Through the Web Wednesday – 9/7

Posted on September 7, 2022 by Feline Opines

Happy Wednesday Furiends,
First, Oliver would like to thank you all for the get well wishes. He really apurreciated them. He had a rough few days but he’s back to his old sassy self now.

As The Human was playing nurse to Ollie most of last week and getting up at ungodly hours (and rousting Lily and I from our sleeping positions on the bed) she didn’t manage to capture any new photos of us so I thought this would be a purrfect time to feature Lily’s Remember Me Thursday video and brag that this little video won a Certificate of Excellence from The Cat Writer’s Association.

On September 22, 2022, the entire world shared the importance of pet adoption, and shine a light on all orphan pets waiting in shelters and rescues. Since its inception in 2013, Remember Me Thursday^® has made more than 2 billion impressions on social media.

On #RememberMeThursday, love your rescue and help others #SeeTheLight. It’s up to you to spread the word. We’ll be celebrating again this year and hope you’ll join us!

I hope you enjoyed Lily’s story and that you enjoy this week’s news stories.

Stray Cat Island is ‘purrfect’ place for animal welfare

Now here’s a concept I can get behind. Shanghai’s first cat island is open and housing 20 stray cats and preparing to accommodate 200-300 in the future. The island has interactive activities for visitors and is also serving as an adoption center.

Those wanting to adopt are required to volunteer some time at the shelter and time to get to know the cats they want to bring home. This is to mitigate the possibilities that the cats will be abandoned and that they will have forever homes.

Paws up to the wonderful people that created his sanctuary!

Twitter users delighted to see billboards announcing Larry the cat’s bid for PM

I do not like purrlitical stories as they often result in much hissing and fuzzy tails but this story has to be shared. Larry the cat is appearing on billboards all around London announcing that the No. 10 Downing Street’s Chief Mouser has thrown his collar into the ring to run for prime minister.

While most humans opine that either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak, of the Conservative Party will be the winner the #Larry4Leader organization is making sure he is considered in the race.

Larry was only four years old when he was adopted from Battersea Dogs and Cats home to begin his new life in politics and has served as a trusted companion to three prime ministers: David Cameron, Theresa May and the outgoing PM, Boris Johnson. That means that Larry has more purrlitical experience at the highest level than the two humans running against him.

Larry’s campaign team is making his purrlitical positions clear which include, “responsible hiss-cal policy” and “no lying in No. 10 unless it’s on a comfy cushion.”

If you want to know more about Larry’s campaign you can visit his website.

There is a website, www.larry4leader.com, dedicated to Larry’s political efforts.

Lana’i Cat Sanctuary hosts yoga with Cats

Two paws up for the humans who supported Lana’i Cat Sanctuary at their cat yoga session on the lawn of its shelter. The non-profit incurs costs of almost a million dollars a year to house the 680 cats that live there. They bring in about 200 new feral cats every year but they also adopt out about 100 cats a year.

This little island sanctuary that does so much good for felines doesn’t have the kind of opportunities for fund raising that larger places might have. According to the 2020 census there are 3,367 people on the island. That is about half of the population of the town we live in and we live in a small town. They streamed the yoga event on Facebook and plan to stream the next one they do.

Woman creates a camera that will monitor her cat’s poop

A woman created an artificially intelligent (AI) infrared camera rig using a Rasberry Pi to monitor her cat’s poop after she discovered it was eating plastic after her vet advised her to monitor her feline Teddy’s bathroom habits as he is a plastic eater. The vet told her it’s important to make sure Teddy eliminates the plastic and it doesn’t get stuck in his intestines.

The woman knew this would be a challenge as she had two cats so she wrote a program and set up a camera motion sensor that would trigger every time Teddy used the litterbox so she could tell if Teddy was constipated from the plastic he ate.

Estefannie wrote a python script and set up a camera with a motion sensor that would trigger every time Teddy used his litterbox so she could tell if he was constipated or not.

She said, “I did a lot of research and found I need to take a whole bunch of pictures. Luckily I already have a picture taking script that can take several pictures a second,” she explains on her YouTube channel.

This project wasn’t without its problems. Teddy took exception to the flash so she set up a series of infrared lights and gave the camera an infrared filter so it could see in the dark.

Every time a photo is taken it is sent to a server which processes the image and sends back a message to Estefanni’s computer. It tells her which cat is using the litterbox and if they are pooping or peeing. This complex arrangement allows Estefanni to save all of the data so she knows when Teddy is not pooping and if he needs to go to the veterinary hospital.

How long did it take her to create this incredible set up? It took about a year.

Purr-fect Pairing: Cats and Wineries Create ‘Win-Win Situation’

Ah, one of my favorite subjects – working cats and what better workplace for a feline than a winery?

Wine magazine has done a feature article on these furry employees. Sometimes the cats arrive at the winery and make it their home, which was the case for the resident feline at Napa Valley’s Black Cat Vineyard. In the mid-1990s, a stray black cat wandered onto the property as proprietor and winemaker Tracey Reichow and her kids planted their first grapevines. Every day, he returned to snoopervise their work.

They named him “Black Cat.” The following year, Reichow decided to name the business after the friendly feral feline. Through her veterinarian, Reichow learned about other needy felines who were better suited to the outdoor life. Reichow would bring them to live on her property. At one point, she had 13 winery cats prowling over her 20 acres.

She has a cat door in case any want to come inside her home. But typically, they prefer to sleep in cat beds in the vineyard’s outbuildings like machine sheds and a huge barn, which she warms with heating pads in winter.

And these cats earn their pay by keeping rodents like gophers (that can tunnel through the roots of grapevines and kill the plants) away from the vineyard.

Many rescue organizations offer “barn cat” adoption programs for cats that are fearful or distrustful of humans. These cats would be stressed as indoor pets and that puts them at risk of euthanasia. But life in a winery can be the best solution for these cats. .

At Black Cat Vineyard, the cats hunt rodents like gophers that can tunnel through the roots of grapevines and kill the plants. One of her current cats, Peanut, even leaves gopher guts on the front porch each morning as a gift.

There are requirements for the humans who hire winery working felines. As the cats are territorial, adequate food, water and shelter is required or the cats will move and find new territory.

And if the furry winery employees decide they like the company of humans there are plenty of people for them to choose from such as employees and guests.

At Carlson Vineyards in Palisade, Colorado the three rescue winery cats—Hank the Tank, Gunny and Willow Taffy Snowball—seem to turn on the charm for guests, according to co-owner Garrett Portra.

“It’s almost like they know, ‘Showtime! Time to earn our keep around here,’” he says with a chuckle. “It’s amazing how many people come in just to see the cats.”

The cats live outside, but they sleep indoors at night since there are coyotes in the area. There’s even a cat bed next to the register, which is “purr-fect” for cat lovers who buy bottles of the winery’s popular “Laughing Cat.”

A beloved rescue cat named Jinx, who was “crazy as anything,” inspired the name of Crazy Cat Winery and Café in Bristol, New Hampshire, says co-owner Claudette Smith. At the end of the day, Jinx liked to come into the tasting room and do the “zoomies to entertain the humans. When Jinx crossed the Rainbow Bridge last year Smith was overwhelmed by the support of his fans. Jinx’s legacy continues as he is on the winery logo.

Now rescue cats Cricket and Jasper attract customers. When asked what they bring to the business, Smith doesn’t hesitate. “People. Cat people.”

Crazy Cat shares photos of the winery cats on social media, as well as posts about adoptable cats from rescues like nonprofit group FuRRR Feline Rescue, which rescued Cricket and Jasper.

The winery recently hosted a month long food and kitty litter drive for FuRRR. Anyone who donated received a 10% discount on bottles of wine, which have names like Whisker White and Cat’s Paw.

For the photography book Wine Cats, Craig McGill and Susan Elliott photographed 108 cats in three countries. They learned of a cat named Mr. Wu, who could detect cork taint whenever a wine writer opened a bottle that was off.

I’ve featured cats that work at distilleries too. At Beehive Distilling in Salt Lake City, Owner Chris Barlow and his daughter adopted a cat named Gimlet from Best Friends Animal Society after they hosted a fundraiser for the nonprofit.

Gimlet’s job is to deter rodents that may be attracted to the grain bags around the gin distillery. But her main job is to entertain guests that watch her strut her stuff as they enjoy a drink. She even sleeps in cat beds on barrels and steam pipes.

“It’s really nice to have a cat around,” says Barlow. “I think she just makes everything better.”

Ultimately, when distilleries and wineries adopt working cats, it benefits the business and saves the cat’s life, according to Megan McCloud, senior manager of lifesaving programs at Best Friends Animal Society.

“Just like people, cats have unique personalities and thrive in different environments,” she says. “Working cats are a great asset to businesses, and it’s a wonderful lifestyle for their unique dispositions.”

Paws up to the great wineries and distilleries who give cats a job and a home!