Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 8/3

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siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello There Furiends,

Things are finally cooling off in our neck of the woods and some of the local critters are availing themselves of our little pond and waterfall. The Human enjoyed watching a mamma raccoon take her two kids into the water and under the waterfall but said human was so enamored of the view she forgot to get a photo of the furry family so here’s a photo of the pond sans wildlife.

The woodland critters are back mooching, they like the upstairs deck.

“
Oh uh, hello there. Thanks for the tasty snack and the snack holder.”
“Yo, yeah, you there. The trash pandas have eaten all my bird….err squirrel food again!”

Lily, Oliver and I also enjoy hanging out on the upstairs deck too.

  • “Oh Garcon, a catnip margarita please!”
  • The upstairs deck
  • “Here birdie, birdie”
  • “Doesn’t this rug bring out the blue in my eyes?”

Since we had such a rainy spring and early summer, the plants in the front yard are happy.

Some of our thoughts about the heat and our methods of cooling off.

  • “Someone pulleeze turn on the faucet!”
  • “A little breeze from the kitchen window always helps.”
  • “I’m not coming out until the heat wave is over.”
  • “Ollie can whine all he wants. Lily and I will listen to the water and enjoy the breeze!

That ‘s the report from our neck of the woods. Let us know how things are going in yours and enjoy this week’s news stories, there are some fun ones!

New Study Links Cat Hormones and Gut Microbiomes to Their Social Behavior

My readers know that I’m not much of a “sciency” feline but there are scientific issues regarding cats that I do find interesting and this is one. A A new study from researchers at Azabu University in Japan suggests that house cats’ gut microbiomes and hormones like cortisol, oxytocin and testosterone may explain why some felines get along well with each other and others are more aloof. 

Now you humans talk a lot about “gut health” (or at least our Human does) and how important it is and now, it looks like it’s important for cats too.

Researchers split 15 shelter cats into groups, placing five random cats in three 13-by-25-foot rooms for two weeks. Over this time period, they used video cameras to observe the cats’ behavior, and they collected urine and feces to measure hormones and microbial species present. 

They found that cats with higher cortisol and testosterone concentrations exhibited fewer social behaviors like grooming, sharing food or sniffing, while those with lower amounts of cortisol and testosterone were more social. Additionally, cats with similar microbiomes had more frequent contact with each other, and cats with higher testosterone levels were more likely to try to escape, per the study. The results were published in the journal PLOS ONE. 

Unexpectedly, oxytocin—often called the “love hormone”—was lower in cats exhibiting more social behaviors. 

The scientists did state that because the cats were of different or unknown ages and backgrounds, “we do not consider our results to be applicable to all cat groups,” Future research should look into how factors like spending time together as juveniles and changes in environmental conditions affect social behaviors. And though the study showed correlations between hormones and behaviors, causality is unknown. The authors conclude in the study that research conducted over a longer period of time may be required to provide “more comprehensive information.”

In other words, we’re not to take the study as gospel but still, it’s interesting and I do apurreciate the good folks in Japan for all the cat research they do!

Cat is obsessed with the ocean

Bao Zi was shy and timid and would always hide from everyone, until her humans took her to the ocean and then everything changed . You can follow Bao Zi ‘s aquatic adventures on Instagram. And if this story of a cat cooling themselves off in the water appeals to you check out Captain Ahab the sailor, The paddle boarding Bug and his human, Veterinarian Dr. Kenneth Lambrecht (our Human met Bug and Dr. Ken!) and Yoshi the tubing cat and his beloved human boy companion (see all their photos below). There are a lot more water and outdoor loving felines to get to know at Adventure Cats.

  • Captain Ahab
  • Bug and Dr. Ken
  • Yoshi the tubing cat

Cat lovers can try cat-food inspired dishes at Fancy Feast’s Italian pop-up

Fancy Feast is expanding into feline-inspired human cuisine, with a New York City Italian restaurant designed to celebrate the company’s new line.

Gatto Bianco, (“white cat,”) is described by Fancy Feast as an “Italian-style trattoria,” and will be open for dinner reservations on August 11-12 only.

The human-friendly dishes were inspired by Fancy Feast’s new “Medleys” cat food line, which feature options like “Beef Ragú Recipe With Tomatoes & Pasta in a Savory Sauce” for the cat with discerning taste. Hmm, our Tribe has discerning taste, we’ll make a note for The Human to add that to the Chewy order!

Only a lucky few will have the opportunity to try the Gatto Bianco pop-up, located between Manhattan’s Far West Village and the Meatpacking District. The experience is limited to a total of 16 guests, who will each enjoy a complimentary tasting menu free of charge. The menu was designed by Fancy Feast’s in-house chef, Amanda Hassner, and New York restaurateur Cesare Casella.

The chef said, “Food has the power to connect us to others in meaningful ways and take us to places we have never been, The same is true for our cats. The dishes at Gatto Bianco are prepared in ways that help cat owners understand how their cats experience food — from flavor, to texture, to form — in a way that only Fancy Feast can.”

This isn’t Fancy Feast’s first foray into human dining. In 2021, the company released a cookbook with recipes cat lovers can make to pair with their cat’s food.

For those who can’t get their paws on a reservation, you can get the recipe book here. If your human tries these recipes, meow about it in the comments and let us know what they thought.

FancyFeastRecipeBookDigitalDownload


Hot dogs – and cats – get wearable fans to beat Japan’s scorching summer

Once again our furiends in Japan come through for kitties. A Tokyo clothing maker teamed up with veterinarians to create a wearable fan for pets. The device consists of a battery-operated, 80-gramme (3-ounce) fan that is attached to a mesh outfit and blows air around an animal’s body.

Rei Uzawa, president of maternity clothing maker Sweet Mommy, says she was motivated to create it after seeing her own pet chihuahua exhausted every time it was taken out for a walk in the scorching summer heat.

“There was almost no rainy season this year, so the hot days came early, and in that sense, I think we developed a product that is right for the market,” she said.

After the rainy season ended in late June, Tokyo suffered through a heat wave for nine days. This device would be especially nice for all my feline furiends that are adventure cats or who just like to go for a summer stroll, even when it’s hot.

The device debuted in early July and Sweet Mommy has received around 100 orders for the product, Uzawa said. It comes in five different sizes and is priced at 9,900 yen ($74). I sent our Purrsonal Assistant all over the web to find a link to buy these products but it appears you an buy them in every country but the good old US of A. They do have a US Facebook page that hasn’t been updated since January. Looks like you’ll just have to have furiend in Japan buy one for you.

Pedalpalooza Cat Ride brings out feline families and friends

Woo Hoo for the bike riding, cat loving folks in Portland. They donned their whiskers and cat ears and purrticipated in the fourth annual Cat Ride.

The humans didn’t just dress up like cats, some actually rode with their felines. Those folks walking by the Southeast Ankeny greenway might have been confused by all the meows they heard. The ride was put on by Portland Pedalpalooza. Maybe next year they could help their local shelter by “charging” each biker to bring a bag of cat food as their entry fee.  

Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 7/27

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“There is etiquette and then there are rules, rules that might be construed as draconian. “

Alberto

Hello Furiends!
This week The Tribe decided to share some of the rules that exist in our house and how we feel about them. We did write a book called, “Felines Opine on Etiquette, What Humans Need to Know About Guests, Cat Sitting and Furniture” but it’s become evident lately that the issue of rules needs to be addressed as well.

We assume that your humans have rules for your home. Some of them are meant to keep us safe, like the rule that says “Don’t leave the front door open” but many are oppressive and inhibit a feline’s right to live their best life. We are going to share a few of our rules with you and why those specific rules are made to be broken.

Stay off the dining room table

Full disclosure is needed here. The Human had the house designed so that the dining room (and the dining room table) are across from the glass sliders to the upstairs deck. What is a cat to do but to disobey this stupid rule?

  • When you put your dining room table across from the glass doors of the upstairs deck, what do you expect?
  • I’m watching to make sure no trash pandas scurry up the tree and on to the upstairs deck
  • Technicallyt, I am not on the table
  • What? If Al and Ollie can do it, why can’t I?


Leave the puzzle alone

This is technically an offshoot of the “stay off the table rule” acknowledging the fact that humans hate it when you swat some of their puzzle pieces on the floor and then hide them throughout the house. Note The Human’s attempt to protect the puzzle. Epic fail!

Stay off the kitchen counters

There are so many variations of the reason why this rule is impossible to follow. If The Human insists on putting the cat grass on the window sill how are we supposed to access it? And once we’re up there, curious creatures that we are, we are known to wander around to monitor the kitchen goings on.

  • Now that I’m up here I might as well watch the neighbors.
  • Human, I need to check the vintage of this wine.
  • The only way I can get to my grass is to get on the counter!
  • Hey Human, the eggs are done
  • Hmm, grapes. No thanks!
  • May I have a sip of coffee
  • May I have a bite of your toast?
  • Would someone please turn on the faucet ?

Stay out of the refrigerator

Okay, I do see the reasoning behind this but you can’t blame a cat for trying!

Don’t drink water from the bathroom sink, kitchen sink, flower vase or the shower.

I think the photos speak for themselves here.

And last but not least, the random places our house rules say we should not climb into, on top of etc., yeah, those rules get broken too.

In conclusion my dear furiends I urge you to evaluate any rules in your house and before you blindly obey, make sure the humans have considered your needs as well.

And now on to this week’s feline news.

I travel the world with three cats on my shoulders

Spongecake, Donut and Mocha are adventure-loving cats who are also world travelers. Their human, Dan Nguyen started filming their adventures and has now created a  TikTok account where  you can follow their adventures.

Cats and their humans fall in love with the Stray video game

Oh my whiskers, you can’t go anywhere on the web without reading about the Stray video game.

Aside from the reviews that say the game is fun, there is a way for humans to edit the game so that their own cats are featured. Now I am not a very techy feline and sadly, The Human gave away our Play Station a while back so I can’t provide you a first hand report. I do know that that the game is about a pet cat who has lost their way in a vast, grimy cityscape full of droids and dangerous creatures. The poor feline is trying to find it’s way home.  

There have been some fun results from the love of this game. Videos of cats watching the action unfold, clawing at the screen and interacting with the game have amassed thousands of likes and views online. 

Then there are the inventive shelter folks who have Shelters and foster organizations who have figured out that that using a Twitch channel and a twitter account to bring awareness to the needs of their felines and to raise funds.

I love when shelters are creative and using this game is very creative. If any of you have humans who have played the game, meow about it and let me know what you think about it.

Cat reaches into every cage at the vet to pet the animals

The feline staff members of this veterinary clinic (all rescue cats) are excellent care givers. This video shows one of the staff cats training the other felines in the art of patient care.

You can follow these amazing working cats on their many social media platforms. Paws up for these dedicated working cats!

Scruffy looking cat turns into blue-eyed beauty

Oh my whiskers, I love a happy ending and this is the happiest. The best part of the video is when Malcolm gets into his human’s arms and purrs for the first time. You can follow Malcolm on TikTok.

Cats in winter – and in water

Photo: Stuff.co.nz

While some of us in the good old US of A are suffering through a heat wave there are areas of the world that are experiencing winter. I thought I’d share some cooling photos of felines who are enjoying (or enduring) snow and water.

As my regular readers may know, I choose pawsitive stories for my news feature but it seems like wherever I sent my researcher to find this week’s news, we saw the headlines for the Polish Institute. I refuse to give their scurrilous classification any time on this blog but I am posting a photo of my reaction to their “findings”.

Alberto
We are NOT an alien invasive species so pffffttt to you!

Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 7/20

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Please Note,

The scurrilous accusations and statements made by the felines in this blog
are unfounded and downright libelous. No feline was denied kibble, wet food or treats during my absence. . Yes, we do not have air conditioing because it is rarely needed in this neck of the woods and the temperatures during my absence from home were in the low 80s. The comments in this blog are greatly exaggerated.. The felines were well cared for.
Signed:
The human

Hello Furiends,
Despite the notation The Human snuck into our post today The Tribe has decided to continue with the blog post we had originally planned and allow all of you to make a judgment on our veracity and the horrible conditions we had to endure while she was away.

Here are a few pages from our diary and some other thoughts from each of us as we suffered through the harsh conditions created by The Human’s five day dereliction of her duties. Oh, and there are our usual news items as well. Enjoy!

This cat keeping cool is everyone in Britain right now

We have heard that many of our furiends are suffering from high temperature and are thankful that things have been very comfortable in our neck of the woods.  We’ve heard that temperatures are the highest they’ve ever been in Britain and in order to find some amusement in the sweltering temperatures, many humans are sharing photos of their cats attempting to keep cool.

The RSPCA included some tips to keep cats safe in a heat wave:

  • Use a pet-safe sun cream on exposed parts of your pet’s skin
  • Make sure they have shade
  • Give them constant access to fresh water
  • Put ice cubes in their water bowl
  • Give them damp towels to lie on

Junior the Coors Field Cat Gets a Forever Home, Furry Friend and New Name

It may be nice to be a famous baseball field cat but every cat needs a furever home. Junior, a cat born at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado now has his own humans and home and a new name as well. He is now known as Chip.

Chip was trapped in April when he was estimated to be 9 months old. Animal Rescue of the Rockies found a foster home. There was a concern that Chip might not take to people but that was short lived. When his new owner came to meet Chip he immediately demanded tummy rubs. A few days later, Chip walked into his new carrier and settled in for the trip to his new home.

In an Instagram post celebrating Chip’s adoption, his foster human shared that while he was being fostered, he made friends with the other cats in her care. In the montage, he can be seen cuddling with cats of all ages and helping kittens learn the ropes of being a cat.

Chip is now happy at his new home with his new name and a ginger brofur named Dale.

Chip is the only known surviving child of Socks, the original Coors Field Cat, who lives at the Colorado Rockies’ home stadium, according to KUSA-TV. Socks has her own Twitter account, where “she” celebrates her son’s adoption. The account is actually maintained by Shannon Hurd, a fan of the Rockies who also helps care for Socks. Socks has also been trapped and spayed by Animal Rescue of the Rockies, though she was too feral to tame, and still lives at the stadium.

A colony of feral cats has lived at Coors Field for decades, according to The Denver Post. And the cats don’t just interrupt ballgames in the most adorable way possible, they’re also known for helping keep the pest population down. Like the Rockies, the Coors Field clowder has its own fans.

Photographer Captures the Many Humorous Expressions of Cats

Photographer Elke Vogelsang, also known as “Wieselblitz,” is known for her photos of canines but now she has decided to venture into the world of felines.

Vogelsang is an admirer of cats as well as dogs and doesn’t understand the whole “cat vs dog” debate. Her new body of work features the expressions of felines.

She does admit that cats are more difficult to photograph than dogs but she still loves the process. She does have some tricks which were featured in an article by Colossal.

She will use a toy to get the cat’s attention and then press the trigger during that fraction of the second the toy is out of sight for the camera but the cat is still trying to catch it. She has many props that she uses to capture her amazing photos of the cats who model for her.

In Vogelsang’s studio shoots  which occur in the pet’s home, she builds trust bribes and catnip as a mood lifter. Hmmm, I must tell The Human to employ this tactic when attempting to photograph us. She keeps noise to a minimum and uses small leather strings attached to a stick that produce the sound of flapping bird wings. She says that every cat she photographs teaches her new tricks.

Cat reunited with owner 3 weeks after escaping kennel at Boston Logan Airport

I just love stories about felines reunited with their humans and this one about Rowdy is a great one. Rowdy, a four year old Bengal mix black cat, esaped from her kennel when her family arrived in Boston on a Lufthansa flight.  They were reunited on Saturday. Rowdy, who had evaded capture seemed to have decided she was done with the airport life and allowed herself to be caught by the Massachusetts Port Authority.

Rowdy’s human, Patty Sahli arrived in Boston late Friday night to be reunited with the feline.  She and her husband are moving back to the U.S. from Germany. According to Sahli, the door to Rowdy’s carrier fell open when baggage handlers went to grab her off the plane. “Her door fell open and she just saw a target of opportunity to get out and she wanted out,” Sahli said.

She wasn’t surprised that Rowdy had been spotted chasing mice as Rowdy has been an intrepid hunter all her life.

Rowdy’s human was not hopeful that Rowdy would be found but finding Rowdy and capturing her had become a community effort.

All kinds of humans, construction workers and airline staff were constantly on the lookout for Rowdy and the airport staff even put up a wildlife cameras in the area of the terminal where Rowdy had escaped. They also used safe traps. On Wednesday morning Rowdy sauntered into one of the safe traps and the rest is history.  She was taken to a vet, scanned and had a health check.

Rowdy will be heading to the rest of her family and her two furry feline siblings in Florida on Sunday. Her grateful human thanked everyone who asked what they could do to help and said they should support the Boston ARL and Charles River Alley Cats with donations.

Two beloved cats had to be rehomed, and their full-circle story is bringing people to tears

Furiends, you’re going to need a hanky for this story.

One of the saddest things to this feline is when humans shame other humans for having to rehome their kitty. There are many reasons why this might be done, our own Human suffered through this process and wrote about it in an article, When Forever Isn’t Forever. We have a wonderful program at our shelter called Home to Home that deals with this issue exclusively.

The Oregon animal hunger charity, through The Pongo Fund is doing this work as well. The organization shared a tale on its Facebook page of two felines, Penny and Lucy and the two women who loved these felines.

A lady asked the organization to rehome her cats ASAP. The cats were 12 years old and had lived with her for 10 years. The lady had cancer and decided she wanted to travel in the next year or two she had left to see family and friends and this would make it impossible to care for her cats. She didn’t want to let them go but with the clock ticking on her life, she had to make some hard decisions.

She adopted Penny and Lucy from The Pongo Fund a decade ago when Their previous human had world turned upside down. She’d lost her home and her marriage and had no place to live and didn’t know when she’d find one. She loved Penny and Lucy very much and asked The Pongo Fund to help her find a forever home for them.  Now, the wonderful woman who adopted those kitty friends ten years ago needed them to return the favor so someone else could give Penny and Lucy a good home.

She asked, if possible, that she could meet the potential adopter of her beloved felines. She wanted to give them all the cat’s toys and to let them know that sometimes Lucy got an upset tummy and how she would put Lucy on her lap, lay her on her back and rub her tummy it while she sang to her.

Her only request was that they stay together, these two sweet older girls who each had their own bed but most often ended up in the same one.

She wanted to make sure the organization and the potential adopter didn’t judge her harshly for what she was doing.  

Finding a home for two senior, bonded cats would be hard but they had one card to play.

They called a woman who used to live in the Portland area but moved away several years ago. She used to have two cats but needed to give them up when her life turned upside down. She now lived in a new state and had a great new life. Still, she always followed the Pongo Fund on Facebook and cheered them on. The Pongo Fund thought she’d be a great candidate to adopt Penny and Lucy, because ten years ago, she was the human who needed to let them go.

Over the years she had told the group that  if there was ever a cat needing a safe place to go, to please let her know.

Who would have known that she would be asked to take in the cats she had to let go ten years ago! She’d kept up with them and every now and then she’d receive an update on how they were doing. She didn’t want too much information, that was too hard, she said. But just to know they were safe and happy and most of all, that they were loved.

They called her and told her about the two cats who needed a home. During the course of the conversation as they described the cats and their situation to her, she began to cry. She knew they were talking about Penny and Lucy.  

A few days later she was in Portland. She met the cat’s former owner and the women hugged over their shared love of the two cats. One of them is back home with the two cats she didn’t think she’d ever see again and the other is traveling to family to spend the time she has left with them.

So my furiends, please don’t judge when someone has to rehome their kitty and, if you are able, please consider giving a kitty a furever home when their humans have to give them up.

We interrupt this blog…

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Hello Furiends,

We interrupt this weeks blog to tell you we will not have a Walk Through The Web Wednesday feature this week. We allowed our Purrsonal Assistant to depart on an 8-hour drive to a conference. We have made it clear to her that we will be demanding our pound of flesh when she returns.

Until next week, your furriend.

Alberto

Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 7/6

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siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends!
Wednesday came fast as we allowed our Purrsonal Assistant to have Independence Day off. Thankfully she managed to get all her work done and our regular Wednesday feature was on time. Since she was out and about she didn’t manage to get any new photos of us so we told her, since we’re always talking about “our neck of the woods” maybe we should share some pics from our neck of the woods. We hope you enjoy them!

Looking out of the livcingroom window, The Human needs to do sme trimming, you an ‘t even see the waterfall!
View of the actual woods from our livingroom
This is the long bridge you go over to get to our town and it’s called “The Long Bridge” MOL!
And we even have our very own Statue of Liberty.

Well, that’s it from our neck of the woods this week. Hope things are going well in your neck of the woods!

Ellie and the watering can

We felines have some strange ways of getting our water. My readers know that I like to stick my head under the bathroom sink for a little refreshment as this video attests.

Nothing better than a refreshing shower.

Well, I’m not the only one. This cat, Ellie, is so crazy about water that she likes to actually be watered…like a plant.

You can see her in the Reddit video, sitting by some plants and waiting for her turn to be watered. When she meows at her human, the human asks,  “what do you want? Do you want to get watered, showing Ellie the green watering can and asking if this is what she wants. Ellie responds with a loud meow.

Ellie continues meowing until the water is sprinkled over her. This delightful  little video has made the internet crazy.  I’ll let you decide what you think about watering cats!

Cat Needs His Own Cat-uccino To Begin His Day

 This cat cannot start his day without hos own cat-uccino and he gives new meaning to the phrase “pampered cat”. I do have to say though that Vinny the cat is coming late to the party as our very own Oliver made a video about this in 2018 and he insisted that I include it in this news item in case any of his fans missed it (he’s pushy that way). So Cat-uccino, Catpuccino, whatever you call it, just remember that we felines like our comforts!

Cat goes on walks with his dog

While we’re on the subject of what we felines purrfer, let’s talk abut this feline who likes to get his fresh air by walking his dog. Now I don’t know how my feline furiends feel about walking a dog, not to mention their dog, but his feline prefers a walk in the garden sans canine! Oliver doesn’t even like to walk, he’ll let The Human do that while she wheels him around the neighborhood in his stroller. This isn’t much different than this kitty, who has his own denim tote bag to travel in on their walks.

Woman “accidently” steals her neighbor’s cat

This story had me meow out loud! As funny as it it, it’s not so far fetched! The Human had family visiting once and she kept telling the young humans to be careful, close the front door so the cats don’t get out. One day the youngest little human came in the door holding a squirming feline saying, “I’m sorry Aunt Anita, I don’t know how she got out but I brought her back.” The Human forgot to tell the family that the across the street neighbors had a cat that looked exactly like one of us. MOL!! So remember, it can happen!

Sitka’s ‘little cat feet’ bigger than most

Alice picking up a blueberry with her ‘hand.’ (Photo courtesy of Anna Laffrey)
Alice the polydactyl cat. Veterinarian Dr. Nicole Caraway says polydactylism is a dominant genetic trait, and if one parent carries it, there’s a 50-percent chance the entire litter will too. (Photo courtesy of Anna Laffrey)

Because Sitka is an island and there is a limited genetic diversity, an interesting and somewhat rare genetic mutation has made its way into the feline gene pool.

Two years ago, Anna Laffrey was out for a walk on the Sitka Cross Trail, when she stumbled upon something unexpected .

It was a litter of kittens. She knew she’d have to act quickly. It was winter in Sitka, and they wouldn’t last long in the elements. Eventually, with the help of some friends, she was able to capture one of them. 

“We used a butterfly net and a pot. Yeah, we picked her up with a jacket and we had a big stock pot and we kind of dropped her in the pot with blankets and took her home,” she said.

What she didn’t know was that kitten was a carrier of a unique genetic mutation.

Alice the cat is now two years old and her paws that resemble oven mitts are quite apparent as the cat bats at a toy on a string. “She’s polydactyl. It looks like she has thumbs. She has huge paws. She can pick up a blueberry with her hand!” Laffrey says.

Cats with polydactylism are born with extra digits. In Alice’s case, that means six toes on each front paw for a total of 20 toes (most cats have 18). But Alice’s paws are not that rare on Sitka.  According to visiting veterinarian Nicole Caraway, Sitka’s lack of genetic diversity makes it a perfect breeding ground for the dominant trait. 

“If one parent has it, and the other parent doesn’t, then there’s a 50% chance that all the kittens that are born will have polydactyl or extra toes,” Caraway explained. “So because it’s a dominant trait, it is something that that is basically guaranteed to be passed on. The population genetically here is smaller, so you’re going to see more of that mutation.”

Polydactylism is not a product of inbreeding only. There are cats all over the world with these paws. Actually, the condition is most common on the Eastern seaboard where they were historically kept as ship cats. Many sailors believed the cats brought good luck and that their extra claws made them excellent mousers. We don’t know when the first polydactyl cat made it to the shores of Sitka, but as a town full of fisherman, it shouldn’t be a surprise that they landed there.

There is another place that is famous for polydactyl cats, the Hemmingway House in Key West, Florida. Not only do they still have polydactyl kitties roaming the grounds (and well taken care of) the house is referred to as “America’s Unofficial Polydactyl Cat Museum,”

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I thought you might enjoy some interesting facts about these big-mittened kitties. Are any of my furiends out there polydactyl? Give us a meow in the comments and tell us about it!

  • In most cases, the genetic mutation is harmless
  • Polydactyl cats typically have extra thumbs that resemble mittens
  • Some believe extra toes gives cats an advantage but veterinarians do not agree
  • You will likely find polydactyl cats in the UK and US
  • Polydactyl cats were hunted in Europe due to witchcraft superstition
  • The world record for polydactyl cats is 28 toes
  • In the past, Maine Coons were most likely to have extra toes but nowadays all breeds may have them
  • The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum currently houses 40-50 polydactyl cats
  • President Theodore Roosevelt’s polydactyl cat attended formal dinners at the White House

Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 6/29

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Happy Wednesday Furiends!

Wooohoo, summer is here. We had a chat with The Human and were discussing how The Tribe would celebrate summer if we had opposable thumbs and our own money. Since we recently celebrated National Sunglasses Day (yes it’s a real holiday) we thought we’d take the concept a little further with our “how I’d like to spend the summer” photos.

Three cool cats!
“My purrfect summer days includes a pool, a nice cool drink and many, many snacks!”
Oliver
“This feline fancies a nice, pampering spa day.”
Lily
“I’m taking my boat and giving white fizh wavez to my furiends the Tabbies O Trout Towne“
Alberto

We hope you’re enjoying your summer. Meow at us and let us know how you like spending your day!

The Power of “Purr-suasion” – Firefighters save cat stuck on roof

Photos: NBC15.com

I’ve written many news items about my fellow felines being stuck in trees and being reswcued by firefighters. In Madison, Wisconsin firefighters took this to a new level as they rescued a poor cat laying in a rain gutter  

The cat was in great distress and “using her powers of purrsuasion” the firefighter was able to calm the cat, pick it down the ladder to the cat’s worried humans.

The article never said how the feline managed to be in a rain gutter on the roof but I think it’s safe to say that the cat will stay away from roofs from now on!

‘Unable’ to catch rats, Karnataka police ‘deploy’ cats

The Gauribidanur rural police station in Karnataka, India has ‘deployed’ two cats to rein in the rats at the station.

Sources at the police station said rats had started to nibble away important files and things got so bad, and the humans were unable to stop the rodent destruction so they hired some felines to do the job.

Speaking to indianexpress.com, Vijay Kumar, Gauribidanur the police station sub-inspector, said: “We have a lake nearby and it seems the rats found our station to be a better place to reside. When a cat was deployed, the rat menace reduced and we have brought in another cat recently. Till now, they have killed three rats.”

The police care for the cats giving them milk and food and they have become part of the police family at the station.  My favorite take on the story was an Indian newspaper that referred to the cats as “claw enforcement” MOL!

Cats with judgmental looks are taking over Reddit

The internet is exploding with photos of “judgmental cats” on Reddit. The article refers to humans getting “hissterical” about the judgy feline photos. Some of the comments in the thread were pretty funny: like this one; “[I] started singing out loud and glanced over to see my cat, Snuggles, staring at me with lots of judgement [sic]. Cats,” Redditor lscraig posted.

And Reddit isn’t the onl;y place where you’ll find my fellow felines scowling. The hashtag #judgmentalcat has more than 388,100 posts on TikTok.

The truth is that cat’s aren’t really judgmental and there are a number of reasons why our expressions might look that way to you humans. I asked The Human, who is a cat behaviorist and  she said it oculd be one of many things. It might be that the cat feels cornered, maybe another cat is near ( a cat we’re not fond of), we might be in pain, scared or just unhappy about something that just happened. Whatever the reason for the funny expression, it’s just how we look.

And there are some cats (as there are humans) who have what many refer to as RBF (that means due to no fault of our own, we are just born with a cranky face).

The Seattle man who’s watched over 100,000 cat videos and isn’t planning on stopping

This is the trailer for the CatVideo Fest

Will Braden from Seattle, WA has watched, by his count, 100,000 cat videos in the past 10 years. Meowza, that’s a lot of videos!

He’s the cinematographer who used to shoot everything from commercials to weddings and now has a full-time job as the guy who puts together CatVideoFest, “the world’s #1 cat video festival.” It took place in Seattle June 24-26 at the Cinema Egyptian and at various times in 100 other cities, mostly in the U.S.

He never gets tired of the videos and says that “Everyone deserves a fun cat video to distract them from all the tough stuff in life,”.

Take a video such as “Bert the Cat vs Cat Balloon,” which has had about 8 million YouTube views since August 2011. Braden has seen that video dozens of times. The video features an orange cat named Bert facing off against an orange cat balloon. A few whacky paws at the balloon and Bert is in for a nasty surprise as it pops. Just good old slapstick comedy.

Braden receives about 400 submissions every year for the CatVideoFest and he also searches the web for excellent feline films.

When asked if there are any videos he won’t use he mentions the4 funny one of cats hacking up hair balls edited to techno music. He said it was funny but “too much”.

Braden is the Seattle guy who had transitory fame in 2012 with his Henri the Existential Cat videos (these are some of our favorite videos) That year the first Henri video won the first Internet Cat Video Festival, held as a bit of lark by the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. And that was no easy win, the first contest drew 10,136 entries.

The story of Henri (who was really Henry) is that he was the Braden family cat. He was a Seattle shelter kitty and because of his elegant “tuxedo” black-and-white coloring, he became Henri le Chat Noir, translated to black cat.

Faking a French accent, Braden talked for Henri and his fictional angst. Henri amassed a huge fan base quickly and soon had his own You Tube channel. The Human has been an Henri fan for years.

Henry died in December 2020 at age 17. As Henri, he had starred in 11 videos that totaled 20 million YouTube views; had 168,000 Facebook followers; and with Braden had his angst-filled musings in two books.

Braden’s new cat, Nin has not starred in her own videos. “She does not have the imperious stare that Henry had,” says Braden. She does, however, keep him company at his home office as he works on the cat festival.

When asked why he thinks cat videos have taken over the internet , as opposed to dog videos, he said, “We don’t really like to see dogs screw up,”. “Dogs are loyal and man’s best friend. We like to see dogs show off their skills.” But cats, well. “We think of cats as being aloof. We like to see them taken down a peg, without being hurt,”

The CatVideoFest is part of the Seattle International Film Festival and a portion of the ticket sales support PAWS.

The 10 best names for boy and girl cats in 2022

The Human often sees social media posts of cute kittens with the request, “I need names for my new kitten.” In our house, the kitten is observed and played with before a name is given. Sometimes a family member puts their two cents in like in my case, I was named after a Spanish Tour de France competitor, I looked exotic and I was sleek and fast as a kitten (still fast but not so sleek anymore) so my full name is Alberto Contador. There is a story behind each of our names. Oliver was the runt of the litter and when we came to The Human for her to foster and bottle feed us, he never could get enough to eat. He reminded The Human of Oliver Twist asking for more porridge. Lily was named after the little girl next door (Lily) who loved her (and all cats) but couldn’t have a cat because her dad was allergic to felines.

Still, not everyone goes to these lengths to name their felines so if you’re stuck for a name, try one of the ones below. And, if you have a cool story about how you got your name, meow about it in the comments and let us know where your name came from. The names below came from The Scotsman. We don’t know if the top ten names are different in the U.S.

Male Kittens

1. Loki
Loki is a unisex name that originates from Norway – loosely translating as ‘The God of Mischief’. hmmmm

2. Leo
Leo is a Hebrew name which translates as brave and/or lion. Or maybe people just really like the actor!

3. Charlie
A gender neutral name, though it does translate from German as “free man.” It is derived from the Germanic word karal, which translates to “free man” or kerle, meaning “warrior.”

4. Milo
The name Milo have increased in popularity with cat owners. Milo is likely derived from multiple sources. In Slavic languages, the root mil- means “dear” or “beloved.”

5. Simba
It is no surprise to see the name Simba at the top of this list, especially if you’re a Disney fan.

6. Ziggy
The name Ziggy is a great name for a cat – especially if you’re a household of David Bowie fans.

7. Jasper
Another popular male cat name is Jasper, which is a masculine given name commonly believed to be of Persian origin, translates as “treasurer”.

8. Max
Short and sweet, Max is derived from the name Maximilian, which means “greatest.”

9. Merlin
Thought to originate in Wales, Merlin is another popular boy cat name often related to the famous wizard.

10. Oscar
An Irish name which is derived from two elements in Irish: the first, “os”, means “deer”; the second element, “car”, means “loving” or “friend”, thus “deer-loving one” or “friend of deer”.

Female Kittens

1. Luna
The most popular name for a girl cat in 2022 is Luna, which translates as ‘moon’ in Italian.

2. Loki
Loki is a unisex name that origin came from Norway – loosely translating as ‘The God of Mischief’. Uh oh.

3. Nala
The name Nala has Arabic and African origin. However, the African translation is perhaps best used for kitty’s, meaning queen, lion or successful woman.

4. Coco
Coco is a popular name that has developed in America.

5. Bella
Bella is a name that has been used for decades across the globe, thanks to its meaning of ‘beautiful’ in numerous different languages. And all cats are beautiful!

6. Lily
Named after the popular snowy, white flower, Lily is often thought to mean purity and innocence due to its loose connections to the Bible character of Mary.

7. Lola
Another name with Bible links is Lola. It is a short form of the Spanish name Dolores, meaning “sorrows”, taken from one of the titles of the Virgin Mary: Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, or Our Lady of Sorrows.

8. Willow
Following the popularity of the Buffy The Vampie Slayer character, the name Willow has grown immeasurably over the last few decades.

9. Daisy
Another name taken from a popular flower is, of course, Daisy. However, did you know the name comes from the Old English word dægeseage, meaning “day’s eye”.

10. Molly
The name Molly has Irish origin, meaning ‘star of the sea’. But did you know the name has been in use since the late Middle Ages?

Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 6/22

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siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends,
Happy Wednesday! We’ve had an interesting week here in our neck of the woods. The Human received notification from the good folks at Basepaws, the cat DNA company, that they had updated their health reports, added new health reports such as blood type and blood transfusion information,25 new genetic traits and screening for additional health markers. The Human was keen to get the additional information as she loves the idea of doing whatever she can to be proactive in keeping us healthy. Our veterinary clinic love using the results as tools to help keep us healthy too.

What she didn’t realize was that she would receive three new DNA kits. You may be saying, “So what?” This was a big deal however because The Human now faced the daunting task of doing cheek swabs for all three of us.

It took her almost a week to screw up her courage to get the job done but she finally screwed up her courage and began the daunting task. She started with me as I’m a fairly mellow guy. I did not, however succumb to the cheek swabbing easily.

Once she was done with me she moved on to Oliver. He observed my cheek swabbing, squirming and meowing from a distance and wanted no part of what he ascertained to be some form of brutal torture.

She didn’t get my DNA without a struggle and then she turned her attention to Lily, also known in our house as “Princess Stabby Toes”. I am pleased to report that The Human managed to complete the mission with minimum blood loss and injury.

That’s what we’ve been up to this week. When we receive our new reports we’ll let you know about the new information and what The Human and our vet think about it all.

National Take Your Cat to Work Day — How cats help people in the office

June is the month when humans celebrate the benefits of felines at work and many will take their cats to the office. A TV station in Indianapolis

Office cats are becoming more popular than ever, and in the news video KJ McGlinn, host of the KJ Today Show, introduces an office cat named Grayson.

There are many benefits to working with a feline in your office and here are three:

  • Having a cat reduces stress 
  • Some studies show that an office cat increases productivity 
  • Adopting a cat for the office frees up space and resources for the shelters 

An Unlikely Friendship Between Monkeys and a Litter of Cats

At the Bambalela Vervet Monkey Rehabilitation Center in South Africa, older vervet monkeys adopted a litter of feral cats that showed up at their enclosure at the center.

Vervet monkeys often have conflict with humans, so it came as somewhat of a surprise when the monkeys at the rehab center developed great relationships with their feline friends.

Kitty exhibition: Persian feline museum hosts real stray cats

A museum dedicated to cats is wonderful and it’s made even better in the Iranian capital Tehran, at a  museum dedicated to Persian cats. The museum depicts the history of the Persian cats which are some of the most popular felines in the world, but also hosts a wide range of cats in the  space.

Almost 30 cats roam the museum rooms and nap in its many cozy corners, with museum organizers regularly posting photos of them on Instagram.

The museum has been around for three years and has a resident veterinarian Haleh, who volunteers her time to care for the cats two to three days a week. “When you care for cats or play with them, happiness hormones are released,” she says.

There are Persian cats and a handful of other breeds that live at the museum.  All the cats are named after well known figures from Persian mythology and history.

There are many visitors to the museum and as pets are not tolerated by some parts of society in Shiite Iran, being able to visit the cats is a treat. Cats,  unlike dogs, cats are not considered unclean in Islam.

The museum for Persian cats is outgrowing it’s space and the rental contract has not been renewed. But even a change in location would probably not  harm the popularity of the museum with its tens of thousands of fans on social media.

Are you a dog person or a cat person?

What do you see first in this picture, dogs or cats?

If you look closely, you will notice the red shapes show two cats with their tails touching. But if you focus on the white space first, you will realise the red shapes of the cat form the long ears of a spaniel. The white space forms the dog’s face.

Per some psychologists, people who like dogs more than cats are more likely to be loyal, friendly, playful, and easy to get on with. They are people who like socialising and enjoy companionship.

As for cat lovers, the psychologists say they can be self-motivated, goal-oriented, and introverted and tend to enjoy their own company,

What did you see first and what do you think about the psychological analysis?

5 Feline Gods & Goddesses

You humans have a saying, “Cats used to be worshipped like gods and they’ve never forgotten.” There were many cat gods in history and here are five. Do any of my feline furiends resemble any of these gods?

Bastet is an Egyptian goddess with the head of a cat. She’s the goddess of perfume and ointments, which were very important for making mummies. She’s also the goddess of warfare depicted in early mythology as having the head of a lioness. Domesticated cats in ancient Egypt were regarded very highly for their ability to ward off rodents, pests, and snakes, and for being protective mothers to their kittens. Royal cats were dressed in jewels and allowed to eat off of their human’s plates, a practice some felines still enjoy today.

The Mayans had several jaguar figures and deities in their myths. The Jaguar God of the Underworld, was very important. In addition to appearing as a jaguar, this deity was  also worshipped as the “night sun” that travels from west to east in the underworld at night, until it rose again in the daytime above ground. He also personifies the number seven, as well as having connections to fire and war. Maybe this is why many of us felines watch our humans while t they’re sleeping with our big, glowing eyes that shine like the night sun.

According to Hindu mythology, Dawon — also known as Gdon — is a ferocious tigress given to the goddess Durga for her prowess in combat. Durga would wield ten weapons in her ten arms and ride Dawon into battle like a horse. Dawon would use her claws and teeth to fight off enemies.

Dawon came to represent the victories of her mistress. Like the tiger Dawon, we felines can still use our claws and teeth as weapons.

In Indonesia, Barong Ket is a panther- or lion-like leader of good spirits who fights the demon queen Rangda. Barong Ket  has a red head, thick white fur, and is often accompanied by two monkeys. He’s also quite playful in times of peace.

The story of his battle is still depicted in traditional dance between Barong Ket and a monkey so if any of you felines have monkey furiends you can do this dance with them.

There were multiple Lamassu gods who have a lion’s body, eagle’s wings, and a human head. Sometimes they have a bull’s body, instead, but I prefer the feline form myself.

In ancient Assyria, they were usually placed at entrances of cities or palaces as protective spirits. Now this feline is glad we don’t have wings or creepy human heads but we can definitely guard the entrance to your homes.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday – June 8

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siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Happy Wednesday Everyone,

The biggest news in our neck of the woos is the robin’s nest in the tree by the front porch railing. We have had hours of joy sitting in the kitchen window or watching out of the window by the door waiting for Mr. and Mrs. Robin to sit on the railing with worms to feed their kids. The nest is so deep The Human couldn’t see to the bottom of it to look at the baby birds. She didn’t want to get too close and disturb them so we never got a good look at them and now they have graduated and left the nest.

What a pretty nest!
View from the kitchen window where the nest is well hidden.

Now that spring is finally here Oliver likes to find a sun puddle and check out the living room windows where he and The Human often have conversations.

“Lovely morning but The Human needs to clean those windows!”
“Oh hello there Human, I didn’t hear you. If you’d quickly grab your coffee and tend to breakfast I’d appreciate it.”
“Okay, you’ve had a couple sips of coffee now how about some breakfast? Oh and those litterboxes could use a little freshening up.”

And there is usually some dialogue between Oliver and The Human when she gets home from work. This happened the other night when she stretched out on the bed to rest after a loong day at the office and Oliver decided to plop his 22 pounds on top of her and have a little conversation.

“Sorry you had a bad day but wait until you hear about all the drama I had to deal with today. I tell you it’s exhausting to be the snoopervisor here.”
No wonder The Human was trapped! Between his 22 pounds and those huge peets, there was no chance of her getting up!

That’s a glimpse from our neck of the woods this week, now let’s get to the news.

Kitten fascinated by her human’s baby bump and the new baby

This little kitten was right by the side of her human during her pregnancy and she transitioned into a loving and protective feline nanny when the baby came home.

Cat and gown: Feline ‘graduates’ from UT-Austin after attending owner’s online classes

While so many of our humans went to school, had meetings and did work at home many felines purrticipated. Needless to say, I was very pleased to see a feline recognized for all her hard work and attention to their human’s schedule.

Suki, an 18-month old feline helped her human, Francesca Bourdier graduate from the University of Texas by attending all her lectures and watching every zoom class closely.

 “I was pretty much at my apartment for most of the time and I had my cat next to me,” Bourdier told KTBC. “Whenever I would have my Zoom lecture on, it’s like she almost wanted to listen in on it, and she would always just sit by my laptop.”

Naturally Bourdier wanted to include Suki in her graduation celebration. She found a cap and gown online for Suki that matched her own graduation ensemble.

I was happy to read that Suki, although thoroughly involved in her human’s education would not be responsible for any student loan debt as the University defers those debts for cats.

Richmond women designing their own cat toothbrush and toothpaste

My readers know I am a purrponent of entrepreneurial endeavors with a feline focus and this new company has a great idea. Samantha McConnell and Melanie Eng from Richmond, VA have three cats of their own; Henry, Jasper and Rylie and they want to fill a need in the cat focused pet market by designing a feline toothbrush and toothpaste.

When one of their felines needed expensive surgery for a rotten tooth they began paying closer attention to dental issues for all their cats. Our own Tribe has dealt with serious and expensive tooth problems too which is why The Human was excited when I told her about this new company. As a matter of fact, Oliver and Lily have teeth cleaning appointments coming up in August.

Pet dental products have been more canine than feline focused and McConnell, a registered nurse in dental anesthesia (for humans) wants to see that changed. She says that,  “The really small toothbrushes are still too big for cats and likely cause pain and discomfort…it’s a bit like trying to brush your teeth with TV remote.”

They are now running a crowd funding campaign for the company, RYERCAT: The Dual Sided Cat Toothbrush.

The toothpaste is the tricky and costly part of this project as there are more hoops to jump through so it’s still a work in progress.  Most cat toothpaste on the market has a sweet flavor and cats can’t taste sweet. Add to that most have a lot of sugar in them and it’s clear a feline tooth paste with a flavor that attracts felines is needed on the market. This feline says they should make the flavor taste like those Inaba Churu lickable treats, meowza are those tasty!

MYO (Make your own cat tree)

And speaking of feline focused entrepreneurial endeavors, we were contacted by the good folks at MYO cat trees to introduce their product. They make a cat tree that allows humans to set them up the way they want to. All the parts are made of hardwood and metal (no glue, cardboard or dusty carpet covers are used). If you and your humans move to a new abode, no problem, the cat tree is easily taken apart and reassembled in the new home. Putting together cat trees is not such an easy task, especially The Human as noted in the cat tree review we did. The Human never did get all the parts installed.

Of course the first question The Human had was how the tree accommodated CHONKY felines and they assured her that they were sturdy and even had a human sit on it to prove the point.

You get to pick the shapes and colors, make it short or tall, any style that suits your cat.

The texture of the wood is lovely which makes it a stylish part of the room and not an eyesore. They are working on adding new shelf designs and colors and even incorporating some soft items as well.

We like the idea of this product and are looking forward to watching the company grow.

Cat Alley revival: Muralists wanted to refresh one of the city’s most beloved landmarks

Dear Human, please pack our bags and move us to Manchester, NH because these folks love, LOVE cats! They prove this with their Cat Alley and now, after 10 years, they’re calling on artists to refresh the murals and art there.

The refurb is being done via a community event and a grant. The grant will allow local artists to be paid to help repair some of the fading feline art and breathe new life into the beloved and whimsical landmark. The goal is to make the art along Cat Alley a little bigger and taller.

They are hoping to have Cat Alley ready for the upcoming Manchester Citywide Arts Festival, set for Sept. 12-18. The application deadline for artists is July 17.

Cat Alley received its name due to the street cats living there. In 2011 the Anagnost Companies wanted to have some fun with this story and started a city-wide initiative to have a group of artists transform the alley into the colorful façade of feline-themed murals it is today.

The facelift for Cat Alley has also included other cat-themed installments in the area of Elm Street. There are now cat bike racks in vibrant colors near the Bookery. Orbit Group has been having a little fun creating other cat-themed installments for the surrounding area on Elm Street.  Putting cats everywhere downtown may seem a little kooky but honestly, that’s why it’s so much fun.

In an effort increase foot traffic towards the Cat-Alley a cat designed crosswalk was created (in conjunction with the Department of Public Works to make sure it met safety requirements).

There will be an LED light screen underneath the arch at some point to replace the existing non-working one there now. Once a screen is installed that can handle the harsh New England winters, the plan is to have it display fun cat-themed animations. This cat-themed animation has already been created for the new screen which you can see below.

Paws up to the humans who created and are expanding Cat Alley. The rest of the cities in the country should consider doing something like this!