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!

Walk Through The Web Wednesday – June 1

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siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends,
Now that the weather is getting warmer and there are sightings of lots more critters in our neck of the woods, I thought I’d share a few pics (you may have seen a few of these before) There is always something exciting to see from our windows and other areas of our town. I hope you all have some fun things to see in your neck of the woods.

The trash pandas are bold and will walk along the railing of the upstairs deck and stare into the dining room windows. The Human tells us to ignore them but I want assurances that they can’t get to our kibble!
And when the adults don’t manage to score a snack, they send up the little ones to try and charm The Human.

And when the crafty critters can’t score a treat upstairs they head downstairs and try to convince one of The Tribe to let them in. This is our Angel Tucker having a heart to heart with one of the resident trash pandas.
begging squirrel
The trash pandas aren’t the only ones with attitude and a demanding demeanor.
And when they’re not demand they’re lazy, really lazy! This photo was takenfrom a safe distance on the upstairs deck.
And if we get tired of the critter viewing at home, all we have to do is have The Human bundle us up and take us into town.

That’s a little glimpse into come of the wildlife that shows up at our house (we have been able to see moose strolling by our house too). What kind of critters do you get to view from your windows?

Pororo, Indonesian feline sensation lost – and then found

Feline fans in Indonesia of the nattily attired feline, Pororo were devastated when his human announced he had gone missing. Thankfully, he was found a day later in a factory, perched on an iron trellis.

Now if you haven’t heard of Pororo, he and his brofur Poby are famous meowdels for their human’s fashion business on her TikTok page, @cicichania96. 

Poro is a mellow British shorthair and Persian mix who seems to love to be dressed up and often snoozes during his human’s TikTok live streams.

Thank goodness all is well in the feline fashion world in Indonesia and Pororo is safe at home, adding new ensembles to his wardrobe. You can follow him on Instagram or visit his human’s shop.

Guy And Cat Have Been Inseparable For 23 Years

This is the feline version of a Hallmark movie and is guaranteed to bring out an “awwwwww” in you.  You can follow Lily’s love story with her human on Instagram ,TikTok and her You Tube Channel.

Man sues Sainsbury’s for banning his assistance cat Chloe

A human named Ian Fenn and his assistance cat Chloe were refused entry into a local supermarket and they are now ready to make legal history.  Fenn is autistic and has trained his cat to be support for him. His argument is that because Chloe prevents sensory overload for him and helps him function, she should be treated the same way a guide dog is treated or any other animal trained to help someone cope with day to day life.

Fenn was refused entry into a store in south  London and told by security and staff that he would have to leave the cat outside and that only assistance dogs were allowed in the company’s stores.

Fenn has an attorney who specializes in disability discrimination cases and who stated, “There are plenty of cases about guide dogs being refused access to places or services but there hasn’t really been any judicial exploration of what constitutes an assistance animal if it’s not a dog.”

Hospitals, shops and hotel chains have allowed Fenn, a product designer from south London, to bring Chloe along for assistance. The black cat is on a lead when he takes her to shops and wears a fluorescent yellow “service cat” jacket. She typically sits on Fenn’s shoulders as he walks around.

“Chloe accompanies me to hospital, GP, and blood donation appointments,” Fenn tweeted. He says that Chloe helps him manage daily life. “I get sensory overload in busy environments and tend to shut down. But with Chloe I can focus on her, he told the BBC.

This feline thinks it’s a shame that there are people who don’t recognize that cats can be valid emotional support and/or therapy felines. The Human wrote an article about this on her cat behavior blog called, “My Emotional Support is My Cat.” What do you think about the controversy of therapy/support cats?

Heroic Cats up for National Cat Award in UK

This year’s National Cat Awards, organized by the largest cat charity in the UK, Cat’s Protection celebrate the bond between cats and their humans.

Spuds, a former stray may have saved the lives of six people including a newborn baby, when he raised the alarm as deadly smoke engulfed the family home on Christmas Eve. He jumped repeatedly on his human Brendan’s chest to wake him up when dripping fat from a turkey in the oven created plumes of smoke.

Another contender for the title is Archie. His human, Maddy has needed life saving dialysis to remove deadly toxins from her body. Five times a week she connects to a machine for up to seven hours, all under the close watch of her medical snoopervisor Archie. Archie cuddles up with Maddy and keeps her company for the long hours of the dialysis.

The third finalist in the most caring cat category is Misty. Misty’s human Coral was a teenager when a painful condition left her bedridden and unable to walk. But she always had a loyal friend by her side – Misty. When Coral learned to walk again, Misty would appear whenever she heard Coral’s crutches – a friendly face to cheer her on. Six years later Misty is there to encourage Coral to walk and to keep her calm as she suffers post-traumatic stress disorder.

The award announcements will be made for all the categories,- Cat Colleagues, Furr-ever Friends, Most Caring Cat, and Outstanding Rescue Cat. in August. The winners will receive a trophy and a pet store voucher of 200 Pounds Sterling (about $250.00 USD) and a year’s subscription to Cats Protection, The Cat, magazine.

Party to celebrate bookstore cat’s retirement

Even working cats reach an age of retirement and this was the case for Loganberry Books bookstore’s feline employee Otis.  Otis has worked at the store as a professional greeter for 10 years. The store owner, Harriet found him as a stray kitten who she said, “very loudly demanded a job in book sales.”

Since then, Otis has amassed quite a fan base. The store even  has a special gift section during the holidays called “Otis’ Old Curiosity Box”.

A grand retirement celebration was held for Otis that featured a fundraiser for the local shelter. Otis will spend his golden years enjoying sun puddles and being loved and having his diabetes treated at home.

Dubai street cat is living the American dream on Instagram

Good grief, kitty meowdels seem to be a thing this week. Benson, the photogenic gray tabby has more than 251,000 Instagram followers under the handle a_street_cat_named_benson.” His human Zoe Mansuri says he  “does quite well for himself financially,” (Hmm, note to self, reach out to Benson and see how this feline blogger can make a few bucks!).

Benson hasn’t always lived the high life. He was a scrawny, tiny street cat that was rescued from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and brought to the States. He is now living his best life in Baltimore, Maryland, and has a wardrobe any fancy feline would envy. He has more than 250 outfits and his human purges his closet annually and donates the discarded items to charity.

No matter what ensemble he sports, he rocks the look. Benson, you are truly a rags to riches story!

Are Cats Happy in Apartments?

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Hey there furiends,
The Human was asked to contribute to an article by the good folks at Rent.com so the FBD (Feline Board of Directors) at FelineOpines voted to allow her some space on our blog to share the article with all of you.

There are a number of her #Cat Writer’s Association furiends who share their knowledge as well. If you’re a kitty that resides in an apartment or have a furiend who does, there are some good ideas here. I purrfer to enrich my environment with a short stroll in the garden or a tour through the neighborhood in the cat stroller. What does your human do for you to get you some fresh air?

Click on the image above or here to read the full article.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday: May 25

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siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Happy Wednesday Furiends!
I must say, the weather in our neck of the woods is wacky! One day The Human put the chairs on the porch at the place she calls work. The sun was shining and everyone enjoyed the fresh air. By the afternoon there was LOUD thunder and hail. I’ll tell you one thing, I’m just glad I’m an indoor kitty!

There’s nothing much new to report except that The Human got a new phone and she’s trying out the camera. She attempted to catch me in a reflective mood. I think she should have practiced a bit more before she did the photo shoot.

Oh no, here comes the human with her new camera phone. Can’t a cat just get some alone time?
Please Human, can you skip me? Oliver is a camera hound, I know he’d love to have his picture taken.
I love you Human. Now please go away.

The Human did manage to get the phone out in time to document this very rare occurrence at our house, Lily commandeering the Chewy box. Lily isn’t really attracted to boxes so this is a rare capture.

What’s the big deal? I’m sitting in the box, get over it.

And finally, The Human did manage to take a portrait of Oliver with the new camera. As much as I hate to admit it, my brofur is a rather handsome fellow.

Hello world, your handsome friend Ollie here.

Now, let’s get to this weeks news, enjoy!

Spot the cat hiding in plain sight

Can you find Emma?

The Eastbay Hardware store in Charleston, South Carolina posted a photo on their Twitter account challenging people to find the hidden feline amongst the hardware. Emma, the store cat had found a perfect hiding place and it sure is hard to find her!

Emma is not the only feline employed at East Bay Hardware, she has a coworker named Max. Both these rather slothful employees find the most interesting places to sleep and photos of their nap locations are often featured on the store’s Twitter account.

Max shows the benefits of the pool special.

The furry employees don’t just cat nap in the hardware area. On sunny days the love to snooze in the garden center too.

And lest you think these cat’s don’t do enough to earn their kibble, they also work as spokes meowdels for some of the store’s ads.

From Coins to Puzzle Pieces, the Internet Reveals Their Cats’ ‘Collections’

Okay, I found where I stashed my treats, now all I need to find is my catnip mouse.

There’s yet another feline phenomenon on the internet and it’s all about what cats have collected and where they’re hiding their stash.  Now the article uses the words “hoard” and “steal” which this feline finds a bit offensive. I prefer to look at myself as a collector.

Michael’s Cat on Twitter started a furor of discussion about a photo he posted with a cat, mouth open and rocks spread out on the windowsill with the comment, “She likes rocks”.

The thread shows that we cats collect all kinds of things. At our house Oliver is the master collector and his favorite collections are the plastic strips from milk cartons, and those colorful springy things. I prefer to keep my stuff in the toy box. Lily isn’t much of a collector at all.

It’s pretty funny when a big item in the house gets moved because what The Human finds underneath is a veritable hoarder’s heaven!

Sigrid the Hissing Cat Warns People and Dogs to Keep Their Paws Off

Sigrid the cat helps her human, Travis Nelson make sure no one touches his bike! Nelson is a former San Franciscan who now lives in London. The article provides a video where we see Sigrid enjoying her bike ride in her basket as she seems to warn everyone to keep their distance.

Nelson rides with Sigrid every day through the streets of London and she’s becoming very well known. Sigrid proved herself to be an adventure cat every since she was a kitten.

The downside of having Sigrid as a biking buddy is that she’s become so well known that people constantly want Nelson to stop so they can pet the cat despite her clear warning that petting is not acceptable.

Despite Sigrid’s grumpiness and “leave me alone” attitude, she’s made many friends in London.

Father Cat Stays with Feline Partner During Kitten Birth

Chichi the cat’s fatherly actions have become a Tik Tok sensation when videos were shared that showed he stayed close to the mother cat, Sophie when the kittens were being born and who still helps take care of the ‘kids”.

Male cats are not known for being attentive fathers and they are not normally involved in the raising of the kittens which is what makes Chichi a rare feline indeed.

He stayed close by Sophie’s side when she began giving birth to а litter of five kittens. And Chichi’s fatherly duties have continued as he cuddles and plays with the kittens.

This feline dad might be able to teach some human dads a few tricks and he gives “Cat Daddy” a whole new meaning.

Kitten takes the world by storm with his piano playing

And for my last news item I have another TikTok video that has launched a kitty to fame. Limón is one talented feline who sits and waits for his human to ask him to play and then begins pawing at the keyboard with gusto!

Since his debut as a mewsician, his videos have had about 8 million views. You can enjoy his videos at TikTok, @rochiylimon.

I do have to say, these over achieving felines are really setting the bar high for the rest of us. Looks like I might need to develop a talent!

Walk Through the Web Wednesday, on Thursday, May 19

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siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends,

Thanks for your patience and waiting for our feline news post ….a day late! As I mentioned yesterday, The Human has been a bit overwhelmed lately and this has spilled over into her photography time. As you will see in the photos below, there are issues of the lighting so Oliver and Lily decided that we should title this week’s photos of the Tribe as, “Lighting, What NOT to do!”

We hope you enjoy!

“Ummm, Human, nobody will even be able to tell this is me!” – Lily
“Seriously Human?! I wanted you to capture me and my bravery and no one can even tell the photo is me!” – Oliver
“I am the darkness, fear me!” – Oliver
“I am so over this, catch me in this lighting, I always look more handsome in the firelight.”-Oliver

Let’s hope there are some better quality photos next week!@felineopines

On board with Bobby Flay: The 7 products he always carries when traveling with his cats

I’m not a feline that is usually star struck but I must say Bobby Flay, a man deeply attached to his two cats Nacho and Stella, has given Nacho top billing in his cat food company, Made by Nacho. Flay worked on the food formulas for three years before it launched and it’s getting paws up from all over. And get this, the team at Made by Nacho have felines in their homes and they get to taste test the new products. If the felines give the food a paws down in the test kitchen, the item doesn’t make it into production.

As Flay and his feline partners travel to promote their company, he has some favorite feline travel products.

As his felines are on the CHONKY side, he likes an extra-large pet carrier (fits cats up to 50 pounds) with retractable privacy flaps, seatbelt safety straps and a comfortable fleece pad inside.  And if your felines are finicky about color, there are a number to choose from.

Treats for travel are essential and it might not surprise you to know that Flay brings Made by Nacho treats.  They’re all single-ingredient, freeze dried treats.

Now no matter how fastidious your feline may be, it’s a good idea to travel with Tidy Cat pads just in case there’s an accident as well as Earthbath All Natural Grooming Wipes. The wipes are fragrance free wipes and are great at cleaning mouths, paws, etc. and are safe for cats older than six weeks and contain no soap, gluten, DEA, parabens, sulfates, synthetic dyes or phthalates.

Traveling can be boring so catnip toys are a must. Refillable catnip toys are great for this and keep the ennui away in the carrier.

When humans travel with cats it’s a good idea to take PetLovers Extra Sticky Rollers because you don’t want people to know a cat is your traveling companion by all the fuzz on your clothes!

Cat’s glucose levels successfully monitored using Bluetooth technology 

Shadow, a 10-year old cat is now in diabetic remission after her glucose are successfully tracked by a glucose monitor . Shadow developed diabetes due to her severe pancreatitis and is now on track to make a full recovery! Shadow’s treatment started after she ended up in the emergency room for severe pancreatitis and vasculitis which then developed into diabetes. After numerous veterinary consultations, Shadow was fitted with a permanent glucose-monitoring device at The Royal Dick School of Veterinary studies.

This device allowed Shadow’s owners to take her home and measure glucose levels on their phone via a Bluetooth reader. It also enables more accurate adaption of insulin dosages by the internal medical team.

Within three months of the device implant, Shadow’s pancreatitis has subsided and she’s in diabetes remission , no longer on a diabetic diet and has no more insulin requirements, And if that isn’t good news enough, she’s now had her glucose monitor removed. Meowza, that’s good news!

The detailed information these monitors give veterinarians has greatly increased the effectiveness of treatment. What great news!.

Adopted shelter cat loves his human so much he won’t leave his side

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All three of our Tribe are shelter kitties and meowza are we grateful that The Human gave us a forever home. This little guy seems to be extra grateful and hates to leave his human’s side. This has prompted the human to print a tiny feline 3-D helmet so Cathode can travel safely on his human’s bicycle. You can follow them on Instagram @mon_copain_ray.

Turning balcony space into fun, safe haven for cats

As our readers know, when we talk about “our neck of the woods” we literally mean woods but we realize that many of our feline furiends live in the cityh. Still, whether city cat or country cat, we all like a little fresh air and outside time. City felines rejoice! You can all get some safe outside time too! Your humans need to assess porch dangers such as places on the balcony where a cat could fall, any plants out there that are poisonous and finally too much bright sun that might get them sunburned (I reported about cats and sunscreen in my May 5 WTTW feature).

Putting a net around the balcony will help keep cats safe (there are instructions in the article). If the balcony has bars, check the distance between the bars because we felines squeeze ourselves through the narrowest of spots. Also check the slats on the bottom of the balcony. Check every plant to make sure it’s safe. There is a list of plants that are poisonous to cats on Pet MD.

So my furiends, even if you you are a city kitty, you can still enjoy the great outdoors.

Walking Thursday and Announcing Wednesday

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I interrupt this blog for an important announcement

Happy Wednesday Furiends!
Our usual Wednesday feature has been moved to Thursday due to circumstances beyond our control. Our Purrsonal Assistant and General Lackey…er…Beloved Human has been a bit busy and overwhelmed. She’s running a bit behind and has requested a time extension from Feline Management to move my regular news feature to tomorrow.

Being the soft-hearted and considerate felines we are, we granted this request on the condition that she have something we can contribute to the blog today. Fortunately she had a bit of news. Her story, “Miss P. Saves Christmas” is being published in a new holiday compilation called, The Cat In The Christmas Tree that will come out mid-October of this year.

Now we were a bit miffed that this story was about a family feline we never met as Miss. P. crossed the Rainbow Bridge before we were born but she was featured in our book, Are There Head Bonks in Heaven? Miss P. is on the bottom right..

Here is a Christmas photo of Miss P. who, we are told, was quite a character.

Well folks, that’s the news for today and tomorrow I’ll be back with my regular feline filled news features.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 5/11

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siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello there furiends and happy Wednesday!
We haven’t much to report in our neck of the woods simply because we can’t figure out from day to day what’s going to happen with the weather.

No this is not a joke. Notice snow on Friday and Saturday and thunderstorms on Sunday. Meowza this is crazy!
“Who is the fool that ordered this weather?!”

Still, we felines aren’t too bothered as long as The Human maintains the temperature to our liking and what we like is a nice fire in the evening.

We haven’t been completely parked in front of the fire. Oliver and I are always on duty in the morning to help The Human get ready.

Seriously, THAT eyeshadow?!”

We hope things are going well in your neck of the woods and that you enjoy this weeks web wanderings.

Gravity? What’s That?

These felines have no problem scaling walls.

‘Trespassing’ Cat Placed in ‘Kitty Jail’ Wins $125,000 Settlement

Oliver is a bit put out that this woman in Bellevue, Washington didn’t contact him for his services. I mean, we’re only a mountain pass away. I think Ollie needs some marketing help. But I digress. This story is about a human who won a $125,000 settlement following a three-year court battle about her cat, Miska.

This poor human received more than $30,000.00 in fines over that that time for claims that Miska had “trespassed and taunted pets in the neighborhood”. At one point Miska was even taken away from her human and forced to do a stint in the feline penitentiary.

Well this human was having none of this and so she filed a lawsuit against King County, the city of Bellevue and other government entities.

The cat’s attorney, Jon Zimmerman, stated, “This case was about the unjustified and incredible prosecution of a domestic house cat in Bellevue,” This was really an historic settlement involving a cat in the state of Washington.”

It was alleged, a neighbor who is the manager of the Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) was behind many of the complaints. Anna Danieli and her team alleged “governmental overreach” in the lawsuit. They also argued her violations should be voided because the City of Bellevue failed to update its domestic cat code.

The lawsuit also resulted in a court order for changes in Bellevue’s city code and the way civil offenses involving animals are heard.

Miska’s human stated on Miska’s website, “This case exposed how government officials can use their influence and positions to take unjust and unreasonable action against neighbors and other people in their personal lives. This victory affirms that citizens ought to be able to rely on the laws as written, and not on backroom agreements by politicians.”

I am a feline who believes in stopping government overreach and in punishing politicians who play dirty. Paws up to Miska and her human!

Sometimes you pick a cat, sometimes the cat picks you

Oh meowza, this little kitty made himself at home on a boat and he now shares his digs with his brofur

50 Times Cats Made Their Owners Wonder “What’s Wrong With My Cat”

There is a subreddit called “What’s Wrong with Your Cat” where people share photos of their felines being weird. Some of these pictures made me meow out loud however there were a number of photos where Oliver, Lily and I found ourselves asking, “What’s wrong with that?” We’ll let you be the judge.

B.C. strata tenant wins bid to keep three emotional support cats

And while we’re talking about felines and legal issues, the British Columbia’s Civil Resolution Tribunal ruled that a woman can keep her three emotional support cats despite her strata’s ban on more than one pet. I had to dig out some info on what a strata is. It’s a form of housing where the owners own their individual strata lots and together own the common property and common assets as a strata corporation.  If you want to learn more I got my info here.

It was undisputed in the case that the strata’s bylaws say an owner, tenant, or occupant may only have one cat or one dog and a complaint was received regarding three cats in the house. The tenant responded to the complaint stating that the cats were support animals and she attached a letter from a licensed social worker.

 “Jennifer’s cats are a long standing and an integral part of Jennifer’s treatment plan in managing and regulating her anxiety,” the social worker wrote. “I would recommend that Jennifer continue to have her cats in her home for the ongoing emotional support they provide her.”

The strata respond saying it needed medical documentation. A doctor’s letter was supplied outlining the woman’s diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder and suggested she be able to keep her cats. Another doctor submitted a letter as well but the strata council denied the requests stating they didn’t have the expertise to evaluate whether the pets were necessary in the situation, and had “neither the expertise nor the authority to grant this accommodation.” Call me simple but wasn’t that noted in the letters from the medical professionals?!

The council told Lenius and Schlosser to apply to the Human Rights Tribunal and that the strata had to enforce the one-pet bylaw.

There were some more shenanigans from the counsel until Vancouver attorney Laura Track said human rights law are clear that stratas and other housing providers, like landlords and co-ops, must reasonably accommodate a resident’s disability-related needs.

 “In this case, the medical evidence was clear that this person had been relying on her cats to support her with her mental health issues for many years, and would suffer significant detrimental impacts if the cats were removed,” Track said. “This kind of medical support is key to the success of a human rights claim.”

Second, she said, if a strata is going to refuse to accommodate someone’s disability, they have to be able to explain why.

“In legal terms, they have to show a bona fide and reasonable justification for refusing the accommodation,” the lawyer said. The article did not tell us what happened to the lady and her three felines; we hope they found a new place to live.

Evidently these cases are becoming more common in Canada. Purrhaps Oliver should move his law purrractice farther north!

Portland cat gains following, shares ‘deep thoughts’ on a window

The Buckman neighborhood in southeast Portland, Oregon has a ginger tabby named Andy who is always busy sharing his thoughts with the world. Andy’s human, Hayley Cassatt, has created clever or punny sayings that she displays on a window were Andy likes to sit or sleep. While Andy naps you might see a speech bubble on the window that says, “I’m craving a purr-ito” or “The feline is mutual.” Cassatt’s father was a cartoonist and he loved puns so in honor of him, she began the window comments. She changes the sayings every month.

Andy, a former shelter feline, has become famous and now has more than 2K followers on Instagram and her human says all this attention is making her a bit of a diva.  We say bravo! Everyone needs a bit of feline humor in their day!

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 5/4

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siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Happy Wednesday Furiends!
Spring is here! The Human caught Oliver sitting on the chair in the foyer staring at three very plump robins sitting on the railing of the front porch. Now bird watching is always fun but I think Oliver’s interest in these guys has a bit of a nefarious purpose due to the recently implement D-I-E-T.

And how is the diet going? I am handling the reduction in portions just fine. Oliver, not so much.

“You want to know how the dreaded D-I-E-T is going , well let me tell you.”
“The struggle and the deprivation is real!”

“For the love of all that is fair and just, someone toss me a few extra kibble bits, a treat, something!!”
“And that, my furiends, is how the D-I-E-T is going!”

“Hey Oliver, you know those delicious treats The Human said she wasn’t going to order anymore because they’re too fattening? Yeah, not in here.”

“Oh my whiskers, all this caterwauling about food! I’m just going to rest on The Human’s shoulder until Oliver settled into this idea of the D-I-E-T.”

And there you have it, I think I’m safe in saying it will be a while before Oliver is on board!

Let’s check out this week’s news.

Cat’s meeting with newborn will make you saw awwwwwwww.

I just love seeing human kittens and feline kittens interacting. This one is just too sweet!

Cat Jumps Onto Her Dad’s Shoulders For Bike Rides

This little fellow loves to sit on his human’s shoulders (kind of like Lily laying across our Human’s shoulders).

Cats need sunscreen when outside

Meowza! Did you know that white or pale colored cats are at additional risk of getting skin cancer? Sarah Elliot from the Central Veterinary Office for Cats Protection warns that white and pale-colored cats don’t have a pigment called melanin in their skin, which is what protects humans from sunlight. The risk of irreparable damage over time, by the sun’s ultraviolet rays can increase the risk of developing skin damage and cancer.

‘Cats with unpigmented noses or ears are also much more susceptible to sun damage and require additional sun protection.’

Sunscreen is helpful but before you slap that gooey stuff on us, be sure to check with your vet first because we felines are very sensitive.  If you do let us outdoors for brief periods, make sure there are places of shade for us to get away from the heat and for heaven’s sake, make sure we have access to clean water. Also you can set up a cool place for us to rest outside by wrapping a bottle in a towel and placing it near the outside place we like to sleep.

There is an excellent article about caring for us sun loving kitties and also includes tips of ingredients not to have in any sunscreen you might use on us.

If you’re a feline fashionista and not opposed to wearing hats, you might want to give that a try.

Cat rolls down the stairs this way at least five times a day

Posy, or Roly Posy as she’s known on Instagram makes a definite entrance when she uses the stairs in her house.

Welsh Siamese cat found hundreds of miles away in Essex Garage

 

Here’s one of those “cat travels far away from home with happy ending” story that I like so much.

Ashley, a two-year-old Siamese, escaped through an open window of her home in Glan Conwy, Wales on 15 April and was discovered six days later in a garage of the Monk family in Essex, England by their dog Bobby who scratched and cried and insisted that the Monk family follow him and see what was in the garage.

When the family saw Ashley, they contacted a local group that helps reunite pets with their humans.  The cat was scanned, microchip information was found and Ashley’s family in Wales received the happy call that Ashley had been found.

Ashley’s humans surmised that she made a break for it when the house cleaners left the bathroom window open. Ashley had a 15 foot jump from that window to the ground.

Ashley’s owner said that the entire village of 4,000 people were out looking for her, but couldn’t find her. They thought they’d never see her again.

Just how Ashley made her way from Wales to England remains a mystery although some have promoted the theory that she’d gotten into someone’s car.

Thank goodness this is another happy ending for a story about a wandering feline.