Wishing all our furiends a purrfect howliday season!
Hey there furiends, We are giving The Human a little break to make us tasty treats and get our Christmas gifts organized so we won’t be walking through the web this week.
But we wanted to give you all a little something so we have some our our favorite Catmas videos. We hope you enjoy them!
Sending Purrs, Head Bonks and Holiday Greetings, Alberto, Oliver, Lily and The Human
Deck the Halls feline style
Shake Up Your Happiness
Simon’s Cat, 12 Days of Christmas
Carol of the Meows
It wouldn’t be Catmas without Jingle Cats
And we end with Christmas with Squirrels for your feline entertainment pleasure
Happy Holidays my furiends, Our neck of the woods has not seen as much snow as usual but The Human isn’t griping about it since our garage door broke. That means she can’t get her car in our out of the garage and she has to scrape snow off of it every morning. This has done nothing to put her in the Christmas spirit which has resulted in little yuletide cheer at our house. In her defense, she’s been busy doing what she calls “working” (she just finished a story that will be coming out in fall of 2022 about Christmas Cats). And, that working stuff provides us with Christmas goodies like a jar of Meowijuana Purple Passion Silver Vine & Catnip blend and catnip infused paper bags so we’re not going to complain.
While we wait for Christmas, we did a little dreaming of what we think is a purrfect holiday.
“My purrfect Christmas? Baking (and eating) all the Christmas goodies I want.” – Oliver
“Any opportunity to get dressed up and to look pretty makes my holiday purrfect!” – Lily
“I’d love to help Santa deliver purresents!” – Alberto
Billi, a 13-year-old cat in Florida, presses a button that voices the word “dog” — twice. She then sits and looks at her human as though she’s waiting for a response. Her human, Kendra Baker says, “Dog outside, hmm
There have been “famous” talking dogs but Billi is blazing trails for felines. At the beginning of the pandemic, Billi’s human found herself with a lot of time on her hands. She had seen videos of “talking dogs” and decided to order a device to test the talents of her feline.
Baker said, “I was concerned because they [the buttons] were quite large for a little tiny kitty, and I was not sure that she was actually going to be heavy enough to press them. So I started with a word that I’d really not recommend that you start with, which is ‘food,’ because it becomes very motivating for them. And Billi loves food.”
Billi was a champ at pushing the food button and today she has 50 words on her board and has become part of the ongoing research project called TheyCanTalk, whose goal is to understand if animals can communicate with humans through AAC devices. While the study is mostly made up of dogs, about 5 percent of the animals using AAC devices are now felines. It turns out that many cats have been successful at using the device.
The cognitive scientist and founder of “How They Can Talk”, Leo Trottier, was “pessimistic” about cats using the buttons, but was pleasantly surprised when they started to see felines catch on. (Clearly this man knew nothing about humans!)
The consensus is that Billi appears to string words together less frequently than dogs. (Another swipe at felines!) But Billi’s human has a theory about why Billi is a single button pusher.
“Billi is very, very deliberate when she presses a button and knows exactly which one she’s looking for, she takes her time . . . and if she is going to string a sentence together, she’ll take a thinking loop and then she’ll come back — very rarely does she go from one directly to another.”
We felines are constantly getting a bad rap by people who don’t know or understand us very well. I am hoping this study will enlighten some of them.
There is one interesting observation that has come from Billi’s antics; her human says she’s noticed a shift in Billi’s happiness since introducing the buttons to the talkative kitty. She believes this is because cats like stimulation and play and Billi’s work with the board is something fun for her to do.
A woman is the proud owner of five white cats, named Foxy, Bacon, Harry, Larry and Szymon, and it seems their light-colored coats give them incredible camouflage abilities. She shared a clip to her TikTok account, @5crazycats, captioned: “When your landlord is coming for an inspection and doesn’t allow pets.”
The film shows her bed, which is covered with toys, and she pans the pillows revealing a sloth, stuffed cat, yellow duck, a Pikachu, a teddy bear, an incredibly life-like cat cushion, a monkey, another teddy and more cat toys.
“Can you see Larry???” the on-screen caption asks.
People watching the video had a hard time finding the feline but there were some determined Tik Tokers who found him.
She is talking about doing a film and hiding all five felines.
Earlier this year the U.K. government announced plans to make it easier for pet owners to rent and released an announcement, “Landlords will no longer be able to issue blanket bans on pets. Instead, consent for pets will be the default position, and landlords will have to object in writing within 28 days of a written pet request from a tenant and provide a good reason.”
The Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) shelter in Lynwood Washington has enriched the environment for it’s felines. They are now looking for donations of flat-panel TVs so all the cats can get screen time.
Felines in forever homes have the opportunity to scan the outside from a window but in shelters, particularly older ones, cats don’t get to do this. Providing the TVs gives them a digital window to the outside world — of birds, squirrels and other eye candy for cats.
“This stimulation engages a cat’s brain, which can help to prevent boredom, loneliness and even depression,” said Rachel Bird, PAWS animal behavior specialist. “The TV encourages the cats to listen and look around, and many cats will approach the front of their kennel to investigate, which helps to make them more visible to adopters.”
The shelter doesn’t have a budget for cat entertainment electronics. Lynn Jefferson, the PAWS web and graphic designer, is on a mission to outfit every room with a TV. At least nine TVs are needed. She has three, including one that came from her home.
“Immediately after turning on the TV mounted above the cat cages, cats could be seen in their cages watching the TV,” Jefferson said. “The bird and nature sounds also bring a soothing peaceful atmosphere to the room while potential adopters walk through and interact with the cats. It’s a win-win situation for all.”
Employees in nearby offices said the sounds of chirping birds were soothing.
Jefferson said donations don’t have to be smart TVs.
“For only $35, I can turn any older TV into a cat video cinema experience,” Jefferson said. “All I need is a player, HDMI cable and a USB flash drive.”
Newer shelters, such as the PAWS Cat City in Seattle, have colony rooms and “catios” (cat patios) where felines mingle with others of their ilk and can see outside.
There is lots of entertainment for felines (I watch cat TV with my Human often) and the PAWS cats already have their favorite shows.
“They really like the birds flying in and out, and the squirrels,” Jefferson said.
The felines are not allowed to watch TV all night and the screens are shut off at night so all kitties get their beauty rest.
You know how I love stories about lost felines who are reunited with their humans. I think each story can teach us something about how you humans can look for your cat’s when they’re lost. This is the story of Chara who, on Nov. 3, escaped from a bathroom window.
Chara, the 8-year old feline was lost for 36 days. During that time Chara’s humans made countless social media posts, flooded neighborhoods with missing cat signs, consulted with non-profit search and rescue groups and even considered using a pet psychic, but Chara remained missing.
Then, in early December someone called and said they’d seen a cat that looked like Chara. A trail camera was placed in the yard of the home that had reported the sighting. Photos of the cat passing by were taken and on Thursday, Dec. 9, Chara was caught in a trap set up near the home.
Chara was home in time for Christmas, a holiday that he loves. In his 36 days on the road, Chara lost approximately four pounds and had some “battle scars” but other than that was no worse for the wear.
Michael Cohen credited his girlfriend for her tireless efforts and optimism that Chara would eventually be found.
“If it wasn’t for Stephanie, this miracle wouldn’t have happened. I didn’t think we ever would see him again, there was no way they ever would have seen him again. She was out there every night calling his name, hoping to find him,”
The community was also a great help in bringing Chara home. And again, this is why I say, “Never give up!”
Season’s Greetings Furiends, I hope you are enjoying this holiday season. We are not slacking off even though many folks we know have extended time off during this time of year. We have been working hard on a product review that the kind folks at Paint My Pooch asked us to do. Before I get into all the good news, I am required to take a moment to present a few comments from our attorney.
Before we begin our review, there are some things our attorney’s insist we say.
Disclaimer: We were provided with a free product in return for our honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are our own and are not influenced by the goo folks at Paint My Pooch, it’s affiliates and/or agents in any way.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get on with the review of this excellent product.
The folks at Paint My Pooch do lovely pet portraits but they wanted to know if The Human was interested in reviewing their new product, a pet phone case. . After she read the information about the case, she said “yes”.
The first issue was, whose picture would be on the case? She finally had to put our three names in a hat and then drew one. Oliver won. She searched for a good head shot of Ollie, picked out the background color and the font, uploaded the picture and waited.
The phone case arrived very soon (impressive) and the looks and quality were far beyond The Human’s expectation. It came carefully protected in a box , inside a fabric pouch.
The new phone case, just out of the box.
Putting the iPhone XR into the case was easy. She was amazed at how sturdy and strong the case was but, first impressions don’t say a darn thing about the durability and strength of the product so, she used the case for a couple of months as she has a way of really beating up phones and cases.
First, she has a huge black leather bag and the poor phone is constantly tossed in and relegated to the bottom of the bag.
The BIG black bag. Somewhere, deep in the bottom is The Human’s iPhone.
During the time The Human tested the phone cover it was dropped (many times), slid across the floor after being dropped (with the help of feline paws) and picked up with greasy, sticky and dirty fingers. The case didn’t receive a scratch, any grubby paw prints (human or otherwise) were easily wiped off and the phone case looked as pretty as it did out of the box.
This photo of the case was just taken after several months of use. It’s as beautiful as the day it arrived.
The one thing I’ve neglected to comment on (only because I’m jealous because it’s Oliver’s photo) is the quality of the picture, very beautiful!
And there you have it, we give these phone cases an enthusiastic paws up. I suggest you head on over to Paint My Pooch and order yours now, you won’t regret it!
I am not a feline fan of government overreach and haven’t yet been convinced that you can legislate morality or caring so I’m feeling a bit conflicted about this.
Cat owners in the UK could face a £500 ($661.47 USD) fine if their pet is not microchipped under a new law being introduced by the government.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a HUGE supporter of the chip (I’ve even included a story here with a happy ending because of the chip) but maybe there’s a better way to do this than make another law.
Our local shelter microchips all the cats (and dogs) it adopts out and, it also offers several microchip clinics throughout the year. The other issues is that you humans need to make sure the microchip information is current!
The proposed law will allow the human 21 days to get the cat microchipped before the fine is enforced.
There are over 10.8 million pet cats in the UK and as many as 2.8 million unchipped. Another consideration is the rate of cat theft which tripled between 2015 and last year and rose by 12.3 per cent between March 2020 and March 2021.
The cost of microchipping is usually between £20 and £30 ($26.00-$40.00 USD) and the procedure is not painful for the animals, according to the charity Cats Protection. Animal Welfare Minister Lord Goldsmith said: “Cats are much-loved parts of our families and making sure that they’re microchipped is the best possible way of making sure that you are reunited with them if they are ever lost or stolen.
What do you think and how are your communities handling microchipping for felines in your neck of the woods?
And speaking of microchipping…..Zeke, a Maine Coon, disappeared from his London home in July 2016 and this week Zeke was reunited with his human after being found 30 miles away from home.
Owner David Blane, from Haringey in north London, said: “Zeke spent most of his time in the house but he is a very trusting cat and would venture out to visit other people and play with their cats, if they would let him. Everyone knew Zeke locally.
“But then we got two new cats, both of whom were quite territorial. Although we didn’t realise the full effect on Zeke at the time, it’s clear now that he was being bullied by them.”
Because of the bullying, Zeke began to spend more and more time outside until it seems he decided to move permanently..
When he was found, Zeke was disheveled and his coat was quite dirty, but he was a healthy 9kg (20lb) boy with an insatiable hunger. Despite needing five teeth removed and a good bath he was in good shape, all things considered..
After all his time away from home, Zeke immediately recognized his human. There are no other cats at Zekes home now so he can settle in comfortably. His owner said, “It’s the best Christmas present I could ever imagine.”. We agree!
What’s better than a boutique that benefits an animal rescue nonprofit ? When that boutique has cats roaming around in the store!
Tortie & Co., is located in the Chicato area and sells housewares, paper goods, candles and ceramics, as well as pet products. All proceeds from the store will support One Tail At A Time’s animal foster programs in Chicago.
The feline sales staff are all available for adoption and, since people can interact with them, it allows everyone to get to know each other and hopefully find their purrfect match for a forever home.
Chances are most felines might not get the chance to live in a paradise quite like the one Peter Cohen built for his 24 cats. Over the past 30 years, Cohen—a home builder and founder of the nonprofit ZenbyCat—has spent a great deal of time and money catifying his Santa Barbara, California, abode into a feline utopia. Mostly made up of colorful catwalks, ramps, tunnels, and hideaways, the house is an intricate and vibrant display of one man’s love for his feline family. As Cohen explains, “Cats let me survive the human world.”
Starting in 1995, he put his first catwalk in one room. “The cats loved it,” he says. Much like the walkways and passages that now cover the home, Cohen’s interest in a feline-friendly house quickly expanded. Little by little, he added more walks, steps, and wall perches to his space, connecting every room into an accessible maze fit specifically for felines. He says, “When I have money and time, we look at a place in the house that doesn’t have some catwalks and try to do something interesting.” (Now this guy is my kind of human!)
You may not have Cohen’s expertise but there is a lot you can do to create a fancy environments for your felines.
Cat trees
For many people, cat trees are the first things that come to mind when thinking about cat furniture. Cats like vertical space, cat behavior specialist and consultant Jennifer Van de Kieft explains. “It makes them feel safe,” and cats like to view the room from a high perch, Van de Kieft says. So building a cat tree is not only a fun project, but a useful undertaking for your pet too.
To start, Lora Lombardi—owner and designer at Cat Haus—advises that you “think of a shape that you can make yourself.” It could be as simple as some scrap lumber with a dowel rod, or a 4 x 4 post drilled into it. As Lombardi explains, “It doesn’t have to be super complicated.”
Alternatively, you could adapt other furniture. Zoe Garred, a designer and director of product at Tuft + Paw, suggests starting with something as simple as an IKEA piece. “Maybe there’s a way to cut some holes and use some shelves to make an internal climbing path for your cat,” she says.
Of course, your cat’s safety should be top of mind. “If you can lightly push on it, and it tips,” Lombardi says, “don’t trust it with your cat.” Try weighting the bottom, mounting it to the wall, or building a base that’s of equal dimension to the height to keep the structure as sturdy as possible.
You’ll also want to consider the materials used on the tower. Most of Lombardi’s creations use soft fabrics and carpets, but she never uses anything that’s looped that could catch the cat’s claws. She also attaches everything with staples instead of glue or other adhesives to minimize the chances of cats consuming dangerous chemicals like those used in polyurethane and isocyanate- based adhesives. “Make sure that each staple is fully submerged so there’s no ability to clip a fingernail,” she says. If you want to add a scratching area to the design, try sisal rope—according to Van de Kieft, it’s what most cats prefer anyway.
Knowing what to cover the base in—or what to leave bare—could come down to your cat’s preference. As Garred explains, do some R&D and observe your cat. She says, “Pick a few materials that you think your cat might like and see which ones they gravitate towards.”
Catwalks and wall perches
Like those found in Cohen’s home, catwalks and wall perches are another great way to use vertical space to your cat’s benefit. But they should make you as happy as they make your cat. “I built my catwalks because I like the way they look,” Cohen says, “Pick the colors you like, the style you like.” It can be as easy as purchasing a few shelves at your local hardware store. “That’s all the cat needs,” Cohen adds.
To make sure the perch is secure, you’ll want to drill it into studs. “You don’t want to use drywall hangers because even if the walk will hold a cat, if they’re jumping, the forces multiply,” Cohen says. “So drill into those studs, and then the sky is the limit.”
Regardless of how you organize the walks and shelves, Van de Kieft says, “You just want to make sure there is not a dead-end.” This is especially important in a multi-cat home so no pet feels cornered or trapped. She also encourages you to make sure the contraptions are big enough to accommodate your cat in a sleeping position. “Cats do like it cozy, so not too big either,” she says.
Beds
Though cats tend to like to be higher up, you still may want to have a bed for them in your home. “Beds are really great projects,” Garred says. “Cats love all sorts of tactile and cozy materials.”
This is a prime opportunity for owners to be really creative with the design. Any material for the bed is pretty fair game, though it might be helpful to choose something that’s machine-washable.
“You could take it in so many directions,” Garred says. Whether it is a wooden base with a plush topper or a bean bag-esque poof, there are countless ways to build the perfect resting spot for your pet. Garred notes, however, that cats tend to like more concave shapes. Cats enjoy “something they can put their backs up against, where they feel contained inside,” Garred says.
Merging human and cat design
When catifying your home, the ultimate goal should be to create a space that both you and your feline enjoy. “The key is to think about how you can integrate your cat’s life into your own life,” Garred says. If you have an established color palette, design something that fits that scheme. The same would go for the style of your furniture and decor. Design your cat’s furniture to be midcentury, Art Deco, Scandinavian, boho, or whatever style you love.
Lombardi insists that it can help to think of it as your cat’s room. “This is their place in your home,” she says. “Make [their decor] a statement instead of something you want to hide or push in the corner.”
I like the way these humans think! I think all you humans should start catification projects at your houses.
A cat maned Kitty underwent a dramatic transformation after finding her way into her owner’s fireplace. Kitty went viral on Reddit after her owner’s brother, John Jacob, shared a series of before and after pictures chronicling the noticeable change in her appearance.
The post, titled “My brother’s cat got into the fireplace,” has earned over 19,000 upvotes on Reddit thanks, in no small part, to Kitty’s surprised expression in the accompanying photos.
Poor Kitty went from a gloriously white, fluffy cat to a decidedly gray and black feline with only her face remaining unblemished from her fireplace adventure. Her human arrived home from work to find sooty carnage that took quite a bit of effort for clean up, Kitty’s clean up alone took an hour with a water vacuum.
Let’s hope her further holiday adventures keep her far away from the fireplace!
Happy First Day of December Furiends! We took last week off while The Human prepared for Thanksgiving but we’re back now! We hope you a good holiday and that you enjoyed the extra time your humans had to spend with you! The Human in our house had a good Thanksgiving but then she crashed the next day with a sinus infection. I am happy to say that her health did not affect the level of service we received and it was nice having her “down for the count” and unable to do much more than snuggle with us. I’m quite proud of The Human as she chose to have a positive purrspective on being ill during her time off. Any feline will tell you that a pawsitive purrspective always makes you feel much better!
I did try to offer some grooming advice because by day four, The Human was looking a bit rough around the edges.
“I put your makeup out and I would suggest that you shower and then try to make yourself a bit more presentable.”
Oliver took no interest in helping our poor Human and chose to sleep through most of the holiday.
“Yeah, good luck with all that Human.”“Sigh, someone has to be the responsible feline.”
Well, at least Oliver took a moment to prepare a Hanukkah message for our furiends.,
I’ve heard you humans meowing about the silly ways we felines sleep but did you know that there are meanings to the way we sleep?
For instance if you catch your cat sleeping with his belly up it means he’s purrfectly content and trusting of his surroundings because the belly is one of the most vulnerable parts of the body.
If your kitty is curled up he’s wanting to enjoy his nap uninterruypted. The curling up position is a position that protects us and conserves our heat.
Have you caught your cat sleeping with her eyes half shut? That means she’s on guard and doesn’t feel completely safe. This might indicated that she needs more time alone or a more quite, safe place to sleep.
The traditional “loaf” position is an indicator that we are happy and content and it also keeps our toes warm.
Now all three of us like to sleep on top of our Human. It’s believed that we see her as a form of protection or, it’s just another way to stay warm and cozy.
A full stretch out sleeping position means we don’t have to be on guard and we feel very safe.
There are more answers to sleeping positions in the video for this article.
Do you like to drive your humans crazy at night when you’ve got the zoomies?
The first thing to figure out is “why” do you have the late-night zoomies?
First, as we are crepuscular beasts (means we’re most active at dusk and dawn) and that can include nighttime activity. Kittens and younger felines are more prone to this. But as when you’re trying to figure anything out about your feline, please eliminate any physical issues first.
Sometimes our nighttime activity can be a form of play and a way to get attention. If you’re feline isn’t getting enough play time during the day this might explain the nighttime activity.
Sometimes “only cats” who are alone most of the day will be very active at night.
This might particularly be the case for cats who are the only cat in a household and are alone most of the day.
Sometimes adjusting the feeding schedule can help you tame the crazy late night antics. Maybe smaller more frequent meals or feeding the evening meal a little earlier will help.
Appeal to our hunting instincts by hiding food around the house so that we spend our time looking for the rest of our dinner rather than running across your chest when you’re trying to sleep. Or, get a timed feeder that schedules late night meal sessions.
MOL! I love it when a feline has the opportunity to mess with a human’s TV show. This happened during a political news show in the country of Georgia. The host and guest were pleasantly surprised with the visitor and tried to carry on with their conversation, but then the cat started to clean itself and they couldn’t help but get distracted. No word on whether the cat’s interruption was purrlitically motivated.
This is a “never give up” and “think lost not stray” story. Dex, a cat from central Pennsylvania recently found his way New York’s Fort Plain — 222 miles northeast of its home.
The animal shelter scanned the cat’s microchip and fond its owners’ information. Thanks to the microchip information the family was contacted and they made the journey to bring their feline home. Dex’s family has no idea how he got to New York.
So humans, this is a cautionary tale. Make sure your felines are chipped and make sure yhou keep the information up to date! Many shelters offer free microchipping events (ours does).
Hi There Furiends, We decided to release the videos of our #RememberMeThursday contest winners during Thanksgiving week because we felines believe the best thing to be thankful for is a furever home!
We picked two of our furiends as contest winners. Their rescue stories are purrfect and remind us all that every kitty deserves a home. We hope you enjoy their stories, we sure did!
And Ava and Link, please tell your humans that the packages with our books (and a little something for each of you too) are on their way.
Link
Please say hello to Link, from messimimi’s meanderings. He may be a big guy but he still feels like a kitten. Link’s human told us about a friend who stayed with them when Link was a kitten. When the friend woke up Link was perched on the headboard of the bed, waiting for her to wake up so he could pounce. And even today, Link likes to hang out at the bottom of the bed, waiting for a foot to move so he can grab the toes.
Ava
Our other winner is Ava, a beautiful and sleek house panther. from Meowmans – Animal Shelter Volunteer Life. She began life as an adopted kitten but sadly, the humans who adopted her took her back to the shelter because they got a dog. (That just made me want to hiss!!) Black kitties don’t have the best of luck in shelters and shy Ava needed some divine intervention. And that’s what happened when a wise and beautiful angel kitty named Zoe visited Ava. Zoe had crossed the Rainbow Bridge recently and she wanted her sister Gracie (18 yeas old) to have a furiend. Zoe took care of the details and, well, we’ll let Ava tell you her story.
We hope you enjoyed these rescue stories as much as we did and we wish you all a safe and happy Thanksgiving (and lots of turkey!) Purrs & Head Bonks, Alberto, Lily & Oliver
Meowza! Wednesday came so quick this week! We’re working the pads off our peets, putting the finishing touches on our special “#RememberMeThursday winning adoption stories in time to do a Thanksgiving theme (I mean, what is there better to be thankful for than a furever home?)
We also have a product review to finish that we think your humans will like. Having said all that, the report from our neck of the woods will feature Lily as she finally realized that we have an interloper and she decided to do something about it. Sheesh, Oliver and I have been telling her about the squirrel for ages and she only took notice this week!
“Hey squirrel, didn’t The Human tell you not to climb up the siding to get to the bird feeder (emphasis on the word BIRD).”
“Listen buddy, don’t sit there and mock me. All it takes is a little movement of those sliding glass doors and you’re history. Hmmmmm, gotta’ tell The Human to get out there and clean up those leaves.”
“The hubris of that squirrel!”
“One of these days squirrel, one of these days!”
Lily has not been allowed to “extend the paw of friendship” to the squirrel and it’s adaily source of frustration for her. Oh well, on to the news.
A recent study posted on ScienceAlert.com illustrates the bond we felines have with you humans. When you humans walk away from us, we track you down mentally map your position in space. We even use the sound of the your voice for the tracking process.
This behavior of ours is part of our social- spatial cognition.
Researchers from the Kyoto University ran tested many cats. They put them in rooms that the felines were familiar with. They placed a speaker in the room and another outside the room. A recording of the owner’s voice was played on each speaker. Hearing the human’s voice in different locations seemed to confuse the cats. A researcher noted in the research paper on ScienceAlert.com: Results showed that cats were surprised when their owner appeared to be ‘teleported’ to a new, unexpected location. They also added that the results suggest that cats hold a mental representation of the unseen owner and map their owner’s location from the owner’s voice, showing evidence of socio-spatial cognition.
Faith in humanity restored! Robert, a feline that has been the spokespurrson for a campaign to save Walsall Road allotments in 2019 needed his own campaign when the vet found two ulcers in his eyes.
He had an operation – a corneal graft – and is now recovering in Kate Millington’s spare room – one of the plot holders at the allotments where he usually lives. His close human friend Betty Farruggia who takes most of the pictures for his Twitter feed said the support Robert has received has been ‘incredible’.
“He has had messages from all over the world including Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, Japan and the EU. I really hate to ask for money but people started to send it by Paypal before I even set up the appeal.
“I never imagined a cat, even a special cat like Robert, would have this effect on people who have never met him.”
Robert touched many hearts and will stay at Kate’s until he has finished all his medication and is fully recovered.
The target of £10,000 for his treatment has now been met but supporters continue to send him get well wishes and financial help. Any extra money will go to the vet fund for the other felines who live at the allotments.
One donor from Baltimore, USA said, “Very much enjoy following the activities of all of you at the allotments. I hope you are back home and feeling yourself again soon. Best wishes from my two here in Baltimore, MD…we’ve taken a bit from the treat jar to help.”
The Human is a great fan of Basepaws and she’s all of our DNA done. She was thrilled to hear that Basepaws has just updated the product with over 80 new genetic health and trait markers. In total, the Basepaws test will now screen for over 120 markers!
Our reports have so much information and now, with the new markers DNA reports will include:
Over 70 known feline genetic health markers, including new markers for feline ophthalmological conditions and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), the most common form of heart disease in cats;
Genetic markers for blood type. Knowledge of a cat’s blood type can be helpful to the cat breeding process as well as support life-saving medical decisions, such as when a cat needs an emergency blood transfusion;
Over 50 fun and exciting genetic trait markers. With this update, pet parents will learn about some of the genes and mutations that are responsible for their cat’s unique physical appearance;
An analysis of a cat’s DNA sample against the 21 different pedigreed breeds in the Basepaws reference panel, which is part of the world’s largest cat DNA database, to help cat parents better understand their cat’s breed composition;
Results from the first ever Basepaws Cat Dental Health Test that identify a cat’s risk for periodontal disease, tooth resorption, and bad breath. Results include specific at-home dental health care recommendations for pet parents and tips for improving their cat’s nutrition and overall health.
If your humans have already paid for your DNA test kit like ours did, you don’t have to start over again, Existing customers can purchase an upgraded report version for a small fee (the upgrade is free for existing Basepaws Whole Genome Test customers). In time, the company will also release upgrades for additional markers that are discovered through its internal research program.
Now that’s something to meow about!.
Cat Teaches His Little Brothers To Be Obsessed With The Window Washers | The Dodo Cat Crazy
Anyone who says we felines are selfish never met this cat who loves to share the fun.
When it became clear that Hank was definitely stuck in a very tall tree, Smaantha Miller,a spokesperson for the Humane Rescue Alliance in D.C. said, “Having found no other option, we had to get creative.”
The HRA decided after a few days that they would be unable to get Hank down safely. And so Hank remained 50 feet above ground for five days and four nights. Meowza!
Hank was stuck up there in the sun with no water and no food. Poor guy! “
The major cause of the problem with the rescue was the stability of the tree and it’s location. As a last desperate attempt to get Hank out of the tree, the rescuers offered him what they called, “Hank’s Party Pack” which was a collection of treats and clothing with his human’s scent. The items were taken up in a basket and, when Hank climbed in the basket, they brought him down.
HRA field services staff; neighbors who offered ladders and changed dog-walking patterns; and staff members from Casey Trees, a nonprofit environmental group that’s focused on caring for trees in the D.C. area, all assisted in getting the cat down. HRA acknowledged that Hank’s successful rescue was made possible by all who helped.
Now let’s hope Hank stays away from the trees in his neighborhood!
Hey furiends, The Human is meowing on her cat behavior site about what she learned from lost cat expert, Kim Freeman. There’s some good stuff in there and some excellent resources too. Check it out.
I hope your week has been purrfectly wonderful! Not much happening in our neck of the woods except The Human has been constantly meowing about how busy she is. Really? All she has to do is keep our water bowls (and kibble bowls) filled, give us evening treats and morning wet foo breakfast, clean our litter boxes and give us skritches and play with us. Whatever she does outside of the house is of no consequence to us.
To illustrate how bad the service has been, take a look at this photo. This Chewy box had been sitting on the counter since the delivery human brought it in the morning. I had to wait until The Human arrived home in the evening to obtain access to all the goodies inside, including the catnip. This is unacceptable!
“I have been forced to sit on this box and protect it all day. The service is lacking here!”
Oliver spent some quality time discovering grapes. In the end, he decided he’d rather have Temptations treats!
Lily couldn’t be bothered to put in any camera time this week but she does send you all purrs & head bonks,
Ollie, Lily and I (and The Human) all wanted to thank and remember our veterans.
All it took to get Estelle Nicol out of her funk was to introduce her to some kittens. The business manager of the home Estelle lived in arrived at work one morning with a box full of foster kittens (take note humans, you may want to try this at your work).
She set up a feline playpen in her office and soon the residents heard about the kitten nursery and they stopped by to see the little guys.
The business manager checked to make sure none of the residents had cat allergies and when everyone was “good to go” she opened her door to kitten visitors.
Those furry, purry little creatures brought so much happiness to people. Residents who had been depressed began to be happier when they picked up a kitten. (We cats are just magical that way).Soon the home started kitten therapy days and now, three years later, the little kittens are continuing their work, helping people by brightening their day and offering large doses of purr therapy.
The kittens benefit too. By bringing the foster kittens in and having the residents hold them and play with them, the little guys are getting socialized and ready for their furever homes.
This is definitely what you would call a “win- win” situation!
Did you know that kitty blood donors are often needed at many veterinary hospitals to help cats that may have blood loss during surgery, suffer trauma from being hit by a and suffer other serious injuries. And where does this blood come from? Well, volunteer feline blood donors, of course. Before they donate, they are screened for disease and, with a clean bill of health they can give blood as often as every six weeks.
Now I’m not a huge friend of the stabby place but our purrrticular one is a fearless practice so I’m pretty chill when I go there. Blood donors are lightly sedated before they give approximately 40 milliliters of the lifesaving fluid. If you are a feline that would like to find out more about this, have your human talk to your vet. There may even be feline blood banks in your area. We cats have three blood types, Type A is most common, Type B is less common and Type AB is rare.
There is a website that is a National Blood Transfusion Service that helps veterinarians connect with potential cat blood donors. The service is free to vets and cat parents.
I’m not sure whether I’d be brave enough to do this but it sure sounds like a wonderful idea. What do you think?
These parents threw an awesome quinceañera for their cat’s 15th birthday and this feline is always in favor of a cat pawty!
The video of the quineañera (a Latin American celebration for a girl’s 15th birthday) her parents threw for their 15-year-old cat, Plomita, and it looked like one epic bash!
The clip begins with a shot of Meli’s father, holding Plomita, sitting at the dining room table decked out with cat-themed party favors and a centerpiece made out of yarn balls and cat food tins. A “Happy Birthday!” banner hangs in the background, with cats in the shape of each letter.
Plomita, decked out in a miniature denim jacket and pink tutu, sits comfortably in her father’s lap, devouring a cat treat. The clip then cuts to a shot of Plomita seated on the table wearing a new outfit featuring a floral-printed blue dress with a pink flower around her collar while her human parent showers her with affection.
Humans, if you haven’t built your cat a ramp to get to his favorite window in the house, or built your feline a custom Scandinavian bed or provided your cat with a “boat” so he can join you in the hot tub, you may be a slacker!
Allow me to say my faith in humanity has been restored with this one.
A human named Aman has received widespread support after evicting his girlfriend who kicked his indoor cat outside.
The human adopted Raven, his kitty three years ago and had been dating the heartless girlfriend two years. One day he came home and Raven was gone and Raven never went outside. Thankfully a friend recognized Raven and brought him back home hours later.
When he asked his girlfriend about the cat being outside (a cat that had never shown any interest in going outside) she admitted she kicked him out. What a despicable human, I hiss in her direction!
The girlfriend was told she had a month to find a new place who cried and said she had nowhere to go and would end up living on the streets (oh, like the poor feline you kicked out?)
One commenter pointed out the horrendous timing of the decision as she ” threw out an indoor BLACK cat during Halloween season- Shelters don’t even let people adopt black cats this time of year…”
It’s definitely fire weather (as in a nice cozy indoor fire, not the horrible forest fires) in our neck of the woods. We are luxuriating in the warmth and thankful we have a warm and cozy furever home!
It’s always nice to get cozy and sometimes this really makes The Human happy. For instance, she came home from work on evening and when she saw this she got leaky eyes. She knows how long Lily has wanted a cuddle buddy since Angel Tucker crossed The Rainbow Bridge and to see her cuddling again made The Human very happy!
A pile of felines
Now, we don’t always cuddle but we each like to get cozy when we find the purrfect spot.
Ollie likes to lay on top of The Human at night.Lily likes to cuddle with the pillows next to The Human in bedSometimes you just need to have your own space and s-t-r-e-t-c-h out!
I hope all my feline furiends are enjoying your purrfect spot, whather it’s cuddling with your brofurs and sisters, your human or by yourself.
It is good to be a spoiled pussycat!
Okay, enough about comfort, let’s get on with the news.
There are many stories of kitties who have been loved and who have loved and saved soldiers. Often, these soldiers find a feline furiend where they are stationed and sometimes that creates problems when the soldier wants to bring the cat home with them.
This is the situation with Spc. Kaiden and his furiend, a striped tabby named Tiger. Kaiden went to great lengths to befriend the frightend feline and soon, Tiger trusted him enough to sit on his shoulders.
Under his care, Tiger got pregnant and had 3 kittens and all the kittens were placed in furever homes.
But SPC Kaiden’s bond with Tiger was very strong and he couldn’t rehome her and now he’s working to bring her back safely to America. Dereck Cartright, a disabled veteran and logistics coordinator at Paws of War, is helping to make this happen. He said, “We want to do everything we can to help make this happen, but we need the assistance of the public to successfully pull off the mission.”
Bringing Tiger to America isn’t easy because you Humans have all kinds of government rules and regulations about international pet adoption. That’s why Paws of War is looking to help keep Kaiden and Tiger together. If you want to help you can donate to Paws of War. to bring Tiger here.
Spec. Kaiden is grateful for the help and said, “Tiger and I have become inseparable, and I can’t imagine leaving her behind when I live thousands of miles away.“I’m grateful that there is an organization like Paws of War that cares enough to help us with this type of situation. I’m also thankful there are people in the community who support what they do, so that they can carry out their mission.”
We give Paws of War a Paws Up Award and hope Tiger will soon be in her furever home with Spec. Kaiden here in America!
We felines don’t always contemplate such things but I know you humans do. Although I have to get a bit “sciency” to answer this question, I’ll try to make it as simple as possible.
We felines are quadrupeds, which is a fancy way of saying that we walk on all four legs.
The sciency folks say that we have two different types of joints. Our front legs are equipped with hinge-like joints and our back legs have, well, a different type of joint equipped with a patella or knee cap.
So if your human says your cat has elbows and their friend says his cat has knees, you’re both correct! We have elbows in our front legs and knees in our back legs.
Natasha Bui, PT, DPT, CCRT, owner of Amicus Rehab says it’s not that simple though. Yes, cat’s knees are similar to human knees but there is one main difference and that’s the angle between the our knee and our hips. This angle varies not only between cats and humans, but between different breeds of cats. For instance, the angle between knee and hip is more steep in breeds like a Maine coon, which contributes to their increased risk of orthopedic issues.
Now that you know we have knees you might be wondering how to make sure those knees are taken care of. Sometimes we have knew troubles when we age or gain too much weight. Even kittens can have knee issues though.
There are some things humans can do though the most important being keeping us active and manage our weight.
Now I’m not a purrlitical feline and am more of a Catstitutionalist than anything (I guess that’s because I always hear The Human meowing about government spending) but I have to say, if government is going to spend, I’m all for this line item.
Israel’s state budget will now see an increase in money allocated for helping out the country’s exceptionally large population of cats that will go from six million to twelve million to spay and neuter the many homeless cats in the country.
Now before any of you humans meow about spending, the program is being monitored and the goal is to reduce the expenditure as the feral population is reduced through the spay and neuter program.
The decision does have its critics but there is no argument that spaying and neutering do help to reduce the stray cat population and no one wants to see so many homeless kitties. This feline says “Bravo Israel!”
Seems like this is my day to report purrlitical news. Now I have no opinion on the New York City mayoral race except to say that Curtis Sliwa, an excellent cat daddy, tried to bring one of his felines to his polling place on Tuesday. He arrived with one of the more than a dozen rescue cats he lives with but was told the cat had to stay outside. Someone was found to look after the kitty so Silwa could vote and he was reunited with his furry buddy after he cast his vote. This feline says there should be more cat daddies in politics!
Now I am a feline that purfurrs the comforts of home. Travel does not interest me at all although my brother Oliver has a more wandering spirit. And I know there are other felines that don’t mind traveling either and with this in mind, I think it’s important that I help your human find the best feline friendly places to stay.
There are a plethora of dog friendly hotel lists but dog friendly isn’t the same as cat friendly by a long shot. Our needs are quite different. And don’t let your human head down the dusty trail with you before they they pack your treats, food and water dishes, the litter you like and a litter box. Bringing your favorite toy and blanket is a good idea too (hmm, maybe you’ll need your own suitcase!)
Okay, now you’re packed and ready to go so here are the 11 feline friendly hotels.
Four Seasons, Las Vegas, Nev.
The Four Seasons Hotel knows how to welcome cats. You can find cat-friendly Four Seasons Hotels across the U.S. and they always make sure your feline will enjoy a luxurious stay.
Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Universal Orlando, Orlando, Fla.
Meowza! This place offers feline in-room dining crafted by Loews’ Executive Chef. With all the feline pampering this hotel brand may have you wondering who the guest really is-you or your cat! .They even provide the cat litter and the litter box so you can pack lighter.
The Oxford Hotel, Bend, Ore.
The cat-friendly Bend hotel will treat your feline like royalty. The $59 per pet, per stay fee, (2 cats allowed) is worth the cost as they offer cat bowls, toys, a bed, and treats. Now that’s luxury!
The Williamsburg Hotel, Brooklyn, N.Y.
When you book the boutique Williamsburg Hotel, ask for a pet-friendly room with a balcony (and make sure your human packs your halter and leash). The hotel charges a $100 pet fee per stay.
The Colony Palm Beach, Palm Beach, Fla.
If you are a feline who purfurrs a beach getaway this is the place for your. The hotel charges a flat pet fee of $150, and make sure your human books a room with a view of one of the world’s biggest litter box!
Rivertide Suites, Seaside, Ore.
You can also sniff the fresh sea breeze at this seaside hotel. For $30 per pet, per night, you and your feiline can enjoy a full kittchen, gas fireplace, patio, and one or two bedrooms (so you don’t have to sleep with your human if you don’t want to).
The Maxwell House, Seattle, Wash.
As part of the StayPineapple Hotels chain, this cat-friendly Seattle hotel has all the comforts a feline requires for a purrfect stay, including food bowls and a pet bed. Bring the whole clowder because the Maxwell Hotel allows up to four cats per room for a $25 nightly fee.
Kimpton La Peer Hotel, West Hollywood, Calif.
This hotel is serious about four-legged guests because they have a Director of Pet Relations. Now before you start hissing when you realize this position is held by a dog named Marvin, rest assured he will go the extra mile, even for feline guests. Every feline will feel like a very important purrson at Kimpton’s La Peer Hotel located just outside Beverly Hills. The hotel chain is cat friendly at all it’s properties and doesn’t charge for feline guests.
Virgin Hotel Chicago, Chicago, Ill.
The Virgin Hotel Chicago and their locations across the country are all cat-friendly. Every feline guest receives some great swag like bowls, a bed, and even a stylish bandana.
21c Museum Hotel Nashville, Nashville, Tenn.
This property is part of a number of midwestern hotels that are all cat friendly. There are locations from Louisville and Cincinnati all the way to Bentonville, and Oklahoma City. Your human can book a stay for you at $175 per stay no matter the number of pets.
The Warwick Hotel Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, Penn.
Located just footsteps from the historic Rittenhouse Square, this sleek hotel is the purrfect place for feline guests. The concierge can help you find cat-friendly events but, if you’re a feline that prefers to relax in your room, the concierge can arrange for you to have a pet sitter so you don’t have to be alone if your humans venture out.
Alberto is FINALLY announcing our #RememberMeThursday winners. Each winner will receive our 3 Felines Opine books.
Our email address is felineopines@gmail.com. And again, concatulations to our winners, Messy Mimis Meanderings and Meowmeowmans! Our Purrsonal Assistant will be sending you an email soon.
And if you’re wondering about that contest I entered, you can read about it here.
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