Walk Through The Web Wednesday 10/27

Posted on October 27, 2021 by Feline Opines

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Happy Last Week of October Furiends,
This was quite a busy week. The Human attended the annual conference of #The Cat Writers Association and BOY did she learn a lot. The Tribe was uninterested in hanging around the computer (it was a virtual conference) so while she sat at her desk and scribbled notes, we enjoyed the beautiful view from our office.

“Hey, I thought there were squirrels down there.” – Alberto

“Alberto, the squirrel is hanging around the bird feeder, you guys spent some quality time making fools of yourselves trying to intimidate him from the dining room window.” – Lily

“Sigh, Human when will you be done? I’m getting bored!” – Alberto

“How can you guys be bored with that beautiful view?” – The Human

“Hey, it’s me Oliver, under your desk. I’m getting faint from hunger. Will there be any treats forthcoming?”

Okay, purrhaps it wasn’t as bad as we’re making it out to be and we are proud to announce that we won a Muse Medallion this year!!

Well, time for the news and for us to finish working on our contest announcements for Friday.

Humane Fort Wayne holding Feline Fall Festival to build 300 shelters for community cats

I love when you humans get together and do something for kitties who don’t have forever homes. Humane Ft. Wayne in Indiana is inviting the public to help assemble shelters for community cats at their annual Feline Fall Festival. They will be building 300 outdoor shelters to keep their local felines warm and safe.

Humane Ft. Wayne estimates that there are 16,000 community cats living in the area. If you live near this shelter I hope you’ll help out but, if it’s too far, there are other shelters in different cities doing the same thing. If your city is doing shelters for community cats, meow about it in the comments and let the folks in your area know.

Century-old photos of cats dressed in human clothes shows people have been humiliating their pets for years

Oh my whiskers! I thought this costume thing was a method of modern humans to mock and embarrass their felines and now I find out, you’ve been doing this for years!

The book, Kittens and Cats: A First Reader was a hit with children of the day who loved reading about, Queen Cat, Dunce Cat, Granny Gray, and Party Cat.

The book was meant to be read aloud, and is about a feline kingdom whose inhabitants are getting ready for a fabulous party thrown by the Queen.

One kitten in the book boasts, “I’m the only cat in our country who has an automobile.” I guess the other poor kitties had to walk to the pawty.

The photographer didn’t receive credit in the book but it’s believed that Harry Whittier Frees, famous for his kitten photography, took the photos. Lest you worry that kittens were harmed during the shoot, it was said of Frees that he had “great patience and invariable kindness”.

The book was meant to be educational. The back of the book says that children would be taught 600 vocabulary words and teachers were advised to conduct classes by “assigning a cat character to each child, having them read in order the text devoted to their special character. The children should impersonate the different cats and tell their tales to amuse the Queen, who sits on her throne,” the author recommended.

This book is now in the public domain and you can read it online at Archive.org and even download it.

This feline is still no fan of costumes for cats, even for educational purrposes!

Behind the Spooky Eyes of Cats

Have you noticed that around Halloween, humans like to post photos of their felines making the cat’s eyes look creepy? Well, Physicist Helen Czerski has some interesting things to say about our eyes (and by the way, our eyes aren’t creepy at all!)

First she says the pupil of the eye is the gatekeeper. Light has to pass through the pupil to reach the back of the eye where the light sensitive cells are located.

Cats have vertical slit-shaped pupils which are common in nighttime ambush predators who also need to function during the day. The muscle structure needed to open and close a slit-shaped pupil is simple. That means we felines can narrow our slits to the tiniest sliver, and then open them up in the dark until they’re round. Domestic cats are able to change the area of our pupils (and therefore the light it lets in) by a factor of 135. You humans are only able to change yours by a factor of 15. That means we see much better in the dark than you do.

Felines have a narrow pupil in the horizontal direction but a wide pupil in the vertical direction. Anything along the horizontal plane is in beautiful sharp focus but the image will be more blurred in the vertical direction. At the right focal length, the image will be perfectly in focus in both directions, and that gives the cat an extra way of judging distance. The slit gives the cat a second way of doing this (the other is the stereo images from both eyes, which is how humans judge distance); the two complement each other to produce pinpoint accuracy. Well, that just goes to show you that we felines have amazing eyes.

So there you go, another amazing fact about the wonderful felines that live in your house!

Every kitty needs an advent calendar

As you can see, we are ready to get in the holiday spirit and a good part of that is having The Human get us an advent calendar to count down the days. We found some great ones for this year.

Fancy Feast has a fancy advent calendar this year. It has 24 flavors that include classics as well as new, limited edition holiday recipes like Yuletide Turkey Feast in Gravy and Hearthside Salmon Platter with Pumpkin and Spinach Pate. Just think of your human opening a can of this goodness for you every morning during Advent! The calendar is $24.99 and you can find it at Amazon, Chewy, Walmart and more.

Since Oliver is on a D-I-E-T The Human is not so enthusiastic about extra treats, which is why she likes the idea of the Merry & Bright Holiday Feline So Festive with Cat Toys 25-Day Advent Calendar. This calendar has 25 Christmas themed toys and sells for $17.00.

Staying on the theme of no-calorie advent goodies, the Merry Makings 12-Days of Thrills Cat Toy Advent Calendar is another winner. This one comes with just 12 toys and the cost is $13.00.

Our Lily wants this one because it’s called Lily’s Kitchen Christmas Cat Advent Calendar. There are 24 meaty gourmet treats of many flavors for the refined feline palate, such as chicken with liver and turkey with cranberry, The cost is $32.00

If you want snacks that will help you retain your girlish (or boyish) figure then you’ll love Snif-Snax Holiday Cat Advent Calendar, Atlantic Salmon and Seaweed . This one is a real bargain, with 73 treats that are divided into 25 snack filled days of ocean delights for $10.00.

If you’re one of the lucky felines who don’t have to worry about your physique, Scrumbles Cat Advent Calendar is for you. The British based company packs this calendar with a variety of natural, healthy treats. They also give 50p (about 69 cents) per purchase to Woods Green The Animals Charity for the cats and kittens they help there. This organization has been around since 1924 and is one of the UK’s largest pet charities. They have a converted farm in Godmanchester that’s purpose-built, ready to help dogs, cats and more animals. This calendar costs $33.00 and has a variety of healthy, meaty treats for 24 days.

Lucky the Black Cat Went From Being Abandoned to One of the Most Handsome Felines on Instagram

I would be remiss if I didn’t do a feature on a black cat for the month of October. I love this black cat named Lucky who is a hit on Instagram. He went from feral to fancy and is now living his best life. He has a signature look for his Instagram photos which includes dark shades and he’d never be caught at a photo shoot without them.

You can read Lucky’s story in the article and also get some tips from his purrsonal photographers about how they get those great shots of him. Black cats rock!

Oliver and the Squirrel

Posted on October 24, 2021 by Feline Opines

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 10/20

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Feline Opines

Hello Furiends,
It’s Wednesday again and our Purrsonal Assistant is a bit overwhelmed. I keep telling her she needs to get herself organized instead of running around the house like her hair is on fire. So far, none of her issues have interrupted our feeding, snack, litter box cleaning or petting time so I’m sure you’ll be glad to know we are okay. And, having mentioned her being behind, now is a good time to say that our winners in the “RememberMeThursday contest still haven’t been notified so we won’t be announcing their names this week.

There was a rather unfortunate incident with a stuffed fish this week. The Human woke up to see a bit of a massacre on the bedroom rug. I did think she was a rather overdramatic when she said all we needed was crime scene tape!

The Human has been obsessed with some new glasses she got. She has a base pair and then got all these toppers to put over the base pair to change the look. She has ordered so many of these tops we’re becoming concerned that this might cut into our kibble budget! In the first photo you can see 3 of the many, many toppers she has. Oliver and I decided he’d make a purrfect spokespurrson for the company, Pair Eyewear, and so he sent his portfolio in to them. We are still waiting for a response!

It’s been a looong week so Oliver and I decided some stress reducing cuddling was in order. We hope you all have a chance to cuddle too!

23 Cats that act like dogs

Frankly this cat is a bit hissy about this article. If you want a dog, get a dog! But then I thought, purrhaps this is good information for people who are transitioning from being dog people to being cat people. I won’t list all the cats from the article but I picked out a few that were interesting.

American Shorthair
Oliver made me include this one as this is the largest part of his heritage. The article says, they weigh 6-15 pounds, have a life expectancy of 15-20 years. They are playful and sweet. I guess I’d agree on most of these points except the weight (Ollie weighs in at a whopping 20 pounds) and he’s not always nice to Lily. They’re called the Golden Retriever of the household cat world. They adapt well to just about any circumstance and are playful and sweet.

BENGAL

Bengals are confident and devoted and they will climb anything and follow you everywhere. They are great at doing agility training and some even like to swim

CHAUSIE

I’ve never heard of or met a Chausie but the article says they are large and bold and that they like to explore. They are intelligent and like to learn tricks and are cats that are very eager to please. Because their lineage includes wild cat DNA, they look like miniature mountain lions,

There are many other breeds listed in the article, even the Siamese who the experts say are known for their smarts and athleticism. Left alone all day or ignoring our pleas to play will result in destructive behavior. Siamese cats thrive in social households surrounded by people and pets. In fact, adopting another animal to keep your Siamese company during the day is a very wise move. I would say this is a pretty accur4ate description of yours truly.

Laidback Cat Climbs Into Baby Bouncer to Relax and Becomes TikTok Star

Good grief, sometimes all you have to do to find fame on the inter web is to be lazy! Kermit has taken a liking into his human siblingsbaby bounder and hanging out in it. The TikTok video Kermit’s human posted has already gotten 9over 4.5 million views. Note to self, tell The Human to buy a baby bouncer!

Photographer Captured Cats Living In People’s Working Places

My readers know how much I love to report on working cats and this article features 30 black and white photos of diligently working cats. The photographer, Marianna Zampieri, made sure that it was known that these are all natural poses, nothing was staged or forced. I love these and say paws up Marianna!

Cat Owners Share The Weirdest Places Their Cats End Up In

We felines are quite adept at hiding and finding ourselves in strange places. Bored Panda has honored the crazy adventures of felines and has published 50 photos of cats in weird places. Enjoy!

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 10/13

Posted on October 13, 2021 by Feline Opines

Hello Furiends,
It is getting chilly in our neck of the woods and we were pleased to see that The Human called in the humans who clean and service our fireplace. This is Oliver’s favorite spot in the chilly winter months. He even made a movie about it. (Note that this movie was filmed when Oliver was younger and slimmer)

Well, the fireplace human arrived and Oliver had to stick his head inside to snoopervise the human’s work. This got him locked in the bedroom until the service was completed.

I, on the other hand, preferred to sit at a distance and ensure that all work was completed correctly.

Lily selected a comfy chair near the fire and waited to test it.

All went well, the fireplace is working wonderfully and we felines are looking for ward to a cozy winter.

Shelter Cat and Guinea Pig Best Friend Get Adopted Together

There are odd couples and then there is this couple. Angel and Halo, a cat and a guinea pig have a bond that is quite unusual They are genuine best furiends and they had to lean on each other for support when their human had to surrender them to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care and Control,.

The animal control officer who did the intake for these two said she’d many bonded pairs during her 17-year career, but she’s never met a cat who is best friends with a guinea pig. “I think honestly, my first reaction was this is definitely a first,”

Angel and Halo’s unique friendship helped them both during a difficult time. They shared a large cage where they cuddled together in one corner. The BFF’s reportedly even shared their own special language.

The shelter ‘s mission was to ensure both were adopted together and soon, a mother and son contacted them, eager to welcome Angel and Halo into their family.

The lady’s reward to her son for making honor roll was the adoption of this odd couple. Mother and son promised to keep the shelter updated on the progress of their new furry friends and she said they would create social media accounts for Halo and Angel.

Oh how I love happy endings!

‘Cat Daddies’ Trailer Explores the Relationship Between Men and Their Feline Friends in New Documentary

Filmmaker Mye Hoang’s documentary tells the story of several male cat owners and their furry feline companions.

“CAT DADDIES” focuses on David Giovanni who was living on the streets of New York, determined to stay together with his beloved cat, Lucky. When he’s finally granted a spot in a transitional housing facility that accepts cats, the COVID-19 pandemic and a devastating medical diagnosis put his future together with Lucky in doubt.

David’s journey is interspersed with portraits of other “cat dads” from all over the country. Some struggle to navigate the unprecedented events of 2020 with their little furry friends.. They include a group of firefighters, a stuntman, a truck driver, a Bay Area tech worker, a schoolteacher whose cat becomes a viral sensation, and an actor/Instagram influencer. These men couldn’t be more different, but they share an unconditional love for their beloved felines and are true cat daddies!.

Meowza, this sounds like a great film and paws up to all cat daddies!

101-Year-Old Woman Adopts Oldest Cat at Shelter for “Match Made In Heaven”

This story just makes me purr! The Humane Society of Catawba County had a wonderful feline named Gus at their shelter who was 19 years old.

His original owner was heartbroken when they had to surrender him due to unforeseen circumstances. After Gus passed his health screening with flying colors (he was pronounced to be in excellent health) he was ready for adoption but, at 19 years of age the shelter was worried about finding him a furever home..

Shortly after Gus’s arrival, the shelter director received an unexpected call from a family looking for a pet who could be a companion for their aging mother. More specifically, they asked if there was a senior cat they could adopt. The family explained to shelter that their 101-year-old mother, Penny, recently lost her cat, and though they’d given her a stuffed cat to cuddle with instead, she simply wasn’t pleased with something that didn’t purr. Well, duh, what good is a cat if you can’t get purr therapy?

Judging by the pictures the shelter shared on Facebook, this was a match made in heaven and now, Gus is enjoying giving his new human purrs and watching the squirrels outside their door.

The latest report says that Gus has settled in purrfectly and is eating like a horse.

No Dogs Allowed: More than 70 Artists Present a Show of Cat Art in L.A.

More than 70 artists have purrticipated in a feline-centric group exhibition. Now in its fourth iteration, the Cat Art Show includes sculptures, paintings, collages, and a variety of other works by artists from 16 countries—Ravi Zupa (previously), Lola Dupré (previously), and Aniela Sobieski (previously) are among them—that capture the antics and sheer fabulousness of both domestic and wild cats.

.If you’re in Los Angeles, stop by The Golden Pagoda between October 14 and 24 to see these works in person, and check out the available pieces on Instagram. Ten percent of all sales will be donated to cat care, with this year’s funds going to Kitt Crusaders, Faces of Castelar, and Milo’s Sanctuary.

Can cats be depressed? Here are ways they may show how they feel and 8 ways to help

Kitties do get depressed. Lily meowed about this in her blog post, “Even Kittles Get The Blues”. There are a number of reasons for this such as loss of a family member, moving to a new house, a change in the family’s schedule or a change in physical health.

And how do you know if your feline is depressed? Some signs are, when your feline exhibits very obvious changes in behavior, when appetite decreases, when they have no interest in playing, when they stop interacting with the other felines in the house, when their vocalization increases, when their sleep time increases (although with felines that isn’t always easy to figure out), decreased interest in grooming, house soiling or not consistently using their litter box. Grief can also make your cat depressed. We talk about this in our book, Are There Head Bonks In Heaven?

First and most importantly you need to take your cat to the vet to rule out any physical problems. If there is no physical reason for the behavoirs, then your kitty is probably blue. There are some things you can do (our Lily has recovered from her grief at the loss of Angel Tucker and she is doing great now). The Human used some of these techniques to help her.

Try some new types of food. Some felines (like our Oliver) are very food motivated.

Play calming music. Lily talks about this in her article and she even has a video about Music for Cats.

Supplements. There are natural supplements that contain l-theanine and l-tryptophan that can increase serotonin in a cat’s brain to help combat depression. Serotonin is sometimes known as the “feel-good” neurotransmitter and higher levels are connected to feelings of calm and happiness.

Use pheromones and invigorating scents. Feliway and other pheremone products are favorites without The Human.

Consider adopting another cat. Make sure you know your cat’s personality and the dynamics if you live with multiple felines.

Get professional help. This is a big one with our Human as she has diplomas in Feline Behavior and also Feline Anxiety. Get an expert to help you assess the situation.

Change happens and we felilnes are not the biggest fans of change so if something happens in your home that seems to make your kitty sad, please investigate and seek help so that your feline will go from blue to blissful!

Walk Thruogh The Web Wednesday 10/6

Posted on October 6, 2021 by Feline Opines

Happy Wednesday Furiends!
We’re having a beautiful fall and tomorrow the human who takes care of the thing in the living room that has flames and gives heat will be here to make sure everything is ready for our colder weather. We love that thing in the winter!

Otherwise there’s nothing much new. You may remember this video about how I expect water from the bathroom sink in the morning.

Well, The Human decided to capture the errr….rather unusual hairdo that my “dip” under the faucet creates.

I think I look kinda’ edgy and fierce which is why I’m a little miffed that The Human keeps laughing at me.

Oliver chooses the more traditional method of cleaning.

Lily is happy to just hang out with The Human and likes to on her shoulder and wrap herself around The Human like a furry boa.

Well, that’s about it for today except that we have news about our #RememberMeThursday contest, we have winners!!! We will announce them in the next couple of days so stay tuned!

Feline workforce helps tackle Chicago rat problem

Chicago’s Tree House Humane Society is working hard to solve two problems at once: finding feral cats that don’t thrive in a home or shelter and finding them furever home with local residents and businesses looking for a natural solution to rat infestations, launching a program called “Cats at Work”.

The feline’s new “bosses” feed and care for them. Evidently these cats don’t have to work too hard as their pheromones alone work to deter the rats. Pheromones are a chemical communication that all cats use to interact with each other and the world around them. The rats will flee when they detect cat pheromones.

This program has found jobs and homes for more than 1,000 cats who otherwise might have been euthanized since 2012.

The cats don’t just protect workplaces, they also conduct reconnaissance and patrol work in Chicago’s dark alleyways. And people are seeing a reduction in rat activity.

William Hurley from the Empirical Brewery believes the predatory nature of the relationship between cats and rodents has tackled his business’ rat problem more effectively. He says that grain is like a magnet for rats, and since grain is an important ingredient for a brewery rat problems will happen.

The program is working well for felines and humans and the shelter keeps tabs on how the relationships are working out to ensure that the furry employees have furever homes and jobs.

Fedya the Cat’s Permanently Startled Expression Has Flooded The Interne t

Feyda is a Russian cat who has captured the attention of the internet with his perpetually alarmed expression.

Natalie Zhdanova found the sickly feline in her backyard. She noticed the eyes were out of alignment and he had trouble moving his back legs. She took him in and with the help of her other cat, Handsome, nursed him back to health.

Fedya is a year old now and best buddies with his feline brother Handsome. He is healthy and playful and happy. His facial expression is still a mystery.

That expression has inspired many memes and posts on his Instagram and TikTok accounts.

We’re happy Fedya has a wonderful furever home and brings so much amusement to others.

Why can’t house cats roar?

I don’t know about you but this feline has wondered this. Humans are always meowing about the fact that we house cats are so close to our wild cousins. If this is true, then why can’t we roar? Well, now I have my answers.

I will try to make this not too “sciency” so my furiends can understand it. The reason has to do with our voice box and throat, which create feline vocalizations. Because of the way purrs and roars are made, these sounds are mutually exclusive in cats — any given cat species can either roar or purr, but not both, says John Wible, curator of mammals at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh.

Purring is a unique sound because it’s created both when felines breathe in and out. Felines that purr include house cats, bobcats, ocelots, lynx, cougars and cheetahs.

Wible says that roaring is much rarer in cats and evolved in the large cat breeds. “Roaring is much rarer among cats and evolved in a particular lineage of large cats,” Roaring felines include lions, tigers, jaguars and leopards. But get this, there is one exception, the snow leopard. And even the scientists don’t know why. Hmmph, humans aren’t as smart as they think they are.

As in you humans, the sounds cats make come from our voice box, called the larynx. The difference between purring cats and roaring cats starts here, though exactly how cats make these sounds are unclear, Wible said. (Again, we see that humans don’t know everything.)

The simple answer about “roarers” is that it comes from bendy bones in the throat. Instead of a bended bone, they have flexible cartilage that allows the cat to lower its voice for a deeper pitched sound. We “purrers” have a different variation in our voice box and our purring is caused by the very fast twitching of the vocalis muscle found in the folds of the voice box.

Roarers have longer, more stretchy, fleshyt, fatty layers of tissue that make up their vocal cords. This allows them to create the rumbling sound of a roar.

Despite all the scientific research, these experts can’t tell us much more. They speculate that purring is a healing or calming mechanism or that it might help hide mewing kittens from predators.

This feline says that any of you humans who live with us know how calming and healing purr therapy is.

Rocky the beer cat

Here’s a tale about another working cat who really has a cushy set up. His name is Rocky and he’s employed by the Champion Beverages beer store.

Rocky was born and raised at his place of employment and has become a local celebrity over the duration of his 13-year existence. The runt of the 15-kitten litter, Rocky was bottle fed and when his brothers and sisters were adopted; his human nanny couldn’t bear to part with him.

Rocky’s fame has resulted in attempted kidnappings (three times) and now he wears a collar that reads, “Put Me Down” to thwart future cat nappers. Even though Rocky likes to roam (he’s been known to stroll four miles away) but he always comes back home. He’s also been known to visit other houses in the neighborhood.

He is well known in the business district where he lives and works and has lots of fans who are always happy to offer him daily treats.

Rocky has made his home at the brewery and surrounding businesses for 13 years and all the humans there consider him family.

This Friendly Neighborhood “Cat Whisperer” Steals The Heart Of Every Feline He Meets.

We felines know a good human when we meet one and the cats in Chris Watson’s neighborhood know he’s a good human which has earned him the title of “Cat Whisperer”.

Christ takes a 2-mile walk around his neighborhood regularly and he takes notes of the felines in his neighborhood and has nicknames for each one. Sometimes he even gets to know their humans.

When Chris began taking videos of his daily feline encounters and posting them to TikTok (@catluminati) they went viral. One of his videos got 100,000 views but when you watch his videos you can understand why. Whether it’s stray cats or pampered house cats, the majority of them seem to love him.

Chris began doing research on cats, learning that when his new feline friends turned over on their backs and offered their bellies to pet, it meant complete trust.

People who watch Chris’ videos say that his kindness and love make their lives a little happier. . For Chris, his walks and the video captures of them help him connect with his community, both animal and human, while also fulfills his larger personal mission to bond with his neighbors.

“Sometimes we just have to love each other unconditionally and not be so afraid of each other and actually communicate with each other,” Chris said.

We give Chris a big paws up as one fabulous neighbor!

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 9/29

Posted on September 29, 2021 by Feline Opines

Happy Wednesday Furiends,
I hope this day finds you well. The Human (also our Purrsonal Assistant, Staff and General Lackey) was under the weather. Now, as sorry as we were that she had a nasty sinus infection, this illness put a severe crimp in our schedule. She would go to that place she calls “work”, then come home and go right to bed and spent the weekend in bed so she could go to that place she calls “work”. (I’m sure glad I’m not a human!)

Now mind you, hanging out on the bed with her is okay (and we did apply ample doses of purr therapy) and we get lots of extra skritches and cuddles.

As concerned as we were for her health, we did have some concerns of our own, those being meals and treats.

“Hey guys, I’m feeling a bit peckish. Is The Human making any signs like she’s going to get up and feed us?”

“So Human, are you gonna’ get up any time soon?”

“A little less reading and a little more feeding!”

“Maybe we should learn how to meow at that Alexa thing to order us some dinner.”

I am happy to report that no meals were missed! Oh, and that The Human is finally over her sinus infection.

Why Do Cats Wiggle Their Butts Before They Pounce?

Sometimes, the things you humans want to know about us felines strikes me as very funny. Take for instance, the question about why cats wiggle their butts before we take off running.

There is not one answer (probably because there has not been a big demand for research in this area) but experts do have some theories.

Live Science opines that it’s possible that cats are trying to establish traction between their back legs and the ground in order to strengthen their pounce. Feeling steady is especially important since they’re jumping from two paws simultaneously.

“Basically, when cats pounce, they need to propel themselves using both hind limbs for full takeoff. Usually when cats walk, they alternate their back legs, but when jumping or pouncing they use both together,” veterinarian Katie Grzyb remarked.

Other experts think it’s less about their legs and more about the ground itself. Shifting our weight from back paw to back paw a few times may help us verify that the surface we’re on is firm enough to pounce from.

Excitement may also be a factor, too. Cats enjoy hunting, and wiggling a little may be their way of letting off some of that extra energy before going in for the kill. As for whether the pre-pounce shake has any bearing on our hunting success rate, the jury is still out.

Cats May Connect to Their Owners Just as Much as Dogs, Study Finds

A recent study published in Current Biology and conducted by a team at Oregon State University; found that pet cats exhibited distinct attachment styles toward caregivers that are similarly seen in dogs and even babies. Well DUH!

The team of researchers examined the traits of 70 kitten and 38 cats documenting how they behaved both with and without their human caregivers.

The experiment, called an attachment test, placed the felines in a room with their owners for two minutes, before being separated for another two minutes.

When they were reunited, researchers kept close watch and categorized the cats’ behavior in relation to several specific attachment styles.

Researchers found that around 65 percent of the cats (both young and older) exhibited what is known as a “secure” attachment style, meaning they showed signs of distress when their caregivers left the room and a “reduced stress response,” or healthy mix of attachment and exploration, when they returned.

Around 35 percent exhibited an insecure attachment style, meaning they stayed stressed even when reunited with their owners, and displayed a mix of excessive contact, avoidant, or disorganized behavior when their owners came back into the room.

According to the study, the disparity of secure and insecure attachment styles was similar to that found in the findings for human children.

The attachment style criteria were developed from previous studies on primates and dogs.

The study concluded that “the majority of individuals in these [cat] populations securely attached to their caregiver.” And they needed a study for this??

Why Do Cats Wag Their Tails? Here’s What Your Feline Is Trying to Tell You

And here we have another kitty conundrum for you humans. Now I admit that we felines don’t have the kind of facial expressions that let you humans know what we’re thinking but, our tails are a completely different story. That’s because every swish, shake or wag will tell you how we feel, how you can meet our needs (very important) and what to expect next.

We use our tails to communicate but we sometimes send mixed messages with our tail movements. We felines evolved as a solitary species and when our wild cousins communicate it’s mostly about territory or mating. And, in the wild, it’s not always a good idea for felines to let other animals know how we think or feel as they may take that as a sign of weakness.

Our body language is interesting to watch but not always easy to understand. This is why the tail is always a good indicator. Looking at our tails, considering our overall body position and the activity and surrounding environment will help you decode our mood.

Here are 12 ways we wag our tails and what we’re trying to tell you when we wag them.

1. Wagging Tail

A feline’s wagging tail usually means we are upset. If our back is arched and our head is lowered we just might be getting ready to fight. If your feline is constantly wagging his tail, without the other more aggressive body language, it may mean he is sick or in pain and you need to call your vet.

2. Straight Up Tail

A high, straight tail means, “Hello hum,an, I’m happy to see you!” It’s also a sign of trust and joy when your feline walks near others in the house or favorite toys or places.

3. Tail Straight Out and Rigid

When a feline is crouched and ready to pounce, his tail will go straight out and rigid so it can be used as a balancing tool when making quick turns or jumpiong.

4. Lowered Tail

The lower our tail, the more cautious or unsure we are.

5. Tucked Tail

This is usually a sign of fear but can also indicate the cat doesn’t feel well.

6. Flicking Tail

This has numerous meanings, it can mean excitement, irritation or that your feline is feelingpoorly.

7. Tapping Tail

If we are in a relaxed position and tapping the end of our tail, it either means slight annoyance or that we’re contemplating something (for me it could mean, “Should I open the cabinet door and knock the garbage on the floor or just stay here where it’s comfy?”

8. Swishing Tail

A side-by-side swish says I’m irritated or agitated.

9. Question Mark Tail

When the tip of our tail forms the shape of a question mark, it means we’re happy or in a playful mood.

10. Tail Shiver or Shudder

This means I’m excited, marking my territory, or feeling stressed, anxious, or insecure if my tail shivers or shudders.

11. Lowered, Puffed Out Tail

If the hair on the tail puffs out (we call this “fuzzy tail”) and the body is arched (think Halloween kitty) your cat has been startled by something or is really scared.

12. The Wrap

When your cat wraps his tail around you or drags his tail over you, it’s an affectionate, trusting gesture. It can also be a sign of ownership. Because of course our humans belong to us, we don’t belong to you!

A purrfect trio: Kitten introduced to ‘seeing eye’ cat and blind feline

Last month, a Sioux City Iowa animal shelter found two inseparable cats, one cat that didn’t have eyes and the other, its mother, that was acting as its “seeing-eye” cat.

One-year-old Keller was born without eyes and his mother has protected him ever since – making it impossible to expose him to another adult cat in her presence.

Keller was brought into the shelter first and when he was taken to be neutered he was scared and confused. His mother was found and she took great care of him but she was also not well.

A tumor was removed from her mouth and she was reunited with the kitten but it made the shelter think that they needed to have another cat that would bond with Keller in case anything happened to mom. They decided a kitten would be the least threatening to the mother.

The shelter director said, “The mother did not accept any other cats because she’d been protecting Keller all of his life, and so we took a kitten. And it was one of our kittens that was very unique, he was, he’s got a ton of personality and he just was … just a different and a unique personality. So we put him in with them and they love each other. I’ve been here 37 years and I’ve never come across a situation like this,”

Nine-week-old Trixie the kitten is now part of the family and has been learning to help the blind cat. “We use bells, a ball with a bell in it so that he can hear exactly where this ball is. The kitten and Keller they walk together in unison and the kitten is learning how to guide his blind buddy.

And now, all that’s left to do is find a home for the three cats.

“We have to find somebody that will accept three cats, and let alone two cats and let alone one cat. So we’ve been looking for that special home, that special someone that would give these guys a chance,” said Rarrat.

Paws crossed and purraying that this unique little family will find a furever home!

Feline Hungry? Crafty Kitty Cons Shoppers Into Buying Cat Food In Grocery Store

This cat in turkey is the epitome of the saying, “Patience is a virtue”. An Instagram video shows a cat sitting in front of a supermarket shelf that’s filled with cat food. A kind hearted shopper stops to buy some food for the hungry feline.

Ozan Goksu, was shopping at a Rossmann store in Istanbul on Sept. 26 when he encountered the hungry feline. He believes that “everyone should help stray animals within their means.”

The video shows Goksu coming across the animal in the supermarket as it waits in front of the cat food products. Goksu picks up a packet of Whiskas brand cat food and beckons the feline to follow him.

The cat follows him through the checkout and outside the store, where Goksu empties the contents on the ground.

“After sharing the video, I received a lot of nice comments and messages. People who have also seen this cat reached out to me,” Goksu said.

“It turns out that this stray male cat is constantly wandering around the Rossmann store, doing the same trick to different customers every time he gets hungry.”

Twitter user Bayirturbu wrote: “Is that Rossmann in Kadikoy? I fell into the same cat trap there!”

Ozlem wrote: “This cat is a regular here. He always waits in front of the food stand and makes people buy food. I fell into his trap, too.”

Goksu asked people to be more conscious about stray animals.

“I am an animal activist, and for two years I have been making videos with animals and sharing them on my social-media accounts to raise awareness,” he said.

Istanbul is often referred to as the City of Cats, or Catstanbul. It is home to a large feral cat population, with estimates ranging from 100,000 to more than 1 million.

Many Turkish citizens view stray cats as communally-owned pets. The country has a no-kill, no-capture policy.

We still don’t know if this feline moocher is a stray but it appears he is not going hungry.

#RememberMeThursday

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Feline Opines

Every year we purrticipate in the pawsome #RememberMeThursday event to support local shelters and adoptions.

Each of us came from our local shelter and so did our Angel kitties. I’m telling my adoption story this year and we want to hear YOUR adoption stories too!

Just meow about it in the comments and Oliver, Alberto and I will pick our two favorites.

We’ll send both winners our three Felines Opine books and will feature you on our blog telling your story like I did.

Don’t forget to celebrate your local shelter this Remember Me Thursday and to purrticipate in all the events.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 9/22

Posted on September 22, 2021 by Feline Opines

Hello Furiends,
I hope things are going well in your neck of the woods. The colors in our woods are beginning to change and they are beautiful ( I’ll post some photos when it gets more colorful.)

The Human has been busy getting ready for Remember Me Thursday and, we’re going to be running a contest so look for that info tomorrow.

In the meantime, here’s a photo of Oliver posing for this monumental occasion.

And speaking of Oliver, he had his whiskers in a twist this past week because he claims this news feature is too much about me and he has demanded some time.. Rather than listening to him meow about this, I have acquiesced and so, I present, “The Many Faces of Oliver”.

“It’s always, ‘Alberto, Alerto,Alberto”!

“Human if you would only listen to the wisdom I have to offer, life would be easier for you.”

“Okay, enough talk. I need to attend to my nap.”

I hope this cameo appearance will be enough to satisfy Oliver and I won’t have to listen to his grousing any more!

Can your kitty cruise with you?

Alberto is dreaming of sailing the seven seas

Okay, this feline is not so sure if cruising is in his future but, some of my furiends may find this a purrfect vacation. Having said that, I have to let you know that the only cruise with facilities to accommodate the many needs of felines is the fancy , 2,691-passenger Queen Mary 2 ocean liner. Cunard has a long history of being feline friendly because in the 1800s, cats were “employed” on Cunard ships to take care of vermin.

On select transatlantic sailings between New York and Southampton, UK, Cunard makes available to pet owners two dozen kennels located in a private area aft on Deck 12. In addition to the cages, there is an Owner’s Lounge where guests may spend quality time with their pets and a large, gated outdoor exercise area equipped with an antique lamppost from Liverpool and a fire hydrant from New York City. The fact that fur kids must stay in kennels and not in staterooms makes me less than enthusiastic about this mode of travel. How will I sleep if I can’t park my 20 pound bulk on top of my human?

Cunard provides toys, fresh-baked treats, feeding bowls and beds – as well as pet lifejackets, should they be needed. If you want to go all out, you can order for your pet, for an additional fee, treats such as liver or a steak. Those who want a fun memento may have their pet pose for a photo wearing a red Cunard uniform or a Queen Mary 2 life ring. Costumes?! Oh heck no!

Space is limited and Cunard recommends you book pet accommodations at least a year in advance – and the price tag is steep: From $800 for a small dog, $1,000 for a large dog, $1,600 for a cat (since cats are required to have two cages, one for a litter box). There are also a bunch of regulations to be followed regarding vaccinations, microchipping requirements and such.

I don’t think the Queen Mary 2 is for me. I’ll let The Human take that trip by herself.

You could tell your humans to sail on Celebrity Cruises’ 2,918-passenger Celebrity Edge, and they may have the opportunity to meet Bug Naked, a hairless Sphynx owned by Captain Kate McCue – who dresses Bug in a cat-uniform and pushes the cat around the ship in a stroller.

And, finally, there is a purrfect cruise for every crazy cat lover, the Meow Meow cruise. They can share your photos with other cat loves while sipping cocktails and purrticipate in feline focused activities such as cat trivia, a cat scavenger hunt and other pawsome feline focused events.

Not kitten around! Moment brave black and white cat stands up to coyote and chases it away after tense stand-off

I reported in May about a cat that chased a coyote in a parking lot in Canada and now, here’s another brave feline taking on a coyote.!

A video posted online by ViralHog/Shutterstock captured a tense stand-off between a coyote and a cat. The poor feline stands frozen around the corner from the coyote that keeps getting closer and closer to the cat.

As soon as the beast rounds the corner, and encounters the fearful cat, the cat pounces. And he doesn’t just pounce, he chases that coyote off! Go kitty!!!

Turkish owners, researchers decry study calling Van cat aggressive

Yours truly is getting weary of people who are quick to vilify felines. A recent study by Helsinki University in Finland branded the Van cat, a breed endemic to Turkey, as one of the most aggressive and least sociable types of cat in the world. Well, this got the owners, breeders and lovers of Van cats whiskers in a twist to say the least!

The feline gets its name from the eastern province of Van, in Turkey, where the breed is found. The Van is known for its distinct white fur and different colored eyes. The cat is also known for its friendly behavior, lion-like walk and fluffy tail, and is one of the rare animals that hasn’t been hybridized.

Professor Abdullah Kaya, who heads the Van Cat Research Center in province’s Yüzüncü Yıl University (YYÜ), decried the Finnish study based on comparisons between 26 different cat breeds. He said the results are based on insufficient data. Kaya, who has been researching the cat for the past two decades, said the study was limited to Finland and wondered, “how many cats were there.”

“I certainly respect the results of a comprehensive study but this study is lacking. It is incorrect to describe the Van cat as the most aggressive breed, by comparing it to other breeds without proper knowledge of the Van cat’s features,” he recently told Ihlas News Agency (IHA).

Kaya said Van cats establish “an emotional bond” with their owners and tend to be reluctant to “share him/her with others.” “They cannot connect with a complete stranger at first but this does not justify branding it the most aggressive cat,” he said. “It is true they like to be independent but it has other features as well. Unlike other cats, it does not like to spend the day resting, and is playful, intelligent and tame,” he explained. Kaya added he was ready to prove the nonaggressive features of Van cats through a study.

Cat owners agree with Kaya. Mehmet Atar Bayır, who has been caring for Van cats at a shelter for the past 25 years, said the study contrasts with what he has observed over time. Bayır has looked after some 6,000 Van cats in his life and said the cats on the contrary are “meek.”

“They value ‘family’ ties and may maintain a distance from people at first. If they feel positive energy from strangers, their behavior changes and becomes warm,” he told IHA.

Fethi Tarcan, who has owned generations of Van cats over the past 50 years, said the cats are “more like children.” He explained, “It is tame and smart and likes connecting with people. It can sense the presence of someone they know from their smell.”

So there you go, another “bad rap” attributed to cats is debunked.

Cat That Escaped From Airplane Carrier Found Safe After Spending Three Weeks on Runway

A cat that was meant to fly from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York to Italy somehow managed to escape from its carrier. Foertunately, after making the airport runway home for three weeks, Etorre the cat was found safe and healthy with the help of the rescue organization, Long Island Cat Kitten Solution.

The cat’s owner, Salvatore Fazio, flew from New York to Italy at the end of August. Though he checked Etorre into cargo, he soon discovered his cat was not on the plane and learned that Etorre escaped the carrier.

John Debacker of Long Island Cat Kitten Solution told Newsweek that he became involved in helping locate Etorre once he learned the cat was missing.

“At first we were losing a little hope catching Etorre because it’s been so long and we didn’t know what could have happened to him. After the collar was found, we thought he could have been attacked or he could have drowned since it was right near the water.”

Debacker said that a Port Authority employee found the collar about two weeks into the investigation. Prior to this discovery, Debacker was not allowed to look around the runway or tarmac due to security. However, he was given an escort around the property after the collar was found.

After spending three weeks on the airport’s runway, Etorre was safely captured and returned to Fazio’s girlfriend’s home. The feline will be reunited with his human in a few weeks.

Although the feline lost three pounds and has a few scratches on his nose, he was healthy and safe overall.

It’s still unclear how Etorre escaped from the carrier.

VCA, the animal hospital organization offers a few suggestion when traveling with felines. First, see if the airline will allow the cat inside the cabin (the carrier has to be small enough to fit under the seat and the cat needs to be able to stand up and turn around in the carrier).

And if your feline is a bit on the nervous side, you may want to consider talking to your vet about a tranquilizer. Putting something inside the carrier that smells like the human and spraying a pheromone spray such as Feliway will also help with anxiety.

All I can say is I’m thankful that Etorre is home and safe and bless the good folks at Long Island Cat Kitten Solution for their tenacity in looking for him.

A social media star: Pumpkin the election cat enjoying meteoric rise to fame

Pumpkin the cat seems to find himself in the media spotlight quite often. Recently, there was an apparent spat with a dog on Court Street, where in a rare show of energy he hissed and bared his teeth at the offending canine.

His fierce pose was captured on a smartphone and posted on social media with the caption, “Pumpkin is the Great Protector”. That picture went viral and even Ohio University Athletics changed their profile picture on social media to the Ohio University photo of Pumpkin hissing.

The photo got over 3,000 likes and 300 retweets. (Don’t tell Twitter, but Pumpkin is a sort of stage name — his real name is Pierre.)

Evidently this photo was a rare depiction of Pumpkin/Pierre as he normally has much less energy. A local said, “Pumpkin is usually dead asleep when people see him in the window, so it was wild seeing him stancing up and defending his kingdom.”

Pumpkin was adopted by people at the Board of Elections in 2013 and those folks never dreamed he’d become so famous. At first, they kept him out of the spotlight, fearing what the public would think about an animal in the Board of Elections Office.

Since then, though, he has enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity. He even has a Pumpkin fan page on Instagram with over 5,000 followers. On Reddit, his photos regularly circulate in niche groups such as “cats with jobs” and recently received over 40,000 positive interactions on a photo of him with the caption “would you elect him.”

Even some local businesses are benefiting from Pumpkin’s fame. Ohio is Home, located on Court Street, has begun selling Pumpkin merchandise, including shirts and stickers.

Despite his media fame, Pumpkin enjoys a quiet life. He lives full time at the Board of Elections office on Court Street, but when elections roll around, Pumpkin takes a vacation at Kroner Animal Care in Athens to avoid all the noise and extra humans. The office manager at Kroners Anima Care says that Pumpkin is a great guest and always enjoys his stays there.

Pumpkin, who is around 10 years old, is very healthy. All Pumpkin’s expenses used to be covered by an anonymous benefactor, although that arrangement has since ended. Now, all the living expenses for Pumpkin are split between the Board of Elections employees.

During Ohio University’s graduation, students flock to the Board of Elections building to take photos with Pumpkin and give him treats. She said she’s even been recognized for her association with the cat.

“My funniest story” said his caretaker,” is I went to a doctor, and there was a big reception desk where you check in — I told him where I worked and the girl went, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re the place that has Pumpkin,’”

People are encouraged to come to the Board of Elections office, meet Pumpkin, and register to vote or vote early.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 9/15

Posted on September 15, 2021 by Feline Opines

Hello Furiends,
Things are going well in our neck of the woods. When we sit on the back of the sofa and look at the downstairs garden, we can tell fall is coming and that makes us happy. What makes us unhappy is the little frog that sits in our pond and croaks loudly. I never knew such a small creature can make such a big noise!

Oliver has a cautionary tale to share with you this week. We live in a world of cat lovers and cat people and often forget that there are non-cat people out there. The Female Human took a photo of Oliver snoopervising dinner prep. She thought the photo was funny and so she shared it in a cooking group she belongs to. She got schooled by the admin saying the photo would NOT be accepted because there are people who have particular feelings about cats on counters! Hmmmmmph! The Human decided she and Oliver need to stay in their lane and so she submitted the photo to the This cat is CHONKY group.

“Sheesh, who wouldn’t think this is funny?” – Oliver

The CHONKY cat people were PAWSOME and Oliver almost broke the internet. He got over 14,000 reactions and 1,300 comments. And BOY were some of those comments hilarious. One fantastic purrson even did a photoshop and we can’t stop laughing!

The moral to the story is to stay in your lane and be with the people who understand you. Oliver was very thankful and showed his apurreciation to the fantastic CHONKY cat folks.

That’s the news this week from our neck of the woods. I hope you enjoy the news features.

Feline generous: Japan cat lovers give $2 million to kidney research

Once again the cat-loving Japanese people come through. When the coronavirus pandemic hit the economy last year, scientists at the University of Tokyo lost their corporate funding for a study on preventing kidney disease in cats. But, when Japanese citizens heard about this they organized online and raised $2 million dollars for the study.

Some of the comments from those who donated were;

“I lost my beloved cat to kidney disease last December… I hope this research will progress and help many cats to live without this disease,” one woman wrote in a message alongside her $20 donation.

Another donor, who gave $90, said: “I recently got a kitten. I make a donation in the hope that it will be in time for this cat.”

Domesticated cats and their bigger cousins in the wild are highly prone to kidney problems because of a genetic inability to activate a key protein discovered by the Tokyo researchers.

The protein called AIM helps clean up dead cells and other waste in the body, preventing the kidneys from becoming clogged. Immunology professor Toru Miyazaki and his team are working on ways to produce the protein in a stable quantity and quality.

They are hoping that this protocol they are looking to develop will lengthen the life of cats with one or two injections per year.

His team’s research on how AIM — short for apoptosis inhibitor of macrophage — functions in the body was published in 2016 in the journal Nature Medicine. They are also developing pet food containing a substance that could help activate the non-functional AIM in feline blood.

Paws crossed that these researchers come up with a solution to this terrible feline disease!

Do Cats Speak? Of Course. Do They Have Language? Not Exactly

You humans understand what cats want so it’s a given that communication has been established. Now if you’re talking about understanding what we felines have to say, that’s something else. Well, guess what, research into human-cat communication has won Swedish researchers the prestigious iG-Nobel prize for biology in 2021! (the sound of paws clapping)

Prof. Susanne Schotz and Joost van de Weijer of Lund University with Robert Eklund of Linköping University were awarded the Ig for biology on Thursday for analyzing variations in cats’ “purring, chirping, chattering, trilling, tweedling, murmuring, meowing, moaning, squeaking, hissing, yowling, howling, growling, and other modes of cat–human communication.”

And if this isn’t ground breaking enough, there is melody in feline-human interaction. Schotz, a professor of phonetics, has studied meowsic and written a paper about it: “Melody in Human–Cat Communication (Meowsic): Origins, Past, Present and Future.”

Schotz even demonstrated some of the sounds she had studied at the awards ceremony.

In 2018 she recorded cats during feeding time delivering melodies with a tonal rise at the end. Cats recorded in the vet’s waiting room meowed with a fall towards the end of the melody. Crucially, humans who listened to the recordings could often tell whether the meows were emitted in a feeding situation or a vet situation.

How did Schotz wind up studying feline vocalizations? As a researcher of phonetics, she studies human speech. “One of my occupational hazards is that I tend to listen less to what people are saying than how they are saying it,” she explained. She noticed vast variation in the sounds her five cats emitted and the different intonations and decided to do some research.

She recorded the cats’ sounds, analyzed them using the same methods used for human speech and concluded that cats have a vast range of vocal cues – and they’re not just saying “feed me.”

Schotz says that felines and their humans develop a kid of “pidgin language”. She also discovered that in a home with multiple cats, the felines may develop a “group dialect”.

So is there a feline language? Not like human language but her research has already made it clear that every cat has its own personal voice, just as we do. We felines even sing! And our melody seems to carry an important part of the message.

“For instance, the more variation in the melody, the more excited or urgent the message seems to be,” she explains.

Not every vocalization is an intentional act of communication, of course. Getting rid of a fur ball has it’s own sound but it’s not really a form of communication.

So there you go, purrhaps you humans should listen a little more closely to what we felines have to say!

Portland’s Only Cat Cafe Reopens and Immediately Adopts Out All Its Cats

I love happy endings and this is a very happy one. Despite it’s forced closure in March 2020, Purringtons cat cafe reopened and ten out of their 11 cats were adopted. This lovely little shop where you pay an entry fee to read a book in a room full of felines has legendary adoption rates.

When Purrington opened in October 2019 and until their forced closure in March 2020, they found furever homes for 123 cats.

Purrington works with a local shelter in Sherwood—Cat Adoption Team. The owner of Purringtons began as a volunteer with the shelter, then helped transfer cats from the shelter to the cat café.

Purrington’s offers a seasonal menu and a selection of beer and wine although they will keep the menu light for a while. COVID precautions have trickled into the reservation system. For now, visits last for a set 45 minutes with firm start and end times. Visitors share the lounge with a set number of others for the duration, instead of the revolving flow the lounge used to employ. The structured times leave 15 minutes between visits for sanitation of the room. The lounge is also rentable for private group visits of 10 or less.

We love the idea of social places where kitties can meet their furever humans!

For Masahisa Fukase, Cats Were Much More Than Cute

When I read this comment from the Japanese photographer, Masahisa Fukase, I decided he was my kind of human! “People often ask me why I take photographs of cats. What an idiotic question! I’m a professional photographer — and I am mad about cats … It makes total sense. No one else comes close to the wealth of my experience with cats; no one understands their feelings better; and no one has spent more hours playing around with them in a mountain lodge.”

His relationship with cats began in 1977 when he adopted a kitten called Sasuke. Sadly, Sasuke ran away adopted another kitten and maned it Susuke. Later, a kitten named Momo joined the family. And the cats became the subjects of hundreds of photos and three books.

Here’s what a critic has to say about Fukase’s photos, “They capture cats in experimental, unexpected ways. In some, the photographer snaps the animal at arm’s length, holding it over a rice field in the countryside or in front of an elephant enclosure at the zoo. In others, the picture is framed just behind the cat’s ears, as if we ourselves are the cat. These odd angles and curious compositions blur the boundaries between the “me who does the looking” and the “me who is being looked at,” as Fukase said in 1991.

“For Fukase, photographing [cats] was also a way of caressing them,” says Tomo Kosuga, the director of the Masahisa Fukase Archives, in a recent interview with the book’s publisher.

Fukase once said, “I don’t trust humans, but I trust cats.” His cat series emerged after the artist’s second divorce, as he struggled with a number of personal issues. “The one presence that did not leave him, and stayed with him through thick and thin, gazing back at him unflinchingly, were his cats,”

This human had such a love of felines. Photographing cats was a way of embodying the love he felt so profoundly that it shifted his sense of self. “I spent so much time lying on my belly in an effort to get on the same level as a cat,” Fukase wrote in 1978, “that I became a cat … I saw myself reflected in the cats’ eyes. I wanted to photograph the love that I saw there. You might say it’s a collection of self-portraits more than shots of Sasuke and Momo.”

I say paws up for this extraordinary feline loving man!

Curtis Sliwa’s rescue cat steals the show in mayoral candidate’s first ad

I rarely get purrlitical but this was a great story. Mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa’s first campaign ad starts on Monday — but it’s his rescue cat named Tuna that steals the show.

The 12-year-old feline — lounging on Sliwa’s lap in the 30-second spot — is one of 17 rescue cats he and wife Nancy care for in their 300-foot Upper West Side apartment.

I have no idea if this human is a good candidate but I’d say he’s pretty smart for bringing Tuna in on his campaign video!

Walk Through the Web Wednesday

Posted on September 8, 2021 by Feline Opines

Hello there furiends!
Happy autumn and I hope you are all enjoying nice weather! For those near fires, those who have had floods and those who were in the path of Ida, we have been purraying for you all!

We are finally done with the unusually stifling heat and are having a beautiful fall. Now that it’s getting cooler, snuggling is happening again! My brother Oliver and I like to snuggle but sometimes he decides I need to to cleaned a little too vigorously!

LIly prefers to snuggle with The Human and likes to get into her purrsonal space at bedtime.

And we’re all returning to our favorite hang outs now that the heat is gone! It’s a source of amazement that Oliver can squeeze himself into this scratcher bed.

That’s it for now, wishing you all a great, happy week!

What really goes on at cat yoga?

Okay, admit it. If you haven’t purrticipated in cat yoga, haven’t you wondered what does on? Well, finally there’s a report that unveils the mystery with this article from Kitty Queen Cat Rescue.

The felines weave between the legs of a person in a tree pose, sniff the hair of someone in the downward-facing dog position and try to get under the yoga mats of the participants. In other words, everyone is having fun. You can find a feline/human yoga session documented in the photos from the article.

This rescue, doesn’t just offer yoga classes but does craft nights and meet and greets for the adoptable felines in their care in the cat lounge, the kitten room or the zen room for the more nervous felines. We say paws up to Kitty Queen Cat Rescue for all they are doing!

‘The Electrical Life of Louis Wain’ Review: Benedict Cumberbatch Is the Cat’s Whiskers

I talked about Louis Wain in last week’s feature. He was the man who painted cats…hundreds and some say even thousands of cats. His art was so loved because he featured us in bars, holding golf clubs, swinging ping pong paddles, driving and smoking cigars. In other words, doing all the things you humans do.

A film about his life. “The Electrical Life of Louis Wain” will premiere at the Telluride Film Festival and I sure wish The Human would take us to see it! That Wain guy seems pretty cool!

The film is full of cats of all kinds (well, DUH!) and tells the story of Wain’s life. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Wain, a man born a gentleman in London but through a lifetime of less than good decisions found himself broke and drawing cats.

His first job was as a newspaper illustrator and he eloped with the governess of his sister’s children. Sadly, the marriage didn’t last. The human movie critics at Variety liked the movie but felt it would have been better had the film featured a narrower portion of Wain’s life. I think they should have featured more cats!

I suggest you watch it with your humans and come to your own conclusions.

Cat missing from Waverly flood miraculously found alive five days later

You know how much I love happy endings and this is one of the happiest. Britany Moss, from Tennessee, was visiting family when she found out her home had flooded. The water was so high her neighbors were stuck in their attic.

She returned home to find her neighborhood destroyed by the water and her cat Jade missing. She left out cat food, searched the neighborhood and borrowed a trap with the hope she would find Jade.

And just like in the happiest of fairy tales, she found Jade. The poor cat was terrified, covered in mud with matted hair and a horrible smell.

Jade has not stopped cuddling with her human since she was found and Moss says she is doing much better. Unfortunately, Moss’ home was completely destroyed but she did have flood insurance.

The Adorable Native Cat Breeds of Greece and Cyprus

The Human has been to Greece and she often talks about the felines all over the Greek Isles. Who knew that there were two species of Greek cats though? There are two distinct cat breeds, the Aegean cat and the Cyprus Cat, that are native to Greece and Cyprus. You can spot them lounging near the fishing boats, hoping for a nice seafood dinner.

Aegean cats are known to be playful, vocal, friendly, and very loving. They’re particularly comfortable around water and love to go fishing. They are almost always bicolor, once in a blue moon tricolor and they will almost always have white as one of their colors. The most common color combinations are white and black (Hmm, I wonder if Oliver is an Aegean cat), white and ginger and white and tabby. Their most famous feature is their large, beautiful, almond shaped eyes.

These cats are thought to be descended from ancient cats, have always bred naturally without the “help” of humans and are said to have been around for thousands of years. Some believe they are one of the oldest domesticated breeds in the world. Aegean cats live with humans and can also be feral.

Their paws have adapted well to grasping at fish swimming along in the sea, and their fur can be short yet full in the summer and a bit longer and thicker in the winter.

Despite the fact that they are a well-documented breed with a long history, the Aegean cat is not yet recognized by the Cat Fanciers Association so if you want an Aegean cat, you’ll just have to go to Greece and adopt one!

Cyprus cats, also known as St. Helen’s cats, are a breed of domesticated felines found on the island nation of Cyprus.

According to historic sources, St. Helen, the mother of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, brought the forefathers of the breed to the island herself.

It is believed that St. Helen filled her ship up with cats from Egypt — although some sources say Palestine — and brought them with her to Cyprus to help curb the snake problem there in the fourth century.

The cats were brought to the Monastery of St. Nicholas, where the venomous snake population was extremely large and threatening. According to legend, the cats were called to hunt snakes on the monastery grounds by a bell that was rung each day. Now wait just a minute – that means this St. Catherine brought the hapless feline to fight dangerous, venomous snakes! It’s a miracle any of them survived!

There is still a large cat population at the monastery (now a convent). The Greek poet, Georgos Seferis wrote a poem about these cats called “The Cats of St. Nicholas.”

Archeological evidence of cats living alongside humans in Cyprus has been found on the island when excavations were done at a Neolithic site called Shillourokampos in Cyprus. They found the ancient people cared for their feline companions, and even dug out a grave with care for their pet cat.

The Cypriot breed is linked to other feline groups in Egypt and Palestine, so the story of St. Helen likely has some truth to it.

The Cyprus cat has many similarities with the Aegean cat breed of Greece.

Much like the Aegean cat, Cyprus cats have been left to breed naturally, so they have less inclination to genetic diseases.

Cyprus cats, unlike most Aegean cats, tend to be extremely energetic and athletic. They have a thick coat, which can be short or semi-long.

They are extremely playful and social, and love to be around humans. They’re also great hunters. Cyprus cats are commonly tabby with a mix of white, but can come in all colors, ranging from ginger to black. They are rarely found outside Cyprus.

Cat breeder and fancier organizations are beginning to develop qualifications for the breed in order for it to be recognized internationally. It is recognized already by the World Cat Federation under the name “Aphrodite’s Giant.”

A heartwarming community effort in Singapore to save a trapped cat in a car bumper

This kitty had a very good day thanks to some heroic humans. A couple found the resident community cat stuck in a bumper and, when they tried to get her out, realized that her leg was stuck inside the bumper.

AAA was called as well as the SPCA. While they waited for help to arrive they continued to try and free the cat but made no progress.

One man who drive by, parked his car and went to attempt to help, bringing his car jack. The poor cat’s leg was tangled in the wires so that didn’t work. The SPCA arrived and they couldn’t free the cat either.

The man with the car jack then called his mechanic and found out what the wire was attached to. The mechanic said the quickest way to free the cat was to cut the wire. The man advised the car owner that if they cut the wire, he would have his mechanic fix the car at no cost.

The car owner agreed and they extricated the cat with only a few scratches and a sprain. The cat ran away but did return to her caregiver who took care of her.

Paws up to these humans for caring for this poor, trapped kitty!