Today is the day voting begins for the Rescue Brew Contest. I announced my entry into the contest at the end of my July 21 Walk Through The Web Wednesday segment. I entered this contest to raise money for the Charleston Animal Society because my human nephew plays soccer for the Charleston Battery (hence my festive bandana).
I understand that no everyone will want to support the shelter financially but there are other ways you can help such as:
If you want to support the shelter vote early and vote often. If you want to see all the contestants visit the Rescue Brew page for the Charleston Animal Society (I’d sure like to see myself on that leader board!)
You can also help by using the social media share buttons on the contest entry pages to ask your furiends to vote (hopefully for your me) . Tell them why you are helping to save the lives of vulnerable animals who are not lucky enough to have a home.
You can also copy the link to my entry page and send the link in emailto your family and friends who might not be on social media.
Folks, there are 673 dogs and cats entered in the contest – MEOWZA!! The competition to select three finalist dogs and three finalist cats will be fierce.
Voting begins today, August 16, 2021, and continues until 9:00PM ET on September 17 2021. From the finalists, one Grand Prize Winning Dog and one Grand Prize Winning Cat will be selected by celebrity judges and the winners will appear on the labels of the Rescue Brew Beer and will be announced on October 16, 2021.
Any help you can give to the animals in Charleston is greatly apurreciated and of course, getting my mug on a can of beer would be pretty cool too! Thanks to all of youl
Happy Wednesday Furiends! ‘Hope all is fine in your neck of the woods. Some of our nearby fires are contained and some are up to 50% contained and that is great news! We are thankful for all those brave folks who go into danger to save our forests and homes!
It’s been a bit cooler lately and this has allowed Oliver and I to enjoy our new fuzzy beds.
And just in case The Human didn’t get the memo that The Tribe is done with the hot weather, I dug a little something out of the toy box.
And, we decided we’d take the opportunity of Book Lovers Day to do some shameless self-promotion!
Lily wasn’t feeling photogenic this week so it’s time to get on with the newest feline news.
There is a feline in Southern California who has stolen close to 1,000 items in the last two years. Meowza!
Juno, the Klepto Cat has been purrusing her neighborhood in Carpinteria taking everything from gloves (almost 180) to socks to t-shirts.
Juno’s human, Connie Geston said, “In 2019, I started noticing things in my backyard. A ball, a glove. I was thinking the kids next door were throwing things over the fence.” So, I was throwing them back over. But I would find those things back in the backyard. I kept thinking it was the kids… the kids, and I never thought it was the cat.” That is until the day she caught Juno dragging a pair of infant leggings into the house.
Since her thievery is so prolific, Juno now has a place where her ill-gotten gains are stored. It’s a little tent with wire racks that display all the booty she’s collected.
Juno has now reached celebrity status. She has her own Instagram account and she even ran for mayor of Carpinteria. One of Juno’s latest projects with her owner is to take some of the recycled items and use them for an entry in an upcoming Carpinteria Art Center Art Show.
080721…R SR FELINES 1…Vienna…08-07-21…Atilio Core of Mineral Ridge tries to get the attention of one of the senior felines during the dedication of the Brenda S. Groth Senior Feline Living Community at the Animal Welfare League Saturday…The cat was behind glass living with other felines in the new facility…by R. Michael Semple
Thomas and Brenda Groth had two passions, music and cats. Thomas’ late wife Brenda took in a lot of abandoned cats over the years. They even added a cat room to their home that contains a spiral staircase and “condos” for the felines.
The brick feline living community at the AWL has two 216-square-foot rooms that can hold up to 12 cats each. There are perches that provide window access, ramped walkways, feeding areas and square boxes with bedding. Also included are toys, scratching posts and cat trees, noted Lori Shandor, the Animal Welfare League’s chief executive officer.
Groth said a driving force behind creating this two-room space was to ensure older cats had a place to live a quality life, as well as to have a fitting tribute to his wife’s memory.
“Brenda was relentless about giving cats a good life,” he said.
Providing the musical entertainment was the Bravura Woodwind Quintet, which played the famous Louis Armstrong hit “What a Wonderful World,” one of Brenda Groth’s favorite songs.
When Beth Deal told her husband, Pete, she wanted to bring their two 6-month-old Ocicat kittens to an agility competition, he had no clue what he was getting into. Now, six years, multiple trips across the country and many national awards later Beth and Pete and their Ocicats are top contenders in cat agility competitions.
Feline agility is not just for cats with pedigrees, it’s for every feline and many shelters are now putting cats through their agility paces.
Feline agility is much like canine agility. Cats are timed while running counterclockwise through a 20-by-20-foot course, enclosed with vision-obscuring netting. There are 10 different obstacles on the course, starting with a small platform with three steps up and three down, followed by nine other hurdles that gradually become more challenging.
After the feline competitor successfully makes it through a six-inch jump, there’s a 10-inch jump, as well as tunnels, hoops and weave poles set out in a straight line that cats must bend and weave around.
The cats have 4 minutes, 30 seconds to complete the course — dogs usually get about 60 seconds — which starts the second a paw hits the stairs and stops when it reaches the floor after the final hoop jump. Most cats can do it in 30 seconds or less, with faster felines ringing in at under 20. Rascal has completed his course as fast as 12 seconds and Boo, another of the Deals’ ocicats, once made a 7.62-second run.
The furry contestants are allowed to correct mistakes. “They may stop to chase a bug between the first and second obstacles,” says Jill Archibald, 71, feline agility chair for the Cat Fanciers’ Association. “They can go back to where they went off course and continue the obstacle.”
Trainers and handlers at these competitions work off cats’ natural prey-hunting instincts by using a lure (that is, a high-value toy) to entice the cat through the obstacle course.
Now if your humans want to get you on the agility bandwagon, make sure they start slowly and take small steps. Dragging a favorite toy across a stack of books or a chair is a great beginning.
Agility training is also good for felines that take to it and can negate all kinds of bad behavior. So my furiends, let your humans to get out the clickers and let the training begin!
Oh my whiskers, do we really have to talk about feline fashion again this week?! I guess I can make an exception for Kristen Janssen who noticed a gap in the market when it came to stylish cat clothes for Sphynx cats. These hairless kitties often wear clothing to keep themselves warm.
Janssen, a Sphynx breeder started making clothes for the kittens she would adopt out. People would ask for more clothing and that’s how her business was born.
She now has a store on Etsy and also has some items in local stores.
The line has four designs, t-shirts, long sleeves, four-legged pajamas, and hoodies. Soon bathrobes and dresses will be added to the collection.
Twenty best quotes about cats in honor of International Cat Day
Needless to say this is a holiday every feline can get behind (although, if truth be told, EVERY day is cat day!). I thought that giving you some fantastic cat quotes would be a great way to celebrate. Which one is your favorite? The Human likes the one from Robertson Davies.
“There are two means of refuge from the misery of life — music and cats.” – Albert Schweitzer
“Cats are connoisseurs of comfort.” -James Herriot
“What greater gift than the love of a cat.” -Charles Dickens
“Cats are intended to teach us that not everything in nature has a purpose.” -Garrison Keillor
“If animals could speak, the dog would be a blundering outspoken fellow; but the cat would have the rare grace of never saying a word too much.” -Mark Twain
“A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not.” -Ernest Hemingway
“I would like to see anyone, prophet, king or God, convince a thousand cats to do the same thing at the same time.” – Neil Gaiman
“Anyone who believes what a cat tells him deserves all he gets.” -Neil Gaiman
“Of all God’s creatures, there is only one that cannot be made slave of the leash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve the man, but it would deteriorate the cat.” – Mark Twain
“I have lived with several Zen masters — all of them cats.” -Eckhart Tolle
“Time spent with a cat is never wasted.” – Colette
“I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul.” -Jean Cocteau
“Authors like cats because they are such quiet, lovable, wise creatures, and cats like authors for the same reasons.” -Robertson Davies
“The way to get on with a cat is to treat it as an equal – or even better, as the superior it knows itself to be.” -Elizabeth Peters
“There are no ordinary cats.” -Colette
“I have studied many philosophers and many cats. The wisdom of cats is infinitely superior.”-Hippolyte A. Taine
“I believe cats to be spirits come to earth. A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through.” -Jules Verne
“I love them, they are so nice and selfish. Dogs are TOO good and unselfish. They make me feel uncomfortable. But cats are gloriously human.” – L.M. Montgomery
“Cats can work out mathematically the exact place to sit that will cause most inconvenience.” – Pam Brown
“What sort of philosophers are we, who know absolutely nothing of the origin and destiny of cats?” – Henry David Thoreau
Aaaaaaand a follow up from last week.
Some of you commented last week about my feature about the cat tour in Minneapolis that you would have liked to have seen more cats and less humans so I sent my Purrsonal Assistant out on the web to find a video of the tour itself. Here you go!
How are things in your neck of the woods. While I always like to keep this weekly news segment pawsitive, this has not been my favorite summer! Unseasonable heat and many forest fires have sorta’ taken the fun out of things. This is what it looks like in an area called Trestle Creek, about 20 minutes from us across the lake. You can imagine how bad the smoke is too. The Human won’t let us out on the upstairs deck because the smoke is so thick. Meowza, we’re not having much fun!
As for Lily, she is lounging and just waiting for winter.
And The Human, silly as she is, decided that this would be the weekend she’d turn the very heavy memory foam mattress (she does this regularly). That thing is H-E-A-V-Y and it’s amusing to watch her struggle with it. This time I decided to add my substantial 20 pounds to the endeavor. It was like some sort of fun carnival ride! Boy did she gripe about my purrticipation though.
That was fun! Let’s give it one more turn!
After my little adventure, I needed a bit of a rest and a cooling off.
Well, enough of my update, purraying that you all have a clean air, fire free, temperature purrfect week, and try not to be too hard on your humans!
Every summer, John Edwards takes cat lovers through his neighborhood, stopping to meet the resident felines who display themselves in windowsills, or who come out to meet the tour in purrson.
This is no small neighborhood event. There are buttons, news coverage, tote bags and t-shirts. Edwards leads the tour holding up a “Caution! Cat Tour Approaching” sign. Last year was a virtual tour but in 2019 the tour had 300 purrticipants who met over 50 cats.
This whole thing started with Edwards spotting neighborhood window cats on his walks. He documented the felines he met on social media and soon #CatsoftheWedge on Wedge Live took off.
Edwards says that if you walk in his neighborhood you’ll spot cats all the time.
There are sometimes surprises on the tour. One year a human exited his house wearing a black and white cat head that matched his cat.
The weird thing about this human, Edwards is that he doesn’t have any cats in his home…go figure. He explains it this way, “It would sap my motivation to do a cat tour if I actually had a cat. It keeps it special when I see a cat — I can get a little bit excited about every new cat I meet.”
Leslie Lyons, veterinarian, specialist in cat genetics and cat owner, says there are many reasons why studying the diseases that cats suffer can benefit humans. Among the advances in veterinary medicine an important drug in combatting Covid , was first used successfully a cat disease caused by the virus.
Lyons is a director of the 99 Lives Cat Genome Sequencing Initiative and, as part of this project, she and her colleagues recently produced the most detailed genome of the cat to date which now surpasses the dog genome!
The good doctor’s mission has been to get humans to recognize that pets have the same diseases we do and the information and research on these diseases can help people understand their diseases and the treatment of those diseases better as well as treating the diseases that are common in cats.
For instance, dogs get cancer more frequently than cats. There is a signal or clue in the genome of the cat that allows science to zoom in better to understand why cats get the kind of cancer they do and to understand the difference in cancer in cats, dogs and humans.
I was concerned about my feline furiends being involved in research but all that happens to the cats that are studied is a blood sample.
This feline says studies like this are great. We lost our Angel Tucker to cancer. Had we known about these studies we would have asked our vet to find out if there was a way to donate some of the regular bloodwork he had to a good cause such as this.
French developer BlueTwelve Studio has created a game called, Stray.
When you play Stray you become a stray cat who, through some mysterious circumstance, has arrived in a bleak, futuristic city inhabited by humanoid robots. (That sounds scary and creepy to this feline!) During the adventure as a feline you’ll explore and solve puzzles as only a cat can, navigating an inhospitable world with the feline’s natural acrobatics and wit.
“It was important for us to show a glimpse of all the playful interactions that [the cat] can have with his environment,” producer Swann Martin-Raget explained via PlayStation Blog. “Some of them are useful and will help solve puzzles as you progress, and some are just here because cats will be cats—and as most cat owners know painfully well, no sofa can be left unscratched.”
Stray’s fuzzy hero eventually comes into possession of a small drone (I wouldn’t mind having my own drone!) that allows him to communicate with the city’s robotic inhabitants and interact with the environment. All in all, this might be fun for you humans and give you a little idea of the hard life strays have (minus the humanoid robots)
I’m sure when most of you humans think about 4-H animals you think of sheep, cattle, horses and pigs. Well there’s more to 4H animals than that, like cats for instance.
Kristopher Carver shows his cat, Kyo in the county fair and he and Kyo have been working hard on kitty poses in prep-purration to wow the judges.
Kristopher’s mom suggested joining 4-H. and doing the cat project. He meets several times a month with the other cat project kids to practice showmanship and to learn how to groom their felines to get them ready for their big moment. There was also training at home with the cat to teach him to comply on demand, teach him the proper poses and show off Kyo’s teeth and gums.
“We show off all the cat’s features,” said Kristopher. “I work with him at home and at meetings so he is used to it. The hardest part has been getting the cat used to the harness and leash. He doesn’t like it; we’ve been working on that!”
Cleaning the cat’s teeth and gums, clipping its nails and a proper feeding schedule are just a few of the things that go into raising a show cat. Kristopher shared that brushing his cat’s teeth is easier, and cheaper, by simply using his finger and salt water. Cleaning his ears requires the same as human ears, a Q-tip or cotton ball and cleaning his eyes simply requires a damp, soft rag. Keeping them healthy and at a good weight is also very important.
“You have to keep them healthy and at a good weight,” said Kristopher. “I have Kyo on a feeding schedule so he doesn’t get overweight. Oh well, I guess Oliver and I won’t qualify for any 4-H cat shows!
If you have little humans around your house you should have them check into the 4-H cat program. We have one in our neck of the woods.
The BEST clothing for cats?! How about NO clothing for cats? My human reminds me though there are some felines who like to get dressed up and some felines who have no fur who often need to wear clothing as well. And sometimes, cats have to wear clothes for medical reasons (to keep them from licking wounds, etc.). I suppose a tasteful ensemble would be better than the cone of shame!
If you are dressing your cat to help wounds heal after a medical procedure, make sure the wound is clean and of course, check out the clothes idea with your vet first. You will want loose fitting clothes that are lightweight and breathable, like cotton. Choose something very simple like a t-shirt or sweater. Stay away from costume or tight fitting ensembles.
If you just can’t face the holidays without dressing up your cats, make sure your feline is just as enthusiastic about it as you are. If kitty gives you the okay, then go ahead and have a ball. If your cat is a bit on the CHONKY size (like Oliver) you may have to shop in the “not so small” dog section – MOL!
Still, you can find feline finery such as the hairless cat shirtmade for Sphynx cats by DENTRUN, a professional recovery suit for cats, and, if you have a fancy feline you can even find party/wedding dresses. I have warned The Human that I have no interest in fashion and I think the incident of attempting to shove me in a sushi costume is still fresh in her mind.
Hello Furiends, We have some shameless self promotion to take care of. Today, The Human was notified that we received six Certificates of Excellence from the Cat Writer’s Association. These awards are now in the running for Muse Medallions and we will find out what happens at the virtual CWA conference in October.
We are very honored and excited and can’t believe that the one time we allowed The Human to opine on our blog, she won a Certificate of Excellence!
In one last exercise of self-indulgance, we are listing the work that received Certificates of Excellence.
Hello There Furiends, I hope all is well in your neck of the the woods. We are surrounded by fires in our neck of the woods as are some of our blogging furiends. Today we’re thinking about Barb, Alex, Marv, JoJo, Kozmo and Cinnamon from Cats-Astrophic Events. Today is Marv’s birthday and normally you’d see a big pawty and celebration on their blog but the fire in their area has knocked out the internet so it’s up to the rest of us to celebrate! The official pawty is taking place at Zoolatry so if you’d like to leave birthday wishes for Marv, head on over there and he’ll be able to see all his birthday wishes after he’s back on the web. And if you want to know more about Marv, check out his video on our Cat Chat segment. He has some pawsome things to say.
Oliver, Lily and I were busy celebrating holidays this week, some have passed and some are coming up so we thought we’d share some of our special holiday photos.
July 24thOllie is getting in touch with his fierce side for this July 29 holidayBrothers and best furiends, International Day of Friendship 7/30Oliver gets in touch with his “geek” side on World Wide Web Day 8/01
Well, that’s enough holidays for now, we’ll share some more next week. Now let’s see what feline newsworthy items we found on the web this week.
I love happy endings and this ending is really happy! A lady in Massachusetts was heartbroken when her cat escaped from her third-floor condo through a loose window screen.
Margaret Kudzma’s cat, Mini Max, escaped in 2015, and she did everything she could to find the cat, posters, online posts and newspaper ads, all to no avail.
Kudzma even ended up founding her own nonprofit rescue group, The Rescue Business, in 2016 when the search for Mini Max led her to discover a large colony of feral cats living in her neighborhood.
Needless to say, she was shocked when she received a phone call from Dr. Samantha Simonelli, a Wakefield veterinarian who found her information on the microchip of a cat that had been brought in with ear mites.
Kudzma learned Mini Max had been spotted in Revere, where a family fed the feline for several months before moving him into their house. They brought him to the vet when they noticed his ear mites, and that’s when the microchip information was discovered.
“A true miracle has occurred,” Kudzma said in a Facebook post. “Thank you everyone who participated in this search!”
Kudzma said she is having Mini Max thoroughly examined to ensure he does not have any other health issues or lingering injuries from his jump out of her third-floor window.
Humans, I can’t say this enough. When you find a kitty think LOST not stray and get that cat to someplace where they can see if the feline is microchipped.
Working cats rock and Marley draws customers to Summerland Gardens in Colorado Springs for the plants-and the feline. Marley is a hard worker, on the job every day either at the front counter, hanging out in a box of seeds or patrolling the place, looking for pets and skritches.
The owner of Summerland Gardens, Julie McIntyre said she never wanted a shop cat. She had a shop dog and felt she’d reached her animal quota. That changed twelve years ago when she met Marley.
She called him Marley because he’s so mellow and easy going. He waltzes around the business as though he’s the one that runs the place. Marley is king of all he surveys.
Customers can enjoy “Marley Mondays” and post Marley photos on Instagram. Now there are even Marley stickers for sale at the shop with all proceeds going to cat shelters.
Marley is working hard to reduce stress and bring happiness to all who visit Summerland Gardens. Paws up for Marley, doing his job and making his little corner of the world a better place.
Hey, I get it. It’s hard to come up with spiffy descriptions of all the kitties in the shelter who are looking for their forever home. And sometimes, you humans have to let loose and have some fun, just like the human at The Cats Cradle Shelter in Fargo, N.D.
The description reads, “Look at him, he’s a perfect Dave. The kind of Dave who’s quiet, calm and sometimes overlooked, but is the best neighbor on the block.” And the shelter also listed some of Dave’s talents such as, “Dave will snow-blow your drive before you come home from a winter vacation, so you can drive right into your garage, Dave will keep an eye on your house every day when you take the kids to California for a week.”
And if those talents aren’t enough the shelter continues, “Dave will shop-vac your carpets and set up fans when the sump pump quits and your basement floods a little bit, two days before you are due to fly home. He’ll call your shared insurance guy, take pictures, get everything cleaned up, and not tell you until you get home, because he doesn’t want to ruin your trip.” And Dave doesn’t do anything half-way when it comes to caring for his humans, “Dave will make sure there’s beer in the fridge and tells nice fishing tales. “Adopt Dave. He’s too good for this world,”
Well, it looks like someone may have adopted Dave because we sent our Purrsonal Assistant to the shelter page to see if Dave was still there but he is gone. We sure hope he’s relaxing with his new humans in his forever home in North Dakota.
Mental health clinician, Dianne Salvador had her mind and heart changed when she rescued L’il Fox and Ming Ming. As she got to know her felines, she realized that her kitties could help others navigate change and wrote a book called Cat Shapes as a tool to help with change. She says that the knack cats have to transform captured her imagination and she thought the cat’s ability to adapt could help humans too.
She observed her feiines and identified 28 shapes (or ways of approaching a situation) used by cats.
Ms. Salvador wants to turn change into a positive and she feels that using the example of cats will help to do that.
*Note, I sent our Purrsonal Assistant all over the inter-web to find a link to this book and the one I’ve included is the only one she could find.
Meowza, what a great fund raising idea! We have a garden tour in our neck of the woods every summer and it’s a great fundraiser. This catio tour is brilliant! And, the stories about the catios on the tour are pretty interesting. Take, for instance, Sheryl Hirschbein who wanted a safe playground for her felines, Goober and Mango. Her kitties got an Asian inspired catio connected to 80 feet of sky bridges. Oh my whiskers, that place sounds like kitty heaven.
Mango and Goober have identification microchips on their collars that open the flaps to let them in their catio (and keep other critters out). I’d say Goober and Mango are living their best life for sure as are the other catio owning felines in Portland.
And, if you would like to build a catio for your own feline furiends, there are some good ideas in the article. If you live in a place like our neck of the woods where winter is snowy and chilly, you may want to consider a “popup catio” like we have at our house.
Hi There Furiends, I am purrticipating in the Comedy Plus Feline Friday Blog Hop and told The Human that this majestic photo of myself would be purrfect .
Happy Wednesday Furiends! This is a great Wednesday as we got some rain! Meowza does that make a difference! Aside from the precipitation, there’s not a lot new in our neck of the woods.
I have been taking on a new role (in addition to the many roles I have) as morning advisor to The Human. I have noticed for quite a while that she could use some assistance in getting ready in the morning. This feline has so much on his plate but I am the kind of guy who sees a need and steps in. So far, The Human is not expressing the amount of gratitude for this sacrifice of my time that she should, but I’m sure she will come around soon.
“Are you seriously considering wearing that??”
“Okay, I believe you’re ready to go out and represent us – you’re welcome.”
Lily heard there was some rain coming and she insisted on going on the upstairs deck with The Human to watch for the clouds and enjoy that nice “rainy” smell in the air.
“Get ready folks, the rain is coming!”:
The Human purchased a nice floofy bed for us and as soon as it was delivered and she put it on one of the levels of the cat condo, Oliver took it over. I think we can safely say Oliver approves. As for Lily and I, we haven’t been able to get near it yet.
“Human, why do you disturb my slumber?”
“Ah, I am pleased with the new bed.”
Well, enough about us, let’s check in on other felines in this week’s news report. ‘Hope your week is filled with showers (if you need them) and floofy beds.
The #3 city is the closest one to our neck of the woods so con-catulations Salt Lake City! OneVet rated all these cities on many different things such as the number of veterinarians, pet friendly rentals, number of cat adoptions and more. Who was #1? Miami with Orlando at number 2 (‘seems like Florida really loves felines!)
If your humans are thinking about moving, I’d have them check out this site because not only are there ratings for the best cities for felines, there are ratings for the worst states for felines (New Y ork, I hiss in your direction and my condolences to my feline furiends in the Big Apple) as well as cities with the most cat adoptions, cat café’s and more.
I also found out that the OneVet company is interesting as it offers protection for humans against unexpected vet bills and get this, a single subscription covers up to 6 pets! Meowza, I’m sending The Human over to check it out!
I love how our furiends across the pond love felines and this event shows their love and support of cats in a very British kind of way with cakes, biscuits and of course, tea as cat lovers across the U.K. host afternoon teas to raise money for Cats Protection.
This year the tea events take place during the month of August and there are many ways to purrticipate such as holding a tea party at home, a bake sale for your office, or an outdoor picnic.
Cats Protection uses the money from these teas to help so many cats. For instance 20 Pounds (a little over $27.00 U.S.) will feed four cats at a shelter for 25 days and fifty pounds sterling (a little over $68.00 U.S.) will provide eight kittens with milk for 14 days.
I’m encouraging all our British furiends to go online and sign up and America, we need to get something like this going too!
Now my regular readers shouldn’t be surprised to hear about a surfing cat. I’ve featured all kinds of adventure cats in my Wednesday news features but that doesn’t make Maverick any less cool.
Maverick started his surfing career when his human put him on a surfboard in the pool when he was just a kitten and that’s when his adventures began. Maverick skateboards, paddleboards in addition to surfing.
Maverick has been featured in People and has nearly 50,000 followers on Instagram. Recently, he starred in an episode of “Cat People,” a Netflix series that showcases the unique bonds humans have with their pets.
And if you think Maverick is just a selfish adventure seeker, think again. He works with his humans to spread awareness about mental health.
His humans say, “We’re trying to open up a dialogue and let Maverick be on the forefront and also allow people to realize that having an emotional support animal or therapy animal enhances your life and adds so much.”
Mav’s motto is “trying to smash the perception cats have to stay home.” This feline agrees and I (and the rest of The Tribe) enjoy putting on our harnesses and going for a stroll with our Human.
Pixel is a l2-year old Cornish Rex with a distinctive grin, slightly protruding eyes and some fancyt fangs that give him a very special look. Pixel’s human, Alyson Kalhagen, says the feline has a goofy personality to go with his funny facial expressions. He loves hanging out with his family and insists on being in on anything that’s going on, whether it’s movie watching or playing fetch.
And lest you think Pixel is reluctant in front of the camera, think again. His human says he loves to model.
And, social media being what it is (full of critics and naysayers), Pixel gets some less than flattering email, some even accuse him of being a demon in a cat’s body. I say some of you humans just need to keep your opinions to yourselves! I think Pixel is the cat’s meow!
Furiends, I am not usually a self-promoter but this time it’s for a good cause.
I just entered the Second Annual Rescue Brew Beer Spokescat contest. (Oh, they are also having a Spokesdog too but that’s not important). Who can enter? The rules allow rescue cats (and dogs) from all over the country. You enter on the Charleston Animal Societies website. Nominations are July 15-August 15 with a $10.00 entry donation which goes to the Charleston Animal Society.
Voting will be August 16 until September 17. Three finalist cats (and dogs) will be voted on and local celebrity judges will make the final decision with one winning cat (and one dog) appearing on the labels of the 2021 Rescue Brew Beer. The six finalists cats (and dogs) will receive a $100.00 gift certificate for pet supplies from the pet supply store at the Charleston Animal Society and a “Mega Pupcake” from Cupcake DownSouth.
The grand prize winning cat (and dog) will be announced on October 16.
And why is this Northwest feline entering this contest in Charleston, SC? My human nephew, Burke Fahling, is a member of the Charleston Battery soccer team and, since I’m a fan (note the bandana, although I was forced to sport a dog bandana since the team isn’t enlightened enough to offer cat products). I figured my connection with the team might get all the beer loving soccer fans to vote and that would result in more donations for the shelter.
I’m asking my furiends to mark your calendar for August 16-September 17 and please vote for your furiend Alberto and help the Charleston Animal Society..
Happy Wednesday Furiends, We are still suffering from the heat in our neck of the woods. The Human is getting a bit cranky and muttering under her breath, “I moved to this area to be away from the heat!”. While we sympathize, her issues are of no consequence to us as long as meals and snacks are on time and those cooling machine thingies are in full operation.
Now don’t get me wrong, we here at The Tribe would purrfur cooler weather ourselves and I, for one, will be very happy when it’s time to snuggle up next to the fire again.
Lily is no big fan of the heat either.
“I’m not coming out of this box until fallo!”
Oliver has chosen to beat the heat by celebrating Shark Awareness Day today.
As always, The Tribe is wishing you all a cool, comfortable week filled with tuna and catnip..
Released on Caturday , the Tangerine Wheat Ale brewed honors Marker 48’s favorite brewery cat Willy (Willie).
Oh my whiskers, this is my kind of story. My readers know how I like to report about working cats but this news item takes the professional feline story to a whole new level. The owners of this brewery are extremely enlightened, much more so than brewery in our neck of the woods called Laughing Dog. They host things called “Yappy Hour” . Yappy Hour, can you believe it? Makes me want to hiss every time they advertise another canine centered event!
But I digress and say thank goodness kitties are finally getting their due recognition in the brewing world by Marker 48 Brewery . Not only did these wonderful humans brew a beer to honor a deserving feline employee, they commissioned some limited edition merch as well. We sent our Purrsonal Assistant to the brewery’s site with credit card in hand to order some of the beer and maybe some merch to see if she could order merch but it looks like you have to live in or near Brooksville, Florida to do that.. If any of my furiends live near this fantastic feline loving place, please visit Willy Nelson, taste some of his beer and meow about it on our blog.
We felines deserve only the best and this feline is getting the best of everything, even a personal charter flight on SkyLady of Comlux. There are no tacky carriers, small cat beds or quarantine time for this feline. The Transatlantic crossing VIP kitty guest and his/her human wanted to remain anonymous so we don’t know the cat’s destination but the airline posted a nice video on Twitter to show how the cat is living the Vida Loca. Meowza, how nice would it be to have the run of a luxury plane that can seat 55 people? I wonder how many cats that translates to.
Many cats are living their best lives but this cat has taken that concept to an entirely new level. Methinks it’s time for The Human to step up her game.
And now that there are cats who have beers brewed in their honor and who travel by private chartered et, a gigantic 3D cat has on a billboard in Tokyo shouldn’t surprise anyone.
The cat appears between advertisements and is amazingly realistic. And it doesn’t just move, it meows too! If you’re in Tokyo, you can see the cat between 7 a.m. and 1 a.m.. The video changes throughout the day. The calico cat is first startled awake in the morning, and by the afternoon it can be seen standing up and meowing at passersby. In the evening, it lies down and falls asleep with its head rested on its paws. The billboard is located over the east exit of Shinjuku train station, an area known as a busy shopping and business center. According to a website launched for the display, which is known as Cross Shinjuku Vision, 190,000 people pass the screen every weekday.
Hmm, maybe the time is getting closer when cats will rule the world (at least virtually).
Oxygen masks save kitties lives. Does your fire department have them?
I’ve reported on many cat cafes and am a fan but have never heard of any that raised money for kitty oxygen masks. This is exactly what Orlando Cat Cafédid when they donated two pet oxygen masks to the Lake Country Fire Rescue. These masks revive cats and dogs who suffer from smoke inhalation after a fire.
We were intrigued with the issue of pet oxygen masks and thought that every fire department should have some so we sent our Purrsonal Assistant out on the web to learn more. To our delight, we found Project Breathe, a pet oxygen mask donation program from the good folks at Invisible Fence. Does your fire department have these life-saving masks? Why not meow at them and find out? And paws up to Invisible Fence for caring for animals!
Not every feline thinks that travel in a private jet or having a beer named after you is living their best life. There are some cats like Floki who live lives of adventure . Floki and her hiking companion,, Mel Elam have summited every mountain in New Hampshire over 4,000 feet!
Elam had a chocolate lab hiking companion for years who had passed away. She went to the shelter to find a new buddy to take a look at a litter of kittens she’d seen there. Her plans changed when Floki reached out her paw as Elam walked by, insisting that she be picked as the new companion. When Floki was 4 months old, she had a harness and a leash and the duo headed out for their first hiking adventure.
Floki took to the adventure life and the two are looking forward to many more adventures to come. Even though this feline is a bit on the lazy side and my brother Oliver prefers to take his outside adventures in the cat stroller, we think adventure cats are cool cats!
It looks like there are weather issues in everyone’s neck of the woods this week. We’re purraying for our friends who are waiting for the hurricane to pass and for those of us suffering unusual heat, hang in there.
The air cooler The Human ordered finally arrived. As you can tell from this photo, it’s a hit with me!
Lily enjoys the evenings when it cools down enough to open the windows.
Lily also enjoys snoopervising whatever is going on in the kitchen.
“Shouldn’t there be flowers or something in here?”
“Hey Human, where are the flowers?”
And Oliver? Well, Ollie is just hanging around being Ollie and any chance for a nap is good for him, even when it’s hot!
So furiends, stay safe, stay cool and nap whenever you can!
Beginning today, Netflix will show a 6-part docuseries called Cat People. There are all kinds of breeds of feline lovers like rescue workers, veterinarians, cat café owners and one of this feline’s favorites, Moshow, the cat rapper!
Moshow isn’t only a cat rapper, he puts his love of cats to good use as he promotes adoption for the Oregon Humane Society and is a participant in the Million Cat Challenge.
The Tribe gives Moshow paws up and says, “Rap on our furiend”. Enjoy the video and visit the full article for more Moshow feline rapping.
MOL! This could happen to our Human as she’s blind as a bat without her glasses. Claudia Hankin was enjoying sitting on her porch and reading on evening. She was delighted when she noticed a shy, little gray cat hanging out on her porch.
She doesn’t wear her glasses when she reads so she didn’t have a good view of the cat but she did the “psst, psst, here kitty” thing to try and get the cat close enough to pet.
Imagine her surprise when the “cat” got close enough to her for her to realize it wasn’t a cat at all but a possum! Hankin grabbed her phone to get a photo but as soon as the flash went off, the timid creature headed back to the woods.
I’m wondering , now that the human has extended the hand of friendship, if the possum will attempt to continue their relationship.
Oliver). Signs of heat exhaustion are rapid breathing, lethargy, staggering movements, vomiting, red tongue and mouth, and a high temperature.
Thank goodness we cats sweat through our paw pads and we will attempt to disperse our body heat by moving to a cooler spot and drinking lots of water.
Now if your feline is extra furry they will be looking for heat relief but even the less furry of us appreciate some help.
Here are some ideas to help your kitty be more comfortable when the weather is too warm.
1. Freeze cat treats If you like those tasty Churu mousse like treats or Delectables, tell your human to put a few in the freezer and voila-cat popsicles!
2. Provide an outdoor cat house. If you find your feline lounging on the hot pavement, try a cat house that is more elevated and that offers some shade.
3. Make your own frozen cat treat. Drain some tuna juice (water from the canned tuna), add a bit more water and pour into an ice cube tray. Tasty!
4. Consider a cat cooling mat They make these for dogs but they work for cats too. If you have multiple felines, get a large mat so everyone can lounge on it.
5. Get a pet water fountain Having plenty of fresh water is important during warmer months. Water fountains provide a regular supply of flowing water.
.6. Put ice cubes in water Our Tribe loves this and, after we’ve had a nice cool drink, we like to swat the ice cubes around.
7. Make your own DIY cat cooling towel Save the money for cat treats and just paper towels for DIY cooling towels.
9. Consider a catio Make sure there is plenty of shade and cool water available.
10. Make sure your windows are safe If you leave your windows open use netting frames that fit over the windows or doors to keep your cat safe and your home cooler.
12. Daily grooming Cats with thick coats will especially appreciate frequent grooming.
14. Freeze a bottle of water. Freeze the bottle, wrap it in a towel and place it where your cat likes to hang out
And remember, no matter how much your do, you may still have some dramatic felines in your home like Oliver.
There is a lot of talk about catios, heck, I’ve reported on some fantastic ones myself but if you humans are adverse to attaching something to your home (especially if you have snowy winters) you might like this idea.
Happy Paws Out is a cat-proof fencing system that allows your felines to enjoy your yard and not pull a Houdini maneuver to escape. This can be installed on all kinds of fences or, 2D panels can be installed to close open garden areas.
You can go the DIY route or take advantage of their installation services (if you live in Ireland, that is). Purrsonally, I like the idea of fencing everyone in, not just the felines!
Oh my whiskers, if there ever was a time and a cat to celebrate, this is it! Smokey has been through quite a bit in his life. He was rescued when he was found in a field, sick and without his mother. He was diagnosed with feline infectious peritonitis or FIP which is a disease that is almost always fatal in cats. But our furiend Smokey defied all the odds and is one of the first cats to ever be cured of this nasty disease!
Smokey’s human, Peter, started ZenByCat which is a non-profit organization raising funds for further FIP research. Smokey is the organizations poster cat. Peter says that Smokey’s purpose is to give hope to people. You can follow Smokey and his siblings on their Instagram account.
The healthy Smokey spends his days walking on his wheel and playing with his 24 feline siblings. Peter adopts as many cats as he can to give them a happy home and, as a talented general contractor, he’s been able to modify his home with cat walks to create the best cat jungle him ever.
We give this human our Paws Up award and say concatulations to Smokey for beating this disease!
