Walk Through The Web Wednesday 4/24

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siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello There Furiends!

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“Far be it from me to rush you Human but I sure would appreciate a little stroll outside!” -Alberto

Spring has sprung….finally! The Tribe of Five is waiting for The Female Human to get that pop up catio out of the garage and let us out into the fresh air.  She does seem to be taking her sweet time though and I’m getting a bit impatient. Humans, they never seem to have their priorities together!

But at least our Purrsonal Assistant understands the priority of bringing you the best of the worldwide-web in feline news on Wednesday.

 

Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

Cats are actually nice, scientists find

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“Cats purrfer hanging out with their humans over eating? I’ll have to think about that.” -Oliver

Well twist my whiskers, it took a bunch of scientists to figure out that we felines are nice? The way you humans spend your time really amazes me. The research from Oregon State University, published in Behavioural Processes, tells us there is scientific evidence that cats are nice. In fact, the study found, cats like interacting with humans more than they like eating food. Now this bit I may not agree with, if you look at Oliver, you may find this statement a bit questionable.

Here’s an idea for those scientists, go to your local shelter and adopt a cat and  you’ll see how nice we are!

 

 

 

Cat’s Attorney Takes on City Hall in Lawsuit

tabby sues city of Bellevue and King County

 

Miska, the Tabby has a rap sheet longer than her tail and now, her humans have intervened on behalf of the Bellevue, WA feline and they are suing the city and King County. They feel she was unfairly targeted calling her citations, “egregious and outrageous”.

The feline’s attorney cites bias and unfair practices against Miska, noting she has received 30 of the 50 infractions doled out by King County Animal Control in the last decade.  The attorney said, “I’ve never seen a city or a county so hell bent on going after a poor, defenseless cat,”

Regardless of where you stand on this legal kerfuffle, you have to agree, it’s about time felines stood up for injustice! Does anyone know where I can find a feline lawyer, I may need one in the future.

Feline Dino Cut Takes Instagram By Storm

dino cat cat grooming trend

People…PULLLEEEZE don’t do this. You humans shove us in costumes, cutesy collars ad bows and if that isn’t enough humiliation, now you want to to cut our gorgeous fur and make us look like some sort of prehistoric throwback? To those who are contemplating doing this to your cat, please look at the faces of the felines in this article. If looks could kill……

True Love Between Neighbor Felines Tugs at The Heart Strings

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Queue the violins, this is a feline love story that has taken Twitter by storm. Two cats, staring at each other from across the courtyard fall in love and, with a little help from their humans, the love story moves forward. Simon and Theo are a happy couple and this story has a fairy tale ending.

 

8 Best Cat Breeds For First-Time Owners

BestCatBreeds

For those of you who’ve never had the joy of sharing your life with a feline and who are wondering just what type of feline you’d like to live with, here’s some help.

The first thing you humans need to understand is that felines, like humans, have different purrsonality traits. But there are traits that some breeds have in common.

And don’t think you have to go to a breeder to find certain types of cats. Every one of the Tribe of Five is a shelter/rescue cat and each one of us have some Siamese in our blood. The Female Human loves how intelligent we are, how social, curious and loyal we are as well. Each of us has our own quirks but we do fit the “Siamese” profile very well. So get out there and find the cat that best suits you and your lifestyle.

 

 

 

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 4/17

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siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends,
Alberto here. It’s Wednesday already, I tell you it’s hard for a cat to squeeze in all the naps, playing and eating that  needs to be done in 7 days.  In this short video you can see how much I’m enjoying the new set up upstairs in what the deluded Female Human refers to as “her office and craft room”. Ya’ right!

Here’s hoping you enjoy this week’s web wanderings.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Alberto
Siamese cat with blue eyes

Smithsonian Archive Exhibit Proves Cats are Artists Best Friends

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Picasso with his cat Minou

The writer of this article said that if Instagram would have been around during Henri Matisse’s lifetime his feed would have been full of photos of his 3 cats, Minouche, Coussi, and La Puce. His felines were never far when he painted. And then there’s Pablo Picasso whose feline friend Minou was always at his side. And the list goes on and you’ll just have to read the article to see why this Smithsonian Arhive show proves that artists like cats more than dogs.

 

 

 

Take a Cat Home from the Zoo!

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Soon you will be able to take a cat home from the zoo…not a tiger, lion or jaguar but a feline that will fit purrfectly in your home.

Two paws up for the El Paso zoo for having an adoption event in a place where animal lovers go. The El Paso zoo is partnering with the El Paso Animal Services shelter in Catz at the Zoo. The domestic felines will be hanging out in a cat café at the zoo designed just for the occasion. The Petco Foundation donated a half million dollars to build the zoo cat café, the first one of it’s kind. Bravo El Paso!

Random cat sneaks into house to snuggle up to man recovering from surgery

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A British official tweeted this photo and it’s going crazy. The Female Human always says cats make the best nurses and this proves it!

 

 

 

 

 

New Website Pinpoints Whether Cats Are Picky Eaters or Sick
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A new website launched by KindredBio  called PickyOrSick.com helps you humans see if we felines are just being picky or if we need to go see the vet. It’s a science based program that offers a 5-question quiz to encourage owners to seek veterinary advice about changes in our eating habits. There are suggestions for determining hether our behavior is a sign of illness or just pickiness. There is a log you humans can download to track our eating habits and, in the event you have to haul us off to the place of the white coats, they have tips as to how to make the trip less stressful for us.

5 Seattle-area adventure cats you need to follow on Instagram

Moose

Moose the Adventure Cat

This is a shout out to my Northwest feline furiends. The Tribe of Five resides in the Inland Northwest but we like adventure too! Adventure cats are a big thing these days as humans realize that we can be fun in the outdoors as well. Check out the Adventure Cat  website there are  tons of helpful guides)  and The Female Human is purrusing it regularly to prepare me to go kayaking with her this summer. I hope you enjoy my five Pacific Northwest furiends!

 

Lily’s Update on Her Basepaws DNA test

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Hello Furiends,

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Sigh, I’m still waiting to find out what my DNA says about me. -Lily

Well, just when I was about to get my whiskers in a twist because I hadn’t heard anything about my DNA test, I received (or I should say my Human received) the following:
Basepaws

Now I do apurreciate the update but I am a bit miffed that they emailed my Human and not me. Oh well, gotta’ give them an “A” for effort.

I can’t wait to find out more about my interesting self,

Purrs & Head Bonks,
LilyLogo

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 4/10

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siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hi There Furiends,

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Human, I’m tired of this cold and wetness. Please make spring happen NOW! -Oliver

We’re still waiting for spring around here but most of the snow is out of the front yard and The Female Human says the ski area will close this weekend (not that felines ski, mind you).

While we wait for flowers to pop up, the sun to shine and some quality outdoor time in our catio, Oliver is busy griping about not being able to go  out and Lily is trying to figure out final-13how to get comfortable with a pillow that isn’t exactly placed in a comfortable position.

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoy this week’s web wanderings and here’s to walking in a real garden very soon!
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

14 Myths about cats you need to stop believing

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When will you humans learn not to believe every stupid old wives tale about cats? -Lily

You humans have been perpetrating false information about felines for years and bless my whiskers; someone finally has addressed this issue. This article debunks 14 very common myths about the fabulous feline.

For instance, the one that says cats don’t like water. What a bunch of malarkey. I love water and get in the shower whenever I’m allowed. I like to hang out by the kitchen faucet and will take any opportunity to hang out in water.  And that falsehood about how we cats see perfectly in total darkness? Malarkey! We need a little bit of light to see because our eyes gather the light in and then it intensifies in a membrane called tapetum. We are purrfectly designed to hunt prey in low light situations.

So please read this article and spread the word that everything people say about cats isn’t true!

Does Your Cat Really See You as Its Mama?
CatMomma

Now that I’ve talked about things that aren’t true about cats, here are some things that are. First, we felines see you humans as another big, non-hostile feline.  Most of our interactions with you humans is driven by our instinct more than any behavior we’ve learned.

For instance, when we knead on you (also referred to as “making biscuits”) it’s a behavior we do on our mother’s bellies to keep the milk flowing. When we greet you when you get home and our tail is upright, this is a universal feline sign of friendship that we reserve for only non-hostile felines.

And if we bring you dead things, it’s not because we’re bringing you a present, it’s because we want to feed you.

You humans really need to read this article and find out what’s behind the things we do!

All Right. Some Cats Do Fetch

Cute Little Kitten With A Wool Ball In Mouth

While I’m on a roll debunking feline myths and sharing feline facts, this also needs to be said. Yes, cats DO fetch (3 of the 5 members of our tribe are fetchers).

When NPR.org posted a headline comparing the fetching abilities of cats and dogs there was quite a kerfuffle and many humans set NPR straight right away.  Now most of the humans did say that their feline fetches…only when he wants to.

The pro-dog contingency said dogs fetch because of their deep desire to please their humans, understanding that the more they please their humans the more benefits they receive. We felines, on the other hand,  are not so interested in the pleasing idea. Still experts say that big felines in the wild are probably more prone to fetching and bringing things to you that many dogs.  And if any of you are still skeptical about felines fetching things, take a moment to watch this video.

Tats for Cats

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You know who much this feline reporter loves stories about creative events for shelters and this one is creative. Companion Animal Foundation and Sangha Tattoo Studio in Humboldt County, California partnered up with Paws for A Cause: Give ’til it Hurts.  The Tattoo studio held a soiree with food, drink and furry feline guests who were available for adoption. The cash from the event was used to  benefit CAF’s Mobile Vet Clinic Fund.  Now that is a purrfectly creative event and, lest you think it’s not a great money raiser, Sangha Tattoo Studio posted on their Facebook page that they raised $2,725.00!!

There’s much more to Lil Bub than her cuteness or fame

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When the molecular geneticist Daniel Ibrahim met Lil Bub for the first time he became interested in social media famous felines. The next morning he headed over to a colleague’s office and showed him the Lil Bub video. He was purrticularily fascinated with the part of the video where Lil Bub’s veterinarian examined her X-rays and commented on the rare genetic limb malformation disorder that Ibrahim and his colleague were studying.

They compared Lil Bub’s DNA to a stockpile of 131 cat genomes, compiled by the 99 Lives consortium—the world’s largest feline DNA database. None of those cats had Bub’s RANKmutation. Leslie Lyons, who started 99 Lives at the University of Missouri in 2014, says that Bub’s DNA is likely to help doctors better identify and treat patients of osteopetrosis. But more than that, she’s hoping it will inspire more cat owners to get their animals sequenced. (And speaking of DNA, our own Lily is currently awaiting her DNA profile from Basepaws. 

Now, five years later, with the help of a very successful crowdfunding campaign the scientists discovered the reason behind her signature squee-ness—extra toes, short stature, wonky gait, and a tongue that is forever lolling out of her mouth. Their discovery, which they posted  in February, is not only helping Lil Bub’s human care for her as she ages, it could one day aid doctors in better treating human patients of osteopetrosis. And just as Bub blazed a trail for viral cat celebrity, by having her DNA sequenced she is once again leading the way, only this time toward precision veterinary medicine. Way to go Lil Bub, you are making feline genetic history!

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 4/3

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siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

 

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It’s getting far too warm for this cozy felted bed.” -Alberto

Hello There Furiends,

Spring is finally happening in our neck of the woods. In fact, I’m a bit sad that it’s getting too warm for me to sit in my snuggly DharmaDog-Karma Kat felted wool bed.  But the good news is that soon The Tribe and I will be enjoying the great outdoors safely in our catio.

 

 

 

 

 

Purrs & Head Bonks,

Siamese cat with blue eyes

Backpacker adopts a kitten on his world travels and customizes his bike to take the kitten with him.             

Backpacker

This is a story that makes this feline smile. Dean Nicholson, began his journey in Dunbar, Scotland, last September and met his furry feline traveling companion in Bosnia.  He named the kitten Nala and they’ve traveled to Albania and Greece together. She even has her own Pet Passport.

He recalls their first meeting, : ‘I was going up a steep hill with my music blaring out of my speaker when I heard a desperate meow from behind me.”

He got off his bike and picked up the kitten and that was it, love at first site. He wasn’t going to take her with him at first, but he quickly realized he couldn’t bear to part with her.

They’ve been traveling companions for the last four months. She travels on the front of his bike in a basket, and creates quite a stir everywhere she goes.

How does Nala feel about traveling? Well if you take a look at the photos in the news article you’ll see how much she loves her new life. The only time she shows her displeasure is when the bike rattles over cobblestones. She jumps on her human’s shoulder until the shaky part of the journey is over. To read more about this traveling team visit  @1bike1world.

Cleveland Orchestra introduces ‘Cat Concerts’ on April Fools’ Day

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MOL, you humans are a riot. This is by far the best April Fool’s trick. All those well heeled orchestra patrons were ready to bring a lint roller and listen to the feline concert. The announcement from the orchestra said that they would be offering concerts with cats from the Cleveland Animal Protection League.  Their ad read, “Both classical music and interactions with animals bring people together, make a memorable impact on our lives, and have been proven to provide psychological benefits. Introducing this new initiative aligns with our mission to enrich lives by creating extraordinary musical experiences. These cat concerts will be just that: extraordinary.”

I say it sounds like a great idea, we felines can strum some mean tunes.

RCMP’s April Fools Announcement – A Police Cat Division

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B.C. Mounties have come up with the purrfect way to get their claws into crime. They’ve announced a Police Cat Services Division. The announcement read: “Front line officers throughout the province who have been volunteered for the pilot project will be assigned their police cats over the next few months. Each Police Cat handler will also be given a Cat carrying backpack, and each cat has been chosen based on a particular set of skills acquired over a very long training process,”

This April Fools announcement started a Twitter storm, someone stated that a police cat can work for almost 15 minutes a day before getting bored and they aren’t expected to be enthusiastic. Also, “A police cat entering the RCMP training program must be moody, aloof and pensive (no reason for it, they just are),”  Frankly, I find the idea of a feline police force absolutely purrfect!

Pet Sematary director says cats who played Church were a ‘pack of divas’ on set
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Evidently humans are bringing the Stephen King 1983 novel, Pet Sematary to the big screen. The character, Church, the undead feline who plays a major role in the film, was an import part to cast and a hunt was launched for the purrfect feline thespian.

The human directors decided that they would cast a Maine Coon with a multi-color coat.  They didn’t realize that it would be difficult to find 8 cats exactly alike. Each feline actor had an acting specialty; one was a hisser, another could hold a steady stare, one was a jumper, etc. Each cat would have to become acclimated to the set when they arrived so all the actors would have to sit quietly and let the cat sniff everything for about ten minutes. Evidently being forced to sit and watch the cats didn’t sit well with the humans and they began calling the feline actors “a pack of divas”. Clearly, those humans have not come to the realization that this is a feline world and they are only allowed to live in it.

Click here to watch the movie trailer.

Cypriot Hotels Install Cat Hotels for Strays
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Now THIS is how hotels should handle the feral cat population! Two resorts in Cyprus have built cat hotels for lucky feral felines. Volunteers of  Animal Rescue Cyprus have been instrumental in this process and have been working on this solution for hotels for over ten years. The idea is that by providing on-site shelter and food stations, , cats have a safe place to eat and sleep, and will be less inclined to pester guests. One of the two resorts participating is the Columbia Beach Resort in Pissouri.

The resort has established the Columbia Cat Care Project, which traps, spays, neuters the cats and feeds and monitors them. The cats have become an attraction at the resort and often and many bond with certain felines and even sponsor their favorite cat for a cost of 25 Euros a year (that’s about $28.00 US).

Aphrodite Hills Hotel in Paphos is the second resort with a program to care for its cats. , They have installed feeding stations and are looking to build an entire cat hotel that is fenced and protected.

Paws up to these innovative humans!

The Tribe is Honored

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The Tribe of Five at Feline Opines is all dressed up for the Cat Writer’s Awards.

Hey there Furiends,
We wanted to take a moment to meow about the fact that we received two Certificates of Excellence from the Cat Writer’s Association.  I guess all the hard work by our Purrsonal Assistant paid off. I just hope this doesn’t mean she’s going to ask for a raise!

Alberto will be reporting from the CWA conference in May.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
The Tribe of Five

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 3/27

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Hello There Furiends,

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“And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain there would be no rainbow.” G.K. Chesterton

Finally, finally, it looks like spring is coming. Temperatures are warming up and The Female Human even opened the windows the other day for us to sit on the sill and sniff the great outdoors. The Tribe of Five is enjoying sun puddles and we captured Oliver the other day in a purrfect position to catch the colors from the Austrian crystal.

 

 

 

 

Purrs & Head Bonks,
Alberto

Siamese cat with blue eyes

Man Gets Suspended For Helping Helpless Feline

Verizon

Verizon employee Maurice German was recently suspended from his job after he rescued a cat named Princess Momma who had been stuck on a pole for over 12 hours.  After the cat’s human called the fire department, animal rescue and the phone company but no one returned her calls. In desperation, the human approached Mr. German and he helped.

And what did his heroics get him? He was suspended for three weeks without pay for violating Verizon’s safety rules. Fortunately, there are lots of good-hearted humans out there who put together two Go Fund Me pages to help the man and his family while he goes without pay. One raised $3,395.00 and the other raised over $7,000.00..

Dear Verizon, I hiss in your direction.

Clever Kitty Finds Solution To The Door To His Litter Box Being Shut

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When a cat’s gotta’ go, a cat’s gotta’ go! Tino, a British kitty needed to do his business when he discovered to his horror, that the door to his litter box was locked.

He weighed his options…..go on the floor, meow in dersperation for help? What’s a kitty to do?

Tino’s solution was to find the litter bag, knock it on it’s side and spill litter on the floor. He then attended to his business. Despite the fact that Tino’s human had a big mess to clean up, we give Tino a paws up award for ingenuity.

Tino is now an internet sensation and there are poems and odes to honor his feline problem solving skills.  Note to humans…..make sure the door to the litter box is NEVER locked!

Under-Cats Photo Series Gives A Whole New Purrspective on Felines 

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Photo from Andrius Burba’s new series “Under-Cats”

Andrius Burba is famous for his unorthodox approach to animal photography. This time he’s presented an entirely new view of felines, from the bottom up.  He’s added to his new portrait series Underlook with Under-Cats to show how we felines look from below.

He said,  “The Underlook project started four years ago when I saw a ridiculous looking picture on the Internet.  It was a cat sitting on a glass table that was photographed from underneath. I decided to level up the idea and photograph it professionaly to see those paws in hi-res and that is how the Underlook project was born.” If you humans think you know us felines, take a look at the pawsome photos on this site. Meow!

Tulsa Firefighters Rescue Snickers The Cat – Twice

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Tulsa Fire Department’s Station 23 rescued a cat named Snickers – not once but twice.

They didn’t have to crawl up a pole because the fleeing feline took a 130 mile ride from Mustang, OK to Tulsa in an engine compartment of someone’s car.

When Snickers was discovered missing and her humans tried to find her, the kept praying and their prayers were answered.

Tulsa firefighters were called to help get the feline out of the car. found Snickers when they got the unusual call to rescue the furry feline from the car. They kept her at the fire station the first night and then one of the firefighters took her home where she resided in the laundry room while they tied to figure out what to do with her.

Fortunately, a story about Snickers was aired on the sister TV station in her home town and someone recognized her and contacted her humans.

Just when  Snickers was so close to being returned home she found her way into a compartment under a fire truck at the station and the firefighters had to rescue her again.

The story has a happy ending, Snickers was extricated from the firetruck and back into the arms of her humans, right before the firefighters were called out to fight a fire. You can watch the video story here.

Paws up to these firefighters for going above and beyond and for saying, “I know that if it was my cat I’d want someone to do everything they could,” said Emerson.

Snickers, I suggest you stay inside and away from any type of moving vehicle!

Human’s Singing Pushes This Feline Named Harvey Over the Edge

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We felines put up with a lot from you humans and most often we put up with your shenanigans but even felines have a breaking point.

YouTuber Greg Molick uploaded a video of his unusual rendition of “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie. His cat Harvey is not a fan of his singing voice.

After 30 seconds, Harvey decides to jump up on the bed and show Greg exactly how he feels about his musical abilities. You go Harvey and IMHO that screeching is tantamount to animal abuse! Watch the video and decide for yourself.

 

 

 

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 3/21

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siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

I know, it’s another Wednesday feature on Thursday. The Female Human stayed home  because some movers were coming to move furniture in our house. She’s moving the guest bedroom room downstairs and her craft room upstairs where the guest bedroom is now. She dragged stuff out of rooms, stacked everything up and waited..and waited…and waited and is still waiting for them to show up.

In the meantime, the Tribe is a bit freaked out that our little world has been turned topsy turvy. Not a good week for any of us. Sigh.

Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

Cat Lover Behind Change in City Ordinance

CityJCouncil

Now this is the type of purrlitical involvement a feline can get behind. Last November, Jim Vesock went to the city’s pet shelter to adopt a sister for his two black cats but was told that this was not possible. The city’s code allowed for up to four domestic pets in a household but a maximum of two cats and two dogs.

Now I am a more libertarian leaning feline and the thought that any government can tell any responsible human how many felines can be in there home makes me want to hiss. Thank goodness we don’t live in that city or the Tribe of Five would be The Tribe of Two!

The shelter told him the only way to change this law was to do it through the city council and so he went to meetings, lobbied council members and his efforts paid off and now humans can adopt up to four cats or four dogs.  This will help shelter kitties and will, of course, bring more feline happiness into the lives of humans. Two paws up for Mr. Vesock!

Kitty Crack – Is It Unethical To Give Your Cat Catnip?

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The debate about “the nip” continues. This article argues that humans might not be considering animal ethics when they give us catnip. Now our Human has always monitored our behavior on the nip very closely. I can tell you that four of the five of us are model feline citizens when we’re under the influence and we quite enjoy it. One of The Tribe who shall remain anonymous (Tucker) is a mean nipper and his ingestion of the nip is watched carefully. All in all, The Tribe of Five votes for nip and we request that the writer of this article stop raining on our parade.  What do you think?

Look Before You Lock To Protect Kitties 

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This is an important reminder for all humans. We kitties like to check out new spaces and sheds, shops, garages and the like are tempting places for us to explore. This kitty named Wispa disappeared from her home and her human searched for her everywhere…almost. Twenty days after Wispa went missing she was found locked in someone’s garage.

Wispa lost as lot of weight and the vet said she wouldn’t have lasted for too many more days.

Thankfully Wispa is now recovered. We had a similar situation in our community where a feline was locked in someone’s shop for months. She was found after several months but is still dealing with health issues. So humans, PLEASE check these spaces on a regular basis!

Major Campaign Launched To Help Find Purrfect Landlords

 

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Once again I have to give a hat tip to the folks across the pond and their feline loving ways. The CATS Protection , the UK’s largest cat charity is offering free guidance to landlords and rental agents to make sure that rental agreements. A study was conducted and it was discovered that less than half of private rented housing allows cats. Meowza, that’s 42% and that’s not good.

The charity launched a website that helps landlords and renters to be cat friendly. Kudos to the CATS Protection charity!! The folks in the good ole’ US of A could use this info as well.

Would You Pay Money To Smell Like A Cat?

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“Tucker, what is that pawsome after shave you’re wearing?” -Lily

Now I don’t know about the rest of you felines, but I don’t think there is a cat smell. My fur might bear the faint fragrance of the Female Human’s perfume after she pets me and I may smell of fresh grass in the summer after a roll in the garden but cat scent? I think not.

But there are other folks who clearly think there is a cat smell and a Japanese company Yamamoto Perfumery is counting on the fact tact that the scent of cat forehead is one that you definitely want to smell like. They came to this conclusion after conducting extensive research in cat cafes throughout Japan. They sniffed the foreheads of felines and recorded the fragrance notes and this resulted in the creation of “Fluffy Forehead Fragrance Fabric Water,” a home fragrance that purportedly smells just like a cat. According to customers surveyed, a cat smells like “sunshine,” “a futon that’s been dried in the sun” and “sweet bread.”

catheadDesigned to be sprayed onto fabrics, the product retails for 1,293 yen (US$10.60) and is perfect for freshening up cushions and blankets. Felissimo suggests the best way to enjoy the fragrance is with their lineup of kitty head cushions, available in three different colours for 3,125 yen each, a bargain at just over $28.00 US.