Walk Through The Web Wednesday 5/1

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello There Furiends,
That saying you humans like to meow about that “April showers bring May flowers” is proving to be true. There are tulips beginning to pop up in the garden and there should be some nice color if the deer don’t eat them first.

final-20Oliver tried to convince me that he sat in our felted bed this way because it was getting too warm to sleep inside it. I told Oliver I thought his expanding girth was proving to be too much to fit into the bed. Oliver was not amused.

 

 

 

I hope you enjoy my web wanderings this week.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Alberto
Siamese cat with blue eyes

Swedish Digital Vet Is Going After the UK’s Cats (and Dogs)

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Oliver and one of our favorite vets, Dr. Christina Ponsness at Pend Oreille Veterinary Service

A Swedish digtal vet clinic, First Vet is launching in the UK. The company offers video appointments  between 20-30UK ($26.00-$39.00) where the average vet visit is about 60UK ($78.00)

So, not only do the humans get to save some money but the felines are relieved of the stress of being shoved in a carrier and taken in the moving metal machine to the place of the stabby people.

First Vet’s study of their business in Sweden has found that roughly half of all cases that result in a visit to the vet could be taken care of by a remote consultation.

This sounds pretty good to me, what do my feline and human furiends think about this?

CatCon Partners With Cats Of Instagram To Celebrate The Internet’s Greatest Cat Videos

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Have you watched Oliver’s film,, “Bring Me My Catpuccino!”

CatCon, “the ComicCon for cat people” has joined with Instagram’s to showcase most-followed cat accounts to celebrate the internet’s greatest cat videos.

If you and your humans are lucky enough to get to Cat Con at  the  Pasadena Convention Center in California, you can mingle with 62,000 other international feline fans.

The Cats Of Instagram account — which has 10.3 million followers and features a running tab of adorable cat pics and videos — will be hosting the inaugural CatCon Video Festival. And all my furiends can submit their own videos (we submitted two of ours, “Bring Me My Catpuccino” and “You Never Walk Alone”.   A grand prize winner will receive a $500 gift card.

“Cats of Instagram has been part of CatCon since the beginning in 2015, and it made purr-fect sense to up the ante this year and partner with them on CatCon Video Fest,” CatCon creator Susan Michals said in a statement. “Together we plan to bring the audience at CatCon 2019 the best vids from across the country, IRL on the big screen.” Meow, sure wish we could go there!

Teen cat whisperer recognized for clocking nearly 1,900 hours of dedication to feline friends

CatWhisperer

The next time you humans start meowing about how bad kids are today, you need to remember 15-year old Blake Austin. Blake has clocked nearly 1,900 hours of playtime with the felines at the Brunswick Midcoast Humane society. She also fosters kittens. Her dad has a severe cat allergy so she never got to have a cat when she was growing up until her father realized how much cats meant to her and made her a “cats only” room. Blake’s love of cats and her tireless devotion to the felines at her shelter has garnered her much notice and she even received a $10,000.00 gift. Meowza, being nice to kitties pays off-literally!

Cat adopts four orphaned squirrels

CatSquirrel

This one’s for all you may-saying humans who think we felines don’t have a heart.. Pusha, the cat who lives in a park in Bakhchisaray, Crimea. She came across four young squirrels who’d lost their parents, and rather ignoring them or attacking them, she took care of them and even let the squirrels drink her milk as if they were her own kittens.

The squirrels seem quite happy with this family arrangement. Pusha treats them like her own, cleaning them and giving them a gentle nudge when they’re misbehaving.

Brace yourselves, cat lovers. Meow DC is a new festival for feline fanatics.

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Coco the Couture Cat letting her love child side out at Blogpaws 2016.

Emily Miller, director of special events for the Humane Rescue Alliance, decided to create Meow DC, an annual festival for feline fanatics —where ticket proceeds will go toward the alliance’s mission of helping homeless pets.

“Meow DC is a place for cat people to get together and celebrate all things cat.”

More than 100 adoptable cats were brought to the Dock 5 parking lot because the venue doesn’t allow cats indoors. The specialized RVs had big windows that allow people to see the cats from outside.

Booths just outside the venue’s entrance will house Meow DC’s two celebrity cats — Sunglass Cat and Coco the Couture Cat. An Instagram star with over half a million followers, Sunglass Cat will be taking pictures with fans for $15, which will go to the alliance. Coco, a Cornish Rex who gets around in a pink “Catillac,” will be paw-tographing copies of the book “The Adventures of Coco le Chat: The World’s Most Fashionable Feline.” (Note, The Female Human has met Coco the Couture Cat many times and will see her and her human again at the Cat Writer’s Association conference.)

There were events for kiddos who love cats and lots of vendors who offered purrfect feline products.

 

 

 

It’s a Contest!

Now that we’ve received my DNA results, I’ve decided we should run a little contest before the big reveal. There is lots of interesting (and sometimes surprising ) info in this report. One of the things the report includes is which breeds I am most similar to. Three breeds were listed. Can you guess what they were?

I am running a contest this week (with The Female Human’s help). Just share this post and then note in the comments what 3 breeds you think the basepaws, cat DNA company discovered I am most similar to. The winner with the correct (or most correct) answer will receive our two Felines Opine books (personally pawtographed of course).

So guess away, let’s see who who knows the most about my DNA. The contest will close at midnight (PST), Sunday, May 5th.

Purrrs &. Head Bonks,

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 4/24

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

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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

LoveStory

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

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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

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

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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

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

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

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
CatsCyprus

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