Walk Through The Web Wednesday….on Friday??

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siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends,
I have my whiskers in a twist today. Staff has been slacking off this week. The Purrsonal Assistant says it’s because she’s been busy entering our blog, some photos, etc. in the #CWA (Cat Writer’s Association) contest. IMHO she had plenty of time to do that, get our social media done, feed us, clean our litter boxes, freshen our cat grass, go to the place she calls work……hmm, okay, maybe I’d better lighten up on The Purrsonal Assistant.

While I go give The Female Human (Purrsonal Assistant aka staff) an apologetic head bonk, I hope you will purruse these new listings and enjoy them.
Purrs & Head Bonks,

Siamese cat with blue eyes

Meet Hamlet VIII, The Newest Algonquin Hotel Cat

I don’t know what to be excited about more….the information about the new Algonquin Hotel cat or the fact that I discovered a website called Hotels With Cats! The website is travel information for cat lovers, meowza, I love discovering new things.

But back to Hamlet. I’ve reported in the past about a previous Algonquin feline and I must say, that is one of the cushiest feline jobs ever. The Algonquin Cat custom has a long tradition. It is New York’s oldest working hotel and has had a feline mascot since a stray cat wandered in during the 1920’s. The name “Hamlet” was suggested by the actor John Barrymore and this is the name all the male cats have had. Female cats are called Matilda. The hotel has an executive assistant who also serves as Chief Cat Officer (a bit like our Female Human who also serves as our Purrsonal Assistant).  Hamlet VIII has his own business card and also receives fan mail and presents from around the world is one lucky former feral rescue!

Basepaws-the 23andMe for Felines

“So Oliver, what do you think Basepaws would say about our heritage and history…could two brothers ever look (or act) less alike?”

This feline DNA thing is pretty cool. You humans can find out about our ancestral roots, get a health report and see if our genetics influence our risk for certain health issues or if we’re carrying a genetic disorder (like Oliver who seems to be carrying the “fat” gene).   And if that information isn’t fantastic enough you humans can also find out neat things about us like predictions about our purrsonality, whether we might be likely to form a catnip addiction and other fun facts. This Basepaws stuff is the cat’s meow!

$1800.00 Feline Treadmill for Your Fat Cat

A feline treadmill for $1800.00? I’m not so sure. We opined about snoopervising The Female Human when she set up her treadmill and our positions in the mat and machine pretty much say it all. This is as much effort as we care to exert (come to think of it, The Female Human hasn’t exerted much effort on that machine lately either).

Still, when I look at my roly poly brother I have to admit that the idea of some exercise for the little fellow might be a good idea. Meet The Little Cat, an exercise machine from South Korea’s Pet Ding. Now if you felines can get over the fact that this thing looks like a hamster wheel, it has some cool features.  It’s pricey because it has all kinds of goodies like LED lights inside the wheel designed to attract the feline to the wheel and to keep the feline interested while he’s moving on it. And of course, there’s an app that goes with it as well. Humans get a live feed of the kitty work outs and they can also record their voice to encourage their kitty to move faster. The Little Cat is expected to be available for purchase in March. I think for now, I’ll just chase Oliver up and down the stairs for his daily exercise.

https://youtu.be/3US_jzrvSxY

Meows for Military Program a Success in Tucson

 Oh how I love shelters that come up with innovative programs that help felines and humans too. Hermitage No-Kill Cat Shelter and Sanctuary in Tucson teamed up with the Southern Arizona Veterans Administration Health Care System (SAVAHCS) for the ‘Meows for Military’ program which is in its third year.

The Meows for Military program provides weekly cat visits to SAVAHCS. The felines are all chosen for this purrrticular mission of being Feline Ambassadors. The veterans and humans receive love and some of the felines even receive a furever home through the program. Animal assisted therapy is proven to be a success and helps humans lower blood pressure, decrease rates of depression and anxiety and promote healing. Meowza, I love this idea.

Crazy Places Cat’s Hide At The Vets

“I am NOT hiding in this photo because The Female Human takes us to a cat friendly practice where we have no fear and no need to hide.” – Alberto, FelineOpines.net

There are some funny photos here showing how many of my feline furiends attempt to keep away from the vet but I have to say, going to the place of white coats with the stabby people can be nerve wracking. The Tribe of Five used to hide until the people with the white coats where we go built a brand new, fearless practice. Oliver and I opined about this place and it is amazing. I would suggest that all my feline furiends talk to your humans and have them find a cat friendly place with white coats too.

Oliver Opines on Thankful Thursday

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Hello there furiends,
Oliver here opining that I am thankful for soft blankets The Female Human puts on the furniture and the close proximity of the fireplace on cold, wet days. I hope all my feline furiends are warm and safe today.

Do you want to meow about what you’re thankful for? Just head on over to Brian’s Home Blog and join the blog hop!

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 1/2/19

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siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends,
I hope you’re walkin’ into good things this year. The Female Human has been dealing with a bunch of stuff she calls “stress”. When I told her I didn’t understand what this “stress” is she explained that it’s a bit like when someone rings our doorbell..over and over. Meowza! That stress stuff is nasty!

I’m glad that she’s feeling up to her Purrsonal Assistant duties again and I hope you enjoy these first 2019 web wanderings.
Purrs & Head Bonks,

Siamese cat with blue eyes

A Hero Who Gets Cats Out of Tricky Tree Situations

Normer Adams retired from his career as a social worker and now works as a treed-cat rescuer.  In less than 2 years since he began his cat saving crusade he’s rescued 91 felines (an average of one a week).

Now you humans know we cats are great at climbing trees but we’re not so great at getting down the tree. Mostly we try to back down but Adams has seen cats trying to head down face first and when we do that we drop like a rock.

I saw two paws up to this man who understands felines and who is willing to help extricate us from our mistakes!

Ontario SPCA is Hiring Cats!

You folks know how much I love stories about cats with jobs. We felines like to make a contribution to society and if it gets us a home in the bargain, all the better. This is another wonderful working cat program. I just love it when humans think outside the box (although we felines prefer to think inside the box!)

Cat Beats Owners Score on Fruit Ninja

I realize many of you humans are big fans of online games but don’t leave your feline out of the fun. The cat in this video is called Mao Mao and she took over the game when her human set the tablet down.  I might remind you all that our Female Human gave us a little iPad to play with when we were kittens. I got bored with the fish game but now I’m thinking I should check out some of the other games. Play on my feline furiends! And check out Mao Mao’s moves on the video.
http://digg.com/video/cat-plays-tablet?jwsource=cl

Vancouver Cat Cafe Runs Out of Cats Now Has Bunnies

What’s better than a cat café? How about a cat café that runs out of cats and has partnered with a rabbit rescue to find furever homes for bunnies. Talk about a win-win situation! Vancouver’s very popular Catfe has been such a success that they ran out of felines in December.  So what did these enterprising humans do? They partnered with Rabbitats Rescue society in an event that’s so popular it’s been extended to the end of the months.  And the coolness factor for this cat café is pretty big…it was actually visited by Adele! Check out the video!

Kitty lovers become builders to provide Omaha’s feral cat population shelter for the winter

We love it when humans come together to do good things for felines and these 65 people did a great thing for feral cats in Omaha by building them shelters. These “crafty humans” built out of 20-gallon plastic storage bins. Each volunteer provided at least one bin that was filled with Styrofoam and filled with straw. I think my feline furiends should get your humans involved in something like this, especially if you live in a cold place like we do!

Oliver Opines On The Coming New Year-Friendly Fill Ins #137

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Hello Furiends!
Can you believe it, another year almost finished! Our Purrsonal Assistant has been working hard to get all our writing, photos, etc. finished and published by the end of the year and then enter them in the Cat Writer’s Association contest categories. This has put a bit of a crimp in our regular blogging schedule but I have to admit, she has been working hard.

The Friendly Fill Ins is a blog hop. You can hop on over to the host’s sites, either 15andMeowing or Four-Legged Furballs and link to your answers or you are welcome to opine on your answers in the comments here.

The Tribe of Five wish you a festive feline New Year and we are grateful for all our readers and supporters. You are all the cat’s meow!
Purrs & Head Bonks,

black and white cat Oliver

This week’s Fill in Questions:

1. On New Year’s Eve, I __________________. 

2. A goal that I have for 2019 is ________________. 

3. If I had to choose a guide word for 2019, it would be _________.

4. New beginnings _________.

My Fill in Answers:

1. On New Year’s Eve, I plan to continue my normal routine of doing as little as possible.

“Oh the hard life of a feline.” -Oliver

2. A goal that I have for 2019 is to be as stealthy as I can when watching the wildlife on the upstairs deck.

3. If I had to choose a guide word for 2019, it would be cherish.

“Cherish all the two-legged and four-legged people in your life and and apurriciate them!” -Oliver

4. New beginnings can be scary but also exciting.

“Praying that all your new beginnings in 2019 are wonderful.” Oliver, The Tribe of Five & The Female Human

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 12/19

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siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello There Furiends,
It’s that time again for me to share with you the fabulous feline news on the web. I hope you enjoy this week’s entries.
Purrs & Head Bonks,

Siamese cat with blue eyes

Cats on The Page at the British Library

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again..those British humans know how to celebrate felines! We felines have been very litter-ary throughout the ages and this exhibit celebrates this. Alison Bailey, the lead curator of this exhibit says, “Cats on the Page showcases the light-hearted side of the British Library’s world-class collections through a selection of just some of the hundreds of paws prowling the pages of its books and manuscripts.’

I think our Female Human should get herself over there posthaste and bring us a first-hand report. As for me, I prefer the comfort of my house to the cramped accommodations of a cat travel carrier!


Exotic cats at Big Cat Rescue get very own Christmas trees

This one is for all the selfish humans (you know who you are) who deprive us domesticated kitties of the joy and pleasure of a Christmas tree. Just look at our big cousins and how much fun they are having. The Tribe of Five, sadly has no tree to enjoy. Why it’s Christmas kitty abuse!

Be sure and go to the link and see how much these big guys enjoy their trees.


Cats — yes cats — to perform in agility course at Deer Park show

Yes, yes, I can imagine you humans scoffing right now but the good folks at the Gulf Coast Feline Foundation will turn scoffers into believers.

The Jan. 26-27 event, “Felines, Football , & Fun’ will be the venue for agile kitties.  You humans want to lump all cats into one purrsonality category but anyone who knows us knows that we are all very different.  Just look at me and my brother Oliver…need I say more?

So take your scoffing selves off to the feline agility ring at this event and let us show you what we can do.  There will be lots of food, fun and an opportunity to give some felines furever homes.

Cat Accidentally Shipped 700 Miles from Home After Sneaking into Box

We cats love boxes. Boxes are benign. Boxes make us happy. There is no danger in boxes. At least that’s what I used to think until I heard Baloo’s story! This handsome fellow

This Halifax kitty decided to take a cat nap in a box and ended up far away from his home when his human sealed him in a box that she was sending to a friend in Alberta.

The poor human was desperate when Baloo didn’t come home the next day and she desperately searched the neighborhood for him. Imagine how happy she was when she received a call from a facility in Montreal. Baloo was well looked after by the local SPCA, who treated him like royalty, and even microchipped him for free so he can be found more easily if he takes any more impromptu vacations.

So my box loving feline furiends, let Baloo’s tale be a warning….make sure you know what box you are sleeping in!

A cat cafe has opened in Stratford-upon-Avon and it’s the first in the West Midlands

Oh my whiskers! I’ve reported about many fantastic cat cafe’s but this one may just be my favorite! The Female Human has been in Stratford- upon-Avon , the place where one of her favorite writers came from. What a clever idea and how wonderful that these cat cafes embrace the culture and history of their area. You know, I might even let The Female Human put me in a travel carrier just to visit this wonderful place.
“I am as vigilant as a cat to steal cream.” – William ShakespeareI

Oliver Opines on All Things Christmas – Friendly Fill Ins Week #135

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Hello Furiends,
We’ve missed the Friendly Fill Ins for the past few weeks. That nasty bug that our Purrsonal Assistant got hung on for quite a while and she wasn’t moving as fast as usual. She did manage to get our second book finished so I guess we can’t meow about her work purrformance too much!

This is a blog hop so you can hop on over to our furiends at 15andmeowing or 
Four-Legged Furballs who are the hosts of the hop and join in the fun. If you prefer, you can opine about your fill in answers in the comment section of this blog.

Purrs & Head Bonks,

black and white cat Oliver

Here are this week’s fill in questions:

1. I really need to ___________________.
2. My favorite Christmas ( or Hanukkah) decoration is __________________________.

3. It’s beginning to look a lot like _________.
4. This time of year, I eat my fair share of _________.

Here are my answers:

1. I really need to think about slimming down this year.

I’ll start my diet..right after the holidays. -Oliver


2. My favorite Christmas decoration is anything that is shiny, hangs down at paw length and that I can swat. Sadly, The Female Human has foiled our efforts however and doesn’t put up a tree. She decorates spaces far too high for us to reach. What a kill joy!

How’s a cat supposed to swat at those shiny things when they’re up so high?”
-Oliver

3. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, of course!

Where’s the snow? Shouldn’t there be snow by now?
-Oliver


4. This time of year, I eat my fair share of any of the delicious holiday treats I can get my paws on (ham is  my favorite and a little cream is always appreciated). Sigh, and this answer is in direct contradiction to my response to question #1.

Oh hello there, do I smell turkey in the oven?
-Oliver

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 12/12

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siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends,
I don’t know what it looks like at your house but it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here. None of The Tribe of Five want to get out on the upstairs deck when The Female Human goes out to fill the bird feeder…brrr it’s cold out there. We’re staying warm and cozy by the fireplace until it warms up.

I hope you enjoy this week’s web wanderings.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
.

Siamese cat with blue eyes

Gift Guide for Cats and Cat Lovers – Tuft + Paw (and a Giveaway!)

The Tribe of Five gets to see and often try some fabulous stuff and it takes quite a bit for us to be blown away. When we saw the great gifts from Tuft + Paw (for felines and the humans who love them) we said, “Meowza!” We think you’ll enjoy purrusing their online catalog.

And guess what? The good folks at Tuft + Paw are giving away two “fish” cat toys to some lucky winner. To enter, just send an email to FelineOpines@gmail.com and type “I want my cat toy” in the subject. Two winners will be drawn at random at the end of the month and we’ll notify the winners and get their address information. 


This Mischievous Cat Got Himself Trapped In A Car Engine But Now He’s Like Yeah, Whatever

Dominic Pimenta, a doctor who lives in London, drove his wife to her night shift — about half an hour from their home — and on his way back, he stopped in at the supermarket for milk. When he got out of the car he heard meowing. He checked around everywhere and couldn’t find the source but still he kept hearing the meowing.  Then he realized it was coming from his car. After enlisting the help of a passerby who was a nurse, they discovered Max inside the car engine.  The fire brigade was called and after a complicated extrication Max was freed. And today he’s prancing around like nothing ever happened.  Good grief my furiends, stay away from human’s cars!

It’s Not Too Late To Get Your Vote in For Coolest Cat

Head on Over to The Cool Cat Gallery   and cast your vote for the coolest cat in Livingston Parrish. I’m rather fond of Flapjack. 

Seven Ways to Tell If Your Cat is Mad at You.

First, allow me to say that some cats just look like they are angry. Take our Alpha Tucker for instance. He is a sweet guy but sometimes he does look a bit grumpy. Having said that,it does happen that we felines get miffed about things. I would suggest if you have a feline in residence that you read this article in order that you are able to take care of the expected apology post-haste. 

It’s Best To Talk To Your Cats

Might I suggest that you take a break from all the great cat photos and videos online and take some time to have a conversation with your felines? We know our names and we often respond to you when you talk to us.  Jasmine addresses this issue in our new book Felines Opine on Etiquette (What Humans Need to Know About Guests, Cat Sitters and Furniture) and says that her Siamese heritage accounts for her being a very “yakky” feline. And she also says that she appreciates it when humans engage her in conversation and she never judges any human on their cat language skills. We felines just appreciate the effort humans make when they talk to us.