The Litter-Ary Cat introducing Mollie Hunt

Posted on July 25, 2017 by Feline Opines

photos of Mollie Hunt crazy cat mystery books When we sent the feline human to #BlogPaws in May she had a mission, to obtain signed copies of books from her fellow members of the Cat Writer Association to decorate her table and donate to the auction for our local shelter, The Panhandle Animal Shelter’s annual fund raiser, Hodge Podge at The Lodge. Well those cat writers are generous people and we felt it important to highlight each author who generously donated to our cause.

A note of explanation about the event. Humans sponsor and decorate a table at the event and then invite their human friends to come and bid on auction items and even the tables. Our human is doing a “Litter-Ary Cat table, complete with signed copies of cat books (thanks to the generosity of the human’s fellow Cat Writer’s Association members, cat wines, catnip cigars, cat bookends and other cat-themed library stuff. The human will post pictures after the August 29th event.

I was purrrrticularily excited to learn about Mollie Hunt’s books as she writes a series of cat mysteries and we love mysteries, especially when cats are involved! Mollie generously donated a copy of each of her books in the Crazy Cat Lady series , Cat’s Eyes, Copy Cats and Cat Paw. Mollie’s books feature a heroine, Lynley Cannon who is a cat shelter volunteer and a woman who manages to get tangled in dicey situations. And, the thread that runs through this book series is, of course cats!

Mollie has written other wonderful cat-related books and pieces and she received the prestigious Muse Award in the Health and General Care Blog Category for her blog post, “Life Stages” at this year’s Cat Writer’s Association conference. You can wander on over to her blog and see what Mollie is up to.

The female human enjoyed meeting Mollie and she and The Tribe of Five are very grateful for her contribution to our fund raiser so that we can help shelter kitties in our community find furever homes.

Until my next Litter-Ary feline book review from the other generous authors, grab your copy of Mollie’s books and enjoy.

Until next time, your friend,

Alberto

Walk Through The Web Wednesday, 7/12

Posted on July 12, 2017 by Feline Opines

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Friends, Furry and Otherwise,
Alberto here with my weekly purrrusal of all things feline on the web. I hope you enjoy this week’s finds.
Your Friend,

12 Cats in Hong Kong You Need to Know – Postsize

striped cat in a box in a Hong Kong store A Dutch photographer moved to Hong Kong and noticed something right away, seems everywhere he went there were cats. I say two paws up to these feline loving folks in Hong Kong and I might suggest that the folks in my own beloved U. S. of A get on this bandwagon!

Friendship Between Cat and Dog in Tokyo – Lonely Planet

This is a delightful story from another Far East neighbor, Japan. All that “fighting like cats and dogs” rhetoric is blown with this story. These two are fast friends and close furry family members. Do you live with a canine you love? Post some photos on our Feline Opines Facebook page and share the love with everyone!

Firehouse Kitty Brings Love to Fire House – Monsters and Critics

My humans love to watch the show, “My Cat From Hell” (not that any of the Tribe of Five would EVER need the advice of Jackson Galaxy for any bad behavior). They watch it for educational purposes only. Well this kitty was featured on the show not because he has issues but because he brings so much love and healing to the firefighters . Host Jackson Galaxy says: “You know, one of the things that makes Flame, for me, a cat from Heaven, is to see a bunch of guys gathered around a cat and just having them melt — and a bunch of tough-guys at that.” We don’t have enough cat guys out there flying that flag and saying ‘come on, man, cat’s are for men too.” This feline couldn’t agree more!

Library Cat Loses His Job…and Then…- Cuteness

I have featured many felines with jobs in my Wednesday wanderings. Browser, the library cat had been working in a library in a small Texas town for quite a while but then, on June 14th, some human named Elzie Clements proposed a motion to the city council that Browser should be evicted. He was given 30 days notice. Well, after local folks decried this motion in person at the council meeting, a petition was created and they received 700 signatures. But wait, there’s more…more than 12,000 Browser supporters signed the petition and then a pro-Browser Facebook page was launched and the rest, as the humans say, is history. People from all over the world sent their support for Browser to keep his job. After all this and the thousands of messages the mayor received, a special meeting was called on July 30th (which was broadcast) and the council voted unanimously to reinstate Browser. My human is always saying that people should be engaged in their local politics, now I’m beginning to understand what she means, sometimes you just have to get purrrrlitical!

9 Cats With Cushy Jobs – Mental Floss

Browser isn’t the only feline with a good job. I enjoyed reading about all these “purrrfressonal felines” but I think my favorite is Mr. Wu. Mr. Wu works at Molly’s Market in New Orleans. He arrived during hurricane Katrina looking for shelter and never left. When Mr. Wu chooses to take a break from his work at the bar, he is served fresh cream in a go cup.

National Kitten Day, July 10, 2017

Posted on July 10, 2017 by Feline Opines

siamese kitten and black and white kitten celebrate national kitten day

It’s time to celebrate National Kitten Day! We came from our local shelter, Panhandle Animal Shelter as did our sister Lily. Tucker and Jasmine were rescue kittens from a private rescue in California. Get out and celebrate National Kitten Day and see if your shelter is running a special this month on cat adoptions…ours is!

Oh, and here’s a shot of us today.

Purrs & Head Bonks,
Alberto & Oliver

A Feline’s Guide to Treadmill Snoopervising Your Human

Posted on July 7, 2017 by Feline Opines

Hello All,

Alberto here. The female human ordered a huge heavy walking machine (she calls it a treadmill) recently and The Tribe of Five watched with interest as she and the male human put this monstrosity together. Our snoopervising duties did not end when the thing was assembled, nope, that’s when our work really began. Having done these duties for a month now, Oliver and I thought we’d share this manual with our other feline friends who have humans who use these machines.

Step 1 – Clear the Way

The human must move the rug in order to place a thing she calls a mat on the floor. Lacking opposable thumbs, I am limited in what I can help with but I do make sure she has moved the rug over correctly. To indicate my approval, I will sit on the folded carpet.

Step 2 – Placing The Mat

The human then takes a long rubber thing she calls a “mat” out of the closet and sets it down on the bare floor. Oliver’s job is to make sure the mat thingy is placed correctly and that it hasn’t lost any of its softness. Once Oliver stops rolling on the mat, the human may then remove him for the next step.

Step 3 -Placing the Machine on the Mat

Once Oliver is removed from the mat, the human rolls the big walking machine over and prepares to lower the bottom half. Once the machine is placed purrfectly, Oliver does a quick walk-around and indicates when he is satisfied that the placement is correct.

Step 4-Assess if the Walking Machine is ready for use

After Oliver has given a “paws up” to placement, the human lowers the moving part of the machine. It is then my job to carefully observe all areas of said machine before we allow the human to get on it.

Step 5 -Turn the Human Loose

After all feline inspection is completed indicate to your human that the machine may now be used. This indication may take many forms; we prefer stretching out across the length of the machine as our signal. you may find something more suitable for your household. The human (once she removes us) may then begin the walking procedure.

Step 6 -Safety First

Even though the human is now using the machine, there is still an obligation on behalf of the household felines to stay and make sure the human doesn’t do anything stupid (I Siamese under green chair mean dangerous). You must remain until the walking is finished. We prefer two observation options, one is under the green chair and the other is as far away from the thing as we can get. cats on furniture watching

Step 7 – Cool Down Time

When the human finishes she observes something she refers to as “cool down time”. This is when she sits on a chair and breathes heavily. In order to ensure that she does not overdo, you must station yourself on the moving machine until proper cool down time has been observed.

Step 8 -It Isn’t Just About The Human

Snoopervising is hard work! When all equipment is put away and the rug and the furniture are returned to the proper places. You should then head upstairs and take a 4 or 5 hour snooze to recover.

Oliver and I hope these instructions will prove helpful to all our feline friends and their humans with moving machines. If you have any feline snoopervising tips you’d like to add, please give us a meow.

Purrs & Head Bonks,

close up of Siamese cat and black and white cat faces

Alberto Reports on BlogPaws 2017

Posted on July 6, 2017 by Feline Opines

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Hello Friends,

I finally filed my BlogPaws report, enjoy!

Walk Through The Web, July 5, 2017

Posted on July 5, 2017 by Feline Opines

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Friends, Furry or Otherwise,
I told my purrrsonal assistant that there would be no slacking and just because she had what the humans refer to as a “holiday” day off yesterday, I still expected her to ensure my blog post was taken care of. I mean, how can you have a “walk through the web Wednesday” on a Thursday? I am happy to say that she managed to get my notes translated so here’s my weekly view of my favorite things feline on the web.
Your Friend,

Kittydelphia Pop Up Feline Event in Philadelphia – PhillyMag.com

I am always pleased to see humans coming up with new and innovative feline-related events. This one in Philly is something I hope will sweep the nation. It’s a 3-day feline festival that will feature cats looking for a furever home, vendors selling all sorts of kitty stuff and stuff for those who love kitties and they’ll even have some feline celebrities.

Felines and Humans Now Can Have Matching Manicures – Bustle

Since I’m a manly cat, I wasn’t too sure what to think about this. I polled the two felines in The Tribe of Five, Jasmine and Lily. Lily is so adverse to having her nails touched she freaks out so the humans have to have the vet do it. Needless to say, Lily had nothing nice to say about this idea. Jasmine is much more mellow and she’s a bit of a fashionista so she was okay with the idea as long as the procedure didn’t require her to be shoved in a kennel and taken in the metal machine with wheels. Maybe city kitties will like this better than rural kitties.

Cats With Jobs – We’re More Than Pretty Faces

Those of you who follow my Wednesday wanderings know I love to feature working felines, so here are my two faves for this week.

Meet Four Professional Library Cats – Care2

Three of these litter-ary felines are in the United States and one works at a library in Russia. All of their job descriptions are similar, with each bringing their own unique purrrsonality to their workplace. I’m featuring a photo of the feline with the best library name, meet Stacks.

Henry the Search and Rescue Professional Pet Detective – Cattime.com

While all working cats have important jobs, I must say, Henry has a SUPER important one. The article talks about one of Henry’s many successes, where he sniffed a parking lot and around a deck to find a frightened kitten. He picked up the kitten’s scent and waved his tail, his signal to the humans that means “I found him!”. The kitten was hiding in a pile of trash, Henry’s human had the kitten’s human call the frightened little guy over a speaker, when the kitten came out, Henry’s human grabbed him and returned him to his humans. Way to go Henry!

My final section for this week is entitled, “we don’t need opposable thumbs”. You will marvel at what these two felines accomplished.

Cat Learns to Knead Dough With YouTube Video – Food and Wine

black and white cat learns how to knead dough on youtube My humans watch food programs on the big black screen. They also like to watch this thing called YouTube when they need to learn something (they recently used the YouTube to put together a treadmill for the female human). It stands to reason that felines can learn knew tricks with the YouTube thing as well. Case in point, watch this kitty master the art of dough kneading via video.

Kitty With Mad Bathroom Skills – UPI

So this clever cat figured out how to help around the house, namely he knows how to flush the toilet. Now one would thing his humans would be thankful and acknowledge this feline for his helpful ways but nooooo-the humans complain about the costly water bill! Sometimes I wonder what it takes to make our humans happy!

Linky Party – July 1, 2017

Posted on July 1, 2017 by Feline Opines

Five cats in hats celebrating Linky Party

Hello Friends, Furry and Otherwise,
Oliver here. I’m hosting the linky party this time so I got to choose my 3 faves from the last Linky Party posts. So here goes….enjoy and don’t forget to join the party! (Oh, and what do you of the fancy collar I scored from Teri’s Stylish Cats (Coco Couture Cat) at the BlogPaws conference?

Bad News Day – Erin The Cat Princess

Black and white tuxedo cat Erin What I love about Erin, the Cat Princess, is that she will say things that many felines are just too scared to say. In this post she decries the idea that humans make plans and announcements without ever thinking through how these pronouncements will affect the felines in residence. I mean really, how rude! Thanks Erin, for being the voice of felines around the world!

Sunday Selfies, Father’s Day and Crotchety Cougars Club – 15 and Meowing

orange and white cat wearing a red hat Where do I begin with this post, it’s jam packed with good stuff. First, I love the Father’s Day tribute to the 15 and Meowing’s cat daddy. The Tribe of Five has a great cat daddy too and we showed ours special love on Father’s day and sat in his lap and loved on him, dropping quite an assortment of feline fur on his black t-shirt. I also love the Crotchety Cougars club for felines 15 and over. And those fantastic hats, don’t get me started! I w as going to tell Jasmine to enroll but she won’t be 15 until next year. She’s gonna’ look fancy in that hat and she’s already got the “crotchety” thing nailed!

Caturday and the Hole – DogDaz Zoo

white cat peering through a circle in the curtains This one is for the humans. Here at Feline Opines we talk about the world from a feline point of view and in this post the good folks at Dog Daz Zoo present the world from a feline’s visual point of view. Verrrrry interesting and you humans may learn a few things about how and why we respond to the stuff we see.

Now it’s your turn to join the pawty, maybe you’ll see your post featured next time!\

Oliver the black and white cat holding sign

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Welcome to the Pet Blogger Showcase!

This is the place for you to show off your favorite family friendly pet related posts, find other great posts to read, show some love to other bloggers and maybe be featured on one of the host blogs!

Meet the Hosts Behind the Showcase

Pet Faves– Living the pet lover lifestyle

Heart Like A Dog– The good, the bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs

Felines Opines– The world from a feline point of view

Momma Kat and Her Bear Cat– The humorous and touching tales of a formerly homeless, yet always extraordinary, feline and his Momma, who’s just along for the ride.

About the Pet Blogger Showcase

Twice a month, On the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month, you have the chance to link up one of your blog posts to the linky party link-up. Then visit 3 other blogs that joined the party and leave a meaningful comment. Feel free to share with your followers on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, etc. Then each week the hosts will feature their favorite 3 posts from the previous Linky Party on the new party post.

Pet Blogger Showcase Rules

Share a pet specific post, past or present, from your blog in the linky below (be sure to link to your post page and not your home page). Family friendly posts only. (We love reading about other topics and niches, but posts that are not pet related will be deleted this includes any posts that don’t mention pets even if they are on a pet blog or if the post could pertain to pets.)
Spread the Love! Leave a quality comment(more than just a few words) on at least 3 other posts from the linky party. Tell them why you love their post, encourage them, share on social media.
Check back for the next linky party to see if you are featured on one of the hosts’ blogs.

*Note: By adding your post to the linky party you are giving the hosts permission to use an image from your post if your post will be a featured post on their blog to help encourage people to click through to your post. The image may be used individually or as a collage.

That’s it! No need to RSVP. No need to bring a covered dish. No need to add the linky to your post. No need to include a button. Just come join the party and PAWTY ON!

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Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

Alberto Reports From BlogPaws -The Litter-Ary Cat, Part 1-Deborah Barnes

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Feline Opines

Al_PressBoxWithRetroMike Hello Folks,
Alberto here, your intrepid (albeit tardy) on the scene BlogPaws reporter. So the female human attended a conference for professional pet bloggers and writers and not only did she have a great time, she managed to connect with some of the best cat writers there. And these wonderful humans graciously donated signed books for her to use at her table at our local Panhandle Animal Shelter fundraiser in August.

I’m going to feature each one of these talented (and generous authors) and their books. Today’s featured author is Deborah Barnes.

Deborah Barnes is an award winning author and all around great cat lady. Her book Devborah Barnes book Makin Buscuits “Makin ‘ Biscuits” was a multi award winner this year, receiving a Muse Award, The Good News for Pets Human Animal Bond Award and the CWA (Cat Writer’s President’s Award. This book is a delightful look at “Weird Cat Habits and Even Weirder Habits of The Humans Who Love Them”. It’s a compilation that personal anecdotes from Deborah and cat lovers around the world. If you want a “me too” moment or want to know a little more about felines and the crazy people who love them, you will love this book.

As if this award-winning signed book wasn’t enough of a generous donation, Deborah donated two other signed copies of her books, , Purr Prints of the Heart and The Chronicles of Zee and Zoey.

PurrPrintsOfTheHeart Purr Prints of the Heart is a memoir written from the viewpoint of a feline named Mr. Jazz. Mr. Jazz reflects on his life from kitten to old age and offers comfort to all who have dealt with the loss of a beloved pet.

The third generous donation from Deborah Barnes is her book, The Chronicles of Zee & Zoey, A Journey of the Extraordinarily Ordinary. This book tells a beautiful tale of the chronicles of Zee and Zoey book by Deborah Barnes how two cats bond together and how they fulfill and enrich the life of their human. Through her willingness to be transparent and to share how some of her biggest hurdles in life were made easier through the love and relationship she enjoyed with these two marvelous felines.

Not only is Deborah Barnes an excellent author, she’s a very nice human and the female human enjoyed getting to know her at BlogPaws.

I urge you to hightail it to your favorite book seller and buy these books and, if you are lucky enough to live in Sandpoint, Idaho, you can attend the Hodgepodge at the Lodge fund raiser for the Panhandle Animal Shelter and bid on the table the female human is putting together which will not only have amazing books (I’ll be highlighting all the authors who graciously donated signed books in the next few blog posts) but will feature many other fun things for the feline library theme.

Your BlogPaws on the scene reporter Alberto, signing off for now.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 6/27

Posted on June 28, 2017 by Feline Opines

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Hello All,
Alberto here bringing you my favorite feline finds on the web this week.

Feline Legal Purrdiciment – The Best Cat Page

black and white cat in Italian legal battle If you are a less than faithful feline, you may find that you land your humans in a bit of a legal pickle. This cat in Italy had just such an experience and now the humans are prepared to duke it out in court. So you fickle felines, decide who your humans are and stay there!

Quantify Your Cat’s Coming’s and Goings – Techcrunch

orange tabby cat coming in a cat door If you are a feline that is a bit of a wanderer, this might just be the product your humans are looking for It’s a pet door that will report on feline comings and goings. The app sends the humans push notifications whenever their furry feline friend enters and leaves the house.

There are other features as well but you may not want the humans to know about all of them. There is the ability to remotely lock or unlock the pet door, set curfews and track our habits and nocturnal routines (I mean a cat’s gotta’ have a little privacy). I’ll let you decide how much you want to tell your humans.

Stray Kitten Wanders Onto TV Set and Introduces Herself – Little Things

gray and white kitten walks onto TV set I am an admirer of felines who seize an opportunity when it presents itself. Now if the humans are not so fast on the draw as far as finding furrever homes for homeless felines, I think this kitten has a brilliant idea. Just march your cute self into the studio in the middle of the broadcast. I hope the newscaster gave the kitten a furever home!

Special Pouches Help Feral Kittens Get Used To Humans – The Dodo

tiny kittens carried around in a kitten bjorn Being a rescue cat myself (as are all the Tribe of Five), I’m all for anything that helps cats become socialized in shelters because that helps them find furever homes. This pouch is a pretty nifty idea. I know my brother Oliver and I who had to be bottle-fed when our mom was killed right after we were born, would have loved to snuggle in this pouch against a human. The humans have something for their little humans called a Babybjorn. Well this is the kitten version and it works the same way. Some humans are pretty smart!

Soggy Moggy Tests New Hydrotherapy Treatments – Barcroft Media

orange tabby in pet life jacket swimming in pool I must explain for my feline friends that “moggy” is a term for cats that they use across the pond. Hydrotherapy has, until now, only been available for dogs and what it does is help muscles to exercise while nerve regeneration is taking place from injuries. It’s also a great fitness routine. And I say, why should the dogs have all the good stuff and evidently so does this human who is looking to help cats have hydrotherapy as well. It’s not true that all cats hate water. There are lots of cats who like to be in water or around water. just sashay on over to Adventure Cats and see the cats there that like to swim or boat.

And, while we’re on the subject of cats and water, I must tell you about my summer project. The female human is working with me so that I can be her kayaking buddy. It’s going slowly but well. I’ll keep you posted.

That’s it for this Wednesday, your pal Al,

Linky Party June 17

Posted on June 16, 2017 by Feline Opines

Five cats in hats celebrating Linky Party

Hi All,
Oliver here. Since I’m the first member of #TheTribeOfFive to opine out loud, I”m hosting the Linky Party. I hope you enjoy my picks from the last party.

Oliver the kitten's siganture

Basil the Bionic Cats Summer Pawty

I must say, those British moggies know how to pawty! Cat shaped treats, steak on the grlll ,kung fu kitties, birds and more. Basil, you`re the man!

All Things Collie – They bring Me Joy

I loved the way the collies human shares her heart about her love for her fur kids. Our humans always tell us how much The Tribe Five means to them. I wish every animal had humans that loved them that much!

Tales of Asthma and Allergies With Gracie – Brian’s Home

There are lots of kitties with allergies and asthma. Our very own Miss P. (who crossed the Rainbow Bridge four years ago after living a rich and happy 18 years) had asthma all her life.

: Miss P.

The humans knew how to keep her healthy and her asthma attacks to a minmum so if you’re an asmathic kitty, dont worry, you can live a long, healthy, happy life.

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