Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 9/14

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends,
We had some excitement in our neck of the woods when the mail human brought a package to our house from the Tooth Fairy by way of our good furiends at 15 and Meowing. While we loved the contents of the package The Human (and myself who was thankful they remembered me) loved the note! Thanks so much for these great tooth soothing toys!

We all took off with one of the toys. Oliver is shown below enjoying the one he snagged.

The Human had to take Oliver back to the stabby place for the white coat people to check his progress after his dental surgery. Oliver (and I) purfer to ride in the passenger seat in our vests and leash than to be stuffed inside a carrier. As you can see Oliver did quite well.

All went well until The Human pulled into the parking lot of the stabby place. Oliver is no fool, he knew where he was.

How could you??!!

All went well at the check up. There are still a few stitches that need to dissolve but all in all the little guy has recovered nicely. He has returned to his snoopervisor position on the counter to oversee The Human making dinner. Also, Oliver has slimmed down to a svelte 18 1/2 pounds but he is working hard on getting those pounds back as his mouth heals.

Let me know before you start chopping the onions.

I hope things have been going well in your neck of the woods and now, this week’s feline news.

A cartoon video of the history of cats

This is a great (and fun) review of how we felines ended up all over the world and why we are so much like our ancient ancestors.

A cat who’s obsessed with potatoes – and why

In an attempt to gain some of their cat’s affection away from her husband, a woman plans  a strange tactic to gain his love back. Needless to say, this story intrigued us as we are Idaho felines (although we’re nowhere near where they grow potatoes!)

Neighborhood cats become famous video stars

Whenever Chris Watson walks his neighborhood and says, “Here, kitty-kitty,” cats come running. Chris is a cat whisperer, a Pied Piper of felines, Catluminati. Watson  has become a social media sensation, racking up millions of views of videos showing his near-daily cat walking ritual. He says,. “I just walk through Tacoma neighborhoods, and I find cats that are friendly, and then I kneel down to them to get them to come visit, and I pet them on camera”

His intentional cat petting has garnered him  1.6 million followers on TikTok and 118,000 follows on Instagram. One of his videos, of an unusually patterned cat who exchanges kisses with him, has been viewed 15.6 million times and has 21,000 comments.

Watson has been able to quit his job as an ad producer and shift to Catluminati as his full-time job. He makes his money through sponsorships. He also sells Catluminati merchandise including T-shirts and hoodies. Watson wouldn’t say how much he makes but called it a comfortable income.

“It’s more than I’ve ever made in my life,” he said. At this point, I could hear The Human mumbling about how The Tribe should be earning some money too.

Watson recently adopted a tabby named Scamper and he also does feline charity work. He’s raised funds to help sick cats, alerted the public to missing cats and promotes nonprofits that aid, foster and provide felines for adoption. He doesn’t know where Catluminati will take him next, but he vows he will never lose the spontaneity that has made him a success. “If you’re enjoying yourself while you’re doing what you’re doing, other people are going to enjoy it too,” Watson said. “That’s one thing I’m never going to leave behind — the fun.”

Getting purrlitical at No. 10

Last week I featured Larry the Cat’s campaign to be Prime Minister of England but Larry doesn’t have to be PM to reside at No. 10 Downing Street. Moments after Prime Minister Boris Johnson pulled out of Downing Street for the last time on Tuesday, a familiar brown-and-white tabby slipped out of the door of No. 10 and perched on the doorstep.

Larry the Cat was staking his claim to Downing Street, as the fourth prime minister (under Larry’s watch) prepared to move in.

Larry will greet the house’s next occupant, Liz Truss, when she arrives on Tuesday afternoon, as he did Mr. Johnson and his predecessor, Theresa May, when they took up residency. .He arrived in 2012 as a rescue stray to be a pet for the children of Prime Minister David Cameron. In subsequent years, he was given the exalted title of chief mouser to the Cabinet Office, a post he has carried out with mixed results, depending on who is passing judgment.

In his farewell remarks, Mr. Johnson gave Larry a shout out, noting that he had overcome an initially adversarial relationship with the family dog, Dilyn.

“If Dilyn and Larry can put behind them their occasional differences,” Mr. Johnson declared, “then so can the Conservative Party.”

Larry is part of a long tradition of cats in the British government. For centuries, the feline employees have tackled rodent problems in the halls of power, although it was not until the late 1920s that records of payments for their upkeep started, when the Home Office made a request for a penny a day for cat food. (I bet The Human wishes prices for cat food are would be that low today!)

As Britain awaited updates on a post-Brexit trade deal, Larry managed to get people’s minds off the deal when he found himself  embarking on an ambitious (and failed) attack on a pigeon.

Much like other occupants of No. 10, Larry has not escaped criticism of his job performance. British tabloids called him “Lazy Larry,” when Downing Street officials had to call in pest control to supplement his efforts. He also developed an antagonistic relationship with the Foreign Office’s own mouser, Palmerston, who has since retired from public duty.

For the last few years, Larry’s comings and goings have been a media staple for cameras waiting for news outside Downing Street. He has become a social media presence, with his own Twitter account that posts occasionally snarky observations about rotating cast of prime ministers who occupy the house.

Larry even figured in the Conservative Party leadership race. During a campaign event in August, Ms. Truss, Britain’s foreign secretary, noted that she had an “extremely positive” relationship with Larry, saying: “He frequently sidles up to me. I think I’m one of his preferred cabinet ministers.”

I believe Ms. Truss paid attention to Larry’s popularity and she suggested that the cat’s place in Downing Street will be secure. Clearly Ms. Truss is a wise woman, at least when it comes to cats.

Rosie Chats!

Hello There Furiends,
Oliver here. I am excited to introduce our Cat Chat guest for this week, Rosie from 15andmeowing. Rosie talks about some cool things and we wanted to share links to some of the thing she discusses. The book her mom wrote, called, “I Am Not A Skunk!” looks great (and her mom wrote another book called “Prancie’s Prayer” which our Angel Tucker reviewed.)

Rosie is also a member of The Tabby Cat Club. Rosie mentioned some of her favorite feline YouTube videos and we found links for two of them, White String Video, and The Red String video.

Okay folks, put your paws together and give our furiend Rosie a big welcome!

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 3/31

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Happy Wednesday Furiends,
I hope all is well in your neck of the woods. Things are great here and we are happy to report that Lily keeps moving out of her grief and becoming more of a member of the tribe. Here is a little sequence that shows you how well she’s doing. We had a cold snap and there’s nothing better than hanging out in front of the fire on those days.

Hey Lily, welcome to the fire. Are you going to hang around for a while?
Hey Lily, nice to see you but you still look a little uncomfortable.
The Tribe finally reaches détente (for now)

So as you can see, Oliver and I are working to be kinder, gentler brothers. After our fireside meeting, we each went back to our normal routine.

“It’s my job to guard the bed and make sure there’s a spot for The Human.” – Alberto
“Someone has to watch at the window in case any wild animals (or neighbor cats) come around.” -Lily
“If I don’t judge the goings on in the house, who will?” – Oliver

So that’s our week. I’m thrilled to tell you that after my plea to hear from more feline furiends to appear in our Cat Chat, we will be featuring Rosie from 15andmeowing in tomorrow’s Cat Chat. Who wants to chat next week? Just email us at FelineOpines@gmail.com and send a photo and we’ll take care of the rest!

The moral to this story my furiends is, always make sure you know where your cat is when your neighbors sell their home!

Michael Hubank decided he wanted to check out his neighbors home listing on Zoopla. Imagine his surprise when he spotted his cat lounging in one of the bedrooms!

The cat’s secret life attracted many comments such as, “A family member was having a reoccurring dream about a cat in her bed for months… she did not own a cat… then she woke up and her “dream cat” was snoring at the end of the bed… the “dream cat” lived a few doors down, but preferred to sleep in her bed.”

I am happy to report that Hubank’s feline is home…for now.

The purr-fect stay: Luxury hotel for cats opens in Radcliffe, England

Now I’m a cat that purrfers a good cat sitter when The Human goes away but I may change my mind if she could find me digs like this.  The Cat’s Other Mother hotel offers a spa-like experience for the pampered felines who are booked in there.

The hotel is located on a farm owned by Helen Owen and her husband Chris, who has dreamed of a fancy feline hotel for 20 years.

It took 12 months to turn old stables into the beautiful moggie suites.

Helen looks after the emotional needs of each feline guest and designed every suite to combine luxury and home comforts while also focusing on the cats’ natural behavior requirements.

Every suite is “supersized” with 60 square feet of living space and double glazed cat approved bay windows. Room packages include three meals daily from the pantry menu, lots of human interaction, cuddles and a mini pampering session of grooming, a fresh pot of cat grass and even turn down service with treats and electric flickering candles.

Upgrades are available with special menus like hand-shredded chicken or prawns on scallop shells.

For extra-special treatment, cats can even get a session with the hotel’s own ‘Purry Grandmother’ – Helen’s cat-loving mother who serves kitty’s afternoon tea and snacks (on bone china).  There’s plenty of chatter, a beautifully dressed table, handmade toy and a photo session.

The Tribe gives this fine kitty getaway a paws up award!

Michigan Man Wakes up to Intruder Holding Gun to His Head, Demanding His 2 Cats

This story gives an entirely new meaning to the phrase “cat burglar”! A man was arrested after he allegedly broke into a home, pointed a gun at the homeowner’s head and demanded that the man hand over his two felines.

The suspect crept into the home at about 4:00am. The police have since discovered there is a dispute over the ownership of the cats but it was discovered that the cats in this house are not the two in question. Still, the interloper managed to leave the house with one of the cats.

The cat burglar was apprehended and a cat was found in the area but at the time of the report it was “unclear if it was the stolen animal”. Really? How hard would it be to get the owner to identify the cat??  You humans really need to find better methods to deal with your disputes!

1 hurricane, 600 miles, 2 years: How a lost cat made it home to Panama City from Evansville, Indiana.

This story has as many twists and turns in any great mystery novel.

When 16-year old Wyatt Wetzel’s best friend, his beloved Siamese-mix Sinatra disappeared two years ago he was bereft.

Sinatra’s amazing story began in a hurricane and ended in Indiana.

Hurricane Michael totaled the Panama City rental home of Wyatt’s family. They were stuck in the home for four days until someone came and cut a tunnel through the fallen trees for them to get out. They loaded both cats and dogs and headed to Indiana to stay with family.

The family ended up staying in Madisonville, KY and the pets stayed with a daughter in Evansville. The owner of the Florida property contacted the family and insisted that they come back to Florida and get their belongings out of the house. And, as if this family didn’t have enough troubles, one of the family members had become ill and was hospitalized.

After the family member headed to Florida, Sinatra managed to get out of the house where he was staying. The family put up flyers, posted on social media, checked with the shelter but Sinatra was nowhere to be found.

They called Sinatra’s vet in Florida to get the cat’s microchip number only to be told he hadn’t been chipped because his neuter surgery was complicated and they had forgotten to do the microchipping as promised.

The family refused to give up hope and for two years chased after every lead where a Siamese cat had been found. Many folks contacted them but they could tell by the photos the cats weren’t Sinatra.

Lina Walker, a rescue volunteer for Another Chance for Animals took on Sinatra’s cause personally.  

Last November, a cat showed up at the house where Sinatra had been staying and looked exactly like a skinny version of the missing feline. Walker got the cat but was so disappointed to see that it was a female; still she sent the family, who had returned to Florida, photos and told them about the feline. She compared them with photos the family had given her and was astounded that the markings were the same as was the face.

The family was in town over Christmas and they went to meet the cat and they felt in their hearts that the cat was Sinatra but a check at the vets confirmed the cat was a female. They went home but couldn’t let the idea go that this was their cat.

They went to their vet to check out Sinatra’s records and found the key to the mystery of the missing cat in the notes the vet had made in Sinatra’s record. “Make sure anyone who checks him out knows he was cryptorchid (had undescended testicles) as he will appear to be female.

The family drove to Indianapolis in March to get Sinatra. When he got back to Florida he greeted his furry siblings with joy. He knew to expect his food on top of the washing machine and still can’t get enough cuddles from his humans. This story is a great example of the need to never give up and to the importance of folks who come along side people who have lost their fur kids and offer help.

100+ Funny Cat Names That Are Purrfect for Your New Kitty

How do you come up with creative names for your felines? I’m named after a famous Spanish cyclist. Oliver, who was the runt of the litter and a tiny guy as a baby was named for Oliver Twist because he always was meowing for more food. Lily is named after the neighbor’s little girl who fell in love with her but couldn’t have a cat of her own because of allergies,

Still, there are some times you humans are stumped when it comes to naming a new kitty so these ideas might help.

I’m only going to list a few of my favorites from each category but you can find many more in the article.

Mewsical Names

Cat Benatar
Bob Meowly
Notorious C.A.T.
Florence and the Meowchine

Movie-inspired Names

Catrick Swayze
Mr. Meowgi
Pyewacket
Brad Kitt

TV-inspired cat names

Captain Purrcard
Boo Boo Kitty
Lavar Purrton
Snagglepuss

Literary cat names

Holden Clawfield
Albert Catmouse
J.R.R. Tollkitten
William Shakesurr

Food-inspired cat names

Cheddar
Shushi
Muffin
Pickles

Cat names from the world of sports

Yogi Purra
Meowhammad Ali
Wayne Catzky
Zamboni

Cat names from history

Meowdeline Albright
Ruth Bader Ginspurr
Winston Furchill
Isaac Mewton

Cat names based on personality

Happy
Captain Snooze
Mr. Pounce
Madame Fluffypants

Cat names from the musical “Cats”

Mr. Mistoffelees
Rum Tum Tugger
Macivity
Bustopher Jones

Time to Pawty-Linky Party 4/15

Five cats in hats celebrating Linky Party

Aaaaaaaand, it’s pawty time again! Lily here hosting this party. I’m all decked out in my Easter bonnet so naturally I’m the most likely pick for hosting. First, I want to share my three faves from the last party, ‘hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
Purrs and Head Bonks,
img_2241

The Catburry Bunny Auditions – 15andmeowing.com

gray and white cat in bunny ears

My only complaint about this post is that I didn’t get to the audition. I saw so many great catidates, I wouldn’t have been able to choose just one but IMHO cats make the BEST Catburry Bunnies and there should be more next Easter! I do have to say though, this purrticular contestant looks less than enthusiastic.

Sunday Selfies – Purrseidon

black and white cat selifie

We felines are great fans of the selfie, I mean, look at that gorgeous profile! I also enjoyed the other selfies except for that one with the loooooooong nose, kinda’ freaked meowout, if truth be told but, as you can see from Purrseidon’s picture on her blog page, she is one very brave cat, definitely braver than this feline!

Sunday Selfies, Maverick & Charlie – Animal Shelter Volunteer Life

adobtable siamese cat
I know, this is another Sunday selfie post but I was taken with these handsome fellows. Maverick in purrrticular, reminds me of our very own Alberto. If the truth be known, every one of the Tribe of Five has some Siamese, even Oliver who resembles a Holstein more than a Siamese! I sure hope these handsome fellows find forever homes soon!

And Now…..Let’s Party!

BalloonBanner_1

petbloggershowcase_logoWelcome 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.)

  1. 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.
  2. 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!

Powered by Linky Tools

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

Thankful Thursday

Hello Friends Furry and Otherwise,
img_2577Oliver here. I was checking out today’s blog posts from our friends at 15andmeowing and saw there was a “Thankful Thursday” blog hop going on at Brian’s Home  I just had to hop on over there and tell you what I’m thankful for….our fireplace.  Here’s a little video to show you how much I love it.
Your Friend,
img_0982-5

Walk Through the Web Wednesday

Hello,
siamese cat in black and white with blue eyes, Alberto, Feline OpinesAlberto here. It’s my favorite day of the week (well, except maybe for Caturday). I have pawed through all the listings my minion…errr assistant presented to me and have chosen my top five blog posts. Without furrrrr-ther ado, I present them to you now. Enjoy and may all your days be purrry.
Your Friend,
img_1067-7

The first post comes from 15 and Meowing…..“Are You A Good Mouser?”

Jacke the tabby cat sitting in catnip in the gardenThe humans at our house are always grumbling about the money they spend on the Tribe of Five and often threaten to find us jobs. Well, my feline friends, here’s a chance to prove your worth to the humans in cold, hard cash! $500.00 cash for the top cat mouser! Just have the humans take a video of you mouse hunting but hurry, contest deadline is Sept. 15. We think our cousin Jake (photo at left) should enter. Our aunt calls him a “weapon of mouse destruction”. I would suggest,Cuz, that you spend a little less time in the catnip and a little more time honing  your craft.

Chirpy Cats has a great post about multiple cat dynamics….The Scent of Harmony, The Grooming Cat. 

ChirpyCatsThe Tribe of Five has some grooming rituals but we never realized there was intention in the way that happens. And, with a Tribe of Five, sometimes there’s a little issue with the harmony so this article was very helpful!  Chirpy Cats say that “In every multi-cat household there is that one cat that unwittingly performs a very important task – sharing and maintaining the communal scent of the whole group through grooming.” Now the humans are watching us like hawks trying to figure out who that designated feline is in our Tribe!

Three Chatty Cats has a wonderful story about the human-feline bond entitled, A Tale of Two Kitties by Jacques Bouchard
2016-08-31_jacquesbouchard_01

I’m a sucker for a good, heartwarming story and this one is just that. If you ever had any doubt that we felines can impact the lives of you humans in a big way, this story will convince you. I know how much our humans have learned from the felines who went before us and I like to hear them speak fondly of Miss. P and Buster. We kitties have an important part to play in the lives of our humans!

 

Momma Kat and Her Bear Cat ‘s new discussion, They’ve Landed is kinda’ scary

BearCatMomma Kat and Bear Cat are always having conversations about all kinds of stuff. This one was a little freaky as Bear is insistent that there are aliens in the house and their home base is the dishwasher. Now Oliver and I have often wondered if some of those loud machines in our house are alien habitats so as soon as the human finished reading this to me I did a complete alien sweep of the house! (Suggest you do the same.)

Traveling Cats has an amazing tale of The Cat From Gimmelwald (Switzerland)

gimmelwald_switzerland_mountainsNow, I am great with leading my humans down the stairs, up the stairs and into the bathroom but this cat gives leading a whole new meaning. She’s a local mountain guide cat and she recently made world-wide news when she guided a lost hiker down the mountain. Wow, you go little tapfere Katze. (the female human says this means brave cat in German)