Happy Wednesday Furiends,
It’s been a snowy and icy week in our neck of the woods. The Human got a call and it looks like her garage door may be fixed this afternoon. I sure hope so because she’s been cranky! Sliding into the ice berm the city city left at the end of her driveway this morning and having to get herself out in time for a speaking engagement did nothing to improve her mood!

We did have a chance to snoopervise when she received a new sofa cover. Frankly, I don’t know how she would get along without us!

Lily shirked the snoopervisor duties but immediately took the opportunity to sit on the back of the newly revitalized sofa to survey the woods from the living room window.

The Human also tends to have “guests” when she has breakfast in the morning.

Sigh, and now you all know what I have to put up with!

Puzzums, the cat who clawed his way to silver screen fame

Even feline movie stars can be discovered in strange places. This was the case with Puzzum who was found by actors Nadine and Katherine Dennis. They trained Puzzums to cross his eyes, suck from a bottle, and — no, I’m not kidding — laugh on command.

It is said that there was a comic strip in those days that featured a cat named Puzzums which would be quite a coup for a feline that started life as a little shivering kitten found in an alley.

After appearing in the 1927 Los Angeles Cat Club show, Puzzums caught the industry’s eye when the Los Angeles Times published photos of his antics. While the cat show featured many pure-breds, Puzzums stole the show with his tricks. (Take that pure bred feline snobs)

Silent-comedy producing mogul Mack Sennett made Puzzums the first — and only — feline to sign a studio contract. (Literally. He signed with his paw print dipped in ink.) The three-year contract was for $50 per week, which was more than the Dennis sisters were making as extras. MOL!

His movie rolls were quite exciting, starting a prison fire in Cecil B. DeMille’s The Godless Girl or firing a gun in Charlie Chan’s Chance. Puzzums overshadowed famous actors like Carole Lombard, Jeannette MacDonald, and Maurice Chevalier. Unlike movie dogs Lassie and Rin-Tin-Tin, Puzzums was not the focus of a franchise of any kind. Rather, he appeared as a standout moment in films, unique to each setting, and often offering comic relief.

Many movie acting felines had doubles (Bell, Book and Candle used 13 different Siamese cats to portray Kim Novak’s Pyewacket) but Puzzums handled all of his own scenes.  Sadly, much of Puzzums film work has been lost and is not available for us to enjoy today.

When he died of a tooth infection in 1934, Puzzums had a lavish funeral. The newspapers covered his death like the passing of any other great star.

Police blotter- stolen cat returned home

Sometimes it pays to purruse the police blotter like this one from Sonoma County, CA. A purloined kitty was returned to its owner after an alert veterinarian scanned the cat’s microchip. A deputy determined that a couple had rented an Airbnb in the 17900 block of Railroad Avenue and apparently took a cat belonging to one of the neighbors. The cat’s owner didn’t realize the cat had been stolen until the vet contacted them. The deputy wrote a report and sent it to the District Attorney for review. Note to my readers, if you own or are near an Air B & B, watch your felines!!

Japanese Artist creates unbelievably life like cats out of felt

Meowza, this artist’s work is amazing!

“Look at my cat”: who’s behind the cute cat posters popping up in Toronto?

I love this story and the way this “movement” is catching on-GO FELINES! Posters have been popping up all over Toronto, Canada. At first glance, people think they are lost cat posters but no, each one has a large heading that says, “LOOK AT MY CAT’ and below the heading is a cat photo and a funny caption.

One caption read,  “Cuddles would like to wish you a Meowy Catsmas!” Another said, “Just look at this little guy,”

These posters are all over the city and are also featured on an Instagram account, @lookatmycat_to

The originator of this project purrfers to remain anonymous. But someone who did comment saying,  “We really loved the ‘Look at my Cat’ memes on Instagram and TikTok, so why not take that idea and create posters of our cats to plaster around the city — who doesn’t love seeing an adorable cat?  We knew that if it made us smile, it was guaranteed to make strangers smile, and everyone needs that these days,”

While the project started with just the group of three, they say their friends quickly started requesting posters be made of their own cats. Of course, you humans love showing off your felines, so naturally, the trend quickly caught on beyond their circle. And now other Canadian cities are looking to start their own “Look at my cat” movement.

If you live in Toronto and want to get in on the fun, you’re in luck! Since their project has gained so much pawpularity, the group is planning on doing a cat scavenger hunt in the near future. People can submit photos of their feline friends to the @lookatmycat_TO Instagram account, which will then be plastered in a random neighbourhood in Toronto. Then you’ll have to go on the hunt for your cat’s poster.

Purrhaps it’s time for someone to start a “Look at My Cat” movement here in the U.S.A.. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, CATS RULE!!

Washington man creating a video game where  you get to play as a cat

Matt Wood, video game developer and founder of Double Dagger Studio, in Bellevue, WA is fascinated by cats.

“In some ways, they’re kind of mysterious,” Wood says. “They’re unpredictable, right? But at the same time, they’re always loving.”

Matt and his family reside with two felines, Mario and Roxy. His felines in residence helped him come up with Double Dagger’s first video game inspired by his cats and kids. While brainstorming ideas with his kids one of them said, “I would love to play as a cat.” Right then and there the idea of Little Kitty, Big City was born.

Little Kitty, Big City is a game where you play as a mischievous cat, who is lost and has to find their way home,” Wood says. “But on the way home, they find out there’s a lot of other really fun things to see and do in the city. (That sounds pretty cat-like to me).

When Wood put a sample of the game on the internet, the response was overwhelmingly positive. Take a look at the video and decide if this is a game you’d like to play.