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.
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.
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.
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