Walk Through The Web Wednesday 3/11

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello There Furiends,
There’s nothing newsworthy to report from our house. We did do a review on a new cat tree and it was exciting snoopervising The Human while she put the thing together. The weather here is getting old. These felines are ready for some warm weather and sunning time on the upstairs deck. By the looks of things (a yard still full of snow) this will be a while so The Tribe decided to do some daydreaming about what we’d like to be doing today.

I love warm places. The Female Human could send me to a nice, warm, beachy area and I would be one contented kitty!
Alberto
As our readers already know, I am a quiet feline who purrfers solitude and the finer things in life. I wouldn’t mind brightening up my day with a little catnip tea party.
Jasmine
I too enjoy a sunny day, as long as it includes a well stocked picnic basket with some delicious goodies (you know, all the stuff I’m not allowed to eat!)
Oliver
It’s been a tough month so all this feline wants is a little zen and relaxation. Point me to the nearest kitty spa!
Lily

What are you dreaming about? Meow about it in the comments. And now, let’s get to this week’s noteworthy feline news.

This Museum in Poland Is Dedicated to Cats

Feline lovers in Poland now have their own museum to enjoy all things cat. The Cat Museum in Krakow, Poland was created by a cat-loving Ukrainian couple, Nataliya Koshivaya and her husband, in June 2019. The couple has an ever-growing collection of kitty-inspired knick-knacks and tchotchkes, according to First News.

At the museum you’ll find things like cat-shaped soap dispensers, sponge rests, and teapots as well as dozens of decorative items like snow globes, paintings, pillows, and figurines from around the world, 

At last count the museum had about 1,000 items crammed into its 15 square meter (161 square feet) space.

This cat collection started 15 years ago a tiny cat figurine and the rest, as they say, is history. I have a feeling this is the story with many of you humans. I’m thinking The Female Human could open her own cat museum!

While there are plenty of kitty-inspired items to peruse, unfortunately, the museum is not a place to see, play with, or adopt live cats. Koshivaya told CBS Miami that perhaps someday the museum will be able to house cats as well.

The museum currently has a 4.5-star rating on Trip Advisor and is becoming one of the “must-see” places to visit while in Krakow. You can virtually visit the  Cat Museum  by checking out their Facebook page.

 Bookstore Cats Inducted into Feline Historical Society

My Shelf Books and Gifts in Wellsboro, PA has two bookstore cats, Huck and Finn. The human bookstore owner refers to Huck and Finn as “the hardest working cats in the book business” and they have recently been named as honorary members of the Feline Historical Society (who knew there was a Feline Historical Society?).

These feline brothers, with 14 other cats from 12 bookstores across the U.S. were invited to join the society by Thunderstone books as a celebration of the book, “The Only True Biography of Benjamin Franklin, Told by His Cat, Missy Hooper (with Hardly Any Help from Dan Greenburg).” The book is written by Dan Greenburg and is a novel for eight to twelve-year old readers.

The email announcing the news was sent to Huck via email from the publisher. Huck was a bit offended as there was no mention of his brother but that situation was quickly rectified.

Huck and Finn have been featured in the book “Huck & Finn, Bookstore Cats” and he also made an appearance in The Totally Ninja Raccoon series and Brandon Schultz’s “Bookstore Cats.”

Feng shui for felines: Create positive energy for your cat — and yourself

I don’t know anything about this Feng shui business but I do know that it’s easy to relax in our house.
Oliver

I know nothing about this feng shui stuff but the human who wrote this article sure does. Cynthia Chomos is a feng shui consultant and founder-designer at Seattle’s Catio Spaces, and  a member of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties.

She says that cats prefer outdoor experiences inside and like fresh air, the sights, the sounds and the stimulation of the natural world and says feng shui practices provide a balanced, stimulationg environment.

How do you offer feng shui to your feline? She suggests first finding a welcoming “power spot” . Power spots, whether for humans or cats are located outside the direct path entering a room.  She says find a wall and place the feline furniture (cat trees, low shelters, boxes, etc.) along the wall.

She also suggests catios (cat patios) for the outside.  Our feeding areas need to be serene, we need a zen place to relax and she says it’s good to stimulate yang energy. You can do this by playing with us daily and provide a high spot or shelf for bird watching.

There are many more tips in the article and Cynthia Chomos reminds you humans that your energy affects us felines so if you keep your lives in balance, it helps us keep our lives in balance too.

Tentative and Musically Gifted Cat Playing a Theremin Has Given Us the Song of the Season

Be sure and watch the video!

Meowza, this news item is fascinating. You have to watch the video of this feline waving his paws while some strange noises come out of a box.  When the cat changes position, the sound changes too.  The cat looks a little confused and so was I when I watched the video. This kitty doesn’t understand that he’s playing a theremin.

And what is a theremin? It’s an invisible instrument invented by Lev Termen, a Russian physicist in 1919. He created it by accident when he was working on a machine that measured the density of gasses. He found out that when he moved his hands over it the sounds changed and voila –the theremin was born.

It works with two antennas, one controls pitch and the other controls volume.  I’ve reported on feline mewsic but never reported on a feline MAKING mewsic! Make sure you watch the video of this little guy composing a “song”.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 9/26

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends,
It’s that time again. I hope you like this Wednesday’s web wanderings, there is some good stuff there and some humans who are doing an amazing job for felines.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

 

 

Cat Owners Spend A Lot Of Time Talking to Their Felines – NY Post

enlight2

My human and I having a serious conversation about her mocking me. Alberto FelineOpines.net

Now why in the world this idea of humans talking to cats is newsworthy is beyond this feline’s comprehension. Duh, of course humans talk to their cats! The photo above is The Female Human explaining to me that she wasn’t mocking me, just doing a little something for the human kids who come to our door in funny outfits and expect candy. This article provides some interesting tidbits but again, some of “findings” are no-brainers for anyone who shares their life with felines, like the fact that 93% of humans with cats in their homes say they have a strong connection with their felines. Of course they do!!

The Best Mewsic Ever! Bongo Cat – Kotaku
bongo cat

Felines and humans alike enjoy mewsic and what better way to enjoy your favorite tunes that with Bongo Cat? He started out as a humble bongo playing feline and then many more animators jumped in and Bong Cat now plays a plethora of mewsical instruments.  If you want to hear the full scope of this tuneful cat, go to Twitter and enter #BongoCat. There are quite a few tuneful entries in this article.
https://youtu.be/dMA8PswEosY

Pet Shelter Where 75-Year-Old Naps With Cats Raised Enough Funds To Cover The Year – HuffPost

man naps with cats at shelter

This story is for all you humans who don’t think you can do anything to help the lives of shelter cats and it’s also a tale of how one good deed can take over the internet and provide for a shelter.  The photos above were taken by the founder of Safe Haven, Elizabeth Feldhausen and, as the article says, “they hit the internet like catnip”.

The cat-napper, Terry Lauerman, has one desire, for people to donate to the cage free sanctuary that rescues disabled cats who would otherwise be in danger of euthanasia. And meowza did the humans respond! The shelter director said, ““We did make more than our operating costs for last year.” Depending on the condition of the cats we take in, it could cover our costs for a year, or it could cover about 50 cats’ surgeries.”

Paws Up award by FelineOpines.net for humans who do amazing things for cats
The Tribe of Five gives Mr. Lauerman and all the humans who donated our “Paws Up” Award!

 

 

Blind Kitty Helps Get His Grandma Cancer Free With Hospital Visits & Cuddles – People
Donny the blind therapy cat

This is a story that shows you should never underestimate the power of purrs, love and adoption. Susan Smith and her husband saw Donny, a  2-year-old rescue cat  born without eyes and with the neurological condition Cerebellar Hyperplasia, which causes him to wobble and fall over when he walks.  Donny was adopted and added to the Smith’s furry family of 3 blind cats and a blind dog.

Donny’s amazing purrsonality made itself known quickly and his humans had him joined  NSALA’s Outreach Program as a therapy cat. Through this program, Donny makes regular visits to hospitals, nursing homes and Alzheimer’s facilities where he contentedly sits in the laps of residents and patients and receives countless pats.

When Smith’s 88-year-old mother was diagnosed with lung cancer and moved into a hospital for a more than a month to receive radiation treatments, Donny already had all the credentials and skills he needed to soothe her and after 17 radiation treatments and visits from Donny, grandma was pronounced cancer free! Follow Donny and the rest of his furry siblings on Instagram.

Never, ever underestimate the power of the purr! You go Donny!

What can cats eat? Papa’s Cat Café teaches local kids how to care for their felines – Missourian
KidsCatCafe

If you follow my Wednesday web wanderings you know I am a HUGE fan of cat cafes. As a matter of fact, we have a cat cafe section on our website (it’s found under “The Felines Opine About”, you’ll see “Cat Cafes). This cat cafe (Poppa’s Cat Cafe in Missouri)  has a twist that we really like, it teaches mini humans how to take care of the felines in their lives during their Saturday morning Cat Academy. The mini humans get a lesson about cats, story time, a cat-themed craft and an extra 30 minutes of kitty cuddle time.

I think this would be a great idea for all cat cafes and some shelters too!