Happy Wednesday Furiends!
I hope you’ve had a good week. The week in our neck of the woods has been a bit dicey. Oliver took a sharp decline last Thursday night when Oliver began running back and forth to the litter box again and began bleeding profusely. The Human was scared and, as we have no emergency vet clinics in our neck of the woods, packed Oliver up and made the hour drive to the emergency clinic in a town nearby. Long story short, Oliver received excellent care there and at our regular stabby place the next day. He has been diagnosed with idiopathic cystitis. Oliver is getting better and he wants to tell you all his story in a different blog post to help your humans understand what this is and what worked (and didn’t work). But, in the meantime, he wants to say hello.

This week most of the focus was on getting Oliver healthy but, The Human did do a little experimentation with AI that was added to one of the photo editing programs she has. Let us know what you think.

This is me looking fierce. I love it but The Human thinks I look a bit scary.

The Human loves this one of Oliver. I have to admit, he looks pretty cute.

This is Lily. The Human (and the rest of us) aren’t too sure about this one. The Human said she did like the fact that the picture makes it look like we live in a castle. I’ve included the photo we used to make this AI version below. Quite a difference!

That’s it from our neck of the woods this week. I hope you enjoy our news items.

International Cat Day

Although we missed this important celebration by one day, we’re dedicating our news items this week to this important holiday.

Top Cats 2023. The 10 most popular breeds on Instagram this year

Have you wondered what the most Instagrammable cat breeds are this year? Using new research commissioned by Mr Gamble, a Kiwi online comparison site, here are the results. They analyzed different varieties of hashtags for each breed, then researchers added them all up to produce the ultimate list of the most Instagrammable cat breeds. Did any of my feline furiends make the list?

7 Fascinating Wild Felines That Just Might Make You a Cat Person

Cheetah: The Speed Demon

Holding the records for the world’s fastest cat and fastest land animal, cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) can reach speeds of over 60 miles per hour.

Every part of this fast feline is built for speed. Their non-retractable claws act like cleats, providing traction during high-speed chases. Their tails, measuring roughly 2.5 feet, serve as rudders, allowing them to turn on a dime. Even their breathing is adapted for speed; thanks to their relatively small teeth, cheetahs have room for larger nasal passages that allow for quick air intake.

Cheetahs’ endangered status has made them the focus of captive breeding programs at zoos. Occasionally, these captive cheetahs are paired with canine companions to reduce their shyness and make them more willing to mate.

Rusty Spotted Cat: the Diminutive Hunter

A master of hide-and-seek, the rusty-spotted cat is found in the forests of India, Sri Lanka and, as of its 2016 discovery, Nepal. Using their agility and tree climbing prowess, rusty-spotted cats hunt small animals including rodents, birds, lizards, frogs and insects.

Though these petite predators could potentially adapt to living alongside human populations, threats from domestic dogs and vehicles remain a constant danger to their survival.

Sand Cat: The Dexterous Desert Dweller

The sand cat (Felis margarita), native to the Sahara Desert, Arabian Peninsula and parts of central Asia, is equipped to endure extreme conditions.

These desert dwellers boast thick fur and heavily padded paws, insulating them against temperatures that can fluctuate from a scorching 120 degrees to below freezing. During the blistering daytime, these cats take refuge in burrows, only emerging to hunt under the cover of night.

Adding to their list of desert adaptations is their ability to go weeks without drinking water. Instead, sand cats get all the hydration they need from their food. These bold predators are skilled enough to hunt venomous snakes, alongside easier prey like rodents, lizards and insects.

Be sure and check out the article to learn about the rest of our amazing wild family members.

CATCON THE COMIC CON FOR CAT PEOPLE

Oh my whiskers, if I didn’t hate travel so much I’d have The Human pack us up and take us to Los Angeles. More than 10,000 cat lovers are expected to descend on Pasadena this weekend for the annual CatCon.

Founded in 2015, Cat Con is the brainchild of entertainment writer-turned-Team Cat advocate Susan Michals.

“Everybody thought that cat people were all old cat lady hoarder and spinster types,” Michals said, adding that Eleanor Abernathy from The Simpsons is a prime example. “What I found is that there was a much younger demo that was not being served.”

That ephipany came to Michals in 2014, when she curated a cat art show in L.A. More than 4,000 people showed up to see it, according to Michals.

The inaugural CatCon took place in Downtown L.A. and relocated to roomier digs at the Convention Center in Pasadena in 2017. The event has grown alongside an explosion in pet spending in the country, from $60.28 billion to $136.8 billion between 2015 and 2022, according to the trade group American Pet Products Association.

Cat ownership, according to the same group, now clocks at 46.5 million households.

Cat Con has gone from it’s initial 63 exhibitors in 2015 to 200 this year. It’s a BIG deal!

Here are some highlights from this year’s convention.

Karma Is A Cat

This is an art show, which is an homage to Taylor Swift as a cat icon and cat owner,” said Michals.

The artworks are for sale, and a portion of the proceeds will go to charities.

Internet Famous Cats

Some of the Internet’s most famous cat-fluencers are at CatCon, including Merlin The Mad Ragdoll, Sponge Cake, and Scottish Fold.

The Products

Last year, Americans spent nearly $40 billion on vet care and products. There are plenty of those at this year’s CatCon.

“We have tech companies [offering] the latest in cat tech — trackers or litter boxes that can track if your cat is sick,” Michals said.

“One of the things that’s a growing industry is cat probiotics and cat holistic products. The Two Crazy Cat Ladies are going to be talking about how you can improve your cat health. Imagine sort of Eastern medicine meets probiotics, but for the four-legged set,” Michals said.

If any of my southern California furiends go to CatCon, meow at us and let us know how you liked it.

‘Trickster’ Cat At Shelter Caught On Video Opening Door Himself And ‘Strutting His Stuff’

A cat in a Nebraska animal shelter has made headlines for his skill with a door handle, but he’s still waiting for an adopter to open their door to him.

“Staff started to go crazy knowing they shut certain doors when they left at night but those same doors would be open in the morning……then today we discovered this,” the Capital Humane Society in Lincoln wrote July 27 on Facebook.

The post included a video of a black cat named Grimsen leaping up and grabbing a door’s lever handle with his paws, managing to pull it down to let himself out.

“Grimsen is the ultimate trickster,” the shelter wrote.

The cat’s adoption listing also cites his ingenuity, calling Grimsen a “VERY smart guy” who “has managed to teach himself how to open lever style doorknobs and walk freely amongst the other shelter cats strutting his stuff.”

Early in the morning on the day of the Facebook post, the shelter staff noticed that three different doors were open and Grimsen was strolling the hallway. He was returned to the room he shares with two other cats, but around noon, “Grimsen was spotted walking down the hallway again,” veterinary and behavior assistant Hillary Brandt told HuffPost in a Facebook message.

Not long after, Grimsen was once again returned to his room. This time, he was caught red-pawed opening the door.

Unfortunately for a freedom-loving feline like Grimsen, it’s important that doors remain closed, especially after business hours.

“Doors stay closed at night so we know all cats are behaving properly and not throwing parties after hours, making messes and possibly fighting with others who don’t play well with feline friends,” said Sierra Kurth, the shelter’s fundraising and grants coordinator.

Grimsen had to spend a night in a cat condo inside a locked office before the shelter was able to add a hook apparatus to the doorknob of his regular room to prevent him from getting out ― though he still made an attempt.

The feline’s chaos-causing ways were mostly met with approval by those who commented on the shelter’s video.

“I’m Grimsen’s lawyer,” read a top comment from one justice-minded Facebook user. “My client is innocent.”

His story made multiple local news headlines, with KLKN-TV declaring him the cat who “can’t be contained.”

But despite his number of fans, Grimsen, who came to the shelter as a stray in mid-June, was still looking for someone to adopt him as of Friday. Preferably someone with a good sense of humor.

“He is a very active and comical boy,” Brandt said.

And despite his exceptional intelligence, Grimsen is no snob. His adoption listing notes that he “loves all the pets that you can give him, even when he has escaped and his presence surprises you.”

Someone PLEASE adopt Grimson!!

There Is Now a Newspaper of Record for Felines: SE Taylor Street Cat News

Anybody who says newspapers are dying hasn’t looked closely at the telephone poles in the Buckman neighborhood. That’s where devoted readers find new, laminated editions of the SE Taylor Street Cat News, the monthly newspaper of record for the feline activities from Southeast 14th Avenue to César E. Chávez Boulevard. The Cat News, one page and cartoon-illustrated, chronicles such hyperlocal issues as “Squirrels—Are They Stupid?” and the arrival of Freddy, an orange tom who is seeking summer romance.

It is on its fourth edition, edited by a neighborhood resident who goes by the nom de plume Swamp Cat.

“A lot of the stories I gather from cats throughout the neighborhood,” says Swamp Cat, who is 28 in human years. “I do all the translations myself.”

Swamp Cat lives in a three-cat household herself; her most reliable sources are Tilda, the Baboo, and Big Fat Ted. (All get bylines.) Since its April debut, the Cat News has developed a loyal readership, online and on-pole. Like all media, it has seen the most success with its coverage of violent street conditions.

“Residents on 28th have recently reported multiple incidents between the Buckman Big Boyz and the Sunnyside Skullz,” a June cover story begins. “Tensions between the two cat gangs escalate annually with the arrival of summer and the search for perfect Sit Spots.”

Two paws up for the enterprising “Swamp Cat” and we think there should be more of these local feline news publications.