Happy Wednesday Furiends!
The heat is back in our neck of the woods but The Human has set us up quite well while she is away at that place she calls “work”. I hope you all are staying cool and comfortable. We are carrying on as usual on the upstairs deck because it is always shady there. You can see how “active” we are.

When the Human received the beautiful Muse medallion, we felt it was only fitting that we wear it for a while, after all, any product of this blog is thanks to the felines! The problem is that thing is HEAVY!

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And now, on with the best about felines from the World Wide Web!

Cargo the stowaway cat finds a home

Meowza am I excited! It’s rare that I get to do a follow up on a previous feature. In my July 8^th Walk Through The Wednesday feature I reported on a kitty that stowed away on a military cargo plane and landed in Bangor Maine.

Well, the cat has a home and a name! Cargo the cat was first fostered and then adopted by Nanci Hamlin and her boyfriend who both work at the Bangor airport and had been following the cat’s story ever since he was discovered hiding under a cargo pallet in the belly of the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III cargo plane.

Looking for Cargo’s family was difficult as the plane originated in California and made a stop in Colorado before landing in Bangor. Fortunately, the pilot of the Europe bound plane found the cat before they left for their next destination.

Finding a stow away cat was a first for the pilot and the staff at the airport. As I reported, Cargo was taken to the local Humane Society and they contacted shelters in California and officials at Air Force Bases as well as social media. No one came forward to claim Cargo.

When this kitty’s family could not be located the shelter put him up for adoption and that’s when he found his furever home.

Cargo now lives with four other cats and an Alaskan husky and fits in purrfectly. His humans say he took over the house right away and Cargo’s best buddy is the dog, Akiko.

Now, Cargo is allowed outside only with human supervision. His humans say that it seems he wants to know what is outside but she says,” He’s an indoor cat now.”

We are thrilled that Cargo has a home and Cargo my furiend, this feline advises you to stick to the inside and stay away from cargo planes!

Most Americans with cats say they couldn’t have survived lockdown without their feline furiends

I often get my whiskers in a twist when I search the web for my feline features. There are too many people who have too much negative to say about us felines! This article made me very happy though. Evidently three-quarters of Americans say they couldn’t have lasted through lockdown without their cats.

A new poll questioned 2,000 people (57% of whom also have dogs – we won’t hold that against them) listed the benefits their feline furiends provided them during their isolation.

Fifty-seven percent said that their feelings of anxiety were eased and they felt less alone. Forty nine percent said they felt less anxious with their in-house purr therapist by their side.

In addition 41% said their felines gave them someone to talk to and 35% said their kitties brought a feeling of positivity to their days.

The poll was conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Royal Canin following International Cat Day Aug. 8.  

While spending more time together two-thirds (66%) of cat owners surveyed learned or noticed something new about their pet, and three out of four respondents became closer to their kitty as a result of the quarantine.

Being cooped-up indoors gave respondents time to uncover a new spot their cat enjoys hiding in (64%), notice a new behavior (57%) and discover a new food their pet likes (55%).

Despite all the good things humans found that their cats brought to them in the lockdown, 73% of those surveyed said their cat seems to be ready for some space. (Well DUH, who wants their human hogging their favorite spot on the sofa all day or constantly interrupting nap time??)

Felines with disabilities to take spotlight at Alternative Cat Awards

This makes my kitty heart melt. Imperfect felines will be in the spotlight at Cats Protection’s #AlternativeCatAwards, a virtual celebration of cats with impurrfections.

This event was created after siblings Kathe and Keller came to the Cats Protection’s Forth Valley Adoption Centre, in Ochilvale Terrace, Fishcross,. These kitties needed someone to see past their disabilities and fall in love with them..

Both kitties have mild cerebellar hypoplasia, a condition in which the brain does not develop properly, affecting balance and co-ordination and making them wobble when they walk. Keller is also deaf, but this does not hold him back, and he loves to play with his sister.

Thankfully, these challenges didn’t stop Elaine Baxter from adopting them. Elaine was looking to fill the gap left by the death of her beloved 16-year-old cat Vinnie. Elaine was already used to dealing with cats with special needs, as Vinnie had diabetes for eight years.

Roslyn McKay, the shelter director said “We are delighted Kathe and Keller have settled in so well to their new home. They are real characters and firm favorites with the staff. “Disabled cats really shouldn’t put off experienced owners. They may require a little extra care or consideration but they have plenty of love to give.’

And now, disabled cats have their own category for this year’s virtual Alternative Cat Awards. All humans of disabled cats are invited to share videos of their #PurrfectlyImperfect cats, enjoying happy, healthy lives with a disability, health issue or superficial aesthetic deformity. Videos need to be shared on Twitter and Instagram using #AlternativeCatAwards before August 21.

Bravo to all you humans who give love and homes to these special cats!

‘He’s an artist’: Philly cat captivates social media with piano prowess

Okay, this story and the next one are targeted toward our very own Oliver. I’m not saying he’s fat but the Tribe has wellness exams next week and Oliver has “blossomed” quite a bit since his last visit!

This story is about a Philadelphia kitty who plays the piano for his food.  Why is this  you may ask?

Well it seems that Winslow, a former stray, needed to shed a few pounds but the famished feline would scream between his morning and evening feedings. And then one day, one of Winslow’s humans decided to use his fascination with a toy piano they had to attempt to help Winslow deal with his diet (and help the humans with his screaming)..

The human started splitting his snacks into smaller portions and began to teach him how to play  for his snacks.  Once she decided to video one of Winslows “concerts” he became a sensation. Now Winslow has been on the radio and even has a single on Spotify.

Winslow also has his own music video and song called “Bean Gotta Scream”.

And the best news is that Winslow has lost weight too! Oliver, I think you need to get a piano!

Automatic cat weighing machine knows which cat it is feeding

The Human is always meowing about the difficulties of a multi-cat household when it comes to putting cats on special diets. Neither Lily nor I have an eating problem but there is another feline (who shall remain nameless) who never met a food he didn’t like.

Well this new gadget in the making just might solve these problems. Psy0rz has joined with Meowton to create a weighing machine/feeder combo designed to regulate feline diets.

The system has a scale to weight the cat, a food area with dispenser and a scale for the food bowl. The cat has to stand on the scale to have the food dispensed. The feeder identifies each cat by weight and controls the quantity of food dispensed.

There is a live stream where you can see the device in action.

Oliver, your free feeding days may be coming to an end!