Tag Archives: cats and Chewy boxes

Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 12/20

Posted on by
11

Happy Almost Christmas Wednesday My Furiends!

Still no new snow in our neck of the woods but The Human keeps reminding us that she chose to move to the Inland Northwest to avoid draconian amounts of snow like she experienced when she lived in the Rockies. Since we’re inside kitties it doesn’t make any difference to us. As a matter of fact, when it’s not snowy and only rainy, that’s a great time for The Human to take us for a neighborhood tour in the cat stroller but, unfortunately, one of the wheels is broken and The Human is still trying to figure out how to fix it.

Whenever we get a Chewy box it’s a red letter day and this week we had a very good day. Lily was appointed box opening snoopervisor and she took her job seriously.

And once The Human got all the items out of the box, imagine our surprise when we saw a new scratcher! The Human slathered it with catnip and turned us loose. Oliver and I were the first to inspect this new item.

You may have noticed that the new scratcher is a bit, err…small and might not accommodate all our pulchritude but we still gave it our best effort and Oliver decided to prove the old “If it fits I sits” cat quote.

On another note, my brother has been play fighting with me and demolishing the whiskers on the right side of my face. As you can see from the photos, this mars my handsome countenance and makes me feel a little off balance.

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

  What do rice and cats have in common?

I’ve heard of unusual ways that people celebrate their love of us fantastic felines but this one is really cool!

There is a rice farmer in Thailand who creates beautiful pictures of cats in his rice fields.

Rice is one of the largest income producing products in Thailand and now the rice fields are becoming tourist attractions as well.

Cats play fetch, too — as long as they’re in control, a study finds

“Maybe I’ll run after it, maybe I won’t.”

I don’t know how many of my feline furiends ever play or have played fetch (all three of us did this as kittens but we’re over it now), you might be interested in this.

Doggos aren’t the only ones who fetch as a recent studyin the journal Scientific Reports has found. We felines play fetch too, but we have our own rules.  

Academics at the University of Sussex and Northumbria University in Great Britain surveyed almost 1,000 owners of 1,154 cats to find out if – and why – they fetch, which was defined as an animal retrieving an object that’s thrown.

Their study found that nearly 95% of the cat owners reported that their cats fetched itemsinstinctively, and they were not trained to do so.

They found that we felines fetch when we want to play fetch and not when the human decides we should play.

“So it can say a bit about cats being in control of their interactions and being in control of their environments, [or] being in control of us, you might even go so far to say,” says Jemma Forman, a doctoral researcher at the University of Sussex and co-author of the study.

They believe that our motivation to play fetch is different than the doggos too. We like to play with objects that remind us of prey. It’s not a social interaction like it is for our canine furiends.

No matter the motive for cats to play fetch, play is good for us!

Human spends over £1,000 ($1265.00USD) on a birthday party for her cats

Clearly our Human needs to step up her game! A human named Sam, shared details of the extravagant feline birthday party on her TikTok channel, @jet_set_gypsea.

I like the caption on the video that says: “Yes she’s a little spoiled but I think she deserves it! Princess treatment for our little princess girls!”

Sam celebrated both her cat’s birthdays together. Both felines received commissioned art work of each cat, although Sam admitted that this was more of a gift for her thaqn the cats.

Sam shopped at her favorite pet shop for birthday gifts. After the cats were done playing with their new toys, they ate their birthday meal from Dolce and Gabbana pet plates. We sent the Purrsonal Assistant on an internet search to find the plates to get an idea of the cost. Although she couldn’t find the exact plates, it looks like two Dolce and Gabbana plates run from $315.00 and up.

And what did the birthday girls eat from those plates? The starter was scallop and shrimp with a main course of “cheesy rabbit”.

Invitations to the party were sent to all of the feline’s furiends with the note that gifts were obligatory which meant they received lots of presents including many cat shaped items.

This feline thinks Sam just set the bar for feline birthday parties. Step up your game humans!

Some kitties love snow

Some of us are not fond of the white, wet stuff but then others of us enjoy some snowy play time. This cat’s human was even throwing snowballs for the cat to fetch. (And if you want to learn more about cats and fetching read the article above).

You go kitty and I’ll sit by the fire and watch your snowy video.

Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 4/5

Posted on by
14

Happy Wednesday Furiends – we’re back!

The Human made it through the 9 days of moving nightmare. To be honest, the garage is still a bit discombobulated and the home office isn’t quite organized yet but things have progressed so the important work can commence again!

We do enjoy snoopervising while The Human is working as you can see below (Lily was buried under the covers in the bedroom so we couldn’t get a photo of her).

The most important piece of furniture in the office.
Oliver is not pleased that he was disturbed, the NERVE!
Yes, I know there are four fuzzy soft cat beds on the cat condo but I purrfer snoopervising here.
Oliver is pleased with the new set up as the Chewy box is opened sooner and he can inspect the contents.

Well, that’s our news for the week. We’re glad we’re back on schedule and hope that you enjoy this week’s news items.

Elderly cats live in retirement village: See their little cottages!

This moggies Retirement Village in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, is picture purrfect and is a place for  homeless, stray and abandoned cats. The Shropshire Cat Rescue currently houses 17 cats there. Don’t forget to watch the video of this wonderful place.

These Cats Don’t Just Do Their Own Stunts. They Film Them, Too.

I had to report on this story, after all our tag line at FelineOpines.net is “the world from a feline point of view” and these videos give you exactly that. Cats with cameras on their collars give insight into their day to day life.

In one video, the cat  pauses, assesses the height and leaps. He tries to free-climb up the side of a building, before jumping back to the ground. In another, he leaps across a roof, his shadow stretching out long in front of him.

The film and the antics are by  Gonzo of @gonzoisacat. He has more than 607,000 followers on TikTok and 178,000 on Instagram.

Gonzo is the star — and the director — of his own shorts. Rather than his humans filming his stunts, Gonzo films them himself with the help of a tiny camera that attaches to his collar.

Gonzo isn’t the only cat producer. In Norway, a GoPro-wearing cat roams across snowy meadows or climbs on a roof. One in China also recorded under-the-chin videos. Mr. Kitters has 1.5 million followers on TikTok and nearly one million on Instagram, where viewers can watch him meow at a bird or chase a squirrel.Gonzo’s humans,  Derek Boonstra, and  his wife, Maria, live in Los Angeles.

They wondered what Gonzo was doing when no one was watching — and wanted to make sure he was safe when he was exploring outside. After experimenting with a D.I.Y. camera, Mr. Boonstra bought one from the brand Insta360 and this is Gonzo’s filming equipment.

The first day they filmed included about “90 minutes of him sleeping in a bush but then Gonzo ran into some baby opossums. “That was immediately like, this is really fascinating,” Boonstra, a documentary filmaker said.

The rise of wearable camera technology, though more often used by surfers or snowboarders than pets, has led to a niche style of cat content. Like viewers of extreme sports videos, cat video fans regularly note the thrill they feel when their feline stars leap or scamper.

I’m not sure if this feline would like The Human spying on me all day and would purrfur to keep my daily routine a mystery.

Pet cats and dogs may help protect infants from food allergies, study suggests

Now here’s some good news. Children who live with cats or dogs during fetal development and early infancy may be less likely than other kids to develop food allergies, according to a new study.

The study, published in the journal PLOS One, analyzed data from over 65,000 children from Japan. It found that children exposed to cats or indoor dogs had a 13% to 16% lower risk of all food allergies compared with babies in pet-free homes.

“Our findings suggest that exposure to dogs and cats might be beneficial against the development of certain food allergies, thereby alleviating concerns about pet keeping and reducing the burden of food allergies,” the authors wrote.

The study found that children exposed to cats were less likely to develop egg, wheat and soybean allergies, while those exposed to dogs were less likely to have egg, milk and nut allergies.

The exact mechanism remains unclear, but experts say pet exposure may strengthen an infant’s gut microbiome, either directly or indirectly though changes in the parent’s or home microbiome.

“We know from a lot of studies that the microbiome – which are the bacteria that live within us, thousands and millions of them inside everybody’s gut – affect our immune responses and our immune system, particularly whether we develop allergies or not,” said Dr. Amal Assa’ad, director of the Food Allergy Program at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, who was not involved with the new research.

Dr. Jonathan Bernstein, president of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, says dirt and other materials secreted by pets could be a good thing.

“It is critical to have these exposures early on as the immune system is developing, as the gut is developing, because it does seem to be an important route for sensitization,” said Bernstein, who was not involved with the study.

Previous research has had mixed results. Some have linked pet exposure to decreased risk of food allergy, but others have found no association.

“The data is all over the place,” Assa’ad said.

So in other words, after all that research the humans aren’t sure if this is correct. Sigh. You humans complicate everything.

How a one-eyed rescue cat from Idaho became 2023’s Cadbury Bunny

Well of course, as an Idaho cat, I had to include this story although this cat is from Boise which is a 497 mile drive south east of us (we’re in Sandpoint in the Panhandle). Still, Crash the cat is a true Idahoan and his success must be celebrated.

We live all the way at the top in Sandpoint

Crash is an 8-year-old, one-eyed feline who was rescued in Boise and has been named 2023’s Cadbury Bunny, just in time for Easter Sunday.

Besides appearing in a Cadbury commercial, Crash will be inducted to the Creme Egg maker’s hall of fame, and will take home $5,000 for himself — and another $5,000 for a charity of his choice.

Crash’s began quite by accident, literally — he was struck by a car where he lost not only his eye but broke one leg and his jaw.

“As he began to heal at a Simply Cats Shelter, his quirky, outgoing personality made everyone quickly fall head over heels for him, leading Crash to become their resident shelter cat,” according to a release from the company. “Crash charms and impresses people as they visit the shelter, performing tricks like high five.”

He was picked out of finalists including Ping the duck; Ande the chinchilla; and a sheep called Timmy. This is the fifth time Cadbury has celebrated the season with its Bunny Tryouts, where any animal can be a contender. This year, the company specifically sought out rescue pets.

Now, Crash’s owner, Maddie Corey is scratching with anticipation for her beloved pet.

“We are jumping with joy to hear Crash is the next Cadbury Bunny but not surprised as he is always the center of attention in any room. He’s been through so much over the past few years and we appreciate the love his friends, family and cat enthusiasts across the country have shown,” she said.

In a way of continuing to support animals, Cadbury has also donated $20,000 to the ASPCA this Spring to continue “raising awareness for pets in need and supporting the ASPCA’s mission of providing effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals.”

And in the brand’s own words, Crash is living proof why such actions are worthwhile.

“He reminds our community that every cat is worth saving.” And to that this feline says AMEN!

National Siamese Cat Day – April 06

Before you think, “Alberto, you’re not a pure Siamese why look at your brofur Oliver!” I would ask you to take a look at my baby blue eyes, my coloring and, if you could hear me you’d know there is Siamese in my family. And it is for this reason that I am celebrating Siamese Cat Day tomorrow. So here’s some info on the wonderful Siamese cat and, if you are purebred Siamese or Siamese combined with something else, I hope you’ll be celebrating too!

The Origin of Siamese Cats

Siamese cats have a long and fascinating history that dates back to ancient Siam, which is now modern-day Thailand. These felines were considered sacred animals and were often kept in temples and palaces by royalty. Siamese cats were even given as gifts to dignitaries and important people as a symbol of honor.

The Unique Characteristics of Siamese Cats

Siamese cats are known for their striking blue eyes, pointed ears, and sleek, muscular bodies. They are also very vocal and affectionate and love to interact with their owners. Siamese cats come in different colors and patterns, including seal point, chocolate point, blue point, and lilac point.

The Personality of Siamese Cats

Siamese cats are intelligent, curious, and playful. (Well that describes me to a “T”). They are also very loyal to their owners and enjoy being the center of attention. Siamese cats are known for their vocalizations, which include meows, chirps, and even yowls. (Oh you should hear me singing the song of my people at midnight).

The Significance of National Siamese Cat Day

National Siamese Cat Day is a day to celebrate and honor the Siamese breed. It is a time to appreciate our unique characteristics and personality of these felines, as well as our contribution to the cat world. This day also provides an opportunity for Siamese cat owners and lovers to come together and share their experiences and love for these beautiful creatures.

One of the best ways to celebrate National Siamese Cat Day is to spend quality time with your furry friend. And don’t forget to give your furry friend to some special treats.

And don’t forget to have your humans take some photos of you and share them on social media and use the hashtag #NationalSiameseCatDay

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 11/10

Posted on by
17
siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends,

I hope your week has been purrfectly wonderful! Not much happening in our neck of the woods except The Human has been constantly meowing about how busy she is. Really? All she has to do is keep our water bowls (and kibble bowls) filled, give us evening treats and morning wet foo breakfast, clean our litter boxes and give us skritches and play with us. Whatever she does outside of the house is of no consequence to us.

To illustrate how bad the service has been, take a look at this photo. This Chewy box had been sitting on the counter since the delivery human brought it in the morning. I had to wait until The Human arrived home in the evening to obtain access to all the goodies inside, including the catnip. This is unacceptable!

“I have been forced to sit on this box and protect it all day. The service is lacking here!”

Oliver spent some quality time discovering grapes. In the end, he decided he’d rather have Temptations treats!

Lily couldn’t be bothered to put in any camera time this week but she does send you all purrs & head bonks,

Ollie, Lily and I (and The Human) all wanted to thank and remember our veterans.

Okay, let’s purruse the feline news of the week.

She brought tiny foster cats into her office at a retirement home. Residents found out — and kitten therapy began

All it took to get Estelle Nicol out of her funk was to introduce her to some kittens. The business manager of the home Estelle lived in arrived at work one morning with a box full of foster kittens (take note humans, you may want to try this at  your work).

She set up a feline playpen in her office and soon the residents heard about the kitten nursery and they stopped by to see the little guys.

The business manager checked to make sure none of the residents had cat allergies and when everyone was “good to go” she opened her door to kitten visitors.

Those furry, purry little creatures brought so much happiness to people. Residents who had been depressed began to be happier when they picked up a kitten. (We cats are just magical that way).Soon the home started kitten therapy days and now, three years later, the little kittens are continuing their work, helping people by brightening their day and offering large doses of purr therapy.

The kittens benefit too. By bringing the foster kittens in and having the residents hold them and play with them, the little guys are getting socialized and ready for their furever homes.

This is definitely what you would call a “win- win” situation!

A Red Cross for cats?

Did you know that kitty blood donors are often needed at many veterinary hospitals to help cats that may have blood loss during surgery, suffer trauma from being hit by a and suffer other serious injuries. And where does this blood come from? Well, volunteer feline blood donors, of course.  Before they donate, they are screened for disease and, with a clean bill of health they can give blood as often as every six weeks.

Now I’m not a huge friend of the stabby place but our purrrticular one is a fearless practice so I’m pretty chill when I go there. Blood donors are lightly sedated before they give  approximately 40 milliliters of the lifesaving fluid. If you are a feline that would like to find out more about this, have your human talk to your vet. There may even be feline blood banks in your area. We cats have three blood types, Type A is most common, Type B is less common and Type AB is rare.

There is a website that is a National Blood Transfusion Service that helps veterinarians connect with potential cat blood donors. The service is free to vets and cat parents.

I’m not sure whether I’d be brave enough to do this but it sure sounds like a wonderful idea.  What do you think?

Parents throw epic quinceañera for their cat’s 15th birthday

These parents threw an awesome quinceañera for their cat’s 15th birthday and this feline is always in favor of a cat pawty!

The video of the quineañera (a Latin American celebration for a girl’s 15th birthday) her parents threw for their 15-year-old cat, Plomita, and it looked like one epic bash! 

The clip begins with a shot of Meli’s father, holding Plomita, sitting at the dining room table decked out with cat-themed party favors and a centerpiece made out of yarn balls and cat food tins. A “Happy Birthday!” banner hangs in the background, with cats in the shape of each letter. 

Plomita, decked out in a miniature denim jacket and pink tutu, sits comfortably in her father’s lap, devouring a cat treat. The clip then cuts to a shot of Plomita seated on the table wearing a new outfit featuring a floral-printed blue dress with a pink flower around her collar while her human parent showers her with affection.

19 Spoiled Cats Who Are Living Better Lives Than You

Humans, if you haven’t built your cat a ramp to get to his favorite window in the house, or built your feline a custom Scandinavian bed or provided your cat with a “boat” so he can join you in the hot tub, you may be a slacker!

Internet Backs Man Evicting His Girlfriend After She Kicked His Cat Out

Raven

Allow me to say my faith in humanity has been restored with this one.

A human named Aman has received widespread support after evicting his girlfriend who kicked his indoor cat outside.

The human adopted Raven, his kitty three years ago and had been dating the heartless girlfriend two years. One day he came home and Raven was gone and Raven never went outside. Thankfully a friend recognized Raven and brought him back home hours later.

When he asked his girlfriend about the cat being outside (a cat that had never shown any interest in going outside) she admitted she kicked him out. What a despicable human, I hiss in her direction!

The girlfriend was told she had a month to find a new place who cried and said she had nowhere to go and would end up living on the streets (oh, like the poor feline you kicked out?)

One commenter pointed out the horrendous timing of the decision as she ” threw out an indoor BLACK cat during Halloween season- Shelters don’t even let people adopt black cats this time of year…”