And who better to celebrate independence than felines?
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Tag Archives: Feline Opines
Thursday Thoughts
Well, it took us a little more time than we expected to get The Human up and running after her surgery but things are getting back to normal now, thank goodness!
She hasn’t been a complete slacker because while she was recuperating she worked on her manuscript for the first book in her cozy mystery series called “Meowntain Murders” The name of book #1 is “Owl Be Seeing You” and my brofur Oliver and I are two of the main characters. There are some humans in the book too but let’s face it, it wouldn’t be nearly as good without us.
And, she’s already started her second book in the series called “Felony at the Furbulous Feline Spa”. There is an interesting connection with the spa that inspired the location of the second book and our own Tribe.
As you may or may not know, the neck of the woods we live in is mountainous and fairly rural. And where you have independent folks you usually have more dog people than cat people but that is (thankfully) changing . It’s changing so much that we actually have a feline only grooming salon and the Human and Oliver made an appointment there to review it. Oliver is a super shedder. His fur even ends up on the dashboard of the car when he hasn’t been in the car for ages. The Human was delighted to find a place that might help her reduce the copious amounts of fur in our house, the car, the clothing and any guests who are brave enough to enter the “fur palace”.
The experience was great for Oliver and The Human and you can read the review here. And to add to good things that came out of this visit, the review received a Certificate of Excellence from the Cat Writer’s Association this year .
And now, the salon is the inspiration for book #2 in our cozy mystery series.
There is a short book trailer in the works for book #1 and I’ll share it as soon as it’s ready. In the meantime, here is one of the cover ideas. Let me know what you think.
If you’re a fan of cozy mysteries and would like to be a part of The Meowntain Mystery Group, send us an email.
It’s good to be back on the web and we’ll be posting more soon.
Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 7/11
Hello there furiends!
We realize we are publishing this on Thursday and not Wednesday. I could tell you why this happened but better that I just continue on with the post.
We live in a place that isn’t known for it’s heat but we do have a week or two in the summer when it’s in the high 90s or low 100s. This was the week. Meowza was it hot! but we muddled through and managed to have a good week anyway. I know many of my furiends are experiencing heat so remind your humans to keep your water bowls filled and for heaven sake, find a cool spot in front of a fan or an air conditioning vent (we don’t have air conditioning in our neck of the woods) and keep a low profile until it gets cooler!
Here’s a glimpse of our week.
WOMAN RESCUES NEIGHBOR’S ESCAPED CAT BY USING HER OWN KITTY AS A LURE!
I know many of you humans know the sheer panic felt when one of your feline friends escapes from the house. This story posted by tag24 documents which came from TIkTok user @sayhitomylittlefriends documents the feline “rescue” event.
The video shows two cats, one that is outside and another at an open window who seems to be getting ready to escape too. The TikTok user approaches the first cat, attempting to get it back inside it’s house, saying, “Oh my God, get inside. Get in your house.”
While neither of the cats pay attention to the distraught woman, a third cat appears on the scene, and the chaos seems to escalate but then disaster is avoided. This cat is the woman’s feline named Jerry.
Jerry’s timely intervention proves to be what was needed as he helps to lure the curious escapee back to safety.
Scientists pinpoint strategies that could stop cats from scratching your furniture
If your humans are meowing about you scratching their furniture, you may want to tell them to read this article I found in Eurekalert.org. This international team of reseachers studied what the factors are that cause us to use your furniture as scratching posts and pubished those findings in Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
The researchers asked more than 1,200 cat owners in France about the daily lives and characteristics of their felines and any undesired scratching behaviors. The study’s funder, Ceva Santé Animale, helped with collecting this data.
The researchers’ results indicated that there are several factors that influence cats’ scratching behavior. “We see a clear link between certain environmental and behavioral factors and increased scratching behavior in cats,” Salgirli Demirbas explained. “Specifically, the presence of children in the home as well as high levels of play and nocturnal activity significantly contribute to increased scratching. Cats described as aggressive or disruptive also exhibited higher levels of scratching.”
While some factors that favor scratching – such as the cat’s personality or the presence of children – cannot be changed, there are ways to stop or mitigate the scratching. Placing scratching posts in areas the cat frequently passes or near to their preferred resting spot helps as does the use of pheromones. The Human uses Feliway for multicat homes to keep us calm.
“Providing safe hiding places, elevated observation spots, and ample play opportunities can also help alleviate stress and engage the cat in more constructive activities,” Salgirli Demirbas pointed out. The key is to establish multiple short play sessions that mimic successful hunting scenarios. These play sessions are more likely to sustain cats’ interest and reduce stress, which ultimately can reduce excessive scratching on furniture. They can also foster the bond between cats and their caretakers, the researchers said.
“Understanding the underlying emotional motivations of scratching behavior, such as frustration, which seem to be linked to personality traits and environmental factors, allows caregivers to address these issues directly,” said Salgirli Demirbas. There will be future research on this issue with the goal to develop more effective strategies to manage this behavior, ultimately enhancing the bond and harmony between cats and their caregivers.
Cat-themed Telegram game teams up with millions of community players to rescue stray cats
GameFi, the combination of gaming and decentralized finance, has soared in popularity, particularly for its play-to-earn (P2E) model, which enables players to gain real-world value. Now mind you, this feline has absolutely no knowledge about this, nor does The Human.
What we did find interesting is a gaming bot called Catizen. It’s on the cloud-based messaging app Telegram (we do know what that is), According to the company, “Catizen provides players with a virtual environment where they can experience relaxation and comfort away from the fast-paced and stressful crypto and gaming world. While players have a pleasant time with the easy-to-play and quickly-learned game structure, they also benefit from P2E game dynamics.” (And I only understood about half of that)
Within the whimsical Meowverse, players start with a digital cat, which not only serves as their companion but also unlocks further game features and opportunities for rewards. Users can merge and enhance their cats, climb the leaderboards, and reap greater benefits as they progress.
The platform also hosts a cute artificial intelligence game called Al Kitty. Users can feed kitties, take care of them, raise kittens and help cats make friends. Younger players can especially accompany the cats’ growth and learn from them.
Catizen, generates revenue through in-game purchases. What we found interesting is that Catizen has community-driven initiatives that appear to be making a tangible difference in the non-profit sphere. With over 1.7 million players, nearly 1.25 million onchain users and over $10 million in-game purchase revenue generated in ten weeks, Catizen pledges 1% of in-game purchase revenue to nonprofits, letting the community vote on the beneficiaries. Catizen plans to continue this journey with its community by launching charity campaigns.
Catizen also encourages users to share stories of saving stray cats which creates a sense of unity and purpose. Participants can post images, videos or text on Twitter or Telegram using their Catizen UID. Community members shared over 10,000 posts about their stories and past experiences with stray cats in just one week, highlighting their active participation. Catizen plans to launch voting for nonprofit institutions, where the community will choose which organizations to support.
I think this is a great idea. If you’re going to play a game that offers in-app purchases why not one that donates money to save cats?
How a cat named Bootsy turned a street of strangers into a community
This story, written by Mike Hohnen for the Guardian, who is the human who lives with Bootsy the cat is heartwarming. The author says that Bootsy had a problem with minding other people’s boundaries, sometimes helping himself to whatever was on the table in someone else’s house for instance. This is why he assumed the worst when he received a call from someone who phoned him about Bootsy.
This was no complaint though. The caller wanted to let Mike know Bootsy was sleeping on a chair in her back yard and just wanted him to know where the feline was. He went to meet the neighbor and there began a friendship that transformed a neighborhood in Sydney, Australia.
This story in it’s entirety is a delightful read and today, four years after that phone call, Bootsy wanders off to the 87 year old neighbor Enid’s house when Mike goes to work, returning to his home in the afternoon. Bootsy’s visits have become an important part of Enid’s daily routine.
And Enid isn’t the only human who knows and loves Bootsy. Bootsy can be seen accompanying Enid down the neighborhood streets neighbors stop to greet them both. And through Bootsy’s friendship with Enid, friendships grew between humans in the neighborhood as well.
This is a happy tale of how one feline brought an entire neighborhood together. His human says that Bootsy has shown them the way towards community – and there’s no going back for any of them. Be sure and click on the link and read the whole heart-warming story.
This cat HATES optical illusions.
Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 6/19
Hello Furiends,
It looks like it might be summer here, finally. I know some of you are suffering from the heat already and I hope your humans have air conditioning, fans or other cooling means available to you.
Did you know this is one of the best months of the year for kitties? June is National Adopt a Cat Month! Needless to say, the three shelter kitties in this home are thankful that The Human adopted us from our local shelter.
Oliver and I were foster “failures” and The Human says it’s a failure she’s thankful for. She was at an event at the shelter when one of the shelter board members introduced her to Lily and it was love at first sight. There are so many kitties waiting in shelters around the world for forever homes. Please consider bringing one home to your house!
Cat refuses to let human leave
I think all my feline furiends will agree that it’s nicer when our humans stay home with us. This kitty, caught in a TikTok video, foils his human’s attempt to leave the house in a hilarious way.
I would note that this is an orange cat (I recently shared an article about orange cats and how energetic they are). The cat takes possession of the human’s keys and hisses whenever she tries to take them off the table.
For all of you who don’t believe we felines are smart, BondVet recently declared that we have brains that allow us to problem solve, remember things in the past.
The humorous scene highlights cats’ intelligence and the attachment they can have toward their owners. According to BondVet, we felines have brains that allow us to solve problems, remember past events, and understand our human’s emotions. It’s said we have the intelligence of a human two year old.
In other words, this kitty who is guarding the keys knows exactly what he’s doing!
Cats May Be The Only Mammals Who Can’t Taste This 1 Flavor
Amy Glover at the Huff Post UK filed this interesting report about cats and our ability to taste sweet things. Have you ever wondered why your cat tries to steal a bite of your pizza but refuses to eat the expensive canned food you just bought him? What flavors motivate us? Well the Scientific American says that we felines are missing a vital protein that is necessary to taste sweets. The article says that the sweet receptor consists of two coupled proteins generated by two separate genes: known as Tas1r2 and Tas1r3,” We felines “lack 247 base pairs of the amino acids that make up the DNA of the Tas1r2 gene.”
What does that mean? We probably taste something when we eat sweets but we don’t taste what you humans do.
PetMD writes that cats are “seemingly alone among the mammal groups” with this evolutionary quirk regarding tasting sweets.
Despite this physical reality some of my feline friends seem to love sweets but experts say it’s probably the fat in the sweets, not the sugar that attracts them.
What tastes do we like? The article says we “also have interest in anything with animal protein in it (such as milk, cream, or ice cream), foods with strong smells, or warm food (the temperature of freshly killed prey),” they add ― and anything with a new mouth feel is likely to pique their curiosity.
And if you’re feeling bad that we can’t taste sweets, we do taste some flavors that you humans have, like adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a compound that provides energy for living cells.
Cat kidney transplants: For some, the pricey procedure is well worth it
We lost our dear Jasmine due to complications from kidney disease. The human gave her subQ fluids every other day, fed her special food and supplements but the disease took her away from us. For years kidney disease has just been a fact of life for older kitties but things are changing. This article by Marlene Cimons from The Washington Post brings news about kidney transplants for cats.
When the feline “Despy” suddenly developed a congenital form of advanced kidney disease at age 2 the veterinarian gave him only months to live. His human vowed to do whatever he could to save the cat. “He took care of me when I was sick,” says Segal, a software developer who lives in San Jose. “It was my turn to take care of him. It’s that’s simple.”
Segal, then living in the Boston area, drove his cat to the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in Philadelphia where Despy underwent a kidney transplant in 2018. Today, Despy is thriving. So is Stevie, the kidney donor cat from a local shelter that Segal agreed to adopt as part of the renal transplant. He adores them both. “They play together, they groom each other, they roughhouse,” Segal says. “We’ve become a comfortable, loving family.”
Chronic kidney disease is one of the most common conditions in aging cats and a leading cause of death. It can also be inherited, which is what happened in Despy’s case, and can result from toxin exposure, such as eating lilies. (A cat who eats even a small amount from any part of a lily plant can suffer fatal kidney failure within days.)
Kidney transplants in cats began more than 25 years ago, although they still are rare, and only three facilities perform them: Penn Vet, the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine.
Penn Vet has performed 185 transplants since 1998, the Georgia school more than 40 since 2009, and Wisconsin 87 since 1996.
Not all cats are candidates for the procedure, and for those who are, it can be expensive, up to $25,000 for the surgeries to retrieve the donor kidney and transplant it into the recipient cat. Yet the surgeons who do them say they find it personally gratifying to give people more time with their cherished companions. Also, they add, the surgeries and long-term follow-up in cats can provide knowledge that potentially can benefit human health.
Most cats gain an average of two to three years, although there are exceptions. Despy, for example, is six years post-transplant. “Our longest survivor was nearly 13 years,” says Chad Schmiedt, the Alison Bradbury chair in feline health at the Georgia veterinary school. “Shilo was 3 when we did the transplant in June 2009 and lived until April 2022.”
About 40 percent “go out three years post-transplant,” says Robert J. Hardie, clinical professor of small-animal soft-tissue surgery at the Wisconsin veterinary school, adding that survival often depends on whether postsurgical complications occur. “Some live longer. We’ve had some out 10 years.” At Penn Vet, up to 70 percent are alive and doing well one year after transplant, and two recipients lived 13 years after the surgery.
“It is a life-expanding procedure with the possibility of relatively good outcomes — sometimes dramatic outcomes — in terms of longevity that is of great value to many pet parents,” Hardie says. Moreover, scientists could learn more about immunosuppression in cats that could be applicable to humans, he says.
The cats getting new kidneys typically are between the ages of 8 and 12, although younger cats without other potentially serious medical conditions often do better and live longer, experts say. Schmiedt usually won’t perform a transplant on a cat older than 16. Hardie says the oldest cat transplanted at Wisconsin was 18. Aronson once did one on a nearly 18-year-old who had no other health problems and was youthful in behavior and who lived for another two years with the new kidney.
Cats with moderate kidney disease are better candidates than those with mild or advanced disease, because of the balance between surgery risks and benefits, although age provides an advantage for young cats who may have advanced kidney disease. The cats also can’t have chronic infections or cancer because they must take the immunosuppressive drug cyclosporine for life, which can worsen both conditions. Severe heart disease also rules them out. “You want a recipient who has the best chance of making it” through surgery and beyond, Schmiedt says.
Matching is easier for cats than it is for humans needing a transplant because there are only two blood types among all cats.
Although this transplant is expensive it is still good news for kitties like Despy. His human says he’s full of energy and living his best life.
Kidney transplants for dogs is more challenging as dogs often suffer problems with immunosuppression.
Woman wakes up with four cats in bed with her. She only has three cats.
Anne-Sophie Mielke and Steffi Feldman from TAG24 provided this amusing story.
A Reddit user (username u/trixy_treat), shared a picture on the platform that has Reddit users talking. The lady who lives in Britain found herself snuggling in bed one morning with four cute felines who were nestled into her blankets and pillows. This woman sleeps with her cats so the sight was not unusual as she lives with three cats named, Pancake, the Tortie; Oreo, and Quinn. The fourth cat was not a member of her household but a visiting neighbor feline.
The visitor named Bluey, lives next door and is a buddy of her cat Quinn. The woman supposes that Bluely enjoys sleeping at her house because he lives with a large dog and a toddler.
If Bluey doesn’t sleep over he will appear at her window and meow loudly for her cats to come and play. Now it seems he’s graduated from morning play time to sleep overs.
House of Black Cat Magic celebrates 1 year of business, helping home 150 black cats
The House of Black Cat Magic in Asheville, N.C. hosts parties, community events and more in its Black Cat Lounge, giving people a chance to meet a variety of cats that are up for adoptions.
Joel SeymourSun from ABC13 News reported about their anniversary celebration, their first anniversary “purrty, “magical market” and a silent auction and cat food drive to benefit Binx’s Home for Black Cats food pantry.
Sterling “TrapKing” Davis, who runs TNR Humane Cat Solutions, was there to offer informative sessions about the importance of TNR programs — Trap, Neuter, Return — which help stabilize feral or community cat colonies by trapping them, then spaying or neutering them, and finally, returning the cats back to their community so they can live out their days without continuing to reproduce. We love Sterling, he is a rock star among his feline fans.
Sterling said about TNR, “”A lot of areas, they get a lot of cats so they overpopulate, they start fighting over resources, they end up getting sick, injured, harmful to one another,” Davis said. “So, it’s good to control the population in a good way… that’s what TNR is — you’ve got to spay and neuter your pets!”
I love humans who go above and beyond to help ferals and work to find forever homes for cats.
The Catio Guy
The Human does not support allowing us to go outside as there are all kinds of predators in our neck of the woods but she does provide the opportunity for us to sit on the upstairs patio in our own pop-up catio.
This guy custom builds cations and they are amazing. We definitely think this is a home renovation The Human should consider.
How many of my feline furiends out there can rock a skateboard like this guy?
Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 5/15
Happy Wednesday Furiends!
We’re humming along here in our neck of the woods. The Human is working on editing her first book in her cozy series and Ollie and I are looking forward to her getting that book out so we can be famous. I am looking forward to signing pawtographs.
We have a nice litter box at Feline Opines International Headquarters and Oliver decided he’d like to do a “jungly” photo shoot. He wants to know what you think.
Neither Lily nor I had the desire to pose for any pictures this week so I’ll move on along to this week’s feline internet news.
Would you trust a robot to look after your cat?
Sanjana Gajbhive from Earth.com wrote an article about robots as cat sitters. Noted was a recent research project called Cat Royale which talked about building trust between cats and robots. Now this feline is no fan of machine, I mean the vacuum monster alone is enough to give a feline a nervous breakdown!
Cat Royale, an award-winning research project, resulted from collaboration between University of Nottingham scientists and Blast Theory artists. This project crafted a “multispecies world.” In it, three cats lived with a robotic arm. They coexisted for six hours each day across twelve days. Good grief humans, coexistence is not what we cat’s want, we need pets, headbutts and skritches.
The researchers of this project wanted to find out what influenced feline-robot trust.
Some findings have been that the environment and the role of the humans in that environment were all factors in the cat’s trust of the robot. Well DUH!
“At first glance, the project is about designing a robot to enrich the lives of a family of cats by playing with them,” said Professor Steve Benford, who led the research. “Under the surface, however, it explores the question of what it takes to trust a robot to look after our loved ones and potentially ourselves.”
The robotic arm at the heart of Cat Royale engaged the feline participants through a variety of playful interactions, including dragging a toy mouse, dangling a feather “bird,” and dispensing treats. An integrated AI system observed the cats’ reactions, learning their preferences and tailoring play sessions accordingly. They designed an environment that was pleasing to the cats.
The researcher’s goal is to create a multi’species system but this cat would ask, what about the human/animal bond? Our Human spent quite a bit of time studying this and she too is a bit skeptical about this.
At least the researcher’s did acknowledge the importance of human involvement in areas like breakdown recovery, animal welfare, and audience engagement. In other words, even in a world of advanced robots, the human touch remains essential. Well, there you go!
Their conclusion is that if you humans want robots to take care of your felines, you’d have to give your home a robot friendly makeover and that you humans have to understand that even the most advanced robot can’t replace the warmth and understanding of a human caregiver. I have three words for all the humans out there-HUMAN-CAT-SITTER.
In Germany, cats remain the most popular pet
A recent report from a German pet trade and industry association, revealed that Germans love their pets. Well, our Human is German and she can attest to that! In 2023, 34.3 million dogs, cats, small animals and pet birds lived in German households. There were also numerous animals in terrariums and ornamental fish in aquariums and garden ponds.
According to a market research survey from Skopos done for the Pet Supplies Industry Association 45% of German households have pets.
Felines are still Germany’s number one pet: a total of 15.7 million of them lived in 25% of German households in 2023. In 42% of all cat-owning households there were two or more cats at home.
The head of the market research team said,” We are all the more pleased that the total number of pets kept in households in Germany has remained stable at a high level over the past few years.” I would say they should be pleased that the vast majority of German households are cat lovers!
Cat’s nonchalant reaction to Northern Lights leaves everyone laughing
Sophie Roberts, Lifestyle and Travel Editor for Mirror UK reported on the lack of enthusiasm one cat had regarding the Northern Lights as one man’s cat was photographed with the colorful sky as a background and looking completely unimpressed.
I don’t know what the sky was like in your neck of the woods but it was pretty amazing here. Still, not amazing enough for the Tribe to remove ourselves from the bed and do any sky gazing.
This is how one guy described his cat’s reaction on X: “My cat just experienced the aurora borealis – one of the world’s most radiant natural phenomena – and she doesn’t care.”
His post went viral getting got more than 1.7 million views.
Cat Owners Thought Their Roomba Was Broken, Until They Discovered the Truth
In a Newsweek article this week, a couple who thought they had a broken Roomba discovered their cats were the culprits.
Their cat Winnie became a media star when her human shared a video of her on TikTok. The video shows clearly that the Roomba wasn’t broken, only “detained” by Winnie’s actions.
Some people think Winnie was playing with the Roomba. This feline believes that Winnie was protecting the other cats in the household by keeping the dreaded vacuum monster away from them. Go Winnie!
Homeowner Sends Neighbor a Note — and Asks Them to Not Let Cats Look Out the Window
Reddit users have weighed in on the letter, which asks the homeowner to “please keep your cats out of the window”. Oh my whiskers, the hubris!
A Reddit user shared a letter sent by a neighbor requesting the poster keep their cats “out of the window,” as the cats are causing the neighbor’s dog to bark.Seriously??!!
In a post shared to Reddit, the cat owner wrote, “I own my own home, and I have three cats (plus two new babies I found outside). Two of them love to sit in the window when it’s nice out. They do nothing but sleep. We keep the windows open as we don’t have AC yet.”
But evidently the cats’ habit of sunning in the window inflamed the neighbor who sent a letter reading: “Hey neighbor! Can you please keep your cats out of the window? They are causing my dog to sit in the window and bark all day long. I work from home, so this is very difficult. Thanks.”
What would say to a neighbor who asked your human to keep you out of the window?
There are so many human social media influencers. This feline influencer, Uno the Orange cat, is teaching cats how to live the Vida Loca. It should be a must watch for every feline.
Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 5/1/2024
Happy Wednesday Furiends,
Now before you start meowing at me, yes, I know we skipped last Wednesday. Things in our neck of the woods were a bit harried but I am happy to report we are back on track.
And speaking of our neck of the woods, I do believe spring is really here…finally! Now before you get too excited, spring around here takes it’s time and at the moment this is the state of our weather.
Still, we do enjoy the random bout of sunshine and when it happens, we take full advantage of it as you will see in this collection of photographs I have titled, “Sun Puddles”.
We hope you’re enjoy the sun puddles in your neck of the woods.
Stowaway cat accidentally mailed to California in returned package
Although I normally stay away from news stories that are all over the internet, I just had to report on this one. First, let me remind you of two things, cats love boxes and cats will climb inside said boxes at every opportunity. Humans, for heaven’s sake, don’t tape up a box before you do a feline inspectikon!!!!
This is the sad tail of a feline who was mailed hundreds of miles in a box that had items being returned. Galena, the Utah feline had disappeared from her Utah home and her humans launched a widespread neighborhood search. But Galena wasn’t in the neighborhood, she was in an Amazon facility in California!
Thankfully she was rescued by a worker there, in good health despite the fact that it had been days since she’d had food and water. This heroic Amazon worker also took her to the vet to see if she had a microchip and that’s how her family was found.
Needless to say, her humans were over the moon to hear she was found and quite befuddled when they heard where she was. The humans flew more than 1,000 miles to California to bring Galena home.
Poor Galena, who had been frightend during her stay in California, stopped shaking as soon as she was in her human’s arms.
Galena’s human encourages everyone to microchip their cats and to “triple check” their Amazon boxes.
A Day in the Life of the World’s Most Pampered Hotel Cat
I don’t usually feature travel articles but I made an exception for this article by James Wong at Fodor’s Travel and that’s because he wrote about Europe’s prestigious Oetker hotels, a chain that provide an elegant welcome with hotel felines.
Their Le Bristol in Paris has Socrate and Brenners Park in Baden-Baden has Kléopatre. The Lanesborough in London is home to Lilibet, a Siberian Forest cat named after the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Lilibet arrived in 2019 as a kitten and is now the hotel’s most spoiled and loved inhabitant. She has a hotel cat committee to see to her every need and quite an online following. The hotel’s social media engagement skyrockets whenever she makes an appearance.
James Wong decided to check into the hotel and experience the presence of Lilibet close up and purrsonal. Here is his report.
“I walked through Hyde Park for my first meeting with a cat, more nervous than the time I tried to get in the same elevator as Anna Wintour. Like Madame W., cats are famously aloof creatures, yet adored the world over. Lilibet has strutted her stuff on BBC News, been photographed for high-end editorials, and is consistently captured by fans on countless social media reels.
I was greeted by handsomely-dressed doormen at the grand entrance, and took a seat at check-in. No sign of Lilibet yet. The suspense! The cat committee was deciding on festivities for her fifth birthday. “Last year she enjoyed a photoshoot with a beautiful cake,” I was told. Lilibet’s an Aries like Mariah Carey, Elton John, and Posh Spice: Darling divas partial to a splash of opulence. I was led through an intricate marble hallway within the former 18th-century home of Viscount Lanesborough, today akin to the V&A museum. A passage flowing with ornamental plasterwork, gold leaf accents, and trompe l’oeil. It’s a catwalk like no other.
It goes without saying my room was equally a showstopper. Each of the hotel’s 93 boudoirs is uniquely furnished with regal interiors and cleverly placed technology. TVs are concealed behind classical oil paintings. My personal butler demonstrated how to operate it. Lili and I would be watching a movie of her choice tonight. “Would you like us to prepare the film on this television, or the other one?” I looked around. Which painting was it in? At the flip of a switch, another screen lifted out of what I initially thought was a bookshelf at the foot of the bed. There’s my answer. “We’ll have popcorn ready for you, and some Dreamies for Lili. They’re her favorite treat,” the butler added.
I noticed a cake decorated with pink paws on the table and a card beside it. The inside read, “Welcome to my humble abode. I can’t wait to spend some quality time with you. Love, Lilibet.”
With a couple of hours before dinner, I ventured down to The Lanesborough Club & Spa, an underground cavern of serenity for R&R. No sign of Lili en route. The concierge offered clues. “She often sits on the balcony overlooking the Basia Hamilton portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and sometimes she helps Victor greet guests at the door.” So I quizzed Victor the doorman. He talked about her kitten days, and how he’s one of the few humans she’s never clawed.
“Lilibet loves being pet by guests, but not for too long, she’ll let you know when she’s done,” he laughed. “Visitors can’t get enough of her, regardless, and gifts are delivered all the time.” Gifts, you say? “Yes, everything, but especially treats. She gets lots of fancy chicken soup.”
Further investigation led me to discover that Lili was once gifted an actual gold necklace by designers Ralph & Russo. The hand-crafted collar features the hotel’s crown sigil with her name and number. Lilibet sports it on special occasions.
Post-nap, I visited The Library Bar, adjacent to Lili’s evening hangout, The Withdrawing Room. It’s here that we finally (finally!) met. She was people-watching as the sunset illuminated the corner of Wellington Arch across the street, unflinching as I reached over and touched her unbelievably soft fur.
Siberian Forest cat fur is hypoallergenic, FYI, so no hiss-terics necessary. While I was tempted to pick Her Majesty up, I remembered my chat with Victor and gave her space. At the bar, I ordered the Lilibet Cocktail, made with Earl Grey-infused gin and frothing with English Chardonnay wine flavored with chocolate. It certainly gave me the pre-dinner meows.
I suggested we dine at Gordon Ramsey’s Lucky Cat in nearby Mayfair. “Lilibet will adore the sashimi,” I said. “It’s always amazing.” Alas, I learned domestic cats aren’t able to eat raw sushi, and even if they were, Lili’s not keen on leaving the premises for supper.
Mary in guest relations clarifies, “She runs right back in when she’s taken outside, but doesn’t mind venturing out for grooming.” No sashimi party for us then; unless it’s for the cat spa, this feline’s staying put. “She’s tried caviar though,” admitted Mary.
Instead we stayed in and did dinner in the hotel–separately (Lili needs space, remember). I tucked into a perfectly burnished Beef Wellington at The Lanesborough Grill under a crystal chandelier, no less, while Lili, somewhere in the building, enjoyed Purina Gourmet slow-cooked beef. Curious, I googled the brand. The website states it, “appeals to cats with a taste for the finer things.”
Lili was waiting for me in the room by the time I’d finished my Carrot and Walnut cake, running around excitedly. Clearly, distance made her kitty heart grow fonder. Our butler had laid out a magnificent spread of treats, including Lili’s snacks, special cat milk, and assorted toy mice. I slipped into a robe and hit play on the Puss in Boots sequel, as Lili dashed behind the floral curtains. After enticing her with a trail of treats, I was able to seat her on my lap for 102 minutes of animated adventure. She purred, fixated on the screen, and stayed with me for exactly four minutes before scurrying behind a sofa. Surely she wouldn’t want to miss Kitty Softpaw’s grand entrance? I thought and I went to pick her up. Out came claws. Lili made it very clear she was not interested in Salma Hayek. Perhaps we should have gone with Halle Berry in Catwoman? My feline friend avoided the TV until her 10 p.m. pick-up, and I was given a plush version of Lilibet for company until her return the next morning.
At 9 a.m., Lili was back and ever so thrilled to see me. She’d thankfully forgotten I’d subjected her to Salma Hayek last night. The butler wheeled in our farewell breakfast: avocado toast with poached eggs for me, and a tuna mousse for Lili. Ravished, she jumped on the opposite chair. I took a mouthful as she stared on, as if to say ”come over, feed me!” And so I obliged. She licked a scoop of tuna mousse on my fingertip and I returned to my chair, hoping that acted as permission for her to dig in, but to no avail. I put down my fork, and well, Lili insisted I hand-feed the whole breakfast to her. Ah, this must be what it’s like to live in a luxury hotel, I figured. Butlers on call, fine dining, and oodles of pampering–life here’s not far from life at neighboring Buckingham Palace. The Lanesborough is where anyone who steps inside gets the royal treatment, even if (and in Lili’s case, especially when) they’re a pet cat.”
Meowza, where does a feline sign up for a job with this hotel chain?
Cats Cameos in Music videos
Believe it or not, felines have been making appearances in music videos (or making our own music videos). We have obviously conquered Hollywood and now our charisma and ability to capture an audience has moved us into the music field.
Purrhaps one of the most iconic feline musical appearances is in the music video for “The Love Cats” by The Cure. The band doesn’t just refer to felines, they also feature cats on film.
Janet Jackson was one of the early feline adapters is Janet Jackson who featured a cat cameo in her1986 music video “When I Think of You.” A feline wanders through the street dancers.
Ed Sheeran’s “Drunk” presents the story of friendship between him a cat and highlights the bond the human and feline have. Paula Abdul’s “Opposites Attract,” had a cartoon cat named MC Skat Kat who performs a duet with Abdul.
Some people wonder why artists use cats in their music videos and my response is that we are photogenic, charming and we are capable of showing a wide range of emotion. I mean, all you have to do is purruse the internet…we own it!
So my furiends, if you can’t get a job at a luxury hotel, maybe you want to try the music video biz.
The Cat Distribution System at Work
A young boy went to his local animal shelter to adopt a kitten. As soon as he stepped into the cat section one feline made a beeline to him, wrapped his paws around him in a hug. This my furiends, is a purrfect example of how the Cat Distribution System works, The cat picks you.
And that’s what happened. Although the boy went to the shelter to find a kitten, this cat chose him as his forever human
The smile on the boy’s face says it all. He now has a cat!
I’m starting a new feature on Wednesdays. The Human and I watch so many cat videos on social media and there is always one or two that we feel are outstanding. This is this week’s top cat video. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 4/10
Hello Furiends,
We are finally back in touch with the world – translation, our internet is working again. Meowza that was not fun!
While we were out of touch with the world we were spending time in staff meetings and drawing up some plans for our blog that we think you will like. There will be more about this next week. Oliver, Lily and I are exhausted from trying to keep our Purrsonal Assistant focused. Sigh, it’s a hard job but someone’s gotta’ do it. Here are some snapshots of our week.
I am exhausted from trying to keep our Purrsonal Assistant focused. – Oliver
A new declaration in Mexico gives 19 cats roaming the presidential palace food and care fur-ever
Paws up; to the humans at Mexido’s National Palace. There has been a colony of feral cats living on the premesis,and the government has made it clear they are welcome to live there. They will greet visitors and roam the grounds and gardens.
“They have access to every part of the palace, so they walk in on meetings, interviews and wander onto camera,” said Jesús Arias, the palace veterinarian, as a handful of feline friends brush against his ankles.
Now the place of the cats is official after the government of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared them to be “living fixed assets,” the first animals in Mexico to receive the title. By declaring the felines as “fixed assets” López Obrador’s government has obligated the country’s Treasury to give them food and care for them for the rest of their lives, even after the leader leaves office in October. The cats all have names and are loved by palace staff and tourists.
Staff say they remember the feral cats living among the cacti and dense brush of the gardens as far back as 50 years ago. This feline is happy to see this 50 year tradition continued!
‘They thought I was crazy’: Okanagan’s first cat cafe thriving after nearly one year
Here at Feline Opines, we love to feature cat cafes. The Human, who has been an entrepreneur all her life, also loves to hear success stories about these café’s. Ashley Karnes, owner of the Catelowna Cat Café in Kelowna, Okanagen, Canada, says that despite some naysayers, the Okanagan’s B.C. first cat cafe is thriving nearly one year after opening.
Many people told her she was crazy when she opened the café. Karnes partnered adoption agencies and rescues from B.C. and Saskatchewan and since she opened in June 2023, the cafe has seen 156 adoptions! At this time Catelowna has 30 cats ready to find their furever homes.
One of Catelowna’s regular visitors said. “I do like coming here. It’s fun to cuddle the kitties because I have dogs at home. I can’t have cats, so this is where I get my cat fix,” Reservations at the cafe. But this café and o9ther cat cafes do much more than give humans an experience, they also offer socialization for the kittens and cats which makes them much more adoptable.
Do you have a cat café near you? If you do, I encourage you to visit them.
Pet food company to pay a cat lover $10K to cuddle with kittens, raise support for adoption shelters
When I read this I demanded that The Human submit an application immediately. Can you imagine how many cat toys, treats and a fancy new cat tower $10K could buy? Yes, it’s true, ACANA pet foods is going to pay $10,000 to one lucky cat lover for cuddling with kittens. All you humans have to do is reply to a questionnaire.
In addition to the $10K prize, ACANA cat food will arrange for the winner to spend four hours cuddling with cats at Best Friends Animal Society this June. (Best Friends is one of the BEST places and is one of the leading national animal welfare organizations dedicated to ending the killing of cats and dogs in animal shelters). All this is to bring attention to “kitten season” that happens in May through November every year. Kitten season results in an influx of kittens in shelters, often overwhelming the shelter resources.
ACANA wants to educate the public about the kitten problem and to promote adoption. As many of you know Oliver, Lily and I were adopted from our local shelter. ACANA also wants to encourage people to help out at their local shelters.
Let’s spread the word about kitten season and let’s work to empty the shelters so that every cat in our communities has a forever home!
‘Walking my cat on a lead changed my life’
Cats on leashes is becoming a phenomenon and their photos and stories are filling up the web. BBC spoke to three owners of “adventure cats”, who have roamed the British countryside with their feline companions and to discover why they take their felines on outdoor adventures.
“He’s fearless, nothing fazes him” said Jade de Monyé. She adventures with Figaro, a Maine Coon cross Ragdoll. She was Inspired by world-travelling adventure cat Suki, Ms de Monyé, decided to harness train Figaro when he was a kitten.. Figaro took to the harness immediately. “I’ve never seen a cat that’s so happy to just be out – he’s always got the little happy high tail, his eyes are never big and scary,” she said. “I’ll open the car door with his lead on and it’s up to him if he wants to get out. I never push him into anything.” She also phones public venues ahead to check whether she can bring Figaro and avoids places with dogs off leash.
Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2019, Ms de Monyé said taking Figaro on walks had “changed her life”. “On my days off I’d just shut myself away and feel sorry for myself,” she said. “He almost forces me to get out of the house.” “It’s not like walking a dog,” she said. “It’s going where the cat wants to go. He does like to sit a lot at the water’s edge and just watch all the birds. “You can 100% train a cat, it’s just a lot harder,” she added.
Anna Dukes Sydney and her cat Roland travel around town in a stroller nicknamed the “meow-cedes Benz” She takes her Sphynx and Blue Point Siamese, Roland and Sydney on trips in her camper van. The cats have explored campsites and beaches across the UK, although they prefer to avoid seawater. “There are signs saying no dogs on the beach, but it doesn’t say anything about cats,” Ms Dukes said. “I’m always mindful if they’re on the lead as I’ve been told, no matter what, cats can escape if they want to.” Cautious about dogs and people with allergies, Ms Dukes stays outside pubs and cafes, with the cats in their “meow-cedes Benz” stroller.
Jordan Gregory, and Jess Young, consulted a vet before taking British Shorthair, Moss, out on a leash. “We didn’t want her to just stay indoors all the time,” Gregory near Chingford in a house with a garden, but they still take the “chilled out” feline out in a specialist backpack. “We don’t have a car and travel everywhere by train,” Mr Gregory said. “She’ll go to Waterloo in the bag. On the train we’ll take her out… and she’ll just sit on our laps.” Moss is always kept on a leash during her train travel. She has climbed a mountain in the Lake District and, although she “prefers not to be rained on”, also “loves being in a tent,” Mr Gregory said. “There are some people who don’t really get it or somehow take offence,” he added. “[But] I don’t think I’m subjecting her to some kind of cruelty.”
Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 2/14
Happy Valentine’s Day Furiends!
We hope your humans are showing you love and that you have offered extra head bonks and purrs to your staff…errrr…humans. Oliver and Lily and I decide to create our own valentines for you and this week our theme is love and Valentine’s Day celebrations.
We hope your day is filled with love!`
Cat crashes wedding
Cara and Matt Hamdan were in the middle of exchanging vows when a loud purring was heard by the entire wedding party and it seemed to be coming from a bush.
The bride was focused on the vows her husband had written when people at the wedding began laughing. When she turned around the source of the laughter was seen, a loud purring Tabby.
The groom chose to finish his vows before he reacted to the interruption.
After the wedding the groom’s mother kept in touch with the venue to find out if the cat was still there and how it was doing. The venue employees as well as the bride and groom were cat lovers and so a plan was created to catch the cat. It took two weeks but they were finally successful. The cat was taken to the local shelter were the newlyweds arrived to adopt it.
The new feline now lives with another cat named Gatsby. The kitty is loving and affectionate and enjoying her new life with her feline sibling and her humans.
‘It’s the ultimate revenge
The Humboldt & District SPCA in Saskatchewan, Canada animal shelter’s latest fund raiser for spaying and neutering cats is a special event for Valentine’s Day.
For every $50 donation the non-profit will name a cat after the ex-partner of the person’s choosing will spay or neuter the cat.
Although this is a bit of a cynical take on Valentine’s day, it appealed to a lot of folks as the shelter’s Facebook post announcing the event received 600 likes in the first 24 hours.
Evidently this spay/neuter Valentine’s day program is being offered in numerous shelters in the
U.S. and Canada and they seem to be successful indicating that not everyone has warm and fuzzy feelings about Valentine’s Day.
Love stinks! Ohio animal charity will dedicate a shelter cat’s litter box to your ex
And if you are not sentimental about Valentine’s Day but not excited about the spay/neuter fundraiser, another shelter is running a program called “You deserve better!” The Animal Charity of Ohio. wrote on their social media page, “Treat yourself this Valentine’s Day by having us write your ex’s name on a litter box and we’ll let our rescue cats do what they do best!”
You can make a donation here.
Dorchester’s curious cat wins over hearts of Dorset town
It’s easy to fall in love with a feline but this feline has captured the hearts of an entire town.
Susie the cat moved from Upwey to Dorchester, Englad with her humans Linda and Michael Crow. She settled into her new home quickly and has been spotted by hundreds of people across the town, and has achieved such fame that she’s featured in postcards promoting Dorchester.
Evidently everyone in Dorchester is Susie’s valentine.
Cats Get Into Valentine’s Day Spirit With ‘Adorable’ Heart-Shaped Cuddle
What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than with this photo of two cats in a heart-shaped snuggle?
These 2-month old siblings are named Psilo and Meskie live their best life with their human in Bengaluru, India and they spend the day playing together and then groom each other every night before they go to sleep.
Walk Through The Web Wednesday – 12/6
Hello Furiends,
Winter is confused in our neck of the woods. We had some snow and now we’re having rain, rain and more rain. We don’t mind because we’re nice and cozy inside.
And speaking of cozy, we have nice beds in the office and since The Human is working from her home office, we expect treats on a regular schedule. Oliver and I, being a bit on the portly side, have the amount of treats we get restricted. Skinny Lily can eat as many as she wants. This week I’m sharing with you what we have to go to to get a treat!
Here’s hoping your humans will get you a treat while they read this week’s news.
50 Vintage Photos Of Cats That Show Nothing Has Changed In Decades
We felines know that the world has been fascinated with us for centuries. We’ve inspired poetry, music, art and other creative endeavors.
Why even our very own Human has written 3 books and various stories in compilation books about us, her fantastic felines.
Bored Panda discovered a fantastic Instagram account called All Vintage Cats (@allvintagecats), created by journalist Paula Leite Moreira. This unique profile showcases vintage photographs of cats from various decades of the 20th century, offering us a wonderful album of felines of the past.
Amazon delivery driver’s love for Kentucky feline friend on delivery route goes viral
Sure, you read about delivery drivers bonding with canines at the homes where they deliver but they can also have a relationship with the resident feline too.
This relationship in Brandenburg,KY went viral on TikTok, getting over 8 million views.
Evan Snow is an Amazon driver from Clarksville and while on the job, he found a feline friend. Whenever Snow would drop off packages at Isaac Bowen’s family home in Brandenburg, the family cat, Lolly, would greet him on the porch. Snow would sit on the porch to pet and give love to Lolly. Sadly Lolly crossed the Rainbow Bridge at the end of October but she shared some lovely memories with Evan.
Isaac Bowen knew the bond Snow and Lolly had, and found security footage of Snow searching for Lolly after he passed.
Bowen made a video with the footage and clips of Lolly and posted it to TikTok. The video gained over 7 million views within the first two days. Thousands of positive comments from users showed an outpour of love for this pair – many of them wanted to do something special for Snow.
We all just know that when it came to Lolly and people, there was something special with that connection,” Bowen said. “He had an effect on people and people had an effect on him.”
Bowen was able to get in contact with Snow to tell him about the video and support, and gift him the presents TikTok users wanted to send him.
The gifts included fulfilled items from Snow’s Amazon Wishlist, a framed picture of Lolly, and a stuffed bear with a recording of Lolly’s iconic meow.
“It was kind of nice to see that video, see an effect he had on a random delivery driver and then be able to thank that delivery driver for still caring for him after,” Bowen said.
Right about now you’re probably ugly crying like our Human is!
New drug calms cats during transportation, veterinary visits
We felines ar e, for the most part, not fani8s of vet visits. You humans all have your own “cures” for feline freak out. The Human likes to spray our carrier and the car seat with Feliway. Full disclosure, she’s not a fan of medication but we also understand that there are times when medication is called for.
Bonqat is the first FDA-approved animal drug containing pregabalin, which is used in human medicine as an anticonvulsant and to treat neural pain.
The drug is administered orally as a single dose of 5 mg/kg (0.1mL/kg) approximately 1.5 hours before traveling or a veterinary visit and can be given for two consecutive days, according to a November 17 announcement by the FDA.Orion Corp., a Finnish drug maker, conducted a field study of client-owned cats with a history of anxiety that included two separate visits over the course of five to 10 days as well as repetitive transportation and physical examinations for each cat.
A little over half of cats given Bonqat had a good to excellent response during both transportation and the veterinary visit compared to about one-third of cats given placebo, according to the FDA. In addition, 83 of 108 (77%) cats given Bonqat showed improvement in levels of fear and anxiety over the course of the two physical examinations, compared with 46 of 101 (46%) cats given placebo.
Adverse reactions related to Bonqat included mild sedation, ataxia, and lethargy.
Bonqat is only available by prescription from a licensed veterinarian because it is a Schedule Class V drug under the Controlled Substances Act with a potential for human abuse. In addition, professional expertise is required to monitor the safe use of the product, including proper dosing and administration.
Appropriate precautions should be taken while handling Bonqat, the FDA warned, including avoiding contact with a person’s skin, eyes, and other mucus membranes. People exposed to pregabalin should seek medical advice and may experience dizziness, sleepiness, blurred vision, weakness, dry mouth, and difficulty with concentration or attention.
SHELTER CAT’S HILARIOUS ADOPTION DESCRIPTION GOES VIRAL: “SHE WILL OWN YOU”
Oh how I love when you humans are creative about working to find forever homes for felines. This story shows great creativity on the part of the humans at this shelter.
“Do you want a cat who doesn’t want you? Do you crave the feeling of being judged in your own home? Do you need someone who will slap you back into reality without notice? If you answered yes to any of these questions, we have the cat for you! Meet Quinn,” the Humane Society of Washington County wrote in a refreshing honest Facebook ad for the kitty.
“She’s our longest-term cat resident, and we get it,” they noted cheekily. “Quinn’s not for everyone.”
Washington County Human Society employees wanted Quinn to find a loving forever home, but they also needed to make sure that potential owners knew exactly what they’d be getting themselves into.
According to the shelter, Quinn “has an uncanny ability to make people feel unwelcome in her presence.”
On the plus side, they joked, this 3-year-old calico cat is very lazy, only wants to play once a month, and is “essentially a more lively houseplant, because all she really needs a human for is food, water, and changing her litter.”
Quinn the cat finally finds her forever home
According to an exciting new post, it looks like Quinn the cat has finally found a taker! © Screenshot/Facebook/Humane Society of Washington County
Staff at the Humane Society of Washington County continued their quirky deadpan description of the adoptable cat, warning that she isn’t built for a home with dogs, kids, or cuddles.
They say that, if you decide to adopt Quinn the cat, “She will own you, your house, your belongings, and everything you hold dear.”
The cheeky post boasts over 1,000 views and hundreds of likes since being posted on November 24 as part of a Black Friday adoption sale.
According to an exciting new post, however, it looks like Quinn has finally found a taker!
“She’s not happy about it, but Quinn has been adopted!!” the shelter updated.
Quinn, we wish you good luck in your new home and hope your humans are the patient kind!
Can science find a better way to trim a cat’s nails?
The Human is ecstatic about this as our dear Lily (aka “Princess Stabby Toes”) has a tendancy to go feral if you try to hold her down and forget trying to clip her claws.
University of California, Davis, researchers are working with the Sacramento SPCA to alleviate a near-universal source of stress for cats and those who care for them: nail trimming.
Clipping a cat or kitten’s nails should be a routine practice, not only for the health of the cat and humans, but also to protect curtains, couches and other housewares.
But it can be a nerve-wracking task for all involved, and the noise and discomfort of a shelter can increase anxiety.
Ph.D. student Jennifer Link, who is in the UC Davis Animal Welfare Epi Lab, is working to lessen the trauma through a multistep protocol intended to desensitize the felines to handling and then nail clipping.
In mid-July, Link began visiting the Sacramento shelter each weekday in two-hour shifts to work on socializing rescued and surrendered cats to help ease their reactivity to new people, actions and environments. By the end of September, she had seen more than 70 cats.
“When people hear that I study cats, many ask if I can help them with nail trims,” Link said. “We know that socialization matters throughout life.”
Dan Marple, the animal welfare manager at the Sacramento Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said the research is of paramount interest to staff, volunteers and donors because it can reduce the stress of this necessary grooming need.
“Any new protocols that increase the comfort and safe handling of the cats in our care will also improve their overall well-being and adoptability,” he said.
The cats decide
Link’s research incorporates cooperative care, which lets the animals decide their level of interaction during the training process. The cats go through one of three scenarios with Link: a handling and nail trim training protocol, a handling-only training protocol, or a control with no training and only a nail trim. Each interaction is recorded for later analysis.
The protocol groups involve habituation to get the cats comfortable. On those days, they are removed from their cages and placed in a quiet shelter room where Link is sitting, with a mat laid out before her. If a cat puts their front two paws on the mat, they are given pets and a treat. The cat is meant to learn that Link interacts with them only when they place their paws on the mat. Once this is learned, Link moves forward with the training protocols.
In steps, Link touches the cat’s legs, then the paws and then those paws get a gentle squeeze. If they don’t resist, one nail is trimmed.
The procedure builds on past steps and works up. Once the cat has gone through all the steps, they get a nail trim. If a cat doesn’t interact or rejects any step, Link stops the handling. “I think with the cooperative care, it does seem to almost improve their trust in me,” Link said. “They are more comfortable if we let them decide.”
Improving life in the shelter
The work is funded as part of an American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals applied behavior grant awarded to Carly Moody, an assistant professor who runs the Animal Welfare Epi Lab. The goal is to improve the welfare of cats during the routine procedure of handling and nail trims.
Moody said the protocol could be taught to volunteers, in order to change an often-stressful experience into a more positive experience for both the handler and the cat.
“A lot of cats in the shelter want affection,” Moody said. “Hopefully in the future something like this could be incorporated into shelter cat enrichment and management programs.”
It could also help owners at home and decrease the number of visits to clinics and veterinary hospitals, where people often seek help with nail clipping, Marple said.
“A lot of owners don’t have the tools to make nail trimming more positive,” Moody said.
Next, researchers will analyze the video sessions and finalize the protocol. If the protocol is found to be helpful, they may share it with cat managers at other shelters for additional data and input.
Paws crossed that this is a success and that all you humans can try it on your less than cooperative felines.
Walk Through the Web Wednesday – 7/19
Happy Wednesday Furiends!
I am pleased to say WOOO HOO and HALEIJUJAH- we’re back. Our Purrsonal assistant is finishing up all her outside activities and will be back this week to focus on her job. She no sooner arrived home from the writer’s conference when she informed us that she would be leaving again in two days! This was Oliver’s reaction when he heard the news.
Lily too, was less than enthusiastic about The Human’s second departure.
Even I felt a certain kind of way about the Human’s second immediate departure.
Still, we have to cut The Human some slack as this second trip was to go with two other family members to fly to other family members and help them move to our neck of the woods. This makes The Human very happy but The Tribe is withholding enthusiasm as we have not found an upside for us and, in fact, the human relatives have a dog that likes to chase cats so approval is pending from us.
But, we are pleased to announce that not only are the trips over, there are lots of exciting things coming. Here’s a preview of one:
See this book? Well The Human was fangirling all over the place when she met the author, Molly Fitz at the #CozyCon in St. Paul. We will be having a drawing for this book soon! In the meantime, you can read more about Molly, a real cat lady and her books. Meowza, we’re excited to do a book giveaway and we will also be doing an interview with either Molly and/or one of her feline characters. Negotiations are happening as we report this.
And speaking of authors, The Human was so inspired, she is not only finishing her first cozy mystery but she’s already outlined the next five in the series-Meowza!
Okay, enough about what’s happening in our neck of the woods, let’s go to some of the best feline news on the Internet.
Cat Noses Are Marvels That May Inspire Better Scientific Instrument
My readers know that I am not a very sciency feline but I did find this article interesting. Evidently a gas chromatograph, a scientific instrument used to separate and analyze different gasses, could learn a great deal from the cat’s nose, according to a new study . As the first detailed study of the feline sniffer, it reveals a dual-channel system in the nose that the instrument could perhaps replicate.
“We know so much about vision and hearing, but not so much about the nose. This work could lead to more understanding of the pathways behind different nose structures, and the functional purpose they serve,” says Kai Zhao, an associate professor of otolaryngology in Ohio State’s College of Medicine, in a press release.
The channel system for smelling acts like a major highways on a complex road system. We felines inhales air into our nose, flooding both, and they in turn infuse a labyrinth of small passages called turbinates that clean and humidify the air. The turbinates pass the air on to the olfactory region lined with olfactory epithelium, which detects odors. (Okay if this is crystal clear to you, you are definitely more sciency than this cat!)
The study mapped this complex network by CT-scanning the cadaver of a domestic short hair cat, revealing the intricate folds and passageways winding through the cat’s ethmoid bone. Humans also have turbinates, but the human turbinates consist of a few simplistic folds, and have the comparatively weak sense of smell to match.
“For mammals, olfaction is very important in finding prey, identifying danger, finding food sources and tracking the environment,” Zhao says in a press release.
Dogs possess even more complex nasal passages than cats and humans, allowing them to ruminate on a scent with great focus. Hence the job for canines of “sniffer dog”.
Researchers discovered that with cats, the dual streams serve different purposes. The first channel goes low and relatively slow and spreads through the turbinates before eventually reaching the olfactory region. This gradual pathway resembles a gas chromatograph with a long tube designed to detect more chemicals at a slower rate.
The second stream runs fast and heads straight for the olfactory region, where it allows for quick detection of important smells. This comes at a trade-off however, as the faster an odor passes through the system, the less efficient the detection. While the second lane may quickly detect a predator at close range, the first may be needed to identify one from a paw print.
Once air arrives at the olfactory region, it circulates through parallel channels that make the most of each breath.
“That was actually a surprise,” says Zhao. “It’s like you take a sniff, the air is shooting back there and then is being processed for a much longer time.”
Overall, the cat studied possessed a surfeit of olfactory epithelium tucked inside its turbinate folds, which would have allowed it to out-sniff more rudimentary noses. The researchers estimated that this cat and others like it would have possessed noses about 100 times more powerful than those of similar-sized amphibians with simplistic “straight noses.”
So, some interesting information about cat noses but purrhaps it could have been put in less professional terms. Did you learn anything about our noses?
Shelter Staff Catches Cats Giving Massages To Blind Dog Who Needs Them The Most
Oh my whiskers, the folks at the Dodo have some of the greatest cat stories. When Tam needs a bit of comfort, his friend Elodie is always willing to help. Tam, a pup At the Sunshine Animal Refuge Agadir (SARA), is blind and suffers from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which makes his skin extra fragile and his joints prone to arthritis.
Elodie and her fellow cats at the refuge seem to know that Tam needs extra TLC, and the tribe of cats at SARA have made it their mission to help him out.
“Tam regularly shares his bed with at least two cats,” Hazel Skeet, a long-time volunteer with SARA, told The Dodo. “All the cats adore him and give him cuddles and massages.”
The Farm Refuge is one of three refuges in the SARA network that caters to senior or sick dogs and recently rescued dogs who are ready to be adopted. The Farm Refuge also serves as a temporary shelter for homeless cats — there are currently about 200 of them!
“To be honest, it is quite difficult for anyone to sit down at the Farm Refuge without being immediately surrounded by cats,” Skeet said. “But Tam is the most popular dog. The cats know he will lie quietly and be gentle with them. [He’s] the perfect pillow for a snooze, and Tam enjoys the affectionate closeness.”
Tam was born at the refuge nearly nine years ago. While most of his siblings were adopted, he and his sister Daccia remained at the refuge due to their Ehlers-Danlos diagnoses. Unfortunately, there is no cure for the genetic disorder, but Tam and his sister are well cared for by both their cat and human companions.
Tam will continue to live his best life alongside his sister and cat friends at the SARA Farm Refuge. And he can expect to receive so many more relaxing massages from the cats who care so much for him — as he well deserves!
To help the SARA team care for and rescue more animals in need, you can head over to the organization’s website to donate and learn more about their mission.
Inside a mid century glass filled home built for cats
Meowza! This human had his flat redesigned in elegant mid-century style with lots of glass and the main inspurration for the design? His felines!
Man rescues 60 cats and has to rent 3 apartments to house them
This man is an angel to stray felines. He can’t stop rescuing cats, so he rents 3 apartments for all of them. That guy from the previous study needs to contact this rescuer. To help Yassine save more cats, you can donate here: https://thedo.do/catdonate. You can also keep up with Yassine’s cat saving adventures on Instagram: https://thedo.do/theyasshouse, YouTube: https://thedo.do/Theyasshouse, Facebook: https://thedo.do/TheYassHouse & TikTok: https://thedo.do/yassthecatman.
An update on one of my favorite purrlitical felines -Larry
As my regular readers know, I have previously reported on Larry the Cat at 10 Downing Street. Larry emerged from the front door of the British prime minister’s office to find a red carpet under his paws but was unceremoniously removed from the carpet. The nerve!
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