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!