Hello There Furiends,

It’s time to wander through the web and see what feline news I can sniff out. Things in our neck of the woods have been pretty good. Tucker has been a lot perkier lately. I’m not sure if that’s because of the meds the old guy takes or if it’s the lower temperatures but either way, we’re happy the old guy is happy. By the way, this is a photo of Tucker looking perky, he’s never been one to overexert himself.

 

 

 

 

 

My brother and Oliver and I are now doing the occasional snuggle but we won’t be spooning for real until the temperatures drop a lot more. Oliver likes to groom my head which I find a bit annoying but hey, he’s my brother so I humor him.

But I digress, let’s get started and see what newsworthy feline items I discovered this week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LavvieBot S Is Evidently The Cat’s Meow

Okay, first of all what the heck? Who makes a litter box that looks like a washing machine? Every time any of the Tribe tries to climb into the washing machine we get yelled at.

Evidently this self cleaning litter box quietly cleans the box and the humans can even program it as to when to clean. The waste is put into a bag lined drawer that only has to be cleaned every two weeks. (Right, not with THIS Tribe!)

Other features include the humans being able to track litter box usage by cat (they track this by weight).  This is actually a “thing” at our house because our older Alpha has some, err, constipation issues. One would think he’d won a Nobel Prize the way The Female Human dances around and celebrates when his litter box visit has been successful.

Another feature LavviBotS offers is that the humans can receive a text when the cat uses the box. I discussed this with The Female Human and she said, “With five cats I’d be getting texts all day, no  thank you!”. Ah well, there’s just no pleasing some people. The LavvieBotS also can add fresh litter automatically from a storage bin.

While this all sounds intriguing the cost made our human meow….$899.00 to be exact. And if you follow the rule that there should be one box per cat, The Female Human would either have to get a second full time job or find a rich husband (and finding guys out there who are interested in taking on five felines with regular litter boxes is hard enough!)  Still, this new product sounds intriguing for the well-heeled feline.

Land of the Rising Cat appeals to those who can’t get enough of Japan’s obsession with cats

The author of the book, Land of the Rising Cat, Manami Okazaki says that there is no population on earth more fascinated with cats than the Japanese. (I think our moggie loving friends across the pond might argue with this).  In her book she covers religion, destinations, artisans, pop culture, art and design, all dating back thousands of years, Okazaki investigates weird and wonderful stories of shrines, temples and festivals, and interviews toymakers, fashion designers and even an architect to uncover the country’s love affair with cats. The book will be released in September.

 

Royal Canin Encourages Veterinary Visits for Cats

The good folks at Royal Canin are promoting Take Your Cat to the Vet Day and The Tribe of Five is completely behind this holiday. Our own Jasmine blogged about how important this is (that’s her in the photo).

According to a survey from Royal Canin, more than one in five (21%) cat owners said they take their cat to the vet only after it’s already showing signs of illness. Thank goodness The Female Human takes us for wellness visits.

More than 36 million households own a cat in the United States, and only half of all cats regularly receive veterinary care. Compared to dogs, where nearly 80% receive annual care, there is a major gap.

Most vet offices aren’t set up to provide a good experience for cats or their owners, which makes taking cats to the vet a very stressful experience. We are very lucky as our vet, Pend Oreille Veterinary Service built a new facility completely focused on fearless vet visits. My brother Oliver and I did a tour and blogged about this amazing place.  This was an excellent move on their part for many reasons, especially when you understand that almost half (47%) of people who own only cats said they would be more willing to take their cat to the vet’s office were it a less stressful process. Our human says a big, YES! to that. I hope all my feline furiends out there have a place to go that is as relaxing and positive as ours.

REDDIT PUBLIC ACCESS NETWORK SOFT LAUNCHES, LET’S USERS STREAM THEIR CATS AND LAMPS

Reddit has started a closed test for their new streaming service, the Reddit Public Access Network. A select number of users are currently able to livestream themselves and showcase the footage on the app or reddit website. The test ends on August 23 at 8 p.m. EST. and it’s unclear when the system will be returning.

Reddit users can access a myriad of channels with active chat rooms. There is a whole bunch of techno gobbledygook about what this service is, but frankly, I have no idea what they’re talking about. Those testing this new feature have been streaming quite a variety of things.There are cats playing on beds, guitars being strummed and a whole lot of people watching television. Now I admit, I am a technically challenged feline but my response to this  Reddit thing is….why? Cats already own the internet.

If You Haven’t Seen This Video Yet of a Cat “Dancing” to “Mr. Sandman,” You’re in For a Treat

I’m closing this week’s report with a little happiness. This video is guaranteed to make even the grumpiest cat smile. You’re welcome. .