Hello there furiends!
Happy autumn and I hope you are all enjoying nice weather! For those near fires, those who have had floods and those who were in the path of Ida, we have been purraying for you all!

We are finally done with the unusually stifling heat and are having a beautiful fall. Now that it’s getting cooler, snuggling is happening again! My brother Oliver and I like to snuggle but sometimes he decides I need to to cleaned a little too vigorously!

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LIly prefers to snuggle with The Human and likes to get into her purrsonal space at bedtime.

And we’re all returning to our favorite hang outs now that the heat is gone! It’s a source of amazement that Oliver can squeeze himself into this scratcher bed.

That’s it for now, wishing you all a great, happy week!

What really goes on at cat yoga?

Okay, admit it. If you haven’t purrticipated in cat yoga, haven’t you wondered what does on? Well, finally there’s a report that unveils the mystery with this article from Kitty Queen Cat Rescue.

The felines  weave between the legs of a person in a tree pose, sniff the hair of someone in the downward-facing dog position and try to get under the yoga mats of the participants.  In other words, everyone is having fun.  You can find a feline/human yoga session documented in the photos from the article.

This rescue, doesn’t just offer yoga classes but does craft nights and meet and greets for the adoptable felines in their care in the cat lounge, the kitten room or the zen room for the more nervous felines.  We say paws up to Kitty Queen Cat Rescue for all they are doing!

‘The Electrical Life of Louis Wain’ Review: Benedict Cumberbatch Is the Cat’s Whiskers

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I talked about Louis Wain in last week’s feature. He was the man who painted cats…hundreds and some say even thousands of cats. His art was so loved because he featured us in bars, holding golf clubs, swinging ping pong paddles, driving and smoking cigars. In other words, doing all the things you humans do.

A film about his life. “The Electrical Life of Louis Wain” will premiere at the Telluride Film Festival and I sure wish The Human would take us to see it! That Wain guy seems pretty cool!

The film is full of cats of all kinds (well, DUH!) and tells the story of Wain’s life. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Wain, a man born a gentleman in London but through a lifetime of less than good decisions found himself broke and drawing cats.

His first job was as a newspaper illustrator and he eloped with the governess of his sister’s children. Sadly, the marriage didn’t last.  The human movie critics at Variety liked the movie but felt it would have been better had the film featured a narrower portion of Wain’s life. I think they should have featured more cats!

I suggest you watch it with your humans and come to your own conclusions.

Cat missing from Waverly flood miraculously found alive five days later

You know how much I love happy endings and this is one of the happiest. Britany Moss, from Tennessee, was visiting family when she found out her home had flooded. The water was so high her neighbors were stuck in their attic.

She returned home to find her neighborhood destroyed by the water and her cat Jade missing. She left out cat food, searched the neighborhood and borrowed a trap with the hope she would find Jade.

And just like in the happiest of fairy tales, she found Jade. The poor cat was terrified, covered in mud with matted hair and a horrible smell.

Jade has not stopped cuddling with her human since she was found and Moss says she is doing much better. Unfortunately, Moss’ home was completely destroyed but she did have flood insurance.

The Adorable Native Cat Breeds of Greece and Cyprus

The Human has been to Greece and she often talks about the felines all over the Greek Isles. Who knew that there were two species of Greek cats though? There are two distinct cat breeds, the Aegean cat and the Cyprus Cat, that are native to Greece and Cyprus. You can spot them lounging near the fishing boats, hoping for a nice seafood dinner.

Aegean cats are known to be playful, vocal, friendly, and very loving. They’re particularly comfortable around water and love to go fishing. They are almost always bicolor, once in a blue moon tricolor and they will almost always have white as one of their colors. The most common color combinations are white and black (Hmm, I wonder if Oliver is an Aegean cat), white and ginger and white and tabby. Their most famous feature is their large, beautiful, almond shaped eyes.

These cats are thought to be descended from ancient cats, have always bred naturally without the “help” of humans and are said to have been around for thousands of years. Some believe they are one of the oldest domesticated breeds in the world. Aegean cats live with humans and can also be feral.  

Their paws have adapted well to grasping at fish swimming along in the sea, and their fur can be short yet full in the summer and a bit longer and thicker in the winter.

Despite the fact that they are a well-documented breed with a long history, the Aegean cat is not yet recognized by the Cat Fanciers Association so if you want an Aegean cat, you’ll just have to go to Greece and adopt one!

Cyprus cats, also known as St. Helen’s cats, are a breed of domesticated felines found on the island nation of Cyprus.

According to historic sources, St. Helen, the mother of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, brought the forefathers of the breed to the island herself.

It is believed that St. Helen filled her ship up with cats from Egypt — although some sources say Palestine — and brought them with her to Cyprus to help curb the snake problem there in the fourth century.

The cats were brought to the Monastery of St. Nicholas, where the venomous snake population was extremely large and threatening. According to legend, the cats were called to hunt snakes on the monastery grounds by a bell that was rung each day. Now wait just a minute – that means this St. Catherine brought the hapless feline to fight dangerous, venomous snakes! It’s a miracle any of them survived!

There is still a large cat population at the monastery (now a convent). The Greek poet, Georgos Seferis wrote a poem about these cats called “The Cats of St. Nicholas.”

Archeological evidence of cats living alongside humans in Cyprus has been found on the island when excavations were done at a Neolithic site called Shillourokampos in Cyprus. They found the ancient people cared for their feline companions, and even dug out a grave with care for their pet cat.

The Cypriot breed is linked to other feline groups in Egypt and Palestine, so the story of St. Helen likely has some truth to it.

The Cyprus cat has many similarities with the Aegean cat breed of Greece.

Much like the Aegean cat, Cyprus cats have been left to breed naturally, so they have less inclination to genetic diseases.

Cyprus cats, unlike most Aegean cats, tend to be extremely energetic and athletic. They have a thick coat, which can be short or semi-long.

They are extremely playful and social, and love to be around humans. They’re also great hunters. Cyprus cats are commonly tabby with a mix of white, but can come in all colors, ranging from ginger to black. They are rarely found outside Cyprus.

Cat breeder and fancier organizations are beginning to develop qualifications for the breed in order for it to be recognized internationally. It is recognized already by the World Cat Federation under the name “Aphrodite’s Giant.”

A heartwarming community effort in Singapore to save a trapped cat in a car bumper

This kitty had a very good day thanks to some heroic humans. A couple found the resident community cat stuck in a bumper and, when they tried to get her out, realized that her leg was stuck inside the bumper.  

AAA was called as well as the SPCA. While they waited for help to arrive they continued to try and free the cat but made no progress.

One man who drive by, parked his car and went to attempt to help, bringing his car jack. The poor cat’s leg was tangled in the wires so that didn’t work. The SPCA arrived and they couldn’t free the cat either.

The man with the car jack  then called his mechanic and found out what the wire was attached to. The mechanic said the quickest way to free the cat was to cut the wire. The man advised the car owner that if they cut the wire, he would have his mechanic fix the car at no cost.

The car owner agreed and they extricated the cat with only a few scratches and a sprain. The cat ran away but did return to her caregiver who took care of her.

Paws up to these humans for caring for this poor, trapped kitty!