Hello Furiends,
Happy Wednesday! We’ve had an interesting week here in our neck of the woods. The Human received notification from the good folks at Basepaws, the cat DNA company, that they had updated their health reports, added new health reports such as blood type and blood transfusion information,25 new genetic traits and screening for additional health markers. The Human was keen to get the additional information as she loves the idea of doing whatever she can to be proactive in keeping us healthy. Our veterinary clinic love using the results as tools to help keep us healthy too.

What she didn’t realize was that she would receive three new DNA kits. You may be saying, “So what?” This was a big deal however because The Human now faced the daunting task of doing cheek swabs for all three of us.

It took her almost a week to screw up her courage to get the job done but she finally screwed up her courage and began the daunting task. She started with me as I’m a fairly mellow guy. I did not, however succumb to the cheek swabbing easily.

Once she was done with me she moved on to Oliver. He observed my cheek swabbing, squirming and meowing from a distance and wanted no part of what he ascertained to be some form of brutal torture.

She didn’t get my DNA without a struggle and then she turned her attention to Lily, also known in our house as “Princess Stabby Toes”. I am pleased to report that The Human managed to complete the mission with minimum blood loss and injury.

That’s what we’ve been up to this week. When we receive our new reports we’ll let you know about the new information and what The Human and our vet think about it all.

National Take Your Cat to Work Day — How cats help people in the office

June is the month when humans celebrate the benefits of felines at work and many will take their cats to the office. A TV station in Indianapolis

Office cats are becoming more popular than ever, and in the news video KJ McGlinn, host of the KJ Today Show, introduces an office cat named Grayson.

There are many benefits to working with a feline in your office and here are three:

• Having a cat reduces stress 
• Some studies show that an office cat increases productivity 
• Adopting a cat for the office frees up space and resources for the shelters 

An Unlikely Friendship Between Monkeys and a Litter of Cats

At the Bambalela Vervet Monkey Rehabilitation Center in South Africa, older vervet monkeys adopted a litter of feral cats that showed up at their enclosure at the center.

Vervet monkeys often have conflict with humans, so it came as somewhat of a surprise when the monkeys at the rehab center developed great relationships with their feline friends.

Kitty exhibition: Persian feline museum hosts real stray cats

A museum dedicated to cats is wonderful and it’s made even better in the Iranian capital Tehran, at a  museum dedicated to Persian cats. The museum depicts the history of the Persian cats which are some of the most popular felines in the world, but also hosts a wide range of cats in the  space.

Almost 30 cats roam the museum rooms and nap in its many cozy corners, with museum organizers regularly posting photos of them on Instagram.

The museum has been around for three years and has a resident veterinarian Haleh, who volunteers her time to care for the cats two to three days a week. “When you care for cats or play with them, happiness hormones are released,” she says.

There are Persian cats and a handful of other breeds that live at the museum.  All the cats are named after well known figures from Persian mythology and history.

There are many visitors to the museum and as pets are not tolerated by some parts of society in Shiite Iran, being able to visit the cats is a treat. Cats,  unlike dogs, cats are not considered unclean in Islam.

The museum for Persian cats is outgrowing it’s space and the rental contract has not been renewed. But even a change in location would probably not  harm the popularity of the museum with its tens of thousands of fans on social media.

Are you a dog person or a cat person?

What do you see first in this picture, dogs or cats?

If you look closely, you will notice the red shapes show two cats with their tails touching. But if you focus on the white space first, you will realise the red shapes of the cat form the long ears of a spaniel. The white space forms the dog’s face.

Per some psychologists, people who like dogs more than cats are more likely to be loyal, friendly, playful, and easy to get on with. They are people who like socialising and enjoy companionship.

As for cat lovers, the psychologists say they can be self-motivated, goal-oriented, and introverted and tend to enjoy their own company,

What did you see first and what do you think about the psychological analysis?

5 Feline Gods & Goddesses

You humans have a saying, “Cats used to be worshipped like gods and they’ve never forgotten.” There were many cat gods in history and here are five. Do any of my feline furiends resemble any of these gods?

Bastet is an Egyptian goddess with the head of a cat. She’s the goddess of perfume and ointments, which were very important for making mummies. She’s also the goddess of warfare depicted in early mythology as having the head of a lioness. Domesticated cats in ancient Egypt were regarded very highly for their ability to ward off rodents, pests, and snakes, and for being protective mothers to their kittens. Royal cats were dressed in jewels and allowed to eat off of their human’s plates, a practice some felines still enjoy today.

The Mayans had several jaguar figures and deities in their myths. The Jaguar God of the Underworld, was very important. In addition to appearing as a jaguar, this deity was  also worshipped as the “night sun” that travels from west to east in the underworld at night, until it rose again in the daytime above ground. He also personifies the number seven, as well as having connections to fire and war. Maybe this is why many of us felines watch our humans while t they’re sleeping with our big, glowing eyes that shine like the night sun.

According to Hindu mythology, Dawon — also known as Gdon — is a ferocious tigress given to the goddess Durga for her prowess in combat. Durga would wield ten weapons in her ten arms and ride Dawon into battle like a horse. Dawon would use her claws and teeth to fight off enemies.

Dawon came to represent the victories of her mistress. Like the tiger Dawon, we felines can still use our claws and teeth as weapons.

In Indonesia, Barong Ket is a panther- or lion-like leader of good spirits who fights the demon queen Rangda. Barong Ket  has a red head, thick white fur, and is often accompanied by two monkeys. He’s also quite playful in times of peace.

The story of his battle is still depicted in traditional dance between Barong Ket and a monkey so if any of you felines have monkey furiends you can do this dance with them.

There were multiple Lamassu gods who have a lion’s body, eagle’s wings, and a human head. Sometimes they have a bull’s body, instead, but I prefer the feline form myself.

In ancient Assyria, they were usually placed at entrances of cities or palaces as protective spirits. Now this feline is glad we don’t have wings or creepy human heads but we can definitely guard the entrance to your homes.