Walk Through The Web Wednesday 7/7

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends,

It looks like there are weather issues in everyone’s neck of the woods this week. We’re purraying for our friends who are waiting for the hurricane to pass and for those of us suffering unusual heat, hang in there.

The air cooler The Human ordered finally arrived. As you can tell from this photo, it’s a hit with me!

Lily enjoys the evenings when it cools down enough to open the windows.

Lily also enjoys snoopervising whatever is going on in the kitchen.

And Oliver? Well, Ollie is just hanging around being Ollie and any chance for a nap is good for him, even when it’s hot!

So furiends, stay safe, stay cool and nap whenever you can!

Netflix’s next documentary star is the world’s greatest ‘cat rapper’

Beginning today, Netflix will show a 6-part docuseries called Cat People. There are all kinds of breeds of feline lovers like rescue workers, veterinarians, cat café owners and one of this feline’s favorites, Moshow, the cat rapper!

Moshow isn’t only a cat rapper, he puts his love of cats to good use as he promotes adoption for the Oregon Humane Society and is a participant in the Million Cat Challenge.

The Tribe gives Moshow paws up and says, “Rap on our furiend”. Enjoy the video and visit the full article for more Moshow feline rapping.

Woman woos stray cat

MOL! This could happen to our Human as she’s blind as a bat without her glasses. Claudia Hankin was enjoying sitting on her porch and reading on evening. She was delighted when she noticed a shy, little gray cat hanging out on her porch.

She doesn’t wear her glasses when she reads so she didn’t have a good view of the cat but she did the “psst, psst, here kitty” thing to try and get the cat close enough to pet.

Imagine her surprise when the “cat” got close enough to her for her to realize it wasn’t a cat at all but a possum! Hankin grabbed her phone to get a photo but as soon as the flash went off, the timid creature headed back to the woods.

I’m wondering , now that the human has extended the hand of friendship, if the possum will attempt to continue their relationship.

How to cool cats down in hot weather

Oliver). Signs of heat exhaustion are rapid breathing, lethargy, staggering movements, vomiting, red tongue and mouth, and a high temperature.

Thank goodness we cats sweat through our paw pads and we will attempt to disperse our body heat by moving to a cooler spot and drinking lots of water.  

Now if your feline is extra furry they will be looking for heat relief but even the less furry of us appreciate some help.

Here are some ideas to help your kitty be more comfortable when the weather is too warm.

1. Freeze cat treats
If you like those tasty Churu mousse like treats or Delectables, tell your human to put a few in the freezer and voila-cat popsicles!

2. Provide an outdoor cat house.
If you find your feline lounging on the hot pavement, try a cat house that is more elevated and that offers some shade.

3. Make your own frozen cat treat.
Drain some tuna juice (water from the canned tuna), add a bit more water and pour into an ice cube tray. Tasty!

4. Consider a cat cooling mat
They make these for dogs but they work for cats too. If you have multiple felines, get a large mat so everyone can lounge on it.

5. Get a pet water fountain
Having  plenty of fresh water is important during warmer months. Water fountains provide a regular supply of flowing water.

.6. Put ice cubes in water
Our Tribe loves this and, after we’ve had a nice cool drink, we like to swat the ice cubes around.

7. Make your own DIY cat cooling towel
Save the money for cat treats and just paper towels for DIY cooling towels.

9. Consider a catio
Make sure there is plenty of shade and cool water available.

10. Make sure your windows are safe
If you leave your windows open use netting frames that fit over the windows or doors to keep your cat safe and your home cooler.

12. Daily grooming
Cats with thick coats will especially appreciate frequent grooming.

14. Freeze a bottle of water.
Freeze the bottle, wrap it in a towel and place it where your cat likes to hang out

And remember, no matter how much your do, you may still have some dramatic felines in your home like Oliver.

Keeping cats safe in your yard

There is a lot of talk about catios, heck, I’ve reported on some fantastic ones myself but if you humans are adverse to attaching something to your home (especially if you have snowy winters) you might like this idea.

Happy Paws Out is a cat-proof fencing system that allows your felines to enjoy your yard and not pull a Houdini maneuver to escape. This can be installed on all kinds of fences or, 2D panels can be installed to close open garden areas.

You can go the  DIY route or take advantage of their installation services (if you live in Ireland, that is). Purrsonally, I like the idea of fencing everyone in, not just the felines!

Meet Smokey, One of the First Cats to Beat FIP!

Oh my whiskers, if there ever was a time and a cat to celebrate, this is it! Smokey has been through quite a bit in his life. He was rescued when he was found in a field, sick and without his mother. He was diagnosed with feline infectious peritonitis or FIP  which is a disease that is almost always fatal in cats. But our furiend Smokey defied all the odds and is one of the first cats to ever be cured of this nasty disease!

Smokey’s human, Peter, started ZenByCat which is a non-profit organization raising funds for further FIP research. Smokey is the organizations poster cat.  Peter says that Smokey’s purpose is to give hope to people. You can follow Smokey and his siblings on their Instagram account.

Paws Up award by FelineOpines.net for humans who do amazing things for cats

The healthy Smokey spends his days walking on his wheel and playing with his 24 feline siblings.   Peter adopts as many cats as he can to give them a happy home and, as a talented general contractor, he’s been able to modify his home with cat walks to create the best cat jungle him ever.     

We give this human our Paws Up award and say concatulations to Smokey for beating this disease!   

                                                                                                                                 

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 8/29

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Well hello there furiends,
Boy did Wednesday come quick this week. Our terrible smokey air is getting better and we even had rain this week! The temperatures are much cooler and fall is coming. Here’s hoping all the fires that surround us will be contained completely. We worry about the humans and the poor forest creatures that are burned out of their homes.

I hope you enjoy this week’s items.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

These Cats (and a dog and a chicken) make way more money than you – Fashion Spot

ChoupetteLAGERFILED

Choupette Lagerfeld

The Female Human is constantly whining about The Tribe of Five “earning our keep”. We remind her that we are internet sensations and she responds with “Show me the money.”  Now in our defense, Karl Lagerfeld’s is already famous and his cat, Choupette, earns the equivalent of 692 black Chanel 2.55 handbags annually — or a total of $3,808,000. With 114,000 followers on Instagram, Choupette rose to fame in 2012 when she started her modeling career in V magazine. Two years later, her book Choupette: The Private Life of a High Flying Fashion Cat was published. Not too shabby for a young cat. (I think it’s important to insert here that The Tribe of Five wrote a book too). So, my response to The Female Human is, “What have you done to become famous?”

Now the phenom, Grumpy Cat, became famous all on his own and his human remains in the background. Grumpy earns $12,693,333 a year. (That’s a lot of catnip!).  And do you remember Keyboard Cat? He has now crossed the rainbow bridge but he’s still bringing in $95,200,000 a year! If you want to know what other famous pets earn, go to Pets of the Net, an online calculator created by pet food brand Webbox, and find out  how much six of the most beloved and popular pets are earning. Meowza, The Tribe of Five really needs to step up our game!

 

 

Nathan the Beach Cat – Popsugar

black cat loves swimming in the ocean

What’s cooler than a sleek house panther? A house panther that likes to swim in the ocean! Nathan — or Nathan the Beach Cat was found in a box on the freeway in Australia and adopted by humans Rian and Mel and now she’s living the vida loca!

Nathan has to 318,000 Instagram followers and is capturing the attention of the internet because of her swimming skills. Nathan’s favorite pastimes are swimming our lounging on the beach with her humans.

cat on boogie board in the oceanThe Tribe of Five have a water loving feline friend called Purrseidon who is an ocean loving, boogie boarding feline. You can read Purrseidon’s story here. 

You can also read about Purrseidon’s first boogie board lesson in case your feline in residence is interested in this sport.
Sadly, due to the fires that have surrounded us all  summer and the very unhealthy air quality, my kayaking training has been postponed. I’m crossing my paws that we have a long, warm fall so that The Female Human and I can give it a try.

 

Purr-fectly adorable: 5 cute things we saw at Pop Cats in Austin – Austin360.com

cat art

You know I’m a sucker for feline themed events. This one called Pop Cats,  a vendor market, adoption fair and overall celebration of all things cats in Austin, Texas sounds like it was a purrfect event. There was cat art, the cat rapper Moshow, a caticorn, a cat cosplay and of course, cats, cats and more cats. I’m glad the humans had fun but the most important part of this event was the cats, those who were looking for furever homes and those who traveled to the event with their humans (this was a BYOC (bring your own cat) event).

Why Do Cats Eat Grass? – Mother Nature Network

img_2010

The Tribe of Five loves our grass. Normally we eat wheat grass but we have been known to munch on the grass outside as well.  There are lots of reasons we eat grass.  Grass acts as a natural laxative, when we have tummy aches, eating grass often helps us get rid of whatever is bothering us (can you say “hair ball”?). Sometimes if we felines eat grass obsessively it can mean we are stressed.

If you humans want to provide grass to your felines in residence, pleases make sure it is good for us!

 

 

Adorable Rescue Kittens Get a Sweet Newborn Photo Shoot to Help Them Get Adopted – My Modern Met

Ginger kitten in baby picture

I am always a fan of creative ideas that shelters use to promote feline adoptions. Photographers have a very important role to play and the more creative the photos. the better chance the feline has of finding a furever home. We have a great photo lady at our shelter (Panhandle Animal Shelter) and she’s always coming up with new ideas.

A human named Brandy Suppi rescued a Momma cat who had just had kittens. She asked her friend, photographer Heather Scott of LaMon photography to do a newborn kitten shoot. Well, all you have to do is look at these pictures to know these humans came up with a fantastic idea! The photos and adoption information was posted on Facebook 
and it looks like these little guys will all be enjoying a furever home soon.  Does your local shelter have a “picture lady” or “picture guy”? Maybe they might want to try kitten baby photos!