Oliver Opines on Inspurration -Blogging from A to Z..”A”

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Hello Folks

This is our first time purrticipating in this challenge and we’re a bit apprehensive about coming up with a post inspired a letter every day but The Tribe of Five has resolved to do it.

Today’s letter is “A”, so I’m blogging about All of The Tribe.  I figure many of you will be new to our blog so I thought an introduction would be a good idea. We are five rescue felines who live in the Northwest with our two humans.

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My brother Alberto and I are the youngest, (2 years)  fostered and then adopted by our Humans. Lily is four years old, she was adopted from our local shelter and Tucker (the Alpha) and his sister Jasmine are 14 years old and moved with the humans to this home.

We will be taking turns opining on things that strike our fancy (in alphabetical order, of course). We hope you enjoy our feline view of the world and we look forward to having our purrsonal secretary read the posts of the other purrticipants to us.

Purrs & Head Bonks,

black and white cat Oliver

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 3/27

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hi Folks,
Alberto here. It’s my favorite time of the week again (well unless it’s the day when our wet food meal includes my favorite tuna with gravy). I’ve wandered through the web to bring you my faves of the week. Enjoy.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

New Photo Book Shows that Cats are Art Worthy – Feature Shoot

CatPhotoBook

Before you start meowing at me and say, “There are plenty of cat books!” allow me to explain. This isn’t just a book of kitty photos. It’s a book from Humble Arts Foundation that features a curated selection of cat photos in a book called Humble Cats.

In the words of the article from Feature Shoot, “While at times the imagery is pleasingly kitsch, it also goes beyond the meme with more contemplative photographs that ask questions and provide few answers.” Now I’m a pretty savvy feline but I’m not sure what “kitsch” means I think any photo of us fabulous felines can be “contemplative”. Take for felines opine book Anita Aurit siamese cat and black and white catinstance, the new book by The Tribe of Five, Felines Opine about God. I think a number of our photos are quite contemplative. But I am digressing into shameless self promotion now (the book is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle edition). End of shameless self-promotion.

There are other wonderful feline photo books out such as PhotoCat by Sacha de Boer.

If you can’t get enough of feline photos,  head on over to Instragram. Start by visiting Cats of Instagram and you’ll see some fabulous furry creatures there.

How Cats Tamed Us – The New Yorker
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The human writer of this article certainly knows their felines! They begin the article by saying that “When you own a cat, it often feels as though your pet is your boss.” First allow me to explain that no one owns a cat, we are the epitome of the saying, “Dogs have owners, cats have staff”. There is an excellent quote from the author of The Lion in the Living Room, Abigail Tucker, who says, “You could see our relationship with cats as a series of cat-controlled takeovers.”. In celebration of these and other ideas about how we felines fit into the lives of our humans (or purrhaps make our humans fit into our lives) a video has been created called “How Cats Tamed Us” a new edition to the “Obsession” series that is based on Tucker’s book. I was quite excited to see they got some big name stars for the video like Cole & Marmalade. Lil’ Bub and Grumpy Cat! Meow, I give this movie a 2 paws up!

  Can you get a purr-fect score on this television cats quiz? MeTV

tv cats cat quiz
It’s about time that felines got some recognition for their television roles. Some of these questions will require that you dig deep, deep into your old TV show memory bank (this kitten never even heard of some of these) but it’s pretty cool. The quiz asks questions about the felines in courtroom dramas, sci-fi shows, cartoons and puppet shows. Take the quiz and let us know how you did!

4 Claw-some Cat Craft Books I’m Paws-itive You Need Right Now – BookRiot

cardboard buildable cat habitats
If your humans are crafty, you might want them to take a look at these books. The Female Human is crafty, even has a room she refers to as her “craft room”. This room is

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Me deciding if I should help The Female Human with her crafts or take a snooze on the cat bed on the bench.

usually off limits to me because I like to chew on plastic and paper and generally wreak havoc in her little spot but she does let me join her often. She’s even placed a little cat bed on a bench next to her crafting table so that I can snooze while she works.

I purrused the books and I think my favorite is the one that shows humans how to make cat castles. What feline doesn’t want their own castle, or airplane. tepee, rocket, battle ship..well,  you get the idea. I think this would be an excellent use of The Female Human’s time in her craft room.  If you can’t talk your humans into cardboard structures, they can also make creations with cat hair or even knit their own cat or make cat-like items such as cat bookends and a quick sew stuffed kitty.

 

Two Toddlers and a Cat, Not Such a Good Mix – Babyology

brown tabby with pink fairy wings
I am outraged my friends, just outraged! Take a look at the face of this completely defeated feline and tell me this is right. The human who contributed this photo says he has two toddlers and once a week he finds his cat like this. Fairy wings? Really? Sometimes the indignities we felines have to suffer is beyond the pale. I say felines unite against little humans who want to wrestle you into a costume. And to my pink fairy-winged friend in the photo I say, “Hold you head up man, be a cat of dignity!”

Oliver Opines on Family and Spring in Friendly Fill Ins #98

Hi Folks,

black and white cat eating wheat grassOliver here, just chillin’ and enjoying one of my favorite treats, wheat grass, while I purruse the neighborhood. We’re still waiting for spring at our house but the good news is almost half the snow is gone from the front yard!

I hope you enjoy this week’s fill ins and as always, you can go to McGuffy’s Reader and join the blog hop or join it at our friends blog 15andmeowing. Or, if you’re so inclined, you can leave your fill in answers in the comment section of this post. We love to have our friends meow at us!
Purrs & Head Bonks,

black and white cat Oliver

Here are the fill in questions:

1. I am the _________________ in my family.
2. I have __________________ sibling(s).
3. I am looking forward to                            this Spring.

4. The first sign of Spring this year was                      .

Here are my answers:

1.I am the most heat loving cat in my family . Whenever the humans look for me, they first check all the floor heat vents. They call me a “heat hog” as I’ll block a vent until my fur is so warm it’s almost on fire. And, speaking of fire, the fireplace is one of my favorite spots. Here is a photo of me blocking the vent under the kitchen sink.

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2.I have five siblings. Actually only one is a blood relative and that’s Alberto my brother (I know, we don’t look anything alike) but the other three tribe members are adopted siblings and we’re all a happy family.

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3.I am looking forward to butterfly chasing this spring. Our house has big windows and there are always birds and butterflies fluttering around. The Female Human managed to capture one of my fierce butterfly hunts from last summer.

4.The first sign of spring this year was not yet seen. Dude, we still have snow in the yard and not one robin has flown past our windows! Spring will take a bit longer in our neck of the woods. In the meantime, I’m hunkering down and staying cozy.

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2. I have five siblings. Only one is related by blood and that’s my sister Jasmine. The rest are rescue adoptees into the family.
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3. I am looking forward to sitting on the front porch with my humans this spring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walk Through The Web Wednesday..a day late 3/8

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Hello Friends,
So, my purrsonal assistant allowed herself to get a bit behind and my Wednesday deadline came and went with no blog post. She is redeeming herself (a bit) by getting my Wednesday Web Walk posted today but I guess better late than never!
I hope you enjoy this week;s wanderings,
Purrs & Head Bonks,
Siamese cat with blue eyes

I Don’t Normally Get Purrlitical but…..

 

One of the reasons my weekly Wednesday wanderings were late is because the female human was busy making this little video for a local candidate. There are no purrlitical parties mentioned so, since I deemed this a non-partisan video I thought I would share it. This candidate has a canine in the forefront of his campaign but it seems like he is garnering a feline constituency.

Man Quits His Job and Travels Australia in Camper Van With His Cat -Providr

man travels with his calico cat through Australia in a van

This man used to live in Hobart, Tasmania but  he decided to quit his job in May of 2015 sold his possessions, including his house, bought a camper van and began to travel Australia. He didn’t travel alone though. His cat Willow was with him for ever mile (or kilometer). He keeps a close eye on Willow but he also has her wear a tracking collar so he knows where she is all the time. Rich and Willow traveled over 50,000 kilometers and when they finally returned home, Rich decided they weren’t done with traveling yet. You can follow Rich and Willow’s adventures at VanCatMeow.com  You can sign up to have Willow send you postcards so you  never wonder again, “Where are  Rich and Willow?”

The Cats of Longwood Gardens – Atlas Obscura

black and white cat in longwood gardens

Here is another in my series on cats with jobs. These Longwood Garden cats have a pretty nice gig going. The Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania are filled with colorful plants (even some carnivorous ones!). The working felines at Longwood actually have two jobs. They patrol and take are of pest control and they are also feline ambassadors.  There are about 12 cats working there and are all loved and cared for. They are all very well loved rescue cats. They never used to wear collars but ever since a visitor took a Longwood feline worker home, thinking he was a stray. Thankfully, the purloined pussy cat was returned to his friends and cat co-workers.  I think this is one of the best feline jobs I’ve reported on yet!

Buddy The Adventure Cat Enjoys the Great Outdoors – Philly.com

Buddy the Adventure Cat

Meowza! Cats are getting more and more adventurous! Meet Buddy, a feline that likes to head out into the great outdoors. Buddy was rescued when he was 7-months old when he was found near an old warehouse. Someone put Buddy in a box and set it next to Steve Swartz’s desk. Good think Steve is a cat lover and Buddy had a forever home.

Buddy is now an adventure cat in training. On the day this article was written he was a little leery of the photographer which is why he’s peeking out of his carrier. I was very glad to hear that cats can be in training to be an adventure cat because I’m a wannabe kayaking cat and will begin my training this summer. Who knows, maybe I’ll bump into Buddy on a trail someday. Adventure on my feline friends!

British MPs Launch a Group Dedicated To Cat Welfare – inews.co.uk

gray and white cat Larry the downing street cat

Larry, the Downing Street cat (Photo by James Glossop – WPA Pool/Getty Images)

The British folks always seem to be on the forefront of cat news. Members of British Parliament and their constituents have joined together with animal charities to campaign for better rights for cats in the UK. They will lobby for law changes to improve protection for cats and their owners and will focus on feline welfare and key issues affecting cats such as toxins in antifreeze and ownership of air guns. Cats do not have the same rights as dogs in road traffic accidents and they seek to change this.  APGOCATS has been created which will be dedicated to tackling matters affecting feline welfare. I guess when it comes to laws pertaining to felines, I am a purrlitical animal!

 

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Oliver Opines on Purresidents and Other Stuff on Friendly Fill Ins Week 94

Hello Folks,
Oliver here. I’m filling in the “fill ins” this week because I have some pretty strong opinions on some of this stuff.

You can join the fun by going to our friends at McGuffy’s Reader or with our friends, and Friendly Fill Ins Co-Hosts, 15andmeowing.  And, as always, feel free to leave your fill in thoughts as a comment in this post.

Purrs & Head Bonks,
black and white cat Oliver

This Week’s Fill In Questions:

1. My favorite president is ________________ because ___________________.

2. This weekend, I have plans to ______________________.
3. I            my               .

4. I believe                    .

My Fill In Responses:

1. My favorite president is the one who was not elected and that would be me because I think it’s time for this country to take a look at things from a feline point of view!

OllieOliveBtnThis feline ran for Purresident with my pawsome running mate, Olive from Three Chatty Cats. We had an excellent platform and I think this country would benefit from some feline wisdom! You can read about our platform and other information (as well as my concession speech) here. 

 

 

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2.This weekend I have plans to do absolutely nothing. I am a cat, the only plans I make are for meal times and purrhaps, if I’m feeling frisky, some play time.  My “do nothing” plan will be purrfect if I can convince The Male Human to “do nothing” with me.

 

 

 

 

 

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3.I quite enjoy  my job as shower snoopervisor (with my brother Alberto). Although I must say, Alberto is a bit wacky. He loves water, even gets in the shower with The Male Human. I guess that’s why The Female Human is training him to go kayaking with her!

 

 

 

 

 

begging squirrel

 

 

4.I believe that the fat “town squirrel” who tries to muscle our little pine squirrel away from the bird feeder should be a little less demanding and a little more thankful. If the feeder is empty, he stands on the railing of the upstairs deck and gives The Female Human attitude. The raccoons are far more polite and grateful.

 

 

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 2/14

siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Friends,
Alberto here with my weekly purrrusal of the web. I hope you enjoy this week”s stories and Happy Valentine’s Day. Also, one note. My purrsonal assistant did not have access to her usual technology today so, if the formatting is a bit wonky, she asks that you bear with her. (It’s hard to find good help these days, sigh).

Siamese cat with blue eyes

Nine of the World’s Hardest Working Cats – Mother Nature Network

 Finally more of you humans are getting wise to one of my favorite subjects…working cats. I found some new listings in this article. The cat above works security in a warehouse. There’s a gym cat and my favorite, the weather cat. You humans need to explore the full potential of your felines. We’re quite talented you know.

 

Poodle Cats are a Breed – Romper

 My readers know I and the rest of The Tribe of Five, are adamant proponents of adoption so this “breed”. thing isn’t something I usually talk about, This one is interesting though because thought the only poodles were canines. And, these curly kitties came from great stock, a feral cat in Montana, whose litter included one very curly haired kitten.

A Persian breeder adopted the kitten and named her “Miss DePesto” after a curly haired television character and the rest, is hiss-story.

Cats on Glass NYC Pop Up for a Good Cause – Lonely Planet

All you feline lovers in NYC rejoice! This event isn’t only cool, it’s for a good cause. Each room in the pop-up exhibit will feature an element of cats and an element of glass. There will be a live “Cats on Glass Playhouse” too! The pop-up will feature a “larger-than-life cat display”, a yarn pom-pom room, a meditation room with the sounds of cats purring and more. If you’re truly interested in bringing a kitty into your family, you can play with cats that can be adopted. And donations will be taken for the Humane Society of New York.

Sometimes You Don’t Even Have to Do Anything to Be a Famous Feline – People

Meet Paws the Cat, a Minnesota feline with 28furry digits and now included in the Guinness book of world records. Meowza, I bet he can make those furry toy mice fly! Paws is. Polydactyl feline. Sometimes these cats are called Hemmingway cats because the author kept a tribe of extra toed kitties at his Florida home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Larry The Number 10 Downing Street Cat Terrible at Rodent Control – Mirror.co

Purrhaps this piece should be called, “Cats in danger of losing their jobs” Seems the British PM is no great fan of Larry and recently exterminators had to be called in to 10 Downing Street to deal with the vermin problem.

 The mirror reports that, “…the brown and white tabby is often found sleeping in the street or, at his most energetic, fighting with other Westminster felines, including the Foreign Office’s cat Palmerston.” Larry, my friend, you’d better check your contract or you might be looking for a new job!

Friendly Fill Ins Week #91

We’re getting quite fond of these weekly fill ins. This week we’re doing something a bit different and each of the The Tribe of Five will be contributing to the fill ins. We hope you enjoy our answers. You can join this blog hop at McGuffy’s Reader, or head on over to the Fill In co-host, our friends at 15andmeowing.  You are always welcome to share your fill in answers in the comments section of our post as well.

Here are this week’s fill ins:

1. Trust________________.
2. I would protest _____________________.
3. I have                  since                .

4. Right now, I                   .

Here are our answers:

1.Trust me (Oliver)  to find all the heating vents in the house and maximize the heat coming out of each one. This is one of my favorites, in the kitchen.

 


2.I would protest 
if we (Tucker and Lily) were not allowed enough room on the sofa to cuddle. You can see I (Tucker) am feeling a bit cramped even in the space I’m allowed. 

 

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3.I (Jasmine) have served as nurse to the Humans ever since I was a kitten. Here I am standing on the Female Human’s chest to ensure she’s breathing during a recent bout with the flu..

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4.Right now I (Alberto)  am guarding this puzzle thing that the relative of the Humans so foolishly decided to assemble (and attempt to protect) on my dining room table. Are there little pieces of this puzzle on the floor? I’ll let you be the judge.
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Friendly Fill Ins # 90

Hello My Friends,
Oliver here. I’m doing Fill Ins this week. I hope you enjoy my answers. If you want to join the blog hop you can hop on over to McGuffy’s Reader  or co-hosts, our friends at 15andmeowing. If you prefer, you can add your fill ins in the comments for this post as well.
Purrs & Head Bonks,
black and white cat Oliver

The Fill Ins:

1. The flu shot ______________________.

2. I think everyone should take ____________________ daily.

3. I (almost) always                     , because                        .

4. I (almost) never                         because                                 

 

My Fill In Answers:

Oliver from the Tribe of Five with Dr. Ponsness at Pend Oreille Veterinary Service

1.The flu shot doesn’t sound like something I would want but when I go the the place of the white coats I’m never afraid. That’s because they are “fear free” which means they do everything, even designing the building to help their visitors feel comfortable, safe and not on edge. Alberto and I opined about this place in our post, Oliver and Alberto Get Fearless. 

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2.I think everyone should take 
a chill pill daily.  This is me, chillin’ along the wide window sill behind the sofa. I think if humans chilled a little more there would be less nasty comments on social media, fewer family arguments and less road rage. Take a chill pill folks, it will do you good!

black and white cat sleeping under a red blanket
3. I (almost) always
enjoy sleeping under the down blanket on the sofa in the winter, because it’s warm and cozy but a bit of a bummer when a human doesn’t see me and sits on top of me!

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4. I (almost) never sleep alone because it’s much more pleasant (and warm) to have a human or another feline to cuddle with.

Thankful for …Cuddle Buddies

3 cats sleeping on a sofa

Hello All,
Oliver here. The Tribe of Five have so much to be thankful for that I decided I’d jump on over to Brian’s Home and his Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

I am thankful for cuddles. Our Tribe is made up of adopted kitties. The oldest, Alpha Tucker (he’s the one in the middle), his sister Jasmine, Lily and my brother Alberto and myself. You’ll never see a photo of all five of us snuggled together but I love this photo because it shows how well this diverse group of felines get along. Alberto and I are the newest Tribe members and we’re accepted and loved by all the other felines.

Cuddles are great and love, acceptance and adoption are even better!

Purrs & Head Bonks,

black and white cat Oliver

Friendly Fill Ins, Week 88

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Jasmine Here,
Welcome friends. I’m excited that I get to do the Friday Fill Ins this week. It’s been snowy and cold at our house. Thank goodness the humans provide wheat grass for us to nibble on and to add a bit of color in this white world.

As always, if you are a blogger, we encourage you to go to McGuffy’s Reader and join the Fill Ins blog hop or, feel free to do the fill ins in the comments of this blog. Have a purrrfect Friday (I love the weekends as the humans don’t have to go to that place they call “work” and they spend lots of time with us.)

Purrs & Head Bonks,
Jasmine (The Tribe of Five Diva)

Siamese cat with tiara

begging squirrel

 

 

1. I would like to ask the big fat squirrel who mooches off of us at the upstairs bird feeder why he has such an attitude if the bird seed is all gone? (Take a look at this photo, what an attitude!)

 

 

 

 

2 My favorite fast food restaurant is any place that serves pizza. All of the Tribe of Five love a nice lick of pizza sauce. 

TuckerMusic

 

3. If I could go to any concert of someone still performing, it would be wherever David Teie is playing his Music for Cats  The female human bought us some of his music and we loved it. You can read about us opining about it on our website . When we go to the place with white coats, they have nice cat music too. Music is good for kitties. 

 

4. My Winter pastime is usually sitting at the window and checking out the creatures who come by looking for food because what happens outside our windows is like cable TV.