Okay, you got us. Another week and another day late. This was however, due to our hard and diligent work as feline authors, bloggers and content creators. Since The Human has shifted her focus to writing (our books and blogs), marketing said writing and finally adding items to our merch shop we have been very busy felines. No more just lazing around the office, we all have a job to do and fame to deal with. Here is a glimpse.

Well there you go, lest you think The Tribe is not pulling their weight, we’re working our paws to the bone! Now, let’s take a look at the feline news this week.

Friendly Cat has new collar with a warning

Sometimes a cat’s gotta’ do what a cat’s gotta’ do. Cleo the cat is a lover of people and very friendly. So much so that she will follow strangers down the street. This behavior has forced Taylor Williams, Cleo’s human to have a collar made for her that let’s folks know about her wandering ways. Sometimes Cleo even tries to get on the bus with other humans and the collar has helped keep her in the neighborhood.  

Taylor Williams frequently receives messages from her neighbors about their encounters with four-year-old Cleo.  Cleo will regularly follow people to the bus stop, wait for the bus to arrive and hop on board before being shooed away.

Taylor can see Cleo from her living room window, following people down the road. Cleo has a loving family at home, which is why she now wears a color that says, ‘I follow people but I have a home’. So if you meet Cleo on the street, know that there are humans who love her at home.  

 Researchers say they’ve found a way to get a cat to come to you, MOL!

Ah, you human researchers, always claiming to have figured out the mysterious ways of the feline population.  Now a group of French researchers have looked into “the nuances of cat-human conversation,” with some expected findings and some a little more surprising. The study was published recently in the journal Animals, by a research team out of Paris Nanterre University led by Charlotte de Mouzon. The team wanted to see if cats responded better to people if the humans involved used visual gestures, vocal cues, or both. De Mouzon selected herself as the main participant, heading into a cat cafe with a dozen felines.

Once the cats became accustomed to her, De tried four different ways of interacting with her furry subjects. First, she called out to them only. Second, she silently made gestures toward them, such as reaching out her hand. Next, she tried doing both a vocal and visual cue simultaneously, and finally, for the control part of the experiment, she just sat back and did nothing.

The cats in de Mouzon’s study came up to her more quickly if she used both visual and vocal cues. If she used visual cues alone the cats reacted faster than when she only called out to them. If she was just sitting there, doing and saying nothing, the cats would flick their tails, often a sign of discomfort or stress. So what can you humans take away from this? I guess if you want your felines in residence to pay attention to you, use both vocal and visual cues to get our attention.

Winnipeg woman, 99, crocheting blankets for cats

You are never too old to do something good for felines. This lady in Winnipeg, Canada keeps herself busy crocheting little blankets for cats.

Gladys Wheeler picks up her yarn and creates small rectangular blankets for the cats at the Winnipeg Humane Society’s satellite location at Best West Pet Foods.

“The cat gets a mat and the mat stays with the feline when they go to their furever home.  Taking the mat with them to their new home makes the transition to the new place easier for them.

Wheeler has been making these cat mats since 2006 and since then about 1,000 blankets have been given to cats and their adopted families.

In the 17 years, about 1,000 of her blankets have been given to cats and their “I can’t not do it. I get a minute to spare, there I am crocheting,” she said.

Wheeler’s companion Susan Taylor helps her out with the blankets by tidying up the ends and picking out yarn.

Giving back has always been an important part of Wheeler and her family’s life. She says, “ “Here I am, doing something for the animals and I got my health and I got my family, what else do I need?”  Two paws up for you Gladys!

He Made Cats Famous before the Internet was even invented

Walter Chandoha was the pioneer in cat photography waaay before the internet or cat blogs like this one existed.

In the 1950’s and 60’s, Chandoha’s cat photos were everywhere: advertisements, greeting cards, calendars, jigsaw puzzles. They could also be found on posters, T-shirts and cans of cat food.

He authored more than 30 books during a career that lasted over seven decades. Some are collections of his cutest cat photos and some are “how-to” books for both budding and professional photographers.

Chandoha took photos of dogs and other animals, too, but he was always drawn to cats.-of course!

“I relished the challenge of mak­ing photographs of cats and quickly saw the potential of attempting to capture their naturally expressive personalities,” he wrote.  

Chandoha’s career took off shortly after adopting a stray kitten in 1949. The freelance photographer was walking back from classes at New York University when he saw a tiny kitten shivering in the snow. He put the cat in his coat pocket and brought him home to meet his wife, Maria.

They named the cat Loco, and Chandoha started taking pictures of the new family member. He sold some of those photos to various publications, and before he knew it his career was created and ended up earning the title, “the world’s most famous cat photographer”. It’s estimated that over his lifetime he produced more than 90,000 photos of cats.

“If he didn’t have an assignment, he’d go outside. He’d see that one cat just had kittens, and he’d be there all day taking the pictures,” his daughter said.

And, when the internet came along, Chandoha embraced it, posting cat photos and offering cat photography tips.

He advised people that they need to know their subject and their behavior and have patience, lots of it!

7 Superstitions About Cats From Around the World

Okay, we felines are a bit weary of some of the tall tales you humans tell about cats, presenting these fabrications as though there are the gospel truth. Here are some that might be new to you, all a bit crazy if you ask me!

1. Cats are gossips.

Excuse me?? Everything I meow is the truth but in the Netherlands, cats are often believed to be gossipy creatures who will happily blab all of your deepest, darkest secrets. For that reason, people try not to have important or private conversations while a cat’s in the room, just in case it’s listening. Well, let me tell you, it’s too late for our Human because our Tribe will blog about everything she does, MOL!

2. A grooming cat means unexpected visitors are coming.

According to Japanese superstition, if a cat washes its face with its paws, it’s not just grooming—it means that visitors are on their way. There are similar superstitions in other countries, too, with some people in the U.S. expecting a visit from a member of the clergy if a cat starts cleaning its whiskers. Let me tell you, none of the grooming of the three of us has every resulted in visitors.

3. A sneezing cat is lucky (except when it isn’t).

In Italy, hearing a cat sneeze is supposed to be good luck. Specifically, if your feline gets the sneezes, it means there’s money coming your way. If a bride hears a cat sneeze on her wedding day, it means the marriage will be a good one. Beware, though—while one sneeze might be good luck, if a cat sneezes three times it supposedly indicates that you’re going to come down with a cold. Oh my whiskers, you’d have to carry a calculator and a list to figure out the meaning of your cat sneezes.

4. Black cats sink ships.

Of all the kinds of cats there are, black cats are the ones with the most superstitions attached. Maybe that’s due to the ancient Egyptian belief that black cats were associated with the goddess Bastet, and keeping one would bring her favor; maybe it’s to do with the European conviction that witches had black cats as familiars making them evil omens. One black cat superstition you might not have heard is that if a black cat walks onto a ship and then back off again, the ship will sink on its next voyage (though according to an old Irish and British superstition, black cats were actually good luck for a ship). In other words, you humans have no idea what you’re talking about.

5. Cats can raise the dead.

In parts of Southern Europe, folklore has it that if a cat jumps across a person’s grave, they’ll rise again as a vampire. Oh spare me, this is really ridiculous.

6. Being a cat lady can help you get married.

Although pop culture has turned cats into a symbol of eternal singledom, according to one book on Pennsylvania German tradition, cats can help a woman who is anxious to get married. All she has to do is “feed the cat from her shoe,” although the superstition doesn’t say what’s supposed to happen next—or how to get the uneaten cat food out of the shoe. Hmmm, since The Human isn’t married maybe she should feed us out of her she but then again, we’ve got a good gig going here and maybe there’s no need to bring a stranger into the mix.

7. Wet cats can make it rain.

You might suspect there’s some cause and effect confusion going on here, but in parts of Indonesia, cats are associated with the weather. If people wanted it to rain, they’d pour water over a cat. Presumably the cat in question then made it rain as revenge. Any of my regular readers know that I take my version of a kitty shower every day and no, it doesn’t rain very day around our house