April 26/2017

Feature:
7 Sounds That Cats Make & What They Mean

“... If you’ve had a cat friend for at least a few months, you probably know that your feline emits different sounds, depending on whether she wants food, is in a state of hyper-excitement,because she’s in hunting mode, or is mad at you...

Experts believe cats have about 100 vocalizations, which they use to talk to us humans because we can’t read their body language, which includes subtle ear movements & tail twitches...

1.  The Meow
Kittens are much more likely to meow than adults...As newborns, kittens cannot hear or see, so they make this noise to get their mother’s attention. Although adult cats rarely meow at each other, it’s possible they may meow at us just to get our attention.

2.  The Hiss
... It can be loud or soft depending on the cat & the situation. Even if your cat is the sweetest little kitty on the planet, he has probably hissed if he has ever felt threatened or needed to send a warning to another animal or to a human.

3.  The Purr
For many pet owners, that purr is the unmistakable signal that their feline is happy & healthy. That may be true, but there are other reasons too: older cats purr when they play or approach other cats, signaling they are friendly. Cats also purr when they are distressed or afraid. Experts believe that this is the way cats reassure & calm themselves.

4.  The Chatter
You know that sound your cat makes when she’s trapped indoors, staring out the window at the squirrels or birds outside? The sound is one of both excitement & frustration, since she can’t get outside to chase those creatures.

5.  The Yowl
This sound is eerie, almost nightmarish...Cats mostly yowl when they are in heat; this desperate sound is made to attract any passing tomcats.

6.  The Bip
When Sargent Pepper wants my attention...she makes a “bip” or “eek” sound. Then she just stares at me, waiting for me to make the next move...it usually means she’s going to leap up & walk across my keyboard.

7. The Trill
...it’s something between a meow & a purr. My cat Jaspar used to do this whenever I got home, letting me know he was annoyed that I’d left him alone all day, but that he was still pleased to see me.”

Judy M.
November 13, 2016
care2.com

Cute Cat Pics

Weekly Chuckle

April 19/2017

Feature:

 Researchers Make New Discoveries About the Origin of Cats

“According to the SPCA, it’s estimated that 74 to 96 million cats are owned by Americans...

Most cat owners know a thing or 2 about their cat’s naturally instinctive habits, like their desire to hunt for prey or the way the rub their face on everything to mark things with their scent. But many cat owners probably aren’t... aware of the complete history of how domesticated cats came to be... researchers have only just discovered new insights about the history of cats in the first large-scale DNA study of ancient cats.

...researchers looked at the DNA from 209 cats from over 30 different archeological sites in the Middle East, Africa, & Europe. The remains of these cats date as far back as 15,000 years ago & lived as recently as the 1700s...

2 waves of growth in the cat population occurred thousands of years ago.
...The first wave of cat population growth took place around 10,000 years ago in the Middle East & the second one occurred thousands of years later as they spread across Eurasia & Africa.

In the first wave, farmers tamed wild cats for their hunting skills to help protect their crops.
By examining the mitochondrial DNA of the 209 cats, researchers identified genetic information passed down through generations of cats that linked cats from early farming communities in the Middle East all the way to ancient cats in the Eastern Mediterranean... Since these farmers’ grain stockpiles were known to attract rodents, which then attracted wild cats, farmers probably saw the benefit of having wild cats around & began to use that to their advantage by taming them.

In the second wave, people took cats on boats to new regions of the world.
...Seeing the benefit of having cats around to protect their food from rodents may have inspired people to travel with them by boat to new regions of the world & use them for their hunting abilities to keep mice & rats under control on their ships.

The Vikings were a fan of what cats could do for them.
...The remains of a cat were discovered at a Viking site in northern Germany, dating back to sometime between the 8th & 11th century. Before this discovery, nobody really knew that Vikings kept cats on their ships to keep rats & mice away from their food...

There may be more cats in American households than dogs, but scientists still know less about how that came to be than they do about dogs..”


Elise Moreau
Oct. 13/2016
care2.com

Cute Cat Pics

Weekly Chuckle

April 12/2017

Feature:
Why Is a London Subway Station Covered in Cats?

“...For a brief time, the usual mess of advertisements in a single London subway station has been replaced with over 60 carefully curated photographs of cats. The adorable display has proved to be an instant hit with commuters & animal lovers.

The ‘ads’ are the brainchild of Glimpse, a group of people who aim to use their creativity to produce positive change in their communities. ‘CATS’ isn’t just the subject of the campaign, it’s also an acronym: the Citizens Advertising Takeover Service.

‘We tried to imagine a world where public spaces made you feel good,’ said the project leader, James Turner. ‘We hope people will enjoy being in the station & maybe think a bit differently about the world around them.’

...‘Instead of asking you to buy something, we’re asking you to think about what’s really valuable in your life. It might not be cats, but it’s probably something you can’t find in the shops.’

For a lot of people, however, the project very much is about the cats. When Glimpse publicly sought funds to complete this installation earlier this year, it found a partner in the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.

Battersea offered up some of the 3,000 cats the facility rescues in a given year as models for the campaign. They hope that the publicity generated from the kitty photos will convince people to adopt their cats.

In addition to the many pictures of cats in need of homes, there is also a poster that features pictures of cats that already have loving human families...Proud cat owners who wanted their felines to be famous in a subway ad chipped in $132 for the honor...

...Glimpse is already looking to build on this initial success with subsequent, similar campaigns. Already, dog lovers are clamoring for a campaign that features homeless pooches next.”

Kevin Mathews
Sept. 14/2016
care2.com

Cute Cat Pics

Weekly Chuckle

Memorial
Remembering Edna Belle Wiltzen. April 14th would've been this great woman's 101st birthday.
This blog is dedicated to her. Nan...forever missed... but never forgotten.

April 5/2017

April is Cat Month!
Feature:
 Cat Cafes Are Really Getting Cats Adopted

“It’s been 2 years since cat cafes first made their way into North America after years of success in Asia. Bringing a side of purr to people’s daily dose of caffeine, the concept proved to be just as huge of a hit for humans & felines on this side of the globe.

It all started in Montreal in 2014 with Le Café des Chats, a coffee shop with 12 adoptable cats that roamed around the place while customers sipped their lattes. Since then, cat cafes have expanded to 24 existing & up & coming locations across the United States & Canada... As predicted, customers find it hard to resist the the furry creatures when they put on the charm, so many of them are getting adopted.

‘Our most recent adoption count is 158, & I would not say most of our customers are coming in with the intention to adopt,’ says Sana Q. Hamelin, owner of the Denver Cat Company, which opened its doors in December of 2014. ‘Rather, most of them come to spend time with cats.’


In San Diego, The Cat Cafe reported a similar trend, with customers coming mainly to spend time with the animals but with 177 felines adopted since it opened in 2015. The place has even sent cats to the Bay Area, Pennsylvania & Nebraska.

...the concept is getting older & less adoptable cats a forever home. Little Lions in New York City has had 41 adopted cats in the last 8 months, with only a few of them being kittens...

Little Lions, along with many of the other cafes have gotten so popular that reservations are needed to guarantee some quality time with the animals. And since everything is more fun in the company of felines, places like The Cat Town Cafe in Oakland offer yoga classes & movie nights of select days of the week.

The places are so irresistible even Adele couldn’t help visiting one while on tour. The singer stopped by Vancouver’s Catfe & played with Larry, a grey cat at the store. Lucky for Larry, after the Grammy winner left, it wasn’t long until a new set of customers came in & fell in love with him. He was promptly adopted by a family & is now keeping company to humans while they sip their coffee in the comfort of his forever home.”

Natalia Lima
care2.com
July 26/ 2016

Cute Cat Pics

Weekly Chuckle

Memorial

Cricket (2012) RIP