Ginger tabby jumps from top of utility pole as rescuer is about to bring him down

Ginger tabby jumps from the top of a utility pole as his rescuer is about to bring him down. Yes, it worked out well by the look of it as the ground was soft. No problems. He glided down in typical domestic cat style like one of those Nordic ski jumpers. 

It kind of proves that cats can sometimes get down of their own accord but are just not in the mood until a stranger approaches them at the top of the pole or tree. I guess it is the most dangerous moment: getting the cat into a carrier 40 feet up. 

Actually this pole was not the highest I've seen. The action occurred in Dildo, N.L. (Newfoundland), Canada. The name of the town is a little bit cheeky :) 

There is no guarantee that this video will work indefinitely as it is embedded from the cbc.ca online newpaper.

P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Cat jumps of ulitity pole in Newfoundland, Canada as rescuer approaches. Screenshot.

For how long has Battersea Dogs & Cats Home been caring for cats?

My understanding is that Battersea Dogs and Cats is now called 'Battersea'. It is celebrating 140 years of caring, rescuing and rehoming cats. That timeline needs to be explained because Battersea was founded by Mary Tealby in 1860 when it was called "The Temporary Home for Lost and Starving Dogs".

Whittington Lodge is the small building bottom-left. Image: Battersea.

It wasn't until November 1882 that the public unanimously voted for the charity to accept cats as well as dogs. The vote, apparently, came about because of a surge of unwanted cats roaming the streets of London and the West End at that time. The first cat resident at Battersea occurred in December 1883, which is why we have the 140 years during which the charity has been caring for cats.

Battersea is 163 years old. Specifically, it was started on October 2nd, 1860. 

The home was initially established in Holloway, London and it moved to Battersea in 1871. 

I had thought that Battersea was the oldest cat and dog rescue centre and animal rehoming centre in the world but that might not be the case because Wikipedia states that it is one of the UK's oldest and best known. 

I think it's actually better than that and I would like anybody to tell me if I'm wrong. I think Battersea is the oldest rehoming animal shelter in the world by which I mean the longest-standing organisation of this type in the world.

There is actually a very old cat shelter surrounded by modern buildings at Battersea (see picture above). This unique building was created to house unwanted cats by the architect Clough Williams-Ellis. It was and is the first purpose-built cattery in England and it has been awarded a grade II listed building status.

I think it is this building which allows us to award Battersea with the accolade that it is the oldest cat rescue and rehoming organisation in the world. This unique building is called Whittington Lodge.

It is exceedingly rare for such a building to survive and when you visit Battersea you see this old building in the middle, entirely out of place with the now modernised shelter which Battersea has become. They've poured millions of pounds into it to update it.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

17 thoughts about putting pets in warm clothes in the winter

Here are 17 thoughts about a current popular trend: dressing their pets in warm clothes during the winter. It mainly applies to dogs for obvious reasons.

1. Some fabrics used as pet jumpers can irritate pets.
2. The general advice is that playing safe with pure cotton is best.
3. The topic is important today because it's reported that sales of festive jumpers for dogs have jumped by 284% this month.
4. A veterinarian, Sean McCormack, the head veterinarian at tails.com provided some advice about clothes for pets during the cold weather.
5. Some fabrics can cause an allergic reaction.
6. The vet says that many dogs don't actually enjoy wearing jumpers.
7. Perhaps an allergic reaction is much less likely than the rubbing and restrictiveness of some garments.
8. Wool can be one of the main offenders and it can be very uncomfortable for puppies and cats with sensitive skin.
9. Another fabric that can cause irritation as nylon as it can cause an allergic reaction resulting in inflamed skin. If your cat or dog is in regular contact with nylon without problems then of course this wouldn't apply.
10. Faux fur can also cause itchiness in certain breeds of dogs says the veterinarian. And it can cause dogs with thick coats to overheat.
11. Any product with feathers is a definite no-no. Cats can certainly be allergic to feathers and they can cause extreme irritation in dogs and are a potential choking hazard.
12. It might be difficult to recognise discomfort in a dog wearing a pet garment. Discomfort can lead to stress.
13. Garments can lead to overheating including panting and salivation which would be an indication of a problem.
14. Finally, inside the home, pets with pet clothing should not be left unattended near potential hazards including an open fire.
15. It's important that pet clothing fits properly and is not too tight or snagging.
16. One aspect of putting a cat or dog in clothing is the humanising of pets. People tend to anthropomorphise their companion animals and therefore putting them in clothes makes them happy as it reinforces their personal view about the companion animal but the question is: is it good for the cat or dog? Is it good for their welfare and are they happy about it?
17. That said, a lot of people at the moment are putting dogs in jackets when they go for a walk in the park for obvious reasons as it has been very cold in the UK. I'm sure this is beneficial but this page presents some caveats.

Source: Daily Mail.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

China's kids doing homework at hospital while hooked up to IV fluid drips? New Chinese virus?

Young Chinese kids in China doing homework at hospital while hooked up to IV fluid drips

What's on Weibo has told me about a strange photo alleged to be the work of AI but  unconfirmed and subsequently pulled from social media of a group of China's kids doing homework in hospital while hooked up to IV fluids! The picture is real apparently and it is not uncommon in China for kids to:

1. be taught intensively because of extreme competition (involution) and
2. be overprescribed medications such as antibiotics.

The picture is a combination of these two extreme aspects of China's way of life.

The picture conjures up mental images of another pandemic brewing affecting humans and animals but it is reported that kids going down with pneumonia in China in large numbers apparently was due to a typical range of seasonal virus and nothing sinister and unknown. 

That said can we trust China when they have been so comprehensively secret and defensive about the cause of Covid which started in China either at the Wuhan biolab (escaped biowarfare virus) or at the Wuhan wet market now closed I am told or closed and reopened after a clean-up? 

The Independent reports: "Pneumonia cases among children are on the rise in Europe as China faces an unprecedented outbreak of respiratory illnesses. Now, the Netherlands and Denmark have reported a spike in cases, while India, Taiwan and Vietnam have started taking preventative measures to prepare their healthcare systems."

Either source originated in animals and a novel animal virus which was zoonotic and dangerous as humans had no protection against it.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Cats like to scratch chenille but dislike synthetic leather or waterproof grosgrain

A test with rescue cats in a rescue cat setting showed that the cats preferred to scratch objects covered in chenille but disliked scratching synthetic leather or waterproof grosgrain fabrics. That's all I know! The information comes from a study published on July 19, 2021.

Chenille. Image in public domain.

I think the study is actually interesting but we need more information. I would like to see a full list of fabrics at the top of which would be the fabrics that cats most liked to scratch and at the bottom of which would be the fabrics that they least liked to scratch. This would assist cat owners when purchasing furniture.

I didn't know what chenille really looked like so I looked it up. It is a tufted, velvety, fluffy yarn, used for trimming furniture and made into carpets or clothing. It looks a bit like velvet. I guess that it is a fabric that cats can get their nails into, which feels nice when they scratch it. It is probably effective in sloughing off the outer cuticle of the claw, which is one reason why cat scratch furniture or a scratching post ideally.

RELATED: Infographic on the reasons why cats scratch armchairs.

We know what synthetic leather looks like. It's sort of plasticky which I suspect is by cats don't like it. Their claws go through it in an uncomfortable way and it might not be as effective in sloughing off the outer cuticle.

Of course, just because cats are less inclined to scratch waterproof grosgrain it doesn't mean that they're not going to scratch the fabric but I guess less so.

By the way, grosgrain is a tightly woven plastic fabric as I understand it. You can see a picture of it below. I suspect that it is too tightly woven for claws to penetrate freely.

Grosgrain ribbon showing the nature and texture of this fabric. Image in public domain.

Study citation: 

Alexandre P. Rossi, Cassia R. C. dos Santos, Caroline M. Maia, Claudia C. B. Terzian, Deisy F. Predebon, Juliana S. C. de Queiroz, Laraue P. M. Pereira, Marina Z. N. Bastos, Maurício Choinski, Patricia E. Tsapatsis, Samantha R. M. de Assis & Tatiana M. Corrêa (2023) Rescued Cats Prefer to Scratch Fabrics Commonly Used to Cover Upholstered Furniture, Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 26:3, 313-324, DOI: 10.1080/10888705.2021.1949595

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.