Ambitious kitten plans to be Microsoft certified by next summer. There are one or two barriers. The keyboard is a little bit too big. If he wants to depressed the "Q" key he walks on the space bar. It gets a bit complicated. He is determined to complete the course. Kitten plans to be Microsoft certified by next summer. Image: MikeB

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation have a headline, today (Dec 30, 2021), on their website which I would strongly argue is very misleading and deliberately so. They state that hundreds of feral cats have been "removed" from Kangaroo Island in a bid to protect endangered native species. It is the use of the word "removed" which I believe has been deliberately chosen to paint the authorities in a better light that should be the case. These feral cats have been removed, yes, but they have been removed because they've been killed. This is actually mass slaughter. The authorities are killing feral cats in their many thousands. It has been going on for a long time. However, it is the first time I've seen this kind of language used which distorts the true picture. A deadly feral cat pointing device which delights the Australian authorities even though it kills feral cats in a decidedly inhumane way. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation call this device a tr

Yes, I am hammering away as usual on what seems to have become a boring topic to some people in America. I'm sorry if you are bored by it. I've become somewhat bored myself. However, I will never stop being disgusted by the operation. Every time I think about it it conjures up images of vulnerable kittens being hauled into veterinary clinics before a veterinarian who has totally lost his moral compass. And he gets the guillotine out and chops off the ends of those toes. Rant continued below the image.... Infographic on cat declawing which is self-explanatory. My thanks to Cassandra. The poor kitten hasn't got a clue what is going on. He or she is bemused and confused. And he or she will be in chronic pain when they come around from the operation. They will be climbing the walls of their cage moaning in agony. Despite a heavy dose of painkillers. And then if they are lucky they will walk fairly normally for the rest of their lives but they may be one of the many hundreds of

There has been a gradual chipping away of the freedoms of the domestic cat in Australia. Here are some examples. Cats in South Australia's Adelaide Hills are banned from going outside from 8 PM to 7 AM. In Fremantle, Western Australia, domestic cats will be banned from public areas as reported in the Daily Mail. Cat preying on a bird. A major reason why Australians want to confine domestic cats permanently. The photograph is provided by Shutterstock. The new rules in Western Australia need to be signed off by the state parliament but if and when passed the legislation will ban domestic cats from footpaths, verges and roads unless on a lead. Cat owners already face a $200 fine if their domestic cat strays onto council bushland. That may be extended to other council land. It is believed that a nationwide ban on cats being allowed to roam freely is creeping nearer. The objective is to bring cats into line with dogs so that when they go outside they are on a lead. Otherwise they are

On her Instagram page, Taylor Swift, lip-syncs to her upbeat song "22" in celebration of her Ragdoll cat, Benjamin Button's 22nd birthday in cat years. As a rough estimate you divide by seven so I'm guessing that Benjamin is about three years old. Taylor Swift celebrates Benjamin Button's birthday by lip syncing her song "22". Montage: MikeB based on screenshots. The pop superstar celebrated her 32nd birthday on December 13. She took to her Instagram account on Monday, December 27, to share her video while sitting alongside her adorable purebred cat. Ragdoll cats are particularly attractive, perhaps the most attractive of all purebred cats. RELATED:  Taylor Swift falls in love with Benjamin Button (a Ragdoll kitten ‘purrbox’) . The recording used a New Year's themed filter and the brief clip features swirling confetti and Swift wearing a headband that reads “I’m Feeling 2022". You can watch the video on Instagram by clicking on this link.  ht

Photo : Provided by The Times-Herald (Vallejo). Monica Rudiger (right) and Lucy Brock admire the awning and other aspects of their recently acquired feline spay and neuter mobile clinic on Friday, December 10, 2021, in Redwood City, California, USA.  Brock is a director at Whis-Purr Rescue Inc., where Rudiger, now a retired veterinarian, is the volunteer medical director. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group). Whis-Purr Rescue, Inc. is a 501c3 not-for-profit corporation. They help to find lost cats. They operate TNR programs. They say that there are "so many cats and kittens on the streets". And that these cats and kittens are in survival mode trying to stay alive.  They are committed to helping to change this state of affairs and to provide these cats and kittens with good shelter care and to find a forever home.  They also do something which is familiar to no-kill shelters which is to help families retain their cat companion. This is proactive behaviour to prevent abandonments.

NEWS AND COMMENT-WHITE HOUSE: It is all over the news and it is pleasing news for people who like and live with domestic cats. We know that the Bidens like animals and so you could say it's about time they adopted a White House cat. There's a cat waiting in the wings, apparently, currently with a foster carer, which they are going to bring to the White House in January 2022. That is the sum total of the news about the Bidens and a new cat. Jill Biden and Major in the foreground. Photo: Jill Biden. They've also adopted a new dog whose name is Commander. It appears that their two-year-old dog, Major, couldn't settle in the White House and they have wisely, I would say, decided to rehome him. There were reports of him nipping people or a person. I don't think these were really difficult situations but he was clearly unhappy. Perhaps these were defensive bites because of stress. He's gone to a quieter home with family friends. It's best for him. Major has not

The Dodo asks: "Can cats eat avocados?" For the life of me, I cannot see why that question is being asked. Who feeds their domestic cat companion avocados? Don't tell me, you're going to write a comment and say that you feed your cat avocados because it benefits their health. Personally I can't see the point of the idea or the article. It's impossible to think of a more inappropriate food for your cat. Cat eats an avocado? The images provided by The Dodo. Thank You. It is a good image but you are not going to see this in real life. 😊. Obvious. The avocado is a fruit, a single-seeded berry. Domestic cats don't eat fruit. No cat eats fruit. They might eat digested fruit in the belly of the prey animal that they have killed. So, yes, cats might eat fruit but not specifically or deliberately. As expected, The Dodo tells me that avocados aren't the worst thing that you can give your cat to eat (if they would eat it in the first place) but that they can

This is a really cute photograph of a Siamese cat with a ring of plastic in his mouth. It's one of those security plastic rings used to keep the screw top of a milk container in place during transportation. Just another bit of waste plastic to humans. A great toy for this Siamese cat. I can remember my cat being fascinated with one of those plastic covers for a three pin UK plug. He chased it around the room for hours. Another bit of plastic to be discarded but in the meantime a great cat toy. Simple, free cat toys are often the best. This is Mikey with his favourite toy. Photo: u/iwantmyhalfsleeve  As long as the bit of waste plastic is sufficiently large and therefore cannot be ingested these are great toys. They probably remind domestic cats of insects. They are a similar size. They are not animated which is why cats animate them by pushing them around. This 'old-style' Siamese cat, Mikey, made the front page on the Reddit.com website five years ago according to his owne

The world has read about the deadliest tornadoes in history at a location in central America called Tornado Alley where they are most frequent. Kentucky is in Tornado Alley. We've seen the pictures of flattened houses. Utterly destroyed. Homeless people. Ninety-four people confirmed dead across six states. It has been described as one of the largest storm outbreaks in history devastating the Midwest and South. Cat and dog rescue from Tornado Alley after the deadliest tornadoes in history. Photo: Zak Bennett for the Daily Mail. They believe that 30 tornadoes ripped through Tennessee, Missouri, Mississippi, Kentucky, Illinois and Arkansas. It is now time to pick up the pieces in respect of companion animals. Fortuitously, and perhaps remarkably, the Mayfield-Graves County Animal Shelter in Kentucky withstood the tornadoes and remains standing which is why they have had a huge influx of animals displaced by the catastrophe. There are hundreds of injured animals and displaced pets at t

Hello Magazine tells us that Michelle Pfeiffer was stunned to discover that her cat drinks water using her paw. Specifically her right paw. It is as if the earth has moved off its orbit. The online newspaper paints the event as if it is the most shocking thing that has happened in history of humankind. But it's just something that is very normal. We see a lot of it. Michelle Pfeiffer has just noticed that her cat uses her paws to drink water. This is her cute cat. She looks like a Ragdoll, perhaps. Her name is Bella .Screenshot from video by Michell Pfeiffer. And a lot of people have thrown their hat into the ring to try and figure out why domestic cats like to do this. They want to give her their valuable advice. They say that Maine Coons in particular enjoy drinking water with their paw. I am not sure that that is correct. Individual cats because of their character might use their paw from time to time when drinking water from a bowl. The habit is not necessary breed-specific. En

Chris Packham describes snares as "antiquated, cruel and hideous". They are still legal in the UK and the Countryside Alliance say that they are useful in wildlife conservation. Packham says that snared animals "die of starvation, they die of dehydration, they die in excruciating pain, often they break their limbs". The Countryside Alliance insists that they should stay as part of the management of the countryside in the UK. Snares are still legal in the UK and they are "antiquated and cruel". Photo in public domain. The Countryside Alliance, in a statement, said: "Snares benefit conservation and a range of economic activities from shooting and agriculture to forestry and eco-tourism. There is often no practical and effective replacement for snaring at crucial times of the year to protect livestock and wildlife, particularly during spring and summer. Well-designed snares, used properly, are a humane and effective form of fox control." An Animal A

It is ironic that hydroelectric power through the building of dams is seen as ecologically friendly as they ostensibly help prevent global warming but at the same time they are ecologically damaging. This is because huge areas of tiger habitat are flooded. This removes habitat from the tiger. Habitat loss is the biggest problem in the conservation of the tiger.  Dam on the Narmada River in India. Photo in public domain. You can see the tiger habitat around it. There is constant pressure on tiger habitat which is being gradually destroyed. It is all about increased human activity including deforestation, the building of settlements, mining, the removal of forests to build plantations to create products to sell on the international market. The building of dams adds to that problem. A study found that 164 dams affect the habitat of the jaguar and 421 dams have eroded tiger habitats. They say that one in five tigers are affected by dams. Tiger numbers are already precariously low at around

ABC News tells me that there is a pet food supply shortage in Ohio as at December 2021. They report that the Pause & Whiskers cat shelter in Toledo, Ohio has seen a drop of 75% in cat food donations. Sara Baker, the shelter manager, said that there is a global supply chain and production issue and stores such as Pet Supplies Plus are affected. That company anticipates shortages into 2023. I decided to check it out to see whether there are other sources providing us with the same news. Pet food supply shortages in USA late 2021. Photo in public domain. The website Green Matters states that officially there are no food shortages as at October 15, 2021 in the USA. That news comes from the USDA. However, a business strategy expert, Xavier Naville, said that there are disruptions in the supply chain. In an interview on October 14, he said that the shortages result from a combination of increased demand (an increase of 13% according to the USDA compared to last year) and a tightening i

Bear Grylls has admitted that too many animals were killed during his early television shows in the name of survival. He believes that it is far better to forage for dead animals when surviving under incredibly harsh conditions. During his survival show The Island contestants were featured killing snakes and an iguana. He has also killed rabbits and frogs as part of his expeditions. Bear Grylls. Photo: Wikipedia. He regrets the practice now and believes that survivors should live off animals that are already dead. He was speaking on BBC Radio 4. He said: "I think in terms of survival and food; definitely in the early days we were killing way too many snakes and stuff like that in the name of survival. I've moved so far away from that nowadays. It's always about finding carcasses, bugs and grubs. If you look at great survivors historically they are always the foragers." He also believes that if you go after big game you take too big a risk and you are using your ener

There's not much to say because the photograph is self-explanatory. It comes from Indonesia, by the way. The person who uploaded it to Twitter called it 'cosplay' which means costume play. This is when people dress up in costumes which represent a specific character. It's a role-play form of entertainment. I'm not sure of the relevance of that to the photograph. I tried to figure it out but at the moment I'm unsure. Actually I'm nonplussed 🤔. I think the reference to 'cosplay' is an in-joke in Indonesia which is why I can't link it to this photograph. White shag pile cat coat on white shag pile bath mat. Photo: Twitter. What cosplay has to do with the image is irrelevant really. This is an example of camouflage; domestic cat camouflage. Perhaps the domestic cat has evolved over 10,000 years of domestication to find a way of camouflaging themselves within the human home 😊. I'm just messing about because as I said at the beginning there is no

The great debate about feral cats in Australia rages on. They are non-native to that country and therefore they are considered to be pests because they prey on native species, often small mammals which are endangered in any case because of human activity. The feral cat gets the blame. But, the question here is whether feral cats will remain non-native to Australia in perpetuity. Will there be a time when we can say that feral cats are no longer non-native in Australia? And I think there is.  Australian feral cat. Photo: Pixabay. Peter Banks I like an article written by Peter Banks, Professor of Conservation Biology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Australia. He makes the point that there can be a time when a non-native species becomes native. He even sets out criteria for classifying whether a species can be considered to be native when at one time they weren't. He applied his criteria to dingoes and concluded that they are now native to Australia.

No, the word "jaguar" should not be capitalized as the word is not a proper noun. It's interesting because I write these articles using speech-to-text software called Dragon Dictate.  Dragon Dictate capitalises the word 'jaguar' and I don't understand why. It appears to be an error in the software or it is because these words are often used in a human context such as naming a sports team e.g. "the Jaguars are playing the Bobcats tomorrow". Sports teams often adopt the name of a wild cat species for their name. Under these circumstances 'jaguar' is capitalised as it refers to a proper noun: the name of a sports team. The software also capitalises the words 'tiger' and 'lion'. But this is incorrect, strictly speaking. Black jaguar - melanistic jaguar. Photo: The Big Cat Sanctuary from a video by them. RELATED: Should 'veterinarian' be capitalised ? Although some authors incorrectly still capitalise tiger and jaguar. Ofte

@66supermandavid kitten vs big steak ♬ original sound - 66supermandavid Note : This is an embedded TikTok video. Sometimes they are deleted at source which stops them working on this site. If that has happened, I apologise but I have no control over it. It is a cute reminder that kittens are born ravenous and carnivorous. A mentality inherited from their wild cat ancestor. It certainly pays dividends to remember that domestic cats are wild cats at heart; a whisker away from their wild ancestor in behaviour.  And this carnivorous mentality is all apparent in the short video. In terms of mentality there is no difference between this cute little kitten and a big tiger on a reserve in India. They just want to bolt down the food as quickly as possible. I wonder, though, if this kitten has been starved a little bit to make sure that he behaves as you see in the video and as desired by the video-maker. Starving diminutive kitten behaves like a tiger eating a buffalo The video has been

Of course, Gordon Ramsay has a very high hitting Instagram account with over 13 million subscribers. And he has a son called Oscar. And the family also has what appears to me to be a pointed Exotic Shorthair cat. A very good looking cat although bred to extreme. The Daily Mail has picked up on the photograph and said how adorable it is as Oscar who is two years of age goes for a 'walk' with the cat. Well, they are joking of course because Oscar is carrying the cat and here is the point of this article. Oscar Ramsay carries the family cat in the wrong way. Photo: Gordon Ramsay. Oscar is carrying this purebred cat in a very bad way. It's the kind of way that children do carry cats. Every time they do it it is incorrect. It's common sense that it is incorrect. You don't need a sophisticated argument from a cat behaviourist to tell you. 😉. When you carry a cat you have to support them properly and not have them hanging from their shoulders putting strain on their spine

This image is on Twitter. I like it because I like anything which refers to the domestic cat which this very definitely does. I see the image of a domestic cat's whiskers etched on Chenle's face, around his eyes. I guess he is exaggerating for the camera but when he laughs or smiles the whisker lines are produced. His name is written thus in Korean writing, Hangul: 천러 So who is this guy? I had never heard of him which is unsurprising because he's a Chinese singer, songwriter and actor currently based in South Korea. In the West we don't hear much about these celebrities from Asia. They seem to obtain their celebrity status within Asia. His full name is Zhong Chenle but he is known professionally by the mononym Chenle. He is on Wikipedia which is always indicative of success. (≧∇≦)♡ Chenle's cat whisker dimple There are a lot of South Korean K-pop bands all of which are made up of pretty boys. They are all over Twitter. I am not a fan of K-pop or their childish tweet

The emotional connection and friendship is tangible. There is no doubt that this bobcat is deeply emotionally involved with the ginger tabby-and-white domestic cat. Obviously, the bobcat is domesticated to a large extent. But wild cats never quite attain that level of domestication that domestic cats do.  Deep friendship between a domestic cat and a wild cat: the bobcat. Screenshot. But in this video, it almost looks like we are viewing two domestic cats. The behaviour of the bobcat is no different at all to a domestic cat. He or she is allogrooming which is mutual grooming.  It is the kind of thing humans do to cats when we stroke them. It's a bonding exercise which is exactly what it looks like. And they lick the parts that the recipient cat can't get to for obvious reasons. They must do it totally instinctively. They know the part that cats can't get to and therefore they lick them. I think that pretty clever actually. Note : This is a video from another website which is

The woman states on Reddit.com that her "final form" is to take her cat on errands all the time. I take this to mean that she has firmly decided that the final version of her, in respect of her relationship with her cat companion, is to take the cutie on her daily errands. This is a brave move.  I took my cat to all my errands today and I think that’s just how I’m going to live my life from now on 😂 crazy cat lady final form. Provided she is careful to ensure that her cat does not get into any trouble, it's a good idea. I am one of those people who believe that too many domestic cats are too often bored because of a lack of stimulation which arises out of the simple fact that they are cared for and therefore do not have an outlet for their desire to hunt for a living. Walking your cat on a lead outside, if that's possible and often it isn't, and in this instance carrying your cat into the local DIY store can work wonders to stimulate your cat. There are potential

Answer: cats slow-blink because they are expressing their emotions at a moment when they feel reassured as they are in an emotionally friendly environment when communicating with their human caregiver. The relaxed state in the cat results in the restful slow blink which humans have interpreted to mean more than it truly does. This is my personal view and I don't expect people to necessarily agree with me. The jury is out to be honest on the slow blink. The information provided is anecdotal and the studies are not conclusive. Why do cats slow blink? Image: MikeB. This question has been answered a million times on the Internet. But the books on cat behaviour that I have never mention it. It is simply not on the authors' radar. The experts don't write about it in books. It is only discussed by cat owners on the Internet and there are a few studies. However, I think people place too much significance in this aspect of feline behaviour. We have to answer the question by observat

Boy has special relationship with neighbor's cat in suburbia. Screenshot. This is a particularly delightful little video. It comes from Springfield, Oregon, USA. The encounter was videoed on December 7, 2021. His mom said: "My son and I visit this cat in our neighborhood walks. She’s not a stray, just friendly." Comment : it is great to see. I always think that children of this age learn to love animals more when they have these sorts of experiences. Is it probably fair to say that this boy inherited a love of animals. Perhaps all children like animals. That inherited characteristic is sometimes knocked out of them by their parents and early life experiences if they subsequently learn to dislike or even hate cats. But the inherited starting point for children is not to hate cats. That's my viewpoint. Although, it is also plausible that humans might inherit an innate fear or anxiety around large cats because millennia ago they genuinely did prey on humans or they were