Cat Chit Chat

This is actually pretty normal and certainly not very unusual although the owner was nonplussed. My cat does something similar on my arm when I am wearing an old fleece dressing gown. I let him do it and this owner should let his cat do it. Why? Because it pleases him, and it does no harm and it's not really an inconvenience for the human caregiver in my view. Human caregivers should do all they can to please their cat. This often means allowing them to express natural behaviour. Male cat has 'sex' with bed clothes. Screenshot. It is entirely instinctive. You can see that he wants to hump his owner because he has grabbed the fictional female by the scruff of our neck in his jaws. He is clearly confused because he thinks that the bedsheet is a female cat. It sort of proves that cats are very instinctive in their behaviour, and they don't rationalise what they're doing. If they did this cat would understand that he has a bedsheet in his mouth that he is trying to hump

This charming photograph is on the quora.com website on a page which discusses the photo-editing of pictures of cats. And the person who started off the discussion said that pictures of cats should never be photoshopped because cats are charming enough as it is, and they don't need to be photo edited.  And you should never add human teeth to cats which, incidentally, is something we see a lot of on the Internet. Anyway, one person who joined the conversation added a screenshot of a photograph of a 14-year-old cat head-butting an 18-month-old child and that is the photograph that you see on this page. It is charming and it is to be expected to be honest. The ginger tabby obviously has a nice connection with this child. And he is doing what he would do with an adult person which is to scent exchange. That means he deposits his scent from the glands around his head onto the child and in doing that he receives the child's scent onto his head. There is a metaphorical merging of mind

Accused cat killer in court. Screenshot from video below. The video explains the story. It is pretty horrible, but the guy is innocent until proven guilty as we all know. The protesting ladies are sure that he is the cat killer because he was captured by a security camera abducting one of the cats and the footage is sufficiently clear to identify the individual. The guy is 18-years-of-age. He looks much older.   Please remember I can't guarantee that the video above will remain functional as it is embedded here and served up by a computer beyond my control. The video caption is "Orangevale alleged cat killer appears in court. Madisen Keavy was outside the Sacramento County Main Jail where she questioned the accused cat killer and spoke with neighbors in Orangevale". There are many cat killers in many countries. In fact, all countries have cat killers because the domestic, stray and feral cat polarises opinion and there are many disturbed people, almost always men or boy

EV stands for electric vehicle as you probably know. Charging points are springing up around various countries where the sales of EVs are sometimes outstripping diesel-engine cars. And so, we have charging points in public places. And in this instance, we have a car charging point sign which looks like a cat charging point sign because the sign is tipped up vertically. If you flip the sign through 90 degrees to the right (turn the picture on its side), you will recognise the outline of a vehicle. Image: Nigel Stewart The person who spotted it said: "Woah, didn't know you could get electric cats. Can finally get rid of my petrol one." Here it is flipped through 90 degrees to the right. Image as above. The sign is outside a supermarket chain in the UK called Morrisons. Nigel Stewart had nipped down to his local Morrisons in Kirkham, Lancashire to get some bits and bobs for his dog, a nine-year-old Cavachon Fozzie when he spotted the interesting sign. I wonder if the draught

Take a look at this. I know that it is not directly about cats, but it is indirectly because it is about being risk averse.  Risk aversion goes to the heart of everything we do and achieve. Modest risk aversion is good but being overly risk averse is bad as it stunts development and experiences. It leads to less of a life. This philosophy affects how we care for our cats.  Risk aversion is part of decision making in cat caretaking - Michael In fact, it goes to the heart of the debate on full-time indoor cats and indoor/outdoor cats. I am not saying that the full-time indoor cat life is bad. Far from it. Often it is very sensible. I am saying though that a lot of the time the reason why cat owners confine their cats to the home is for peace of mind. It is primarily for the benefit of the human and not the cat. This guy (not living in the West) is not risk averse. No sir. Image: Screenshot from video. Sorry the quality is so poor. And there has to be an 'and', when domestic cats

I have just written about a philosophy or religion or even a concept called "animism " . It's hard to know what it actually is. I think it is a type of religion, but it is very far from the conventional religions of the West such as Christianity in which people worship a man. Christianity seems to be sexist to me. And I think that Christianity has left a terrible legacy to the world. Shamans from the organization Tengeri conduct an offering ritual in 2013. Image: see bottom left. Through the bible, Christianity preached and continues to preach that humankind has dominion over the rest of the world including all animals. That's at least partly why, I argue, there is mass and endemic animal abuse across the planet and has been for centuries.  An also who sport hunters have no empathy with animals. It is completely missing. And that is why humans think they can control and abuse nature to their own commercial ends. But nature is striking back with global warming. And if

Caught on CCTV, we see a man in Wales, who seems to be fairly elderly, kicking an elderly cat against a wall. The man went out of his way to do it. The cat's owner is bemused at this alleged wanton act of cat cruelty. She branded the man 'disgusting'. Her cat is 17 years of age. Fortunately, the video shows us that the kick was not particularly violent although the cat was projected against a garden wall. Man in Wales goes out of his way to kick an old cat. Image: see photo. The video footage was recorded in Newport, Wales. It shows two older men walking down the road before the skinnier one spots the cat sitting on the pavement (sidewalk) outside a house and not far from a brick wall. After he spots the cat, he clearly decides to alter his route to kick her. The cat's owner, Valerie Young, of Albert Terrace in Newport spotted the alleged crime because she appears to have her security camera attached wirelessly to her tablet computer. NOTE : THIS IS NOT DIFFICULT TO LOO

This is a cute video from Twitter of a very trusting cat literally throwing themselves into the arms of their caregiver. It is great to see such a warm and trusting relationship. The cat didn't check if it was okay to plonk down so dramatically. A very trusting action. It is about that: trust. It must have happened before as they decided to make a video of it. Loving cat - loving relationship. Screenshot. In fact, she must have done this countless times and learned that there was always an arm there to catch her.  It is another demonstration that nearly all domestic cats love to have contact with their owners. They love that physical connection.  Some people lacking in cat behaviour knowledge still believe that domestic cats are 'solitary and aloof'. It is bollocks. They are very sociable nowadays and demand close contact with their caregiver. Of course, it depends on the individual cat. If they don't get this connection by lying on their human, they might reach out wit

Although I don't think this study is particularly useful or enlightening, I believe that it is worth reporting it so here goes. The scientists decided that most studies about the benefits of companion animals to university students concerned dogs (83%) so they wanted to do some work on cats to see how university students responded. Could they respond positively to the presence of domestic cats on campus? Could cats benefit university students? Yes, is the answer if they have a sufficient degree of emotionality and the right attitude! 👍✔️💓. Student benefiting from a ginger tabby cat. Image: Pixabay. They found in simple terms that the student has to have the right attitude to benefit. In short, if a university student has the following attributes they respond positively to a visitation from a cat on campus at university: The student is female. The student is open to a dog visitation program. The student is a cat owner. In other words, we are talking about students who already like

A lot of cat owners, I suspect mainly women, like to speak to their cat companion with a baby voice. It is entirely understandable indeed normal. And often people relate to their companion cat as a baby or a toddler, so it all adds up. The Times newspaper reports on a study which they say found that talking to your cat in a silly voice helps you to bond and communicate with your cat companion. Alia Butt and her white Persian cat. Image: Instagram. They suggest that cats are notably less responsive when you don't put on a baby voice. But I think this report is incorrect. I'll tell you why. The scientists decided that the cats that they assessed responded to their owner's baby voice. But they did not respond to their owner when they spoke in a normal voice. On this basis they decided that the baby voice is more effective in eliciting a feline response. That is an error in my view. It is because the cat has become habituated to listening to their owner speaking in a baby voic

The problem of uncontrolled breeding of unowned (and owned cats regrettably) is very evident in this picture of a group of black cats in the US on a country road.  They all look the same down to the spot of white on their chest on some individuals.  RELATED:  How fast do cats breed ? They are all closely related, parents and siblings. The capacity of the domestic cat and domestic cats turned stray and feral to procreate is one of the big challenges of humankind.  RELATED:  Female feral cats avoid inbreeding in colonies . Uncontrolled breeding in a colony of feral cats all of which look the same or very similar. Image: see embossed credit. Apparently, we are not entirely capable of controlling it despite widespread spaying and neutering.  A failure to sterilise is the cause of cat hoarders ending up in a massive mess and cruelly neglecting their cats. The opposite is achieved with well manages TNR programs supported by the local authority. The benefits of controlling cat procreation are

I am an old man (almost 74). I am pretty fit but like all men I have the desire to pee more often than I used to. It is due to an enlarged prostate which seems to affect almost all men of my age. I have worked on changing my diet for the past 8 years. Yes, it takes a lot of self-discipline and a long time (for me) to stabilise one's weight when you get old because of a lifetime of eating habits based on a higher metabolic rate. Metabolism slows but many old people eat the same amount as they did when much younger.  By 'diet' I mean a wholesale change to one's eating habits permanently. This is not a flash in the pan fad diet. And it accompanies a lifestyle change too. Note: I know that this is not about cats. Well, it is indirectly. If you are ill because you are overweight, you are less effective as a cat caregiver. And if you have to get up all the time at night to have a pee you disturb you cat who is on the bed with you! There, I have linked the page to cats ✔️👍. G

A video which confirms (if you need it) that cats ask for kisses and cuddles. Well, they ask for stuff that they like, warm human behaviour and things that pleases them like favourite food treats. That's the function of the infinitely variable meow. The video provides one example. Cat asks for more kisses and gets them. Screenshot. I love this relationship. There is a hell of a lot of warmth and a wonderful understanding between cat and human. You can tell that they understand each other because there is great communication between them.  Thie couple are 'talking' to each other through their actions and vocalisations. Please note that these embedded video stop working sometimes. I don't control them. If it has stopped: apologies. It was nice!! What is this cat wearing, I wonder? It looks like he is dressed up. Not sure about that. He is a ginger tabby. They are nearly always males and I hear nothing but good reports on the ginger tabby personality. Ginger Cat Personalit

The news at the moment is that the Omicron variant of Covid-19 is mutating and in a substantial percentage of cases is defeating the modern vaccines. There is a current "hybrid vaccine", one of which is manufactured by Moderna and another by Pfizer, which is meant to be effective against the Omicron variant. Mouthwash can kill Covid virus, and this virus is mutating and bouncing back. This product contains  cetylpyridinium chloride  (CPC) which as study has found kills the Covid virus. Image: MikeB However, my reading of the situation is that there is a current surge in Omicron infections in the UK and I suspect that this is playing out in a similar way in other countries. Plus the original COvid-19 is hanging around and still infecting people. People, therefore, need to do all they can to prevent an infection because they are now somewhat exposed. And I also learned that if you have had the Omicron variant and therefore have developed antibodies against it, you can still be

OPINION ON THE NEWS: Dr. William John Powers of Farmington Hills, USA is all over the news and has been for about a month. There are endless numbers of pictures of him with his Guinness World Records titleholder as the world's tallest living domestic cat. Fenrir and Powers. The Guinness World Records tallest domestic cand his owner. Image: Guinness World Records. The accolade goes to Fenrir, a second filial Savannah cat measuring 18.83 inches to the shoulder on January 29, 2021. I have a strong sense that this man, a Michigan physician and HIV specialist, is desperate for celebrity and he gets it vicariously through his cats. I say 'cats' because four of Powers' cats have officially won the following Guinness World Records: Altair Cygnus Powers – The Guinness World Records title holder for the longest tail on a living domestic cat. His tail measures 16.07 inches. Arcturus Aldebaran Powers – The Guinness World Records title holder for the tallest cat ever, and previously

The MailOnline and other news media outlets are reporting on the cruel behaviour of Artur Zakowicz, 46, roughly picking up his cat, Bashik (tuxedo cat), by the loose skin on his back (not the scruff) and hitting him six times with his hand and flattening him to the ground. It is all on CCTV video and the quality is good. I can't show the video here because the advertisers will object. And in any case, it will be unpleasant. Sorry, if that is disappointing but why watch an unpleasant video of cat cruelty? I will publish a distant video screenshot which should be okay. See below.  If you want to see the video and some more stills, please visit the MailOnline page by clicking on this link (opens new page) . Artur Zakowicz beats his cat Bashik in the street with CCTV watching. Credit: see image. Ironically the CCTV cameras appears to be on a police station building (Blacon Police Station). Bashik clearly struggled to escape as you would expect and managed to do so after 34 seconds prec

My bold statement in the title is backed up, time and again, by the cruelty against cats and dogs perpetrated by the traders of these animals in supplying them to the cat and dog meat markets in the south of China; specifically, the city of Guangzhou where cat and dog meat is very popular. That's the first point. The second point is this: President Xi has openly declared to the world in a speech that he supports the cat and dog meat market. He sees it as a tradition which should not be eradicated. Behind his permanent, plastic, fixed half-smile is a man who is cruel to animals. That sinister fixed grin: Xi Jinping can change things at a stroke but refuses to. That fixed grin hides a cruel heart. Picture: Wikipedia. The president is very fond of Chinese traditions which is to be expected. What is not to be expected and what is not to be desired is to retain cultural traditions which are abjectly and obviously cruel to animals. This shows a myopia in the president. It's a disrega

One of these tips is common sense and the other I had not heard of before. A lot of cat owners are probably concerned from time to time about the smell from their cat's litter tray. On the Internet, there is a lot of discussion about keeping down odours.  I remember one resourceful man with about a dozen cats having an entirely odour free home because he had built a very sophisticated extraction system for several cat toilets. I was very impressed because his home was entirely odour-free. Not many people can do that. RELATED:  Foul ammonia odour exposes homes where there are too many cats . Coffee grounds are an odour suppresser apparently. Image in public domain. The first obvious tip is to clean the cat litter as soon as your cat has gone to the toilet. That solves the problem more or less. The difficulty is that you have to be retired or working from home to do this. Many more people work from home thanks to Covid. So, this obvious tip can be employed. And it helps to have a lit

If you are concerned about sustainability and the environment and most people aren't in my judgement you might be interested to know that a wood-eating yeast in cat food has been found to be highly palatable and digestible.  Torula yeast. Picture believed to be in the public domain. It's a fungus and it can be used as a pet food ingredient. The yeast is called torula yeast ( Cyberlindnera jadinii ). It feeds on woody biomass and that's useful because there's a lot of forests being cut down and therefore a lot of biomasses lying around facilities which can be used to grow this yeast. Apparently, it is easy to manipulate and extrude and therefore it can be converted into a pet food ingredient conveniently. It doesn't contain allergens or heavy metals, but it does provide amino acids. Unbeknown to many cat owners some cat foods contain heavy metals . Torula yeast is approved as an ingredient by the AAFCO in America. It has a safe history of use. A Kansas State Universi

A topical question bearing in mind the current tensions in Europe and Ukraine is whether you are thinking about preparing for nuclear war! I don't know about you but sometimes it crosses my mind that I should do something to protect myself and my cat in the event that Putin does the unthinkable and commences a nuclear war.  The fortified door of a shelter. Apartment blocks in Finland often have such shelters in the basement if there is no community shelter nearby. Note the international civil defence symbol on the door. Photo: MPorciusCato (Wikipedia) It is very unlikely that there will be a nuclear war, but it is not implausible to believe that he might set off a series of tactical nuclear bombs which may escalate to nuclear war. It would certainly escalate to NATO intervening on the ground, I think. That in turn may result in a catastrophic nuclear war. Putin has hinted at this. So, what do you do to help save the life of your cat and yourself? I did a bit of research and as you