It has been suggested that the celebrity Downing Street cat, Larry, who has kept five Prime Minister's company at the offices and removed all signs of mice from the building, was selected because he was very calm at the time when he was chosen at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home and the reason why he was calm was because he had been neutered the day before. Government Chief Mouser Larry the Cat questioned over Partygate. Screenshot. The suggestion is that just by chance Larry and thanks to castration he was selected from a group of five. I find this implausible to be honest. Although we know that the neutering of male cats makes them calmer. In fact, I did some work on how castration of men changes their character. I wanted to get into the heads of neutered male cats and tried to do this by researching how the operation affects humans. It might interest you. It's certainly chills out men and that's why male cats become calmer and more manageable. Effects of Castrating a Cat (

This is the question on Reddit.com: Binx has (overnight) developed a dead straight line of blonde on her back. Any ideas? Black cat with blonde stripe on her back which developed rapidly. Image: u/FyldeCoast on Reddit.com There is obviously no certainty that I am correct. It is a kind of guess based on little to go on. If you have a better idea please comment. It would be great if you did 😃. RELATED:   2 examples of feline vitiligo (leukoderma). This is my answer It looks like it could be vitiligo. It is harmless. Antibodies attack the melanocytes (pigment producing cells in the skin in the hair follicle bulb). The melanocytes are destroyed and no longer produce melanin, a dark pigment producing black fur. This leads to fur without pigment in a localised area. The hair strands in that are just keratin and therefore semi-transparent having the appearance of being off-white. The white area may expand. Sometimes cats with vitiligo turn from black to white! Studies indicate that changes i

This is all about feeling secure and having fun. And that's interesting because it hints at the possibility (fact?) that domestic cats often feel a little insecure and need more entertainment. Why? Because they are barely domesticated and live in a human environment which is inherently unnatural despite their great ability to adapt. We see domestic cats jump into boxes, large and small. And we see them wriggle and squirm into glass vases as in the video on this page. The underlying motivation is the same: a feeling of security. Plus, there must be an element of self-entertainment. The Twitter video below may stop working. If that has happened, I am sorry but I can't control it. liquid mode activate pic.twitter.com/J1DTpwmPNr — cats being weird little guys (@weirdlilguys) December 27, 2022 Domestic cats need mental stimulation as many live indoors full-time. Humans are often too busy or pre-occupied to entertain their cat companions. They have to find ways to entertain themselv

You see the word "agouti" use quite a lot by the cat fancy and on cat websites. What does it mean? It's a reference to a type of coat which we know very well, a tabby coat. Specifically, it refers to the genetics of a tabby coat. Agouti is the name given to a coat in which each individual hair strand is pigmented with bands of black, brown and yellow. The most typical agouti pattern is seen in the ticked tabby coat of the Abyssinian cat; an "all-agouti" cat. The classic tabby cat that we see has blotches of dark areas and so we have, in the words of Robinson's Genetics, a tabby pattern which "consists of two coexisting systems of pigmentation or, more likely, a background of agouti, with a superimposed system of stronger black pigmentation." The background of agouti as they state are areas in which the hair fibres are banded or ticked with alternating black or yellow pigmentation as mentioned. Superimposed on this are areas in which almost all-blac

What's the African lynx? It is an early name for the well-known, small-to-medium sized wild cat species the caracal ( Caracal caracal and formerly  Felis caracal ). It was the given name in the early days of the taxonomy of the wild cat species as it was and is the only lynx-like animal in Africa. I think this is a reference to the ear tufts.  It has also been called the desert lynx and Persian lynx. As the caracal's distribution includes the Middle East and western Asia (or did) the term African lynx was abandoned in favour of 'caracal'. Caracal formerly the 'African lynx'. Image: MikeB based on one in the public domain.

What is the alpaca cat? Simple answer. This is not about a cat but a name. The alpaca cat was an alternative name for the LaPerm cat. As you probably know, the fur of the alpaca is wavy and spongy. It naturally crimps. It is somewhat like the fur of the LaPerm which, because of a genetic mutation, has an unusual texture, having "a distinctive coat that falls in loose ringlets, reminiscent of the Komondor or Puli dog". The quote comes from Dr. Desmond Morris in his book Cat World. Click this for LaPerm info . Alpaca and LaPerm. Image: MikeB. LaPerm pic by Helmi Flick.

Stress has long been recognized as a significant factor in the well-being of animals, including dogs, and has been the subject of numerous studies in both laboratory and shelter settings. These studies have shown that stress can have both physiological and behavioral consequences, including the production of the hormone cortisol (also known as the glucocorticoid hormone).  Volunteers sit with rescue animals to reduce stress during a storm. Image in public domain. Elevated levels of cortisol can have negative effects on an animal's health and behavior, and it is therefore important to identify ways to reduce stress in animals, particularly those in shelters. One key factor in reducing stress in dogs in shelters is human interaction. Research has consistently shown that social support, including interaction with humans, can help to buffer the stress response in animals, including dogs. This may be due to the fact that social interaction can stimulate the production of oxytocin, a hor

The title and the infographic says it all. Breeders of contemporary, peke-faced (flat-faced) Persian cats with extreme facial features have destroyed the cat's health. They have taken away the perfect feline anatomy that was present in the original 'normal' Persian cat around 50 years ago and replaced it with distorted anatomy because of years of misguided but formally sanctioned (by the cat associations) selective breeding. It is horrible.

I have just visited my doctor's surgery. I walked down to the clinic (about 25 minutes) and on the way back I saw a beautiful Bengal cat on the sidewalk and then crossing the road before entering the grounds of his home through the grille of a fence where he marked his territory against an object in the front garden. It got me thinking. Why was this Bengal cat outside wandering freely? Should you let your Bengal cat outside? And the answer is, it depends. Here is the cat I describe. It is a poor quality picture I am afraid: Bengal cat wandering outside in Kingston Upon Thames. Image: MikeB I do not believe that you can let your Bengal cat go outside in the way that I saw today, to roam freely at will wherever they want to. Bengals are too glamorous and too enticing to steal. The cat I saw was beautiful and stood out. Supervision However, I do believe that Bengal cats should be allowed outside under supervision. This means that if, in the instance I refer to above, you live in a cit

 I am one of those people who admire Carole Baskin tremendously. She has spent 30 years of her life ensuring that this new law, the Big Cat Public Safety Act, comes into force. In the video she tells us that it passed Congress but since then it's been signed off by President Joe Biden and therefore it is now law in the USA. Note : Come on guys and ladies 😒😢. Judging by the very small number of views of this page almost no one is interested in this and yet it is of major importance in animal welfare in the US. It is huge and a great achievement by Carole Baskin and the others who pushed this law through the legislature. It tackles two major aspects of big cat ownership. Firstly, it prevents big cat ownership falling into the hands of private individuals where the cats are often mistreated and abused. Carole Baskin in another video says that countries like the UK banned this form of big cat ownership in 1970. She is upset that America has taken until now, 50 years later, to do the

He or she is the Einstein of domestic cats and they are very attractive to boot. This is a standard domestic cat but I see Turkish Van markings. The appearance is what I'd call Mediterranean. Lots of white, a ginger tabby tail and blotchy, large inverted 'Vs' over the head.  Smart domestic cat opens door by removing door jammer and turning handle. Screenshot. We know that some domestic cats open doors by using their body weight to pull down on the door handle. But this guy realises that the door has been jammed shut as well. So he climbs up to the height of the door jammer and knocks it out and then uses his normal technique to turn the door handle. Totally awesome and taking the domestic cat trick of opening a door to new heights ✔️💓. If the video stops working I am sorry but I don't control its presence as it is served by the Reddit.com website. The cat's caregiver states: "The cat has a very clear logic. I'm shocked". Yes, I'm shocked too. You

NEWS AND OPINION: Scientists at the Vector research center in the Novosibirsk region of Siberia are analysing the remains of mammoths and woolly rhinoceroses together with other ice age animals to find and revive prehistoric paleoviruses. Photo: Semyon Grigoryev/NEFU Some of these viruses have been in the permafrost of their area for 200,000-400,000 years. A professor from the National Center of Scientific Research at the University of Aix Marseille, Jean-Michel Claverie, said: "The Vector research is very, very risky. Our immune systems have never encountered these types of viruses. Some of them could be 200,000 or even 400,000 years old". He said that these viruses that killed the mammoths and other prehistoric animals would be able to infect humans. In other words they are zoonotic. It's noteworthy that the Vector state research center of virology and biotechnology is one of 59 maximum-security bar labs in the world. It is a former Soviet biological weapons laboratory.

This is a new study that may interest some people. It basically confirms earlier studies and/or hardens up the theory that wildcat domestication first occurred in the Fertile Crescent, up to 12,000 years ago,  and they were transported to other parts of the world by their owners. Domestic cats might still be described as 'semi-domesticated' because of their ability to switch to a wildcat-like behaviour when allowed to roam outside the home except for the fact that they are socialised to humans. Similarity in appearance is still evident after 10,000 years. Image: MikeB Below is a summary of the study from a report from the University of Missouri. The scientist, Leslie A. Lyons, a feline geneticist and Gilbreath-McLorn endowed professor of comparative medicine in the MU College of Veterinary Medicine, was the study leader and author. Domestic cats are thought to have originated from the wildcat species, Felis silvestris , which still exists today. The domestication of cats is be

  Kyle Walker who marked Kylian Mbappe in the quarter-final match between England and France, said: "John [Stones] named him Dave. Some people really don't like the cat but I love him. I love him." The Three Lions returned to the UK without the World Cup but Dave the cat is going to be shipped out of Qatar despite the fact that the players said that they would only do it if they won the World Cup. This is a great result for Dave. Dave on his way to a shelter in preparation for flying to England in due course. Image: Daily Mail photographer. The promise that they would take him home was made by England defenders Kyle Walker and John Stone. Before Saturday's defeat against France, Walker added: "Dave is fine. Hopefully I can stick to my promise that he will come home with us if we were to win the World Cup." The video on this page at the top of the article shows you that Dave is coming home and the ladies in the video I believe are the ones who work at the Qat

A grand multi-cat home. Highly organised and harmonious! Image: Pinterest. To answer the first part of the question in the title: a study suggests that the number of cats in a household does not significantly impact the level of stress in individual cats. Other factors, such as the relationship with their owners and the availability of resources, may be more important in determining a cat's level of arousal and emotional distress. The study also found that young cats in multi-cat households had lower levels of stress hormones, and that cats who tolerate petting by their owners tend to have higher levels of these hormones (don't like being petted?). These findings suggest that social interactions and positive human-cat interactions may play a role in reducing stress in cats. There will be some homes where stresses might build up because of the multi-cat environment where they wouldn't normally. However, a review found that the available evidence on the impact of single versu

    Terry volunteers daily at his local shelter to take naps with cats as you can see in the video.  I can't guarantee the video will stay on this page indefinitely. Sorry. And as you can see in the video, he thoroughly enjoys it and is very good at it. He's made friends with the cats, and they've made friends with him. He says that the experience helps with his health and blood pressure et cetera. I just see a lot of positivity in the video. There's no downside to it. If you are a senior citizen with time on your hands and if there is an animal shelter not too far from, this, I would have thought, would be an option. Old hand of a loving cat caregiver and the appreciative cat. Image in public domain. Not only do you meet the cats and provide them with a little bit of human warmth and comfort, you can meet the people who work there as well. Every senior citizen needs to get out and meet people. It's a basic necessity for humankind. Humans are social creatures. And

Image: MikeB from screenshots. You might have seen this video. If not enjoy it as it is a cracking good one. So cute and so nice too as the outcome is great. The cuteness comes from the fact that the 'lead kitten' - the gang leader - confidently marches up the man as if they are in need of rescuing. Very confident - perhaps driven by starvation.  The man accepts the approach and clearly intends to rescue this cute tabby-and-white stray kitten. When it was clear to the others, who were watching in the long grass, that the man was safe and good, the gang of 11 more kittens, many white, trot out of the long grass to great their saviour. @thepetcollective This is the most adorable ambush in the world! 💕😻✨ #AnimalRescue #RescueCats #CatParents #KittenTok #KittenRescue #PetRescue #CatTok #ViralCats #CuteCats #CuteKittens #PetAdoption #CatAdoption #Wildlife #Nature ♬ Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) - Kate Bush It looks like one big family. Where's the

An unnecessarily aggressive example of human behaviour in manhandling an innocent stray cat who trespassed on Brazil's news conference in Qatar. Shame on the man. You did not have to behave this aggressively towards the cat. There is anger in your behaviour. This is a cross post from PoC as it is interesting in that is hints at the general abuse that can be directed at stray cats in Brazil. Here is a screenshot and some words: The problem is this: the man hurt the cat by grabbing the cat's skin along the spine. Also, to grab the scuff of the neck aggressively like this is not good when the cat is an adult. There is too much weight placed on the loose skin. He dumps the cat unceremoniously over the table. The aggressive behaviour of the media official indicates a poor relationship with cats. This was a press conference at Qatar before the Brazil versus Croatia quarter final which Brazil have just lost on penalties. Neymar scored the only goal in the first half of extra time - a

There are two ways that domestic, stray and feral cats can use parked cars to help them survive a cold winter: Rarely but significantly, some cats and sometimes kittens crawl into the engine space to warm up because the car has been recently used and the engine compartment is still warm. They might stay there until the next morning when the car is reused. More commonly and not quite as dangerous for the cat, they might go under a car to shelter and for protection. In fact, when I go for a walk with my cat along the pavement (sidewalk) to buy the paper in the early hours of the morning, my cat goes under cars. I don't like it and I wait for him, and he eventually waits in a certain position which is safe to pick me up when I return. Larry the Cat underneath President Trump's car. Image in public domain as assessed. The then President Trump was visiting the UK's Prime Minister at No. 10 and he arrived in The Beast, his bomb proof car. Larry is the resident cat at No 10. But

I think that this is a good question raised by Jacqueline Swartz writing for CNN. It is against the domestic cat and therefore I am a bit reluctant to write the article but, as I said, it's a good point. I think it needs discussing at least briefly. Reluctant feline flier. Image: Reddit.com. Jacqueline is allergic to cats. In fact, she says that she is severely allergic and vulnerable to allergic asthma. Quick research indicates that 10-20% of people are allergic to domestic cats. That is up to one in five people. If there are a hundred people on an aircraft, 20 of them will be allergic to cats at a maximum. That's quite a big number and if there are 200 people on the plane you can double it. Of course, not everyone is going to feel the effects of a cat in the aircraft's cabin as you have to be quite near, I would suggest, to the cat in a carrier to get the effect and therefore perhaps only one or two people allergic to cats will suffer negative consequences. But as you pro

This Reddit.com user, Mary, asks whether any other cat owned by the Reddit.com community sits by the glass shower screen when their owner is in the shower as you see in the photo below. And they are asking why this is happening. I think I know the reasons. 3 reasons why this Persian cat always sits by shower cubicle when owner showers. Image: Reddit user: u/Maryy_returns There are three: The shower and the surrounding bathroom have a strong smell of the person showering who is the human caregiver of the cat waiting outside the shower cubicle. This is because the warm water and steam distributes the body scent around the bathroom. It is the body scent of the person showering which attracts this gorgeous Persian cat to sit and wait. It's an attractant to him or her. Domestic cats are very involved with scents and smells. They connect with a person through their scent, and they identify a person by their scent. Another reason is that their owner (believed to me Mary) has gone behind a

Here is an article built around an infographic on speciesism and how it can lead to animal abuse. It is greatly unfair to indulge in speciesism. I firmly that we should treat all animals equally and on a par with humans. A lofty and perhaps unattainable goal. Here are some quick thoughts on speciesism and how it can lead to animal abuse. They are instant thoughts, no more. A stream of consciousness. Please add yours in a comment. It is common sense that if a person regards one species of animal as of lower value than another it is likely that they will treat that animal less well. And if, in addition, they believe that animals are lesser creatures to humans it increases the chances of animal maltreatment. This is speciesism in action. Cat and dog meat When I think of speciesism I sometimes think of cat and dog meat. It is a pet topic of mine. Perhaps I shouldn't think of it. But the cause or the underlying reason for cat and dog meat is speciesism. The celebrated contemporary artis

It is that time of year when websites sometimes discuss the interaction between cats and Christmas trees 😎. And this is where it goes wrong 😢. There's one website from New Zealand called Stuff which has a title as follows: "Watch: 12 times cats tried to ruin Christmas trees". This is a big website with an influence, and I don't like the title (Kiwis don't like cats!). I am being too serious, but this is a title which imports speciesism into the discussion. Domestic cat pulls over Christmas tree. See video below. Domestic cats don't try and ruin Christmas trees. They try and climb them because that is what domestic cats want to do. They need to entertain themselves in the sterile human environment in which they are placed and forced to live. Strong words. @yoilseari please send tips so this won’t happen again #cat #catsoftiktok #christmas #cats #fyp #foryoupage ♬ original sound - Ilse ◡̈ So why criticise them for trying to ruin Christmas trees? Th