Cat copies his opera-singing young female caregiver (video)

This will make you smile. Or it should do. I think the cat is copying their owner. Cats do this a lot. They learn by observation. Think about cats learning to open doors for instance.

Either that or there is something behind the camera which has caught the cat's attention and provoked her/him to make these sounds. The second theory is probably the better one. You can see the cat looking intently at something off-camera.

>barges in
>sings a solo
>refuses to elaborate
>leaves pic.twitter.com/jCYU2e1VRO

— Punch Cat (@PunchingCat) April 27, 2024

Please remember that embedded videos from social media sometimes fail because they are removed at source i.e. on the social media platform. If this video has stopped working I apologise but I can't control its existence. 😢🙄

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.

2 million bottles of Perrier destroyed. Well water contaminated.

A well that has been the source of Perrier water for a century has been suspended as spring water from it was found to contain E. coli and other bacteria which can cause severe intestine of infection and can lead to fatal kidney failure in rare cases.

Image from online store and in the public domain.

The well is situated in Vergèze near the southern city of Nimes. As a result, Perrier has been forced to destroy to million bottles of their water.

The well is one of seven used by Perrier to fill their bottles. Perrier is owned by Nestlé Waters France, a business which has been under pressure to improve production processes since it admitted in January that it had used illegal treatments on Perrier and Vittel to remove pollutants.

The bacterial contamination was detected before the bottles had been distributed and the bottles destroyed as a precaution. The company put the problem down to a "microbiological deviation". The problem appeared after heavy rains in southern France last month.

The company added that "All bottles on the market can be consumed in complete safety."

Nestlé admitted breaching French and EU regulations three months ago in using ultraviolet disinfection and activated carbon filtration to purify Perrier and Vittel mineral water.

The treatments are effective in reducing the risk of faecal contamination and are allowed for tap water but banned for "natural mineral waters".

Underground springs such as the ones mentioned providing water to Perrier are supposed to require no sanitising whatsoever.

The Times newspaper reports that "Nestlé has previously been accused of illicit treatment of other mineral water brands including Contrex and Hepar.

They said that they have stopped the practices and that their water is and has been always safe to drink.

An investigation has been launched to shed light on the state's failures in the supervision of the production of bottled water.

French news media have accused the French government of turning a blind eye to production problems despite an official report in 2022 which revealed that at least 33% of French mineral water brands had used banned treatments.

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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.

India pollutes the oceans with plastic more than all other nations

Regarding the disposal of plastic into the oceans, India has been identified as one of the leading contributors. The nation faces significant challenges in managing plastic pollution. The accompanying image was generated by artificial intelligence, drawing inspiration from a sculpture titled 'The Giant Plastic Tap' by Canadian artist Benjamin Von Wong, which was exhibited outside the Ottawa talks building.

Click on the image to see it larger - important for smartphones.

India plays a significant role to say the least in plastic pollution in our oceans. Here are some key facts:

1. Annual Plastic Waste Dumping: In 2020, India was the worst country for plastic waste in the oceans, dumping approximately 126.5 million kg of plastic each year. To put this into perspective, that weight is equivalent to over 250 thousand bottlenose dolphins, one of the most commonly found dolphin species in the ocean.

2. Comparison with the United States: Despite the United States producing double the amount of plastic waste annually compared to India (42 billion kg), only 2.4 million kg of it ends up in our oceans. This discrepancy could be due to the fact that the U.S. exports a significant portion of its waste to countries like India, which may have less effective waste management systems.

3. Exporting Plastic Waste: In 2018, the United States exported 157 thousand shipping containers filled with plastic waste, equivalent to approximately 1.07 million kg of plastic. While some of this waste went to countries with good waste management systems, a substantial amount was shipped to countries like India, which struggle with plastic waste management.

4. Collective Impact: The top five plastic waste dumpers globally contribute an astonishing 314 million kg of plastic into the ocean each year. India’s contribution remains a critical environmental challenge.

Here’s the list of the top 10 countries based on plastic waste dumped into the oceans:

1. India: 126.5 million kg
2. China: 70.7 million kg
3. Indonesia: 56.3 million kg
4. Brazil: 38 million kg
5. Thailand: 22.8 million kg
6. Mexico: 3.5 million kg
7. Egypt: 2.5 million kg
8. United States: 2.4 million kg
9. Japan: 1.8 million kg
10. United Kingdom: 703 thousand kg¹1

Efforts to address plastic pollution are crucial to safeguard marine life and ocean ecosystems. 🌊🐬

How bad is plastic pollution in India?

India faces a significant challenge when it comes to plastic pollution. Here are some key facts:

1. Annual Plastic Waste Generation: India generates approximately 3.5 million tonnes of plastic waste each year. This staggering amount has almost doubled over the last five years, highlighting the severity of the issue.

2. Per Capita Plastic Consumption: While the per-capita plastic consumption in India is relatively low at 13.6 kg, compared to countries like the U.S. (108 kg) and China (56 kg), the impact is still substantial. Plastic pollution adversely affects our ecosystems and is also linked to air pollution.

3. Recycling and Collection: India collects only 60% of its plastic waste, with the remaining 40% directly entering the environment. This lack of proper collection exacerbates the problem.

4. Single-Use Plastics: To address this issue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced India’s pledge to phase out single-use plastics by 2022. These single-use plastics include items like straws, cutlery, earbuds, and packaging films.

5. Recycling Challenges: Despite efforts, a large fraction of plastic waste in India still ends up in landfills or waterways, posing a significant environmental threat.

Efforts are being made through initiatives like the National Dashboard on Elimination of Single Use Plastic, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Portal, and more to manage plastic waste effectively and create a better future.

Sources: extensive search of the internet. India Today is one source. Another is Euro News. Many more. 

 
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.

Are the cavalry horses that charged through London's streets, okay?

The story about seven cavalry horses escaping and charging through central London is reported across all the news media today. There are some unpleasant photographs of blood pouring down a gray horse. It looks quite shocking. The horses ran into traffic injuring themselves and damaging vehicles. It is fortunate that nobody was killed and the horses have survived.

This short report is about the health and welfare of the horses. An army spokesman said:

"The horses have been recovered and returned to camp. A number of personnel and horses have been injured and are receiving medical attention."

The MoD said that one soldier had been responsible for two of the horses.

Update:

All I can say is that five horses have been recovered to the army - three of those are fine, but unfortunately two of those are in quite a serious condition and we'll be continuing to monitor them," James Cartlidge, the defence procurement minister, told LBC.

Further update:

The Times reports that 2 horses have undergone operations. A horse named Quaker has been transferred to an equine hospital. The army assured the public that their horse receive the highest standard of care. Note: I have just heard that they are kept in stables 24/7 except for one hour a day. If that is true it is not the highest standards of care.

The report is that the injury to the horses were caused by glass that had been broken from vehicles which the horses had run into. If that's the case then the injuries will not be severe it would seem to me.

One witness said: "One of the horses hit the Mercedes van and the rider was on, fell back on this little middle of the road, and the other woman lost control of her horse and she managed to grab the railings. The injured soldier was lying there on the ground. He looked like he hurt himself pretty bad. It was terrible."

The horses had been spooked "as they passed some building work and concrete fell from the roof". They were being ridden at the time by the soldiers. Four of the soldiers fell and three were injured. They were taken to hospital along with an injured civilian. It is believed that the injuries are not serious.

As I said, the horses are being assessed by a veterinarian and the indications are from the story although this needs to be confirmed that they have not been seriously harmed and will recover. I will try and update this page if and when it is possible.

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.

Why don't humans give animals the same rights as themselves?

The first point to make is that humans decide who has rights and who doesn't. The concept of rights is a human creation. Only humans can dish out rights to humans and animals. And they are designed to protect sentient beings.

Humans don't give animals the same rights that they give humans because if they did it would severely upset businesses. Granting animals the same rights as humans would punch a seriously big hole in worldwide commerce. It would destroy many businesses and it would certainly cost the world, in terms of trade, trillions upon trillions of dollars because in this modern world, animals are still there to serve humans in the biblical fashion.

Note: these are personal views. What are yours? Please comment. Click on the image to see it larger.

The picture was created by AI and AI can't spell! 😊💕🤔

Humans still have dominion over animals as per the Bible and animals are still abused by humans in order to make billions of pounds of profit. If you introduced greatly enhanced animal rights into this equation the ramifications would be enormous. For example the illegal trade in wild animals and their body parts is worth billions of dollars annually. All illegal. Humans don't want to enforce international agreements to stop it (CITES).

The consequences of equal animal rights would reverberate around the world for decades into the future. It would increase the price of foods tremendously. This would have a seriously negative effect on the economies of many countries.

In short, it simply isn't workable to grant animals the same rights as humans under the current human society even if we wanted to and in most instances we don't because this is about survival and granting animals equal rights jeopardises the survival of humans which is dependent upon making money.

So the granting or not granting of human rights to animals is about money at a bottom line. When I asked the same question of an artificial intelligent computer they could not provide me with a good answer because AI does not have an opinion. They don't know how to philosophise.

They simply search the Internet for the ideas of others and then summarise them. So you can't go to AI for an answer to this question.

What you can say in the positive is that animal rights have improved tremendously over the past centuries and recently over the past hundred years. This is due to pressure from animal advocates like myself.

And it is due to a realisation that we have to live with animals on this planet as best began. If we destroy nature - and wild animals are obviously a part of nature - we destroy ourselves because we are dependent upon nature and the planet to survive.

We ARE in fact destroying ourselves because we are in fact destroying the planet thanks to global warming and that, too, is about making money. If you want to prevent or curb global warming you have to invest trillions of dollars and countries like China don't want to do that. 

They want to go on with a burgeoning economy rapidly increasing in size. They depend upon around 5% growth every year in order to appease the masses in China. If they don't see the economy growing the tenuous hold on power by the CCP would start to crumble.

So granting rights to animals is about money and money gives people power and power gives people improved chances of survival. The answer is all about survival at the end of the day.

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.

Why humans don't have tails. Genetic basis for our tail-loss evolution.

Unlike our domestic cat companions we don't have tails. You've probably noticed! 😉😎 But we might have had tails and think how different the world would be if we had retained our tails like our primate cousins. The mind boggles. One's imagination can run riot with that image. All the chairs and all the sofas and all the seats on trains and buses would have to be changed.

Human with a tail in X-ray. Image by DALLE.

RELATED: Evolution of the blotched tabby pattern of domestic cats.

So what happened? Well, firstly, unlike Tucker Carlson, you've got to believe in evolution to believe in this scientific explanation. In fact, I hope Carlson reads this article because it might make him see sense about evolution. He believes that God created humans and animals under the creationist theory. He says there is no evidence for evolution which is wrong but he believes creationism about which there is certainly no evidence whatsoever. Tucker Carlson is irrational.

"It has long been speculated that tail loss in hominoids contributed to orthograde and bipedal locomotion, the evolutionary occurrence of which coincided with the loss of the tail" - quote from the study - see citation at base of page.

The reason

In summary, a genetic parasite altered a crucial gene related to tail development when our lineage diverged from other primates around 25 million years ago. This alteration ultimately led to the disappearance of tails in apes, including humans. Our tailless state owes its existence to this ancient genetic twist.

In some more detail: over millions of years, DNA undergoes changes that drive evolution. One intriguing element is the Alu element, a repetitive DNA sequence found exclusively in primates. These “jumping genes” can insert themselves randomly into the genome, potentially disrupting or enhancing gene function. In this case, the Alu elements reside in the TBXT gene, specifically within introns (DNA sequences flanking exons). Introns were once considered the “dark matter” of the genome, assumed to serve no purpose. However, when cells use the TBXT gene to generate RNA, the repetitive nature of Alu sequences causes them to bind together.

The researchers discovered two Alu elements in the TBXT gene, present in great apes but absent in monkeys. Remarkably, these elements reside in introns, not in the protein-coding exons. When RNA molecules are generated from the TBXT gene, the Alu sequences bind together, potentially influencing tail development.

Now, that is highly technical and I don't fully understand it but that is the current explanation as to why humans don't have tails. You can boil it down to the way evolution works and the way genetic mutations sometimes arise during evolution which leads to the creation of a different kind of animal and that animal does very well in terms of survival and therefore this alteration to the appearance and physiology sticks around and doesn't disappear.

Bo Xia, is the first author of the study (formerly a graduate student at New York University and now a principal investigator at the Broad Institute).

RELATED ARTICLE: Feline Evolution in Brief.

Study Citation

Xia, B., Zhang, W., Zhao, G. et al. On the genetic basis of tail-loss evolution in humans and apes. Nature 626, 1042–1048 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07095-8

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.

No hope in Russia. What a shit hole! Think of cats as well.

This photograph from Russia posted to Twitter/X by @nafoviking (he's a great critic of Russia) made me and a lot of other people think about what life is like in Russia. I know that in part of Russia, probably large parts of Russia, life is somewhat like this or exactly like this. As he says it looks and is utterly depressing. And very cold a lot of the time as well.

Click on the image to see it larger if you want to. This is particularly useful when reading this post on a smart phone.

Russian apartment block. The picture is believed to be in the public domain.

I would expect things to got a lot worse since Putin invaded Ukraine because he has now upped spending on armaments and the military to around 30% of Russia's GDP. NATO insists that member countries spend 2% of the GDP on the military and a lot of European countries don't achieve that.

You can see how much money Russia is putting into the war in Ukraine which means a lot of money is taken away from public services in Russia which in turn almost certainly means that they are seeing more apartment blocks like this, not maintained properly and falling to bits.

And, of course, being an animal lover and cat lover, I must think about the domestic cat companions if there are any living in this block with their owners. You have to use a little bit of imagination but not much to visualise a cat living with perhaps an elderly couple in a one-bedroom flat on the fifth floor with their long-suffering domestic cat companion.

A cat that has probably lived all their life or most of their life in this one bedroom flat; possibly or probably eating crappy Russian pet food which possibly or probably is affecting their health negatively. 

I don't want to paint an unfair picture. Although I hate what Russia is doing like millions of others and I hate the indoctrination of the Russian people by Putin and his cronies in the Kremlin into believing that he is a wonderful leader and all is well, I need to try and be even-handed and fair.

An interesting aspect of Russia is that they do like their cats although I don't think cats like to live in Russia as it is far too cold. Of course it isn't cold all the time but it is for large parts of the year.

And there are some amazing cat breeders in Russia. I don't like cat breeding but you have to admire cat breeders who do a good job. And Russia has their own couple of purebred cats namely the Russian Blue and the Siberian.

Russia breeds some of the best Maine Coon cats. But it seems to me that a large part of their population live in what we would regard as extreme poverty in the West. Their entire life is lived in this form poverty. They don't regard it as poverty but the boffins in the UK would because in the UK we have a distorted sense of what poverty is.

We don't know we are born in the UK. We are so mollycoddled and given so much money by the government which the government can't afford.

When the electricity and gas bills went up immediately after the Covid-19, this UK government dished out a lot of grants to help pay the very high heating bills. During that period, I am sure that I made a profit because the government gave me more money than I was spending on heating. They were that generous. Overly generous, spending money that the UK does not have.

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.

Tucker Carlson rejects evolution and believes God created us (creationism)

Tucker Carlson is the American commentator and writer who made a fool of himself when interviewing Putin. He was so obviously sycophantic, looking up to the Almighty Putin, Czar Putin as if he were some sort of God. It was embarrassing but it did show the sort of attitude he has about life generally. He clearly thinks Putin is a wonderful leader and probably doesn't object to Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine.

It's now come to light that Carlson does not believe in the concept of evolution as espoused by Charles Darwin. Darwin's theory of evolution (of natural selection) is almost universally supported by scientists of all colours and persuasions and by the vast majority of educated people who are not religious fundamentalists.

On cell phones click the image to see it larger....

It seems that Tucker Carlson is a kind of religious fundamentalist because he believes that God created animals and humans as per the story in Genesis. No doubt he believes that humans have dominion over animals and can use animals as they wish. This means that they can abuse animals and do whatever they like because animals are there to serve humans. I expect Carson to think those sorts of thoughts.

The man is, in my honest opinion, deluded and needs help. He says there is no fossil evidence that humans have ultimately evolved from single celled protozoans over billions of years.

I think he's correct in that you can't trace a line of fossils all the way from single cell creature to highly complex human. But fossil records provide ample support of evolution. I'm not a specialist about evolution but there is all kinds of scientific evidence which supports the theory.

Here's some evidence summarised:

1. Biogeography: Darwin observed closely related species inhabiting the same or adjacent territories. This distribution pattern suggested that these species likely descended from a common parent species. The geographical distribution of organisms provided crucial evidence for evolution.

2. Paleontology: Fossil records revealed a sequence of life forms over time. Transitional fossils, such as Archaeopteryx (a link between reptiles and birds), demonstrated gradual changes between species. These fossils supported the idea of common ancestry and gradual evolution.

3. Embryology: Comparing the embryonic development of different species revealed similarities. For instance, vertebrate embryos exhibit common features early in development, even if they diverge later. These shared developmental patterns indicated evolutionary relationships.

4. Morphology: Darwin studied anatomical structures across species. Homologous structures (similar features due to shared ancestry) provided evidence for evolution. For example, the pentadactyl limb (with five digits) appears in various vertebrates, including humans, whales, and bats.

5. Molecular Biology: DNA and genetic codes reflect shared ancestry. Comparing DNA sequences among species reveals evolutionary relationships. Similarities in genetic information support the concept of a common ancestor.

In summary, Darwin’s theory of evolution is supported by direct observations, homologies, fossils, biogeographical patterns, and molecular evidence.

Back to Carlson...

Carlson says that because we talk of Darwin's theory of evolution that it still remains a theory meaning not proved but he is wrong because in this instance, using the word 'theory' in a scientific context, means that it is solidly supported by evidence and hard science.

Tucker Carlson.

Image credit: By Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America - Tucker Carlson, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=135028856

Respecting Creationists

Of course, I respect the views of others. I respect the views of religious fundamentalists. They have a right to believe what they want to believe. But they are wrong about evolution and about God creating humankind. Religion is a creation of humankind as it makes life more palatable.

Believing in a God

Believing in a God is very helpful in life. No question about it. My mind immediately turns to the number one golfer in the world currently Scottie Scheffler. He is religious and he firmly believes in God. He uses his religion very productively in his golf. It helps to keep him calm and better cope with the pressures of playing professional golf.

His attitude and mentality when playing golf tournament are second to none. They are underpinned by his religious beliefs. Believing in God takes away a lot of the pressure when playing a tournament because the outcome is taken from the golfer and placed into the hands of your God. 

When you hear Scottie Scheffler talk he does so incredibly calmly as he has handed over his life to God which is very calming. Believing in a God removes a lot of the anxiety that one is bound to experience in our day-to-day lives and more so for a professional sportsman when competing.

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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.

What would be a cat's reaction to changing owners?

The answer to the question in the title depends on the context. At one extreme, sometimes domestic cats voluntarily change owners albeit fairly rarely. They move out of their owner's home, jump over three or four fences and into the home of their new owner where they are well cared for. This might happen if the cat has got used to their owner's neighbour and prefers him or her. The desire to move may be reinforced by the fact that their current owner is not very good. The cat's reaction will be one of pleasure and contentment.

At the other extreme, a domestic at is abandoned to a shelter, suffers a lot of stress inside the shelter and then his adopted perhaps a month or two later into a new home where there are other cats and of course where the owner is a stranger. This will be very stressful all the way for this cat who has changed their owner. The change has been forced on them.

The default reaction by a domestic cat to a change in owner is anxiety because as we all know domestic cat get used to their owner and often domestic cats are fearful of strangers. But that response, too, depends on the cat's character. Some cats are confident and some cats are timid and some cats are in between. Confident cats tend to accept new owners far more easily than timid cats. And they might be the kind of cat who walks into a neighbour's home and learn to like it as does the neighbour!

RELATED: Cat Personality Types.

The picture below was made by AI. It shows a man gifting a cat to his girl. I did not ask the AI computer to do that! 💕🤔. It is still good though and the cat is changing owners! 💕😊

Domestic cats change owners all the time in the general world of cats. That's because there are millions of cats passing through animal shelters in for example America where many of them are rehomed. They have a new owner. Sometimes of the cats are very happy to have a new owner because they have been in a shelter for a long time.

Sometimes shelter management put a notice on the cat's cage to tell adopters that this cat needs to be in a quiet home with no other cats. That, too, would be the default scenario for a cat changing home. I mean the new home should ideally be quiet. The new owner should be very pleasant and loving and ideally should follow a routine and be at home a lot. Result? Happy cat after some initial anxieties perhaps.

As I said at the beginning it depends on the context and the circumstances. The default is anxiety and sometimes it is pure pleasure for a cat learning to live with a new owner. And even when their is anxiety, provided the new owner is good and a good cat caretaker, the cat will get used to their new caregiver quite quickly and all will be well until the end of the cat's life.

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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.

Veterinarian struck off for possessing bestiality videos

NEWS AND COMMENT: Bestiality videos are obviously pornographic videos. This 29-year-old veterinarian, Oliver Lown, was found to be in possession of videos and images involving bestiality. The man was trained as a veterinarian in Hungary. He had never practised veterinary medicine in the UK, as I understand it. Police officers seized a number of items including laptops, hard drives and DVDs belonging to Lown containing the pornography.

RELATED: 4 U.S. states where bestiality is not a crime.

The items were analysed and bestiality videos and images found. Oliver Lown first appeared in South-East Suffolk Magistrate's Court (Ipswich) on January 15 where he was sentenced to 24 weeks in prison. The sentence started when he returned to court early in February as reported on 9 February.

On his return to court, his solicitor said that he had committed a possession offence and not a distribution offence and the quantity of material was quite low. The defendant also disclosed to the court that he had been sentenced to a conditional discharge for a previous offence and that he had been struck off by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Lown was given credit for his admission and entering a guilty plea but apparently he lacked remorse according to the reports. The images and videos were classed of extreme pornography by the judge under the law and he was sentenced to 24 weeks for each of the offences.

Comment: it is the first time that I have read a story about a veterinarian in the UK being convicted and punished for the possession of bestiality videos which is why I am reporting the news here.

It was first reported in the news media in early February.

Source: East Anglian Daily Times. Link to article.

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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.

Warning about Librela and Solensia. Potential severe side effects.

Recently I wrote a post on another website about these two drugs: Librela and Solensia. They are both used to treat arthritis in pets. I think they are delivered by injection. They received FDA approval in America in January 2022 to relieve pain. The products are manufactured by animal health giant Zoetis.

My initial article was about warning pet owners about the potential dangers of this drug in terms of the severe potential side effects. But when I search the Internet for information about these drugs the predominant information is about how good they are. There is some references to side effects but I don't think the warnings have been sufficiently publicised.

That is why I am doing this cross post. As I said, these drugs were regarded as being significant advancements in treating osteoarthritis in pets. They target a protein called nerve growth factor. The vets are saying that this could exacerbate underlying nerve conditions and other medical problems.

Although Zoetis says that the side effects represent a fraction of the more than 18 million shots of this drug given in the US and internationally, there has been a plethora of complaints.

It appears that health regulators in America and in Europe have received thousands of complaints from dog and cat owners saying that their pets have developed serious or severe side effects. Sometimes the side-effects were so bad that they had to euthanise their companion animals.

Zoetis stock tumbled by 7% on these reports. Side-effects are normal in all medication as all medications are potentially poisons. But the issue here appears to be that some of these companion animals, as mentioned, have been euthanised because of the side-effects.

Like any reasonable person I am not saying that cat and dog owners should tell their veterinarians not to use these drugs. I'm just saying that companion animal owners should be aware of the potential - albeit a small potential - for severe side effects. They can then discussed the matter with their veterinarian with knowledge. They can ask their veterinarian what they think and ask him or her whether there are alternatives which are as effective with lesser side-effects.

It's about options and being aware of those options. I've always believed that cat and dog owner should go to the veterinarian armed with some knowledge about cat and dog health and the drugs that might be prescribed as it allows a proper discussion. It allows for informed consent on behalf of their companion animal.

A companion animal caregiver cannot give informed consent without knowledge. They act as trustees and the highest level of trust and responsibility towards their companion animals. To discharge that responsibility they need to have knowledge to discuss matters with their veterinarian in a meaningful way.

This page is an attempt to help provide that the necessary knowledge.

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.

Almost 50% of cats and dogs have their own dedicated room

Cat caregiver enjoying the company of their cat. Image believed to be in the public domain.

A survey commissioned by Homesense, part of the TK Maxx family in the UK, found the following facts about cat and dog ownership which may interest people:

• 48% of cat and dog owners allocate a certain space in their home, a dedicated room often or a space in the garden for their pets.
• Just over half, 55%, wanted their cats and dogs to have their own area where they can chill out.
• 34% of the respondents of which there were 2000, wanted to ensure maximum comfort for their companion animal.
• 30% wanted all their possessions kept in one place. By this I mean cat and dog products of various sorts.
• 80% of the respondents dedicated a certain space in their home so that their companion animal's things and toys et cetera don't take up space in the rest of the home.
• 46% of respondents designed a home around their cat or dog.
• 21% admitted they were unlikely to buy items just to please their companion animal if those items didn't match with the interior of their home.

The study was in partnership with Kelly Brook to launch a pet an interiors content series “Barkitectural Digest”.

Kelly Brook said that certain parts of our home are designed around her dog, Teddy. Through the study she found that she was not the only one. She is pleased to help others.

The top changes made to dog and cat caregivers' homes included moving delicate things higher up (29% of the respondents) and adding a cat flap (in 21% of the respondents) and installing a garden fence (20%). Also:

• 16% of the respondents replaced carpets with hard floors.
• 11% bought scratch-proof furniture.
• 9% chose dark furnishings to disguise cat and dog fur.
• 17% installed baby gates to stop wondering cats and dogs.
• 19% used blankets to cover up damage to furniture and household items.
• 75% of respondents struggled to find pet products that were of good enough quality and reasonably priced.

The research was carried out by OnePoll.

• They also found that 41% of the respondents had discovered that owning a companion animal is more expensive than expected. The cost of food and insurers being the expenses that surprised them the most.
• 15% claimed that they spent more on their cat or dog than they do on their children. The same percentage said that they spent more on their cat and dog than their car or holidays.
• The average cat and dog owner spent £708 annually.
• 59% said that they compromised on buying pet products because of the expense.

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.

4 iconic wild cat species' numbers slashed over past 50 years (Infographic)

Most of us who read about the wild cat species and conservation understand that there has been a dramatic drop in numbers across the board. Here is an infographic showing the drop in population numbers of the lion, tiger, cheetah and leopard over the past 50 years with some additional information.

The the most important thing to note is (1) even the best experts sometimes don't know population numbers of wild cat species and when they do know (an estimate) the data is about 10 years old. Conservation is in a pretty poor state in my view and (2) there are some wonderful individual conservationists and groups concerned with conservation but the leaders of countries and the politicians are not truly committed to wildlife conservation and in this instance the conservation of the wild cat species.

That is why there's been a consistent decline over the past 50 years. The decline has been dramatic and shocking. It will continue for most of the species until the only individuals remaining on the planet will be those behind bars in zoos. Shame for the generations of kids to be born in the future.

The future of the wild cats from the smallest namely the rusty-spotted cat to the largest namely the Siberian tiger is pretty dire actually. I am very pessimistic but I could be wrong. I just don't see a great future for these species including the great iconic species.

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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.

Do cats actually use cat beds?

Yes, cats do use cat beds but it depends on several factors whether they will or not and when it happens. And the idea of a 'bed' is very fluid for a cat. It might be a bed like you see in the photo or it might be under a bush in the backyard or on a dinning room chair which is pushed under the dinning table (a roof over the head). It might be a vase containing a pot plant. I've seen that before.

Often it might take a long time before they use a new bed. A cat product that you thought would be very welcome and used all the time as it was expensive might be resoundly rejected.

The clamshell type bed referred to in the article. Image: Quora.com.

You might know that the problem with cats and cat products is that people buy the product because often they are designed to be attractive to people but cats have a different perspective on human made products and what is attractive 😉👍.

They don't think of beds or any other commercial item as being good because it's expensive or because it is of high quality. Domestic cats are not concerned about quality and expense. They just take a fancy to something and an old cardboard box might be as popular as the most expensive cat bed you ever saw.

That said, sometimes they come around to using the new product. Or they may use it for a while and then move on to another one and have a kind a rota system where they will use different locations in different beds over the month or year.

They might have a preference after a while and stick to that reference and then occasionally move out from it and try something else and then move back to their favourite place.

In this instance, concerning the photograph on this page, a quorum.com user asked whether cats actually use cat beds because she got him a bed and would not use it. No surprise there for me.

It is the bed you see in the photograph. A kind of clamshell. Very plush and soft she said. And she learnt that cats do come around to using these products sometimes. There's no guarantee though.

In this case he ignored it for two weeks and then when she came home from work his toy was gone and later that night he slept in it (with his toy). He then regularly used the bed.

Each cat has their own preferences and you can't really decide beforehand exactly what your cat might like. You might think you can but I don't think you can predict the outcome. That's why I sometimes believe it is foolhardy to buy nice products for your cat. Sometimes they simply go to waste.

My failure - I should know 😊

I have a beautiful bed for my cat. It was manufactured in The Netherlands and shipped over. It cost me about £200 and it's a nice piece of furniture. He used it once, perhaps twice but has not used it again and it's been in my house for nine months now. It was a waste of money (perhaps) and is now a decorative item!

The £200 bed my cat rejected. He used it once and not since. I hope he tries it again.

He might use it one day. I'm not sure why you didn't like it. Perhaps it's just the way he felt and there's no knowing. It may have been because the product is made of wood and it had been polished. The smell of the polish had not subsided enough before they shipped it. It may have been about the smell which put him off.

He preferred an old cardboard box from Amazon which is not untypical of domestic cats. He now sleeps in the utility room on a shelf which is well protected and warm and cosy and not far from the boiler.

I guess, if you wanted your cat to use a bed you should put it near the boiler. 💕🤔 Warmth is a massive factor. But this clamshell-type bedding you see in the photograph looks incredibly warm so I would see it as being successful normally.

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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.

Amir Anwary a TikTok veterinarian gives us three vital tips on cat caregiving

It is always nice to have a veterinarian provide cat caregivers with useful tips on how to improve cat ownership. There is always a need to improve it although I think we can argue that the Internet has been incredibly useful in educating millions of caregivers.

Amir. Screenshot.

Amir Anwary says that three important cat caregiving tips would be to (1) if you need to change your cat's diet do it slowly to avoid stomach upset and (2) watch out for your cat's changes in behaviour as it might point to a severe disease and (3) know the signs of kidney disease because this is a very common disease in older cats.

@amirthevet Must know for all Cat owners !! The advice you needed to hear ! #catowners #catlovers #veterinarian #learning #vet #cats #catlearning #kidneydiseasecat #fyp ♬ original sound - Amir Anwary

I will briefly touch on these three points.

Changing diet slowly

For me, this applies mostly to reducing your cat's food intake because they are obese. There is an obesity epidemic according to veterinarians amongst the cat population in the West and therefore a lot of cat caregivers will be considering reducing their cat's diet. It should be gradual in order to avoid hepatic lipidosis which is fatty liver disease, a serious disease. You can read about that disease and how it develops by clicking on this link.

As to changing a cat's diet by changing the wet cat food you provide them, I don't think that will cause upset. I am presuming that you buy decent or high quality commercially prepared wet cat food. They are very similar if they are balanced and complete. Your cat will like the food or possibly reject it. You are currently giving them a food they like. If you give them new cat food which they reject then there is no change in diet! Problem solved.

Changing from a good quality wet food diet to a full-time low quality dry food diet will probably cause stomach upsets and may well affect a cat's health detrimentally. There are strong arguments for not providing dry cat food as the sole diet for a domestic cat because it's too unnatural and cats don't compensate sufficiently by drinking more water. 

It's been argued that this kind of diet can lead to cystitis if the environment in which the cat's lives is also stressful. Stressing cats is probably more common than people think particularly in multi-cat homes. Cat caregivers should look out for signs of stress particularly in timid cats who might be prone to hide and are being bullied.

Changes in behaviour

If everything else has stayed as normal by which I mean the environment in which the cat lives, and the cat suddenly starts to behave differently by hiding or becomes lethargic and losses appetite (common signs of illness) then a caregiver might presume there cat is ill. It might be a serious illness. There would be a need to take him or her to a veterinarian for diagnosis.

These changes should be pretty apparent to an observant and reasonable cat owner. Amir Anwary is simply reminding cat caregivers to be aware of these changes in order to allow a veterinarian to tackle any underlying health problems promptly. That I think is the message he is trying to deliver in his TikTok video. A good one.

Kidney disease

As Amir Anwary states this is a very prevalent disease in elderly cats in the West and is probably due to cats living longer (as occurs in humans) and the environment in which they live which may contain pollutants which are hidden or unknown by the owner and thirdly the diet might predispose the cat to this particular health problem. More work needs to be done on this in my view. There may be an inherited genetic element too.

Diabetes can damage the kidneys and diabetes is a growing disease in our feline companions. The increase in kidney disease may be linked to the increase in feline diabetes. Diabetes in fact has a severe negative impact on health in various ways so it's important that caregivers ensure that their cat maintains a healthy weight.

The biggest sign of kidney disease in elderly cat would be drinking a lot more water and urinating more and more often. That's because the kidneys are malfunctioning and not processing the liquid and so it passes straight through them. This means they're more thirsty and so they drink more and then pee more. Watch out for that particular sign as it will pretty well certainly be kidney disease if your cat is elderly. There is no cure the kidney disease and it often leads, sadly, to humane euthanasia.

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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.

NO CAUSAL LINK PROVEN that cats cause schizophrenia

As is usual, the news media has been all over a study from Australia about the possible connection between owning a domestic cat and developing schizophrenia. But the news media have misrepresented the study. And let's be clear, the study simply reviewed other studies. It did not start from scratch. The study is about the possible transmission of T. gondii oocysts from cats to humans. 

For example, Metro has the headline, "A pet cat could double your chances of schizophrenia"

Another headline states, "Study finds link between cats and schizophrenia is real". That is a highly misleading headline. That's my personal view and I think it is a fair one. I've looked at the study rather than read the news media stories about it.

The study is called: Cat Ownership and Schizophrenia-Related Disorders and Psychotic-Like Experiences: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Link: https://doi.org/10.1093/schbul/sbad168

As I said the study comes from Australia where their relationship between domestic and feral cats and Australians is somewhat strained.  The feral cat has been denigrated and is mercilessly slaughtered at any opportunity on that continent. That's the background to the study. 

The point I am making and alleging is that the Australian authorities like to denigrate the cat in general. They want owners to keep their cats indoors full-time. They want to blame the cat for wiping out their native species.

This study does not prove a causal link between domestic cat ownership and the cat owner developing schizophrenia. That point needs to be stressed very strongly. 😎🙄

On my reading of the study the scientists found an association between increased odds of developing schizophrenia and cat ownership. In their words, "We found an association between broadly defined cat ownership and increased odds of developing schizophrenia-related disorders."

"An association" is not a causal link. This does not establish that domestic cats give people schizophrenia. In fact they more or less state that in their study conclusions. This is their conclusion:

Our findings provide support for the hypothesis that cat exposure is associated with an increased risk of broadly defined schizophrenia-related disorders; however, the findings related to PLE as an outcome are mixed. There is a need for more high-quality studies in this field. - Conclusions of the study in the words of the scientists conducting it.

They refer to an hypothesis that cat exposure is associated with increased risk of developing schizophrenia. The word hypothesis means "a supposition your proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation." This hypothesis has been repeated in other earlier studies from Australia. But no proof. To say they have a hypothesis is an admission that they don't have the proof.

That says it all. This study proposes that there might be some sort of link between domestic cats and an increased incidence of being in cat owners. It is making a suggestion. It's a proposal. No more. Clearly not a causal link.

News media needs to really report more accurately on this and get to the bottom of it. They tend to repeat what other news media outlets say leading to the same headline and the same misrepresentation of a study throughout the news media community.

This is unhelpful for domestic cat welfare. This website is concerned about domestic cat welfare which is why I have reported on this study as a countermeasure.

Four distinguished veterinarians say this about toxoplasmosis: "Evidence strongly suggest that cats and people can also get the disease from eating raw or undercooked pork, beef, mutton or veal or unpasteurised dairy products that contains toxoplasma organisms.... Almost half the human adult population shows serological evidence of having been exposed in the past [to toxoplasmosis]."

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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.

I love my cats but I won't waste my money insuring them

The words in the title are from Katie Morley, consumer champion at The Telegraph newspaper. She comments on the money section. Her title is one that I sympathise with. I have written about this before (see link below) and I will briefly touch on it again here.

What she is saying is that rather than take out a pet insurance policy, she would rather pay out of her savings. It requires self-discipline but if you can open a savings account labelled "pet health insurance" and routinely put say £200 into the account once a month you can build up enough money to pay your veterinary fees without the need to pay an insurance company an administration fee which pushes up the insurance premiums.

Don't take out an insurance policy. Run your own savings account instead and be disciplined about it.

The best form of pet health insurance is self-insurance. Your own system. It just requires self-discipline.

Within your own home insurance system you avoid all the weasel words so common in insurance policies. I've written about that too but got to be very careful with insurance policies of any type.

CLICK THIS LINK TO READ ARTICLES ABOUT PET HEALTH  INSURANCE.

Insurance is a way to 'print money' in effect. The big insurance companies are leaning heavily on people's anxieties. Having an insurance policy for your pet or your home makes you feel better. It is reassuring. But it is expensive.

Insurance companies can guarantee to make money unlike almost all other businesses because all they have to do is put up the insurance premiums if they start seeing that their profit margins are falling. And their customers sign up to that. They can't complain.

All you can do is change the insurance provider at the end of the year which I do all the time for my car. Every year I change the insurer because they entice new customers with lower insurance premiums and after the first year they put them up dramatically because they feed on loyalty. The same kind of thing happens with any insurance company in any field of insurance.

So the best thing is to work out your own insurance policy and start as soon as possible so that by the time your cat requires a veterinarian you have got perhaps a couple of thousand pounds in the savings account to cover the cost.

There are a link above on this page which leads to many articles containing a lot more detail on this topic than I have covered here. Please use them as I think you will find them useful.

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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.

My boyfriend said he'd save our cat but not a stranger if both were drowning

The title to this post comes from The New York Times. I can't access the paper because they are now insisting on paying subscriptions but I can guess what it's about as I am sure you can.

The title intrigues me. I like it because it very strongly points to the boyfriend regarding animals as equals to humans. Through his behaviour the boyfriend is granting animals near human rights.

Man saves drowning cat. Extraordinary image create by AI to my order. I asked the computer to create an image of a man saving a drowning cat. The AI computer created Superman and a large clapping crowd 👍😉😎.

It is an attitude which is very much in line with the modern-day thinking of many people. But also, there are many people who would think that he is totally crazy. There are still many people who think that humans have dominion over animals as per the bible. 

They believe that humans can use animals as they wish and that animals are there to serve people in any way necessary including providing food for humans.

But the tide is turning thanks probably because of the Internet providing lots of information about the sentience of animals. Providing information about the emotions that animals deal. And providing information about the fact that some animal species are self-aware which means they understand who they are and place rather than acting instinctively without knowledge of their presence. 

RELATED: Scientists propose that we should regard animals in general as conscious beings.

But there's nothing wrong with the boyfriend's attitude. The problem probably would come if he actually had to make a real-life choice between saving the family cat who was drowning rather than a stranger who was drowning at the same time and in the same place.

You can imagine the scenario. A cat and a human are drowning in a lake. A man Johnson dives in and saves the cat but leaves the man to drown. I think he would be in big trouble. He might even be charged with criminal behaviour.

In reality, it is probable that the scenario would never arrive and if it did he could save both. And also, if it did happen, the cat wouldn't drown because cats are great swimmers. Cats are better swimmers than people normally and therefore you would tend to save the man first and then the cat secondly if the cat required it.

The boyfriend's enlightened (for me 🤔💕) attitude is in advance of the general attitude of humankind in general as the world is still developing and becoming more civilised. When the world is truly civilised perhaps in many thousands of years time (if ever) we will treat humans and animals in the same way.

There are instances in some advanced developed countries were cats and animals do have considerable rights. In the UK the Animal Welfare Act 2006 provides certain rights to animals at the outset under the law. Break the law and you are a criminal if successfully prosecuted.

In the Spanish family courts, animals are treated a bit like children in divorce proceedings. The court must look at the parties' abilities to look after the animal and consider the animal's welfare. These are the basic rules concerning caring for a child. In other words, animals are treated as sentient beings in divorce proceedings with some important rights.

What do you think about the boyfriend's attitude?

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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 that have been rescued don't show any gratitude. True or false?

There is a story on the Fox 13 Tampa Bay website which tells of a grumpy cat showing no gratitude after being rescued from between two walls. The cat had to be chiselled out of their predicament. It happened in Preston, Lancashire, UK. You can see the rescuer and the cat below.

Note about the picture: It is noticeable that the cat is a calico - a tortoiseshell-and-white. Torties have 'catitude' - meaning attitude. This may partially explain why she is described as not being grateful! 💕😉

So the question is why don't cats that have been rescued, sometimes after great effort, so any gratitude to the rescuers who often save their lives. 

Grumpy female cat does not show gratitude for being rescued from being stuck between walls.

Initial point

The initial point to make is that sometimes domestic cats will show their version of gratitude under certain circumstances. They may show subtle signs of it. I can remember a firefighter rescuing a cat from a destroyed building and the cat climbing onto the firefighter. She had a fearful look on her face. But her general demeanour and her behaviour indicated gratitude to me. Therefore, I don't think that we can generalise about domestic cats by saying that under all circumstances domestic cats don't show gratitude. They do sometimes but perhaps a different way to the way humans show it.

Concept of gratitude

I will try and answer that question. The first point to bring up is the concept of "gratitude". As humans know, gratitude means being thankful to others for the help that they have received. Or a gift that they have received. Or they might show gratitude for something good that has happened to them. Or, if a person has been rescued by somebody else. They will thank that person in an act of gratitude.

Human social norms

Why do we do it? Because it's part of good social etiquette. It is part of social norms. These of course are human norms within our human society.

Cats are solitary

To the first point is that cats don't have a society like humans in which they network and interact and help each other.

Cats - by which I mean domestic cats - are essentially solitary creatures because they have inherited their wild cat ancestor's character which is that of a solitary creature.

Multi-cat homes

Of course, domestic cats sometimes live multi-cat homes where they have to be somewhat sociable and get along with other cat. This is an adaptation to living in the human environment in a multi-cat home but cats under these circumstances can be stressed. They are more likely to be stressed than a solitary cat living with their caregiver is unnatural but they adapt as mentioned.

No society

So the point here is that domestic cats don't have a society and they don't have a hierarchy. And therefore they don't have societal norms. And therefore there is no need to be grateful for being rescued.

Domestic cat looking supremely content and grateful for all their caregiver brings them in their lives.

Emotions

There are other issues. An act of gratitude stems from an emotion of thankfulness. And relief. It is doubtful that cats feel these emotions. Domestic cats feel certain emotions such as contentment and fear, anger and friendliness. But it is doubtful that they sense the higher emotions although this is work in progress.

So the emotional background is another point worth mentioning which might be a barrier to being grateful.

RELATED: Infographic on 9 emotions domestic cats feel and 1 they don’t.

Rescuers are often strangers

A third point comes to mind. When a cat such as the one you see in the picture has been rescued from a very difficult and terrifying circumstance they may suddenly meet a complete stranger under very stressful circumstances. Domestic cats are often fearful of strangers. The emotion of fear will certainly block any requirement to feel grateful or to express gratitude.

Not in their armoury of behaviours

The bottom line probably is that domestic gas don't have the social behaviour of expressing gratitude in their armoury of behaviours. It simply does not exist and the reasons above, I hope, help to provide some understanding of this characteristic.

Caveat/exceptions?

There is some caveats. It undermines what I've just said in the last paragraph. If a cat is left alone in your home most of the day and perhaps feels the emotion of separation anxiety, they will be grateful to see you when you come back from work. They will rub against your leg and perhaps purr. They might express their gratitude toward you for returning to them.

And if a cat has a favourite treat and you provide them with this treat, before you provide it they might express their gratitude in anticipation of receiving it by rubbing up against you and going up on their hind legs to head-butt you.

I think therefore that sometimes domestic cat can demonstrate their version of gratitude but it is a bit different to our version.

Wild cats

I have seen conservationists in videos releasing small wild cat species from cages after they have been rescued and rehabilitated. And we the cat running away as fast as possible into the undergrowth. No gratitude whatsoever. This reinforces the argument that cats don't show gratitude. But then, once again, we have to understand the circumstances under which they have been placed which would have been highly stressful for the reasons mentioned above. And they are suddenly surrounded by people. Wild animals are fearful of people in general. People are the world's top predator.

In Africa when they played the sound of human voices as a waterhole through loudspeakers, all the animals were scared. Even a leopard dropped its prey and ran off. They were more scared of the human voice than prey animals are scared of lions!

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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.