Cat stole a grenade from a Ukrainian soldier and doesn’t want to return it

A bit of fun in all the hell of the Ukraine war. It looks a bit dangerous though. Don't grenades have pins which are released to make them live? They way the cat is messing around with the grenade it makes you wonder if that pin is about to be accidentally released. The guy is laughing. I can see the funny side and the seriousness.

Ann estimated 400,000 animals have been killed in the war I am told. Many cats have been made homeless and ownerless. They become feral and hopefully someone looks after them but that would seem unlikely as people have enough on their plate to survive themselves.

Here is a cat story from Ukraine: Picture of a boy holding his cat in front of his destroyed home in Ukraine.

Cat stole a grenade from a Ukrainian soldier and doesn’t want to return it. Screenshot.

What does the 'cat righting reflex' mean?

The cat righting reflex is a remarkable ability that allows cats to orient their body during a fall, so that they can land on their feet and avoid injury. This reflex is possible due to several factors including their flexible spine, strong muscles, and an inner ear system called the vestibular system that helps them to maintain balance and spatial orientation.

The righting reflex begins to appear at 3–4 weeks of age, and is perfected at 6–9 weeks.

Cat self-righting reflex. Image in public domain.

When a cat falls, it quickly analyzes its position relative to the ground and the orientation of its body. The cat then rotates its head, neck, and torso to align with the ground while extending its limbs to reduce its rotational speed and control its descent. This process allows the cat to land on its feet, even from great heights, by adjusting its body position to maintain its equilibrium.

During the fall, the cat also uses its tail to help maintain its balance. The tail acts as a counterbalance, allowing the cat to make small adjustments in its position to maintain its orientation as it rotates its body. Once the cat has successfully landed on its feet, it quickly absorbs the impact by bending its legs, thus reducing the force of the landing.

Overall, the cat righting reflex is a complex, sophisticated process that involves the coordination of multiple physiological systems. While it is still not fully understood, scientists continue to study this fascinating behavior in order to gain insights into the inner workings of the feline body and brain.

Cats need the Earth's gravity to do this. Without gravity self-righting reflex does not work at all. Gravity must the primary 'marker' to which the cat zones in on to figure out their bearings. This video shows how the lose their skill in weightless conditions. The test is arguably cruel.

Reason why Ragdoll cats have blue eyes

Ben in his video below explains why Ragdoll cats have blue eyes for the standpoint of physics. But it isn't just Ragdoll cats which have blue eyes. Kittens have too and Siamese must have blue eyes and other breeds are allowed to have blue eyes under their breed standards. 

The physics behind the blue eyes of cats including the Ragdoll. Screenshot.

The Ragdoll breed standard states that Ragdolls must have blue eyes. EYES: large, vivid blue ovals. Wide set and moderately slanted, complementing wedge.

And the anatomical reason and the physics behind the blue colour of their eyes is explained in the video below. The same reason applies to kittens when their eye colour is developing but not yet developed.

Blue eyes caused by scattering of blue light not pigment. Image: MikeB

And the same physics applies to the blue sky. The color blue has a shorter wavelength than the other colours and it is scattered more by the particles in the air which is why the sky is blue.

RELATED: Why are kittens’ eyes blue?

It is this scattering of blue light and not the other colours which accounts for blue eyes in Ragdoll cats.

Sing to your cat while you are petting her?

Here's a thought. It is no more than a thought but it is something that I do these days. I sing to my cat while I pet him. I pet him in a certain way which I know he particularly likes (put pressure on the back of his neck). It is our solemn duty to make our cats happy after ensuring that they are safe.

And I think that if you sing to your cat while you pet them in a way that they particularly like they will associate your singing voice with something very pleasurable.

The advantage of that is that if you sing without petting him it should please him. It's a form of training. Of conditioning.

I think this tip would be very useful for somebody who likes to sing around the house. I don't particularly do that. I only sing when I pet my cat (sometimes). However, I do know a lot of people like to sing occasionally because they've got nice voices.

You can link that nice voice to something nice for your cat by petting them at the same time. Just a thought.

The concept is based upon reward training i.e. positive reinforcement. If you want to train a cat to do something new, get them incrementally to do certain things and at each stage you reward them with a food treat. They link the food treat with doing a certain action which you want them to do. This encourages them to do the thing that you want them to do. That's training through reward.

It is the link between doing something and the reward which makes it work. It is the link between singing and petting which makes singing an enjoyable experience for a cat. That's my theory.

Having written this, I have just noticed that quite a a lot of people sing to their cats. Or, they sing to the four walls of their home and their cat likes it. So clearly, cats are making a link between the human caregiver that they have learnt to love and singing by that person. 

It's an association. I'm pleased because I didn't know this when I dreamt up the idea for the article. It seems that I am not alone.

For example, one person says that when she sings her cat comes up to her for a cuddle. That's the point I'm making.

Does this adult cat want to play with this kitten or is he being mean?

The owner of these cats wants to know whether the adult cat wants to play with her kitten or whether he is being mean-spirited towards the kitten? I feel that I can say with considerable confidence that this adult cat simply wants to play and he has a kitten to hand to carry through on that desire. 

Curious to get opinions, is he playing or being mean to our kitten? I feel like he’s batting at her so gentle it could be playing, he’s actually swatted at her in a mean way a few times but I’m still nervous to let them interact without supervision
by u/racheljobe in cats

The problem is that the kitten is a little too small to play with. I think both the kitten and adult cat realize this but as the kitten grows older, I am sure that they will play. 

I don't see anything mean-spirited in this adult cat's actions. My assessment is partly based on the fact that immediately before the adult cat approaches the kitten he was playing in the tunnel. 

He was stimulated to play; to have some fun. And his natural instinct was to go to the kitten for a playful interaction. 

They tap each other's paws as if slapping each other. I've seen this before quite a lot. It's as if cats are boxing each other and it's a kind of vestigial form of aggression which has been de-tuned to be play and no more. 

I do not see anything wrong with this behaviour in any way and I'm sure that these two cats will get along well in the future.

It appears that the owner has introduced a kitten to her home where there is a resident cat. If that is true, from what we see here, I believe that they are going to get along well in the future. I hope so. There is a possibility that they won't because when the kitten grows up, she or he will want their own home range which may be a friction point between the two.

Kitty thinks he is a shampoo bottle

Kitty thinks he is a shampoo bottle. Screenshot.

This is a classic example of how kittens instantly fall asleep where they stand or sit. It is just lights out time. You'll see a few videos of kittens collapsing into deep slumber but this is a new angle on the phenomenon. Nice job.

 

A nice touch for me is that the video is simply observational. It has not been set up and there is no animal abuse which is so commonplace nowadays in 'funny cat videos'. You know, a study concluded that about 35% of cats in so called 'funny cat videos' were stressed during its making.

Mutual love gushing out of this feline-human couple

Mutual love gushing out of this feline-human couple. Screenshot.

This is a really good example of genuine love between human and cat. It is all over the screen. As I said it gushes out of each of them at any and every opportunity. They are made for each other and it is great to see. 

She says that she LOVES him and it is very obvious that she does. People say they love their cat or their human partner but don't always mean it truthfully or genuinely. But here it is genuine and absolutely true.

She says that in America they prefer to call ginger cats 'orange' rather than ginger in the UK. I have never heard that before. Ginger cats can be called 'yellow' or 'orange' or 'marmalade' or 'red'. The last one is the way the professionals refer to ginger cats.

RELATED: Orange, red, yellow, ginger or marmalade cats.

They are nearly always male. She relates to her cat as her man which I love. She seems to have given up on a conventional human-to-human relationship and prefers this sort which I can totally understand.

He makes her very happy. That is the measure of the relationship. If you see a human and cat getting a lot of happiness out of their relationship it is a big winner. It is all you can ask for in any relationship of any kind.

Her love for him means that she cares for him beautifully. Love brings respect and great caregiving. It all flows from that starting point.

As they say, if you want to know how to be an excellent cat caregiver: love him/her.  And of course, the nice touch is that he is a shelter cat. She saved a life as well. 

That is always a super starting point to a relationship. Cats show their gratitude.

Super-noisy cat with camcorder ventures outside with his feline friend

A cat's point-of-view.

This is a fun video from Instagram. It is a 'point-of-view' video as the camcorder is attached to the cat's collar. He's noisy. He' screaming but in a charming way. And I think he is talking to his feline friend.

Note: these embedded videos tend to go wrong after a while so if that has happened, sorry.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Scott Irwin (@mr.kitters.the.cat)

90-year-old couple take their elderly cat for a homemade cat stroller walk daily!

Cool. What makes it even cooler is the homemade cat stroller (re-purposed) used by an elderly couple to give their equally elderly cat, Angus, some mental stimulation. 

This is not the real thing but a neat substitute for an elderly cat who stays put. There's no roof on the 'stroller'. No problem. He has no intention of jumping out. They are a great elderly threesome, and I bet they catch the eye of pedestrians.

90-year-old man pushes a homemade cat stroller with elderly cat on a walk for himself, his cat and his wife who is the same age. Image: Screenshot.

It is their granddaughter who posted the video below on TikTok. They've got some attention there too as the video is heading towards 1 million views. Although TikTok fudges the viewing figures because they put the videos on a loop which probably doubles the true number.

Look, there is hardly anything better in the world of cat ownership and caregiving than seeing an elderly couple adopt an elderly cat (I presume from an animal shelter) and then use a cat stroller to provide some mental stimulation for their cat and some exercise and mental stimulation for themselves at the same time. Wise.

The ultimate video of a cat getting into a vase. Manic and awesome.

I have seen many domestic cats obsessed with getting into glass jars, vases and boxes including very small boxes. But this when I think takes the biscuit. It's a supreme effort. Although I have seen a Bengal cat get into a billiard table pocket! Yep, equally extreme behaviour. Cats love tight spaces and they love investigating which is why they need 9 lives 😃. 

Here is that Bengal cat doing his extreme thing:

And here is a link to the page: Bengal cat gets into a billiards' table pocket.

The largish cat has to make two stabs at it. Determined. Admirable. Some cats love the security of tight spaces and it doesn't matter how they achieve that sensation: box, vase, jar you name it. 

"Anyone missing a cat?" Cat chaos on San Francisco-bound flight

"Anyone missing a cat?" the flight attendant announces as she holds the said cat at arm's length while walking down the aisle.

Cat escaped from carrier (or released) is found and reunited with owner! Screenshot.

This is one of those American internal flights with cats and dogs in carriers under the seat except a couple 'escaped'. Well, I'm not sure that they exactly escaped but perhaps were released 😉👍. Result? Cat wandering around the cabin where he/she was found by a nice flight attendant who doesn't know how to carry a cat 😃. Or she is a little nervous and holds the cat at arm's length to avoid a scratch perhaps. Fair enough.

@david.hislop Well that’s a first ✈️🐈😹#cats #catsoftiktok #unitedairlines #united #southwest #southwestairlines #reels #catstagram #catslovers #airlines @United Airlines ♬ original sound - David Hislop

It is all quite cute because cats add some soul to an aircraft's cabin when in mid-flight don't you think? It is sort of more homely and friendly. As long as a cat does not escape their carrier while the aircraft is landing! And then wanders out of the door and down the steps. 

I mean along the gangway to arrivals. That would be chaos. This little episode seems to have been fairly manageable. 

Note: I can't promise that the TikTok video on this page will continue to function for years ahead! I expect it to fail fairly soon. Sorry if that has happened.

One of the best cat videos on TikTok. Rescuer ambushed by a gang of kittens

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 mother and what the hell happened for this gang of 12 kittens to be in long grass? The backstory is a mystery, but it needs to be told. If I was being cynical, you could almost imagine that the whole thing was set up for the cameras! But I won't be cynical.

It does not get better as he rescues them all as far as I am aware. Great guy.

Video of Brazilian football team official grabbing a stray cat aggressively at a conference

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 great goal - and Croatia got the equalizer late in the second half of extra time. Croatia won on penalties 4-2.

Tragedy for Brazil as they were favourites. Some might say it is karma for the mild abuse meted out to this stray tabby cat who innocently wandered into the news conference.

The journalists present were aghast at the rough and aggressive behaviour of the official. PETA complained justifiably.

"Cats try to RUIN Christmas trees" discuss!

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? They are simply climbing them and enjoying the experience. If that results in the Christmas tree falling over and smashing to bits so be it.

It is not a conscious effort by a domestic cat to ruin a Christmas tree. I am spelling out the obvious and I'm sure that I am being incredibly tiresome and boring in doing so.

However, the title that I refer to on the Internet is a misdescription and a form of speciesism.

No doubt there are many videos of domestic cats pulling over Christmas trees. There are an equal number of methods to protect Christmas tree such as putting kitchen foil all around the tree. This works pretty effectively because it looks sort of Christmassy while at the same time protecting the tree because domestic cats hate to walk on tin foil. They don't understand it and it makes a funny noise which puts them off very effectively.

My theory is that the sound of tinfoil being walked on sounds a bit like a viper or a rattlesnake. Cats don't like snakes although it must be said that they are very effective at killing snakes particularly the sand cat. This is made possible by the fact that the domestic cat's reflexes are sharper than those of the snake!

Back to Christmas trees. The video on this page I think is priceless. That is a bit of a pun because there is a financial price to pay when a cat knocks over a beautiful Christmas tree as we see in the video.

Cat in toxic but amusing relationship with jovial owner

Cat in toxic but amusing relationship with jovial owner. Screenshots. Image: MikeB.

This amusing video is on Reddit.com. Below the video is my suggestion on Reddit.com to try and stop it ✔️. It is very brief and I am not saying it is the full picture. But there needs to be remedial cat training. My God, some human training too, perhaps. But they are obviously a nice couple with a close relationship. It is just that the cat has developed a habit of biting his human caregiver. A well-known saying comes to mind: to bite the hand that feeds you.

   

Note: This is an embedded video from another website. Sometimes they are deleted at source or the video is turned into a link which would stop it working here. I have no control over this.

---

Made me laugh. Thanks. I think the problem here is not with cat behavior but human behavior. The cat has got used to biting his arm. That needs to be trained out. Trying playing with him more using a tease not the hands or arm 😎. Much more. And perhaps use the Act of God technique to modify feline behavior. However, the man must not punish the cat. Nor must he encourage this. I agree with the other comment; don't point fingers near a cat's face. They see those as prey animals to bite.

Amazon delivery driver gingerly places packages on porch and briskly retires (cat food on porch)

Screenshot. Words added.

On this person's front porch is a small bowl of cat food. I guess the bowl is a cat food bowl judging by its size. The female delivery driver spots the bowl and pauses (see pic). She then gingerly proceeds to place the two packages on the porch and moves away quickly. Gotta be scared of cats or is allergic to cats!? But she does a nice job of delivering the packages despite her concern. It is a nice little vignette of modern life as lots of us depend upon the God Amazon for all our needs. Are we getting lazy? Or are we lazy? Heck it is no wonder we struggle to keep our weight down.

Please remember that this is a video served by Reddit.com and therefore I have no control over it. It might stop working or leave a link to their website to see the video there. I have added a screenshot in case the video disappears.

Cats living in the Palace Museum grounds, Beijing, China (video)

Here's a short video of cats living at the Palace Museum in Beijing. It is situated in the heart of the city. A record 17.5 million people visited the museum in 2018. It is within the Forbidden City. Entrance tickets currently cost $9.11. It is open between Tuesday and Sunday, 8:30 AM-4:30 PM. You can buy tickets on TripAdvisor. It gets a 4.5 out of five rating on their reviews (14,103 reviews).

The cats of the Palace Museum in Beijing. Screenshot.

It is one of the most comprehensive museums in China. The Forbidden City is nearly 600 years old. Construction was completed in 1420.

It is nice to see semi-feral or perhaps domestic cats inhabiting this venerated and famous museum in the Forbidden City. It indicates a tolerance towards street cats in China which I believed or still believe are generally badly tolerated. Although things are changing, I believe and hope.

I remember just before the Beijing Olympic Games when the authorities cleaned up the city by brutally rounding up and killing all the street cats with a complete disregard for animal welfare. 

They wanted to present a nice clean and organised city to visitors to the games from all corners of the world. At the same time, they brutally eradicated street dogs. This is in complete contrast what we see in this video.

I do not know the relationship between the museum management and these cats. It may be a gentle one with respect. I have no idea. Perhaps they cull these cats in the off-season as occurs in Greece but that is speculative and there is no evidence that I have found to state that this happens.

Giant cats videoed on iPhone 13 Pro

Screenshot from the video

Don't need to add words. This is a YouTube short made with the superb iPhone 13 Pro with super-wide lens. The quality is amazing. What a superb job the video maker did. The video is a promo for this superb smartphone. I am tempted to buy one myself although at the moment I used a Samsung Galaxy Ultra S21.

Viral video of mom reacting to the call of her kitten

Viral video of mom reacting to the call of her kitten

In the video we see a mother racing home in response to her kitten's cry. This is a viral TikTok video (which I hate to be honest because of the sound track - horrible 😎) in which the owner of a mother and her kitten becomes involved. He or she holds the kitten up while they are crying and calling for their mother. The mother is some distance away but she races in to be with her kitten. It has touched a chord in the minds of viewers because it reinforces this beautiful connection between mother and kitten which is so evident in this video.

@smokepresley #fyp #streets #cat #catsoftiktok #bengalkitten #513 #petsoftiktok #badanimals ♬ original sound - Life of Smoke

Of course, it is all entirely instinctive for a mother to respond like this. Clearly, the owner of this mother cat and kitten knew that this would be the mother's response and so he set up the whole thing. You might argue that this is slightly exploitative because the man is making a video on the back of this close connection and motherly instinct. It depends upon your point of view as to whether you see this as exploitative or not. It is beautiful and as mentioned it has touched a chord because it highlights the mother-kitten relationship.

Here is a little bit about the mother-kitten relationship. During the first few months of their lives kittens spend a great deal of time with their mum as you might expect. They say that the influence of the father in terms of raising the kitten is primarily genetic. In other words, the father simply mates with the mother and then clears off.  There is not always entirely the case because sometimes fathers are involved in the raising of their offspring. Under certain situations you might find several adult females helping each other raise their kittens. 

When kittens are between 26-32 days old, free-living mothers begin to bring killed prey back to the den for the kittens to consume. In their first introduction to solid food. And then she brings home live mice for the kittens to kill. The mother's interactions with her kitten are vital to their development both behaviourally and emotionally. 

Kittens who have been deprived of their maternal care are at a higher risk of developing aggressive and fearful behaviour. The weaning of a kitten from their mother's care is an important stage. Sometimes we see kittens to have been weaned too early and they develop what might be described as abnormal behaviours in trying to suckle on the arm or the year of their human owner. 

The experts say that "kittens should remain with their littermates and the mother cat until they are at least eight weeks old". That comes from Linda P Case in her book The Cat, Its Behaviour, Nutrition and Health.

Another author couple, Mel and Fiona Sunquist, state that kitten should not be removed from their mothers until about eight weeks of age. Separating them earlier can cause stress and behavioural problems as mentioned above.

The strong indication from the experts is that kittens should not be weaned from their mother until 12-14 weeks of age. I think this is an important statement because sometimes people who are involved in informal breeding of kittens want to release their kittens to their customers too early. This is cruel and immoral. And it can cause behavioural problems.

Ginger tabby kitten asks for another kiss. Do cats understand kisses?

A super cute video. It seems to all the world that this little fella (ginger tabbies are nearly always males) wants another gentle kiss from his female caregiver and why not? Good idea. The way she delivers it is like the classic, friendly feline nose greeting. So perhaps her kitten interprets the kiss as that. Cats don't understand human kisses! Sorry but that is true. But they understand friendliness, warmth and affection from humans and respond positively to it as we see in the video.

Ginger tabby kitten asks for another kiss. Screenshot.

This is a TikTok video. They allow downloads and uploads. So, this is not my video. Update: I have delete it because Vimeo don't allow it.

It is a very successful one because of the behavior of the charming kitten. It reminds me of another post I wrote not long ago in which I said that cat caregivers should try and find out what their cat particularly likes and give it to them as much as possible and I am not talking about food! I mean, give them the food they like but not as much of it as possible unless you want your cat to become obese.

RELATED: Do cats know what kisses are?

My cat likes the back of his head rubbed and pressure applied to it. I always take the time to place my hand on the back of his head and hold it there. He meows silently to me when I do it with a look of delight on his face.

My cat loves the feeling of pressure from my hand at the back of his head and neck. I give it to him whenever I can. It is reassuring to him.

RELATED: National Kissing Day: Don’t kiss your cat on the lips.

Domestic cats need reassurance all the time I feel. They want to know that all is well. Perhaps this is because we make them feel like kittens even if they are adults. As we provide their every need like a mom, we keep them in that mental state. And kittens always look to their mom for reassurance. They purr to her and she returns the purr when nursing her them.