Dog cat lovers in big bite embrace

Dog cat lovers in big bite embrace

I think that the title sums up the video quite nicely. These two are "lovers". That is the best description I can give them. The cat is entirely in the mouth of the dog. Of course, the dog is not biting but it's an amazing love bite! And the cat is reciprocating with her version of the love bite as well. Very cute video and another example of how dogs and cats can form incredibly close relationships as good as anything between humans and between cats and other cats.

New Zealand town fractured by the disappearance of 24 cats

NEWS AND COMMENT-COLLINGWOOD, NEW ZEALAND: News media have reported that over the past five years at least two dozen cats have vanished from the back yards and environs of Collingwood.

Many of the residents suspect foul play. Some believe that there is a cat poisoner in the town or perhaps there is more than one of them. Almost all of the cats simply disappeared. The poisoning theory is supported by the death of Gypsy. Gypsy's caregiver, Shannon Mclellan, said that Gypsy had been sick for a few days before she died. She had vomited and eventually ended up under the decking screaming. When she tried to reach her she clawed at her. She eventually got her out and wrapped a towel around her before taking her to the vet but she died on the way. A sure indication of poisoning.

RELATED: New Zealand: man who trapped and drowned eight cats thought he was doing the right thing.

Note: on this page you will see three links to stories about domestic cats being killed by New Zealanders. There appears to be a culture in New Zealand which is similar to that in Australia vis-à-vis their attitude towards outside and feral cats. They don't like them in general. They want them removed from the environment in order to protect New Zealand's native species. There is a bad attitude towards outdoor cats in my view and that can lead to killing.

Image: Stuff.co.nz.

The preferred killing of indoor/outdoor domestic cats by cat haters is by poisoning. This is because it can be done secretively. Simply put down baited food. The cat eats it, the cat becomes ill quite quickly and if there is a fairly loose relationship between cat and owner the cat goes away somewhere in the countryside to quietly die. This makes evidence gathering by law enforcement impossible.

RELATED: New Zealand man boasts he’s buried 170 cats under his vegetable garden.

And this is another problem and perhaps the root problem. The police are disinterested in pursuing the matter in trying to find the perpetrator(s). And the back story is equally pertinent because in New Zealand, as in Australia, the government, including local governments, have consistently stated that outdoor cats and feral cats are a problem to their wildlife. Local and national government in New Zealand have promoted the idea that domestic cats are killing native species

RELATED: Stuff.co.nz journalist demands eradication of all domestic and feral cats in New Zealand to protect wildlife. This is the same online newspaper which is reporting these deaths. On the one hand they promote the idea of killing domestic cats and on the other hand they appear to be supporting residents who have lost cats through killings.

And you gradually engender the idea that domestic cats either need to be confined to their homes or killed. And it doesn't take long for a reckless cat hater to start to take steps to kill them. I am convinced that this is what is happening in this instance.

And because the residents can't get to the bottom of it - because the police won't help and because it has gone on for so long to such devastating effect - it is fracturing the town. It is causing tensions and upset. And frustrations.

Elliot Strange. Image: ANDY MACDONALD/STUFF

One resident of Collingwood,  Elliott Strange, has become the spokesperson for the others who have lost their cats. He is fundraising for a private investigator and he has offered a reward for information leading to the conviction of whoever is killing the town's cats.

When Elliott Strange moved to the town he was asked whether he had a cat. He was told that he needed to be careful. His cat disappeared. Initially he thought that it was just one of those things. Sometimes domestic cats do disappear as we all know. He thought that his cat might have moved off to another home. These things happen as well. This is another reason why it can be difficult to pin down cat killings.

Just before the Covid lockdown in the area he acquired two kittens. Nine months later they've disappeared. He reported the matter to the police but nothing happened. He heard about more disappearances. Reluctantly he felt that he needed to do something as the police wouldn't get involved. This is not untypical of the police forces of any country. They have to prioritise their efforts and cats are well down the priority list. Particularly when it can be almost impossible to find a perpetrator.

Elliott Strange has offered to provide cat owners with tracking collars. Some residents have told him how their lives have been devastated by the loss of their cat companion.

Some residents have even left the town because of it. There's been finger-pointing. The names of four people have been circulated as possible perpetrators. Tensions are boiling over. He said that "Something's going to happen. There's not going to be an official response: somebody's going to teach these guys a lesson."

One of the accused was visibly shaken when interviewed by Stuff (new media website) reporters. He denied any involvement. He said the accusations had made living in the town unbearable and he had called the police about harassment.

Another resident said that the situation in the town had "snowballed [and it was] out of control".

The whole town is involved by it and it's become a bit scary. Two dogs have also died although is not clear that they were killed. There is a witch hunt in the town and something needs to be done about it.

The answer to this problem must be that the police get involved and open a formal investigation. This will ease some of the tensions. I would suggest that residents erect security cameras. If there are enough of them it would deter the cat killer or killers. CCTV cameras are a way of collecting evidence. It is the dearth of evidence which is the problem in this instance.

NYPD violently arrest a beloved busker with toy cats on the subway

NEWS AND COMMENT-NEW NEW YORK CITY, USA: The cats in this story are incidental to it but it caught my eye. A New York City subway saxophone busker, John Ajilo, has been operating on the subway for 5 years. He's been entertaining the millions of people who use this transit system and his act is called "Dancing Is Happiness". He operates out of the Herald Square subway spot.

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The interesting twist to his performances that he has toy cats dancing in front of him. It looks a bit odd but like I said it catches the eye. And he does occupy quite a a lot of space but, that said, he's been there a long time and nobody has complained as far as we know.

 John Ajilo is arrested for allegedly doing nothing wrong. Image: Instagram user ppv_tahoe.

And then suddenly, the NYPD turn up in force and arrest him. Fortunately, a subway user videoed the encounter. And it's pretty brutal and uncomfortable. Initially he talks to the cops and then they suddenly grab hold of him. He shouts "I'm not doing anything wrong". He struggles and then the other cops join in and restrain him.

And it seems that the reason why they arrested this guy for apparently doing nothing wrong is that the New York City Mayor Eric Adams rode the New York City subway system last week for three hours plus and was shocked at what he saw. He saw a lot of unattended crime and decided on a crackdown. 

It seems that the police took it upon themselves to crack down on John Ajilo in a kind of cleanup process. But if he has done nothing wrong in terms of criminality then it is the police who have done something wrong: they have arrested him falsely. They falsely imprisoned him. And technically, the police should be liable for the crime of false imprisonment and assault.

We don't know why John Ajilo uses dancing cats as part of his act. It is probably because he realises that, on the Internet, cats are very popular and have been for ages. He probably saw them somewhere and decided to put them in his act to add a bit of colour and entertainment.

The general public who have seen the video question whether it is a useful use of resources for the police to arrest a busker in this way while serious crime soars in New York City and terrified commuters refuse to take subway trains. A series of high-profile crimes on the subway has left users with the feeling that the subway is unsafe and so they avoid it.

As is the case with the London Underground, there's been a 60% drop in users of the New York City subway since pre-pandemic times with roughly 3.4 million daily commuters using the system. This might be a permanent state of affairs as employees have adopted flexible working practices which means there is no longer the daily commute to work for a large number of people. 

This in turn means that there is going to have to be some fundamental change to the number of employees working on the subway and the number of trains running if it is to breakeven financially. The same problem exists in London.

UK cost of living crisis pushes up cat and dog abandonment sometimes callously and cruelly

The newspapers are reporting on an aspect of the cost of living crisis in the UK which is troubling to me and other animal advocates. People are giving up cats and dogs in greater numbers than normal and the RSPCA as a shelter and sanctuary is running out of space. They are going on waiting lists. I suspect that this problem is compounded by the end of Covid during which people adopted more cats and dogs than usual to keep themselves company. These were arguably irresponsible adoptions without concern for the long-term consequences and responsibilities.

One of 11 puppies thrown away like rubbish in Norfolk, UK. Photo: RSPCA. See story below.

And on their Facebook page, the RSPCA illustrate the callousness with which some British citizens throw away their pets. They don't bother to contact the RSPCA or any other shelter to offer them their companion animal but they simply put them in plastic bags and leave them next to the rubbish.

July 25, 2022

The RSPCA have an appeal for information on a female tabby kitten found by a dog walker. The kitten had been tied up in a plastic bag and dumped like rubbish in Broad Grove, Norfolk. They say that thankfully she was uninjured and is in generally good health. I suspect that is because she was found quickly. But for the person who found her she would have died of suffocation or starvation or perhaps being crushed when thrown into the back of a rubbish lorry.

Kitten thrown away in a plastic bag because of the cost of living crisis in the UK. Image: RSPCA.

13 hours ago

This is a more serious abandonment. It couldn't be more callous, heartless and cruel. Fortunately, once again, a kind person spotted this problem. Somebody had dumped 11 puppies in a rubbish bag in Halifax, UK. They were left to die. The person took the puppies to the RSPCA where their dedicated animal rescuers and animal centre staff are now hand rearing them. At least it produced a wonderful picture as you can see at the head of this page.

Of course it is disgusting to me that someone can do this. I won't be the only person. Margaret commented saying: "Some people have no feelings for animals. It's disgusting the amount of cruelty that goes on in the UK and around the world."

That's true. Of course, there are lots of great people, sensitive and gentle people who want to help animals. It isn't all bad. Although sometimes it looks like that. Sadly, it is the good people who have to tidy up the mess of the bad people. It is a good people who have to rescue and rehabilitate companion animals thrown away like rubbish by the bad people.

Picture of cat tattoo discussion

Here is a nice TikTok video of a charming young woman telling us why she wanted a cat tattoo but not of her cat. She was correctly anxious about the tattoo not being a decent likeness of her cat. That would have been too difficult to bear. So, she took a picture from Messrs Google. This makes a lot of sense to me. I am sure that it is impossible for a tattoo artist to accurately replicate the appearance of your cat. It is always going to be a failure.

To play the video please click on the center play button and then the play button lower left! 😎. Yes, I know it is a very high-tech website.

I wrote the section below in 2008, 14 years ago! The bit above has been added on June 27th 2022. I felt that the page needed to be refreshed.

Part 2

Something completely different for me - picture of a cat tattoo. Cat tattoos are popular it seems. As my site is called "Pictures of Cats" it means any pictures of cats and not just photographs of cats. There is the interesting dimension of why people tattoo at all and why cats? A study of human nature is important in the study of domestic cats as the latter is dependent on the former. Here's a picture of a cat tattoo or three :) with the stories that go with them. 

 

1. This is a picture of a cat tattoo on a women's arm photographed by Tzatziki and her copyright (she is female I think). The woman who has the tattoo is a graphic designer apparently. It is part of a bigger tattoo which the owner called The Debutante. The photograph was taken in the queue to the toilet (bathroom in the USA). It is very simple and elegant the photographer says. I agree. The photographer didn't know the person with the tattoo, but you can get to meet people in queues quite easily as it passes the time nicely. Maybe it was a party? What makes people have tattoos. There is probably a lot going on in the head that is unseen and which we can glimpse at if that person has a tattoo. I think it originates in the desire to decorate ourselves that goes back probably millions of years. Many animals are "decorated" to be more noticeable, to stand out. It is a form of exhibitionism.

 

2. This is a Cheshire cat on a man's leg. You've got to look closely to see that it is a Cheshire Cat. The photograph is by nats . This was taken at Disneyland. The photographer didn't know the subject and while the photograph was being taken Tinkerbell was lighting up the night sky. Tattooing may be a remnant (or a continuing need) to mark events in ones life. Two of the women's tattoos are big cats. This is a marker that they have grown from a girl to womanhood and to beware, perhaps :) Perhaps she is saying she is an individual to be taken notice of. A marker of a rite of passage from one part of her life to another. A Cheshire cat, the subject matter of the tattoo on this person, was created by Lewis Caroll. The cat smiled and asked Alice in Wonderland difficult and philosophical questions. The tattoo may be a statement about this person's character.

 3. This is a photograph of a "bondage kitten", believe it or not. It was taken by the friend of the person with the tattoo, who said he was going to have it done and when the two bumped into each other he showed it off. This photograph was taken by gillicious My guess is that the title "bondage kitten" is just making a picture of a cat playing with string a lot more sexy for the client.

 4. This is a tattoo of a big cat on the left arm of a female pop band member. Yes sir it is that....It looks like a leopard. Big cats are popular for obvious reasons. People like cats; big cats are very impressive and beautiful creatures so are good subjects for body decoration. There may also be an element of female power, women's liberation stuff here. Beauty and strength combined being the message. The photograph was taken by acb and is copyright acb.

5. This is another picture of a cat tattoo. This time a big cat, a panther, on the arm of a woman. It's more woman power stuff I think. Picture is copyright and by mhaithaca Update: Picture of cat tattoo -- 

Here are some more added later (19th January 2009): Photo by graphic.ward - very delicate and tasteful. What do you think?

   

Picture of Cat Tattoo  above-- Photo by chaserpaul. This tattoo is in memory of a beloved cat that has gone over the rainbow bridge. His name was E.D. The cat tattoo was done in 3 2-hour-sittings by Dirk of East Atlanta Tattoo. 

 Picture of Cat Tattoo -- Risks involved in tattooing 

I think a bit of information on the risks is useful to people considering a cat tattoo. As we know, a tattoo is made by piercing the skin and injecting colored ink into the skin. It can be quite painful understandably. The skin is the body's main protection against infection. Once damaged by the tattoo machine, at least potentially, there is a risk of infection. Also, the long-term effects of the dyes placed in the skin are unknown as they are unregulated. Some possible illnesses that can occur on being tattooed (these it would seem are relatively rare considering the number of tattoos carried out) are:

• if the machinery making the tattoo is contaminated by hepatitis C, hepatitis B, tetanus, tuberculosis and HIV (AIDS), then these diseases could infect the person being tattooed.
• either bumps (granulomas) or scarring (keloids) can occur around the area of the tattoo.
• bacterial infections that can lead to blood infections, pneumonia and/or painful, flesh-destroying condition that is called necrotizing fasciitis.
• the dyes can cause an allergic reaction, which may happen years later.
• if you have to go to hospital for an MRI scan, sometimes (rarely) the tattooed area may burn or swell.

As I said these are relatively rare but precautions including choosing a top-notch tattoo artist, I would have thought were essential as one's health is involved for the sake of decoration.