Stories sent in by our cats & friends
Apple, and Planet, Low on Cats
By ANDREW C. REVKIN
The Forbes piece I reference, by Brian Caulfield, is built around an interesting interview with Reginald Barrett of the University of California, Berkeley.
Here’s a snippet:
All of the animals Apple has used come from Felidae family in the Carnivora order of mammals. Tiger, Lion, Jaguar, and Leopard all come from the subfamily known as Pantherinae. Cheetah comes from the other still-living subfamily, Felinae.
Read More: http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/02/apple-and-planet-low-on-cats/?ref=cats
CITY ROOM; For Algonquin's Live-In Cat, A Little Less Room to RoamBy JAMES BARRON
Published: December 22, 2011
What fresh hell is this? They have surrounded the lobby of the Algonquin Hotel with an invisible electric fence.
The hotel hopes it will keep the health department happy by keeping its divalike resident cat from straying where food and drinks are served.
The cat, Matilda, a 5-or-so-year-old Ragdoll, had no comment. She cut short an interview, diving under the hotel's front desk after only one question and leaving a reporter with more: Was she more acerbic than Dorothy Parker? More witty than Noel Coward?
Read More: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E01EEDE1E3AF931A15751C1A9679D8B63&ref=cats
A cat has nine lives. For three he plays, for three he strays, and for the last three he stays.
Cat Tales: Separating Fact from Fiction
Despite their popularity, myths about cats persist. Separating fact from fiction provides a greater understanding of how to meet their special needs
A falling cat always lands on its feet
When a cat falls a short distance, it often twists itself around to right itself and land on its feet. However, falls from heights can cause severe injury or death
Read More: http://pets.yahoo.com/cats/behavior-and-training/31/cat-tales-separating-fact-from-fiction/
Chinese Tycoon Dies After Eating Poisoned Cat Stew
By DAVID BARBOZA
The police have detained a Chinese township official on suspicion that he murdered a business associate by dropping a poisonous herb into a cat-meat stew. - January 4, 2012 - New York Times
Read More : http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/05/world/asia/chinese-tycoon-dies-after-eating-poisoned-cat-stew.html?_r=1&ref=cats
A Cat called Coffee
In March 2000, John Chislett from Warrington, Cheshire, UK was woken by his 2 year old cat, Coffee. Mr Chislett had fallen asleep with the chip pan on the cooker. The chip pan caught fire and Coffee rescued his sleeping owner by biting his nose and butting him until he woke him up. Coffee was treated for breathing problems at a veterinary surgery and they nominated Coffee for the Brave Pet of the Year in April in York.
Cat Heroes
While peacefully sleeping in her home during the early morning hours, Guylaine never imagined that she would lose everything she owned in one day.
At 6:46 a.m., Guylaine's cat, Étoile de Nuit, began meowing loudly. Thinking nothing of it, Guylaine tried to go back to sleep but the persistent feline was determined to wake his owner. Groggy and sleepy-eyed, Guylaine arose to find a fire raging in her bathroom and smoke swirling in her living room. Guylaine, who suffers from muscular dystrophy, left to wake her neighbors
Read More: http://petcentric.com/article.aspx?C=1&OID=54
Fat cat gets stuck in doggie door
Associated Press
Jan. 12, 2007 07:39 AM
PORTLAND, Ore. - A 20-pound stray cat whose girth got him stuck in a pet door while trying to plunder some dog food was reunited with his owner Thursday.
Owner Geoff Ernest said the tubby tabby, Hercules, went missing while he was in Seattle for a lung transplant six months ago.
Read More: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0112FatCat12-ON.html
Watch this and learn - At Home with Purina Cat Chow Video Stories
Read More: http://catchow.com/video_all.aspx?CMP=ILC-CC-petc
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Cat Saves Family—and Dog
Shadow is credited with saving Karen and her two young sons—as well as the family dog, Duke—on the night of January 16 last year. The cat's loud meowing woke Karen, who was sleeping in the basement bedroom
Read More: http://petcentric.com/article.aspx?C=1&OID=14
Cat Saves Nine Lives, Plus One
At 4:00 a.m. Mona slept soundly while her apartment building was engulfed in smoke and burning down around her. Mona did not hear the fire alarm and only woke up when she heard her four-year-old cat, Beau, hurling her body against the closed bedroom door.
Still groggy, Mona could not imagine why Beau was doing this in the middle of the night, especially as this was behavior that she had never seen before. Immediately she got up to see what the fuss was all about. She opened her bedroom door to find that her apartment was overcome with such thick, heavy smoke that she could not even see the end of her hallway. Mona and Beau had no choice but to run out onto their second-floor balcony, as there was no other escape route. They waited in terror, crying for help until the Fire Department rescued them both and took them to safety. Mona credits Beau with saving her life.
From the petcentric web site: http://petcentric.com
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Party On, Cats
Ignoring your guests may seem rude, but for your cat, it may be standard operating procedure. Be sure to give Fluffy a place to retreat to if your party gets too wild.
Cats should be allowed the opportunity to hide," says Debbie Horwitz, a veterinarian and board-certified behavior specialist. She recommends planning ahead and equipping the "safe room" with food, water and, most importantly, a litter box. Eventually, your cat will need to eliminate, and you definitely want that to happen in the appropriate place!
Posting a note on the door to this room can't hurt, either. It's a thoughtful touch—for your guests and your cat—that lets people know there is a cat inside who doesn't want to be disturbed.
Read More: http://petcentric.com/article.aspx?C=1&OID=15
Question: Approximately what percentage of cats are not crazy for catnip?
The correct answer is 50% so over half of the cats in the world don't respond at all to catnip. Sensitivity to this herb appears to be an inherited trait, since a kitten with one catnip-sensitive parent has a one-in-two chance of developing the catnip craze, while if both parents have the sensitivity, the kitten's chances rise to at least three-in-four. (From thedailycat.com)
Stowaway cat survives 17-day trip in box - http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Quirks&article=UPI-1-20061125-16000100-bc-britain-cat.xml
WHITWORTH, England, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- A stowaway cat trapped in a container shipped to Britain from Israel survived a 2,000-mile, 17-day journey with no food or water, animal welfare officers say.
Cat News from Your Tube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UUdI0WLCzg - Live From The Center of The Universe, Sm Live From The Center of The Universe, Smiley Muffin The Cat hosts this news show by and for cats. ...
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No bones about it! Holiday meals can kill pets
Read More: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10558580/
Which table foods are dangerous to cats and dogs? ‘Today’ pet contributor Tamar Geller discusses what you shouldn't feed your four-legged friends
By Tamar Geller, Contributor - TODAY
The holidays are a time to enjoy the company of loved ones, including your pets. Inform your guests about all pet rules: no feeding bones or other table scraps; candy and alcoholic beverages should be kept out of reach; keep gates and outside doors securely closed. Many of us will indulge ourselves with a big holiday meal, but we must remember to be very careful about what we feed our pets.
Cloned kitties star at New York cat show - Copy cats steal the limelight at annual two-day event
From MSNBC
Updated: 3:54 p.m. ET Oct. 11, 2004
NEW YORK - A brave “mew” world came to Madison Square Garden on Saturday as a pair of frisky feline clones stole the limelight at New York’s annual two-day cat show.
Making 10-minute appearances on the half-hour, Tabouleh and Baba Ganoush, produced by the California-based firm Genetics Savings & Clone, seemed normal by any measure -- frolicsome, curious and cute, all but oblivious to gawking onlookers.
$50,000 price tag
The pair of Bengals are only the second and third-ever cloned cats, although company CEO Lou Hawthorne said his company has also produced Peaches, an 8-1/2-week-old clone, and would boast a total kitty clone output of nine by year’s end.
Read More: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6226605
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Cat Records
Smallest Cat - The smallest cat on record is Mr Peebles. The domestic short hair lives in Pekin, ILL.. The cat is is 6.1 inches tall and 1
.2 inches long and he weighs 3-pounds, fully grown.
Smartest Cat - Cuty Boy, a pure bred Persian, living in Dubai, is a prodigy and has been featured in cat sites and periodicals world wide.
Oldest Cat - The oldest recorded cat was a female Tabby by the name of Ma. He was owned by Alice St. George Moore of Drewsteignton, UK. Ma was put to sleep on November 5, 1957. She was of 34 years.
Largest Cat Breed - The largest cat breed known is a Ragdoll Breed. Males can weigh 12 to 20 pounds and females can weigh 10 to 15 pounds.
Fattest Cat Breed - The worlds fattest cat was a neutered male tabby named "Himmey" When Himmey died of respiratory failure he weighed a whopping 46 lbs 15.5 ounces! He had a 15 inch neck, was 38 inches long, and had a 33 inch waist.
Best Cat Climber - On September 6, 1950, a 4 month-old kitten belonging to Josephine Auf den Blatten from Geneva, Switzerland accompanied a group of mountaineers to the top of the 14,691 foot Matterhorn top in the Alps.
Had the Most Kitten In A Life time - A tabby by the name of "Dusty" gave birth to 420 kittens in her lifetime.
Largest Domestic Cat - The heaviest domestic cat was a neutered male tabby named Himmy, owned by Thomas Vyse of Redlynch, Queensland, Australia. When Himmy died of respiratory failure on March 12, 1986 at the age of 10 years, 4 months, he weighed 46lb 15 ¼ oz. (neck 15 inches, waist 33 inches, length 38 inches.)
Largest Litter - The largest litter was produced by a Burmese\Siamese mother. There were 19 kittens. However, 4 of the kittens were stillborn
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Cat Stories
The French Farmer’s Cat
Read More: http://rulingcatsanddogs.com/cat-stories-pet-story-french-farmers-cat.htm
Pampered Persian Walkabout
Read More: http://rulingcatsanddogs.com/cat-stories-feline-story-pampered-persian.htm
Simon in the Navy
Read More: http://rulingcatsanddogs.com/cat-stories-feline-story-simon-in-the-navy.htm
Cats Travel Back Home
Read More: http://rulingcatsanddogs.com/cat-stories-travels-back-home-long-distance.htm
Dodging a Bullit
Read More: http://rulingcatsanddogs.com/cat-stories-feline-story-dodging-a-bullet.htm
Visit the Meow Mix House
Read More: http://www.meowmixhouse.com/index.asp
The makers of Meow Mix Cat Food have found a great way to advertise
Cat rescued from stadium implosion honored - Philadelphia tabby named best household pet by Cat Fanciers Association
Read More: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14586152/
Associated Press Updated: 9:40 a.m. PT Aug 30, 2006
DREXEL HILL, Pa. - A cat rescued two years ago from Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium is being honored as pet of the year.
The cat, named Hagrid-of-Hogwarts, was one of a litter of two-week-old kittens removed from the stadium just before it was imploded.
Now, the brown-and-white tabby has been named best household pet for 2006 by the American Cat Fanciers Association. He beat out 821 other cats who competed in 50 shows across America and Canada. Read more: www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14586152/
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Homeless man and kitten help each other survive - http://www.helenair.com/articles/2005/12/21/national/c06122105_01.txt
By LONA O’CONNOR - Cox News Service - 12/21/05
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Only a whimsy of fate could bring together a homeless man, a homeless kitten and a woman living in a Dumpster.
Their story began when the man, Ralph Caruso, found a gray and white tabby kitten in the bushes, just as the first winds of Hurricane Wilma were arriving in late October.
Not always able to keep a roof over his head, Caruso, an unemployed jeweler, took pity on the animal, whose future at that moment looked grim. He named the kitten Smoke and carried her from place to place in a small animal carrying case.
Rejected puppy welcomed into feline family - Pennsylvania cat nurses runt pug along with three kittens
Read More: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12425739/
Associated Press - Updated: 4:37 p.m. PT June 5, 2006
CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. - A pug puppy rejected by his mother has found a new, more welcoming family — a cat and her three kittens.
Kelly Kent, of Connellsville, said her 2-year-old cat, Zoey, has been nursing a black pug puppy since he was rejected by his mother in late March. Zoey doesn't usually like dogs but seems to have made an exception, Kent said.
The puppy, who belongs to Kent's neighbor, is about the same size as Zoey's kittens and regularly lines up for milk with his adopted feline siblings. Read more: www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12425739/
North Carolina Community Enacts Noisy Cat Ordinance
Read More: http://www.nonoise.org/news/1998/feb22.htm
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PUBLICATION: The Morning Star
The Morning Star reports that officials in Long Beach, North Carolina have enacted a noisy cat ordinance.
According to the article, barking, howling dogs are a mainstay in Long Beach, where folks complain of canine commotion at town meetings and plead with officials to enforce noise restrictions. But a meowing, purring cat creating too much noise? Town residents say it's ridiculous. "I'm not aware of a cat noise problem," said Mayor Joan Altman, who admitted to snickering after seeing the proposal, drawn up by the town manager and planner. "I know problems can result from cat fights, but as far as cats in people's houses meowing too loud, I don't think that's what they mean." The anti- noise rule is just one of many affecting cats in the proposed animal control ordinance presented at the Town Council meeting last week. Proposed rules include making it unlawful for cats to "create unnecessary noise" and leave the owner's property without a leash.
Read More: www.nonoise.org/news/1998/feb22.htm
My two babies are named Edgar & Raven.
They are the black variety with chocolate tips & gorgeous neck ruffs. The poor darlings are "foundlings"...I found them a week before Christmas. They appear to be litter mates; the male is slightly larger than the female and he isn't as "kittenish". I estimate that they are just under one year old. I strongly suspect Miss Raven has been spayed; there is a large patch of hair missing on her abdomen that makes her look like a shorn sheep! Plus while rubbing her tummy I felt scar tissue about 2 inches long.
I've noticed that since I found them their "plumage" has gotten fuller and Raven has tufts of light gray fur growing on top of her toes like a little Hobbit.too cute!
In doing endless searching on the internet to try & figure out what kind of kitties I have, I'm 99.99999 % certain that this is the correct breed. Why on earth anyone would toss them out is beyond me. All I know is my whole family adores them even if they are a little pesky (they both like to steal little treasures out of my teenage son's room.like golf balls, candy containers, etc.my son has built an "anti-cat barricade" under his bed but they quickly breached his security perimeter!).
I don't have any pictures developed yet but I'm attaching a picture of the cat that convinced me that this is what my puddy tats are....
By the way, you asked for other characteristics describing them: how about "cat in a dog suit"? or not terribly graceful? (mine tend to land with a thud or miss their target entirely!)- Brenda Schardine
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JUSTICE FOR MAX
I am writing to you in hopes that justice can be
better served in this particular case and bring better attention to cat abuse everywhere. Too many times people simply tend to look the other way and ignore the ever burgeoning problem that goes on daily . Max's story and his mom, Denice's struggle for justice is a sad and tragic tale that I feel should be told. The person who is supposedly responsible for Max's brutal murder by way of a golf club and a rock is a Juvenile Parole Officer - a member of law enforcemnt by the name of James Lacy, which is making Denice's fight for justice in this case that much more difficult. Because of her delicate position she is unable to go to the media for help in getting Max's story out. This is where I learned of the story and at the initial hearing in the greater Sacramento, California court house on March 14th I was able to press the local television news organizations and gain an incredible amount of news coverage for the plight of this case. The next hearing is scheduled for April 30th and we are trying to relay the message to the cat loving public to please attend this next hearing to lend and show support for justice as well as to get the word out, generally. Please follow this link to read the complete story:
Please feel free to contact me at the above email or call me at (904) 997-6069 for further details.
Sincerely,
Chuck Gramling
Animal abuse is a crime, punishable by local laws. If you or someone you know witnesses animal abuse, contact your local authorities
Send us your cat story
E-mail to chendel@calwisp.com
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Dear Cats United,
I just found an article which in an horrifying way describes a lab institute in New Jersey,
USA. It is called Huntingdon and is used by companies like Colgate-Palmolive and Procter & Gamble for testing of cleaning and hygien products on animals.
It was made public by an association here called Nordic Association against cruel animal testing. They have received a video which was taken without the knowledge of the lab. It was shown on television here in Sweden yesterday. It made many people cry, myself included. I have tried to translate as correctly as possible and to pass on the feeling I have that something must be done. At least by telling about it, we might have won something.
They are nas orgastricly feeding different ingredients of cleaning products to dogs for periods of years. It is done in a very brutal way and the personal is joking and scorning the obviously terrified animals. An ape is smeared with some lotion before given electric shocks, time after time. Personal comment: Dance, dance! Keep calm or I will bite Your face!
The mistreatment of animals at Huntingdon is nothing new. Just this year in June the British department of the lab had their licenses to perform testing on animals revoked because of it
The companies Colgate-Palmolive and Procter & Gamble will take no responsibility for what goes on and swear that they knew nothing of it.
Do they mean that they knew nothing of the feeding of cleaning products to animals? Nothing of using electric shock? Do they mean that they knew nothing about the way their products are being tested, and nothing about the results of the tests? Nothing about the license being revoked?
To me, it is an cowardly try to cover up a matter that could and should make consumers more aware of how the products they are using are being tested.
Unfortunately, the companies will not tell which products have been tested at the Huntingdon Institution, but to me it really does not matter. If the companies are so careless in choosing whom to work with, there probably are many other places just like this one. Since we have no way of knowing, the Nordic Association against cruel animal testing recommends us to boycott the companies in total.
Check the products You are using to see if they are tested on animals! If You are not sure, don't buy it! Say no to testing of hygien and cleaning products on animals!
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CALLING ALL CAT LOVERS
Sandra Evers
I realize there may very well be some of you who read this that will be thinking well of course, how could you be so stupid? Honest, stupidity is not my strongest suit. But ignorance rather than stupidity nearly cost us our cats life.
We have all heard of or seen the unbecoming result of a cats encounter with the Christmas tree icicles tinsel. How can we blame them? It's bright and shiny, it moves with the slightest air current. NO, it is not icicles that brought Spencer near to his demise.
Instead, innocent curling ribbon on a child's birthday balloon, 1/4 inch curling ribbon. No sparkle, no real movement just laying on the floor with a wilting balloon. At least this is how we believe he came to acquire it.
Spencer is a three and a half year old blue point Himalayan. Not too fancy but beautiful in our eyes (except maybe my husband, he is not a cat lover merely a tolerator.) Spencer is not show quality nor a stud but our baby. Somewhere along the line he must have found a fondness for white curling ribbon.
The evening of my daughter's seventh birthday party the trouble began. Spencer began vomitting a clear foamy emesis. Nothing much I thought just nerves. Spencer hates crowds and eight screaming girls more than fill that category. (For days after my husband's thirtieth birthday he was sullen and aloof). It's just Spencer being his usual high strung self I thought but it, continued through the night and the next day he was becoming increasingly less responsive. Not even giving my husband a second look. Time to see the vet! Spencer saw Dr. John that day. He felt it was more than nerves and kept Spencer for observations. Spencer became increasingly worse through the night. X-rays showed blockage in his intestines. Surgery revealed a two foot long piece of 1/4 inch wide white ribbon curling ribbon. It had moved through his stomach and into the intestines. Once there the natural movement of digestion had accordianed his intestines, blocking them.
Ours is a happy ending Spencer is recovering nicely. He is back to hissing at my husband, bounding into the kids bedrooms in the morning for a little loving, following me all around, and eating on his own.
This time we got lucky and we are doing our best to make sure Spencer access to ribbons and strings is very limited. This real life drama has been written with the hopes it will help other cats. Apparently not all are as lucky as Spencer. Keep your cats safe check your home for potential hazards. Cats have been known to eat, ribbon, string, thread (with needles attached), tree tinsel, cord off roasts and so much more.
A little caution exercised now could save you heartache, time and money but most of all your cat's life.
Note: Thank You Sandra for this story and considering to publish it on Cats United International. We wish you and Spencer all the best.
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