The Opinionated Pussycat

World Mews Repurrt 26

Good evening, felinity assembled!

Welcome to WORLD MEWS REPURRT!

Brought to you by the world class repurrting and researching team of Nikita and Elvira Mistress of Felinity, at the Feline News Network (FNN)!

We consider it our mission to bring you the news that possibly no-one but our fellow felines and their humans, could give a fig about!We aim to point you toward these stories and sometimes even toss in our 2 cents worth on them as well.

We encourage you to leave your thoughts in the comments, link back to our reports on your own blog, so others can be made aware of the latest news and if you come across a story you think we might be interested in, alert us via the e-mail in the sidebar.

Tipsters, whose alerts we use, will get credit, with a link to their blog, or website.

Let's get this show on the road!

1. Univison parking lot cat interrupts weather report, declines to be interviewed afterward = http://tinyurl.com/cy6qxv3

2. Survey says! Only 37% of millionaires are owned by cats....Well, I'll be doggone!  = http://tinyurl.com/cyeqfya

3 and 4. I woke up from a nap the other day to find Daddy Kil laughing so hard he was in tears. So I went to see what brought this on.

Let's just say that this is what happens when some very talented humans have nothing better to do and think they actually understand their animal companions.

Cat-Friend vs Dog-Friend video =http://youtu.be/GbycvPwr1Wg

Interview with the humans responsible for this = http://tinyurl.com/cnjappt

5. Speaaking of humans trying figure felinity assembled out...

Lorrie Shaw explains how "understanding different play styles in cats can help manage weight & enhance mental fitness".

"for felines, it can seem more challenging to hone in on what kind of activities and interaction not only captures their attention, but what keeps them engaged.

This is especially true of indoor-only cats."

She actually does a good job discussing such activities as birding, pouncing and stalking, bunny games, as well as hide and seek.

http://tinyurl.com/dyv2a9d

6. Humans of a certain age remember growing up learning from ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’, and even introducing their children to the show.

Well, now, a feline has moved into the neighborhood to carry on he legacy.

http://tinyurl.com/dxgcgvn

7.  "Catroulette" is a cat adoption website that allows humans to skip through videos of cats and kittens looking for forever homes until thery find one that they would like to adopt. It seems that several cat adoption agencies in Belgium are behind this program.

One depressing aspect of all this is that  the viewer can actually see how many humans have skipped over a particular hopeful feline.

http://catroulette.be

Next up = Elvira Reveals Secret 1 yr. Anniversary Photos!

http://www.opinionatedpussycat.com/2013/04/elvira-reveals-secret-1-yr-anniversary-photos.html

World Mews Repurrt 25

Good evening, felinity assembled!

Welcome to WORLD MEWS REPURRT!

Brought to you by the world class repurrting and researching team of Nikita and Elvira Mistress of Felinity, at the Feline News Network (FNN)!

We consider it our mission to bring you the news that possibly no-one but our fellow felines and their humans, could give a fig about!We aim to point you toward these stories and sometimes even toss in our 2 cents worth on them as well.

We encourage you to leave your thoughts in the comments, link back to our reports on your own blog, so others can be made aware of the latest news and if you come across a story you think we might be interested in, alert us via the e-mail in the sidebar.

Tipsters, whose alerts we use, will get credit, with a link to their blog, or website.

Let's get this show on the road!

1 and 2. Cats that pester for food could be suffering from psychological condition - The Telegraph (Also discussed on Jezebel Blog)

Does your love of kibble mean you are insane???

It's time to eat, whether it's the official times of day set by your human, and agreed to by you, or when you suddenly get the munchies, and you are miaowing and rubbing against their ankles...

Believe it or not, there are some human researchers who say "it is a sign of a creature whose obsession with food has driven it to the edge of insanity.

They claimed that cats that show too much eagerness to be fed could be
suffering from the newly-diagnosed condition of “psychogenic abnormal feeding
behaviour. And the attention-seeking behaviour is a symptom called “excessive solicitation of interspecific interactions”."

Say WHAT??? The comments are just as interesting as the posts.

http://tinyurl.com/8kognc2

http://goo.gl/A9Cjh

World Mews Repurrt 24

Good evening, felinity assembled!

Nikita here to welcome in the new year!

Welcome to WORLD MEWS REPURRT!

Brought to you by the world class repurrting and researching team, of yours truly, Nikita Cat and Elvira Mistress of Felinity, at the Feline News Network (FNN)!

We consider it our mission to bring you the news that possibly no-one but our fellow felines and their humans, could give a fig about!

We aim to point you toward these stories and sometimes even toss in our 2 cents worth on them as well.

We encourage you to leave your thoughts in the comments, link back to our reports on your own blog, so others can be made aware of the latest news and if you come across a story you think we might be interested in, alert us via the e-mail in the sidebar.

Tipsters, whose alerts we use, will get credit, with a link to their blog, or website.

Let's get this show on the road!

1. One more bit of holiday cheer as we head into the new year. This story comes from here in Houston, and was reported in the Houston Chronicle by reporter Kyrie O'Conner.

Five kittens were recently left by the side of the road within hours of their birth, and without their mother.

How cruel is that?

A caring lady, on her way home from a coffee shop, one morning in November, stumbled upon the kittens, and took them home to try to rescue them.

Not being the least bit familiar with how a mother cat cares for her newborn she called on friends, veterinary hospitals, whoever might help her out. She posted on Facebook. She  packed her husband off on a mission to get kitten formula.

This story would be one with a tragic ending except that one of the kittens is a fighter, and under the care of a friend of the lady who found them.

The last kitten is named Shanti Tigerheart. "Shanti" means "peace" in Sanskrit,  and Tigerheart describes her fighting spirit. She's a climber, and she's  learning to pounce. Sometimes she rides in a ski cap tied around Runfalo's neck.

Read the whole story, and see the little tiger, here.

2. Another Houston Chronicle story, by Jayme Fraser, to end 2012, is about the local Assistant District Attorney who "Gives voice to the voiceless", in the city, and county, animal community.

I can't share the link to the story as you must be a subscriber to their website, but I read the print version of the Dec. 30th piece, and think i's worth sharing.

Belinda Smith is my kind of human. in 2006 she bacame  the first local prosecutor to focus on animal cruelty.

The article quotes her as saying this: "I know a lot of people don't think animals have souls, but I feel like when I'm in heaven,  I'm going to get to see all my animals."

She is considered the leader in the city's coordinated community campaign to put an end to animal cruelty, because the city and county didn't used to do a very good job.

She has been instrumental in getting area law enforcement and animal welfare groups to work more with each other.

In doing a Google I found a few things of interest:

An old issue of the Harris County DA Employee Newsletter in Jan. 2009, was quite in formative.

HBA Salutes Belinda, in 2009 for her work.

The Animal Law Section of the Houston Bar Association last month honored Belinda Smith, the District Attorney‟s Animal Cruelty Section chief.
Her plaque cites “outstanding dedication and service above and beyond the call of duty.”

 Page 2 has an article about the, then, new Animal Cruelty Section.

The University of HoustonLaw Center, in the Spring of 2009, did a story on Belinda as well.

I couldn't find a link just for the section, itself, though.

World Mews Repurrt 23: Merry Christmas & Happy Catmas Edition

Good evening, Felinity Assembled!

Nikita here to announce that we are back, and ready to rumble!

The computer is fixed, at last!

Welcome to WORLD MEWS REPURRT!

Brought to you by the world class repurrting and researching team, of yours truly, Nikita Cat and Elvira Mistress of Felinity, at the Feline News Network (FNN)!

We consider it our mission to bring you the news that possibly no-one but our fellow felines and their humans, could give a fig about!

We aim to point you toward these stories and sometimes even toss in our 2 cents worth on them as well.

We encourage you to leave your thoughts in the comments, link back to our reports on your own blog, so others can be made aware of the latest news and if you come across a story you think we might be interested in, alert us via the e-mail in the sidebar.

Tipsters, whose alerts we use, will get credit, with a link to their blog, or website.

Let's get this show on the road!

1. As we settle in to Houston we are looking to learn about shelters and rescues in the area.

One of the oldest, and most respected is Citizens for Animal Protection.

It describes itself this way: "Citizens for Animal Protection is a non-profit organization, founded in 1972, which shelters, rescues and places homeless animals for adoption with loving families.   CAP advocates respect and compassion for animal life and provides humane education to help prevent cruelty to animals."

Recently, it "received a grant for $10,000.00 from the national ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) in New York. The grant will be used to supplement the cost of four “Feral Cat Surgery Days” at CAP’s in-house clinic."

How this all squares with a very disturbing story in a recent edition of the Houston Press Weekly is something we hope to discover by exploring the website now that we have our computer back. It seems some volunteers, and a big name activist in town, have been caught doing a few things they shouldn't.

Added value to this story is the lengthy back and forth, involving several players in the story, disputing various things, and a comment by a rep of No Kill Houston pointing out that Cap4pets is not Open Admission or No Kill (Even supposedly "keeping their kill rate a secret from the public")

Shelby Kibodeaux and Amy Walther: "Animal Rescuers" Lie About Finding a Home for a Dog Who's Already Dead

World Mews Repurrt 22: Veteran's Day - Honoring US Military Felines and the USS Texas

Happy Veteran's Day, Felinity Assembled, Elvira Mistress of Felinity here!

Think there's a unit of our soldiers, sailors, air force, or marines that could use a Pin-up Girl, in the Betty Grable mold? :-D

 

The day after the election Daddy Kiril went to the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site, and the nearby Battleship Texas Historic Site, and while he didn't take the tour of the ship, he did, with the help of a passer-by wielding his camera, pay tribute.

Did you know that Felines, male and female, have been serving their country, in the military, for well over a century, including on a late 19th century USS Texas?

Meet Mr. Riley!

Born on the ship in about 1892, he became its mascot, and served in the Spanish American War! There is a wonderful photo on page 26 of this edition of Munsey's Magazine (Just carefully scroll to the page).

A few years aftger the war the ship apparently had a new cat, and a dog, on board.

"The SS Jupiter was an American cargo ship built in 1917. Later that year she transported World War 1 cargo, and while doing so she carried a Naval Armed Guard unit. The photo shows a J.E. Hall with the ship's cats, Snow and Mouse"

"The third ship to bear the name, Merrimack was a fleet oiler acquired by the United States Navy in 1941. Commissioned in 1942, she served in both the Atlantic and Pacific during World War II and gained eight battle stars. She had two ship's cats, appropriately named Mary and Mack."

World Mews Repurrt 21

Welcome to WORLD MEWS REPURRT!

Brought to you by the world class repurrting and researching team, of yours truly, Nikita Cat and Elvira Mistress of Felinity, at the Feline News Network (FNN)!

We consider it our mission to bring you the news that possibly no-one but our fellow Felines and their Humans, could give a fig about!

We aim to point you toward these stories and sometimes even toss in our 2 cents worth on them as well.

We encourage you to leave your thoughts in the comments, link back to our reports on your own blog, so others can be made aware of the latest news and if you come across a story you think we might be interested in, alert us via the e-mail in the sidebar.

Tipsters, whose alerts we use, will get credit, with a link to their blog, or website. :-D

Good evening Felinity Assembled, Nikita here.

It's been 2 months since the last edition, so...

Let's get this show on the road!

1 - 3. Let's begin by saluting the Ultimate Sacrifice by British Military Animals, and the latest honoree to receive the PDSA Dickin Medal: 'The Animals' Victoria's Cross'.

If you explore the PDSA site you will learn about the only Feline to so far have been honored.

We also encourage you to visit and explore our page devoted to Militarty Service Animals:

Animals in the Military and Pets for Vets: Learn About, Support, the Troops!

4. Cats have been taking our medicine for centuries, but did you know that, in 1903, George Albert Smith made a silent short titled “The Sick Kitten,” famous, at the time, for its awesome close-up shot of a kitten eagerly taking medicine from two small kids.

5 and 6. Next time you look at your Human and try to pull a "Woe is Me" look for something you want...consider the story, and 20+ videos, about a two legged cat, born without a pelvis or back legs, who is simply awesome and inspiring. :-D

7. Here in Texas, dumping Kittens IS considered illegal dumping.

8 and 9. From Global Animal in 2011: Cooney’s Law Fights To Stop Animal Abusers, Violent Criminals, in Nevada.

From Forbes, summer 2012: New Law Tested: Nevada Teens Charged With Felony Cruelty In Kitten Deaths

 A first offense of animal cruelty is a felony in the state, and while some find the law controversial, it passed, and will now get its first trial in court.

10. In honor of the upcoming Presidential Election, via Buzzfeed:

If Famous US Presidents Were Replaced With Cats

Yeah, I didn't buy it, either. But they ARE cute. :-D

World Mews Repurrt 20

 

Welcome to WORLD MEWS REPURRT!

Brought to you by the world class repurrting and researching team, of yours truly, Nikita Cat and Elvira Mistress of Felinity, at the Feline News Network (FNN)!

We consider it our mission to bring you the news that possibly no-one but our fellow Felines and their Humans, could give a fig about!

We aim to point you toward these stories and sometimes even toss in our 2 cents worth on them as well.

We encourage you to leave your thoughts in the comments, link back to our reports on your own blog, so others can be made aware of the latest news and if you come across a story you think we might be interested in, alert us via the e-mail in the sidebar.

Tipsters, whose alerts we use, will get credit, with a link to their blog, or website. :-D

Good afternoon Felinity Assembled, Nikita here.

Let's get this show on the road!

1. Let's begin by getting your human in the Chrissymouse Season shopping mode a bit early, shall we?

For the feline who has everything, and definitely wants more!

Buy your cool cat these headphones: just $1,000. :-D

2. Yeah, yeah, so you have your own facebook page, and twitter account, not to mention your own blog....Big Meowing Deal.

Is there any of you among Felinity Assembled, reading this, who has their own maid, let alone 2 of them? :-D

3. The fascinating and inspiring, story of a human who draws cats, becoming an online sensation that attracts the attention and money of Mark Cuban....This piece got OUR attention, that's for sure. :-D

Hey, Mark, Daddy Kiril asks....How about let's do lunch? Once we finally move to Texas, of course. :-D

4. Via AZCentral.com:

"The Arizona Animal Welfare League and Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals have introduced a virtual play system at their Sonia Breslow Adoption Center that aims to raise the adoption numbers of cats and kittens while helping them stay active.

The iPet companion, donated by pet-products manufacturer Kong Co. to the shelter at 40th and Washington streets in Phoenix, allows people to view and play with adoptable felines from their computers."

Read more about it.

5. Forget Library Cats! 21 of the best, cutest, sneakiest bodega cats New York City has to offer, via The Gothamist. :-D

6. What passes for a major news story in San Jose , Ca., these days, will amuse you no end, I'm sure. :-D

Cat turns on lights, shocks owners.

7. Alf LaMont writes an essay, in the Huffington Post, the main thrust of which is this: "Owning a cat is the equivalent of allowing a self obsessed and violent psychotic into your home."

Oh, really now, come on. We are just harmless little furballs...we have absolutely NO intention of taking over the world....honest. :-D

Leave your thoughts, below, in the comments.

World Mews Repurrt 19

Welcome to WORLD MEWS REPURRT!

Brought to you by the world class repurrting and researching team, of yours truly, Nikita Cat and Elvira Mistress of Felinity, at the Feline News Network (FNN)!

We consider it our mission to bring you the news that possibly no-one but our fellow Felines and their Humans, could give a fig about!

We aim to point you toward these stories and sometimes even toss in our 2 cents worth on them as well.

We encourage you to leave your thoughts in the comments, link back to our reports on your own blog, so others can be made aware of the latest news and if you come across a story you think we might be interested in, alert us via the e-mail in the sidebar.

Tipsters, whose alerts we use, will get credit, with a link to their blog, or website. :-D

Good evening Felinity Assembled, Nikita here.

Let's get this show on the road!

1. Adweek shares 3 serious, yet funny, videos in a Public Service Campaign called the Fix at Four Campaign, by Utah-based Best Friends Animal Society.

2. Most of us have never had to hunt for our meals, maybe we never even had the needed training from our parents in the first weeks of our lives.

This 4 min. video by the BBC, found on the Bits & Pieces blog, gives you a taste, so to speak, of what you may have missed.

WARNING: If you are a rodent who blogs you may find certain parts of this video extremely disturbing.

3. As the Human and Pet Blogging Community Olympics get under way, consider this our obligatory sports story. :-D

Via Boing Boing: An 1894 bit of film of "Boxing Cats" produced by Thomas Edison. Yes, THAT Thomas Edison. :-D

4. You may be familiar with the LOL Cats Bible Translation Project, but did you know there are Cats Who Question the Bible? :-D

Hat Tip t0 The Friendly Atheist for sharing this post a few months back. :-D

5. Philly.com has a story that deals with a very important question being debated in the medical community:

Is it still necessary to use kittens to teach pediatric medical residents how to insert breathing tubes into tiny babies?

Doctors at Albert Einstein Medical Center say yes. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine thinks not.

It seems "Einstein is among only nine of 201 accredited pediatric residency programs in the United States that still use ferrets, kittens, or cats to teach endotracheal intubation."

An interesting read.

6. From the Times of Israel comes the story of a human couple who devorce over the woman bringing 550 Felines into the home.

Even I think that's too many Pussies! :-D Oh, and the comments are hilarious. :-D

7. Now, we know, Felinity Assembled, that cats as a species are perfectly fine just the way we are, but someone over at Cracked has other ideas.

8. Mental Floss introduces its readers to 9 Library Cats, several of who have blogs and facebook pages. The pictures are very cool!

9. Humans are always trying to learn the State Secrets of Felinity Assembled, such as why we stare at walls all the time.

All I can say is...wouldn't you like to know?

Nice try, here, though. :-D

10. A bit macabre, but extremely cool. You WILL believe a cat can fly! Watch the video, hee, hee! :-D

World Mews Repurrt 18

Welcome to WORLD MEWS REPURRT!

Brought to you by the world class repurrting and researching team, of yours truly, Nikita Cat and Elvira Mistress of Felinity, at the Feline News Network (FNN)!

We consider it our mission to bring you the news that possibly no-one but our fellow Felines and their Humans, could give a fig about!

We aim to point you toward these stories and sometimes even toss in our 2 cents worth on them as well.

We encourage you to leave your thoughts in the comments, link back to our reports on your own blog, so others can be made aware of the latest news and if you come across a story you think we might be interested in, alert us via the e-mail in the sidebar.

Tipsters, whose alerts we use, will get credit, with a link to their blog, or website. :-D

Let's get this show on the road!

Good evening Felinity Assembled! Elvira Mistress of Felinity, here!

In honor of my upcoming Gotcha Day, later this week, Nikita is letting me play host! :-D

Boy do I have some interesting things to share, this time around!

1. There is some troubling news in the world of human and feline science.

A recent study shows how a parasite some of us felines might carry could cause some human women to get all suicidal.

The good news, as reported by the L.A. Times, is that "most people infected with T. gondii probably got it from undercooked meat" and not from their feline companions, so there's little evidence your human should worry.

I just love the photo of the doctor with his cat named Tibby! :-D 

2. There's a theory going around, promulgated by a tumblr site, that "Cats hate reading".

I don't know why, or how, this rumor got started, I mean, Nikita and I just love books! And magazines and newspapers! :-D

Anyway, this site encourages people to share their photos of their feline companions and books, and tell what book the cat is sharing space with. :-D

3. Over at the Library Thing website, in the "What are you reading now" group, someone started a thread that they called "Puss n Books", posing this topic for discussion: "One of my groups got into a discussion about cats and it sparked an interest into how many books and series there are where a cat or cats are main characters."

Begun in Dec. 2008, the comments reached 24 in Febr. 2009, before everyone apparently lost interest. :-D

4. As a public service I now share an old Love Meow post that will help you explain things to your human the next time you, um, pass wind. :-D

Do Cats fart?

5. Surprise your human by asking them this question, and then providing the answer when they respond with a "WTH?"

Did you know that Cindy Brady sells Kitten Crap? :-D

6. Neotorama finds a claymation cat action film that is bloody violent, bloody amusing, bloody entertaining and bloody good! Oh, did I say bloody? Consider yourself warned. :-D

7.  Shit People Say to the Cats Left Behind After a Breakup (Good-bye Winston)... On Gawker, the story of the end of one of the great internet sensations, as told by the human involved.

8. Yep, we felines can have allergies, too!

9. The folks over at Friskies seem to think there is an epidemic of Cat Boredom, or "CB" as they call it.

Are you bored? Nikita and I aren't. And, the only CB we care about is this one, hee, hee! :-D

10. The family of George W. Bush has a new family member, a cat named Bob!

 

World Mews Repurrt 17

Welcome to WORLD MEWS REPURRT!

Brought to you by the world class repurrting and researching team, of yours truly, Nikita Cat and Elvira Mistress of Felinity, at the Feline News Network (FNN)!

We consider it our mission to bring you the news that possibly no-one but our fellow Felines and their Humans, could give a fig about!

We aim to point you toward these stories and sometimes even toss in our 2 cents worth on them as well.

We encourage you to leave your thoughts in the comments, link back to our reports on your own blog, so others can be made aware of the latest news and if you come across a story you think we might be interested in, alert us via the e-mail in the sidebar.

Tipsters, whose alerts we use, will get credit, with a link to their blog, or website. :-D

Let's get this show on the road!

1. Pussycats in Prison? No, this is not a case of extreme punishment for not making it to the litterbox in time, or coughing up a hairball in the wrong place. :-D

Check out the Cuddly Catz program at the Larch Correctional Facility, a minimum-security prison. :-D

2. Forget the New York Times Review of Books and Publishers Weekly, for informative reviews of cat themed books the interesting place to check out is the Cracked Magazine website. :-D

Yes, they don't have a clue that real Cats not only review books on our blogs, but even write books that turn into bestsellers, and make fun of the books by sharing funny photos alongside their review, but check the story out anyway. :-D

8 Books That Prove Cat Lovers Are Insane.

3. 2 questions:

“Why do Some single Human women prefer Cats to a boyfriend!”

“Why Some Human Men Have a Dog And No Wife”

To discover the answers to these questions, and learn a way a Human Male can test the 2nd for themselves if they doubt....go here. :-D

4. Disturbing news out of Great Britain recently:

Figures backed up by a recent University of Bristol study from the School of Veterinary Sciences, show an ever decreasing number of people coming forward to adopt cats, while the number of people needing to give up a cat or report a stray is on the rise.

Double Dip Recession bad for UK Cats.

5. Jackson Galaxy has some explaining to do over at the Huffington Post. :-D