Whether it's more stories in the news lately or just an abundance of floof on TikTok, the cute cats are really out and proud this week. My own cats have even been especially adorable. I took a picture of my floofiest girl posing like a regal queen on the back of my desk chair just this morning.
As animal advocates ask for Covid-19 vaccines for zoo animals and pets, experts say that the vaccines, while developed for animals, may not always be necessary. We've seen zoo animals sadly pass away from Covid, and it turns out that the vaccine they are given was originally developed for companion animals--dogs--in the first place. The reason it's not being made into a priority is an encouraging one: our companion animals aren't as affected by the disease as we are.
Is it surprising to you that your track probably tracks you with its ears as you move around your house, creating a mental map of your movements? Yeah, me either. Mine know what drawer I'm going to before I get there, hoping for a treat from the same drawer I keep other items in.
A man is getting a lot of heat for swapping his cat in secret, without telling his wife, in order to get a better-behaved pet in the mix. Six years ago, he got rid of his wife's hissing, scratching cat, brought home an "identical" one and they've since gotten married without her even knowing. He swears it was because the previous cat wasn't one that could be tamed any better but most people don't think it was a very kind thing to do, to say the least.
We used some coupons to get one of the Target Treat Boutique Candy Shop cat scratchers this year and I just finished putting it together yesterday. So far, my cats like it, but they don't seem to love it the way they loved the previous one we had. It's much bigger, with a double-decker patio, so I'm wondering if I did something different in last year's box. Maybe I added catnip!
Every year Aldi and Target have the cutest cat scratchers for the holidays, and while I haven't seen Aldi's yet for the year, I'm so in love with the ones I've seen Target carry. I love that they have so many price point options this year, but I can't stand seeing them sell out so fast and appear on Ebay. Nope.
This week there have been lots of great stories about cats in the news. Here are just a few highlights:
It may not be surprising to learn that whether or not it's good to sleep with your cat is... complicated. Isn't every cat complicated? Studies show that it can be beneficial as well as detrimental to sleep with your feline friend, depending on your own experiences and beliefs.
Animal rescue stories normally feature dogs at their hearts, much like a Lassie episode, but in this story it's the cat who helped save an elderly woman. An 83-year-old woman from Cornwall, England fell down a ravine and needed help. Her black cat, Piran, saved the day by meowing for help until a neighbor heard the animal's cries.
Months ago we looked at a curious app that helped translate the sounds our cats made. In my home, we found it dubious at best, since my cats kept calling me "Mama." Now there's an app you can use to see how happy your cat is. The app, Tably, analyzes photos taken of your cat to see if they're a content fur baby or not.
