Extinct Leopard Resurfaces

Finally, some good news!

Every day it seems like we're faced with the news of yet another species gone forever, another animal wiped out largely by our own selfish or ignorant (often both) actions. I read some good news about a leopard species previously thought to be extinct today: a clouded leopard species that was thought to be extinct previously was spotted in Taiwan recently, proving that the cat is still here with us.

That's not completely joyous news, since it's a super rare sighting and the animal is still near extinct, but it does give us hope that there may be others in the wild. The Formosan spotted leopard was even seen by multiple people, confirming its existence, and the Taiwanese government is keeping it listed as endangered since the population is in desperate need of recovery since it was declared extinct in 2013. 

Have you read any other good animal news lately? Share your links in the chat!

Klat Categories: 
Animals
Wild

Homeless Cat Finds New Life

Troubling tale takes heartwarming turn

Homeless pets always get us in the feels, don't they? In a perfect world, all cats and dogs would be spayed and neutered, preventing many homeless pets in the first place, but until we can get there hopefully people will continue to rescue pets who need help. This poor cat named Cotton was so rough when found (warning: photos are disturbing) that his transformation is just about unbelievable. When he was found his eyes weren't even open. It breaks your heart to think about it, let alone see the evidence.

I'm so glad that Cotton was able to heal and good humans took care of him. I always want to foster or care for more pets but we already have a houseful. Many of my friends take in or foster animals and it can be a very rewarding experience. Plus you get free cuddles and who doesn't want those?

Do you foster or rescue animals? Tell us your stories in the chat.

Klat Categories: 
Animals
Cats
Dogs
Pets

The Puma Pet

This puma lives as a house cat!

Have you heard of Messi, the puma kept as a pet in Russia? The couple who adopted Messi did so in order to save the big cat's life. The zoo that housed Messi could not take care of the cat's many health problems, so when the couple, who fell in love with the animal, offered to buy the cat to keep as a pet, they were allowed to do so.

In most cases, I'd be against big cats as pets, but in this case with an animal who needs special medical care, maybe it's not a bad thing. Nothing exists in absolutes, right? The cat certainly seems happy on his Instagram.

Some people keep smaller exotic cats as pets as well, such as bobcats and servals. I'm not sure how I feel about that, either. Is it really necessary? Obviously we've domesticated other wild creatures in the past, but cats are the creatures who domesticated US. What do you think of keeping big cats as pets?

Klat Categories: 
Animals
Mammals
Wild

Baby Caracals Will Make You Smile

This collection is just what the doctor ordered

If the news has you down, this collection of baby caracals will perk up your spirits. Thinking Humanity is great at collecting fun photos of different animals but these baby caracals may be just what you need to get through the day, especially if the idea of a national emergency over not healthcare or global warming or Flint's water but a border wall has you growling every five seconds.

The baby caracals look so fluffy and cute that they almost look like they're stuffed animals rather than the cutest cats on Earth, and have you ever heard one "talk"? If not, you must check out this video, too. You will never look at them the same way (in a good way) and you might just laugh out loud. 

What adorable cats or kittens have you run across this week? Do you have any cute animal photos of your own to share to help brighten up people's days? Post them in the chat!

Klat Categories: 
Animals
Wild
Mammals

Kill Vs. No-Kill Animal Shelters

Names can be deceiving

When we hear that animals are sent to a "no-kill" shelter, it often makes us feel better, doesn't it? When I hear about people "releasing" their pets, we think it's better if the shelter they go to is a no-kill one. I try not to judge people who have to find new homes for animals, as I've had to help my mom do the same when my father suffered a near-fatal accident that left her unable to care for a pet, and after my daughter came home from the NICU 13 years ago on an oxygen tank with a hose that had to go through the house that our beloved cats would have destroyed. Circumstances can often be beyond our understanding so even though it sounds awful to abandon a pet who knows and loves you (and honestly it is and feels awful, for everyone involved, no matter what), I do empathize with some people.

That said, making sure a shelter is "no-kill" isn't all it's cracked up to be. No-kill does not mean "never euthanize," for example, but that the shelter doesn't kill 90% of the time. It's like saying something is no-calorie when there are really just under 5 calories and legally they don't have to admit to any on the nutritional label. Geriatric animals that are in pain or suffering, for example, are sometimes euthanized. There's some gray area that many no-kill shelters seem to exist in that may make you want to research them before giving up an animal.

I've found that finding family and friends who can care for your animals if you can't is best, but that's often not possible. Have you ever had to rehome a pet? How did you go about it? 

Klat Categories: 
Animals
Pets

Literal Copycats

Does your cat look or act like you?

People often say that their pets mimic them in both the way they look as well as their own behavior, and I've found the sentiment to be true with many friends and family members. I'm not sure if it has merit across the board but I definitely know some people whose pets look and or even act like them, and this series of photos of pets who copy their owners reminds me of many of them! 

To be fair, a lot of these photos are obviously staged by pet owners who just want some "likes" or attention otherwise, but many of them still demonstrate how much pets can be alike their humans. In my home, where we all have our "own" cat who chose us (and none of them are the ones we chose for ourselves!) this tends to happen with our cats, too.

Do you know of any pets who mimic their owners perfectly? Share your stories in the chat!

Klat Categories: 
Animals
Pets
Cats

Cat Parasite May Lead to Schizophrenia

Mind-changing cat parasite may be worse than we thought

You may have heard about the mind-altering illness known as toxoplasmosis that's carried by cats. Pregnant couples are especially warned about the disease, which was typically throught to be harmless in most cases. Around 60 million people in the United States are thought to carry the parasite, but now studies are showing that those who do might have a 50% higher risk of developing schizophrenia. Those who do experience mind-altering from toxoplasmosis are known to have depression or to engage in riskier behavior than normal. Some have even been in car accidents due to the condition.

As terrible as this news is, is anyone surprised that it's cats who give it to us? I love cats, but I could also see any of my cats eating me if they were the size of a tiger, and I could see them thinking it serves me right getting a parasite since I'm too big to eat and I don't always get up to feed them when they stand on my head. Still, it's distressing to think that the pets we love so much could cause these health conditions.

Have you head any other interesting cat news this week? Share it in the chat.

Klat Categories: 
Pets
Cats

Cat and Dog Snuggling Cams

For those moments when you just need critter comfort

Creature comforts ought to allude to the love of a beloved pet, shouldn't they? Since they instead mean things like running water and a clean bed, let's call the kind of comforting we get from our favorite animals critter comforts instead. Critter comforts are in high demand but luckily they're also easy enough to find from the comfort of your home, whether you have animal companions or not, since everyone and his uncle posts pictures and videos of dogs, cats and other pets all of the time. In fact, when was the last time you went a day without watching cat videos?

Now we also have cat and dog snuggling cams, live video feeds that allow us to watch our two critter besties be good to one another. Is there nothing more comforting than that in this age of Internet bullying and cruelty? The sweet snuggles captured by this particular pet owner are unique to her own dog and cat, who obviously love cuddling up while she's away, but who's to say that you could enjoy the same thing if you left your own home web cam running while you're at work? Think of all the furry snuggles you could AWWWWW over!

Have you ever left your webcam on to record your pets? Share us what you found when you got home in the chat!

Klat Categories: 
Animals
Pets

How to Pet a Cat

The debate rages on

Everyone has their own argument about how, where and why cats like to be pet. As a cat owner my entire life, my argument is simply wherever that particular cat likes to be pet! Every cat I've had has had its own preferences. One even liked her belly scratched, although most preferred under the chin, behind the ears or on the sides of the face. I have one right now who really likes you to just pet from forhead to neck in a downward motion and that's IT. Queen Sally will have nothing else, thank you.

That's pretty much what cat behavior specialist Pam Johnson-Bennett says, too. She says to follow the cat's lead and back off when they don't like something. She also says the scent glands, which I mentioned above, are where cats typically enjoy being pet. And here I thought it was simply the areas they couldn't reach themselves! Kidding.

Where does your cat like to be pet?

photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Klat Categories: 
Animals
Cats

Poison in the Garden

Woman threatens to kill cats

A woman who said she was sick of cats using her garden as a litterbox threatened to poison them on social media, going as far as to post photos of the poisoned meat and her garden as a threat to anyone who dared to let their cats outside. She should have known better than to do that, given that the Internet is forever and people started hounding her immediately. A woman even offered to clean her yard if she would "please not poison the cats" and the police were called.

I've been in a similar situation; my neighbors threatened to shoot my cats over poop in their yard. We even offered to clean it up but after so much drama over it we just opted to keep our cats indoors, which is safer for them anyway. Nevertheless, it's been over two years and one of them still cries to go outside daily to no avail.

Why does her four-year-old pick up poop, by the way? By then you'd think the woman would have taught her not to do that... At any rate, it's a terrible story all around reminding us that we should TALK to people to try to solve problems--and we shouldn't air grievances on social media. 

Do you think the woman really intended to poison the cats? What do you think should be done?

photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Klat Categories: 
Animals
Pets

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