The Best Cat Beds

What do your cats love best?

There's a running joke in my house that I make a cat bed out of everything, but it's also true! If there's an empty basket, extra blanket or other strange objects in the house... an instant cat bed. If there's a box delivered, forget about it--the cats themselves will lay claim to it!

So when I see a list like this one that declares dogs and cats will just LOVE these $300 beds, I have to laugh. My cats don't like things bought FOR them--they like things bought for me! The back of my desk chair, my own bed and the couch are all favorites.

And my dogs have had everything from beds to pillows to an enormous futon to share but nope. They'd rather be on the bare floor when it's hot, or my bathroom rugs by my bed when I'm sleeping. It's sweet that they want to be with me, but also irritating when they don't like what we buy them.

How about you? Do your pets like fancy beds or do you find them in odd places? Share your experiences in the chat.

Klat Categories: 
Animals
Pets

Halloween Cat Scratchers

Share the cutest you've found!

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.

There's this cute one for 10 bucks. It doesn't have stories and it's not enclosed but it still works. Then they have this witch hat, this clock tower that I love and this adorable candy shop that I would love to have! For reference, here's last year's model, which we still have in my house! It's pretty banged up but still workable. 

Where have you found cute cat scratchers for the holidays? Share the ones you've found in the chat.

Klat Categories: 
Animals
Pets
Cats

Cool Cat News This Week

Share any cat news that you've read

This week there have been lots of great stories about cats in the news. Here are just a few highlights:

Pittsburgh is banning declawing cats! Many cat lovers hope this becomes law nationwide at some point. Declawing cats is cruel and unecessary, and it actually involves cutting off actual bones of the cat. Many may not know it, but declawing is a nicer way of saying amputating 18 bones. Poor cats. Banning declawing procedures is a great step toward protecting cats.

Cats and humans share 90% of the same genes. This means that we get about that same rate of similar or the same ailments--and we might be able to use similar cures. This makes a lot of sense; we've had to give our cats micro doses of human medicine for various ailments per our vet over the years. This means that we might be able to find treatments for cat illnesses that would work for humans, too.

A cat who was missing for 12 years returned home! No, he didn't find his way home, but he was found by an animal shelter and returned to his owner.

What other cool cat news have you read this week? Share it in the chat.

Klat Categories: 
Animals
Pets
Cats

Fans Save Cat With Flag

This may go down as the best moment in football history.

Fans came together during a recent football game to help save a dangling cat who was hanging precariously by the Hard Rock Stadium upper deck. The poor tuxedo cat was barely hanging on when fans used an American flag to catch it and save it from impending doom. It may have been the best moment of the Miami Hurricanes vs. Appalachian State Mountaineers game for many fans, if not the best moment in football history for non-fans!

Cat rescue stories don't always end with a happy ending and they're often filled with ugliness. While this cat surely felt great fear in the moment, we're so glad that its story will continue because of this caring crowd who worked together to catch it and prevent its death.

What other great animal rescue stories have you come across lately? Share them in the chat. 

 

Klat Categories: 
Animals
Pets

The Story of a Tabby's Stripes

Scientists now know how they develop

From zebras to tigers, plenty of animals have stripes, but how do they get there? Scientists now have the answer--for domestic cats, at least. Tabbies are one of the most common types of cat, and scientists now know that they get their distinctive pattern while developing in the womb. Cat stripe patterns develop on the animal's skin cells. The genes that cause the stripes develop before the fur is even in the picture!

Anyone who's seen a cat shaved for a medical procedure can picture this. When the fur isn't there, the stripes still are. It's cute or disturbing, depending on the situation. Once I had a cat who looked like she had leg warmers!

What other cool cat information have you read this week? Share it in the chat. 

Klat Categories: 
Animals

Cosleeping With Kitty

Is it a good idea or not?

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. This makes a lot of sense, given that cats have the power to comfort us as well as possibly alter our brain chemistry!

Owners who feel comforted by their cat sleeping with them say they'd do it despite any uncomfortable scenarios that come up. We refer to one of my cats as "the sloppy cuddler," since she's not as graceful as her sisters and tends to plop on pressure points and fluff with her claws on skin. I still sleep with her despite these risks. Others say they hate the idea of poopy paws from a litter box walking around their sheets, and I have to say I agree. They can also vomit on your bed, rug, shoes... so none of that is very pleasant to deal with.

What about you? Do you sleep with your cats? Why or why not, and would you change your mind if the science told you it was the better way? Share your thoughts in the chat.

Klat Categories: 
Animals
Mammals
Cats
Pets

Cool And Cute Cats in the Media

Share your favorites!

Last week I read Beetle and the Hollowbones, an adorable graphic novel about goblins, witches and other cool creatures. One of the main characters was a skeletal cat and I fell in love with her look immediately. She even had a long tail made of bones that seemed to float from behind her. She's my new favorite media cat, but there have been many over the years.

From Catwoman to Catra, Salem to Binx, there have been so many beloved cat and cat-like characters over the years. I've always loved cats but I did get my first cat as a kid after seeing Hocus Pocus and yes, we named her Binx. There are also cat-like characters in so many books, from American Gods to Trail of Lightning, and I really suggest reading those, too! 

What cat creatures do you love the most? Share your favorite graphic novel, comic, movie, TV show and other cats in the chat! 

Klat Categories: 
Entertainment

Cat Helps Rescue Elderly Woman

The cat's cries led rescuers to the woman

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.

After searcing for more stories of heroic cats, I found lots of stories of cats being rescued themselves or of cats saving their own babies, but not many like this. Still, as a cat lover I'd argue that they save lives every day, even if it's just helping their owners manage anxiety or sleep better. 

Have you read of any other life-saving cats? Share the stories you've read or the experiences you've had in the chat.

 

Klat Categories: 
Animals
Pets
Cats

Cats Want a Free Lunch

Does Garfield really have no pride?

Any Garfield fan knows he doesn't have much pride OR shame, but can we really shame a proud cat for wanting a free lunch? Who wouldn't want one, especially if it's available and might help you care for yourself in other ways? Philosophy aside, a new study does confirm that cats would rather be given a free meal than work for food, something that dogs prefer. 

Cats don't like food puzzles like dogs do. They would much rather just eat their food off a plain plate, which we'd be happy to give you, Gizmo, if you didn't chug it down and barf it back up again. Most species prefer the opposite, to engage their brain in some novelty and get their food through work. It's just another befuddling piece of the entire cat puzzle.

What other fun facts have you learned about cats recently? Share them in the chat.

Klat Categories: 
Animals

Tour of Window Cats

A perfect outdoor activity for cat lovers

Cats in windows are some of the cutest, and sometimes funniest, things to see in a neighborhood. There is a hilarious TikTok video where the owner places a sign that reads, "Not Dead," next to their sleeping cat because the cat is at such an awkward angle in the window! 

A neighborhood in Minneapolis recently held a window tour of cats that residents loved and hundreds of tourists came to see. It was the fifth time the neighborhood has held this cute event where people can not only see the neighborhood cats but hear their stories, facts about them and yes, take photos of other people's cats! It's a brilliant idea that could be used for charity fundraising. The event has buttons, t-shirts and other merchandise for sale, too.

What other fun cat news have you read recently? Share it in the chat.

Klat Categories: 
Animals

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