Slits

Here's an interesting article from sciencefocus.com with the answer as to why cats and snakes have slits for pupils.  It all has to do with light brightness and a better ability to see.  Check out this article.  Fascinating!

Realistic Cat Faces from Needle Felting

Needle felting is becoming more popular among crafters, the art wherein wool fibers are used to create amazing sculptures.  This article from mymodernmet.com highlights the amazing precision and abilities of a Japanese needle felter named Wacuneco who has mastered the creation of realistic cat faces. Check it out!

Sassy Was Awesome!

She was the first one of the litter to pop over the edge of the step to see what was going on. She had the ability to transport, morph and appear out of thin air due to her agile abilities and expert jumping skills.  She chased balls, apples, rocks and anything that would be rolled for her and often returned small objects like a dog.  Due to her calico colors of orange, black, brown and white, she was nicknamed Blendo. She could wiggle down into the grass or leaves and you couldn't see her.  She was an expert at camaflouge. She was also the most vocal, howling and growling when played with as if she were injured, but as soon as you stopped she was rolling and begging for more. Her three brothers teased her and tortured her, but she held her own and she ruled the house.  When she really got upset, they gave her a large berth of room and stayed away.  She was awesome!

Sadly, on June 5, 2018, after several weeks of not eating, becoming more lethargic, sleeping constantly, battling a failing liver and after trying to help her with a feeding tube and medicines, we had to have her put to sleep because of her ailing health.  Her last day she was able to lay on the porch in the sunshine, something she loved to do.  She went to sleep peacefully and now lies resting with her brother Schnei and honorary sister Flower. Sassy will truly be missed. 

Playing With Fire

I swear cats like "playing with fire" literally.  How often I've watched them do things or approach things that I would never attempt.  Of course, it's probably because they don't think like humans and they have no real sense of fear since their instinct tells them otherwise.  But they do attempt things that make me cringe.

How about jumping and climbing to heights far exceeding their size and then trying to figure out how to get down?

What about when they find a hole and without giving it a second thought they just shove their paws down the hole without any regard for safety or what might be lurking below.  For all they know they could get their legs ripped off or eaten by something bigger.

Or how about anything new and different?  How often has your cat just walked up and sniffed the blade of a knife, climbed into a box without knowing what's inside, stuck their heads into a tight place to see what's there, squeezed into a car engine compartment to get warm without fear of getting sliced to bits, stood on the edge of a pond or body of water without worrying about falling in and drowning or laying so close to the fireplace that you'd swear they are going to burst into flames any second? And then, to confirm your concerns, they jump on your lap, hot as can be because of their close proximity to the fire they laid in front of.

Being a cat may have its perks.  Being petted all the time.  Sleeping when you want.  Getting fed and your toilet cleaned regularly.  In general, just being taken care of.  But all the other things I can leave behind.  Eating live animals.  Being chased by other animals. Getting into fights with other felines who also possess dagger-like claws and razor-sharp teeth.  Those I can do without.

So, I guess being human and "owning" (I say owning but it is really said tongue-in-cheek), cats is the best way to go.  Pet them when you want.  Watch their playful antics.  And best of all be calmed and cuddled by fuzzy, purr-enhanced motors that seem to bring out the best in their human masters.  (Slaves)

Kneading Dough and Making Biscuits

By Rae Paoletta

 on March 3, 2018

Most cat behavior is heartwarming and deeply confusing. Perhaps the most obvious example is something there’s no scientific name for — we can only call it “kneading dough” or “making the biscuits.”

Kitty owners watch their floof children do this all the time, but what’s really going on here? Is this all an elaborate marketing scheme for a Pixar movie about a cat baker? While researchers don’t have one concrete explanation, they’ve got some pretty compelling ideas about the science of kitty kneading.“This kneading, also known as ‘making bread’ or ‘making biscuits,’ is an instinctive feline behavior kittens display shortly after they’re born,” Dr. Karen Becker, a veterinarian and creator of the Healthy Pets blog, writes on her site. “The reason for the movement in kittenhood is to stimulate the flow of milk from the mother’s mammary glands.” Cats who knead in adulthood could be “showing contentment,” according to Becker, or simply marking their territory, since cat’s paws contain sweat glands.

While there’s always the chance that a kitty kneading is your cat’s attempt to claim you as their own — which of course, you are — experts say kneading is probably as tender and adorable as it looks.

“If you do have a cat who kneads their bedding, or better yet you, it’s because they’re feeling very loved and comfortable,” Katie Armour, project coordinator at MSPCA Boston Adoption Center, tells The Dodo. “You should absolutely take this as a compliment!”Even if kneading is just a sign of cats marking their special spots, vets say that’s a very positive behavior — it signals your kitty feels safe wherever they’re making biscuits.

“It is interesting to note that cats can produce a chemical for marking between their toes (interdigital semiochemical) that they can release when they flex their toes, so your cat could also be labeling you as a safe part of their territory,” Dr. Kathryn Primm, a veterinarian at Applebrook Animal Hospital in Ooltewah, TN, writes in a blog for iHeartCats.

Sure, we might never have answers for half the weird things kitties do, but at least vets and cat owners can all agree that cats baking bread is objectively good.

Written by Rae Paoletta

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