robo-cats

we all laughed at those robot-dog toys they came out with a few years ago; they sat, stood up, barked and wagged their cold, metal tails. i don't know about you, but the news that the defense department is building a cybernetic cat brain kinda scares me. dottie gets mad enough when her breakfast is a little late, i'd hate to see her in charge of a robot army. on the other hand, i guess the good news is that the great robot war of the future could probably be won with a laser pointer.

kitties like pumpkins, too

meet juno, another adorable madcat kitty! she enjoys climbing cat trees, playing with her doggie-brother and good old-fashioned catnip-pumpkin fights.

dottie brite!

i can't say enough great things about working with a cat. spending my days with dottie has been a fun, challenging and extremely rewarding experience. it's a great thing to be able to disconnect from a work for a second and look over at her doing something incredibly goofy and just laugh.

this story about dewey, the library-cat, is a great read.

resistance to their cuteness is futile

this is for all the trekkies out there who love their kittehs. worf must be a dog person.

what's that smell?

have you ever been perplexed to find a cat and a rat living together under the same roof? it sounds like tom and jerry, but apparently it happens because rats get used to the smell of a cat over time and react differently to them. a new scientific study has found out that rats can identify the scent of a new cat introduced into the same area and differentiate it from that of other known cats.

so basically a lazy cat is even less of a threat to a rodent. grrreat.

t-n-r makes its way to canada

looks like the city of london, ontario will be adopting a city-funded trap-neuter-release program to help manage its numerous colonies of feral cats. it's good to see that the no-kill mission knows no borders and that no matter the geography there are always good people willing to help.

"That's human nature . . . People will say, 'Now I'll help.' "

dottie would hate this

i can't imagine any cat putting up with these. well, maybe mr. miles, but that's only because he has an inner diva. dottie would look pretty cool in the pink one, though.

kittens do the darndest things

warning: do not watch this video with any sort of liquid in your mouth or if you are in a quiet coffee shop by yourself. hilarity is about to ensue.

you know, if my kitten did that i don't even think i'd be irritated with the clean-up, i'd be impressed.

why i love cats

this little guy is the reason cats have taken over the internet. it doesn't get much cuter than this, folks.

rate my kitten

so as wrong as it is to judge something based solely on its outward appearance, this is pretty cute. you are supposed to rate the kitty's cuteness on a 1 to 10 scale, 10 being the cutest, but i give them all 10s; i don't think i've ever met a kitty that wasn't a 10. being the proud guardian of one heck of an adorable little guy i put Miles' pic up, looks like i'm not the only one who thinks he's a cuite, he's got a 7.79!

yoda the cat, meet him you will

looks like genetic mutations are not exclusive to china. meet yoda, the four-eared cat recently adopted in chicago by ted and valerie rock. the extra set of ear-flaps sit on top of yoda's head, almost resembling a little pair of horns. though he's certainly no devil, in fact he sounds like quite the little sweetheart.

'when he was passed around he reached for ted, crawled up into the crook of his neck and fell asleep - ted was a goner. '

kiddies and kitties

Amelia Glynn, over at Tails of the City, has another great post up. this time it's about the importance of creating good relationships between children and the family cat. it's pretty obvious to spot a child who has not been taught proper kitty etiquette -- the scratches, tears, and wails of "mama" give them away instantly.

monroe street festival = party at madcat!

the annual monroe st. festival will be kicking off at 10:00am this saturday, sept. 13 and running until 5:00. you can check out the official event page here for a rundown on fun stuff for the whole family. remember to bring your pooch down to madcat for a treat and check out the happy cat adoption fair. it's going to be a fun day and dottie will be on full display for her adoring public (the cat, not me!).

MIT, CPR, the FBI and your cat

well, okay.  the FBI doesn't have much to do with today's tidbits, but the other two are relevant.

MIT is to become the first college in Mass to allow felines on campus (in the dorms).  they were chosen over dogs because, "they don't need to be walked, don't bark, and can better fend for themselves while students are in class."  you don't need to go to MIT to figure that out.

the other story is also out of Massachusetts (TGFspellcheck).  firefighter and general superhero Al Machado gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to an angora cat and saved its furry little life.  he pulled it out of a burning second-story apartment - "...it really needed air and it couldn't wait."  apparently, there is video.

gold-star for you, Mr. Machado!

* update *

as you can expect, this firefighter is becoming something of a celebrity.  and now we get the kittie's name - Kiki...

feline vs. RC helo

although i have a cheap RC chopper and a cat, i have not yet been able to make a similar video. my cat seems petrified when the mechanical creature goes airborne...

microchip brings kitty back home

Another amazing story of a cat reunited with its owners after 9 long years, this time from across the pond.

chinese cats grow wings

Perhaps this is just the next step in feline evolution - or it may be a new hunting strategy. Either way, it's pretty weird.

foto - Lucy vs. Nicole over red stapler

"if they take my stapler, ill set the building on fire..."

breaking down feline myths

Here’s a great read for any dog people out there who may be questioning their inner feline fanatic. I’ve always said that like any life endeavor, when it comes to having a relationship with a cat, you will only get out of it what you put into it.

true french-canadian cat reunites with owner

these stories never get old.  the fact that the cat (Dharma) was born in France and moved to Canada adds some flavor, but who doesn't want a lost cat to find their way home?  terrorists?  worse?  i hope Dharma knows she'll be taking a major backseat to what's about to pop out of Myriam's belly.  still, the group prayer among the concerned neighbors would make a hardened modernist pine for simpler times...

LA bobcats acquire a new home

LA-area bobcats are taking advantage of the slumping market. just a note to keep up on things...