Feline Blogs & Information
Kitty is a stray cat who lives in the Roscommon area of Ireland. Here are some photos of Kitty and her recent offspring.
Cat(s) of the Month ~ September 2016
It’s Nyan Nyan Nyan day (that’s "meow meow meow" if you’re English speaking), and so Cat Day has come and gone again.
This celebration has been held in honor of cats, for over 30 years now!
The Japanese celebration of Cat Day happens on the Twenty Second of February each year. It seems that many Japanese people are just cat crazy. They seem to show so much love for this creature…and why not indeed?
The date was decided upon after an executive cat day committee polled 9,000 cat lovers. The majority voted that the date ‘February 22nd’ (or 2 – 22, and pronounced "ni ni ni" in Japanese), was the best candidate for a new cat day, as it was this date which most sounded like the words "nyan nyan nyan".
Japanese people marked the big day this year with millions of cat-loving posts on social media. Feline selfies, cat-shaped cakes and snacks, cat capers and moggy-themed costumes were amongst the images and videos which flooded the internet. It is true that like many countries Japan’s people have lived with cats for centuries, but Japan seems to be in a special place when cats are concerned. Below is a short list of Japans Nyan, Nyan, Nyan: (all derived from the archives of a certain trusty search engine * ) :
There’s the maneki-neko (in japanese, "a beckoning cat") – a well known Japanese ornament, lucky charm or talisman) which is often believed to bring good luck to the owner.
These figurine depict a cat (traditionally a calico Japanese Bobtail) beckoning with an upright paw.
You can see them in the entrances of shops, restaurants and other business premises. Some of the sculptures are electric or battery-powered and have a slow-moving paw beckoning. The maneki-neko is sometimes also called the welcoming cat, lucky cat, money cat, happy cat or fortune cat, or "fist bump" cat in English.
Hello Kitty or ‘Kitty White’, is a fictional character produced by the Japanese company Sanrio, created by Yuko Shimizu and further designed by Yuko Yamaguchi. She is depicted as an anthropomorphic white Japanese Bobtail cat with a red bow. Initially known only as "the white kitten with no name" it is said in the ‘folk law’ of this animal born in the suburbs of London, England, on November first. She is "five apples" high and weighs "three apples". She is portrayed as a bright girl with a kind heart, very close to her twin sister Mimmy. She is good at baking cookies and loves Mama’s homemade apple pie. She loves to collect cute things and her favorite subjects in school are English, Art and Music.
Then there are Cat Cafés’. The first known cat café was opened in Taiwan. It’s said that a Japanese tourist took the idea back to Japan, with the first Japanese cat cafe opening its doors in Osaka in 2004. Many apartments in Japan forbid pets to be kept, so cafes such as these provide a way for busy business men/women to be with animals for recreation, and as a way of offsetting the stress of modern life. In Japan, there are already over 150 cat cafes – such cafes are now appearing in countries all over the world.
How about the so called ‘cat paradise’ Aoshima Island. The mile-long island of Aoshima in southern Japan today has a whole town of feral cats which outnumber humans six to one.
Cats on the Dockside. Any spare fish mister?
Photograph: © telegraph.co.uk
These cats were originally introduced to deal with mice that plagued fishermen’s boats. Numbers have now increased (last count over 120 cats). The cats of Aoshima are not fussy eaters (as you can imagine), surviving on the rice balls, energy bars or potatoes they entice tourists to give them. With no natural predators on the Island they are free to roam this seemingly Island paradise.
So many beautiful faces …and mouths to be fed!
Photograph: © telegraph.co.uk
Sources: tokyocatphoto.blogspot.jp , weirdasianews.com, japan-magazine, wikipedia.org, telegraph.co.uk
* original post (22/03/2016) recovered from an internet archive after accidental deletion – thank you Mr Google.
Happy New Year 2016 to human folks and all animals alike!
My name is Oscar and I will be helping out with this moggy blog called “moggyblog”, whenever I can. After all, I am a pussy cat and I know about these things. So from now on, I’ll be walking all over Ed’s keyboard, poking my snout in and generally fooling around and looking innocent about it all. Such is the world of a kitten of tender years, such as myself.
Anyway, I’m an eight month old Domestic Long Haired puss with golden eyes and a cheeky sense of humour. My fur is all black apart from one white eyebrow whisker (so I hope it doesn’t fall out).
Everyone should have passions in life and climbing, running and playing are mine – give me a clothes horse and I am up, up, up and away (well, till I am caught climbing the clean washing that is and my claws are unhooked from that damp woolly) …. Give me an open door and I’m out of it like a shot (well, wouldn’t you after being cooped up in a pen for the first six months of your life). Do you know reader, I can’t even go outside yet as I have not had all my vital jabs (to ward off feline ailments you can catch in the big world), but I just love looking out of the window at the giant gods of the garden – “trees” they call em. Looking forward to the arrival of spring when I’ll be scaling the bark of those big trunks, you bet!
I used to have a home, but my character was thought a bit too full on and playful for the other cats there. So the wonderful people at ‘The Animal House’ charity took me in and looked after me until I found my forever home. ‘The Animal House’ charity humans are amazing and inspirational, they foster all sorts of animals in need, ferret , rabbits, cats, dogs, you name it. They give them love, hope, care and the chance of a good life. They rely completely on donations so if you can help in any way please follow the link to their website (Ed, can you put a link down there at the bottom please?) and read some of the animals’ personal stories on their Facebook page. Spread the kindness all, and here’s wishing you a very happy, safe and healthy 2016.
Oscar x x x
There you go Osc ….here’s that link you wanted:
Rest In Peace sweet Norman, our wondrous bonny boy.
Dear Reader, So Autumn has arrived again – how on earth did that happen?
Anyway, we cats make the most of all of the seasons – and the changing of the seasons is nature’s way of reminding humans and cats alike to follow our instincts, slow down and take things just that bit easier.
With that in mind, I, as September Cat of the month, have made….with the help of my trusted aid Ed…. an instructional video.
So please forget those pesky winds ruffling your coat and the dark nights drawing in. Just put your paws/feet (delete as appropriate) up and enjoy a Masterclass in pure relaxation.
Cat of the Month ~ September 2015
p.s. I’m sure this will be a great watch for you folks who don’t have a cat too. You’ll get to see just all the fun that you are missing.
Cat of the Month ~ August 2015
It has been proven that it was in Ancient Egypt where the feline we call the Egyptian Mau originated. Their ancestors are strongly and frequently depicted in the artworks of the Ancient Egyptians. Many of their pictures are still intact today and they show heavily spotted cats bearing the distinctive ‘mascara’ marking and coat barring seen on today’s Mau. Indeed recent findings in research studies lead by feline geneticist Leslie Lyons, PhD has confirmed that cats first originated in Egypt. There is archaeological and genetic evidence to show that cats first originated in the famous ‘fertile crescent’.
The Egyptian Mau breed has five unique physical features that should be apparent at a glance.
It is said that the Egyptian Mau arrived in the USA in 1956 when Russian Princess Nathalie Troubetskoy, with help from Richard Gebhardt, imported three Maus from Italy: Two silver females, Baba and Liza, and a bronze male called ‘Jojo’. The Mau was granted recognition in The International Cat Association in 1979.
The Egyptian Mau has often been thought of as an aloof and shy breed. This may be true but when domesticated fully the Mau has a special affinity with its human family. It is a very close bond that is so different than with other breeds. A typical Mau will command attention and will not allow you to push it away, as it seems to require the fuss o fit’s immediate ‘keeper’. In addition the breed is intensely loyal (and yet still as aloof as a cat can be).
The Mau has been shown as having an extraordinary power of scent, hearing, and sight. It may well be for this reason they are so shy and sensitive a cat – easily frightened and upset by sudden loud, unpleasant noises. If a Mau is to be taken to shows then they must be introduced to the environment early so that they will accept the loud sounds and inspection handling of the ring.
The Mau is the only natural spotted breed of domestic cat, showing good contrast between the background color and pattern. The pattern is random with any size or shape of distinct spots. They have an “M” on the forehead, often referred to as the mark of the scarab, and a dorsal stripe travels the length of the spine to the tip of the tail. Legs, tail, neck and upper chest are barred with at least one broken necklace. The haunches and shoulders show a transition between spots and stripes.
The eyes are large and alert, shaped like a slightly rounded almond, with a slant towards the base of the ear. This eye set contributes to the characteristic “worried” look of the breed. The eye color of the Mau is gooseberry green. If you have never seen a gooseberry, a green grape comes close but isn’t quite the same.
Its head is a slightly rounded, wedge-shape of a medium length. The profile has a gentle concave rise from the bridge of the nose to the forehead, not to be dishy or arrow straight. The slightly flared ears are medium to large, alert, moderately pointed and broad at the base. The hair on the outer ear is very short and close-lying that results in an almost transparent look when combined with the delicate shell pink inner color.
The Egyptian Mau is a statuesque breed with a muscular, elegant body. It is a graceful feline athlete is hard and lithe. When standing, the Mau has a characteristic “tiptoe” stance, with hind legs longer than the front. The body rises gradually from the back of the prominent shoulder blades to the hips. The medium-length tail tapers slightly towards the dark tip. The hair displays a lustrous sheen on all three accepted colors: silver, bronze and smoke. Its coat is medium in length; in the smoke color the coat texture is silky and fine. In the silvers and bronzes the coat is dense and resilient to the touch.
Source: TICA
Flaviu the Lynx was reported missing from Dartmoor Zoological Park (near Plymouth) on July 7, triggering a search involving a police helicopter and a
drone. Tweny Five humane traps were set but all to no avail until …) He was finally caught last Saturday morning (July 30th) in a trap set by keepers.
Flaviu was trapped 200 yards from Hemerdon Plantation, a woodland about a mile away from the zoo. Apparently our lynx savaged four lambs on Friday (well, we all gotta eat!).
Realising big cats returned to the scene of a kill, the four lamb carcasses were removed from the site and a 5 foot by 2 foot mesh trap baited with veal was set right, where the lambs were found. A keeper stated that captivity is the best place for an animal such as Flaviu …as it is likely she would have been shot if continuing to attack sheep in the region.
We are Glad to say that Flaviu is now safe and sound – but we hope she enjoyed her short lived freedom.
Have to pay a visit to see the lovely creature, hey Osc?
Flaviu the Lynx has gone absent without leave… well in fact he’s escaped! The two year old male Lynx is approximately the size of a large domestic cat and is described as grey/silver in colour. He apparently chewed and clawed his way through the wall of his enclosure just hours after arriving at Dartmoor Zoological Park in Devon, last Wednesday.
When keepers realised Flaviu was gone, the zoo was evacuated and a police helicopter, tracker dogs and teams of officers and keepers spent the whole of last Thursday searching for the missing animal. Traps loaded with meat have been laid in the hope they will lure the cat back to be humanely caught and returned home. Local schools, landowners and farmers have been warned not to approach the animal.
Experts said the lynx, which was raised in captivity, could still be near the zoo. George Hyde, the zoo’s operations manager, and the police tried to reassure people that the cat was unlikely to be a danger to humans. He said: “We are in a rural location, so the likelihood of the lynx coming into contact with people is very slim. The likelihood is that he is very scared, very anxious, and he will stay away from people.”
Hyde added that the lynx was fed before his journey from an animal park in Kent to Devon on Wednesday, so he is unlikely to be desperate for food. Asked if he was embarrassed to have lost a lynx, Hyde said: “It’s a challenge. Animal containment always poses the possibility that you will face a situation like this.”
Sgt Tracy Sharam, of Devon and Cornwall police, who is co-ordinating the search, said that although the lynx could already have ranged up to nine miles from the zoo, keepers had suggested it would most likely be hiding somewhere within a mile. She said: “Obviously, when you get a new cat to the house, it goes and hides for a while. It’s probably got the same sort of feelings.”
Keepers are planning to subdue the lynx with a tranquilliser dart once it is found before returning it to the zoo. Vets are being kept on standby in case the animal needs emergency treatment. “We don’t want to kill the animal at all – that’s not what we are looking at,” said Sharam.
Rick Minter, who has written about big cat sightings in the UK, said he thought Flaviu would have a good chance of surviving in the wild. “He will have no problem hunting for mice, rabbits, pigeons, pheasants,” he said. He also said “Flaviu would have a decent chance of finding some of his own kind already living wild. There have been sightings of lynx in the south-west of England”. It is thought the cat was spotted again by the police drone carrying a thermal imaging camera that had been assisting teams on the ground.
Lets hope that Flaviu stays free and finds cats of his own kind in the wilds of Dartmoor ….
Article Source: theguardian.com