Cats
The criminals behind a shocking rise in cat theft
Since 2023, the number of âcatnappingsâ in the UK has shot up. Now reports have emerged of mass-breeding programmes using abducted moggies
In October 2023, Agata Losa, a psychologist from south-east London, found that her Bengal cat, Betty, had been stolen. She had recently moved to the area when Betty went out into the back garden one day and disappeared.
âIn the morning, she still wasnât there and I started panicking,â says Losa, who, appropriately enough, lives in Catford. âFor the three weeks she was missing, I went out looking for her, I put up hundreds of posters, I posted up to 10 times a day on local Facebook groups and the Nextdoor app. Despite doing everything I could, there was nothing.â
A neighbour advised her to keep an eye on Gumtree and other sites where pets are sold, and lo and behold, there was a âbadly photoshoppedâ advert for Betty, with a list price of ÂŁ900.
Spanish town bans black cat adoptions during Halloween
The Spanish town of Terrassa in north-eastern Catalonia has temporarily banned the adoption of black cats from animal shelters to prevent potentially sinister “rituals” during Halloween.
All requests for the fostering or adoption of the felines will be denied from 6 October to 10 November to protect them from being hurt or used as props, said the local animal welfare service.
Deputy Mayor Noel Duque told broadcaster RTVE that adoption requests for black cats usually increase around Halloween.
Good.
My cat
… Is dumb. Or how I set up an accident waiting to happen.
Got on the step stool last night to affix a ribbon to the overhead fan as the receiver is toast and no longer responds to the remote.
Xavier’s 6 foot cat tree was located only a couple of feet behind me as I worked.
Of course I risked a haircut by keeping the fan at full tilt while I tied the pull string.
Engrossed in my work I failed to see Xavier climbing his tree.
Next I felt claws in my shoulder and then heard and felt Xavier getting whacked by the fan blades before he fell to the floor at which point he scampered under the bed.
Fortunately he was more scared than hurt. A treat lured him out and he consented to an exam.
He’s OK. I think we’re both stupid.
Your Afternoon Musical Interlude
Merry Saint Catrick’s Day!
Making sure that this feline festival gets off right with some jaunty selections here:
And Now For Something Completely Different
Simple things like wrapping presents can prove to be quite challenging and stressful this season.
Below are two tutorials on how to handle this task:
Are you ready for the holidays? 😊
🎥 IG: roswell_weenie https://t.co/b4edQqPQ2P pic.twitter.com/RaiHh8ckUf
â Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) November 30, 2022
Not All Heroes Wear Capes
Some of them wear shorts while saving a cat:
My boyfriend saving a cat from flood waters near Bonita Beach. #HurricaneIan #Naples #Bonita #FortMyers pic.twitter.com/BlBC9P1rdy
â Megan Cruz Scavo (@MeganScavo) September 28, 2022
Saving pups:
Dog rescued from sailboat in Fort Myers. He went back and got a cat too. pic.twitter.com/JFcWl4972g
â Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) September 28, 2022
Or telling everyone what he thinks of Joe Biden.
Cats beat back commie council house arrest threat
Toronto city council votes to let cats roam the streets â at least for now
City council rejected a proposal Wednesday to cur-tail the freedom of domestic cats.
Instead of enacting an anti-roaming bylaw backed by a city committee earlier this month to keep pets indoors, council voted to amend the motion and grant an exception to domestic cats and pigeons.
I cannot win
Took my cat to the vet yesterday.
He got 3 year shots for Feline HIV and Rabies.
He was OK during his examination but did put up a bit of a fight when we tried to put him back in the carrier for the trip home.
He has always been stressed by car rides. But it’s been a year since his last vet visit.
He ate a bit when we got home and seemed Ok if a little less active than is usual.
This morning when I got up and made coffee I found him sleeping on the bed in the spare room.
Normally he is in the Kitchen as I wake waiting to be fed.
I gave him a pet as I suspected he was a bit upset from the trip and the shots.
He then hid under the bed. He came out when I called but seemed fearful and when I picked him up he started to growl and hiss but did not lash out in bites or scratching.
I set him down by his food dish but he would not eat.
He seems traumatized, one minute rubbing up against my leg and the next back to a fearful state.
His carrier was still on the floor. It seemed to make him anxious so I have hidden it away.
Now he’s hiding under the bed again.
I sprayed a bit of Feliway cat pheromones there hoping to calm him down.
He has been a problem cat, scratching furniture and biting “for fun.”
He is in need of constant attention.
I scruff him and give him time outs and have used a spray bottle on him when he gets out of hand.
I have never considered him a “mean” cat, poorly socialized perhaps and maybe a little more feral than I thought when I got him at 8 weeks.
He just seems to lack a filter.
Anybody have any suggestions?
Toronto eyeing new plan to ban cats from going outdoors unless on leash
âIf you love your cat, keep Fluffy indoors.”
These were environmentalist and former Scarborough city councillor Glenn De Baeremaekerâs words to Toronto City Council Wednesday as a city committee discussed a plan that could prohibit cat owners from allowing felines to roam freely outdoors.
The motion, moved by Councillor for Ward 17 – Don Valley North Shelley Carroll, is rooted in the belief outdoor cats can be a danger to local ecosystems, hunting bird and rodent populations, and are themselves at risk of being hit by vehicles or attacked by wildlife while roaming.
So what’s the money angle?
Microchip your cat or face fines, UK govt says
