cat stories

Mews and Nips: The Cats of Istanbul

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cat-istanbul

Cats have been a part of Istanbul’s history for thousands of years. They are given free reign in this city of 15 million humans. You may recall the 2016 film Kedi, beautifully-shot documentary that tracks the stories of seven cats that live on Istanbul’s streets and showcases the city’s love of cats. A recent article takes an in depth look at the fascinating history and lives of Istanbul’s cats. Visit Turkish Vibe to read Capital of the Cats: Istanbul.

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Mews and Nips: Do Our Cats Think We’re Just Bigger Cats?

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cat-looking-at-woman

Do you ever wonder how cats perceive us humans? What exactly do they see when they look at us? Inverse assembled a team of pet experts and veterinarians to try and answer these questions. Visit Inverse to read a fascinating article about feline thought processes and behaviors.

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Mews and Nips: Scientists Uncover the Secret To Fishing Cats’ Hunting Success

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fishing-cat

Fishing cats are native to South and Southeast Asia. Unlike many cat species, fishing cats readily swim. Their front toes are partially webbed, and their claws protrude slightly even when retracted, an adaptation for fishing. To date ,very little was known about these mysterious cats’ behavior. A recently published study took a closer look at the hunting behavior of these elusive felines. For more about these fascinating cats, visit Science News.Continue Reading

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Mews and Nips: “Talking” Cat Gives Scientists Insight Into How Cats Think

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talking-cat

A 13-year-old cat in Florida has a vocabulary of about 50 words, using an augmentative alternative communication (ACC) device. These devices have previously been used by dogs, but Billi appears to be the first cat using an ACC device. The creator of the device was skeptical about cats using the buttons, but is now intrigued by the way cats are using the device differently from dogs. For more about Billi and her skills, visit Salon.com.

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Mews and Nips: The Electrical Life of Louis Wain

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Carol_Singing_by_Louis_William_Wain,_watercolor

If you’re looking for a movie to watch this weekend, I highly recommend The Electrical Life of Louis Wain. The movie is based on the true story of the eccentric British artist whose playful pictures transformed the public’s perception of cats forever. Set in the early 1900s, the movie follows Wain as he seeks to unlock the “electrical” mysteries of the world and, in so doing, to better understand his own life and the profound love he shared with his wife Emily Richardson. The movie is available on Amazon Prime (free for Prime members.)Continue Reading

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Mews and Nips: Your Cat May Be Tracking Your Every Move

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cat-ear-tracking

Researchers at Kyoto University in Japan found that cats are mentally mapping their humans’ location based on audio clues in the environment, including the sound of the human’s voice. This is known as socio-spatial cognition, in which animals keep mental tabs on the inferred locations of other group members, even if they’re not visibly present. The researchers conducted the study with both house cats and cats in cat cafés and found that yes, cats are definitely tracking us! For more about this fascinating study, visit ScienceAlert.com.

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Mews and Nips: Can Cats See Ghosts?

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cat-ghost-staring

If you’ve ever watched your cat starting at something that doesn’t seem to be there, you might have wondered whether cats see things that we can’t. We know cats’ senses are more developed than humans’, so perhaps it’s not such a stretch to ask this question. Just in time for Halloween, Jackson Galaxy talked to Yahoo!Life about this topic. “”If you believe in the spirit world, as I do, then it’s much easier to take the leap that your cats are experiencing something in a realm that’s beyond the physical, rather than just staring at a blank spot on a wall,” he says. For more about what Jackson had to say, visit Yahoo.com.

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Mews and Nips: Why Can’t House Cats Roar?

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Have you ever wondered why your house cats can’t roar like some wild cats? It turns out that it has to do with the physiology of a cat’s voice box: cats can either purr or roar, but they can’t do both. In addition to our house cats, bobcats, ocelots, lynx, cougars and cheetahs can purr, but they don’t roar. Roaring is much rarer in cats and evolved in a particular lineage of large cats. For more about this fascinating topic, visit LiveScience.

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Mews and Nips: Video Shows Cat Sensing Earthquake Before it Happened

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white-cat

We’ve all heard stories of animals sensing earthquakes long before the first tremors are felt by humans. A Melbourne, Victoria woman happened to be taking video of her cat playing with a toy moments before an earthquake struck. The video shows the cat playing, pausing, and even going to stand underneath the doorway, which is said to be the safest place to be in a quake. For more about the kitty and the video, visit news.com.au.

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Mews and Nips: How Tabbies Get Their Stripes

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tabby-cat

Tabby cats with their pattern of distinctive stripes, lines, dots or swirling patterns and pencil like lines on their faces are not a breed. Almost all tabbies have markings shaped like the letter “M” on their foreheads. The tabby pattern is found in domestic cats as well as many purebred cats. A fascinating new study has identified the gene that plays a key role in creating the tabby stripe pattern. Visit the New York Times for an in depth look at the study.

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Mews and Nips: Walter the Cat Becomes Star of Chevy Commercial

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cat-car-dashboard

Did you happen to catch the new Chevy truck commercial featuring a grey tabby cat? Walter the cat became a star in the ad, a spoof on the usual “a man and his truck and his dog” meme that is more commonly used in these types of ads. Walter plays with balls, herds cows, and even fetches a stick. For more about how Walter became a star, visit Musebyclio.com.

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