In Monday’s post about how cats enrich the lives of older adults, we referred to the adoption of a 19-year-old cat by a 101-year-old woman. I applaud the Catawba County  Humane Society to make this adoption possible. Talk about a match made in heaven! In my opinion, far too many rescue groups and shelters won’t adopt to senior citizens, and while I understand that the concern of what happens to the cat if the person becomes ill or dies is valid, I see no reason not to adopt to a senior citizen as long as they have a plan for continued care in place. Visit My Modern Met for more about Penny and Gus.

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Sergeant Kelsey is a U.S. soldier on active duty in the Middle East. Six weeks into her tour, a young cat visited the office tent – she was visibly malnourished, wounded, and so weak she could only walk a few steps at a time. Sgt. Kelsey began caring for the little cat and named her Sergeant Whiskers. The little cat became source of comfort and an escape from the pressures of the job. One night, Whiskers led Sgt. Kelsey to two tiny kittens. Kelsey will be returning to the States soon and is desperate to take her new feline family with her. Guardians of Rescue are working to navigate the trio through the complicated and costly process of making that happen. For more about Sgt. Whiskers and her kittens and more adorable photos, visit the Guardians of Rescue Facebook page. To help Guardians of Rescue accomplish their mission, you can donate here.

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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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A video of a Cincinnati, Ohio cat with a unique style of begging for treats recently went viral because his technique is super adorable. Visit Bored Panda for adorable photos and videos of Waddy in action.

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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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When given the choice between a freely available meal and a meal trapped inside a food puzzle, scientists have found most animal species such as dogs, bears, goats and monkeys, prefer to work for their food – a concept known as contrafreeloading. That was not the case with cats. The researchers weren’t able to determine why cats prefer to have their meals served to them, but before you jump to the conclusion that it’s just about laziness, visit Science Alert to learn more about the study.

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A five-week-old kitten used up one of his nine lives when he was found on a cross country train in Birmingham in the UK. Station staff cared for the kitten through the night and then contacted Cats Protection, who will find a home for the kitten. Visit BBC.com for adorable photos of the little adventurer.

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Thanks to her worried cat, an 83-year-old woman in Cornwall, England, who had fallen down a ravine, was found and rescued. Her black cat Piran had meowed relentlessly at the point where she’d fallen, leading a neighbor, who had been helping search crews, right to her. For more about Piran the hero cat, visit NPR.org.

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When residents of an apartment building in Spain called the police to complain that someone was blasting music and keeping them awake, the officers found no one at home. When they located the owner of the apartment, he told them that his cat has the habit of turning the stereo on and moving the volume button with his paw. All was well when the owner returned home to turn off the music, although his little party animal might have been disappointed. Read the full story in Newsweek.

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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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