Mews and Nips

Mews and Nips: Woman Married Her Cat To Get Around Landlord’s Pet Restrictions

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A London woman recently married her cat in hopes of avoiding rental restrictions which forced her to rehome three previous pets due to landlords who rejected pets. She is facing eviction again despite previous permission from her landlord to have a cat. Anticipating yet another move, the pair got married preemptively so they could stay together regardless of any lease stipulations. “By marrying India, I need any future landlords to know that we come as a package and we cannot be separated under any circumstances as she is as important to me as my children,” Deborah Hodge told LADBible. For more about this story and wonderful photos from the wedding ceremony, visit LADBible.Continue Reading

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Mews and Nips: The Cats of Istanbul

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

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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: 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: How Tabbies Get Their Stripes (In-Depth Study)

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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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Mews and Nips: Why Do Cats Like to Make Biscuits? Kneading Explained

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bengal kneading blanket

Okay, not those kinds of biscuits! But seriously, having a cat knead you with their paws, also known as “making biscuits,” is one of the sweetest feelings in the world, isn’t it? The Conversation explored this topic in depth, presenting several theories as to why cats do this. Click here to read Why do cats knead with their paws.

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Mews and Nips: Two Rescued Kittens Become Best Friends

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Two kittens rescued separately ended up at the same shelter in New York, and became best friends when Jess Thoren, a fosterer from KittenBnB in New Jersey, took them home. Jess had come to the shelter to rescue another litter of kittens and just knew she had to take little Frankie home as well. Two weeks younger than the other kittens, he quickly became a part of the family, but became particularly close to Dracula, a little black kitten. For more about Frankie and his friends, visit LoveMeow.com.

Today’s video cracked me up. Visionary artist Jonathan created a short film after putting a camera on his model train to film the miniature town he created. In the process, he captured his cat Mittens wandering about, creating a vision of a world in which giant cats roam. Enjoy!

Have a great weekend!

Photo via LoveMeow/KittenBnB

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Mews and Nips: Dennis Quaid the Actor Adopts Dennis Quaid the Cat

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In one of the best feel-good stories of the year, actor Dennis Quaid recently adopted a black cat named Dennis Quaid from the Lynchburg Humane Society in Virginia. “It was really off the wall but we couldn’t resist,” he said, adding: “I’m out to save all the Dennis Quaids of the world.” The two Dennises met via Zoom, and Quaid’s The Pet Show cohost Jimmy Jellinek will fly to Virginia to pick up the new member of the Quaid household. For more about how this adoption came about, visit CNN.Continue Reading

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Mews and Nips: World’s Oldest Cat Dies Aged 31

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No matter how much time we get with our cats, it’s never long enough. 31-year-old Rubbles was with her human Michelle Heritage for more than half of Michelle’s life. Heritage credits Rubble’s long life with the fact that she never had children and treated him like he was her son. For more about Rubble, visit The Daily Mail.

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Mews and Nips: Pet Adoptions and Fosters Are Way Up During the Pandemic

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There is some good news in the middle of all the terrifying, awful updates – you just have to look for it. One aspect of this pandemic that I find particularly heartening is that pet adoptions and fosters have increased tremendously while people are staying home, in some cases, even clearing out some shelters. Vox contributor Rebecca Jennings shares her experience of adopting a shy cat in Brooklyn. Next week, we’ll have a report from a Washington DC area based rescue group about how they handle contactless adoptions.

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Mews and Nips: Samsung Redesigned Its TV Boxes So They Can Be Upcycled Into Adorable Cat Houses

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samsung-tv-boxes-cat-houses

I love when companies get creative. Gizmodo reported that in order to help reduce its carbon footprint, Samsung will start using packaging made from eco-friendly corrugated cardboard for its higher-end TVs. The cardboard is perforated with a dot matrix pattern. Scanning a QR code on the boxes with a mobile device grants access to instruction manuals for turning the cardboard into an adorable cat house (or magazine racks, shelving, and end tables, but honestly, I stopped reading at “cat  house.”)

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