thebigbuddy

Sunday Cats: Politician Wants Hunting Season For Cats, Mom Cat Adopts Orphan Sphynx

Happy Mother’s Day to our readers and, of course, all mom cats!

Happy Mother’s Day to all our readers! We hope you’re all enjoying family time on this day.

Our Mother’s Day story for today comes from a shelter in Rancho Santa Fe, California, where a four-day-old sphynx kitten was brought after her mother rejected her and her litter mates. The others died but little Cleopatra clung to life as staff at the Helen Woodward Animal Center nursed her back to health.

Six days later the shelter welcomed a heavily pregnant stray they called Ballerina, and three days after that, Ballerina gave birth to a litter of three.

Ballerina is an “extremely affectionate” mother, so staff thought there was a good chance she’d look after Cleopatra. Within minutes of meeting, the mom cat “adopted” the orphan kitten. Photos show the little sphynx kitten nursing from her new mom alongside her furry siblings.

Ballerina “didn’t just take to her, she fell in love with her,” shelter foster supervisor Erin Schmitt said.

Shelter staff say Ballerina is “in love with” her new kitten. Credit: Helen Woodward Animal Center

Cleopatra’s making good progress. She’ll need a few more weeks to recover before she’s ready for adoption. Credit: Helen Woodward Animal Center

Cleopatra was only four days old and tiny when she was brought to the shelter. Credit: Helen Woodward Animal Center

“Animals are amazing,” Schmitt said. “It’s as though Ballerina sensed a need in Cleo and decided to not only provide her nourishment but provide her all the love she’d been missing.”

Ballerina and her litter will be available for adoption soon. We hope she gets taken into a new home with at least some her babies. Anyone in the San Diego area interested in adopting can find adoption applications here, or call (858)756-4117.

Bad call, dude

The top law enforcement official in Licking County, Ohio, proposed “a feral cat season” to help control the number of free-running cats in the county of almost 177,000 people.

Bill Hayes, the county prosecutor, offered the “solution” during a forum for county commissioner candidates. Hayes, who was previously a lawmaker in Ohio’s state legislature, is challenging the Republican incumbent for the executive role.

While his opponent recommended trap, neuter, return programs and cooperation with local shelters, Hayes thinks shooting cats is a viable way to deal with the approximately 130 cat colonies spread out over the almost 700-square-mile county in central Ohio.

“This won’t be very popular,” Hayes conceded. “We have a squirrel season, various seasons. It would seem to me if you’ve got an animal that’s not a pet for anybody, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to make the situation better.

“A feral cat season if you need to. You gotta do what you gotta do.”

Staff at the county’s Humane Society pointed out that harming cats is illegal in Ohio.

“We encourage Prosecutor Hayes to review the Ohio Revised Code sections regarding animal cruelty,” the Licking County Humane Society wrote in a statement. “Feral and homeless cats are living beings and they deserve humane solutions to their overpopulation problem.”

The reaction to Hayes’ comments was swift and condemnatory, Licking County Humane Society Director Lori Carlson told the local newspaper, the Newark Advocate.

“I think the community was pretty stunned by his comments,” Carlson said. “People are very passionate about animals in our area and that is not a humane solution.”

Hayes apologized to the community and said his “words were poorly chosen. I know we can’t go around shooting cats.”

“My solution was not a good one,” he said, “not even feasible.”

Los Gatos Woo Customers With Drone Catnip Delivery

As more states legalized catnip, players in the underground ‘nip market are going legitimate and claiming market share.

LOS ANGELES — Cats looking for a fix could soon enjoy the convenience of prompt, contactless delivery of premium catnip thanks to a new drone delivery pilot program from Los Gatos.

“Getting high-quality nipcotics into the paws of our customers is our highest priority,” said Jose Purrado, executive vice president of product for Los Gatos. “We believe drones are the future of delivery, and we’ve invested millions into a robust, user-friendly experience. It’s now easier than ever for cats to get their fix.”

The criminal cartel turned legitimate player in the legal catnip market has been focusing on increasing market share from its primary competitors, including the Meowfia and the Buddy Organization, which has been recently rebranded as Nipped In The Bud Catnip Co.

Earlier this year Los Gatos introduced a shiny new app that allows feline customers to order catnip and silvervine directly, in the strain, potency and form of their choosing.

In addition to all-natural catnip in plant form, the app features catnip vaporizers, as well as catnip edibles in various meaty flavors, like Trippy Tuna and Meowie Wowie Beef Chews.

While Nipped In The Bud Catnip Co. will compete with Los Gatos in the legal catnip market, the Meowfia have doubled down on the illicit market.

“Why pay tax on your ‘nip, or let the government know you enjoy a little silver vine pick-me-up before work?” said Fiorenzo “Uncle Enzo” Giaguaro, the Meowfia’s public face. “Our clients come to Cosa Nostra Catnip because we take care of them, our product is excellent, and we have a convenient loan program. You can also bet on the latest baseball game or boxing match with any one of our friendly and well-trained ‘nip brokers. When you deal with Cosa Nostra, you’re family.”

Woman Calls Boyfriend ‘Weird And Creepy’ For Being A Cat Dad

A man says his girlfriend is worried his posts about his new kittens will embarrass her, and has demanded he take them down.

Is it “weird” and “creepy” to call yourself a cat dad?

One Redditor’s girlfriend thinks so, and didn’t hesitate to tell him. The 24-year-old poster says he’s had cats since he was 15 years old, and his current cat recently gave birth to a litter of kittens.

“I was so happy I took a pic and posted it online with the title saying that I’m now a cat dad for these cute kittens and that they’re my babies,” he wrote. “My post got lots of likes and reactions, but when my girlfriend saw it she picked a fight with me calling it cringe that I constantly refer to these kittens as my babies. She told me it’s just weird and lowkey creepy.”

The post comes from Reddit’s ever-flowing fount of entertainment, the subreddit known as “Am I The Asshole?“

In his version of the story, the Redditor says his girlfriend demanded he remove the post because she was worried it would cause her embarrassment with her friends. He refused, they argued, and she left to stay at a friend’s house to cool off.

The situation has not been resolved.

“We’re still fighting about it and she keeps on about how inconsiderate I am to keep doing something I know she’s uncomfortable with,” Mr. Cat Dad writes.

Man and his cat — Credit: Tough Guys Holding Pets

The response among Redditors was overwhelmingly in favor of the poster, saying he’s emphatically “not the asshole.” Many responded with their own stories about cat dads, while others said the girlfriend was perpetuating harmful gender stereotypes.

“I feel sorry for your girlfriend,” a female poster wrote. “She has no joy in her heart and worried entirely too much about what other people think. Spoiler: nobody cares, live your best life.”

Keeping in mind these posts only tell one side of the story, it’s not unusual to hear about people who think men who like cats are weird, just like it’s pretty common to hear women called “crazy cat ladies.”

We don’t have that problem here at PITB, mostly because Bud is undeniably manly. If you saw a guy walking down the street with a tiger on a leash, you wouldn’t mess with him, would you? Well, Buddy’s indistinguishable from a tiger: same predatory gait, same intimidating and intense presence, same razor sharp claws and rippling meowscles.

I don’t call Bud my child or my son. He’s my Buddy. But if guys want to call themselves cat dads, who’s to say that’s a bad thing?

Sunday Cats: A Cat Fluent In Sign Language?

Plus a Japanese artist’s stunningly real-looking bespoke cat backpacks.

A Reddit post with almost 30,000 upvotes claims a cat took it upon himself to learn sign language after realizing his human is deaf.

You don’t need me to tell you it’s nonsense, do you? It’s interesting how we’re willing to believe a cat can endeavor to learn sign language, but we — the supposedly more intelligent species — can’t be bothered to watch for emotions conveyed by the curl of a tail or a twitch of the whiskers.

When this deaf man’s cat realized that meowing was useless, he learned to communicate with him through signs from Damnthatsinteresting

Cats are incredibly smart little furballs, but just like the people who claim their cats are meaningfully communicating via talking boards with 100 buttons, this is just social media fodder for the credulous.

Unfortunately the credulous are numerous, although a few Redditors had a good time at their expense. One user complimented the addition of a VHS-like filter over the video clip, giving it a vintage quality.

“Not a filter. It’s been around for a while,” another Redditor responded. “The cat now knows ASL, English, French, Spanish, and is working on its doctoral thesis.”

A cat in a backpack? No, a cat backpack

In a reminder that the Japanese have an endless appetite for all things cat-related, the newest hot item among the Land of the Rising Sun’s neko-infatuated is a bespoke cat backpack hand-sewn by a housewife in Fukui prefecture.

The bags don’t come cheap. It takes Miho Katsumi between one and three months to make each one, and they’ll set you back about $1,000 each via Katsumi’s site. Check out her Instagram for more images.

How quickly do you think Bud would murder me if I came home with one of these in his image one day? 🙂

It’s Actually Really Easy To Teach Your Cat To High Five

Training is also fun for your cat since it’s interactive, challenging and a diversion from routine. Plus, kitty gets treats.

My cousin thought I was joking when I told him my cat would come when called, sit when told and give me some love with a high five.

“Get outta here,” he said as we watched an NBA playoff game.

“Okay then,” I said. “Hey Bud!”

Buddy popped up from wherever he’d been lounging with a “Mrrrrrrrrppp!” He regarded me quizzically with his parakeet green eyes, knowing there was probably a treat in it for him as he padded toward me.

“Sit,” I said, gesturing for him to park his behind about two feet away from me. He sat.

“High five!” I said as Buddy leaned forward and slapped his paw against my palm.

I tossed him a treat for a job well done. If it were up to Bud, we’d high-five another 10 times.

There are a lot of misconceptions about cats, and one of them is the idea that felines aren’t amenable to training. It’s why people use the phrase “trying to herd cats” to describe an impossible task.

People don’t expect to see a cat complying, and they definitely don’t expect to see our feline friends pulling off tricks, which makes it more fun to defy expectations.

It’s easy to train your cat to pull off simple tricks — so easy that I almost couldn’t believe it when Bud was reliably high fiving me within a week.

Cat High Five — It makes for a good party trick and a way to bond with your feline friend.

Teaching a cat to sit is a prerequisite for high fives. It’s a straightforward and easy process.

After that, it’s really just a matter of building trust with your cat so she’ll allow you first to touch her paw, then to gently take it in your hand and raise it. The first few sessions, all you need to do is touch or hold your cat’s paw. On the second day, start to raise it slightly.

Cats don’t do well with long training sessions anyway, so the time commitment is minimal. One or two sessions a day, 10 to 15 minutes each.

Every time you touch kitty’s paw, bring it a little bit higher than the last time, rewarding your cat with encouragement and a treat. After a few sessions, your cat will anticipate this new ritual you’ve got going and will raise her paw as soon as you start.

The last step is holding kitty’s paw against your outstretched palm for just a second or two, then rewarding her with a treat.

That’s it. You’re done.

Run through the trick a few times a day after your cat’s got it down, to reinforce good high fiving form and whichever affirmations you choose. (I chose to say “Good boy!” each time Bud pulled it off rather than use a clicker.) Either method works, since the important things are consistency and positive reinforcement immediately after your cat does well. You want to make sure you click or say “Good boy!” right away so your cat knows the praise is triggered by a successful high five. (Or an intermediary paw raise if you’re still working on the trick.)

For a more detailed breakdown of how to do it, check out this video from CatManToo, a professional dog trainer who adjusted his methods for cats. This is the method I used to train Bud. Again, you don’t actually need a clicker, just a consistent method of feedback to signal that your cat is doing well: