10.13.06
Posted in Cat News, Cat Articles at 9:25 am by pawpathblog
The CFA-Iams Cat Championship will take place this weekend, October 14-15 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The show will place the spotlight on more than 300 pedigreed cats representing 41 recognized breeds registered by the Cat Fanciers’ Association. Also returning to this year’s show is a spectator favorite, the Feline Agility Competition (FAC), a challenge that is sweeping the nation. 500 homeless felines will also gather for the Adopt-A-Cat at the Garden. Visit the official site to learn more, as well as see the winners from last year.
AP Photo/Richard Drew
Here’s Tyler, a 12- year old domestic house cat, who is jumping a hurdle in the preview for the CFA-Iams Cat Championship on Wednesday, October 11th, at Madison Square Garden. See more pictures from the preview on Yahoo! News
Big deal, so that big-shot Tyler is jumping through a hurdle. Is there a prize for sitting in inconvenient places for attention? I’d probably win that. Just yesterday, I was sitting right in front of my mom on the forbidden table, on top of her papers doing just that. I made various sounds, from cute little mew’s to very masculine, low mmmm’s to very loud MMRRROAR’s. Mom kept saying it didn’t matter what I said, as she was “working” and “paying the bills” and that she’d hug me later…hm! That hardly seems very important compared to playing with me. But I digress. What’s the prize for this championship? Hugs? If that’s the case, SIGN ME UP, BABY, I’M IN!
-Leo
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Posted in Just For Fun, Cat Trivia at 12:16 am by pawpathblog
Don’t let paraskavedekatriaphobia (the fear of Friday the 13th) get you down! Friday the 13th’s are no more unlucky than are black cats. It’s just folklore and silliness! One of the possible origins of why Friday the 13th has been thought of as unlucky is that hundreds of the Knights Templar in France were arrested on October 13, 1307 on a Friday. If you’re curious (and we KNOW you are!) go here to read more about origins of the Friday the 13th superstition.
As for why adorable & beautiful black cats get a bad wrap, it’s because black cats were somehow always linked to witches and the devil in the Middle Ages. Witches were thought to have powers to transform themselves, hence if a black cat crossed your path, it might have been a witch!
However, anxiety over anticipating that something bad might happen on a Friday might actually prompt an accident, so do be careful!
Purrs!
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10.12.06
Posted in Just For Fun at 7:19 am by pawpathblog
Here’s a rather amusing quote from a novel I just read called
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
Let me set up the scene…there was an old lady who sat immobile in her room with half a hundred cats, and a group of people were discussing how she got her food. Dr. Greysteel highly disliked cats (whatever!) while Mr. Strange was decidedly more pro-cat (that’s a bit more like it!):
“…servants put dishes of food for her at the foot of the stairs.”
“But as to how the food is conveyed to her,” exclaimed Miss Greysteel, “no one knows for certain. Signor Tosetti believes that her cats carry it up to her.”
“Such nonsense!” declared Dr. Greysteel. “Whoever heard of cats doing anything useful?”
“Except for staring at one in a supercilious manner,” said Strange. “That has a sort of moral usefulness, I suppose, in making one feel uncomfortable and encouraging sober reflection upon one’s imperfections”
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, a novel by Susanna Clarke
This novel was very inventive and amusing, and I’d recommend it to any fans of magic, fantasy, 19th century historical fiction, and Jane Austen, but if you’re looking for a book with lots of cats in it, this is not the book for you! It hardly had any cats in it at all…just a few sprinklings here and there. If you’re looking for feline fiction, check out our cat fiction book page!
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10.11.06
Posted in Cat News at 12:11 am by pawpathblog
I can relax in my castle as there has been some good news in the political front for cats and all pets…President Bush has signed the PETS Act, which will leave no pet behind in disaster planning.and evacuation.
>^..^< Bambi
Read the press release.
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10.09.06
Posted in Cat News, Cat Articles at 9:07 pm by pawpathblog
Out of curiousity, I emailed PETA to see what their take was on Allerca’s hypoallergenic cats, and they replied very promptly. We’re not against scientific & genetic research to better people’s and animal’s lives, but I’m still not sure whether I can support this particular experiement or not.
PETA can notoriously get over zealous, like when they protested a cockroach-eating promotion at Six Flag’s Great Adventure, calling the insects “gentle, complex animals” - a bit of a stretch in our book. But for the most part they do a whole lot for the well being of animals, which is pretty great. Here’s what they had to say:
———————–
Dear Juli,
Thank you for contacting us about “allergy-free” cats.
PETA is strongly opposed to the creation of transgenic animals. The researchers are playing with Mother Nature, and history shows us that this rarely works. Mortality rates for animals in transgenic* research are very high, and animals who do survive are frequently born with severe physical abnormalities. Genes are present for reasons not yet completely understood, and tinkering may cause physiological and immune system problems that honest researchers admit they can neither anticipate nor control.
Every year, millions of animals are euthanized in shelters around the United States. There is no reason to “create” new animals when countless animals are being destroyed for lack of good homes. There are simple, ethical, and effective ways to cope with allergies to cats and other animals. If you have not already done so, please see PETA’s Web page on transgenic cats at http://www.PETA.org/feat/trans/index.html for tips on dealing with allergies to animals.
To learn more about ways to help cats, and for information about stopping cruel and unnecessary experiments on animals, please visit http://www.HelpingAnimals.com and http://www.StopAnimalTests.com.
Thanks again for contacting us and for your concern for animals.
Sincerely,
The PETA Staff
http://www.SupportPETA.com
——-end PETA email——
*Apparently, PETA used the wrong term, as Cecilia kindly pointed out to us (see comments). transgenic as defined in genome.gov : An experimentally produced organism in which DNA has been artificially introduced and incorporated into the organism’s germ line, usually by injecting the foreign DNA into the nucleus of a fertilized embryo.
Read more about GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms) on Wikipedia.
Allerca may not get any protests from the anti-GM (Genetic Modification) lobby, as what their doing is not technically genetic modification, it is selective breeding…or are they? Victor Tabbycat, do your evil laugh again!
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Posted in Cat News, Cat Articles at 9:01 am by pawpathblog
Happy Columbus Day!
We know this has been in the press for a long while, and they’re not really mutant, but here’s our 2 cents on the topic…
It’s been announced that for $4000 a pop, hypoallergenic kittens will finally be going home next year with eager owners who have been carefully screened to get on the waitlist. Allerca, first started taking orders for hypoallergenic cats in 2004.
A quick rundown: most human cat allergies are produced by a molecule called Fel d 1 which has been gene mapped within the last decade. The scientists at Allerca attempted to delete or disable the gene (um, what happened to the cats that were tested for that?!), but then stumbled across cats that (assumably naturally) carry a rare mutant gene which produces a modified protein which is less inclined to cause allergic reactions. The gene is dominant, and so the cat carrying the mutant gene can mate with a normal cat and produce hypoallergenic cats. The scientists have been breeding these cats the last few months. Of course, all cats sold by Allerca are neutered so that one can’t start their own hypoallergenic cat business.
Hmmmm….to take a comic-al twist on this (pun intended), what if some of these cats turn out like the X-men!? Wouldn’t THAT be exciting? How about a cat that can control the weather, walk through walls, shapeshift, read minds (ok, they already do that sometimes), or control humans?! They could form a crime-fighting group and then Marvel could publish a comic book called X-Cats based on their real-life shenanigans (and of course a major-motion picture would ensue).
But in all seriousness, don’t you find this a bit creepy? There’s something about tampering with nature that seems like there may be repercussions. Also, their labs are in a top-secret, undisclosed location. Why the need for so much secrecy if they are just selectively bred? It’s presumably because their patents are pending, but it still sounds scary. Can these kitties honestly have a label “No cats were harmed during the development and production of your hypoallergenic cat?” I hope so, but it’s a bit doubtful! Eek.
“You’re not just buying a cat; it’s a medical device that replaces shots and pills,” said Megan Young, chief executive of Allerca. “At the same time, this is a living animal, so the well-being of our product comes before our customers. This is not some high-priced handbag that you put back on the shelf if it doesn’t match.”
A medical device? I know she means that buying one of their cats will replace needing to get allergy shots and buying antihistamines, and she covered her statement up by saying the well-being of the cats were more important, but the creep factor is going up.
I, for one, am allergic to cats - not a severe allergy, but I still occasionally suffer for the sake of cuddling with Leo & Bambi! I feel terribly for cat lovers who have severe allergies, and understand the allure of hypoallergenic cats, but until I’m convinced that these lab-bred kitties are really just selectively bred like Allerca claims, I can’t really support their “product.” I just hope that these cats are healthy and happy! And even more of a concern is how all the cats used for their research the past 2 years were treated. We’ll just have to pray that they were all well taken care of. - Juli
Read about Cat Lovers Lining Up for No-Sneeze Kitties in a recent New York Times article.
—————————————-
Here’s what Leo & Bambi think:
I say cat allergies are a way to weed out the more undesirable pet humans! I love my allergy inducing glycoprotein Fel d 1 secreted by my sebaceous glands! I don’t feel completely feline without it! So there, I’ve said it! -Leo
Poo on the idea of cats in labs! I stick my tongue out that that notion! But if they really are practicing bioethics and treating the cats there are nicely as they possibly can, I guess it might be kinda ok. Well, actually, no. A loving home like mine is always better! - Bambi
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10.07.06
Posted in Cat Trivia at 10:06 am by pawpathblog
Here’s some fun cat trivia, hosted by Bambi!
1. In relation to their body size, cats have the biggest eyes of any mammal.
My big eyes get me treats and kisses!
2. Most cats do not have eyelashes
…but I do!
3. Recent studies have shown that cats can see blue and green. There is disagreement as to whether they can see red.
click to enlarge the photo of Bambi at the MOMCA, aka the famous Museum of Modern Cat Art
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10.06.06
Posted in Just For Fun at 9:30 am by pawpathblog
Here’s our favorite musician, former Beatle George Harrison, pictured with cats!
Above: the cover of The Beatles Book Monthly, No. 31, February 1966, Beat Publications
He gave us love and peace on earth. Although he no longer graces our material world, his music and legacy lives on! We miss you dearly, George!
To learn more about George’s music, life and his charity, the Material World Charitable Foundation, please visit www.georgeharrison.com
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10.05.06
Posted in Cat Diary at 11:52 am by pawpathblog
I was demoted to a paper bag bed today because I made a big mess TWICE - once in my new, fluffy comforter in my basket, and then again on my flannel sheets AND basket. Mom sure was mad.
I have to wait until the basket is cleaned and dried. The paper bag is actually quite fun, and I jumped right in, but that doesn’t mean I can’t look grumpy now! It’s as if the humans don’t remember I was traumatized when I was - hello! soaked in the rain! -this weekend. What happened to all the attention, I want to know? Shouldn’t the special treatment have spilled over at least, say, a few weeks?
I’m going to make some more noise to complain. - Leo
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