Clipmarks | Felines Clips

1 in 10 cats has dementia, UK researchers say

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:46:10 GMT

clipped by: Lexica

Conditions like Alzheimer's are becoming increasingly common and now affect one million felines.

Vets have reported seeing an increase of cases but fear that many owners do not pick up on the symptoms because they do not associate the condition with their pets.

As in humans, dementia leaves the animals confused and distressed. The progressive condition, caused by degeneration of the brain, can cause them to get lost more often or become reclusive.

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh now believe half of all cats over the age of 15 and a quarter aged 11 to 14, are suffering from "geriatric onset behavioural problems".

possible symptoms in cats included howling for attention, aimlessly wandering, sleeping, repeatedly asking for food after being fed, or missing the litter tray.

Vets needed to take care to exclude other diagnoses - such as arthritis - which might also restrict mobility, and cause distress, he said.

a good diet and mental stimulation can reduce the risk of dementia

Tags: animals, cats, brain-science, dementia, alzheimers

Lucy I'm home!!!

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 18:08:45 GMT

clipped by: chuckiesf
clipper's remarks: Have a nice day at work, dear. Pick up some fresh kill for dinner, OK? Abi bumps noses with her mate, Lucifer, at the London Zoo.

Clip Source: www.sfgate.com

Tags: lucifer, london zoo, zoo, felines, abi, lion

Edison Strong-Willed Feline

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:09:29 GMT

clipped by: zippunkygirl
clipper's remarks: Sorry there are three of these clips, but this really upsets me.

Clip Source: www.mspca.org

Edison Among Other Strong-Willed Felines Battling for Life at the MSPCA-Angell

WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES BELOW

Edison is among three critically ill cats fighting life-threatening injuries at the MSPCA-Angell during the busy summer months that bring thousands of animals through our doors seeking care.

Edison's
Initial Injuries

Edison's Ear
Faces Amputation

Edison, a six-week-old kitten, was brought to Angell after allegedly being placed in a microwave and “cooked.” Upon examination, adoption center veterinarians found that his wounds are relative to those of being placed in an operating microwave that was then turned on. Edison’s life-threatening injuries range from the loss of half of his tail (to be removed through surgery and possibly the entire tail in the upcoming days), burns to his legs and ears, including a dime sized hole on one ear and the possible need to amputate both, as well as blisters on his tongue.

Cats I

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:18:04 GMT

clipped by: Carraol

Clip Source: en.wikipedia.org

The cat (Felis catus), also known as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from other felines, is a small carnivorous species of crepuscular mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and its ability to hunt vermin, snakes and scorpions. It has been associated with humans for at least 9,500 years.^[4]

Tags: cats

Big Cat Sightings Increasing in USA

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:36:34 GMT

clipped by: RiotRanger
clipper's remarks: Seems as if we are joining our British cousins in the phantom cat flaps.

Clip Source: www.cryptomundo.com

June 21st, 2008

Panthers, the mysterious felid kind, have been in the news of late. Here’s a roundup.

In Mississippi, the encounters are becoming so frequent the media is comparing them to Sasquatch sightings. Fancy that.

“All I’m saying is that it’s big and black and looks like a panther,” he said. “I never said it was a panther, but I’ve heard all my life there weren’t any in South Mississippi, but people are always hearing them.

He has a photo (above) of a black feline walking across his food plot that he took with his game camera. But he couldn’t find any tracks near the game camera.

To date, 2008 is turning into a “hot” year for panthers, mystery cats, and phantom felines, as reports from Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, and the Midwest USA (Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, Minnesota) have been coming in at a steady rate.

Even the fakery of those South China tiger photos has kept the radar on Asia too.

Tags: panthers, big-cats, flap, sightings, felids, mystery, usa

Public shown rare wildcat kitten

Sat, 10 May 2008 16:24:21 GMT

clipped by: valann 47

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

A rare kitten born at a wildlife park in Kent has been shown to the public for the first time.

The Scottish wildcat was born to a pair of pure bred cats at Wildwood Discovery park, near Canterbury, last month.

His mother Flora, who is among just 400 Scottish wildcats thought to be left in the world, brought the kitten out to meet the public last week.

Scientists say the species is nearly extinct because of interbreeding with domestic cats.

Once the kitten can fend for itself its parents Hamish and Flora will be re-housed in a special retirement enclosure away from public view.

Macavity, a male wildcat that was born to the pair last year, will be matched with another pure bred female in the hope that they will mate.

Scottish wildcats are the last wild feline in Britain, where they have lived for over two million years.

They are an average of 50% larger than a domestic cat, have a two to three sq mile territory and are unique to Britain.

Tags: scottish, wildcat, felines

Sabre-toothed 'bear' terrorised early humans

Tue, 06 May 2008 17:18:14 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.newscientist.com

A sabre-toothed cat that sported the fearsome teeth of felines also had the body and gait of a bear, making it a "super-predator".

So says a team led by Stephen Wroe at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, which found that the ferocious marsupial lion (Thylacoleo carnifex) shared the same super-predator body plan as Smilodon fatalis, North America's ice age sabre-tooth cat.

Wroe and his team compared the skulls, teeth and body proportions of seven extinct mammalian predators with those of 22 living species, in a bid to better understand how the extinct animals behaved.

They found that five of the extinct species fell reasonably neatly into known predator groups. Two sabre-toothed cats sit well with modern- day felines, for instance, leading the team to conclude that they probably occupied a similar ecological niche. Smilodon and Thylacoleo didn't fit into any group but they did have a lot ...

Tags: history, humans, animals

Man sentenced to 4 months jail for killing cat

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 19:49:10 GMT

clipped by: kkcapricorn
clipper's remarks: I'd like to say I hope some of the inmates throw him against the wall, but that would not be nice. Oh hell, I don't feel very nice today -so what goes around comes around. Get the feline murderer!

Clip Source: www.google.com

For throwing his ex-girlfriend's cats across a bedroom, killing one of the felines and seriously injuring another, a Sayville man was sentenced Thursday to 4 months in jail.

David Wrigley, 24, was pleaded guilty as part of a deal with prosecutors that reduced two felony animal cruelty charges to misdemeanor cruelty charges.

Dressed in carpenter jeans, a sweater and sneakers, Wrigley said nothing when prompted by Suffolk County Court Judge James C. Hudson in Riverhead.

Prosecutor Michelle Auletta said Wrigley, enraged for no defensible reason on Feb. 26, first slammed a bed against Maddeline, 8, and Jynx, 6.

He then picked up picked up Sara Sabol's two pets and flung each one across her bedroom, Auletta said.

Maddeline died that day of crushing injuries while Jynx suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung and has since recovered.

Tags: jail, catracide

Top 10 Oddball Tax Deductions

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:57:39 GMT

clipped by: swampfoxz
clipper's remarks: Swimming pool. A taxpayer with emphysema put in a pool after his doctor told him to develop an exercise regime. He swam in it twice a day and improved his breathing capacity. Turns out he swam in the pool more than his family did. The Tax Court allowed him to deduct the cost of the pool (to the extent the cost exceeded its added value to the property) as a medical expense because its primary purpose was for medical care. Also, the cost of heating the pool, pool chemicals, and a proportionate part of insuring the pool area were treated as medical expenses.

Clip Source: blog.shopping4coupons.com

Top 10 Oddball Tax Deductions

Pet food. A couple who owned a junkyard was allowed to write off the cost of cat food they set out to attract wild cats. The feral felines did more than just eat; they also took care of snakes and rats on the property, making the place safer for customers. When the case reached the Tax Court, IRS lawyers conceded that the cost was deductible.

A trip to Bermuda.

Body oil. A pro bodybuilder used body oil to make his muscles glisten in the lights during his competitions. The Tax Court ruled that he could deduct the cost of the oil as a business expense. However, the Court frowned on his deductions for buffalo meat and special vitamin supplements to enhance strength and muscle development.

A private airplane.

Babysitting fees.

Breast augmentation.

Landscaping.

Free beer. In a novel promotion, a gas station owner gave his customers free beer in lieu of trading stamps. Proving that sometimes beer and gasoline do mix, the Tax Court allowed the write-off as a business

Tags: tax deductions

Lascaux Caves - Unusual Information about the art

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 06:07:41 GMT

clipped by: pogie
clipper's remarks: The charts, comparisons, comments, definitions, and delightfully different navigation processes make this site a real exploration.

The quality of the photos is high and the information is unique.

The navigation requires a bit of discovery which delighted my 6th grade students!

Clip Source: www.culture.gouv.fr

Distribution of the main Palaeolithic animal species.

In comparison with the number of species, only a few have been depicted on the walls, in fact, horses alone count for a quarter of the total, followed by bison. Ibex, , stags and mammoths are rarer. Finally, pictures of birds and fish appear only very occasionally.
Finally, pictures of birds and fish appear only very occasionally.

There are almost 600 depictions of animals in Lascaux. The horse is the predominant animal whereas there is about the same number of and stags, last come the ibex and bison. As in other sites, the few carnivores, bears and felines, are engraved or painted in the remotest parts of the cave.

Tags: lascaux, prehistoric art, cave art

Cat Facts and Trivia - Diet, Health, and Behavior

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 20:27:15 GMT

clipped by: etcrisis

Clip Source: www.xmission.com

Cats respond most readily to names that end in an "ee" sound.

A female cat will be pregnant for approximately 9 weeks

Female felines are "superfecund," which means that each of the kittens in her litter can have a different father.

If a cat is frightened, put your hand over its eyes and forehead, or let him bury his head in your armpit to help calm him.

Cats should not be fed tuna exclusively, as it lacks taurine

Purring does not always indicate that a cat is happy and healthy

Cats must have fat in their diet because they can't produce it on their own.

A cat will spend nearly 30% of her life grooming herself.

A cat can jump 5 times as high as it is tall.

Declawing a cat is the same as cutting a human's fingers off at the knuckle.

The average lifespan of an outdoor-only (feral and non-feral) is about 3 years; an indoor-only cat can live 16 years and longer.

A steady diet of dog food may cause blindness in your cat - it lacks taurine.

Most cats adore sardines.

Dogbook and Catbook...Facebook for pets

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 04:50:21 GMT

clipped by: Newfman

Clip Source: www.ctv.ca

The Internet is literally going to the dogs -- and cats -- thanks to a father and son team from Toronto who have created a social networking site for canines and felines.

Geoffrey Roche and his son, Alexandre, came up with the idea for cat and dog social networking sites in the wake of the success of Facebook, a similar site catering only to people.

Dogbook and Catbook are, as their website names suggest, exclusively the domain of pets. Pets can swap pictures and even messages -- with the help of their owners, of course. They can list their favourite treats and even arrange meetings at local parks.

Annabelle is a Toronto mutt whose mug has been unleashed on the Internet. Her web profile says she likes to run, jump, and eat steak.

She has 58 online friends, including Lou Lou, a Jack Russell terrier from Quebec, and a cat from California name Bootsy.

In just six months, Dogbook and Catbook have signed up more than 500,000 cats and more than one million dogs

Declawing - What You Need To Know

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 05:35:24 GMT

clipped by: thisnamecantbetaken
clipper's remarks: Of all the "well-intentioned" things people do to their pets, this has always been the worst IMO. I have seen cats suffer tremendous lifelong chronic pain, after this barbaric surgery. Some even having to be put down after botched surgery. Another side effect is, that if a cat is "a scratcher", amputating their toes often turns them into biters instead. (Please don't pull all their teeth either!! *LOL*)

Anyway...the whole problem here lies not in that cats have claws, it lies in people not providing the appropriate environment for the cat . A simple scratching post and a bit of education is all you need, to have a happy healthy non-destructive cat WITH all it's toes (and teeth).

Cats live 3-dimensional lives, as apposed to dogs, who live in two. Being able to climb is essential for the well-being of a cat. Cats have toes and claws for a reason!! Please don't mutilate your pet, but get smart instead. Your cat will thank you for it, and so will I.

Clip Source: www.declawing.com

First, you should know that declawing is pretty much an American thing, it's something people do for their own convenience without realizing what actually happens to their beloved cat. In England declawing is termed "inhumane" and "unnecessary mutilation." I agree. In many European countries it is illegal. I applaud their attitude.

Declawing is actually an amputation of the last joint of your cat's "toes". When you envision that, it becomes clear why declawing is not a humane act.

This is not a surgery to be taken lightly.

Your cat's body is perfectly designed to give it the grace, agility and beauty that is unique to felines. Its claws are an important part of this design.

Amputating the important part of their anatomy that contains the claws drastically alters the conformation of their feet.

I have also had people tell me that their cat's personality changed after being declawed.

declawing is too drastic a solution

Is there an acceptable solution?

Happily, the answer is yes.

Tags: do, unto, others

I'm not skeered of you!!

Sun, 16 Dec 2007 00:02:41 GMT

clipped by: careabearasara
clipper's remarks: Anymore that is....

Clip Source: dsc.discovery.com

Fearless Mice Cuddle Up to Cats

Japanese scientists say they've used genetic engineering to create mice that show no fear of felines, a development that may shed new light on mammal behavior and the nature of fear itself.

Scientists at Tokyo University say they were able to successfully switch off a mouse's instinct to cower at the smell or presence of cats -- showing that fear is genetically hardwired and not learned through experience, as commonly believed.

"Mice are naturally terrified of cats, and usually panic or flee at the smell of one. But mice with certain nasal cells removed through genetic engineering didn't display any fear," said research team leader Ko Kobayakawa.

"If we follow the pathway of related signals in the brain, I think we could discover what kind of networks in the brain are important for controlling fear."

Fluorescent Cats

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 18:53:07 GMT

clipped by: vickybaranwal

Clip Source: news.nationalgeographic.com

Fluorescent Cats

According to scientists in South Korea, the animal on the right is among the first cats cloned to have red fluorescence protein (RFP) genes. The one on the left is an unaltered kitty seen under ultraviolet light.

"Glowing" RFP genes are scientific tools used by researchers to mark changes made in an organism's genome. A team led by Kong Il-keun, a cloning expert at Gyeongsang National University, says it created the cats in the hopes of using altered felines to develop treatments for genetic human diseases

Earlier this year an international team of scientists mapped the first "rough draft" of the domestic cat genome, noting at the time that the genetic similarities between cats and people make the common feline a good model for medical studies.

Tags: cats, fluoroscent