Cats. What Else?

Photos show the ‘Feline Oscars,’ an international feline beauty competition in Romania

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h/t Handy n handsome

The countdown is on: within 90 seconds, the cats must race through as much of the agility course as they can, clearing perspex holes and scaling scratching posts to claim their spots on the podium.

Only a few of the felines seem fazed. As their owners desperately try every encouraging tactic in the book – feathers, treats, clapping – most of the cats remain blissfully uncooperative.

If you’ve ever purchased an expensive, bespoke toy for your feline friend, then watched them ignore said purchase in favor of the cardboard container it arrived in, you will know this universal truth: cats love boxes.

Why have cats evolved this fascination with enclosed spaces, one that seems as distinct as their fear of cucumbers or their fondness for biscuit-making? We turned to a pawful of cat experts to find out more.

This is Xavier’s favourite toy, yes a twist tie.

He has played with it every day for weeks always with the same goal.

He deliberately bats it under the garbage can so he has reason to reach into the unknown and pluck it out again.

Except he isn’t always successful retrieving it.

That’s when he sits watch beside the can and meows plaintively until I am forced to rescue his twist tie.

No lie I have done this 10’s of times for him.

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After decades of mystery, new research has shed light on a question that has long stumped scientists and cat lovers alike – what exactly makes orange cats, well … orange?

Two studies published in Current Biology last week by separate teams at Stanford University and Japan’s Kyushu University at last provided some answers. Scientists have known for more than a century that orange cats inherit coloring differently from other mammals. Now – with help from hundreds of cat owners – researchers have identified the genetic mutation that gives orange cats their signature hue.

Catching flies is that simple pic.twitter.com/EwzaLAAm5i

— Posts Of Cats (@PostsOfCats) May 21, 2025

In the UK, cat ownership has steadily risen over the past century. At present, a quarter of all UK homes have one or more cats. But there is something that few cat owners are prepared to discuss: cats are, it is undeniable, an ecological disaster.

In Britain, a study carried out in the mid-1990s estimated that domestic cats, whose numbers were at around 9 million, killed 88 million birds and 164 million small mammals annually. (This same study found that among all activities investigated as reasons for the killing of wild animals, hunting and shooting were responsible for just 6.006% of deaths, whereas cats accounted for 82%.) A later study, carried out in 2022, revealed that domestic cats annually killed between 160-270 million wild animals, around a quarter of which were birds.

You might think Tonie Blackmore would get worried when her pet cat Mischief goes missing for days on end, but thanks to his friendly nature he has the city of Plymouth tracking his every move.

The appropriately named feline has been making himself at home across the city for the past three years, and developing thousands of committed Mischief megafans.

I just “found” this pic.

Kathy and I hiked into Jaffa along the beach from Tel Aviv. We stopped for lunch and this little tabby jumped into my pack looking for food. I carried a bag of cat chow to feed the ubiquitous free range kitties. He was a tiny wee soul.

A cat dubbed the world’s fattest feline has died despite a stint at pet fat camp.

Crumbs, an online sensation who weighed 38 pounds, had lost seven pounds at the veterinary weight-loss centre in Perm, Russia, but developed breathing problems and died.

Vets blamed his extensive rolls of flab for hiding the cancerous tumours that are suspected to have killed Crumbs, known as Kroshik in Russian, on Saturday. Scans had failed to detect them.

Springfield is a town about midway between Columbus, Ohio, and Richmond, Indiana. The town may become the key in the first presidential race to show Trump in the lead in a major national poll two months before the election. He did not do that in 2016 or 2020.

The last Census pegged Springfield’s population at 58,662 but since then, the Biden administration has flown 10,000 to 20,000 Haitians to Springfield, depending in who you believe.

When Trump goes to Springfield, OH pic.twitter.com/5nfPUGVHIQ

— William Wolfe (@William_E_Wolfe) September 9, 2024

h/t Walt Whiteman’s World

Name of Tortellini, owner of my brother and his wife. Truce observant with pup Crumpet.

Soon to have a first cousin to cousin meeting. They can discuss they’re 3 am habits.

As promised, Xavier playing with his new toy, he offers many thanks for the kindness. Inset, it is a catnip infused squid.

Xavier with new treat! He says thanks for snacks!