Katja M. Guenther's book, " The Lives and Deaths of Shelter Animals ," offers an intimate look into a high-intake animal shelter in the United States.  Over three years of ethnographic research (see definition of this term below), she encountered thousands of animals and noted a stark contrast in their stories and survival odds.  Guenther suggests that the fate of these animals is closely tied to societal views on race, class, gender, ability, and species.  See citation for this image below. She deciphers the language and actions of the shelter's staff and volunteers, shedding light on internal power structures, breed bias, and moments of defiance and autonomy.  This book prompts us to reconsider the way we view our animal companions. Guenther's research highlights the impact of social justice on animal shelters, revealing the processes that lead to higher rates of animal euthanasia in public shelters.  Her work shows that human-created inequalities affect the d...

Veterinary clinics in the UK are experiencing a vaccine shortage. This poses a challenge for cat owners, as British cat boarding businesses require vaccinations before accepting cats. Consequently, owners are unable to go on holiday if they intend to use a boarding cattery. While this issue does not affect those who employ cat sitters, the majority of cat owners in the UK likely opt for boarding catteries due to their affordability. The newspapers are reporting that veterinary practices in the UK with vaccine shortages are prioritising elderly and vulnerable cats for injections. The image is representational as the vet is administering the vaccine incorrectly! A boarding cattery owner mentioned that the only exception to the standard vaccinations for cat flu, feline enteritis, and feline leukaemia is if they cannot be given for health reasons. In such cases, cattery administrators will require a titre test from a veterinarian as an alternative proof of immunity. Veterinarians from a so...

This is the story of a Japanese guy whose name is Toco. He had and still has a lifelong ambition to be an animal. To achieve that goal, he spent about ¥2 million which is about €12,800 to have a costume made specifically for him of a collie dog. It is very realistic and when he wears it in that moment, he becomes a collie dog. You can see him wearing the costume in the video below.  When I first saw this moving, large collie dog, I thought that it was a robot because it moves rather slowly and clumsily. And then I realised that it was Toco inside the costume. He has a successful YouTube channel with 44,500 subscribers and the video on this page has been seen 6.5 million times approximately. The video was shot last year when he was interviewed by RTL, a German TV station. It must have been shot by an employee of the German TV station. He obtained permission to use the video and release it to the public. That is why it is on his YouTube channel. Toco commissioned a Japanese company c...

This is a well-known viral video on various social media platforms. It is called "Weird-looking cat Wilfred goes viral with Michael Rapaport voiceover" on YouTube. The voiceover is very amusing. Due credit. But someone has to address the more important issue: the state of the cat. The appearance of this inbreed Persian cat is shocking. She has a grossly undershot jaw and bulging eyes. I'd bet my bottom dollar that she has other health issues due to inbreeding depression. The breeder of this cat - and this is a case of deliberate artificial selection - has done a terrible job. She/he (usually a she) has been a complete unmitigated failure. Inbreeding depression I have a page on inbreeding depression which you can read by clicking on this link if you wish . But I'll cover some basic points here and the information comes from the well-known Robinson's Genetics for Cat Breeders and Veterinarians at page 115. One of the symptoms of inbreeding depression is stated as, ...

Screenshot. A nice gesture by the dad but I feel sorry for the frightened kitten brought into a home where there is an army of kids which inevitably means a ton of noise and disruption; the opposite to what cats need and enjoy. Especially kittens. I bet there is nothing in the home to make is interesting for a cat such as climbers and scratching posts etc. And the way he brings the kitten home in a paper bag of the kind for inanimate objects bought at a shop does not look good to me. I don't see this working out great for the cat. I see the beginnings of neglect due to incompetence. I see a frightened kitten growing up fearfully and becoming anxious. I see kids mishandling the cat and the kids getting scratched. Problems all the way because of a lack of preparation in terms of education on cat caregiving. But that's me: somewhat cynical and pessimistic. You get that way when you are 74 years old. You've seen all the problems that can happen and think they will happen. It ju...

Not about cats today. Ran out of things to say. But this is probably more important right now. It is certainly the topic of the month. But I am not going to comment on it. Well not much. Funnily I have two good friends who live nearby who are gay. They are males and they used a surrogate mother to give them a daughter. They have a great daughter and they raise her very well. But they are not trans. They are gay men of the type that we are used to seeing. Good guys. Intelligent and sensible. But someone has called these two psychopaths. Is that fair? It can't be. It is cruel. It is transphobic. It is sexist and biased and all the other bad things that people say about the LGBTQ community. It is the reactionaries speaking. The mainstream who hate the fringe people, the outsiders. A couple of women or a couple of men in a good relationship can raise kids very well and certainly to a standard that is as good as married couples. BUT there is a weakness which is obvious: in the former th...

He's holding that saucy position for a long time which is a little unusual. I say 'he' as most ginger tabbies are male. And he looks like a purebred cat to me because he oozes class but he probably isn't. He actually looks somewhat like a traditional Persian. I suspect that he has been grooming his tummy and just stopped while his caregiver videos him. This resulted in him 'freezing' with his right hindleg cocked in the air. You can see his tail gently flicking around. Clearly, he is engaging with what is happening around him. The tail movement indicates an interest in the video making.