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.

Almost every day that I do research on writing an article for this and other websites I bump into British news media discussing how to keep domestic cats out of gardens. They consistently recite the same old mantra about using smells and tea leaves and any other old wives tales to keep those pesky domestic cats from ruining your carefully-tended garden. How many backyards are beautifully created and maintained!? And frankly it's all baloney. If a neighbour's domestic cat comes into your garden, they don't always pee defecate in the flower bed. They might sometimes but I would not say that it is commonplace. And how many neighbours' cats come into your garden in the first place? Wandering neighbourhood cat. Image: Battersea. Secondly, probably the best and simplest way to deter a cat from coming into your garden - if it really does bother - you is to wave your arms around and make a noise. A domestic cat exploring your garden will be a little bit nervous in the first pla...

What can one say about this silly TikTok video. The video maker has dreamt up a way to try and provoke a response from a very laid-back blue British Shorthair cat by placing an ice cube on them while they are minding their own business on a cat tree. And guess what? Nothing happens. Screenshot. Despite that disappointing result the video has garnered 45.3 million views!! Something has gone bananas on the internet. The video is worth about 45 hits.  Anyway, is it a good idea to place an ice cube on your cat. It is obviously very cold and that's why the person put it on their cat. They'd hoped that its coldness would upset their cat sufficiently to stimulate and exciting response. No. And it is not a good idea. It could only be uncomfortable if she/he felt it. Why deliberately make your cat uncomfortable?   Oh, I forgot: to make a silly video. British Shorthairs are pretty unflappable anyway. You'll find the breed recommended for apartment living because of their character...

Well, I am going to attract disagreement on this one. The video on TikTok is rather strangely described as showing how stray cats survive outside. It does not. It just show us these things: The person doing this is being cruel in placing two live crayfish or large prawns on a motorised buggy to take the animals to the cats to feed on. Do crayfish feel discomfort? Or pain? Do they have emotions? I don't know but it is likely as scientists have confirmed that fish feel pain . The crayfish also died of suffocation because they breathe through gills like fish. So, this person has committed these animals to death in one of two or both ways. Both are cruel and there was no need for it. The cats are naturally cautious about eating the live crayfish as they are jumping about (in discomfort?!!). Cats are naturally cautious when faced with a strange live or dead object. They prod and poke it to check it out and preferably kill it by batting it about the body and head as it is much safer tha...