When a cat has a poor opinion of something, they will let you know, clearly, in their own way. In this complication video from the Pet Collective, you'll see cats hating on modern technology, toys, food, family members, and everyday objects.
To be fair, some of these clips aren't so much dislike for objects, but more of a cat wanting to see how much destruction and chaos they can cause. Yet we still love them.
Back before there was barbed wire to contain them, microchips to track them and trucks to transport them across continents there was the shepherd, who would tend to their herd as if they were their own offspring.
The shepherd would let their bovine children play in the fields all day and eat their fill, but when it came time to return to the safety of the stable the cows would heed the shepherd's call and run home.
Thanks to keepers of history like photographer Joanna Jinton we get to hear what the ancient Swedish herding call known as kulning sounds like, and now I see why cows respond to kulning- because it sounds beautiful!
-Via Laughing Squid
Mason the feral cat was ill, injured, and infected when he was taken in by Tinykittens feral TNR program (previously at Neatorama). Because of his condition, he was placed in a home instead of being returned to the feral colony. Mason is only semi-tamed; he still won't let anyone pet him.
But he has adopted a litter of kittens placed in the same foster home. They make him happy. There are several more videos of Grandpa Mason and his kittens at Tiny Tuxies. -via reddit
The animal rescue group Cat People of Melbourne produced an article describing one of the cats they have available for adoption. You can be assured that this one is completely honest. There is no false advertising for Mr. Biggles.
Mr Biggles (also known as Lord Bigglesworth) is an utter utter utter bastard. He looks gorgeous with his slinky shiny black fur and big yellow eyes... but beware. If he doesn't like what you're doing he will give you a nip! Sometimes he likes to swipe at your feet too. It just depends on what he can reach at the time.
Mr Biggles does not like to be thwarted. He throws a catty tantrum if he can't go outside when he wants to be let out (and he wasn't allowed outside for the first couple of weeks at his carers house so there was a few tantrums!). Not being fed on time, or allowed to strut across the kitchen benches helping himself to whatever is there is also a tantrum inducing exercise.
Mr Biggles is a despot and dictator, he will let you know he is not happy, which is often because things are often just not up to his high standards. There is some warning that Lord Bigglesworth is displeased with you, his eyes will go dark and tail will start swishing harder. Mr Biggles likes his cuddles on his terms, and will sit in your lap when he decides it's time. If the stroking is not up to his standards, he will nip you.
Oh, but that's just the beginning. Mr. Biggles has a reputation to uphold, so you'll need to read the rest of the ad at PetRescue. There's also a video of an interview attempt that Mr. Biggles completely ignores. And if he's the cat for you, and you live near Melbourne, you'll have to hurry to snap up this bastard of a cat that's going viral.
Update: PetRescue has pulled the ad, because they've gotten so many applications for Mr. Biggles' adoption. But you can read the whole thing at his dedicated site.
Omar is a Maine coon cat living in Melbourne, Australia. He is 47 inches long and weighs 31 pounds. His favorite food is raw kangaroo meat. Omar towers over the sheltie dog he lives with. His owner Stephy Hirst started Omar an Instagram account, and he was soon featured on Cats of Instagram. Representatives from the Guinness Book of World Records were intrigued, and contacted Hirst to ask for his measurements. Hirst's measurement placed Omar at about an inch longer than the current record holder!
Hirst says she had thought about Omar being a record-breaker, but she didn't say anything before because she's not sure if he has even finished growing. Read more about Omar the four-foot-long cat at the Telegraph. -via Mental Floss
Simon Tofield and Nicky Trevorrow have some basic information for people thinking about adopting a kitten. It's a real commitment that shouldn't be taken lightly, but if you're prepared, you'll have a wonderful companion.
But that's just a couple minutes of this video. The back end is a Simon's cat cartoon from when the kitten was new! -via Tastefully Offensive
Mother's Day is for celebrating mothers of all kinds. Mom dedicate all their time to teaching their young ones what they need to get through life. Even if that entails jumping off a dock.
Yes, you can do it! These dozen or so ducklings trust Mama to know what they are capable of. -via Metafilter
It's not every day you see a dog on someone's roof. Well, that is unless you happen to live near this house where the dog climbs up on the roof so often that his owners thought it appropriate to share a note with the neighbors letting everyone know that they are aware that the dog is up there and that it is, in fact, under supervision and safe. Unsurprisingly, it wasn't long before the note and pictures of the dog ended up on Reddit and now #hucktheroofdog is a bonifide internet celebrity.
Via Good
So this is what happens when you shave a longhaired cat...with the exception of its face. Reddit user mebeim posted this image without any other context and I can't say that I need any more than that.
Via BoingBoing
When police officers in Newport, Oregon were called in to deal with a cat supposedly armed with an assault rifle perched in a tree they took the report seriously for some reason.
Maybe they know something about a new line of cat-sized assault rifles I don't know about, or perhaps they were trying to find footage for their bodycam blooper reel.
Either way- they issued a "verbal warning" to the cat, who was actually armed with a stick:
-Via Boing Boing
Sure, your cat loves any cardboard box, but wouldn't you rather see a TARDIS in your home? Or the Taj Mahal? Or a medieval castle? Or a Maya pyramid? A Bulgarian family makes these elaborate constructions from recycle cardboard and sells them through their Etsy store CacaoPets.
We are a small family of engineers which likes to think extraordinary. Ten years ago we got ourselves a cat – Shusha. Ever since, she has been a member of our family. Once while we were unpacking Shusha started playing in a cardboard box and thats when it came to us. Why not instead of throwing the cardboard, could we turn it into something much more useful. …The designs of the houses were thought in order to be liked not only by cats, but also by their owners. We have created beautiful designs that also match any kind of peoples interior.
They aren't cheap, especially when you have a cat that eats cardboard. But you'll never take the time to make one of these yourself, and they could make a great gift. -via Laughing Squid
His odds are 30-1, but many horse racing fans are pulling for Patch to win the Kentucky Derby, even if they aren't putting money on him. The three-year-old developed an infection in his left eye last year, and despite treatment, his eye was ultimately removed. Patch is not the first one-eyed horse to run for the roses, but in the internet age, he's the most popular going into the race.
What's even stranger is that Patch drew post position 20. That means he'll start on the outside edge of the track, to the right of all the other horses. Since his left eye is missing, he won't see his competition. Whether that will help or hinder his performance remains to be seen, but his team is optimistic. You can keep up with Patch through his Twitter account.
Full grown hippos can be fearsome and dangerous creatures despite their pleasantly plump appearance and the fact that they look like they're smiling when they open their maws, but baby hippos are just plain adorable.
They have yet to adopt the angry and aggressive attitude full grown hippos use to scare off predators and humans who might cause them harm, and the smiles on their cute little faces seem to be genuine.
So bask in the glory of these bubbly baby hippos while you can, because before you know it they'll go from being bashful babies to big, bad brutes who swallow watermelons whole!
We constantly make jokes about how cats hold humans in contempt, that they consider themselves our overlords. Recent research shows that ain't necessarily so. At least some of them are just acting like they don't care, so they can wrap us around their little finger. Or claw.
Researchers at Oregon State University offered 38 cats a choice between food, a toy, an interesting smell (catnip, a gerbil) and attention from a human.
Thirty-seven percent preferred food to anything else. Eleven percent liked toys, and one cat was preoccupied with the smells of catnip and gerbils.
But 19 of them — half! — preferred the company of humans above all, choosing them over other entertainment possibilities.
But wait, my cats prefer my company because I will eventually feed them. They know that. Perhaps they know us too well. -via reddit
For years people have been greeted by a strange and adorable sight in the shopping arcades and streets of Tokyo- the mysterious Cat-Men, who wheel baby carriages full of cats around like it's no big deal.
The Cat-Men supposedly first appeared in a Kyushuu shopping arcade around 2010, but now there are Cat-Men popping up all over the country, and they're starting to be seen as a bit of a problem.
Between the huge crowds who form around them, the fact that some Cat-Men sell cats and their willingness to go too far for the sake of entertaining crowds these seemingly innocent guys may be up to no good. But these cats certainly don't seem to think so.
