Image: William Ramos/RBS TV

This is a story of loyalty and friendship that takes place in the streets of Caçapava do Sul, Brazil. Every morning, a Japanese Akita named Thor walks the street alone along the same route that he has taken with his owner on his walk for over a decade.

When his owner Claudio Cantarelli died in 2015, Thor was so heartbroken that he stopped eating and would lie in the courtyard without moving for days. But, thanks to a loving neighbor who took him in, Thor is now doing better and has started walking the same route again.

"He [Claudio] walked every day and had his lunch. He was an artist and was everyone's friend - and now, Thor makes the same walk. I notice that the dog always stops at the same places. It's impressive," hairdresser Airton Oliveira said to RBS TV [in Portuguese].

Thor even made the same stop at the lottery office, where Claudio went almost every day. There, he waited for a while as if hoping for his owner to come out from the establishment to continue on their journey together.

Previously on Neatorama: Dog Awaits Return of His Master for 11 Years

Roosters walk around so smug and cocksure they make the other farm animals believe they're invincible, but the turkeys know the truth about rooster pride- it's all a bunch of hot air and puffed up cape feathers.

The truth is most roosters are scared of their own shadows, and one turkey is worth ten roosters in the battle of the birds.

(YouTube Link)

Dennis Coon filmed this feathery kerfuffle to show viewers how Mr. Turkey keeps the peace and maintains his rep as the meatiest bird in the yard!

-Via Tastefully Offensive

Boris is hungry, or at least he knows a good stash of food when he sees it. He's not giving up his loaf of bread easily. No siree.

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And you see who wins the battle, even though Boris never stooped to attacking the woman. Boris lives in an animal shelter in St. Petersburg. He has to share food with 25 other cats who need homes, and no doubt has memories of greater hunger in his past. While this particular scene doesn't bode well for Boris' adoption, the Instagram video assures us that he is usually a nice cat, believe it or not. See more from the shelter 50 Tails.   -via reddit

If you think the rat race is cutthroat and mile-a-minute then you clearly haven't been caught in cross mallard traffic during rush hour, when ducks don't give a quack about anything but gettin' to work on time.

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These ducks know they're lucky to be gainfully employed, so they rush off as a flock every day to get to work in the Vergenoegd Wine Estate, where they have an important job to do- eating the snails off the vines.

(YouTube Link)

-Via Laughing Squid

We all feel run down during our work day sometimes, but while most people lean towards a caffeinated beverage, sometimes the best way to refresh yourself is with a nap. Now a new Tokyo cafe concept is offering guests a chance to do just that with dim lighting and fancy reclining beds.

Visitors must order a food item to ensure a two-hour slot in the bed, which also includes a cup of decaf coffee for before bed and a caffeinated cup of Joe afterward. 

You can read more about the cafe concept at RocketNews24

Via Eater

Photo: Sergio Pitamitz

While leading a wild life photography tour in Kenya, Sergio Pitamitz spotted something rare: a jet-black serval - an African wild cat that normally has cheetah-like spots. The black serval ambled into view of the group, then disappeared back into the bush.

"When you do wildlife photography, you're always searching for something rare and strange," Pitamitz said to National Geographic, "It was absolutely incredible."

Black servals have been spotted before - but it's quite rare. There are just six records of black servals in scientific literature, according to biologist Eduardo Eizirik of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil:

The animal is melanistic—its genes carry a mutation that creates more dark pigment than light pigment ... Though melanism is common enough among wildcats—it's reported in 13 of the 38 known species—the trait seems to be relatively rare in servals

Christine Dell'Amore of National Geographic has the full story (check out the large image of the black serval there. What a lovely creature!) - Thanks Kelsey!

The active ingredient in catnip that gives such pleasure to our kitties is nepetalactone. It doesn't have much effect on other species, but cats go wild -or at least some cats do. If you've had multiple cats, you've probably noticed at least one that didn't react to catnip at all. You have to feel sorry for those cats, while their housemates are enjoying a catnip-fueled high. However, there are some other substances, such as silver vine, Tatarian honeysuckle, and valerian root, that can stimulate cats. Molecular biologist Sebastian Bol performed an experiment to see how cats would react to these plants.

With 100 different cats, he rubbed the plant matter on a sock or a square of carpet, and set the material in the cats’ line of sight. Then he waited. If the cat approached and backed away, he considered that a denial. “Animals tend to move towards things they like, and back away from things they consider threats,” says Buffington. After each success or denial, he’d wait about five minutes for the cat to relax, then try again with another plant type. The response rate was striking: Almost 80 percent of the cats responded to the silver vine (a higher response rate than even nip, which got less than 70 percent of the cats high), and roughly 40 percent each for valerian root and honeysuckle.

The kicker is that these other plants do not contain nepetalactone. Read about research into cat euphoria at Wired. -via Metafilter

Working from home can be lonely -sometimes all we have to keep us motivated, entertained and cheerful is our pets who have no idea we're even working. That's why telecommuting Accuride employee Michael Reeg decided that his dog Meeka should be named "Employee of the Quarter" every quarters. He even gave her furry friend an appropriate plaque to celebrate the occassion.

Michael claims Meeka really earned her title:

“I try out my sales pitches and presentations on her. She’s not easily impressed or swayed. All she hears is ‘blah, blah, blah, Meeka’—but she likes to hear my voice and I love that she pays attention.

You can read an interview with Michael over at The Dodo.

Via The Daily Dot

Demeter Fragrance Library is known for their wacky and weird colognes, including the Play-Doh fragrance we've previously covered. Now they've developed a new and fantastic scent based on that warm, cuddly smell of a kitten. No word on whether or not it will affect those with cat allergies, but I guess there's one easy way to find out.

You can buy your cologne over at Demeter -a .10 ounce sampler of the cologne goes for $3 or just dive in for the 4 ounce spray at $39.50.

Via Huffington Post

Dogs don't care about home decor, cleanliness or whether they live in a pile of filth, but their humans do- which is why people who want to keep their house clean shouldn't leave their dog home alone for long.

This goes double for breeds like Huskies, who make messes and tear stuff up even when their humans are home, and if you leave a Husky home alone you'll learn this lesson the hard way.

The canine interior designer behind this renovation disaster was left home alone for a mere 3 hours, which was plenty of time for the pooch to find some calligraphy ink and leave his mark all over the house.

He even left a single paw print signature on the comforter as his final gesture of flippancy towards the home owners. I've heard interior designers can be moody but this is ridiculous!

See more from Family Leaves Husky For 3 Hours, Dog Redesigns The Apartment here

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You might not expect that animals would care much about tetherball, but Rambo the ram can't pass by  any challenge without giving it his best. As this video demonstrates, here's what happens when you give a ram a ball on a string -the end result doesn't leave the ball in great condition, showing why you should never mess with a ram.

Via Laughing Squid

Photo: Olga Ushnitskaya

Rudolph may be taking a break from flying after a busy Christmas season, but his reindeer brethren have to get around. So they fly commercial.

Who knew guinea pigs could be such great cosplayers? I guess Redditor 3rdLevelRogue knew or he wouldn't have put this awesome costume together.

Via That's Nerdalicious

Image @cambojones2020 and @rottnestfastferries

We've posted about the quokka on Neatorama a couple of times before. If you haven't seen it before, however, its worth visiting instaquokka, an Instagram page dedicated to "the happiest animal on Earth." Instant mood lifter!

Seriously, folks - quokkas can't look sad or grumpy even if they tried. No wonder they love taking selfies!

Image @abzhudson

Rattlesnakes are one of the most feared group of venemous snakes in the world, but it's not the rattlesnake's fault they meet (and bite) so many people and pets when encountered in the wild.

In fact, they're born with a built-in defense mechanism and warning device that should make people and pets steer clear- the rattle in their tail.

It's terrifying to hear that rattle while you're out enjoying nature, and many animals are innately terrified of the sound, but how do their tails make such a creepy sound?

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Daniel and Lincoln from the What's Inside? channel dissected a rattlesnake's tail to see how it rattles, and even though Lincoln was totally grossed out he learned one thing- there ain't no balls in there!

-Via Shareably