Kyle is just your every day adorable, grumpy-looking mustchioed kitty with a few minor distinctions -for example, he witnessed a domestic violence murder and was even held in evidence by the police before being handed over to the local animal shelter.

Of course, like many other famous internet kitties, he has a few health issues that seem to make him even more adorable -he has only three teeth, a permanently crooked ear that is dirty all the time and causes his foot to get dirty from scratching it. He also has absurdly scraggly whiskers that seem to go in all directions all at once. 

And did I mention he looks fantastic in a hat?

In various wars since the advent of photography, in units from many nations, soldiers have adopted animals and kept them as mascots. Sometimes they are government issue, like horses, and other times they are strays that are looking for a meal. These include dogs, cats, goats, sheep, rabbits, birds, turtles, kangaroos, and more. Shown here is a young fox that took up with the Royal Air Force during World War I, and was said to enjoy flying. See a gallery of these mascots, and click on an image to get what story is known of them. -via History Buff

Eric is a Australian bare-eyed cockatoo. The veterinarian recommended that Eric eat more broccoli. Have you ever tried to get a kid to eat broccoli? Eric is kinda like a little kid.

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However, a child who acted like this would be sent to their room. His owner swears he usually likes broccoli. Apparently he doesn’t like being told what to do. -via Tastefully Offensive

 

(Photos: Kittitas County Fire & Rescue #7)

Her name is Buttons. She's well known to the people of Kittitas County, Washington. She likes to hang out with the local cows, goats, and humans. When firefighters set up a command post while putting out wildfire, Buttons decided to pay a visit to them. The Associated Press reports:

Kittitas County Fire District spokeswoman Richelle Risdon says she arrived at the scene on Saturday to see the elk nuzzling up to everyone in the command post area and resting her head on people's shoulders.

Batman v Superman turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment. What could have saved the movie? Casting. They should have put cats into the roles of the superheroes. Kaipotainment did just that, with this remake.

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The movie would have been much shorter without any dialogue. And cuter, too. I can’t wait to see the sequel, possibly starring Catwoman. -via Uproxx

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Redditor mystadobalina and his/her friends were enjoying the July 4th festivities on Swann Creek in Chesapeake Bay. They heard a mewling sound and found a baby raccoon in the water. The poor little fella was treading water, desperately trying to stay afloat.

The humans knew better than to try to pick him up. So they attached a life vest to a rope and dropped the vest into the water. The raccoon held on to it as they towed him back to shore with a dingy.

-via Laughing Squid

(Photo: Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary)

Sequoia, a 550-pound black bear, lives at the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary in Folsom, California. Zookeepers commonly leave dog food in his enclosure for him to eat. This attracted a feral cat, which eventually decided that Sequoia's den would be a good place to live. Zookeepers have since named her Little Bear.

Little Bear the cat tolerates the other bears that live at the zoo, but she has a "special relationship" with Sequoia, according to the zookeepers. They stay close together, like friends should.

A kitten finds a way to escape his enclosure at JoLinn Pet House, a pet shop in Taiwan. But then what? Where does he go? Straight into another enclosure, this one with a puppy!

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The puppy is exceedingly happy with the company. The kitten might have some regrets about the caper. -via Viral Viral Videos

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Fiesta the llama lives at the Houston Zoo in Texas. Every morning, zookeepers use a leaf blower to clean out her stall. Fiesta lets them, but first she insists on an air massage. Watch her roll around with delight in front of it. Zookeepers tell ABC 13 News that this has been her daily ritual for about 2 years.

-via Tastefully Offensive

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My dream is to be this dog.

Rosie, a poodle and whippet mix, bounds across a field in Norwich, East Anglia, UK. She takes unreserved joy in such a simple thing.

-via Laughing Squid

YouTube member Garcatch intends to test and review all pets to give you the best advice on which to select. Today, he reviews cats as pets. Contains NSFW language.

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To recap: cats are attractive, portable, and relatively safe, compared to lions. But he recommends a feature upgrade. -via reddit

The following is an article from The Annals of Improbable Research, now in all-pdf form. Get a subscription now for only $25 a year!

(Image credit: Flickr user dixie wells)

Research in, on, or about cats and dogs
by Nan Swift, Improbable Research staff

Dogs and Cats as Fall Hazards (2006)
“Nonfatal Fall-Related Injuries Associated with Dogs and Cats --- United States, 2001-2006,” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 58, no. 11, March 27, 2009, pp. 277-281. The report states:

The findings indicate that, in 2006, cats and dogs were associated with approximately 1% of the estimated 8 million fall injuries treated in Emergency Departments and affected persons of all ages. Walking dogs and chasing pets were associated with the greatest number of injuries.

Dogs and Cats as Fall Hazards (2010)
“Dogs and Cats as Environmental Fall Hazards,” Judy A. Stevens, S.L. Teh, and Tadesse Haileyesus, Journal of Safety Research, vol. 41, no. 1, February 2010, pp. 69-73. The authors, at the Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Atlanta, Georgia, report:

Browser the Library Cat discovers an oddly familiar face on the cover of Moonrise by Erin Hunter. #browserthelibrarycat #browserspicks #catsofinstagram

A photo posted by White Settlement Library (@wslibrary) on Apr 6, 2016 at 1:19pm PDT

The public library in White Settlement, Texas, has a cat named Browser who’s lived there for six years. He greets library patrons, scares away mice, and acts as a mascot for the library’s various fundraising activities. But the White Settlement City Council has voted 2-1 to remove the library cat, giving Browser has 30 days to find a new home.  

On Tuesday, the White Settlement City Council voted to remove Browser, the cat that has lived in the library for the past six years.  This came despite an outpouring of support for the cat.  The council chambers were full, with most in attendance there to voice their support for Browser.

Discussions on this item began with Mayor Ronald A. White, who spoke in support of Browser. Council member Dave Mann also voiced his support of keeping the cat in the library.  Eight members of the audience also spoke, each of them voicing their approval for keeping Browser in the library.  Reasons given were his pest control abilities, his ability to draw children to the library, and the fact that he is loved by the people of the city.  A petition signed by 618 people who support keeping the cat in the library was also mentioned.  

The reason given was that some people may be allergic to cats, although a few people who are allergic spoke in favor of keeping Browser. Browser has until July 14th to find a new home. The cat’s supporters want his fate to be put to a vote in a city-wide referendum. Some reminded the council members that their positions are also up to a vote in November. -via Buzzfeed

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m expected to join in, and my instincts tell me I should, but honestly, guys, I’d just as soon take a nap. Maybe just a little 'woo' will do."

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Her name is Alawa, and she’s a gray wolf at the Wolf Conservation Center (WCC) in South Salem, New York. -via Tastefully Offensive

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The duck's only chance is to outwit his much faster opponent. Perhaps he could double back and catch the dog behind him Or, like Khan in Star Trek II, his opponent may be thinking in 2 dimensions instead of 3. He could fly over the rock to catch his foe from above.

-via Jonah Goldberg