Sometimes the social engagements of the holidays can be so crowded and chaotic that it's hard to know how to respond to all of the stimuli coming at you. We all are incredibly concerned about following the proper etiquette, are we not? But how to know what that is? Have no fear — this primer on a cat's advice for the holidays has all the answers. Because sometimes, a decapitated bird carcass is just the thing to facilitate proper interaction.
As it turns out, the dogs in my family aren't the only ones with a habit of ripping open their wrapped gifts (although these dogs don't appear to be sneaking them out from under the tree early, as ours do). This compilation of dogs vigorously tearing the wrapping paper off of gifts with joyful abandon and their obvious pleasure in finding the toys inside makes for lighthearted, amusing viewing. Via Tastefully Offensive
People love to torture cats for their own amusement, from the constant petting and brushing to the indignity of having to eat on the ground instead of the table and crapping in a box instead of outside like Dog intended.
But for cats being forced to wear a costume so people can mock them is the most terrible of all tortures, and that's why cats hate human holidays.
Our poor feline prisoners go through so much just to make us smile, so Temptations cat treats is urging cat jailers owners to apologize to their felines for all the humiliating costumes and human mockery.
These two clips, uploaded by YouTube user P Ces, present playtime adventures between their pet kangaroo Hop and their cat. It looks like the two animals are well acquainted, even friendly. Yet there's only so much a cat can take from this exuberant marsupial.
In the clip above, the cat goes from tolerant to crabby to gone. After the cat escapes his attention, Hop's expression says "What? Was it something I did?" In the video below, the kitty patiently endures Hop's good natured ear grooming. Via Arbroath
This beautiful maternal scene suggests that little frogs are erupting out of a larger frog, like the chestbursters in Alien. Your warm fuzzies of the day are courtesy of the Cryptobatarchus boulengeri, a frog species that lives near freshwater sources from California to Colombia. Mommy Cryptobatarchus likes to carry her babies on her back until they're ready to leave home.
This Asian small-clawed otter is sprawled out on a beach towel, relaxing as he munches on his chows. Perhaps those orange stripes are taking him back to his vacation days spent on the beaches of Thailand? Ahhh... those were the days. In fact, he's probably blissed out and planning on calling his travel agent after his meal. Via Tastefully Offensive
If there's one thing anyone who has ever worked in retail during the holidays can agree on, it's that they just can't handle listening to another sugary-sweet, cheesy Christmas carol. That being said, I think most people can agree on the brilliance of these classic Christmas carols made completely new again with the angelic soothing sounds of singing goats.
Finally you can re-embrace the beauty of these classic, but over-performed Christmas tunes.
This pup, whom some call Barky Bark, is seen here in this clip getting down to the late 80s/early 90s stylings of Mark Wahlberg and his once Funky Bunch. In high demand since this video first caught on, he's now securing a deal to be on Dancing with the Stars. Via Tastefully Offensive
This five-week-old female polar bear cub, a resident of Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, is now thriving, despite being abandoned by her mother shortly after being born. Tragically, the mother of the cub suffered the death of her sibling from the same litter, and at that point was too depressed to care for her only surviving offspring.
In this video clip, the cub's zookeepers explain via their Facebook page that the sounds she is making while sleeping are those of contentment. They report that she recently began trying to stand on all four legs, "especially when she’s ready for her next meal!” Via Bored Panda
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.
Research in, on, or about cats by Stephen Drew, Improbable Research staff
The Social Function of Tail Up “The Social Function of Tail Up in the Domestic Cat (Felis silvestris catus),” S. Cafazzoa and E. Natoli, Behavioural Processes, vol. 80, 2009, pp. 60–66. The authors, at Università degli Studi di Parma, Parma, Italy, and at Area Dipartimentale Sanità Pubblica Veterinaria, Roma, report:
Kittens displayed the tail up when greeting their mother; this behaviour can also be observed in wild species. But in the domestic cat, the tail up can be also observed when an adult individual meets another one and it signals the intention to interact amicably. Rank order affected the display of the tail up posture: it was more frequently displayed by low-ranking cats, and high-ranking individuals received it more often than other members of the social group. Then, tail up seems to be a signal by means of which a cat shows the recognition of the higher social status of the individual to whom is directed.
Cats Prefer Species-Appropriate Music “Cats Prefer Species-Appropriate Music,” Charles T. Snowdon, David Teie, and Megan Savage, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, vol. 166, 2015, pp. 106-111. The authors, at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and the University of Maryland, College Park, report (with what appears to be a most curious typographical error, given that the article is about cats):
Doug the Pug is always charming no matter what crazy hijinx he's up to, but if you're a TV-aholic, you're really going to get a kick out of his recent television intro parody. The video is surprisingly long, giving you access to all kinds of famous television show intros -so there's surely some from shows you actually love. Even if you hate all the shows though, seeing Doug and his friends goof around in adorable wigs makes the whole thing worth while.
If only there was an app to make all my shows better with Pugavision.
Sometimes it's hard to tell whether a bunny is happily hopping about or freaking out, as the two can look mighty similar at times, but the playful pet rabbit in this video is clearly jumping for joy.
Her human Ian was cleaning out her cage when he discovered Bun Bun's love of leaves, which was thankfully captured on video so we can share in the joy.
“I am da Bun Bun and I kill da leaves. All dem leaves!” Bun Bun is a rescue bunny, abandoned on a country road and left to fend for herself. She now has a loving home where she likes to run, play, graze on nummy clover and yes, destroy all dem leaves.
For some reason Channing Tatum makes a lot of girls and guys purr these days, but that's all about to change when you see him insulting an innocent little kitten on camera.
Here's the compelling evidence that proves Channing Tatum is a cruel, cruel man:
Okay, so he was actually just insulting the kitten to promote his new movie The Hateful Eight on Jimmy Kimmel Live, but it still proves one thing- Channing Tatum holding kittens doesn't always equal sexy, no matter what fan art tries to claim.
It’s pretty easy to make yourself dominant over an opponent that doesn’t fight back. Things would be a bit different it it was a real tiger. As it is, the tiger is not to scale. -via Tastefully Offensive
Dumptruck and Porkchop are best friends, but they're ruthless competitors when they get on the agility course. April Campbell and her father demonstrate this in their video showing the pair navigate a scaled-down agility course at high speed. Dumptruck and Porkchop have to get over the hurdles and the seesaw, then through the hoops, past the hamster walk, and through the weaving poles.
Shon Simpkins, who sounds a lot like Morgan Freeman, provides the sports commentary throughout this thrilling race.
