Kitty Cams!

National Geographic and the University of Georgia Kitty Cams Project captured the actions of cats wearing cameras on the collars from November 2010 to October 2011.

During that time, 55 cats collected an average of 37 hours of video a piece.

The videos show cats doing all kinds of cat things! Walking around their homes, stalking birds, eating lizards, climbing trees, walking on roofs etc

The goal of the project was to learn about the predatory practices of cats and specifically, how much wildlife they were killing in their suburban environments. Turns out cats aren’t as “bad” as the biologists thought.

During their research, researchers reviewed more than 2,000 hours of footage. They determined that cats do not hunt as much as we thought they did.

“About 44 percent of cats engaged in predatory behavior. We found in suburban areas, they are catching small lizards and small snakes, so that was surprising. They were also eating worms and catching butterflies, things they would never bring home. So without this camera, we’d have no idea what they were doing,” said one researcher.

The younger male cats were more prone to participate in what was called “risky” behavior. Boys will be boys!

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Prison Cats

Shelter cats who otherwise might have been euthanized are getting a new lease on life, while at the same time contributing to the lives of prison inmates.

Cuddly Catz prison foster home program was launched two weeks ago at the minimum security prison at Larch Corrections Center near Yacolt, WA.

Inmates participating in the Cuddly Catz program become foster parents for these kitties and live with them around the clock in their cell. Besides performing all necessary cat duties, the inmate’s patient, gentle interaction with their kitties (whose behavioral problems may have led to their shelter surrender) is helping to achieve a major program goal… rehabilitating the cats & the inmate!

One inmate, 28-year-old Joey Contreras said, “When you’re doing prison time, you get set in certain ways and forget what it’s like to have everyday interactions and be compassionate.” His cellmate, 37-year-old Joseph Walter added, “Prison time can make inmates mean”.

The cat’s unconditional love helps to ignite inmate’s more compassionate and gentler side.

An extensive screening process is required for inmates to participate in the program. Since safety for the animals is the program’s top priority, inmate candidates must not have committed a violent crime against animals or humans, be free of any prison infractions for at least six months and will be remaining in prison for at least a year after receiving a cat.

An outdoor prison enclosure was built to give inmates and cats fresh air and room in which to play.

Below is a video from MSNBC about other cat/inmate programs.

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Corky the Kitten Gets New Legs

After a months-long Facebook campaign that resulted in an outpouring of donations from all over the world, staff members at CATS Cradle Shelter Rescue and Adoption in Fargo, North Dakota were able to arrange a life-saving surgery for Corky the rescue kitten born with leg deformities.

Corky Before Surgery

Our hero Dr. Dan Burchill, basically invented this surgery just for Corky. It took about five hours to correct a rare congenital condition called “Bilateral Arthrogryposis of the Tarsus,” which causes the legs to develop backwards and criss-crossed.

Corky will now go thru weeks of training to use the new legs but is already at a great start… yay!

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Never Lose Hope!

Marie-Claude Cuerrier lost her kitty Suki and searched for ten months all around her neighborhood in Montreal. Just last week she happened to walk into a pet store nearly 120 miles away and there Suki was just sitting in a cage staring up at her!

The cat with big green eyes had been renamed Joy.

“I immediately knew it was her, but I thought, ‘This is unreal. The staff is going to think I’m nuts,’” Cuerrier recalled. “I was already crying.”

Cuerrier had to pay $175 to buy her cat back — but she said it was a nominal fee to pay an organization that kept Suki fed and sheltered all these months.

Suki is now back home with her family of rescue animals: a German Shephard and two other cats.

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Cat Stuck in Tree for Five Days is Rescued!

A cat that was stuck up a tree in Port Moody, B.C., for five days finally has been rescued!

Local man Terry Banks noticed the kitty on Tuesday but he couldn’t get a ladder long enough to help. Thankfully he got together with other concerned neighbors who had heard the cat’s cries and although they were unable to convince the fire department to help, they all pitched in and raised $100 to hire an arborist willing to climb the tree.

The kitty suffered some small paw wounds and lost a little weight but is said to be OK!

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C.A.R.C.A. is The Canadian Avalanche Rescue Cat Association

Heard of them: Their goal is to train and maintain a network of highly efficient avalanche search and rescue cat teams across Canada. They have released a dvd which you can buy HERE. They have been overwhelmed with orders and said this on their page:

“Please note that we are a small organization staffed primarily by cats. While cats have proven very adept at avalanche rescue duties, they have struggled with office work. We have been overwhelmed with the number of people interested in showing their support by purchasing a DVD or T shirt and have been working our cats as hard as possible considering the incredible number of naps that they have negotiated into their contract. As such, please allow 2-4 weeks for your order to arrive while we work to catch up. This will be reduced as our feline staff becomes more efficient or our human staff learns to work at night when they are most active.”

HOW ADORABLE IS THAT!

I gotta check it out… if you’ve seen it tell me what you think!

Thai Cops Punished by Hello Kitty

Police chiefs in the Thai capital Bangkok have a new way of punishing offices who break the rules… a Hello Kitty armband!

The armband is large, bright pink and has a Hello Kitty with two hearts embroidered on it.

Officers who are late, park in the wrong place or commit other minor transgressions will have to wear it for several days.

The armband is designed to bring shame the wearer but I think it’s adorable ;)

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Nymbus the Swimming Cat on Anderson Cooper

Court Overturns Will to Spare Cat’s Life!

A first-of-its kind, unprecedented court case in Illinois has allowed this little guy to stay alive!

Georgia Lee Dvorak died suddenly last Christmas Eve at  the age of 76 and in her will written in 1988 she had included the instruction to euthanize any cats she possessed when she died.

As it turned out, just 18 months ago she had adopted a  black cat named Boots who, despite her 11 years, remains in good health.

“We read the will, we took a look at it, and we were a bit shocked, said Jeff Schmidt, the Director of Personal Trust for the bank. “We’re speculating as to why she would have that in her will. It’s kind of ironic given the ultimate disposition of her estate.”

Georgia had included donations to numerous charities, many of them involving the care of animals in her will. “She had a big heart and was a very intelligent lady,” said neighbor Sandra Buturusis. Boots was a stray cat with a troubled past.  Boots’ prior owners reportedly threw her down stairs and kept her in a locked closet for days at a time with no food, water or litter box. Buturusis speculated that Dvorak would want Boots put down rather than be adopted by another abusive owner. But, she added, she would also have wanted the animal placed in a “suitable home” rather than euthanized.

The bank and attorneys from Spain, Spain & Varnet felt uncomfortable putting down a perfectly healthy cat and this week convinced a Cook County judge to spare Boots’ life.

“Given this woman’s history over the last 20 years, it seems that if we could demonstrate to her that a good home could be found for this animal, that’s probably what she wanted. This document is very old. It’s a 1988 will, and we think we did the right thing, and the judge did the right thing, definitely,” said Schmidt.

Boots continues to get daily care and will soon be taken in by Cats-Are-Purrsons-Too, a no-kill shelter in Chicago.

The Hobbit Official Trailer… CATS!