Catymology

News from the Wildcat Sanctuary:

"The cats have had a wonderful time playng with their snowmen. Each cat finds a fun treat inside from food to Lawry's season salt. Diablo Guapo nicely licked is snowman until his weight tipped it over. Tractor (in photograph) hugged his snow man and rubbed all over the face that was painted in vegetable paint. Baby Jenga took apart his and played with each individual snow ball until he fell asleep in the snow. This winter has been cold for the keepers but the animals are staying warm in their heated dens and buildings and having a lot of fun playing with their snow creations."


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The Wildcat Sanctuary in Sandstone, Minnesota, is dedicated to saving the lives of abandoned and abused cats.

Labels: wildcats

Tuesday is Aloysius' day to simply be a cat--something he's quite adept at--so I am filling in with some guest cat photos contributed by my niece, Lee.

Why are these cats lucky? Cosmo and Vegas live in a tack shop called The Tacky Horse in Beavercreek Ohio. Cosmo, the long haired one, looks like he gets more than his share of tasty rodents.



Unfortunately, Cosmo and Vegas don't appear on the Tacky Horse website. That's clearly an oversight on the part of the management.

Labels: guest cats

We knew it was good to be catted, but now there's scientific proof. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports today on yet another reason why cats are much better than dogs.

A new study suggests cat owners are less likely to die of a heart attack or stroke than people who, well, don't own cats.

And no, dogs don't do the same trick.

The study, by researchers at the University of Minnesota, found that feline-less people were 30 to 40 percent likelier to die of cardiovascular disease than those with cats.

Yet dog owners had the same rate as non-owners. "No protective effect of dogs as domestic pets was observed," said the study, which was presented Thursday at the International Stroke Conference in New Orleans.

Dr. Adnan Qureshi, a stroke expert at the university, said he decided to raise the question because other studies have suggested pets can help reduce stress. He and his team analyzed a group of 4,435 people who had answered questionnaires about pet ownership and other risk factors.

But the cat-dog differential came as a surprise. "We don't understand this completely," he said, but "it's probably not a coincidence."

Asked if he owns a cat, Qureshi replied: "No. Maybe I should get one, though. With this new research, I think the time has come to change."

I'm heading off now to do some more research. For more furry goodness, check out Modulator's Friday Ark.

Happy Valentine's Day to all cats and catted ones!

I hope you all get to indulge in your favorite things today. Here are some of mine:

First, sitting in the sun. The sunshine, the red upholstery and the plants make me think that I am in a tropical jungle.



Next, taking a long, leisurely bath!


Followed, of course, by an afternoon nap.


And finally, admiring the flowers.



Don't forget to visit the Friday Ark tomorrow, and the Carnival of the Cats, at Mind of Mog this Sunday.