Sunday 18th April 2004 Many cats around the Boston area have extra toes on their front paws. Cats with extra toes are known as Polydactyls (sounds like one of those flying prehistoric creatures) This abnormality is not confined to the Boston area, in fact cats with extra toes can be found in the UK (fairly common in southwest England). In Norway, polydactyl cats are often called ship's cats because their extra toes were thought to give them better balance on ships during a storm. In Malaysia six finger cats are considered to be lucky. Polydactyl cats are also known as thumb cats, mitten cats, boxers or boxing cats and Hemingway cats because Ernest Hemingway owned a extra toed un-neutered Tom cat given to him by a ships captain. The cat bred with the local cat population and soon "Hemingway cats" were common in the area. It is a tradition that polydactyl cats are given a name starting with 'P'. Saturday 17th April 2004 Spent some time today in taking my email address off of the best-cat-artAbout page. Not because I don't want people to contact me with questions about the site, or about cats, but to stop those nasty spambots that crawl the Internet harvesting email addresses. That is not the only way that the spammers collect addresses, but an email address on a website is like a sitting duck. I guess most everybody with an Internet account suffers from spam, it really is becoming way out of control. Laws have been passed in most responsible countries in an effort to control the menace, the trouble is most of the low lifes that send out this stuff don't live in responsible countries! So, instead of an email address there is now a form that will get your message to me, if you want a reply don't forget to include your email address. I hope the form does not deter folks from contacting me, but I had to do something.____________ Today my son, daughter in law and my little granddaughter flew of to Florida for a well deserved holiday. I've promised to call round to their place each day and feed Bonkers their cat. They left for the airport in the early hours, so I figured that I would need to get around there this afternoon to attend to a hungry cat. Wrong, they'd left her a bowl of dry cat food which she wasn't that interested in anyway, I replenished her water bowl. It was nice having a stroke of the little kitty, she is a very affectionate cat despite her occasional tendency to suddenly become aggressive. Thursday 15th April 2004 Great! Some feedback has been given as to whether I should write those pages (on harmful plants, and cartoon cats), thanks very much to those of you that responded, to date the view is that you would like to see the pages. Thanks also to the person that suggested I do a piece on chemicals that could cause our cats harm such as pesticides, weed killers and other stuff that we commonly use around the garden and home. _______________________ Apparently the life expectancy of cats has increased from 8 to 16 years since 1930. That's all I've been able to find out so far, so I'm wondering what this statement actually means, is this the figures for cats kept as pets or does it include feral cats? Or perhaps it only relates to indoor only cats. I'll keep searching the web and see what I can come up with. Wednesday 14th April 2004 I didn't post anything to the blog yesterday, I don't suppose that you lost any sleep over that :0) Instead I put a new page on the site Cat Scratching Some of the information on this page is from Cat Behavior but I've added to it a little, whether it is an improvement or not is a different matter take a peek see what you think. I've had no feedback at all as to whether I should write a page about plants that are harmful for your cat, or a page about all the famous cartoon cats. OK, so you don't want me to know what you think :0) I might just go ahead and write them anyway, but here's the link to the feedback form once again Visitor Feedback Survey just in case you want to say Yay or Nay. Monday 12th April 2004 Had to stop as I was passing someone's front garden today. What caught my eye was a brown tabby, a very special cat. Why special? Because the little fellow had only three legs, he reminded me of my Basil, how I miss that cat. You can read about Basil here Basil the Brave I'm convinced that cats with missing legs don't know that they are minus a limb, Basil certainly didn't. I've read so many stories and heard so many accounts of three legged cats who are every bit as much a cat as four legged ones, they just keep on being cats, doing cat things, living the life of... a cat. _________________ Stroking your cat can be good for your health! It has long been known that pet ownership is good for you, we all need someone or something to love, it is also believed that stroking a pet, such as a cat, reduces stress levels. A study was made of a group of people before and after they acquired a pet, the majority reported that their health had gotten better in as little as three to nine months. The people who owned dogs reported the greatest health benefits, because of the exercise involved in walking the dog, but the cat owners too said that they felt a lot better even though they were not so active. Many senior citizens homes have "residential" cats, and staff report these pets as being of great benefit to the residents, helping them feel more comfortable and to remind them of normal home life. So, if you want to feel better, go stroke your cat. Sunday 11th April 2004 I've just finished putting up a new page Black and White Cat Pictures. If you love those jaunty tuxedo cats take a look. _________________ If you feed your cat at a regular time each day you will have noticed how good a cat's sense of time is, kitty will turn up virtually to the minute. Cats that are kept permanently in the dark (why would anyone want to do that?) lose the ability to sense "time". Morning light is apparently important for setting cat's biological clocks. Saturday 10th April 2004 Well wouldn't you know it, the weather didn't hold! Never mind it has been a great day anyway, I always enjoy my time with my grandchildren. It's amazing how quickly kids grow, they don't stay babies for long. My son reminded me that I have promised to feed his wife's cat when they go on holiday shortly. I enjoy that chore, they don't live that far off and it's no trouble to call in on my way home from work. The cat is a gorgeous green eyed black moggie that answers to the name "Bonkers", you can read a little about Bonkers at this page Solving basic cat behavior problems. ______________ Ever wonder why your cat appears to sneer when it smells something strong? Some cats even do this when sniffing catnip. This "sneer" happens when the cat uses its Jacobson's organ (also called Vomeronasal Organ) to analyzes smells. The Jacobson's organ is a pair of tiny pits in the roof of the mouth, most highly developed in snakes but many mammals have them. Friday 9th April 2004 Happy Easter to you. Added a search box to the Home page. It seems to be working nicely, I hope people find it useful. Enter any cat related term in the box, for example "cat declawing" and it will return all pages on this site that mention "cat declawing", presumably including this blog as I've just mentioned the term twice.______ Been a great day today. Reason one, as it's a public holiday - no work. Isn't it terrific to get out of bed just when you feel like doing so, not when the radio alarm dictates. Reason Two, it's been a real spring day here in the UK, at least it has in my little bit of it, a gorgeous blue sky with that big round yellow thing hanging in it. Days like today make you feel glad to be alive. Hope the weather holds for tomorrow 'cause I'm seeing my grand children to give them their Easter eggs, looking forwards to that. I should really write something about cats, but no, I'll save that for tomorrow's blog entry. Thursday 8th April 2004 There are many stories of cats finding there way back to their old homes when their owners have moved, sometimes over great distances. Also, there are tales of cats that have, for some reason or other, been left behind and managed to navigate miles to track down their new home. One such story is of a New York vet's cat that somehow found its way clear across the USA to California. The owner could not bring himself to believe it could possibly be his cat, until he checked and found an identical bone injury to his old cat. Incredible! Wednesday 7th April 2004 A kitten just four months old watched intently as a party of mountaineers, led by Edmund Biner, began the long climb up the Matterhorn in the summer of 1950. The climbers were amazed to find that the dauntless little kitty was still with them when they reached a shelter sited at 12,556 feet. Having rested the party set forth for the top, and so did the kitten refusing to stay put. Several times the climbing kitten nearly fell making the assent, but she made it to the summit with the climbers, a staggering 14,691 feet. Needless to say, her heroic effort earned her a place in the record books. ___________ Amazing! Just yesterday I reminded you about the special promotion at Art.com Art.com - Prints & Posters! if you use the coupon code C273899679428 Well what do you know... Now here's an offer from AllPosters.com Don't they say that competition is good for the consumer, I guess it must be... Have a look at both, see what you think, just don't mix up the coupon codes :0) Tuesday 6th April 2004 Napoleon Bonaparte, Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Adolph Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan, all hated cats. Why? Well these jokers all liked to be obeyed. Have you ever known a cat to obey! ___________Don't forget you only have until 30th April 2004 to take advantage of the discount offer at Art.com. "That's days away" I hear you say. Yes, but you know how it is with these things, you think that you have plenty of time to act, and then...before you know it, times gone, offers over, you've missed it! Here's the link Art.com - Prints & Posters! Don't forget to use the coupon code C273899679428 Monday 5th April 2004 Reading an article about the Vikings using cat pelts for clothing. A pit was discovered in Denmark dating from 1070AD containing the remains of sixty eight cats. The remains had cut marks which strongly suggested skinning, and it is thought that the cats were purposely bred in captivity to provide fur. I would have thought that there would have been plenty of wild animals around at that time that could have furnished the Vikings with suitable fur, rather than use the poor little domestic cat._______________ Sunday 4th April 2004 New page up today. How well do you know domestic cats? Do you enjoy testing your knowledge about felines? Then enjoy taking the Cat Quiz 20 cat questions just for fun, the answers to be found on the pages of Best Cat Art.com. ______________ Just reading an interesting piece about why cats 'play' with their prey. Apparently they are not playing at all but ensuring that the prey is sufficiently stunned before they go for the kill. Why does the prey need to be stunned? Because cats, like humans, cannot see the area around their mouth and an un-stunned victim (even a mouse) could deliver a nasty bite. The cat kills with a bite to the back of the neck, and conscious prey is apt to turn and sink its teeth in before the cat is able to do so, prey that succeeds in doing that is liable to escape. A large rat will turn and ferociously fight its feline attacker, so the cat will use its claws to thoroughly subdue the rodent before risking placing its face near to make the kill. When we see the same technique used on a little bitty mouse we can be forgiven for thinking that the cat is playing with its victim. Saturday 3rd April 2004 It's spring (Hooray!), but what does spring mean for your cat? It means that lots of plants springing up in your garden that could be a danger for your feline friend. Cats love to nibble at flora, vegetation and grasses etc. Do you know which plants are potentially harmful to your pet? Garden favorites such as Lilly, Crocus, Mistletoe, and Privet etc. are not the best for your cat to be around, it is worth a check on the plants in your garden and eliminating any that prove toxic. I'm thinking of writing a page about plants that are harmful for your cat, I shall have to research and study up to make sure the information that I give is good. Should I write the page? Use the Visitor Feedback Survey to let me know what you think... please. Friday 2nd April 2004 At last the warmer weather is here, doesn't mean that it is going to stay, of course, but it is so nice to have at the least a few days when the sun actually breaks out from the clouds for a few hours. _________________ Here's a good discount offer from Art.com. From now until 30th April 2004 you get $15 off any order over $75 when you use coupon code C273899679428 at the shopping cart. Art.com have a fabulous collection of posters and art prints, including their new collection of hand colored prints, each print is painted by hand on heavy cotton archival paper. Naturally, Art.com offer a large range of fine Cat and Kitten posters and prints. Here's the link Art.com - Prints & Posters! Don't forget to use the coupon code C273899679428 Wednesday 31st March 2004 I've been thinking about doing a page about all the cartoon cats. The first one that I remember knowing and loving was Korky from the 'Dandy' comic book, probably only known to folks in the UK. Then there was Felix, Sylvester, Mr. Jinks, and not forgetting Top cat (known as Boss cat in the UK because there was a brand of cat food on the market called Top Cat). Would such a page be suitable for this site? Well, I suppose animated cartoons and comic books are considered art, and it would be about cats, so yes I think the fit would be good. Monday 29th March 2004 My son's birthday today, I will be celebrating the occasion with him and my other son tomorrow, so there's not likely to be a blog entry, I hope you can live with that :0)__________ Do you know what I would like? I'd like to know what it is that YOU would like to see on this site, I'd love to know what sort of articles you would like me to add. Would you like more about cat health? Which breeds would you like me to feature? More pages about kittens or articles about understanding your cat? (is that truly possible?) But... ...just as, if not more than, important is there anything about Best-cat-art.com that you don't like? anything that you think I should change? There is a short form Visitor Feedback Survey that has been on the site for some time so that folks can let me know their opinions, but it hasn't been used often, which is a shame. Maybe I made a mistake in calling it a survey, that name could imply something that takes hours to complete, it doesn't, it's really just a short form and it doesn't ask for your email address:0) Here's where to find it again Visitor Feedback Survey I really would like to know your views about this site, so that I can tailor Best-cat-art.com to suit YOU. Sunday 28th March 2004 Official start of summertime today, the clocks went forward an hour to give more daylight in the evenings. Well, it's 6pm and it's still light outside but isn't summertime meant to be warmer? And putting the clocks forward 1 hour will mean that it will still be dark for the journey to work tomorrow, just as I was getting used to traveling in the light. Why do we mess about with time like that? Cats, of course, are not so silly, if it's dark they mostly sleep, and if it's daylight they... mostly sleep actually.___________ Apparently the memory recall of a cat lasts up to sixteen hours compared to a dog which has a recall of only five minutes. Cats can remember problem solving tactics and use their intelligence and curiosity, to think their way through situations until they get the result that they want. And if that doesn't work they can always fall back on using cuteness. Saturday 27th March 2004 No blog entry yesterday (Friday). I had a call from some old friends, come out and hit the town they said. Well, why not? It had been ages since I'd caught up with them, and ages since I'd seen the inside of a pub. I don't know if it's because I'm getting older, or what, but I only had two or three drinks, well maybe three or four, but when I finally got up this morning, my head felt as if I'd spent the night hitting it with a lump of wood! ________________ A new page has been added about American Shorthair Cats. A hardy and healthy breed of cat that is very suitable for busy homes especially if there are children in the family as it has a very calm, affable nature and does not lose it's temper easily. Thursday 25th March 2004 Stumbled upon this fascinating fact while surfing the 'net today. Sir Isaac Newton, yes the Sir Isaac Newton that discovered gravity and formulated the laws of motion, invented the cat door! (cat flap) You can picture the scene. " Don't bother me now cat, I've had a hell of a day, blasted apple fell on my head" "Oh very well then, I'll open the door and let you outside, perhaps then I'll get some peace!" "Now, where was I? did my head attract the apple? or did the apple... What scratching at the door to come in again? what a nuisance, I'm trying to think!" "There now you are in, stay in. Now the force of the earth's motion... Oh no! Why can't you let yourself in and out?" "What you need is a small door with a hinge just big enough for you to get through... I suppose I'll have to invent one for you. Gravity will just have to wait on the cat!" Wednesday 24th March 2004 It is estimated that about 37% of homes in the USA have at least one cat. I don't know the figure for the UK but I would guess it's about the same. I'm looking forward to the warmer spring weather and the walk home from work with all the cats sunning themselves on windowsills, on garden walls and just about anyplace they can catch the sun. Also I wouldn't mind catching the sun myself. _______________ Found a news report about a one eyed cat that was missing from his home for 5 years being reunited with his owners. The cat named One Eyed Jack (what else?) had been sleeping in an air vent at a collage of further education, 3 miles from his home, for 17 months before being caught. He was taken to a nearby cats home who put an advert in the local newspaper. Jacks' owners responded in the very slim chance that the one eyed cat was their missing pet, and were naturally highly delighted that he was. Now 5 years is 60 months, 17 from 60 is 43, the news report makes no speculation as to where jack was in all that time. Tuesday 23rd March 2004 Read today that cats respond better to women than they do to men, because women's voices are higher pitched than men's. Thinking back, many of the cats that I've known responded better to females I've known than to me. Also, sadly many of the females I've known responded better to cats than to me :0(__________________ Do you enjoy chocolate? Many cat owners do, and it is sometimes tempting to offer kitty a nibble, but did you know that chocolate that has been made for human consumption can be very bad for your cat? You can read more here Cats and Chocolate> Monday 22nd March 2004 Added a new page today Fat Cat Pictures These pictures of tubby felines are very popular with a growing number of people, they are fun and rather jolly I suppose, and we all need cheering now and then._______________ From my bedroom window earlier today I spied a calico cat out on the hunt. It was in the garden about five houses along. Crouching low, it stalked its prey, I couldn't see what the prey was, probably a small rodent. Moving in slowly, until she was close enough to make her pounce, she leaped at her mark. I assume she was successful. Nature is cruel, but animals kill for food or protection. Humans are animals too, but sometimes it is easy to believe we are the cruelest of animals. We kill for too many reasons. Sunday 21st March 2004 Very first entry in the blog. Just added an article about Nervous Cats What do you do when your cat is timid and won't let you pet it, can nervous cats become confident cats? ______________________ I've been reading a news report about a brave lady who was walking her dog in the local park when she spotted three youths throwing stones at a cat they had tied to a tree. She chased them off by charging at them swinging her dog's leash. Fortunately, after being checked by a vet, the cat was declared to have no serious injuries. The cat's owners were tracked down, turned out the cat is 15 years old and is named Elvis. The youths have not yet been caught. If they ever are no doubt these mindless sadists will be given some limp wristed feeble punishment by the courts. Know how I'd punish them? Yep, that's right, tie them to a tree and throw stones at them. | 
