Moggyblog

Corinth Canal Cats

Ed — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 09:27:28 +0000

http://www.aroundgreece.com/corinth-canal-peloponnese-greece.html

So... we decided to take the trip to Athens from our holiday island Zante (Zakinthos) in Greece. Thought we'd take a look at the Acropolis (you know the one with the famous Parthenon on the top).

After a ferry trip across the Ionian sea to Kylini and a further two hours coach drive (with a blistering heat outside) we stopped off to look at the mighty Corinth canal in Korinthos, with the thermometer reading 38 degrees Centigrade... ouch!

The Gigantic Corinth Canal - nearly 4 miles long, 87 metres high with a water depth of 8 meters

Stepping off our air conditioned coach was like stepping into a pizza oven, so we quickly took our holiday snaps and headed for the snack bar by the canal... and guess what.... out from under the tables came a bunch of street wise moggies. ('cause when the tourists arrive that means food', right guys?)

A ginger tom, anticipating his din dins

...and it was fuss all around until the fish & chips and feta cheese pies were served. During the meal some scraps were duly distributed amongst the pack.

Tucking in to a fish head, mmm..

.. but some of those moggies were having none of it. Too hot or too proud, who knew?

A justly proud creature.

So there they were, the Corinth Canal Cats, all having a fuss and feed in the shade...

... meanwhile from out of nowhere this hot dog turned up. She was so hot in fact that she decided to take a cooling dip in the canal. Needless to say the moggies had no such respite from the heat.. but the food was excellent.

A very sensible dog keeps cool in the canal

... the old dog was still wading away when we pulled on to the E94, Patra to Athens highway and headed on or way ....

Original post blogged on Moggyblog.com.

Margay, wizards of the tree tops

Ed — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 10:30:23 +0000

Cat of the Month ~ August 2010

South American Margays (Leopardus Wiedii) are one of the most beautiful, agile and mysterious of the spotted cats. They are midway in size between the Ocelot and the Oncilla, but the Margay displays longer legs and tail than both these other cat species. Their soft, thick coat is brownish yellow through tan, with black spots and stripes. The belly, chest, throat, chin, and insides of the legs are bright white.

Margay, Agile cats with vocal talents too!

Photograph: Marcio Motta - Under Creative Commons License

They generally have two dark cheek stripes on each side of the face. Their tail is very long and marked with broad rings, and a black tip. The backs of the large, rounded ears are black with a white spot. Their eyes are enormous and dark brown.

As a mainly tree dwelling animal, Margays are restricted to forest habitat, and have been found in humid tropical evergreen and deciduous forests and swampy savannas. Mexico is recorded as the northernmost limit of their distribution, ranging down through Central and South America to northern Argentina. Much of their range is shared with the Ocelot, which prey on larger and more ground dwelling species. Margays have been known to live for over ten years in captivity.

It has been said that Margays are the “wizards of the tree tops”, and are perfectly adapted to their woodland habitat. For example their broad, soft feet and mobile toes allow them to hang from tree limbs by one hind foot, and flexible ankles can rotate the foot 180 degrees outward. They are exceedingly quick, and even during a fall they have been seen to grab hold of a branch with one hind paw and climb up again. Their exceptionally long, heavy tail aids in balancing while moving from tree to tree. In some areas, Margays hunt, sleep, and even have their young in trees. When they do descend the trees, they walk slowly head first down the trunk, unlike most cats that descend hind feet first. Captive cats have been seen jumping nearly six metres straight in the air and nine metres horizontally. [Source - wildcatconservation.org]

The Margay hunts almost exclusively by night (using their huge eyes) and their prey includes small rodents, birds, small monkeys, tree frogs and insects which inhabit the forest canopy. It also eats fruit where live prey is scarce.

Little is known of the Margays status and population density across its range. Until trade restrictions in the late 1980's, the Margay was one of the four most heavily exploited cats for the fur trade. Illegal hunting for domestic markets or the underground fur trade continues to be a problem in some areas. However, (once again) deforestation is now the primary threat to their reduced populations. In the north of its range it is now almost extinct and it is listed in CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) Appendix 1 as an endangered species.

Portrait of a Margay

Photograph: Marcio Motta - Under Creative Commons License

Like many other cats Margays have shown an amazing hunting strategy of mimicking the sound of the prey animals call. Amazon jungle inhabitants (woodsmen and Mestizo Indians) were interviewed in different regions of central Amazonia to learn about the natural history of the Margay (and other) cat species, including their prey capture techniques. In the case described below there is a fascinating account of a Margay Cat stalking a group of Wild Pied Tamarin.

Original post blogged on Moggyblog.com.

I spy

tabatha — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 04:53:27 +0000

I'm gonna get you mouse

I'd been watching the man of the household decorating for the last few hours when I heard a noise on the landing. Thinking it was a mouse I poked my head around the door only to find it was that new catnip in the shape of a green mouse that I'd sorted out yesterday. It was inanimate then, I wonder if it'll spring into life today.

Original post blogged on Moggyblog.com.

What's cookin'

tabatha — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:50:08 +0000

Tabatha and her sisters

We've just had tea, so what's she cooking for us now ? Can't wait

Original post blogged on Moggyblog.com.

Nebelung, creature of the mist

Ed — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:25:35 +0000

http://www.nebelungs.org/

The Nebelung cat (Nay-bel-ung) is a fairly new and rare cat breed, recognizable by its steel grey coat and green wide-set eyes, long well muscled body, long dense fur and a long tail.
Nebelung cats are lively, playful, affectionate, good natured and mild in disposition. They are intelligent cats but the cat's mild-mannered state and personality may not always reveal this intelligence to their owners. In spite of the fact that it is an active cat, it can and does live very well indoors.

Cat of the Month ~ July 2010

Nebelung

Nebelung cats are relatively big animals for domestic pets. The head is wedge shaped, large, and pointed. The blue-grey coat has a dense undercoat of grey as well as being tipped with silver guard hairs, which give it a shimmery quality. Males have a ruff of fur around the neck which resembles a lions mane. The coat on the tail is often longer than the body fur, as is the coat on the hind legs. During the shedding months, the Nebelung cat may require twice weekly brushing to deal with the thick undercoat. So keepers need to be dedicated to this feline.

Nebelung are very reserved and prefer their own family, often keeping at a distance from strangers. They do not like change or loud noises and will take a while to warm to new home with new people, but once they do, they are a devoted and affectionate cat.

Nebelung are active, but do not make (or like) a lot of noise so families with small children should consider a different breed. Families who travel a great deal or have a varying routine should also look elsewhere. The ideal owner of a Nebelung cat is a quiet person, a family with gentle, older children, and senior citizens. They are are very good communicators, and never hesitate to remind their owners of any problem. It is said this happens often, since Nebelungs can be very picky about things such as litter cleanliness and food.

The breed (though similar to the Russian Blue except for the much longer coat length) is recognized by the International Cat Association, and has its own breed standard.
The name Nebelung is apparently a portmanteau of the German word Nebel for 'Mist or Fog' and a medieval Germanic saga, 'Nibelungenlied' or 'The Song of the Nibelungs', which is an epic poem in Middle High German. (The story tells of dragon-slayer Siegfried at the court of the Burgundians). So the 'mist or fog' will almost certainly be the cat's distinctive silky, smoky blue-grey coat - whilst the breed's ancestors, the Cats 'Siegfried' and 'Brunhilde', were named after two major figures in the Nibelungenlied. Hence 'Nebelung'.

Bred in the United States, Canada, Russia and Europe at present the Nebelung is recognized not only by TICA, but also the WCF, LOOF, ACFA and the independent cat associations in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany. It is still rather rare, so if you would like to befriend one, please be prepared to wait for a kitten or cat of this breed.

Origin and History

Miss Cora Cobb of Denver, Colorado, is one of the developers of the Nebelung cat breed in America. The basis of the breed then was created by Siegfried (1984) and Brunhilde (1985). Elsa, the mother of both Siegfried and Brunhilde, was a black short-haired house cat whose father resembled a black angora cat.

Ms Cobb adopted a stray black shorthair named Terri, who had a few female kittens. She gave one of these female kittens to her son, who bred the cat with a blue tinted neighborhood tomcat (showing traits of a Russian Blue).

Siegfried and Brunhilde ~ ancestors of the Nebelung today

Original post blogged on Moggyblog.com.

My lap of luxury?

Norman — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 14:06:22 +0000

Dear fellow cats,

Well that time is upon us again when, in England anyway, the rain feels slightly warmer on your fur: yes summer is here! Birds whoosh past at jaw dropping speed, whilst in the house some dastardly scheming is going on.

Norman's all set for the Summer break

I've noticed my adopted family sitting at the computer for hours looking at pictures of blue seas, sunny skies and all kinds of maps and charts. They're making furtive phone calls too, after shooing me out of the room...well I ask you? So, I'm going to be packed off to the local cattery again for a couple of weeks' incarceration am I?

Well I've decided that this year I am going to handle this awful situation differently: no sulking and skulking, refusing to eat the cattery food and menacing my neighbours with rock hard stares..., no, this year I've decided I'm going to get some PPMA, that's short for Positive Pusscat Mental Attitude , don't you know!

This will begin when, without cracking a smile, I watch the family pack their funny looking selection of multi-coloured clothing that they wouldn't be seen dead in at home into their silly bags that roll along the ground. I will keep my PPMA on the long journey to the cattery, when I shall sing along with the radio instead of howling my disgust and emptying my bowels in despair (not a pleasant smell for any of us in such a small car, and a strategy that has failed to work time and again).

Once settled into my prison, sorry 'lap of luxury' cat kennel, I shall watch the birds in the sky instead of every flipping aeroplane that passes. No more then the dream of my family's return and the questioning why oh why I couldn't go with them. Instead I'll be meditating on the lovely welcome, and fishy treats, I always get when I get home and the emotional blackmail I can wield for a couple of weeks (at least) until we are all back in our daily routines. It's just lovely to feel so positive about it all!

Yes, this year, I am going to enjoy this summer break more than ever and because of this new found resolve I send my regards, best wishes and love to all cats and their owners, wherever you are, for a peaceful, relaxing and happy summer 2010.

Norm

XXX

... and checking his blooms

Original post blogged on Moggyblog.com.

Cat Karims' 3000 kilometer walk

Ed — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:31:10 +0000

The Moscow News reports that 'Karim', the nine year old housecat, crossed three countries and walked 3,000 kilometers (that's about 1865 miles) from Uzbekistan to his new home in Voronezh, Russia.

Another moggy on a journey

The green-eyed adventurer was left with neighbours when his owners moved on because they feared the three-day train ride would be too much for the creature.

Then, eighteen months later Karim turned up in Liski, near Voronezh, at the market where the cats keeper Ravliya Khairova works.

"It was a miracle!" Khairova told the reporter.
"I went to work at the market as usual and a shabby and gaunt cat threw itself at my feet. I could not believe my eyes – it was our Karim, thin, and in very poor condition but it was him. He recognised me and reacted to his name."

"I knew he had disappeared from my neighbours' home a few days after we left which was very sad but we never heard another word about him! He is very happy now and so are we. I've no idea how he found us but I'm very glad he did," she added."

Ravliya 's husband Lev Kondratyev, 46, said, "He looks like he used up all of his nine lives to get to us - but it's definitely him. There are certain marks on his body including a scar on his tail, when it was caught in the door, that show us he is one hundred per cent our Karim - and he obviously recognised us as well," Kondratyev added.

To reach Voronezh, Karim had to leave Uzbekistan and cross the whole of Kazakhstan before reaching Russia. Karim then had a further three hundred kilometer hike across Russia to reach Voronezh.

Karims truly amazing journey

Original post blogged on Moggyblog.com.

Lynx

Ed — Mon, 31 May 2010 19:31:00 +0000

Cat of the Month ~ May 2010

Lynx, Lynx, what paws you have.

Original post blogged on Moggyblog.com.

Chausie

Ed — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 22:38:23 +0000

Cat of the Month ~ April 2010

The Chausie is a hybrid between the African Jungle Cat and a plain domestic shorthair, and it's a big cat (when fuly grown 900 cms long and 500 cms high)! It's a relatively new breed and was only registered officially in 1995. They take their name from the Latin term for the African Jungle Cat, Felis Chaus.

Chausie, Known to leap up to six feet in the air!

Because of their ancestry they are excellent hunters and very active when they wish to be. Despite this they are also very loving and playful. They don't mind being touched or petted, but it's reported that this species don't really like cuddling (I don't think many cats do, do they? Ed).

Chausie are known for being twice the size and weight of an average house cat. Despite their size these cats are not bulky, having an athletic build with a wide chest, small paws, long legs, and a thin but dense bone structure. They will take from two to three years to become a fully grown adult.

There are only three official color patterns for the pedigreed Chausie. The first is just plain black. The second is a brown ticked tabby. Cats with this pattern generally have a pale belly with a light tan body and darker brown stripes. The third color pattern is unique to this species and is called a silvered tip. The cat will have a silvery grey coloring with large black dots all over its body similar to that of a leopard.

Chausie have a long, thick neck that leads to a tall and narrow skull. The jaw should taper sharply down to the snout and the eyes are comparatively low on the face. The entire head should be dominated by extremely tall and straight ears, sometimes tipped like a bobcat. In the cat’s resting position the ears should be angled to face directly forward.

A Chausie kitten

Original post blogged on Moggyblog.com.

Casper

Ed — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:11:40 +0000

Cat of the Month ~ March 2010

Casper, What a fascinating creature he was!

Casper, the 12-year-old black and white cat, who used to ride the bus with commuters regularly, has died.
His death was announced on a notice put up at Casper's bus stop by his owner. We are so sad to hear this news. His owner wrote "Many local people knew Casper, who loved everyone - he also enjoyed the bus journeys....he was a much loved pet who had so much character. Thank you to all those who befriended him."

I'd like to add a heartfelt goodbye to this amazing animal, who'll live on in our hearts

Original post blogged on Moggyblog.com.

Bahrain Dilmun Cat

Ed — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:30:00 +0000

Bahrain is a small island just off the east coast of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf which is connected to the mainland by a causeway. Bahrain (or Mamlakat al-Baḥrayn) literally means "Kingdom of the two Seas". Significantly 92 percent of the 257 sq mile area of the island is a flat desert plain, so 'Dilmun' cats have a tough time of it.

The mottled and striped Bahrain Dilmun have very distinctive markings and vary in colour from dark brown, through ginger, lightening to gold and silver. These Bahraini cats were called the 'Dilmun Cat' it is believed after the local ancient name of the Island. They generally appear as slender, elegant tabbies with beautiful silky coats that are said to the feel like a Persian carpet.

'Dilmun' both hardy & friendly

Photograph courtesy of Adele O'Shea

Dilmun cats have managed to adapt over the centuries to accommodate the harsh climatic conditions of Bahrain such as the extreme summer temperatures (max 35 °C /95 °F ) and high humidity in the evening. Also rainfall in Bahrain is minimal and irregular. Presumably they have developed large ears and a short fur allowing them to transpire and dissipate heat from their bodies more easily. It is perhaps not surprising that Dilmuns are generally fond of water (like the Bengal Cat) no doubt due to the cooling effect of drinking and being near water in the extreme heat. Also they are inclined to sleep during the daylight hours and to appear from their shelters revived and lively in the evening [no change there then from the U.K. domestic cats I've seen, Ed]. Of course in the cooler months they do often become more active during the day.

Generally Dilmuns cats are looked upon with disdain in their home land, which is likely due to their opportunistic nature in that they frequent areas of human habitation, where there is a sufficient supply of food (scraps and rodents) and enough shelter. This is unfortunate as the cats of Bahrain are particularly endearing creatures because of their friendly and likable personalities.
Dilmuns are adaptable creatures, able to breed and feed in amongst the roughly built sheltered housing areas of the island. However today with modern commercial development taking place these usual habitats are slowly disappearing due to demolition of old style building and replacement with modern concrete architecture.

Lets hope the Dilmun can survive these changes to their environment.

Original post blogged on Moggyblog.com.

The Norwegian Forest Cat

Ed — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:35:48 +0000

Cat of the Month ~ February 2010

Norwegian Forest Cat

Norwegian Forest Cats (Skogkatt) are well known for their bright emerald green eyes, long fluffy coats and adoring nature....but where the cats originate from and how they developed their long wild coats is still a mystery? However there are many myths and folk tales that explore the development of this unique cat breed. The most likely story is that Forest Cats descended from domestic cats and arrived in Norway from Europe with the Romans. Further back in time it is also thought they traveled with the Vikings to help rid the longboats of rodents.

It's likely their long coats developed over the centuries to withstand the cold nights and harsh weather conditions in Norway where they evolved into cats with great survival instincts with water-resistant fur.

For more details try -- http://www.norsvana.co.uk. One of many sites which give more details of this beautiful breed.

Original post blogged on Moggyblog.com.