I hope you are doing well? I just wanted to say Hi again, as I have recently had my portrait done and it’s a beauty of a painting (even if I do say so myself). As you know I have been keeping my human company for over ten years now and I am so well loved and no trouble at all. My first post here was on 10th July 2011….how time flies when youre having fun, eh!
A new photograph of me
Anyway, I’ll cut to the chase and tell you that my portrait is below … you know I always like to sit like that: with one paw out; the other tucked under. It keeps one cool and one warm, just how I like it.
A beautiful cat from here in the UK called Flossie is officially, at 27 years of age, the Guinness World Records oldest living cat.
Peacefully sleeping
Even though she is now deaf and has lost some of her sight, Flossie is still very healthy overall.
Flossie has lived in many homes and was handed to Cats Protection in August when her owner felt that he was unable to give her the care and attention she needed. He made the difficult decision and sought help in the cat’s best interests.
Luckily through Cat’s Protection, Flossie was able to meet Vicki Green who had experience of older cats. Vicki, says that Flossie is still playful and curious and, despite being partially blind, can quickly adapt to change!
Of course, like most cats, she loves napping and eating well. “She never turns her nose up at the chance of a good meal,” Vicki says.
… stepping out by her award
It seems like Flossie has landed on her paws and we are sure that the love is well reciprocated. We wish them both all the best. It is heart-warming to hear the full story below.
We were so sad to hear of the passing of dear Paul O’Grady that we wanted to include a tribute to this great man on our humble site.
This is just a short story about Paul and about the time he ventured into ‘the dark side’ or so said Battesea Dogs home … but we here like to think he ‘saw the light’ :-). So cover your ears Mrs Mog we may mention dogs . What is for certain is that Paul loved all animals and kept many kinds at home including five dogs, pigs, sheep, chickens, goats, alpacas and even owls.
Paul O’Grady made viewers of For the Love of Dogs jump back in their seats when he ventured into Battersea’s Cattery (for the first time) and fell in love with a pair of orphaned kittens.
Sadly, at the time, as the kittens began to find their feet and as Thomas thrived, it became clear that Toby was struggling more than his brother as he was unsteady on his feet and his head wobbled uncontrollably. Expert vets said this kittten’s rare condition (passed on from his mother) would hopefully heal completely, but it would take time.
Paul took to these tiny creatures and, as he did with many of the dogs he encountered on his travels, wanted to take them home with him.
Paul, With some of his more usual ‘pals’ at Battersea.
Born to a working-class Irish migrant family in Tranmere, Cheshire, Paul James O’Grady MBE DL moved to London in the late 1970s, initially working as a care officer for Camden Council. He developed his drag act in 1978, basing his comic character of Lily Savage on the antics and personalities of his female relatives.
Touring England as part of drag mime duo ‘The Playgirls’, O’Grady then went solo as a stand-up comedian in the early 1980s. Paul went on to present a string of highly successful programmes across the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, including The Big Breakfast (1995–1996), Blankety Blank (1997–2002), and Lily Live! (2000–2001). After winning several awards more work followed, For the Love of Dogs (2012–2023), Paul O’Grady’s Animal Orphans (2014–2016), Blind Date (2017–2019), and Paul O’Grady’s Great British Escape (2020). He also published several books, including a four-volume memoir.
He was given a special recognition award at the 2018 National Television Awards for the impact the ‘For The Love Of Dogs’ series had on helping find homes for rescue animals nationwide.
His contribution to animal welfare was also recognised with an RSPCA animal hero award.
We remember Paul as host of his own Radio 2 show (Paul O’Grady on the Wireless) on every Sunday for many years. He was the most friendly and down to earth presenter in all of his shows, and always had an amusing story to share with us listeners. We just loved him.
Paul, your kindness and care for animals was inspirational to us all.
Well now, the England Football squad are currently in Qatar and training in the Heat of Doha, but some of their news has been hijacked by Dave the cat. Dave, who has been so named by John Stones, seems to have caught the hearts of Stones and Walker (no surprise there, that’s cats for ya).
Dave – The world Cup Cat for the England Football Cat
Every year on August the 8th International Cat Day is celebrated. These beloved and household and backyard companions are one of our most common and ancient pets. They provide us with so many benefits to our health and wellbeing that its only right we should pay them back in some small way.
Equally, the wild cats (whether a big cat like a Lion or Cheetah, or a small delicate Kodkod Cat) are important as an integral part of the natural world and its ‘balance of nature’. We surely need em!
The ‘holiday’ (hey, maybe it should be one!) was conceived and created by the animal rights organization ‘The International Fund for Animal Welfare‘ in 2002, in the hope that cat owners and fans wouldwide would begin to honour their fabulous furry friends. It is a day for us to raise awareness for cats (big and small, wild and domestic) and learn about ways to help and protect them.
In 2020 custodianship of International Cat Day passed to International Cat Care, a not-for-profit British organization that has been striving to improve the health and welfare of domestic cats worldwide since 1958.
As custodians, iCatCare has announced the theme for this year is ‘Cat friendly resources’. They teamed up with world-renowned animal artist and illustrator Lili Chin to design educational materials to help us humans make sure we’re providing cats with the essential resources they need to stay physically and mentally healthy in a cat friendly way.
Lili created some new feline faces to the initiative. The ambassador cats Domino and McTatters.
Domino & McTatters
Domino represents pet cats that live in a more traditional home environment whilst McTatters represents the unowned cats that will vary in the way they live and interact with humans (if choosing to at all). You can grab your resources on the icatcare.org website
Peace and Love to all Cats (and Humans) everywhere!
The International Tiger Day is observed every year on July 29 across the world in order to raise awareness for tiger conservation.
Founded in 2010, at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia after it was registered that 97 percent of tigers had disappeared, the day promotes a global system for protecting the natural habitats of tigers. The International Tiger Day is observed by several international organizations including – the World Wide Fund for Nature, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and the Smithsonian Institution.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, India is home to over half of the world’s wild tigers – 2,226. It reported that while Malaysia’s tigers are critically endangered with as few as 250 remaining, Indonesia’s wild tigers are now found solely on the island of Sumatra. The organization has also called for urgent action to protect the tigers.
Cat of the Month ~ July 2022
White Tiger
Photograph Source: a-panache.com
Globally, the day is celebrated by holding conferences, seminars, and discussions on saving the tigers.
Meanwhile, according to the National Tiger Conservation Authority, there were 1,059 tiger deaths in India since 2012 with Madhya Pradesh recording the highest number of deaths.
Congress on its official Twitter handle on Friday has urged people to come together and “enhance efforts for conservation of the endangered species.”
Article Source: extract written by Manjiri Sachin Chitre of the Hindustani Times Newspaper.
Did you know that this year is ‘The Chinese year of the Water Tiger’ and that it began on February 1st and will last until January 21st of 2023 when the Year of the Black Rabbit will begin. ‘Tiger’ is the third of the twelve Chinese zodiac signs, and its corresponding European Horoscope Zodiac sign is Aquarius.