WebProNews

Tag: cats

  • Cat Poop Could Become Public Health Problem, Researchers Warn

    A review in the journal Trends in Parasitology this week warns that cat poop could be an under-appreciated public health problem. E. Fuller Torrey of The Stanley Medical Research Institute and Robert Yolken of the Johns Hopkins University Medical Center warn that 1.2 million metric tons of cat feces is put into the U.S. environment each year, and that some of this poop is home to a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii.

    “The accumulation of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts, found in cat feces, may be a much bigger problem than we realize because of their apparent long life and their association with some diseases,” said Torrey, the director of the Stanley Medical Research Institute.

    Toxoplasma gondii has been linked in studies to schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, rheumatoid arthritis, and brain cancer. Surveys have estimated that as many as three to 400 Toxoplasma gondii oocysts may exist per square foot in places where cats often poop.

    The parasite is typically spread to cats from eating birds or rodents, and then spread into the soil from there. The owners of indoor cats have little to fear, but Torrey provides some recommendations for those whose cats enjoy outdoor privileges. He recommends being careful with litter boxes and wearing gloves when gardening. The authors of the review also speculate that young children may be at the greatest risk for infection, though the certainty of this is unknown. Also, Torrey states that the dangers of Toxoplasma gondii are not grave enough for every cat owner to run out and get tested, though “perhaps” pregnant women should.

  • Cats Pretending To Be Dogs Are Kind Of Adorable

    The Internet loves cats. The Internet loves dogs. Would the Internet love a cat pretending to be a dog? Well, I certainly think they should.

    An ad from O2, a mobile carrier in the UK, has created a new ad simply titled, “Be More Dog.” It has cats, dogs, cats pretending to be dogs and Queen’s Flash. I’m not one to usually praise advertising, but O2 has melted my cynical heart and won me over with its adorable canine cat.

    If you want more adorable animals doing adorable things in advertisements, check out Beneful’s latest “Dog Goldberg” machine ad. It’s almost as adorable as the above cat – almost.

    [h/t: Reddit via Caelestic]

  • Meow Men, Or, When Mad Men Gets a Feline Makeover

    There’s really nothing bad about this. I mean, just watch it. It’s the opening credits from AMC’s Mad Men, but with cats. And the iconic Mad Men theme song has been replaced by “meows” – which is cat speak!

    Cats. Mad Men. Meowing. Meow Men. Purrrrfect.

    [PerdsTonTempesca via UPROXX]

  • “Poodle Cat” Declared A New Breed

    “Poodle Cat” Declared A New Breed

    The so-called “poodle-cat” has now been declared its own breed after spawning nine generations of felines.

    The Selkirk Rex breed first began in 1987 after a rare genetic mutation caused a cat in Montana to be born with a thick, curly coat. That cat–named Miss DePesto after the curly-haired receptionist on the show “Moonlighting”–was affected by a gene mutation that didn’t occur in the other cats in her litter, so every Selkirk Rex cat born today can be traced back to her.

    The gene is dominant, which means the thick fur will be passed down even if the cats cross-breed. A new study by scientists in Vienna has been released this week, ramping up interest in the “poodle cat”.

    The Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics’ Department for Biomedical Sciences at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna in Vienna, Austria released their findings, saying:

    “Rexoid, curly hair mutations have been selected to develop new domestic cat breeds. The Selkirk Rex [or poodle cat] is the most recently established curly-coated cat breed originating from a spontaneous mutation that was discovered in the United States in 1987. Unlike the earlier and well-established Cornish and Devon Rex breeds with curly-coat mutations, the Selkirk Rex mutation is suggested as autosomal dominant and has a different curl phenotype.”

  • This Robot Cat Has Dreams Of Becoming A Cheetah

    What’s up with researchers making robots that mimic terrifying animals? MIT has already doomed us all with its cheetah bot, and now researchers in Switzerland want to finish the job with a small robot cat that will worm its way into our hearts before tearing it out.

    École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, or EPFL for short, is developing what is calls a “cheetah-cub robot.” The team may call it a cheetah-cub, but the robot’s design and movement is actually based on a regular house cat. The cheetah comparison comes in when it runs – it can run seven times its own body length in a second.

    So, what possible use could this catbot have? EPFL explains:

    “It’s still in the experimental stages, but the long-term goal of the cheetah-cub robot is to be able to develop fast, agile, ground-hugging machines for use in exploration, for example for search and rescue in natural disaster situations. Studying and using the principles of the animal kingdom to develop new solutions for use in robots is the essence of our research.”

    There’s no word yet on whether the catbot always lands on its feet when dropped. If it does, we’re probably screwed when the inevitable catbot uprising occurs.

    [h/t: Engadget]

  • Cat Boarding Is So Simple It Works, Because…Cats

    A simple formula is all that’s required to rule the internet these days. Cats + Something Adorable = Internet domination. As is proven by a video meme which has a halfway decent chance at blowing up. If nothing else, people will be viewing this video of cat boarding for the next few days. And having an “ahhh” or chuckle in the process.

    Enjoy.

  • What If Your Friends Had Pet Personalities? [VIDEO]

    Spoiler alert: If your friends acted like your pets, the one that acted like a dog would be loving, affectionate, well-meaning, but ultimately annoying. And the one that acted like a cat, well, he’d be a jerk. Because cats are jerks. Sorry, internet. It’s true. Cute little jerks.

    Check out the follow up to 2012’s cat-friend vs dog-friend below:

    [via fatawesomefilms]

  • Hey, Internet! Look! The Science of Cats!

    Hey, Internet! Look! The Science of Cats!

    As if the internet deserved this monumental gifts, acclaimed science illustrators AsapSCIENCE have heard your requests and have just released a video of need-to-know cat facts. Yep, everything from catnip to landing on their feet to invitations to smell their asses. It’s all here.

    [AsapSCIENCE, Image via Moyan_Brenn, Flickr]

  • Explore Twitter in LOLCAT, If That’s Your Thing

    TWITTR HAS JUS ADDD NEW LANGUAGE, AN IZ TEH LANGUAGE OV TEH LOLCATS.

    LOOK:

    HEERS WUT IT LOOKZ LIEK IN DA SETTINGS:

    [If none of this made sense, Twitter has added lolcat as a new language. It’s available in your language settings. That’s all]

  • Jon Stewart Thinks the Internet Should’ve Picked the Robot in that Monopoly Vote

    Monopoly recently gave the internet (more specifically people on Facebook) the opportunity to kick out one of the old, stale pieces and replace it with a cool, hip new piece. Monopoly made one of the new options a cat. The internet loves cats. The internet picked the cat. Monopoly now has a cat piece. End of the most predictable story in history.

    Jon Stewart laments the internet’s love for cats – a love that clearly clouded the judgement of otherwise sane people (I guess).

    “It’s gotta be the f*cking robot. Are you kidding me?” said Stewart.

    It wasn’t. Damn you, cats.

  • Sad News, Internet: Stewie, the World’s Longest Cat, Has Died

    The internet mourns the passing of Mymains Stewart Gilligan (Stewie) the cat, longcat of all longcats. The Guinness World Record holder for longest cat alive has just died at the age of 8.

    The cat, who was a staggering 48.5 inches when fully stretched, passed on Tuesday after a battle with cancer.

    “Stewie was always very social and loved meeting new people. He has touched many lives, and for that I am grateful,” said Stewie’s human, Robin Hendrickson.

    RIP Stewie.

    [Guinness World Records via The Daily What]

  • Catmoji, a Pinterest for Cat Lovers, Launches in Beta

    Is your Pinterest feed sorely lacking in cat pics? Too many recipes, perhaps? Is your Facebook news feed heavily populated by babies, but no cute felines to match? Is reddit simply not enough cat-oriented for your tastes?

    If any or all of this applies to you, you’re in luck. A new site has launched in beta as “a place for cat lovers to share and discover cat pictures and videos by expressing themselves through emoji.”

    It’s called Catmoji, and it’s the work of “a geeky programmer and a funky designer.” According to the site, Catmoji was first part of Start-Up Chile, and is now based in Penang, Malaysia.

    Catmoji is no frills, cat loving at its most basic. The site, which has an admittedly Pinterest-like quality, allows users to post cat photos and videos and receive feedback in the form of comments, “reaction,” and yes, emoji.

    “Discover interesting pictures and videos other users are sharing based on their expressions. Make sure you ever miss out on the next big thing,” says Catmoji.

    Users can browse all the best cat media by most-popular, latest, and by categories like “cute,” “funny,” and “sad.”

    Members of the Catmoji community can also earn badges for their felines and are given cool cat avatars (Catvatars) for use around the site.

    “Catmoji is on a mission to make the Internet a better and happier place with cats. Join and help us distrupt the Internet with cats and happiness,” they say.

    Cats? On the internet? Like hell you say. That’ll never work!

    You can request an invite to the beta here.

    [via RT]

  • Hey, Let’s Put a GoPro on Kitty and See Wha…Wait, WTF?

    You all remember the somewhat violent, somewhat sexually-charged video for the Prodigy’s “Smack My Bitch Up,” right? In 1997, the video aired on MTV and quickly drew a bunch of totally predictable overreaction (it was a woman the whole time!).

    Well, here’s how that drug-fueled night on the town would look from the perspective of a cat.

    All its owner wanted to do was see what her kitty does when it goes outside a runs around. So she strapped a camera to its collar and sent it on its way. Boy, she’s in for a surprise.

    [via Fark]

  • Imagine Your Bros with Pet Personalities [VIDEO]

    Sorry people of the internet, but cats are jerks. I know, I know, YOUR cat is affectionate – but in all honesty most cats don’t really need you and they don’t pretend otherwise.* Dogs, on the other hand, are terribly needy and annoying.** This is made even more obvious when you imagine your pets as human friends.

    Check out the funniest zoomorphism video you’re likely to see all week:

    * I’m allergic
    ** But we put up with it because d’aaawwwww.

    [Fat Awesome Films]

  • Kittens in Capes Flying through the Air in Slow Motion [VIDEO]

    It’s Friday, and that means…well, I don’t know what it means exactly. But hey, look! Kittehs!

    I don’t know if you needed to end your work week with a short video of kittens in capes flying through the air in slow motion, set to a “hip hop dubstep” track – but that’s what you’re going to get

    Check it out below:

    If you’re wondering about the flying cats’ safety…

    “Before you go all crazy on me for “hurting” cats, you should know that the cats were handled with GREAT care. We decided to keep the shot tight on the cats so that they did not need to be airborne very long. The cats were tossed a few feet into an enormous and ultra soft sheepskin blanket. The cats were treated like royalty. They were fed gourmet cat food and lots of water. We took many breaks where the kittens rested and played in the shade. They were full of energy the entire shoot which lasted a mere one hour. This video was shot six months ago and the cats are alive and in perfect health today. I love cats and would never even consider harming them…so please stop sending me death threats,” says the creator.

    Ok man, we believe you.

    [via The Daily What]

  • Internet Hero Builds His Cat a Box Tower to Win Back His Love

    Humans love cats. Cats love boxes. Humans oftentimes have easy access to boxes. WHY DOES THIS NOT HAPPEN MORE OFTEN?

    In “I really really love my cat” news, this hero of the internet decided to give his pet one of the best presents ever: a giant empty box tower. He says that he got the idea to build the 40-box feline playground when his cat, Rufus, “began to resent him” after he had to administer painful ear drops to cure an infection.

    What a way to win back Rufus’ love!

    Of course, this guy isn’t the only person to build their cat a box tower. But he is one of the few to put the entire process into a fun little video package. What do they always say? It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey? Check out his journey to cat love redemption below:

    [via reddit]

  • Arya the Cat Sings the Game of Thrones Theme

    Doing strange things with the Game of Thrones theme intro is pretty popular these days. It’s been remade with squeaky dog toys, a half dozen floppy drives, and even mashed up with the intro to Friends. Now, it’s been recreated with the meows of a Siamese cat.

    YouTube user herbertcosta used the various utterances from his cat Arya to create this masterpiece of mixing. Why do we need a remix of the Game of Thrones theme song sung by a single cat?

    Because internet. That’s why. Check it out below:

    [h/t Buzzfeed]

  • Prove That You Love Your Cat With These $1,000 Headphones

    You love your cat and want the very best for them. As you live your life in cold indifference to the world, you can rely on Mr. Fuzzybottoms to make your blues go away. He’s not even a pet anymore. He’s a member of the family. As such, you might be compelled to spend $1,000 on a pair of headphones for said cat.

    Decent DJ and master troll Deadmau5 also loves his cat. Instead of giving it a stupid name like Mr. Fuzzybottoms though, he named his cat Professor Meowingtons pHD. Considering the career of Deadmau5, it only makes sense that he would create a pair of headphones made just for cats.

    Deadmau5 and his cat worked together with Sol Republic to create a scaled down version of their immensely popular Tracks headphones. Professor Meowingtons pHD couldn’t be more pleased.

    “For too long, felines around the world have had to listen to music solely through speakers, or through ill-fitting headphones designed for humans,” Prof. Meowingtons said through an interpreter. “My SOL REPUBLIC headphones for cats are the world’s first headphones designed by cats, for cats. Our extensive testing has indicated that the headphones will also fit small dogs, but they are not for dogs. I’m not kidding, don’t even think about putting these things on a dog.”

    If you find that Professor Meowingtons pHD makes a convincing argument, you’ll be able to grab a pair of the headphones this month for the low price of $1,000. Be quick though, as there is only 10 of them available. All proceeds will go to ASPCA to help other cats get their pHD in whatever Professor Meowingtons has his in. If you want to know more about the crazy adventures of Professor Meowingtons pHD, you can follow his Tumblr.

  • Cat Mayor: Feline Has Enjoyed the Position for 15 Years

    The cat mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska has enjoyed his position for 15 years now, and is considered by many to be the town’s most popular tourist attraction. Stubbs the cat, who calls locally-owned Nagley’s General Store his home, has roughly 1,000 followers on Facebook, exceeding the town’s population by at least 100. Although his position is honorary, his story is captivating enough to ensnare the attention of anyone who has grown tired of choosing the lesser of the evils when it comes time for mayoral elections.

    Several years ago, residents of Talkeetna were none too pleased with the choices they were given at the ballot box. Instead of choosing one loser over another, several individuals thought it would be amusing to have people cast their votes for Stubbs the Cat as a write-in candidate. Much to the town’s surprise, Stubbs won the election fair and square. Sadly, a cat cannot hold a position of office, forcing the feline to accept an honorary title, instead. No word how the actual candidates felt about the election, though I’m sure it stung like hell.

    (image)

    Over the past decade-and-a-half, Stubbs has enjoyed quite a bit of popularity, drawing in dozens of folks from all walks of life who are curious to get a look at the world’s first feline mayor. “He was just in the Alaska Magazine, and he’s been featured in a few different things,” said Lauri Stec, an employee of Nagley’s. “Oh my gosh, we probably have 30 to 40 people a day come in who are tourists wanting to see him.”

    Although Stubbs is more than happy to schmooze with those who stop in to say hello, he simply cannot be bothered when it comes to his scheduled daily meeting at the general store. “Every day he goes in there and has catnip in a wine glass,” resident Jerry Roach explained. “I’m very confident that Talkeena will be A-OK, as long as we have Stubbs around.”

    Personally, I don’t have any problem whatsoever electing a cat as mayor. Not only would we get long, comfy naps in the afternoon, herbal highs would suddenly become legal for all. As long as the feline in question didn’t turn Main Street into one giant litter box, I can honestly say I’d toss a vote his or her way. And people say I lack political opinions.

  • Naturally, Google X’s First Computer Brain Recognizes (What Else?) Cats

    Naturally, Google X’s First Computer Brain Recognizes (What Else?) Cats

    If you were an internet and tech company building a replication of the human brain using 1,000 computers, of course the first thing you would train that robo-brain to recognize would be cats. Didn’t you know that’s why the internet was built? Of course this is how the Singularity happens!

    According to the BBC, a team of researchers working at Google’s hyper-secret X Labs division have been working on building a computerized copy of the human brain using computerized neural pathways and 16,000 processing cores.

    As millions of images were analysed by Google’s network of silicon nerves, some parts of it started to react to specific elements in those pictures.

    After three days and 10 million images the network could spot a cat, even though it had never been told what one looked like.

    After mastering the cat challenge, the computer system is said to also know how to pick out shapes of the human body as well as human faces. Still, we may still be a few years away from worrying about any kind of artificially-intelligent uprising from these Google X creations. In the research paper, which the scientists will be presenting at the International Conference on Machine Learning, the researchers wrote (with what I imagine to be relief) that the computer brain they’ve built is still a million times smaller than the human visual cortex.

    It’s a little terrifying that the robo-brain was able to recognize a cat without even knowing what a cat looked like, but it’s good to know that these future cat-loving overlords of humanity will be easily distracted with a healthy arsenal of YouTube videos like this:

    [Via BBC.]

  • 550 House Cats Cause Israeli Divorce

    550 House Cats Cause Israeli Divorce

    Typical marriage vows require a husband and wife be faithful to each other “in sickness and in health, till death do us part.” Apparently this does not cover mental illness, as this man in Israel will testify. He divorced his wife this week after she brought 550 pet cats into their home, according to the Times of Israel.

    In the divorce filing, he told Rabbinical Court in Beersheba that he couldn’t sleep in his bedroom because his bed was covered with cats that refused to sleep on the floor. He also complained that the cats blocked access to the bathroom and kitchen, making it impossible for him to eat, sleep, or sh*t.

    On the off chance that he was actually able to fix a meal, the cats would steal the food right off his plate before he had a chance to eat.

    The rabbinical court told them to attempt a reconciliation, but the woman refused to give up her cats. Instead, she parted ways with her husband.

    “The husband (was) apparently not a cat lover”, the Times of Israel said.