Americans Love Animals More Than They Used To

There are 48 days until the presidential election, and it often feels as if we Americans are at each other’s throats. Sometimes it seems as though all we can agree on — or agree to click “like” on — are dog and cat videos, right? Actually, that’s not so far from the truth. Americans do broadly have positive feelings about dogs and cats — and they also feel warmer and fuzzier about wild animals, such as sharks and wolves, than they did four decades ago.

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We Have to Stop Loving Animals to Death

Ten of the highest-grossing box-office releases are about animals, including “Finding Dory,” “The Jungle Book,” “Zootopia,” “The Secret Life of Pets” and “Kung Fu Panda.” Nearly half of our households include a dog and nearly 40 percent have a cat. Two-thirds of us view them as family members and cherish them accordingly. We love our animals to death.  Literally.

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Dogtown: Helping Animals Heal

There are so many pieces that make up the web of dog and cat rescue in Humboldt County. Animal Control officers watch for animals that are running loose or ones that are neglected or abused; local spay and neuter groups trap cat colonies for alter and release; local trainers and veterinarians offer their services at low or no cost to help rehabilitate animals with behavioral or physical problems, and the list goes on and on.

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Hedgehog Cafe Launched to Promote the Animal

As if cat, rabbit, owl, hawk and even snake-themed cafes aren't enough in a country which loves all things cute, Tokyo residents wanting to spend time with animals have a new choice - a hedgehog-themed cafe.  Customers at "Harry" - a play on the animal's name in Japanese - have been lining up to spend time at a bright room in the Roppongi entertainment district where 20 to 30 hedgehogs of different breeds scrabble and snooze in glass tanks.

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1,100 Cats, 1 Home and 1 ‘Crazy Cat Lady’

Lynea Lattanzio has no problem calling herself a crazy cat lady. With more than 1,000 cats living with her, there’s really no denying it.  “I’m gonna say that I’m at the top of the list of the eccentric, crazy cat ladies,” Lattanzio says.  She says she has taken in and lived with, at some point, 28,000 cats total. At the moment, she has a mere 800 adult cats and 300 kittens. 

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New Law Protects Animals From Extreme Heat and Cold

Dogs might seem to have more fun in the cold than people do, but long term exposure can be dangerous for them.  Betsy Larson owns a small dog, a Pomeranian named Chester.  She says, "I don't want to stand outside in the cold for 30 minutes.  I wouldn't make my dog do it unless we were outside doing something and having fun."  The Humane Care for Animals Act was amended in August to include a line that says no cat or dog owner can leave their pet in extreme heat or cold to the extent that the animal is injured or killed.  The law took effect at the start of 2016.

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Hairy Animals Teach Us How to Keep Robots Clean

If you own a cat or a dog, you’re familiar with their grooming habits. All of that licking might seem excessive — especially if the dog is doing it under the dinner table or the cat is doing it on the pillow next to your head.  But staying clean is essential to their health and their grooming habits could actually teach hairless creatures such as ourselves how to improve the cleanliness of a range of technologies.

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Buzzer The Studio Cat

Arnold Genthe, a Berlin-born photographer, worked a New York portrait studio. He sought to capture the human essence of his subjects, to go beyond a “commonplace record of clothes and a photographic mask.” He used an unobtrusive camera and would not tell the subject when he was going to make the exposure.  He photographed many famous and prominent figures of the time, including Sarah Bernhardt, Jack London, Anna Pavlova and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, even Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. 

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20 Cats That Can't Deal With Humidity

Imagine the most disgusting, brutally hot and humid day of the summer. You can't do anything without feeling sticky and showers are completely worthless.  Now imagine wearing a Canada Goose extreme weather jacket during that day. That's how your cat feels.  So if your cat is sprawled out on its back, unable to move in the thick summer air, take it as a reminder to give your pet some fresh water and maybe turn on a fan.

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Is The Cat Going Up or Down the Stairs?

It's been a while since relationships were irreparably damaged by The Dress, and people evidently crave the chaos.  There was a certain comfort in knowing that you, Taylor Swift and Kim Kardashian are staring at the same picture and having heated debates with anyone who would listen about the color of a dress.

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Video: Sleepy Clouded Leopard Kitten

If you are not already following the story of the precious clouded leopard born at the Tampa Bay Zoo, get on board immediately.  The currently unnamed cub, born in March, has been spotted taking a bath, expressing himself and now sleeping.  The little guy is very serious about finding the exact right nap time position, which can be challenging, but exceedingly rewarding. His dedication pursuing exactly what he wants indicates a bright future for the little big cat.

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GIFs That Show What Animals Are Really Thinking

Since the beginning of time, humans have speculated on what animals are truly thinking.  The human-animal language barrier really puts a damper on things — if only we could get into the minds of our animal friends, and figure out what they really mean with all of those barks and meows.Until we figure that out, however, the new subreddit r/AnimalTextGIFs is giving our furry friends the voice they deserve by providing subtitles that accurately convey their emotions.  Yes, your cat hates you. Sorry.

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Adventurous Feline Isn't Afraid to Get His Paws Wet

A British veterinary nurse believes she can teach cats to swim, in a hydrotherapy routine used to treat animals struggling with muscle therapy and blood flow.  Nurse Polly Noviss, 30, showed off her orange cat Roy and his swimming skills, as a prototype for a swimming instruction she’d like to bring to felines in need of physical therapy.  A soggy Roy was pictured in a swimming pool, outfitted with a custom cat-sized life vest that includes a handle so he can be quickly placed into or removed from the pool.

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Halloween Costume Ideas for Your Pet

Forget your human Halloween costume— it's your cuddly pet's costume that's racking up the likes on Instagram this season.  Ensuring that your furry friend has the cutest costume at the pet parade will require a bit of foresight, preparation and patience. But it's worth it to know that your dog, cat, hamster or guinea pig will be properly decked out for the spookiest day of the year.
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Video: Blind Cat Is Queen of the Wild Frontier

Honey Bee is a sweet, blind cat who traverses the wild like a feline Davey Crockett. She was discovered in Fiji, where local veterinarians at Animals Fiji nursed her back to health.  Now, Honey Bee spends her days wandering along hiking trails with her owners. Sometimes she perches atop their backpacks for a quick break; other times, she stops for a snack and some water. Above, watch her head up for a hike along Mason Lake in the mountains near Seattle, Washington.

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Cat Survives 12 Story Plunge In Manhattan

One cat is lucky to be alive after falling 12-stories at a Manhattan apartment building earlier this week.  Owner Samuel Jacobs said he panicked when he returned to his 15th floor apartment on East 32nd Street Tuesday and couldn’t find his 6-year-old cat Gizmo.

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Cat Exercise Wheel Raises $250K On Kickstarter

 A lot of indoor cat owners must be feeling guilty about depriving their kitties of exercise, because a Kickstarter campaign raising funds for a cat exercise wheel has raised over $250,000.  One Fast Cat is a product that lets cats run on a stationary wheel. Creator Sean Farley based the concept of the cat wheel on his theory that being kept indoors suppresses a cats' natural desire to run and hunt. One Fast Cat is designed to help cats meet at least part of that need by expending energy.

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The 100 Most Important Cat Pictures Of All Time

OK, this is it. This is the one. We can all finally shut down the internet and go home after this.

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-Igor Purlantov

What Kind Of Cat Are You?

It’s time you searched for the feline within.

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Video: Missing Cat Lived in Food Factory for 3 Years

Helen and Phillip Johns of Cornwall, England were saddened when their cat, Woosie, went missing in 2011. Well, this week, almost three years later, they received a call from a vet saying they had Woosie and he needed to be picked up. So where was Woosie for those three years? Living at a food factory 30 miles away.

http://tinyurl.com/m6yvqqs