One Very Innovative Cat: Parkour Kitty

http://bunkstrutts.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/balloon-cat_gif-bin.gif

Please Love me

From: http://freepostia.com/

This cat is really need some help

Tiny Endangered Kittens Born From Frozen Embryos

by Stephen Messenger

from http://www.treehugger.com/

Photo: Susan Poag via The Times-Picayune
 
Scientists at the Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans have made a genetic-breakthrough of the most adorable proportions -- successfully producing two endangered kittens via in vitro fertilization. With sperm taken from a male African black-footed cat in 2003, the team inseminated an egg in 2005. The embryo remained frozen until last December, when it was finally transferred to a surrogate female named Bijou. Less than three months later, the tiny, fluffy duo were born.

In addition to being one of the world's most threatened species of feline, African black-footed cats are also among the smallest. A fully grown adult will typically be just a fraction of the size of a regular house-cat. Less than 50 specimens are known to exist on the planet -- and 19 of those are housed at facilities in the United States. Experts say that they face threats from weary farmers who try to poison them and from human expansion in their native habitat.

This first successful birth from frozen embryos, however, offers hope for conservationists that the diminutive cats will avoid extinction.

"They haven't reproduced well in captivity at all. This is really prevention, for the future, keeping species from going extinct," says Betsy Dresser of the Audubon Nature Institute. "They're so low in number. If we don't do something, we're going to lose them."

 
Photo: Susan Poag via The Times-Picayune
 
A report from The Times-Picayune provides more details on how advances in genetics can help save species like the African black-footed cat:

A goal of the research is to learn how to use much more plentiful domestic cats as surrogate mothers and then spread the technique to other institutions and zoos so the population of the compact, wild cats can be rebuilt and reintroduced in conservation areas, Dresser said.

"We don't know what the future holds for many of these species," said the facility in a news release. "But we do know that by preserving DNA and working on protocol for creating pregnancies and producing babies through cryo-preservation and surrogate mothers, we are giving these species a shot at survival even when their numbers dip to dangerously low levels."

Psychedelic Kitteh

From: http://i.imgur.com/wDizy.gif

How to Wash a Cat (Great Instructional Video)

Written by Das Fork

Baby Squirrel Adopted By A Cat, Learns How To Purr

By Scott Beale
From http://laughingsquid.com/

Walt Grayson of WLBT takes a look at Rocky, a baby squirrel in Mississippi that fell out of a tree, was placed with a litter of newborn kittens and was adopted by the mother cat. The squirrel adapted so well to his new family that he eventually learned how to purr.

via I Can Has Cheez Burger & WLBT

Catblock (The Ultimate Co%kblock)

When you're about to get down with that special someone, sometimes your cat gets in the way.

Catblock (The Ultimate Co%kblock) from Toph Eggers

Here kitteh kitteh......Genuine psychopath caught on camera

TheUKLibertarian |

This video is disturbing. Mirrored from: http://www.youtube.com/user/atalbot01 if you can identify this person please let them know. Their original message:

"this footage is taken outside the Sacred Heart School in Coventry... We dont know who this woman is... But he anyone knows, please let of know so we can report her.... Thanks"

These are the kinds of people who run city council meetings. And that's how this relates to libertarianism. BOOM!

[Update: just so you know the cat is fine. It was found 15 hours later apparently unharmed by the ordeal. Here is a picture:

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/0...

Video has gone viral and The Sun newspaper has run a story on their website so it's just a matter of time before this lady is identified, I'm sure]

The Cutest Picture Ever Taken..we at least that you will see today

From: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/


It does not get any cuter than this. Adorable child? Check. Kitten? Check. Hugging? Oh goodness. Internet, let's shut it down. We've had a good run, but it's not gonna get any better than this. (via Reddit)

A Cub of a Different Color

From: http://snuzzy.com/jaguar-momma-and-cub/

This momma jaguar, named Lolo, is playing with her new cub at the Jordan Zoo. The mother is a melanistic, which is why her coat is black and different from her spotted baby. You can tell by her face that she’s still adjusting to being bitten… constantly… (via zooborns, photos by Ali Jarekji/REUTERS)

More: Jaguar Momma And Cub on Snuzzy

Cat's amazing mid-air bird catch!

i.imgur.com — Bird? Bat? Flying rat? Whatever, the efficiency of this feline's graceful leap is a wonder to behold.

The Most Awesome Cat Ever Attacking a Bear

Ancient cat goddess temple found in Egypt

Temple thought to belong to wife of king who ruled in 3rd century B.C.

	The ancient cat-goddess Bastet was found amongst the temple's ruins in the Kom el-Dekkah area of the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria.  View related photos
AP

INTERACTIVE

8 real-life mummies Fictional mummies are a staple of Hollywood movies, but real-life mummies come with their own horrific tales.

CAIRO - Egypt said Tuesday that its archaeologists have unearthed a Ptolemaic-era temple dating back more than 2,000 years, that may have been dedicated to the ancient cat goddess, Bastet.

The Supreme Council of Antiquities said the temple's ruins were discovered in the heart of the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, the seat of the dynasty founded by Alexander the Great in the 4th century B.C., that ended with the suicide of Cleopatra 300 years later.

The statement said the temple was thought to belong to Queen Berenice, wife of King Ptolemy III who ruled Egypt in the 3rd century B.C.

Mohammed Abdel-Maqsood, the Egyptian archaeologist who led the excavation team, said the discovery may be the first trace of the long-sought location of Alexandria's royal quarter.

The large number of statues depicting Bastet found in the ruins, he said, indicated that this may be the first Ptolemaic temple discovered in Alexandria to be dedicated to the cat goddess.

That also suggests that the worship of the cat-goddess continued in Egypt during the later, more Greek-influenced, Ptolemaic period, he said. Statues of other ancient Egyptian deities also present, he added.

Zahi Hawas, Egypt's chief archaeologist, said the temple may have been used in later times as a quarry and that this was evidenced by the large number of missing stone blocks.

Modern Alexandria was built squarely on top of the ruins of the classical-era city and many of the great temples, palaces and libraries of that time remain undiscovered.

The temple was found in the Kom el-Dekkah neighborhood near the city's main train station and is also the site of a Roman-era amphitheater and well preserved mosaics.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Moscow Cat Theater (Marilyn Agrelo)

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more unusual circus, or father-daughter performing duo. The Moscow Cat Theatre is just that: a travelling show of cats that perform amazing tricks for the owners who love and train them. Everybody in Russia may be used to seeing cats perform tricks, as the theatre’s manager explains in this funny, charming film, but felines walking tightropes, crossing the stage on giant balls and walking upside down is not a common sight in most countries. As a balalaika and accordion circus score plays in the background, Creative Director Vladimir and his daughter Maria combine their love of cats and stage to create a captivating act and illustrate the tricks of the trade – giving new meaning to the expression ‘herding cats’.

Fat Cat

This cat, named Socrates (more like Hippocrates, am I right? Never mind) is a really fat cat. After a recent checkup at the vet, he’s on a strict diet to get him from 22 lbs to 9.9 lbs in 100 days. His owner says he gets all grumpy now when he sees his new food bowl portions.

How catnip gets cats high

They seem to be enjoying themselves, don't they?

Spider-cat Charlie ignores cat-flap and climbs 2-storey wall

Any old cat can shin up a tree. But this brave moggy regularly takes his nine lives in his paws and climbs 13ft up the wall of a block of flats to his owner's home on the first floor.

read more | digg story

Snow Kitty

Rare Jaguars Spotted in Arizona and Mexico

By Robert Roy Britt, Editorial Director

A jaguar was caught and collared with a satellite tracking device for the first time ever in Arizona on Feb. 18, 2009. Credit: Arizona Game and Fish Department

The once-common jaguar has become a rare sight in North America, thanks to hunting and habitat fragmentation.

Now two were spotted in exceedingly rare and unrelated events this month.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department caught and collared a wild jaguar in Arizona for the first time, officials said Thursday. While a handful of the big cats have been photographed by automatic cameras in recent years, the satellite tracking collar will now help biologists learn more about this animal's range.

Meanwhile, a jaguar was spotted in central Mexico for the first time in a century. Scientists photographed the cat with an automatic camera set alongside a trail thought to be frequented by the spotted felines.

A jaguar is photographed in central Mexico in by an automatic camera. The image was released Feb. 10, 2009. Credit: Octavio Monroy-Vilchis et al./SINC

Jaguars (Panthera onca) once ranged from southern South America to the southern United States. By the late 1900s, none were thought to exist north of Mexico, but two independent sightings in 1996 confirmed jaguars still reached as far north as Arizona and New Mexico. Remote cameras have also photographed jaguars in the Amazon.

The species has been protected outside of the United States under the Endangered Species Act since 1973. That protection was extended to jaguars in the United States in 1997, the year after their presence here was confirmed.

Details of the sightings below.

How Cats Walk and Stalk

Unlike dogs and humans, cats don't conserve energy when they move.

The Arizona cat

The male cat in Arizona was captured southwest of Tucson during a study aimed at monitoring habitat connectivity for mountain lions and black bears. The healthy beast weighed in at 118 pounds with a thick and solid build.

Satellite tracking showed the cat traveled more than 3 miles from the capture site in the first day after its release, officials said.

"While we didn't set out to collar a jaguar as part of the mountain lion and bear research project, we took advantage of an important opportunity," said Terry Johnson, endangered species coordinator for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. "More than 10 years ago, Game and Fish attempted to collar a jaguar with no success. Since then, we've established handling protocols in case we inadvertently captured a jaguar in the course of one of our other wildlife management activities."

Biologists are trying to determine if the collared jaguar is Macho B, a male cat that has been photographed by trail cameras periodically over the past 13 years.

In 1997, a team was established in Arizona and New Mexico to protect and conserve the species. The Jaguar Conservation Team (JCT) began working with Mexico two years later, recognizing that the presence of jaguars in the United States depends on the conservation of the species in Mexico.

Interestingly, the project set up to do all this is funded by Arizona Lottery ticket sales.

The Mexico cat

No jaguars had been spotted in central Mexico since the start of the 20th century.

Scientists trying to find footprints, excrement or any other signs of the jaguars had in recent years interviewed residents, none of whom had ever seen one. Nonetheless, the researchers now report having obtained three photographs of a male jaguar and ten excrement samples that have been attributed to the jaguar, said Octavio Monroy-Vilchis of Autonomous University of the State of Mexico.

In a statement, researchers explained there are 15 areas in Mexico in which it is unknown whether jaguars still exist, whether their populations are stable, and if their habitat is adequate. These areas are important for scientific studies, because they could include crucial zones for the felines' long-term survival.

"The photographs provide information about new recording sites, and allow us to deduce that the area where the animal was observed may be a corridor connecting jaguar populations," Monroy-Vilchis said.

Largest cats

Jaguars are the only cats in North America that roar. They're considered the largest cats in the Western Hemisphere. Adults commonly weigh up to 211 pounds (96 kg), though 300-pounders have been reported. In the northern range they typically weigh between 80-120 pounds, however.

Females breed year-round and have litters of one to four cubs that stay with their mother for nearly two years.

Jaguars can live in several types of forest, grassland and dry habitat. They prey on a variety of animals, including fish, birds and reptiles. The largest contiguous area of habitat now remaining for jaguars centers in the Amazon Basin.

Dog, Cat, and Rat

This is a video of a homeless man in Santa Barbara and his pets. They work State Street every week for donations. The animals are pretty well fed and are mellow. They are a family. The man who owns them rigged up a harness for his cat so she wouldn't have to walk so much (like the dog and himself). At some juncture the rat came along, and as no one wanted to eat anyone else, the rat started riding with the cat and, often, on the cat!

The dog, will stand all day and let you talk to him and admire him for a few chin scratches. The Mayor of Santa Barbara filmed this clip and sent it out as a holiday card.
A great video .....