This Hawaiian Cat Sanctuary is Home to Over 600 Kitties

If you’re a cat lover, then boy have I got a vacation destination for you! This place is absolutely teeming with kitties, and it also happens to be on the island paradise of Hawaii!

On the Hawaiian island of Lanai, the Lanai Cat Sanctuary is home to more than 600 stray kitties.

And yes, you can visit the sanctuary, play with all the cats, and even adopt some of them if you are so inclined.

The cats live in a fenced-in area about half the size of a football field, complete with all kinds of enclosures and holes to play in, on, and around.

Executive Director Keoni Vaughn says, “The average person who’s not a crazy cat person thinks, ‘Oh my God, [the sanctuary] has got to be gross and stink’—but it’s the absolute opposite. The two compliments we get the most are: A) It doesn’t smell, and B) It doesn’t feel like 600 cats.”

The sanctuary is currently being expanded and the goal is to have room for 1,200 cats at some point.

The sanctuary receives about 12,000 visitors each year. Lanai has a large feral cat problem, which is why the sanctuary was established.

Vaughn said about 40% of the sanctuary’s cats become socialized due to visitors, despite coming to the facility as feral animals.

If you can’t make it all the way to Hawaii, you can still make a donation and sponsor a kitty at the sanctuary and you’ll receive monthly updates and photos.

I’m currently looking into plane tickets to Hawaii…

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Gorgeous Wolfdog Saved by Sanctuary After His Owner Dumped Him at a Kill Shelter

It’s the kind of sad story that we hear all too often: an animal is adopted, only for the owners to quickly determine that the new pet is too much work/not what they expected, so they turn them over to a shelter or just abandon them altogether.

Such was the case with Yuki, a wolfdog that someone purchased from a breeder and then turned over to a kill shelter when he was only 8 months old.

Luckily, fate intervened for Yuki, and the Shy Wolf Sanctuary in Florida stepped in to rescue the large wolfdog.

Photo Credit: Reddit

Although Yuki looks absolutely enormous in this photo, Brittany Allen, who works at Shy Wolf Sanctuary, said,  “The face we make when people say Yuki’s picture is Photoshopped… It’s just his fat angle guys. We all have one.” In fact, despite how big he looks, Yuki only weighs 120 pounds.

Yuki was dropped at the kill shelter all the way back in 2008. One of the staff members at the shelter summed up the wolfdog’s personality:

“Yuki is one of those animals that he lets you know if he wants you in his enclosure or not. He has a very small group of women that he allows in his enclosure called his ‘harem’.”

Photo Credit: Reddit

Photo Credit: Reddit

Photo Credit: Reddit

The Shy Wolf Sanctuary was founded in 2001 and provides sanctuary to not only wolfdogs and wolves, but to other exotic animals as well. Domestic animal services are not allowed to adopt wolfdogs, so this sanctuary is often their last option.

Photo Credit: Facebook

Wolfdogs have a mixture of personality traits and therefore have unpredictable behavior, which makes them very difficult to raise as traditional pets.

Photo Credit: Facebook

Photo Credit: Facebook

Photo Credit: Instagram

Take a look at Shy Wolf Sanctuary’s website and their Facebook page to see all the good work they are doing.

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Massive Hermit Crab Uses a Doll’s Head for Its Shell, and It’s Insanely Creepy

Hermit crabs are fairly common, easy-to-care-for pets that you’ve likely seen in a child’s classroom or at your local pet store. Interestingly, hermit crabs are not actual crabs because they have soft, exposed abdomens that leave them vulnerable to predators. That’s why they’re always looking for a new shell to call home.

They move in and out of shells – usually sea snail shells – as they grow.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

The coconut crab differs from a regular hermit crab in two important ways: first, it’s quite large – it can grow up to three feet long and weigh nine pounds – and second, when it outgrows the largest shell it can find, it grows a shell of its own.

Isn’t nature weird?

Image Credit: Wikipedia

One particular coconut crab, though, isn’t going to be growing his own shell anytime soon, since he found a lovely (meaning totally creepy) discarded doll’s head to live in instead of a shell.

A redditor shared a photo of the crab found on Henderson Island. Part of the Pitcairn Islands, the remote Pacific spot is vulnerable to human litter (obviously).

Image Credit: Reddit

There’s just something about dolls that creep some people out (including me), but I suppose the crab is perfectly happy living inside one – maybe he even considers the eyes cool little peepholes?

Image Credit: Reddit

I have no idea what I’m talking about, but hey, there’s got to be some reason he likes it.

The photo is also making people recall the mutant Toy Story toy that was a doll’s head on top of a crab’s body. A strange coincidence to be sure.

Image Credit: Disney

Not as strange as reality, but close.

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We Can’t Get Enough of This Adorable, Blind Kitten Name Merlin

I’ve never seen a cat quite like Merlin before – but I must admit, his name is honestly perfect for him. This tiny lil’ fella with the ice-blue eyes is stealing hearts everywhere.

Image Credit: merlin.griffith

Image Credit: merlin.griffith

Nathaniel and Elliot Green were just married, but back in 2017 they were a newly minted couple and in the market for a cat they could call theirs. “Free Cat Friday” at the Lynchburg Humane Society seemed like the perfect opportunity to pick one up, and even though Elliot admitted he had gone looking for a Siamese kitty, Merlin fell right into their laps instead.

Image Credit: merlin.griffith

Image Credit: merlin.griffith

Merlin is a fairly new and rare breed called a Napoleon, which is a mix of a Munchkin and a Persian cat, though his eyes are his alone – he’s mostly blind, but, according to the Greens, his eyesight doesn’t stop him from being a regular cat most of the time.

Image Credit: merlin.griffith

Image Credit: merlin.giriffith

They describe Merlin as affectionate and sweet-tempered, a lover of cuddles and scratches on the face.

Image Credit: merlin.griffith

Image Credit: merlin.griffith

He loves guests and other animals, though sometimes he gets bullied, especially by other cats.

Image Credit: merlin.griffith

Image Credit: merlin.griffith

I mean, they’re probably jealous. Just look at that face!

Image Credit: merlin.griffith

Image Credit: merlin.griffith

Their Instagram is dedicated to their ball of fluff, and the gorgeously set and framed photos have earned the Greens – and their Merlin – more than 28k followers.

Image Credit: merlin.griffith

Image Credit: merlin.griffith

Click here if you want to be one of them!

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10+ of the Best, Most-Popular Tweets of 2017

Twitter is an amazing platform because it democratizes hilariousness. You don’t have to have the biggest number of followers or be someone famous to potentially hit the 150k retweet barrier. All you have to do is be hilarious.

Here are 12 of 2017’s most popular tweets:

1. This happy little accident

Photo Credit: Twitter

2. This airplane fan boy

Photo Credit: Twitter

3. This evil trickster

Photo Credit: Twitter

4. This employee of the year

Photo Credit: Twitter

5. This spoiled puppy

Photo Credit: Twitter

6. This dog’s ear

Photo Credit: Twitter

7. This kitteh kleenex

Photo Credit: Twitter

8. This CAROL moment

Photo Credit: Twitter

9. This best Uber driver ever

Photo Credit: Twitter

10. blah

Photo Credit: Twitter

11. This unfortunate mistake

Photo Credit: Twitter

12. This absolute abomination

Photo Credit: Twitter

We have to say goodbye for now, but never fear- there are plenty more tweets to be had.

I’ll be back CAROL…

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10 Times We Definitely Entered a Strange Parallel Universe

Do you believe in coincidences? I think we all do to an extent… and yet, there are some coincidences that are so bizarre that you start looking around and thinking “Wtf, am I in some kind of parallel universe or something?

1. But the worst day of all was when someone had to create SandwichBoy SquareBob…

Photo Credit: Buzzfeed

2. Because this stupid cat killed the real SpongeBob.

(RIP Stephen Hillenburg)

I can’t believe someone actually praised that cat.

3. That thing that no one else saw coming

Photo Credit: Buzzfeed

4. That time when THIS happened

Photo Credit: Buzzfeed

5. When this person’s keyboard was invaded by The X-Files…

Photo Credit: Buzzfeed

6. That time a customer request was actually honored

Photo Credit: Buzzfeed

7. Followed by this ‘eye than meeets the more’ moment

Photo Credit: Buzzfeed

8. And THIS

Photo Credit: Buzzfeed

9. And then there was this blasphemous occurrence

Photo Credit: Buzzfeed

10. And this abomination of the human/animal code

Photo Credit: Buzzfeed

Rest in peace, Spongebob. Rest in peace.

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There’s a Japanese Island Full of Tiny Flying Squirrels, and It’s Just Not Fair

If you live in a city in the U.S., your opinion of squirrels probably amounts to “rats with bushy tails.” That might sound kinda mean, but honestly, it’s not that far off from the truth. However, squirrels as an animal are actually pretty cute, especially these rare tiny squirrels that live only on one island in Japan.

Photo Credit: Twitter, @jmcaninch68

Animal lovers, meet the Ezo momonga, aka the Japanese dwarf flying squirrel. A few quick facts: They are extremely small, with very big eyes. They can fly-ish (!!!). And they only live on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido because of course they do.

It’s unlikely that you’ll ever see a Japanese dwarf flying squirrel for yourself, unless you happen to live in Hokkaido. Luckily, though, there are a ton of squeal-worthy pictures online.

Photo Credit: Diply

These creatures are small enough to curl up into the palm of your hand, and they “fly” basically by gliding from tree to tree. They munch on tree bark, seeds, and nuts, and they often hang upside down while doing so.

Ezo momonga inhabit the holes in pine and spruce trees. Sometimes they poke their heads out like this, just to make your day better, I guess!!!

Photo Credit: Diply

Unlike many other rare animals, Japanese dwarf flying squirrels are not endangered in the slightest. They are doing very well – thriving, even. Seeing as there are apparently plenty to go around… Maybe we can just trade some of our terrible American squirrels for these freaking adorable ones?

Thoughts?

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PETA Tried Dissing the Late Steve Irwin and the Internet Was NOT Having It

Steve Irwin, the Australian conservationist known as “The Crocodile Hunter,” was the Dr. Dolittle of the millennial generation. We grew up watching his show, we were deeply influenced by his passion for wildlife, and we all wept when he died tragically in 2006.

On what would have been Irwin’s 57th birthday on February 22, Google honored him with a Google doodle on its homepage.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Most people on Twitter were moved by the tribute.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter

And then PETA decided to get in on the action…bad move.

Photo Credit: Twitter

People, predictably, got pretty fired up and decided to try to put PETA in its place.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter


As you can see, people feel pretty strongly about Mr. Irwin and work he did while he was alive.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter

And finally, we have this…

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter

Crikey!

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10 Totally Wild Facts About the Late, Great Steve Irwin

Steve Irwin, otherwise known as ‘The Crocodile Hunter’, was an integral part of my childhood. His love of animals was absolutely infectious, helping him become one of the most famous television stars in the world. Sadly, his life was cut short after a stingray pierced his chest while he was filming the documentary, Ocean’s Deadliest.

Below are 10 facts about the man himself that just might surprise you!

#1. He was terrified of parrots.

Image Credit: Pixabay

You might think he wasn’t afraid of any member of the animal kingdom, but he admitted that wasn’t true.

“The only animals I’m not comfortable with are parrots, but I’m learning as I go. I’m getting better and better at ’em. I really am … For some reason parrots have to bite me. That’s their job. I don’t know why that is.”

#2. He also met his wife, Terri, at a zoo.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

His entire family, including his wife Terri, played important roles in The Crocodile Hunter. Terri’s love for animals also began at a young age – she opened Cougar Country in 1986, a facility that helped rehabilitate foxes, raccoons, bobcats, bears, and cougars before releasing them back into the Oregon wild.

She made a trip to the Australia Zoo in 1991 and saw Steve Irwin for the first time – and it was love at first sight.

#3. His life’s goal was to increase people’s knowledge about conservationism.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

People might have watched The Crocodile Hunter to catch Steve’s zany antics and check out cool animals, but Irwin’s goal was to educate the public and dispel myths that put the animals in danger.

“I’ve always seen Jaques Cousteau as a hero,” he said. “He’s a legend, like my dad, just a legend. And so what he did for conservation in the 60s and through the 70s was just phenomenal. And I was to be just like him, you know? I want to have a milestone, you know? I want to create history.”

#4. He was bitten often, and realized it made for good television.

Image Credit: Animal Planet

Irwin knew he took the chance of one of his animals objecting to being put on display, and he also knew it was one of the reasons people tuned in.

“Now and again I do get bitten,” he told ABC Australia. “And it’s that, you know, that sense of morbidity that people do have. There’s no use sticking your head in the sand and going, ‘Oh, no, they’re only here because, you know, I talk well.’ Nah, man, they wanna see me come unglued.”

#5. He grew up at a zoo.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

His family moved to Beerwah, near Queensland, in Australia and opened the Beerwah Reptile Park in 1970 and Steve spent his formative years helping feed the animals before eventually taking over as the owner. It’s still in operation as the Australia Zoo.

He told Larry King “My dad was a wildlife expert. His field was herpetology, one who studies reptiles, and my mom was a wildlife rehabilitator.”

#6. Both kids are following in their dad’s footsteps.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

Bindi Irwin had her own Discovery Kids series called Bindi the Jungle Girl and starred with her brother on Growing Up Wild for The Pet Collective YouTube channel. In 2015 she won the 21st season of Dancing with the Stars and captured hearts all over America.

Bob Irwin is now 15 and stars with his mom and sister in Steve Irwin’s Wildlife Warriors and co-hosted Wild But True on Discovery Kids. In 2017 he appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, introducing the host and audience to a handful of animals.

#7. They filmed the first episode of The Crocodile Hunter on their honeymoon.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

Their honeymoon was spent traveling around Australia trapping crocodiles for relocation (because of course it was). She told the story of how The Crocodile Hunter was born during an interview with Scientific American.

“We dropped our honeymoon, we went to north Queensland, and we helped this crocodile and filmed a documentary on the premise that the cameraman just chases Steve around. Steve hadn’t been to acting school, he had no preconceived notions. His background was exactly what you see on television, he’s done that all his life. We thought we’d do one show. What happened was, it did really well, so we did a part two. And from then on, we found that Steve’s natural behavior in the wild happens to be fascinating!”

Irwin’s natural enthusiasm, of course, turned out to be what made his show an immediate success.

#8. He discovered a new species of turtle.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

It was an accident – he caught it on a fishing trip and realized he’d never seen another turtle like it. They sent the pictures to herpetologist John Cann who confirmed they’d found something brand new – the species is called Elseya irwini (Irwin’s snapping turtle).

You can see one at Baltimore’s National Aquarium if you’re not traveling to Australia anytime soon.

#9. His show was popular around the world.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

The Crocodile Hunter was a huge hit in America and Australia, but the series was seen and loved by hundreds of millions in 130 different countries.

#10. There’s a snail named after his famous catchphrase.

Image Credit: Pixabay

“Crikey!” It’s the phrase everyone associates with Steve Irwin, and in 2009, Dr. John Stanisic discovered a tree snail that he named accordingly – the crikey steveirwini.

He told ABC Australia that it was “a colorful snail, with swirling bands of creamy yellow, orange-brown and chocolate giving the shell an overall khaki appearance.”

His legacy, I’m sure, is in good hands.

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11 People Who Have No Clue How Female Anatomy Works

Funny thing about the internet: it allows you to become famous not only for being great but also for being truly, epically, horrifically bad.

Take these bozos for example: their claim to infamy is having NO CLUE how the female body works. I mean, seriously, did they never take biology?

1. (Oris) it?

Photo Credit: Myceliemz24/reddit

2. Oh shut up and go to bed, Philip!

Photo Credit: anafuckboi /reddit

3. She’s not wrong… but he definitely is.

Photo Credit: rockservent/reddit.com

4. This is actually true. People were scared AF of trains.

Photo Credit: sgtlizzie/reddit.com

5. Not even with the tiniest “probe”

6. Pro tip. You should def try it sometime.

Photo Credit: Kore624/reddit

7. That escalated at lightning speed!

Photo Credit: aguadiablo

8. Imagine having to sit next to anybody who actually believes this?

Photo Credit: kittydarko/reddit

9. But testosterone is cool, right bro?

Photo Credit: chopstunk/reddit

10. I wonder how much cow pee this guy has consumed…

Photo Credit: cainisrealcool/reddit

11. #toodumbforlife

Photo Credit: Clementine_696/reddit

Faith in humanity NOT restored.

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