Category: cats

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Good News: Owning a Cat Is Good for Your Health

This is great news for anyone who’s ever been pegged as a “crazy cat lady”: being a cat lady is actually good for your health. Science says so.

Owning a cat can help reduce stress, and it’s good for your heart, too.

One study in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Neurology found that cat ownership can be beneficial to heart health in multiple ways. Cat owners in the study showed a lower risk of death by heart attack and all cardiovascular diseases, including stroke.

Also, petting your cat is a known stress reliever. Cuddling with your cat releases oxytocin, the “cuddle chemical,” which in turn reduces stress, according to NBC News.

Another study found that cat lovers are more open-minded, smarter and more sensitive than dog lovers.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

So why the assumption that cats aren’t good for your health?

Well, there’s an age-old myth holds that cats can literally drive you crazy. This stems, in part, from the fact that cat feces can sometimes contain Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that can cause toxoplasmosis. It’s an infection that actually can lead to psychosis (contaminated water and undercooked meat can also cause toxoplasmosis).

Not all cats carry the parasite though, and even if you get infected, you’ll likely be fine. A recent study in Psychological Medicine found no relationship between cat ownership and psychosis later in life.

“The Centers for Disease Control estimates that more than 60 million people in the United States may be infected with the Toxoplasma parasite through all means, including cats,” David Haworth, doctor of veterinary medicine, Ph.D., and president of PetSmart Charities told NBC News. “But very few people show symptoms because a healthy person’s immune system usually keeps the parasite from causing illness.”

Photo Credit: Pixabay

So there you have it, cat people. Cats don’t drive you crazy; on the contrary, they’re good for you.

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A Woman Built a Realistic Iron Throne for Her Cat out of a Cardboard Box

Do you ever think about your pet: “Wow, you deserve to be royalty”? If so, you’re not the only one.

One cat mom went above and beyond by actually building a throne for her Maine Coon out of cardboard.

Elly’s cat, aptly named King Arthur, is a 17-year-old Maine Coon. When it was time for Elly to make a new bed for Arthur, she got inspired by his very regal name and decided to make him a throne.

You might assume that a throne made out of cardboard wouldn’t be that fancy-looking, but don’t be fooled — this throne was inspired by the Iron Throne on Game of Thrones, and it looks totally legit!

I made my 17 year old King Arthur a cardboard iron throne. from aww

Elly posted a photo of Arthur in his throne on Reddit.

She told Just Something that she used a cardboard box for children’s boots to make it.

Photo Credit: Imgur

“I was looking at this cardboard box, a shoe box for children’s boots that my mom had mailed me something in, and I was thinking I could make Arthur a new bed,” Elly explained. “I opened it up and it already kind of looked like a chair, so I thought I could make a throne, since we often call him King Arthur. And then I realized the best throne to make would be the Iron Throne.”

Photo Credit: Imgur

Elly added that King Arthur loves sitting and lying in his new throne.

“He is definitely the head of the house, so it’s fitting,” she said.

The post A Woman Built a Realistic Iron Throne for Her Cat out of a Cardboard Box appeared first on UberFacts.

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A Woman Built a Realistic Iron Throne for Her Cat out of a Cardboard Box

Do you ever think about your pet: “Wow, you deserve to be royalty”? If so, you’re not the only one.

One cat mom went above and beyond by actually building a throne for her Maine Coon out of cardboard.

Elly’s cat, aptly named King Arthur, is a 17-year-old Maine Coon. When it was time for Elly to make a new bed for Arthur, she got inspired by his very regal name and decided to make him a throne.

You might assume that a throne made out of cardboard wouldn’t be that fancy-looking, but don’t be fooled — this throne was inspired by the Iron Throne on Game of Thrones, and it looks totally legit!

I made my 17 year old King Arthur a cardboard iron throne. from aww

Elly posted a photo of Arthur in his throne on Reddit.

She told Just Something that she used a cardboard box for children’s boots to make it.

Photo Credit: Imgur

“I was looking at this cardboard box, a shoe box for children’s boots that my mom had mailed me something in, and I was thinking I could make Arthur a new bed,” Elly explained. “I opened it up and it already kind of looked like a chair, so I thought I could make a throne, since we often call him King Arthur. And then I realized the best throne to make would be the Iron Throne.”

Photo Credit: Imgur

Elly added that King Arthur loves sitting and lying in his new throne.

“He is definitely the head of the house, so it’s fitting,” she said.

The post A Woman Built a Realistic Iron Throne for Her Cat out of a Cardboard Box appeared first on UberFacts.

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A Study Shows That Cats Are Less Stressed When They Have Access to Cardboard Boxes

If you have a cat, you’ve probably suspected this for a long time, but now we know that it’s official: cardboard boxes help alleviate cats’ stress.

Researchers from the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands conducted the study on shelter cats to see if access to cardboard boxes genuinely helped lower their stress levels in a scientifically measurable way. The scientists used 19 shelter cats in the study, 10 of which were given access to boxes, while 9 were not.

What...?

The study showed that the cats who had access to the boxes showed a faster recovery ability and adapted more quickly to their new environment than those cats that didn’t have access to boxes. The researchers noticed major differences between the two groups just three or four days into the study.

Nap time photoshoot

The researchers explained, “Stressful experiences can have a major impact on the cats’ welfare and may cause higher incidences of infectious diseases in the shelters due to raised cortisol levels causing immunodeficiency. Though several studies showed preference for hiding places and stress-reducing effects of hiding boxes on cats in combined studies, none of these studies determined if proper hiding enrichment would be effective in a quarantine cattery.”

Muffin9

The study lasted 14 days and the cats who had access to the cardboard boxes had a lower mean CSS, which means they had lower stress levels than the cats without the cardboard boxes. Also, the 10 individual cats with the boxes showed little difference in their stress levels while the 9 cats with no access to boxes showed high variance in their levels.

Bottom line: if you have cats, you’ll probably make them feel a lot more comfortable if you toss some old boxes around the house. It makes sense – in the wild, cats are pretty small, and would likely spend quite a lot of their time hiding out of sight.

So help your kitties keep those stress levels down!

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Hilarious Reviews From People Who Think the ‘Cats’ Movie Is a Total Disaster

It seems that pretty much everyone across the board thinks that the new Cats movie is a major disaster.

The movie is currently sitting at a 19% favorability rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes, so you know there’s probably something bad going on here.

Let’s see what people on Twitter think about this new flick…

1. Let’s make this a book.

2. Thank you for this.

3. Stressin’ out!

4. Why? Why? Why?

5. LOLing for days.

6. Give it some time.

7. What kind of drugs are you on?

8. Going to new depths.

9. The reviews are in!

10. I guess that’s something.

11. It will always be here among us.

12. This is great.

13. HORROR.

14. Time to say goodbye.

15. I wish I could’ve been at that critic screening.

Have you seen Cats yet? What did you think?

Tell us all about it in the comments!

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10 Cute Cat Bleps That Might Warm Your Heart

Cats on social media give us all kinds of sweet little moments, but the bleps have been winning big lately. What are bleps, you ask? It’s when a kitty has just a little bit of their tongue hanging out of their mouth and it is freaking adorable.

Here are some perfect examples.

1. Good morning!

Good morning blep from Blep

2. Looks like a drawing.

She has anime eyes and the cutest blep from Blep

3. A snoozin’ blep.

Meet my cats blep from Blep

4. A real beauty.

The prettiest blep I ever did see from Blep

5. I thought I heard something.

Blep did I hear the treat baggy crinkle? from Blep

6. Extreme close-up.

One handsome blep from Blep

7. It sure is magnificent…

Caught this magnificent blep the other day. It has taken a few years but we caught one in the end! from Blep

8. Bleppy boi, bleppy boi.

Please enjoy our bleppy boi from Blep

9. The muppet blep.

October looks like a a scruffy muppet with a blep. from Blep

10. Just a little one…

A tiny blep from Blep

Don’t hold out on us!

We know you have some great blep photos that we’d love to see in the comments!

The post 10 Cute Cat Bleps That Might Warm Your Heart appeared first on UberFacts.

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10 Tweets That Prove Cats Also Like to Play Fetch

This may surprise you, but playing fetch isn’t only for the dogs anymore.

All kinds of cats are getting in on this action!

But that’s a good thing, right? The more, the merrier, we like to say!

1. Look at her go!

2. A hair tie will work, too.

3. Keep practicing.

4. Your cat’s ears were burning.

5. Here’s the proof.

6. A pawsome game.

7. Just like a doggo.

8. Magical, indeed.

9. Three-legged fetch!

10. You gotta love it.

Do you have any videos or photos of your pet THAT ISN’T a dog playing fetch?

Share them with us in the comments! We want to see these animals in action!

The post 10 Tweets That Prove Cats Also Like to Play Fetch appeared first on UberFacts.

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The 2020 Social Justice Kittens Calendar Is Pretty Great

This is what you really need to get 2020 started off on the right foot! These kittens are fighting for social justice, and they’re here to remind you every month next year that they’re not going to stand for society’s BS any longer.

Let’s see what these social justice warrior kittens have to say in this calendar from
Sean Tejaratchi.

1. Those pesky “facts.”

Photo Credit: Amazon

2. Forego free speech…

Photo Credit: Amazon

3. Beware.

Photo Credit: Amazon

4. Forget about your opinion.

Photo Credit: Amazon

5. Time to listen.

Photo Credit: Amazon

6. Always does.

Photo Credit: Amazon

7. Doesn’t feel safe.

Photo Credit: Amazon

8. Are you part of the problem?

Photo Credit: Amazon

9. Love rage.

Photo Credit: Amazon

10. So-called allies.

Photo Credit: Amazon

What do you think? Feel like 2020?

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Take a Look at These Wholesome Things That Happened in the Animal Kingdom This Year

A lot of great things happened to or with people’s fur babies  this year – and, luckily, they were kind enough to put it all up on social media.

Here are 15 really nice and wholesome things that happened in 2019 that involved our furry animal friends.

Enjoy!

1. He saved you.

2. Cuteness overload.

3. Best friends forever.

4. All together now.

5. Sharing is caring.

6. Fetch over the fence.

7. Hello!

8. That is touching.

9. Jumping for joy.

10. New friends!

11. I remember you.

12. We know that cat!

13. This man is a saint.

14. One at a time.

15. Go, Clyde!

Those sure made the end of my year a lot better!

The post Take a Look at These Wholesome Things That Happened in the Animal Kingdom This Year appeared first on UberFacts.

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Man Creates Wintertime Shelters for Stray Cats out of Discarded Coolers

This is a great story.

Philip Rogich is a man we should all take a lesson from. The resident of Ogden, Utah, has taken it upon himself to look out for some of his town’s feral and stray critters this winter, which looks like it’s going to be a long and cold one.

Rogich takes discarded coolers that would have ended up in the trash and makes them into shelters for stray and feral kitties so they have a place to avoid the cold, harsh winter.

Posted by Batman of Ogden on Saturday, November 16, 2019

Rogich said, “Normally the cooler keeps things cold. We’re going to use it to keep animals warm. I actually have a 6-inch drill bit and then once you drill the hole you just use some pipe insulation to pad it. Everybody’s got a cooler in their garage that they’re not using.”

Rogich added that he uses straw inside the coolers because it dries relatively easily and that a regular cooler can hold up to three cats if they’re in the mood to snuggle.

Posted by Batman of Ogden on Saturday, November 16, 2019

Rogich said that he’s placed a few of the cat coolers around his town because “[Feral cats] just disappear, get overlooked. They get cold in the wintertime too. They’re living creatures…to me, living creatures, they deserve to have their basic needs met.”

Amen to that.

Productive Cat cooler day. Built 13 shelters all will be out by the end of the day. Took in 10 old coolers with 10…

Posted by Batman of Ogden on Thursday, November 14, 2019

Since the story of Rogich’s work gained popularity in the media, people have been donating old coolers and straw to him. If you want to get in touch with Rogich or donate supplies to him, you can reach out to him through his Facebook page.

Keep up the great work! Let’s do our best to help out all the cold and lonely animals that will be out on the streets this winter.

The post Man Creates Wintertime Shelters for Stray Cats out of Discarded Coolers appeared first on UberFacts.