Thanks to our ailurophilic readers, news about cats large and small keeps pouring in. Here are three highlights from the last week.
First, an instructional video about how to do yoga with your cat. Now you and your moggie can bond by exercising together—not that cats need relief from stress:
Second, twin Sumatran tiger cubs (a male and a female) were put on display for the first time four days ago at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. The Last Word on Nothing gives details and photos, including the following info:
The twin cubs, a boy and a girl, were on display for the first time yesterday at the zoo here in Washington, D.C. A little after 10 a.m., keepers opened the metal door at the bottom of a short concrete set of stairs. First the mother’s round face appeared in the stairwell, then a tiny pair of ears, then both cubs.
An audience of 70 or 80 people, armed with cameras ranging from smartphone to telescope-sized, watched as the two cubs wandered, sniffing at dry leaves, trying out the stairs to the higher levels of the sloping exhibit. The lion roared from next door, a few dozen feet away but out of sight. One of the cubs jumped on a black piece of wood. One stood on its hind legs, stretching to reach up one of the enclosure’s mighty oaks with its front claws.
As they got more comfortable, they turned toward important kitten activities like scampering and pouncing. Sometimes one would lie on its back to bat at the other with its oversized paws. Solid kitten business.
Here is a videos of the event (note: this subspecies of tiger is critically endangered):
If you didn’t see my earlier posts on the cubs (Sukacita and Bandar) being given their obligatory swimming test before being put on display, go here and here.
Finally, I proffer some unspeakably cute pictures of Karis, an 11-week-old lion cub at the Blair Drummond Safari Park in Scotland, having a high old time playing with leaves. You can see more photo in the Daily Mirror:
h/t: Su, Michael
Wow, that cub couldn’t be more cute. I wonder if I’d be allergic to baby lions.
Probably not… you’d make it not so, given the opportunity! Me too! 🙂
Nature’s red in tooth and leaf.
I know its off topic, but despite your stand against segregation, it would appear that all is lost over here.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/10468115/Universities-can-segregate-men-and-women-for-debates.html
Ummm, wrong thread?
Prof.CeilingCat gives his contact details in the “Research Interests” page above. When I’m submitting stuff that I think may be interesting, I use a “Subject:” line that starts with “[WEIT]” on the (possibly un-founded) theory that it makes prioritising his email easier.
What’s the Torygraph on about? […] Ah, no great surprises there, and a few almost interesting links in the foot of the page too. I’ll have to research them separately (I don’t want the Torygraph garnering too many click-throughs or page views from me).
Returning to normal “Caturday Felid” service … I have news for people who think “That Blair Drummond place might be worth a visit”. From their website :
I’ll bear the place in mind the next time I’m going to throw myself off the Wallace Monument though.
As for felid cuteness .. although I don’t necessarily encourage these types of interactions .. I probably would be ‘weak’ and give in, were I to get in such a situation (provided that these animals grew up with me) ..
Sorry .. meant to post the link only.
Karis? Kharis is the name of the mummy in the 1940s sequels to the original 1932 “The Mummy”. Ain’t it great, what sticks in your head?
Gorgeous cubs, so adorable.
That lion cub! My cuteness quota is filled for the week. Brilliant photos.
All totally adorable and and and squishably lovable.
The third photo of the leavened cub could start a new trend in Royal millinery. 🙂
Another great way to exercise with your cat…is to get him and / or her into an harness and leash and go for a walk in the park. Bonus points if the park has lots of interesting stuff for the cat to sniff along with plenty of steep inclines for you to climb.
The only type of bodyweight exercise I’ve managed to do with Baihu is squats with him on my shoulders — and, even then, not many….
b&
I should also add: if you want to see a Sumatran tiger in person, you can do so at the Phoenix Zoo. They’re beautiful animals with big teeth.
Cheers,
b&
Great shot, Ben!
(Btw, you’re so far away, but if I’m ever in the area one of these years, I’ll try to pop in for a doctor’s visit.)
Very late comment, but I don’t care, as I only recently came across the perfect and briefest paean to that Sumatran tiger cub amongst the autumn leaves. And I can’t think of a better hiding place to stash this acorn of wisdom.
Borrowed from Dr. Dawkins’s auto-biography, “An Appetite for Wonder”:
“The stuff of life to knit me
Blew hither; here am I.”
by A.E. Housman, A Shropshire Lad