Caturday felid trifecta: Bobcat thanks boy who saved it from fire; Biden’s “Schrödinger’s Cat”; Illustrations of what it’s like to be a cat’s staff

May 8, 2021 • 9:30 am

From apost we have a story and a video about a boy who rescued two animals from a fire, with one (below) becoming a house pet.

A wild bobcat almost died in a wildfire. He was rescued by a young boy, who took him home and adopted him.

Now, this wild animal acts like a domestic house cat, with ample love for the boy who saved his life.

This video shows some of the bobcat’s heartwarming affection for his savior, as he snuggles and caresses his owner. It is so sweet to see how a wild animal can bond with a human.

The boy, George Kraus, rescued this bobcat as well as a young fawn from a fire in his town. The animals were having trouble breathing because of smoke inhalation.

Young Kraus brought them home and cared for them until they were well. It took some time to earn each other’s trust, but before long the big cat became part of the Kraus family.

The bobcat, now named Benji, became a family pet. Benji lives in George’s home as an affectionate over-sized house cat.

Benji loves playing with toys and being with his family. He takes naps on the furniture. He especially loves snuggling, as the video clearly reveals.

I would not try this at home, but I suppose it’s possible. I hope the cat doesn’t decide one day to nip a little too hard! The video, however, is heartwarming.

And what do they feed the thing? Is it even legal to own a bobcat?

 

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You know, well before Biden took office we heard exciting rumors that the family was going to get a cat in the White House. POSH! PIFFLE! LIES! No cat has shown up in the first hundred days, although of course there are d*gs.  So I was a bit dubious when I saw this headline from the Washington Post.

Is Biden “reaching across the aisle” to cat lovers?  Well, don’t hold your breath. We’ve heard intimations like this for months:

Dogs seem to have a way with world leaders. For decades, the powerful have often opted for canine companions. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has one. So does French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Obamas were dog owners, too.

But President Biden is taking a path less followed with a first cat, which is expected to join the Biden family’s two German shepherds, Champ and Major, in the White House. (Donald Trump broke ranks when he became the first U.S. president in 150 years not to have a pet.)

First lady Jill Biden told NBC News on Friday that the Biden’s new cat was “waiting in the wings,” although she declined to say exactly when their feline friend would arrive. She gave no hint on the name, but appears to offer a gender reveal.

“He …,” Jill Biden started, then corrected herself. “She is waiting in the wings.”

Waiting in the wings my tuchas.! It’ll be a cold day in July when the Bidens get a cat. But one can still hope. . .

Biden’s rescue dog, Major, has already had some special coaching to prepare for life with a cat as part of his remedial training following two White House biting incidents.

Biden may not earn full “cat person” credentials in some eyes for sharing his affections with a pair of hounds. Still, the cat club is a small group for politicos at the top.

The genuine ailurophiles mentioned include the great Jacinda Ardern (whose polydactylous cat Paddles was run over by a car, and so no longer exists), and Larry, the Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office, who does exist.. However, all the rest of the moggies mentioned are former First Moggies, like Socks, the Clintons’ cat, or the cat of Stephen Harper, Canada’s former PM. They even mention Winston Churchill, for crying out loud! Couldn’t the paper be arsed to find out existing First Cats? Or maybe there are none save Larry. . .

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From Bored Panda we have a series of cartoons by Russian artist Lingvistov about what it’s like to live with a cat (click on screenshot). Anybody who’s had a mog will recognize the tropes; I’ll show my favorite five of the 30 cartoons given.

h/t: Jean

31 thoughts on “Caturday felid trifecta: Bobcat thanks boy who saved it from fire; Biden’s “Schrödinger’s Cat”; Illustrations of what it’s like to be a cat’s staff

  1. I didn’t see the name for the Bobcat. Maybe Bob?

    Don’t think you can be a actual cat person unless you have had (owned) a cat. Just looking at cat stuff on the internet or in books does not get it.

  2. Those cartoons were great – and the bobcat was very affectionate, although I have to admit that kid is braver than me!

    The Guardian ran the Biden cat story too, but I’m not holding my breath…

  3. Dogs seem to have a way with world leaders.

    What was it Harry Truman said about if you want a friend in Washington, DC?

    Donald Trump broke ranks when he became the first U.S. president in 150 years not to have a pet.

    I don’t think Trump ever had a pet in his life. Matter of fact, I can’t recall an extant picture or video of him interacting with animals in any way — not petting someone else’s, not at a national park, not even at a zoo. (And I don’t recall any photos of his sons with any animals they hadn’t already shot dead.) The Donald and Melania didn’t even seem to care much for the more rustic setting of Camp David, the presidential getaway in the Catoctin Mountains (which, you ask me, seems like the best of all presidential perks — at least since James Earl Carter sold off the presidential yacht Sequoia).

      1. Those ain’t pets, buddy; those are beasts of burden, straining under the load of Dear Leader’s Big Lie.

    1. Let us all be thankful that Trump has never owned any pets. Nobody but a psychopath likes to see animals abused…

      1. Maybe if Fred & Mary had taught little Donnie to care for an animal as a child, he wouldn’t have grown into such a soulless narcissistic sociopath.

        You never can tell.

    1. Compared to a house cat it looks pretty large. I’m looking to rescue a rooikat (Caracal) now. A relation with a bobcat or rooikat like that appears a small chunk of paradise.

  4. Pure speculation but perhaps the Bidens are thinking about the PR nightmare that would ensue should their dogs kill their proposed cat. Considering the dogs’ recent antics, their worry is justified. Right wing media would jump all over such an event.

    1. The Bidnen’s aint dumb and can certainly afford an experienced animal behaviorist— maybe even Jackson Galaxy.

  5. I’m sick of this Biden flip-flopping on cats! A group of politicians needs to start the Feline Party so I can vote for it. Get rid of the dog that’s attacked multiple people (I feel bad about saying that, but find it a nice home where it can be loved and rehabilitated in safety. White House staff and Secret Service agents shouldn’t be dealing with a constant threat of being attacked by the President’s pet).

    It’s clear that President Biden is attempting to string along cat lovers like myself. Well, I’m no longer chasing that string. I simply cannot stand for this any longer! It’s time we demand POLITICAL POWER FOR CATS. The cat can take over behind the scenes when Biden runs out of gas a year or two from now. We’ll know when it happens because every American will receive relief bale(out)s of yarn in the mail…

  6. [Posted a comment with links a bit ago; it never showed up much less chance to edit.]

    Bobcat was apparently not rescued from fire but from breeder and raised with house cat and muntjac. Change in Ohio laws meant it had to be given up and died shortly thereafter in 2014.

    1. Small kind of deer from SE Asia with small downward pointing tusks. They are very special in their having q very low number of chromosomes
      7 for males and 6 for females
      They are very cute though..

        1. You may call me nicky, which was my name here until our host kindly requested to post under our real names.

          1. No, you didn’t force at all, you kindly requested (as mentioned) and I just heeded a kind request of someone I hold in high esteem.

        2. The name Muntjac comes from Dutch ‘Muntjak’, which in turn comes from Sundanese (remember the Dutch ‘ruled’ Indonesia for a few centuries) mēncēk.
          There are about 12 species, one of which is an (invasive?) alien in Japan, and they are also (invasive?) aliens in England and Wales.

      1. Further on muntjac :
        They’re an established wild-breeding invasive in England – and they may have spread as far north as the Scotland border. On which basis, I wouldn’t be surprised if they managed to live in the wild in at least the East coast states of America too. If anyone has brought them in , they’re damned agile and likely to escape fairly often.
        Those tusks can draw blood – or maybe it was a bit of the fence I was trying to disentangle the beast from. The resident who had called it to our attention (knowing Dad from fungus forays, gall gallops and botanical bashes) had thought he had a roe deer fawn which had somehow got into his garden and couldn’t find it’s way back out. Time of year was right. But just leaving the garden gate open wasn’t really an option – bang next door to a major road – so we were wondering what to do about it until I noticed the tusks and realised it was an adult. Blanket over the eyes, then wrap it up (drawing blood), off into the car and took it to a copse of woodland a half-km away to release it away from traffic.
        Eeeeh. Ah can remember when it were all fields round there! Now the town spreads most of another mile further out, and the copse is long dead.

  7. Thank you for posting the felid trifecta despite your recent problems in Botany Pond. As usual it has made my Sunday morning.

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