I don’t know—the readership of Caturday felid posts is thin, and they are a bit onerous to make each week. I’m pondering getting rid of them. Yes, I know a few people read them religiously (LOL) but I’m getting old and my time is best spent doing something productive. We shall see. . .
At any rate, we have three items for you this week. First, the AP reports on a perverted New Zealand cat that steals underwear—and other stuff. Click to read:
Excerpt:
Most cat owners dread their pets bringing home mice or birds. But for the owners of one felonious feline in Auckland, New Zealand, there’s a worse shame — being the unwitting accomplice to an unstoppable one-cat crimewave.
His prolific laundry-pinching from clotheslines and bedrooms in the placid beachside neighborhood of Mairangi Bay has turned 15-month-old Leo into a local celebrity and earned him a new moniker. He now goes by Leonardo da Pinchy.
And he’s got expensive taste. His frequent hauls include silk boxer shorts, thick men’s work socks — preferably with clothespins still attached — and in one mortifying episode for his humans, a brand-new 300 New Zealand dollar ($181) cashmere sweater.
But the pilfered stash kept piling up: socks (piles), underwear (loads) and even a 5-foot-long stuffed snake (bizarre). On one record-setting day, Leo returned with nine items, enough for a full outfit if you didn’t mind a mix of everything from baby clothes to menswear.
“He brought in a jersey this morning at 10 past 8,” North said. “The shops hadn’t even opened.”
With dozens of items unclaimed, the embarrassed owner took her search for Leo’s victims wider this month, posting photos of his hauls on a local Facebook page along with an apology and her address. Those who showed up to claim their belongings included a woman who recognized her pink and purple underpants and a boy whose beloved and missing sports jersey was helpfully identifiable by his name printed on the back.
The ire North expected over Leo’s cat burgling antics didn’t eventuate — although one of his targets, who is allergic to cats, now dries her laundry indoors.
“All of our neighbors think he’s amazing,” she said. “Some of them are quite put out that he hasn’t actually stolen anything of theirs.”
Still, North has tried everything to curb her cat’s laundry obsession, from attempting to keep him indoors to leaving out clothes at home for him to steal. No luck.
“He only wants stuff that he shouldn’t have,” she said, adding that she was also unwilling to risk an online suggestion that Leo simply needed another playmate.
The staff hope that Leonardo will grow out of it, but I don’t think so!
There’s lots of pictures at the AP link, but I can’t show them for fear of copyright persecution. Here, however, is a wonderful video showing Leonardo in the fur and his staff. as well as some of the stuff that he’s pilfered. He’s a Siamese-like cat (a Tonkinese), of course, and often goes into people’s houses to nab their clothes:
************
I’m not sure where this comes from; the site is ifeg, but for the life of me I don’t know what it’s about. It’s eclectic, though, and here’s an article about a heroic cat, now immortalized by a statue, who saved a family in Leningrad. Click on the title to see the article:
An excerpt:
During the siege of Leningrad, when hunger and cold claimed lives daily, a cat named Vaska became a family’s unexpected savior. He wasn’t a hero in uniform, but a four-legged one with alert eyes and silent claws.
Every morning, he went out hunting. His owner, a woman with a steady gaze and winter-worn hands, waited for him with her daughter in her arms. With whatever Vaska brought—a mouse, a bird, sometimes just a handful of feathers—they would prepare a stew to survive another day. He would sit by the stove, patiently watching. At night, the three of them slept under a single blanket, sharing warmth and silence.
One day, before the alarms sounded, Vaska began meowing and running restlessly around the apartment. His owner understood without words: she grabbed what little she had and ran to the shelter with her daughter. Minutes later, the bombs fell. The cat had saved them again.Throughout the winter and spring, the woman collected crumbs to attract birds. And Vaska, now thin and silent, continued hunting with surprising precision. For months, his instinct fueled the two women who looked at him like a furry angel fallen from heaven.
When the blockade ended, and the city slowly returned to life, his owner never forgot. Even with food on the table, the best piece was always his. He would caress it tenderly and repeat: “You saved us.”Vaska died in 1949. He was buried as a member of the family, with a cross and a name: Vasily Bugrov. Years later, his wife was buried next to him. Then, their daughter, too.
Today, the three rest under the same earth. As on those winter days, under the same blanket that united them forever.
Vaska, the cat who saved a family during the Siege of Leningrad, is a tale of bravery, loyalty, and the unspoken bond between humans and animals in times of unimaginable hardship. The Siege, which lasted from 1941 to 1944, left the people of Leningrad in constant fear, hunger, and isolation. As bombs fell daily and food became scarcer, survival was a daily struggle. Amidst this devastation, Vaska, a small calico cat, emerged as an unlikely hero. His story is one of survival against the odds, not just for himself but for the family that he chose to protect.
. . . As the siege dragged on, the family’s situation grew increasingly dire. Vaska, though weakened by hunger and exhaustion, continued to hunt for his family. The woman, ever resourceful, would collect crumbs to attract birds, and Vaska, though thinner than ever, hunted with a surprising precision. The harsh conditions of the siege had taken a toll on him, but he never stopped providing. His sacrifice was not just a matter of survival; it was a testament to his loyalty and love for the family he had adopted. Even when food was scarce, the woman made sure to save the best portion for him, always remembering how he had kept them alive.
Eventually, the inevitable came. Vaska’s body, worn out from months of fighting against hunger, cold, and exhaustion, could no longer keep going. In 1949, Vaska passed away. His death marked the end of an era for the woman and her daughter. They had lost their savior, their companion, and their protector. But Vaska was not just buried like a common animal; he was laid to rest with dignity, a member of the family. His name was inscribed on a cross, “Vasily Bugrov,” and he was buried in the local cemetery, where the woman would one day join him, followed later by her daughter. Together, they would rest, forever united, just as they had been during the cold, dark days of the siege.
Is this story true? You be the judge.
There is now a statue of that some say is of Vaska in Leningrad, below, but it’s probably honoring another cat who helped during the Leningrad Siege, though by killing rats and mice that were eating food. If you read Russian, go here and see if there’s a good explanation of this lovely statue.
And here’s a video:
***********************
Here’s a cat named Mister Puss (of course) who loves motorcycle rides. There’s a YouTube video with the notes below.
Allar & Tika told us how they used to be dog people before they met @MisterPusss and shared the moment they discovered how he loves to ride on motorcycles!
Keep up with @MisterPusss on Instagram: https://thedo.do/misterrpuss, TikTok: https://thedo.do/Misterrpuss and Facebook: https://thedo.do/MisterrPuss
I think that they should get Mister Puss a helmet! They don’t appear to have taken proper precautions against his getting injured.
*********************
Lagniappe: From Facebook: a chonky Russian cat apprehended trying to escape Weight Loss Camp. I sure hope they get his weight down: he was nearly 40 pounds. That would kill him for sure and it’s hard to take weight off of cats. Here’s the whole text, or click below to go to the original post:
The feline, named Kroshik—Russian for “Crumbs”—was caught mid-escape from a pet weight loss center in Perm, Russia, where he’d been placed on a strict diet and exercise plan!
Photos show the hefty cat, tipping the scales at nearly 38 pounds, wedged awkwardly between the bars of a shoe rack, his face buried in a bright blue Croc during his failed breakout attempt.
According to staff, Kroshik had been fed a steady diet of cookies and soup before arriving at the center, causing him to balloon to a whopping 37.47 pounds—so heavy that he could no longer walk on his own.
#catsofinstagram #cats #history #humor #wildlife #petlovers #photography
h/t: Merilee, and probably others I’ve forgotten (thanks to them, too)
“… it’s hard to take weight off of cats.”
Indeed, it sure can be. My vet told me I had to put my cat on a diet and recommended the Happy Cat Adipositas formula, and it has worked remarkably well. He slimmed way down in just a few months.
Apparently one reason why so many cats (and presumably dogs, too) are overweight is that they actually put sugar in most cat food, which is of course outrageous.
I appreciate any shred of joy in these days of Trump chaos. The cats stories lift me up.
+1.
+2
+1
+3
I need to see some good in the world, and that Orange Menace and his minions haven’t utterly destroyed it.
Always love cat stories! 🐈🐾🐈🐾
I’ve just read the first paragraph, but before I go on, I wanted to say: while I enjoy anything cat-related, if you’re finding it unrewarding to produce a post every Saturday, you absolutely shouldn’t.
But since you’re still a cat-lover, you’ll surely be inspired to put out a cat-related post every now and then, just because you’ve got some particularly interesting cat-related item or items you’d like to share more widely.
So my suggestion is that you change the name of your cat-related posts from Caturday to something like ‘Feliday’ – with the understanding that Feliday is whatever damn day and date you decide it is.
This is my feelings as well. And the internet shows no signs of running out of cat tails.
Agreed
Like people, cats collect things. Just as people collect buttons, or baseballs, or Beanie Babies, this cat collects underwear. Oh well.
I hope the cat at fat camp returns svelte and healthy!
I do like the Caterday trifecta. It’s a welcome change from the news of the day. Please keep it up if you can.
Iif pushed for time, I ALWAYS read Hilly and look forward to Caturday Felid Trifecta. Many of the facebook feeds that I used to follow are now only available if you log in, or are only active for a few seconds. And one does not want to encourage facebook nowadays.
We had one of our many cats who hunted. Once, cooked bacon rashers. Though the peak was probably the time my mother woke to find the cat presenting her with a mouse. Her scream probably woke the neighbours.
I and my ginger cat like your caturday posts. He is now 17 years old and can’t jump in my lap; so he meows for me to pick him up. He then puts his paw on the computer screen to touch the other cats. He is down to 10 pounds in his old age from a high of 14; which happened over the last several years. He gets kitty glucosamine and condroitin every day for his arthritis. We appreciate the work to post these cat tales, even if they only become an occasional thing.
A la Mister Puss and Leonardo da Pinchy: I delivered the Ann Arbor News while attending the U of M and found a hungry Siamese X kitten in the vestibule of one of the apartment buildings on my route. I snatched him up and he became my first cat (having been raised in a dog family). For 2 years he accompanied me on my route, hanging out on the shelf that covered the hatch of my Toyota Tercel. He never once attempted to jump out and I suppose it might seem reckless to some but we drove around with the windows wide open and had a blast.He never really acted like a cat. Such a pal! I also had a klepto kat. Chad stole all sorts of expensive, frilly underwear, bras and scarves from my neighbor who hung them in her backyard. Caroline (my neighbor) knew exactly where to find her missing items. Aren’t cats just the best?
As others have said, I love the Caturday Felid Trifecta. I wouldn’t gage its popularity solely on the number of comments, if that’s what you’re doing. Sometimes I read it with great pleasure, but don’t feel I’ve much to add. That takes us back to what I’ve always thought were the silly “like” buttons that may serve more of a purpose than I’d considered. I think you should do it if it’s enjoyable for you.
Enjoyed today’s stories! Photo of fat cat didn’t load which is just as well as it irritates me they were feeding the poor cat cookies. When my cats reached “middle age” they got heavy because I was free feeding them. My vet told me how many kcals per day for each cat and that worked to get their weight down. They all lived long lives. The siamese cat seemed to be self-regulating though- she didn’t get heavy ever. I have been cat free for 9 months now. Odd after 20+ years of 2 or 3 cats in the home.
Oh, it hurts, doesn’t it? I remember that feeling (in fact, it lingers 4 years later) when I suddenly found myself in a catless house. I’ve become far too cautious now in my sixties. What the hell is up with that?
They are such characters. Miss them.
Thank you for Caturday once again. It helps keep me sane in these days of utter insanity. It would be interesting to know why some cats collect/steal these various objects–there have been posts on YouTube about such cats here in the states as well.
I don’t know how you calculate how many people read Caturday, but if it is by the number of clicks registered on the individual posts that are automatically sent out, you must be missing a lot of readers. I never click on those posts–I always come to the website (twice a day most days) to read the various posts so I don’t have to click on each one individually. I know others who do the same, plus people who wouldn’t miss Caturday, but never comment–so how would you know they are reading it?
Caturday and Hili are the highlights of my week (plus memes, videos that are cat related) and, as I said at the beginning, help keep me sane. If you can’t continue to do them weekly, I hope you will post at least a couple of them a month as this country continues on the road to insanity.
Phase 1: Collect underpants
Phase 2: ?
Phase 3: Profit!
Ha!
Jerry, I don’t often post comments here. This is to let you know that I enjoy and look forward to your weekly Caturday. Please keep it up.
Even as I open this late Saturday night (Caturday – of course) my cat is ordering me around.
I would be sorry to see the end of this feature, especially if your view statistic is taken from actual visits to the item itself. I rarely click on an item that can be read entirely from the front page because it seems redundant if I don’t want to read the comments, so my views will be absent from any accounting. I do try to remember to click on the science items so they get an accounted view but a lack of a click does not necessarily equal a lack of interest.
As a cat person with lab skills, I’ve a friend who is also a cat lady-scientist who forwards the Caturday Felid Trifecta every week. I’ve since signed up for the “Why Evolution is True” newsletter not only in support of this wonderful science-forward blog, but for the emotionally uplifting weekend feline feature.
Cats have an unmistakable superpower to blink away the most tragic, the most dire, and the most stressful circumstances us humans encounter in our public and private lives. Is it any wonder some cats have been made valuable and beloved mascots in police stations, employed as therapists under the esteemed title, “therapy cat,” and standby in firehouses and firetrucks like one 2nd Lieutenant EMS’s delightful tabby, Peanut, in Arbutus, Maryland. I’m sure many of us here will agree that fifteen minutes with a cat outperforms 20 hours with a reputable licensed therapist.
Cats are also a major preventative when it comes mental health issues, for whenever we linger too long in front of our screens, if we’re lucky enough to have a cat, they will surely come along to bat at your face, sit or recline on the keyboard, or otherwise physically assert themselves between your eyes and the screen as if to say, “You’re done doomscrolling. Now, get away from my spot!”
I will be disappointed to see the Caturday feature removed, even if I’ll understand. Regardless, I hope to see uplifting feline news make it’s way into the blog from time to time if that is the case.
There is nothing more productive than lifting my spirits with a Caturday/Feliday or whatever you want to call it. (And how I got hooked on this website!)