Category: Simon’s cat

Paws and relax on British Airways

August 22, 2014 • 2:17 pm

We’ll end the week with—hmm. . . what will lift our spirits? How about CATS??

In a remarkably enlightened move, British Airways is tempting ailurophilic customers with a new channel on its long-distance flights. As Yahoo Travel reports:

Do you ever go on Youtube only to get caught in an endless web of cat videos? It’s pretty adorable and relaxing, huh?

British Airways thinks so, and has dedicated a new channel aboard their long-haul flights called ‘Paws and Relax.’ The channel, which is set to launch in September, is dedicated to light-hearted footage of cats and dogs. Sounds pretty purrrfect!

The airline recently unveiled their happiness blanket as a way to help passengers sleep better on flights, and now they’re turning to pets to further increase the mood of travelers.  In a video posted on Youtube, Inflight Entertainment Manager Richard D’Cruze says this is the newest tool that the airline is using to enhance the passenger experience. “We discovered some scientific research that proves watching images of cute animals can actually lower your heart rate and reduces stress levels,” says D’Cruze.

And to really tug at your heart strings, all of the animals used in the launch photos are from the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and are available for adoption. So if Alfie the Pug, or kittens Karma, Knight, and Karis really capture your heart, you can take them home!

The programming lineup for the initial launch includes the animated cartoon Simon’s Cat, the documentary The Secret Life of Cats, and Animal Planet’s America’s Cutest Dog.

If you’re really sharp, you’ll remember that Larry, the cat who is Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office at 10 Downing Street (yes, that’s an official British goverment position) was also procured from the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, though, sadly, he won’t mouse.

And they can just ditch the d*gs; everyone knows that what the Internet is all about is CAT videos. Without cats, there would be no Internet, regardless of what Al Gore says. You think British Airways is gonna attract customers with ducks?

Here’s British Airways Inflight Entertainment Manager Richard D’Cruze explaining the new channel:

and, OMG, I’ve gotten way behind on Simon Tofield’s wonderful animations. There are at least six I haven’t shown, so let’s catch up with the first one, “Hot water”. This is a good one (notice the cat’s butt), and I expect Diana MacPherson will have a comment about the first thirty seconds:

The story of Simon’s Cat

November 13, 2013 • 10:12 am

Animator Simon Tofield has produced a brand-new biographical cartoon telling the story of how he got into animation, how the “Simon’s Cat” series came about, and how he makes those adorable videos. He reveals, for instance, that he has four cats, whose antics are all amalgamated into the unnamed cartoon moggie, and that it takes two to three months to do a single three-minute animation.

If you appreciate Tofield’s efforts (and I know you do), you might drop by Tofield’s website or even purchase a Simon’s Cat-themed product. You’ll see a new “Simon’s kitten,” too!

h/t: Michael