The amazing story of Argentinian streetboy saved by gang of wild cats.

From the Daily Mail:

A young boy was kept alive by wild cats while living rough on the streets, it emerged today. The one-year-old ...was discovered by police in Misiones, in Argentina, surrounded by eight of the animals.

The cats snuggled up with him during freezing nights that would otherwise have killed him, doctors believe. The boy was seen eating scraps foraged by his feline friends while they licked him. And they hissed as police approached the child.

Officer Alicia Lorena Lindgvist said: ‘I was walking and noticed a gang of cats sitting very close together. It is unusual to see so many like that so I went for a closer look and that’s where I saw him. The boy was lying at the bottom of a gutter. There were all these cats on top of him licking him because he was really dirty. When I walked over they became really protective and spat at me. They were keeping the boy warm while he slept.’

The officer, who noticed scraps of food near the boy in the Christ King district, also told The Sun: ‘The cats knew he was fragile and needed protecting.’

Police have found the boy’s father who is homeless and said he had lost the boy several days ago while out collecting cardboard to sell. He told officers cats had always been protective of his son.

Many observers have noted the similarity between this story and that portrayed in the 1967 Disney movie 'The Jungle Book', in which a young boy, Mowgli, is raised in the jungle by wolves and is befriended by an amiable bear named Baloo.

Hat tip: Chris

Contacts make cat's eyes see again

Sky News:

Ernest the cat has had his sight restored by contact lenses in what is believed to be a medical first.

Cat by name, burglar by nature

Beware dear readers if you see this cat or any of it's kind about, your Xmas pressies might be at risk! The BBC are reporting the continuation of the animal crime wave sweeping the planet. Frankie has no regard for the Christmas spirit and has maliciously been stealing toys left, right and centre. Please guard your presents if you see a cat about!

These cat-astrophes must be stopped!

"Not again," we hear you groan as Animal News sadly has to report on yet another case of a cat trapped in a car engine.

In what has become a horrific cat-alogue of automobile disasters (see here and here), one more cat has endured a car journey from hell:

When the mechanic popped open the bonnet he was greeted by small, shivering, black and white cat trapped under a pipe.

Mr Dale Tattersall, workshop manager, said: "We couldn't believe it. It was covered in oil and dirt and was boiling hot. We managed to it out and give it a good wash and it seems to be doing well.

World's oldest cat celebrates 125th birthday, yet to receive telegram from the Queen

In the latest bout of anti-animal discrimation, Animal News has been informed that Mischief, 125 in cat years, has not yet been sent a congratulatory telegram from the Queen. Mischief, of Cornwall, is a British subject - so we say, 25 years overdue ma'am!

125 years is a good age for a cat - but even more astounding may be the spider that lived for 28 years.

Outrage at the Mu

The Musicians union (MU) have condemned the increase in training of animals to play musical instruments.



"This is just the thin edge of the wedge" said a source "with the credit crunch taking it's toil on the job market we are sure orchestras will start cutting cost and replace our member with these cheap animal amateurs"

Member are said to be in a near catatonic state of anger with the training of animals, in particular cats, to play the panio.



Where will this trend end? Is this animal discrimination or understandable protectionism in a tricky economic climate? We are sure this is not the end of this chapter in the relationship between animals and humankind

Another cat hitches a ride

The BBC reports on Tilly, yet another cat to get trapped in an inappropriate part of a car. In common with our exposé on cats that get trapped in engines, Tilly has also managed to hitch a long distance ride with an unsuspecting motorist.

A cat has used up one of its nine lives after getting stuck behind the front grille of a car and surviving for 70 miles on a trip from Surrey to Sussex.

Now that we are at 15 incidents, Animal News is starting to wonder whether these events are more than a coincedence... Is all this car tres-puss orcherstrated by a master mog? Are we dealing with feline felony here?

And it's not just cats that like to travel! In related news, Hike the Border Collie became estranged from his owner when he caught a bus for a 20 mile trip to the seaside. One local resident quipped: "He must be barking mad to take the number 11 bus. He should have used a taxi."

Spending all day at the seaside sounds like a dog's life to us!

The mystery of the disappearing water

Unknown source:

"Jennifer and Jim kept getting huge water bills. They knew beyond a doubt that the bills weren't representative of their actual usage, and no matter how they tried to conserve, the high bills continue. Although they could see nothing wrong, they had everything checked for leaks or problems; first the water meter, then outdoor pipes, indoor pipes, underground pipes, faucets, toilets, washer, ice maker, etc, all to no avail.

"One day Jim was sick and stayed home in bed, but kept hearing water running downstairs. He finally tore himself from his sick bed & went to investigate, and stumbled onto the cause of such high water bills.

"Apparently this was happening all day long when they were not at home. Knowing that few would believe him, he taped a segment of the 'problem' for posterity!"



Hats off: Sabine

Fat Cats

From Yahoo News:

Eight of Britain's most overweight pets are to embark on a 100-day diet and fitness regime in a bid to be crowned this year's pet fit club champion.

The seven dogs and one cat, who are all more than 30 percent overweight and weigh a combined total of 191 kg (421 lb), were picked by veterinary charity PDSA who are running the slimming contest.

The animals, who need to lose a total of 74 kg to reach their ideal weight, will be put on specially tailored diet and exercise programs.

The pet who achieves the biggest percentage weight loss and best follows their new regime will be crowned champion, winning their owner a pet-friendly holiday.

At the hour of the Credit Crunch, it's apparently not only corporate fat cats that are shedding a few pounds!

UPDATE: Link is now broken, see a copy of the story here.

The purr-plexing love of cats for car engines

Animal News is well aware that cats love to travel - but just why they choose to do it inside bonnets of cars, encased in their engines, is a veritable moggy mystery.

Take Beamer, who suffered horrific burns after spending three days being driven around West Sussex in a BMW. Or misfortunate Mina, who travelled for 30 miles "clinging to the inside of a car bonnet" before being discovered alongside the engine's spark plugs.


Bad luck befell Black Jack, a seven-month old cat who sustained abdominal injuries, a severed Achilles' tendon and a significant loss of muscle tissue after becoming trapped in the fan belt of her neighbour's car. Black Jack required 80 stitches, several operations and eight days in intensive care - but fortunately survived. A fan belt injury also occurred in Rutland, where Lucky

lost much of the skin from the side of his stomach and needed to have a leg amputated after it became trapped in the fan belt.

Halloumi and Mele suffered similar ordeals, as did Maisy - who was discovered when her legs were seen dangling beneath the car. It is said that Maisy

was still deeply traumatised, but was improving.

"Maisy survived a four-mile journey from Abermule to Newtown after becoming trapped in a car engine," she said.

"After the journey her back legs didn't seem to work, but they're back to normal now. She is still deeply traumatised and it's going to be a slow, long journey with lots of tender loving care.

Charlie spent three hours in a car engine journeying from Hull to Norfolk, while in Aberdeen a ginger kitten named Gingi was discovered trapped inside a bonnet after driving for several miles - when the car's owner noticed the engine sounding an unusual purr. Nacho hitched a ride in a car engine all the way from Bristol to Liverpool. But perhaps the most impressive cat-hop was stowaway stray Lucky who, in an act reminiscent of a feline Phileas Fogg, managed to travel all the way from France to England in a car engine, in a journey lasting three days.

But a close second is probably Luna, who survived 300 miles over the course of a week in Austria, trapped inside the bonnet of a Mercedes-Benz - narrowly avoiding a cat-astrophy.

The popularity of engine-dwelling is not limited to cars. Cats have also survived journies trapped inside the engines of a van (in Hampshire), a coach and even a fire service lorry.

It would seem that vehicle engines are simply the purr-fect mode of cat travel! But as this adventurous lifestyle often leaves our feline friends just a whisker from death, it certainly is fortunate that they have nine lives.

Bizarre friendship frenzy

In the wake of our recent post on unlikely animal friendships, a veritable pandemic of interspecies chumminess has been brought to the attention of Animal News. Be inspired!

tortoise + hippo
An orphaned hippo in kenya has been adopted by a giant tortoise, in a mutually beneficial display of animal friendship. It is said of the tortoise: "motherhood has really brought her out of her shell!"


chimp + tiger cubs
Anjana, a chimpanzee, has adopted two tiger cubs in Florida.



elephant + sheep
From metro:

Themba the abandoned baby elephant has someone to give him that warm, fuzzy feeling at long last – Albert the sheep.

The six-month-old was introduced to Albert, two, after he was orphaned with little hope of survival.

Despite a few teething problems, the two are now best friends, and spend hours playing and cuddling.

dog + monkey
From the New York Post:

It was love at first sight for a puppy and a monkey at a zoo in China.

A worker at the Nanhai Zoo who takes her 6-month-old pooch with her to work noticed the pup and the monkey had an instant attraction.

Now the tiny simian feeds the canine bananas and brushes his hair, and the dog lets his pal ride on his back.

That really is bananas!

dog + kittens
From the wires:

A female dog is nursing a litter of kittens which were orphaned when their mother died in China.

Their owner, Cai, of Jiangmen, said he has been raising cats and dogs together for more than 10 years, and they all got along together well. But this was the first time he had ever seen kittens being nursed by a dog, he told the local Guangzhou Daily.

The four kittens seemed happy and content with their new mother's milk, while the dog was tending to its adopted family with love and care, Cai added.

"Several days ago, the kittens' mother died after eating a poisoned rat, leaving behind a litter of kittens without a source of milk," he said. "The kittens' cries may have stirred the dog's maternal nature, since it too had recently given birth. It volunteered to take over and feed the kittens of its old friend."

The dog's own puppies had been taken away by one of its grown-up offspring. Cai said: "That's perhaps another reason why the dog adopted the kittens. She lost all of her own children."

rabbit + kittens
The BBC reports on Summer the Rabbit, of Aberdeen, who has adopted six three-week old kittens.

Veterinary nurse Melanie Humble says: "the kittens seemed to really like her [Summer] and thought she was their mother. They were trying to get milk from her and climbing over her. And Summer was not bothered by them at all. Summer is five months old and she's gigantic. It is lovely to see them all together."

To the big kennel in the sky

The winner of the 2008 World's Ugliest Dog Contest has passed away.

Courtesy of Perez:

Sad news.

The winner of the 2008 World's Ugliest Dog Contest has passed away.

Gus was a pedigree Chinese crested dog from St. Petersburg, Florida.

He was missing an eye, one leg, and was almost hairless.

Unfortunately, the 9 year-old pooch was suffering from cancer.

Gus was originally rescued from a home where he was being kept inside a crate in someone's garage.

His adoptive family says Gus lost his leg after it had to be amputated due to a skin tumor and he lost his eye in a cat fight.

Evil pussy!

As for Gus' owner, she had said the prize money from the contest was going to be used for his radiation treatment.

Poor pooch.

Rest in peace, Gus!!!!

Scaredy Cat

From the National Geographic:

Perhaps not since the Cowardly Lion has an animal's appearance been so at odds with its attitude. On June 4 a black bear wandered into a West Milford, New Jersey, back yard, was confronted by a 15-pound (7-kilogram) tabby cat … and fled up a neighbor's tree. Hissing at the base of the tree, Jack the clawless cat kept the bear at bay for about 15 minutes, then ran him up another tree after an attempted escape.....

Full-grown black bears weigh between 200 and 600 pounds (90 and 270 kilograms) and measure as much as 6 feet (1.8 meters) long. Their diets can include fruits, honey, insects, acorns and animals as big as moose calves—a fact apparently lost on Jack.

Mystic Mog

From the Washington Post:

Oscar the cat seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to die, by curling up next to them during their final hours. His accuracy, observed in 25 cases, has led the staff to call family members once he has chosen someone. It usually means they have less than four hours to live.

"He doesn't make too many mistakes. He seems to understand when patients are about to die," explained Dr Dosa, a geriatrician at Oscar's hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. "Many family members take some solace from it. They appreciate the companionship that the cat provides for their dying loved one."

No one is sure how Oscar is able to perform this remarkable feat.

One patient noted: "I've heard of a horse's head in your bed signifying impending death - but a live cat in your bed, that's a new one on me!"

Another patient reflected: "I'm old and sick. I'm expecting a visit from Oscar soon, if only I had nine lives too."

It's a dog save cat world!

For all those negative types who say that it's each animal for it's self in a crisis, Leo is here to prove you wrong. Dogs do have a more humane side. During a fire in Melborne, Australia. Leo bravely risked his life to save every dogs biggest enemy, the pesky kitten. Whilst the useless humans fled the building leaving behind the cardboard box of defenceless kitty cats, Leo stayed behind until the fire-brigade arrived to save the pussies.

Video available at BBC news

Cats! Now available in glow-in-the-dark colours

The genius of scientists knows no bounds. Everyone can agree that pussies are getting ever so boring. How can you improve you pet moggie, put a bit more life in to that fading trend? Why not get a glow-in-the-dark cat? Mr green genes is the worlds first glow-in-the-dark cat, but amazing animal news is hoping that more will be available for this Christmas.

More details available at the daily mail

Where are our pussies?: The case of the Purr-muda Triangle

MISSING---MISSING----MISSING

Residents of Stourbridge, Worcestershire have become frantic with fear at the outbreak of disappearing pussies in the area. Forty-five felines have gone missing in the so called Purr-muda Triangle (see below for map) in the past eight years leading to a five year investigation by the RSPCA. Without any leads to go on the tail has gone cold leaving the RSPCA no choice but to refuse to house any more cats in the area. Amazing Animal News is left asking is there a cat burglar in the area?




More at the daily mail.

a purr-fect vacation

A ditzy Bradford woman made a cat-astrophic error when she went on holiday - having accidentally packed her kitten with her luggage. According to the Yorkshire Post:

Three-month-old kitten Beauty had secretly crept inside owner Helen Wilmore's suitcase as she packed it for the trip to visit her cousin....

Despite rigorous security checks at Leeds-Bradford and Schiphol airports, the evasive black kitten remained undetected.

Shocked Helen, 36, from Bradford, said: "We'd been travelling for about 21 hours when I finally got round to opening my suitcase and out popped the cat.

"I couldn't believe it and I still can't take it in now how she managed to survive being stuck in there all that time - she must have used up quite a few of her nine lives."