We just happened to find this picture online today, two hedgehogs side by side in a human hand. So cute! One is still a baby, sporting newly grown spikes, while the other is larger (not as large as a hedgehog can get!). Hedgehogs are not aggressive, but rather passive and they suffer a lot when their spikes are growing. If you have a hedgehog pet, you should rub his skin with some vegetal oil (like sunflower or olive) to keep it most and soft while the spikes are appearing. He’ll appreciate it!

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But who could not love such a small and flurry animal like the cutie below?

Of course, young cats are curious and like windows. Maybe this explains why the kitten below is fighting with a Linux penguin?

Curious curious… Kittens are always looking around. Maybe this is why they have this deep blue eyes?

Kittens are also potential world thinkers, like Emily below:

But they are always funny to watch, above all when they go around two-legged:

Or when they try to play mental tricks on you:

Sources: Link1 Link2 Link3 Link4 Link5 Link6

Cats are known as selfish, dogs as loyal, fishes as dull. What about rabbits? Rabbits are superheroes!

Anchorage, Alaska, night. A house full of smoke and only one animal ready to do what needed to be done.

The brave home rabbit woke up his owner by scratching her chest, and when she realised the house was full of smoke woke up her daughter and fled the house (with the rabbit).

A firefighter team was quick enough to stop the flames, and mother and daughter were unharmed. But the courageous rabbit didn’t make it, and died. Smoke inhalation was the cause.
Image courtesy of Robobobobo at Flickr. We could not find pictures of the brave rabbit, but this looks brave enough

By 2004, the Cat House on the Kings was home to over 500 cats, and cat-lover donations just couldn’t cover the ever-growing expenses. Luckily, a very generous donor left her entire estate to the cat haven, and the money was used to purchase the neighboring six acres and install cat-proof fencing around the entire facility. Now there are almost 800 abandoned and feral cats housed at Lynea’s shelter, and even though taking care of them is a full-time job, she welcomes each new arrival with open arms.

A no-kill, no-cage sanctuary for cats, the Cat House on the Kings also features 12 acres of grassy fields, a nursery, an intensive care unit, and even a retirement home for elderly felines. There are cat doors and dog doors everywhere so any animal that wants to go in or out, can, and there are feeding stations and water everywhere on the facility so they can just go wherever they please and live their life freely. Lynea herself says that if she were a cat, this is where she’d be. She has 25 employees helping her and even though she’s always in full-speed mode, they still can’t keep up with everything that needs to be done. Some call her the “crazy cat lady” for even trying, but she says she’s not crazy, what she does is crazy.

That cuddly little fox you’ve always wanted as a pet is no longer out of reach. A new version of the silver fox has been introduced as tame enough to enter our homes.

The silver fox is a melanistic variation of the red fox. Silver foxes have darker pigmentation such as the fox shown above. Their coats vary from being completely black with a white tip on the tail to a bluish-gray coat. The dark coat of the silver fox is usually held in much higher esteem by the fur coat industry even in comparison to the most flawless beaver or otter coats. The darker the pelt, the more valuable it becomes. Historically, such a demand for this particular coat eventually arose that the production needed to be sustained through the farming of the silver fox.

Tame foxes began to appear in the 1950s in Siberia when fox farmers asked Russian scientist Dimitri Belyaev if he could help to breed a not so aggressive animal. Given the opportunity, Belyaev set himself on domesticating the silver fox by using selective breeding to hereditarily change fox aggression. Thereafter, by breeding only the tamest foxes Belyaev came upon a new breed of fox.

As early as the tenth generation of breeding, friendlier foxes began to show characteristics unusual in the wild Siberian fox. Characteristics such as the curling of tails, floppy ears and even barking arose. Breeding the tamest foxes together led to variations in their genetic make-up never before seen in a wild population of this particular animal.

It was surprising enough that the floppy ears and waggly tails emerged in a wild population of foxes, but what was most unusual was the variation in the coat. Suddenly, the silver fox coat that held such a dark pigmentation was no longer dark. And what made it so strange was that the variation should not have occurred. This idiosyncrasy led scientists to look elsewhere for an explanation.

Many times, selective breeding gave rise to a white or mixed coat color such as that displayed by the fox above. This raised a lot of questions, all of which pointed to their adrenaline levels. Generation after generation of breeding had an effect on the adrenal glands, which explained their behavioral and physiological changes.

Friendly foxes don’t have the level of adrenaline they formerly had – a byproduct of surviving in the wild. And a strong correlation between adrenaline and melanin was later discovered that explained the color of their coat. In other words, tame foxes are no longer producing as much adrenaline as their wild forebears, making them the friendliest foxes in the world.

American company SibFox Inc. is a private company operating as a conduit that connects North America with silver foxes from Siberia. Selectively breeding the Siberian fox proved successful for Belyaev. It seems like quite a step from farming these foxes for their lovely fur to domesticating them for their precious company. And as we appreciate the tameness of a lovable wolf – the first domesticated animal, your dog – we can now appreciate that unmistakable friendship with a fox. Tame foxes have the energy and companionship of a dog while displaying the independence of a cat. 

1. Siamese

2. Persian

3. Egyptian Mau

4. Maine Coon

5. Bengal

6. Himalayan

7. Toyger

8. Ragdoll

9. Burmese

10. Siberian

11. Munchkin

12. Abyssinian

13. Ocicat

14.Norwegian Forest

15. Tonkinese

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‘It looks like she is stuck, but actually her body is not as big as it looks because of the large amount of fur,’ said Yuriy Korotun, who lives in Moscow. ‘She likes hiding in different places and is full of character.’

Her ability to get in and out of seemingly impossible situations harks back to the comedy capers seen in classic kids’ cartoon Tom and Jerry.

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Bowlingual Voice

A Tomy employee poses with the Bowlingual Voice, a gadget that expresses dogs’ emotions, at the annual Tokyo Toy Show 2009. Tomy claims the gadget analyses a dog’s voice through a wireless microphone attached to its collar and then displays its emotions.

Maui Flowers Dog Bikini

Make a summertime splash with the Maui Flowers Dog Bikini. Your dog will not be able to resist this cute Spandex bathing suit. Canine Maui Flowers Bikini is two-piece for easy movement with a comfy and practical fit.

Dog Spinny Interactive Toy By Nina Ottosson

‘Dog Spinny’, has a single removable bone that has to be dislodged by the dog, who can then rotate the top section to access treats in the compartments below. By gradually reducing the number of treats, you can encourage him to work harder.
Nina Ottosson’s range of durable interactive games have been designed to stimulate a dog’s brain whilst reinforcing his relationship with people. Each design has a unique mechanism that requires mental as well as physical dexterity to work through the challenges and reveal hidden food rewards. They can be set to differing levels of complexity, to satisfy all ages and breeds of dog.

Zig A Zag Ball

The Zig A Zag Ball is a motorised ball that gives hours of crazy fun!
Using 1 AA battery which is supplied with the toy you can turn the ball on and watch your dog play for hours with the unpredictable movements the ball makes.
The toy is made from non toxic material and measures approx 9cm in diameter.

Dog Tornado Interactive Toy By Nina Ottosson

The idea behind the ‘Dog Tornado’ is for the dog to dislodge the removeable bones, then turn the revolving sections to reveal hidden treats. The Tornado has many variables to increase the level of difficulty as the dog’s skill improves. With a little practise, he will soon learn to dislodge the bones and turn the Tornado to access the rewards.
Nina Ottosson’s range of durable interactive games have been designed to stimulate a dog’s brain whilst reinforcing his relationship with people. Each design has a unique mechanism that requires mental as well as physical dexterity to work through the challenges and reveal hidden food rewards. They can be set to differing levels of complexity, to satisfy all ages and breeds of dog.

Hotdoll, Love Doll for Dogs

Dogs are animals with enormous sexual appetites that can’t be controlled easily. So this is in artificial way to stop dogs inborn character. The Hotdoll is a natural way (and actually a beneficial one for dog’s health) to control its sexual impulses. This Love Doll for dogs is shaped to be grabbed easily by the dog’s paws like grabbing female hips. Designer: Clement Eloy.

Humunga Stache Dog Toy

The Humunga Stache Dog Toy. On one side, it’s a fun black ball for your dog to play with while on the flip side is a gigundus moustache (yes, gigundus).

A Holiday Meal Fit for a Dog

Really, how cute is this? The set includes turkey, corn, baked potato, biscuit, and what appears to be broccoli, served on top of a Frisbee. Yes, a Frisbee plate!

Grrrona Mexican Beer Dog Toy

Long Summer days kicking back with a Mexican beer and a slice of lime. Summer bliss! Your pooch will love this embroidered plush Grrrona toy featuring a squeaker inside for added delight.

Doggie Chill Pill

Oh boy, don’t you just feel sometimes like giving your dog a “chill pill”? Well, now you can — er — figuratively. These Chill Pills plush and rope toys from Loopies crack me up.

In shock, the rescuers didn’t know what to do. The group had recently canceled several adoption days at the market because of bad weather, so they were over their capacity with puppies still needing to be adopted out. Also, the abandoned puppies were so small that they needed to be fed every two hours, including at night.

That’s when a spayed stray dog approached, lay down beside the shoe box where the puppies were sleeping, and began caring for them.

She wouldn’t let anyone get near the babies.

Very carefully, the rescuers placed the puppies closer to her.

She began caressing them and offering the warmth of her belly to the newborns.

The maternal instinct kicked in and…

after a few hours, she had milk and was feeding the puppies.

The rescue group named her Vida, which means “life” in Portuguese.

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“Cat Island,” officially known as “Tashiro Island”  is an island near Ishinomaki City in Miyagi Prefecture… and yes, to answer your one burning question… it’s covered in cats. Check out this Google Maps satellite view of the island.

In all seriousness, though, it can be accessed via ferry. You can get from Ishinomaki to Tashirojima (Cat Island). Here’s a big picture of Japan to see what area it’s in.

And if we zoom in, we can see Ishinomaki and Tashirojima and how close they are to each other.

When you go, you take an awesome little ferry, too. Sadly, not cat shaped in any way.

Apparently, cats on this island are way more populous than actual people on this island. There are approximately 100 residents on Cat Island, and most of them are over 70. One person is 37, and everybody else is over 60 years old. That’s a lot of old people, but luckily cats are here to save the day.

The modern people of this island are hoping that they can use the cats (coupled with a decent amount of media attention they’ve been getting) to attract people to visit, then eventually live there. If they don’t, then I’m afraid the island will look like a scene from Jurasic Park 2: Lost World, minus the dinosaurs with a few thousand cats thrown in.

It’s only been a couple years, but I guess it’s kind of working – a lot more tourists make their way to Cat Island to take pictures of cats, feed cats, pet cats, and all kinds of other things you can do with cats.

Basically, if you like cats, this is going to be your little Cat Mecca. Besides the cats themselves, there are other cat themed things you can take part in. For example, there’s a cat shrine:

Also, there’s cat shaped buildings…

and other things as well… Thing is, you can walk this island in a day if you wanted. It’s only about 8 square miles. Don’t go into any dark alleyways, though, you never know what a mob of cats might do to you.

Oh, and of course, dogs are strictly prohibited.

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Photo Credits: Mats Ellting

1.  You can train a dog better than a cat. Have you ever seen a cat sit on command? Roll over on command? Stay? Neither have I.

2.  Dogs are smarter. Have you ever seen a dog fall into a fish tank? I haven’t either.

3.  A dog can protect your home much better than a cat.

4.   Dogs are better suited to lead you to a more active lifestyle. Have you ever seen anyone walk their cat?

5. There are a lot of things cats will jump up on that dogs won’t. The cat I had for a month would NOT get off my computer keyboard. Dogs won’t do that. I’ve also seen cats up on kitchen counters. Your dog also won’t climb a tree.

6. Dogs are much more fun to play with than cats.

7. A dog knows when you’re sad. And he’ll try to comfort you. Cats don’t care how you feel, as long as you remember where the can opener is.

8. Dogs will wake you up if the house is on fire. Cats will quietly sneak out the back door.

9. Dogs are Happy. Dogs think your the best person in the world even if you are grumpy, when you come home from school or work your Dogs will be there licking your face and jumping around and they cant wait to see you, while cats don’t notice if you are there or not as long as they get their food.

10. Dogs Listen. When you talk to dogs they will make faces and tilt there head and try to work out what your saying while cats just meow and walk away.

I hope you agree with the above reasons if you have anything to add to the list or disagree with one of them just comment below.

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This woman is probably the most extreme animal fan in the world to get such an unusual and unpredictable pet. Even her child couldn’t stop her from getting this creature…

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The hotel has six individually-themed heated chalets. Guest cats are treated to jazz and classical music piped through a £5,000 state-of-the-art sound system. Outside their private windows are bird boxes to keep the cats are entertained while porcelain water fountains deliver perfectly fresh oxygenated water. Residents can take advantage of optional extras like the Grooming Pamper Package, which includes delicate treatments for the ears and eyes, and a nail shape, massage and shine.

The hotel organic ‘A La Cat’ menu, which was developed by a feline nutritionist, includes treats such as white fish, ethically fished yellowfin tuna or chicken liver balls. Meals are served on silver platters and bone china plates.

The hotel not only has traditional suites, but also outdoor cabins on a grassy lawn, with a delicate footpath toward the gate, surrounded by trees.

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The cat begins life as an appealingly helpless little critter, blind, deaf and toothless. Its four-inch body wears a first thin coat of fur, marked and colored in the pattern which will distinguish it as an adult. .
The kitten is soon able to smell and taste, and then hear. The eyes remain tightly closed, however; sight is still a week or so away. The kitten eats and sleeps — a completely self-centered existence, warm, soft and nourishing.

The opening eyes are blank and blue, and will be highly sensitive to strong light for some days to come. As a rule, the eyes open in anywhere from eight days to two weeks, and are adaptable to extremes of light and dark at a month or five weeks. But the timing in these developments is subtle and very much up to the individual. Once it can see, the kitten naturally seems perkier, although it actually is still very limited in its capacity to support itself and move around.

Gavin Warburton, senior pet food buyer at Tesco, said: “Britain is famous for being a nation of animal lovers and Brits’ kindness in helping out our feathered friends during the harshest winter for over 50 years is remarkable.

“Just as in the old song from the film Mary Poppins people have literally rallied round to ‘feed the birds’.

“Bird feed sales always go up by about 30 per cent in the winter months but to see such a dramatic rise so quickly really shows a real kindness of spirit.”

Tesco reported the increase in sales during the last two weeks, compared to the previous snow less two weeks and is increasing supplies amid predictions of more extreme weather conditions.

They are normally seen in the company of the police or military personnel as their partners in crime prevention and investigative work.
German shepherds are strong, intelligent, obedient, protective and loyal.
As working dogs, they are well known for their police work.
Because of their keen sense of smell and their ability to work under extreme conditions, they are widely used in search and rescue operations, including explosives searching and narcotics detection, cadaver searching, among others.

Animals who have close contact with humans pick up the superbug and then leave traces of it around the home where other people can be infected.

A study of homes by researchers at the Center for Hygiene and Health in Home and Community at Simmons College in Boston, found MRSA in nearly half of the 35 residences they sampled, mostly on wet surfaces like baths, sinks and tap handles.

The study concluded: “The presence of a cat in the home was found to be a strong predictor for the isolation of MRSA.”

Dr Elizabeth Scott, who led the study, told the New York Times: “There are a number of papers coming out now showing that pets pick up MRSA from us and that they shed it back into the environment again.”

Medical experts recommended people should frequently wash their hands before and after playing with a pet and not let animals lick their faces. They should also not wash pet food bowls in the same kitchen sink as cutlery.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) lives harmlessly on the skin and in the noses of a third of the population.

The bacteria becomes dangerous when it enters the body, particularly in anyone who is vulnerable, such as the elderly, newborn babies and those recovering from surgery.

If a wound becomes infected, the bacteria can spread throughout the body and cause potentially fatal blood poisoning.

Welfare experts and vets have even warned that many cats now have their fur shaved from between their back legs because they are so deformed they are no longer able to clean themselves properly.

The row comes as the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF), the organisers of yesterday’s event, is preparing to bring in new guidelines on breeding policy, in a bid to avoid some of the controversy that has beset the dogs’ show Crufts in recent years. Among the measures will be a ban on breeding between siblings or between parents and their offspring.

Although the issue has so far attracted less attention than health problems among dogs, welfare concerns about pedigree cats have been increasing.

As with dogs, cats are bred selectively to exaggerate various physical characteristics which are considered attractive, such as the length – or absence – of fur, the size of an animal’s legs or the shape of its skull.

One major concern relates to breeds such as Persians – one of the most popular in the UK – which are bred to have a flat, “childlike” face.

In a new report, in the latest edition of the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, vets from the University of Leipzig in Germany studied some of these animals and carried out “CT” (computerised tomography) scans to show how distorted their skulls had become.

The team found that the tear ducts and airways had become obstructed as a result of the inbreeding, meaning the animals’ tears do not drain away properly and cause breathing difficulties.

The cats’ misshapen skulls also cause their jaws and teeth to grow at odd angles. In the most extreme cases, they were left with teeth that were almost horizontal. Experts say that some animals also have such bulging eyes that they cannot close their eyelids properly.

In an editorial in the journal, leading welfare expert Claire Bessant, the chief executive of the Feline Advisory Bureau (FAB), wrote that some animals had become “a bastardisation of all the things that make cats special”.

The experts warn that current breeding is leading to the “bizarre mutant cats that could not exist without veterinary intervention”.

As well as problems associated with flat-faced cats, the writers also outlined concerns over other breeds, such as the Siamese, large numbers of which suffer from sight problems. The animal has been bred for its extreme “wedge shaped” heads and, in some cases this is leading to a condition where their skulls are too small for their them. The writers also point to problems with Manx cats, which are prone to spina bifida.

The writers claim that health problems affecting some breeds meant that long-haired cats are left unable to groom themselves properly and that shaving between their back legs has become popular in order to keep them clean.

The writers call for an immediate ban on breeding of badly-deformed cats, changes to breed standards and even suggest that the RSPCA could prosecute some breeders.

Ms Bessant, the chief executive of FAB, said: “No one has really given this argument a scientific basis before, but now they have. People have pushed certain characteristics too far and that is what has caused these problems. I would like to think that the GCCF are thinking about this, but they will be pressurised by the breeders not to change too much.”

John Hansson, the chairman of the GCCF, said the new guidelines had yet to be finally agreed upon by the council, but it would be brought in shortly. “There will be guidelines about testing for genetic problems and rulings on what is acceptable mating and what is not – so you won’t get mother to son and father to daughter and siblings mating,” he said.

“Currently, there is nothing to stop you doing that and that is part of the problem. You want to teach good practice rather than force it on people. But ultimately, of course, you may have to force it.”

Experts believe there are health problems now associated with most breeds. The most popular breed in the UK, the British shorthair, is prone to a kidney disease which causes death.

The almost hairless Sphynx cat, which is becoming increasingly popular, has been bred since the 1960s from a genetic anomaly in the Devon Rex, another breed.

Sphynx cats have to be kept indoors because their lack of hair makes them vulnerable to cold in the winter and sunburn in the summer and they have also been linked to other skin diseases. Burmese cats can suffer from pain around their face which can lead them to scratch themselves.