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Muslim prayer rugs tend to be rectangular. Cats love bounded areas. You can see where this is going: "the biggest trial in prayer is not the devil, but cats" [translation from Malay. The thread is mainly in Indonesian and Malay, but I trust the visuals are sufficient]. As the second Ramadan in COVID season swings around, many families have to adapt and commit their taraweeh/terawih prayers at home. Last year, a similar thread went viral, with Muslims sharing their compromise prayer rugs for their kitties. Muslims really do love felines. Per Dr Stephennie Mulder in her twitter thread: 'Cats hold a revered place in Islam', so much so it was worth commenting on by Europeans during the time of the Ottoman Empire.
posted by cendawanita on May 6, 2021 - 40 comments

Left alone, a human corpse will soon be feasted upon by maggots. Also, depending on the circumstances, by a cat.

It is one of those pet-owner musings, a conversation topic so dark that it inspired a book by a mortician: Would Fluffy eat me if I dropped dead? The answer, according to small but growing body of scientific literature, is a fairly clear yes. (Karin Brulliard WaPo | SFGate) [more inside]
posted by Johnny Wallflower on Jan 16, 2020 - 74 comments

"Preference of kittens for scratchers" in Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, Vol 21, Issue 8, 2019.

Two-choice preference tests were conducted to compare scratchers and preferred scratchers with or without additives (ie, catnip, catnip oil, cat hair) in six studies. Kittens (n = 40, <8 weeks old) had access to two scratchers on the floor of a simulated living room for 20 mins and interactions were video-recorded.

[more inside] posted by spamandkimchi on Sep 15, 2019 - 33 comments

Modern times got you stressed out? Dogs pick up on that sort of thing! Give your dog the gift of relaxing dog music.
posted by aniola on Oct 25, 2018 - 12 comments

Choir singing cat tunes.
posted by whimsicalnymph on Dec 7, 2016 - 17 comments

These Linguists Want to Help You Speak Fluent Cat [more inside]
posted by wonton endangerment on Apr 27, 2016 - 74 comments

Fort Griffin State Historic Site, just north of Albany, Texas, recently had one of its historic buildings claimed as a den by a mother bobcat and her two kittens. The site's trail cameras have been documenting their lives since: the first glimpse into the lives of roly-poly inhabitants of a well-protected stone building came in January. With uninvited visits by raccoons, skunks, coyotes, and male bobcats... [more inside]
posted by Susu pitchounette on Mar 17, 2015 - 14 comments

It's on the menu.
posted by vapidave on Apr 5, 2014 - 31 comments

“It isn’t just the crazy cat ladies, although they’re there in droves. It’s the six year-olds chanting the name of their favourite cats. It’s the hipsters there smoking cigarettes, hip-hop dudes, country dudes… It is the kind of thing where you have to learn to make everybody happy,”
posted by jason's_planet on Mar 9, 2014 - 6 comments

CATS? WHAT THEY ARE AND HOW THEY GOT DOMESTICATED (MAYBE??) A TUMBLR ESSAY
posted by The Whelk on Aug 10, 2013 - 51 comments

Cats are apparently the culprits behind several avian extinctions worldwide. So, are cats bad for the environment?
posted by peripathetic on Jul 11, 2011 - 132 comments

Behold the Manul! Otherwise known as Pallas's cat, it was one of the first two modern cats to evolve. (Via The Ark In Space, an amazing compendium of creatures.)
posted by hermitosis on May 9, 2011 - 47 comments

A good reason to hate cats. However if that is not enough, this guy has 32 other reasons to hate cats.
posted by Hands of Manos on Mar 29, 2005 - 70 comments