In “Mews in the News,” Mewla curates cat news stories from around the world for you.
Human Drives 21-Hours to Rescue Cat With Feline Leukemia
A big-hearted man from Illinois made a 21-hour round-trip to provide a forever home for a cat with leukemia virus (FeLV). The charcoal Bengal mix with FeLV became an online “overnight feel-good sensation” after a veterinary technician posted about his condition. Read more about Ash and FeLV at https://www.newsweek.com/man-drives-21-hours-rescue-cat-feline-leukemia-1973259.
Finally, an App that Understands Catspeak
A Washington state tech solutions worker named Javier Sanchez has spearheaded a cat translation app called “MeowTalk” that claims to interpret catspeak. The MeowTalk founders used machine learning along with audio recordings of cats to develop their interpretations of meows that include requests such as “Feed me” or “Let me outside”. The company says they are continuously improving the app by retraining it using over 260 million cat vocalizations they’ve collected over the past few years.
The story has been reported by National Geographic, The New York Times, and at: https://www.geekwire.com/2020/meowtalk-app-that-translates-cat-sounds-is-pet-project-for-former-alexa-engineer/
Kwazi and Uli provide a humorous look at kitty translation in this video:
Former Shelter Cat Wins Britain's Cat of the Year Award
Marley the cat has been awarded the 2024 Britain’s National Cat of the Year for his work supporting survivors of sex exploitation and trafficking. Marley first won the “incredible cats” category, for cats who inspire extraordinary acts of love, in a public vote. He was then selected as overall National Cat of the Year by a panel of celebrity judges.
Marley was adopted by the Caritas Bakhita safe house four years ago and quickly got to work. When new women arrive at the house, Marley gently puts a paw on their leg “to let them know they’re not alone,” said Ms Karen Anstiss, head of Caritas Bakhita House. “He has this incredible gift of empathy and has assisted many, many women along the road to recovery.” Marley’s other roles at the safe house include staff supervisor, security guard, and chief gardener.
Seven-year-old Marley competed against thousands of other cats for the 2024 Britain’s National Cat of the Year. Read the story at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgl40ylxv5o
Missing Cat Shows up 2,000 Miles From Home
When Shoto the cat went missing from his home in Texas, his family desperately searched for him, but no one could locate him. Then family received a phone call letting them know that someone discovered the frail, lost Shoto and brought him to the humane society in Springfield, Massachusett. Luckily, Shoto had been microchipped! (A reminder to keep your cat’s microchip contact information up to date.)
Happily, the family packed up their car and drove 37 hours to Massachusetts to reunite with their lost fur child.
Read the story and see photos at https://people.com/cat-who-went-missing-in-january-2022-from-his-texas-home-found-2-years-later-in-massachusetts-8706008
Critically Endangered Big Cat Spotted in Arizona
For the first time in 50 years, a critically endangered ocelot was seen on a trail in Arizona’s Coronado National Forest. This big cat was pushed to the brink of extinction by habitat loss and forest fragmentation. Ocelots were listed as endangered in 1972 and fewer than 100 live in the United States. This particular ocelot, captured by a trail camera, is one that hasn’t been recorded before.
Ocelots eat rabbits, rodents, birds, and lizards and are important to managing prey populations, controlling the spread of disease, and spreading nutrients, according to the story at https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-environment/2024/08/12/phoenix-zoo-researcher-spots-an-ocelot-on-southern-arizona-trail-cam/74741639007/
Similarities Discovered Between Overweight Cats and Humans.
Ready to go on a diet along with your feline fur ball?
Scientists have discovered that pet cats provide excellent information about gut bacteria that could help us better treat obesity and type 2 diabetes. Dr. J. Watson at Ohio State University said, “Being able to see changes in cats that come up in the context of obesity and type 2 diabetes in people makes them a really good model to start looking at more microbiome-directed therapeutics for obesity in humans.”
.
Read the story at https://www.healthday.com/health-news/pets/fat-cats-purrfect-for-studying-obesity-in-humans
Season Three of "Chi's Sweet Adventures" Now Available on Netflix
Chi’s Sweet Adventures is a cute and funny cartoon series from Japan. In the series, an adorable kitten is adopted by a young boy and his parents. Through trials and tribulations, the family learns how to care for her.
The third season premiered worldwide on Netflix in July 2024. Seasons One and Two, however, can be viewed (in the U.S.) on Amazon Prime, as well as on YouTube. Read our review of the series at MewlaYoung.com//shows-featuring-cats
.
Learn more at https://www.netflix.com/title/81712502
One of the World's Rarest Cats no Longer Endangered.
According to a report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Iberian lynx is no longer classified as endangered. Habitat loss, poaching and road accidents in the Iberian region pushed the species close to extinction since 1960, with only 62 animals counted in 2021. New census data tallied 648 lynxes.
Programs that challenged poaching, restored scrublands, and freed hundreds of captive lynxes and wild rabbits helped to save the lynx species. Six-hundred-forty-eight wild lynxes in the area now classify the cat as “vulnerable”.
Read the story at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cyxxz51vwz2o
Pet Cats in England Now Required to be Microchipped.
England has passed a new law requiring that all cats aged 20 weeks and older be microchipped and registered on an RSPCA database. The new legislation applies to indoor cats as well as outdoor cats. Cat guardians caught with illegal fur balls will have 21 days to comply or will be fined £500.
Read the story at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7221y677nqo