Thursday, February 7, 2013

Holly the Cat's Incredible Journey























A Cat’s 200-Mile Trek Home Leaves Scientists Guessing


Nobody knows how it happened: an indoor house cat who got lost on a family excursion managing, after two months and about 200 miles, to return to her hometown.

Even scientists are baffled by how Holly, a 4-year-old tortoiseshell who in early November became separated from Jacob and Bonnie Richter at an R.V. rally in Daytona Beach, Fla., appeared on New Year’s Eve — staggering, weak and emaciated — in a backyard about a mile from the Richters’ house in West Palm Beach.

“Are you sure it’s the same cat?” wondered John Bradshaw, director of the University of Bristol’s Anthrozoology Institute. In other cases, he has suspected, “the cats are just strays, and the people have got kind of a mental justification for expecting it to be the same cat.”


Read more here

Salvador DalĂ­ & Cats

© Monique Jacot, 1966 | via Poe's Mistress

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

© Yamasaki Ko-ji

























Catnip Tea Recipe

Catnip is known by a number of names, including catswort, catmint, and even field balm. It's a perennial in the mint family that's best known for its ability to drive cats wild, but before you use all your catnip on kitty, consider the medicinal uses for catnip that you might be able to take advantage of.

Catnip contains nepetalactone, a natural sedative that can help you relax and get to sleep at night. It's also a muscle-relaxer and antispasmodic that can be used to treat stomach cramps. It may even help lessen the symptoms of migrane.

The next time you're having trouble settling in for the night or your stomach is bothering you, try a cup of catnip tea. I'm sure kitty won't mind sharing a little of his stash with you.


Catnip Tea Recipe

1 tsp. Catnip leaves (dried)
6 oz. Boiling water

Pour boiling water over dried catnip leaves and let steep for five to seven minutes.

I usually add a pinch of dried lemon balm to my catnip tea. Lemon balm has a mild lemony flavor that's a nice compliment to catnip. A little honey is nice too.