World Cat Day

Word of the Week

Ailurophile (eye-loo-row-file ): A fancy word for a person who loves cats. It comes from the Greek words ailurus meaning "domestic cat" and phile meaning "lover."

Yassou!

Sunday, August 8th isn't just any Sunday. It's World Cat Day! It's the perfect time to learn more about our furry friends. You know what that means. It's time for fun cat facts!

• The oldest known pet cat existed 9,500 years ago. Its grave was found in Cyprus.

• Cats spend 70% of their time sleeping. . .that's 13-16 hours per day! I must admit, I'm a little jealous.

• An orange tabby named Stubbs was the mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska for 20 years! Wow.

• Cats walk by moving both right feet forward followed by both left feet. They basically move half of their body forward at once. Would you believe that camels and giraffes also walk this way? It's true!

• Isaac newton, famous for calculating gravity, is also believed to be the inventor of the cat door.

• Felicette, nicknamed Astrocat, was the first cat to go to space in October 1963.

• Ancient Egyptians are known for their love of cats. When their cat died, the entire family would shave off their eyebrows while in mourning!

• House cats share 95.6% of their genetic makeup with tigers. Oh, my!

• House cats can reach speeds of 30 mph when they run.

• Cats see a range of blue-gray, although some scientists believe they also see yellow like dogs.

• Just like dogs, cats have a unique pattern of ridges and bumps on their noses that are like our fingerprints!

• A group of cats is called a clowder. A male cat is a tom. A female is a molly or queen.

• Cats are one of the most popular pets in the world. . .if not THE most popular pet.

If you have a friendly feline, I have an adorably cute and easy toy for you to make them! They will have a ball.

All you need is some old yarn, a pair of scissors, and a jar (plastic is a good idea). Use your fingers to roll small yarn balls, pop them in your jar, and let your furry feline have all kinds of FUN! That's all there is to it. Simple, inexpensive, and sure to please!

Here's Cheese's cousin Rocky, the three-legged cat, checking his new toy out!

Until next time. . .

Gram