Linton Zoo Mourns Loss Of Famous Feline Babysitter

Arnie and Safina

Earlier this month, Linton Zoo in the UK said goodbye to a special feline friend who touched the lives of many creatures, great and small. Arnie, named after Arnold Schwarzenegger, showed up at the zoo as a stray in 2000, and made a place for himself with his bold personality (he was described as a "real life Garfield"), while racking up an impressive array of credentials, including welcoming committee, pest controller, and lifter of spirits.

Arnie's "most special job of all", however, was as a babysitter to abandoned newborn animals brought inside for hand rearing. He was especially fond of lion cubs, and looked after all four of the zoo's now adult lions, and some of their babies, too.

The ginger kitty, who came to Linton as a young adult, had been suffering from arthritis and other age related health problems for the past year. Fittingly, he passed away doing what he loved best, and went peacefully in his sleep, after one final walk around the zoo to say goodbye.

According to a tribute on the zoo's Facebook page, Arnie will be remembered as, "A cat with an outstanding personality, (he was) was without a doubt a most extraordinary cat who had an extraordinary life. He will be missed by not only the people who knew and loved him, but by his many animal friends around the zoo, too."









Via Facebook (Linton Zoo) / ZooBorns

Linton Zoo Mourns Loss Of Famous Feline Babysitter

Essex Lion Hunt Called Off As Maine Coon Cat Is Identified As Likely Culprit

Essex Lion is my pet cat Teddy Bear

How did a cuddly kitty named Teddy Bear nearly turn the town of Essex, England upside down? Residents were on high alert earlier this week after visitors staying at a caravan park spotted a "very large animal" they believed to be a lion.

Ginny Murphy was out of town when the report made headlines on Sunday, but knew right away that her large cat named Teddy Bear was likely to blame. The owner of the three-year-old Maine Coon says he frequently hunts in the field where the "lion" was spotted.

A reporter from The BBC dropped by Murphy's home to meet the kitty at the center of the controversy, joking, "He was difficult to entice out from under the bed this morning, but we managed to get some shots of him."

A couple who photographed the feline (you can check out their blurry shot here) told police it was "definitely a very large animal, and possibly a lion, definitely a large cat," adding, "We witnessed it, I would say, for about 20 to 30 minutes cleaning itself and rolling about in the field." (Sounds like very ferocious behavior to me.)

In less than a week's time, the Essex Lion sparked national headlines, hoax photos, and its very own Twitter account with 36,000 fans. Experts from the local zoo and as many as 25 police officers using helicopters and thermal imaging equipment were also called in as part of the now defunct search.

ROAR!

Via BBC News / The Daily Mail

Essex Lion Hunt Called Off As Maine Coon Cat Is Identified As Likely Culprit

Book Review: ZooBorns Cats! The Newest, Cutest Kittens And Cubs From The World's Zoos

I'm a daily reader of the ZooBorns website, so I was super excited when Simon and Schuster offered to send me a copy of ZooBorns Cats!: The Newest, Cutest Kittens And Cubs From The World's Zoos to review!

While the website focuses on the newest and cutest (they aren't kidding) exotic baby animals of all kinds, the latest book by ZooBorns founders Andrew Bleiman and Chris Eastland focuses exclusively on wild cat kittens and cubs born at accredited zoos and conservation programs around the world.

Right off the bat, one of the most interesting things I learned was that there are thirty-six different species of wild cat! Sure, everyone knows knows about lions, tigers, cheetahs, jaguars, and leopards, but are you familiar with the Oncilla? Kodkod? Or how about the rare Japanese Irimote Cat?

The book is so in-depth, that it reportedly represents the "largest number of juvenile feline photos from different species ever assembled in one publication," and as I was reading through, I kept "Aww-ing" before exclaiming, "Ok, this one is my favorite!" only to change my mind a few pages later when greeted by Yapahuwa the Rusty-Spotted Cat (as seen on the cover), or Aguapo the teddy-bear faced Jaguarundi. It's also fun to see how some of these baby big cats look A LOT like their domestic cousins, especially the kittenish Black-footed Cat, and the Asiatic Wildcat, whose most significant threat, sadly, is interbreeding with domestic cats.

In addition to featuring beautiful full-page color photographs, the book also includes information about each of the kittens, as well as their breed status throughout the world. Seeing that so many of these amazing creatures are vulnerable, threatened, or near endangered puts a furry face on the serious issues these cats are up against. Not just a cute diversion, the book also serves as an important tool for promoting conservation efforts, and I'm happy to report that every sale of ZooBorns Cats! supports the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Conservation Endowment Fund.

ZooBorns Cats! The Newest, Cutest Kittens And Cubs From The World's Zoos is the purrfect treat for feline lovers of all ages, and is available now for pre-order on Amazon, and in bookstores everywhere tomorrow, November 1st!

ZooBorns Cats! Book Trailer

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of ZooBorns Cats! by the publisher for review, but all of the opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Book Review: ZooBorns Cats! The Newest, Cutest Kittens And Cubs From The World's Zoos

Cat Hats For Men

Snow Leopard - "Silent, Mindful, Independent" - $129.00

The New York Times recently featured a trend piece on the proliferation of animal hats consumers have been snatching up this winter, and spoke with several people (women) who wear the hats because they bring happiness and hold sentimental value.

Most cat-themed fashions are aimed towards felines and the ladies who love them, so what's a cat loving guy to do?

Leopard Half - "Intelligent, Free Spirited, Leader" - $69.00

Lion - "Passion, Community, Courage" - $129.00

The article also focused on Los Angeles based faux fur hat makers, SpiritHoods, who claim that their daring headpieces help us connect with "our wild natures." SpiritHoods founder, Alexander Mendeluk, told The Times:

"People put on these hoods, lets loose, act like a kid again and don't have to be judged. They want to roll with their friends and have a good time. We're all animals and we like pretending that we're animals."

The hoods are available for both men and women, and are not strictly limited to feline styles, but when it comes to cat fashion, it's time to give the guys their moment in the spotlight!

Leopard - "Intelligent, Free Spirited, Leader" - $129.00

Half Black Cat - "Luck, Independence, Wisdom" - $59.00

Via The New York Times / SpiritHoods

Cat Hats For Men

Buy Kirsten Dunst's New Perfume, Or Else Her Lion Will Eat You

Kirsten Dunst and her lion friend are part of an ad campaign for the new Bulgari fragrance, Mon Jasmin Noir.

I only have one comment:

p.s. I'm just kidding about the headline. Please don't send me hate mail.

Via Racked (See more images and out-takes from the shoot over at SassyBella.)

Buy Kirsten Dunst's New Perfume, Or Else Her Lion Will Eat You

Amazing Cat Lipstick Art

Artist Paige Thompson creates intricate animal paintings, like this jaguar and black cat, on her lips and then photographs them. You can check out more of her amazing designs over in her online gallery.

Via BuzzFeed / viridis-somnio DeviantArt

Amazing Cat Lipstick Art

Tokyo Zoo Stages Cutest Tiger Escape Drill Ever

Every year, zoos around Japan hold drill sessions to make sure they are prepared in the event of an animal escape. Instead of using real wild animals, they dress up humans in furry big cat costumes and chase them around until they are captured.

Tama Zoo just released a video of their 2011 Siberian tiger escape simulation, but my favorite example is this video taken last year at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo. I know that runaway tigers are serious business, but I dare you not to laugh!

Video via Asylum

Tokyo Zoo Stages Cutest Tiger Escape Drill Ever

Fame And Fortune For Germany's Cross-Eyed Cat?

Heidi, the cross-eyed opossum from Germany, made international headlines last month when millions fell in love with her unusual look after it spread across the web like wildfire. Her fame is so widespread, that she's even been tapped to pick this year's Oscar winners during an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live.

That's all well and good for Heidi, but what does it have to do with cats? (This hasn't turned into an opossum blog, after all).

Well, Time is reporting that "Germany's newest cross-eyed celebrity" (trend alert!) is of the big cat persuasion. Move over Heidi, because there's a new cuddly cross-eyed creature in town, and his name is Frank!

The 14-year-old jaguarundi lives at a German zoo not far from Heidi, and officials are hoping his unusual characteristic helps brings them some of the same kind of media attention. Frank hasn't received any offers from Hollywood just yet, but if someone wanted to come and produce a line of chocolates in his likeness, they wouldn't say no!

While Heidi's ocular issue is due to weight, no one is really sure where Frank's condition came from. Check out the video below for more!

Via Time / Huffington Post / Access Hollywood / Meine Katze

Fame And Fortune For Germany's Cross-Eyed Cat?

Jenna Fischer Gets By With A Little Help From Her Cats

The Office star Jenna Fischer recently sat down for an interview in the March issue of Redbook Magazine and explained how her cats helped her cope in the aftermath of her 2007 divorce, after seven years of marriage.

She dished to the mag, "I thought I'd go wild with freedom, but instead I did what I did in college--stay home with my cats. I didn't want to waste time. I remember going out with one cute, funny guy, I thought, 'We could have a really fun eight months, but that's eight months I'm taking away from finding Mr. Right.'"

It looks like her plan worked, because less than two years later she found herself engaged to her now husband, Lee Kirk.

Also cat-related? I absolutely adore the Dolce & Gabanna leopard print dress Jenna is wearing on the Redbook cover, previously seen on Mad Men star Christina Hendricks at a photoshoot last year.

Via US Weekly

Jenna Fischer Gets By With A Little Help From Her Cats

Rihanna's Fierce Cat Suit

Pop songstress Rihanna was spotted in her native Barbados over the weekend, strolling along the beach in a striking black panther swimsuit.

The catty one piece is made by Australian designers We Are Handsome, and is also available in an equally ferocious lion print.

The Amazon Panther Print Swimsuit - NET-A-PORTER, $375.00

Africa Scoop Back - eskayaffairs, $230.00

Rihanna photo credit: Style Bistro

Rihanna's Fierce Cat Suit

Baby Leopards Are Fashion's Favorite Spokescats

Forget supermodels and celebrity cover girls! Baby leopards are the hottest new trend for promoting high fashion goods.

I (ahem) spotted one a few weeks ago in the J. Crew catalog, and the Telegraph has rounded up two more examples of leopard luxe on the cover of Harper's Bazaar, and in an adorable campaign for Cartier (presumably marketing to those who prefer their jewels lightly chewed).

Baby leopards: coming soon to a fashion campaign near you!

Baby Leopards Are Fashion's Favorite Spokescats

J. Crew Gets Spotted

The J. Crew holiday catalog hit my mailbox this weekend, and I couldn't help but notice this wild bride's little leopard friend.

From their website:

Everyone fell in love with Mabaka (spotted in Swahili), our five-month old African Leopard who helped add a little extra warm and fuzzy to our party pics. When she isn't showing her spots on set, Mabaka lives on a wildlife sanctuary in Pennsylvania. (No animals were harmed in this shoot..in fact, they were mostly cuddled and bottle-fed.)

J. Crew Gets Spotted

Treats Not Tricks For Baby Cheetahs

Big cats are cats too! ZooBorns first introduced us to the rare litter of North African Cheetah cubs born at the ZSL Whipsnade Zoo back in May. Now, a recent update has a provided a current look at the zoo babies, as well as a video of them indulging in their new favorite activity.

The cubs are growing up fast..

And were spotted enjoying their first "proper meaty dinner" out of a festive carved jack-o-lantern!

Their mama has been giving them bits and pieces of her food, but the keepers came up with this idea as a healthy way to enrich the cubs. They have to work hard to claw through the pumpkins for their dinner!

Treats Not Tricks For Baby Cheetahs

Big Cat Cupcake Tuesdays

Tiger Cupcake

In honor of Big Cats Painting for Charity, today's cat cupcakes are dedicated to my favorite big cat of all - the tiger!!

Tiger Cupcake with Cheerio Ears

Jasmine Rae Bakery

Chinese New Year 2010, Year of the Tiger Cupcakes

Tiger Cupcakes

Tiger Fondant Cupcake Topper

Cutie Tiger Cupcake

Year of the Tiger

Mocha sour cream cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting and fondant

Big Cat Cupcake Tuesdays

Big Cats Paint For Charity

Big Cats ♥ To Paint

To help kick-off the annual Fur Ball being held on October 8, 2010, Big Cat Rescue had several of their furry residents create unique works of art to be auctioned off for the charity.

The cats were each given a canvas covered in non-toxic paint and an enticing scent (catnip spray and Calvin Klein's Obsession??), and then were given free-range to express their creativity! As you can see in the pictures and video below, no matter how big these cats are, they still sometimes act like little ol' pussycats.

Proceeds from the Fur Ball and sale of the paintings will "fund both the ongoing care of more than 100 big cats that reside at the 45-acre sanctuary in Tampa, FL as well as the tiger conservation efforts of the International Tiger Coalition."

Zabu

Bengali

Apollo and Zeus

Reno

Rusty and Sassy

Bella the Tiger's work of art is up for auction on eBay until September 30th, and the bidding is already up to $510.00!

To learn more more about the wonderful efforts of Big Cat Rescue, please visit their website at BigCatRescue.org.

Big Cats Paint For Charity