Fun Fact Friday: Mice Can Climb Walls

Did you know that mice can climb walls? 

We all know that mice are known for scurrying through small holes and eating through walls, but now you know that they can also climb walls.

Mice have nails on each of their toes which enables them to grip on the wall and wrap their feet around lumps in the walls to help themselves up.

I have to share the story of how I found this out as it was quite a funny moment.

It was a late evening and I heard my cat Squeak outside meowing, so I went to let him in and noticed he had caught a mouse which was running around the garden. The mouse ended up hiding behind a bucket and when we checked to see if it was okay, the mouse suddenly bolted up the wall climbing as high as the roof! We were screaming and closed our bedroom windows to ensure the mouse wouldn't crawl in our rooms during the night. 

This made me curious and after a search I came across this YouTube video, proving it to be true. Take a look.

The Big Question: Why Do Cats Like to Sleep In Weird Places?

Everyone knows domestic cats love to sleep practically anywhere. I'm sure you've all seen the range of pictures that have gone viral online showing cats sleeping on various things from radiators to flower pots. Cat owners will agree that this is not just a one-off, all cats do so on a regular basis.
But the big question everyone has is why do they do it?

Well there are many reasons depending on the type of object they've chosen to lie on/in.

Let's start with the most popular object; cardboard boxes.

Boo!  ©thinkcats.com

Cats have a peculiar fascination with cardboard boxes. Bring a box into a room and guaranteed within 2 minutes the cat will investigate it and jump straight in. Anyone brave enough to try and enter the box whilst a cat is inside will usually suffer some claw marks. 

Scientists have revealed that cats feel a sense of security when inside a box or a similar object because they are shielded from anything that could hurt them and they can see anything that is approaching them before it can reach them. 

The Secret Life of Cats: All We Need to Know About Our Feline Friends

Attention all cat lovers! 

The Secret Life of... Cats ©ITV

Have you ever wondered why your cat purrs? What's the purpose of their whiskers? Why does a cat's tongue feel like sandpaper? 
So many unanswered questions.

As cats are Britain's most popular pet is is surprising that the majority of us know very little about our feline friends and the way they live.
As an owner don't you think we should know more about our pets? How to know when they're happy, angry, nervous etc?

There are so many unknown quirks to a cat's life and now ITV has revealed them.

Cosmeston Wildlife Video

Sorry it's been a while since the last post, been a busy busy bee lately.

I've recently produced a short video on one of my day trips on a lovely sunny day to Cosmeston; a beautiful Country Park with a large lake located between Penarth and Sully, South Wales.

If you have never been before, it's definitely worth a visit!
Enjoy the video!

 

Play with cats online via iPet Companion

Courtesy of imakeamillion.com

New site iPet Companion makes it easier than ever to play with cats; no longer do you have to take on the responsibility of owning a pet or go round your mate's to play with their new kitten. All you simply need is an internet connection and get clicking away.

This new system was developed by Idaho firm ReachIn and has been installed in several cat shelters in America, allowing on-line users around the globe to play with the cats. 

So how does it work do you ask? 

In each animal shelter some cats are left to roam a room freely filled with all the essentials. However, not everything is as normal as it looks; 3 of the toys in this room are mechanically controlled by a robot which are labelled toy 1 to 3. The user can control the movement of each toy by clicking on the relevant icons which can be seen below.

Marrying your pets; are you barking mad?

You know the saying, 'a dog is a man's best friend' but have you ever heard the saying 'dog is a man's
spouse?' No? Well you have now.

Pets are known to be great company for us and many of us create special bonds with our pets, feeling like they are one of the family. Yet this has now been taken a step further with some people believing their pets are 'the one' and tying the knot with them. Some of you must be thinking this can't be serious, but trust me, we're not horsing around!

Marius: An Innocent Giraffe Slaughtered and Fed to the Lions Den...literally!

Twitter users have gone on a rampage this week after a shocking turn of events in Copenhagen, Denmark.

©Photograph: Keld Navntoft/AFP/Getty Images

Marius, just 18 months old was a perfectly healthy giraffe bred in Copenhagen zoo, but officials claimed he was unsuitable for breeding due to his common genes. Thus Copenhagen zoo decided the best option was to euthanise the giraffe in front of onlookers.

©Peter Hove Olesen/AP Photo

Marius was shot in the head and then cut open, with vets performing an autopsy before slicing up the carcus to feed to the lions. This horrifying sight was seen by groups of children; not exactly something you expect to witness when visiting a zoo.

Despite other zoos' offers of a new home and online petitions with over 20,000 signatures, the zoo's scientific director, Bengt Holst went ahead with their decision.

This news has caused outrage, with twitter users venting their opinionhttps://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1531719641132117039#editor/target=post;postID=3254003062049926188s:

Julie Parry tweeted:

"Why would you take your kids to watch this? Why would you watch this? Shame on you!!! Show some respect! #Marius"

Moira Wilson tweeted:

"Barbaric - dreadful enough murdering a healthy giraffe - but inviting spectators to watch -vile #CopenhagenZoo"

After this sad event, animal rights groups have taken a stand, protesting outside the entrance of Copenhagen zoo. An online petition has also emerged, demanding the resignation of Bengt Holst with only 5,000 more signatures needed.

Meet the bosses of household: Squeak and Cosmo

It's about time to introduce you all to the two household pets we have here, Squeak and Cosmo, because you'll be seeing a lot more of them in the near future.
In the headline I called them the 'bosses of the household' because like all cats they think they rule the house, as I'm sure all you cat owners out there agree. Yet that's not the case, because we're the boss!

Squeak was the first to become part of the household. He is a 7-year-old male cat, his colour is known as

Squeak: too pretty to be a boy

champagne & white. He constantly gets mistaken for a female cat because he is so 'pretty' as our cattery lady says.

We took him in when he was around 6 months old. Originally he was very frantic as a kitten, running around, clawing everything in sight and chomping on your arm whenever he felt like it. The cat home we got him from was unsure of his background, but due to his wild-like behaviour we assumed he used to be a wild cat. Yet after time of love, hugs and care he eventually began to calm down and now loves nothing more than to sit on your lap (though he does still bite if you try and move him once he's comfy, he won't have any of that!)

Manor House Wildlife Park: Wallaby fun!

Rating: ★★★★★

We've all visited countless zoos in our lifetime and it's safe to say the majority of the time you feel the animals do not have large enough enclosures or you are left wishing you could be more intimate with the animals.
Sound familiar? Well you should visit Manor House Wildlife Park!

Manor House Wildlife Park, Tenby, West Wales, is owned by TV star Anna Ryder Richardson and her husband. You may have seen the park featured on TV in its own programme, Anna's Welsh Zoo.

Having recently visited the wildlife park myself, I can tell you I have never felt so sure that the animals are happy. Each enclosure gives the animals enough space to roam instead of being cooped up in small cages like most places. However, do not expect to see the wide range of animals that you would in a typical zoo. Wildlife parks are known to be smaller because they focus more on breeding and conservation, Manor House state on their website, 'Manor House is a conservation-led wildlife park. We take animal welfare very seriously, we house and protect a range of endangered animals.'
They do a load of great work to ensure all these endagered species do not go extinct, so why not visit the park and support their work?