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Dogs Don't Remember: Episodic Memory May Distinguish Humans Dogs are wonderful creatures. Our dogs recognize me and are always happy to see me. Dogs are also smart and successful creatures. Our dogs have learned several cute tricks. But dogs (and other non-human animals) are missing something we take for granted: episodic memory. Dogs don't remember what happened yesterday and don't plan for tomorrow. In defining episodic memory, Endel Tulving argued that it is unique to humans. Experience influences all animals. Most mammals and birds can build complex sets of knowledge or semantic memory. You and I also remember the experience...

A man who was caught on video stealing an orange tabby cat named "Gogo" from a house in San Jose has been arrested and charged with animal cruelty. After receiving many tips from community members, San Jose Police said they arrested Robert Farmer, 24, while he was sleeping in his car. After conducting a search, police say they also found a deceased cat hidden in the vehicle. Police have not yet confirmed that the deceased cat is the same one Farmer was seen taking in the video, and they say they are still investigating whether Farmer is connected with other...

Things We Can Learn from Cats and Dogs Msgr. Charles Pope • October 4, 2015 • Here at Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian Parish in Washington D.C., we celebrated the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi (one day early, on Saturday, Oct 3rd) with the blessing of the animals. Although most folks bring dogs to be blessed, there are usually some cats and a few other animals like ferrets. Once, someone even brought a snake!Over the years, I have shared with the dog owners a list of “Things we can learn from dogs” (see below). When I was growing up, we always...

A San Jose family was able to identify the man who stole their cat from surveillance camera footage, but they need help finding him. Miroslav Petro & Miriam Petrova were devastated when their 17-year-old cat “Gogo” was stolen from their front yard on Monday. Thanks to their surveillance camera, the family has footage of a thief capturing the cat. Due to the low quality of the video the owners have a very vague description of the thief. A police report was filed and the owners are asking the public to help find the cat and thief.

A Berlin court has ordered a cat owner to have her hairless Sphynx cat castrated – because it would be animal cruelty to let the naked pet breed. Willi, a Canadian Sphynx, belongs to Berlin cat breeder Jacqueline Linke. True to his breed, Willi is almost completely hairless – a quality that makes Sphynx cats popular choices for those with pet allergies. Despite his questionable appearance, Willi emerged as champion in the 2013 Pedigree Cat Exhibition in Berlin, and has gone on to become a proud father to three naked kittens. However, Willi won't get to pass on his genes...

Video - Cats vs Zombies

Dogs and children form a 'secure attachment' to their primary caregivers Researchers wanted to discover if cats formed the same bond They put cats in unusual situations with strangers and recorded reactions Study found that cats don't suffer from separation anxiety like dogs do - and their wailing may instead simply be a sign of frustration Researchers have found that cats don't see their owners as a source of safety and security in the same way dogs do, making them more independent +3 Researchers have found that cats don't see their owners as a source of safety and security in...

A Renton house cat seems to think he's a dog, and his exploits on local hiking trails is earning him celebrity status online. Move over birds and hikers; there's a new cat in town, and he walks the backcountry trails like any hiking dog would -- like he was born to hike. "We think he might be part dog," said Anna Wilson. His name is Paddington. His parents, Bryan and Anna Wilson, got him at the Seattle Humane Society as a kitten last summer, where they instantly detected his courageous spirit and their connection. "Kittens can be cute and cuddly...

A German miniature pig owner shared video of one of her prized mini-hogs receiving a naptime snuggle and gentle stroking from the family cat. The video, posted to YouTube by user Nicolle von Eberkopf, shows miniature pig Moritz taking a snore-filled snooze while his feline buddy cuddles him and strokes his face. Nicolle said Moritz often looks after the other animals on their farm, so it was a change of pace to see him being cared for by the cat. "Good friends monitor your sleep!" she wrote in the video's title.

An Oregon house cat has been named the world's oldest at the ripe old age of 26. Corduroy, a long-haired tabby, has belonged to Ashley Reed Okura of Sisters, Oregon since he was just short of 7-years-old. "The secret has been allowing him to be a cat -- hunting and getting plenty of love!" Okura said in a release put out by Guinness World Records, who certified the record Thursday.

You may think your dog has an irrational hatred of cats, but their instinct to chase felines out of their territory might be more reasonable than you think. Fossils have revealed the two species have a rocky past after the introduction of cats to the Americas had a devastating effect on the continent's species of wild dogs. In fact, it is thought that competition from cats caused up to 40 species of dog to become extinct in the region millions of years ago.

Pupils' shape and size can reveal whether your kitten is a hunter or the hunted, research shows, Zee News reports. The study also said that species with pupils that are vertical slits are more likely to be ambush predators that are active both day and night. "For species that are active both night and day, like domestic cats, slit pupils provide the dynamic range needed to help them see in dim light yet not get blinded by the midday sun," said lead researcher Martin Banks, professor of optometry at University of California-Berkeley. The vertical slits of domestic cats and...

“There are more cats…than there are Republican presidential candidates,” Neighbors fed up with cat colonyOne Norman neighborhood is reportedly the cat’s meow, with resident’s claiming wild felines are running amok. “There’s a lot of cats now,” said Nathan Hobbs. “There are more cats in this neighborhood, than there are Republican presidential candidates.” It’s a problem Nathan says has really heated up this summer. While Santa Claus has Donner, Dancer, and Prancer…Nathan has his own team. “There’s big gray, there’s little gray, there’s TFC,” said Hobbs. “You’ve got ring tail one, ring tail two, ring tail three…couple tabbies, and that giant...

The cat paw print on the Roman roof tile. David Rice ================================================================================================================== Paw prints made by a cat 2,000 years ago have been found on a Roman roof tile kept at a museum in south west England. Dug up in Gloucester in 1969, the tile fragment had long lain unnoticed at Gloucester City Museum. Only recently, a researcher spotted the cat’s paw on the tile while going through the finds from the 1969 archaeological excavation. “At that time the archaeologists seem to have been more interested in digging things up than looking at what they found,” David Rice, curator at...

While trying to get some dinner, a cat got its just desserts after picking on the wrong squid. In this crazy video, it first appears that the mischievous kitty has the upper hand on its prey. With feline claws and definitely a size advantage, it dips into a pool with the cephalopod. But surprise for the cat because the squid just attaches itself right onto its hunter, turning the tables of the food pyramid. Unable to see because of a face full of tentacles, the regretful cat stumbles backward and all around. And while the cat is eventually able to...

The Australian government intends to eliminate two million feral cats by the end of the decade, Environment Minister Greg Hunt announced on Thursday, waging a war on hordes of felines that are said to be the single biggest threat to many of the country's native species. "By 2020, I want to see two million feral cats culled, five new islands and 10 new mainland areas as safe havens, free of feral cats, and control measures applied across 10 million hectares," Hunt declared. Millions of feral cats roam around the continent, and scientists say that they are a primary factor behind...

Public officials are reminding animal owners to vaccinate their pets in the wake of a confirmed rabies case. A cat in the city of Monterey that became aggressive and later died was confirmed by health authorities to have been infected with rabies, only the second laboratory-confirmed case in at least 30 years. It’s difficult to determine how animals get rabies, and health officials are now focused on the health of the family where the animal lived, Monterey County Health Officer Edward Moreno said. “Our priority when we find an animal that has rabies is to identify humans that may have...

The other night, before my wife and I put our 2½-year-old twins to bed, she began reading them one of their favorite books, Where the Wild Things Are. Juliet, in Dalmatian pajamas, asked, “Mommy, where are the wild things?” My wife glanced over at our gray-and-white tabby curled up on a chair nearby. “Well,” she said, “Jasper’s a wild thing.” Juliet looked incredulous. “Jasper’s not a wild thing,” she said. “He’s a cat!” The dispute is understandable. Though cats have lived with us for nearly 10,000 years and are the world’s most popular pet, experts disagree about whether they’re actually...

How should you pet your cat? It’s a question that’s stumped pet owners for centuries, but science now has an answer. Here's what a team of researchers from the University of Lincoln in the UK found, in graphical form: Yes, that’s right. Cats do not like being stroked at the base of their tail -- at least, that was the case for most of the 54 cats in this study, and another, smaller study on the topic. That’s sort of a cat erogenous zone, and petting may overstimulate it, the researchers posit.

He’s the purr-fect employee: Company in Bucharest hires a CAT as communications director…. And it earns more than a typical Romanian Bossy beat off the competition of 700 other applicants for the top job The fluffy feline was appointed after the company said it was impressed by his attitude Bossy will reportedly receive a salary equivalent to £110 a month plus bonuses By TOM WYKE FOR MAILONLINE PUBLISHED: 12:22 EST, 9 June 2015 | UPDATED: 06:45 EST, 10 June 2015 With the competition for jobs fiercer than ever, the director of communications position at a new start up was always...