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The elusive striped "cat-fox" familiar mostly to Corsican shepherds and as a source of intrigue to scientists, is indeed its own species specific to the French Mediterranean island, the French office for Biodiversity (OFB) announced Thursday. New genetic analysis has "revealed a unique genetic strain to the wild cats" found in the remote forest undergrowth of northern Corsica, it confirmed. Genetic sampling clearly distinguishes the ring-tailed Corsican cat-foxes from mainland forest felines and domestic cats, said the OFB in a statement. While resembling house cats in some ways, the cat-fox earned its name from its length—measuring 90 centimeters (35 inches)...

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n the first large-scale study of ancient feline DNA, the results reveal how our inscrutable friends were domesticated in the Near East and Egypt some 15,000 years ago, before spreading across the globe and into our hearts. The study was presented at the International Symposium on Biomolecular Archaeology in Oxford, UK back in 2016, and sequenced DNA from 209 cats that lived between 15,000 and 3,700 years ago - so from just before the advent of agriculture right up to the 18th century. Found in more than 30 archaeological sites in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, these ancient feline...

An off-duty sheriff's lieutenant, his wife and a good Samaritan helped rescue a kitten after he ran through traffic on the 60 Freeway in the Diamond Bar area and then got stuck in the engine compartment of a stopped vehicle, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said Wednesday. Lt. Min Dinh, a 31-year veteran of the department, and his wife, retired sheriff's Lt. Jenny Ha, were driving home from church on the westbound 60 near the Grand Avenue exit on Sunday when they saw a woman sitting on a blanket in the emergency lane. The couple pulled over to help...

Greeting, Kitteh lovers everywhere. I just got a new Furbaby! I Lost my dear Suzie Q about 7 weeks ago. I was just heartbroken. Of all the cats, she was "my" cat. While departing the vet with an empty Cat carrier (a truly crappy experience) I noticed a sign up advertising kittens. Despite my sadness something said "take the number" , so I did. I exchanged texts and photos with the mama cats owner and picked one out. I just got home with her. She is a grayish brown "dilute" tortoiseshell with a facial "blaze" on her right cheek which...

Rescue Cat Turns Her Crooked Jaw into a Beautiful Smile by morgothviolatedmymother · 12 hours ago Duchess the Miracle Cat was brought into a Texas animal hospital. Most places would’ve just euthanised her... ...as she had a broken jaw and other complications.But two vets decided that they were going to take achance on the unlucky feline. Her chances of survival were slim, and Duchess had to have all her teeth removed. Luckily, everything went perfect and Duchess got a beautiful smile! The best part? After seeing this smile, Crystal Tate decided toadopt her straight from the clinic! "The day...

The most laid back cat ever gets a massage by a beach tourist in Thailand...

He has been bitten on the nose by a leopard and had his shoulder separated after wrestling with a full-grown Bengal tiger.But Carl Bovard, who is blind in one eye, believes living with 14 big cats including two lions, six tigers and a desert lynx, is a risk worth taking to raise awareness about endangered species. They all spend time living in his Florida home before moving into the outside enclosure and are seen clambering over the pool table and cuddling up in his bed.   (edit)

Very funny examples of cats and their logic regarding pet toys, water dishes, owners, etc.

This is just hilarious. I’ve watched it four times already and still can’t stop laughing. I guess the biggest question I have is how do you come up with such a brilliant idea? Yes, I am jealous. So, the video was shared with us by Reddit user nomer2 under the title This cat was hired to work at pizza hut in japan. This is his job.

A middle-aged woman (names withheld) yesterday in Lafia, Nasarawa State, publicly disowned her cat whom she had kept as a pet for seven years for what she termed “an unnatural sexual behavior” which she finds disturbing and “a contradiction of the laws of nature.” By this, the cat has made a record as the first cat to be so publicly declared gay and disowned by its owner. The cat, named Bull, was alleged to be in the habit of making sexual advances only to other male cats in the house even though there are several other female cats. Neighbours attested...

Iran's hunt for its next animal astronaut may turn to the distinctive and locally named Persian cat, an official said Monday, in another possible step by the country's ambitious aerospace program that has also raised Western concerns about spillover military applications. **SNIP** Earlier this year, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he wanted to be Iran's first astronaut.

Sophia, 11, is wild about her pet lynx   Close ... Sophia, 11, and pet lynx Zen WHEN this girl’s parents decided to buy her a cat, they set their sights on one bigger than most. Sophia, 11, has been living with her pet lynx since her mum and dad brought it back from an animal sanctuary as a cub four years ago. She helped bottle feed the wildcat — named Zen — and has developed such a close bond with the animal he lets her dress him up, play games and even sleeps on her bed  Cat nap...

PORTLAND, Ore. - This coffee can cost as much as $700 a pound and $80 a cup, and it is processed through the digestive system of a cat. It's said to be the most expensive coffee in the world and it was served up Friday at the International Coffee Expo in Northeast Portland. An Indonesian company brews it here as it is done in cafes in Jakarta.  "It is very delicious, very smooth and so luxurious," said Valerie Sindal, director of sales and marketing for ValBeMar Specialty Coffee. Coffee cherries are eaten by Civet cats, processed through their digestive...

You'll need to be careful when playing with these black and white kittens - because they have an extra 18 toes (and claws) between them. Fred and Ned are known as polydactyl cats. While most felines have 18 toes, Fred has an extra 10 digits and Ned has eight. The four-month-old pair are currently being looked after by Cats Protection in Gosport, Hampshire. Branch volunteer Kate Stapleford said: 'These two kittens were in poor condition when they arrived but with veterinary attention and a lot of TLC from their fosterer, Fred and Ned are now thriving. ...

There's hope for the Israeli sand cat species as one named Rotem gave birth to a girl kitten, Renana (meaning "joy" or "song"), three weeks ago at the Ramata Gan Safari outside of Tel Aviv. Solitary felines that once freely roamed the sand dunes of Israel, the sand cats are now largely thought to be extinct outside of captivity in that area of the world. [snip] Zookeepers are hoping to enter Renana into Israel's Sand Cat Breeding Program, whose mission is to reintroduce sand cats back to their native, natural habitat Adorable photo of Sand Cat at link.

video at link

A Cleveland man was attacked by a housecat Friday afternoon and the man's injuries are so severe that he had to be taken by air ambulance to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston. The altercation between the man and the animal occurred at a home on CR 3182 a few miles south of Cleveland in Liberty County. At some point during the attack, the man and the cat reportedly were injured by a knife the man was holding. The man was taken to Cleveland Regional Medical Center before being transported to Houston. Game wardens Danny Diaz and Adam Broll captured the...

Thief spared jail to feed his cat By ANDY CRICK Published: Today A SOFT judge spared a thief from prison - so he could go home and feed his CAT. District judge David Cooper was set to jail Steven Thorne, 55, for repeatedly shoplifting booze. Let-off ... thief Steven Thorne But he changed his mind after hearing about Thorne's pet Laura.Julie Brice, defending, told Colchester Magistrates' Court that there was no one to feed the cat, which was trapped indoors as Thorne did not have a cat flap at his home in Clacton, Essex. The lawyer added: "She's been...