feline

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

Spanish Cops Bust Exotic Cat Smuggling Ring

2 arrested on Mallorca are accused of breeding, selling tigers, leopards, lynxes, etc.

(Newser) - Spanish police have arrested two people in connection with the sale of exotic felines on the internet. The authorities seized 19 animals, including a caracal and two servals, in an operation in Manacor, on the Balearic island of Mallorca, the Civil Guard said in a statement on Thursday. More than...

'Aloof' Big Cats Are Partial to Keepers' Voices
Big Cats Are
Like Pet Cats
in One Big Way
in case you missed it
Feb 18, 2024 10:15 AM CST

Big Cats Are Like Pet Cats in One Big Way

Familiar human voices draw longer, more intense responses than unfamiliar ones, researchers show

(Newser) - Domestic cats can tell their owner's voice apart from other humans, and apparently their larger cousins have that same capability, according to new research out of Michigan's Oakland University. In the study published Thursday in the PeerJ—Life and Environment journal, scientists wanted to see if tigers, cheetahs,...

It's Not Just Dogs Who Play Fetch
Cats Play Fetch, Too
NEW STUDY
Dec 15, 2023 10:19 AM CST

Cats Play Fetch, Too

Researchers say it's more common than people think

(Newser) - Cats have a reputation for being unfriendly and distant compared to dogs, but research is eroding that idea . In a new study, scientists found cats instinctively know how to play fetch and most often initiate fetching sessions, reflecting a broader tendency "to maintain a sense of control," per...

A Famous Cat Population Faces a Crackdown

NPS wants some 200 strays removed from historic site in Puerto Rico

(Newser) - Hundreds of stray cats that roam a historic seaside tourist area of Puerto Rico's capital, where they're considered both a delight and a nuisance, will be removed over the coming year under a plan unveiled Tuesday by the National Park Service. The NPS says it will contract an...

Exotic Cat on Cocaine 'Could've Shredded Us Apart'

Cincinnati Zoo now in possession of Amiry the serval, better known as 'cocaine cat'

(Newser) - It's a good thing Cincinnati Zoo employees had yet to see Cocaine Bear when they took in an exotic feline who'd gotten into the drug. Animal control officials were called to retrieve the African serval, a medium-sized cat, from a tree after he escaped from his owner's...

Catnip Is Fun for Cats, but Also 'Functional'
Catnip Does More Than
Make Cats Loopy
NEW STUDY
Jan 24, 2021 12:00 PM CST

Catnip Does More Than Make Cats Loopy

Study suggests it also offers protection from mosquitoes

(Newser) - You may soon come to love catnip as much as your cat. New research suggests the chemicals derived from catnip and silver vine, an even more potent plant that grows in the mountains of Japan and China, can ward off pesky mosquitoes. Masao Miyazaki, a biologist at Japan's Iwate...

Grumpy Cat? There May Be an Easy Fix

Food puzzles make cats less needy, more active: study

(Newser) - Cat owners, prepare to be stunned: A new study suggests your cat isn't really a crabby jerk—he's just bored. And there may be a simple way to improve his mood, even his health: challenge him. Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley say food puzzles—think...

Here's Why Your Cat May Not Care When You Leave
Here's Why Your Cat May
Not Care When You Leave
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Sep 6, 2015 6:29 AM CDT

Here's Why Your Cat May Not Care When You Leave

New study shows domestic cats don't show signs of secure attachment to humans

(Newser) - There are a lot of cats in the United States. Perhaps close to 95 million live with us as pets, reports the Times-Picayune . But does our affection for these feline friends move in just one direction? New research in the journal PLoS One suggests that domesticated cats are more independent...

In Cats vs. Dogs, History Answers
 In Cats vs. Dogs, 
 History Answers 
NEW STUDY
Aug 18, 2015 7:18 AM CDT

In Cats vs. Dogs, History Answers

Cats are responsible for the extinction of 40 early canine species

(Newser) - It's official: Cats are better than dogs. Better predators, that is. So say researchers in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences after looking at more than 2,000 fossils of prehistoric cats and dogs in North America. It turns out that when cats arrived on the continent...

Big Cat Sighted Near Paris
 Big Cat Sighted Near Paris 
Nov 14, 2014 12:30 AM CST

Big Cat Sighted Near Paris

The town of Montevrain is on high alert after multiple sightings

(Newser) - A woman leaving her husband's grocery market in Montevrain just east of Paris saw what she believed to be a lynx, took a photo of what indeed appears to be a large feline, and called her husband from the confines of her car. Residents were told to stay indoors,...

Wait, You Thought Hello Kitty Was a Cat?

 Hello Kitty 
 Isn't Exactly 
 a Cat 
UPDATED
Aug 28, 2014 11:25 AM CDT

Hello Kitty Isn't Exactly a Cat

Her name is Kitty White and she's a 3rd-grader from outside London

(Newser) - She may sport what appear to be whisker lines across her expressionless face, but the iconic Hello Kitty may not be a cat. In fact, the cartoon character created 40 years ago has a whole backstory that will soon be on display at an exhibit at the Japanese American National...

Man's History With Cats Even Older Than Thought
Man's History With Cats
Even Older Than Thought
new study
Mar 9, 2014 10:33 AM CDT

Man's History With Cats Even Older Than Thought

New findings in Egypt age our relationship

(Newser) - Humans have been in a relationship with cats for far longer than previously known—some 5,700 years in fact, according to new research that predates the oldest feline finds in China . Most evidence has pointed to cat domestication in Egypt circa 1950 BC, but excavations at an ancient Egyptian...

Cats Were Farmers' Friends 5K Years Ago
 Cats Were Farmers' 
 Friends 5K Years Ago 
STUDY SAYS
Dec 18, 2013 2:15 AM CST

Cats Were Farmers' Friends 5K Years Ago

Ancient bones shed light on domestication timeline

(Newser) - Ancient bones unearthed in China have shed new light on how humans came to tame cats—though some cat owners would describe the relationship as being the other way around. Analysis of the cat bones found in a millet-farming village suggest that cats were living alongside humans 5,300 years...

Cats Kill Billions of Birds a Year
 Cats Kill Billions of Birds a Year 
new study
Jan 30, 2013 8:56 AM CST

Cats Kill Billions of Birds a Year

And even more mammals: study

(Newser) - Forget the adorable YouTube videos—cats are cold-blooded killers, or so says a new study that attempted to quantify the toll felines take on birds and other wildlife. NPR has the numbers: Of the estimated 84 million pet cats owned by Americans, researchers determined as many as 47 million are...

Cats Are More Murderous Than You Think

For every corpse you see, there are 3 you don't

(Newser) - Only 30% of house cats kill when they are allowed to roam outside, but those that do are much bloodier than you might have thought, reports USA Today . In fact, the mouse carcasses and other gory presents that felines leave for their humans represent just a quarter of the average...

My Cat Tried to Kill Me
My Cat Tried
to Kill Me
Apr 30, 2010 4:16 AM CDT

My Cat Tried to Kill Me

'All I heard was rrwwwrrrr hiss'

(Newser) - A pet cat freaked out after giving birth and "tried to kill" its owner, the woman reports. Jackie Ostermiller of Idaho was sleeping when she heard a strange noise. She saw her cat, Renesmee, and went to pick her up. "All I heard was rrwwwrrrr hiss," she...

Not Stressed Enough? Potty Train Your Cat

But dis is where kitteh drinkz from, concerned felines meow

(Newser) - Anne Marie Chaker has joined a small but growing number of cat owners intent on using specialized equipment to complete an almost Sisyphean task: potty training their feline friends. Products on the market are selling much better this year than in the past, and they all work pretty much the...

Cats Are Left or Right-Pawed

(Newser) - Cats may appear ambidextrous when pawing a ball of string but actually lean lefty or righty when it comes to tough tasks, the New Scientist reports. It comes down to sex: girl kitties are mostly righties and boys lefties, say researchers at Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland. Hormone levels...

Cats Do Use Mind Control: Study

Cry used by hungry kitties shows knowledge of human hearing, psychology

(Newser) - Cats seeking food use a cry that humans find maximally urgent and annoying, LiveScience reports. Researchers played a range of cat calls for humans and found that one—a high-pitched cry embedded in a purr—to be the most difficult to ignore, whether the subject owned a cat or not....

Cat-Carving Teenager a Sociopath: Detectives

(Newser) - A Florida teen charged with killing 19 cats in his Miami community became so excited talking about feline dissection that detectives were convinced he was a sociopath, according to court documents released yesterday. Tyler Weinman, 18, never admitted he killed the cats that were found mutilated in his neighborhood, but...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>
Most Read on Newser