Category: Weekly Feature

Seabass’ Diary…Day 141…FBI

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April 24, 2017-I shifted my weight. I already knew that he wasn’t who I thought he was, he was only reiterating the fact.

“Ok, then why don’t you go ahead and tell me who you are,” I said firmly.

“You don’t need to get upset; who I am doesn’t change anything,” Simba said.

“Then why are you stalling?” I said and narrowed my eyes at him.

“Come with me, I can’t tell you exactly, but I can show you,” he said, and I followed him to the prison library. I had been in the library a million times not a thing was out of place and to be frank, it was boring. Books lived here, from floor to ceiling. Odd books, rare books, textbooks and the classics. This was the place where the small, stupid human tapped away at her keyboard, while I sat on it to be a pain. I loved putting myself in front of whatever she was doing because this was a clear message that I was in charge; it worked every time because she always stopped what she was doing to pick me up and pet me.

I followed Simba to the back corner of the library and watched as he shuffled some books around like a puzzle. My eyes grew wider when I realized what was happening.

“Stand back,” he said, and for once I obeyed him. A large portion of the wall began to creak and groan, and with a giant “THUMP” it opened to reveal a staircase.

I swallowed hard,”What is this place?” Simba ignored me, picked up a lit torch and led us into the darkness.

We finally reached an iron gate with a scanner on the wall. Simba held up his left paw, and we were granted access.

I blinked quickly because I couldn’t believe my eyes. Was this real? Was it true?

“Welcome to headquarters, I’m special agent Simba Mufasa of the FBI,” he said.

“The Federal Bureau of Investigation?” I squeaked.

“No, the FELINE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION,” he said as he flashed his badge.

The walls closed in on me, and the world went black.

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The World’s Richest Cats…#1

Published on by Lacey L. Bakker1 Comment

http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-8310091-12913348

April 19, 2017-So #1 on the list is not what you’d expect and maybe some of you won’t be too happy with me, but I believe that first place on the list goes to…

All of the cats that have loving homes. Sure they may not have an inheritance worth millions and they may not have merchandise or be celebrities or have a television show, but what they do have is a family that loves them. They have a warm and comfortable home with the occasional cat treat or toy and once in a while maybe even some catnip. There are pictures of them on the wall or the mantle and the ones who have crossed the rainbow bridge are forever memorialized in a special spot in the yard or in an urn in the china cabinet.

They have a warm and comfortable home with the occasional cat treat or toy and once in a while maybe even some catnip. There are pictures of them on the wall or the mantle and the ones who have crossed the rainbow bridge are forever memorialized in a special spot in the yard or in the china cabinet.

They’ve got people that care about them who are foster parents and those who care about them so much that they’re willing to drop off bags of food or piles of blankets to shelters that house them. People who go out of their way to sponsor their kennel and people who tirelessly raise money to support the homeless, feral, scared, injured cats all over the world.

Maybe cats with loving homes aren’t the world’s richest cats in a monetary or material sense and maybe, WE, their caretakers are the richest ones for having them as our moral and ethical responsibilities. We are the wealthiest above all because we have their love and they have ours.

Thank you to each and every one of you that save lives and make a difference for these animals all over the world. God Bless.

LLB

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World’s Richest Cats…Number 2…Hello Kitty

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April 12, 2017- The second cat on the list of World’s Richest Cat is none other than Hello Kitty who rakes in approximately SEVEN BILLION dollars a year. Whoa! That’s a lot of tuna! Sure, she may be fictitious but her earning power is real. Hello Kitty’s fortune has been amassed by selling merchandise, licensing deals, t-shirts, jewelry, books, stickers and more. Hello Kitty has also done her fair share of charity work. In 2014 she teamed up with famed, master pastry chef Pierre Herme for Macaron Day to help raise money for children fighting serious diseases.

Hats off to Hello Kitty for being philanthropic and working for such amazing causes. Keep up the good work! Stay tuned for Number 1…coming next Wednesday!

Image result for hello kitty

World’s Richest Cats…Number 3

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April 6, 2017-The tale of Tommaso the cat is a true rags-to-riches story! The stray black beauty was homeless on the streets of Rome when Maria Assunta, the widow of a successful real estate tycoon, took him in.

As her health began to fail Maria, who had no children, knew that she needed to find Tommaso someone who loved him as much as she did so she instructed her attorneys to find an animal welfare association who would look after him. When they were unable to find such a place with the right person, Maria left all of her money to Tommaso via her nurse Stefania who cared for her until the day she passed away. Stefania’s last name has never been disclosed in order to protect her identity, Tommaso’s identity and to foil any attempts at kidnapping or ransom orders.

She left her $133 million dollar fortune to her beloved kitty Tommaso when she died at the age of 94. The feline’s newfound riches include cash, as well as properties in Rome, Milan and land in Calabria.

I’m so glad Tommaso found a loving home with someone who wanted to give him the world!

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The World’s Richest Cats…Number 4

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March 22, 2017-WOW! This next cat is one of my favourite cats of all time. It’s funny because I thought that she would be way closer to the top of the list. You probably know her really well!

Number 4 on the list of The World’s Richest Cats is none other than GRUMPY CAT! YAY! Tardar Sauce is her real name, and her unique look is caused by feline dwarfism and an underbite. Her birthday is April 4, 2012, and she was born in Arizona. Grumpy cat is a viral sensation and an international superstar whose net worth is said to be around $100 million! That’s a lot of zeros! She’s been the star of her own movies and countless endorsements, has a sponsorship with Friskies and let’s not forget about the merchandise she loans her grumpy look to. I don’t know about you but I love her grumpy face and I absolutely LOVE Grumpy Cat. I’m glad to see her on the list!

Image result for grumpy cat net worth 2016

The World’s Richest Cats!…Part 1 of 5

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Hi Furriends, I’m excited about this segment and a little jealous, to be honest. Let’s face it, these furry felines have and make more money than most of us combined! Check out number 5 on the list of The World’s Richest Cats…

#5-Choupette Lagerfeld:

Yes, this stunning, three-year-old Birman beauty owns famed designer Karl Lagerfeld. According to the fashion guru himself, last year Choupette earned $3 million dollars! She has a book that’s already been released as well as a make-up collection (for humans I assume). When she’s not working, she likes to play on her i-pad and boss her two maids around. Geez, talk about living large! Choupette absolutely refuses to do “food-stuffs” commercials because it is completely beneath her according to Lagerfeld who says, “She’s too sophisticated for that.”

You can’t tell me that after reading this that it’s not a cat’s world! Stay tuned for number 4 on the list that will return next Wednesday.

 

LLB

 

Cats Throughout History…Part 3…

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Hi Friends, I’ll be the first to say that I’m a bit sad to see this three part series end because it was so interesting and entertaining. However, we always need new content to keep readers interested and engaged so onto the next segment which I will announce at the end of today’s article.

Cats have always been objects of folklore and superstition throughout time. Here’s the story of Cats in Ancient China and how they were once guardians of the human world!

Cats Oversee The World

Ah ha…so this is why they think this! As far as I can tell, my cats both think the world revolves around them…this might just be the reason why.

Li Shou was a Chinese goddess that was depicted in the form of a cat. Sacrifices and offerings were made to her for fertility and to control pests. The importance of cats in the world was demonstrated by Li Shou. An ancient Chinese myth says that cats, during the beginning of the creation, were appointed by the gods to oversee everything in the human world and to ensure that everything was run properly. Cats had also been given the ability to speak! As we know currently and even then, the felines were more interested in sleeping beneath cherry trees and playing with falling blossoms instead of looking after a boring human world.

Three times the gods visited the cats and instead of the cats properly performing their duties they were found at play. On the third time that the gods visited the cats, the cats told the gods that they had no interest in running the world…which I kind of find hard to believe since I happen to know a Maine Coon who is hell bent on taking over the world…but none the less, I’ll let history tell the story. The gods granted humans the position of overseers of the world (which may not have been such a bright idea considering the state of things) and transferred the power of speech, which was taken from the cats. Cats were then given the task of keeping time instead. To this very day, it’s believed in China that one could tell the time of day by looking into a cat’s eyes.

I hope that you enjoyed the segment Cats Throughout History and stay tuned for a brand new feature on Wednesday that is titled The World’s Richest Felines! You won’t want to miss it!

LLB

Cats Throughout History…Part 2…Trim

Published on by Lacey L. Bakker1 Comment

This is the story of Trim the Cat who sailed around the world with a captain named Matthew Flinders. Cats were often welcome on ships because they protected the food supply onboard from rodents. They also provided entertainment and companionship to the men who were at sea. Trim the Cat is a particularly important member of the crew. Let’s find out why and what made him so special!

Trim was a black cat with white socks and a white star on his chest. Trim was very energetic and even a bit of a risk taker who loved to find adventure. Once in a while he fell overboard but didn’t seem bothered by it because whenever he landed in the ocean, someone would throw him a rope and he’d climb back up. Captain Matthew Flinders admired the courage, strength, and spirit of the animal so much so that he made him his favourite.

Trim ran freely around the ship with the ship’s men and was known for sitting in officers’ caps. At dinnertime, he quite regularly stole pieces of meat from the crew’s forks with such brilliant dexterity that his victims were more inclined to admire his skill than be angered by the theft.

Trim sailed with Flinders on the HMS Investigator on his voyage around the Australian mainland and even survived the shipwreck of the Porpoise in 1803. When Captain  Flinders was accused of spying and imprisoned by the French in Mauritius on his return voyage to England, Trim also shared his captivity.While the men were still held in prison Trim disappeared and Flinders was heartbroken. Seven years later, Captain Matthew Flinders was released and returned to his wife in England but he never forgot Trim.

In 1996, the North Shore Historical Society commissioned a bronze statue of Trim for the window ledge at Mitchell Library in Sydney, Australia, and the library’s cafe has been named after Flinders’ beloved cat.

TO THE MEMORY OF TRIM
The best and most illustrious of his race
The most affectionate of friends,
faithful of servants,
and best of creatures
He made the tour of the globe, and a voyage to Australia,
which he circumnavigated, and was ever the
delight and pleasure of his fellow voyagers
Written by Matthew Flinders in memory of his cat
Memorial donated by the North Shore Historical Society

Wow! What an amazing friend, companion, and feline. May the story of friendship between Captain Matthew Flinders and Trim never be forgotten and may we never forget them either.

Cats Throughout History…Part 1…Bastet and Ancient Egypt!

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Cats were first domesticated in Egypt around 4000 years ago but their history among humans goes back wayyyyy further! Wild cats lived with the people of Mesopotamia  100,000 years ago and to have been domesticated at around the same time as dogs, sheep, and goats! How awesome is that?  The Near Eastern Wildcat is the closest relative of the domestic cat of today and was bred by Mesopotamian farmers, to control mice and rodents which were attracted by grain.

Cats association with ancient Egypt is remarkable. The people of the Egyptian culture were famous for being devoted to cats so much so that the export of cats from Egypt was SO strictly prohibited that a branch of the government was formed solely to deal with this issue. Would you believe that their devotion to our feline friends was so great that government agents were sent out to other areas to find and return cats which had been smuggled out? WOW! I couldn’t believe it either!

In 450 BCE, the penalty in Egypt for killing a cat was death (though this law is thought to have been observed much earlier). The goddess Bastet, commonly depicted as a cat or as a woman with a cat’s head, was among the most popular deities of the Egyptian people. She was the protector of women’s secrets and was the keeper of hearth and home as well as the guardian against evil spirits and disease, and most importantly the goddess of cats.I’m seriously considering changing the name on my birth certificate now!

Egyptians cared so much for their cats that they placed their safety above human life and property. Let’s say a house caught fire, the Egyptians would be more concerned with rescuing the cats than with anything else.They would run back into the burning building or form a barricade around the flames to keep the cats safe. When a cat died, everyone in the house would shave their eyebrows as a sign of deep mourning. Cats that died were buried in a special place and in special containers. The period of mourning was considered finished when the people’s eyebrows had grown back. Mummified cats have been found throughout Egypt, and were sometimes buried with, or near to, their owners as proved by identifying seals on mummies!

So dear friends, this is just a tiny taste of our weekly feature, Cats Throughout History. I hope that you’ve enjoyed this segment and I look forward to next Wednesday!

LLB