Maru loves boxes

Japan’s most famous cat is up to his old tricks. If you haven’t met Maru, check out the introductory video on mugumogu’s YouTube channel.

For some reason, Maru adores boxes. Any shape, any size will do just fine. In the latest video he gives them all a try.

Mothering a bat

This beautiful footage from Bat World Sanctuary shows the story of a baby fruit bat abandoned by his mother. She was captive in a zoo. When it closed, the dual trauma of the conditions in which she had been kept and transfer to a new environment were too stressful for her. So she left the baby to die.

The sanctuary took him in, taught him to feed and groom himself, and gave him a chance at life. He is an endearing little fellow taking on a personality of his own, including rocking back in forth after he eats.

Beagles rescued from research laboratory

These beautiful dogs will break your heart because so many others languish in research laboratories. The beagles have never played, never run freely, never experienced grass. Their legs are weak from a life spent in cages. Yet they are friendly and forgiving.

Thanks to the Beagle Freedom Project, they will find loving homes and have a chance to be dogs instead of test subjects.

This cat’s a nanny

One of the most animal-sensitive people in my sphere of far-flung friends knows a lot about inter-species connections. So when Carol posts a link to an animal video, I pay attention.

This one really raised the bar. Stewie the cat could easily move away from the baby, which is fussing as it resists the seduction of sleep. Instead, the cat pats the baby’s head. Gradually, the gentle paw soothes the baby until little Connar gives in and falls asleep. Then watch what the cat does.

The cat who loves wildlife shows

My thanks to Glenda, who sent this story and photos. I’ve never seen cats so absorbed in television before and asked if I could share her story.

Here are a couple of pictures of the cats, Kofi especially, watching their favourite animal program. It is ‘Hope for Wildlife’ about a Nova Scotia rehab. Lots of furry critters and birds on screen for long periods of time and lots and lots of noises like racoons squealing and crows squawking etc. to maintain their interest. I think the noise makes a big difference in their interest level.

On one show they were preparing to release several crows and boxing them for transportation. Lots of flapping and squawking going on as they got stuffed down into the boxes. Kofi got all excited and jumped off the cabinet and started looking in the fireplace (directly under our TV) for the crows – she was actually meowing at me to help. When she couldn’t see any thing she was back up craning her neck and watched the release. I’ve never had a cat (before) that really recognized animals etc. on TV like Kofi does. I hope she doesn’t get bored with it cause it sure is entertaining for us.

All photographs by Glenda Palmer

Octopus walking on land

Here’s rare sight, though according to an article in Treehugger it is not such an unusual occurrence. The octopus oozes out of the water and heads out in search of yummy tidbits.

Soccer-playing turkeys

I used to raise turkeys on Vancouver Island. They were sociable creatures. Sometimes their curiosity got downright dangerous, like when we forgot to take off everything shiny before we walked into their pasture.

So this video brought back some crazy memories. We never thought of offering the turkeys a ball. They would have pecked, clawed, flapped, and butted it into submission in a turkey version of soccer.

Sometimes they don’t want to be friends

No matter how hard this turtle tries to cozy up to the cat, the skittery feline runs away. You’d think an animal so much smaller than the other would be cautious, maybe even pull its head back in the shell. But this is a brave and curious turtle.

Sometimes human friends are like that. One person is really drawn to the other, but the chemistry only goes one way.

Kitten plunges head into glass

There are so many of these animal videos, thanks to smartphones and small video cameras, that you’d think I’d get tired of them. I confess I never do. With no pets of my own these days, I get my pet fixes scratching friends’ dogs and watching the occasional video.

This one made me laugh out loud. There must be some tasty bits or delicious aroma in the bottom of the glass. This feline will not give up trying to get it.

Corgi wants his blankie

When I was little, I had a favourite blanket I carried everywhere. Long into adulthood, I kept the tattered remnants in a box that came with me every time I moved. Space constraints finally overcame sentimentality, and I tossed the old comfort blankie.

The corgi in this video has his own. He even drags it with him when he’s playing fetch.