All posts tagged: cats

The pet I’ll never forget: Harold, the halls of residence cat, who looked after me when I first left home | Cats

The pet I’ll never forget: Harold, the halls of residence cat, who looked after me when I first left home | Cats

Published by Sam Flores

In 2022, when I moved into halls of residence at the University of Sheffield, my biggest concern was no longer having a furry friend to come home to, as I’d had a cat since I was 11 years old. Then I met Harold. My first encounter with this gorgeous tabby was quite unusual. One day, in our 10-bed flat, a flurry of messages appeared on the group WhatsApp chat after my fellow roommates caught an intruder on the sofa, innocently munching on my leftover pizza. As in many homes for first year university students, there were plenty of unfinished takeaways lying around the kitchen. And Harold was a smart cat with a clear goal: food. Any time he saw a snack or sensed one from a distance, he would come running. A can of tuna. A block of cheese. The occasional pancake. And I was more than happy to feed him – he probably had a better diet than me. Harold eyes up some food. Photograph: Instagram/harold.theendcliffecat With the area housing more than 4,000 students, …

This New Auto-Pet Feeder Is Basically an Instant Pot for Cats

This New Auto-Pet Feeder Is Basically an Instant Pot for Cats

Published by skeptic

Automatic pet feeders aren’t new, but most are limited to dispensing dry food. Strolling a press preview ahead of IFA 2026 in Berlin, I spotted a wild new take on the handy pet parent helper, and it’s basically an Instant Pot for cats. OK, maybe it doesn’t pressure cook, sauté and steam like most multicookers, but it does churn out fresh meals on demand for your feline friend. Like an Instant Pot, all you have to do is add two ingredients, set it and forget it. The Best Tech, All Tested by CNET Editors Riko, the latest release from Neakasa, is a self-contained smart wet-food maker that prepares meals on demand (or whenever you schedule them via the app) and serves them to your cat at mealtime. The unit, which is about the size of an average drip coffee maker, houses a compartment for freeze-dried food and a water reservoir. When activated, it rehydrates and mixes the cat food for a gourmet autonomous feeding experience. As strange as it may sound, this one makes great …

As a Pet Parent to 3 Asthmatic Cats, I’m Eyeing This New AAFA-Certified Vacuum at IFA 2026

As a Pet Parent to 3 Asthmatic Cats, I’m Eyeing This New AAFA-Certified Vacuum at IFA 2026

Published by skeptic

Anker has made some of our favorite and most innovative robot vacuums over the years, and recently, they’ve also been getting into robot lawn mowers, earning spots on our tested lists. The newest models they’re showing off at IFA Berlin 2026 include a robot vacuum and a robot mower, both with key improvements and features over previous generations. Anker’s newest robot vacuum — and potentially the last one to keep the Eufy name (more on that below) — is the Omni E35, and it just might be what my three asthmatic cats need because it focuses on sterilization and disinfection. Anker describes it as “baby-grade,” meaning it’s TÜV Rheinland-certified for the “Maternal and Infant Cleaning Robot mark.” It can eliminate bacteria and dust mites, and it has low noise and high efficiency when it comes to cleaning and self-cleaning.    Anker says it’s the first and only robot vacuum to earn the Asthma & Allergy Friendly Certification from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. This is especially interesting to me as someone who has the …

Cats and Owls and Axolotls, Oh My!: The Best Library and Bookstore Pets

Cats and Owls and Axolotls, Oh My!: The Best Library and Bookstore Pets

Published by Jenni Sidey

I used to work at a library that changed up the theme in the children’s department every year, and for the first few years, the themes involved animals. “Under the Sea” was fish. “Creepy Crawlies” was tarantulas and a giant centipede (shudder). “On the Farm” was a giant incubator with baby chicks. And for many years, we had a bearded dragon named Lizzy, who was surprisingly snuggly for a two-foot lizard. (And apparently bearded dragons are popular choices for resident library animals.) I’ve loved animals since I was a kid, so I am always delighted when I learn about libraries and bookstores that have their own resident pets. Check out these places where animals and books share the spotlight. Library Cats Obviously, cats are the first animal you think of when you think of library pets. There’s no way to highlight all of the libraries and bookstores with resident cats, so here are just a few furry highlights: The South Dade Regional Library in Florida did more than bring a cat into the building: they …

Cats are the only pet linked to more mental health problems in children, study finds

Cats are the only pet linked to more mental health problems in children, study finds

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Questions like, “will getting a pet benefit our child’s mental health?” are increasingly common and pertinent. In Spain, for instance, more than half of all households now have one or more pets. Attachment is the name for the emotional bond between a developing child and the caregiver who provides them with security and comfort. This kind of bond can also, to a certain extent, also be formed with animals, and these relationships have been shown to have a range of beneficial effects: They boost emotional regulation, helping children learn to calm themselves They build responsibility, empathy and moral standards They “catalyse” relationships with people, for instance, when a pet forms a point of common interest between a child and a family member they don’t …

Judi Dench: Best bits of her new documentary with Ian McKellen, from honest Cats review to heartbreaking regrets

Judi Dench: Best bits of her new documentary with Ian McKellen, from honest Cats review to heartbreaking regrets

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter After welcoming Sir Kenneth Branagh to her Surrey home in the first instalment of Tea with Judi Dench, the legendary James Bond actor has another starry houseguest: Sir Ian McKellen. Dench has shared the stage and screen with the Lord of the Rings star multiple times during their illustrious careers, and they have plenty of awards between them – but in this Sky Arts show, the pair seem like any other regular pals as they sit down to chat over tea and tiffin. From reminiscing about their early days on stage together, to sharing their honest thoughts on one of their most controversial projects, here are the best bits from the documentary… Ian reveals how Judi saved him onstage McKellen and Dench have shared the stage together countless times, and there’s one moment from early on in his career that The …

Even Cuba’s Stray Cats Are Feeling the Heat as Crisis Deepens

Even Cuba’s Stray Cats Are Feeling the Heat as Crisis Deepens

Published by Sam Flores

By Anett Rios and Alberto Fajardo HAVANA, Aug 28 (Reuters) – Cuban Gabriela Lopez runs ⁠a ⁠rescue center called Aldameros that would melt ⁠the heart of any cat lover. Cats of all shapes and sizes slink about, ​purring after being fed and caressing the legs of workers.  But all is not well here. The communist-run island early this year plunged into ‌unprecedented economic and social crisis as stiffened ‌U.S. sanctions and a fuel blockade imposed by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump have pushed the population ⁠of 9 million ⁠people to the brink.  The center, like the population at large, has little water now, ​despite its central Havana location, just a couple hours of electricity daily and costs are soaring alongside inflation, says Lopez. “Before, we could store food for a few days, but now we live day to day because we have no (cold storage). As for water, we have ​to maintain good hygiene, but there are problems with supply,” she says, exhausted by the seemingly endless problems ⁠she ⁠rattles off in an interview.  …

‘In Ceuta, they are eating the cats’: Fake images and a persistent rumour

‘In Ceuta, they are eating the cats’: Fake images and a persistent rumour

Published by Sam Flores

  When Nicolas Conquer, a French Donald Trump supporter, took to X on August 20 to decry the migration crisis in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, he did it à la Trump. “In Ceuta, they’re eating the cats,” Conquer posted.  Back in 2024, US President Donald Trump claimed that Haitian immigrants in the United States were eating people’s cats and dogs. Conquer’s accusations, however, are directed at the 2,000 to 5,000 migrants who stayed in Ceuta after a record number of 70,000 people crossed the border from Morocco in late July. The rumours have been gaining traction and, in recent days, growing numbers of French and Spanish social media users have been denouncing what they say is violence against the feline population in Ceuta.  The allegations were picked up by a number of Spanish media outlets, including the conservative site La Gaceta. On August 19, La Gaceta published an article claiming that “cats had been massacred and pigeons and seagulls devoured” in Ceuta after the “migrant invasion”. The main photo shows a dead white kitten …

Cats and humans share a special bond fueled by this love hormone

Cats and humans share a special bond fueled by this love hormone

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Cats may have a reputation for independence, but emerging research suggests we share a unique connection with them – fuelled by brain chemistry. The main chemical involved is oxytocin, often called the love hormone. It’s the same neurochemical that surges when a mother cradles her baby or when friends hug, fostering trust and affection. And now studies are showing oxytocin is important for cat-human bonding too. Oxytocin plays a central role in social bonding, trust and stress regulation in many animals, including humans. One 2005 experiment showed that oxytocin made human volunteers significantly more willing to trust others in financial games. Oxytocin also has calming effects in humans and animals, as it suppresses the stress hormone cortisol and activates the parasympathetic nervous system (the …

AI Slop Is Ruining Cute Animals on the Internet

AI Slop Is Ruining Cute Animals on the Internet

Published by skeptic

AI-generated videos and pictures are destroying one of the largest and most enduring sources of joy and compassion on the internet: animals. Whether the imagery features sailors rescuing a polar bear, baby cows separated from their mothers, or a lost pet that was miraculously found, many people have reached the point where they can’t take the creatures on their feeds at face value anymore. The explosion of deepfakes and AI slop over the past few years has led to widespread frustration among viewers, creators, and organizations that support animals, forcing everyone to hunt in the pixels for glitches or other telltale signs of AI. Mibbby Butler was overjoyed one day in April when she received a text message that her lost cat, Brooklyn, had supposedly been found. Her roommate’s boyfriend had allegedly taken the cat and dumped him 30 minutes away in the Los Angeles suburbs the day prior. Butler quickly posted a missing poster on social media, and she was driving around with her roommate searching for Brooklyn when a stranger sent her a …