Looking Back At 2023: Fluffy’s Key Moments

Happy New Year to all! And, for our beloved cats, Happy Mew Year! (Kitties celebrated the new year on the 2nd.) As we bid farewell to 2023 and welcome 2024, media outlets are revisiting the past 12 months, presenting best-of compilations and discussions on last year’s events. Although our feline friends would be more interested in lounging on a magazine or newspaper instead of delving into these opinions, it doesn’t mean they should be left out of these discussions. Turns out Fluffy had quite a few significant moments last year! A local San Antonio, TX veterinarian goes over some of the key ones in this article. 

Cat Burglar

One purrticularly frisky feline made Santa Claws’ naughty list for a rather unique brand of misbehavior. The kitty, Walter, was caught red-pawed on camera … stealing Christmas. The frisky furball stole his owners’ holiday decorations while they were sleeping!  

A Charming Tribute To Our Feline Overlords

American kitties may have charmed millions of folks this year, but our feline friends are beloved worldwide. There may be no bigger example of that than that of a sleeping cat in a Thailand rice paddy. This may not sound particularly noteworthy, but it really is special. Why? This kitty is not a real furball, but a design that was actually planted into the rice paddy. A farmer, Tanyapong Jaikham, used GPS to precisely coordinate the planting of different seeds, ensuring that the various colors would create his masterpiece as they grew in. His hope was for tens of thousands of people to come see the kitty, who was inspired by a traditional quote about abundance. We think that’s pretty purrfect art! 

Adorable, Meowing Serial Killers

A paper published last year in Nature Communications compiled information from scientists after reviewing more than a century’s worth of data. The research revealed that Fluffy has preyed on over 347 different threatened species, including green sea turtles, Newell’s shearwater, the northern bobwhite quail, and the little brown bat. Fluffy was also linked to over 60 extinctions!

We can’t overstate the importance of keeping your cat safe and sound inside. Your pet will be much better off as an indoor kitty! This is also going to help the local wildlife in our area. 

Universal Distribution System For Kittens

We’ve long made jokes about how cats have their own set of laws regarding physics and other matters. However, occasionally, something makes us wonder if there is some truth to this. One example is the Cat Distribution System. In a nutshell, this is the universe’s process of distributing kitties to the right people at the right time. For instance, one user discovered a kitten in a bush at work, while another returned home to find a hungry furball waiting on their stairs.

This idea has gained popularity, with numerous users sharing videos of them meeting their newly-designated feline companions. 

The takeaway? If you happen upon a stray cat or receive an unexpected visit from a meowing kitty, well, you may have been assigned a cat. Of course, adopting a cat is a big commitment. It’s also possible that some people may simply be meant to help Fluffy find her forever home. Either way, we suspect that quite a few of our patients found their humans this way. 

Talk About Cattitude

Booboo, another feline, also got his fifteen minutes of fame last year. Booboo’s owner couldn’t figure out why his water dish was always empty, no matter how often it was filmed. The solution. A hidden camera, of course. Booboo was caught red-pawed in the act of purrposely tipping the bowl over and spilling the water. 

Best Mews Ever

CNN recently reported that a Pennsylvania shelter was over the moon to announce that  all of the pets in their care had been adopted, and they had full vacancy. For the first time in 47 years, every cage in the shelter was empty. We hope that the coming year will bring more similar ‘tails’. 

Celebrating New Digs

That isn’t the only bit of ‘mews’ coming from a shelter this year. An adorable pair of Indianapolis shelter kitties melted hearts all over the internet in December. The kitties, Ruby and Opal, were filmed as they moved into a new cage. They were so obviously thrilled at the upgrade that they jumped for joy … and then spent several minutes happily zooming around their new home, and spilling food and water in the process.  Fortunately, the pair’s antics were caught on camera. The hilarious clip, which was posted by Pepperspalrescue, went viral on Tiktok. (We’re hoping that Ruby and Opal are now happily scampering around their forever homes.)

Adorable Serial Killers

We’re not the first ones to joke about how cats are actually adorable serial killers. However, that isn’t very far from the truth. A paper published in Nature Communications compiled information from scientists after reviewing over a century’s worth of data. The research revealed that Fluffy has preyed on over 347 different threatened species, including Newell’s shearwater, green sea turtles, the northern bobwhite quail and the little brown bat. Cats have also been linked to over 60 extinctions, and will eat over 2,084 animals and insects. 

This is one reason we recommend keeping your feline buddy inside. Not only will your kitty be safer as an indoor pet, you’ll also be helping protect native wildlife! Ask your San Antonio, TX veterinarian for more information on keeping Fluffy happy, healthy, and purring inside.

A Dog’s Game? Not So Much

It doesn’t look like we’ll completely figure our feline pals out anytime soon, though we are making progress. 

Another study, this one in Scientific Reports, focused on one of Fluffy’s lesser-known traits: her love of playing Fetch. This study compiled information from more than 1000 kitty owners, and delved into cats’ play habits, and revealed that kitties often compulsively teach themselves to Fetch. Fetch, of course, is more commonly associated with dogs. However, our feline pals also sometimes enjoy this game. Certain breeds, such as the Siamese and Bengal, are more prone to playing this pet sport, but any cat may partake. What’s even more purrplexing is the fact that kitties seem to spontaneously teach themselves (or their humans) the game. Roughly 94 percent of those who responded said that this behavior appeared out of nowhere. This may be tied into our distant history with Fluffy: we first befriended cats because we valued their hunting skills. Then again, with kitties you just never know. 

A Truly Purrfect Love

A cat insurance company created the contest website FelixPurrfectProposal.com as a place for contestants to showcase how their feline companions played a role in their engagement. The fortunate recipient will receive a $4,750 prize for an engagement ring. (Their feline buddy, of course, will also get a prize. The jury is currently selecting a winner. We can’t wait to see the pictures from this one! All of us here at North Star Animal Hospital/Center, your local San Antonio, TX animal hospital, wish you a wonderful new year. Please feel free to reach out to us anytime. We look forward to providing you with the best service in 2024 and for many years to come.