TJIF | Next Level Cat TV
Tell Junipurr It’s Friday!
Fav Parent captured this beautiful photo of a hummingbird in our backyard
Happy Friday, friends! What are you and your furbabies up to this weekend? With Spring officially in the house, Junipurr and I have gotten into birdwatching. Actually, she’s always been into birdwatching. In fact, Juni takes her role as a citizen scientist quite seriously, investing about 85% of her awake-and-not meowing-for-food time on this activity everyday. Housecats are the original armchair ornithologist after all :) Speaking of birdwatching …
Next Level Cat TV - Our backyard is apparently a convention center for hummingbirds, mourning doves, and white-crowned sparrows. Early in my cat parenting journey, I had learned about the mental and spiritual wonder that is cat TV — i.e. setting up a comfy birdwatching station with a cat tree in front of the window on the inside and a birdfeeder to attract feathered friends on the outside. But as I learned more about the dubious value, and even potential harm, of birdfeeders (see here, here, and here), I’m turning instead to growing high-value native plants that provide a naturally enriching diet and habitat for wildlife. I call this Next Level Cat TV. Want to set one up for your furbaby? Go to your local nursery, ideally one that specializes in native plants, and ask for plants that will sustain local and migrating birds. Youtube search your area plus something to the effect of “native plants for pollinators.” And if you wanna get real nerdy with it, I recommend The Humane Gardener: Nurturing A Backyard Habitat For Wildlife by Nancy Lawson and Garden Allies by Frederique Lavoipierre. Remember to keep your feline furbabies and feathered friends securely away from one another, though! (This Nature article and this PNAS article should be required reading for cat parents.)
Virtual Class Pet - Speaking of appreciating other species from a distance, have you heard about Virtual Class Pet programs? I came across this concept via Charlie’s Acres, a farm animal rescue in Sonoma, and I love the idea! From Charlie’s Acres' website: “We launched our Virtual Class Pet Program as a way to expand our educational mission at no cost to schools. Each class is given the opportunity to choose one of our rescued animals as their “class pet,” (a humane and accessible alternative to having an animal physically in the classroom), and throughout the school year we hold four virtual meetings with them to discuss topics such as the animal’s backstory, why they needed to be rescued, needs and feelings we have in common with animals, how to interact with them respectfully, and how to create a better world for animals. With bullying and violence rampant in our schools and in our world, having discussions with children about these themes of compassion, justice, empathy, and responsibility for oneself and for others is essential in laying the foundation for a better future.” How lovely is that? If you are a parent or teacher, consider reaching out to a local animal rescue to start this in your schools!
Calming Music for Cats - Yay or Nay? We are a divided household, I tell ya! I am a big fan of ambient music, so when I came across Calming music for cats on Youtube, I immediately subscribed. The first 20 hour video we played did not have the desired effect, however. Juni did not seem to even hear it, but Fav Parent poo-pooed it, saying it sounded like we had fallen into the depths of water and was floating aimlessly through sound. Oh the shade! Where do you stand on relaxing music for cats? And what’s your favorite Youtube content made for cats?
