Cathy the cat was more than a bit catty when she went into a spitting rage when her owner went to start sweeping, trapping him in the bathroom. Two mounties couldn't subtue or catch the frienzied feline, and an animal control officer says he's never seen anything quite like it. Rabies was later ruled out, but it begs the question, just what did the cat get so mad about?

Thomas is always up to something, and many of his adventures involve train crashes (minor, of course, with all the engines getting fixed up afterwards and having tea), but a psychologist in England worries it could lead to children having traumatic fears regarding trains and crashes. Dr. Brian Young, who is the Independent Television Commission expert on children's reaction to programs, says, "Thomas the Tank Engine is aimed at a pre-school audience who tend to be more likely to see the programme as reality." ITV, the current maker of the show, responds that they're sure Thomas is suitable for children. Thomas wasn't available for comment.

Want free comic books with furry content? Watch for the next Free Comic Book Day this May 5th. Several furry comics and comic collections will be published and given away! (list below)

According to this article from the BBC, ostriches raised by humans find it easy to try and court them.

My favorite line in this article:

"You would not want to go into a pen with an amorous ostrich," he said.

Words to live by...

The Globe and Mail reported today that the 17th century stables at Versailles re-opened late last month as the Academy of Equestrian Arts.

Built for Louis the XIV to house 600 horses, the stables are now home to 20 Lusitanos, a gift from the Academy's new director, Bartabas.

Well known for his direction of the Zingaro Equestrian Theatre and his film Mazeppa, Bartabas has set his goals for the new Academy and is intent on passing on to future riders an impeccable level of equitation. His role with the Versailles project is dicussed in greater detail in this article from October of last year.

This article picks up the story of Janet Burleson, who founded The Guide Horse Foundation in 1999.

She has been training miniature horses for a role normally reserved for canines, but which she says they excel at - leading the blind and disabled. Despite criticism from guide dog groups, Burleson insists the miniatures to be calm, reliable, and naturally safety oriented, making ideal companions for certain indiviuals.

"The Maltese Kitten", by Linda Stewart, the 3rd novel in her talking-cat spoof of tough private detectives, was published in December. The first two are "Sam the Cat: Detective" (1993) and "The Big Catnap" (2000). All three are illustrated on their website.

Doodles wrote in with this month's furry comics listing from Previews: "Spring is almost here, and here's the latest stuff that will be coming out just in time for the start of Summer. Next month should see a ramping up of listings, as Summer orders get listed."

While photo manipulation is popular enough as a technique to blend human and animal characteristics in a single artistic image, Daniel Lee manages to do it without using any animal photos at all. Proof of how little is needed to change a human face into a recognizable animal likeness is stunning, if uncanny.

In a land of perpetual violence, even the animals are not immune. Several recent deaths at the Qalqiliya Zoo - some attributed to tear gas and gunfire - have led to a macabre sort of "taxidermist's zoo".

The zoo's veterinarian, Dr. Sami Khader, also happens to be a taxidermist, and has mounted their zebra, giraffes, and a growing list of other animals in an effort to help the zoo continue its mission in educating the public.

Usually, being an odd colour is bad news in the animal kingdom, but for some cats, such as jaguars and leopards, being melanistic seems to be a good idea.
Researchers at the National Cancer Institute and the University of Maryland think studying jaguars and how the gene that regulates the colour of their fur might also change other aspects of their body, such as possibly making them more resistant to disease. Making wild black cats very lucky indeed!
Of course, this doesn't explain why some big cats, like lions and tigers, don't have a melanistic phase. Except, of course, in furry fandom!

The Seattle P-I reported that two adult servals, de-clawed and litter box trained, were found roaming in north Seattle about two weeks ago. There's a nice picture in the article from Feb. 22, and another picture from today's front page.

The Animal Lovers Group of Bangkok, Thailand, has established a blood bank to assist the city's estimated 300,000 stray dogs.

"The group plans a blood drive on March 9 at a Buddhist temple. It is storing the blood in refrigerators to supply two private animal hospitals when needed. "

Though lynx populations have dropped from about 600 in 1996 to no more than 350 now, the annual lynx hunt is still set at 85 animals, including females and cubs. Norway's hunting tactics need to change, says the WWF, noting that the annual wolf cull in 2001 halved the living wolf population in the country, and the lynx hunt is getting close to the same numbers, making extinction in the region inevitable.

Mascoting is a hard, hot job, and yet another article is choosing to profile it, though unusually it's female sports mascoters under the fur. Tales of nearly fainting, crowd hazing, and the fun they have bringing school spirit insue. And, as one mother of a mascoter noted, “Mascots are like big, stuffed animals. Who doesn’t like stuffed animals?” Who doesn't, indeed!