🫂 CAT COMMUNITY
New video shows how elder lived in home with 175 cats

A 5,700-square-foot home in Wildwood recently made headlines after it was discovered that nearly 175 cats had taken over the property. The homeowner, an elderly man, was living in the house until a county health order forced the family to vacate. Family members, who had been kept away for years by a relative living in the home, were shocked when they finally gained access. They found a bathroom shared by the cats, with waste piled in the sink and bathtub, and the overwhelming smell of ammonia throughout the house.

In September, 140 cats were rescued and taken to the APA for adoption, with another 35 cats found since then. The APA is still appealing for help in finding homes for the remaining cats. Meanwhile, the family is working with the courts to protect their father and manage the estate after their mother passed away. There are concerns over unauthorized use of the mother's credit card, adding another layer of complexity to the family's situation. Although the homeowner has since been placed in assisted living, the probate hearing to protect his interests has been postponed.

🫂 CAT CULTURE
New study confirms: Cats are basically liquid in motion

Cats have an extraordinary ability to fit into tight spaces, and scientists believe this is due to their unique awareness of their body shape and size. A recent study led by Dr. Peter Pongracz from Hungary's Eötvös Loránd University tested how cats navigate narrow openings, finding that they use a trial-and-error method and slow down when approaching smaller spaces. Unlike dogs, cats showed little hesitation when attempting to pass through openings, demonstrating their remarkable spatial awareness.

Here’s what they found 👇

• Cats did not show significant hesitation when approaching narrow but comfortably tall openings, unlike dogs.

• They slowed down when approaching the smallest openings, indicating awareness of their body size.

• Cats tend to use trial-and-error to fit through tight spaces rather than relying on size-based decisions.

• The study challenges the belief that cats use their whiskers to assess the size of an opening, instead suggesting they rely on body awareness.

This research offers fascinating insights into feline behavior, raising new questions about how cats assess spaces and navigate their environments. Dr. Pongracz hopes to continue studying whether other forms of body awareness, like weight, play a role in these decision-making processes. Understanding these abilities may help us appreciate just how agile and clever our cats really are!

🧑‍🔬 SCIENCE SCOOP
Cats Can Learn Words Faster Than Human Babies, Study Suggests

For around 12,000 years, cats have lived alongside humans, and during that time, they’ve been observing how we communicate. A new study suggests that our feline companions can associate words with specific objects or images, potentially even faster than human babies. Previous research has shown that cats recognize their names, follow human gestures, and understand social dynamics, but now there’s evidence they might also be learning our language without special training.

The study, led by cognitive scientist Saho Takagi from Abazu University in Japan, explored whether cats are “hard-wired” to pick up on human words. Takagi’s team tested this by showing 31 adult cats two different cartoon animations while playing made-up words recorded by their caregivers. When the word didn’t match the image, the cats spent more time looking at the screen, showing signs of confusion. This indicates that cats can rapidly form associations between words and visuals, even with minimal repetition.

While there are differences between this study and similar tests done with human infants, the findings are still intriguing. In the experiment with babies, for instance, researchers used shorter words spoken in different tones, while the cats heard familiar voices using longer, exaggerated words. Despite these differences, it’s clear that cats pay more attention to what we say than we might think. Takagi believes further research could deepen our understanding of how different species communicate and comprehend language, which could ultimately broaden our knowledge of animal cognition.