Latest news with #catlovers
CNA
2 days ago
- CNA
‘Cat island' in Java Sea? Jakarta mulls moving stray felines offshore but experts flag concerns
JAKARTA: Fancy visiting an idyllic island in the Java Sea that is home to 1,000 rescue cats? Indonesia could soon have a 'cat island' modelled after the ones in Japan, if Jakarta governor Pramono Anung has his way. On May 15, Pramono revealed that the city government is considering populating one of the hundreds of islands off the coast of Jakarta with cats in an effort to manage their population and boost tourism. On islands such as Aoshima and Tashirojima in Japan, cats vastly outnumber human inhabitants after they were brought in to control the rat population. The presence of these four-legged creatures have put these islands on the map, attracting cat lovers and curious visitors from around the world. 'If we can make it happen, the island can be a source of revenue (for Jakarta),' Pramono said, without providing a timeline. The governor said ever since he took office in February, keeping Jakarta's cat population in check has been one of the top demands made by residents. After discussing with several experts, the idea to build a cat island was born. According to a 2024 estimate by the city government, Jakarta is home to 750,000 stray and 110,000 domesticated cats. With cats capable of producing three to four litters of kittens a year, experts predict the figure could quadruple in the next five years, heightening the risk of disease transmission, human-animal conflicts and ecological imbalance. Jakarta has the manpower and budget to only sterilise around 20,000 cats – feral or domesticated – every year, so finding spaces big enough to shelter the rescued animals in a sprawling metropolis of 11 million people is also a challenge. This is one of the reasons the city is turning its attention to the Thousand Islands, a chain of islands which stretches up to 160km northwest from Jakarta's mainland. Contrary to its name, there are around 340 islands and islets in the archipelago. Many of these islands have been populated by traditional fishermen for generations while others have been turned into popular tourist resorts. Some are uninhabited or manned by only a few people. 'The cats will not be abandoned on this cat island,' Hasudungan Sidabalok, chief of the Jakarta Food Security, Fisheries and Agriculture Agency, which oversees all animal affairs, told CNA. 'We will build a comfortable space for them where they will be well taken care of and groomed. People can visit this island which serves as both a tourism and an educational destination.' Hasudungan said the island will host primarily rescued strays and abandoned pets. '(The city government) estimated that there will be 1,000 cats on this island and we will take care of them,' he said. But the idea of relocating cats to an island in the middle of a sometimes inhospitable sea has proved to be controversial among experts and activists, who say the cats may not be able to adapt to the new environment or may upset the Thousand Islands' delicate habitat and wildlife. Members of the Jakarta city council are divided on the idea of turning Lesser Tidung into a cat island. 'The Lesser Tidung island is a nature conservation area so the entire flora and fauna there must be protected,' council member Francine Widjojo told CNA. The island is currently home to a sea turtle hatching site and a mangrove seeding ground. 'Cats are predators and they can eat birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. They can be a threat to conservation efforts,' the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) politician added. Council members who support the proposal say it can attract more tourists to the Thousand Islands. 'If executed poorly then (the programme) can backfire. But if done seriously it can be a tourist magnet just like the ones in Japan,' said city councillor Taufik Zoelkifli of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), as quoted by Tempo. Femke den Haas, founder of one of Indonesia's most prominent animal rights groups, the Jakarta Animal Aid Network, said the entire Thousand Islands archipelago is no place for cats. 'The Thousand Islands is home to many species which need to be protected. If the city government wants to put hundreds of cats on a small island, will they not catch the local wildlife?' Femke told CNA. The Thousand Islands is home to the brahminy kite, also known as the red-backed sea eagle, which Jakarta adopted as its official bird. The archipelago is also a stopover for many migratory birds. Cats are already a big problem in the Thousand Islands, including on Lesser Tidung island, Femke said. There are islands which are being overrun with cats because people from the populated islands are dumping unwanted cats on unpopulated ones. There are also pets that became feral after their owners died or moved to mainland Jakarta. These cats later reproduced and became a threat to the area's wildlife. The cats themselves suffer as they fight with one another or other predators for food. These stand-offs sometimes lead to death or serious injuries. 'And now the government wants to spend money to send more cats to the Thousand Islands?' Femke questioned. CITY'S THINKING THINGS THROUGH Hasudungan of the Jakarta agriculture agency said opposition towards the proposed cat island is 'premature' as the city government will ensure the cats are well taken care of and endemic wildlife is protected. 'We are in consultation with several environmental experts. They will conduct studies and make recommendations so the cat island can run sustainably,' he said. The city also welcomes animal rights advocates and conservation groups to get involved in running the island and caring for the cats. 'The presence of a cat island does not mean that we will stop our sterilisation programme or stop building animal shelters,' Hasudungan added. 'This is just another tool to control the ever-growing population of cats in Jakarta.' He said the main objective of the project is to promote a love for animals and educate the public about the importance of cat sterilisation and vaccination. 'At the same time, we can empower the local community and provide jobs as medical professionals or operational staffers. People can also sell food and cat-related souvenirs like t-shirts. Meanwhile, we can use cat excrement to generate biogas,' he said. The city government envisions the island will have an animal clinic, an exhibition room and a place where visitors can interact with the cats, which Hasudungan said will all be sterilised before they are relocated. The facility will be enclosed so the cats do not wander and endanger local wildlife. 'We are thinking things through to make sure that the project is sustainable and does not have any negative impact on the environment,' he said. WILL PEOPLE VISIT THE CAT ISLAND? Residents on the islands have mixed feelings about the plan. 'Some residents supported this plan because we could see more tourists coming and new economic opportunities emerging,' Greater Tidung Island resident Mukti told CNA. "But there are residents who wonder if the cats will encroach on our island, steal our food, eat our fish catch and become a nuisance to the community." The Greater and Lesser Tidung islands are only separated by 500m of water and a wooden bridge. Jakartans are also ambivalent about the plan. 'The cats will be better taken care of on the island, because not everyone is friendly towards the cats they see on the streets,' said Jakarta resident Linda Nasution, who supports the idea. Another resident, Widya Putri, said she is unsure about the project. 'I am a cat lover but would I go (to the cat island)? Perhaps not. There are many animal shelters around Jakarta where I can interact with cats, adopt or interact with other cat owners,' she said. 'I think instead of building a cat island, the government can use that money to build more animal shelters or support existing ones.' Mahawan Karuniasa, a lecturer from University of Indonesia's School of Environmental Science, echoed the sentiment. 'The cat islands in Japan happened naturally over generations, not out of relocation like Jakarta is proposing,' he noted. 'The cat population was able to thrive on these (Japanese) islands because they are well cared for by local residents, food is abundant and they have no competition from other predators.' Mahawan also noted that the number of cats on the Japanese islands is small compared to the 1,000 cats Jakarta plans on housing at the Thousand Islands. Aoshima in Ehime prefecture, for instance, only had 210 cats at its peak in 2018. The government decided to neuter all the cats as only a handful of elderly inhabitants still occupy the island and care for the cats full-time. Last year, various news outlets reported that the island's cats were all aged over seven and a-third are battling illnesses caused by decades of inbreeding. With both its human and cat population declining, it is predicted that within the next five years, Aoshima will become uninhabited. 'So even in Japan, cat islands are not sustainable,' Mahawan said. As an island cat sanctuary will need to have workers to feed the cats and food supply for the felines, the number of visitors it attracts should be high enough to foot the cost of the project, he said.
CBC
21-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Guelph woman to honour memory of beloved cat by helping other cats in need
A Guelph woman is honouring the memory of her late, beloved tabby cat by crafting and selling toys and donating the funds to local cat shelters. The Remmy Project was created by Denise MacDonald and named after Remmy, her cat who died about a year ago. "I wanted to do something meaningful to honour Remmy when he died. I've just always believed the best way to honour an animal is by helping another one," she said. "He was just that one pet of a lifetime. That one that you just love all more than all the rest combined. And when he died, it just devastated me. And I just felt like this gave my grief a purpose, something more positive to focus on." MacDonald is hoping to help cat rescues across southwestern Ontario. She says people can show their support by donating some much-needed items, including bed pillows and craft supplies like yarn, fabric, threads, pipe cleaners, pom poms and hot glue sticks. She plans to use those materials to make more toys and items. MacDonald wants her handcrafted toys to take some pressure off of local cat rescues. "I've been involved with multiple rescues over the last 10 to 15 years and I see how much they struggle with those bills. The biggest challenge across the board with all the rescues is raising money for vet bills," she said. "When I see what these people, these volunteers, are out there doing every day, it's so inspiring. It makes me want to help, to do something." MacDonald says she's been making catnip squares to sell and raise money for cat rescues every Christmas, for many years. After Remmy died, she was inspired to ramp up that operation and make more toys, cat beds and even some earrings. About half of those items she sells herself to raise money for the rescues. The other half she donates as-is to cat rescues, who sell it to raise money for themselves. She estimates the toys have raised about $7,500 in total. 'Every little bit helps' Real Trooper Cat Rescue is based in Perth East and is one of the beneficiaries of the Remmy Project. Laurie Hamilton is the rescue's founder. She's hoping to raise about $700 by selling the cat toys and goodie bags they got from the Remmy Project. "Every little bit helps. Our expenses are never-ending," Hamilton said. "Often we have very expensive surgeries. We have one [cat] that has a dislocated hip right now that we don't know what we're going to be up against for in expenses. A couple [cats] need liver shunt surgeries. So every little bit helps to make a difference for those medical cases or anybody else for that matter." Hamilton says Real Trooper Cat Rescue can only continue because of donations. "We aren't a registered charity. We don't have any sponsorships of any sort. So donations from individuals and for her to be starting a project specifically to try to help rescue this is amazing and she'll make a world of difference," Hamilton said of MacDonald. Hamilton said getting officially registered as a nonprofit will require time and funds they don't have. The cat rescue has been open since February 2022 — and they're hoping initiatives like the Remmy Project will help them go on for a lot longer. "We in general have about 50 to 70 [cats] in our care at any given time. In the three years that we've been running, we've adopted out over 300... and our numbers are even increased from that."
CBC
19-05-2025
- General
- CBC
#TheMoment an Edmonton cat with six legs got life-changing surgery
Edmontonian Christine Koltun recounts the moment she rescued Bitsy, a six-legged cat, and the remarkable road to recovery after life-changing surgery.
Daily Mail
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Three-bedroom detached house on sale for £258,000 with a very unusual feature in the bathroom
At first glance the three-bedroom detached house on sale in Scotland for £258,000 looks like most roomy homes on the market. The property in Clackmannanshire is bright and eclectic with the bedrooms painted an array of different colours. But the bathroom sets the home apart with a very strange feature plastered across the wall. An eight ft grey cat takes up the entire space in the bathroom. Instead of eyes it has two giant round mirrors for residents to use. The unusual feature sits directly next to the toilet opposite the bathroom sink and bath. It is unclear if the cat is wallpaper, a drawing or vinyl. While the quirky cat may not be for everyone, it's a great way for animal lovers to express their passion for a pet. Several users took to social media to express their love for the bathroom feature. With some claiming it would be a selling point of the property for them. One user wrote: 'Nothing wrong with being different. In fact, it's refreshing... from another quirky home owner.' Another agreed: 'Wow I'd love the cat face I'd defo keep it so unusual but I'm a cat mum.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
17-05-2025
- Science
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Decades-Long Mystery of Ginger Cats Revealed
Garfield, Puss in Boots, Aristocats' Toulouse – cultural icons maybe, ginger most certainly. And now scientists across two continents have uncovered the DNA mystery that has given our furry friends, particularly males, their notable color. They discovered, according to BBC, that ginger cats are missing a section of their genetic code, which means the cells responsible for their skin, eye and fur tone produce lighter colors. The breakthrough has brought delight to the scientists but also the thousands of cat lovers that originally crowdfunded the research. The scientists hope solving the puzzle could also help shed light on whether orange colored cats are at increased risk of certain health conditions. It has been known for decades that it is genetics that gives orange tabby cats their distinctive coloring, but exactly where in the genetic code has evaded scientists till now. Two teams of scientists at Kyushu University in Japan and Stanford University in the US have now revealed the mystery in simultaneous papers published on Thursday. What the teams found was that in the cells responsible for giving a cat its skin, hair follicles and eyes their color - melanocytes - one gene, ARHGAP36, was much more active. Genes are made up of pieces of DNA which give instructions to a cat's cells, like other living creatures, on how to function. By comparing the DNA from dozens of cats with and without orange fur they found that those with ginger coloring had a section of DNA code missing within this ARHGAP36 gene. Without this DNA the activity of the ARHGAP36 is not suppressed, and therefore, it is more active. The scientists believe that the gene instructs those melanocytes to produce lighter pigment. Also, for decades scientists have observed that cats with completely ginger coloring are far more likely to be male. This tallies with the fact that the gene is carried on the X chromosome. Chromosomes are larger sections of DNA, and male cats like other mammals have an X and a Y chromosome, which carry different number of genes. As it is a gene only on the X chromosome, in this case controlling the pigment production, then one missing piece of DNA is enough to turn a cat fully ginger. In comparison female cats have two X chromosomes so the DNA needs to be missing in both chromosomes to increase lighter pigment production to the same extent - it means a mixed coloring is more likely. 'These ginger and black patches form because, early in development, one X chromosome in each cell is randomly switched off,' explains Prof Hiroyuki Sasaki, geneticist at Kyushu University. 'As cells divide, this creates areas with different active coat color genes, resulting in distinct patches.'
