Month: August 2007

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We Like: The MouseRat Cat Toy

mouserat.jpgRaven, The Director of Feline Toy Testing, at PetProject has long loved the MouseRat by MetPet (scroll to bottom). MetPet has three Classes of FlyToys—there are some really neat looking ones. New MouseRats make Raven growl. She will “request” vigorously and endlessly that we play with her, if we happen to even be in the room where the toy lives on top of a shelf. She absolutely does not like Sage, her co-worker, to play with the MouseRat. It is hers and we’d best remember it!

The MouseRat and the other FlyToys from MetPet are made the same way flies are tied for fly fishing, minus the hook of course. The MouseRat is made from deer hair, which Raven loves. They are very durable and last a long time. You need to put them away when not in use. They come on nylon line and an acrylic rod. We actually prefer a longer piece of lighter weight line, so I retrofit mine with fishing line.

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DNA Reveals Origin Of Domestic Cat

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Scientists have found that all domestic cats descended from wild cats from the Middle East—in particular, from the Fertile Crescent, which was located in what is now Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey. This means that domestic cats in different areas didn’t originate from the wild cats in those areas as was once thought. Domestic cats in Europe did not come from the European wildcat. Today’s domestic cats all descend from five female cats from the Middle East. It was due to humans transporting their cats that domestic cats spread throughout the world.

Archaeological evidence points to cats being domesticated much earlier than once believed. It has long been thought the Egyptians first domesticated the cat around 4,000 years ago (2,000 B.C.) But, findings published in 2004, revealed that a Neolithic site on Cyprus had provided the earliest archaeological evidence of domestic cats from 9,500 years ago (7,500 B.C.) The DNA and archaeological evidence supports the theory that cats and people began sharing their lives as humans began to settle and farm, and had grain stores that needed to be protected from vermin.

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Chopper Pilot Mourned By His Dog Molly

molly.jpgOn just about any other day, Phoenix KNXV-TV helicopter pilot Craig Smith, would have been flying with his dog Molly. But on the day of the fatal crash of two helicopters, Molly, a West Highland Terrier, had been left behind in the rush to cover the breaking story. Molly went everywhere with Craig Smith. She was a fixture in his helicopter and even accompanied him to the dentist. In the end, she also attended Smith’s funeral. Smith had planned for Molly in case anything happened to him. His parents will now be caring for Molly.

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Mutt Muffs—Hearing Protection For Dogs

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muttmuffs.jpg Who knew, but how smart?! Mutt Muffs offer hearing protection for our pups. They were created by a Cessna pilot for her dog who accompanies her on flights. She realized the noise of the cockpit must be affecting her dog’s sensitive hearing and that he needed hearing protection just as much as humans. Dogs wearing Mutt Muffs are more alert and happy on flights, where before they “slept” and were probably trying to tune out all the noise.

Mutt Muffs have the same high density foam used in pilot’s headsets and they’re designed to be shake-proof, so your dog won’t shake them off. The site says dogs get used to them pretty quickly and they do look like they are designed to fit really well. I don’t know that I’d use them on a dog in the baggage compartment of a commercial flight since they’d be unsupervised. But, I could see them helping with fireworks or ongoing noise like construction, in addition to flights in private planes or in the cabin of commercial flights.

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