Bodega Cats

Here is a wonderful interview article on Bodega cats. For those of you not familiar with these felines, they are part of the family of small family groceries called bodgeas. They prowl the aisles and make sure that there are no pests around. Michelladonna, a TikTok NYC sensation has recently video'd many of these beloved cats as reported in Gothamist:

Here is an excerpt:

One of the stars in the world of “animal content” is “Shop Cats,” a local show in which host and Ridgewood native Michelladonna employs her charm and wit to speak to shop managers and locals about their beloved neighborhood felines. A typical video gets around 1 million views on TikTok and hundreds of effusive comments.

The series launched in September 2024 and has quickly taken off on TikTok and Instagram. Its followers in New York and abroad come for the cats and stay for the whimsy. Over the course of an episode's 90-second runtime, viewers are transported to a bodega cat's universe of shelves and produce, while shopkeepers and patrons tell stories about their own relationships with the neighborhood pets.

The show is produced by Mad Realities, a production company focused on internet videos.

Gothamist spoke with Ma and the rest of creative team behind Shop Cats — creative producer Drew Rosenthal and host Michelladonna — about conceiving their show, going viral, paying tribute to New York City and more. Below is an edited version of their conversation.

The first viral video I saw from Shop Cats was of Kiki the cat. Did you guys have a moment when you knew this was going to take off?

Rosenthal: Kiki's our most viral video. I think it's over 6 million views between all platforms right now, and that was the first thing we ever shot for the show. She’s my local bodega cat on the corner right next to where I live, and I see her pretty much every day.

A day after we posted the first episode it was at 200,000 views and we already had over 10,000 followers on TikTok. That ratio of viewers to people hitting the follow button was crazy. I’ve never seen that before and I've made lots of viral content, which really goes to show that people were waiting for this.

Has there been anything that surprised you about going so viral so quickly?

Michelladonna: As a New Yorker, you get on a train, someone starts staring at you, we're gonna have a problem, right? Now, I have to think about it: Are you looking at me because you want to fight or because you want to talk about how cute cats are? [laughs]

Rosenthal: It takes a little bit of time to like mic up and get settled for our shoots, 15 minutes. Now, there's consistently at least a couple people in that time that are like, "Are you the shop cats lady?" We were about to start shooting in front of a store the other day, and a truck driver passed by, rolled down the window and started shouting, “Is that the cat lady?”

I’m sure the requests are flooding in. How are you covering the rest of the cats of the city?

Ma: Everyone wants us to go see their cat. When people DM us or leave comments we're listening — when people tag us in Tiktok videos, like, “Go see this store manager” — we put them on a map for ourselves, and when we shoot, we go and check the map and just drop by. That’s been a big part of it. The community is kind of sharing where they want us to go. There’s also something that we launched recently, the first-ever cat mayor election of New York City.

Rosenthal: When we first made this show, a big question was, “Are there even enough cats in New York City to film? Are we going to run out of cats?” Right now, we have roughly 450 cats on our internal map.

When we accept a DM that's like, “Hey, you gotta check out this cat at this intersection,” 90% of the time they also have pictures and videos locked and loaded. There's no limit to the types of cat stories that we can tell on this platform. There’s just endless possibilities, and we're never going to run out of cats to film.

 

 

How to Make Sure Your Pet is Kept Healthy

Your pets are members of the family, so you want to ensure they are happy and healthy. From vaccines and checkups to diet and exercise, caring for a pet is a big responsibility. However, pet care does not have to be stressful. The recommendations for keeping your furry friends safe and healthy are straightforward.

1. Stay Up To Date On Vaccinations

Both dogs and cats need current vaccines to keep them safe from various diseases. These vaccines include rabies, parvo, distemper and panleukopenia. In addition, cats need feline leukemia, feline immunodeficiency virus and feline herpesvirus vaccines. The vaccines should be updated every few years, such as every one to three years for your dog's rabies vaccines.

2. Schedule Regular Veterinarian Checkups

Just like their human friends, pets need regular checkups with the doctor to ensure they are doing well. A veterinarian will perform a physical exam, checking everything from their ears to their teeth. Wellness exams also allow you to ask questions or share concerns about your pet, such as a change in their appetite or recent ailments such as itching and scratching.

3. Look Into Parasite Prevention

It only takes one bite from a parasite to make your pet irritated or sick. Fortunately, there are oral and topical medications for preventing fleas, ticks, heartworms, and other parasites. You can also work with your veterinarian to find the right treatment for ongoing issues, such as fleas and ticks from playing outdoors.

4. Have Them Spayed or Neutered

Having your pet spayed or neutered does more than prevent unwanted pregnancies and heat cycles. It also prevents diseases that could be fatal, such as pyometra in female dogs and cats. Pyometra affects unspayed animals and quickly progresses if left untreated. Spaying your pet prevents the expensive surgery or tragedy that can come from pyometra.

5. Pay Attention For Signs of Illness

Pets cannot verbally tell you when something is wrong, so you need to pay attention to signs of illness. Lethargy, decreased appetite, excessive thirst, vomiting, diarrhea, and labored breathing are signs that something is off with your pet. Fortunately, you can look into pet insurance and other financing options to help you prepare for emergencies.

6. Maintain A Healthy Diet

Overweight pets are at risk for injuries and diseases, from aching joints to diabetes and heart conditions. Furthermore, pets need the proper nutrients to maintain their health, including their vision, digestion, bones, coat and immune system. A healthy diet also keeps their energy levels up, so they can play and function as normal.

7. Provide Clean, Fresh Water

Your pet needs to stay hydrated, but they also need to drink clean, fresh water. This means changing the water in their bowls and fountains daily. In many cases, you need to change the water several times a day. Allowing your pet to drink dirty water can lead to gastrointestinal issues such as vomiting and diarrhea.

8. Provide Physical and Mental Exercise

It is important to provide plenty of exercise to keep their muscles and joints healthy. Dogs need 30 minutes to two hours of physical activity, including walks and playtime. Cats need two 10 to 15-minute play sessions every day. You can also provide mental stimulation through toys and puzzles, allowing them to find treats by sniffing and moving objects.

9. Maintain Their Oral Health

Dental issues such as broken teeth are painful for pets, so you want to stay on top of their oral health. This includes at-home treatments such as brushing their teeth, providing dental treats in moderation and scheduling dental checkups.

10. Stay On Top of Grooming

Grooming does more than keep your pet looking great. Both professional and at-home grooming sessions make it easier to spot ailments such as dandruff, bald spots, matting and even fleas. Plus, your pet feels great after a nice bath and brush. Nowadays, you can look into mobile grooming, allowing your pet to stay close to a familiar environment.


Your pet's health and well-being should never be taken lightly. It is important to contact your veterinarian or local animal hospital if anything seems wrong. Luckily, you can take the steps to prevent ailments and maintain your pet's health, ensuring their quality of life.

By: Katherine Robinson, a writer for Pet Insurance Offers

The Pets of New York City

The New York Historical Society currently has a great exhibit titled, The Pets of the City running from October 25, 2024 to April 20, 2025.

Explore the visual history of New Yorkers and their animal companions over the last three centuries

Worth seeing!

As New York has evolved over the past three centuries, one thing hasn't changed. Our love for pets. In a new exhibit at The New York Historical (formerly The New-York Historical Society), Pets and the City, visitors can trace the evolution of how animals figure into life in New York from the times of the Lenape people to today. Through the exhibition of paintings, photographs, memorabilia, sculptures, video clips, and ephemera, you'll learn about domesticated squirrels, World War I messenger pigeons, NYPD K-9 units, and iconic urban animals like Flaco the Owl.

 

 

 

Parrot is ‘Attention Hog’ and Smart as Human Toddler, Owners Say

Okay, I know I am not to play favorites but my favorite birds are parrots and owls. So I am tickled to read about Apollo, a parrot profiled in the Washington Post, who identifies objects, colors and some numbers. He can also distinguish among glass, metal and paper. 

Here is a short excerpt:

Apollo is an African gray parrot with a deep love of pistachios and millions of social media followers. He also has the brain power of a human toddler, according to his owners. “He’s very bubbly, he’s very outgoing, he wants to really perform for everybody,” said Dalton Mason, one of Apollo’s owners. “He’s a complete and total showoff.”

The couple have trained their pet parrot to identify objects, colors and some numbers. He can ask “What’s this?” and then correctly distinguish among glass, metal and paper. He also greets humans with “Hey, buddies” and can complete simple puzzles.

Apollo has a lot of fans. On a TikTok account run by the Masons, the bird has 2.9 million followers. He also has 1.4 million subscribers on YouTube, and 1.3 million followers on Instagram. He started making headlines back in 2022. “We attribute his social media success to his nature,” Dalton said. “He’s an attention hog.”

The Masons now dedicate their lives to training Apollo. They both do it full time, because the earnings from his social media accounts provide an income for them. “We spend a lot of time with him,” Victoria said, explaining that raising a pet parrot requires work, as they can be loud, destructive and demanding. (In one viral video, Apollo says “I want fresh water.”)

African gray parrots have become known for their innate intelligence and capacity for learning, in large part due to the research of Irene Pepperberg, a scientist specializing in animal cognition. She spent decades studying one African gray parrot, Alex, and observing his vocal behavior, including while she was a research associate at Harvard University.

“What Apollo is doing is fascinating,” Pepperberg said in an interview with The Washington Post. “It’s showing that Alex was not just some Einstein parrot, that other parrots are capable.” “I want people to understand and really appreciate the fact that these people are devoting their entire lives to this bird, and very few people in the world can do that,” Pepperberg continued. “It’s time and effort and energy that has to be put into this.”

Pepperberg used a training method for Alex called the model/rival technique, which involves two trainers. One gives the animal instructions while the other models correct and incorrect responses. The model trainer acts as the parrot’s rival student, vying for the other trainer’s attention. When Pepperberg began her research, “parrots were considered mindless mimics, because nobody figured out how to train them accordingly,” she said. “Nobody believed that this could work.”

Apollo enjoys a muffin. (Victoria Mason)

 

African gray parrots have the natural capacity to be strong students, Pepperberg said. Their vocal tract allows them to speak more clearly than other parrots, and “they have an extra bit of brain that seems to be used for learning,” she said. For Alex, “it wasn’t just a simple stimulus response or associative learning. He really understood what we were talking about,” Pepperberg said, noting that she tested Alex’s cognitive skills at the level of a 4-year-old human.

The Masons have used the same training strategy with Apollo.

Apollo caught the attention of Guinness World Records. He recently set the record for most items identified by a parrot in three minutes after naming 12 objects, including socks, a book and a bug.

 

 

 

Dr. Dolittle, meet AI: new model identifies pain in cats

Scientists use deep learning models and facial recognition analysis to detect subtle changes in ear tips, eyes and whiskers that indicate pain.

Naama Barak writes about a fascinating discovery that will help cats and their owners. Great news!

As any cat owner knows, felines can be pretty difficult to read – a problematic situation when our beloved pets are in pain. But now, a new artificial intelligence model can help us identify when our little tigers need that extra TLC. The reason it is difficult to tell when cats are in pain is their evolutionary ability to hide discomfort. This can result in house cats suffering from chronic pain without their humans ever knowing about it or taking them for treatment.

A team of researchers from the University of Haifa’s the Tech4Animals lab is developing the Dr. Dolittl-E app to detect animal feelings, using AI technology to advance and transform the world of veterinary care.

Along with researchers from São Paulo University in Brazil and Lincoln University and Nottingham University in the UK, they used deep learning models and facial recognition analysis to achieve a success rate of more than 70 percent in identifying cats in pain.

Their research, recently published in the Scientific Reports journal, is based on a study of 29 British shorthair cats. The researchers photographed female cats’ faces before and after sterilization, while they were still under the influence of painkillers and after the painkillers had worn off.

The AI models detected subtle changes in facial expressions, for example in the tips of the ears, eyes, whiskers and mustaches, that indicate pain. The areas around the mouth and eyes were found to be most significant in identifying pain.

The researchers say that their findings could change the way in which we care for cats, enabling anyone to photograph them in order to know whether they are in pain – and without the need for physical contact.

 

Parrots Taught to Video Call Each Other Become Less Lonely

This interesting article from The Guardian makes a lot of sense!

Pet parrots that are allowed to make video calls to other birds show signs of feeling less isolated, according to scientists.

The study, which involved giving the birds a tablet that they could use to make video calls, found that they began to engage in more social behaviour including preening, singing and play. The birds were given a choice of which “friend” to call on a touchscreen tablet and the study revealed that the parrots that called other birds most often were the most popular choices.

Dr Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, of the University of Glasgow and a co-author of the research, said that video calls had helped many people feel less isolated in the pandemic. She added: “There are 20 million parrots living in people’s homes in the USA, and we wanted to explore whether those birds might benefit from video calling too. If we gave them the opportunity to call other parrots, would they choose to do so, and would the experience benefit the parrots and their caregivers?”

Their analysis, based on more than 1,000 hours of footage of 18 pet parrots, suggested that there were, indeed, benefits for the birds. In the wild, many species of parrots live in large flocks, but as pets tend to be kept alone or in a small group. Isolation and boredom can cause birds to develop psychological problems, which can manifest as rocking, pacing back and forth, or self-harming behaviours such as feather-plucking.

Video calling could reproduce some of the social benefits of living in a flock, the scientists suggested.

The parrots were recruited from users of Parrot Kindergarten, an online coaching and educational programme for parrots and their owners. The birds first learned to ring a bell and then touch a photo of another bird on the screen of a tablet device to trigger a call to that bird, with the assistance of their owners. In total the birds made 147 deliberate calls to each other during the study, while owners took detailed notes on the birds’ behaviour and the researchers later reviewed the video footage.

Dr Jennifer Cunha, of Northeastern University and co-founder of Parrot Kindergarten, said that the parrots “seemed to grasp” that they were engaging with other birds because their behaviour mirrored that seen during real-life interactions. “All the participants in the study said they valued the experience, and would want to continue using the system with their parrots in the future,” she said.

“I was quite surprised at the range of different behaviours,” said Hirskyj-Douglas. “Some would sing, some would play around and go upside down, others would want to show another bird their toys.”

The team’s paper is published in Proceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.

Street Cat Bob

Most of the 1,100 monuments scattered around London are dedicated to individuals who carried out heroic deeds in the service of the Crown. Others applaud the achievements of persons in the fields of arts or sciences. However, there is one unorthodox statue dedicated to a furry, famous Londoner who once walked on four legs.

In the south-east corner of a park in the borough of Islington, lies a life-size bronze of a cat named Bob, who rests perched on a stack of books. This feline was immortalized in a series of novels written by his adopted owner, James Bowen. These two individuals were able to look after one another, and in turn, their lives became the stuff of legend.

Read more here on Atlas Obscura

 

15 of NYC’s Most Famous Animals

This fun article in Untapped NY lists some of NYC's favorite animals. Some you may want to track down and others ... maybe not so much! Some are long gone and others you can still see today. Here is the list:

1. Jim, Harry, and Phil, the Peacocks of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine

2. Cats of the Algonquin Hotel

3. The Mandarin Duck of Central Park

4. Staten Island Chuck

5. Pizza Rat

6. The Monk Parrots of Green-Wood Cemetery

7. Pattycake the Gorilla

8. Topsy the Elephant

9. Little Rockefeller the Christmas Tree Owl

10. Gus the Polar Bear

11. Pale Male, the Red-Tailed Hawk

12. Hattie the Elephant

13. The Snowy Owl of Central Park

14. The Ghost Dog of Prospect Park

15. The Famous Bridge Falcons

 

 

 

 

Pet Body Language You Might Be Misreading

According to AARP magazine, there may be some dog and cat behaviors that we may be misreading. You may think you know what that tail wag or cuddle means, but do you? We asked a few experts for guidance.

Dog smiling

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What you think it means: All is well.

What it really means: That grinning look is not the same for dogs as for humans. “Generally speaking, tension in the mouth is a sign of stress,” Case says. “If the dog is actually feeling happy, their mouth isn’t going to have tension to it. It might be open a little bit with what we call a soft face.”

Dog wagging tail

 

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What you think it means: I’m happy.

What else it can mean: “People think just because the tail is wagging, all is well, but that’s not always the case,” says certified applied animal behaviorist Jill Goldman. A good tail wag is side to side or in circles. This often means that the dog is excited to see someone. But a wagging tail that is a “high mast, hooked all the way over,” Goldman says, can signal a heightened emotional state that isn’t necessarily social.

Cat rolling over

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What you think it means: Rub my belly.

What it really means: Not that. “Most cats do not love belly rubs,” says feline behaviorist Marci L. Koski. “That’s where the Venus cat trap comes into play. You put your hand on the belly and then, whoo, there go the claws.”

Dog panting

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What you think it means: I’m hot.

 

What else it can mean: “Panting can sometimes mean stress,” says Courtney Case, a trainer at the Granada Hills, California–based J9’s K9s Dog Training. “So if you’re sitting inside and your dog hears a noise and they start panting, it might mean that they’re a little bit stressed, and they’re just trying to get a little bit more oxygen into those lungs.”

Cat rubbing up against you

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What you think it means: I like you.

What else it can mean: “It’s also as a way to leave their scent behind,” Koski says. “The most common way a cat will rub up against somebody is with their cheek. This deposits those facial pheromones that are often used in marking territory.”

Dog Barking

 

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What you think it means: Someone is invading my space.

What else it can mean: “Barking can be, ‘Oh, I’m so excited to see you,’ ” Goldman says. “But it also can mean, ‘Keep your distance. I’m very territorial. Don’t come any closer.’ ”

Dog rolling over

 

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What you think it means: I’m feeling lazy.

What else it can mean: “If a dog is rolling over and exposing their belly to a person that they’re comfortable with, they’re probably asking for affection,” Case says. It could also be a sign of submission. “If a dog does that to a person they don’t know, I’m going to assume that dog is trying to show me, ‘Look how small I am. Please don’t hurt me.’  ”​

Craig Rosen is a contributing writer who whose work has appeared in Billboard and on Yahoo Music and TIDAL. He's also the author of R.E.M. Inside Out: The Stories Behind Every Song and The Billboard Book of Number One Albums.

Turtles Talk to Each Other

Get this from Salon - A new study reveals that, in their own special way, turtles chat with each other!

"It was a great surprise to discover they not only vocalize but also do so very often, producing very funny sounds"

University of Zurich's Gabriel Jorgewich-Cohen is part of a team of international researchers who produced a landmark new study for the journal Nature Communications. Seeking to learn about the evolutionary origins of acoustic communication in vertebrates, the scientists recorded 53 species from four major clades — turtles, tuatara, caecilians and lungfish — to analyze what they heard. In the process, they learned that there are turtles, tuataras, and caecilians that engage in vocal communication, even though those clades had previously been perceived as non-vocal.

"When put in perspective, these findings show that vocal behavior is an evolutionary innovation that first appeared in the common ancestor of tetrapods (amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals) and lungfish," Jorgewich-Cohen explained.

To be clear, this vocal behavior does not resemble anything as magnificent as a wolf howling or a bird tweeting. The Cayenne caecilian, in this journalist's opinion, produced sounds a bit like exaggerated yet strangely half-hearted armpit farts, while the mata mata turtle almost came across like a purring cat. Yet despite these seemingly alien vocalizations, the new study reveals that these creatures have much more in common with human beings than we had previously assumed. Rather than making these animals more exotic when compared to us, the new study discloses the extent to which we are part of the same family tree.