Cats are vocal animals, some more chatty than others, who attempt to communicate with humans through a wide range of sounds.

Did you know that a cat’s vocabulary consists of over 100 vocalizations, while a dog’s has about 10?!

Apparently, the more affectionate Fluffy is the more vocal she is. Siamese cats are notorious chatterboxes while Persians and Russian Blues are some of the quietest cats.

Cats express their emotions through the sounds they make. Learn more about the five common sounds below and what each means.

5 Common Cat Sounds

Meowing

This is the most familiar sound a cat makes, but it is only used to communicate with humans. Since humans do not read body language – ear and tail twitches – the same way other animals do, cats discovered meowing was an effective form of communication.

Cats will meow when they are hungry, want … Read the rest

A black rescue cat named Esme has been stealing from her neighbors in Oregon for years.

It all began in 2019 when she first started to roam outside. Esme would stand by the door and meow loudly
letting her mom, Kate Felmet, know she had brought a gift – which was usually a dead bird or trash.

“My mom is an avid bird-watcher and was quite distressed, so I began to praise Esme for anything she brought me that wasn’t a bird,” Felmet told The Insider.

And so a kleptomaniac was born.

Esme would collect anything she could fit in her mouth and bring them back home as a gift. Felmet tried to return the stolen items and apologize, but the stealth feline kept bringing more and more.

Things only got worse during the coronavirus lockdown.

Felmet said Esme brought home 11 face masks … Read the rest

Photo credit: Saving The Wild

Alleged rhino poaching kingpin, Petros Sydney Mabuza, known as “Mr. Big,” was reportedly killed this afternoon after his truck was shot an estimated 17 times in Hazyview, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

While authorities have yet to share his name publicly, they did release a statement noting that “Police in Mpumalanga are looking for suspects who shot and killed a 57-year-old man, who was previously arrested on several allegations related to rhino poaching cases which are currently before the High Court.”

Jamie Joseph of the nonprofit organization Saving the Wild also took to social media to acknowledge the news.

“I have just been advised that Petros Mabuza (aka) “Mr. Big,” the rhino poaching kingpin of Kruger, was gunned down today in Hazyview,” Joseph stated in a post on Saving The Wild’s Facebook page. “I have seen his dead face and I can confirm this as fact.

Our pets are our best friends, and, in our dogs’ eyes, we are their whole world. Which is why, when owners leave, a lot of dogs develop separation anxiety. According to Medical News Today, more than 70% of dogs get separation anxiety. Pets can become anxious without their owners or in new locations or if they’ve had a traumatic event or if their owners leave them for long periods of time. Whether you’ve moved homes or your routine has changed, your dog can tell. They become nervous and frantic or act out when they’re left. The last thing you want is for your pet to feel anxious when you leave the house.

Signs of Separation Anxiety in Dogs

Every dog is different, and they all show signs of stress in unique ways. There are a variety of symptoms that show your pet has separation anxiety. It’s important to know the … Read the rest

Last week, Maine Governor Janet Mills signed legislation prohibiting the sale of cosmetics that have been newly-tested on animals. The measure, LD 1551, which specifically states that a manufacturer may not sell or offer to sell a cosmetic product that was developed or manufactured using animal testing on or after November 1st of this year, was sponsored by Maine Representative Vicki Doudera.

The new law makes Maine the sixth state in the country to ban the sale of animal-tested cosmetics, following California, Nevada, Illinois, Virginia, and Maryland.

Animals who are experimented on for cosmetics suffer through painful testing: Rabbits have chemicals dripped into their eyes, or rubbed onto their shaved skin. Guinea pigs and mice have substances smeared onto their skin to determine allergic responses. Rats are forced to ingest large amounts of chemicals to determine the “lethal dose” that eventually causes death. Pain relief is rarely provided and the

It is absolutely heartbreaking the number of dogs who are in shelters waiting for a forever home. Sadly, there are so many animals who are surrendered to shelters and are unsure of what will come next.

As one TikToker pointed out in his video caption, “I can’t imagine what a dog may be thinking when they are surrendered to a shelter.”

Honestly, we can’t either. It must be a terrifying and anxiety-inducing experience to one day find yourself in a strange place behind bars with no idea of what will happen to you.

It is no wonder that so many dogs are scared when they’re brought into shelters. For the sweet little pooch, it must’ve been so confusing.

In fact, the poor dog was so scared he was shaking.

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Photo By: Matthew Polvorosa Kline

In Defense of Animals, TreeSpirit Project, and ForElk.org are pleased to learn that the National Park Service (NPS) is finally providing some water to the Tule elk that are trapped behind fencing inside Point Reyes National Seashore. The news comes amid ongoing drought conditions.

Hundreds of activists have gathered to intervene in recent months to provide water to the Tule elk, only to have it dumped out shortly after by the NPS. The NPS has removed 10 troughs that activists provided, including two that were brought just one week ago.

“This is a good step and we’re glad some elk will now have access to water, but many elk still won’t. This doesn’t solve the problem,” said Lisa Levinson, In Defense of Animals’ Campaign Director, in a statement sent to WAN. “These elk are still captive

A tiny puppy who had its tail chopped off with scissors finally found the loving forever home she deserves.

Smouse was living at the De Doorns township in South Africa. Thankfully, she wasn’t living there long before Sidewalk Specials stepped in and rescued her from the abusive home.

Before she was rescued, her owner used scissors to cut her tail off (a horrible practice called “docking”) which left her in pain and agony.

Ultimately, the tail wound ended up getting infected and little Smouse needed a savior and quick.

Her savior came in the form of Sidewalk Specials. The rescue organization stepped in and confiscated her from her abusive owner and got to work on healing her, both physically and mentally.

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Between June 4th and 8th, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) staff members observed three new wolf pups with their parents, collared wolves M2101 “John” and F1084 “Jane” who are known to reside in the state. It is not yet confirmed that these are the only pups as a typical wolf litter consists of between four to six pups.

While these observations were necessarily made at long distance, CPW staff have recorded three separate, but similar, sightings of pups on the ground in Colorado. They conducted three separate observations of the den site from a safe distance approximately two miles away.

“Colorado is now home to our first wolf litter since the 1940s. We welcome this historic den and the new wolf family to Colorado. With voter passage last year of the initiative to require the re-introduction of wolves by the end of 2023, these pups will have plenty of potential