2008 News Articles

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2008

January

Housecat's Genes Traced to the Middle East

From dsc.discovery.com 31/01/08
The roots of the domesticated cat's family tree all converge in the Middle East, with many surprising ancestral twists and turns along the way, reveals a new genetic study on house kitties that included purebreds, mutts and even feral felines. Read more...

Cat With Five Legs In Pennsylvania Needs Operation

From news.sky.com 27/01/08
Cats are known for having nine lives but a special feline in Pennsylvania has five legs - at least for the time being. Read more...

February

Cats help shield owners from heart attack

From businessweek.com 21/02/08
Whether it's a frisky kitten or a tubby tabby, a cat at home could cut your heart attack risk by almost a third, a new study suggests. Read more...

Two stone fat cat put on strict diet after getting wedged in his flap

From dailymail.co.uk 14/02/08
A massively overweight fat cat has been put on a strict diet after getting stuck in his flap. Read more...

March

3 Sumatran tiger cubs born at the San Francisco Zoo

From thebigcats .com 15/03/08
In this photo provided by the San Francisco Zoo, a 9-day-old Sumatran tiger cub sits on a weigh scale during his first health exam, Saturday, March 15, 2008. Read more...

April

Life looks up for Swiss animals

From swissinfo.ch 23/04/08
No one is to be allowed to keep a dog in Switzerland in future unless they follow a course in how to look after it properly. Read more...

Captive tigers harbor rare "purebred" genes

From nationalgeographic.com 18/04/08
Nearly half of tested captive tigers are "purebred" members of an endangered subspecies, raising the possibility they could bolster conservation efforts, a new genetic analysis suggests. Read more...

Cat resuscitated with oxygen mask

From nationalgeographic.com 14/04/08
A cat who was rescued from a blazing house was resuscitated by firefighters using a child's oxygen mask. Read more...

May

Cat gives station new lease of life

From Guardian.co.uk 27/05/08
The Japanese faith in cats as harbingers of good fortune is paying off along one suburban railway line. Read more...

Early life exposure to cats may reduce risk of childhood allergies and asthma symptoms

From sciencedaily.com 22/05/08
A study released by researchers at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, shows that cat ownership may have a protective effect against the development of asthma symptoms in young children at age five. Read more...

Operation Pet Rescue by warzone Cat Woman

From guardian.co.uk 03/05/08
The mission of a pet lover who takes strays from Baghdad to a Midlands semi. Read more...

June

The cat and bear best friends who simply can't bear to be apart

From dailymail.co.uk 16/06/08
As far as lifelong friendships go, Muschi thinks her large and loveable friend Maeuschen is the cat's pyjamas. Read more...

Cat adopts rat

From ananova.com 13/06/08
A pet cat in China has adopted a rat which she is nursing alongside her four kittens. Read more...

Warriors enlisted to save lions

From nationalgeographic.com 12/06/08
As lion numbers plummet in Kenya's Amboseli park, Maasai warriors—who traditionally spear lions—are being enlisted in high-tech and compensation-based conservation efforts. Read more...

July

Tigers disappear from himalayan refuge

From sciencedaily.com 16/07/08
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is alarmed by the dramatic decline of at least 30 percent in the Bengal tiger population of Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve in Nepal, once a refuge that boasted among the highest densities of the endangered species in the Eastern Himalayas. Read more...

August

Star Wars cat: Meet Yoda, the moggy with the four-ce

From guardian.co.uk 20/08/08
Owners of feline named after science fiction film oracle fear his four ears could make him target for catnappers Read more...

Cat in drainage pipe rescue drama

From bbc.co.uk 18/08/08
A Perthshire cat is recovering indoors after being stuck down a drainage pipe for about 22 hours. Read more...

Camera spots rare clouded leopard

From bbc.co.uk 16/08/08
Automatic cameras have captured images of a clouded leopard in Borneo's Sebangua National Park, an area where the cats have not been recorded before. Read more...

Don't forget your toothbrush...or your pets!

From rspca.org.uk 15/08/08
If you're planning to escape the great British summer and head for the sun, make sure your pets are well looked after. Read more...

Stowaway cat's five-day road trip

From BBC.co.uk 14/08/08
A stowaway cat survived a five-day journey across land and sea from Italy to Greater Manchester. Read more...

Honour for the UK’s top cat at this year’s Feline Oscars!

From cats.org.uk 01/08/08
A cat that provides vital support through times of loneliness and has a remarkable ability to fetch help whenever her owner needs it has today (Friday 1 August) been named Rescue Cat of the Year 2008 at this year’s Feline Oscars. Read more...

September

Cat clings to car in 30-mile trip

From BBC.co.uk 25/09/08
A cat is recovering after clinging onto the underside of a camper van bumper on a ride to the seaside in East Lothian. Read more...

Double trouble for Nepals' tigers

From BBC.co.uk 15/09/08
Conservationists in Nepal say efforts to save the nation's dwindling tiger populations are facing a twin attack. Read more...

Missing cat found nine years on

From BBC.co.uk 11/09/08
A Birmingham couple are celebrating after their cat came home - nine years after going missing. Read more...

Fine threat over lost cat posters

From BBC.co.uk 05/09/08
A council official has been branded "overzealous" after a Kent teenager was threatened with an £80 fine for putting up lost cat posters. Read more...

October

Cat saves kitten with transfusion

From BBC.co.uk 30/10/08
A cat has helped save a kitten's life by giving a feline blood transfusion. Read more...

Big cat kill caught on BBC webcam

From BBC.co.uk 04/10/08
The BBC's Natural History Unit cameras are in Kenya's Masai Mara Reserve for a week of live programmes - and already they have seen some astonishing sights. Read more...

November

Big cat fossil found in North Sea

From BBC.co.uk 18/11/08
The partial leg bone of a sabre-toothed cat has been dredged from the seabed by a trawler in the North Sea. Read more...

Animals' £5m safe haven is opened

From BBC.co.uk 17/11/08
A multi-million pound animal rescue centre has opened its doors to allow visitors to see the facilities. Read more...

Cat's 100-mile ride under train

From BBC.co.uk 17/11/08
A cat is believed to have hitched a ride of almost 100 miles from Teesside to Cumbria underneath a freight train. Read more...

Pet owners face code of practice

From BBC.co.uk 04/11/08
Cat and dog owners are to be told to provide "entertainment" and "mental stimulation" for their pets under new government advice. Read more...

December

BBC defends cost of Big Cat Live production

From Guardian.co.uk 31/12/08
It was billed as TV's most ambitious international wildlife event, with BBC audiences promised a journey into "the heart of wild Africa". Read more...

Remember, remember…the end of December, says cat charity

From cats.org.uk 03/12/08
A survey of veterinary practices conducted by the UK’s leading cat welfare charity indicates fireworks pose almost as big a danger to cats during Christmas and New Year as they do on Fireworks Night. Read more...

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