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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Saturday, August 31, 2002

Quenching a thirst for feline facts

Advertiser Staff and News Services

Cats inspire poetry, theater and even Web sites with their beauty.

Associated Press library photo • April 2002

Doggies had their day a couple of weeks ago in Saturday Scoops, but we can't forget our OTHER best friends, cats. So for feline fanciers who demand equal time, here's something to purr about.

• The eyes have it — Why do cats' eyes glow in the dark? Because Fluffy's eyes bounce back part of the incoming light like focused reflectors. Sort of like bicycle tail reflectors. These reflectors help cats make better use of dim light when they hunt at night.

• She-cats — Who can forget the campy, catty portrayals of Catwoman, nemesis of Batman? On television, Julie Newmar was first in the catsuit; then came the slinky Eartha Kitt. In the movies, Lee Meriwether meowed her way through a low-budget Batman tale. Michelle Pfeiffer got her claws into Michael Keaton's Batman in the 1992 hit "Batman Returns." Naughty kitty!

• Coo over kitties — You must visit www.catoftheday.com for an overflow of exceedingly cute feline photos (click on Previous Cats for months of archived images). You can also nominate your Muffin to be cat of the day; dogs and other pets can be nominated in their categories, too.

• Wonderful, wonderful — While you're online, head over to www.felixthecat.com, where you can send a free e-mail greeting card, some of them animated. Learn all about the famous Felix, too. Here's a tidbit: The image of Felix was the first image to be broadcast on television.

Oh, we just can't get enough of this stuff. Head over to www.actioncat.com to send a free postcard; choose a main image and even a stamp (love the white, good-luck maneki neko cat!). But wait! Cat-loving "Star Trek" fans are doubly in luck. Actioncat has a "Spot of Star Trek" postcard feature that inserts the space-faring feline — the android Data's pet, for those who don't already know — in scenes from the "Next Generation" television show.

• Cats rule ... dogs drool — Dogs are known as humans' best friends, but lately cats have overtaken canines as humans' more prevalent friends.

Nationally, there are 73 million household cats and 68 million household dogs, according to a 2001-2002 U.S. pet owners survey by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. Cat owners tend to have more cats (2.1 per household, 34.7 million households), and dog owners fewer dogs (1.7 per household, 40 million households).

The Hawaiian Humane Society estimates there are 128,000 household cats compared with 166,000 household dogs on O'ahu. Woof!

• Genius speaks — "The smallest feline is a masterpiece," Leonardo da Vinci said.

• Center stage — "Cats," the Andrew Lloyd Webber blockbuster, was the longest-running musical both on Broadway (October 1982 to September 2000) and in London's West End (May 1981 to May 2002). And it's still touring. "Cats" is based on T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats," with slinky denizens named Rum Tum Tugger, Grizabella and Rumpleteazer.

• Treat time — Here's a recipe from PetPlace.com.

Tuna Tidbits

6-ounce can of tuna

1/4 cup water drained from tuna

3 T cooked egg white, chopped

1/4 cup cornmeal1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine tuna, egg white and water. Add cornmeal and flour and blend to form a dough. Knead into a ball and roll to 1/4-inch thick. Cut into one-inch sized pieces. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes. Makes 12 cookies.