What’s new, pussycat?

Recently, I read an article in Family Circle that featured new developments in cat food. Cat food companies are now hiring chefs. Richard Blais, who is a Top Chef All-Stars winner and full-time chef, has developed a new line of Fancy Feast seafood-and veggie-filled broths. The broths sound so delicious that I would recommend them to all my feline friends and maybe even Watson.

Chef Blais has taken an approach to cat food that is universal, appealing to the senses, specifically smell. Chef Blais’ philosophy is that cats appreciate real, recognizable seafood. He created cat food that incorporates lots of little shrimp. He also realized that aroma is important so he made them irresistible to cats. The aroma triggers hunger in cats in the way that an irresistible aroma affects humans.

Think about the aroma of cinnamon rolls. We’ve all been to the mall and had to buy a Cinnabon haven’t we? Many places pipe the smell of fresh baked bread, cinnamon, or coffee to attract customers. I always buy popcorn at the theater because the aroma of fresh popped popcorn is irresistible. In fact, just thinking about it, I had to make some popcorn.

You can check out Chef Blais’ excellent introduction to his food on the Internet by Googling “Celebrity Chef Richard Blais Aims to Wow the Iconic Fancy Feast.” It is a funny video and the cat is absolutely beautiful.

Another cat event I almost missed is the Internet Cat Video Festival in Minneapolis. I had no idea that at least 13,000 cat videos are on the Internet. The festival previews 7,000 videos and chooses 65 to feature in the Minneapolis Festival. Guess who won the grand prize for the festival? Grumpy Cat was the winner in all categories. The closest contender, however, was Lil Bub, a cat who was born with a birth defect that doesn’t allow his tongue to be retracted. Lil Bub has plush toys, t-shirts and other items for sale but he couldn’t take the crown from Grumpy Cat.

I thought it was interesting to see the participants at the film festival, and I loved the video featuring Lil Bub and Grumpy Cat. You can check out the whole festival and the encounter between Lil Bub and Grumpy Cat at YouTube: “Grumpy Cat, meet Lil Bub; Lil Bub, meet Grumpy Cat.”

If I had a time machine, I would set it in the past so that I could film my beloved Wolfer, the naughtiest cat ever. Wolfer was a sleek black cat who was spoiled beyond compare and had a very sophisticated sense of humor. His idea of a funny joke was to wait patiently on top of the refrigerator until I walked by, and then pounce on me. Needless to say, it was a shock!

One night after an encounter with him, I decided to take action. I hid around the corner from his bed and waited for him to wake. When he woke up and sauntered around the corner, I jumped out and yelled “BOO!” It was great; he jumped at least three feet.

After that it was open season, and we played trick after trick on each other. Oh what a brat cat he was. I just know that the Wolfer would be an Internet sensation. Internet or not, he is still a sensation in my heart.

CAPS News and Events:

CAPS has adorable puppies, sweet dogs and charming cats who are looking for the forever homes of their dreams. Make this the best New Year you have ever had with a buddy who will: always appreciate you, love the food you offer and be your companion.

CAPS will be at Walmart in the New Year with our Kissin’ Booth and the adorable Ki. Watch this column for the dates and time. Get your kiss on! I am missing Ki; how about you?

Do you have questions, comments or a great story? Please contact me at jkwmil@outlook.com.

Kathleen Williams-Miller, a CAPS volunteer, contributed this article.