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What's the best place to be a cat? These are the most feline-friendly cities in America

What's the best place to be a cat? These are the most feline-friendly cities in America
Photo by Daria Shatova on Unsplash

The life of a housecat is generally pretty cozy, but some cities make it easier to spoil our kitties than others.

According to a new ranking of cat-friendly cities from OneVet, felines in Florida are particularly fortunate. The state boasts the honor of having three cities in the top 10, and is the only state to have multiples cities on the list. (Florida. Who knew?)

The "Best U.S. Cities to Be a Cat" rankings are based on five equally-weighted factors: the number of pet-friendly rentals, number of veterinarians, number of cat cafes, number of pet stores, and number of cat adoptions in 2020 (all per 100K population). A pretty solid set of criteria, at least from a human perspective.

(If cats themselves were making these rankings, we'd be looking at number of mice per square block, number of birds visible through windows, number of sucker humans that can be convinced to put food out for us, etc.)

Photo by Caleb Woods on Unsplash

Anyhoo, pouncing in as the number one cat-friendly city in America is Miami, Florida, with a score of 43.47 out of a maximum score of 50. In a close second was Orlando, followed by Salt Lake City, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati.

Offering a nice geographical spread, the cities of Atlanta, Denver, Minneapolis, Tampa, and Riverside, CA rounded out the top ten.

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So how about the worst places to be a cat?

Well, you can take your pick of cities from coast to coast, with New York City being the worst, with a shockingly low score of 5.23, and two California metros—San Francisco and Los Angeles—making the bottom 10.

Others on the cat-unfriendly list include Memphis, New Orleans, Jacksonville (so Florida isn't all feline-friendly), Phoenix, Detroit, Houston, and Virginia Beach.

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Of course, the care and feeding of a cat is mainly a product of how wrapped around their owner's finger they are, but it is interesting to see how much varies from city to city as far as cat-friendly amenities goes. Apparently the Northwest is remarkably average, with no cities in the top or bottom 10. (Either that, or the region just entirely forgotten about, which happens a lot.)

But really, cats themselves don't care all the much. As long as they get rubs and snuggles when they want them (and only when they want them) and as long as everything is exactly as they feel it should be, they're happy wherever they live.

Photo by Yerlin Matu on Unsplash

And hey, at least Florida has something to brag about other than off-the-wall people and off-the-rails politicians. "Most cat-friendly state in the U.S." may not be much, but it's something.

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Jane Goodall inspired this frog-loving boy to become a global activist

Photo courtesy of Justin Sather
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Upworthy and GoFundMe are celebrating ideas that make the world a better, kinder place. Visit upworthy.com/kindness to join the largest collaboration for human kindness in history and start your own GoFundMe.

While most 10-year-olds are playing Minecraft, riding bikes, or watching YouTube videos, Justin Sather is intent on saving the planet. And it all started with a frog blanket when he was a baby.

"He carried it everywhere," Justin's mom tells us. "He had frog everything, even a frog-themed birthday party."

In kindergarten, Justin learned that frogs are an indicator species – animals, plants, or microorganisms used to monitor drastic changes in our environment. With nearly one-third of frog species on the verge of extinction due to pollution, pesticides, contaminated water, and habitat destruction, Justin realized that his little amphibian friends had something important to say.

"The frogs are telling us the planet needs our help," says Justin.

While it was his love of frogs that led him to understand how important the species are to our ecosystem, it wasn't until he read the children's book What Do You Do With An Idea by Kobi Yamada that Justin-the-activist was born.

Inspired by the book and with his mother's help, he set out on a mission to raise funds for frog habitats by selling toy frogs in his Los Angeles neighborhood. But it was his frog art which incorporated scientific facts that caught people's attention. Justin's message spread from neighbor to neighbor and through social media; so much so that he was able to raise $2,000 for the non-profit Save The Frogs.

And while many kids might have their 8th birthday party at a laser tag center or a waterslide park, Justin invited his friends to the Ballona wetlands ecological preserve to pick invasive weeds and discuss the harms of plastic pollution.

Justin's determination to save the frogs and help the planet got a massive boost when he met legendary conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall.

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At one of her Roots and Shoots youth initiative events, Dr. Goodall was so impressed with Justin's enthusiasm for helping frogs, she challenged the young activist to take it one step further and focus on plastic pollution as well. Justin accepted her challenge and soon after was featured in an issue of Bravery Magazine dedicated to Jane Goodall.

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Children with special needs now have more options for Halloween costumes, and it's magnificent!

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Often, parents of children with special needs struggle to find Halloween costumes that will accommodate medical equipment or provide a proper fit. And figuring out how to make one? Yikes.

There's good news; shopDisney has added new ensembles to their already impressive line of adaptive play costumes. And from 8/30 - 9/26, there's a 20% off sale for all costume and costume accessory orders of $75+ with code Spooky.

When looking for the right costume, kids with unique needs have a lot of extra factors to consider: wheelchair wheels get tangled up in too-long material, feeding tubes could get twisted the wrong way, and children with sensory processing disorders struggle with the wrong kind of fabric, seams, or tags. There are a lot of different obstacles that can come between a kid and the ability to wear the costume of their choice, which is why it's so awesome that more and more companies are recognizing the need for inclusive creations that make it easy for everyone to enjoy the magic of make-believe.

Created with inclusivity in mind, the adaptive line is designed to discreetly accommodate tubes or wires from the front or the back, with lots of stretch, extra length and roomier cut, and self-stick fabric closures to make getting dressed hassle-free. The online shop provides details on sizing and breaks down the magical elements of each outfit and accessory, taking the guesswork out of selecting the perfect costume for the whole family.

Your child will be able to defeat Emperor Zurg in comfort with the Buzz Lightyear costume featuring a discreet flap opening at the front for easy tube access, with self-stick fabric closure. There is also an opening at the rear for wheelchair-friendly wear, and longer-length inseams to accommodate seated guests. To infinity and beyond!

An added bonus: many of the costumes offer a coordinating wheelchair cover set to add a major boost of fun. Kids can give their ride a total makeover—all covers are made to fit standard size chairs with 24" wheels—to transform it into anything from The Mandalorian's Razor Crest ship to Cinderella's Coach. Some options even come equipped with sounds and lights!

From babies to adults and adaptive to the group, shopDisney's expansive variety of Halloween costumes and accessories are inclusive of all.

Don't forget about your furry companions! Everyone loves to see a costumed pet trotting around, regardless of the occasion. You can literally dress your four-legged friend to look like Sven from Frozen, which might not sound like something you need in your life but...you totally do. CUTENESS OVERLOAD.

This year has been tough for everyone, so when a child gets that look of unfettered joy that comes from finally getting to wear the costume of their dreams, it's extra rewarding. Don't wait until the last minute to start looking for the right ensemble!


*Upworthy may earn a portion of sales revenue from purchases made through affiliate links on our site.

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