+
Culture

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.

blog.onevet.ai

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.

blog.onevet.ai

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.

@thehalfdeaddad/TikTok

Dad on TikTok shared how he addressed his son's bullying.

What do you do when you find out your kid bullied someone? For many parents, the first step is forcing an apology. While this response is of course warranted, is it really effective? Some might argue that there are more constructive ways of handling the situation that teach a kid not only what they did wrong, but how to make things right again.

Single dadPatrick Forseth recently shared how he made a truly teachable moment out of his son, Lincoln, getting into trouble for bullying. Rather than forcing an apology, Forseth made sure his son was actively part of a solution.


The thought process behind his decision, which he explained in a now-viral TikTok video, is both simple and somewhat racial compared to how many parents have been encouraged to handle similar situations.
Keep ReadingShow less
Family

Badass bikers show up for abused children, offering advocacy and protection

They become an abused child's "biker family," and they let the child—and everyone else—know that NO ONE messes with their family.

When you are a child who has been abused by people who are supposed to protect you, how do you feel safe?

That question is the heart of Bikers Against Child Abuse International (B.A.C.A.), an organization dedicated to creating "a safer environment for abused children." With specific training and extensive security checks, the frequently big and burly members of B.A.C.A. serve as protectors of chid abuse survivors, giving vulnerable children people to call on when they feel scared, and even showing up in court when a child asks them to.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pop Culture

Woman was mocked online for calling an $80 purse a 'luxury item.' Her response went viral.

"I'm so grateful that my dad was able to get me one. He worked so hard for that money.”

@zohtaco/TikTok

Zoe Gabriel, showing off her new purse from Charles & Keith

Insults of any kind are painful, but jabs towards someone’s financial status are their own breed.

In January 2023, Singapore-based Zoe Gabriel was on the receiving end of this particular flavor of mockery when she posted a TikTok about a purse from local retail brand Charles & Keith—a gift bought for her by her father.

In her excitement, the 17-year-old called the bag, which costs around $80, a “luxury” item as she unwrapped it. Her excitement was sadly cut short by some of the negative comments she received.

One comment seemed to stand out above the rest and prompted Gabriel to post an emotional response video.

Keep ReadingShow less

When Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim and Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi both landed their high jumps at 2.37 meters, they were in the battle for Olympic gold. But when both jumpers missed the next mark—the Olympic record of 2.39 meters—three times each, they were officially tied for first place.

In such a tie, the athletes would usually do a "jump-off" to determine who wins gold and who wins silver. But as the official began to explain the options to Barshim and Tamberi, Barshim asked, "Can we have two golds?"

Keep ReadingShow less
via YouTube

These days, we could all use something to smile about, and few things do a better job at it than watching actor Christopher Walken dance.

A few years back, some genius at HuffPo Entertainment put together a clip featuring Walken dancing in 50 of his films, and it was taken down. But it re-emerged in 2014 and the world has been a better place for it.

Keep ReadingShow less

English metal detector hobbyist finds a real treasure near Nottingham.

A retired merchant navy engineer in England has found a treasure that would have made his country’s most popular folk hero proud. Graham Harrison, a 64-year-old metal detector enthusiast, discovered a gold signet ring that once belonged to the Sheriff of Nottingham.

The discovery was made on a farm in Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire, 26.9 miles from Sherwood Forest. The forest is known worldwide for being the mythological home of Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men. A central road that traversed the forest was notorious in Medieval times for being an easy place for bandits to rob travelers going to and from London.

Keep ReadingShow less