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Whoever is naming the cats at this Austin shelter probably needs to be drug tested.

Atomic toaster? Fardtus? Unicycle 7?

Whoever is naming the cats at this Austin shelter probably needs to be drug tested.
via Austin Pets Alive!

According to Austin Pets Alive!'s website, they've done a fantastic job at saving the lives of countless dogs and cats in the area. When the shelter was first opened in 1997, Austin had a kill rate of 87%. Since, the city now has a save rate of 97%!

While their dedication to helping animals is unquestionable, Twitter user Nic went viral after tweeting about the shelter's questionable naming system.

After that tweet, she shared a photo of the adorable cat that she got at Austin Pets Alive!

People replied to her tweet with some of their favorite bizarre names.

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From trials to treatments: one family's journey with "Brittle Bone Disease"

For Alex and his family, osteogenesis imperfecta spans four generations — and Shriners Children’s has been there every step of the way with life-changing care.

Four generations, one diagnosis: A family’s lifelong journey with “Brittle Bone Disease”
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Like his mom, grandma and great-grandma before him, Alex was born with a condition called osteogenesis imperfecta, otherwise known as “brittle bone disease.” For every family member before him, the condition meant a lifetime of broken bones, hospital visits, and constant worry — but that story is now changing. With the support from Shriners Children’s™, Alex is experiencing a level of freedom and quality of life that former generations had only hoped for.

A family affair

Alex’s family’s story began in 1934, when his great-grandma June started fracturing her bones at the age of 10. June would be nearly a teenager before she received a diagnosis of osteogenesis imperfecta — and, with that, she became one of the first patients with the condition to be treated at Shriners Children’s.

June’s daughter, Wanda, was diagnosed with the same condition at Shriners Children’s shortly before she was born in 1955. Like her mom Wanda spent a significant part of her childhood in the hospital, often watching her siblings line up outside the hospital window to wave and wish her luck between surgeries.

When Wanda’s daughter was born, Chandra spent years undergoing treatment at Shriners Children’s for osteogenesis imperfecta, like her mom and grandma before her. Experiencing more than 200 fractures in her early years, she was unable to walk before age 22 — but no less determined to make life better for others with her condition. Chandra donated her bone marrow to be used in a study, and the results contributed to the OI protocols and treatment that are now the standard of care all over the world. Best of all, this study would go on to benefit her own son, Alex.

Care that feels like family

While her treatment journey was challenging, Chandra also cherished her experience at Shriners Children’s. “The staff was like family to me,” she said.

Shriners Children’s has been providing that same level of professional care for families across the country. Founded in 1922 — just two years before June was born — Shriners Children’s has been providing specialty care to children with a wide variety of complex conditions, such as orthopedics, burn injuries, cleft lip and palate, and others.

But Shriners Children’s doesn’t provide this care alone. All services are made possible by generous donors. Through their giving, patients are able to access specialty care as well as adaptive equipment, long-term rehab, surgeries, and more. In one year alone, Shriners Children’s performed more than 24,000 life-changing surgeries, as well as 446,000 procedures. On top of that, they delivered tens of thousands of prosthetic and orthotic devices for patients in need and welcomed an additional 62,000 patients on top of that.

Hope for a new generation

With Chandra’s bone marrow donation, along with the compassionate care he was able to receive through Shriners Children’s, Alex is now able to live a life his family only dreamt of. To treat his condition, Alex receives infusions that regulate calcium levels in his blood and slow bone breakdown.

“When Alex started walking between one and two years old, I was shocked,” Chandra said. “The fact that he was able to walk, even run, and knowing I had a part to do with that, makes my heart happy.”

Without consistent treatment, Alex’s family believes he might still be spending most of his time in the hospital, facing broken bones and countless fractures. Instead, the compassionate care he receives has given him a bright future — and has made Chandra eternally grateful.

“Shriners [Children’s] is amazing with him,” she said. “I love Shriners [Children’s] so much.”

Shriners Children’s helps children heal and thrive so they can chase their dreams. Learn more about how they’re making it possible and share this article to inspire others to join you. Shriners Children’s relies on generous donors to make a difference.

Donate today during the 3X Match Challenge to make 3X the life-changing impact for patients.

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Four guys write a letter asking to walk their new neighbor's dog. The dog writes back.

"I am very friendly and full of beans."

black lab, dog walker, dog walker near me, dog walker ap, neighbors, good news, pets, feel good news
Photo credit: Canva, Stevieticks /Instagram

black lab (left. Handwritten letter (right)

If you've lived your whole life with a dog, a home has to feel pretty empty without one. Your heart has to feel like there's something missing as well. When Jack McCrossan, originally from Scotland, moved to Bristol, England with his three friends, they were bummed out to learn that their landlord didn't allow dogs.

So when they saw a beautiful black Sheprador (a German Sheppard Lab mix) in their neighbor's window, they knew that had to become buddies with her. They wrote the dog's owner, Sarah Tolman, a letter asking to arrange a play date with the dog. "If you ever need someone to walk him/her, we will gladly do so," they wrote.

"If you ever get bored (we know you never will, but we can dream), we are more than happy to look after him/her. If you want to come over and bring him/her to brighten our day, you are more than welcome. If you want to walk past our balcony windows so we can see him/her, please do," the letter continued.

"We hope this doesn't come too strong, but our landlord won't allow pets, and we've all grown up with animals. The adult life is a struggle without one," they wrote. "Yours sincerely, The boys from number 23," the letter concluded.

Soon after, the boys in 23 received a response from the dog herself, Stevie Ticks, accepting the offer. However, it may have been written by her human, Sarah Tolman. In the letter, Stevie shares a bit about herself, saying she's two years and four months old, was adopted in Cyprus, and that she's "very friendly and full of beans." (The boys shouldn't worry about a gassy hound, in England, "full of beans" means lively.)

"I love meeting new people and it would be great if we can be friends. I must warn you that the price of my friendship is 5 x ball throws a day and belly scratches whenever I demand them," the letter continued. A few days later, the boys got to meet Stevie.

"Meeting Stevie was great!" McCrossan told Buzzfeed. "She was definitely as energetic as described. We got to take her for a walk and she wouldn't stop running!"

Tolman thought the boys' letter was a fantastic gesture in an era where, quote often, neighbors are strangers. "In a day and age where people don't really know or speak to their neighbors, it was really nice for them to break down that barrier," she said. After the story went viral, she saw it as an opportunity for people to share their love of dogs with the world. "My mother and I are amazed at all the love we've received from around the world these past few days," Tolman wrote as Stevie. "If you have a doggo in your life, share that love with those around you."

A lot has changed since this story first warmed hearts around the globe. The boys have since moved away, but as of September 2024, Stevie is around 8 years old and still living her best life. Recently, she even made it to the doggie wall of fame at her local coffee shop.

In the years since this story first went viral, pet-sharing and neighbor dog borrowing have actually become more common, especially in cities where landlords restrict pets. Several platforms (like BorrowMyDoggy) and community groups now exist to pair dog owners with trusted neighbors who want occasional playtime, walks, or dog-sitting without having to own a pet. It’s a small but growing trend that reflects how deeply animal companionship is needed—even for people who can’t adopt a dog full-time. In many apartment buildings, these kinds of informal arrangements help reduce loneliness, build community, and give non-owners the emotional benefits of living with pets.

Just goes to show the power of a dog's love…even if that dog isn't your own.

This article originally appeared six years ago.

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6 years ago, news anchor had the ultimate response to man who told her to dress 'like a normal woman'

"These are my pants. I like them. I bought them."

Maggie Vespa, NBC News, Portland, Chicago, sexism, how women dress
via KGW-TV / YouTube

KGW-TV anchor Maggie Vespa in 2019.

One of the major differences between women and men is that women are far more likely to be judged on their appearance rather than their character or abilities.

"Men as well as women tend to establish the worth of individual women primarily by the way their body looks, research shows," Naomi Ellemers, Ph.D., wrote in Psychology Today. "We do not do this when we evaluate men."

Ellemers believes that this tendency to judge a woman solely on her looks causes them to be seen as an object rather than a person. "As a result of focusing on their outwardly visible features, we are tempted to overlook their inner states, ignore markers of their intentions, beliefs, and desires, and less likely to empathize with their plight," Ellemers continued.

Women in the spotlight are constantly judged more for their appearance than for their performance in their field. Tennis star Serena Williams once won the French Open, yet much of the press focused more on what she wore on the court than on her victory. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been repeatedly criticized throughout her political career for her clothing and hairstyles rather than her accomplishments.

Maggie Vespa, a news anchor at KGW-TV in 2019, was criticized by a male viewer for how she dressed, and she brilliantly turned the incident into an opportunity to highlight the double standards women face.

"Just wanted to let you know that the clothes you've been wearing, especially those crazy pants that ride half way up your torso, are not cool looking, in any way!," Jeffrey, a male viewer, wrote to Vespa on Facebook. "You're way too pretty to look so foolish."

The next day, he sent her another message: "OMG, you really looked uncomfortably tonight. Try dressing like a normal woman. Doesn't KGW pay you enough for a wardrobe makeover?"

Vespa posted about the emails on social media and received hundreds of responses, so she carved out a few minutes on the newscast to address the situation.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"Let's just get this out of the way at the top, okay? This is dumb. We know that," Vespa responded. "These are my pants. I like them. I bought them."

Vespa said the harassment "hit a nerve" with people on social media who used it as an opportunity to discuss "the pressure women obviously face, especially those in the public eye to embody the epitome of physical attractiveness at all times."

"If we don't, it's somehow seen as a sign that we're less credible or less capable and, by and large, guys don't have to deal with this," she continued. "As my awesome male coworkers can and have attested to."

Vespa then showed photos of five different pairs of high-waisted pants she wore in the week following Jeffrey's messages. Her colleagues joined in as well, donning their own high-waisted pants to show their support.

Maggie Vespa, NBC, Portland, Chicago, Twitter, sexismMaggie Vespa in 2019.via KGW-TV / YouTube

Vespa then brilliantly transformed the harassment into an empowering message.

"Our goal here is to send a message, to women, to girls, to everyone: Dress how you want, look how you want, and if anyone tries to make you feel less than because of that, that's their problem, not yours," she said. "There's no one way for a normal woman to look or be."

This article originally appeared six years ago.

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Man's unique gift for naming cats has strangers asking him to name their kittens

Hersberry, O'dis, Nuffin—watch how "Unc" comes up with his adorable names.

kittens, cats, pets, naming cats, naming kittens
Photo credit: Canva

What would Unc name these kitties?

"The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter, it isn't just one of your holiday games…" – T.S. Eliot

One of the best parts of getting a new pet is choosing a name for them. Unlike children, who have conscious feelings about their names and may object to off-the-wall choices at some point, a pet presumably couldn't care less what the humans in their lives call them. A dog could be named Fred, Red, or Potatohead and be none the wiser. We've seen cats with names that go far beyond the norm even for pet names, like Parking Lot, Crunchwrap Supreme, and Missile Launcher (Missy for short) among other creative monikers.

But if any animals were going to care about what we name them, surely it would be our finicky feline friends. And one man, whom we'll call Unc (for his @UncGotThaMunchies handle), seems to have a gift for giving kitties very special (or rather, "pecial") names. Unc has become the father of 13 kitties, and his naming of cats has become a bit of a viral phenomenon.

@uncgotthamunchies

#cat #cats #catsoftiktok #kitten #kittensoftiktok

First, there's Blackaroni and Cheese, a black and orange kitten pair that people are just gaga over. But Unc has begun a whole movement of naming kitties in a "berry pecial" way, with Hersberry leading the way. Why Hersberry? Because her's berry pecial to Unc, of course.

@uncgotthamunchies

#cats #cat #kitten #kittens #catsoftiktok

Among the other kittens, we have another pair named Thor and Lowkey (yes, spelled Lowkey) and another orange kitty that Unc named Midas, "because there Midas well be no other kitties on the whole planet."

@uncgotthamunchies

#cat #catsoftiktok #kitten #kittens #kittensoftiktok

People have become so enamored with these cute and clever kitty names that some have started asking Unc to help them name their own kittens. One person shared a photo of their adorable orange kitten and asked if Unc could name him because they couldn't think of a good name. Unc didn't disappoint.

"When people see dis kitty right here," he said in a response video. "They will say, 'Oh, dis kitty is so beautiful. Oh, dis kitty is so pecial.' So I think his name should be O'dis." Then he explained all the nickname benefits of the name O'dis and how special this name would make the kitty feel.

@uncgotthamunchies

Replying to @glitterdiamondsparkles #greenscreen #cat #catsoftiktok #kitten #kittens

Someone else shared a photo of their fuzzy little tabby kitten, writing, "First I saw your Hersberry video then Midas and now the universe sent us a kitten and we can't think of a name for her. Can you help name her??" Unc responded with a video saying that he'd had a premonition as he was laying around looking at kitties on TikTok that a beautiful little girl kitty was going to come to him needing a name, and he should have the name ready for her when he saw her. Watch how that played out:

@uncgotthamunchies

Replying to @megan_elizabeth__ #greenscreen #cat #catsoftiktok #kitten #kittensoftiktok

Did he choose a perfect name or what? The kitten's owner responded in the comments and said, "Won’Da it is!! 🥰 Thank you!!"

Unc got another orange kitten sent to him with a name request. This one got the name Nuffin:

@uncgotthamunchies

Replying to @Raegan Schafer #greenscreen #cats #cat #kittens #kittensoftiktok

"Because there is nuffin on dis Earf more cuter than this kitty. And there is nuffin on dis Earf that I would not do for this kitty. And there is nuffin on this whole Earf that could keep me from loving this kitty," explained Unc. Of course.

People are loving watching Unc name other people's kitties, with multiple people calling him a walking green flag.

"There is nuffin on this earf as precious as you naming kitties 😍😂🫶🏼," wrote one commenter.

"There is nuffin I love more than a man who loves his kitties as much as you do!!"

"Another perfect name!!! My sister is adopting a kitty today and I’ve been telling her about your names and how you come up with them. It’s great. 🥰"

Ultimately, the way Unc interacts with his kitties is what keeps people coming back. There's something so endearing about the mutual affection between him and the whole lot of them. Not all cats are sweet and snuggly, but Unc's kitties seem to be quite affectionate. People with more standoffish cats may be wondering why this man's cats and kittens are so loving. Well, here you go:

@uncgotthamunchies

#cat #catsoftiktok #kitten #kittensoftiktok #kittens

So berry, berry pecial. You can follow Unc on TikTok.

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7 years ago a mom was told her daughter was too girly to play sports so she made an epic photoshoot

Girls don't have to choose between sparkly or sporty.

sports, princess, softball, girls in sports, athlete
HMP Couture Imagery/Facebook

Girls don't have to choose between sports and sparkles.

It's been a long, slow climb, but women's sports are finally getting the respect they deserve, thanks in no small part to superstar athletes like Coco Gauff, Caitlin Clark, and Simone Biles. And as more and more young girls see themselves competing at the highest levels, the more women's sports will continue to thrive.

But there are still some hurdles to overcome. Girls in sports have long been subjected to double standards that men don't have to think about, like being seen as too "pretty" to be taken seriously as athletes, as well as being constantly criticized and underestimated. (All the while, being too muscular or "manly" opens up athletes to a whole different kind of scrutiny.)

simone biles, sports, girls, women athletes, sexism in sports Serious Simone Biles GIF by Team USA Giphy

For too long, girls have been sent the message that they have to be either/or. You're either a girly-girl or a tomboy. You're either into sparkly princesses or sports practices. From a young age, girls need to know that they don't have to choose between feeling beautiful and being badass, that we can be both at the same time.

Perhaps that's why a portrait shoot shared by HMP Couture Imagery showing girls dressed up in fancy dresses and sports equipment went insanely viral.

The shoot is called "Because you can do it all," and since its posting in 2019, it has been shared over 200,000 times.

Heather Mitchell, the photographer from Alabama who ran HMP Couture Imagery, told Upworthy how the portrait shoot came about.

"My youngest daughter is 8 and she is trying softball this year for the first time," said Mitchell. "We were at practice a few weeks ago and I was talking with the other moms. I was saying that I hoped Paislee learned to love the game because she was athletic. One of the moms told me that she was not athletic, that she was a girly-girl."

sports, princess, softball, girls in sports, athlete Baller in a ballgownHMP Couture Imagery/Facebook

"I couldn't sleep that night," Mitchell continued. "All I could think was, 'Why does she have to choose?' I played every sport my school offered and wore lipstick to every game. So the next day we went to the studio and created her shot."

Mitchell said she only spent about three minutes shooting because she knew exactly what she wanted to create. After she posted the photos of Paislee to her personal Facebook page, she got a ton of requests from other parents for the same kind of shoot. After adding two days to the schedule, they sold out in an hour, and the requests just kept on coming.

The sparkly-sporty shoots became one of Mitchell's most popular bookings.

Mitchell hoped that girls would see these photos and realize that they don't have to choose one identity.

The idea that crinoline and cleats can't exist in the same mental space is silly, but common. Girls (and boys for that matter) can love pretty things and kick butt at sports. They don't have to be one thing or the other.

sports, princess, softball, girls in sports, athlete You really can do it all. HMP Couture Imagery/Facebook

"My parents taught me that I could be anything I wanted growing up," Mitchell told Upworthy. "I didn't realize till I was much older that everyone is not that blessed."

The photos going viral was not only good for Mitchell's photography business but it helped spread the message far and wide. These images are an excellent reminder to question our assumptions and not place unnecessary limits on anyone—and an empowering example for girls who don't fit neatly into a socially constructed box. After all, even someone like Caitlin Clark likes to wear a fancy dress every now and then. And her athleticism and impact on the sport is not up for debate because of it.

"I hope that every little girl that sees this series can see that there is no box," said Mitchell. "Whatever their dreams are they can achieve."

Mitchell retired from her photography business in 2023 to focus on her health after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Sadly, her husband announced her passing in 2024 in a tribute, writing, "To know her was to love her. What you saw, was what you got 24/7. What I loved most was that if you knew her, you were constantly inspired and challenged every day in every way to become a better person than you were the day before. She believed in kindness, forgiveness, honesty and valor. That is the ultimate legacy and impact she left on everybody she touched."

Thank you, Heather Mitchell, for helping girls feel freer to be their sparkly, sporty selves as part of that legacy.

This article originally appeared six years ago. It had been updated.

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In 1978, Richard Pryor had a profound debate about life with an 85-year-old woman on The Johnny Carson Show

They don't make TV like this anymore.

Richard Pryor; Johnny Carson; Dorothy Fuldheim; poverty; cost of living; Johnny Carson Show
Johnny Carson Show/YouTube Screenshot

Watch Richard Pryor use humor to shut down Johnny Carson Guest on poverty

In 1978, late comedian and actor Richard Pryor appeared as a guest on the Johnny Carson show. As many late-night talk shows do, he stuck around after his interview to occasionally mingle when the next guests was introduced. But instead of dropping in a few funny quips, Pryor spent nearly twenty minutes engaging with, and occasionally debating, Dorothy Fuldheim, a then-85-year-old pioneering female journalist.

The comedian moved to the other available chair as Carson introduced the next guest, but it didn't take long before Pryor jumped into the conversation. At first, things seem to be going well with Fuldheim joking with Pryor about being a sinner and smoking marijuana. The also touched on deeper subjects including racism, space exploration and whether God is real. Fuldheim, who was the first woman to host a television news program in the United States, often appeared to take more progressive leaning views than Pryor, which resulted in a lot of laughs from Johnny Carson and the audience.

However, it was when the conversation turned to the idea of poverty that things took a turn.

The typically hilarious, vulgar comedian had been exceptionally respectful to his fellow guest. Peppering all of his interactions with with "yes, ma'am" and "no, ma'am," his tone changed when Fuldheim, who had grown up in poverty, said she didn't believe it existed in America anymore.

Richard Pryor; Johnny Carson; Dorothy Fuldheim; poverty; cost of living; Johnny Carson Show Richard Pryor and Lou Gossett Jr. backstage at the Shrine Auditorium, Los AngelesUCLA Library/ Wikimedia Commons

After discussing whether poverty builds character, Carson asks the woman, "Do you think it's tougher now for young people just to survive?" Before the late-night talk show host could finish his sentence, Fuldheim emphatically said no.

"No, no. I think life is so much simpler now. Nobody starves in our country. Nobody has to go out on the corners to beg. You can go and get medical aid. Nobody lives in the streets," Fuldheim declared. It seems that's when Pryor could no longer hold his tongue. He softened his tone as he said, "Well, there are some people that live in the streets."

Richard Pryor; Johnny Carson; Dorothy Fuldheim; poverty; cost of living; Johnny Carson Show richard pryor comedian GIF Giphy

This information seemed to shock the elderly woman as she questioned if the comedian was talking about America. She exclaimed that people didn't have to live in the streets in this country, to which Pryor replied, "Well, tell 'em." The conversation quickly turned into the comedian attempting to use humor to diffuse the situation and educate the woman about the struggles of people living in poverty. She was unrelenting in her belief that people weren't struggling with basic needs in 1978.

But Pryor was unrelenting in his defense of people struggling, saying, "Yes, ma'am. They sleep in the streets, and they die here," before he was interrupted by Fuldheim dismissing the claim.

Richard Pryor; Johnny Carson; Dorothy Fuldheim; poverty; cost of living; Johnny Carson Show Richard Pryor Laughing GIF Giphy

"Well, you don't die of starvation here. You can always get some food. We have it," Fuldheim says. Pryor continues using a calm voice, but it's clear he is becoming frustrated by the dismissal of information he's attempting to provide. But she bites back at him when he tries to share about the poverty level in Appalachia and mentions that he's focusing on white people instead of Black people. Pryor responds by comedically flinching away dramatically as if she were going to strike him. This caused the audience to burst out in laughter.

Pryor composes himself to further explain that he was not calling her prejudiced but trying to bring attention to the starving children in Appalachia. The interview is really a sign of the times, as Pryor unironically uses the R slur without malice, but as a descriptor for children who develop intellectual and developmental delays due to malnutrition.

Richard Pryor; Johnny Carson; Dorothy Fuldheim; poverty; cost of living; Johnny Carson Show Richard Pryor smiling at cameraAlan Light/Wikimedia Commons

Eventually, Carson steps in to try to rein in the conversation that continued to be marked with bursts of laughter at Pryor's one-liners. You can watch the entire interview below to see how, even under pressure, Pryor was a comedic genius. And while Fuldheim may have been out of touch when it came to poverty, her views on longevity, the role of women and how character is built, created the kind of meaningful conversation you almost never see on late night TV anymore.

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