Pedigreed Burmese cats making a comeback in their home country. Cats are less expensive than dogs, at least for the first year. A Californian cat took an unexpected trip after finding a snug spot to snooze in a neighbor’s car, and was found some 200 miles away, thanks to a microchip.

And the debate over whether the parasite, toxoplasma gondii, can be linked to cats or to undercooked  meat continue to be in the news.

On the lighter side, there’s a I-Mac cat bed and lots of gadgets that your cats might enjoy.

Here’s a brief rundown of some of the topics in Friday’s Cat News.

Pedigree Burmese cats are making a come back at the  ‘Inthar Heritage House’ located on the shores of Inle Lake in eastern Shan State, thanks to the efforts of Yin Myo Su, who took on the project to preserve the country’s heritage as it emerges from military rule. Once believed to be the favoured pet of royalty and guardians of temples, the Burmese cat had vanished from its Southeast Asian ancestral homeland until enthusiasts decided to return them.

To reach more on this subject, follow the link below.

Burmese cats pounce back in Myanmar
Channel News Asia
INLE LAKE, Myanmar: They are known for their sleek good looks, alluring eyes and sunny disposition, but one group of “Burmese” are virtually unknown in modern Myanmar — the country’s namesake pedigree cats. Once believed to be the favoured pet of …

Ponyo, a 2-year-old cat that calls Dublin, CA., home, is believed to have curled up in a neighbor’s car trunk, only to find himself 200-miles away. Thanks to being microchipped, he was happily reunited with his owners.

To find out more about this story, follow the link below.

Dublin cat hits Reno casino after surprise trip
San Jose Mercury News
Once the Tahoe lurched forward, however, the cat darted out from under the moving car and shot across the parking lot to find a safe haven under a bench near the attendant’s desk, Monet said. Whelan and one of the resort’s security officers, Miles …

Cats are less expensive than dogs. According to an article posted at MSN Money, the ASPCA did a study on the average cost of owning a dog or a cat. Here’s a more detailed breakdown:

• Small dog — $1,314 the first year, $580 per year after.
• Medium dog — $1,580 the first year, $695 per year after.
• Large dog — $1,843 the first year, $875 per year after.
• Cat — $1,035 the first year, $670 per year after.

For more on this, check out the following link.

Which are cheaper: Cats or dogs?
MSN Money
These totals include the following first-year costs: spay or neuter, other initial medical expenses, collar and leash, litter box and scratching post for cats, cage or crate for large dogs, carrier bag for small dogs and cats, and training class for …

And the disturbing news, maligning cats as being a major cause of the parasite, toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that infects cats and causes toxoplasmosis, has infected 22.5 percent of the human population in the United States. According to the article cited below, the domesticated cat is the only known definitive host of the parasite, while other animals and even humans can be intermediate hosts of the parasite. Until recently, it was believed that most transmission occurred from undercooked meat, but new studies are suggesting far more environmental contamination from cat feces. This subject is likely to create a lot more discussion in the coming months.

For more on this discussion, check out the link below.

Concerns Raised About Cat-Carried Parasite Affecting 1 In 5 Americans
The Chattanoogan
According to the CDC, toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that infects cats and causes toxoplasmosis, has infected 22.5 percent of the human population in the United States. The CDC lists toxoplasmosis as one of the leading causes of human death attributed …

Cat anti-freeze poisoning suspected in Essex
BBC News
Police and the RSPCA are investigating whether 23 cats were deliberately poisoned to death with anti-freeze in Essex. A vets surgery in Dovercourt said a large number of cats had been brought in with kidney failure since late July. Alan Smith, a vet …

Caught on Camera: Man arrested for torturing cats
WTSP 10 News
MESA, AZ (KPNX) – A man has been arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty after surveillance video caught him taking a cat from a Mesa neighborhood that was later found dead and mutilated, according to Mesa Police Department. Police say this man is …

Homeless cats find shelter, love in Detroit ruins
Detroit Free Press
Two empty buildings in the area of Park Avenue and West Adams in downtown Detroit house a colony of homeless cats, a delight to many who live, work and play in the bustling entertainment district, but a concern for those involved in animal welfare …

More cats may be linked to Ariz. mutilation case
San Francisco Chronicle
The East Valley Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/QiRjMw) that 38-year-old Scott Andrew Graham told police he had taking up to 30 or 40 cats from the Mesa area but he just played with them. Graham was arrested Monday after police say video surveillance …

Infection risk posed by cats revealed
BBC News
Experts say more research is needed into a disease spread by cats after figures show an estimated 350,000 people a year in the UK become infected with toxoplasmosis. Although only a minority of people – between one and two in every 10 – has symptoms,

Louisiana man rescues cat named ‘Lovey’ and daughter’s bridesmaid’s dress …
New York Daily News
In fact, it was to save his cat “Lovey” and his daughter’s bridesmaid’s dress for his son’s upcoming wedding. Time was of the essence for two reasons, Duplantier told the Daily News. The dress needs to be altered before the Sept. 15 wedding, and Lovey …

Wanted: Cats to play with bored humans online
The Seattle Times
LOS ANGELES — If American worker productivity drops in the third quarter of 2012, the hunt for a cause can start here: iPet Companion, a “virtual play room” that allows anyone, anywhere, to play with criminally cute, reprehensibly distracting orphan …

Internet Cat Video Festival and the Popularity of Cats Online
Gather.com
If you have ever been sent a link to a cat video then you are in good company; some of the most popular videos on the Internet feature cats. In fact, according to a recent feature story in Wired magazine, Oh Hai, cats are second only to porn in ..

Alley cats never had better allies
Shore News Today
Abby McIntyre of Galloway holds Henry while other cats lie nearby. Henry must be adopted with his sister Pippa. They’re described as “playing machines.” HAMILTON TOWNSHIP – Twice each day Alley Cat Allies volunteers check on cats up for adoption at …

Hurricane Isaac Animals: Dogs, Cats And Other Animals Affected By …
By The Huffington Post News Team
As Gulf Coast residents begin to assess the damage that Hurricane Isaac wreaked on their homes, some volunteers have turned to help the animals that were also hard hit by the storm.

Cats Entertainment! Watch the First Ever Internet Cat Video Festival Winner
E! Online
Finally, all the cat videos we’ve wasted countless hours viewing are being awarded. The first Cat Video Film Festival was held this week in Minneapolis at the Walker Art Center, granting the video Henri 2, Paw de Deux the people’s choice award, aka the …

Henri the cat
The Seattle Times
He is Henri the Existential Cat, certainly the most famous feline in Seattle, and now among the most famous in the country. He lives a pampered life in a North End home, oblivious to his notoriety and a national award that was bestowed upon him last week.

Combine blood test with vaccine for cat’s safety
Boston Herald
Our 7-year-old cat, despite our best efforts and lots of loving, attempts to get out of our house over and over again. We always had the cat vaccinated for distemper and rabies but last year, it was suggested that we also vaccinate him for leukemia …

Cats OK during pregnancy, but stay away from the litter box
Anderson Independent Mail
The single-celled parasite spends the main part of its life cycle inside cats. Because a cat can pass millions of parasites daily in its feces, toxoplasmosis can spread easily to other animals that share the environment with cats. Toxoplasmosis can be …

18 Geeky Gadgets and Accessories for Cats – TechEBlog
By TecheBlog Staff
Cats love gadgets and accessories just as much as their human counterparts, but actually finding them is another story. We’ve rounded up eighteen of the geekiest for your viewing enjoyment, starting with the iMac cat bed. Continue reading to …

Shakespeare Cast with Cats | The Mary Sue
Imagine, if you will, a world in which Elizabethan England was as obsessed with adding cats to things as modern Internet culture is, but naturally, having no …
www.themarysue.com/cats-in-shakespeare/

At Cat Video Film Festival, Stars Purr for Close-Ups
New York Times
They all settled in for a screening of cats behaving badly, or cutely, or mysteriously, sometimes all at once. That much of the audience had already seen the clips on YouTube did not seem to diminish the enthusiasm.

Fat cats, dogs get professional help at Tufts
Worcester Telegram
Dr. Deborah Linder, who opened the animal obesity clinic at Tufts, has put golden retriever Richie on a strict diet of kibbles and advised owner Lisa Baruzzi to shower him with attention rather than treats to help him shed pounds. (THE BOSTON GLOBE) …

Cat show adds unique twist to fair
Wisconsin Rapids Tribune
Spencer Frey, 9 of Marshfield, receives a Best in Show award for his cat Cookie Dough from judge Don Finger of Mosinee at the cat show Friday at the Central Wisconsin State Fair. / Laura Hiller/Daily Tribune …

Janus cat Frank and Louie turns 12, makes Guiness Book of World Records
Examiner.com
Frank and Louie, the two-faced Janus cat from Massachusetts, has been named the world’s oldest living Janus cat by the Guinness Book of World Records, according to reports by the Associated Press and other media outlets. Named after the Roman god,

Dumping cats is discarding responsibility
Lewiston Sun Journal
In Saco, the feral cat population has become so dense (and dirty), particularly around the piers and lawns in the Camp Ellis area, that the town is under an Aug. 21 court order to remove any cats found without collars. The cats will be taken to the …

Angsty Cat Henri Wins Top Award at the Internet Cat Video Film Festival
TIME
They amassed a crowd of more than 10,000 people last night at their Minneapolis museum with the sole purpose of watching cat videos. The event was the first-ever Cat Video Festival, held on the lawn of the museum, according to a press release.

In Search of the Living, Purring, Singing Heart of the Online Cat-Industrial …
Wired
A cat wearing a short tie plays music on a cat-shaped keyboard (“Pancake Meowsic Video,” 185,459 views). A woman performs sun salutations with a cat on her back (“Cat Loves Yoga,” 1,539 views). A man slaps two cats on an ironing board to the beat of …

Pay to Play: Dispatches From the Cat Cafés of Tokyo
Wired
It’s hard to recollect much about my first cat café besides the unmitigated pleasure of the whole experience. The place was called Cateriam, on the second floor of a nondescript building in Shimokitazawa, and it had the cozy feel of overpriced daycare

Cats with Your Coffee
Village Voice (blog)
Tokyo’s cat cafés sound brilliant, in theory. A bunch of little coffee shops where you can sip a green tea latte and pay to play with the in-house cats. But Gideon Lewis-Kraus investigates further for Wired and finds that cat cafés aren’t always warm …

Saco plans roundup of feral cats
Boston.com
Police Chief Bradley Paul says complaints of feral cats in the area go back at least a decade and the issue has even sparked lawsuits. In the past two years, the feline population has been reduced under a trap, spay-neuter release program led by …

Wanted: Cats to play with bored humans
Los Angeles Times
Those evil cats. As soon as we reported on a “virtual play room” at a Los Angeles animal shelter where human admirers could manipulate remote-controlled toys and watch kitties’ reactions, the feline-obsessed began lining up like it was giveaway day at ..

2 women charged in cat cruelty case
San Francisco Chronicle
A Monterey County woman and her elderly mother were charged Thursday with multiple counts of animal cruelty and neglect after investigators found two homes in Seaside crammed with 164 dead, diseased and starving cats, authorities said. The 51 living …