We often hear stories about courageous dogs saving lives, but cats can be heroes too. They are so much more than than the aloof troublemakers their reputation makes them out to be (though, let’s not get it twisted…they are certainly also those things. They contain multitudes)Let’s take Marley, for instance. Marley, a seven-year-old, black and white feline known for his "incredible gift of empathy" beat out thousands of other entries vying to be named Cats Protection's National Cat of the Year 2024. Marley’s award-winning contribution? Providing comfort to trafficked women. Caritas Bakhita House in London, a safe house for women who have been enslaved, exploited and trafficked, is Marley’s home and workplace for four years. Prior to that, he lived at a rescue shelter after being bullied by another cat in his family home. This former experience makes him so keen to the struggle of those he helps, surmises Karen Anstiss, the head of the house. “He recognizes our guests’ trauma because he has suffered too,” she said. Anstiss added that on any given day Marley can be seen “placing a paw” on guests’ legs to “let them know they’re not alone.” It’s a gesture often being “the first kindness they’ve experienced in years.” It’s as if he “knows” they are in need of a friend. There was even one client, Anstiss noted, who was so “traumatized” she wouldn't talk to any of the staff—until Marely came along. When not comforting guests, Marley can be seen acting as a muse for art therapy sessions, joining in on meals, hearing songs dedicated to him, or traipsing through his favorite patch of daisies, which, apparently, nobody else is allowed to touch. Certainly his VIP treatment is well earned. And now, with his new Cat of The Year award, Marley is getting more well deserved recognition. His win began in the “incredible cats” category, which celebrates cats whose bond with their humans inspires extraordinary acts of love, in a public vote. He then won the overall prize by a panel of celebrity judges. - YouTube www.youtube.com His winnings include a trophy and (probably more important to Marley) a $260-ish voucher for a pet store.For this honor, and for all the women he has helped on their road to recovery, Anstiss said she is “so proud” of Marley, calling him “a wonderful example of the power of love.”Do cats feel empathy?Ask any cat lover, and they will give you a resounding “yes,” and then refer to various purrs, slow blinks and tail flickers as anecdotal evidence of emotional intelligence.But there’s also some science to back this claim as well. In one recent study from Italy, researchers presented a fan covered in ribbons to both cats and their owners. They observed that the cats seemed to follow their owner’s lead when interacting with this new and foreign object—shying away from it if their owners did so, or not reacting if their owner was neutral to it. In other words the casts picked up on their owner behaviors and changed their own accordingly.In a different study, held by Nottingham Trent University, 3,000 cat owners surveyed were noted as having similar specific personality traits as their cats, again indicating that cats might be mirroring the personalities of their owners.So take it from research, from cat owners, or from The Cat of the Year himself—felines are so much more empathetic than many give them credit for. Luckily, that’s changing.

Sometimes a person opens their mouth to sing and what comes out is not at all what one would expect. We’ve seen it countless times on various “Got Talent” shows, but one unexpected young singer not only surprised the judges and audience of Britain’s Got Talent with his voice but even brought many of them to tears. Malakai Bayoh is a 14-year-old from London. For his BGT audition earlier in 2023, when he was 13, he sang “Pie Jesu,” the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic in Latin that helped launch Charlotte Church’s career. "Pie Jesu" is a beautiful hymn that requires a soprano voice and includes some challenging vocal high jumps. When it’s done well, it has a mesmerizing, otherworldly quality to it.Malakai did it well. With the voice of an angel, he stunned everyone in the BGT studios as well as the folks watching at home. People in the live audience wiped away tears. The famously hard-to-impress Simon Cowell couldn’t stop smiling as Malakai sang, and at one point, it looked as if judge Bruno Tonioli (who is delightfully prone to dramatics, to be fair) might actually faint.Watch:People on YouTube haven't been able to stop raving about Malakai's performance. "I would say this performance automatically entered into the top ten golden buzzers of all time," wrote one commenter. "As a trained singer, watching agt and bgt usually distresses me, but my husband loves it. I was in the bedroom when i heard Malachi's voice pouring out if the living room like an angel. I"ve heard Pie Jesu performed many times, but this was not a performance, this was sound straight from the Creator to touch our souls. A message of love," shared another.""I'm a trained singer, and a music teacher by profession, and sang this song as a young performer myself. I can say with absolute certainty this is the most beautifully I've ever heard this song sung. Not only is he a TRULY gifted singer, he sings with poise. With proper technique, proper breathing, proper everything. His vowels are PERFECTION, the smoothness with which he sings is truly impeccable. The amount of control it takes to sing slowly, that high.... this boy is truly a gift from God. Thank you for gracing our ears with your voice little one," shared another. "I have seen it 10 times in a row and I have cried all 10 times…definitely a voice that comes from heaven," shared another. As Simon Cowell said, "It was like being in heaven." It seems that everyone is in agreement. Since his initial BGT audition, Boyah has continued to wow BGT judges and fans with his classical singing. You can watch his performance of "Caruso" here and enjoy his tuxedoed performance of "O Mio Babbino Caro" here. This kid in definitely going places. In fact, Malakai has recorded his debut album, appropriately called "Golden." Watch out world, here comes Malakai. This article originally appeared on 12.3.23

If you Google "smartest dog breeds," most lists you'll find put border collies in the No. 1 spot, followed in some order by poodles, German shepherds and golden retrievers.But a 2023 study of canine cognition from the University of Helsinki puts a whole different breed at the top of the ladder—one that most of us have probably seen before but haven't heard the name of—the Belgian Malinois.Best known as a police or security dog, the Belgian Malinois is a shepherd breed that looks very similar to a German shepherd. Both breeds are of similar height and coloring, but the Malinois is lighter weight and its ears are more triangular-shaped, according to the American Kennel Club.So what is it that makes the Belgian Malinois more intelligent than other dog breeds?The study published in Scientific Reports analyzed 1,002 dogs from 13 different breeds using a battery of smartDOG cognition tests. These tests involve food reward tasks that determine a dog's capacity for memory, problem-solving, impulse control, reading human gestures, copying human behavior and logical reasoning. Despite a wide field of research on dogs, according to the study, only a handful of studies have examined cognition of specific breeds instead of breed groups. Additionally, not much empirical research has been done on nonsocial cognitive traits such as memory, inhibitory control, spatial problem-solving and logical reasoning—all of which were covered in this study.The researchers identified a few different tests as signifying high intelligence. For the most significant measure of intelligence, logical reasoning, the study revealed no significant difference between the dog breeds. So the three tests the authors singled out instead for measuring and comparing intelligence, according to The Telegraph, were:- A V-detour test, in which a dog had to detour around a transparent V-shaped fence to get to a food reward, showing some problem-solving ability.- A human gesture reading test, in which a dog's response to five gestures—constant pointing, brief pointing, pointing with the foot, pointing at something while facing another direction and following a human's gaze—was measured.- An unsolvable task test, in which a dog tries to access food in an unopenable box, measuring independence and how quickly a dog asked a human for help.The Belgian Malinois scored 35 out of a possible 39 points on these three tasks, making it the top scorer for high intelligence overall. Border collies came in second with 26 points and hovawarts came in third at 25 points.The study authors point out that there are strengths and weaknesses in most breeds. Some score very high on some tests and very low on others. Some breeds saw middle-of-the-road scores across most tests. According to IFLScience, one weakness the Malinois showed was in the cylinder test, in which a dog is taught to retrieve a piece of food from inside an opaque cylinder. The opaque cylinder then gets replaced with a transparent one to see if the dog will go around to the end of the cylinder to retrieve the treat, as it did with the opaque one, or try to go directly through the side of the cylinder to get to it. This test measures inhibition, and the Malinois scored among the lowest of all breeds on it. Every dog has its bright and dim spots, but it's clear why the Malinois is a dog of choice for security work. High intelligence, of course, but even being low on inhibition can be seen as a plus for a working dog that needs to be highly responsive and act quickly when needed. “The Belgian Shepherd Malinois stood out in many of the cognitive tasks, having very good results in a majority of the tests,” study author and owner and CEO of smartDOG Dr. Katriina Tiira told The Telegraph.“Border Collies also performed well in many of the tests," she added.

There are many reasons a pet may have to be rehomed, so it's a good idea not to judge when we hear of it happening. In fact, an incredible story from Oregon animal hunger charity The Pongo Fund is bringing home the fact that rehoming a beloved animal can sometimes truly be what's best for everyone involved. The Pongo Fund shared the tale of two cats—Penny and Lucy—and the two women who love them on its Facebook page. It's not exactly a happy story, but it's not a sad one either. It's a story of life, love and loss, and of strangers connecting in mysterious ways. And it's genuinely bringing people to tears, so grab a tissue and read on.The Pongo Fund shared:"She asked us to rehome her cats ASAP. Both of them 12 years old, she’d had them 10 years. Said she needed to travel and do some things she hadn’t been able to do for the past ten years, not being able to travel and take care of her cats at the same time. Hard as it was, it was time to let them go. She didn’t want to go anywhere exotic. No summer in France or finding herself in Kathmandu. Not Belize or Cancun or even Vegas or Palm Desert. She just wanted to see her Mom again. Old friends and family too. Back to where she came from. That was her calling. And anything else she could do this next year or two. Giving up her cats wasn’t part of the plan. Neither was cancer. And one year, maybe two; that’s what her oncologist told her. If there were things she wanted to do, this was the time.She adopted Penny and Lucy from The Pongo Fund a decade ago when a wonderful woman had her world turned upside down. She lost her home, her marriage. Everything stopped all at once. She loved her cats so much that she asked us to find them a new Mom. And we did. Now, the wonderful woman who welcomed those kitty friends ten years ago needed us to return the favor so someone else could welcome them. This woman, she didn’t want to let them go. But it was for their own good, not hers. Same thing the first woman said. Imagine loving someone that much, that you need to let them go. Penny and Lucy. Pure love, those two.She told us if possible, she’d like to meet the person we chose for the adoption. She just wanted them to know that Penny and Lucy were the best ever. She wanted them to go with all of their toys and beds and food and treats. And she wanted the new person to know that sometimes Lucy got an upset tummy and how Mom would put her on her lap and lay her on her back and rub it while she sang to her. Maybe she’ll never get an upset tummy again, but if she does, at least Lucy’s new family would know what to do. Her only request was that they stay together, these two sweet older girls who each had their own bed but most often ended up in the same one.She wanted to make sure we didn’t think poorly of her for what she was doing. She just knew that at some point soon, they were going to have a new family whether she liked it or not. If she could do it now and meet those people, she would feel better about it.We knew how hard this was for her, because she was the one who was there ten years ago when Penny and Lucy had nowhere else to go. She said yes back then, and now, she was asking someone else to say yes.Finding a new home for two cats is not easy. For two senior cats, even harder. But we had one card to play, and we played it then.We called a woman who used to live in the Portland area but moved away several years ago. She used to have two cats but needed to give them up when her life turned upside down. She bounced back in a new place a few states away. New job. New life.But always following The Pongo Fund on Facebook and cheering us on with love and kind words. We thought maybe she would welcome two senior cats.Because ten years ago, she was the one who needed to let them go, Penny and Lucy.Over the years she had told us, if there was ever a cat needing a safe place to go, to please let her know. Because she knew how it felt to have someone let you go. Someone let her go. She let her cats go. So that’s where we left it. To please keep her in mind, and she would be there.None of us knew it would be for the same cats she was forced to let go ten years ago. The cats she loved so much that she gave them up for their own good. For what was best for them. Every now and then we gave her an update, to let her know how they were doing. She didn’t want too much information, that was too hard, she said. But just to know they were safe and happy and most of all, that they were loved. Yes, we told her, they were loved. She loved knowing that.We called her. Told her we had a cat in need of a home. Two of them, actually. A bonded pair. We shared a bit more information. She didn’t have a clue. All at once she stopped talking and started sobbing. That’s when she knew. Sometimes life is like a rubber band. What goes around, comes around. For this woman who loved her cats so much that she let them go ten years ago. And now, she was there to welcome them home.A few days later she was in Portland. These two special women hugged over their shared love for the same two cats. For both of them, the loves of their lives. One of them is back home now, with the cats she never thought she’d see again. And the other one is telling her Mom she doesn’t have much time left.Both of them, with love as their guide.Sometimes life is like a rubber band.And this is why we Pongo."Hope you heeded the tissue warning, because judging from the comments on the story, it was needed. "I haven't even been up for an hour and I'm sobbing like A BABY," wrote one commenter. "I don't get very emotional but this made me cry," wrote another. "I am so happy for both the cats and the women involved.""Bloody hell, made me cry!!" shared another. "So much love and huge hugs to these two wonderful women, and of course their sweet little babies xx."One person shared, "This is why every person who gives up a pet should be treated with dignity and grace."Indeed. We never know what people's stories may be. Hopefully, this one will serve as a reminder that love can mean letting go, and that sometimes things work out far better than we expect, even when they don't go as planned. This article originally appeared on 6.14.22

The internet, for all its many wondrous things, can also be a cesspool of body-shaming, both outright and insidious. We see this most persistently perhaps with celebrities, who take on the role of dissection subjects regarding their weight. Whether being deemed “too thin” or “too fat,” comments about a public figure’s weight seems acceptable to some, simply because they signed up to be in the spotlight. But our better judgment knows this is not the case. Nicola Coughlan, who plays the plot pivotal role of Penelope Featherington on the hit Netflix show “Bridgerton,” is no stranger to being inundated with this type of harmful, completely unnecessary feedback from fans. See on Instagram So much so, that she recently posted her own truly heartfelt plea to her Instagram, asking for people to stop commenting on her body. Though we've seen multiple celebrities justifiably speak out against this, it’s hard not to be moved by her words in a whole new way.Coughlan began her post with both civility and directness. “Hello! So just a thing- if you have an opinion about my body please, please don’t share it with me.” This was apparently after receiving messages every single day following her breakout role.She continued: “Most people are being nice and not trying to be offensive but I am just one real life human being and it’s really hard to take the weight of thousands of opinions on how you look being sent directly to you every day.” Her approach reminds us of the very real people we are often damaging through projections of outdated beauty standards and downright unfounded opinions.“Yellowjackets” star Melanie Lynskey had also recently been invaded by an influx of supposedly well-intentioned spectators since the hugely successful Showtime series premiered.“Most egregious are the ‘I care about her health!!’ people,” Lynskey tweeted. “You don’t see me on my Peleton! You don’t see me running through the park with my child. Skinny does not always equal healthy.”I got to talk to the wondrous, wonderful @midwestspitfire again! How lucky am I?! https://t.co/SxsVEVx7l9— Melanie Lynskey (@melanielynskey) January 25, 2022 And of course, she’s not wrong. Despite our general assumptions, being thin is no real indication of a person’s health. And in some cases, it can reveal a risk for certain diseases. Even the formerly gold standard of measuring a healthy weight, the BMI, aka body mass index, is considered flawed today by experts.Clearly, the only weight needing to be shed is our truly unhealthy relationship with outdated body expectations. Coughlan knows that being a public figure often invites a public examination. “If you have an opinion about me that’s ok, I understand I’m on TV and that people will have things to think and say,” she wrote, with the caveat, “but I beg you not to send it to me directly.”Certainly, Coughlan shouldn’t have to resort to begging. But here we are. And maybe this is how the message needs to be heard. When it’s so easy to leave thoughtless or downright toxic messages on social media, we need to be reminded how it affects the hearts of real people on the receiving end. Empathy online is just as important as it is IRL. That’s what makes her plea a masterclass in grace. She speaks out without anger or accusation, though she could. Instead she comes from a place of compassion.Coughlan ended her post by saying, “anyways here’s a pic of me in my hotel in NY about to go to SNL, it’s unrelated to this post but delighted with my hair in it.”Even in a battle for boundaries, Coughlan’s never one to refrain from having a sense of humor (she did also star in the hilarious “Derry Girls”, after all). And, she wasn’t wrong about the hair. See on Instagram Reading Coughlan’s post, I can’t help but wonder, if she was able to treat perfect strangers with so much respect and kindness, can we not return the favor? This article originally appeared on 1.31.22

There is nothing more pure in this world than the love between a child and a caring parent. But even in the world of healthy attachments and strong family bonds, this viral video takes the cake. Twitter user @TeesePeese shared a compilation of highlights showing her son's reaction at daycare pickup, and it's seriously the most precious thing ever. "I really do love this video," she wrote. "I recorded my son's pick up almost every day and this is his reaction every single time. For his 5th bday (yesterday) I took my favorites and made a lil compilation, from infancy to just last week."The squeals. The smiles. The skipping for joy. Gracious, it doesn't get any sweeter. i really do love this video. i recorded my son\u2019s pick up almost every day and this is his reaction every single time. for his 5th bday (yesterday) i took my favorites and made a lil compilation, from infancy to just last week pic.twitter.com/8Hc7BjlBpF — Teese (@Teese) 1635624659 Clearly that's a boy who adores his mama—and also has an adorable sense of enthusiasm.Some new parents may worry that sending their child to daycare will negatively affect their child's attachment to them, but according to psychologist Noam Shpancer Ph.D, that worry is unfounded as long as the family environment is healthy at home. "Available data indicate that, for most children, parental attachment processes are not disrupted by daycare participation," writes Shpancer. "Home variables, such as maternal sensitivity, are the strongest predictors of parent-child attachment, even for daycare children."Clearly this kiddo's parent-child attachment hasn't suffered from being in daycare. Research also shows what common sense should also tell us—the quality of daycare matters.Unfortunately, quality daycare can be prohibitively expensive, which is why the proposed affordable childcare provisions in the Build Back Better plan are a huge deal. Millions of parents have to work to support their families and middle-class American families spend an average of 14% of their income on childcare—double what the limit would be under the Build Back Better framework. And the U.S. is an outlier in this area. According to The New York Times, other wealthy nations contribute an average of $14,000 per year for a toddler's child care costs, while the U.S. contributes merely $500. The virtues of stay-at-home motherhood versus working motherhood have been debated for decades, but no one can deny that childcare should be high quality and affordable whether a parent chooses to work or has to work. I was able to and chose to stay home during my kids' early childhoods, but I would be thrilled for my tax dollars to go toward helping all families get the support and childcare they need to make their individual situations work. At any rate, love seeing kiddos loving on their mamas, especially ones with infectious grins and delight-filled squeals. Thanks for capturing your sweet boy's joy and sharing it with the rest of us @TeesePeese. You brought a smile to so many faces that needed it. This article originally appeared on 11.1.21

One dad who decided to go clubbing with his daughter is making our day while having the night out of his life. Talia Schulhof (aka @taliasc) had to know she had all the makings of a viral-worthy TikTok when she posted: “My dad wanted to go to a club so here’s how it went.”If she didn’t know before, the now 10 million views are a sure indicator. People are loving this adorably wholesome video. @taliasc flash warning!!! @taliascdad iconic to say the least #madrid #espana #spain #clubbing #nightlife #dadsoftiktok ♬ Low (feat. T-Pain) - Flo Rida Dad’s ultra cool club attire consists of square rim glasses, a button-up top, and, of course, a gilet (because as we all know, the club is a notoriously chilly place).The ensemble was, undoubtedly, a hit.“You let him go with a vest on? Let some of the other guys have a chance,” one person wrote.After doing the “classic dad overview of the scene” and snapping a quick selfie for the family group chat, he’s ready to party. And by party, I mean he’s ready to sip Diet Coke while the rest of the group downs tequila shots. Flo Rida’s club classic “Apple Bottom Jeans” plays in the background, to which dad knows every lyric. He’s even seen fist pumping while checking work emails. That’s about as “dad lit” as it gets. The last thing we see is him dancing out of the exit, which Talia explains is to “remind everyone that he’s the main character.” TikTok seems to agree. One user joked: “He is the main character and we are just living in his world.”Finding the video oddly … relatable? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Many people in the comments had the same epiphany.“The work emails LMAO that’s me writing discussion posts at like 11:40 while I’m out partying.”“But that’s literally me at the club... am I? Am I? A dad??”Talia wrote in the comments that her dad was so excited his video outperformed her mom’s (yes, she was at the club too), because apparently whenever Talia posts family videos, mom wins.This article originally appeared on 12.5.21