Advent candles and wreaths symbolize hope, waiting, and Christ's coming.

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The post 15 Best Gifts for Cat Lovers in 2024: Unique Ideas for Feline Lovers by Catster Editorial Team appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com. Sometimes it can be hard to find the perfect gift for your friends, but if they love cats, we’ve got the purr-fect solution! Any cat lover will appreciate a gift that’s inspired by their favorite animal. Whether it’s something practical for the office or something fun to make them laugh, we’ve got you covered! Any cat lover is going to appreciate a gift for their cat! From beautiful collars to catnip toys and more, a special gift for a friend’s cat is always going to be appreciated. Now, let’s get into the best gifts for cat lovers! The 15 Best Gifts for Cat Lovers in 2024 1. Retractable Feather Wand Check Price on Chewy Check Price on Amazon This feather wand is a fantastic way for any cat owner to spend quality time playing with their beloved cat. The wand part of this toy is retractable, so you can store it easily. The fishing line with a feather will have any cat leaping and pouncing! 2. Basepaws Cat DNA Test Kit Check Price on BasePaws Check Price on Amazon This cat DNA kit is on the expensive side,  but it would make a unique present that most cat owners will appreciate. They can learn valuable information about their beloved kitty, like possible health conditions. The tricky part for the owner is attempting to swab their cat’s cheek for 5 seconds! 3. Self-Cleaning Grooming Brush Check Price on Chewy Check Price on Amazon Okay, so giving a cat brush as a gift might not sound that exciting, but any cat lover will appreciate how easy it is to use and the self-cleaning feature. This Hertzko slicker brush enables you to clean it at the push of a button. Even if the cat doesn’t thank you for it, most cat lovers will. Personalized Gifts for Cat Lovers 4. Custom Personalized Photo Socks Check Latest Price How much would any cat owner love to have their cat’s face plastered all over their socks! These personalized socks are a colorful and adorable way for cat lovers to bring their cats with them wherever they go. The only tricky part is that you’ll need to find a way to get the cat’s photo. 5. Custom Catch Personalized Cat Bed Check Latest Price These personalized cat beds are cute and have several options to choose from. They come in six different colors and with the choice of four different fonts and a couple of patterns. Adding the cat’s name makes this a comfy and personal gift for them both. Clothing Gifts for Cat Lovers 6. Hepper “Lazy” Tote Bag Check Latest Price If the cat lover you’re shopping for needs a new tote or just likes to collect them, try this tote bag! It has a natural hue with artwork depicting a lazy cat. It’s durable and spacious and has 20-inch-long handles, so it can be carried on the shoulder if desired. At Catster, we’ve admired Hepper for many years and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding designs of this cool cat company! 7. Leggings in Long Lash Cat Print Check Latest Price They’re soft, they’re comfortable, and they’re leggings! These cat leggings are adorable and comfy, and there are a few other paw print designs to choose from if you take a look. Cat lovers everywhere will be proud to wear these soft leggings! 8. Hepper ‘Creative’ T-Shirt Check Latest Price This T-shirt has a neutral white background with original Hepper artwork depicting a cat clawing up a couch—we’ve all been there! It’s a unisex T-shirt made with heavy cotton, available in sizes small through 5XL. The cotton is ethically grown and harvested, and it doesn’t have bothersome side seams. At Catster, we’ve admired Hepper for many years and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding designs of this cool cat company! Kitchen and Homeware for Cat Lover Gifts 8. Cat Print Dish Towel Set Check Latest Price Anyone who uses their kitchen regularly knows how important dish towels are. They come in handy for wiping hands or pulling things out of the oven. If you give these dishtowels with a cat pattern to any cat lover, they should be quite pleased. They’re cute and handy and definitely eye-catching! 9. Original Kit-Cat Klock Check Latest Price How many of us have seen these clocks throughout our lives? They’ve been featured in TV shows, movies, and your eccentric aunt’s house. The Kit-Cat Klock has been around since 1932! Your cat lover friend may have always wanted one of these, so it could end up as the best gift that they’ve ever received. Technology Gift Ideas for Cat Lovers 10. GermGuardian Air Sanitizer and Deodorizer Check Latest Price A cat owner will probably kiss your feet if you give them this plug-in air sanitizer! This isn’t an air freshener device that pumps overly perfumed scent into the air. They simply need to put it in the room where the litter box is, and it will reduce the odor. 11. Kastty Cat Water Fountain Check Latest Price A water fountain isn’t exactly technology, but it’s close enough — and important enough! Water fountains encourage cats to drink more water, which can help prevent certain health conditions (especially kidney disease). This particular cat water fountain has a cute LED light and looks a little futuristic! Book Cat Lovers Gifts 12. A Street Cat Named Bob Check Latest Price This poignant and well-known book was also made into a movie, but it chronicles the true story of a homeless man, James, who is adopted by a stray cat, Bob. It’s a beautiful story about the strength of the love between a man and his cat and the cat lover in your life might even shed a tear or two. 13. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World Check Latest Price If your cat lover friend works in a library, loves libraries, or just loves reading, you might want to give them this book about Dewey the library cat. It’s based on the story of an abandoned cat that ends up in a public library and captures the hearts of not only the library-goers but also the world. It’s a potential tearjerker, though! Calendars and Office Supplies Gift Ideas for Cat Lovers 14. Cat Mouse Pad Check Latest Price Most offices still use mouse pads, so why not give the cat lover in your life this hilarious cat mouse pad? It should do the trick to remind them why they are working — it’s always for our cats! 15. Post-It Pop-up Cat Note Dispenser Check Latest Price Any cat owner who works in an office (even a home office) and uses Post-It notes will appreciate this cat Post-It note dispenser. It’s cute, and it might make their day a little brighter every time they reach for a Post-It. Also see: Best Hanukkah Cat Gifts – Reviews & Top Picks Best Gift Ideas for Cats — Reviews & Top Picks Featured Photo Credit: Pixabay The post 15 Best Gifts for Cat Lovers in 2024: Unique Ideas for Feline Lovers by Catster Editorial Team appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

Donald Trump accepted an interview request from NBC "Meet the Press" host Kristen Welker, and once again she incessantly interrupted and "fact checked" the president-elect. Jorge Bonilla reviews all that was asked and answered. He summed up: "Welker’s sit-down with the once and future president featured some newsworthy items, but was mostly a showcase for her blatant deceptions," especially on immigration. Welker tried to "fact check" the idea that gangs took over apartment complexes in Colorado. Everything negative about illegal immigrants is defined as "not news" or "misinformation." The Catholic League pointed out today: "In the last year, a total of 158 Congressmen voted not to deport migrants convicted of sex crimes, and 140 of them were reelected in November. Every one of them were Democrats." The Democrats in the media have no interest in underlining this positioning. Right from the top, Welker announced what NBC thinks are the main issues, starting with "retribution" and pardoning the January 6 defendants and forcing Trump to admit he lost in 2020. Funny that he didn’t recall his Truth Social post of 2023 talking up the idea of  a special counsel for Joe Biden. That was a Tim Russert moment of sorts. But it misses the obvious point that Biden's team appointed a special counsel on Trump.  It was interesting that the NBC-assembled panelists afterward noticed that Trump’s tone was soft and that he came across as a little bit fluid on policy, like on the idea of limiting abortion pills. He ends up more moderate on abortion than the Democrats, who want nationwide abortion on demand. But the silliest Welker attack is the suggestion that Trump is uniquely "dividing" the country, as if the media and the Biden team aren't doing and saying very divisive things, like suggesting Trump was going to "end" democracy we know it. We have a "divide and conquer" media, but they're failing to conquer. They're just dividing. We also discuss several conservatives "schooling" liberals like Jake Tapper on CNN's State of the Union. Enjoy the podcast below, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

New Road Rules: There’s No Steering Clear of Elon Musk’s Driverless Future

A Roman bronze enameled cup has been identified from a 6th century burial in the Anglo-Saxon burial ground at Scremby on the east coast of Lincolnshire. While vessels of this type have been found in the UK before, this is a rare example unearthed from its original context during a modern, secure archaeological excavation instead of by amateur metal detectorists and antiquarians of centuries past. The burial ground was first discovered by a metal detectorist in 2018. He found a few Anglo-Saxon artifacts and reported them to the Lincolnshire Finds Liaison Officer. The nature of the objects suggested they may be grave goods, so University of Sheffield archaeologists were engaged to excavate the site. Over the course of their investigation, the team unearthed 49 graves dating to between 480 and 540 A.D., almost all of them containing a rich complement of funerary goods. Many of the deceased were women buried with exceptionally lavish arrays of jewelry, grooming tools and accessories. Since the excavation, the contents of the graves, including the human remains, metal artifacts and elephant ivory bag rings, have been analyzed by researchers in multiple disciplines. The ivory rings were roughly contemporary with the burials, expensive imports from Kingdom of Aksum in what is now Eritrea, symbols and wealth and status to the women who wore them and were buried with them. In contrast to most of the other graves, the burial containing the Roman cup was modest. It belonged to an adolescent female who was interred wearing only two plain annular brooches and a pair of wrist clasps, jewelry that was so common they’ve been found in 90% of 6th century female burials in Lincolnshire. Only two of the 48 other burials have fewer grave goods than hers. The cup, however, was unique and special. Only two other containers were found in Scremby graves, and both of them were plain ceramic vessels buried in male graves that had other rich furnishings including shield bosses, spears and knives. It was placed near her head and unlike other fragments of Roman metalwork found in the burial ground, it was intact and in usable condition. It even retains its soldered base, made of a thin sheet of metal (.8mm at its thickest) so fragile that comparable vessels usually are missing this piece. It is 2.25 inches high and at full volume would have contained no more than 9.5 fluid ounces of liquid. The exterior is decorated with vertical panels of insets in different half-moon, heart, trumpet and triangle shapes that were infilled with enamel in bright colors of aquamarine, red and deep purple-blue. None of the enameled bronze Roman vessels on the archaeological record of Britain share the same design pattern. Closer, but not identical, parallels are known from France. The French examples date to the second half of the 3rd century, and while similar British vessels were previously believed to date to the 1st or 2nd century, metallurgic analysis of the cup found the alloy was consistent with that produced in Roman Britain in the 3rd century. That means this cup was probably at least 300 years old when it was buried with the girl at Scremby. A micro-excavation of the soil inside the cup found organic residue just above the base. Analysis of the residue sample found high concentration of saturated fatty acids consistent with degraded pig fat. Researchers could not determine whether the fat had been cooked — as part of a stew, for example — or whether it was raw. If the latter, it could conceivably had had a cosmetic purpose, but that is unlikely in the absence of any other ingredients commonly found in cosmetic preparations. It could instead have been medicinal, as 6th century sources do claim the Franks used raw bacon fat to cure intestinal problems and aid in the clean healing of wounds. The cup’s placement in a prominent place within a burial suggests it had ritual significance, and as the only vessel found inside a female grave and the only one with organic residue, it seems likely it fulfilled some unknown ceremonial function. As for how a 3rd century cup wound up in a young girl’s grave three centuries later, there are two probable scenarios: it was scavenged from a Roman grave for reuse as a funerary object, or it was a lovingly preserved family heirloom. Scans of the cup found no evidence of repair, which such a fragile item almost certainly would have required had it been in active use for 300 years. On the other hand, it was fragile enough that the wafer-thin base, at least, would have been damaged even if it had been concealed in a grave for all that time. It would have had to have bene treated with kid gloves, not like a utilitarian object, for generations to make it into the girl’s grave intact. Her skeletal remains and those of the other deceased in the Scremby burials are now undergoing DNA analysis, so additional information about her may yet come to light. The study of the cup has been published in the European Journal of Archaeology and can be accessed in its entirety here.

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