The Cute Animal Pics/Videos Thread

[Caya]

[Caya]

From the Atlantic article Debbie linked to in the Benedict News thread came a link to a Buzzfeed collection of pretty well-crafted kitten photoshops:

 

 

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

What is it with Sherlock and Khan and all the cats......why not dogs?  Well there is the odd hedgehog for Sherlock....but still......

[Caya]

Well maybe because pics of Benedict Cumberbatch and dogs do exist,

 

 

and he's clear about being a dog person,

 

 

so photoshopping cats is more of a challenge .

[Arcadia]

What is it with cats and the internet in general, for that matter?

 

Oh, wait, I just remembered -- there IS an explanation...  http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=the+internet+is+made+of+cats+youtube&FORM=VIRE1#view=detail&mid=EB29A494799F0BC1F613EB29A494799F0BC1F613

 

[Caya]

Hey, I found some for you, Fox ... here are The Dogs of Sherlock (source):

 

[Arcadia]

And, here's another tube in the internets...

[Carol the Dabbler]

Poor kitty!  (Part Siamese?)

 

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

Oohhh that's to funny.  But yeah....as Carol implied the only cross eyed kitties I have ever seen have been Siamese. Have to research that I guess.

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

Okay, this is what I found on what causes cats to have cross eye.

 

 

    Strabismus is a term used to describe the abnormal positioning or direction of the eyeball. Normally, the eyeball is held in place and moves from side to side and top to bottom under the influence of small muscles which attach directly to the eyeball. Occasionally one muscle may be longer or stronger than the muscle located on the opposite side. This causes the eyeball to veer off in an abnormal direction. One or both eyes may be affected. If both eyes deviate towards the nose, the pet is referred to as cross-eyed. This is common in Siamese cats and is called medial or convergent strabismus. The eyeballs may deviate away from the nose, just the opposite of being cross-eyed, and this is called divergent strabismus. This is common in Boston Terriers and is inherited in this breed.

Strabismus can also occur as a result of injury to some of the nerves going to the eye muscles. In addition, it may be seen if the cat or dog has a disease of the vestibular system. The vestibular system is part of the ear and is what helps the cat (and us) keep our balance. If the vestibular system is not functioning normally, the cat may feel as though he is spinning, and his eyes will move abnormally to try to adjust to that.

If it is an inherited condition, no treatment is recommended as the abnormality is generally a cosmetic problem which does not affect the quality of life. If it is inherited, the breeding of affected individuals is not recommended.

For animals with injury to or disease of the nerves or the vestibular system, the underlying cause needs to be found and treated. Sometimes anti-inflammatory medications are helpful.

 

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

This is cute.....

 

       

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

I love how they captured Sherlock's "look" in this one. Lestrade has his hands full for sure.

 

   

[Arcadia]

Except Sherlock's the wrong color!

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

Oh I agree. He definitely should be black. But I couldn't resist. That look is just to priceless.

[Arcadia]

Yep, pretty sure that dog's not going anywhere unless he darn well pleases....

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

It might be a case of "Who's walking whom".

[Arcadia]

I'll bet it is!!!!

 

Okay, enough dogs, here's a hedgehog....

I know this image must be photoshopped but I find it adorable.....

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

Cute!

[by the sea]

I love Sherlock and the hedgehog ... they're both really cute little critters, aren't they ?  

 

I adopted a polar bear cub from the World Wildlife Fund for Christmas last year and hope he looks something like this:

 

 

Debbie

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

Oh wow! That's wonderful Debbie. I bet yours is every bit as cute as this little guy. They never sent you a picture?

[by the sea]

Oh wow! That's wonderful Debbie. I bet yours is every bit as cute as this little guy. They never sent you a picture?

 

No, they didn't.  They actually did send a generic photo and a poster with information and an adoption certificate ... oh, and a stuffed (toy) bear, which is just adorable.  A colleague of mine adopted a giraffe baby as her young daughter is very fond of giraffes.  The WWF had a number of endangered species you could "adopt" and, if you had the funds or perhaps belonged to an organization ... great for schools ... you could adopt one of each of the endangered creatures and get a toy representative for each animal.   The best kind of Christmas present !

 

Debbie

[Arcadia]

I think we've found Sherlock's cat.

[Carol the Dabbler]

... unless that's actually a hula dancer?

 

[Arcadia]

Both at once, perhaps. I'm sure Sherlock would have only the most talented of cats. Noticed that it appears to be singing opera as well.

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

It has occurred to me though.....I don't think I have ever...ever....seen anyone sing while playing the violin.