June 21, 2021

You've Gotta Be Kitten Me


You've Gotta Be Kitten Me
These guys are basically the original Grumpy Cats.  Photo by Parken Zoo via CC BY 3.0

Anyone's day might be considered a success when they go for a hike and end up finding a litter of adorable kittens instead, but this group of explorers in the Altai mountains was twice as lucky to find a group of especially rare kittens too. 

And luckily for us, they captured the experience on video so that we can all watch the cuteness through the internet. The sweet babies in the video will someday grow up to be Pallas's cats, a secretive and threatened species of wildcat  

Physically, the Pallas's cat (or Manul) isn't all that much different than your average house cat, except it is a little bit bigger and wears a perpetually disgruntled look on its face. It's extremely rare to see one in the wild, much less a whole litter of them! This is not only due to the fact that their wild numbers are limited, but also because the animals have the habit of hiding (much like their domestic counterparts). 

While the kittens in the video appear to be without adult supervision, viewers can rest assured knowing that the mama cat was more than likely not too far away on the hunt for their supper. Hopefully, she keeps her distance from livestock or ferrets that may or may not be vacationing in the region. 

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The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

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