Image credit We bring you all the winners from the International Academy of Cat and Dog Acting Awards, or Pawsies as they are known. As usual, the acceptance meows, purrs, woofs and howls were too long but amidst the expected winners, there was some promising and exciting new talent.  1. Best Action Performance Cat  Image credit Cat Duo Image credit   Dog Image credit   2. Best Performance as a Statue Kitten Image credit   Cat Image credit 3. Best Dramatic Performance Kitten Image credit   Cat Image credit Dog Image credit Small Dog Image credit   3. Best Stunt Performance Kitten Image credit   Cat Image credit Puppy Image credit   4. Best Play Dead Performance Kitten Image credit Cat Image credit   Dog Image credit  

What's this little guy dreaming about? Playtime? Puppy school? Treats? Or maybe that eerie looking dressed up doll beside him? Whatever it is, his little woofs and whines are guaranteed to melt your heart. We love puppy dreaming videos! Be sure to SHARE this video and bring some adorable into someone else's day!

The Khao Manee is a striking breed of cat celebrated for its brilliant white coat and unusual mismatching eyes. Its name means ‘White Gem’, and has origins in ancient Thailand where it was famed for its unearthly beauty.  Image credit   The first reference of the Khao Manee appeared in the Tamra Maew, a celebrated manuscript of cat poems created in 1350. Called by its other name, the Khao Plort, which translates literally to ‘all white’, the text claims the regal cat brings ‘long life and title’ to the household it called home.    Image credit   Until recently, breeding of the Khao Manee was restricted to the Thai royal family. King Rama V in the late nineteenth century was one of the most notable royal cat lovers and was a strong proponent of the breed, along with the Siamese.    The Burmese, Siamese and Korat are three other closely related breeds native to Thailand well known to the West. The Khao Manee however was kept for centuries as a closely guarded secret. So revered is the breed, its history is still taught in Thai schools.    Image credit   The ‘perfect’ Khao Manee has odd-coloured eyes. In such cases, one eye is usually blue and one eye amber or green. Kittens with matching yellow or green eyes are also typical of the breed.    All Khao Manee have pure white coats, however at birth some kittens have a small dark mark on the top of their heads. This mark disappears when they reach approximately one year of age.     In 1999, ‘Sripia’ was the first known Khao Manee to travel outside of Thailand. Colleen Freymouth imported her from her homeland to the US. She subsequently imported a male to produce the first Khao Manee litter born on foreign soil. As numbers of the unusual cat have been falling in their native land, Western breeders are now an important part in ensuring the cat breed does not become extinct.    Image credit   Khao Manee are known for being intelligent and mischievous cats. Like other Asian breeds, they are vocal cats and like to ‘talk’ to their owners a great deal. They can also be quite mischievous – and as their history as the cats of royalty suggests – require a high level of attention from their humans.           

Cat cafes are making news the world over. No, they’re not for cats that love a macchiato – rather, they are enclaves for cat lovers to cuddle kitties whilst sipping lattes that are popping up in major cities internationally.      The first cat café opened in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1998 and became popular with locals and Japanese tourists in the area. In 2004, Osaka became home to Japan’s first cat café and subsequently many more opened in cities throughout the country. Tokyo alone now has 39 cat café’s in operation. The cafes’ popularity is largely attributed to landlords frowning upon the keeping of pets. Cat cafes allow people who might not otherwise be able to enjoy animal companionship to essentially ‘rent-a-pet’. Some cafes specialise in housing particular kinds of cats such as black cats, fat cats, rare breeds or re-homed strays. The cat café trend has been spreading. Cafes are now selling coffees amongst kittens in France, Hungary, Germany and Spain and even Melbourne, Australia! Last week the first cat café in the United States opened its doors in New York City. Sponsored by Purina ONE and the North Shore Animal League, it will operate for a limited time to raise awareness to the plight of homeless cats and open discussion about cat health. It has been so popular visitors can expect a 5-hour wait in the line to get inside.   Image credit The cats purring in the arms of excited New Yorkers are all rescues looking for new homes. Through the café, five of the sixteen have already found forever homes.   Those worried about cats being used for ‘entertainment’ need not fret. Cat cafes are required to obey strict animal welfare and cleanliness laws. It is their duty to ensure cats are not overly pestered by enthusiastic adults or children and receive adequate rest periods.     Image credit

We have written before about the richest pets in the world, each with many millions in the bank – but what do cashed up dogs and moggies drop their cash on these days? Here are some of the most exclusive luxury pet products that might gleam in their homes and wardrobes:  I Love Dogs ‘Amour, Amour’ Diamond Dog Collar - $3.2 million    Image Credit Forget diamante studded collars – the truly elegant pet sports nothing but glittering diamonds. The collar features an 18 carat white gold plate, hand set with 1600 52 carat diamonds attached to a crocodile leather strap. As expected with a million dollar price tag, the collar is able to be customized to fit the pampered pet’s neck. It is currently the most expensive collar on the market today.    Louis Vuitton Collars and Leashes $440 - $550   Image credit  Diamonds are perfect for the evening and when entertaining – but what does the cashed up pet sport for day-to-day casual wear? Look no further than Louis Vuitton, with their collection of monogrammed and gold collars and matching leashes. Super chic!   Magniflex Gold Mattress - $30,000    Image credit   Sleeping rough out in the backyard? Never! The upper-class pet curls up on gold.   Italian company Magniflex makes mattresses with a cover woven with 22-carat gold thread. The queen size is priced at $24,000 and the king at $30,000. The company seized the opportunity to create pet bedding when a wealthy Russian client asked if one might be made for her beloved Maltese. The beds are now sold in Las Vegas and available directly from Italy.  Puppy de Paris décor - $14,000 - $21,150   French company Puppy de Paris creates opulent furnishings for cossetted cats and dogs. With only a hundred in the world, the L’Ecuelle Royal golden pet bowl is decorated with fleur-de-lis and fashioned out of 24 carat gold. The fine crystal bowl is inset in a gold frame and is just the thing for serving steak and smoked fish to a discerning pet. It is a bargain at a mere $14,000.  Image credit   L’appartement Place Vendome is a three floor pet apartment modeled on the facades of the Place Vendome. The upper floor is a chest to store treasured toys and accessories. The second floor is a wardrobe with upholstered drawers with 24 carat handles to store clothing and other belongings. The ground floor is padded with luxurious fabric and curtained with velvet hangings held back with French passementerie tiebacks. It is priced at $21,150.  Image credit

1. The "look how smart I look in glasses" selfie. Image credit   2. The pretend caught off guard selfie.   Image credit   3. The suns out guns out selfie.   Image credit 4. The #nomakeup, #nofilter" selfie.   Image credit   5. The "I wear my sunglasses at night" selfie. Image credit   6. The outdoorsy selfie. Image credit   7. The "I love my boyfriend" selfie.   Image credit 7. The classic bathroom mirror selfie.   Image credit   8. The "I'm sooo tired" selfie.   Image credit 9. The Miley Cyrus selfie. Image credit   9. The "aren't you jealous I'm on vacation?" selfie. Image credit 10. The "I woke up like this" selfie. Image credit 11. The "me and my main dog" selfie.   Image credit 12. The photobomb selfie.  Image credit   13. The common #ootd (outfit of the day) selfie.  Image credit   14. The birthday boy selfie.  Image credit   15. And lastly, the all time favorite #selfiesunday selfie.   Image credit    

1. Dress to impress.  Sombreros are a must for a Cinco de Mayo fiesta.    source source   Add a colorful poncho to really bring the outfit together. source source Not necessary but always a nice touch, a moustache.    source  Hot indeed.   source   If you really want to stand out, take the piñata route. But warning: you may get hit on (wink wink).   source 2. What's a party without decorations? Piñatas, cut paper banners, and blow-up cacti will really set the atmosphere!   source | source 3. Supply tasty snacks.  Nachos are quick and easy!   source And who doesn't love a taco?    source 4. Tequila Tuesday or not, there has to be margaritas.  source And Coronas for the beer drinkers!   source   5. Every good party has music. What's more appropriate than a mariachi band!   source source 6. Where there's music, there's dancing! Take some tips from these guys who have the hip motion down: source source   So there you have it! All that's left is to invite your closest pals.   source   Have fun! But not too much fun or you may end up like this:   source source   Feliz cinco de mayo! Or as the cats like to say, feliz cinco de gato!  

Samuel Price is no ordinary pet artist, creating his unique, contemporary dog portraits without using a drop of paint.  Image credit   Instead, the self-taught Price recycles magazines to fashion his works. He began his unique technique out of necessity, rather than artist’s whim. As a young man he could not afford paint and so took to cutting up and gluing together pieces from old magazines and newspapers to create pictures of animals, people, and scenery.     Assembled from hundreds of small magazine squares, each artwork takes three to six months to complete, varying the size and complexity of the subject matter.    Image credit   Price began creating photomontages of pets after a friend of his was unhappy with how a portrait of her dog Floyd by another artist was turning out. Price offered to give immortalising Floyd a go and he was so pleased with the result, it is still one of his favourite works to date. Since then he was captured many a doggy face using his unique method.    Says the artist, “I feel incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to share my passion for dog art with the world. I never imagined that my career would have taken me in the direction that it has, but I have learned so much by studying animals and have aligned my career in a very intuitive manner to combine my personal interests and pursue my dreams.”   Image credit   Price works from photographs, sketching the basic shape of the pet on canvas, and starts gluing. He usually asks the client to take the photos themselves, as they know their pet best, and how to best capture their personality. Price tries hard to capture the affection owner’s have for their dogs in his work.    It is important to Price his artworks stand the test of time. He attaches the magazine clippings from everyday publications using polymer emulsion, a kind of acrylic paint, which he paints the back and front of each piece. The polymer embalms the magazine to prevent the natural process of oxidation which would cause the paper to corrode over time. When the artwork is complete, he glazes it with UV protective gloss that deflects sunlight, preventing any harmful fading that might result from exposure over time.     Image credit   Price lives in San Francisco with his wife, his dog Buster, and two cats.       

No, its not Photoshopped. Venus is a cat unlike any other. One half of her face is solid black with a green eye, and the other ginger with tabby stripes and a blue eye.  Image credit   Image credit   Now an Internet star, the remarkable cat’s beginnings were humble. In a stroke of luck, Venus’s owner spotted her as a kitten amongst a litter of strays in a photo her husband took whilst working on a dairy farm in North Carolina. She fell instantly in love and rang the farm owner at once to ask if she could adopt her. Two days later her husband flew interstate to bring little Venus home.  Internet stardom was almost inevitable when pictures of the unique cat began circulating online. She now has over 166k likes on her Facebook page, a popular Youtube channel and a stuffed plush toy replica to her name.    Many were convinced she was a hoax, until she appeared in the flesh on the Today Show and was investigated by The National Geographic.     There are a number of theories as to the cause of Venus’s unusual appearance. She is widely believed to be a ‘chimera’, a term coined after the mythological beast composed of many parts of different animals. In biology a chimera is an animal whose cells contain two types of DNA, after two embryos fuse together. Essentially, a ginger cat and black cat might have become one in Venus, her double-nature manifesting in her face.     Image credit   But if Venus isn’t a chimera, what else could explain her unique looks? Simple luck, is the most likely other possible cause. It is feasible the cells in one side of her face were randomly activated so the fur turned black, whilst the other side was activated to turn orange. From this, a one in a million fur pattern was produced.      According to some experts, Venus uniqueness is not just limited to her split face. Her single, inexplicable blue eye is also highly unusual. Blue eyes are rare outside of the Siamese breed, and are otherwise usually present in cats with a coat that is largely white in colour. Since a tiny patch on Venus’s chest is the only section of white fur, her eye is yet another oddity in her already remarkable appearance.    Whatever the true cause of Venus’s mysterious looks, her star looks set to continue to rise.   

Cats seem to have an uncanny knack of finding warm places and curling up next to a computer seems to be no exception!  Image credit   1. “Damn, I just got outbid on eBay.”   Image credit   2. “www.kittydate.com. I think I’m in love!”   Image credit   3. "Hmm...how do you spell mouse again?"   Image credit   4. “Okay hang on, I’m just updating my Facebook status.”   Image credit 5. “This ain’t a mouse. Where is the mouse?”   Image credit   6. “Aahhh… Control-Alt-Snooze!”   Image credit   7. “No, my name starts with N... N for naughty.”   Image credit   8. “So, shall I activate the furwall?”   Image credit   9. “I’ve deleted all your files, haven’t I?”   Image credit