life

Cats, cats, and cats. Nothing but cats and that's how we like it! Each week, we love to collect the best cat pics and stories online and present them here. 

Each cat picture, or video, tells a different story and has a different set of emotions behind it. That's what makes this gathering a medley of a variety of things, number one being adorableness (which, granted, all cats naturally have), the second is the much-needed balance of humor, and the last being anything that tugs on the heartstrings (good or bad).

In this case, we have both. We have heartwarming stories of glow-ups and transformations. Yet, we also have heartbreaking moments of mourning and loss. We wanted to take a moment and send love to those who had recently had a pet cross the rainbow bridge. Your pet may be gone physically, but never emotionally, and never, ever forgotten. 

Chinese artist, Mai Mai, has perfectly summed up what life is like after you get a pet and the little day-to-day things that will change because of it/

Photos of landscapes and selfies will be replaced with nothing but your pets. Maybe a few selfies with said pets. Have clean clothes? Not anymore. Pet hair gets everywhere, and it gets everywhere fast. Extra money? Will go to taking care of your pet because they come first. 

It may sound unpleasant but it's honestly the best. And all pet owners can attest to that. There is nothing compared to having a best friend by side, always loving you. Truly, it's unmeasurable. 

Thank you, Mai Mai, for opening up our eyes and showing up the beauty of what having pets in our lives accomplishes. 

Follow @mai2john on Facebook for more delightful illustrations! 

Wow! The elephant shrew was considered a lost species up until recently! It hasn't been seen in 50 years, last scientific recording being back in the 1970s.

A country in the Horn of Africa, Djibouti, the creature was found during a scientific expedition. Found alive and well, we should add. 

The elephant shrew is so tiny, it can fit in the palm of your hand.  They are neither elephants nor shrews but do have a distinctive trunk-like nose. The elephant shrew actually is related to aardvarks, elephants, and manatees, believe it or not. 

Steven Heritage, a research scientist at the Duke University Lemur Center in Durham, and a member of the expedition that re-discovered the elephant shrew said he was thrilled to put the once lost species back on the radar! 

Heritage told BBC, "We were really excited and elated when we opened the first trap that had an elephant shrew in it, a Somali sengi. We did not know which species occurred in Djibouti and when we saw the diagnostic feature of a little tufted tail, we looked at each other and we knew that it was something special."

Story via BBC

It's all about being there. Through it all. Being there with your beloved pet is love. 

Jenny Jinya is no stranger to heartbreaking animal comics that leave us running for some tissues. At this point, we know whenever we're able to read one of her new comics to have tissues ready at hand. Jinya has a gift of conveying important messages in an achingly haunting yet beautiful way. 

We were first impressed by her "Good Boy" comic and haven't been let down since. Since then, Jinya has tackled very serious animal issues in several comics. 

You can follow Jinya on Twitter, Instagram, and/or become a patron to support this artist. 

Remember when you'r mom and dad said that television was rotting your brain? They had no idea how bad this sh*t would get. Our brains are practically useless thanks to all the mindless scrolling we've been doing. We're not going to get these brain cells back so we may as well keep at this pointless internet consumption. Here are some memes to get ya started. 

This thread asks the question, why would any God of Death every really need to be a bad guy? Why feel the need to speed things up if it's guaranteed to win in the end? These Tumblr users flesh out the idea of a death who's not that bad of a person. For some more creative tumblr musings on life and death and gods, here's a story about a selfless farmer with a heart of gold, as well as a tumblr thread on demons bonding over sandwiches.

Careful, this post hits hard in the feelsplex. We get to hear some thoughts about life from a 24-year-old who was diagnosed with cancer, and too late for any good chance at survival. A definite big takeaway is don't sweat the small stuff. Make decisions from a place of courage, love, and positivity, and shape a beautiful life from there. 

Just another round up of some insanely relatable tweets on what it means and feels like to be an adult. Don't worry too much though, we're all miserable together. 

Hope that helps! 

Many of you recall the heartbreaking story of Tahlequah, the orca whose love and actions for her dead calf was seen around the world. 

Almost to this day two years ago, this devoted mother lost her baby calf and was so heartbroken, she kept her calf afloat for 17 days as she continuously carried it. It was a heartbreaking sight and it's a moment we can never forget. Whoever says animals don't have emotions -- you tell them Tahlequah's story. 

And now, two years after those gut-wrenching 17 days, Tahlequah is officially pregnant once again! This orca was obviously a born-to-be mother and we're so incredibly happy for her and her second chance at motherhood. 

According to Seattle Times, Tahlequah is still a ways away from a successful birth, and like all orcas, she will be requiring luck on her side to bring her baby into this world, and keep it alive. 

We wish her all the best. 

You're probably well aware of Jenny Jinya, at this point. Jinya's comics in the past have been beyond heartbreaking, yet informative and always held with an important message.

This one is no different, except it is. According to Jinya's Twitter, this comic was in reaction to those asking for a "happy" comic, "By popular request, I have now tried a "happy" comic. A new character is also introduced. But I don't know yet if this one will appear again. It was a lot of fun to draw this comic, but I think the heartbreaking stories are more my style."

You continue turning out these stories, Jinya, and we will always be here to listen! 

These "life hacks" aren't going to be elevating your quality of life because they're useful. They're going to elevate your quality of life because they're absolutely guaranteed to make you laugh. 

There are a lot of funny people in this world. But there's a special place in our hearts for the individuals who manage to pack chuckle-worthy wit into a 280 character tweet. This gallery of tweets is filled with loads of that admiration-worthy humor, and is perfect for any bored soul with a desire for instantly gratifying comedy. 

Meet "Ju" of Jubes Comics! A talented artist whose drawn up these handy-dandy comics on how to handle the real-life hardships were dealing with now, the global pandemic. Through her adorable illustrations, the comic offers some solid advice that everyone should take a glance at.

The objective behind these illustrations? To keep us all well-informed and safe. Jubes also has adorable Slice of Life comics for viewing on Tapas and written in the description behind the art, it states, "Illustrated form of my Slice of Life and Discovering what Love really means to me. Life is filled with thoughts and gestures of love but sometimes we're just too busy to see it."