Everything we’ve learned about cats, written down.

Stories.

• StoryThe rarest cat coats in the worldMale calicos, split faces, chocolate, amber, albino and smoke, and which you could meet on the street.
• StoryThe rarest cats ever knownA two-faced cat, a split face, a 38-year-old tabby, and the oldest cat ever found with a person.
• StoryCyprus, the first island of catsThe oldest cat buried with a person, Saint Helena's snake hunters, and a monastery that still keeps cats.
• StoryMale calico cats: why they're so rareWhy calicos are almost always girls, how a boy happens, and the one who went to Antarctica.
• StoryWhy most ginger cats are maleFour in five ginger cats are boys. The gene behind it, and the stripes every ginger has.
• StoryCats with extra toesMitten paws, ships' cats, Hemingway's house and the record of 28 toes.
• StoryCats with odd eyesOne blue eye, one gold. Why it happens in white cats, and the ear on the blue side.
• StoryFamous street catsA statue in Istanbul, a mosque's queen, a busker's best friend and a stray at No. 10.

How-to guides.

Meeting street cats

• GuideFound a street cat? What to doHow to tell a lost pet from a street cat, find the owner, and know when to call a vet.
• GuideWhat to feed a street catThe right food, the foods that are dangerous for cats, and how to feed without upsetting the neighbours.
• GuideHow to tell if a street cat is neuteredWhat an ear tip looks like, which ear it's on, and how to tell it from a fight wound.
• GuideTrap, neuter, return (TNR) explainedHow street cats get neutered, why it works, and how to get it done on your street.
• GuideHow to approach a shy catRead the tail, crouch low, and try the slow blink. How to say hello to a street cat.
• GuideHow to catch a street cat safelyBook the vet, skip a meal, bait with sardines, cover the trap. And never grab by hand.

Kittens

• GuideHow old is my kitten?A week-by-week kitten age chart, how to guess a grown cat's age, and when to vaccinate, worm and neuter.
• GuideFound kittens? Leave them or help?Their mother is usually close by. How to check, and when kittens really need you.
• GuideBoy or girl? How to tell a kitten's sexLook under the tail for an i or two dots. Plus what a ginger or calico coat gives away.
• GuideIs that street cat pregnant?Pink nipples, a rounder belly, a hunt for a quiet corner. The signs, and how to help her.

Health and safety

• GuideSigns a cat is sickThe signs that mean a vet now, the ones that mean a vet soon, and how to read pain in a cat's face.
• GuideHelping street cats in summer heatWater, shade, and the signs a cat is overheating, for the hottest weeks of the year.
• GuideHelping street cats in winter and rainA dry place to sleep matters more than warmth. How to make a simple shelter.
• GuideWhat's poisonous to catsLilies, painkillers, dog flea drops and more. The everyday things that poison cats.
• GuideCat flu in street catsSneezing, runny eyes, off their food. What cat flu is, how to help, and when it's a vet job.
• GuideFleas and worms in street catsThe wet paper test, the rice grains, and the dog flea drops that can kill a cat.
• GuideFound an injured cat? What to doCall the vet first, wrap it in a towel, a box with air holes. And no human painkillers, ever.

Bringing one home

• GuideHow to photograph a cat with your phoneGet to their level, find soft light, focus on the eyes, and let the cat come to you.
• GuideAdopting a street cat: the first weeksThe vet, a quiet room, and patience. How to help a street cat settle into a home.

Awareness days.

The days of the year that matter to street cats. See the calendar.

• Awareness dayGlobal Cat DayWhy almost nobody counts their street cats, and why neutering is the fix that works.
• Awareness dayBlack Cat DayWhy black cats wait longest for a home, and how to take a photo that does them justice.
• Awareness dayWorld Spay DayThe 420,000 kittens myth, and why around four months is the age to neuter.
• Awareness dayWorld Stray Animals DayHow pets become strays, and the simple things that keep them home.
• Awareness dayInternational Cat DayA day for all 600 million cats, including the ones that belong to nobody.
• Awareness dayWorld Animal DayA hundred years of a day for every animal, the street cat on your wall included.
• Awareness dayNational Cat DayA US day for adopting cats, worth borrowing wherever you live.
• Awareness dayTuxedo Cat DayNot a breed, just a white shirt. And the black-and-white strays who worked in Whitehall.
• Awareness dayJapan's Cat Day2-2-2 sounds like nyan nyan nyan. Plus a cat island and a cat who ran a railway station.
• Awareness dayHug Your Cat DayMost cats don't love a hug. Where they do like a stroke, and the CAT rule.
• Awareness dayGinger Cat Appreciation DayFilm stars, a busker's best friend, and what's true about the orange ones.
• Awareness dayWorld Rabies DayA disease that's 100% preventable and still kills. What to do after a bite or scratch.