Cat Mothers a Rat

You must have heard a story of other house pets such as dog adopting a kitten or a cat adopting another kitten but it is rare or weird to hear this story of the cat adopting an orphan rat.


Forwarded by a friend from Malaysia;

Sun Shujun, of Yantai City, says the rat has been living with her cat since the kittens were born four weeks ago.

Sun, 81, says that a neighbour came to see the kittens on the day they were born and was amazed to see a rat suckling alongside them.

"At the beginning, I thought I must have seen wrong. So I took a flashlight and had a clear look," said the neighbour.

The rat not only drinks cat's milk, but also plays with its kitten 'brothers and sisters', according to the Qilu Evening Post.

The cat reportedly treats the rat exactly the same as her natural kittens and it has become part of her family.

Sun reckons her maternal instincts must have overwhelmed her predatory instincts to allow her to adopt an animal she would normally see as prey.

Century-old fish found off Alaska

Forwarded by bayi.

Alaska Fisheries Science Center expert holds a 38in ruler to a giant rockfish
An ear bone containing growth rings helped determine age
A commercial fishing boat has caught what may have been one of the oldest creatures in Alaska - a giant rock-fish thought to be about 100 years old.

The 44in (1.1m), 60lb (27kg) female shortraker rock-fish was hauled in by a Seattle-based vessel, trawling for pollack in the Bering Sea last month.

photocredit AP


Scientists estimate the fish was between 90 and 115 years old.

The fish was brought up from a depth of 2,100ft (640m), south of the Pribilof Islands, AP news agency reported.

Reproductive potential

The discovery was made by the crew of the Kodiak Enterprise, owned by Trident Seafoods, when they pulled up an estimated 75 tons of pollack and 10 rock-fish in March.

Map of Alaska
The huge specimen was handed over to scientists at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle where it was measured, photographed and documented.

The age of the fish was determined by removing an ear bone, known as the otolith, which contains growth rings similar to those in tree trunks.

The estimated age was between 90 and 115 years old - which is towards the upper end of the known age limit for the species, said scientist Paul Spencer.

The contents of the rock-fish's stomach were also examined and tissue samples were taken to measure its reproductive potential.

"The belly was large. The ovaries were full of developing embryos," Mr Spencer said.

However, scientists said the specimen was not the biggest - a 47in (1.19m) shortraker rock-fish has been recorded.

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World Bank loan for Porsche ambulances

forwarded by bayi from Ananova

Bulgaria's cash strapped health ministry is using a World Bank loan to buy a fleet of luxury Porsche Cayennes to serve as ambulances.

Health Minister Radoslav Gaydarski said the 32 four wheel drive vehicles would be used in remote areas where normal vehicles normally could not travel.

He confirmed the cars had been purchased with a loan by the World Bank. The ministry said they had chosen the Porsches after the company offered what he insisted was the lowest bid in a tender offer.

But critics say the claim is rubbish, as each vehicle has a retail price of £80,000.

Locals are outraged by the news and claim the money could have been better spent.

Bulgaria's health sector is millions of pounds in debt and hospitals and clinics often blame a shortage of supplies and services on lack of funds.

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