Willow the cat (pictured) was picked up on East 20th Street yesterday, and her microchip led Animal Control to her owners in Colorado — five years after she went missing. Willow's owners "still have her little Christmas stocking." [AP]

When scientists insert rhesus macaque genes plus jellyfish genes into unfertilized cat eggs, the cats that result post-fertilization are resistant to feline immunodeficiency virus, which causes feline AIDS. They also glow fluorescent green under "special" lights. What if you do this to human eggs?

Cops in Berwyn, Ill. responded to a report of an unresponsive 14-year-old boy on Thursday night. They apparently found him—dying—outside the home. Investigating inside they discovered more than 200 animals in the 1,100-square foot home.

Just after 5am this morning, Mineral, Virginia was once again rocked by an earthquake — this time a 3.4-magnituder. NBC Washington has the details:

Police raided Florida's Haven Acres Cat Sanctuary (population: 692 fewer cats than they had before), and in doing so uncovered "the biggest case of cat hoarding the Humane Society of the United States has ever participated in." The proprietors of said kitty slum, Pennie and Steven Lefkowitz, are each facing 47 counts of animal cruelty, which includes one for a neglected rooster. All charges are third-degree felonies.

Meet Gerardo Martinez! Mr. Martinez is facing "several charges" after admitting to police that he had sex with a cat and then threw it out of a window, killing it. Shockingly, he was high on meth.

Today we contemplated what to do with all these cats, these cats that are filling up New York. Many people offered suggestions, but one commenter really had the best solution.

New York City is overrun by cats. The city's launching a program to sterilize strays, just to avoid having to build more shelters to hold the teeming masses of fur and teeth. What do we do with all these cats?

A Pennsylvania court on Monday upheld an animal cruelty conviction for a dog groomer, Holly Crawford, who sold "goth" kittens with piercings on eBay, for $100 a piece.

A veterinarian in Grand Rapids is offering a $500 reward for anyone who knows who shot his new friend, Bow the Cat, with a bow and arrow. A what? Yep—as it turns out, this sort of awful thing happens fairly often.

Proof positive that the internet is still just one big repository for cat videos: WWF Indonesia released this one of a Sumatran tiger and her cubs taken over a two month span on the island of Sumatra. The forest where the tigers were recorded is set to be destroyed to build plantations. There are thought to be around 400 Sumatran tigers left — down from 1,000 in the 1970s.

Animal Planet is launching the feline version of The Dog Whisperer, called My Cat from Hell. The differences between these two TV shows perfectly encapsulate the differences between dogs and cats.

Are you one of the millions of people worldwide who count a dog, cat, ferret, or any manner of other non-human, eating-and-pooping creatures among your family members? If so, take note: You may want to reconsider the term "pet" when referring to them. An editorial in the Journal of Animal Ethics says that term, along with words like "critters" and "beasts," is derogatory language that can give your four-legged loved ones an inferiority complex.

This story, of No. 10 Downing Street's cat, Larry, is the most exciting political news to come out of Britain in ages. According to prime minister David Cameron's spokesman, Larry possesses a "very strong predatory drive and high chase-drive and hunting instinct":

A 20-year-old Oklahoma woman killed and mutilated her family's cat, apparently so she could use its blood for an outfit to wear to a Lady Gaga concert. Talk about a "little monster"! But seriously, she killed a cat.

Being a cold-hearted snake (look into my eyes) I'm usually not a huge fan of cat pictures on the internet, but these have a bit of cruelty and unbelievability to them. These aren't cat pictures— these are a healthy cat with an arrow through its head pictures!

While the upbeat soundtrack and silly antics may be entertaining, this video could be a tragic story of a bird trying to protect its nest from a predatory cat. Or it could be a very effective anti-bullying method. Either way, nature can be cruel.

When this man came home to find his plants destroyed he searched for answers in his cats. While one seemed very nonchalant the other was obviously hiding something.

Dogs usually have a monopoly on the whole begging thing, but this kitty is really moving in on their whole cute-for-food operation.

In what seems to be a NSFW parody of vintage Disney, this PSA shows Smutley the cat selflessly screwing every other cartoon animal he can find to teach us a valuable lesson about AIDS. Mickey would be proud.