PUT YOUR CAT ON THE MAP (THE INTERACTIVE MAP OF THE WORLD’S CATS THAT REALLY EXISTS)
Created by the Zoological Society of London, an interactive map of the world’s housecats is designed to promote animal conservation and the London Zoo’s soon-to-be-opened Tiger Territory enclosure.
A Cat Map pinpointing the exact locations of all of the world’s housecats is now live courtesy of the Zoological Society of London.
Well, actually, it doesn’t include all of the world’s cats…yet. There are just over 3,000 on the map now, but that number will surely grow. While the Zoological Society initially put out a call for Londoners to add their cats to the map, kitty lovers from around the globe are also welcome to submit photos and a few bits of info about their felines for inclusion.
The new map is searchable, so if, say, you are interested in checking out adult male tabbies, you can simply input that request into the search engine, and up pops a map full of adorable cat faces indicating the whereabouts of known tabbies, and some quick-hit info about them.
In addition to providing a valuable service to those of us who enjoy oohing and ahhing over pictures of cats, the map—similar to those used by field conservationists tracking animal populations—is also designed to get people thinking about animal conservation and planning visits to the London Zoo’s new Tiger Territory.
Opening on March 22, the enclosure will be home to two Sumatran tigers, Jae Jae and Melati, both of whom are featured on the Cat Map. Sumatran tigers, native to Indonesia, currently number only 300 and are an endangered species, according to the Zoological Society.
Will you put your cat on the map? I know this guy’s going up there. <3 Buster cat.