Each week, Ben Hopkinson looks back at a serious, crazy, and happy news story from the past week.
Serious News
(gov.uk)
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to be phasing out the COVID Plan-B rules when they are due to expire this Wednesday. These involve wearing face masks, working from home if possible and COVID passes following “encouraging” data as cases are dropping day by day. Cases have fallen by 39% last week when compared to the previous week. Hopefully, this is the end of the current restrictions as the variants look to get weaker and weaker.
Crazy News
(iStockphoto)
It’s a well-known fact that cats do not like cucumbers, and there may finally be an explanation for this. Con Slobodchikoff, an animal behaviourist says that “Cats are genetically hard-wired through instinct to avoid snakes and cucumbers look like snakes”. However, another animal behaviourist, Jill Goldman told the National Geographic that the vegetable triggers the cats’ natural startle reflexes: “With a startle response, a cat will often try to get out of there as quickly as possible and then reassess from a distance”. Please do not try this on your cats – reports have concluded that intentionally trying to surprise your cat could cause it to injure itself, break something, or lead to prolonged stress.
Happy News
(PA Media)
Staying on the subject of cats from the crazy news earlier, a cat who was missing for eight months has been reunited with its owner after a phone call to the vet. Rachael Lawerence from Braintree was on the phone talking to the vet about her other cat when she heard lost Barnaby’s distinctive meow in the background. Told it was a stray, she had to ask for the cat’s details. Now back, with his family, Rachael has said: I cried, we hadn’t seen him for eight months”. Her three children are happy to be reunited too, with Barnaby who they nicknamed Fatman.
