Lifestyle - Sunday, May 24, 2026

From ‘cat crack’ to cardboard boxes, these are the toys and tools that cat experts recommend to enrich the life of your favorite feline Sign up for the Filter US newsletter, your weekly guide to buying fewer, better things If you’ve ever watched your cat spend a day wreaking havoc in your home, you already know indoor cats face a battle with boredom. I remember one instance in which my cat, Tux, caused a Zoom meeting to be abruptly cut short when he discovered a new pastime: hooking his paw through the handles of coffee mugs that sat in an open cabinet and shattering them on the countertop below. “Things like knocking items off tables, scratching furniture, chewing on objects, or persistently seeking attention can all be a cat’s way of saying, ‘I’m bored and I need more to do,’” said Stephanie Merlin, certified cat behavior specialist and founder of The Fulfilled Feline, a private practice offering behavioral consultations for cat owners. Excessive sleeping, she adds, is just as telling: “We have a lot of preconceived ideas about cats being low-energy, aloof or independent, and those assumptions can lead us to misread what’s really going on.” A treat puzzle to solve : Cat Amazing Classic Puzzle A better way to hydrate : PetSafe Ceramic Pet Fountain Continue reading...

Readers respond to Emine Saner’s article about the ubiquity of pooches in public spaces Your article on dogs was uncannily timely ( ‘She compared her dachshund to my newborn baby’: should you be able to take your dog everywhere?, 19 May ). I have had a phobia of dogs since childhood and can’t get past an unleashed dog. This causes me a problem every couple of years, but in the last week I’ve twice been inconvenienced by thoughtless owners who don’t see the need for a lead while walking dogs on public highways. The first time I was trapped in a restaurant until the staff managed to persuade the owner to move (my panic attack alerted them to the problem), and a day or two later it was a market stallholder who was letting a dog run loose. The dog was jumping up at passersby and investigating the occupants of passing pushchairs. A kindly passerby noticed me crying and came to help. Continue reading...

A quirky puzzle just by the sound of it.

Deathbed advice | Dangerous deference | Marks & Spencer | Stephen Yaxley-Lennon | Readers’ reads Polly Hudson’s piece on her relationship with her dad felt so poignant ( My dad was far from perfect – but I live by the advice he gave me on his deathbed, 24 May ). I lost my dad during Covid and didn’t get to have that deathbed conversation with him and get the sage advice that Polly got from hers. Although we didn’t get to say goodbye, I know he would have said, “Make the most of every day, queen”. And I will. Julie Craig Stockport, Greater Manchester • Your 21 May editorials on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and the Grenfell Tower fire demonstrate the dangers of deferring to those in positions of power or influence. This has characterised British society for too long and will only end when those responsible for the Grenfell, Post Office and other disasters are held to account and sent to prison. Geoffrey Payne Ealing, London Continue reading...

The icon shares rituals, mindset shifts, and the one rule worth breaking. The post Bobbi Brown’s Rules for Summer Beauty appeared first on Camille Styles .

As a uni student my pay went towards petrol and books, with little left for fun. But I never expected anyone to buy me a ticket Read more in the kindness of strangers series I was a teenager – just a little kid, really. It was 2003 and I would often co-present the Youth Show on Brisbane community radio station 4ZZZ. Part of the job was to read out the weekly all-ages gig guide, at a time when there was lots of live music to discover. Beck, one of my favourite artists, was coming to play at Festival Hall a few days before my 18th birthday. The show was all-ages, so when I read out the event details I cheekily joked that someone should buy me a ticket for my birthday. I was a uni student whose casual wages all went towards petrol and books for uni, with little left over for fun, so buying my own ticket was out of the question. Not that I actually expected anyone to buy me one – I was just being a brat! Continue reading...

The number of Australians taking short trips to Vietnam has more than doubled since 2016 as holidaymakers seek affordable experiences close to home Georgia Quinn is adamant that Vietnam has been slept on as a holiday destination. The lifestyle-based content creator says she has loved the country since she first visited as a backpacker 15 years ago. “It wasn’t off the beaten path but it definitely wasn’t as popular as, say, Thailand or Bali,” she says. That’s changing. Continue reading...

Money in lost fanny pack was from the owner’s sales of Pokémon collectibles as he sought to raise money for his sister’s medical procedure, police said.

Urban micro flower farms sell blooms and beautify communities at the same time.

What if they run into the talkative guy who ruined their last nature walk on their next one?