TresSugar

5 Ways Kitties Show They're Thankful For You

PetSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:45:07 -0800

OK, pets can't speak and say why they're grateful but I'm betting they'd thank us for yums and snuggles right off the bat . . . if they could. How do they show appreciation without using words? Find out when you start this slideshow.

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Sara Gets a Gentle Giraffe-y Nudge

PetSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:50:29 -0800

Move right along, nothing to see here. Oh wait, there's something to see - this adorable babe!

Born on Oct. 26, Sara enjoys long walks in her Hanover zoo enclosure with mom, Juji. The twosome are Rothschild Giraffes, the second most endangered giraffe subspecies with only a few hundred known members all over the world. See what else you know about giraffes here and check out the pictures below - the kissy one is the cutest!

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Yearbook Awards, Tiger Edition?

PetSugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:00:11 -0800

Three little tigers sitting on a tree, s-t-a-r-i-n-g. Born Aug. 1 at a zoo in Nuremberg, Germany, the Siberian babes are lined up for picture time. From left to right we have the Class Clown, Homecoming Queen, and, umm, Best Dressed?! Oh, who am I kidding they all have the same ensembles.

Actually named Rangar, Khan and Domur, check out more pics of the stripy threesome below.

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Outtakes: Curious Boy Sees Lobster For the First Time

LilSugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:00:43 -0800

One of my favorite things about being a mother is seeing the world through my children's eyes as they grow, begin to speak, and question the things everyone over the age of 10 takes for granted. The "But whys?" "What's that?" "Who's dat?" can wear at a mama when she's just trying to get through the supermarket, but it's an important and oh-so-sweet part of their development. This video of a lil guy seeing a lobster for the first time is sure to pull at your heartstrings. "Can I touch him? Wah! Wow. Wah-o! I don't like to touch him! He's got claws!" Watch for an instant pick-me-up.

TGIF and For This Adorable Baby Otter Video

PetSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:00:20 -0800

TGIF! If you're already in need of some cute to get you through the day, here's Sidney to the rescue. This lil otter was temporarily living with a professional animal caretaker and enjoyed a wide range of dog toys. But, the best part comes when he finds the car keys - watch and enjoy!

From Dripping to Drenched, Why Are Wet Cats So Darn Cute?

PetSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:30:09 -0800

Whether dunked under water or dripping of their own accord, there's something about wet kitties that makes me giggle Too much water, too much watery fun. Check out 10 kitties in varying sodden states to brighten your afternoon a little.

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Baby Hyena Alert! Kai Is No Laughing Matter

PetSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:40:41 -0800

Known for their cackling noises, Spotted Hyenas are also known as the laughing hyenas. I'm giggling with glee at this kit (or is it pup?) - see him up close and personal in a gallery of cuteness!

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Play Our Baby Animal Faceoff For a Chance to Win $1,000!

PetSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:30:26 -0800

Admit it: you're just as addicted to adoro zoo babies as I am. From big cats (still small) to birds too tiny to fly, I can't get enough of all their little faces. Soooo, here's your chance to see if you can stare them down, too. Cute lil eyes beg you to pick a favorite in our Which Baby Animal Is Cuter? faceoff. Need I mention, every time you play you're eligible to win big? We'll be giving away a $1,000 grand prize every month - you must be logged in, and you'll be entered once each time you play. (Check out the official rules here.) What are you waiting for? Get started!

The Dark Side of Cute

TresSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:00:00 -0800

Kittens in casts. Babies nudged to laugh every five seconds. Stuffed teddy bears left at killing-spree sites. We are so surrounded by the tyranny of cute that even multibillion-dollar corporations have cute names like "Google" and "Twitter," and the uncute business of insurance is represented in ads by a cute lizard with an English accent. (And yes, I too am guilty of spreading cuteness.)

What's up with the cute? Writer Jim Windolf has had enough and decided to try to get to the bottom of what he calls the "self-infantalization" of Americans. His conclusion? There's a dark, manipulative side to cute. If you want to know what it is, read more.

In Daniel Harris's book Cute, Quaint, Hungry, and Romantic, he says that there's a hidden sadism to our love of cute, citing the barrage of images of cats falling, puppies slamming into mirrors, and even babies trapped in high chairs being prodded to laugh.

"The process of conveying cuteness to the viewer disempowers its objects," he writes, "forcing them into ridiculous situations and making them appear more ignorant and vulnerable than they really are. Adorable things are often most adorable in the middle of a pratfall or a blunder." In other words, they are cute insofar as they are helpless, and we, conferrers of cute, are all-powerful.

Becoming cute, conversely, is one way of disarming opponents or critics. It's not incidental, argues Windolf, that the cult of cute in the US emerged during the Bush years, when "the American image went from that of protector to invader, from defender of human rights to aggressor on the lookout for loopholes in the Geneva Conventions." Cuteness then, according to this theory, "came about as some sort of correction, as a way for us to convince ourselves and our friends that we're not as bad as our recent national actions have made us seem." (It reminds me of smiley emoticons at the end of passive-aggressive email messages and instant messages. In this case, American cute is like a ginormous cultural smiley face emoticon tacked on the end of dubious actions telling our allies we're not all that bad.)

Windolf traces American cute back to Japan's kawaii culture, which got huge 10 years ago but actually emerged at the end of WWII after it was "humiliated and emasculated." If you're interested in political and cultural psychoanalysis, I suggest reading this long essay. But whatever you do, remember - ~~sometimes a cigar is just a cigar~~ sometimes a cute kitten isn't just a cute kitten.

Source

No Bunny Was Harmed in the Shooting of These Orangutan Pics

PetSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:00:30 -0800

Peipei the orangutan found an unlikely pal in a bunny that hopped through his exhibit. Don't worry, Peipei played nicely and then let the rabbit hop right along . . . but their interactions are adorable nonetheless. Check them out when you get started in this slideshow!

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