SIDELINES...

CHIMNEY CAT

Piper, Caitlyn Wertenberger’s 19lb (9kg) cat, went missing for 28 days before being found in her neighbour’s chimney in Union Gap, Washington State, when new tenants moved into the empty apartment. After hearing meowing for five days, they invited Ms Wertenberger to search their home, where she found Piper. [UPI] 30 Mar 2021.

IN PLAIN SIGHT

A tiny new species of shrimp, smaller than a child’s fingernail, has been found in a museum aquarium. It was identified when samples were sent from the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill, south London, to the University of Vienna for study. It was named Heteromysis hornimani – and has subsequently been found in aquaria in Poland and Paris, but not in the wild. Sun, 27 Mar 2021.

FAUX FAMILY

A divorced mother, whose two children chose to live with her ex-husband, replaced them with nine lifelike dolls. Liz Watson, 42, created a nursery for the £1,000 manikins at her home in Florida. Metro, 13 May 2021.

CAT’S NEST

A cat in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, was discovered raising her kittens up a tree in an old bird’s nest. They were traced to the nest by Cats Protection League volunteer Ruth Goller after a week of detective work. The cats were found with a tomcat nearby apparently protecting them. Branch secretary Kathryn Graves said: “It is very unusual for a tomcat to stick around after kittens have been born – in fact, I’ve never seen it before.” The cats, who have all been given bird-related names, were caught, given medical treatment and handed over to fosterers. BBC News, 18 May 2021.