Ashley Reynolds, Cat Lady PhD
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ashleyreynolds.ca
Ashley Reynolds, Cat Lady PhD
@ashleyreynolds.ca
1.4K followers 2.4K following 530 posts
She/her ♠️

Currently teaching vertebrate diversity and mammalogy at the University of Toronto. Research Associate at the Canadian Museum of Nature.

Interested in the evolutionary ecology of carnivorous mammals. Ask me your questions about cats!
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ashleyreynolds.ca
I was really sad to learn about the passing of Garfield Minott. I never had the pleasure of meeting him, but by all accounts he was a lovely human, and I had the joy of having his Smilodon bust in my office while I was completing my PhD.

www.arbormemorial.ca/en/glendale/...
A sculpted bust of the sabre-toothed cat Smilodon. The cat is viewed from the side. It is facing forward, looking intently at whatever is in front of it.
November 14, 2025 at 3:18 PM
ashleyreynolds.ca
Or the rakali, who answers the question “What if otter, but also muskrat?”

(Photo by Ron Greer)
A grey-brown rodent with a cream belly sits on a rock, munching away on something.
November 10, 2025 at 6:48 AM
ashleyreynolds.ca
For example, did you know that the lesser short-tailed bat, endemic to New Zealand, often forages on the ground amongst leaf litter? This is *super weird* for bats!
A bat on the group. It is brown with darker wings, feet, ears, and nose, and has a reddish patch around its small eyes.
November 10, 2025 at 6:37 AM
ashleyreynolds.ca
Anyone have any ideas what’s up with this American Robin (in North Bay, ON)? I’ve never seen that much white on a moulting one. 🧪
A very zoomed in photo of an American Robin on some grass. You can tell it’s an American Robin, but it has a whole bunch of piebald patches of white all over its body. A photo from farther away of the same Robin, plus another immature or female a Robin behind.
June 4, 2025 at 3:17 PM
ashleyreynolds.ca
It was getting increasingly difficult to administer liquid meds to Cola, so I asked if we could try capsules that I could coat in wet food.

It’s going so much better, and she takes her pills super willingly!

Bonus: it’s a fraction of the price of the liquid suspension!
A black cat is lying on a grey couch with her belly exposed. Her face looks very silly. Her upper canines and lower incisors are visible in her slightly open mouth.
May 25, 2025 at 9:46 PM
ashleyreynolds.ca
If anyone in #Toronto is looking for a sweet #cat boy in need of a new home, consider Marcelo! He is 2.5 year old. His current people are doing a long distance move and are unable to bring him with them.

I don’t know his current family, but can relay any questions you have.
A Siamese cat is sitting under a chair with his tail wrapped around his paws. He is staring straight at the camera and has crossed eyes. A cross-eyed Siamese cat is sitting in front of a Tv
May 19, 2025 at 12:05 AM
ashleyreynolds.ca
Momo the Cat, hard at work.

(her job is preventing me from working)
A laptop is opened and viewed from behind. Peeking out from the side of the top is a one-eyed calico cat, who is clearly lying on the keyboard.
May 9, 2025 at 9:15 PM
ashleyreynolds.ca
Today’s #TenMinMerlin plus a bonus two minutes because there was a bird call I didn’t recognize (a Pine Siskin!).

Not pictured: breeding pair of Mallards, several Grey Squirrels, a Ladybird Beetle, and a Chipmunk.
Screenshot of an audio recording from the app Merlin. Bird species detected are Downy Woodpecker, Ring-billed Gull, White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Kildeer, Song Sparrow… Continued from previous picture: Rock Pigeon, House Finch, American Goldfinch, American Robin, House Sparrow, European Starling, Red-winged Blackbird. A new recording, only two minutes long. Species include: American Goldfinch, Common Grackle, House Finch, House Sparrow, American Robin, Pine Siskin, European Starling.
May 1, 2025 at 3:10 PM
ashleyreynolds.ca
Bengie is one of my favourite cat sitting charges. He is always very vocal when I come in, letting me know that he needs attention.
A brown tabby cat is lying on a grey-blue carpet. A white person’s arm is reaching out to scratch his belly.
May 1, 2025 at 2:28 PM
ashleyreynolds.ca
This was my #TenMinMerlin from a few days ago! Definitely felt like a relaxation technique to me!
Screenshot from the app Merlin. At the top is a sonograph, and below a list of birds detected in the recording. The list reads: House Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Dark-eyed Junco, Chipping Sparrow, American Robin, Red-winged Blackbird… Continuation of the list in the first photo. It reads: European Starling, House Finch, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee.
April 30, 2025 at 9:17 PM
ashleyreynolds.ca
Me: find me the NEXRAD radar map, please!

DuckDuckGo: (helpfully) oui oui madame, voila! Chemin du Radar!
Screenshot of a DuckDuckGo search. Search term is “nexrad radar map” and the first result is a map of a street called Ch du Radar in Quebec.
April 24, 2025 at 3:46 AM
ashleyreynolds.ca
Cats are notorious for hiding their pain, but luckily a lot of work has gone into deciphering their signals. For acute pain, researchers have developed the Feline Grimace Scale, a tool that looks at five different facial features.

Read more here: ashinonyx.quarto.pub/my-website/n... 🧪
An illustration of three cat faces. The cat on the left has ears forward, open eyes, a round muzzle, and gently curved whiskers. The cat in the middle has ears slightly to the side, somewhat closed eyes, a moderately tense muzzle, and whiskers pulled close. The cat on the right has ears airplaned to the side, fully squinted eyes, a tight elliptical muzzle, and whiskers held straight and spread forward.
April 22, 2025 at 12:33 AM
ashleyreynolds.ca
I got accepted to a thing that requires me sending a photo to be put on the website and shared with other participants. All the photos of past participants are very normal professional headshots.

Meanwhile, all my recent photos are like this:
A white woman with short brown hair taking a selfie. In one hand she is holding a GIANT polar bear skull, and she is making a dumb face with her mouth wide open like she’s saying “AHHHHH!”
April 15, 2025 at 4:29 PM
ashleyreynolds.ca
Momo is too big to be a shoulder cat, but no one has told her that.
A white woman with short brown hair has a calico cat on her back/shoulder. The woman is sort of hunched because clearly the cat doesn’t exactly fit on her shoulder, but the cat is sitting down like this is totally fine.
April 13, 2025 at 3:39 PM
ashleyreynolds.ca
Did you know that there's a genus of sabre-toothed cat called Yoshi?

Yoshi has a domed head that looks superficially like a cheetah's and species assigned to the genus have been found in Africa, Asia, and Europe.

🧪 #CaturdayCatFacts

📖 Read more: ashinonyx.quarto.pub/my-website/n...
Black-and-white photos of a felid skull in top, bottom, left, right, front, and back views. There is a 5cm scale bar below the skull, showing that the total length is between 15-20 cm. From Spassov & Geraads, 2015.
April 13, 2025 at 2:24 AM
ashleyreynolds.ca
I wrote out my feelings about the GMO wolves, and I will never forgive Colossal for making my first blog post about wolves instead of cats. 🧪

ashinonyx.quarto.pub/my-website/b...
Greyscale illustration of a dire wolf bust. Their mouth is slightly open with a peek of tongue, and they are looking coolly toward the viewer.
April 9, 2025 at 5:34 PM
ashleyreynolds.ca
The company can’t get basic skeletal anatomy correct but sure let’s trust them to “deextinct” species 🧪
Screenshot of a page on Colossal Laboratories & Biosciences webpage titled “Dire Wolf 2.0”. There is a diagram of a loping wolf cut away to reveal the skeleton. Many, but not all bones are labelled, and some are labelled incorrectly. Scapula and radius are misspelled. The thoracic vertebrae are called “dorsal” which is a term used in reptiles. The arrow for lumbar points to a thoracic vertebra. There are separate labels for caudal and tail bones, which are the same type of vertebra. The arrow for patella seems to point at the back of the knee joint. The hind foot just says “toe digits posterior.” The label for metacarpal bones points to the carpals, and the label for carpus points to the radius/ulna. There is no sternum in the figure but it’s pointed out nonetheless.
April 8, 2025 at 3:51 AM
ashleyreynolds.ca
Me @ The New Yorker right now 🧪
Meme of Anakin and Padme from Attack of the Clones. Panel 1, Anakin: This billionaore-owned company brought back the dire wolf! Panel 2, Padme: Oh cool, what did independent scientists have to say about it? Panel 3, Anakin is silently staring. Panel 4, Padme: ...You interviewed independent scientists, right?
April 7, 2025 at 5:03 PM
ashleyreynolds.ca
Time for a #CaturdayCatFact!

Cats have lots of specialized cells called mechanoreceptors on their paw pads and at the base of their claws, which help them sense pressure and movement.

Read more here: ashinonyx.quarto.pub/my-website/n...
A close-up of a kitten's paw, curled around the fingertips of a white person's hand. One claw is visible, extended such that you can see the base of the claw.
April 5, 2025 at 7:31 PM
ashleyreynolds.ca
I think you all might need a cute cat in these trying times.
A black cat is lying on her side on a grey couch. Her right foreleg is tucked up to her belly, and she is licking her left forepaw. The sun is shining on her from behind, revealing a brown tinge to her fur.
April 3, 2025 at 4:41 PM
ashleyreynolds.ca
Be the sphere you want to see in the world.
A black cat is curled up to take a nap. She has her face tucked under her forepaw. She looks satisfyingly fuzzy.
March 2, 2025 at 6:33 PM
ashleyreynolds.ca
!!!

@korybing.bsky.social I am in love with this illustration
An illustration of a sabretoothed cat rolling in a patch of catnip. The caption reads “Cats’ fondness for catnip is an unintentional effect of plants developing compounds to defend themselves from insects.”
February 27, 2025 at 2:36 AM
ashleyreynolds.ca
Khonsu says you should buy this book. Trust him, he’s a cat of taste.
A brown tabby cat with green eyes is lying on a couch, with his paws on a copy of When the Earth was Green by Riley Black.
February 27, 2025 at 2:33 AM
ashleyreynolds.ca
With #AltText
SCB North America Statement in Defense of Scientific Integrity The Society for Conservation Biology North America (SCBNA) is alarmed by recent Executive Orders, directives, and actions by the new federal administration of the United States of America. Our Society's mission involves supporting the development and application of the science and practice necessary to conserve biodiversity and its benefits to human society. Many of the recent unprecedented federal actions directly harm both nature and society, and hinder the work of conservation scientists and practitioners. These include terminating key climate science and mitigation initiatives; disbanding programs and firing staff including those related to diversity, equity, and inclusion; inhibiting the freedom of scientists to freely communicate findings; and freezing funding for and interfering in decisions about federal research grants and programs. FULL STATEMENT AT SCBNORTHAMERICA.ORG
February 25, 2025 at 4:14 PM
ashleyreynolds.ca
The cats have the right idea
Two cats napping next to each other. To the left is a big brown tabby cat and you can only see his head and shoulders. To the right is a smaller black cat. They are lying on a white blanket with dark grey stripes, on top of a human’s legs.
February 24, 2025 at 5:06 PM