Hey all,

You might already have noticed, but Opera Air has a new furry friend! Just ahead of Global Cat Day, our mindful browser is now home to a playful gray and white cat, which you’ll find sleeping, stretching, even meditating – a mindful companion as you browse the web.

A mindful browsing companion

We know you love Opera Air’s built-in mindfulness tools, and so we thought you might love a digital companion too – and what better than that most mindful of creatures, the cat? Always in the present, hyper aware of sensory experiences, masters of non-judgmental acceptance of the self – cats have much to teach us if only we’d watch and learn.

Upon updating to the latest version of Opera Air, you’ll first spot the cat in the lower-right corner of your browser. You can observe it in different locations within Opera Air as you browse – sleeping, playing, practicing yoga, and more. Or, you might not see it at all: much like a real cat, Opera Air’s mindful cat will come and go as it pleases.

Our new mindful friend does not yet have a name, but we’ll be asking you, the Opera Air community, for help once you’ve gotten to know it a bit better. (And by the way, you can hide the cat by right-clicking it if you wish – and it won’t hiss at you when you do.)

Giving cats a home in the cat capital of the world

If you’ve ever been to Istanbul, you’ll have seen that cats are woven into the fabric of the city – an inextricable part of its soul. Every day, the city’s millions of residents share quiet, tender, and funny moments with street cats estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands. Winter is coming though, cats need shelter to keep them safe, and protection from rain, wind, and cold.

And so to celebrate Global Cat Day, we’re also partnering with HAÇİKO, Turkey’s leading animal welfare NGO, and the municipality of Sarıyer to create the country’s largest “Cat District.” On 16 October, for every 10 new Opera Air users in Turkey, we’ll donate one cat house to the pilot project. With the support of community volunteers, HAÇİKO plans to expand the project further to install more shelters beyond Sarıyer.

Mindfulness may help you achieve inner tranquility, but it also has a broader social goal: making the world a kinder, better place. And so we’re delighted to take that ethos offline, and help both cats and humans breathe a little easier on the streets of Istanbul. 

Looking to incorporate more mindfulness – and cats – into your daily routine? Download Opera Air here. 

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