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Archive for September, 2009

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Get Informed About Feral Cats

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

According to Becky Robinson, president of Alley Cat Allies, “Many Americans don’t really know what a ‘feral cat’ is, but they know they’ve seen them around, because feral cats exist in every community, from urban to rural.”

“Feral cats are a bit of mystery – because they are wary of humans, they may be hidden out in plain sight and living ‘in the shadows.’ Feral cats are members of the domestic cat species like pet cats, but they are fearful of humans and can’t be adopted.

When they are taken to animal shelters, they are almost always killed there,” she said.

“Feral cats live healthy, quality lives outdoors, but there are ways to make their lives even better, including programs like Trap-Neuter-Return,” said Robinson.  “National Feral Cat Day is a great opportunity to learn more about feral cats and why Trap-Neuter-Return is best for the cats and the community.”

National Feral Cat Day is celebrated, by thousands of people across the U.S. on October 16, who participate in fundraisers, adoption events, or spay/neuter drives in order to draw attention to the special needs of stray and feral cats.

Get informed about feral cats.

Find or register an event.

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October 16 is National Feral Cat Day

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

National Feral Cat Day, started by Alley Cat Allies in 2001, is celebrated by thousands of people across the U.S., who participate in fundraisers, adoption events, or spay/neuter drives in order to draw attention to the special needs of stray and feral cats.

This year, do  you want to take this opportunity to help the feral cats in your community? Alley Cat Allies offers the following event ideas

  • Plan a Trap-Neuter-Return effort—in your backyard or throughout your community.
    If you’ve ever thought of doing Trap-Neuter-Return, NFCD is an excellent opportunity to try.
  • Organize a special spay and neuter clinic for feral cats.
    Make this first event a kick-off to promote what will become a monthly clinic.
  • Host a workshop in your community.
    Educate others about outdoor cats, Trap-Neuter-Return, and other services available at the local level, and network with other volunteers, caregivers and feeders, and those who care about cats.
  • Have a bake sale.
    Make cat-shaped baked goods for humans and catnip treats for cats and donate the profits to Alley Cat Allies. Contact donate@alleycat.org.
  • Take part in local events and hand out educational materials.
    Use truth cards and brochures from the Alley Cat Allies marketplace to educate others at public events, like fairs, or in public places, like shopping malls. Or, set up a table with literature at local conferences or meetings.

For more information, Alley Cat Allies offers great educational materials to get you started with any of these event suggestions.

For a list isocal events or to find out more about National Feral Cat Day, visit www.alleycat.org/NFCD.

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Tripwires on paws?

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

In my household when someone is playing on the PS/2 there’s the ubiquitous warning voiced to passersby: “Tripwire!” The television and the couch are placed directly across a thoroughfare in the house—the danger is actually more to the video game console than it is to the passing humans (and sometimes cat) but the idea remains the same. A recent New York Times article published, though, suggests that our very own pets might need to come with their very own tripping warning.

Dogs and cats cause more than 86,000 falls requiring emergency room care each year, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that may be among the first of its kind. That translates into about 240 people who are treated for injuries caused by pets every single day in the United States, the study found.

Cats are involved in some of the falls, but dogs — man’s best friend — are the real culprits, responsible for seven times as many injuries as cats, often while they’re being walked, the report found.

The article does warn that this research is primarily anecdotal, however, the suggestions sound solid enough. Like all family members, overly rambunctious pets add an element of risk to the home when not treated with the respect and communication they need. When working in the kitchen I always have to wave my friends out of my way and keep them clear from my space, the same would be true of dogs and cats.

Obedience training, keeping the family pets in sight, and otherwise integrating them into the rhythms and needs of the family could probably go a long way to reducing the chances that they end up underfoot.

Link, via New York Times.

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National Geographic Channel: New show, Rescue Ink

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

I am sure that many have been seeing commercials for this new show on National Geographic Channel: Rescue Ink.

Images of burly men, covered from head to toe in tattoos, carrying small furry animals, speaking a message of humane treatment and rescue ethics. The show premiered recently, September 25th. We are definitely looking forward to more.

With scowls and tattoos abounding, a group of New York tough guys have dedicated themselves to the dirty yet adorable work of rescuing some of the cutest dogs and cats in the city.

In New York’s war on animal abuse, some of the worst offenders are pursued by a group of tattooed motorcycle-riding tough guys on a mission to save animals in danger. They call themselves Rescue Ink.

In Nat Geo’s new reality series "Rescue Ink," eight men, some with violent pasts, fight for neglected, abandoned and abused animals.

They are "seeking redemption and solace in their mission to save animals from human abuse," according to Nat Geo.

Link, via ABC News.

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Beautiful Time.com article on canine cognition

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

With shorter words, that means it’s a story about how our dogs think.

Those of us who live with dogs discover in them an empathy, loyalty, and intellect reflected in their time with us. Carl Zimmer over at TIME has written a wonderful article about discoveries in canine behavior. Out of all different animal species, dogs have had an extremely close social relationship with humankind as part of their domestication. This has bred into them a number of thinking tools that aren’t as available to other animals.

Henry the schnoodle just did a remarkable thing. Understanding a pointed finger may seem easy, but consider this: while humans and canines can do it naturally, no other known species in the animal kingdom can. Consider too all the mental work that goes into figuring out what a pointed finger means: paying close attention to a person, recognizing that a gesture reflects a thought, that another animal can even have a thought. Henry, as Kivell affectionately admits, may not be "the sharpest knife in the drawer," but compared to other animals, he’s a true scholar.

It’s no coincidence that the two species that pass Hare’s pointing test also share a profound cross-species bond. Many animals have some level of social intelligence, allowing them to coexist and cooperate with other members of their species. Wolves, for example–the probable ancestors of dogs–live in packs that hunt together and have a complex hierarchy. But dogs have evolved an extraordinarily rich social intelligence as they’ve adapted to life with us. All the things we love about our dogs–the joy they seem to take in our presence, the many ways they integrate themselves into our lives–spring from those social skills. Hare and others are trying to figure out how the intimate coexistence of humans and dogs has shaped the animal’s remarkable abilities.

Link, via TIME.com

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Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association (HSVMA) Seeks Nominees

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

The Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association (HSVMA) is seeking nominations for the first HSVMA Direct Care Practitioner of the Year and HSVMA Veterinary Advocate of the Year awards.

The HSVMA Direct Care Practitioner Award will recognize a veterinary professional who has demonstrated extraordinary commitment and compassion for animals in need by volunteering his or her time in the U.S. or abroad.

The HSVMA Veterinary Advocate Award will recognize a veterinary professional who has excelled in advocating for the welfare of animals via the legislative arena, media outlets, outreach to the veterinary profession, public education or other venues.

Submit this nomination form if you know a veterinary professional who should be recognized for their work in promoting animal protection or providing animal care.

Nominations will be accepted through November 18, 2009.

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The story of Jake, dog vs. cougar

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

A story has surfaced out of northwest Washington State about an 89-year-old man who survived two days alone after crashing his ATV in a rural area. The fellow broke some bones, and was unable to crawl very far from the crash site. But, in more dramatic fashion, his dog, Jake, kept at least one, probably two cougars at bay while the elderly man languished.

Video link if you’d like to watch this, CNN video clip via YouTUBE.

Link, via TRUE/SLANT.

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H.R. 3501, HAPPY bill to allow deductions of pet healthcare costs

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

The HAPPY bill, or Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years (HAPPY) Act H.R. 3501 will allow pet owners to deduct pet care expenditures up to $3500 per year. This could come as a great boon to many pet families who suffer under great burdens keeping their pets healthy. Many who have pets in their families have discovered the total costs of vet bills, and when that pet gets sick it can become extremely difficult to carry on in this economy.

U.S. Representitive Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) introduced the bill this past July 31st, 2009. Who knows, maybe pet families will see some ease of financial needs.

Act H.R. 3501, entitled "Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years (HAPPY) Act", would institute a change within the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permit pet owners to deduct up to $3500 from their taxable income expenses they occurred in providing adequate pet care. Most routine pet care expenses would be covered however the cost of purchasing a pet would not be covered. Pets that qualify should be able to be described as "a legally owned, domesticated, live animal" and therefore does not include animals that are owned or utilized in conjunction with a trade or business or animals that are used for research.

The HAPPY Act was introduced on 31 July, 2009, and was written based on research supplied by the American Pet Products Association’s National Pet Owners Survey and was then referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council is giving their full support and issued an alert on 5 August, 2009:

"Providing pet owners the opportunity to deduct pet care expenses is an important step toward ensuring that pet owners provide adequate veterinary and other necessary pet care. It encourages responsible pet ownership and will hopefully reduce the abandonment of pets by people struggling as a result of the economic downturn."

Link, via PetWellbeing.com

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Happy birthday, PETS 911 TURNS 11

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009

Birthday CakeSince 1998, Pets911.com has been one of the web’s premier pet adoption sites and localized pet lost and found systems. With nearly 90,000 active adoptable pet

postings and 12,000 lost and found pet postings each month, Pets911.com is dedicated to seeing lost and homeless pets find their way home.

We want to take this opportunity to thank our 16,000 member animal welfare organizations and visitors to our site, who share our goal of no more homeless pets.

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Win an original sketch of your pet, Ron Burns I-love-my-pet contest

Friday, September 11th, 2009

Gunner2 Ron Burns, Artist-in-Residence for the Humane Society of the United States is running a contest through which you could win a free sketch of your pet! It is a social media contest running from September 8th to the 18th, 2009. So don’t wait to join if you want a chance to win one of these lovely paintings.

He is the well-known artist behind the Prize Not Fighter campaign.

The pet-loving winner will receive an electronic, pre-sized copy of the sketch for use as your avatar on social media sites such Twitter and Facebook, as well as the signed original 8” x 8” sketch on paper worth $10,000*!

The rules are simple:

Twitter.com
You must be following RonBurns (http://twitter.com/ronburns) and submit a tweet via www.twitter.com that begins with “@RonBurns I love my pet” then provide your pet name and description. Limit one submission per person.

Facebook.com
You must become a “fan” of Ron Burns on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ron-Burns/50976005714) and post a message to the fan wall with a short message that says why you love your pet.  Limit one submission per person.

*See official rules for more information and examples of how to enter.

Link, via Ron Burns’s website.

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