City shelters hit with seasonal upswing in cat population

Seven tiny kittens, weighing less than a pound each and covered in black, grey and white fluff, mewl and climb over one another for attention at the Animal Care and Adoption Centre in St. John's.

The kittens have all come down with cat flu, similar to human flu with a runny nose and aches and pains, and have had to be separated from other cats so they don't infect them.

A mother and her four kittens, with big eyes and clumsy movements, are in another room. They were all left behind by tenants for a landlord to find.

The mother is fiercely protective over the babies, surveying their every move from atop a metal table covered in brightly coloured blankets, while the kittens play with brightly coloured stuffed mice on the floor below or crawl in and out of the steel sink and over the countertops on the other side of the room.

Feral kittens can become good pets

While I was saddened to read about the feral cat problem in West Boca, I was angered to read the comment "feral cats aren't adoptable" by Dianne Suave, county Animal Care & Control director.

Sixteen years ago, we found a litter of feral kittens in my parents' backyard in New Jersey. When I wanted to adopt one of the kittens, many people tried to tell me that I'd never be able to domesticate a wild cat. I am so grateful that I ignored them, as I have been the proud owner of my beautiful and affectionate cat all these years! The joy she brings to my life is indescribable.

These cats are only out there due to human negligence; don't we owe it to them to give them a chance? I urge people to ignore Ms. Suave's comments as well, and open their hearts and homes to these helpless animals.

YOUR WHOLE PET / Finding a Good Breeder

One of them is a humane society or shelter. Another is an animal rescue group, which is an organization dedicated to helping homeless pets. The third is a responsible breeder.

After I wrote my last column on a group of dogs rescued from a Midwestern puppy mill, I heard from a lot of people wanting to know how to make sure the dog or cat they were planning to bring into their family did, in fact, come from a responsible breeder and not from a mill.

These concerns are well founded. Pet stores routinely assure shoppers that their pets don't come from puppy or kitten mills, and Internet pet store sites certainly won't announce that theirs do. Instead, they use the phrases people find reassuring: "Family raised." "Private breeders." "Raised with love."

Despite those marketing slogans, the reality is that nearly all puppies and kittens sold in pet stores and on the Internet are mass-produced in circumstances that range from truly hellish to sterile, lonely and boring.

San Francisco SPCA offers $2000 reward

The issue of what to do with feral cats has become divisive in San Francisco's Excelsior district, where one has been poisoned and several others are missing and presumed dead.

At Italy and London streets just east of Mission Street there are posters at all four corners in English and Chinese warning neighbors that someone is poisoning feral cats from a colony that lives in the neighborhood.

The posters are from both the city's Animal Care and Control department and the San Francisco chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The SFSPCA poster offers a $2,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.

Lana Bajsel, who runs Give Me Shelter Cat Rescue, a San Francisco nonprofit that helps find homes for abandoned cats and sometimes even feeds homeless cats, thinks she knows who's responsible for the spate of cat poisonings.

What about animals?

Dr. David Monroe of Sierra Veterinary Hospital said the facility is boarding a large number of pets that have lost their homes due to the fire. If you are missing a pet, please write down its name, description, any tag identification information, and any other pertinent information that will help us locate your pet.

If you wish to help, donations of dog, cat, or bird food, towels, blankets, cat litter, cat litter pans, or pet carriers/crates of all sizes would be appreciated. We are also looking for people willing to volunteer time to care for these animals or people willing to house animals in need. Also, financial assistance to care for these animals would be greatly appreciated.

The veterinary hospital, at 3095 Lake Tahoe Blvd., can be reached at (530) 542-1952.

Judge gives big cats a safe shelter

AN Indian court has banned hotels, flash photography, firearms and diesel vehicles from the last remaining tiger habitat in the Indian state of Rajasthan to protect dwindling numbers of the threatened cats.

The ruling on Ranthambore National Park by Rajasthans High Court last month is part of a list of guidelines which also includes closing the park two days a week to tourists and constructing a periphery wall to stop encroachments.

(Wildlife) are still running for a safe shelter for their survival and existence, said Justice Ashok Parihar.

The order comes days after a census indicated the number of endangered tigers is much lower than previously thought.

India is home to half the worlds surviving tigers, but conservationists say it is losing the battle to save them.

Sylvester the cat saves owner's life

Sylvester the cat is being credited with saving the life of his 90-year-old owner, Patricia Kerr, after she was found stuck in a cold bath at her Rotorua home this week.

Sylvester, a ginger, part-Persian stray that Mrs Kerr adopted about five years ago, turned up at neighbours' Shirley and Monte Masons' door on Tuesday and began miaowing.

The Masons thought it strange that the "odd, antisocial" cat, which they said did not like to be touched by anyone other than Mrs Kerr, had come to their house when Mrs Kerr was home.

"The cat did come over and it did yell on the doorstep," Mrs Mason said told the New Zealand Herald. "It was hungry,"

Mrs Mason tried calling Mrs Kerr but the phone was engaged so she figured Mrs Kerr was okay.

The Masons tried again later and when the phone was still engaged they became worried.

Adopt a cat, get paid back

June is Amercan Humane's National Adopt-a-Cat Month, and the Warwick Valley Humane Society is celebrating by reducing all adult cat adoptions by 50 percent.

Traditionally, June is typically the busiest month in terms of the numbers of cats and kittens that arrive at the animal shelter. During their stay, adult cats and kittens alike get loving and caring attention from the staff and volunteers. And, every year, Warwick Valley Humane Society helps find good families for hundreds of homeless cats.Adopt-a-Cat Month is the perfect time to help a homeless cat by adopting one yourself, volunteering your time, or become a cat sponsor. "Thousands of unspayed cats are having multiple litters. If you are feeding a stray, pay for the spay and the Warwick Valley Humane Society will reimburse you $50 through the Spay, Neuter and Return program funded by the Towns of Warwick and Chester for its residents.

Lions and tigers and more abound at Arkansas refuge

Somewhere in the far distance a dog barks. Then out of the wrapping stillness comes an unexpected sound of caroling - the curious term used for the voices of African lions as they announce the beginning or the end of day.

But we are not in Africa. Instead, this is the magnificent Ozark landscape of Carroll County, Ark., just seven miles south of the picturesque resort town of Eureka Springs.

And we are lodging this night at the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, home not just to 11 lions but also to 64 Bengal and Siberian tigers, 27 cougars, six bobcats, a black leopard and two less well-known African felines, a serval cat and a caracal - 111 big cats in all.

All the residents here were rescued, some from circumstances of unspeakable neglect or outright cruelty.

Dogs and cats dumped on internet

BRUSSELS - The website 2dehands.be has noticed a two-fold increase in the number of dogs and cats offered for sale on its site at the moment. It seems as if pet owners who see their pet as an obstacle to going on holiday are turning en masse to the internet.

There are usually about 7,000 animals for sale on 2dehands.be; that number has leapt to more than 10,000 now. "Particularly the number of dogs and cats has doubled," says site manager Linda Schaake. "Yesterday we had 2,602 advertisements for dogs, 875 for cats. We've never seen numbers like this before. Many birds, guinea pigs and other pets are also suddenly turning up in large numbers. People often write in the ad that they just don't know what to do with their pet. The animal shelters and kennels are full in mid summer."

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New Medicines For Dogs And Cats May End Up Helping Humans

Science Daily — The pharmaceutical industry is going to the dogs -- and the cats -- as people in the United States and other countries devote more income to keeping beloved pets healthy and comfortable, according to a recent article. U. S. pet owners alone spent $18.5 billion last year on veterinary care, medications, and other non-food supplies, a figure expected to grow by more than 6 percent annually.

Cats available to adopt

The shelter houses its rescued animals at the adoption center at the Crossgates Commons PetSmart, Washington Avenue Extension, Guilderland, or in the homes of volunteers.

Adoption clinics are held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. weekdays and from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Other times are available by appointment.

All animals have been tested for disease, vaccinated and spayed or neutered. The adoption fee for cats is $75; the cost is reduced for elderly and special-needs cats.

For more information, call 463-3720 or visit http://www.noahskingdom.org.

Numerous pet adoption locations are also listed at http:// timesunion.com/life/pets.asp. .

Guilty plea in cat killing

The 17-year-old, who can't be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was spared a jail term in favour of two years of supervised probation.

Crown attorney Susan Baragar told court the teen was already high on ecstasy when he swallowed several prescription drugs and washed them down with gas-line antifreeze in 2005.

He then barricaded himself inside his home, but his parents forced their way in and found the cat in the bathtub stabbed with a steak knife.

The teen bolted from the home and ran into the street in an apparent attempt to be hit by a car.

A court-ordered pre-sentence report offered chilling details about the weeks leading up the incident.

The youth said he'd been high for days and was hearing voices that told him he'd have unlimited access to drugs after he died, provided he kill the family cat.

Housecats - Most important animal on the frontier

Horses were transportation and work animals. Cows provided meat, milk and hide. Dogs were hunting partners, guards and companions. Chickens gave eggs and meat for food as well as feathers for beds and pillows. Even the wild animals of the prairie and forest contributed to the livelihood of the pioneer. But one animal, possibly the most important of them all, is seldom mentioned - the common house cat. I am not a lover of felines, but credit should be given where credit is due. One generally loves or hates a cat, there is no in between. According to a new study, more cats are abandoned by owners than any other animal. How then can the common house cat be ranked among the most important animals on the American frontier? When the first Europeans arrived on the shores of the New World there were no cats or rats, but the Vikings carved their pictures on the rune stones in Greenland.

Cat attack yobs go free

TWO teenage boys who filmed themselves carrying out a sickening attack on a cat have escaped custody. Horrific video footage was shown at Oldham magistrates' court of one boy grabbing the cat by its tail and hurling it across the road. The film then shows the cat in distress after landing on its side, and the youngster filming the gruesome event can be heard laughing hysterically in the background. He was also heard encouraging his friend, saying `Do it again, do it again'. Sentencing the boys, aged 13 and 14, to intensive supervision and surveillance programmes, district judge Anne Sykes said: "You get one last chance. What we saw on the TV was not very nice to watch. "You've both had plenty of opportunities to turn your life around and if you fail this time, you will be brought back - and there will only be one place where you are going." Defence solicitor Steven Patrick Higgins said the pair from Oldham did not comprehend what they were doing.

Be a good animal communicator

WHEN my black-and-tan Cavalier, Twyla, is happy or excited, she twirls on her hind legs. When she wants a treat, she looks at me, then at the cookie jar, then back at me. When she wants to go out, she heads downstairs and sits in front of the door. And there is never any doubt that she would like a belly rub. Despite her lack of words, she is a great communicator.

Would not it be wonderful if we could talk, like Dr Doolittle, to the animals? Of course it would, but take heart: We actually can talk with them, in a manner of speaking. Human vocabulary may elude our pets, but they all communicate in consistent ways. By learning to read their tails, ears, fur and vocalizations, we can become fluent in such foreign tongues as Siamese and Persian, Pekingese and Bernese.

Look at tail wags.

Cat shot in face

ANN Clark reckons her cat Micky is lucky to be alive after a sadist fired an arrow through his face, pinning his tongue to the floor of his mouth.

Two-year-old Micky hid for two days after the incident and was within hours of death from his injuries and dehydration when Mrs Clark, from Koetong, near Tallangatta, heard his cries.

"He never goes missing normally and I had been looking everywhere for him when I heard this strange rasping sound coming from under the house," she said.

"I could just see what looked like a stick poking out from his face. I had no idea then that it was an arrow with the shaft broken off."

It took four hours for Mrs Clark, her husband John and relatives to retrieve Micky from his hiding place and they immediately rushed him to the vet.

THE CAT LADY

We know it has something to do with air flow and muscle contractions in the larynx and diaphragm, but we can't be exactly sure of what's going on and, more importantly, why.

Cats purr when they feel happy or content, but they also purr when they're hungry, stressed or in pain. In fact, some cats have been known to purr just before dying, and kittens purr when they nurse. Some behaviorists believe purring is a signal to other cats that they're not looking for a fight.

So how do you know if your cat's purr is the happy kind? Look at all her other physical signals. A cat purring with a relaxed body and partially closed eyes is content. If her body is tense, it's more likely the purring is an attempt to comfort herself.

It may also mean she's attempting to heal herself. Cats purr in the range of 25 to 150 Hertz, a frequency that has been shown in medical studies to improve bone density and promote healing.