By now most if not all animal lovers know about the infamous Mary Bale, dubbed the “Cat Woman”. She tossed a sweet tabby cat named Lola into a trash bin. Apparently she has now lost her job at a bank where she has worked for many years. The video below has gone viral on the internet over the incident. Leave it up to the Brits to inject some humor. There even is a fake Twitter account, @CatBinLady which has been created. And yes there is a Facebook page as well, Cat Lady should do time in a bin.
The most important message in all of this is that animal cruelty of any form is wrong and inappropriate behavior. So please be vigilant in observing such acts and immediately report it to your local rescue or shelter. PLEASENOTE that the @CatBinLady Twitter account’s web address is the RSPCA. They along with the SPCA do incredible work to support and protect animals…..MANY THANKS!
Aren’t these kittens adorable?! With it being the 1st of July the annual Adopt a Cat month of June for this year has now passed. But unfortunately that has not ended the urgent need for cat adoptions.
The weather is heating up across the country and kitten season is well underway. Adult cats come out from hiding and reproduce. On average, female cats that haven’t been spayed have two or three litters per year, with one to eight kittens per litter.
Shelters have limited space and are overwhelmed. This is compounded with communities suffering from natural disasters. And with the economic downturn people are unable financially to keep their pets.
Creativity is the operative word for how shelters are trying to reduce number of cats/pets waiting to be adopted:
low cost spay and neutering to reduce number of kittens
There has been much focus and deservedly so on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. But there are other communities that are being impacted by weather with hurricanes, tornados, wildfires and floods. Most recently the flooding in Nashville, Tennessee. Countless animals have been displaced being found wandering the streets, and in desperate need of homes. A spate of urgent requests for pet adoptions have been the end result.
To lessen the trauma of losing a pet and likelihood of pets seeking new homes BEFORE a DISASTER:
Prepare. Get a pet emergency supply kit, including food, water, medicines and medical records, first aid kit, collar with ID tag, leash or harness, crate or pet carrier and sanitation items.
Microchip: Make sure your pet is micro-chipped so that it may be easily identified. Keep registration up to date, and include emergency number of friend or relative that does not live in the immediate area.
Plan: What will you do in an emergency? Create a plan to get away and develop a buddy system.
Stay informed: Know about the types of emergencies.
DURING a DISASTER:
Make sure your pet is inside well before storm begins. And do not leave a pet chained outside.
Keep pet by your side to reassure them.
Never tranquilize a pet. It will be inhibited from using it’s natural survival instincts.
If you are instructed to evacuate do not leave pets behind.
Re-orient dog to home by walking it on a leash. For both cats and dogs familiar scents may no longer exist.
Be aware of downed power lines, debris and reptiles.
Contact your local animal control office if a pet is missing to find out where lost animals can be recovered. Bring a recent picture of your pet, tattoo number or microchip number.
Do not let your pet eat food or drink water that might have been contaminated.
Pet behavior might change after the trauma of a disaster. Report any changes in behavior to your veterinarian.
DISASTER AFTERMATH:
After a natural disaster, displaced people and companion animals face many dangers. There are many hazardous, life-threatening situations for helpless strays and displaced pets.
Disorientation, panic and stress, and leads dogs and cats seeking refuge into hazardous situations when there are no longer familiar landmarks or scents.
Floodwaters contaminated with waste and bacteria can cause intestinal parasites and gastroenteritis.
Animals trying to swim in floodwaters can quickly become exhausted and drown.
Displaced dogs and cats are frightened, lost, thirsty and very hungry and do not understand that they should steer clear of standing water and any food they may find.
Some of you folks might remember the good fortune of this dog being rescued from river earlier in the year. He was certainly fortunate but there are so many animals around the country struggling to survive after being displaced from their families. Please do take preventative measures and plan in advance for not only your safety and well being but your pets as well.
Not sure that I was as mature as Ciara at 12 years old. She is certainly a role model for other kids her age and for us adults too. As with anyone who has a pet, Ciara had the good fortune to grow up with a Golden Retriever, named Dakota. When Dakota passed there was an incredible void in her life. Instead of withdrawing after losing Dakota she volunteered at a local golden retriever rescue, Rescue a Golden, of Arizona.
But Ciara’s passion for animals did not stop there. She started a non-profit charity called Pennies For Pups.
“Pennies For Pups was founded to help raise awareness, money, medication and food for sick, injured and abandoned dogs in local animal shelters and foster care.”
Through Pennies for Pups she has established:
Annual weekly fundraiser at her school, Desert Arroyo Middle School.
Annual Book Sale and Dog show
Annual Four-Legged Food Drive
Yikes…..all at the ripe young age of 12! She most certainly is “a voice for the “bark” less”. Think she has a lot of MOXIE too…..”energy, nerve, courage & spirit!”
PeTA has enlisted the help of “Octomom”, Nadya Suleman to help promote spay & neutering of pets to pet owners. For $5,000 and a month’s supply of veggie dogs and veggie burgers she will place the above noted ad on her front lawn in La Habra, California, at 11 a.m today.
Already the ad has garnered attention from major media outlets for free; CNN, NBC, AOL News, E! Online, USA Today, and the New York Post. With “kitten season” now underway it seems that this current focus on “Octomom” is well deserved.
Animal Birth Control
Up to 8 million dogs and cats inhabit shelters annually. At least half of these animals are euthanized.
25% of animals at shelters are purebreds.
Female dogs and cats in heat have to fend off male animals without much success.
Spaying and neutering is a life saver for overall health and well being of your dog or cat.
Spaying and neutering puppies and kittens is cost effective.
With so many animals in need of good homes adoption is a life saver.
Following is video of above noted PeTA ad being unveiled. Must say listening to paparazzi is very annoying.
Nothing like a visual aide to “drive home” the point regarding deplorable conditions at puppy mills. Speaking of baseball analogies, Tony LaRussa manager of the St. Louis Cardinals joined the board of the Puppy Mills Reform Committee, created by Missourians For the Protection of Dogs group. He has been a long time advocate for animal welfare. The group is funded by the Humane Society and is looking to establish new regulations on dog breeders within the state. And to make “puppy mill cruelty” a crime advocating for creation of the “Puppy Mills Cruelty Prevention Act”.
Missouri has THE highest concentration of puppy mills. These businesses bring in tax free cash sales annually. With new regulations the hope is for:
adequate shelter, food and veterinary care
improved living conditions and space for exercise
minimize animals living on the streets
limit breeding of cats and dogs to 50 per facility
It is always great to know of a sports celebrity who is helping to improve the welfare of animals. All too often we hear more about those who do not. Thank you, Tony LaRussa for the incredible work you do on behalf of animals!
I got my haircut this past Friday at my local hair salon, Radiance Aveda. And was watching video, “How to Make a Hair Boom” from Matter of Trust, the environmental charity making headlines. Low and behold at 36 seconds into the clip I notice that Radiance Aveda is one of the salons donating hair clippings….WOW….YEAH!
Matter of Trust collects hair and fur from salons and pet groomers to create hair stuffed containment booms with recycled pantyhose, which are then sent to areas that suffer from oil spills. Most recent of course in the Gulf of Mexico. These booms are laid out on beaches and are magnets for the oil.
Facts & Figures
Since April 20th 5,000 barrels (210,000 gallons) daily is escaping from the BP rig in the Gulf of Mexico.
On average there are 2600 million oil spills annually.
On average 726 million gallons of oil are spilled annually.
363 million gallons of motor oil are washed into ocean annually.
1Quart of oil can contaminate 1 Million gallons of drinking water.
(My town was one of communities in Boston area a couple of weekends ago that did not have ready access to drinking water due to pipe bursting. A minor inconvenience for a couple of days. But what a wake up call with respect to not having access to clean, drinkable water long term.)
Are you ready to open your home to a new, furry family member? If you plan to adopt, choosing a rescue group is just as important as choosing your next pet. Consider this: When you enter into an adoption contract, you are legally bound by its rules for the life of your animal. As with any long-term relationship, it is best to start off on the right foot.
Examine Your Needs
The first step is to honestly assess your situation. Think about “a day in the life” of your perspective pet. How will you manage vet care, exercise, obedience, etc.? Do you have a fenced dog yard? Will you leash walk? Will your cat be indoors or have outdoor access?
While my husband and I more than meet the typical adoption criteria, our 2 dog doors pose an interesting issue for cats. Knowing that many agencies require adopted cats to remain indoors, we could not promise ours wouldn’t learn a way out. Cats are smart. Cats are crafty. And cats are persistent. Realistically, rapid-fire water blasts rarely deter instinctive quests for the natural environment.
Find a Contractual Match
The next step is to research your local rescue organizations for a good fit. Understanding your contractual responsibilities will expedite your connection with the new friend you are meant to have.
We found an amazing cattery with an truly holistic approach. Respecting the life that each cat has previously known, indoor cats seek indoor adopters, barn cats from bad situations seek responsible barn owners, and so on. This seemed like the place for us.
Find Your Perfect Pet
Once you find the perfect place, it’s time to choose your new friend. If you still have questions, find somebody in the know. Then find your new friend.
Although I assumed this organization was a good fit, I explained our circumstances to the woman in charge. She appreciated our honest concerns and happily accepted our application. Because we were all on the same page, our adoption experience was perfectly positive.
Let the Love Fest Begin
I am proud to introduce you to our new boys, Jackson and Jed. You can see their heartwarming adoption day in the video below. We sincerely wish you the same success and incredible joy that we’ve experienced through this process. The love these animals give is well worth the little bit of investigative work it takes to place the right one in the right situation.
With “Stamps to the Rescue” being officially available today, April 30th another campaign is following on its heels, “Letters for Pets”. The effort is to continue momentum regarding the ongoing need for awareness of shelter pets and “to encourage the adoption of shelter animals across the country”.
“Our goal is to send 1 million messages to the White House asking for a presidential proclamation to declare April 30th National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day”.
Kudos to the national pet magazine Tails, Jane Goodall Institute’s youth organization Roots and Shoots which is promoting the letter writing in elementary schools. And Halo which is continuing the rallying cry from “Stamps to the Rescue” by donating 5 meals to shelter pets for each picture uploaded to the Tails’ Facebook fan page featuring your stamped letter.
How can the plight of a pug, named Puglet help make a difference in the lives of other pugs and pets that are homeless? Easy…..Puglet inspired his mom to share him with the world via post. The project helps bring awareness to people that “recycled” pets are just as good as “non-recycled” pets.
According to his mom, and fellow recycled K9, Dutch (the Dalmation) “Flat Puglet started out as just something to write about on the blog (Daily Puglet). Thought it would be cool to visit some of Puglet’s “followers” in other parts of the country”. As “the Flattie prototype” gained traction in public the light dawned that the “Flat Puglet might be able to do some good”. To date there are now 65 flat Puglets “getting around”.
I know I posted yesterday about Earth Day (April 22, 2010), but how can one resist a most engaging and adorable pug? Here’s to “recycled” pets and recycling….
There are so many ways to “GO GREEN”:
Spay and neuter.
Rescue and adopt.
Shop locally for pet supplies and research products.
Buy pet items made from natural or recycled materials.
Look for pet foods with “FDA Certified Food Grade” stamp of approval for the long term health and well being of your pet.
Purchase non-clay based cat litter.
Buy biodegradable poop bags for your pooch’s poop.
Remember EPA findings regarding spot-on flea and tick control products and purchase natural treatments.
