Purrfect Pets

Last Tuesday, the LeVoir’s house burned, but Jacqueline LeVoir, her two children, and their dog, Lassie were able to escape through the upstairs window. However, they thought their kitten, Ace had perished in the fire as he didn’t make it out. A neighbor even told them the kitten’s dead body was found.

When Jacqueline and 14-year-old Jassa returned to the house to inspect the damage, Jassa called for Ace. They heard a tiny meow come from upstairs, but Jacqueline thought it must be a stray. With the help of her cell phone as a flashlight, Jassa was able to locate Ace on an upstairs bed.

The black and white kitten was surrounded by insulation. Jacqueline LeVoir said, “He actually looked pretty decent. He just looked a little skinnier and he was all dirty and full of soot.”

The LeVoir’s took him to a neighbor’s house where they are staying. Because he coughed and sneezed all night, they took him to the vet on Thursday morning. The kitten is on a saline nasal spray and antibiotics, but is otherwise fine.

Jacqueline said, “He is going to help my kids heal. It truly is a miracle. They are so happy. If my house had to burn down, it couldn’t have been better that literally everybody survived including the pets.”

The kitten was a Christmas present for the children.

The family lost all of their possessions in the fire, and only a few things may be salvageable. A firefighter estimated the damage to be $350,000. Republic Bank has set up an account for the family and donations are being accepted at all Republic Banks.

Though the family lost all their belongings, they are very greatful their pets survived.

Sources:

NKY News: Beloved Kitten Survives House Fire

The Cat’s Meow: From the Ashes of A Burned-Out Home, A Tiny Mew

Senate bill 5329, if passed would establish a spay/neuter assistance program, which would be funded by a special companion animal pet food fee in Washington state.

The bill states there are tens of thousands of homeless and stray cats and dogs handled by Washington’s care and control agencies and other area animal welfare organizations each year, which is very costly. Additionally, thousands of homeless pets are dying every year in animal shelters because there are not enough homes for them. Pet overpopulation is a big problem, which the senate bill wants to try to remedy.

The spay/neuter program the bill would create would allow low-income individuals to get their cats and dogs spayed or neutered at a reduced cost. The program would also spay or neuter feral cats.

The spay/neuter assistance program would be funded by a special pet food fee. Each distributor or responsible pet food buyer would be required to pay a fee of $57.50 per ton of food distributed. If a distributor or responsible pet food buyer does not distribute a ton of food within a given reporting period, he or she would not be required to pay the pet food fee.

The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council worries the pet food fee would significantly raise the cost of per pound cat and dog food in retail stores.

If you’d like to read more about this senate bill, you may do so here.

What do you think about this bill? Please tell me in the comments section below.

Sources:

Senate Bill 5329

Cat Channel: Pet Food Fee Proposed in Washington State

The Humane Society of the United States has kicked off an annual Spay Day Online Pet Photo Contest in honor of Spay Day, an international event encouraging pet owners to have their pets spayed or neutered.

Cat overpopulation is a real problem today. In fact, the other day I heard that 125,000 cats are homeless and on the streets in Denver alone! I think that’s really awful. We can help cat overpopulation, though, by having our cats spayed or neutered.

This year, Spay Day has the support of over 200 animal organizations. Spay Day will take place on February 24, 2009. Special Spay Day events, including spay/neuter clinics and fundraisers will take place throughout the month.

The Spay Day Online Pet Photo Contest is now open for submissions to raise money for Spay Day events. All pet photos will be judged by a panel of celebrities: Tamar Geller, who is an author and dog trainer, Christopher Ameruoso, photographer, Matt Grant from, “The Bachelor,” and “MUTTS” cartoonist, Patrick McDonnell.

You must be the sole owner and copyright holder to any photo you enter into the contest. Entrants may enter photos of cats, dogs, guinea pigs, certain types of equines, gerbils, rabbits, rats, mice, hamsters, freshwater aquarium fish, cockatiels, lovebirds, society finches, parakeets, ferrets, zebra finches, canaries.

Photos judged by the celebrity panel are eligible for several prizes. The grand prize winner will receive their pet photo and story as pet of the week in the March 2009 and Jan/Feb 2010 issue of All Animals magazine and a $1,000 gift certificate to Humane Domain, the Humane Society’s on-line store.

Ten finalists will have their pet photo and a pet of the week type interview featured on humanesociety.org in March 2009 and a $200 shopping spree to Humane Domain. Twenty-five honorable mentions will be featured on the Spay Day Online Pet Photo Contest in March 2009.

You can learn more about the contest, its rules, and prizes by visiting the contest rules page. You can enter your pet in the contest by visitng the Spay Day Online Pet Photo Contest, uploading your photo, and providing the requested information.

Good luck to anyone who decides to enter!

Sources:

Cat Channel: Photo Contest to Support Spay/Neuter Events

Spay Day Online Pet Photo Contest: Entry Page

Spay Day Online Pet Photo Contest: Contest Rules

It’s definitely cold outside! If you have a pet, there are certain things you can do to help protect him or her during these winter months.

1. If you have cats, keep them inside. Outside, cats can freeze, get lost, or become injured.

2. Clean up all antifreeze messes you make. Antifreeze is toxic to both cats and dogs and if its ingestion can lead to death.

3. After taking a dog on a walk, thoroughly wipe off his or her paws, legs, and stomach. He or she can ingest antifreeze, salt, and other potentially dangerous chemicals if one’s fur is not cleaned off after walks.

4. Don’t leave your cat or dog alone in the car during winter. The car acts like a refrigerator in winter months and can lead to your pet freezing to death.

5. Make sure your pet has a nice, warm place to sleep. A cat or dog bed with a blanket makes a good place for your pet to sleep. Try to keep your pet off the floor and away from drafts during winter nights.

You can read more useful winter safety tips at the ASPCA. I hope you find all of these tips useful in keeping your pet safe this winter.

Source:

ASPCA: Pet Care: Top Ten Cold Weather Tips

The Denver Dumb Friends League telethon is currently taking place. You can watch it on channel 31 until 5pm Mountain Standard Time.

I just made a pledge of $5 per month for one year in memory of Emma, a calico kitty we had to put down about a year and a half ago due to kidney failure. I hope she is smiling up there in kitty heaven.

The Denver Dumb Friends League does incredible work, and I wish I could do more for them. They take care of thousands of homeless cats, dogs, and other small animals every year. They provide spay/neuter services to every cat and dog before they are adopted out as well as providing each cat and dog with a microchip and collar and tag so that your pet can more easily be reunited with you if he or she becomes lost.

The Denver Dumb Friends League also provides a free behavioral hotline you can call if you are having behavioral problems with your cat or dog.

If you’d like to make a donation or a monthly pledge to the Denver Dumb Friends League please call: 720-249-5000 or visit their website here.

You get a gift with every pledge of $5 per month or more or one-time donation of $60 or more. I encourage you to help this great organization care for homeless animals where they reside until they find forever homes.

A PetCo holiday fundraiser succeeded in raising $3 million this year for local animal shelters around the country as well as local animal welfare organizations.

During the holiday season, PetCo stores decorated their walls with paper tree ornaments for the Tree of Hope fundraiser. Customers could purchase an ornament in $1, $5, $10, or $20 increments or they could round up their purchase price. Each time a customer purchased an ornament, they helped build the “tree.”

Fifty percent of all the proceeds went to supporting local animal shelters around the country that house homeless pets until they find good homes. The other fifty percent of the proceeds went to supporting local animal welfare organizations where the money was raised.

PetCo also partnered with Iames in order to help them raise money for and promote their Home 4 the Holidays campaign, which found homes for over one million homeless pets this past holiday season.

I think it’s fantastic that so much money was raised to help homeless pets this year, despite the current state of our economy. If you gave to the PetCo Tree of Hope this year, thank you for doing so!

Source:

Cat Channel: Tree of Hope Raises $3 Million for Homeless Pets

The winners of the fittest pets contest, run by Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc. were announced on Monday at the North American Veterinary Conference.

Thomas, an American Shorthair feline owned by Sharon Decuir and Misty, a Golden Retriever owned by Dorene Davis won the contest. Thomas went from weighing 17 pounds to weighing 15.8 pounds. Misty went from 118 pounds to 78 pounds during the contest. Thomas’ owner even lost 30 pounds just by being more health conscious.

The contest is part of Hill’s participation in AVMAVHill’s Alliance for Healthier Pets Obesity Awareness and Prevention Program, which is designed to encourage pet owners to work with their vets in making changes in their pets’ lives to help them lose weight and become healthier. Changes included regular weigh-ins at the vet, the incorporation of regular physical activity, and monitored feedings, including the incorporation of Hill’s prescription diet r/d food.

The contest entries were judged on the amount of body mass a pet lost, creative writing in telling the pet’s weight loss story, and the effect a pet’s weight loss had on the owner and the family.

Managing your cat’s weight is an important aspect of taking care of him or her. Making sure your cat gets plenty of exercise everyday can help reduce the chances that your cat will become obese and experience health problems as a result.

Source:

Cat Channel: America’s Fittest Pets Winners Announced

Animal cruelty occurs when a person physically harms or neglects to care for a pet. Yesterday I talked about what constitutes animal cruelty and you can read that post here.

It is very important for you to report any animal cruelty you suspect because most animal organizations are made aware of animal cruelty from reports filed by concerned neighbors, co-workers, family members, and friends. Without your help, an animal may not get out of a bad situation. Additionally, many people who are cruel to animals go on to become violent toward humans. So, reporting animal cruelty may help you save both the animal and people. Finally, only 11 states currently require veterinarians to report animal cruelty if they suspect an animal is being hurt or neglected.

Animal Cruelty Laws

Animal cruelty laws vary from state to state. If you would like to read about your state’s animal abuse and neglect laws please visit this website and select your state. Knowing the animal cruelty laws in your state will help you decide when it is appropriate to file a report on an animal you believe may be being hurt or neglected by its owner (or another person).

Where to Report

A good place to make reports of suspected animal cruelty is at your local animal advocacy agencies. Many shelters also take and investigate reports of animal abuse and neglect. To find a local organization near you to investigate possible animal cruelty, please visit this site. You can search by state, city, or zip code.

Some animal organizations will even allow you to file a report on-line for your convenience.

Reporting animal cruelty is very important, and I encourage you to do so if you suspect an animal of being abused or neglected.

Resource:

ASPCA: Reporting Cruelty FAQ

Animal cruelty occurs when a person actively or passively hurts an animal. Passive animal cruelty is constitued by neglect whereas active animal cruelty is constituted by animal abuse.

When a person does not provide a cat with enough food, water, shelter in extreme temperatures, allowing one’s collar to grow into the skin, or does not provide a cat with medical care when he or she needs it, the person is engaging in animal neglect. Animal neglect can also include allowing a cat’s coat to become extremely matted or tangled or allowing your cat to be infested with fleas and/or tics.

Animal abuse is committed when a person intentionally harms an animal. Animal abuse also includes killing an animal in any fashion.

Signs that an animal is being abused or neglected include:

*Flea or tick infestation
*Extremely matted or tangled fur
*Limping
*Cowering in a corner, fear of being approached, or backs away when you raise your hand to pet the animal
*Patches of missing fur
*Pets that are kept outside in extreme temperature and weather conditions
*Extremely thin, looks as if the animal is being starved
*Dogs that are repeatedly left chained in a yard for long periods of time without adequate food and/or water
*Wounds
*Animals that are sick or injured for a prolonged period of time
*Seeing an owner hitting or otherwise physically harming an animal
*An animal that has been hit by a car and has not received care by a veterinarian

Animal cruelty is a big issue, and it is important that you report any suspected animal abuse or neglect so that the animal can be taken care of and removed from the situation if necessary.

Tomorrow, I will discuss the importance of reporting animal cruelty as well as how to report it in your area.

Cat Fancy is having “The Biggest Losers” contest for cats, and there’s still plenty of time to enter your cat. To enter, you must send two photos of your cat - one before his or her weight loss and one after his or her weight loss. He or she must have lost the weight in a healthy way, approved by a veterinarian.

The first prize winner will receive a Bleached Linen Electronic Portion Control LeBistro feeder and a matching Fresh Flow Pet Fountain. The second place winner will receive a Bleached Linen Electronic Portion Control LeBistro feeder, and the third place winner will receive a Fresh Flow Pet Fountain. All winners will be published in the May, 2009 edition of Cat Fancy magazine and on CatChannel.

The Bleached Linen Electronic Portion Control LeBistro feeder automatically dispenses portions of dry food, pre-set and determined by the owner. The feeder allows cat owners to control cat meal portion sizes and monitor how much a cat is eating. The Pet Fountain provides a continuous supply of fresh, filtered water, which encourages cats to drink.

You can enter the contest via mail or e-mail.

To enter by mail send two quality photos of your cat or two digital photos of your cat on a CD along with the entry form, which can be found here, to: CAT FANCY, Biggest Losers Contest, P.O. Box 6050, Mission Viejo, CA, 92690-6050.

To enter by e-mail attach two quality photos of your cat of 300 dpi minimum 4 inches wide and copy, paste, and fill out the entry form, which can be found here in an e-mail. Photo attachments should be bigger than 200KB, but smaller than 6MB. Address the e-mail to: CatChannelEditor@bowtieinc.com and use the subject line, “Biggest Losers Contest.”

Remember, one photo of your cat must be a before shot and the other an after shot.

All entries must be received by Feb. 6, 2009.

Good luck!

Source:

Cat Channel: Announcing Cat Fancy’s Biggest Losers Contest