Hello Cat Lover!
Here's what's in this issue:
Dog saves kittens...
Obituary...
Pallas cat... a what?
Feral cats to be removed...
Abandoning cats, a sign of the times... by a guest writer
Useful products...
Cat trivia...
A bit of humor...
===================================
NEWS FOR CAT LOVERS
===================================
HERO DOG RISKS LIFE TO SAVE KITTENS FROM FIRE
Sun Oct 26, 2008 __ Australia:
SYDNEY (Reuters) -- A dog was hailed as a hero on Sunday after
he risked his life to save a litter of newborn kittens from a house
fire, rescuers said.
In a case which contradicts the old saying, "fighting like
cats and dogs," the Terrier cross named Leo had to be revived with
oxygen and heart massage after his ordeal.
Fire broke out overnight at the house in Australia's southern
city of Melbourne, where he was guarding the kittens. Firefighters
who revived Leo said he refused to leave the building and was found
by them alongside the litter of kittens, despite thick smoke.
"Leo wouldn't leave the kittens and it nearly cost him his
life," fire service Commander Ken Brown told reporters. The four
kittens also survived the fire.
-------------------------------
I'd like to offer my sincere condolences to Ed S. on the loss
of his beloved Sweet Pea recently. I tried to email Ed, but it
came back with some weird stuff in it (like spam), so I decided
I'd better try this avenue next. [ I don't want you to think I didn't try,
Ed. I think there might be something going on with your internet
account, though.]
Sweet Pea came into Ed's life only a few months ago and quickly
became a cherished companion. He was a kitten, but at 6 months
old, was diagnosed with an incurable disease and had to be "sent to
the Bridge" to end his suffering.
I'm sure the rest of us here share your pain, Ed, and wish you a measure
of comfort, too. We hope you are able to heal soon, and though you
will always miss the little guy, maybe there will be room for another
kitty at some point. There are many who need homes, and I'll bet
you will be able to love again.
===================================
WEB SITES to explore
===================================
http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kol08/article/default.asp?article_id=47827
Indigenous to the high altitude deserts and rocky areas of Asia,
including Tibet, there is a small cat known as the Pallas cat.
It was discovered in 1778 by a German naturalist, Peter Pallas.
In the wild, these cats feed on rodents, hares and sand grouse.
They are difficult to breed in captivity, but a wild animal park
in Bekesbourne, near Canterbury in the UK, is having some
success doing so.
Born a few months ago and yet to be named, a Pallas kitten
is doing well under the care of its keepers at the park.
Unlike domestic cats, its eyes close down to a circular opening, rather
than a vertical slit.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Feral cats are being given the bum's rush in Rancho Los Amigos, California
soon, it appears. Instead of looking at the success of a local Trap Neuter Return
program undertaken by a feline rescue group there, local authorities are
not impressed and want the cats out... ASAP... so they can put up a new
building.
Typically, detractors want perfect results when someone promises to make
a difference. So, when Fail Safe 4 Felines managed to control a group of
about 150 cats hanging out at an abandoned building, the authorities were
upset when that population "skyrocketed" to 200.
The fact is, the colony would have reached many hundreds if not for the
intervention of the caregivers. The population "explosion" was due to
irresponsible human activity, as usual. Apparently, people have been dumping
their unaltered pets there, since they probably saw it as a convenient
little spot where they could get away with it and not feel guilty about it.
Sadly, the rescue workers are being blamed for a "failure" of their
program. The failure is with the city, who could have taken action with
a spay/neuter program and assisted with relocations, not to mention
citing owners for abandoning their animals.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2008/10/the-fate-of-the.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Guest Writer Department:
Often, "feral" cats aren't feral at all. They simply are previously cherished
household pets who have been abandoned for some reason and are just
desperately trying to survive in unfamiliar environments. Here is an
article sent to me by our good friend, the writer in Thailand, Paul DeCeglie.
(He's the one who's been contributing the cute one-liner jokes at the
bottom of this newsletter.)
Read his article here, on my blog:
http://cathealthproblems.blogspot.com
===================================
USEFUL PRODUCTS AND SITES
===================================
http://www.moderncat.net/2008/09/15/space-saving-closet-sleeper/
If you live in a small space, you probably want to make good
use of every square inch. With the space-saving Kittywalk
Closet Sleeper, you can provide your cat with a cozy nest
that fits into the unused space in your closet. This soft
box hangs from the clothes rod, creating a comfortable and
secluded place for napping. Measuring 18 x 18 x 12 inches,
it holds up to 15 lbs of cat.
You can see what it looks like here:
http://tinyurl.com/6gnl5a
I'm going to see if I can come up with a similar idea, using
my own materials. If you're a crafty type too, let me know
what you come up with!
===================================
A SMILE FOR YOU ;-)
===================================
Some cat trivia:
--An old Chinese proverb says that a light-colored cat will bring
you silver, while a dark-colored cat will bring you gold.
--An old French legend says you will find buried treasure if you
take a cat to the junction of five roads, let it go, and follow it.
--It is said that Russians believe that bringing a cat to one's new
home will ensure happiness. In addition to that, if you throw the
cat on the bed first thing, and it starts washing itself, it will stay.
--A Medieval French legend has another way to be sure your cat
stays with you when you move:
You must christen your new home by carrying the cat around
the pot-hanger three times, then rub its paws against the wall
of the chimney. If the cat leaves anyway, you didn't do it right.
(I'm just wondering what the "pot-hanger" is.)
-----------------------------------
Check out the video on my website, at the bottom of the page:
http://www.theproblemcat.com
I try to change it out every couple of weeks.
-----------------------------------
A cheery thanks goes out to Paul DeCeglie in Thailand
for his contribution of some cute cat jokes, which I'll put
in here one at a time until we run out of them! Paul is an
American writer based in Thailand and does a newspaper
column called Pattaya Today. He can be reached at
mrwritepdc @ yahoo.com.
Today's joke:
The trouble with a kitten is that
Eventually it becomes a Cat.
-- Ogden Nash
(This is the last joke from Paul's collection.)
===================================
Do you have any interesting stories to share about your
cats? Send them in and I'll put them here in
this newsletter. (Include your name and website
if you have one, and I'll give you a "plug" for
your website. Or, anonymous is OK, too. It's
up to you.)
===================================
If you ever want to review past issues,
here is where they are stored:
https://www.ymlp.com/pubarchive.php?catsgalore
We will NOT rent or sell your info. You are
subscribed to a free email newsletter from
R.J.Peters, "the Cat Lady." You can unsubscribe
anytime.
If you know someone who would like to read
this newsletter, please feel free to forward
this one to them. If they want to sign up to get
their own, refer them to my web site, here:
http://www.theproblemcat.com/ (use the signup form)
or go directly to:
http://www.theproblemcat.com/optinpage.html.
