Hello Fellow Cat Lover!
Today's newsletter covers these subjects:
Catching diseases from our pets...
Iams Petfood Company guilty of exaggeration...
Psychic kitty?
Raising kittens...
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THE PET-HUMAN DISEASE CONNECTION
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Lately, there seems to be a growing "interest" in the
connection between our pets and the passing of diseases
between us and them, especially to children, who seem
most vulnerable.
Called zoonoses (pronounced Zoh Oh NOH Sees), some pets
are being blamed for giving us certain illnesses. Dogs
and cats top the list, as parents and doctors seem most
concerned about the kids, and other high-susceptibility
groups, such as the elderly, sick, and the very young.
Just when the research was starting to demonstrate that
having pets during childhood *helped* the development of
a healthy immune system and prevented allergies, now things
may swing the other way again to "justify" the old beliefs.
It's my opinion that cats and dogs have always carried
a variety of bacteria, but our susceptibility to these
"bugs" has changed over time... and I suspect it's
because our overall health has been compromised by current
medical approaches to health. In other words, drugs have
been overused (especially antibiotics), rendering many
people more vulnerable to disease... no matter where it
comes from... because the bacterial and viral strains have
mutated and become more drug resistant.
It's also no small point to note that poor diet has
compromised our immune systems, too. Surely, we can't expect
excellent health and resistance to disease when so many of us
have been raised on junk food.
I predict a potential movement toward greater relinquishment
of pets, especially cats, in the coming years, as this "pet
connection" to disease gains momentum.
Sigh...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20070731/sc_livescience/petsmightpackdeadlyhumanbacteria
(You may have to copy and paste that link to make it work,
if it breaks into two lines on your screen.)
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IAMS CRITICIZED FOR EXCESSIVE CLAIMS
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According to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA),
advertisements in the British press made by Iams pet food,
(a division of Proctor and Gamble), were found to be "misleading"
and "exaggerated." The first complaint concerns claims that
their dog food could restore some older dogs' immune systems to
that of a much younger dog.
The second complaint refers to Iams' senior cat foods, where
the company claimed that by adding certain levels of Vitamin E
to the food, it would take the immune system of an 8-year-old
cat back to that of a 2-year-old.
The ASA ruled that the first claim was exaggerated and the
second one was misleading. Read more about it here:
http://www.petfoodindustry.com/ViewNews.aspx?id=15758
(This is discouraging... I was hoping Vitamin E would help
take MY immune system back to, say, a 20-year-old! Oh well...
I wasn't planning on aging gracefully anyway.... ...)
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WEB SITES
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1. Here's a cat that seems to have a knack for predicting
when nursing home patients are about to die. He curls
up next to them during their final hours (usually within
the last 2 to 4). Some of the patients' families find it
comforting, and others are not so pleased with his "talent,"
banning him from their relatives' rooms.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19959718/from/ET/
Personally, I agree with the comforting crowd.
Thanks to so many of you who sent this in! And sorry I
didn't get this out sooner... it's old news already!
2. A brand new website for you to explore:
http://www.catmassagesecrets.com
It's my latest project! Share it around, if you like. ;-)
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A SMILE FOR YOU ;-)
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In case you didn't have time to read my article on
kittens, here is the link again:
http://ezinearticles.com/?id=638561
I bring it up because Bob, a faithful reader, has
a wonderful story of his own to tell, which I have
put here:
http://www.theproblemcat.com/articles/raisingkittens.html
Thanks, Bob!
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Do you have any fun 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.)
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