Hi Cat Lover,
Here's what's in this issue:
~Cat rescued from Hurricane Katrina has cushy "job" now
~New children's book on cats teaches responsibility...
~Cat Food News items
~Web Sites to explore
~Smiles and videos...
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NEWS FOR CAT LOVERS
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Mr. Higgins is a huge orange tabby cat that almost drowned in
Hurricane Katrina. He was found by rescuers running along
the streets half alive and full of fleas. He was sent to a woman
in Tennessee who rehabilitated him (and his brother) and a man
from California bought him when he saw his profile on the Internet.
Mr. Higgins is now the unofficial mascot in a bar in San Francisco,
drawing a large crowd to the establishment. He now weighs 27
pounds and is happy to just sleep on a couch after greeting
customers.
http://budurl.com/44rz
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A new children's book about cats just came out and is
called "It's Raining Cats and Cats." It delivers an important
message to young readers about responsible pet ownership
and the consequences of feline overpopulation.
You can read more about it here: http://budurl.com/8zed
Pick it up at Amazon.com - http://budurl.com/nw4z
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CAT FOOD NEWS
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Free cat food samples:
http://www.frugal-freebies.com/2009/04/free-cat-food-sample.html
Here is a link for Australian cat owners, too:
http://www.purefeline.com.au/sample.php
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A new law, just passed in China, will go into effect June1,
requiring a higher standard of safety in food production. This
was announced by the country's news agency, Xinhua, earlier
this year, but did not specifically mention pet food.
However, it's probably safe to assume that the new regulations
will include all aspects of the industry, and that the fear of
punishment will extend to the petfood companies as well.
After the petfood contamination of 2007, there was actually
at least one execution of a company official who was held
responsible for the company's actions. The new rules
promise severe consequences for offenders, as well as the
implementation of a new food recall system, associated with
new, and stricter, supervision over additives used in their
products.
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Tyson Foods, Inc. just partnered with a company called
Freshpet, and will focus on expanding the fresh petfood segment
of the industry. These fresh foods require refrigeration, so we can
soon start looking for more freezer and refrigeration units at
pet food stores.
The co-founder of Freshpet, Scott Morris, said the new goal
will be to provide "real food for pets, not just petfood." He also
predicts this trend will help change the way people think about
feeding their pets, as more people are coming to regard their pets
as members of their family.
[Note: I'll have to find it again if you want to know more, but I
just read an article about feeding cats a vegetarian, or vegan,
diet. The conclusion from the experiment, though not official, was
that there are no health benefits to feeding cats a no-meat diet, and
without extremely close supervision and supplementation, could even
be hazardous to their health.]
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You know how a lot of people think that getting their cats spayed
causes them to gain weight? Well, it's begining to look like there
is some truth to it after all.
Studies are being done right now to explore the connection
between weight gain and spaying. There could be studies on
the relationship to neutering later on, too.
For now, it's already been shown that a connection exists, but
they still don't understand how it works. So far, it appears to be
related to how the cat's body handles protein, and/or whether it's
more related to activity or hormone levels.
Either way, the solution to the problem remains the same at
this time... help your cat get enough exercise to burn off the
calories, plus feed less or find a weight control food.
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Help Feed Shelter Animals
These three sites are legitimate and do help donate food to
rescue shelters. They are quite different, so you will want to
explore them to see how they do it.
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/ (Just click to donate)
http://pets.care2.com/i?p=868775137 (click to donate)
http://www.freekibblekat.com/ (Play a trivia game...even a
wrong answer gives a donation. They also donate to dogs
on their other page. Hover your mouse over some of the
cartoon cats and they meow!)
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WEB SITES to explore
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Please Help Lucky Girl!
http://www.hipaws.com/Luckygirl.html
One of the cats here needs surgery, and I need help to
cover it.
Beware of toxic flea treatments this summer: (Video)
http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/play/917149
http://www.myhappycats.com/letsmove/
(How to move when you have pets)
http://www.thebestcatfurniture.com
(Because every cat deserves to be comfortable!)
http://www.everypetmatters.com
(Information about getting pet insurance)
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A SMILE FOR YOU
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This video made me smile, but it's also crazy. Why can't
she keep the cat inside?
http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/play/903727
(cat steals neighbors' clothes)
-------------------------- LATEST VIDEO -------------------
Check out the video on my website, at the bottom of the page.
Very cute! About 1:43 minutes.
http://www.theproblemcat.com
(It's about a guy playing with his cat, riding on his back.)
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If you want to see more videos, go to my blog:
http://loveablecat.blogspot.com
and then go clear to the bottom of the page, where I have
a "Video Bar" with several cat videos that change out every
so often. So there is always a fresh one there in case
you need a cat video fix and can't wait for the next Kitty Times!
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TAKE ACTION TO HELP ANIMALS IN NEED
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This section may contain stories that are potentially disturbing,
as they may be about abuse or other sad situations. They are presented
only if there is some action we can take, such as signing a petition.
No stories will be shown that are sad with no way to handle it.
If you do not wish to read about these, do not click on the links.
Cat killer in Chandler, Arizona
What you can do: Residents of the area (and this is true
for any area) should call police if they see or hear about
such incidents. Important: If you have been letting your
cats run loose, keep them inside. The biggest hazards
for outdoor cats are humans... this includes cars, toxic matter
and cruelty. Next, call a local rescue or humane shelter
to inquire about stray cat programs and see if you can help.
http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/play/911347
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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.)
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If you ever want to review past issues, here is where
they are stored:
https://www.ymlp.com/pubarchive.php?catsgalore
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