Hello Cat Lover!

I thought I sent this out yesterday, but I can't find
the confirmation email that it made it, so here it goes
again. Sorry if this is a repeat.

Here's what's in this issue:

Gracey the cat wins $10,000...
Peony the cat will save lives by donating blood...
Cat food news...
Stuff for Cat lovers...
Web sites to explore...
A smile for you...
How to help cats right now...

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NEWS FOR CAT LOVERS
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Well, it pays to enter photo contests with our kitties.
A cat named Gracey just won the Bissell 2010 Most
Valuable Pet title. The $10,000 prize will be donated
to the PurrEver Ranch Sanctuary in Tennessee, where
senior cats and others with special needs are cared for.
Gracey's owner in Ohio heard about the contest on
Facebook.
Story, with Gracey's photo: http://bit.ly/buhnTz
------------------------
Peony the cat was abandoned in a cardboard box on the
steps of a Louisiana humane society, but she won't be
placed in a home yet... not this year, anyway. She fits
the needs of the Louisiana Veterinary Referral and Emergency
Center, who looks for cats suitable for life-saving blood donations.
Peony will provide blood for veterinary transfusions for a year,
then be returned to the humane society, where hopefully, she
WILL find a new home.
Story, with Peony's photo: http://bit.ly/clsvv1

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CAT FOOD NEWS
===================================
PetSmart(R) will expand its selection of natural pet foods
with the addition of Wellness(R) brand pet food and snacks
available in stores and online at www.petsmart.com,
beginning in the fall of 2010. Soon to be the newest specialty
pet food line for PetSmart, Wellness is made with only the
finest natural ingredients, including lean meats, whole grains,
fruits and vegetables, in wet and dry recipes for dogs and cats.
Story: http://bit.ly/aSbmty
-------------------
http://bit.ly/9pN3Uj
Free Cat Nutrition Report
------------------

Help Feed Shelter Animals

Don't forget to visit these sites as often as you can and
click on the shelter-feed links. There is no cost to you
to do this.

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/

http://pets.care2.com/i?p=868775137

http://www.freekibblekat.com/ (Answer a trivia question...
even a wrong answer gives a donation.)

You can sign up for their daily reminders, too, if you need
a little nudge, like I do.

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STUFF FOR CATS (and cat lovers)
===================================
Dr. Jones Feline supplements http://bit.ly/asJmXY

http://www.theproblemcat.com/misc/catscapades.html

http://www.theproblemcat.com/misc/petpoetry.html

===================================
WEB SITES to explore
===================================
In case you missed, or didn't get a chance to see it,
this video this might help if you have ticks in your
area. It demonstrates how to remove ticks correctly:
http://bit.ly/bXDGBl

Flea Control Secrets http://bit.ly/daZr9h

Tips for keeping your cat flea-free:
1. Maintain good health. Fleas thrive on less healthy hosts.
2. Shampoo weekly with a safe flea shampoo. Ask your vet.
3. Vacuum often, especially where your cat sleeps.
4. Use herbs. Fleas do not like Pennyroyal, or Catnip.
5. Dust your cat, and sleeping areas, with diatomaceous earth,
also known as Chinchilla Dust. Just be sure to get the safe kind.
Again, ask your vet how to know which is which.

ASPCA Guide to Pet-Safe Gardening
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/pet-care-tips/pet-safe-gardening.html

http://www.theproblemcat.com/letsmove/
(How to move when you have pets)

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A SMILE FOR YOU
===================================
"Malia" is a common name for a female cat in Hawaii.
It means "Mary" or "pretty girl."

-------- LATEST VIDEO -----------

Check out the video on my website, at the bottom of the page.
http://www.theproblemcat.com
This cat opens doors!

===================================
TAKE ACTION TO HELP ANIMALS IN NEED
===================================
Sadly, things have gotten so bad for cats that they are being
euthanized on the spot at most shelters now. No more 3-day
waiting periods, for example.

People are surrendering, or abandoning, cats at such a high
rate that all shelters are overloaded. They've been overcrowded
for years, but at least adoptions kept things rotating, so to speak.
No more.

Now, adoptions are at an all-time low. A lot is due to the economy,
of course, as an unprecedented number of people are losing their
homes to foreclosure, their jobs, and other problems. This means
that pets are being given up, too.

With no room at shelters, there is no choice but to euthanize them
the same day they come in.

How can you help?
1. Be sure your own pets are spayed and neutered. Obviously,
no more animals are needed right now.
2. Help a less fortunate neighbor get one spayed/neutered. If
everyone helped just one pet, it would make a huge impact.
3. Call a local shelter and ask what they need. It's usually
money, of course, as the expenses of running a shelter are
overwhelming. Believe me, I know. I had to close mine to the
public. Now it's all I can do to support the cats I have left (45).
4. Don't ignore stray cats in your neighborhood. Some towns
won't let you feed them, but starvation is a horrible death.
Call animal control and find out what they can do for them,
or ask for advice. Be prepared for frustration, and if possible, you
may want to try to be "resourceful."
5. If at all possible, consider adding one more cat to your family.
6. Be sure your cat(s) can be identified... by wearing a collar
and ID tag. Otherwise, getting lost will mean getting put down.

Related stories:

http://bit.ly/cR0rlr
http://bit.ly/cFPyE2
http://bit.ly/c8BXEg

--------------------------------
Here is a site that provides up-to-date information on abuse situations:
http://www.pet-abuse.org
If you're so inclined, it's a good resource to find petitions to
sign, letters to write, or other actions we can take to help.

===================================

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.

If you would like to also receive my dog newsletter,
you can find the signup form here:
http://trainyourowndog.blogspot.com


Roberta, the Cat Lady
mskitty @ catlover.com




PS - Now for the new Legal Stuff we have to display,
as required by the FTC as of Dec. 1, 2009:
Disclaimer: Some of the links above may be affiliate
links for which we derive a small commission to help keep
the shelter running.