Hello Cat Lover!
In this issue:
Prince Chunk... overweight but healthy
Owning pets in Saudi Arabia... illegal?
PETA sues for research info...
Petfood news...
Pet Videos site...
Petition to stop cat killing...
Funny cat pictures...
Extreme Pet Gadgets...
===================================
NEWS FOR CAT LOVERS
===================================
Have you been reading about that fat cat called
Prince Chunk?
This 44-pound, 10-year-old kitty from New Jersey has
been in the news a lot recently, after he was spotlighted
on some of the morning television news shows.
He was in a shelter, awaiting adoption after his original
owner had to surrender him when she lost her home to foreclosure.
He passed a thorough veterinary exam and is now approved for
adoption. But because of his celebrity status now, he's had
about 400 applications already and had to be moved to an
anonymous foster home while the shelter filters through
the applications.
Here's a link to the full story:
http://tinyurl.com/5jtzt2
-----------------------------------
Just when I thought there were enough reasons NOT to live
in Saudi Arabia, here's another one:
Authorities (the religious police... yes, there is such a
an agency there) just banned the sale of animals as pets.
In addition to that, walking a dog in public is now against
the law, too.
Why? Oh, the usual reason over there: it's against their
religion. The Islamic religion seems dedicated to keeping
men and women apart, as it's considered inappropriate even
to appear in public together. So, since everyone knows
that having a dog or a cat attracts women to the men who have
them, men are not allowed to have them. Thus, only men seem to
be affected by this new law, and any pets they own will be
confiscated. I didn't find out what they do to the pets.
I might not want to know... These are the people who cut off
your hand if you steal something.
So far, this is only being enforced in Riyadh, the capital.
===================================
HEALTH ISSUES
===================================
About 2 years ago, animal activist group PETA, People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals, attempted to obtain research
data from Mississippi State University, only to have their
requests refused.
PETA said they only wanted to know what happened to the
animals used in research by the Iams company, who were doing
studies on dental care at the time. MSU has an ongoing relation-
ship with the company to host their research studies.
Iams said the data were their own intellectual property
and thus, not public. PETA sued, and apparently won, but a
later ruling (in June 2008) reversed the lower court's finding
and agreed with Iams, stating that the information was not public.
So, we won't find out if they suffered, will we.
===================================
PET FOOD NEWS
===================================
Boy, that petfood recall last year has had some major and
far-reaching effects. And that's a good thing, as a whole new
awareness of what we've been feeding our pets has come to light.
Here are some of the latest news bites on that subject:
-----------------------------------
Rachel Ray, the television cooking show celebrity, has created
her own line of natural pet foods, called Rachel Ray Nutrish.
It's all organic, only high quality protein is used, and all
proceeds are to be donated to the rescue she founded, called
Rachel's Rescue.
http://www.rachaelray.com/pets/nutrish.php?view=
-----------------------------------
Here's another natural pet food company that has sprung up
recently in answer to the new demand for good food for pets:
http://www.natureslogic.com
Nature's Logic says they are the very first to provide a petfood
that is completely holistic and free of synthetic vitamins and minerals.
Their product is raw-frozen and can be sliced into patties to serve.
The fruit and veggie ingredients have been dried before being
added to the meat component, so there is no "water weight" and
all of it is highly nutritious, along with more calories and denser
nutrient content.
-----------------------------------
And this company, based in the U.K., has produced the world's
first carb-free pet food:
http://www.ga-petfoodpartners.co.uk (Golden Acres Pet Foods)
Why no carbs? The company says this food is ideal for pets that
are known to be "obligate carnivores," that is, their natural
diet consists of no or low carbohydrates. This includes cats,
as well as ferrets.
All you have to do is look at the ingredients list on a petfood
package to see what's in the food. If the first ingredient is
corn meal, or some other grain, then it's primarily a grain
food. This may work out for dogs, but cats MUST have meat.
Golden Acres' petfood is 80% chicken and has a 50% protein content.
However, the company does not sell products to the public; they
work with petfood companies. Since this is a new product, it's
not immediately apparent who is carrying the new and improved food.
===================================
WEB SITES to explore
===================================
http://www.powerofpaws.com (heartwarming pet videos)
-----------------------------------
Every year, more than 70% of all cats in shelters are euthanized,
whether they were brought in as strays, wild, or surrendered housepets.
Alley Cat Allies and others say there are better alternatives to
this form of "animal control." If you agree, sign this petition,
saying, I Am Against the Killing of Cats:
http://go.care2.com/e/7QDZ/v74c/lqYQ
===================================
A SMILE FOR YOU ;-)
===================================
http://www.thecatsite.com/Snips/222/30-Funny-Cat-Pictures.html
-----------------------------------
You have to see these:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/149280>1=43001
(Extreme Pet Gadgets - Some of these make sense, some do not,
some will make you laugh, and some will make you CRINGE.)
===================================
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.
