Hello Cat Lover!
Today's edition will cover:
Cash for Cats in Iowa...
Japan's Cartoon Cat Ambassador...
Dangers of spaying too late...
Proper cat nutrition...
Web sites and smiles...
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CATS IN THE NEWS - "Cash for Cats?"
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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,337009,00.html
The small town of Randolph, Iowa put a new plan into
action on March 1, whereby stray cats with no collars
would be turned in to local animal control, then taken
to a vet clinic in nearby Sidney (Iowa) to be put down.
The town agreed to pay $5 per cat. But the Humane Society
of the U.S. warned that people inexperienced with cats,
especially ferals who can be extremely dangerous, would
be at risk of injury and disease, possibly even rabies,
if they tried to catch cats on their own. If someone got
bitten and the cat escaped, normal protocol would mean
instituting the rabies treatment right away. Not a very
practical system, the HSUS said.
Luckily, this plan didn't last.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,338113,00.html
In the face of strong opposition by local animal lovers,
and others aware of the impracticality of the idea,
the city council at Randolph, Iowa, population 200,
agreed to rescind the $5 bounty on stray cats, opting
to cooperate with local animal advocates to implement a
trap-neuter-release plan instead. Initially, the plan was
created to deal with the constant complaints about strays,
and all cats without collars were to be trapped and
euthanized. But local animal lovers opposed that
idea and fought to do the humane thing.
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Japan just appointed a cartoon figure to be an ambassador
to their country!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080319/ap_on_fe_st/odd_japan_cartoon_ambassador
Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura told the well-known blue-and-white cat,
"Doraemon, I hope you will travel around the world as an anime
ambassador to deepen people's understanding of Japan so they
will become friends with Japan."
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HEALTH ISSUES - don't spay too late
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Late Spaying Opens Door to Cancer
Some people still believe that allowing a cat to have
one litter before being spayed "makes them a better cat."
Hogwash. It makes them more prone to cancer later. Cats spayed
after their first heat, whether they've had any kittens or not,
are at a much higher risk of developing breast cancer,
compared with cats spayed before their first heat.
This cancer is the 3rd most common kind of cancer in cats,
and it's malignant 80% of the time, making it mostly fatal.
Even with surgery, these tumors return 65% of the time.
If you find lumps anywhere on your cat's body, take them
in for a veterinary exam right away.
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I don't watch television very often, but occasionally
I keep it on for background noise and to entertain the cats.
They like game shows, of all things. One afternoon, a
contestant's answer to a question caught my attention.
In response to, "Name an animal that does not eat meat,"
TWO contestants said, "Cats."
What? Of all pets, cats need the MOST meat.
I wanted to reach into the TV screen and grab a couple by
the neck and tell them...
They are carnivores. CAR nuh vores. That means Meat Eaters.
So, don't forget to tell your friends what you and I already know:
cats eat meat. They even need more protein than dogs.
But it does bring up the reason why those people would think that.
People nowadays feed their cats a lot of store-bought commercial dry
kibble. And kibble is made from grains, as a rule, especially corn.
It's not the correct diet for a cat, but they do survive on it.
The pet food companies know that cats need high protein, so they
add in the supplements, in the form of meat by-products (waste
materials after processing).
Do your kitties a favor and read the ingredients on the packages you buy
for them. If corn or wheat is listed first, it's the largest component of
that food. If you want to keep them at their healthiest, either buy foods
with a meat listed first, or at least supplement their meals with canned
food, or share some raw chicken or beef with them.
Also, check in with Dr. Jones, the wholistic vet who advocates a do-it-
yourself health care protocol. Get his free ebook at http://tinyurl.com/y98rup.
He's also having a sale (through March 21) on his home study course:
http://www.veterinarysecretsrevealed.com/cmd.php?af=528465&u=special
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WEB SITES
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http://irene-sheehy.com/cat-hammocks.htm
Thanks to Jean for sending this in!
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A SMILE FOR YOU ;-)
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuuesBhOR9g
The dog, the cat and the rat.
If they can do it, why can't we?
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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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