Throwaway Cats

"Niko is a fine cat. He enthusiastically greets guests, meows appreciatively when he gets attention, adores playing chase the laser light. He is litter box tidy and helpfully tries to assist when his human companions read books and send e-mail. He has handsome golden eyes, soft gray fur and Russian Blue features.

Jack and Sue Majors adopted Niko in May at the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region after seeing his photo online and then visiting him.

After all, they say, who wouldn't love this cat?

Apparently, not his former owner, who never bothered to search for him at the Humane Society when he strayed, according to shelter officials.

There are thousands of Nikos out there. They are sometimes called "throwaway cats."

Saving Strays In Naples

"Mia Mattsson-Mercer knows she can’t save them all, but she can try.

So several days a week, she dons her vest and boots, and grabs several pairs of protective gloves, then heads out in her SUV on missions to rescue stray dogs that roam the suburbs of Naples.

She’s rather busy.

There is no shortage of strays and, sadly, no shortage of those in the greatest need — the dying, sick and injured.

"I could lie around all day and read books … and eat bonbons, but this is my responsibility, my passion," said the tall, lean, Swedish-born volunteer with startling blue eyes.

In 1999, she started the non-profit foundation Animals without Limits to rescue and treat stray dogs in war-torn countries.

Those who no longer can afford to care for pets sometimes abandon them along the highways, she explains. Or children might torture dogs to allay their own suffering — something she saw often while working in war-stricken Bosnia and Herzegovina nearly a decade ago."

When You Find A Stray

"You're in your car, heading somewhere or other, a long list of things to accomplish and already running late. Suddenly, you see him—a dog, there, by the side of the road. With a sinking feeling, you realize he's alone. Your car is coming alongside him now. You have only seconds in which to act. But what should you do?

This is a wrenching scenario for all who care about animals. Once you've seen the dog (or cat), it's too late to avert your eyes and drive on, even if you wanted to. After all, what if your own dog or cat were standing there? So, before you pull over, good Samaritan that you are, here are some guidelines for assisting animals safely and effectively."

Animal Control Or Humane Society ?

Alabama News:

"The city of Birmingham and Jefferson County pay just over $1 million a year to the shelter to round up nearly 12,000 lost dogs, cats, and neglected animals, viscous or sick strays and take in unwanted pets. The money also pays to run the shelter, covering a full-time veterinarian, funding equipment like trucks, and providing care for the animals, Smith explains.

“There's just a misunderstanding. A lot of people don't know the difference between a humane society and an animal control program. And they expect control programs to operate like a humane society. We get a totally different kind of animals in here. We get animals that are neglected, abused, abandoned, they're sick, injured, they're in every possible condition you can imagine, as to where most animals in a humane shelter are brought in sitting beside somebody in a car," Smith says.

He believes it's partly that misunderstanding which sometimes draws fire from local animal rescue groups."

Teaching And Learning

"Teaching The World About Wolves"

"The International Wolf Center advances the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wild lands and the human role in their future."



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"Lizzie was getting depressed at the Town Lake Animal Center. After being picked up as a stray in October, the troubled pit bull/terrier mix had spent several weeks at the shelter without being adopted. She was losing weight, growling when anyone approached her toys and even playing in her own waste.

"She was losing it," said Dorinda Pulliam, the shelter's director. "We call it cage crazy, and it really is."

Read the happy ending.