Pet Box Inspection

"Anyone who has spent time volunteering for a rescue organization knows that - generally - people suck. Doing animal rescue we do not see the best side of people. Yes, every now and then we meet wonderful people who are doing great work in the humane community - but far more often we hear about and/or witness the truly apathetic, insensitive nature of human beings.

Over the years we have seen many, many injustices towards animals - including animals left in trash cans, tied to poles, kicked so hard that they lose an eye, thrown out of cars into traffic, taped up in boxes on the side of the freeway, left in bathrooms at pet stores…. just to name a few. Having seen what we’ve seen, all of us in rescue participate in what we refer to as the “Mandatory Box Inspection”…

This means that whenever we see a box - wherever we are - we will stop and look inside of it. This is to be sure that there are no kittens or puppies or hamsters in the box. We will stop traffic if necessary, pull over to the side of the freeway, go WAY out of our way to have a peek inside of any suspicious box. Once we determine that there is nothing in the box, we will then tear the box apart so that nothing can be PUT inside the box. It is a habit that we all have. It’s second nature."

Cash and Pets

"The trend of pets being shooed out the front door or abandoned in forest preserves has put animal welfare officials on notice that cash-strapped pet owners are in critical need of help.

“Obviously the goal is to keep these pets in the homes and out of shelters,” said PAWS Chicago founder Paula Fasseas, whose organization has deployed staff members to the Animal Care and Control lobby on weekends to counsel people who are coming in to surrender their dogs and cats.

Here are some ways to keep your pet and still be able to pay the rent."


"When you buy from a pet shop, you kill a pound pup. Save a life instead. Adopt from an animal shelter if you have the time and resources to care for a dog. You see, many of the puppies and kittens come from animal mills , where dogs and cats are abused for the dog trade. (Source: PETA)"

Cats

"Cats are sweet and cuddly! It’s easy to get swept up in the emotion and buy a cat without thinking. But that’s not how it should be.

Whether or not to adopt a cat is by no means an easy decision. It carries with it huge responsibility. You will have to take care of a cat until its death, which could be in 15 to 20 years. In addition, you should be ready to spend a large amount of your time feeding the cat, grooming it, and playing with it on a daily basis.

Keep the following points in mind before deciding to adopt a cat:"



"It can happen to the best of us. You see a cute, tiger-striped kitten with white paws and green eyes, just begging for attention. Or maybe it's a gorgeous Labrador mix whose tails seems to be wagging just for you. You take one look, and the next thing you know, you're walking down the pet food aisle at the supermarket.

If you're like most of us, falling in love with a pet is easy. And no wonder! Sharing your home with a four-legged friend can be one of life's greatest joys. Dogs, cats, and other pets give us unconditional loyalty and acceptance, provide constant companionship, and even help relieve stress after a hard day's work."

Disposable Pets

"Unfortunately, we live in a throw-away society and included with the plastic bottles and other trash are unwanted pets.

Across our country, 10-12 million pets are euthanized annually -- that's 27,473 pets every 24 hours.

In all, 70,000 kittens and puppies are born in the U.S. every day. One out of every four healthy and bright-eyed kittens is destroyed daily. In all, 25 percent of all pets in shelters are purebred.

Spaying and neutering makes your pet healthier, gives it a long life and makes it happier. Early age altering has been done in the U.S. for over 25 years. Pets can be safely spayed and neutered at an early age. You may try to justify your pet having litters because you are sure you can find loving homes for the kittens or puppies."

Adopting A Cat

"You’ve finally made the decision to adopt a cat, you’ve dreamt about it for quite some time. Visualising your cute new little kitten playing around the floor and looking up at you with those big baby blues. What could possibly go wrong, after all it’s only a tiny kitten. But have your really thought about how much time, effort and trouble a kitten really is. A kitten is packed full of energy and curiosity and will cry for attention, scratch the furniture, bite and urinate everywhere until it is litter box trained, and will run around the house getting into all sorts of scrapes and trouble. And it’s up to you to look after them 24/7. If you’ve got the time and dedication to look after a kitten, great, but if not, why not think about adopting an adult cat."

Cats, Ferrets, and More

"Living with cats is not always easy, but definitely means lots of fun. Chica and Pumuckl, a cat mother and her meanwhile 1 year old kitten, bring a whole bunch of fun to our daily life. In this blog we write about funny cat stories and sometimes very strange cat behavior."



"A hotch potch of our lives in a Devonshire fishing village where we live with nine Griffon Bruxellois (aka Brussells Griffon)including three showdogs, the church where I am secretary, MS maybe, and the rest of the family."


"Ferret Video, pictures, articles and more."

Pet Food Challenge

I love absolutelytrue.com/ and the new challenge that's been posted.


"More specifically, I am challenging every person who is able, to donate an amount of pet food equal to his or her own body weight. It doesn't cost a fortune, there is no tax and no shipping charges and if you do it through the Pedigree site they will match your donation . So in order to participate in the challenge you can buy half your body weight in food and let Pedigree match it to complete this challenge.

This challenge will run for the entire month of March. If you have participated in this challenge, let me know by commenting on this post. I have no way of knowing if you did it, so this part of the contest will have to rely on the honor system."



"At Feral Cat News, you'll find the latest news articles from around the world about feral cats and kittens. We also publish items of general interest to all feline lovers."

Animals: Birth Rates

"When considering the birth rates among animals, it’s not hard to understand why animal shelters are always filled with animals waiting to be adopted. Shockingly, it has been calculated that over a seven year period, one female cat and her offspring will produce approximately 420,000 kittens. Likewise, one female dog and her offspring will produce 67,000 puppies during a six year period. Since there are more animals looking for homes than there are people who want to adopt them, some 6.5 million animals are euthanized each year."



"We’ve all heard it, maybe from a friend or co-worker, “Do you know of anyone that wants a dog”? Before you get a dog, there are several things you need to think about to get the right dog for you."

Pets And A Petition

Here is a great article about getting a pet for Christmas. A few years back my sister and I decided to get our mom a puppy for Christmas. After much thought we decided to wrap up a picture of the puppy instead. Sure enough our mom said she really didn't want a pet at that time. It saved everyone a lot of trouble.


"Now that the holidays are upon us, I wonder how many kittens and puppies will be under the tree for Christmas and dumped on the streets by New Year’s Day. Although it’s been said many times, many ways, it bears repeating every holiday season: Please, please, don’t get a pet for Christmas unless someone in the household will take the responsibility for it."



Please sign this petition:

"Antifreeze is sweet: animals...and sometimes children...are attracted to this common, but deadly, fluid. A simple bittering agent, denatonium benzoate would make this sweet,bright colored substance taste..yuck, and thousands of animals lives could be saved every year. Hundreds of children could be prevented from visiting emergency rooms. The cost minimal...just pennies per gallon. A small price to pay to save a life! Please help me get a bill introduced and passed into a law by signing this petition. I am eleven years old and lost my beloved golden retriever Sam and my faithful companion Jessie to intentional antifreeze poison. Two wonderful animals within days of one another. Please help me prevent other animals from suffering this horrible death. Please consider using your name instead of being anonymous this will help me with presenting the petition for consideration of a bill."