New Orleans

Thanks to yskat for sending this in. It looks like more people and animals are going to be in trouble again in New Orleans. Many of you will remember that in addition to the thousands displaced and homeless people, that many animals were also left lost, abandoned or dead in the wake of Katrina. Let's hope that this time, the damage is not going to be as great - though the news right now is not promising.

Mandatory spay-neuter law

California just voted down a mandatory spay and neuter law - Alley Cat Allies explains why this is a good thing.

Cat walled in

Interesting story about a cat walled in for 7 seven weeks. This is not the first case of a cat I've heard of that has been stuck for weeks in a place. Most cats are actually lost quite close to home - so it's good to concentrate your search around your home if you ever lose your cat.

Cats to be killed

Thanks to Tarsiergirl for sending this in - I have actually been to Laguna Park and the cats there are very well managed. With all the en bloc disagreements going on, one wonders if this is actually motivated by other non-cat motivations yet again - and the cats are the ones who pay as usual. I remember reading a while ago that residents were vandalising and scratching other residents' cars - so are the cats really to blame?

Geese flying over field

Geese flying over field, originally uploaded by dawnkua.

This is for Otterman who asked about birds in the area. It's fascinating to me that geese really do fly in a V-formaion.

Kitten nursing kit

Kitten nursing kit, originally uploaded by dawnkua.

Here's a whole kitten nursing kit in a box - I thought this looked good for when you have orphaned newborns.

Snuggletime

Snuggletime, originally uploaded by dawnkua.

This was cute - a soft toy with a little device that replicates a heartbeat for orphaned kittens. Of course an alarm clock wrapped in a towel will also do.

Adoption

Adoption, originally uploaded by dawnkua.

I was at Petsmart today and there were gorgeous kittens up for adoption. Some girls walked by and they mentioned that one of the cats there was too old - he was an adult, perhaps a year or two. It is a shame that older cats find it so difficult to find a home.

Pet cremation

It's good to know that people care about their animals as part of the family and want them to have a good send off too. At the same time, I believe it's more important to care about them and spend time and money on them (and with them) before they go. I knew someone who kept asking what to do for the cat's burial and for the cat's remains before finding out what was wrong with the cat and whether it could be saved (for the record, when the cat was brought to the vet and treated, it got better and is now fine).

I know some caregivers will cremate the cats, and I can understand that. After all, everyone wants to honour a deceased loved cat. However it can be a very expensive proposition. If it's at the expense of the other community cats, then I think that it would be best to spend the money on the other cats that are alive in the colony. Those few hundred dollars could do a lot for the other cats who could benefit from the money.

Whale bonds with ship

This is pretty amazing - when you think about orphaned kittens and how they need to be looked after and how difficult it is to keep them alive, you read about this and realise that there really is no way to bottle feed a whale.

Ikea hacks

This is a pretty good idea - and would also prevent cardboard bits from the scratching posts flying all over the place. Any basket would do really - but the nice thing about this basket is that the cats can also scratch on the sides.

Animal 'clients'

I just ordered something online for someone and when I got to the checkout page, I saw this. I like that the company is obviously so animal friendly :)

Complaint again

Some of you who have followed the blog in it's previous incarnation may remember this case. I chatted online with one of the new CWS comm members today and it seems this case flared up again! Now the complainant is apparently accusing the feeder of throwing cat litter on his car. It's amazing that the animosity is still there - and the problem seems to be that neither of them is willing/able to let bygones be bygones. And it's STILL not about the cats. Seriously, there are some cases that are going to happen again and again till someone moves out of the area I think.

Poor Salina - I wish you the best mediating in what is obviously a very difficult case, which really isn't cat related to begin with!

Siberian tiger

All together now - Awwwww. Cute photo of the day!

Koala bears

You have to wonder about the sort of people who would violently attack koala bears.

Geese on field

Geese on field, originally uploaded by dawnkua.

At the moment I'm living in the country, and it's amazing how many birds you see out here (including wild rabbits, badgers, etc). I've been fascinated by the Canadian geese that I see flying overhead morning and evening and that are in the field down the road from where I live.

I found that they can be a nuisance to some, or that they can be hurt when they come into contact with aircraft, etc. Here's an ingenious way to stop the birds from getting into those areas without killing/harming them. I also like that rescue dogs are often used.

Olympics today

The Olympics start today - and the news isn't very promising for the cats as I mentioned in an earlier blog post. No one is still exactly sure what is happening to the cats though one hopes that at least when the Olympics are over that they will be left alone. For that alone, I hope the Olympics hurry up and end already.

Imagine-Nation

In celebration of National Day this year, there's another Catmasutra exhibition, so if you're wondering what to do this weekend, you can check it out!

Rare breed of love

I was at the bookstore and saw this very interesting book about a three legged dog. Apparently the author adopted the dog, Baby, and they started a campaign against puppy mills and to encourage people to adopt their animals instead of buy them.

Animals abandoned

Now the mortgage crisis in the US is affecting cats too - like Princess Chunk (actually Powder). Sadly, it's not unusual in Singapore either - because of problems with housing, people give up their animals, whether it be because of work, losing a house, a divorce or other reasons.

Some of these problems are unavoidable - but if there IS any way to plan and someone thinks their life isn't stable enough for an animal, then please don't get one. When people date and have a 'joint pet', what happens when they break up and no one wants the animal for example? Or if you know you're living in a rental apartment that doesn't allow animals and that you have to move?

No feeding of pigeons

No feeding of pigeons, originally uploaded by dawnkua.

Thanks to Chinky for sending this in - we were both commenting that it seems that some posters at least try and explain about littering, and not leaving food around. An improvement at least!

No more sale of pets in

Here's an interesting article about banning the sale of pets in Saudi Arabia - but not for the usual reasons one would think of.

Article on animal abuse

This was a very interesting article sent in by Coboypb. I thought the point about people buying animals to fit their perceived ideas of what they ought to look like was a good one. The other day at the vet, a girl came in with a tiny puppy (far too young I thought to have been sold) and she had it in her handbag. It seemed like an accessory more than a puppy.

Christian the lion again

Apparently I'm not the only one fascinated by the story of the lion, Christian - the followup on the story is still phenomenal. It's great to see the two men involved are now involved in wildlife preservation.