CATLINES Blog

pet loss

Something new for you animal lovers
I Shall Remember You
http://www.poofcat.com/pet20.html

And something from the archives:
Beyond Your Leaving
http://www.poofcat.com/love23.html

if these walls could meow

US :If These Walls Could Meow

http://us.video.netscape.com/video.index.adp?mode=2&pmmsid= 1421184

ear mites

ArcaMax.com - Safe treatment will relieve cat's itchy ears
ArcaMax Publishing, Inc.

From the ArcaMax Publishing, Cats & Dogs Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/cgi-bin/news/story/1006/1030/34447/357638
Safe treatment will relieve cat's itchy ears
Dr. Jeff Nichol

Q: Miss Daisy, my ragdoll cat, has terminal ear mites. I've tried medicine from vets and every OTC med. They seem to be hatching out of her ear canals.
I would like her to be free of them, but I don't know what to do.

Dr. Nichol: Poor Miss Daisy must be a pretty itchy kitty. Cats and dogs afflicted with Otodectes cynotis, the common ear mite, have dry, black discharge
in their ears. The mites also can invade the skin of the neck and rump. Scratching may be severe; some cats damage their ear flaps to the point of bleeding.
Miss Daisy is definitely miserable, but she is not terminal.

Confirm the diagnosis by having your veterinarian look inside your kitty's ears with an otoscope. Irrigation of Miss Daisy's ear canals will be necessary
before the mites can be killed. Ivermectin, a medication which is given either orally or by injection, is a safe and reliable cure. Revolution, a spot-on
treatment, is even easier. Just apply the liquid to the skin anywhere on her body and repeat in three weeks. Both are prescription meds.

In the old days (way before my time), we were stuck with ear drops that often caused more discomfort. The newer treatments are simple, and they sure beat
poor Miss Daisy having to listen to little bugs cavortin' and carryin' on inside her ears. To be sure you win the war, be sure to have your veterinarian
recheck her ears about one month after the last treatment.

----

Q: Our 11-year-old neutered-male mixed retriever had never messed in the house, until he left a single turd on the living room sofa, where he normally sleeps.
I was shocked. He seemed to know he'd done something wrong -- he looked quite sheepish. The only new thing is the parakeet we recently added. Could this
have triggered the behavior? Is he jealous? If this is an issue, we can give up the bird.

Dr. Nichol: Psittacine birds (parrots, parakeets, lovebirds) are intelligent and highly social creatures. Like dogs and humans, they can develop severe
anxiety disorders following a major disruption like being ejected from their homes. You made a commitment when you adopted that bird. You need to keep
both pets.

Start by having your retriever examined to be sure he is physically healthy. Impacted anal glands are an often-overlooked cause of house soiling. The doctor
also should do a rectal exam to rule out constipation and prostate disease. Finally, a good neurologic evaluation and X-rays of the lower spine will be
important to rule out cauda equina syndrome -- a spinal problem of large breed dogs that can damage the nerves that supply the anus.

If your dog comes back with a clean bill of health, he may have a behavior disorder called canine control complex. These dogs respond poorly to punishment,
but have excellent outcomes with behavior modification that accentuates their appropriate rank in the dominance order in the home. Earned privileges, time
outs when necessary, and structured one-on-one time with you should help bring him around nicely.

You are welcome to contact me if you need help.

----

Dr. Jeff Nichol cares for pets with behavior and health disorders at VCA Wyoming Animal Hospital in Albuquerque. Contact Dr. Nichol on his Web site www.drjeffnichol.com
(click Submit?) or 1300 Wyoming NE, Albuquerque, NM 87112. Unpublished letters may not be answered individually.

This news arrived on: 10/24/2005
Copyright © 2005 ArcaMax Publishing, Inc., and its licensors. All rights reserved.

black cats and Halloween/myths

http://www.petplace.com/Articles/artShow.asp?artID=1300
PetPlace.com - Article: How the Halloween Cat Got to Be So Scary

How the Halloween Cat Got to Be So Scary

by: PetPlace Staff

Show all sections

The Myth of the Halloween Cat

Back arched, fur on end, eyes glittering, claws unsheathed, ready to pounce, hissing and spitting on the first human to cross its path: The Halloween cat
is as scary a symbol as there is in the mythology of childhood.

The reputation of her historical ancestor is no better: Boiled in oil or burned at the stake, the black cat – and her fellow traveler, the witch – was thought
to be a companion of the devil. They were blamed for most of the wrongs of the medieval world, from impiety to plague.

The animal’s habits and grace – prized today – didn’t help her image either. Moving silently along, merging seamlessly into the gloom of night, the cat
seemed to appear and disappear at will. While most people feared the darkness, the animal, with her natural nocturnal habits, seemed to seek it out. Her
unearthly yowlings in the dark only added to her fearsome reputation.

In the Middle Ages, cats were held to be demonic. The reason probably lies in the monumental superstition of the times: Disease, storms, famine – the causes
of all were unfathomable and available explanations improbable at best.

The Cult of the Cat

Sailors, whose lives were thought to rest on the vagaries of feline fancy, especially promoted the cult of the cat, believing that they forecast the weather
and the hardships of upcoming voyages. For example, it was said, a loudly meowing cat meant a dangerous trip; a playful one, easy sailing. If a cat licked
her fur against the grain, hailstorms were likely; if she sneezed, there would be rain. Storms were started through magic stored in the animals’ tails.
Good luck was guaranteed if a cat ran ahead of a sailor; but if she chanced to cross his path, disaster was sure to follow.

While the creatures no doubt made the men nervous, no one was willing to risk the consequences of doing away with them. According to tradition, if you drowned
a cat, you would shortly follow her into the drink. Aboard ship, the most egregious crime was tossing a cat overboard. Punishment, so the sailors said,
was swift and sure: Killer storms that would send the vessel to the bottom.

On dry land, cats were just as fearsome. In what passed for science, they were said to help out sorcerers and midwives with their herbal magic, adding to
their reputation as witches’ helpers. On rare occasions, though, they gave their lives for medicine. In the American colonies, a sure cure for tuberculosis
was a broth made from a boiled black cat. The problem was killing the cat in the first place; few dared risk the bad luck that would surely dog the murderer
all his days, so cures were few and far between.

Witches Morphed Into Cats

Accused witches were usually single women – often widows – who probably kept the animals more for companionship than anything else. But village gossip made
the relationship far more ominous. Witches changed their shapes, transforming themselves into cats. In a witch trial in Scotland, one supposed witch explained
how the women managed this trick, saying that her coven assembled in human form to work their spells. As they gathered, the Devil appeared among them,
shaking his hands above their heads and turning them into snarling four-legged beasts.

Across the Atlantic, the transformation theory was taken up during the Salem witch trials. As the local hysteria heated up, Sarah, the 7-year-old daughter
of accused witch Martha Carrier, testified that “a cat, identifying herself as Martha Carrier, had carried her along to afflict people while her mother
was in prison.” Ultimately, Martha was convicted; along with four others, she was hanged on August 19, 1692.

Ultimate Scapegoat

Damned if she did, damned if she didn’t, the cat was the ultimate scapegoat. If a black cat chanced to cross someone’s path and through some trick of fate
nothing happened to him, that, too, was a sure sign of the cat’s complicity with the devil. That person was clearly protected by the King of Darkness.

But for all the trouble cats were said to cause, there are a few cases of lucky cats. You could cure a sty by rubbing it with the tail of a black cat or
find a lover by dreaming of a tortoiseshell cat. In France, it was thought black cats were particularly good at sniffing out buried treasure. All you had
to do was take a cat to an intersection where five roads connected. Then, you turned the cat loose and moseyed along behind her until she found you a fortune.

Legal Disclaimer

If your pet is showing any signs of distress or you suspect your pet is seriously ill, CONTACT YOUR VETERINARIAN immediately.
All of the information presented on this website was developed by Intelligent Content Corporation staff members and is the sole responsibility of Intelligent
Content Corporation.
See the
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on the website for additional legal terms.

Copyright © 1999-2005 Intelligent Content Corp., All Rights Reserved

Halloween and black cats/humor

Note:Mark Mason writes Cat Diary:

http://www.catdiary.com

Lauren Merryfield,

editor/publisher,

CATLINES

http://www.catliness.com

(yeah, you'll get it one of these days.  I can't afford to pay for the domain catlines.com, but I do have catliness.com; it is not a typo.)

Once again - in the effort to dispel myths, to discern fact from fiction - I
endeavor to set the record straight on Halloween and cats. Why I must do this
every year is beyond me, but there seem to be more and more myths that surface
with each Halloween. I humbly offer my take on the human pagan holiday.

HALLOWEEN MYTH: Black cats are looked on by some people as witches.
FACT: All other cats can be just as bewitching. I'm betting a feline friend has
cast a spell on you. Humans are so easy.

HALLOWEEN MYTH: Cats were thought to be psychic.
FACT: If you consider we don't speak and can read humans like a book, then
that's psychic. *We* call it feline intuition.

HALLOWEEN MYTH: Felines are associated with the night, stealth, and mystery,
FACT: It's why we make eat during the daytime, make loud noises when we knock
things over, and leave ourselves widely available for petting and scratching
behind the ears. It adds balance to our lives.

HALLOWEN MYTH: Dress your cat up for Halloween. He or she will love it.
FACT: If you do, YOU will look like you just starred in a slasher movie.

HALLOWEEN MYTH: If you see a cat while out on Halloween night, turn and go back
where you came from.
FACT: Preposterous. But, frankly, not a bad tenet to abide by every night of the
year.

HALLOWEEN MYTH: The black cat at Halloween is a symbol of fertility.
FACT: Forget it. It's too cold outside.

HALLOWEEN MYTH: In some countries, if a black cat crosses your path, you will
have GOOD luck.
FACT: Every Powerball or Lottery player knows this is false.

HALLOWEEN MYTH: Some people believe that if you talk nice to a cat or stroke the
cat 3 times, it will make the bad luck go away and bring good luck.
FACT: Actually, it is three times, *then repeat.* Three times, then repeat. Over
and over and over, until the good luck comes your way. If you stop before then,
it's your own darn fault.

HALLOWEEN MYTH: Strokng the tail of a black cat will cure a pink-eye.
FACT: So will antibiotics. And you won't lose a limb in the process.

HALLOWEEN MYTH: Thirteen cats in a theater are bad luck.
FACT: Then how do you explain the wild success of 'Cats'?

HALLOWEEN MYTH: Some people considered black cats a demon in disguise.
FACT: So are the rest of us. When we want to be. Frankly, black cats are just
cats with black fur.

Happy Halloween.

It was a good day.

spay and neutering

Note:Our Gabrielle was in a program like this.  Her right ear was notched to show she was a spayed female, but instead of being released back into the wild, she was adopted by us.  What a sweet mostly orange kitty!

Lauren Merryfield,

editor/publisher,

CATLINES

http://www.catliness.com

(note:yes, the ezine is CATLINES and the website is catliness.com.)

The Daily Californian
News
As Mating Season Approaches, City Considers a Spaying Center for Cats

BY Kyle Crawford
Contribution Writer
Tuesday, October 25, 2005

With Berkeley’s feral cat population expected to explode this spring, the City Council will consider a resolution tonight that attempts to curb the growing
number of wild felines by transforming the empty former headquarters of a gun club into a pre- and post-sterilization center. If passed, the resolution
would authorize City Manager Phil Kamlarz to negotiate a license with the nonprofit sterilization group Fix Our Ferals to use the vacant Rod and Gun Club
at Aquatic Park as a temporary neutering center for stray animals. The city-owned location would stay open for five months before cats go into heat. The
plan, written by the city manager’s office, would send the cats back to their natural environment after a three-day recovery period, said Berkeley Waterfront
Manager Cliff Marchetti, whose department owns the empty gun club building. Before the animals are released, they will be tagged on one ear to signal to
residents that they have been neutered, said Suzie Algarva, a Berkeley veterinary technician and former volunteer with Fix Our Ferals. During the cats’
mating season, the spike in population numbers often results in animal care service centers being overwhelmed with demands to house and care for wild cats.
As a result of overcrowding in shelters, according to Fix Our Ferals, the city’s Animal Care Services is often left with no choice but to release some
cats back onto Berkeley streets. With sterilization, however, the resolution claims the number of cats impounded at the Animal Care Services shelter would
drop and the city could save money by avoiding high veterinary expenses and overtime salaries. Spaying wild cats would also calm their aggression, Marchetti
said, limiting territory brawls with domesticated cats and subsequent complaints from residents about catfights. The new program is also expected to reduce
the number of diseased or dying cats staying at shelters or roaming near residential areas, according to the city manager’s proposal. The plan would identify
the sick animals during the neutering campaign and remove them from the wild. “One of the main problems is, if the stray cats are unvaccinated, they will
spread feline leukemia or other diseases to domestic cats,” Algarva said. “It will separate the infected cats and place them in a colony apart from the
community.” If the resolution is passed, Fix Our Ferals would renovate the Aquatic Park building and install a disabled access ramp in return for the right
to operate within the structure. “The building will be more accessible for Berkeley locals rather than having them travel a further distance to a temporary
sterilization center,” Algarva said. However, some Berkeley officials are concerned that the sterilization effort may stretch into a year-long operation,
which would prevent other local groups from using the empty building for activities or meetings. “Several nonprofits asked about the property,” said City
Councilmember Darryl Moore. “Berkeley Boosters might have been a more appropriate choice.” However, Moore acknowledged that there is a large problem with
feral kittens going unwanted. Supporters of the resolution added that the plan would not just benefit owners of pet cats, but the stray animals themselves.
“Fix Our Ferals is a great program for stray cats and will allow them to lead healthier lives once spayed,” Algarva said.

Contact Kyle Crawford at [email protected].

(c) 2003 The Daily Californian
Berkeley, CA
[email protected]
Printable URL: http://www.dailycal.org/particle.asp?id=20132
Original URL: http://www.daiylcal.org/article.asp?=20132

http://www.dailycal.org/article.php?id=20132Halloween and black cats

Halloween won't be scary for shelter's black cats

Last Updated Oct 19 2005 11:32 AM CDT
CBC News

An animal shelter in Saskatoon says it will stop adopting out black cats in the days leading up to and following Halloween.

<b>Black cats are sometimes abused around Halloween, the SPCA says</b><br><i>Photo courtesy Kim Mazzucco</i>

Black cats are sometimes abused around Halloween, the SPCA says
Photo courtesy Kim Mazzucco
"It's to protect them and make sure they're not going to be taken for granted as a novelty," said Tiffiny Koback, shelter director at the Saskatoon SPCA.
In folklore, black cats been long been associated with witches and magic, she noted. On some years around Halloween, this has resulted in black cats being
the focus of attacks.
"One year, we had a case where a number of young adults were torturing black cats at a strip mall," she said. "We had one black cat brought in that appeared
to have been assaulted with a foreign object."
The SPCA is also worried that some people might think it would be fun to have a black cat around the house around Halloween, but then lose interest in their
pet once trick-or-treating is over.

Katrina cat

Feline hurricane victim going home to family
By Sarah Daniel
The Sedalia Democrat
A rescued cat living in Sedalia for nearly a month will be reunited with its family Friday in Mississippi.
Mogley, a short-hair black cat, was separated from his family after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast.
Beth Montes, of Sedalia, worked with Best Friends Animal Society at St. Francis Animal Sanctuary in Tylertown, Miss., for four weeks following the hurricane.
She agreed to care for Mogley and three other cats until their families could be found.
Ms. Montes said Mogley was rescued from his home in St. Bernard Parish. Best Friend volunteers wrote with spray paint on the house the date he was rescued
and where he was taken. Ms. Montes said Mogley was afraid of the other cats at the shelter and didn't like being kept in a cage.
"He was real freaked out," she said. "He just needed to be gotten out of there. Once I got him home, he was a different boy."
Ms. Montes said she found out Friday that Mogley's family was at the animal sanctuary in Tylertown looking for him. The family also lost three dogs after
the hurricane. Best Friends rescued two of the dogs and the family found the other one in their neighborhood.
"They were extremely fortunate (to locate all of their animals)," Ms. Montes said.
Ms. Montes talked to the family and held the phone so Mogley could hear their voices.
"They were pretty much overwhelmed," Ms. Montes said.
Ms. Montes and Mogley will leave Wednesday. She said the other three cats she is taking care of will be put up for adoption if their families aren't found.
Ms. Montes plans to stay in Mississippi a week to volunteer with Alley Cat Allies doing animal care and search and rescue.
"It's really still a desperate situation for a lot of the animals," she said.
Ms. Montes will bring donated supplies to SpayMart and Alley Cat Allies. She said cat food is needed the most.
People wanting more information about donating can contact Beth Montes at 473-0192.

Ricky Cat

http://www.herald-democrat.com/articles/2005/10/25/life/life02.txt

Printable Version

Cat can make beautiful music to make a pet lover fall in love
By Amy D. Shojai
P'ETiquette

I fell in love with Ricky's mother first. Topanga was a calico Devon Rex - an unusual-looking athletic breed of cat with large ears, enormous eyes and a
distinctive single coat of wavy, chenille-like fur. Thump! The calico beauty landed on my shoulder and began to purr into my ear. I looked at her. Topanga
looked at me. The purring got louder. It was the most beautiful cat music I'd ever heard and I fell head over heels.

“If this cat ever has kittens, let me know,” I told Leslie, the breeder.

“Steve,” Leslie said with a grin, “She's pregnant.”

As a professional pet journalist, I like all animals. At that time, my wife Robin and I shared our Chicago condo with two dogs, Chaser and Lucy. Although
I'd been around hundreds or maybe thousands of cats through my work, I was currently cat-less. I couldn't resist the thought of a one of Topanga's kittens.

From the beginning, our white kitten, Ricky, charmed friend and stranger alike. Lucy and Chaser had always gone places with me and Ricky was no different.
Ricky soon had fans everywhere: the vet's office, the pet store, the bank, the dry cleaner, even the radio station where I worked. His endearing gremlin
look and sparse, baby-fine fur (Rex kittens often look like candidates for Rogaine) never failed to draw a curious, friendly crowd, and, consequently,
the little guy learned from day one that people loved him. I was his biggest fan of all.

My Ricky-admiration bumped up another level, though, when he turned eight or nine months old. Our dog Lucy did animal-assisted therapy and I purchased a
toy piano for her, thinking people would get a kick out of her plinking on the keys. To begin her training, I thought it best to close ourselves in my
study to avoid distractions. Within three or four minutes of Lucy's first clicker-training piano lesson, Ricky managed to open the door. He walked across
the room, performed a perfect sit right next to Lucy, right in front of me. He couldn't have said it any clearer, “I want in on this, too.”

By the end of three training sessions, Ricky hit the piano keys. Within 10 days, Ricky was playing Chopin. Okay. I'm being generous. But he did compose
unique, individual compositions which I refer to as modern jazz. If I doubted it before, Ricky made it clear he was one cool cat.

At first, I was just having a good time. I taught Ricky how to come when called, to jump through or over objects - hula-hoops, prone kids, even strange
dogs doing a “down/stay.” He'd give a high five (well, four) if you asked him.

I'm not sure when I realized we were breaking barriers. You aren't supposed to be able to train cats. Suddenly, Ricky was the teacher, showing by example
that a cat can be so much more than a snoring feline lump on the sofa. Ricky's appearances on local and national television or on the front steps of our
condo building, playing original piano compositions, touched people in ways I never thought possible.

At one outdoor concert, a 10-year-old boy with Down's syndrome walked by. He was enthralled by the piano-playing feline. He stared at Ricky for several
minutes, then spontaneously began to laugh. We're not talking little giggles here. I mean full-blown belly laughter. His mother was stunned. She told me
quietly, “Billy's father passed on two weeks ago. Everyone tried to get him to talk, to react, but he wouldn't.”

Billy, who was still in stitches, began to pet Ricky. Then Billy sat down and snuggled with Ricky, now purring in his lap. I don't know what secrets Billy
shared, but he whispered to Ricky for several minutes. Just before he and his mom departed, Billy looked at Ricky and said, “I love you,” then he kissed
Ricky. Ricky just had this extraordinary ability to reach people.

When Ricky's yearly vet visit rolled around, his veterinarian requested a piano concert for the staff. They were packed in tighter than sardines to hear
Ricky play, oohing and aahing through his entire performance. Afterward, as the doctor began Ricky's physical, I will never forget the look on her face
as she listened to my cat's heart. “Steve, I hear a murmur and it doesn't sound good.”

She referred me to a nearby heart specialist, one of the best in the country and I held my breath until the day of the appointment. I looked at the ultrasound,
listened to what the specialist said, but didn't really hear the words. As a pet journalist, I knew about hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which made it worse.
I felt numb. Most likely, Ricky had only a limited amount of time left.

Once back at the car, I took Ricky out of the carrier and sat in the parking lot holding him and weeping. I loved my dogs, but Ricky was my best friend.
Working closely with him during training had forged a special bond - a mind/heart connection born from “reading” and understanding each other on an almost
mystical level. Our relationship had become like superglue, tighter than you could imagine.

Ricky didn't know he was sick, thank goodness. Over the next months and years, he made regular trips to the cardiac veterinarian for ultrasound checkups,
and, although the disease progressed, it did so slowly. Ricky learned to leap onto my shoulder each day and “ask” for his heart medicine - the only cat
I ever met who actually liked taking pills.

While visiting the heart specialist, Ricky became fascinated by the dog cookie jar on the reception counter that went, “Woof, woof.” He taught himself to
open the jar and would take out the treats, lining them up on the edge of the counter, and then, one by one, he'd push them off the counter to the waiting
dogs sitting patiently below.

Even ill, he was still Ricky, doing the unexpected. In fact, the first time he pulled the dog-biscuit stunt, the receptionist was so startled that she ran
to the back of the clinic, insisting everyone come up front to see Ricky feed the dogs. Ricky never stopped changing people's perceptions of what cats
could do.

Eventually, the time came when going to the vet lost its appeal. As Ricky's illness intensified, I remained in denial and didn't want to think his time
was as short as it was. One day, he sat next to me in my office, perched on the radiator doing his favorite thing - eating. Then he looked up at me. And
he fell over.

My wife Robin just thought he fell, but I knew. I knew and I grabbed him and ran down the hall. Neighbors say they heard me scream in the elevator as I
went down. Robin called and told the vets to expect us. They tried, but couldn't save him. . . .

It's been over two years, but I still think of Ricky every single day. I can't imagine I'll ever again have a cat who takes as much of my heart as he did.
Though he only lived for a short time, he packed an awful lot of living into his six years. Ricky was the best ambassador ever - for Devon Rex cats and
for cats in general.

[In June 2002, the Winn Feline Foundation (www.winnfelinehealth.org), which supports feline health research, announced the creation of THE RICKY FUND, set
up to accept donations specifically for studies related to feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Steve Dale, nationally syndicated pet columnist and radio-show
host, worked with Winn to create this fund in memory of his Devon Rex, Ricky.]

v

This story was excerpted with permission from “Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul,” for which Amy D. Shojai is a co-author. A book signing/reading from
this book as well as “Chicken Soup for the Dogs Lover's Soul” will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Trinity Lutheran Church in Sherman, Texas. Shojai can be
reached through her website - www.shojai.com. © 2005 Amy D. Shojai

cat humor

Note:Submitted by Jo. 

Lauren Merryfield,

Editor/publisher,

CATLINES

and Cat Person or Person Cat

You Know You're A Cat Person When...

...you refer to going to the bathroom as "using the litterbox."

...you do not consider an outfit complete without some cat hair.

...you consider cat hair in your food as extra fiber.

...you apologize when you step on a fuzzy cat toy in the dark.

...you snap your fingers and pat the sofa beside you to invite your guests to sit down.

...you sleep on one edge of the bed because the cat is sleeping in the middle looking soooo cute!

...you accidentally put your child's dinner plate on the floor.

...you spend more money on toys for your cats than on the kids or grandkids.

...you decorate your Christmas tree with dangling cat toys.

...your neighbors refer to you as "the crazy one with all the cats."

...you have more pictures of your cats than your kids in your wallet.

...you refer to your cat as your furry child.

...your parents wind up with a four-footed, furry "grandchild."

...you plan your vacation around the cat show schedule.

...you accidentally call your spouse by your cat's name!