CATLINES Blog

dog cat radio

Jumpy Enough to Chew a Chair? Try DogCatRadio By DINITIA SMITH Published: November 2, 2005 "Remember, be kind to your mailman," said Jane Harris, a disc jockey. Then she softened her voice until it was a little insinuating: "He only wants to deliver the mail." It is a message that many of her listeners need to hear. Ms. Harris is a D.J. on DogCatRadio.com, a new Internet radio station for pets. Now dogs, cats, hamsters and parrots can keep the anxiety, the loneliness, the restlessness at bay while their owners are out. It is radio just for them, live 17 hours a day, 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. Pacific time, and podcast for the rest of the 24 hours. Those who listen to DogCatRadio will find that there is generally an animal motif to the playlist, like "Hound Dog": "You ain't nothin' but a hound dogcryin' all the time." This Elvis song is a frequent request from listeners (presumably the owners), as are the Baha Men, singing: "Who let the dogs out (woof, woof, woof, woof)." And Dionne Warwick is also popular, especially her soothing song "That's What Friends Are For": "Keep smiling, keep shining,/Knowing you can always count on me." Since many pets are apparently bilingual, DogCatRadio also has a "Spanish Hour," 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific time daily, with Hispanic commentary and music, like Luis Miguel's "No Sé Tú": DogCatRadio.com was started last June by Adrian Martinez, who is also president of Marusa records, an independent record label in Los Angeles. He runs the station out of a customized RV parked in his office lot in the Eagle Rock section of Los Angeles. Mr. Martinez, 34, who owns six dogs and two cats, said he founded the station because "my cat, Snickers, asked me to do it." One day, Snickers was pacing the floor restlessly and meowing. "I said, 'What do you want?' " Mr. Martinez recalled in a telephone interview from Los Angeles. "I turned up the music, and she was fine." He discovered that Snickers likes 80's rock, particularly the Eddie Money version of the song "Take Me Home Tonight:" "I feel a hunger /It's a hunger that tries to keep a man awake at night." Mr. Martinez added, "I wanted to do something for the pet community." The first week that DogCatRadio was broadcast, the local CBS television station showed a feature about it. As a result, so many people tuned in, 130,000 in one day, that the server crashed, Mr. Martinez said. "We had to get a bigger server to accommodate more listeners." Now, he said, "We average close to 8,000 hits a week. We have a meter that tracks it." "People are just e-mailing us," calling from all over the world, Mr. Martinez said. "I love what you are doing, but please don't forget our equine friends," an e-mail message from Australia said. When Mr. Martinez gets requests, he springs into action. "We go to Tower Records within the hour," he said. "Since we're conquering the globe, we want to make sure we can accommodate these people." Sometimes Mr. Martinez broadcasts from the field. DogCatRadio showed a segment on people walking their dogs first thing in the morning outside the Rose Bowl in Pasadena - a very popular early morning route for dog walkers, bikers and joggers - with interviews (with the owners). It reports on animal charity events like "Walk for Paws," recently sponsored by the group "Nuts for Mutts." Internet radio, which claims about 20 million regular listeners, is still in the early stages of development and has a relatively small number of fans who use their laptops, desktops or hand-held computers to tune in. Mr. Martinez said he believed he had latched onto something unique with his little station: "With all the news you hear on Iraq, it's something to balance the bad news." Meanwhile, the broadcast has received some notice. Dr. Larry Family, who has a talk show program, the Pet Vet, on WROW-AM in Albany, recommends DogCatRadio to his patients' owners. "It's of interest to those people whose pets have certain phobias or anxiety issues," he said in a telephone interview from the outskirts of Schenectady, where he has his practice. "I have recommended it to those whose dogs are having certain problems behaviorwise in the home environment," he said. "It might be helpful with dogs with separation anxiety issues," Dr. Family went on. "Dogs, especially, are interested in watching TV with their owners and listening to music." Mr. Martinez said that at the moment, the station has no advertising and is making no money. But, he said, "I'm not in it for the money." He added, "Eventually, I'm sure, people will advertise." That is not such a leap, since it is estimated that American pet owners will spend $35.9 billion this year on everything from electric toothbrushes for dogs to bird pedicures to self-flushing litter boxes for cats, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. So far, the six people associated with the station, four of whom act as D.J.'s, are paid only a small stipend to cover expenses. "I'm so involved with the pet community," said Ms. Harris, the D.J. and an owner of five dogs. "I'm looking to this as an avenue to open something up." When Ms. Harris isn't broadcasting on DogCatRadio.com, she works as a market researcher. "How are all my furry friends doing out there?" Ms. Harris asked her listeners recently. "We hope you're doing great and not chewing on anything but your toys."

cats and heart disease

University of California, Davis November 4, 2005 FIRST GENE MUTATION TO CAUSE HEART DISEASE IN CATS IDENTIFIED A gene mutation responsible for a devastating heart disease in cats -- which is also a leading cause of sudden death in young athletes -- has been identified by a team of researchers at the University of California, Davis; The Ohio State University; and the Baylor College of Medicine. This is the first report of a spontaneous genetic mutation causing any type of heart disease in a cat or dog and the first to identify a mutation in a non-human species causing hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The discovery of the mutation in Maine coon cats was reported Oct. 19 online in the journal Human Molecular Genetics. The human form of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was responsible for the deaths of the Boston Celtics' Reggie Lewis in 1993 and Loyola Marymount University basketball player Hank Gathers in 1990. The disease causes an excessive thickening of the muscle of the left ventricle, the lower left chamber of the heart. "This finding paves the way for development of a screening test that will identify those Maine coon cats carrying this genetic mutation so that they can be identified before they are bred, thus reducing the incidence of the disease and, we hope, ridding this breed of the disease," said Mark Kittleson, a veterinary cardiologist at UC Davis and a co-author on the study. "We also are hopeful that this discovery will provide a valuable model for investigators in both veterinary and human medicine who are studying the disease," he said. He noted that the findings of this study should equip scientists to further investigate the mechanism by which this mutation leads to thickening of the muscle and potentially to pursue novel treatments for the disease, based on this knowledge. The nature of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy occurs in one out of every 500 humans and is the most common heart disease in domestic cats. It is characterized by progressive thickening of the left ventricular myocardium (heart muscle) -- most commonly during adolescence and young adulthood in both humans and cats -- a defect that can be detected if the heart is examined using an ultrasound procedure known as echocardiography. The disease, however, is highly variable, and in some cases ultrasound evidence is not present until much later in life. Sudden death from abnormal electrical activity in the heart can occur at any stage. At some age, the disease reaches its maximum severity, ranging from mild to severe. In cats, if the disease is severe, it causes heart failure. When viewed at the microscopic level, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in humans and Maine coon cats appears as poorly aligned muscle fibers. The fibers are aligned in an orderly parallel fashion in normal heart muscle but are scattered erratically in a heart affected by the disease. This abnormality is thought to interfere with the electrical activity of the heart, resulting in rapid or irregular heart rhythms. Cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy often develop severe disease, which may lead to heart failure, or a blood clot in the heart's left atrium that most commonly breaks loose and lodges in the terminal aorta, resulting in acute pain and paralysis. Sudden death often occurs. "Veterinary therapies for this condition in domestic cats cannot halt the progression of the disease," Kittleson said. "These therapies are only able to provide limited relief when the disease is severe, so the prognosis for severely affected cats is often poor," he added. "Consequently, preventing the disease from occurring by identifying affected cats before they are bred can save a lot of heartache." Maine coon cat colony at UC Davis Since the early 1990s, Kittleson and colleagues, primarily Kathryn Meurs, formerly of The Ohio State University and lead author on this paper, have been studying the genetic basis of the disease in a research colony of Maine coon cats at UC Davis. Meurs is now at Washington State University. The research project began when Marcia Munro, a private owner of a Maine coon cat with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, notified Kittleson that she knew of several cats related to her cat that also had the disease. The Maine coon cat is a native American longhaired breed in which, along with many other cat breeds, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is common. The disease is most frequently diagnosed in non-purebred middle-aged cats, although it has been diagnosed in cats ranging from one to 13 years of age. Previous research in humans with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy has identified more than 200 mutations in 11 genes involved with the production of certain muscle proteins known as sarcomeric proteins, which are responsible for the heart's contraction. It previously had been thought that a mutation in one of these genes might also lead to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in Maine coon cats by affecting protein function or structure. Now that one gene mutation has been identified in one cat breed, the researchers hope that the same mutation or, more likely, different mutations will be identified in other purebred cats. The researchers evaluated 23 related Maine coon cats from a colony of this breed at UC Davis and 100 unaffected mixed-breed cats for the control group. The cats were examined with echocardiograms to determine the presence and severity of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Sixteen of the 23 Maine coon cats were found to have the disease. Hunt for the gene mutation Meurs and colleague Peter Reiser of the College of Dentistry at The Ohio State University found that Maine coon cats affected with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy had a marked reduction in one of the sarcomeric proteins, known as cardiac myosin binding protein C. Because of this abnormality, the researchers decided to target this protein for analysis. In the cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, they discovered a change in one of the pairs of chemical compounds, called nucleotides, which make up DNA. Where the normal gene carried the nucleotide guanine, the mutated gene substituted the nucleotide cytosine. This, in turn, changed the amino acid in the region from alanine to proline. This change was not found in any of the non-affected Maine coon cats or in cats from the control group. The gene that encodes for the targeted protein is one of the most frequent genes to have a mutation in human families affected by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Symptoms of the disease in the affected cats ranged from moderate to severe. Six of the 16 cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy carried two copies of the mutated gene, while the other 10 carried one copy. Those with two copies of the mutated gene mostly died suddenly at a young age, while three of the 10 cats with only one copy lived beyond eight years of age. In addition to Kittleson, Meurs, Reiser and Munro, collaborators on this study include Ximena Sanchez, Ryan David, Neil Bowles and Jeffrey Towbin of the Baylor College of Medicine, and Judith Kittleson and Kristin MacDonald at UC Davis. Funding for the study was provided by the Winn Feline Foundation and its Ricky Fund, the Center for Companion Animal Health at UC Davis, and various private donors. Media contact(s): * Mark Kittleson, Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis, (530) 752-7294, [email protected] * Kathryn Meurs, Washington State University, (509) 335-0711 * Pat Bailey, UC Davis News Service, (530) 752-9843, [email protected] View this story on the Web at < http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=7533>

pet radio

New Internet radio station devoted to pets LOS ANGELES (UPI) -- "Hound Dog" and "Who Let the Dogs Out" are atop the playlist of DogCatRadio.com, an Internet radio station devoted to pets. Dog owner and DJ Jane Harris offers advise to her four-legged listeners such as: "Remember, be kind to your mailman. He only wants to deliver the mail," the New York Times reported Wednesday. Morusa Records President Adrian Martinez started DogCatRadio.com in Los Angeles last June. It broadcasts out of a recreational vehicle parked in his office lot. The owner of six dogs and two cats said the station was actually the brainchild of his cat, Snickers. One day, Snickers was pacing the floor restlessly and meowing, he told the Times. "I said, 'What do you want?"' Martinez said. "I turned up the music and she was fine."

cat and mouse

CAT AND "MOUSE" Into my house just recently, My owner brought a new machine, I've learned to hate it passionately, And everything it means. I watched her as she set it up, After all the pieces were unpacked, She would not let me play at all, With the cords and wires in its back. She turned it on; it whirred a bit, Text appeared upon a screen, Voices came from little boxes, And noises, too, from the machine. She seemed to know what she was doing, She put a disk into a slot, , I jumped up, and she said, "NO, This is what a cat does NOT!" Then, quite loudly she cried, "DOWN!" Quickly pushing me aside, I saw her staring at the screen, As if she had been hypnotized. On a pad next to her hand, I saw a little mouse, I was so thrilled to see it, To think it was welcome in our house. "State of the art," she said, smiling, "It is cordless - has no tail, Operates on batteries, It cost more, but was on sale." A tail-less mouse - I was impressed, I didn't know they came that way, She gaily pushed it back and forth, As if she liked the way it played. I could not take my eyes off it, It fascinated me, But each time I came too close, She berated me. She constantly shooed me away, She would not share her mouse, I only wished to touch it, Why was she such a grouch? But I knew the time would come, She'd have to leave that darned machine, And one night, when she'd gone to bed, I jumped up ... unheard . unseen. In one big gulp, I got that mouse, It went down pretty well, The next day, when she asked for it, I thought ... oh, no ... I'll never tell. She accused me of hiding it, She could not find it anywhere, I soothed her from her desktop, She was distressed - in deep despair. I walked by in front of her. The cursor moved upon her screen, I walked back and forth again, And then I heard her scream. "What have you done? YOU BAD, BAD CAT!" She grabbed me with both hands, The cursor on her screen went wild, I did not fully understand. She turned me towards her monitor, And swung my body to and fro, The pointy arrow on its face, Swung, too - so apropos. "Oh, my gosh," she said aloud, "I just cannot believe this," She moved me up and down, Again the cursor did perceive this. Every which way that she turned me, The cursor followed suit, She knew now where her mouse was, It was an absolute. I was in charge; she needed me, Such a grand feeling that I had, It would not do her any good , To get angry or get mad. Her computer would not work, Without some motion from my paw, I handled all her E-mail, And web surfing overall. Then, as cats get rid of fur-balls, Eventually, I lost the mouse, But for a while, at least, I was supreme within my house. The computer now is back on line, A new mouse sits on a pad, It has a cord attached to it, And the Mouse is iron-clad! --author unknown

cats and illness

http://www.azstarnet.com/dailystar/dailystar/99976.php Cats mask their sickness | Arizona Daily Star ® The Arizona Daily Star Published: 11.01.2005 Cats mask their sickness By Dr. Marty Becker KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS To most, cats appear to be among nature's most independent creatures. Yet they rely on us in ways we don't always appreciate. The reason? Evolution has made our feline friends extremely adept at hiding illness. We know that cats evolved as predators and hunt small prey. But because of their small size, they were also prey for larger predators. "The problem with cats is that they're designed by nature to mask any sickness," says Dr. James Richards, a spokesman for the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP). "In the wild, if they somehow broadcast that they might be an easy catch, then obviously that is detrimental to them. So they're going to try to hide illness for as long as they can." As a veterinarian, I can't tell you how many times a cat owner brought in a cat - thinking it might be a little under the weather - only to find out after a thorough physical examination and extensive laboratory testing, that the cat was on its eighth life, about to draw its last breath. One time, a cat's owners brought their beloved kitty into my Twin Falls, Idaho, practice because they noticed it had missed breakfast. However, when we weighed the cat, it was a fur-covered skeleton, having lost almost 40 percent of its body weight from a kidney problem. "With cats, it's not unusual for health problems to be occurring that owners are not aware of," says Dr. Richards. "And by the time they do notice more dramatic signs of illness and get the pet to the clinic, those illnesses can be quite advanced and much more difficult to deal with successfully." The mismatch between the perception of a "minor illness" versus the reality of a "major medical problem" isn't that the owner doesn't care or doesn't want to spend the money to get the cat well. The problem typically is the result of the cat owner not knowing the subtle signs that the cat was sick, in pain or discomfort until it was too late to prevent unnecessary pain, expense or worse. That's why pet owners have a special challenge to watch for the subtle signs of illness in cats. To help educate owners about just what those signs are, the AAFP has launched a nationwide campaign called "The Great Cat Watch, for Wellness Sake." The Great Cat Watch draws its inspiration from the Feline Behavior Guidelines, a 42-page, AAFP booklet that offers a comprehensive guide to normal and abnormal feline behaviors. The guidelines, available on the resources section of AAFP's Web site, www.aafponline.org, were compiled by a panel of experts from information presented in more than 300 articles and numerous books on feline behavior. So what are signs of illness in a cat? They can vary depending on the cat's age and lifestyle. In general, they include: ● Changes in social interactions ● Inappropriate elimination behavior ● Changes in activity ● Changes in grooming ● Unexplained weight changes ● Signs of stress ● Bad breath ● Changes in vocalization ● Changes in food and water consumption ● Changes in sleep habits As part of The Great Cat Watch, the AAFP is also emphasizing the importance of taking cats to the veterinarian for twice-yearly wellness visits. The campaign is being underwritten by Fort Dodge Animal Health. America's cats can certainly benefit from more regular veterinarian visits. Even though the 90 million cats owned nationwide outnumber dogs by 20 percent, they see the veterinarian only half as often. "When you think about the life span of a cat, which is about 15 to 20 years, it's pretty short compared to ours. So a six-month period of time in a cat's life is a significant amount of time, physiologically," Dr. Richards says. "Twice-a-year wellness visits also provide a perfect opportunity for veterinarians to help educate owners about behavior clues." Along with helping pet owners identify potential health problems, regular veterinary visits and a solid understanding of normal feline behavior can reduce undesirable feline traits, such as eliminating outside of the litter box or damaging furniture. It is important to recognize these signs, since behavior problems remain the most common cause of euthanasia in pet cats. Dr. Richards says there's another plus to paying closer attention to your cat's behavior. "You get to know the animal better and get more out of the friendship," he says. "It's like any relationship: The more you invest, the stronger it becomes." So join the Great Cat Watch and see if it doesn't enrich your life, along with that of your feline friend. ● Dr. Marty Becker is the veterinary contributor to "Good Morning America" and hosts "Top Vets Talk Pets" on www.healthradionetwork.com online. He is also coauthor of "Chicken Soup For The Horse Lover's Soul." All content copyright © 1999-2005 AzStarNet, Arizona Daily Star and its wire services and suppliers and may not be republished without permission. All rights reserved. Any copying, redistribution, or retransmission of any of the contents of this service without the expressed written consent of Arizona Daily Star or AzStarNet is prohibited. default/empty

cats

We've been reading this website since that story was published a couple of weeks ago: www.aafponline.org It's full of information--hundreds of pages. About cats. Holly

cats and CRF

Hi there... I found this today... I was esp. interested in the part I highlited in red where it says Causes of CRF... ~Iva~ Kidney Disease in Older Cats By Jean Hofve, DVM Kidney disease, in the form of chronic renal failure (CRF), is a common problem in older cats. I have seen kidney failure in cats as young as 4 years, but far more frequently in much older cats. The most noticeable symptom is an increase in water consumption and urination ("drink-a-lot, pee-a-lot syndrome"). A blood test should be done if you notice these symptoms, as there are several conditions that can cause this. The increase in drinking and urinating in CRF is due to loss of the kidney's ability to concentrate the urine. The kidneys have a very large reserve capacity, and symptoms of failure are not seen until approximately 75% of kidney tissue is nonfunctional. In my experience, kidney failure is the most common cause of death in older cats. Causes of CRF Recent research suggests a link between vaccination for feline distemper and immune-mediated inflammation of the kidneys, which is thought to be the cause of CRF. Annual boosters for distemper are unnecessary. Be sure to discuss all recommended vaccines with your veterinarian. A cat with kidney disease should not be vaccinated at all. Long-term feeding of an all-dry-food diet is also suspected as a factor in CRF. Cats' kidneys are highly efficient and adapted to life in the desert, where they would get most or all of their water from eating their prey. Cats eating dry cat food take in only half the water that cats on a canned or homemade diet get; this can cause stress on the kidneys over time. Dry diets also predispose cats to lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD, LUTD, FUS, crystals, stones, cystitis) because they force such a high degree of urine concentration. Chronic or recurrent bladder disease may also be a factor in the development of CRF. Treating CRF Chronic renal failure (CRF) is progressive and incurable. No conventional or alternative medical treatment can reverse its course, since the disease involves the loss of kidney cells and replacement by scar tissue. The rate of progression in any individual cat probably cannot be slowed to any significant degree. When the process is advanced, the kidneys become small and lumpy, and the amount of functional tissue is greatly limited. The most significant problems caused by the loss of function are build-up of blood toxins, and anemia. These can cause weight loss, lethargy, vomiting, loss of appetite, weakness, and other signs of illness. Some cats are able to maintain their body weight and live relatively comfortable lives for months to years, while others succumb to the disease more quickly. In conventional medicine, there are drugs that can minimize anemia, and phosphate binders to prevent phosphorus precipitates from further damaging the kidneys. However, these may not be palatable, and may cause adverse reactions. They are also of little or no value unless the cat is eating a restricted protein/low phosphorus diet exclusively. It may also be important to supplement potassium in the food. Some of the best and simplest treatments include: Diet: The Protein Controversy You may have heard that restricting protein is recommended for cats in kidney failure. Although this has been the "standard" treatment for decades, as far as cats are concerned, it has always been--and remains--very controversial. According to experts at Colorado State University's veterinary teaching hospital, restricted protein does not prevent kidney failure in a healthy cat, and has no effect on the ultimate progression of renal disease. Research also shows that even very high protein diets do not make renal failure worse in cats (although high protein does worsen the disease in dogs and humans). The real culprit is actually phosphorus, which meat contains in large amounts. Decreasing phosphorus intake (by restricting protein) can help some cats feel a little better, so it may be worth a try in a symptomatic cat. However, some studies have suggested that excessive restriction of protein may actually cause further damage to the kidneys and other organs, because there is not enough protein for normal body maintenance and repair. Experts say that these diets are not appropriate until the BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen) is at least double what it should be normally (about 60-80 mg/dl). Furthermore, there is one big problem with using the protein-restricted commercial diets: many cats don't like them, and won't eat them. Obviously, it does little good to provide a special diet if the cat is going to starve to death! Experts emphasize that it is much more important to feed the cat what he likes and will eat, and maintain weight and body condition, than to be overly concerned about protein content. (Please note that if you add any other protein source to the diet, it will completely negate any possible beneficial effect from the low-phosphorus renal diet. It is useless to feed both a renal diet and a normal protein food or meat-based treats at the same time.) Let me say this again, because it is the single most important thing to know about CRF: feed the cat anything she will eat! IF THE CAT WON'T EAT IT, IT WON'T HELP THE CAT! Weight loss is your cat's worst enemy in this disease; so let the cat eat what she wants! Because water balance is so crucial, it is best to feed a high-moisture diet to help keep the cat hydrated; do not feed only dry food. Feeding mostly or only canned food, even though it is high in phosphorus and protein, provides the moisture and calories that these cats need, in a very palatable form that most cats will happily eat. You can also get low-phosphorus renal diets in canned form. The best thing you can do is feed a home-prepared diet; but only if the cat will eat it! However, if the cat has never eaten homemade food, or does not have a hearty appetite, this may not be a good time to make this switch! There are several good books on home cooking for animals, such as Dr. Pitcairn's Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats, by Richard Pitcairn, DVM, and Susan Pitcairn. (Rodale Press. ISBN 075962432.) They discuss why a diet made from fresh, raw foods is important, and provide recipes, including a special recipe specifically designed for animals with kidney disease. Another excellent book is Home-Prepared Dog and Cat Diets: the Healthful Alternative by Donald R. Strombeck, DVM. (Iowa State University Press. ISBN 0813821495.) If you choose to use Dr. Strombeck's recipes, I suggest substituting 1 capsule of taurine (250 mg) for the canned clams, since clams may not contain enough taurine for proper maintenance. For an easy starter diet, click here. Special Nutrition Several nutritional supplements may be helpful for cats with kidney disease. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to be beneficial in CRF. Antioxidants are also important. Both of these are contained in the highly digestible algae, Biosuperfood. A nutritional supplement called "Renafood" from Standard Process, is a good renal detoxifier and helps to maximize kidney function in cats. Give one or two a day. Most cats eat them readily if they are crushed into the food. Contact [email protected] for more info, or call Standard Process at 1-800-558-8740 to find a distributor in your area. Supplemental Fluids Your veterinarian can give your cat subcutaneous fluids in the clinic, or teach you how to give them at home. This is the least intrusive and most beneficial treatment you can give your cat. Cats in chronic renal failure drink a lot of water, but they cannot drink enough to compensate for the loss of water through the kidneys. Subcutaneous fluids are an excellent way to help keep the toxins flushed out of the bloodstream and make the cat feel much better. If the cat is sick or not eating, it may be necessary to hospitalize it for a few days for intravenous fluid therapy, followed by subcutaneous fluids at home as needed. ( Click here for detailed instructions). The recent development of a semi-permanent "port" that can be inserted in the cat's skin has taken much of the hassle out of this procedure; talk to your vet about having this installed. It is best to have this procedure done by a veterinarian who has lots of experience with these ports since there can be many complications. Holistic Veterinary Care While no treatment can create new kidney cells when scar tissue has already formed, homeopathy, herbs, flower essences, or acupuncture may be able to help your cat feel better and live a better quality of life. Click on this link for a directory of holistic veterinary practitioners by state. Other Resources The Feline CRF Information Center is an incredible website devoted to cats in renal failure. You can find out just about everything there is to know about this disease here, as well as explore a host of excellent links to other feline health sites. You can also sign up for their email list, which can be a great resource and support for guardians of CRF cats. Pet Loss Support Ultimately, fighting CRF is a losing battle, and may carry a great emotional cost to the family. Losing a beloved cat to CRF is just as traumatic as losing a human family member, but friends and family don't always understand. There are many resources to help you through the difficult times and tough decisions you will have to make for your cat, and to support you afterward. Many of these are listed on the Feline CRF pet loss support page. For more great articles on important feline health and behavior topics, visit the Publications Page at www.littlebigcat.com

interactive cat

Note:Sounds like a cute cat! Lauren Merryfield, editor/publisher, CATLINES YOU HAVE GOT TO PET THIS CAT!!!! This is cute Cool Black Cat with Green Eyes, go to this site (link below) to see something awesome! There are some great code writers out there! If you tease her with the mouse pointer on her chest or stomach she will purr, I got her to meow also, by rubbing her forehead with the pointer. If you make a slow circle around her body, (counter-clockwise) not only will her head/eyes follow your pointer, but toward the top, her paw will go up, and when in front of her paws at the bottom, her foot comes out like she wants to play with your mouse pointer. (Don't hold the mouse down, just move it) Enjoy! Click on link below http://www.broenink-art.nl/maukie2.swf -- Terri Durham-Stone Safe a Life "Spay and Neuter" Live well, Love much, Laugh Often

zero odor

note:I have not tried this yet but I plan to do so soon. If this is something that helps kitties, I am all for it. Lauren Merryfield, editor/publisher, CATLINES http://www.catliness.com Dear Cat Lover, I¹d like to introduce you to a remarkable new cat product. Dr. Nicholas Dodman, perhaps America¹s best-known animal behaviorist, believes Zero Odor is the most important cat product since litter. His reason: Zero Odor can actually save cats¹ lives. Is it possible for something sprayed out of a bottle to change cat behavior so significantly that it can actually be a lifesaver? The answer, based on scientific research, appears to be ³yes.² Every day, all over America, millions of cats refuse to use their litter boxes. And every day, frustrated owners who are unwilling to live with the odor and stain problems caused by cat ³accidents² surrender their cats to shelters and pounds. Sadly, only one of three adult cats placed in those shelters is adopted. The others are euthanized. Dr. Dodman believes that the main reason for inappropriate litter box behavior is because odor drives the cats away. To test his theory, he designed a research study utilizing cameras operated by motion detectors. In that study 90% of cats that rejected their litter boxes showed a significant willingness to return to litter boxes that had been sprayed with Zero Odor. I am attaching a press release that provides much more information about Zero Odor. Additional information, photographs, documented research results, video from our many consumer and independent laboratory tests and, of course, a bottle of Zero Odor, can be made available to you. Please e-mail us with your address and contact information if you would like to know more about our product or if you want to test Zero Odor for yourself. We look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Jill Strickman-Ripps No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.362 / Virus Database: 267.12.7/157 - Release Date: 11/2/2005

katrina pets

ArcaMax.com - When man's best friend needs a hand
ArcaMax Publishing, Inc.

From the ArcaMax Publishing, Cats & Dogs Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/cgi-bin/news/story/1006/1030/34659/596696
When man's best friend needs a hand
Joao-Pierre S. Ruth

It can be difficult to return a lost pet to its brokenhearted human family when the family has a fixed address. It's much harder when there are thousands
of missing pets and their owners are in temporary shelters scattered over several states.

One New Jersey business is a central part of the effort to help the human survivors find their pets from among the thousands that have been plucked out
of the disaster zones and housed at animal shelters in outlying towns.

Rescue and recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina have focused on saving human lives imperiled by the powerful storm; many survivors were forced
to abandon their pets in order to let rescue workers do their jobs. Conditions were dangerous, and as people were evacuated by helicopter or boat, space
and supplies were limited. That means pets waited for rescue until after their owners had made it to safety, often ending up in facilities a great distance
from their homes.

Petfinder.com in Pittstown launched the Animal Emergency Response Network in mid-September to reunite these animals and their owners. The company's main
business is running an online database of adoptable animals; it usually showcases cuddly critters looking for new homes. Now the company has lent its resources
to helping displaced pets reconnect with their equally displaced owners.

The Animal Emergency Response Network is an online database that allows pet owners to post information about their pets, such as the animals' last known
whereabouts, and search the database for a possible match with their missing animal. Anybody can access the site over the Web at http://disaster.petfinder.org/
emergency. There, shelter workers can post photos and information about the rescued animals in their care and where to pick them up. Foster owners willing
to take in a pet temporarily can likewise sign on and declare their availability. There is also a link for rescue workers to look up requests to save animals
whose owners fear they may still be in danger.

Owners are not likely to find recovered pets on their own as they move through the shelter system. "Once an animal is taken out of New Orleans or the surrounding
parishes, it needs to be decontaminated, given a medicated bath, checked by a veterinarian, vaccinated and treated for any illnesses," says Julie Morris,
senior vice president of national outreach for the ASPCA in New York City. "Because there is not housing to keep these animals in New Orleans, they transport
these animals out to other shelters across the United States." Louisiana and Mississippi mandated that the animals were to be kept in the shelters at least
until the end of September, then placed in foster care until October 15 to give owners a chance to claim them.

The task is more complicated than simply matching the name on a dog's collar to a photo. "We have information like breed, age and identifiable markings,"
says Betsy Saul, 37, president of Petfinder.com.

Every bit of extra information can help, because at first look, one muddy, miserable animal looks much like any other. "It's tough," says Saul. "We don't
want people to just say their missing pet is a Bichon Frise. Rescuers might not recognize this wet fluff of a dog as a fancy Bichon Frise."

The sheer volume of animals rescued from flood areas makes the process even harder. "We have 2,000 records of lost pets," says Saul-and that number is climbing
by 300 to 400 daily.

So far, some 5,000 to 10,000 animals have .been rescued and placed in shelters. The vast numbers of animals has created a backlog in getting their information
online. "It takes so long to process a pet, there is a bottleneck," Saul says. "There were so many that appeared online that first day, there has been
a catch-up period."

A host of benevolent pet and animal-related groups are participating in the network. The American Humane Association, the American Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals, The Humane Society of the United States, Pets911.com and others are coordinating their resources through the Website. The intent
is to reach out as widely as possible to people who had to leave their pets behind.

Helping match needy animals with people is no stretch for Petfinder.com. The company was founded in 1995 by Saul and her husband, Jared, 36, in their two-bedroom
Somerset apartment. With no experience in running a virtual business, Saul forged ahead with an idea to help animals in nonprofit shelters find new homes.
Her hope was to reduce the need to euthanize unwanted animals.

"We are just for adoptable pets," says Saul. "Once a shelter joins they can start posting their pets into the system immediately. It is a happy accident
that what we do saves lives."

Before she started Petfinder.com, Saul was "doing urban tree planning for the New Jersey Forestry Service. We didn't have any business doing what we are
doing with Petfinder.com."

Celebrating its 10th year, Petfinder.com expects to see the 10 millionth adoption this year as a result of its services. The company facilitates about 1.5
million adoptions annually. Saul says Petfinder.com's services may have helped bring the national animal euthanasia rate down from 16 million annually
to an estimated 4 million to 5 million this year. "That's a huge drop in 10 years," she says with pride.

More than 9,000 shelters in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the Virginia Islands post their adoptable animals with the service. "There are about
200,000 animals in the system right now," says Saul.

Petfinder.com has 20 employees, generates revenue of between $2 million to $5 million and is profitable. The privately held company makes its money through
online advertising sales from pet-product companies like Purina and Petco. The service is free and available to shelters and to potential pet adopters.

Saul says the work of helping Katrina survivors to reclaim the lost pets is far from over. "We need the unglamorous things. It is difficult to keep volunteers
in the temporary animal shelters," she says. "It is really hot and muggy and they are sleeping there."

She anticipates there may be pets in shelters for three months, since their families may still be in shelters themselves. But the demands of the crisis
mean that many pets for which there are willing owners-somewhere-could face euthanasia if they are not reunited soon. "The shelter system is not equipped
to handled 10,000 extra animals," Saul says.

This news arrived on: 10/27/2005
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