Comment by Tina from Australia (currently Switzerland)[p]
2006-12-18 15:08:47
What a cutie!
My Kingston loves to climb in bags and boxes as well, particularly when we’ve come home from the shop- he seems to be saying, “Where is all the stuff you got for me?”
Mr. Leo provides me an excellent opportunity to ask a question that I been wondering about re our friend, the mysterious cat.
Why do they like to get into bags and boxes and bizarre cramped places?
By the way - if you have never read “The Cat Who Came for Christmas” by Cleveland Amory you are missing a real treat.
I started it last night and it only affirms my belief - cats and cat people rule. And of course cats rule cat people. The natural order of the universe.
Cleveland Amory wrote two more books about Polar Bear, the last one titled “The Best Cat Ever.” Very sweet stories and for those non-reading cat lovers, they are easy to pick up and hard to put down. Maybe I’ll take one on the plane with me tomorrow….
I know! There were so many hysterical parts! Like when he drank all that salt water at the beach—so funny! But, I loved the part when he become such a fierce protector when John Grogan was helping that girl in the middle of the night! That really got me crying…
I know! One of ours can’t resist exploring any box around, even if it’s only big enough to hold his head. He claimed a box I had brought copies home in as his very own and slept in it for months, until nothing was left except one corner and a lot of flat cardboard. He now has a slightly larger and much more sturdy box.
It’s so funny…the cat in bag connection. One of mine came to me from her previous owner with her own bag that she liked to play in. Now she has a new shopping bag hanging on the living room door and she sure lets me know when she wants to play in in. We use a wooden spoon to poke the bag and she goes crazy. Never a dull moment!
When my (human) kids were little their favorite book was “My Cat likes to Hide in Boxes” It was a wonderful book, I looked for another copy (I lost the first in a hurricane) but by the time I found one they were too big to care, but I’ll keep it for the next generation.
Oh Leo! If your mom doesn’t know by now she will soon. An orangie’s mission in life is to entertain us and give us love and love and more love. I think you must be a purrfect example of an orangie in action.
Hope you have a long and happy life little Leo. Happy Catmas to you
Weren’t those great? And so easy! Hot donuts on a cold morning–heaven! I made Italian (anise) Christmas cookies yesterday—really good. I love all things Italian, although I am not Italian myself….
He’s lovely! Great “M” mark on his head!
This is a cute story on how kitties got their “M”s..
On the first Christmas baby Jesus was crying and Mary had trouble comforting Him.
A little Tabby cat jumped in His cradle, curled up and began to purr.
Jesus stopped crying and went to sleep.Mary patted the kitty on the head to thank him and thus the “M” for Mary or Madonna.
I know not everyone celebrates Christmas but this story is cute at this time of year.
Happy Holidays TDK folk!
Thanks! That was cute! I heard a story about how cats got that bend in the end of their tails.
This story is Chinese and condenced:
There was once a Chinese Princess who had many jewels and rings. One ring was very special because it was a gift from her father and she prised it above all others. One day she was walking with her cat and it was very hot out. They came across a stream and the Princess wanted to bathe in the cool waters but she was afraid she would loose her precious ring in the stream and not be able to find it. So the Princess put the ring on the cat’s tail for safe keeping and the cat, out of devotion to his Princess, and out of duty as a royal cat broke the last two digets on his tail to ensure that the ring would not fall off while he slept. And to this day, every cat’s tail holds the evidence of that devotion in the last two digits!
Shhhh….don’t let the cat out of the bag! Leo must certainly be the king of his jungle with his handsome looks and mega fluffiness! What a lover-bug he must be!
I believe my next cat will be a marmalade—I hear such great things about them. Plus, since I have a tabby, a black cat and a white cat, it only makes sense that I have the addition of orange cat hair all over my clothes!
Dee!! You absolutely must get an orangie!!!! I love all cats , well maybe not the naked ones…But orangies are really in a category all their own. I can’t imagine my life without my Alfie
It’s true…I never had a ginger or orange before and my Gromit is the sweetest and cleverest cat ever! Sadly, he suffers from epilepsy, but with medication and looooove he will hopefully live a long and happy life!
Leo is cute. One of my cats, who has crossed the Rainbow Bridge, dearly loved bags and boxes of all kinds. I would give him a bag when I came home from grocery shopping. He get in, roll around and proceed to shred the bag.
I will be traveling to FL over the next two weeks and w/o internet access so have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all kittens, cats, cat-lovers and cat-owned lovers out there.
Leo, be sure to knock the tree over a couple of times this year for me. And break some fragile, expensive ornaments. Maybe after a warm nap before the fire??
This story is infuriating! Do not watch the video if you believe it may disturb you—but please read the story—how can this creature already be released on $1,000 bond? If anyone does watch video—I don’t have sound on my computer at work—can anyone tell me if the dog is on pain meds—and do they need more money to assist in his recovery?? http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=40514
Hi Dee, this story has me really ticked off. How in the heck anyone can show no remorse for dragging a dog more than a mile down a road should be drug down the road just like they did to poor Bobo. I would imagine the dog is on meds. I don’t see how he can’t be with all the stitches and cuts. 2 people from the school are helping with cost. It’s over $1000 already. It doesn’t say if they are collecting for his recovery. Should you find out more on this story, please keep me posted.
Oh poor baby!! This is terrible. Not only is it completely horrible to do that to an innocent creature, but to expose children to such cruelty. There is no sum of money that can make this right.
The part that gets me is that she showed no remorse at all.
Those kind of people shouldn’t be allowed to have animals at all and that lady in particular if she isn’t locked up should be forced to work in an animal shelter to help undo some of the harm she has caused.
I wouldn’t let that B**** near another animal! How can you not care? Not only should she not be aloud to own another animal, they should seriously consider neutering her as well!
I wouldn’t let that B**** near another animal! She doesn’t deserve the reward of unconditional love she might recieve from those poor creatures! And as far as children are concerned she should be neutered! But that’s just me.
Sorry, I only read the caption and could not go any farther. Upsets me to much to know there are people out there can be so cruel to animals. When a story comes on the news about animal abuse I have to leave the room. It literally makes me ill to watch it.
I feel your pain! My hubby tells me to leave the room when the news comes on, it makes me cry so often. Man’s inhumanity to man, and his inhumanity to those that are the weakest, the least likely to respond-children and animals. It really hurts your spirit to hear about it.
**Pig Who Jumped Out Of Moving Truck Gets New Home**
POSTED: 10:37 am PST December 15, 2006
VANCOUVER, Wash. — A 500-pound pig that jumped out of a moving truck onto Interstate 205 is living the good life — for now.
The pig, previously identified by a livestock auction number, 339, gained a name — Freeway — as well as a new home at Pigs R Us, a Brush Prairie farm owned by Randy and Betty Goggin.
“I feel like she’s got history,” said Betty Goggin, who has raised pigs for more than 25 years. “She’s a survivor.”
The farm has 100 other pigs, 75 goats, seven cows, three horses, two dogs and about seven cats, she said.
Betty Goggin said Freeway will have at least a year to live, and if she shows herself to be a good breeder she’ll gain a new lease on life.
Freeway launched herself over the 4-foot side of a livestock trailer on Dec. 4, possibly by climbing over other pigs. Her tough hide and thick layer of fat likely helped her escape serious injury, Betty Goggin said.
When state troopers could not immediately find any animal control officers to transport the pig, they called the Goggins.
The Goggins later traced and contacted the Clark County farmer who had purchased the pig at auction that day and arranged to keep her.
**World’s first cloned cat has kittens**
Fri Dec 15, 5:37 PM ET
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The world’s first cloned cat just became a mother — and she even did it without test tubes. Copy Cat, who was cloned by Texas A&M University researchers in 2001, had three kittens in September. Mother and kittens are doing well, said Duane Kraemer, an A&M veterinary medicine professor who helped clone her and has been taking care of her since.
“They’re cute and we thought people ought to know about the birth,” Kraemer said. “But we’re hoping it doesn’t cause the same frenzy CC did.”
CC got worldwide attention after she was cloned at Texas A&M, which has cloned more species than any institution in the world, including cattle, swine, goats, horses and a deer.
The father is Smokey, a naturally born tabby who was brought in to mate with CC. Two of the kittens take after their mother, while the third has a gray coat like his father.
CC is not the first cloned cat to give birth, Kraemer said. In New Orleans, two cloned wild African cats successfully mated to produce kittens.
“Actually, the whole ‘bread goes on top’ belief is a common misconception. The proper way to pack a grocery bag is: canned catfood on the bottom, dry food next, and then the most important and squishable item: the FUZZ!”
–Leo’s Guide To Packing Groceries, Catwacket Press, 2007.
**ASPCA SUCCESS STORY OF THE WEEK:**
JACK OF ALL TRADES
Lola needed out of her cage at a local Texas shelter—bigtime. The two-year-old Jack Russell terrier had too much energy to be cooped up in a kennel, and she was getting more hyper by the minute. In their search for a solution, shelter staffers posted a plea on their website.
That’s when Andrea Salinas got involved.
“The description on Lola’s page explained that they were looking for someone to foster her, just to get her out of the kennel,” recalls Andrea. Intrigued by Lola’s story, she drove almost 100 miles to pick up the “bundle of energy” and bring her home. “At first I thought that I would have no problem fostering her,” says Andrea.
No problem, that is, until she got to know Lola a little better.
“After we arrived home I did research on Jack Russells and found out that many of them are abandoned early on due to their ‘hyper’ nature,” says Andrea. “It’s not always obvious that they can be easily trained to do just about anything.” As Andrea began to bond with this smart, well-behaved girl, she realized she could never give her up. “Not even to the best family!”
Lola quickly became part of Andrea’s large family, loving each and every one of her four children. “Lola requires a lot of time and attention due to her breed,” says the proud pet parent, “but she is worth every bit of it.”
**QUEENS MAN SENTENCED IN ANIMAL CRUELTY CASE**
Late last month the ASPCA, in conjunction with Queens district attorney, Richard Brown, announced the sentencing of Keidel Guy for felony animal cruelty. The 20-year-old Queens man was sentenced to 16 months in prison for starving a family of pit bulls.
In October 2005, ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement agents Joseph Lemos and Omar Negrillo seized a nearly dead mother dog and her emaciated pup from Guy’s house after finding another puppy dead from starvation. Guy admitted to neglecting the dogs for weeks.
The mother, renamed Damsel, and her surviving pup, Jezebel, arrived at our Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital near death. Both animals were successfully treated and placed in loving homes.
Burlington is going to enter into discussions with HSUS!!
**Burlington Pulls Offending Fur Ads**
December 12, 2006
In the wake of an undercover investigation announced Dec. 11 revealing that Burlington Coat Factory was selling real fur advertised as fake, Burlington has agreed to pull the offending advertisements from its stores nationwide and offered refunds to any consumers who may have inadvertently purchased the real fur garments. Burlington has also agreed to enter into discussions with The Humane Society of the United States about the company’s policy on real fur.
The real fur jackets that were marketed by Burlington as “faux” contain internal labels stating that they are trimmed with “Racoon [sic] Fur of China Origin” or “Genuine Coyote Fur of China Origin.”
Due to the lack of animal welfare laws and prevalence of garment factories, China currently ranks as one of the leading exporters of fur and supplies half of all of the fur products that enter the United States for sale.
Animals documented as raised and killed in China—often in barbaric ways—include dogs and cats (read the report, watch the video), foxes, mink, and, of particular note, raccoon dogs (read the report, watch the video [warning: graphic images]), a species of canine whose fur resembles raccoon fur. The HSUS has commissioned DNA tests of the jackets, and expects to be able to determine within a week whether the coats are made of dog fur.
A loophole in the current Fur Products Labeling Act provides the fur industry an easy way to slip dog and cat fur onto garments, leaving American consumers, shopping off the rack in local department stores, uninformed and unprotected. The current labeling law, passed during the Eisenhower Administration, requires labeling of full-length fur coats, but excludes jackets and other products trimmed in fur if the value of the fur is less than $150. The HSUS is working to close this loophole through federal legislation, the Truth in Fur Labeling Act, introduced by Reps. Mike Ferguson, R-N.J. and Jim Moran, D-Va. Congress adjourned last week without taking action on this bill, but The HSUS intends to seek its reintroduction in 2007.
NEW DELHI, Dec 17 (Reuters Life!) - A Hindu wedding ceremony of 18 dogs has been called off in India after hardline religious groups and animal rights activists said it was a mockery of the religion and cruel to the canines, a newspaper reported on Sunday.
The marriage of nine dogs to nine bitches to promote canine culture was expected to take place on Sunday in the northwestern town of Jaipur, the Times of India reported.
But the wedding which, according to Hindu rituals involves sitting in front of a sacred fire and exchanging flower garlands, was canceled after groups including People for Animals (PFA) criticized the event.
The marriage would also have included a procession and a huge feast with a special dance party. Event management company B Positive and the Pink City Canine Club were organizing the spectacle.
“In my opinion, marriage of dogs is cruelty on animals,” the newspaper quoted the PFA’s chairman Naresh Kadyan as saying.
“People hold the front legs of the dogs against their will and force them to dance, which is cruel. The lights, noise, sound used in these kinds of events also hurt them.”
The organizers said they were sorry for hurting people’s sentiments but added they still planned to go ahead with the other events, including a beauty pageant for “unmarried dogs.”
This happened in Tampa over the weekend…the article does not state that Sam came back home 20 pounds heavier.
**What A Doggone Happy Ending**
Published: Dec 16, 2006
TAMPA - There may be a little something Milk-Bone-flavored under the Baines family’s tree this Christmas.
Missing for more than two years, their golden retriever Sam is back home, fresh from a sojourn in Illinois of which no one can make head or tail.
“He’s home. That’s all that matters,” said Alice Baines, who flew to Chicago on Thursday to retrieve her retriever. “It doesn’t matter where he’s been.”
Sam, 5, was found wandering the streets of Johnsburg, a suburb about 50 miles from Chicago.
McHenry County animal control workers found a microchip in the scruff of Sam’s neck. That led them to a home 1,200 miles away in south Tampa.
“This is what Christmas stories are made of,” said Debra Quackenbush, spokeswoman for McHenry County’s health department.
She said Sam immediately recognized Baines upon their reunion at O’Hare International Airport.
“He stood on her foot and sat on the other one just to make sure she wasn’t going anywhere,” she said.
Sam took off in 2004 after Hurricane Jeanne toppled a backyard fence. The family searched the neighborhood and posted fliers, but the trail stayed cold until this week.
“My kids adore this guy,” said Baines, a mother of three. “This is absolutely the best Christmas present we could ever get.”
Leo is always finding himself in strange places and is a constant source of entertainment each day.
What a cutie!
My Kingston loves to climb in bags and boxes as well, particularly when we’ve come home from the shop- he seems to be saying, “Where is all the stuff you got for me?”
sweet marmalade kitty. My two cats seem to have “Cat Wars” when one is in a bag, and the other is pouncing on him outside of the bag.
All three of mine do that, sometimes with bags, more often with blankets.
Oh Leo!! You will be king of the house! What a beautiful face!
very cute!!
“Paper or plastic?” FUZZ
funny ginny!! LOL!!
Ain’t sharin’ FUZZ
bag ‘em up! fuzz
Mr. Leo provides me an excellent opportunity to ask a question that I been wondering about re our friend, the mysterious cat.
Why do they like to get into bags and boxes and bizarre cramped places?
By the way - if you have never read “The Cat Who Came for Christmas” by Cleveland Amory you are missing a real treat.
I started it last night and it only affirms my belief - cats and cat people rule. And of course cats rule cat people. The natural order of the universe.
‘The Cat Who Came for Christmas’ is a nice story. I read it last year and am a big Polar Bear fan. Mr. Amory has done quite a lot for animals.
That is a great book!
Cleveland Amory wrote two more books about Polar Bear, the last one titled “The Best Cat Ever.” Very sweet stories and for those non-reading cat lovers, they are easy to pick up and hard to put down. Maybe I’ll take one on the plane with me tomorrow….
Marley & Me is also great–still on bestseller list. Have you read that one, yet? And EVANGELINE: are you reading it, yet?
Yes, Dee I finished it! WOW! What an amazing book. Wonderful writer and a truly unique dog! I laughed and I cried at time both at once!
I know! There were so many hysterical parts! Like when he drank all that salt water at the beach—so funny! But, I loved the part when he become such a fierce protector when John Grogan was helping that girl in the middle of the night! That really got me crying…
I know! One of ours can’t resist exploring any box around, even if it’s only big enough to hold his head. He claimed a box I had brought copies home in as his very own and slept in it for months, until nothing was left except one corner and a lot of flat cardboard. He now has a slightly larger and much more sturdy box.
It’s so funny…the cat in bag connection. One of mine came to me from her previous owner with her own bag that she liked to play in. Now she has a new shopping bag hanging on the living room door and she sure lets me know when she wants to play in in. We use a wooden spoon to poke the bag and she goes crazy. Never a dull moment!
When my (human) kids were little their favorite book was “My Cat likes to Hide in Boxes” It was a wonderful book, I looked for another copy (I lost the first in a hurricane) but by the time I found one they were too big to care, but I’ll keep it for the next generation.
This was the book I learned to read from. My Mom finally let me have it - 30 years later!
I made up one that wasn’t in the book, and being from Texas of course it was:
The cat from the west has a star on his chest.
Oh Leo! If your mom doesn’t know by now she will soon. An orangie’s mission in life is to entertain us and give us love and love and more love. I think you must be a purrfect example of an orangie in action.
Hope you have a long and happy life little Leo. Happy Catmas to you
I love his markings around his eyes. So dramatic.
Dee are you out there today? I made the italian donuts from the recipe you posted a couple of weeks ago. MMMMM delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Weren’t those great? And so easy! Hot donuts on a cold morning–heaven! I made Italian (anise) Christmas cookies yesterday—really good. I love all things Italian, although I am not Italian myself….
Those donuts were a blast from the past! I would promise my mother ANYTHING for a bag of those from the Farmer’s Market. He called them Zepolis (sp?)
They are extra good with chocolate frosting! I had half a can of the double whipped stuff and decided to experiment.
He’s lovely! Great “M” mark on his head!
This is a cute story on how kitties got their “M”s..
On the first Christmas baby Jesus was crying and Mary had trouble comforting Him.
A little Tabby cat jumped in His cradle, curled up and began to purr.
Jesus stopped crying and went to sleep.Mary patted the kitty on the head to thank him and thus the “M” for Mary or Madonna.
I know not everyone celebrates Christmas but this story is cute at this time of year.
Happy Holidays TDK folk!
Thanks! That was cute! I heard a story about how cats got that bend in the end of their tails.
This story is Chinese and condenced:
There was once a Chinese Princess who had many jewels and rings. One ring was very special because it was a gift from her father and she prised it above all others. One day she was walking with her cat and it was very hot out. They came across a stream and the Princess wanted to bathe in the cool waters but she was afraid she would loose her precious ring in the stream and not be able to find it. So the Princess put the ring on the cat’s tail for safe keeping and the cat, out of devotion to his Princess, and out of duty as a royal cat broke the last two digets on his tail to ensure that the ring would not fall off while he slept. And to this day, every cat’s tail holds the evidence of that devotion in the last two digits!
I heard a nice story that the M was for a King who’s name began with the letter M. They all have the M!
Thank you, that is a nice story! Happy Holidays to you too!
The new PC “Happy Hona-Roma-Kuanz-mas”
Shhhh….don’t let the cat out of the bag! Leo must certainly be the king of his jungle with his handsome looks and mega fluffiness! What a lover-bug he must be!
I believe my next cat will be a marmalade—I hear such great things about them. Plus, since I have a tabby, a black cat and a white cat, it only makes sense that I have the addition of orange cat hair all over my clothes!
Dee!! You absolutely must get an orangie!!!! I love all cats , well maybe not the naked ones…But orangies are really in a category all their own. I can’t imagine my life without my Alfie
It’s true…I never had a ginger or orange before and my Gromit is the sweetest and cleverest cat ever! Sadly, he suffers from epilepsy, but with medication and looooove he will hopefully live a long and happy life!
Leo is cute. One of my cats, who has crossed the Rainbow Bridge, dearly loved bags and boxes of all kinds. I would give him a bag when I came home from grocery shopping. He get in, roll around and proceed to shred the bag.
I will be traveling to FL over the next two weeks and w/o internet access so have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all kittens, cats, cat-lovers and cat-owned lovers out there.
Leo, be sure to knock the tree over a couple of times this year for me. And break some fragile, expensive ornaments. Maybe after a warm nap before the fire??
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, too, Tiger in CA!
We’ll see you next year! Enjoy the holidays!
Where in Fl are you going??
If you say Disney world I’m going to be so jealous
This story is infuriating! Do not watch the video if you believe it may disturb you—but please read the story—how can this creature already be released on $1,000 bond? If anyone does watch video—I don’t have sound on my computer at work—can anyone tell me if the dog is on pain meds—and do they need more money to assist in his recovery??
http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=40514
Hi Dee, this story has me really ticked off. How in the heck anyone can show no remorse for dragging a dog more than a mile down a road should be drug down the road just like they did to poor Bobo. I would imagine the dog is on meds. I don’t see how he can’t be with all the stitches and cuts. 2 people from the school are helping with cost. It’s over $1000 already. It doesn’t say if they are collecting for his recovery. Should you find out more on this story, please keep me posted.
Little Leo is king of his bag! So precious!!
Oh poor baby!! This is terrible. Not only is it completely horrible to do that to an innocent creature, but to expose children to such cruelty. There is no sum of money that can make this right.
The part that gets me is that she showed no remorse at all.
Those kind of people shouldn’t be allowed to have animals at all and that lady in particular if she isn’t locked up should be forced to work in an animal shelter to help undo some of the harm she has caused.
I wouldn’t let that B**** near another animal! How can you not care? Not only should she not be aloud to own another animal, they should seriously consider neutering her as well!
I wouldn’t let that B**** near another animal! She doesn’t deserve the reward of unconditional love she might recieve from those poor creatures! And as far as children are concerned she should be neutered! But that’s just me.
That B***** doesn’t deserve to be near any animals! She has no soul!
And calling her a B**** is an insult to dogs!
To call that woman a b**** is an insult to dogs!!
Sorry, I only read the caption and could not go any farther. Upsets me to much to know there are people out there can be so cruel to animals. When a story comes on the news about animal abuse I have to leave the room. It literally makes me ill to watch it.
I feel your pain! My hubby tells me to leave the room when the news comes on, it makes me cry so often. Man’s inhumanity to man, and his inhumanity to those that are the weakest, the least likely to respond-children and animals. It really hurts your spirit to hear about it.
Sounds like Leo has a lot of personality. Kittens at play are better than anything on TV. Enjoy!
**Pig Who Jumped Out Of Moving Truck Gets New Home**
POSTED: 10:37 am PST December 15, 2006
VANCOUVER, Wash. — A 500-pound pig that jumped out of a moving truck onto Interstate 205 is living the good life — for now.
The pig, previously identified by a livestock auction number, 339, gained a name — Freeway — as well as a new home at Pigs R Us, a Brush Prairie farm owned by Randy and Betty Goggin.
“I feel like she’s got history,” said Betty Goggin, who has raised pigs for more than 25 years. “She’s a survivor.”
The farm has 100 other pigs, 75 goats, seven cows, three horses, two dogs and about seven cats, she said.
Betty Goggin said Freeway will have at least a year to live, and if she shows herself to be a good breeder she’ll gain a new lease on life.
Freeway launched herself over the 4-foot side of a livestock trailer on Dec. 4, possibly by climbing over other pigs. Her tough hide and thick layer of fat likely helped her escape serious injury, Betty Goggin said.
When state troopers could not immediately find any animal control officers to transport the pig, they called the Goggins.
The Goggins later traced and contacted the Clark County farmer who had purchased the pig at auction that day and arranged to keep her.
you are a superstar!!!!!!!!!! i just cracked up laughing. this is so good it hurts to laugh. thats my opinion.
amy
Four legged animals are much easier to deal with than two-legged animals, trust me
Here is a beautiful photo of an Aurora Borealis in Alaska…. http://www.coasttocoastam.com/gen/page1785.html?theme=light
**World’s first cloned cat has kittens**
Fri Dec 15, 5:37 PM ET
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The world’s first cloned cat just became a mother — and she even did it without test tubes. Copy Cat, who was cloned by Texas A&M University researchers in 2001, had three kittens in September. Mother and kittens are doing well, said Duane Kraemer, an A&M veterinary medicine professor who helped clone her and has been taking care of her since.
“They’re cute and we thought people ought to know about the birth,” Kraemer said. “But we’re hoping it doesn’t cause the same frenzy CC did.”
CC got worldwide attention after she was cloned at Texas A&M, which has cloned more species than any institution in the world, including cattle, swine, goats, horses and a deer.
The father is Smokey, a naturally born tabby who was brought in to mate with CC. Two of the kittens take after their mother, while the third has a gray coat like his father.
CC is not the first cloned cat to give birth, Kraemer said. In New Orleans, two cloned wild African cats successfully mated to produce kittens.
King of the Plastic Serenghetti FUZZ
He’s in the bag because he wants you to unwrap him and treat him like the loving, purring present he - like most cats - is predestined to love being
“Actually, the whole ‘bread goes on top’ belief is a common misconception. The proper way to pack a grocery bag is: canned catfood on the bottom, dry food next, and then the most important and squishable item: the FUZZ!”
–Leo’s Guide To Packing Groceries, Catwacket Press, 2007.
**ASPCA SUCCESS STORY OF THE WEEK:**
JACK OF ALL TRADES
Lola needed out of her cage at a local Texas shelter—bigtime. The two-year-old Jack Russell terrier had too much energy to be cooped up in a kennel, and she was getting more hyper by the minute. In their search for a solution, shelter staffers posted a plea on their website.
That’s when Andrea Salinas got involved.
“The description on Lola’s page explained that they were looking for someone to foster her, just to get her out of the kennel,” recalls Andrea. Intrigued by Lola’s story, she drove almost 100 miles to pick up the “bundle of energy” and bring her home. “At first I thought that I would have no problem fostering her,” says Andrea.
No problem, that is, until she got to know Lola a little better.
“After we arrived home I did research on Jack Russells and found out that many of them are abandoned early on due to their ‘hyper’ nature,” says Andrea. “It’s not always obvious that they can be easily trained to do just about anything.” As Andrea began to bond with this smart, well-behaved girl, she realized she could never give her up. “Not even to the best family!”
Lola quickly became part of Andrea’s large family, loving each and every one of her four children. “Lola requires a lot of time and attention due to her breed,” says the proud pet parent, “but she is worth every bit of it.”
OMG my Jack Russels name is LOLA I sing her the song her name is lola she was a show girl LOL
Prison time! YES!!
**QUEENS MAN SENTENCED IN ANIMAL CRUELTY CASE**
Late last month the ASPCA, in conjunction with Queens district attorney, Richard Brown, announced the sentencing of Keidel Guy for felony animal cruelty. The 20-year-old Queens man was sentenced to 16 months in prison for starving a family of pit bulls.
In October 2005, ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement agents Joseph Lemos and Omar Negrillo seized a nearly dead mother dog and her emaciated pup from Guy’s house after finding another puppy dead from starvation. Guy admitted to neglecting the dogs for weeks.
The mother, renamed Damsel, and her surviving pup, Jezebel, arrived at our Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital near death. Both animals were successfully treated and placed in loving homes.
Too bad we can’t starve him the way that he starved his dogs…. just so he would know what it’s like.
I guess that’s the price we pay for being ‘civilized’
AMEN! Finally, justice for people like this. May this be only the beginning of many jail terms to come.
Burlington is going to enter into discussions with HSUS!!
**Burlington Pulls Offending Fur Ads**
December 12, 2006
In the wake of an undercover investigation announced Dec. 11 revealing that Burlington Coat Factory was selling real fur advertised as fake, Burlington has agreed to pull the offending advertisements from its stores nationwide and offered refunds to any consumers who may have inadvertently purchased the real fur garments. Burlington has also agreed to enter into discussions with The Humane Society of the United States about the company’s policy on real fur.
The real fur jackets that were marketed by Burlington as “faux” contain internal labels stating that they are trimmed with “Racoon [sic] Fur of China Origin” or “Genuine Coyote Fur of China Origin.”
Due to the lack of animal welfare laws and prevalence of garment factories, China currently ranks as one of the leading exporters of fur and supplies half of all of the fur products that enter the United States for sale.
Animals documented as raised and killed in China—often in barbaric ways—include dogs and cats (read the report, watch the video), foxes, mink, and, of particular note, raccoon dogs (read the report, watch the video [warning: graphic images]), a species of canine whose fur resembles raccoon fur. The HSUS has commissioned DNA tests of the jackets, and expects to be able to determine within a week whether the coats are made of dog fur.
A loophole in the current Fur Products Labeling Act provides the fur industry an easy way to slip dog and cat fur onto garments, leaving American consumers, shopping off the rack in local department stores, uninformed and unprotected. The current labeling law, passed during the Eisenhower Administration, requires labeling of full-length fur coats, but excludes jackets and other products trimmed in fur if the value of the fur is less than $150. The HSUS is working to close this loophole through federal legislation, the Truth in Fur Labeling Act, introduced by Reps. Mike Ferguson, R-N.J. and Jim Moran, D-Va. Congress adjourned last week without taking action on this bill, but The HSUS intends to seek its reintroduction in 2007.
This is pretty funny….
**Dog weddings called off on grounds of cruelty**
NEW DELHI, Dec 17 (Reuters Life!) - A Hindu wedding ceremony of 18 dogs has been called off in India after hardline religious groups and animal rights activists said it was a mockery of the religion and cruel to the canines, a newspaper reported on Sunday.
The marriage of nine dogs to nine bitches to promote canine culture was expected to take place on Sunday in the northwestern town of Jaipur, the Times of India reported.
But the wedding which, according to Hindu rituals involves sitting in front of a sacred fire and exchanging flower garlands, was canceled after groups including People for Animals (PFA) criticized the event.
The marriage would also have included a procession and a huge feast with a special dance party. Event management company B Positive and the Pink City Canine Club were organizing the spectacle.
“In my opinion, marriage of dogs is cruelty on animals,” the newspaper quoted the PFA’s chairman Naresh Kadyan as saying.
“People hold the front legs of the dogs against their will and force them to dance, which is cruel. The lights, noise, sound used in these kinds of events also hurt them.”
The organizers said they were sorry for hurting people’s sentiments but added they still planned to go ahead with the other events, including a beauty pageant for “unmarried dogs.”
This happened in Tampa over the weekend…the article does not state that Sam came back home 20 pounds heavier.
**What A Doggone Happy Ending**
Published: Dec 16, 2006
TAMPA - There may be a little something Milk-Bone-flavored under the Baines family’s tree this Christmas.
Missing for more than two years, their golden retriever Sam is back home, fresh from a sojourn in Illinois of which no one can make head or tail.
“He’s home. That’s all that matters,” said Alice Baines, who flew to Chicago on Thursday to retrieve her retriever. “It doesn’t matter where he’s been.”
Sam, 5, was found wandering the streets of Johnsburg, a suburb about 50 miles from Chicago.
McHenry County animal control workers found a microchip in the scruff of Sam’s neck. That led them to a home 1,200 miles away in south Tampa.
“This is what Christmas stories are made of,” said Debra Quackenbush, spokeswoman for McHenry County’s health department.
She said Sam immediately recognized Baines upon their reunion at O’Hare International Airport.
“He stood on her foot and sat on the other one just to make sure she wasn’t going anywhere,” she said.
Sam took off in 2004 after Hurricane Jeanne toppled a backyard fence. The family searched the neighborhood and posted fliers, but the trail stayed cold until this week.
“My kids adore this guy,” said Baines, a mother of three. “This is absolutely the best Christmas present we could ever get.”
ppearson–didn’t you say you also are a fan of “A Christmas Story”?
Here is a cool site….
http://www.achristmasstoryhouse.com/
Cool, now I just need to get to Cleveland!
“Its from Italy. It says Frageeeelay”