Monday, February 4, 2008

UNTRACEABLE: Boycott this Movie!

Without going into disturbing detail, I am calling for a boycott against this movie. It shows horrific cruelty to a kitten. I have not seen it and had nightmares for two nights after learning about it.

If your local theater is showing it, tell them you do not approve.

I am all for freedom of speech but Untraceable has gotten poor reviews and seems to disgust a lot of people.

Friday, November 2, 2007

Friday, October 26, 2007

Veterinarian Links

We'd like for you to send us the details of the best vets: their name, URL, and location, and we'll put them in our links section!

Monday, October 8, 2007

The Travels of Cats…


Cats like to travel! Here are some stories with happy endings. Be careful with your cats, especially when moving or planning a trip…

In November of 2005, a cat named Emily from Appleton, Wisconsin, wandered into a factory and was trapped inside a cargo container bound for Nancy, France. Emily was rescued by cat-friendly French employees and flown back home.


In October of 2006, a cat named Neo, from Crowley, Texas, was trapped in a neighbor's moving van and ended up in Longmont, Colorado. Luckily, Neo was returned to his owners.


In March of 2007, a cat named Rascal wandered onto a freight train that had stopped outside her house in South Bend, Indiana and wound up in Chattanooga, Tennesee. Rascal was also rescued and reunited with her family.

Read about the adventures of the cat in the picture here.

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Good for Humans, BAD for Cats!


Giving human medications to cats can be a very bad idea.

Certain common "human foods" are also bad for cats:

Onions, Garlic, & Related Root Vegetables

Onions contain a substance (N-propyl disulphide) which destroys red blood cells in the cat, causing a form of anemia called Heinz body anemia. Garlic contains a similar substance in a lesser amount.

Tomatoes, Green (raw Potatoes)

These foods are members of the Solanaceae family of plants, which includes the Deadly Nightshade, and contain a bitter, poisonous alkaloid called Glycoalkaloid Solanine, which can cause violent lower gastrointestinal symptoms. Just one cherry tomato could be fatal!

Grapes and Raisins

These foods' toxicity has mainly been found in dogs, in quantities of varying amounts. The ASPCA advises: "As there are still many unknowns with the toxic potential of grapes and raisins, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center advises not giving grapes or raisins to pets in any amount."

Milk

Although milk is not toxic to cats, it may have adverse effects. Simply put, adult cats fed a nutritious diet don't need milk, and many cats are lactose-intolerant, which means that the lactose in milk and milk products produces stomach upset, cramps, and gassiness. If your cat loves milk, and begs for it, a small amount of cream may be okay, two or three times a week.

Chocolate

It's becoming more widely known that chocolate is very toxic to cats. Theobromine is the offending substance here.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Are All Calico Cats Female?

Half a cat's chromosomes come from the mother, and half come from the father. The gene that determines a cat's coloring is found on the X chromosome.

Female cats have two X chromosomes, and each one can carry a different color. In calicos, one X has the black gene and the other X has the orange gene. At some point in the female cat's development, one X chromosome becomes inactive. The timing of this determines the amount of calico patches.

So calico coloring isn't that uncommon among female cats. It's just a matter of the right chromosomal combination. In males, things are more complicated because they only have one X chromosome and it's never inactivated.

A male cat can be calico if it's created with two X chromosomes and a Y, allowing one X to be inactivated. This is a genetic defect known as XXY, and it's very rare. Only one out of every 3,000 calicos is male!

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Cats Are Not Peas

It is so unfortunate that Laura L. Gould's book, Cats Are Not Peas: A Calico History of Genetics is out of print and can't be found for much less than $80! This is an excellent book for any cat lover, and certainly for any lover of calico cats!

And yes, the title of her book is the inspiration for the title of this blog!