CAT LOVERS SITE

1. When in doubt, nap.

2. Fur is a harmless addition to any meal, plus it adds texture.

3. It’s not a twist-tie. It’s a fantasy flying furless thingy with an amazing ability to vanish.

4. You might as well take a small bite of everything on the table, that way it’s reasonably safe from being    eaten by someone else.

5. Anything on the floor is fair game, including feet.

6. Curtains really can’t hold much excess weight.

7. The best way to get whatever you want is to act awfully cute.

8. Yes, doors DO open if you stare at them long enough.

9. You shouldn’t jump on stuff that has a slippery surface.

10. Bugs are actually quite entertaining.

11. If you’re little, it’s best not to stick your head in the refrigerator if the person closing the door is not looking directly at you.

12. Stairs are not a good place for nighttime naps.

13. If you’re in a really bad mood, a nap will take care of it.

14. Almost anything has entertainment value. Especially crinkly stuff.

15. If you want to get in bed with someone you love, just scratch on their door.  It’s irresistible.

16. Barfing is not as awful as you might think. It also adds color and texture to any carpet.

17. Be persistent. Really persistent.

18. A good nap can fix almost any problem.

19. Sometimes, inspecting someone else’s car can turn into quite an adventure.

20. A screen does not have to be a barrier between you and the Great Outdoors. With the right technique this obstacle can be removed quite easily.

21. It’s acceptable to pee in the shower or bathtub if your regular toilet is unavailable.

22. A barking pit bull is not easily distracted. Therefore, you can race right past the nose of one. They are too stupid to register the fact that you are mere inches away from them while they are barking. When they shut up, it’s a different story.

23. If possible, always take naps in a patch of sunshine.

24. You can easily wake someone up just by walking on them.

25. You can keep a pit bull barking for hours just by staring calmly at it while you’re just out of reach. You can even take a leisurely bath.

26. If it stings, don’t touch it. Especially don’t eat it.

27. When you yawn, try to remember to put your tongue back in your mouth, otherwise someone will end up taking your picture.

28. You can cheer up a crying person simply by patting them gently on the face, looking into their eyes, and saying, “mew”.

29. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Don’t sweat the big stuff either.

30. If you curl up in the lap of someone you love and look at them with adoration, it will make you both very happy.

This is an ORIGAMI bird, made from a $10 bill: 

It’s actually a peacock, but you may make-believe that it’s a TURKEY.  Sorry the colors are weird but I have to use my phone to take photos these days.  I dropped my camera and now it only takes blurrs instead of pictures.  Here’s a photo of Taco and money-bird:

He looks annoyed because I turned on the light and disturbed his beauty sleep.  And here is a photo of  Mango with the same “leave me alone turn out the light” look:

The Top 10 Poisons of 2008

1. Human Medications: 50,000 cases

It’s easy for pets to snatch pills from counters and bed-side tables, or quickly eat them if you’ve dropped a couple on the floor. Both over-the-counter and prescription medications and even dietary supplements can be make your cat sick.

2. Insecticides: 31,000 cases

One of the most common exposures involves using chemical flea and tick products incorrectly, such as applying a topical product for dogs on a cat.

3. People Food: 15,000 cases

Grapes, raisins, avocado and citrus fruits can all be dangerous for pets, but one of the worst offenders is chocolate, which contains large amounts of methylxanthines. If eaten it can cause vomiting, diarrhea, panting, excessive thirst, urination and hyperactivity, and in severe cases abnormal heart rhythm, tremors and seizures.

4. Rodenticides: 8,000 cases

Rat and mouse poison can contain inactive ingredients that are attractive to pets. Aside from eating the poison itself, cats can also become sick from eating a rodent that’s ingested poison. Exposure to rat and mouse poison can cause bleeding, seizures and kidney damage.

5. Veterinary Medications: 8,000 cases

Drugs meant for animals can still cause side effects, especially when they are misapplied or improperly dispensed. Some of the most common toxic exposures involved non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, heartworm preventatives, de-wormers, antibiotics, vaccines and nutritional supplements.

6. Plants: 8,000 cases

Azaleas, rododendrons, sago palms, lilies, kalanchoe, and schefflera are common houseplants that can be toxic to pets. Lilies are especially toxic to cats and can cause kidney failure even in small amounts.

7. Chemical Hazards: 5,500 cases

Many chemicals around your home can cause symptoms ranging from gastrointestinal upset and respiratory difficulties to depression and chemical burns in your pets. Examples include antifreeze, paint thinner, drain cleaners and pool/spa chemicals.

8. Household Cleaners: 3,200 cases

Bleaches, detergents and disinfectants contain chemicals that can cause serious gastrointestinal distress and irritation to the respiratory tract in your cat.

9. Heavy Metals: 3,000 cases

Metals such as lead, zinc and mercury can all poison your cat. Lead is especially widespread and pets can be exposed via paint chips, linoleum and lead dust that’s produced when surfaces in old homes are scraped and sanded.

10. Fertilizer: 2,000 cases

If your lawn has been sprayed with a chemical fertilizer it’s essential to keep your cat off of it. Prevention is the best way to avoid accidental exposure to these potentially toxic chemicals.

Does this look like a comfy place to hang out?

The captions are hilarious:

Have you ever played a harmonica for your cat?

Taco and Sumari both love harmonica MUSIC! They get all loveable and goofy when we play it, it’s almost like musical catnip!  Here’s Sumari getting all silly over Seth playing the harmonica:

Here’s Taco purring wildly over my terrible harmonica playing.  It doesn’t matter what we play, it just seems to be the sound of the harmonica that makes them silly.

Mango doesn’t even seem to notice, so I guess not all cats enjoy this type of music.

This is a video by Dr. Karen Becker, a proactive and integrative wellness veterinarian.

Dr. Becker is passionate about educating people about natural health. She often speaks at public seminars and has appeared on Animal Planet. She was also named one of Chicago’s Top Ten Vets, according to Chicago Magazine.

From: A Dog On A Mission

Did you know that the humans’ government doesn’t make companies test chemicals for safety before they start using them in our toys, furniture, or even our food?

The humans have made a mess, and they aren’t doing anything about it. I need your help educating our humans and getting their government to pass toxic chemical reform legislation. They’ll never listen to just one pet, but all of us barking and meowing and cawing and squeaking together can make a lot of noise.

Join Pets for the Environment and help me make a difference!

Dr. Lisa Newman is a pet nutrition expert who is also the owner of Azmira Holistic Animal Care. She has an insider’s view of what really goes on in the pet food industry, and she understands why pets are more diseased than ever.

Degenerative disease has skyrocketed in pets. But it’s no coincidence: We’re feeding our pets many of the same disease-causing ingredients that are used in the junk foods people eat. d

When you start to really research how commercial pet foods are made, the ingredient list becomes truly horrifying. Did you know that recycled shoe leather is an acceptable ingredient? Even euthanized dogs and cats are “acceptable” ingredients in pet food.

Dr. Newman explains how to protect your pet with quality products and natural therapies in an amazing interview available at Natural News, you can CLICK HERE to download the pdf.

(Thanks, Max!!)

This is not a real commercial, it’s a Saturday Night Live spoof on pet food.  It would be funny if it just wasn’t so accurate.

Taco LOVES bags!!!  Especially bags that can be SHREDDED! More bag fun…

1) Remove your shoes in the house. Removing shoes has been scientifically proven to reduce contaminants in the home.

A new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency study shows that people track in weed killers and other pesticides commonly applied to lawns during the spring and summer. The study, conducted by the Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, Ohio, is among a series being funded by the EPA to assess how small children are exposed to pesticides around the home. Scientists think that “track-in” exposures may exceed those from the best-known source: pesticide residues on fresh fruits and vegetables.

In 1991 the EPA conducted a study called the “Door Mat Study” that measured the amount of lead dust that was in homes. The study found that in homes where there was a doormat at the entrance and where shoes were NOT worn, there was a marked reduction (about 60%) of lead dust and other chemicals in the home.

2) Go organic: According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 60% of herbicides, 90 % of fungicides and 30% of insecticides are known to be carcinogenic. Alarmingly, pesticide residues have been detected in 50% - 95% of U.S. foods. Pet food fare even worse, especially those containing by-products and “meal” (chicken meal, fish meal etc.)

3) Avoid plastics: use a glass bowl for food, all plastic is synthetic and made from petrochemicals, it neither photo-degrades nor bio-degrades, it just breaks down into ever smaller toxins such as Phthalates and BPA. Phthalates chemically mimic hormones and are particularly dangerous to children and pets.

4) Use safe, natural or organic cleaners.  Paints, deodorants, cleaning fluids, varnishes, cosmetics, dry cleaned clothing, moth repellents, air fresheners all contain dozens of chemicals.

5) Avoid using artificial air fresheners, dryer sheets, fabric softeners or other synthetic fragrances as they pollute the air you are breathing.

6) Never feed your cat fish, especially tuna!  All fish is contaminated with PCBs and mercury, although wild caught salmon and sardines both have lower amounts.

Nature’s Variety Raw Food Diets Organic Chicken Medallions 3 lbs. Raw diet containing 95% freshly ground USDA meat and fresh, natural fruits & vegetables, with cold processed Norwegian Virgin Salmon Oil.

When blood and urine samples were collected from 20 dogs and 37 cats at a Virginia veterinary clinic, 48 industrial chemicals were found.   

Cat samples contained 46 chemicals altogether, including 9 carcinogens, 40 chemicals toxic to the reproductive system, 34 neurotoxins, and 15 chemicals toxic to the endocrine system.

Endocrine (hormone) system toxins include the thyroid toxins and fire retardants called PBDEs. Thyroid disease (hyperthyroidism) is a leading cause of illness in older cats. 

In addition to PBDEs, hyperthyroidism in cats could be linked to the plastics chemical and potent endocrine disruptor BPA that is known to leach from cat food can linings into food.

You can read the full article on POLLUTED PETS at THIS LINK

Now this is one either very brave or very insane chipmunk!

If you were in the medical profession and learning how to intubate babies, which would you prefer: learning on humanlike manikins (which I might point out would not be suffering at your hands), or using live cats, repeatedly pushing a hard plastic tube down their throats until they are bleeding, swelling and scarred to the point where they are no longer useful and need to be killed?

I myself would choose the manikin, mostly because I don’t like to cause suffering to other living beings.  The manikins maybe don’t squirm, but they are very lifelike and the exact dimensions of a real baby, unlike a cat which admittedly is configured a bit differently.

On a positive note, Heartland Regional Medical Center (HRMC) has finally stopped torturing using live cats in these medical training exercises.  Finally. On a less positive note, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) still uses cats purchased from an animal shelter for the intubation procedure as well as a second procedure in which cats are stabbed in the chest with needles. The cats at TTUHSC are always killed at the end of these training sessions because the procedures leave them so badly mutilated.

You can sign a petition right here to help stop this atrocity.