Drowning In Cats - The Shelter Pet Project

The following post has been cross posted from my other blog, Dogs Deserve Freedom ...

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"According to The Humane Society of the United States and Maddie’s Fund, of the eight million pets that enter animal shelters and rescue groups every year, approximately three million of these healthy and treatable pets are euthanized due to a lack of adoption."



Good Grief. It's heartbreaking when you see the actual number of animals that go in and out of shelters and rescue groups each year ... 8 million animals enter; 3 million healthy ones euthanized. That is a hell of a lot of animals. Could you imagine what those numbers would be like if people started to spay/neuter their pets??



When you look at numbers like that it is very easy to shrug it off with a "well I can't fix it" attitude. Take that attitude and toss it out the door. While you may not be able to help those millions of animals today, you can make a difference.



The next time you are out at the grocery store and see one of those rescues peddling for coin, drop in a dollar. If each person in your community donated one dollar can you imagine how many pets they could help? Ontario's population alone is an estimated 13,014,000 (as of Apr 1, 2009) ... if each of those people donated one dollar ... well, that's a lot of money!






The next time you are looking for a new pet go to your local shelter. If you are looking for a specific breed, go to a breed rescue. Many breed rescues have puppies/kittens as well as adults and seniors.



If you can't adopt, go spend an hour of your time volunteering at your local shelter. (WARNING ... Don't get into the politics!!) Clean cat boxes, scoop out dog runs or take a dog for a long walk. To those animals you have just made a difference.



Talk to your friends, neighbours and co-workers about adopting from a shelter or rescue. Explain to them that there are some really great dogs/cats out there just waiting for a home. Many people think that the dogs/cats at the shelter have behavioural problems, but most are simply nice animals down on their luck.



And for goodness'sake ... please Spay and Neuter your pets people! I will begin regularly posting low-cost Spay/Neuter Clinics on my blog, Drowning In Cats, so you may be able to find an alternative in your area.



Check out The Shelter Pet Project website and help make a difference. Together we can change the world ... Together we can.

Featured Rescue - Stormy

Stormy is an older cat who is looking for a nice home she can curl up in. She is an owner surrender as the owner's children suddenly developed allergies. Hmm ... another mysterious "allergy" case or is it legit???

If you can offer a home to Stormy, she is located in New York, NY

http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=14238946

Ontario Private Bill to Repeal BSL

This is off topic for this blog, but I wanted to cross-post it here as well as on my other blog just in case someone out there reads this one and not my other one *gasp*


Tomorrow morning at Queen's Park there is a rally in support of Repealing BSL in Ontario. Please read below for details ... note that the following is identical to my post on Dogs Deserve Freedom.



I read this on the Dog Legislation Council of Canada (DLCC) website. Turn's out an MPP is putting forth a private bill to repeal the breed part out of the Dog Owner's Liability Act (DOLA). I do not agree with BSL (Breed Specific Legislation) and have blogged about both sides of the argument in the past. I feel that there are better ways to manage a DOLA and keep the general public safe however I do understand the need to prevent dog bites/attacks.



Below I have copied and pasted the alert from the DLCC's page. They are asking everyone who can to go to Queens Park on November 18th to show your support. I will be there. Will you?

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Private Members Bill to Repeal the ONTARIO BAN

Cheri DiNovo (MPP for Parkdale) has joined a GROWING LIST of other politicians that support REPEALING DOLA.



Cheri is going to put forth a Private Member's Bill forward to repeal the Breed Specific part of the Dog Owner's Liability Act between 10am and 11:30 am in front of Queens Park on November 18th. As a responsible dog owner herself, Cheri understands that this law must be repealed so that more effective measures (which are not breed specific) can be put into place.



Advocates for responsible dog ownership are making their demands known. We will no longer allow laws that make dog owners criminals or at best second class citizens simply because of how their dog 'looks'.



COME TOGETHER. We need bodies at this event. Clayton Ruby along with many other advocates for responsible dog ownership will be there and so will the media. Let's show them that dog owners are barking mad about this travesty.



We are asking that ALL dog owners join together in solidarity and support Ms.Di Novo in her efforts.

WHEN AND WHERE?

Queens Park
at 9:30 am
November 18, 2009

If you cannot be there, please forward your support to repeal the ban to:

C. Smith smithcc@ndp.on.ca
Charles Smith Executive Assistant
Cheri DiNovo MPP
Parkdale High Park
Tel: (416) 325-0244
Fax: (416) 325-0305
http://www.cheridinovo.ca/



Dogs Deserve Freedom IN: If you have a blog or website, please cross-post this information with a backlink to the DLCC webpage to spread the word regardless whether or not you can be there or are in Ontario!



Remember ... "Having heard all of this, you may choose to look the other way ... but you can never say again that you did not know." William Wilberforce 1759-1833

Featured Rescue - Cookie

This lovely gal is hanging out with All About Animals Rescue in Eastpointe, MI. Her name is Cookie. If you take a few minutes and read their description of her, you will find that she seems to have very few vices - other than her age.

Older cats are nearly impossible to adopt out unless they are really pushed by rescue (or are in prominent cage locations in a shelter environment). Very few people ever go out of their way to adopt a senior cat. Most people want kittens or even young cats. The rescue I volunteer with told me once that after they hit 8 years old it's nearly impossible to adopt them out - even if they lower the adoption fee to $10!

I wonder if there is a common trend with the way people look at seniors? Senior cats. Senior dogs. Senior humans. Does anyone know if there has been a research study done on this? It would be really interesting to read ...

http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=14557632

Featured Rescue - Cinders

This is Cinders. Check out how nice it is to read her ad! In a quick glance, I can tell TONS about her!

Good with cats: No

Good with children: Yes

Good with dogs: unknown

Age: 11 yrs old

There is a section underneath that is for "Notes". Here, the rescue has given some anecdotal details about Cinders. This is the info that the shelter or foster home can gather.

http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=14755570

Featured Rescue - Maggie

In contrast to yesterday's post about Zombie, a cat who had far too few details posted about him in his Petfinder ad, here is ... A cat who has way too much listed! It's like verbal diarreah ... it just keeps coming!







I actually stopped reading and had to refocus on the task! This cat has been returned a few times to different shelters and rescues; including the one that has her listed. The ad just goes on and on. Poor Maggie. I don't even know what to say. It's like reading someone's diary entry - someone who is making excuses for the cat and doesn't really believe what he/she is saying (an interesting thought for a topic).
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=10431435

Featured Rescue - Zombie

Ok, this one would have been awesome to feature just before Hallowe'en. Check it out! This is "Zombie".

Now, I know I've gone off on tangent's before when I've run across adoptable animals whose names are not appealing ... there have actually been studies to investigate the most adoptable names. Crazy, no? Anyway, I wanted to say that while Zombie isn't a name I would choose for a cat, the time of year may actually work out ok for this guy!

Zombie has NO information on his Petfinder ad. Literally. I've seen poorly written ads before, but this one takes the cake. Couldn't someone at least spend 5 minutes petting the guy to be able to throw something together for him?? Shame on you Erie County SPCA. I'm sure you could do better.

http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=14922863

Featured Rescue - Teena Marie

After doing some thinking for the last week or so, trying to figure out what I will feature for November (and wasting away the days), I have decided that I will feature Senior cats. If you work or volunteer at a rescue and you know of a Senior cat that needs a little publicity, let me know and I will try to include him/her in my lists!

Today's Featured Rescue is Teena Marie. Teena Marie doesn't have her age listed but her advertisement does say that her owner passed away. She is a Domestic Short Hair (DSH). If you are interested in offering Teena Marie a nice quiet home where she can spend out her days, please contact Casper Humane Society. Casper, WY 307-265-5439

http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=9009344

Albert goes home

I wanted to share with you some good news. I received an email from a volunteer at the City of Buffalo Animal Shelter and she wanted us to know that Albert found a home.



On November 3, S. wrote "Albert found a Home today! Jumped right into the carrier! (Think he did it so they wouldn't change their minds! LOL)"



To read my post about Albert, check it out at Featured Rescue - Albert and Onyx. Onyx is still available so if you're interested in adding a lovely black cat to your home, consider Onyx!

Entrecard top droppers

Wow! This is my first post for Entrecard top droppers. I haven't had the widget on this blog for very long so it is still new. Here are the top droppers for the last 30 days ...



World Linker
Nice Live Inn Panama
Bike in Cyprus
Online Advertising
Founder Greatest High Income
Down Town Gourmet ABQ
Profitable Business
Peoples Deserve to Live in Peace
Something Special About Spike Island
Healthy Lifestyle Journey



Thanks to all those who have taken the time to "drop" by! Thanks also to those who have been advertising on this blog!

Featured Rescue Followups and November Cats

Hello everyone! Thought I'd let you know that out of the cats I listed on my blog in the month of October, the following have been adopted:


Pandora (kitten)
Magic (declawed adult)
Miles (kitten)


Congratulations to those cats! The following cats are still looking for new homes.


Featured Rescue - Deuce ("young")
Featured Rescue - Maude (adolescent)
Featured Rescue - Gypsy (adult)
Featured Rescue - Mickey (kitten)
Featured Rescue - Rosie (adolescent)
Featured Rescue - Halo (adult approaching senior)
Featured Rescue - Gus (adult)
Featured Rescue - Hex (kitten)
Featured Rescue - Raine (adolescent)



Remember, SPAY AND NEUTER your cats! There are so many out there looking for homes ... many are euthanized every day. I know one shelter in my area that euthanizes 20+ animals per day (cats or dogs). It is an SPCA. There are just too many out there. The numbers are STAGGERING. Sometimes the rescues and shelters have to make that decision for those animals that are more difficult to adopt.

Featured Rescue - Albert and Onyx

Today I will post two black cats; Albert and Onyx. These two cats are both located at the City of Buffalo Animal Shelter.

Albert is a Domestic Short Hair Hemingway Polydactyl cat. Funny about this guy - he's been sitting in this shelter since April, but he's Polydactyl. There are many cats we end up having around for months or more but whenever we list that they are Polydactyl we seem to adopt them out much quicker. While Albert does not like dogs at all, he does get along nicely with other cats of various ages.

Onyx has been at the shelter since July. If I read that ad correctly, she came in as a kitten and has been slowly growing to adult-hood in the care of shelter volunteers/workers.

If you can offer either of these cats a home please contact the City of Buffalo Animal Shelter at 716-873-7735.