Capital Animals

I'm back!

2012-01-20T17:59:00.000-05:00

Hello! While I was at the shelter I wasn't blogging due to some in-house rules about conflict of interest, but I'm not there anymore. The upshot--I'm back at Capital Animals!

I know, I know, you all have missed me oh so much.

Anyway, I hope that you all have had some great months saving animals, spreading good news, fighting tyranny, and celebrating your furry friends (although I have nothing against celebrating friends who are furries, let me clarify that I do in fact mean friends with actual fur here).

So I have some topics in my head for upcoming blog posts--animal books, cruelty-free product reviews, animal events around town, etc etc, but I'm curious. For anyone who still has this in their blog roll--what would you like to see?

For now, I'll leave you with a photo of Toby being adorable (he's so happy I'm blogging again that he tried to walk across the keyboard multiple times to say hello to you all).

On second thought, he looks a little possessed there, like he'd fit in well with the demons of Wild Ride below him.

This will not be updating for the near future

2011-09-05T12:41:00.000-04:00

Due to changing jobs and now working for an animal shelter to coordinate adoptions outreach there, I no longer feel that it is ethical for me to keep up this blog. I will keep it up for awhile because I may return to it in the future after more thought and after I become more comfortable with the ethical interplay between being a private blogger and an employee of a public shelter.

Thank you for reading. I do miss writing here.

Come Together

2011-03-21T15:30:00.001-04:00

The Smithsonian claims that outdoor cats (feral and pet) are a serious danger to birds. They even seem to suggest (subtly) that TNR be abandoned and that TNR supporters are unknowingly killing birds.

Alley Cat Allies claims that loss of habitat and increased human activities are a far greater danger to birds than cats ever will be.

Both sides were posting on twitter in a way that made me, as a supporter of both organizations, feel a bit awkward.

My take? They need to work together. Alley Cat Allies should push hard for cat parents to keep their kitties indoor only, with a strong push at suburban areas where the Smithsonian claims birds are being killed most often. The Smithsonian, instead of trying to claim that TNR is ineffective (without any research to back this up) because it requires a 70% saturation in a colony, should actually make a push for strong TNR. Help people trap kitties, donate the time of the zoo vets to assist with the spay/neuter surgeries. Maybe the two could even have a cross-promotion where for every cat owner who signs a pledge to keep her cat indoors-only and makes a donation to a special fund (half going to TNR, half going to songbird rehab and research), people can attend a special event at the Smithsonian zoo to learn about big cats.

Essentially, it seems ridiculous to me that two organizations that care about animals can't find a way to come together and find ways to support each other and all animals.

Admittedly, this is part of a larger frustration with "opposing" sides refusing to associate with or listen to each other. Imagine what could happen if good, small breeders stood with the HSUS and started supporting bans against puppy mills? If Peta listened to small farmers and found ways to improve the lives of animals on farms? As I said before, if animals can come together, why can't we?

St Paddy's Day

2011-03-17T16:02:00.000-04:00

Most people today will have at least a beer or two. I'd say the majority will have far more than two. If you're one of those, please take my challenge to donate at least the cost of two beers to your favorite group helping in Japan.

American Humane's Red Star Group and WSPA are both helping in Japan. In addition, Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support has been doing some amazing work.

Do you think St Patrick would rather you get smashed tonight on green beer or that you help some suffering creatures? Thankfully, you don't have to choose and can do both if you want! Even if you don't believe in saints, give to the groups anyway.

By the way, if you want a touching story of survival, the kitties and people of Cat Island seem to have survived despite the worst fears! Here's a Discovery article.

Save the Date! April 21, Meow Mixer!

2011-03-10T12:30:00.009-05:00

Very exciting personal news--I'll be taking the lead on Meow Mixers this kitten season for Washington Humane Society! I'm both thrilled and terrified I'll make a cake of it. The first one is scheduled for Thursday, April 21 in the evening (likely 7-9 although the times aren't nailed down yet).

If you're in the DC area and thinking of adding a cat to your heart, please come! The events are open house style with snacks and soda so you can nibble while meeting great cats. There are usually both kittens and adult cats, although we've been known to focus on one side of the age spectrum depending on that Mixer's theme. One of my favorites was a Baby Shower Meow Mixer where mama cats had reduced adoption fees. We also did one with more senior kitties and gave a free cat bed out with adoption of senior cats.

I'm having a hard time keeping my brain from just staying in hyperfocus on the events. I've been debating themes, flyer and tweet ideas, blog posts, restaurants to approach for free snacks... The "good" side of my ADHD is coming out for this one!

My personal favorite flyer idea for the first event, although I'm worried it might be just due to my weird humor, is my boyfriend's idea of a grayscale, noir-style image and the words "They're coming..." with a small explanation below that kitten season is starting up and we'll be overloaded with cats and kittens so now is the time to come in and meet the first of the season's awesome litters. He wants these as postcards which I can easily envision, but I'm fairly sure that would be too expensive. I also received permission from Randall Munroe (awesome XKCD artist) to use his Cat Proximity comic on a flyer (I think it'd be suitable for flyers at local dives and indie places). So I'll want to use that at some point. If you think any ideas I've mentioned are awful, please tell me! I have my first planning meeting the first week of April and hope to come to it with a full plan of theme, flyers, sample tweets, blog posts, possible partners, etc. Maybe we can do a small door prize or raffle (25c tickets? I want it to be really inexpensive) if I talk with my local (favorite, has shown tons of support for WHS, and just has amazing people!) pet supply shop, Living Ruff.

I did make sure that one of my friends, an amazing volunteer who has been at the shelter longer than I have and has worked events in the past, would be available to help. I figure there's no shame in making sure I have support I know for the first event. I've helped with these events in the past and done quite a bit of work on them, but I've never fully taken the lead on a Meow Mixer before so I want to be sure I have support I know I can count on.

I hope all of you are doing well in your kitten season preparations. Also, if you observe Lent, many wishes for a blessed Lent. I didn't attend Ash Wednesday services but I did rub my forehead against an ash-colored kitty which counts in my mind.

Changes

2011-02-13T11:54:00.000-05:00

My boyfriend used to work a job that was mainly evenings/nights which meant Toby had his company during the day when I was at work, and at night when I was home. Toby has always been a friendly cat but not a lap cat by any means. When we say that he's "cuddling" we mean that he's on the same piece of furniture as us, possibly touching us with a paw. More often than not, he'll sit a little distance away, keeping an eye on us. The other week he was spending a lot of time actually sitting against my legs purring and being within easy petting distance which I attributed to Toby knowing I needed extra comfort due to my anxiety.

This weekend Toby has been almost constantly near one of us. Sitting on our feet while we watched Monty Python and Cats 101. Curling up against my leg while I napped. Following my boyfriend to the couch and leaning against him while he was working. He did get up and move around during Bad Dog and he did insist on playing fetch for an hour, but otherwise Toby has been incredibly cuddly compared to his normal.

I'm not sure if it's because boyfriend changed jobs and is now on a schedule similar to mine so Toby hasn't had as much attention during the day as he was used to or if it's because I'm sick. Yes, the massive amounts of television watching and napping are because I'm fighting off yet another stupid nasty cold. My dad asked if Toby was avoiding me to stay healthy and I told him Toby was actually being really affectionate. Pretty sure from what I know of kitty URIs that the virus I've got likely won't infect him. I know that cats can get some versions of the flu bug though so happy I don't have that!

What do you think? Is Toby being more affectionate and cuddly because he's been lonely during the work week? Is it because he knows I'm cranky and sick? Or some combination of the two?

My first thought was that the apartment might be cold (he cuddles much more when it's cold in here!) but my boyfriend swears the temperature is normal, even to someone who isn't sick.

The cause is a mystery but I do appreciate the result of the sweet cuddly cat!

He's not 100% cuddly though, he did almost attack the tv during Bad Dog. Boyfriend suggested Toby wants to be famous.

ADHD, Anxiety, and Animals, Oh My!

2011-02-02T21:17:00.000-05:00

You already know I have ADHD. Like most adult women with ADHD, the Hyperactive part of my ADHD expresses itself partially as anxiety. Unrelated to the ADHD I also have a condition called hyperekplexia (stiff baby syndrome for you medical folks) that results in me making little noises I call eeps that sound like a baby panda hiccuping. Technically I eep when I'm startled, but it works out to a correlation between rate and volume of eeps and my anxiety levels. However, because I have that whole ADHD-related anxiety thing, anxiety levels don't always relate to real world events for me. As I told my best friend the other day, I can rationally tell myself "Beth, that's a silly response. Everything is fine. There's no way Toby will figure out how to move the lock and escape into the hall, make it into the elevator, and run into the street in front of a car while you're at work" and yet the anxious part of my brain, fueled by ADHD hyperactivity turned inwards doesn't give two pennies for rational thought and just says "that's nice, but still, he's a smart kitty, he could!" and ignores reality.

What does any of this have to do with animals as this is a blog ostensibly about animals? Because animals are amazing for my anxiety and the mental illnesses of many people around the world. There are local and international organizations that organize visits from dogs, cats, and other pets to people who can benefit from the experience. Research has shown that petting cats helps lower people's blood pressure, which can relieve feelings of stress.

For me there's definitely the physiological benefit of petting Toby being calming and soothing. A lot of it for me is that even if the things I'm worrying about happen (aside from any involving Toby hurting himself), Toby will still love me. Even when the crazy part of my brain can't listen to the rational side that says my fears are baseless, it can still recognize that Toby's love is in no way dependent on those things being untrue. Even if I wake up 40lbs heavier and get fired all in one day, Toby will still love me. I can believe in him, even when I can't believe in logic.

Last night when I was feeling particularly anxious (it's been a bit high the past week) he came over and curled against my leg while I watched Monty Python. The night before when I woke up from a nightmare, he climbed onto the bed and curled up next to me. He's not always the most cuddly cat, but he knows when I need extra affection and he makes it clear that he loves me. Toby, like all pets, has a lot to teach us about unconditional love. This evening he licked my hand when I went to pet him.

Even though I might bribe him into cuddles this evening with treats while I read, I'll still know he loves me. Even if he'd rather stay on the comfy nest of clothes he's created for himself.

I did warn that Clean All the Things (named for Allie Bosch's amazing Hyperbole and a Half strip) didn't quite work this weekend...

Note: My inclusion of the personal here was partially because we often think of mental illness without thinking of the people they affect and so hold stereotypes that anxious people are irrational cowards (I am quite logical and have had people consider me brave) or that ADHD people are irresponsible (Many people have found me to be quite responsible). More importantly for me, "coming out" like this on the internet where it might be seen by someone feeling alone with her mental illness is my tribute to a beloved friend who passed away two weeks ago. He was incredibly open and honest about having been on medication for depression since he was in high school and advocated for acceptance while breaking stereotypes about those with mental illnesses. His openness helped me a great deal in coming to terms with my own mental state and if my openness can help one person the way he helped so many, it will be a fitting tribute. He also loved animals and Monty Python.

Another Toby Photo

2011-01-30T15:33:00.002-05:00

Why I'm slow at cleaning

2011-01-30T14:07:00.001-05:00

Aside from being easily distracted/overwhelmed by clutter due to my ADHD brain, Toby always gets extra cute and affectionate when I clean. So many flank rubs today!

Plus, he figured out how to bat open the doors to our dvd storage!

I keep trying to tell him that fetch will be more fun once I declutter and he has more room to run around, but I think he just sees me opening up spaces for him to explore and sitting on the ground as invitations to flank rub and head butt.

Disgrace at UC's Veterinary School

2011-01-13T09:00:00.001-05:00

You may have figured out from previous posts that referenced Jezebel that I'm a bit of a feminist. I shockingly think that, along with animals deserving decent lives, that people of any sex are equal--male, female, transgender, hermaphrodite--your genitalia do not affect your worth.

I also have a great deal of respect for veterinarians.I love mine and call whenever Toby has an issue. I firmly believe that before starting training for an issue, one should get a clean bill of health and talk about problems with your vet. I care about our vets and care that they are educated well and receive an accurate record of their performance at school so that their hiring decisions can be made more accurately.

How are these two related? Because I am completely outraged by what happened recently at UC Davies Vet School. Dr. Isis of Science Blogs covers it in full detail that you should read. I'll summarize it below.

Essentially, Dr Isis received an email that a third year student recently gave birth. One of her professors, Dr Feldman, (yes, male) had the class presidents send an email around about this. Not to collect gifts or well-wishes as the birth announcements at my small office do. No. So that students could vote on how Dr. Feldman should handle the woman's grade for the class.
"a) automatic A final grade
b) automatic B final grade
c) automatic C final grade
d) graded the same as everyone else: best 6 quiz scores out of a possible 7 quiz scores (each quiz only given only once in class with no repeats)
e) just take a % of quiz scores (for example: your classmate takes 4 quizzes, averages 9/10 points = 90% = A)
f) give that student a single final exam at the end of the quarter (however this option is only available to this one student, all others are graded on the best 6 quiz scores and the % that results)"

Despite that there were already clear options for him to follow laid out by UC Davies for students who might have to miss multiple classes (ok, for things like being sick, but are we really supposed to think that illness is ok but reproduction isn't? I know they're learning to encourage spaying/neutering but that's of pets, not people!). Also, the student in question hasn't even missed class or requested to miss class yet!

So--her professor, instead of sitting down with her to form a plan for if she misses class due to bringing life into this crazy, messed up world, decided to alert the entire third year class to her newborn (which seems awfully lacking in respect for privacy) and then decided to present those students (who are depending on being in the top percentile of their class and so have every self-interest in not helping a fellow student out) with the option of just arbitrarily deciding that this woman gets a C as her final grade?

I'm just completely appalled and angry. Really angry.

Dr. Isis is calling for people to contact the chancellor of UC Davies about Dr. Feldman's highly inappropriate conduct. The address for that is http://chancellor.ucdavis.edu/contact.php I already sent a note. I won't tell you how to act, but if you're as appalled as I am, please consider sending one as well.

It's 2011. How does a vaguely intelligent person even think this is ok and walk away without a reprimand from his higher ups? I told the chancellor that I hope for a full apology made to the student.

Kong question

2011-01-09T09:35:00.007-05:00

Just for a quick survey of readers, please leave a comment whether you knew a Kong was an awesome interactive dog toy without clicking on the link or not. Jarrod had no clue what they were and thought I made up the word so I added a link to explain it.

No wrong answers, just curious!

A Dog and His Man Save Neighbor

2011-01-08T19:41:00.004-05:00

I came across a story on Jezebel tonight that I just have to share. It starts off bad but it gets better, I promise.

On Thursday, a girl started screaming after being attacked in her yard. Agustin Zamora Jr heard the cries and ran outside, calling for his Great Dane, Scooby, to follow. They, with two other men, chased the attacker off into an alley where the man, fearful of the large dog's deep barks, was held until police arrived to arrest him.

I really hope that dog gets some awesome Kongs for his part in the heroic rescue. First, it was impressive that multiple people responded to the screams and tried to help. Many people for hundreds of years haven't responded to screaming because they assume other people have heard the screams and are already responding. This is known as Genovese syndrome or the bystander effect. It's really disturbing to think about.

I first came upon the idea in a freshman philosophy class where we read Rousseau talking about a philosopher who ignored the screams out his window. It struck with me to the point where, as a junior, I insisted on seeing why I had heard a girl scream outside in the winter (it turned out she was drunk, which made my friend even more angry as he'd been in favor of ignoring any screams one heard). I thought of it again last year when a friend told me about Genovese syndrome after I was stuck on how no one had even seemed to notice when a homeless man hit me on my way to work, despite there being at least a dozen people around who had to have seen (and heard!) the whack when he struck my face. Knowing that it was normal for people to ignore bad things happened sucked, but it at least made me feel better than "those people all thought I deserved to be hit!" which was where my freaked-out mind had gone.

To think that someone not only responded to someone else's screams, but had the foresight to call his dog along to help hold the intruder? Just amazes me. That guy is a hero and his dog is, too.

For more information:
Jezebel article where commenters have some awesome stories about animals protecting them (I was bawling with happy tears after scrolling through, just to warn you)

Chicago Tribune Article about the dog and the attack

Do you have any stories of animals protecting you or alerting you to danger?

Thankfully Toby hasn't had to do much although he did hiss at the door when two (drunk) guys tried to come into the apartment. I think they thought it was their apartment from their response when the door didn't open! He also has been known to run at the wall between my loud, rude neighbor's apartment and mine and act as though he's trying to attack the wall. Very happy if that's all he's ever called to do in defense of me!

Cuteness is the way to start the new year

2011-01-01T21:56:00.000-05:00

In the midst of my massive cleaning for the new year, Toby has decided to supervise.

Yes, that is a shoebox top that he's managed to climb into. Apparently Toby wants to be sure I don't clear too much from the apartment!

Pet Sitters

2010-12-22T12:30:00.001-05:00

I have a neighbor and a friend who regularly take care of Toby when my boyfriend and I are out of town. Both have declined money in the past so for one I make pie or cookies (I make a killer blueberry pie) and for Christmas we're giving him a gift certificate to the restaurant where we know he often eats lunch. We didn't stalk him, it's the restaurant where my boyfriend works. We decided it would be too creepy to make it for exactly the cost of his usual lunch.

For the other, we load up the fridge with specialty beer and he drinks a bottle each time he visits Toby while playing with him and providing company for the cat. For Christmas he's getting an awesome specialty beer mug for his personal bar.

I used to pet sit for a friend of my sisters and she paid me in gift cards to my favorite pet shop and complete set of LSAT books when my boyfriend was getting ready to take the test.

Now that it's the holidays and many people are getting ready to travel, I'm wondering if non-money is actually common or if I just hang out with a group of people more inclined to barter/trade than to pay. Any thoughts?

Best part of working at home

2010-12-17T15:32:00.000-05:00

The heat is broken at my office today so I'm working from home. I was just starting to get annoyed with an excel sheet (I love the program, but often have to check formatting formulas) when I heard a commotion to my left.

I turned and there was Toby.

Ignore the mass of gray fur that collected along the baseboard. I swear, I vacuum. That's just his favorite spot to roll and rub off his shedding fur.

Hope your Friday is just as full of joy as a cat in a bag playing with his favorite rattle ball.

First Ever Film By Cats

2010-12-15T14:30:00.001-05:00

Departing from the holiday theme, I know I'm late on this, but I finally saw the Purina "Cat Diaries" today and it melted my heart with happiness.

We're still in the midst of a nasty cold snap in DC right now, but this warmed my heart.

Don't forget, with the cold snap, make sure to call your local animal control if you see a pet left in the cold. WHS listed a warning last night. Be careful out there! Also, if there's ice near you, remember to clean your dog's paws off when you come in--various de-icers can be uncomfortable or even poisonous for dogs so make sure you're the one cleaning it off and not your dog's tongue!

Stay warm!!

Leaping Bunny Reminder!

2010-12-14T10:00:00.001-05:00

Don't forget that many animal lovers, even those who aren't vegetarian, avoid products that have been tested on animals. That's not a major issue with books, but if you're trying to pamper the hands of an animal-loving teacher with superb lotion or give a relaxing spa set to your stressed out wife, make sure to check Leaping Bunny to see if the manufacturer tests their products on animals.

Leaping Bunny admits that not every cruelty-free product is in their database, but it's fairly extensive. Another option is to browse manufacturer websites. Many companies have pages of information on their alternative testing methods. Make sure you're not fooled by green washing though. Many products that appear green (Herbal Essences, I'm looking at you!) aren't actually green or cruelty free.

That hand lotion would also be appreciated by many shelter workers. It's good practice to wash one's hands or disinfect between animals and that can dry out skin fast. I'll give a recommendation to The Body Shop's Hemp Hand Protector. It has a bit of an odd scent, but it feels amazing. Also, for your information, check out The Body Shop's statement against animal testing. I will freely admit a soft spot for this company. They were the first store I shopped at where I didn't feel the need to check the ingredients of every product but could actually still afford a lot of the products!

Three Gift Ideas for Animal Lovers (and an Eggnog Complaint)

2010-12-13T09:35:00.001-05:00

I brought my first eggnog of the season home a week or so ago and have had the devil of a time keeping glasses of it away from Toby.. I keep turning my back for a second only to find his entire head in my empty glass, frantically licking up the remains of the eggnog. He is on a small laxative at the moment so I'm not going to fret too much over him getting a few occasional licks, but it's worse than whipped cream (another favorite) to keep him out of it. Was curious if anyone else had that problem or if Toby is just extra special and full of holiday mischief. I promise, it's nonalcoholic (Organic Valley Eggnog actually--insanely delicious). If he was fine after diving headfirst into an empty mocha frappe (I swear, I just turned to say hello to my boyfriend before finding that Toby had knocked off the lid and stuck his face in), I trust Toby will be fine with a few licks of eggnog.

1. For Your Favorite Pet Parent: Interactive Toys
Kongs, Fling-ama-string, Batting Practice mouse, Treat Puzzle Boxes
I love my catnip mice (and so does Toby) and we love our Zig-n-Zag ball so those are fine gifts, but being able to turn on the Fling-ama-string while I'm eating (anything other than eggnog) so Toby is distracted is amazing. I love turning it on when Toby feels playful but I have a migraine, or I'm cooking, or doing yoga (please say your cats also love to be affectionate when you're trying to hold a plank pose, please?), or anything where I want Toby distracted. My brother gave me one for my birthday (from the ASPCA so bonus points of awesomeness!) and it's the coolest toy ever. It does require batteries and I do prefer to be present while he's using it, even if I'm not actively watching (I do watch often though, he's adorable with the pouncing). The company does suggest supervision in case of anything getting tangled or loose but we haven't had any major issues with it other than forgetting to change the batteries once.

I also love the Batting Practice Mouse my brother gave me (also from the ASPCA). It's a little squishy mouse that makes an electronic squeak when batted. The mouse hangs on elastic and string from a plastic "branch" that sits over the top of a door. The branch is easily detachable from the door so I can hide the mouse if Toby is playing at 3am. The branch can be knocked off or the mouse knocked into an unreachable position (mine is near some shelves so the mouse gets stuck sometimes) but the actual playing does not require supervision. Before Thanksgiving I took the mouse down for a week or so then put it up as we were leaving. Our cat sitter found the mouse happily played with every day he came. I felt better about Toby being occupied while we were gone.

Kongs and Puzzle Treat boxes
Kongs are the traditional cone shaped rubber toys into which a person places peanut butter, kibble, and anything else you want your dog to slowly eat. The dog then licks into the kong and works to get the food out. This keeps the dog happy and can be used for peace during mealtime (if you can't tell, I'm a huge fan of distraction) and to keep a dog occupied and entertained while his parent is out of the home.
There are also puzzle treat boxes for dogs where the dog needs to figure out a puzzle in order to get the treat. I've seen some people fill the boxes with the dog's kibble breakfast as a way to make the meal last and also as a way to entertain the dog without feeding too many treats.
I use a food ball for Toby that operates on a similar principle. His portion of dry food (that which isn't used as sprinkles on his wet food--my boyfriend spoils my cat) is put in a ball that Toby then knocks around. As Toby bats the ball, kibble falls out and he's able to eat. It makes meals last longer and keeps him occupied.

Most pet parents worry about their pets being bored, if you can help soothe your friend's mind about that, it's a wonderful gift. Plus, a lot of the toys are really entertaining to see being used. I keep trying to get video of Toby using my birthday gifts but he stops playing when he sees the cameraphone.

2. The Animal Lover Without a Pet--Sponsor a Pet!
Do Not Give a Pet!!!
Pets are personal and should never be given as gifts. Even people who love animals can have valid reasons for not wanting a pet at this point in their lives.
A better alternative? Sponsor a pet at their local shelter and give a small stuffed animal who looks similar. Depending on your shelter and personal budget, you might need to go in on the sponsorship with a friend, but it's an amazing gift.

3. The Animal Lover Who Also Loves Books--Pet Themed Books
If your friend is cool with used books (my family and friends usually indicate a preference for them) this can be a really inexpensive gift that's still a lot of fun. If new books are preferred, Borders offers a lot of email discounts (ranging from 20-33-40% off) that can be printed off and brought in for browsing.
Head to the section with your friend's favorite genre and find several books where an animal seems important or is on the cover. This post shows four of my favorite romance books featuring animals (and one of my favorite mysteries as well). If you want other genre suggestions, just leave a note in the comments. If I can't provide an answer (or the other commenters don't!). The only genre I really avoid is suspense but I have family members who love it and will provide suggestions if need be. I just finished Mercedes Lackey's The Serpent's Shadow and was reminded of how well she uses animals. The 'pets' in that books are integral to the plot and the book is a great choice for fantasy fans who also enjoy historical fiction.

Any other types of animal-loving friends about whom you're stuck for gift ideas? Just let me know. I love gift finding.

All Healthy!

2010-12-04T00:12:00.000-05:00

Finally went in for a full day of work on Friday. So grateful that my company allows us to work remotely. I was all set to go in tomorrow afternoon, but then Toby had a tablespoon or so of blood in his litter box. I freaked, called the vet for advice, and she said that she wanted to see him that afternoon.

Thankfully, he's healthy. She checked his glands while I experienced the oddness of having someone tell me to stand on the other side of the room because they don't want Toby associating me with that experience, and everything seemed fine. She gave me a preliminary diagnosis that he just has a sensitive colon and the extra treats I'd been giving him while I was sick (I had to bribe him to ignore the menthol smell somehow!) had just upset his system. She suggested a small amount of a gentle laxative and said she'd call with the lab results of the sample I'd brought in.

She called today to say the sample was clean!!!

Toby has been adorable destructive last night and this evening and everything seems good. so I am incredibly relieved.

After looking over my budget for this month and the bill for the vet services--it's a darn good thing he's adorable. Signed over half my restaurant budget into the Pets column today. *sigh* the things we do for our loved ones.

Slight Delay

2010-12-01T17:18:00.002-05:00

The rest of the guide will be posted once I recover from a nasty cold and trust myself to write coherent sentences.

Many apologies.

It's Advent!

2010-11-29T08:30:00.002-05:00

Let's cover my horribly long absence by stating that I had some personal stuff to take care of that meant my internet time has been severely limited. I've been reading only my most favorite blogs and even commenting on those only in batches while mostly lurking. I'd apologize, but I think it's understood that people sometimes need breaks from these things when life gets crazy. Everything is good now though and things are getting under control and less hectic.

I've also started Christmas shopping. I'm a list person. It helps keep me under budget, but it also helps me remember ethical constraints for my friends.One friend is so fed up with Palestine/Israel that she won't buy anything that is made with disputed resources (such as Ahava products and most other "Dead Sea" products). Another feels strongly about independent shops and would rather a book from an independent second hand shop than a Borders. It's easy for me to remember that about my friends and adjust my shopping accordingly.

But what about your animal loving friends? We're a pretty diverse group--some people do a whole vegan lifestyle, others love cats and dogs but that's the extent, and many of us are somewhere in between. Plus, even if you know your friend is vegan or some form of vegetarian, it's hard to remember what that can entail. One of my friends is an amazing cook and has a great cooking blog--unfortunately one of her recipes labled vegetarian uses traditional gelatin which isn't. So in the tradition of the "Examination of Conscience" guides my Catholic grade school supplied, this week is devoted to examining your gifts for animal-loving friends. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer. Otherwise, I'll provide a general overview with some specific don'ts and some suggestions for if you're stuck.

Feel free to consider this a guide for Solstice, New Years, or Hanukah shopping if you prefer. Or Festivus. Or you don't celebrate anything now but might be buying birthday gifts in the future.

Also, please realize that just because you aren't opposed to every item I list, does not mean I consider you any less of an animal lover. I'm, what I consider a "Conscientious Dairy- and Egg-Consuming Pescatarian." I'm still figuring out exactly what I think about certain issues and the vast majority of animal rights is a bit gray and murky for most of us. That's okay, in my mind, so long as we still try to think about it and don't just ignore it all. Please feel free to disagree with me. I'm not easily offended. Just don't say that you think God wants us to eat meat. You'll get a digital finger flick.

My general view on animal rights and animal issues is that animals need to be respected as animals and as just as much a part of the Earth as we are. I am not opposed to symbiotic relationships where both species benefit. I like to think that Toby benefits as much from my loving are as I do from his antics and affection. I'm not opposed to working animals, so long as those animals are treated in a respectful manner and allowed to live somewhat natural lives. I try not to consume or use products from animals where the animals suffered. Obviously, suffering is somewhat subjective. I consider factory farming to be suffering. I consider it wrong to kill and eat animals who are at least as smart as dogs and cats (a line needed to be drawn somewhere, for me it's there). I'm still learning and my views are subject to change. I'm not a saint and I still get strong cravings for greasy cheeseburgers and blts. I do not look down on anyone who chooses to eat meat but I do rejoice when people think about their choices and choose to support farmers who treat their animals well before death or choose to consumer less meat than before.

What if you are an animal-loving recipient of a gift that goes against your ethical grain? Your response is dictated by your own conscience but my plan, if that happens, is to say thank you and then quietly donate the gift. Even if you're given fur, HSUS has a program where donated furs are used to help orphaned and injured bears. I tend to think that people are best won over by example, not by shouting or rudeness. I would never tell my boyfriend that he's not allowed to eat meat or bring it into the apartment, but I almost melted when he told his dad that he was trying to move away from ham, pork, and bacon because of how smart pigs are. I never set out to change my boyfriend's mind, but I know that he looked through vegetarian starter kits I had out when I was first switching and that he listens to me when I talk about animal issues. I know I also started lessening my animal-consumption after exposure to low-key, non-evangelical vegetarians and vegans. People who had yelled about animal consumption never made an impact on me. Instead, I was converted by seeing that smart, successful veggies were happy to talk about the issues or send me to sites when I expressed curiosity. They didn't act like I needed to convert or be evil, but just made it clear that they would love to help me inform myself if I so chose.

If your conscience tells you to scream at the gift-giver "don't you know who I am?" well, if it's your grandmother I'll pretend I've never heard of you even on the internet. If it's your boyfriend who knows you're vegan and would never use an Omaha steak subscription, I'll assist you in dumping a bucket of herbal tea on his head.

Housekeeping

2010-10-21T18:32:00.010-04:00

After a great deal of thought, I'm going to spend some time this weekend getting posts ready and cleaning up Capital Animals so that I can post on a more regular schedule with better content in the future. If you have any feedback (criticism, compliment, or complaints are all welcome! Well, within reason.) I'd love to hear it so I can work on making this a better blog. It will still be driven primarily by what I think/want to write about (I'm selfish that way) but if there's something you've loved and want to see more of or hate and want to never see again, that'd be good to know. Photos of Toby will still continue. Just to let you know. He's adorable.

If there are no compliments I'll assume you're super happy with everything the way it is, have no advice, and want Toby to rule Earth.

Welcome You Back with Electronica Cats

2010-10-15T09:35:00.002-04:00

I've been absent as of late partially because of work and partially because I was busy outside of work. Last week was my birthday and amongst other awesome times and gifts, my brother gave me amazing cat toys that amuse Toby (and thus me, too) for hours on end.

My brother is pretty awesome. I'm hoping once I get out to visit him in El Paso that can maybe score a visit to the border patrol dogs who apparently are in high demand and just as awesome in real life as they seem via news stories. He also likes electronic music, from what I understand (I'm kind of awful at keeping up with people's music tastes).

So, in honor of him and tomorrow's National Feral Cat Day:
Cats playing electronica

Happy Friday.

Family, pets, and feral populations

2010-09-24T09:30:00.000-04:00

In Russia there are dogs that have figured out how to use the subway system to travel to locations with better food. From what I can tell, most Russians aren't particularly bothered. The article there calls them stray, but I've seen them also referred to as feral dogs the way that we refer to feral cats in the US.

In the US, 30% of Americans consider pets family but Trap, Neuter Return (TNR) groups, such as Alley Cat Allies, always have a tough sell convincing people not to just poison feral cat colonies.

I feel like these are related somehow but I'm not sure. Maybe because so many Americans do have a familial relationship with their pets, it's more difficult for us to accept feral cat colonies? I don't have an answer yet but I want to explore and find one.

In England, it's considered best for cats to be outdoor animals or at least only confined inside at night. In the US we build giant catios (patios for cats) to keep our kitties entertained while also safe and secure, as we point to figures showing that indoor cats live significantly longer. We round up strays and bring them to shelters and seem certain that this is the way to handle things.

In Italy, we saw a ton of freely roaming dogs and cats. The winery where we stayed fed and cared for a dog and a cat that had shown up in the past and hung around, but they weren't allowed inside the buildings because that would be considered dirty.

I do volunteer at an open access shelter and my gut reaction is that it's better not to let strays wander all over the city. I also support TNR and not taking feral cats into a shelter where they will likely end up euthanized or miserable. In the southern US, a far smaller percentage of pets are fixed than in the northeastern US. I want to know why.

Yes, part of me wants to know why the differences are there because I think that trying to change people's behavior (i.e. get more people to spay/neuter) without first understanding the reason for that behavior is doomed to failure. A large part of it is simply a desire to know more and explore.

A cat-like curiosity if you will.

A Monday Bit of Cute

2010-09-06T18:44:00.002-04:00

I've been trying to get some cleaning done this holiday but was just distracted by how sweet Toby was being with his new "friend." My nana had a collection of small stuffed dogs that she gave me to me when she started preparing for the day that she and my grandpa might have to move into a nursing home.

If you don't already know, my nana and grandpa were the first to really teach me about dogs and how to interact with them. I really credit them and their dog Mickey with inspiring my love of animals so it means a lot that she gave me her little stuffed dogs. I have no qualms about a respectful display of stuffed animals in an adult apartment. There are also Andy Warhol cat prints and a full bar.

After setting up a new headboard to make reading in bed a little more comfortable, I placed a few of the stuffed dogs there. That night I woke up to all but one of them being dropped onto me by a stretching Toby. Since then, Toby has been spending the majority of his time up there, curled up with the little brown and white stuffed dog. I tried to snap the photo while he was napping with his head resting on the dog, but Toby of course woke up at the sound of my approach.

It's still a cute shot all the same, I think. I'll be visiting my nana and grandpa in two weeks and am looking forward to telling them that Toby has adopted one of the dogs. He hasn't rough played with the dog at all, just curled up with it and purred.

I wonder if he'll be so sanguine about it the first time he meets a real dog...

Support Pakistan

2010-08-25T21:07:00.001-04:00

When Haiti experienced an earthquake, there were telethons, collections, front page headlines, radio djs talking about it, massive cell phone donations, and more to help the victims.

Now there’s massive flooding in Pakistan, causing more damage than “the 2004 Asian tsunami, the 2005 Pakistan earthquake, and the 2010 Haiti earthquake combined” (http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/08/19/why_doesnt_the_world_care_about_pakistanis ) and the first I heard about it was when my sister mentioned that she needed to stay late at work because of the flooding. At my confused look she clarified “in Pakistan.” My sister genuinely saves lives for a living and does tend to be more up-to-the-minute with foreign issues than I am, but it seemed wrong that I hadn’t heard something earlier via Twitter, the radio, or just office talk. But I hadn’t. I still don’t hear much about it. Weeks later, as the floods are getting worse and more people are suffering, I see the occasional tweet from a charity group or Foreign Policy and an email from WSPA asking for donations. I did hear about it in the sermon at the new parish I tried this past weekend. There doesn’t seem to be a giant push to help though. People don’t seem to care. There are no calls for a massive telethon like for Haiti or a charity concert like for Tennessee. That seems wrong.

Foreign Policy has a great article on why people aren’t giving to help Pakistan flood victims. The article is great, the comments made me cry at how inhumane people can be. They gave me an idea though. If people really are going to be racist jerks, refusing to help the poor of a country because they dislike the country’s elites, well what about the animals. Those animals have no political agenda. They understand less about the word Jihad than the average American (whose understanding seems to be pretty limited from what I can tell). They’re suffering, too. WSPA is doing its best to help them. http://www.wspa-international.org/wspaswork/disastermanagement/whyanimalsmatter.aspx explains why helping animals matters even if you’re not prejudiced against the people.

I have a monthly budget for donations to help me deal with constantly feeling like I should be giving more (and then seeing my credit card bill and realizing nothing got saved for next month). August went to help in Pakistan. September’s probably will as well.

If you don’t have a monthly charity budget or have maxed yours out for the month (it is the end of the month), please consider giving up today’s coffee or muffin and donating at least that much to one of the many organizations helping people and animals in Pakistan. How we take care of each other matters.

WSPA: Update on a small success in Pakistan http://www.wspa-international.org/latestnews/2010/three-surviving-bears-rescued-pakistan-floods.aspx
IFAW’s blog about their work in Pakistan with a donation link: http://animalrescue.typepad.com/animal_rescue_blog/2010/08/ifaw-rushes-to-aid-animal-survivors-of-pakistans-tragic-flooding.html
IRC: Report on their work in Pakistan http://www.theirc.org/special-reports/special-report-pakistan

Puppies aren't products

2010-08-12T16:24:00.000-04:00

The focus of Best Friend's "Puppies Aren't Products" campaign isn't giving puppies as gifts (it's the awful practice of puppy mills) but the sentiment still applies.

I've been asked multiple times by different people for advice on buying a cat or dog as a gift for someone. I always tell them not to do so. If you want to buy a gift for someone who loves animals, maybe ask to help pay for their adoption fee on the animal they pick out themselves, but don't go buying them a cat or a dog as a gift. Period. They Should Not Be Gifts.

I know that we see images of the kitten or the puppy with the big red bow at Christmas. I know that it seems sweet. But think about it for a minute. Would you ever give someone a child as a gift? A pet means years of responsibility, vet bills, and more. Yes, there are great aspects about pet ownership, but there are a lot of responsibilities as well. When you give someone a pet, you're taking away a chance for them to really think whether they're up for all the work involve--teaching kids how to behave toward the animal, handling allergies, buying appropriate food, training the animal, caring for him/her, etc. It's easy for people to forget all that when handed a cute puppy with a bow around his neck.

Plus, it diminishes the value of that animal. Animals, even pure-bred animals, are unique and have their own personalities. While a great deal of that personality is based on nurture, it's no more immune to nature than my or my sister's very different personalities. We're great people, both of us, but many who would happily deal with her for 10 years might not want to deal with my quirks for that time period and vice versa. When you give an animal as a gift you remove the opportunity for the new pet parent to really look and find an animal with whom the bond and can get along.

Why this topic now, in the middle of my family vacation at the beach where I've been mostly offline? Because a friend of a friend is looking to rehome a dog she was given as a gift. . I'm not going to get into the reasons for the rehoming here because I'm standing by my belief that it will do no good for me to judge and the girl is trying to find a new home for the puppy which is responsible. The dog is pure-bred so I first suggested contacting the breeder because most reputable, good breeders will take back their dog However, the girl apparently can't do that because the breeder is across the country where the mom lives and she can't get back across the country to return the dog. I don't think people consider that outcome when they give animals. Apparently the dog is sweet and cute and I'm sure she'll find a new home soon--cute, pure-bred puppies with papers don't lack homes long. I'm just frustrated by the situation.

Don't give animals as gifts. Don't accept an animal as a gift if you aren't 100% prepared to commit to that animal for the span of his or her life. If you really want to give someone a gift and they want a pet--make a donation to a shelter in their name and sponsor one of the animals there. It costs about the same and it'll help save a life instead of putting one potentially at risk.

Crossing my fingers

2010-08-02T14:14:00.000-04:00

Keen met his applicant yesterday. And ate from her hand! It took him months to eat off of my hand. He also purred when she held him. I think it was true love.

Now I'm just waiting for the shelter to process the application and paperwork. I'm crossing my fingers that she'll get approved quickly so he can go home before Virginia Beach.

He's such a special cat. I want him to have his forever home.

Might be a bite?

2010-07-30T11:49:00.000-04:00

Just a quick update on my lunch break...the shelter called and a woman heard about Keen from Sunday's event (I think a friend of her's saw him?) and she's interested in him. She's an older lady who has a soft spot for older cats. I should be getting a call from the lady soon to talk about him and possibly set up a meeting.
(side thought--I really should have cleaned this week more than just reorganizing my book and game shelves)

I'm really hopeful that this is the right lady for him. This will sound nutty, but I've seriously been having dreams the past few nights where he finds the right people and they adopt him. And I haven't had that dream before and now here it's been on repeat (though with different people each time) and he finally gets a bite of interest? I'm just spiritual enough to hope it might be related.

Of course, there will be some sadness mixed in with the joy if he gets adopted by this woman. But it'll mostly be joy. I'll have a glass of wine or a mocha martini, toast the joy and experience he brought to my life and to his happy retirement, and then hope for new photos of him in his new home.

Any vibes/prayers/etc you all have to spare that this works out and he gets his forever home soon, would be greatly appreciated. I really do love this old cat. He's a character and I think could really shine in a home without Toby's jealousy.

Re-homing PSA / I'm on my high horse

2010-07-29T14:03:00.000-04:00

I do have sympathy for those who must give up their pets. My grandparents had to give up their dog after my nana's health problems continued to worsen and my grandpa no longer had the time to care for the dog the way he should. Also, the dog loved to dart out open doors and try to run away which isn't a huge deal for younger folk to deal with, but older folk with heath problems and difficult joints? Not so easy. So they asked around and looked at friends of their kids and did give their dog up. The entire process they were open about why they were giving up their dog.

Why is this on my mind? Because I saw a tweet today that said "Tomorrow is the last day for anyone to take our kitty!! If not, she'll have to go to a shelter :( Plz RT!! " from a user whose tweets are locked. This meant that when I thought, "oh that's sad, I wonder why they're giving her up, I'm sure one of her other tweets explained it" (I saw this as a Retweet--rt) and clicked for more info--I couldn't read any of her other tweets. So then I tried clicking on her tumblr link, sure that someone responsible for rehoming their cat would have some photos of the kitty.

Uh, no. No photos. No mention of the cat whatsoever.

Now, maybe she did have other tweets explaining the situation. However, if so, they're in a locked account that's not viewable by the adopting public.

So I'd like to make a PSA for those who, for whatever reason, feel the need to re-home their pet to whom they promised love and fidelity until death do you part (yes, that's part of the unwritten contract we have with our pets, it's even stronger than marriage because humans can deal better with being left after years of being loved, they're not utterly dependent on us).

1. Consider whether you really need to re-home your animal. Is it money? Look into pet foodbanks or vets with flexible pay plans. Behavior issues? Have you talked to a trainer? For any of these, when in doubt, talk to your local shelter. They likely have counselors and behaviorists on staff who can assist you in finding these resources.

2. When emailing/tweeting/flyering/blogging about your pet that you need to rehome, please, for the love of pawprints, say WHY you are finding your beloved pet a new home. Honestly, I promise not to judge you for "my 2 year old son can't breathe with kitty around and we've tried shots, roombas, and wipes all to no avail" or "I'm shipping out in a week and my friends/family are all allergic or unable to take my pet" or even "my pet is too rambunctious with my child and I don't have the time to train my kid and pet how to deal with each other." Seriously, potential adopters and those people who want to help you, want to know what the reason is. It makes it a lot easier to help you find your pet a new home if we know why you're giving the pet up.

3. Read ASPCA's guide to re-homing your dog and seriously do everything they say. I'd love to see ASPCA have some social media tips added to their list, but honestly, it's the best advice on this. Go read it. Make sure you get your pet healthy and up-to-date on shots. Make sure you charge people at least some money to cut down on Class B dealers (those who take free-to-good-home pets and sell them to labs).

4. Don't try to guilt people. It's your pet. If he or she goes to a shelter tomorrow, that hangs on your head. Not the head of readers who didn't adopt him or her. This is not an animal already given up in a shelter, this is someone who you vowed to love and care for. It's really not a very effective way of getting adopters because it just makes me think that you're shucking all responsibility.

5. If you do have to give your pet to a shelter, please make a donation and bring supplies, and try to find one that's no kill if you can to give your pet the best chance possible. Especially if he or she is older. Keen is 15. He's very lucky that he came into a shelter with such an active foster program. He would likely not be alive if he had been dropped off at many other shelters. And I say that with my shelter not being no-kill. We're just lucky to have enough fosters that there was room for him at the time to get into the program.

I'm sorry if this seems harsh, but I get very upset with people. I understand how hard it is to give up an animal, really, I do and I don't judge you for having to do so, but I do think that we need to take responsibility for our actions. Giving up a pet should not be the same as giving up a purse. It should break your heart a little. If it doesn't, why did you have a pet in the first place?

Greeted with a purr

2010-07-22T09:00:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts but I didn't want to announce that I'd be out of town for a few days. My boyfriend and I headed up to Cleveland to see my parents. My boyfriend has only been in Cleveland at Christmas when it's not at its prettiest so it was a treat to show him my home town full of greenery.

We had a bit of a scare two days before we left when Toby started peeing frequently and I spotted some redness in the pee. The vet gave us another prescription for anti-inflammatory meds and said not to worry unless it happens again. I then of course freaked out about asking my neighbor to not just feed, scoop litter, and play with the cats but to medicate Toby--until I gave Toby his first dose and remembered how crazy he is for that anti-inflammatory. He literally tries to suckle on the dropped. It's bizarre but kind of awesome.

My neighbor has two cats of his own who have met Toby and Keen in the building hall and is a really nice guy but I was still a bit nervous about adding "and keep an eye out for bright red pee spots" because that just somehow sounds crazy and weird, but he was really nice about the whole thing and swore he didn't mind. I left a blueberry pie in the fridge for him which has disappeared so I'm assuming it was a good thank you gift. I'll probably find out Thursday when I stop by to say thank you and pick up my extra keys. We didn't get back until after 11 on Wednesday so I didn't want to bother him.

The cats seem happy and there were no major messes, which, as you all may know, is unusual for kitties left wild.Unless mine are just odd. I'm not sure if it's Toby purposefully being naughty or if the stress of me leaving throws off his digestive system, but there's almost always some big mess near the litter box, into which the bathmat, toilet paper, and various other objects have been pulled.

As I write this, Toby is laying on the table, staring at me and purring. We played a short game of fetch after he flank rubbed my boyfriend and me. Even more impressive, guess who started purring when he was scooped up? Yup. Keen rested his head on my arm, relaxed, and actually purred for about 10 seconds before gently leaping to the couch (without claws!) and then formed a little kitty loaf and purred at me with his sides moving in and out with the purr. Such a nice way to be greeted home.

Tomorrow is back to work and the shelter. A friend of mine is an amazing professional photographer and he agreed to shoot some photos of WHS's Georgia Avenue cats tomorrow evening :) I'm really excited. His photos are absolutely amazing and in this age of Petfinder.com, a good photo makes all the difference. Cross your fingers that the shoot goes well!

Also, in case you didn't see Webbthistle's comment, her two fosters from WHS got adopted! Grinned so hard when I saw her comment that I almost cried.

Not sure there is a greater homecoming than Keen purring, Toby forcefully flank rubbing, and finding out two kitties got adopted. Such an awesome day.

To make your hope easier

2010-07-03T22:36:00.010-04:00

My dad has been a die-hard Cleveland Indians Baseball fan since 1954. For those of you who are unfamiliar with MLB, to be a fan of the Indians (or really of any Cleveland team) requires one to be an optimist. My dad is no exception. One day in college when I was upset about something and I asked my dad how he could deal with all the setbacks and negativity and bad people and bad things in the world, and still be an optimist, he responded:
"I have always found optimism to be a healthy antidote to much of what happens in life. I always think that something nice is just around the corner. And every once in a while, just often enough to keep me going, there is."

And it's true. I find that I'm somehow the same way. I get down and sad about life, and then there's something good that happens that draws me back into being a bleeding-heart optimist who really does believe that something nice is around the corner.

Well, tonight I needed that. After reading about high kill shelters and lost cats, and being reminded of how anti-pittie Peta is and how many animals they kill while making money as a "pro animal" organization... I was upset. On the sort of scale that's beyond my fears that Keen will never find a home and that I'm not doing enough but I'm not sure I could do more right now, just overwhelmingly upset and worried that we'll never make headway and my great great grand-niece will have a futuristic apartment with foster cats from shelters who still have to euthanize to make room for all the homeless animals...

But I'm an optimist, even when it takes a little work. And I decided to screw waiting for that corner, I'd go out looking for some positives to keep me going. So here are five.

1. Ohio, which is my home state and doesn't have the best record on animal rights, is making serious progress! Advancement for both farm animals as well as at least some legislation cracking down on puppy mills. It's not perfect and it's not everything, but it's more than I expected and it's positive so I'm counting it as a win.

2. Pfizer and World Rabies Day are giving free rabies vaccines to shelters for World Rabies Day in honor of feral cats across the country (also, www.worldrabiesday.org )

3. Speaking of ferals, Alley Cat Allies is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Boardwalk Cats Project.

4. The black momma cat in the high kill shelter that the awesome HubbleSpacePaws posted about was saved!

5. BadRap.org posted an awesomely perky summer video of pitties and their people playing on the beach.

I went to a Jesuit university and my favorite priest, Fr B, had this way of looking at the world and talking about it that really did make our hearts burn for social justice and filled us with the belief that we really could make a difference just by trying to be men and women for others. One of my favorite homilies he ever gave (sermon for those not familiar with Catholic jargon) included this:
"Hope is not answers or solutions; it's faith that something is waiting for us, that there are possibilities. Hope isn't easy."

What we do isn't easy, but we do it because we have faith that we make something better for those animals, that there are possibilities beyond accepting high euthanasia rates and over crowded shelters. On this Independence Day, I'll raise my blueberry pie to all the amazing people in the United States and beyond who work for animals whether in their day jobs, as volunteers or fosters, donating time and talent, and even just being good examples of how to treat animals. Because it's not always easy. But it is needed and it is part of what makes this country great.

I'd love to read about some other people's victories for animals, please leave some in the comments!

Short Term DC Cat Fosters, please?

2010-06-29T15:56:00.003-04:00

I usually try not to post from work because I respect my employer.

However...my shelter, Washington Humane Society, just took in 20 cats from an eviction. It's kitten season and we just got 20 more cats. We're open access, not no kill. Do you start to guess why I'm breaking my "don't post during work hours" rule?

WHS is looking for short-term fosters asap. You would not be fostering one of the new 20, we're holding those in the shelter for 7 days before even considering putting them in foster care. You'd have one of the 20 we need to move from the shelter to make room for those new cats. I love my shelter for being open access and for trying to desperately hard to find fosters when situations get tight like this.

Here is their blog entry about it: http://washhumane.typepad.com/blog/2010/06/feline-fosters-needed-asap.html

The coordinator has said that she's willing to "deputize" fosters because the need is so great right now. Please, if you're in the area and aren't already fostering, think about it. If you're unable to take any in (fostering, out of area, allergic, I respect your reasons), talk to your friends in the DC area, please. I can't take any with Toby still healing (vet said one reason for his thing might have been stress, like one commenter said) and Keen the way he is and it being a studio apartment but I have to at least go and ask people for help.

I'm certain that enough foster homes can be found if people just keep passing the word.

Something so cute can't be that dastardly

2010-06-25T20:57:00.007-04:00

It's been one of those special weeks where my boyfriend and I keep repeating "it's a good thing they're so cute."

Monday, I stepped in one of Keen's hairballs while trying to get ready for work and Toby was acting oddly that night. He was peeing every 15 min or so, racing between the litter box and a pile of typing paper.
Tuesday morning when I was getting ready for my own doctor visit, I saw that the spots on the paper were red. I called and got a vet visit for that afternoon. Keen had another hairball on the carpet--just missing papertowels.
At the vet Toby whined pitifully but was otherwise sweet to the vet tech (one we've had before and who has always been awesome) and the vet. His heartbeat was fine, his organs felt ok, and he was very modest and refused to, er, "extend" when the vet attempted to check his external organ. They were unable to palpate the urine out so they had to do a mini ultrasound to guide the needle.

Well, Jarrod had dropped me and Toby off while picking up prescriptions for me (he's awesome and deserves tons of good boyfriend karma this week, seriously) and was reading in the lobby/waiting room of the vet's office when the vet came into the exam room with the test tube full of bright red urine.

Apparently I eeped for 2 minutes straight. I know I scared the poor vet and Jarrod came back shortly after to make sure I was okay because he had heard me in the waiting room. I refuse to be ashamed of my reaction to seeing that my cat's bladder was full of bloody urine. Seriously. I think that's a sight to freak out anyone who cares about her pets.

We got the test results back Wednesday morning--sterile cystitis. If I understand correctly, this is vet speak for "we have no idea why your cat is sick but there's obviously something wrong." There was no bacteria, white blood cells, crystals, or anything other than red blood cells and urine. So he's on anti-inflammatory meds and seems mostly ok.

I came home from work Wednesday night eager to clean because I was supposed to meet with a shelter friend on Thursday to discuss how the shelter could benefit from social media techniques (that's what I do in my job that pays for these emergency vet visits) and found that Toby, the dear sweet love of my life, had managed to knock down 4 of the 6 shelves of my splendidly organized, dearerest-of-my-possessions bookcase. And broken 2 glasses. Ad cleared a table. And hid my boyfriend's keys.

It's a darn good thing he's so cute.

He's currently curled up on my robe that he pulled down from the back of a char, looking sweet and innocent. He's returned to only using litter, not paper (though we did put out an extra litter box which has helped) and his spots are getting larger and less frequent which I'm taking as a good sign. There wasn't any fresh destruction when I came home today so I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. And he's accepting his meds. He dislikes it but doesn't claw or anything which I'll take as a win.

I'm choosing to see the wanton destruction as "see, I'm still healthy!" not "hahaha, you just lost your entire shopping budget for july at the vet's office."

Right? It's the first. It's gotta be the first. No way something so cute could be that dastardly.

Dogs and Cat Pee

2010-06-11T09:06:00.003-04:00

First, a cool article that talks about a study showing wolves and dingos were better at problem solving than domesticated dogs. I'd be curious to see this study done with different breeds of domesticated dogs, including those who are a little more "wild."

Second, I think (in my sleeping med induced haze) that Toby is trying to get me to clean. He just started doing mini pees outside his litter box--on the overflow from my laundry basket (I really hate doing laundry, seriously, least favorite chore) and my mail pile (which I also take forever to go through--I grab anything urgent and then wait to throw the rest away). He kept trying to go back. The areas are sprayed with a ton of Nature's Miracle and he's now happily cleaning himself in the front hallway. Hopefully he won't do anymore while I'm at work. He used the litterbox before going to the other places this morning so its not like he's forgotten it. Boo :( Massive cleaning and Cat vs Cat reading. He's normally awesome about the litterbox so I have a suspicion it's either because Jarrod left yesterday and it's anxiety related (Jarrod is around a lot and is currently out of town for a wedding) or something Keen related. It's not a full pee that he's doing in the two spots, more like just a tiny little dab--like when a dog has emptied his bladder but still wants to mark more spots on his walk.

Or maybe once my antihistimine sleeping pill gets out of my system I'll be able to think better.

Bark Ball

2010-06-08T09:29:00.007-04:00

This past Saturday was Washington Humane Society's 23rd annual Bark Ball to raise money and celebrate the work that WHS does in and around the nation's capital. It's a glitzy event with animal lovers spending money for the purpose of helping the shelter.

Sadly, despite the above video, Bo couldn't come, but it was still a great event with lots of glitz and glam for a good cause.

I was working with the adoptable dogs which I love because you're directly with some of the event's beneficiaries. Most of the 6 dogs got applications which was awesome. We had a pittie puppy, Almond, who was then featured on Fox 5 yesterday morning. The anchor had walked with one of the adoptables on Saturday and was one of the nicest people I've met. She was super sweet, asked questions about the dog before walking, and understood that the energy and exuberance in three-legged Bentley was a good thing.

Another highlight of the night was seeing Tulip again. Tulip was one of the my favorite dogs from WHS. We loved having her at adoption events because she was just a cuddly, licking, happy pittie. She seemed to love being held, picked up, cuddled, and petted. Her adoptive parents brought her to the Ball clad in a yellow tutu and fake tulip necklace. She was adorable. When I saw her I asked if she remembered me and suddenly I had a doggie hug with her paws on my shoulders and her tongue lapping my face! There is nothing so wonderful as seeing a cat or dog's happiness post-shelter. Tulip is picture #5 in the Washington Post's slideshow.

The Georgetown Dish has a cute write up of the event, too. I wasn't able to take any photos with my full hands, but I'll keep my eye out for any! One photographer caught me rolling on the floor with Bentley during setup which should show off his adorableness appropriately!

Just because Toby can't read doesn't mean I don't

2010-06-06T17:17:00.006-04:00

The other day, I picked up a contemporary romance collection of short stories about couples brought together because of cats. I thought it looked cute and it was under $2. Unfortunately, the stories weren't my favorites, partially because of the cats and the people's behaviors toward their cats. One heroine had a pure-bred, fully-intact female bought on a whim from a mall store. I would have a hard time holding my tongue if I met a real person like that, let alone a character in a story with whom I ought to be sympathizing. She didn't even make plans to spay her cat after she was impregnated by the hero's tom. I did like the hero (kind of, I thought he was wimpy toward the heroine) who A--had saved his cat from a dumpster and B--immediately fixed his cat the day after the accident and apologized for the incident.

The one story I did like involved a cat to whom a house had been willed who then saved the heroine from certain murder. I can respect that.

It got me thinking about animals in books and how they affect my enjoyment of a book and my sympathies for characters. I adore Jennifer Crusie's books and many of her works involve characters who rescue animals, have rescue pets, and who judge others based on their animals. You recognize the hero because of how he interacts with those animals. "Dogs and Goddesses," written with the amazing Lani Diane Rich and Anne Stuart, has the following line describing one of the heroes:
"Slayer of Demons, Greatest of Kings, Savior of Puppies"

How do you not like a hero with that description? That's what makes our heroine start to fall for him.

Lani Diane Rich also has a book where you know the hero is a good guy because he saves all the animals from a burning pet shop at the start of the book, even though he's trying to get out of town before anyone sees him. He knows that you have to save the animals.

Elizabeth Peters has her heroines and heroes form relationships with animals although it's not always quite as cut and dry as "the guy the animal likes is the hero." One of her heroes is hated by the heroine's cat, but he's the one who found the cat for her when she thought the cat was lost forever. He braved tooth and claw to help his beloved keep the cat she loved. That same heroine has a vicious looking but incredibly sweet dog she saved from a gang of criminals who kept him half starved.

I started Kristan Higgins "The Next Best Thing" feeling friendly toward the heroine half because the cat pictured on the front, back, and side covers looked identical to Toby and the heroine loved that cat.

A heroine/hero doesn't need to have animals in her/his life for me to sympathize and identify, but it certainly helps and I cannot like a character who isn't responsible or kind toward her animals.

Does a character's relationship with animals affect your enjoyment and judgment of stories? Does a character treating animals well automatically signal to you that he or she is good and important to the story? Or is this trait contained to my personal brand of crazy?

All the books in those photos are from my collection and involve, in some fashion, animals telling you about the characters. They're some of my favorites.

Senior Kitty in MD needs a home

2010-06-01T09:08:00.000-04:00

I have a weakness for the senior cats. As some might know, one of my favorite fosters, LeCat, was a 14 year old who was brought to the shelter when his person went to a nursing home and no one in the family would take him. I still say prayers of gratitude for the awesome woman who adopted him.

Now there's a sweet kitty over at SpacePaws who needs a home for a similar reason. His woman is dying and her nurse is allergic to him so he needs to live elsewhere. His mom is understandably upset. Murph is the kitty's name and he's adorable to me. SpacePaws has a full description and is handling his adoption. If you want a nice, laid-back kitty and aren't sure if Keen's medium hair is for you, Murph might be perfect and you'd soothe an old woman's heart. I hope that if I pass before my pets that they have lovely people to take them in and love them.

Go over to SpacePaws and give him a look, please.

I was sick again

2010-05-27T16:50:00.002-04:00

I had a bad lung infection that hit Monday and barely let up this past Sunday so I've been playing catch up ever since then. I'll write something good soon now that I'm feeling close to normal and Toby is no longer running scared from coughing fits.

He tried to be sweet and would curl up next to me on the bed but as soon as a coughing fit would start he'd dart off--eyes wide, fur up, fear evident in every bit of his body language--and hide under a chair where he would stare at me until the fit would subside. I don't blame him--those were some nasty coughing fits. Thank heavens for good medication.

Keene didn't seem to notice the fits other than that I was around more for him to bug about food. My previously underfed foster is starting to form a belly! I've started being more careful but it's hard not to give into his meows when food seems to make him so happy. He's an old man, surely he deserves some happiness?

I did also get to show up Keene's awesomely fierce playing skills to Jarrod while he kept me company. Keene's eyes turn completely black and he attacks his toys when they move close to meal time. Toby just bats playfully and leaps around. Keene goes nuts with lashing tail and fully extended claws. He does sometimes seem to forget what he's doing midleap though. There were a few times when he would miss the toy and just keep going into the middle of the room before stopping with a confused expression on his muppet face.

You should not laugh at a cat when this happens if you have a lung infection. To pay for the insult on their dignity, the universe will cause the laughter to morph into a long and painful coughing fit while the insulted cat strolls calmly to his food bowl.

Ridiculously Cute DC Puppies

2010-05-17T09:05:00.000-04:00

So after a full weekend with the family I'm way too exhausted to write anything good.

So I'll direct you to my friend Gina's blog about her foster puppies. She's this incredible volunteer and awesome person. And the puppies she's caring for need homes.

So go bask in the cuteness.

Puppies!!!

My awesome mom

2010-05-09T10:34:00.006-04:00

My mom is an amazing woman. She was on law review at a seriously amazing law school where she met my dad and still made time to play by Walden Pond and go to baseball games despite maintaining an excellent gpa. She then was a partner at a major law firm with my dad while they raised three uber-precocious kids. She played the guitar for us when we were small and instilled a love for the piano in all of us (I'm awful at playing, but I can get a basic melody out because of her). When I was about 10, she left the firm to become a full time freelance writer specializing in nonfiction for kids and teens--writing award-winning history, science, and religious articles and books while again, making time for three active kids.

My mom never had a dog or a cat. She had a bad experience with dogs as a kid and is extremely allergic to cats. We had fish growing up. However, she raised me into the animal-loving person I am through her examples. She made it very clear through her actions that just because you might not be comfortable with an animal, doesn't make it any less deserving of compassion and respect.

Here are just a few of the awesome ways she has shown compassion and respect for animals.

Her book, "Everything Kids' Nature" won one of the inaugural Henry Bergh Children's Book honors from the ASPCA in 2000.
She once stopped the car in a street three blocks from home because there was a cat in the road and she didn't want to accidentally hit it.
When I was in junior high and my girl scout troop found an injured squirrel during our park cleanup, she helped us call Animal Control and allowed us to mourn for the poor hurt creature.
She took me to riding lessons for years and even made a witch costume for a costume class, despite being a little intimidated by the Quarter Horse mare she had to measure.
She arranged a trip to Assateague to see the wild equines and then "adopted" a mare which for me which meant paying for birth control darts for her to help keep the herd a healthy size.
She bought me Andy Warhol cat prints to celebrate my Toby.
She loves supporting the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and their conservation efforts.
She convinced her editor at Yes Mag to include not only that kids should find ways to help their local shelter, but also a photo of one of WHS's awesome dogs (Nyla) to show how beautiful shelter pups could be.
On one of my last trips home, after I mentioned Big Black Dog Syndrome and how colorful bandannas help--she whipped out some beautiful fabrics, and made bandannas for the shelter dogs.

She raised three children who love animals. My brother called me to ask what temperature is too cold for a dog to be outside when he noticed his neighbor in El Paso had their dogs outside over night. My sister is incredibly supportive of my volunteer work with WHS and loves to dogsit for her friends. Obviously my mom did something to show us the importance of compassion for animals.

You don't need to grow up surrounded by pets to grow up learning to respect animals. On this mother's day, I'm really proud of my mom.

What Keen Needs

2010-05-08T09:05:00.001-04:00

It's been a long week and a long Friday (I got stuck in an elevator this morning. It was dark and small and I'm claustrophobic) so I elected to stay in for a chill Friday with the cats. Picked up an iced coffee at Silver Spring's Kefa Cafe and some books from Silver Spring Books (seriously, my favorite used bookstore, I've gotten some great cat/dog reference books there in addition to fun reads).

So I've been playing fetch with Toby, petting Keen, and reflecting on where Keen is now and where he needs to be in the future.

He sometimes shows affection and comfort but then reverts to old man cat. It was great the other night to wake up midway through the night, start petting a gray cat on the bedside table and suddenly realize "holy! this isn't Toby!" and then later have him leap up on the bed, right next to my head, on his way to the table. Unfortunately he hasn't repeated this, at least not while I've been around and awake.

I have woken up to him staring at me from the floor and leading me to the kitchen as soon as I start to sit up. He's like me--I want coffee first thing in the morning, he wants food.

Unfortunately, he's been to two cat adoption events and hasn't gotten even a nibble. He was sweet at the first one and was nice to people when taken out of his crate but spent the second one staring at the garden instead of the people. He has a profile on the shelter site and I'm taking him to events, but he's not getting interest.

And I understand, I do. He's fifteen, he needs regular brushing, he only eats wet food--he's going to need a really special adopter who understands him and will nod back at Keen. Fyi, in my opinion, Keen's cutest behavior is when he nods at you like "that's right, I'm the Keen, you're the person, do it" but I've been accused of anthropomorphizing at times. He's a great cat with a cool personality, but he's not a super affectionate guy. He's fifteen. He's loved and lost. He needs someone great who can love him and understand that underneath the meows, is a cat who just needs some affection and attention in his life.

He's an old cat who wants to sit in the sun, play a little bit when he wants, eat some good food, and get chin scritches before falling asleep. I just need to find the person who can provide that.

Doga in the Dish

2010-05-03T17:07:00.000-04:00

The Georgetown Dish covered Saturday's Doga event!

First, a confession, I almost didn't post the link because I really don't like the photo of me. There were about ten photos taken but little Daffie just did not want to look at the camera. I guess I'd rather the cat look cute and me look odd than the other way around, but oh, my vanity!

The event was a lot of fun, despite the insanely hot day. We had Gaby, a full-blooded-with-papers German Shepherd who was surrendered by her owners. We figured out that her coat problems were because of a corn allergy and her new coat is growing in nicely. She'll still look like a German Shepherd/Wolverine crossbreed for a few weeks though until the new growth comes in completely. She absolutely loves people but got stressed and overwhelmed by the dogs so she got to chill on the RV with ice water for the second half of the event.

I spent most of the day in the cat room with 4 awesome cats, including Daffie who got a great application that day so should be going home soon! One of the cats we brought was Cindy, a super affectionate little girl who has only one eye. When she first came to the shelter, she had an ulcer in one eye and the vets were unable to treat it. However, they were able to successfully amputate her eye and now, this little girl is happier than ever. She loved headbutting people and purring while being petted.

Hopefully someone will read that Dish article and come to the shelter to meet some of our animals. The events are great fun for most of the animals, but what we really want is for them to find their furever family.

Dolphins and other cetaceans

2010-04-26T20:09:00.004-04:00

Tomorrow scientists will be testifying before the House Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife about marine mammals in captivity. Lately there's been a lot of interest. There was the documentary The Cove, which for me was quite eye-opening. I had never realized how those dolphins came to the parks around the world. I guess I always believed that they had been injured in the wild and were saved by coming to the parks. I know that some are, but it can't be denied that the slaughter off the coast of Japan happens in part because of public demand to see the animals in parks.

I remember growing up reading stories where they were brilliant, being used for experiments, spies, and more. In the Dragons of Pern books, dolphins were people's companions--smart and helpful in establishing colonies. In Star Trek the whales were descendants of space faring cetaceans, smart and necessary to the survival of Earth.

I know that's all fiction, but it seemed so obvious to me that these animals were at least as smart as we were--if not smarter for returning to the oceans and not working themselves into stress-related death like we do.

It amazes me that there are people who see them only as a way to get money. These are beautiful creatures, smart and playful who have saved human lives in the wild. One of my happiest memories was seeing dolphins swimming off the coast from a vacation house when I was little. They were so graceful.

I'm not 100% sure what should be done about marine mammals in captivity. I do think that the trainers at Sea World have the best intentions and that they do bond with their trainers. I don't think that Sea World is evil. I do think that we need to re-evaluate our process. We need to look at whether we should keep smart mammals in captivity, whether it would be better to move them to viewable sea pens, or some other option. I'm not a marine biologist. But I do think that there is something wrong with a system that allows such atrocities as that cove off the coast of Japan.

All you need

2010-04-23T19:00:00.002-04:00

All I need in life (other than some tea and food) is in that photo. Toby and books. I was sick today (there are a few bugs going around different circles--I'm hoping this is the 24 hour one) and I spent the day in bed, sleeping, with Toby keeping a watchful eye

Keen wandered near the bed at some point, I woke up enough to see him looking at me from the floor.

I should stay up to finish some work I didn't do earlier but the lure of sleep is calling to me. Toby has already gone back to the bed to curl up and purr.

Play Ball!

2010-04-20T15:05:00.008-04:00

+ = WIN

After telling @Tribetalk about the PSAs that the Nationals are doing for Washington Humane Society (I was certain my beloved Cleveland Indians would want to join in the fun), I actually got a response back that their tweeter would be passing the story to their communications department. He also included a link to their blog, which led me to their Volunteer Challenge.

Essentially, if you want two free tickets to an Indians game, all you need to do is volunteer for four hours at one of their approved organizations. Seriously easy, right?

And what's even more awesome? They have a bunch of animal shelters and rescues on their list!

So if you're in Cleveland, go click to find an organization, volunteer and then cheer on the Tribe!
If you're in DC, make sure to buy tickets to one of the two Pups in the Park games, May 8 and August 29! You can purchase a $5 dog ticket along with your $20 human ticket and not only watch the game with your dog, but know that a portion of your ticket price is going to WHS!Also keep an eye out for those PSAs on the jumbo-tron.
Not in either of those areas? Let me know if your baseball team is doing any cool promotions that help out animals!

Cute April Fools

2010-04-01T13:45:00.003-04:00

So I'm not a big April Fools person (funny how not liking surprises does that to a person), but I do usually enjoy Google's take on it.

This may be my favorite.
http://www.google.co.uk/intl/en/landing/translateforanimals/index.html

Google Translate for Animals

I wonder what Toby was saying this morning. Did "meow meow meow MROR!!!" mean "Do not wear that dress, do not wear that DRESS!!!!" (yes, I changed out of the dress, I realized it was too light for the wind today).

Maybe it was just "Play play play, don't leave!!!"

Cute Cat Calms

2010-03-22T16:18:00.001-04:00

In case anyone else today is having a hard time with his or her temper when people say things that are factually untrue.

Here is Toby.
Leaping from the shelves on top of my fridge.
Yes, my fridge is that cluttered.

Meet Keen

2010-03-11T17:30:00.000-05:00

I was home sick today and lucky enough to observe Keen actually playing with a toy in he sunlight. He also sat next to my laptop while I did my work. I think he's finally coming around :)

Senior foster cat relaxing and playing in the sunlight--totally worth a small stomach bug

Sweet Potato Enchilladas

2010-03-01T08:20:00.001-05:00

There are lots of reasons to reduce your meat consumption--animal welfare, worries about the environment, health, etc. Although, I should make the caveat that simply cutting back on your meat may not make you lose weight if you do what I did and replace meat with cheese whenever you get a craving.

I went pescatarian because I don't approve of how factory farming treats animals. I had considered only buying meat from free range cattle (who are treated fairly humanely from all that I've read, if one considers eventually being eaten humane). I wanted to give up all pig products, despite a sad love for BLTs, because pigs can be as intelligent as some dogs--and I didn't feel right about that. I ended up completely giving up meat because after awhile, I realized that the idea of eating a cow didn't seem attractive to me. My last taste of land meat was a bite of Jarrod's fillet mignon on my 25th birthday in October. It was delicious, but not enough to make me regret giving up meat.

Since it's Lent and a lot of people I know will be avoiding meat on Fridays, I figured I'd start posting a meat free recipe on Mondays--that way anyone who wants to use it for Friday will have a few days to get the ingredients together. Just cutting back on your meat consumption will help reduce the number of animals affected by factory farming. If everyone really did give up meat just one day a week, factory farming would feel the effects. If we ate reasonable amounts of meat, there'd be no reason to have factory farms treating animals as simply mini meat factories and not actual creatures who feel things.

One of my favorite standby recipes, which even meat-eating Jarrod likes and sometimes requests is Sweet Potato Enchiladas. They're modified from a Whole Foods recipe.

One note--I'm a lazy cook so that's why there are canned ingredients. I have nothing against fresh sweet potatoes but canned ones don't require pre-cooking them before chopping them up to fill the enchiladas.

1 can sweet potatoes
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
Shredded cheese to your taste
Fresh spinach, rinsed and torn
Enchilada sauce--either canned or homemade, up to you--when I'm really lazy and have forgotten to buy the sauce I use salsa
Chili powder
Garlic, minced
Juice of one lime
Tortillas, burrito sized are my preferred

Mix the sweet potatoes, beans, chili powder, garlic, and lime juice
Pour a small amount of sauce or salsa in a baking dish--just enough to cover the bottom of the pan
Lay out a tortilla and place approximately 1/4 cup sweet potato/bean mixture and 1/4 cup spinach in the tortilla (may adjust according to the size of your tortillas)
Add a small amount of cheese and wrap like an envelope
Continue filling the tortillas and place them all tightly in a baking dish
Cover with sauce/salsa
Place in the oven at 375 F for 10 min, keep an eye to see when the sauce bubbles
After 10 minutes, sprinkle the enchiladas with cheese to your taste
Place back in the oven and broil until the cheese melts and starts to brown
Remove from the oven and let stand a few minutes before serving.

Because there's no meat, these don't need a lot of cooking time. The sweet potatoes make them filling and comforting, the black beans give you protein, and the spinach gets you another vegetable. I've added precooked chopped onions to this sometimes when they're leftover from another recipe. The onions are a nice addition but not necessary and they take extra time to chop and cook so I don't usually add them unless I've got some already in the fridge.

Anyway, enjoy your meat-free dinner. If you want to be totally animal-free, just leave out the cheese or use vegan cheese instead.

Setting Myself Up for Success

2010-02-21T10:00:00.001-05:00

Shopping for clothes (so I'll look better and thus be able to help more animals at events, of course, because I need that justification to spend the money) got me thinking about setting up for success.

It's a common phrase when talking about training animals. You want to set your pet up for success. It's why my foster cats spend at least a week confined to the bathroom in my tiny studio apartment. It's inconvenient as heck for me, but it gives them and Toby a chance to become used to each others' scents. If you just throw two cats together, it's very likely that something will go wrong, especially if it's the home territory for one of those cats. Once things go bad between two cats, it takes a long time and a lot of difficulty for the people to get things back to neutral. So I set Toby up for success, I wait and I have patience.

When I do introduce the cats, it's always observed and for short periods of time and they get separated as soon as either seems upset or anxious. I think this is why I've only had one incident in the time I've been fostering. And that cat leaped for Toby as soon as he caught a glimpse. Toby tried to turn tail and run, but the foster got a good enough swipe in that he ended up needing to see the vet for an infected abscess. I tried to set them up for success that time but failed. It's okay though. I'm human and humans sometimes fail. Thankfully nothing worse happened.

But with the shopping Saturday, I realized I was taking one small step toward setting myself up for success, but that I needed to do more because I had been setting myself up failure every morning.

I've been trying to get out of the apartment earlier in the morning. I'm not a morning person whatsoever. I've tried, but I'm not. So it comes down to my morning routine, making sure it's stress free (because of how I am, anxiety can affect me pretty badly in the mornings) and quick. I realized today that I've been setting myself up for failure in the mornings by having a closet mostly full of clothes that don't fit. Which every morning not only reminds me of an area of my life that (especially when tired and cranky) I can consider a failure, but also means I spend time pawing through my closet seeing blouses I used to love to wear to work, that I can't wear.

Back in the fall I wentthrough my apartment and round up two large storage bins worth of items to donate (including the storage bins--see Studio apartment mentioned above). It included shoes I haven't worn in years, books I never reread, random clutter I had no need or use for, and clothes that were more than two sizes too small or that I simply didn't like. But I kept a lot of blouses that were too small because I loved them and jackets that my upper arms can't fit into. I don't want to give them away because I really do think that, within a year, I'll fit back into them. However, I just left them in my closet cluttering it up and giving me trouble in the mornings.

When Toby was chewing paper towels and waking me up at 3am, I realized that I wasn't setting him up for success by leaving the roll of paper towels out after cleaning. So (and this I realize is obvious) I removed the towels and did set him up for success. Now, most nights, I make sure that the roll is places in a drawer or on the fridge--out of Toby's normal nighttime prowling routine. When I remember to do this--I don't wake up at 3am to the sound of Toby eating a roll of paper towels.

Why wasn't I doing this with myself? Why wasn't I removing the obstacle to my morning success? Probably because it was easier with Toby to see the situation clearly. I still sometimes make mistakes--while sick I woke up to Toby curled up in a bed of clean lotion tissues he had pulled out of the box that I had left on the cocktail table. Overall, it's not personal for me to look at Toby and analyze his environment and influences when trying to figure out why he isn't doing what I want him to do. With myself? I just thought it was my own darn fault I couldn't get an outfit together in the mornings.

Well, yes and no. It was my fault. It was my fault that I didn't set myself up for success. What woman could quickly put together an outfit staring at a closet full of ill-fitting clothes? So...I set myself up for success. Before putting away the fruits of my shopping laborsI took everything out of the closet that doesn't fit me perfectly right now. Now, I'm not following the usual advice for clutterbugs and getting rid of it immediately. I'm doing a version of Apartment Therapy's outbox. They're in a box in my closet and not in my way. I won't even open that box until I notice my current clothes are getting loose. I'll reevaluate in a year. Right now, having those clothes in a box on the floor of my closet means I'll be set up for success in the mornings.

I'll also be reminded to do laundry more by how empty the closet looks. You have no idea how easy it is to put off doing laundry when your closet "appears" to be full of clothes still.

I think I need to do this more often, look at failures in my life not as simply something I haven't been able to do, but separate from it the way I do with Toby. With Toby I look at what tempts him into "bad" behavior and then figure out if there is an easy way to remove the temptation. I need to just do that for myself. So from now on, I'm setting myself up for success. When I find myself repeatedly engaging in behavior I don't like, I'll look at what tempted me into that behavior and do what I can to remove that temptation.

I should show myself the same understanding and kindness I show to Toby and the animals at the shelter. We all should.

For DC readers--lost dog

2010-02-18T16:20:00.004-05:00

Thanks to the wonders of Twitter, news is getting around about a lost little sheltie in AU Park/Friendship Heights.

Her name is Gigi and she had only come to her new home for three days from the Northern Virginia Sheltie Rescue. She's young, shy, and runs quickly when she thinks she's cornered.
Her parents are keeping a search blog at http://gigishope.blogspot.com/

If any DC ites live in (or just happen to be in that area ) keep an eye out for a little sheltie running loose without a person and call the Hunns (her parents) at 202.528.7724

I know I'd be frantic if Toby were lost. If you aren't in the area, send around to any friends you have who might be able to keep their eyes peeled.

Social networking can do so much good, let's help this family reunite.

Praise

2010-02-18T08:30:00.001-05:00

March 6, 10am-noon, Busboys and Poets
My first event with the RV! Really excited that Kelly trusts me this much! I've run small events before. My largest ever was VegFest. VegFest was awesome--all day event, two shifts of volunteers, multiple dogs, two cars broke down on my way there (my car died that day--with a pit bull puppy inside) and me forgetting to eat all day because I was so nervous. Also, I think we got more than half the dogs adopted.

I like my day job and I'm good at it (no ego problems here), but there's a great kick from finding out you're trusted to do something that, to you, feels really important. I've been thinking about motivation a lot lately and realized that trust really is one of the best forms of praise possible. I loved when a superior at work told me that I was one of the few people she could trust to handle proofreading a document. It was long, tedious work that, without the praise, would have dragged. However, because the job was treated as something particular to my skills (ocd-tendencies, extreme attention to detail, extreme focus while reading, etc) and not just work no one else wanted to do, I wanted to do it and felt pushed to do it perfectly. I found some errors and completed the task before the deadline. The praise made me happy and being happy helped me work harder.

I do the same thing with Toby. Victoria Stillwell does that with dogs. (Disclosure: It's Me or the Dog is one of my favorite shows). Pam Johnson Bennet, my favorite feline behavior author, also believes in positive training. Positive training works on dogs, cats, and people better than punishment. In Office Space the main character says that his main motivation is to do as little as possible so as to provide as few opportunities as possible for people to reprimand him. That's not unusual. If you punish, you're not teaching and rewarding new behaviors, just making it more difficult for the individual (dog, cat, person) to feel they have a chance at making you happy.

So closing advice? Look for opportunities to praise others. Thank your doorman for holding the door and tell him how much you appreciate his friendliness. Tell your cat "good boy!" when he does something good. And give trust and responsibility to people when you praise them. It might surprise you what they'll do to prove themselves worthy.

Image Issues

2010-02-17T08:30:00.000-05:00

"some freakish, garish beauty pageant" was used by a:

A. Mamapop reader to describe Toddlers in Tiaras
B. pop culture aficionado to describe Lady Gaga's music videos
C. veterinarian to describe the UK's biggest dog fancying dog show

If you guessed C, you're right! Wayne Pacelle quoted the RSPCA's Dr. Evans in his post about dog shows and the documentary showing that, in the UK at least, the pursuit of the "ideal" conformation is leading to severe inbreeding and serious diseases and disabilities for dogs.

Now, I am not opposed to responsible breeders who genuinely want to improve the genetic stock of the breed. I hope that collies are still around in 50 years and I know that likely takes work. There's a wonderful breeder I know via a book club who also rescues stray dogs and carefully controls her small breeding operation. I do think that breeding should be regulated and should have more than a physical appearance as a goal. I think that the health of the animals should be first and foremost in a breeder's plan.

When the pursuit of pet pulchritude leads to widespread genetic problems or animals who can't do normal animal things, there's something wrong.

On the opposite side are those people who care so little about how their animal looks that the animal also ends up sick. My first foster cat was never brushed and allowed to get so fat that he couldn't groom himself. As a result, poor Nik had severe painful matting on his back that had to be shaved off when he came to the shelter. A cat who doesn't groom himself, like Keen before he settled in at casa-la-Bethany, is showing signs of depression that should be addressed. Mange, fleas, matting, and more can all be results of a lack of grooming.

It doesn't surprise me that people go to both ends of the grooming spectrum with pets, we do it with ourselves. This country seems to be constantly worrying about eating disorders that range from anorexia to food addictions--sticks to stouts? Lucy March touched on the issue of women dressing in baggy gray clothes. Penelope Trunk has written multiple times about how people shoot themselves in the foot by not dressing well and taking care of their appearance (I disagree that this should include $80 eyebrow waxings, I enjoy reading her but I don't always agree with her specifics).

My response: recommitting myself to responsible grooming for my pet(s) and myself. Keen doesn't have any health issues now because he is licking himself again, but his white paws are looking a little dingy so I'll give them a gentle cleaning with some great smelling cat foam. Me, I'll break down and buy new jeans so I'll look great at my adoption event this weekend. Penelope did say that better looking sales people have higher sales so maybe this will help me get more dogs adopted ;)

Really, I'm shopping for the dogs.

Serving the Public

2010-02-10T20:30:00.003-05:00

I've stumbled a lot in life. I stumbled into meeting my boyfriend. I stumbled into volunteering my shelter. I stumbled into owning Toby. I stumbled into my job.

The second most important thing I stumbled into (first is owning Toby) was my college program, Philosophy, Politics, and the Public at Xavier University. I was lucky enough to go back over the weekend to see some of my old professors and talk with the current students plus some of the other alumni.

PPP (my program) stressed public service and the public good. We discussed public intellectuals, political activism, and using philosophy and the search of the good life to improve the world. It was wonderful. Four years of not simply intellectual pursuits for the ivory tower, but how to use them for the good of people. I loved the classes and discussions and the firm belief that we were people who could make a difference.

Admittedly, most of the change is directed at people and issues directly related to people. One thing I love about my professors is that they believe in what I'm trying to do. They value animals, too, and realize that public service isn't only for people. They also seem to understand that so many animal issues also do affect people.

Breed specific legislation not only puts lovely dogs at risk of euthanasia, but also breaks up families and devastates children who don't understand why their beloved pet is being taken away. Pushing for mandatory low cost spay and neutering for the casual owner doesn't just keep dogs and cats off the street and out of shelters, but eventually might free up funds for people problems that are harder to solve. In addition it will help keep the feral cat problem in check and many people who don't like animals certainly would be happier if there were fewer feral cats while those of us who do like animals want the problem handled in a humane fashion.

Helping animals helps people. No matter what we were taught in college, I'm sure we all feel the drive to make the world a better place. I've seen some people who say that any charity that doesn't focus solely on solving immediate health and finance problems for people. I'm glad my professors didn't feel that way and understand the larger picture. I do believe in helping people. I think that we're all called to particular charities and passions to improve the world. I think that there are lots of people who are focused on people. I do give to people causes sometimes. I donated to Haiti relief and support Habitat for Humanity and donate to other groups occasionally. For me, however, the animals are the way I feel called to serve the public. I don't do it in a big or official capacity, but I do what I can. We all should serve the public however we feel called in whatever capacity we can. If you can do feel called to help the animals, more power to you!

Patience, Human

2010-02-03T11:30:00.001-05:00

Despite my favorite professional compliment (ever!) being that I'm "meticulous and patient," in my personal life, I'm horribly impatient.

I like to have plans figured out far in advance, my packing list is written up days before I actually pack, I hate waiting for rsvps, and get anxious if things aren't hopping right away at a party. I like to have things turn out great immediately when I've put work into them. Ideally, I'll show up, give my best effort, and then immediately have great results.

Sometimes life does work that way. Most of my foster cats have bonded with me quickly and shown great affection to me within a few days of coming home. I fight my impatience and keep them separated from Toby, but they reward me for that by crawling in my lap, giving me headbumps and flank rubs, and being happy to see me even when I'm not providing food at the moment. I'm even good at being patient with animals in short-term ways. I can sit quietly in a room with an animal for 30 min at a time multiple times a day in a week until the animal finally comes up and investigates me. I have short-term patience when I'm training Toby. But patience in getting an animal to show affection toward me after almost a month...that's difficult for me. Extremely.

Keen, other than the first day I was sick, hasn't really warmed up to me. He does come to the door when I come home (sometimes) but he looks at me and then walks away. I have yet to get a real headbutt or flank rub from him.

I feed him wet food that he likes, he does let me pet him while he's eating and for a few seconds when I come over to where he's lying in the hallway. The other night he let me sit 3 feet from him but got up and moved when the next night I tried for 2 feet. He shows me his stomach when I get up at 3am for cough syrup (yeah, the cold's not totally kicked yet) and stretches in that friendly way cats have. He's purred when I've picked him up a few times, other times he'll just lash his tail.

I know that he's 15 years old. I know that he was yelled at for being affectionate and cuddly so he's probably hesitant to be that way again. I keep going over in my mind the steps and ways to work with shy cats. I sit close, but not touching. I pet when feeding and keep an eye on his tail and ears and stop as soon as he seems upset. I avoid eye contact. I avoid startling him. I avoid making him feel trapped. I engage him in playbond time. In sum, I'm doing all I can to be patient and it feels so much like not doing anything, except for the playing. Admittedly, the playtimes are very short since he's old and gets very excited before stopping and napping after about 2 minutes.

One of my favorite songs in Wicked tells us that some believe that people come into our lives for a reason, teaching something we must learn. If we expand that to animals, I think Keen is here to teach me what no adult ever could--to be patient over the long term. He's a good cat. I just need to trust that, with time and unconditional (and appropriately shown) love, he'll come around and show some of the affection he used to have.

Thank God for Kitties

2010-01-28T15:02:00.002-05:00

I'm home from work today due to waking up at 3am, almost crying at how much my throat hurt, and then waking up again at 7 with no voice. I've been downing tea and using zicam chews that are supposed to help move colds along. I can't swallow cold water without crying in pain and my ultimate wimpiness in the face of sickness is plainly evident. Yet, after spending several extra hours sleeping and then watching Boston Legal, I have to praise Toby and Keen.

Both times when I woke up, Toby was curled up with me. After making my cup of tea and feeding him, I carried him back to the bed where he has stayed except for when I've gotten up to check work emails and the like.

Keen, who up until now hasn't really bonded with me or shown great affection, was super affectionate at 3am, and since then has shown me his belly, let me pick him up and hold him (yes, even at 25 I find holding a fuzzy kitty to be incredibly comforting when I'm in pain, sick, and pissed off that I'm missing both office bagel day and my second session of class--I really do not like skipping class but am also violently opposed to needlessly spreading germs on crowded metros, and, well, can't walk more then ten feet without getting dizzy).

So...in sum, I hate being sick, I turn into a cranky 5 year old, but dear god, my kitties are being awesome today, perm and foster alike. Nothing better for a cold.

3 Ways to Donate and Recycle

2010-01-23T09:00:00.001-05:00

Recyl-ate?

Cute leashes, bandannas, and collars--these all help make shelter dogs look like pets, which helps get those animals adopted. See, people (for the most part) are kind of lazy. I don't mean that in a bad way. Think of cute leashes, bandannas, and collars as the animal equivalent to dressing a house for sale. People are more likely to see themselves living in a home that's furnished and well, looks livable. In the same vein, people are more likely to see an animal as a potential family pet if the animal already looks like a pet. Puppies grow out of collars, your taste in leashes changes, and fabric scraps get leftover from sewing projects.
Cardboard tubes from paper towels or bathroom tissue--great for small mammals to chew and bored kitties to examine.
Towels, blankets, pillows, and cushions--wash them, but don't worry about stains, rips, or holes. These cushion cats in cages, provide pillows for puppies, dry dirty dogs, and generally help make life in a shelter a little more comfortable.

Animals Around Town

2010-01-22T09:01:00.004-05:00

Friday, January 22

New Dog Guardian Orientation Class Free class at WARL from 6-7pm for new dog owners. Learn about socialization, training, enrichment, and more from WARL's certified trainers. No dogs at the class, please, just people ready to learn! Space is limited, so RSVP to training@warl.org.

Saturday, January 23

Dog and Cat adoption event, 12-2pm, The Big Bad Woof, 117 Carroll St. NW(Takoma Park), Washington Humane Society
Dog adoption event, 11am--2pm, Living Ruff, Downtown Silver Spring, Washington Animal Rescue League
Cat adoption event,12-2pm, PetMAC, 4220 Fessenden St NWWashington, 20016, Homeward Trails

Sunday, January 24

Indoor Play Date, 12-2pm Empty retail space next to Ann Taylor Loft, 924 Ellsworth Drive, Downtown Silver Spring, sponsored by Living Ruff, free and open to the public. All sizes of dogs are welcome and there willbe a separate area for small dogs. Living Ruff requests owners review Dog Park Etiquette before coming. Free parking is available.
Home Alone: Recognizing and treating Separation Anxiety in Your dog, 10am-12:30pm, WHS Learning&Behavior Center, 7315 Georgia Avenue NW, $65 Email askthetrainer@washhumane.org to preregister.

Wednesday, January 27th

7-9pm, Washington Humane Society's 9th Annual Sugar & Champagne Affair, Ritz Carlton, 1150 20th St. NW(Georgetown), $90 for standard ticket

Wild Kitties

2010-01-21T09:15:00.000-05:00

So I came across this last night while waiting for what felt like several thousand pages to print at work.

I know they are wild, but they are also ridiculously cute. I went to college in Cinci and would have been down to the zoo like a shot to see these guys if I were still there. There's something wonderful about reminders of Toby's wild side.

seems a better reminder than

Weekend Cute

2010-01-15T17:54:00.003-05:00

Meet Mickey. He was the first dog I loved. He belonged to my grandparents when I was younger and put up with my cousin and I leading him through "obstacle courses" with a Pringle just out of reach. My Grandpa would wake me up during my visits by letting Mickey into the guest room where he would place his paws on the bed and I'd get so excited to see the fluffy cuteness. He never growled nor bit. In retrospect--I probably deserved a bite sometimes because I did not understand anything about dogs, but he happily put up with every giant hug and enforced cuddle in return for Pringles, walks, and fleece covered laps.

Mickey was an amazing dog and I think he'd be proud to know all I try to do now for animals.

Animals Around Town

2010-01-15T08:30:00.001-05:00

I'm hoping to make this a semi-regular feature since I love working the WHS adoption events. If I'm missing an event that you think should be included, please let me know! I have no pretensions of perfection :) Also, I think there are more of these events when the weather is a bit nicer!

Saturday:
Washington Humane Society dogs at NBC4 Health&Fitness Expo, 9am-5pm

Homeward Trails cats at Living Ruff in Downtown Silver Spring, 12-2pm

Sunday:
Washington Humane Society dogs at NBC4 Health&Fitness Expo, 9am-5pm

Homeward Trails dogs at Little Rascals (5917 Georgia Ave, NW), 12-2pm

Always feel free to check out the shelters on the weekend. If you're interested in volunteering, most have information on their websites about their upcoming training and how to get on their lists.

I'll be with WHS on Sunday morning. Come out this weekend to meet your new best friend or just donate to a great shelter or rescue group!

Ethics and Animals

2010-01-14T17:49:00.000-05:00

I truly care about animals and was offended by a statement on another blog that stated "If you truly cared about animals, you wouldn't consume animal products."

I am a pescatarian. I eat fish, eggs, and dairy but no beef, pork, chicken, etc. I made the switch from meat-loving carnivore to pescatarian during Summer 2009. Yes, part of my reason was that I felt uncomfortable eating chicken and cows who had lived brutal lives. I originally was going to continue to eat humanely-raised meat (free range beef cows are actually treated fairly well) but then realized that wouldn't work with my finances (those products tend to be pricey). I do try to ensure that my eggs and milk come from farms whose practices I agree with and can support. I doubt I'm 100% perfect about this, but I try and that, I believe, is what matters.

I honestly believe that if everyone who "truly cared" about animals stopped consuming any animal products, there would be no incentive for producers to care about their animals or try to treat them any better. We would only have inhumane factory farms because no one but foodies would be buying from the more humane farms. More humane meat, eggs, and dairy are more expensive than factory farmed meat, eggs, and dairy. People who eat the more humane products usually do so because they care about the animals.

I'm a capitalist in that I strongly feel that nowadays the best way to change a business practice is through use of our immense buying power. I think that the majority of businesses will go as far as their consumers allow them to go in degrading animals' lives and destroying the planet. We restrict permission when we buy from other producers who have better practices. That shows the larger producers that there is money to be made from being good caretakers.

I buy what I buy and avoid buying what I don't because I care about animals and I care about our planet. How dare someone claim that I don't truly care about animals because I believe in supporting dairy farmers who are trying to practice more humane methods of raising dairy cows.

I don't think that anyone has a right to judge others. When people in the animal rights camp make sweeping statements like the one that pissed me off, they damage the cause.

I can't tell you how much I wanted to eat a burger when I read that doing so would mean I didn't truly care about animals. I know plenty of meat eaters who do a ton for animals and animal rights. I also know several who maybe don't give a crap. You know what? I know vegans who are that way too--some would do anything to help animals, and others who really only care about judging those of us who love honey and cheese.

A Happy Ending

2010-01-11T18:00:00.003-05:00

Arthur and Guenvere found a fabulous furever home :) They're going there tonight and a coworker was awesome enough to offer to drive me up to say goodbye during our lunchbreak. So grateful to DeDe. Seriously, good coworkers are everything.

Arthur and Guenevere were purring and cuddly. Arthur licked my forehead and hand before grabbing my head with his paws to groom it. I actually feel right about this. They're going where they are supposed to be. They'll be fussed over and loved and the center of two gentlemen's world. That's amazing and wonderful.

Thank you to everyone who sent vibes or prayers for them to find a furever home fast. They'll be going home tonight with their tube, bunny ears, and a firm foundation of love. I'm so happy for them.

Also, I did ask for a request for photos to be passed on to the adopters. If I get any I'll post them here so you all can celebrate their fantabulous new life, too!

Also, a thank you to the Washington Humane Society shelter staff for being so awesome and helping me and for being such great caregivers and finding these kitties their perfect home.

A Cat's Prayer

2010-01-08T07:37:00.004-05:00

I came across a very sweet "cat's prayer" on the site of a cool FL rescue group

It made me laugh and think of the cats in my life. How the way we treat and raise our cats changes how they treat us. How the raising goes both ways.

Toby with his insistent looks that communicate better than words whether "WTF was THAT???" at his first accidental glance of a new foster kitty, "Food, woman. I want some gorram food now" or my favorite "YOU'RE HOME!!!! My PERSON is HOME!!!!!"

That last one is usually accompanied by a highly-held, twitching tail and crazy amount of face and flank rubbing.

The last two stanzas seemed particularly apt:

Please protect me from the inhuman humans
who would hurt and torture me for their own amusement.
I am accustomed to your gentle touch and am not always suspicious
nor swift enough to avoid such malicious acts.

In my later years when my senses fail me
and my infirmities become too great to bear,
allow me the comfort and dignity that I desire for my closing days
and help me gently in my pain or passing.
Hear this prayer, my dear friend, my fate depends on you.

Their fates do depend on us. We're their people. We've created a world where they can't easily live on their own. We are their source of food, love, entertainment, and care. Children grow up and stand on their own two feet eventually. Cats and dogs? They need us desperately until the end. A coworker suggested Keen was surrendered because his family couldn't bear the thought of watching him die (he is 15, most cats pass between 15 and 20, he has a few years left on him). I hope that wasn't the reason because, to me, a cat who has given you 15 years of love and affection, deserves familiar love and affection when it is his time to pass on from this world. Who else will he wait for on the other side?

Btw, the photo at the top is LeCat--a 14 year old previous foster who now is living the good life with an awesome woman in DC.

It Hurts. You Deal.

2010-01-06T17:54:00.005-05:00

Keen, a 15 year old gray male cat, was depressed and in desperate need of a foster home. Arthur and Guenevere were playful, sweet, and happy at my apartment but not meeting enough people to get adopted. The logical choice was to agree to exchange the kittens for Keen. It was the right choice but it was the most difficult choice I've made in my 25 years of living. I love those 8 month old cuddle-monster cats. Love them. I've raised them since June to be comfortable with people, unafraid, happy, and healthy. My maternal instincts were poured into them.

People ask me again and again how I can volunteer at an animal shelter or how I can foster. They ask "doesn't it hurt?" as though that's a reason not to do something good. Yes, it hurts. Jarrod can attest to how much I've cried since making the decision and giving up Arthur and Guenevere. I've felt a physical pain in my chest that I'm certain is the guilt I feel over the kittens being in the shelter right now. I haven't gotten a full night sleep the past few days because I read until I pass out because I can't stand the quiet worry that creeps in at night.

Fostering and volunteering with animals pulls your heartstrings, makes you wonder if you can take anymore, makes you curse people for what they do to their animals, makes you curse your income for not allowing you to take them all, and yeah, fostering and volunteering at a shelter brings you pain and makes you cry.

"But pain... seems to me an insufficient reason not to embrace life. Being dead is quite painless. Pain, like time, is going to come on regardless. Question is, what glorious moments can you win from life in addition to the pain?"
Lois McMaster Bujold, "Barrayar", 1991

That's one of my favorite quotes. I was an epeeist in college and my coach told me to not be afraid of getting hit. You'll get hit, but you need to deal and decide what's more important--pain or doing good. I know that I do good when I foster, when I give attention to a sad and lonely animal, when I exercise a dog who is so excited to leave her cage she jumps for ten minutes, when I play with a bored rabbit whose owner won him at a fair and didn't realize he needed stimulation and love. I did good by bringing home Keen for some foster love. I'm hurting right now. There's a lot of pain.

But, pain is an insufficient reason to not try to help an animal. If you don't get your heart pulled by that animal, some person will screw you over or you'll do something stupid that causes physical pain. We will all experience pain in life. I want my pain to have meaning. I want my pain to come from doing the right things and making the tough choices. Bring it. I'll cry, but I'll deal and go back to doing the right thing again. Saving a life is glorious enough to be worth this pain.

Weight Loss

2009-11-03T18:00:00.005-05:00

On the left: Toby as a svelte young cat. On the right: My beautiful currently tubby Toby.
My cat and I are both trying to lose weight. Well, to be more accurate I am trying to lose weight and Toby is really confused at the smaller amount of food showing up in his bowl and me making him actually MOVE for said food as a result of me trying to help him lose weight.

This dual project has me thinking about the similarities and differences between helping a cat lose weight and helping yourself lose weight. Both involve a lot of self-control, common sense, exercise, and some innovation.

Self-Control
For me, it's not buying the Ruffle Cheddar potato chips that sing a siren song from the vending machine at 3pm every afternoon. For Toby, it's not giving into his sad looks and plaintive meows.

To avoid the chips, I tried buying mini rice cakes. Verdict--not buying again. At first, I loved them and thought they were awesome, then realized I had eaten over half the multiple serving bag and had this weird chemical taste in my mouth. To boot, I was craving Ruffles even more than before. I've recently tried oatmeal. Microwaved with a bit of milk and a small amount of heavenly dark brown sugar seems to help get me past the hump.

To deal with Toby's meows...reminding myself, and him in a perky voice, that he is NOT a starving kitty. And then throwing some toys or petting him until he gives up.

Common Sense:
For both of us: smaller portions, more movement. It's so basic, I hate to say it, but it needs to be said. I also checked with his vet about how much to decrease the food.

Exercise:
Bribery and conscious argument with myself works. I know I need to exercise and only need to argue with my lazy bookworm brain in order to get off the cushions and lifting weights.

With Toby...sometimes tossing toys or danging his toy sticks work. Other times he just yawns. So I'm getting sneaky. Some days I toss his food a kibble down the mini foyer of my studio, making a noise when it lands, and he runs for it, then I toss one down the kitchen so he runs in there, "hunting" his food.

I also use most of his meal times as training times. I know it's not a lot of movement to go from standing to sitting, to high fiving, to sitting pretty, but it's some movement and it means I'm not neglecting his training while we're currently swearing off treats.

Innovation:
For me? Not a whole lot. It's all ideas I've read elsewhere or simply finding ways to put different workouts together so I work everything without getting too grumpy (I'm seriously perky at the end, but halfway through I just want to whine and stop).

For Toby this meant finding a way to deal with his habit of eating cardboard and plastic when he wanted food without rewarding him for eating the cardboard and plastic. During the day I can keep an eye out and my timing is good enough to distract him before he's made contact with the cardboard. At night...I wake up about an hour before I need to and he's trying to get to cardboard or paper. It's better than it used to be. At first, he would wake me up at 3am with this. I realized I needed to feed him right before bed and then cover the box with a blanket to make it less appetizing. To deal...I have premeasured baggies of food so I can stumble out of bed, distract Toby, toss some kibbles in his bowl, and stumble back to bed without having fully regained consciousness. Is it perfect? No. Is it the best I can do in a studio where I have foster kittens who would otherwise eat any food I left out overnight and find and devour any interactive toy I left out with food? Yes. So much better than 3am or actually measuring at 6am. I consider this an innovative improvement.

So far we're both making progress. Toby feels lighter and I feel healthier. That's what it's all about, both of us being healthier and better able to play and enjoy our days. That's worth a little effort and self-control.

Big Black Dog and a Cherry Tree

2009-10-29T22:26:00.004-04:00

So I know that the actual lyric is horse, not tree, and while a lot of the assumptions do hold true for horses that exist for cats and dogs...my shelter doesn't have any black horses to adopt out.

I went to a seminar tonight about Big Black Dog Syndrome (BBD). It's an observable syndrome in shelters across the country, that big black dogs stay the longest and get euthanized the most in shelters. Black cats also stay a long time.

The talk was hosted by the Washington Humane Society and presented by a smart whip of a Masters candidate from George Washington University's anthropology program. We discussed BBD from a historical/anthropological perspective, as well as how those aspects translate into the everyday at shelters across the country. It wasn't all sad though. We ended by discussing the great success stories of BBDs who, due to their lengthy shelter stays, were able to earn their CGC certificate, learn awesome tricks, and end up in amazing homes as hearing assistance dogs, trekking buddies, and also family pets.

I had known of BBD before but hadn't looked too closely into it and this was an eye-opening reminder of how much of our daily behaviors and choices are subconsciously influenced by our society.

We don't think that we're so affected, but we are and that's why we need to always make sure to communicate with people and push strong, positive messages that encourage smart choices.

Comments like Chris Rock's about how Vick didn't deserve to serve time because it was just pits, who aren't even "real dogs" don't just sicken and disgust me because they're wrong, but because there are people who listen. Because when people hear those comments over and over and over, they see a sweet pittie puppy and think "vicious" "unimportant" and decide not to adopt that dog who needs a loving home.

This weekend is Halloween when many of us will see people looking completely unlike who they really are. This weekend we will automatically look past appearances to see the real people underneath. I wish people could always do that with animals and see beyond Big Black scary Dog and see instead Big Bundle of Fun whose shed hair won't show up on my black suit!"

Kittens

2009-07-24T18:20:00.002-04:00

I've never had kittens. My Toby is 2 years old and I met him when he was almost 1. I've fostered 6-, 2-, and 14-year old cats (oddly all male) and Toby's "sister" was a year older than him.

I'm fostering three kittens now. Two months old. They're cute and adorable but exhausting. Even supposedly on painkillers from their surgeries they're hyper and exploring everything.

They're reminding me to not stop exploring and testing. When I fall I should imitate the kittens and jump back up with more energy and exuberance than one would think possible. They think everything is a toy and something to play with and explore.

I'm also learning...
-kittens can clamp their mouths pretty darn tight when they don't want a pain killer.
-Yesterday's News does not absorb smells as well as World's Best Cat Litter. I can't go back to WBCL until after their stitches heal though.
-Toby is extremely patient
-a kitten "growl" can be heard while the kitten is nomming on a My Little Pony Happy Meal toy
-no bite/lick spray is really attractive to kittens for licking (this was not good!)
-a kitten in an E-collar is ridiculously adorable

I'll post photos as soon as I get my camera working again. Off to TAFA this weekend and pretty excited. Jarrod is going to check on the kittens during the day so they're not going all day without a person. So grateful to him for that.

Oh, the kitten runnig around with the tiny My Little Pony toy in his mouth might beat out the E-collar as most adorable...

New article

2009-07-15T17:04:00.002-04:00

Go click!
http://www.examiner.com/x-12366-DC-Pet-Rescue-Examiner

http://www.examiner.com/x-12366-DC-Pet-Rescue-Examiner~y2009m7d14-Obvious-but-Cool--Cats-Know-How-to-Manipulate-Humans

I tallyed up my earnings...they almost paid for the calming treats I bought Toby to help him deal with fostering.

I should probably apply for a second job at Big Bad Woof (awesome pet supply store in Takoma Park) just for the product discount...
Living Ruff (equally awesome in Silver Spring) isn't hiring so far as I can tell. Still all one totally awesome family.

Examiner.com!

2009-06-08T23:27:00.002-04:00

http://www.examiner.com/x-12366-DC-Pet-Rescue-Examiner is where I'll be doing most of my pet writing in the future.

Go click, tell your friends to click, read, share, pass, click again from a different IP address.

I promise, some portion of the tiny tiny tiny possible amount of money I make (which is based on page views and page view lengths) will go toward treats for fosters. Yes, also for my Toby because he puts up with the fosters so well and actually looked up with my dried birthday rose in his paw instead of proceeding to eat and tear it to bits even though he hasn't been allowed to sleep with his own owner since LeCat came home.

LeCat does have a great application in so cross your fingers it works out and he can go to his new home next week!

What I Wanted at the End of Last Night

2009-05-27T13:40:00.001-04:00

Instead I drove back to the conference, had a soda, and read Jennifer Crusie until I felt calm again.

A Foster Cat Always Relies on the Kindness of Strangers

2009-05-27T13:05:00.002-04:00

Last night I was almost in tears at my shelter and people helped. No one looked at me and said "Why are you stressing about a cat? You have sick family members to worry about!" They understood and rallied and tried to find a way to help LeCat, my fourteen year old foster who suddenly needed twice daily antibiotics for a miserable looking infection.

The day started at 5:30 am when I put my head to the floor to coax LeCat out from his favorite hiding spot so I could feed and pet him before leaving for a conference in another town to be followed by a wedding in another state. He had jumped down from the bed at midnight with a frightened growl when Toby tried to jump onto the bed with perky ears and an upright tail.

When LeCat came out, his usual tear streak was normal on one side but white and oozing from the other eye. I freaked out but assured myself it was 5:30, I was overreacting, late, and everything would be okay. I stayed on the floor longer than I should have, playing with and petting LeCat as he lapped up his favorite wet food (seriously looks like the shepherds pie I love)and headbutted me.

When I had a free moment during the conference I emailed the foster coordinator, a vet tech friend (who works at the shelter), and the adoption events coordinator just because she's helpful and a friend.
The response to the symptoms was that he needed to see the vet tech for antibiotics right away. I flipped out and desperately tried to call friends who could take him the vet because I didn't think I could leave. Right when I was about to cry, my boss told me to go home and take care of the cat and let her know how it worked.

The verdict, once I got LeCat to the shelter, was that he might have conjunctivitis and certainly needed twice daily medication. I had a cat sitter but she wasn't able to come by twice a day, let alone medicate. I called my entire phonebook, near crying. I asked my allergic sister and Cleveland friend for suggestions.

The shelter staff called people and begged for me. They assured me they would figure something out. Finally a volunteer training to be a vet tech got permission from her mom to take LeCat. I almost cried in relief.

I got my first update this morning and hear that he's doing well and enjoying exploring his temporary digs. It's easy in pet rescue to feel that we need to be able to do everything ourselves Don't. Remember that shelters and foster groups and just kind individuals are often willing to help in whatever way they can.

I still feel a little guilty that I'm not with LeCat while he's sick. But I know I did the best I could and it's good for him to recover away from Toby (who still tries to play with him when LeCat wants to be left alone). Thanks to the kindness of friends and strangers, LeCat is going to be okay.

Thoughts on Michael Vick

2009-05-21T00:07:00.002-04:00

I'm still processing and the dogs are still healing (those who survived) but Michael Vick is now out of prison.

Part of me hates him and will always hate him and thinks he deserves nothing.

Part of me does see the merit in The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) having Vick work with them to reach youth who might become involved in dog fighting. Oddly enough my boyfriend brought up that possibility when I was horrified at the idea of PETA collaborating with Vick. I have other issues with PETA though (n.b. they're not really into rescuing pets--they wanted all the dogs put down without evaluation).

Then there's the part of me that has always believed that a man can change if he so wants and that we need to allow for the possibility of change and also forgive past sins.

I don't know how to forgive someone for being so hateful toward animals. Bad Rap had this video from CNN:

and you can see what a sweet dog Jhumpa is.

I guess if her new mom can support Vick having his own second chance, I can, too.

I'll support him working with HSUS as long as he acts sincere and doesn't treat it just like a PR stunt. I will not support the NFL hiring him back. Part of why he will be effective with those kids is because they will see that dog fighting does not fit into a high rolling lifestyle. That, instead, dog fighting leads to losing your dreams, going to jail, and spending the rest of your life trying to atone for your evil.

Because yes, I still believe what that man did was pure evil.

Who's a Good Kitty/Doggle?

2009-05-14T19:37:00.002-04:00

From XKCD (xkcd.com) and totally true.

LeCat and Toby hear a lot of "Who's a kitty?" "You're a kitty! You're a fluffy kitty!"

I believe this also happens with dogs however I have not yet found a comic with a graph for dogs. Does anyone want to provide me with one? You'll get karmic kitty hugs...

LeCat's Special PSA: Pets Who Survive Us

2009-05-14T00:01:00.000-04:00

LeCat spent fourteen years with the same man, growing from a tiny kitten to a still small adult. He was obviously loved and indulged. He loves laps and scritches and gets so excited with his toys. He snuck up while I was dangling the wand toy for Toby and leaped and batted at it like a young kitten.

His owner had not wanted to give up LeCat. The man had to go into a nursing home and his relative brought us the cat. Normally I feel more sadness for the animals than the people who gave them up, but from everything I know this was not voluntary for the man and I feel awful for him. It has to be hard enough to move into a nursing home, how much worse must it be to do so while worrying about the fate of your beloved companion? I hope that man somehow knows in his heart that his little cat didn't spend long in the shelter and is now making feline and human friends and being cherished by a young lady. LeCat is safe and loved. I hope the man knows that somehow. Fate, God, a little bird, just somehow. My heart would be breaking if I ended up in the hospital (too young for a nursing home) and my family gave Toby to a shelter instead of finding a friend to take care of him.

While hospitalization/nursing homes aren't at all the same as death, they are an instance where a beloved pet can no longer be with their owner through no fault of said owner. We get a fair number of animals whose owners passed away and no one was willing to take the pet. I thank the heavens that I have multiple friends who have stepped up to say that they would take care of my cats should anything happen to me and they need a home (at some point Toby *will* get a permanent friend). Casey, Meg, and Jarrod have all offered to take them.

If you have pets, do you know who would take care of them if something happened to you? I know it could seem morbid, but it's important to think about. We've all seen those life insurance ads that ask "who would take care of your family?" Well, I'm not married and I don't have kids. I do have Toby. I feel better knowing he'll be taken care of no matter what happens to me. Don't you want the same peace of mind?

DOGA on Saturday at Rose Park

2009-05-13T08:00:00.000-04:00

This Saturday, WHS is teaming up with the creative director of Tranquil Space Yoga Studio to offer a DOGA class for people, pooches, and those who love them at Rose Park in DC. There will be treats for both humans and canines as well as a fun yoga class using your dog.

I'll be there with an adorable adoptable dog from Washington Humane Society and there will be other volunteers with other adorable pups in need of homes.

Come out, have fun, pet the pooches, and perfect your downward dog.

There is a suggested donation of $10 to help the shelter.

Also, WHS is still offering half off our usual low adoption fees!

Note

2009-05-07T20:10:00.000-04:00

WHS adoptions are currently 50% off the prices listed in my guide.

We're overrun with puppies, kittens, bunnies, and gerbils.

Let your friends know!!

My Guide to Adopting in the DC Area

2009-05-07T20:07:00.003-04:00

http://sites.google.com/site/dcadopting/

All the photos are of real shelter/rescue animals. All the information was correct as of two months ago. That was why I was so negligent in posting for awhile. Researching and writing that took some time!

Let me know if you like it :)

LeCat is a Lap Cat

2009-05-06T08:44:00.000-04:00

I picked up my new foster cat, LeCat, last night and he is a cuddler! I'm keeping him in the bathroom for the quaruntine period and he is already trying to break free.

I have a routine when introducing a new cat to my home where I bring the carrier into the bathroom, close the door on curious Toby, and sit on the floor with the carrier open. I prefer to let the cat decide when to come out of the carrier and when to say hi to me. LeCat quickly climbed out of the carrier and began exploring. He found his litter box, drank some water, sniffed the garbage (thankfully didn't tear it apart because it's full of allergy tissues), and then proceeded to explore the new human who was sitting and watching him. I had my back to the door and my legs curled up to take up as little space as possible (it's a tiny bathroom) and he started sniffing next to me and trying to push behind the small of my back. Within a few moments he had climbed into my lap and was head butting for pets with a noticible happy purr. LeCat's eyes were half closed and his body relaxed. I stayed in there for about 30 minutes and was reluctant to leave when I did but my dinner was knocking on my door and I knew Toby needed to see me. Toby had meowed at the door a little in confusion.

I went back to visit with LeCat a few times before I turned in and he was delightfully cuddly every time. Surprisingly so when I sat down to brush my hair and he jumped into my lap! I'll need to give him some good brushings because he's still shedding a lot from shelter nerves, but his coat is lovely and soft. He's mostly a grey and white tabby but the fur is tinged with dark brown on the tips and the stripes on his tail are almost black instead of white. A good pile of his fur is now in my garbage and more scattered around the bathroom tile. Once he calms down he won't shed as much, but last night hair was coming up with almost every pat.

When I left the shelter with LeCat, our coordinator said thank you and joked that I'm their "Pathetic Cat Lady." She then stopped, realized how it could be misconstrued, and started explaining "Not that you're pathetic, you just do so well with the more pathetic cats." I laughed and assured her that I'd understood. The thing is, yes, Nikolai's story was sad and pathetic, and having a 14 year old cat end up in a shelter is awful. But these are the cats who need love and patience to show their incredible natures. LeCat seems like he'll be pretty easy once I get Toby not to be jealous (he had his jealous stance last night every time I came out of the bathroom). For a 14 year old, he's still beautiful and quite affectionate. I don't understand how he came to be in the shelter, but I'm so happy I can share my home with him until his forever home arrives.

Let me know if you're interested and please, pass the word to any friends who want an easy going, super affectionate little cat. I'll try to post a photo by the week's end. I thought about it last night when he was being cute, but figured a flash photograph on his first night might be a bit much.

Kitty Welcome and General Update

2009-05-04T17:33:00.001-04:00

First, I would like to state how wonderful it is to be welcomed home by my Toby. I was out of town for a wedding this weekend (the happy couple fosters dogs in the Cleveland area and are an inspiration to me with their genuine kindness and love) and stopped by my apartment before heading to the office this morning.

Toby started meowing as soon as I got near the door. He squeezed through as I opened the door and started rubbing my ankles and headbutting me with super loud purrs. When I bent to take off my shoes he rose on his hind legs to headbutt my face! He then proceeded to follow me around as I dropped off my suitcase and grabbed a quick plain quesadilla from my fridge. He had food so I'm pretty sure he wasn't hungry.

When I sat down he immediately crawled into my lap and sniffed my head and headbutted me a few more times before crawling behind me on the cushion and curling up around me.

For all those who claim cats can't be affectionate--I counter with Toby's obvious happiness in having me home.

In a general update--Nikolai is doing well in his new home. The adopter was wonderful and sent me an update to let me know how his first night went which made me so happy. He seemed to be settling in and she seemed okay with his nervous tummy (he threw up the first night on her boyfriend while he slept). She's planning to continue his command training and promised photos and updates as things progress.

Tomorrow I will be picking up a new foster friend for Toby--14 year old grey and white tabby LeCat. He's an older male and pretty calm so I don't expect too much trouble. I met him the other week and he seemed sweet. I'm glad I'm not getting him tonight though. In a selfish way I really want to just curl up with my Toby tonight and not have to deal with keeping two cats separated on my first night back. It's an efficiency so the new cat lives in the bathroom for a few days. Toby again dragged a towel off the rack and into the litter box (like he did while I was in Europe) so I need to clean more than my super quick "sweep, spray, wipe!" while I was home for lunch. Thank God for flushable litter at least.

Cross your fingers that LeCat settles in well and isn't too scared by another cat and a new environment. I'll post a picture once I'm able. I hope Toby will enjoy his new friend. He prowled the apartment the night Nik left, meowing for his buddy.

Cleveland Zoo Adoption Event!

2009-05-04T08:00:00.001-04:00

My parents mentioned this while I was home and it sounds awesome. I know at least one or two readers on here are in the Cleveland area so I wanted to spread the word.
http://www.clemetzoo.com/events/event.asp?event_id=26

20 local shelters will be bringing dogs and cats for same day adoption to the ticket tent at the Cleveland Zoo. See the wild cats and then bring home your own smaller furry friend!

Hope in a Rough Day

2009-04-29T18:33:00.002-04:00

Nikolai is going to his new home tonight which, while I'm totally thrilled by that, is a little bittersweet since I'll miss having a fuzzy cushion drying my feet as I brush my teeth. I'm happy for him though and excited to get my new foster kitty next week--14 year old grey and white male tabby named LeCat. Send well wishes to Nik at his new home and hope his new mom sends me some updates every so often :)

For once I'm going to write about people here though for the main post. Specifically, the kindness of strangers. There's a community on LJ, Cats_with_Claws in which I participate. I wrote a post there about a declawed older kitty with a health problem who was dropped off at my shelter over the weekend and how this upset me. A girl from Pennsylvania wrote back offering to make fliers and ask rescue workers she knew if they'd be willing to take the poor cat.

Now, I had written the post because I was upset over the human behavior that led to this cat being given up (wealthy couple with a dog who had declawed the kitty and then let her outside who were giving her up because, ohnoes! she needed daily medication after ten years). This girl's natural kindness helped balance that.

It's also a rough day for me because my grandmother got worse and is in the hospital. My normal reaction to this is to cry a bit, shove it down, get through the work day, and then cuddle my Tobycat. However, in a weird way, unrelated as it is, I can't help but think that if strangers are helping care for cats and making things better on that level, surely there's enough good energy in this universe to help my grandmother in whatever way she needs right now--faith, courage, strength, etc.

So the next time you do something nice for an animal, realize that you may be helping a person feel better, too.

NIH News: Fewer Test Animals

2009-04-28T08:33:00.002-04:00

http://www.nih.gov/news/health/apr2009/niehs-27.htm

Not only did the EU and Canada sign an agreement to reduce animals used in product toxicity testing, Japan and the US signed, too!

I've long tried my best to buy products that weren't tested on animals (oddly enough super cheap Suave doesn't do animal testing according to their website) but it's great to know that fewer animals in general are going to be used for testing.

I know plenty of people who don't give two cents about animal testing (worth even less than two years ago). While I will still try to gently encourage animal-friendly products, I don't have to feel as guilty when I fail because at least our government (and other governments) are recognizing the other options out there and committing to reducing the number of animals used. I know some products right now need to be tested on something alive, but this should push more animal-alternative systems to be used which is great news for everyone.

Animals At Least Know to Be Cute if not Polite

2009-04-26T00:01:00.005-04:00

I have a vocal tic that sounds like a baby panda hiccuping (or sneezing as this copy of the vid described it)

Baby Panda Sneezing_
Uploaded by MuslimMafia

There are certain common responses to it.
1. Subtle rudeness: the well-coiffed girl giving me a dirty look
2. Unintentional awkwardness: "Ma'am, do you have any ferrets in your suitcase?"
3. Intentional kind humor: my brother-in-law joking that, because I eep during both Christian and Jewish services, it shows I find the divine equally in both
4. Intentional rudeness: "How long have you been at Adoration? You should have left early on."
5. Concern: "Are you okay? Those sound painful"

I have great responses for all of those reactions and genuinely appreciate #3 and, in moderation, #5. However, the reactions I love the most come from animals. Those vary greatly. Here are examples of the ones I remind myself of when dealing with 1, 2, and 4 from the people categories:
1. Toby's occasional concerned headbutts to make sure I"m okay if I have a particularly violent tic.
2. Nik's original fright (he was a very easily startled kitty), now replaced by not even noticing it.
3. The mouthy teething puppy who happened to have her mouth (gently) on my arm just as I eeped. She looked at my arm quizzically and then gently gave it a test squeeze. I am convinced she thought I was a squeak toy. She tried this again a few times that day whenever I would eep when her mouth was near me.
4. The horse who makes a similar noise when he's about to buck just flicks his ears back and suddenly pays closer attention to my signals.
5. The dogs who look up at me and give me another sniff investigation. (many dogs do this and it always makes me laugh. One friend at the shelter thinks they aren't sure if the noise means I'm a dog).
6. The guinea pig who squeaked back.

We all have traits that make us stand out for reasons we wouldn't choose. The animals I encounter help me laugh at my own obviously odd trait. When I get tired of laughing and saying "oh, it's fine, everyone asks me if I have a dog or ferrets, but it's just me!" -well, thinking of those animals makes the fake smile real. So if you have a squeaky voice or something else odd, think of how an animal reacts to it and how they're confused. It makes it easier to forgive people reactions we don't like.

Also, I try to remind myself that everyone wishes they were as darn cute as a baby panda while also sounding like puppies, ferrets, and bucking horses--it's like a completely useless superpower!

Friday Pick Me Up

2009-04-24T17:33:00.000-04:00

I do not advocate animals as replacements for people. However, I do think animals are a blessing and help us deal when we miss people, the same way human friends can help us.

Well, before my boyfriend flew off to spend six months teaching in the Holy Lands, there was a day I was having a bad time at work--nothing was going well and I was so frustrated and upset. Jarrod's response was to go over to my apartment (he lived in the other side of my building and had a key for feeding Toby) and take a video of Toby being well, Tobycute. That is the video I believe I uploaded. He actually took two but would kill me if I showed the other one where you hear him encouraging Toby to "talk" to me and meow for the camera.

The videos made me smile and I saved them to my computer because everyone needs a pick me up every now and then.

Well, today I was feeling tired and I missed my boyfriend more than usual. I had read upsetting news on Bad Rap about a man in MI pushing for pit bulls to be banned and made the mistake of reading the comments on the newspaper articles (both about the Michigan man and another about an awesome rescued pittie who had just passed away in the Bay area). Comments on newspaper articles always depress me. When Cleveland helped out feral cats (which totally does help resident people, too) all sorts of ignorant and nasty comments were posted in response to the article. Same thing here. On the one about the great pit bull, people wrote in with the same awful bull about pitties. I'm a bleeding-heart sort of girl and not even having the person I wanted most around to give me a hug when I felt down just sucked.

Then I remembered this video. I went, watched, and smiled. I'm headed to the shelter tonight to walk and hug the pitties there. The video reminds me that while I don't do a lot, I do provide a loving home for the kitties I can and also, importantly, that other people are doing what they can to improve the world and make it a happier place. Even if that's just videotaping their girlfriend's cat when she's having a bad day. It's little, but it's something nice that one person did for another. Humanity has a lot of faults but if we all keep trying to do little nice things when we can, those will build up and we won't have awful comments bogging down newspaper articles and ignorant people calling for the destruction of a breed.

So if you need a smile, watch the video, see my cute Tobias, and go do something nice for someone else. No matter how small the acts, they matter and they do add up.

Have You Heard the Good News?

2009-04-22T08:30:00.000-04:00

Nick has a very strong potential adopter!! She wants to fill out the paperwork, pay, and pick him up next week so that she can buy all the supplies and be around the house for his first few days. I'm super excited for my Nikolai. I'll miss him, but I'm so glad he got a home.

(Yes, this was a post title that's been in my head since I noticed that Nik cannot help beelining for my cross necklace, I know it's probably just that it's shiny and hanging, but seriously, he was originally "Saint" Nick...I think he's some form Eastern Orthodox)

In other good news, ESPN is starting their series on fight dogs tonight. I won't be able to watch because I'll be at family dinner, but BadRap said it should be available online soon. Sports Illustrated had a wonderful article in December/January about how wonderfully the dogs who survived the bust are doing. Hopefully E-60 (the show) will help more people see how amazing this breed is in general, and also help push the idea that just because a dog was a fight dog doesn't mean he needs to be put down without evaluation (*cough* PETA wanting to euthanize all the dogs from the bust *cough*). HSUS recently changed their position to one in favor of evaluation and I'm excited for positive publicity to help more of the population see how great these dogs can be. Dogs really are individuals and just like some people can bounce back, so can some dogs.

If you get a chance to watch ESPN, I hope you enjoy the show. If not, say something nice about pitties to someone. They need people on their side.

The Tough Part of Fostering

2009-04-18T18:59:00.004-04:00

Nik came to the shelter after living with a woman who was unable to take care of him. She gave him a ton of food and very little attention/exercise so that he ate so much he grew too fat to clean himself. Because he couldn't clean himself, Nik developed mats in his fur and had to be partially shaved when the woman's family finally took the cat from her (why none of them could take care of their "beloved" relative's cat, I don't know).

He spent from early December through February at the shelter being overlooked because he was a large black adult cat (already three points against people immediately choosing him) who was overwhelmed and had weird shaved patches in his fur along with dandruff from the stress (three more points against him).

Then I brought him home. He's learned to sit for his food, gets along with Toby, climbs onto the bed to cuddle with my feet, and trots to the door when I get home at night. We've figured out his digestive issues, brushed his coat, given him supplemental oil and so much attention that his fur is looking healthy.

It's now late April. He hid during Thursday's Meow Mixer while I was at class. His little heart beat furiously when we sat in the air conditioned RV during today's Bonnets and Bones. He got an application at his first Meow Mixer but then the girl wasn't ready to commit to a cat.

Nikolai is a great little cat. He does silly, funny, sweet things all the time. He tried to chew on my W2 when I was doing my taxes. He still sometimes slips backward when he tries to jump on the bed. He gives me the most intense, serious look when he makes it to the top of the bed. When I was sick this week, he curled up and slept with me all day and then climbed onto my lap when I tried to get up, like a good mom saying "no, you need to rest."

It's tough having this beautiful, wonderful cat and worrying that he'll never find his forever home When the girl said she wasn't ready to commit after applying and seeming perfect (Nik jumped out of another woman's arms to cuddle with this girl), I felt like the mother of the girl who the boy leaves at the alter. Not ready to commit? To the kitty who liked you so much? To this sweet wonderful kitty?

My riding instructor is going to ask around and post a flyer about Nik (with an adorable photo of him). I wrote a new description and took a new photo for the shelter foster page. I know that Nik lives in the now and is happy in my home and I know that he doesn't understand that some girl couldn't commit to him. But I'm a bleeding-heart and I feel sad for him. He should be wanted and adored and told that he will never have another owner for the rest of his life.

I know, I could adopt him. I've been asked why I don't by people who meet him who don't understand fostering. And believe me, I'm not giving Nik back to the shelter or adopting him to someone who wouldn't be right for him just so I can foster another cat. But, right now, I have my reasons for not adopting him.

I live in a small efficiency. I already own one cat. I am only allowed to have two in the apartment. If I adopt another cat, I can't foster. Nik and Toby get along, but they're not great friends. They're male cats and Nik is four years older than Toby. I don't mind cleaning up nervous cat vomit or dealing with a cat who hides or brushing a cat who can't clean himself. I don't mind all the things one deals with in a cat who isn't quite up to standards of easy adoptability. Nik now doesn't vomit regularly or have crazy dandruff from stress and lack of grooming. He has an environment where he is comfortable and can run around and work off some of his extra weight. I'm no cat whisperer, but I did help Nik. There are other kitties who need someone like me.

No matter what gets knocked over broken, attacked, vommitted on, or scratched--I don't get mad. There is a children's book, The Very Bad Bunny that I loved as a child because it seemed to describe me. The Very Bad Bunny didn't mean to be bad and didn't mean any harm, but always caused messes and trouble and problems just by trying to be good or helpful or friendly. I think this is why I don't mind the oddities one deals with in a stressed out kitty. I was lucky enough to have parents who loved me no matter what I broke, colored on, or messed up. Every animal deserves unconditional love. Nik has unconditional love from me, I just want him to find his forever family. He'll make some family so happy. It's hard to not go and push him in people's faces and demand they notice what a wonderful cat he is. I love him so much. It's hard to see people pass him up for younger, thinner models.

Yay for Cleveland Cats

2009-04-16T19:37:00.001-04:00

I'm celebrating more than Cleveland's trouncing victory over the Yankees tonight, I'm also celebrating the great news my friend Emily sent me.

Cleveland has successfully neutered over 300 feral cats since starting a program where the city pays $30 of the $40 neuter fee for feral cats brought into the Cleveland Animal Protective League. Following examples of programs like Ally Cat Allies and Washington, D.C.'s CatNIPP, Cleveland has shown its desire to be part of the modern movement of animal control by humanely Trapping, Neutering, and Releasing feral cat colonies instead of leaving them be for residents to poison, kill, and complain about.

Neutering colonies has proven more effective than killing or relocating colonies around the country. If feral cats are removed from an area, new ones will move in, fight for territory, and establish new breeding colonies. However, if feral cat colonies are simply neutered and then returned to their living area, they will continue to keep down resident rodent populations and keep out new unfixed colonies while exhibiting fewer disruptive behaviors than before the surgeries.

Cat calling (the kind done by cats, not unruly boys), fighting, territorial marking, and climatic screaming are all behaviors associated with the instinct and act of breeding. Once the relevant organs are removed the instinct to engage in such an act dies down and the associated behaviors to allow, encourage, and mark such an act die down as well. It is much easier on surrounding residents to live near a quietly neutered feral cat colony than by a caterwauling, hormone-fueled one where other neighbors try to inhumanely kill the poor creatures.

We created feral cat colonies by over-breeding and under-sterilizing house cats. Unfortunately, feral cats cannot usually be rehabilitated into homes with humans. They do not understand how to live with people and will not act like house cats. The most effective solution is thankfully the most humane in this case--trap, neuter, and release feral cat colonies to take care of the areas where they live and dramatically decrease the new kittens born, unwanted and uncared for, into the world each spring.

Kittens are cute, but kitten season is full of more death than life in our current world. Let's get breeding down to a manageable amount so that every new kitten can be celebrated, cherished, and cared for her entire life.

good news

2009-04-11T06:45:00.002-04:00

Sometimes you find out great happy news when you wake up too early and browse the internet.

The HSUS has changed their policy on pit bulls :) They now agree with rescues that dogs from fighting siutations need to be evaluated and have just as much of a shot as any other animal for being adoptable or rehabilitated.

Giving my kitties a pat and going back to sleep for a bit, but wanted to share this.

Soon I'll post photos of the super sweet animals the winery/b&b where we stayed in Italy had taken in when they were found wandering the vineyards as strays. Super sweet and obviously well-loved.

For more on the HSUS reversal http://badrap-blog.blogspot.com/2009/04/no-more-excuses-bust-dogs-are-on-bus.html

Cutest Thing Ever

2009-03-30T18:51:00.003-04:00

Toby and Nik finally actively playing with each other. So darn cute.

I'm leaving the country for a week-ish on Wednesday and have been insane trying to get everything ready. Thankfully very kind neighbor has agreed to feed and play with the kitties while I'm gone so I'm less stressed.

Okay, back to cleaning so I'm not red faced when my neighbor sees my apartment...

Busy Week

2009-03-24T23:14:00.002-04:00

I have my final project presentation tomorrow in my technical writing class (I made a guide to adopting an animal in the DC metro area--planning to figure out how best to translate it to the web, seriously so proud of the finished project, there are so many different shelter procedures that it took work to figure out the commonalities--duh, love of animals).

Then I need to give Nikolai a bath when I get home because Thursday is his first Meow Mixer! If you're in the DC area and want to meet Nikolai (and other awesome kitties who need a home) come to the Washington Humane Society on Georgia Ave at 7pm for Mexican appetizers (yay for donors!), information, and great cats.

I love these events and I'm even more excited now that Nik will be there. It'll be his first event since the one I signed him up for the other week got canceled due to weather :(

If you can't come to the Meow Mixer, send good prayers/vibes/wishes/etc that Nik and the other cats meet awesome families and have fun. I'm a little nervous for how Nik will do but his coat is looking a lot better than when I first got him (guess that salmon oil really does work) and he's so outgoing now that I'm certain it'll be a positive experience.

Wish him luck!

Credits

2009-03-21T23:32:00.004-04:00

By the way, my mom isn't just an awesome author, she also made the cute shirt in that photo.

I don't have the patience to sew like she does but I am good at patience with cats and dogs--maybe they come from the same place and she really is the source of my talent :)

Attempt at a photo shoot

2009-03-21T22:57:00.006-04:00

After a bad shin splint forced me to cancel hitting Dupont with my friends, I was inspired by the photo of a lovely shelter dog (who has since been adopted) and me in my mom's article "Help Wanted: Dogs" (about working dogs) in the March/April issue of Yes Mag, the Science Magazine for Adventurous Minds (Canadian, hence the spelling). Unfortunately the results weren't what I was hoping for!

I was hoping for a really great recent photo of Toby and me to go in the sidebar. I got a photo where Toby looks cute but I'm far too vain regarding my own self to put it in the sidebar. It's at the top for those of you who want to see the reject photo. If I cropped it to just Toby's cute expression, it'd actually be pretty good (in my nonphotographer opinion).

I did get a photo where I'm holding Nikolai who cuddles much more than Toby. However, in the photo where I got the light correct, Nik ended up moving and looks a bit like a furry blur. He's a cute furry blur though, so I'm using that as my photo for now because, well, I am vain :)

I should have learned my lesson with the magazine photos. A professional photographer friend (who is also a vet tech and awesome with animals) and another shelter volunteer both helped me try to get a good photo with one of the shelter dogs. My mom was writing her article and the editor (who seems incredibly sweet and who my mom always loves to write for) had suggested a photo of her daughter with a shelter dog since my mom doesn't play with them herself (this has been explained elsewhere in this blog). I am in awe of animal photographers. We tried two different dogs both inside and outside. We ended up getting a cute photo of Nya and me where she's looking away but still adorable.

I've since learned that patience, treats, a friend, and lucky timing are the key to great human/animal photos. Animals on their own are always cute. It's just more difficult with a person involved!

We humans always mess up a good thing with our vanity.

Lesson from Toby (and other animals)

2009-03-19T18:53:00.003-04:00

I have scared Toby (on accident!) before and I have given him the indignity of a bath. I have caused Toby to be upset with me.

However, within ten minutes he's always back to being a happy loving kitty who wants me to know how much he loves me by purring as loudly as possible. Even when I brought him to the shelter to be microchipped and he was terrified of the noises and strange smells, he was back to his usual self shortly after we returned home.

Why do I mention this?

Because it's been on my mind from the moment I woke up and debated whether I could wear silver flats with chocolate pants.

I had a bad day yesterday and was nervous. I've known plenty of people who hold grudges and I get nervous when I think someone might hold a grudge against me--regardless of whether I think they deserve to be mad at me. However, I resolved to be cat-like, not catty today.

You know what, it worked. When I started to get irritated I just thought of how Toby always gets past it when I frighten him, how Nik who wasn't used to so much attention has recovered and doesn't hold a grudge against humanity, and how Brody (a badly abused pit) was always full of love toward people.

Now, this is not to say we can't psychologically scar animals and that they don't remember. Anyone who has seen a dog or cat scared of a certain type of person or even people in general, knows that something awful has happened. But for the most part--pets just get over it. You're nice to the puppy now, he'll wag his tail as though you never accidentally stepped on it because you were in a rush and not watching where you were going.

I'm trying to do this in my life and at least today it worked. I'll see if I can keep it up for the second part of Lent--approaching compassion by just getting over it like the cats and dogs I love can do.

I Think It's Progress...

2009-03-16T13:28:00.002-04:00

Nikolai now can get to the top of the bed directly from the floor without using my ottoman as a stepping stool. He still scrambles a little and it's utterly adorable to watch. I ended up giving his butt a boost the first time because he looked like he was about to fall back to the floor tail first.

I think this is progress.

However, now Toby has to share the bed with another cat at night, which makes him look at Nikolai a little differently. I'm sure Toby will eventually get used to this--he accepted Bella sleeping next to me while he was at my feet--but right now it doesn't make him happy.

And it doesn't let me get a lot of sleep...

When I turned in Nik jumped up on the bed while Toby watched from the foot of the bed (and I supported Nik's bum). After a few sniffs, he jumped back down and headed for the shelf where he's been sleeping lately.

I woke up at 3am to a kitty altercation in the hallway where the one of the waterbowls is located. Also, where there may be some random kibble from when we play "chase the kibble!" as suggested by my vet (I throw the kibble, Toby races happily for it, eats it, and then looks at me for more to be thrown). When I got out of bed to check, Toby raced to the bed and leaped up with wide eyes and some mewing. Nik then trotted over to me and rubbed my ankles. I checked both for scratches and went back to sleep with Toby on the bed and Nik on the shelf.

At 6am I woke up to Nik jumping up on the bed and Toby scooting over to the side.

When I woke up again at 7:30, Toby was staring wide eyed from the radiator (4 feet away behind my desk) while Nik cuddled my feet and staring at Toby.

I'm okay with Nik being on the bed, but I don't want Toby feeling scared as a result. Now, I do understand that Toby is a bit of a scardey-cat and knows that he's smaller than Nik. I also am somewhat proud of Nik for no longer being scared of Toby and seeming to gain some self confidence.

Even more so my selfish side hopes that they figure out the bed thing so I can get some sleep tonight.

Every girl thinks she wants two males to fight over who gets to sleep with her, but really, only Angela of the Office wants it to be two cats.

Good thing they're so cute I can't stay mad at them.

Cats > Negative People

2009-03-13T20:31:00.004-04:00

I got home today, my comparatively-short commute having been tripled in length by drivers doing apparently everything except driving, my headache seeming unlikely to improve given the blaring bass from my neighbor's apartment, and the frustration of a long day at the end of the long week making me extraordinarily cranky.

And Nikolai came up to me and mrowed? and headbutted my legs. And leaned into me. And showed me that I had been missed and was loved even though I wasn't perfect.

It helped. It helped a lot.

I made my dinner (sweet potato fries), discovered that my phone still wasn't working, and that the pattern of inconsiderate people was not abating.

And Nikolai began playing with his little bell bll and a stuffed mouse at the same time and I just had to laugh.

Inconsiderate and selfish people are totally trumped by this adorable kitty's antics and affection.

And lest you think Toby wasn't being cute--he meowed his demand for pets after Nikolai had gotten his. And is currently happily playing with his food ball (he has figured out that if he rolls it back and forth like a soccer player he still gets the food inside to fall out, but with far less effort than actually chasing it--not the intent, but it's still at least some activity, and it's darn cute to watch his determined little kitty face).

Training a Cat

2009-03-08T22:40:00.002-04:00

Poor Nikolai has some scruffy patches in what will eventually be a beautiful, shiny black coat. Because of this, I'm hoping some special "tricks" will help him be more adoptable, plus give me a way to calm him at adoption events.

I started working with him today and found that he likes food but won't eat from my hand. However, thankfully, he will follow my hand with his eyes when I'm holding delectable chicken. Plus chicken will help his fur.

He seems to be getting it. I'm doing very short spurts, just two or three times so he doesn' t get bored. It took awhile the first time to get him to go from looking up to putting his bum on the ground. After that it seemed to come pretty easy for him. His "first response" (response to the first attempt in a new session) is getting faster each time though still not as good as his third response of a session, but I'm hopeful. He now knows the concept and we're just working on faster recall. I don't think he'll be a candidate for "high five" since it doesn't come natraully to him. Maybe "Lie Down" would work since he loves to do that...

What's New

2009-03-05T23:00:00.002-05:00

Apologies for writing so sporadically lately. I've been working on a complete guide to adopting in the DC metro area which is keeping me rather busy.

Also, I've been learning about fostering and now I have a foster kitty! Two cats, one Beth, the inmates will be running the asylum. Right now there's just a lot of purring.

Nikolai was surrendered to Washington Humane Society when his owner got too ill to care for him. However, it was obvious he'd been neglected for a good while. He had been allowed to get so fat he could not groom himself. Instead of grooming him with a brush, his owner just let his hair mat. Matting forms dreadlocks, which while great for people, can pull apart the skin of an animal.

Poor Nikolai had to be partially shaved when he came into the shelter. He was confused and lonely. He still seemed sweet but totally lacking in confidence. He's now lost a lot of weight and can groom himself again but still could stand to lose more to keep his heart in good shape. At the moment he's exercising by winding around my feet and purring up a storm.

He yowled mightily in the car to show his unhappiness and this strange motion but as soon as I set him down and opened that crate he began to purr and show his loving nature. I'm quite smitten with this love bug and hope he finds a home soon

If you or anyone you know in the DC area wants a sweet black kitty, let me know! I'll try to get a picture of him up soon so you can see his smart eyes and adorable face. Once his fur evens out he'll be quite the looker.

I'll let you know how introductions go with Toby when they occur.

Not So Capital in the Capital

2009-02-27T08:00:00.001-05:00

DC's city council is considering a bill that would ban pit bulls. Not only are these bills an ineffective waste of money (as Baltimore County demonstrated), these bills hurt people, shelters, and dogs.

They hurt the people who love their pit bulls and know what great dogs they are. They hurt the kids who grow up fearing a wonderful dog because their government tellsthem it's okay to be prejudiced without any acknolwedgment of facts. They hurt the people who are still going to get bit because biting is not about breed, but about temperment, training, and the situation.

They hurt the shelters who end up taking in all the pit bulls who are banned as people try to keep them from being destroyed. The hurt the shelters desperately trying to adopt out wonderful dogs without interference of the worst sort from our goverment.

They hurt the dogs who are American Pit Bull Terriers and are wonderful, loving, and loyal companions. They hurt the dogs who look like but aren't American Pit Bull Terriers but will be confused for such. They hurt the other dogs who need space in the shelters. They hurt the dogs who love to play with American Pit Bull Terriers. They hurt the pits who will now be bred illegally without socialization or proper medical care. Outlawing something doesn't eliminate it, it just makes it dangerous and illegal.

The bill has been assigned to the Health Committee and the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary. Here are two links to both committees which contain contact information for the members:
Public Safety
Health

Please contact the members and tell them not to support B 18--0052. Shelters in the DC area do not support this bill and neither should you.

Breed specific legislation has been shown time and again to do nothing to curb bite incidents. It pushes breeders underground and prevents healthy socialization of pit bulls. DC City Council just passed a great aggression act that just needs time to take affect. Don't sit by and let DC make a great mistake. We're the nation's capital, let's stand against prejudice and profiling. Dogs are individuals and deserve to be judged as such.

Please take action before more dogs and people get hurt by fear turned into law.