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| Jelly Bean |
Your beloved pet has disappeared. Forget about posting copies of a “LOST PET”
sign all over town. Don’t bother
wandering around calling her name. Those ways to find lost pets are so
yesterday. Simply “go online,” as a
recent newspaper story advises.
It’s this simple: “An animal is lost. A message or
picture is broadcast on social media. Hundreds of concerned “friends” . . .
will repost on Instagram or retweet a lost pet notice without hesitation.” The result: “helpful community activity” that
often reunites lost pets with their owners.
But despite innumerable “high tech” lost and found pet
Facebook groups and even lost and found pet apps, old-fashioned collars and ID
tags are reported to still be “the most direct way to get a dog home.”
(Hey! What about cats?!
Especially since we know they’re much less likely to be claimed at shelters
and returned home?)
Only 33 percent of pet owners tag their pets, the story
says. That seems like plain negligence to me. Microchips can also be
tremendously helpful – if they’re
registered, and linked to the right person.
End macabre
discoveries in your pool
Although it’s late in the swimming pool season, it’s
never too late to save a life. Here’s a
Dodo article about an invention that allows animals who may get trapped in a
pool to get out. No more sad (and
preventable) discoveries in the morning.
The ASPCA looks at animal shelters
Here’s some compelling summer reading before getting fully
back into all the things we do with and for animals the rest of the year. The
ASPCA president reports on his organization’s findings – including positive
trends -- about animal shelters.
And BTW, if you’re wondering about the status of Senator
Linda Greenstein’s bill, S3019, requiring significant improvements in NJ’s animal
shelters, we may have to wait till after this fall’s gubernatorial election for
it to resurface. And then, prepare for a major campaign that leads (we pray) to
victory for the animals.
What, no need for whisker
relief?
A while ago, I wrote about cat bowls designed to offer “whisker
relief” to cats seeming to be food averse – or bowl averse. The story was that Dr. Catsby’s stainless
steel bowls, very wide and corner-free, would make it easier for sensitive cats
to eat because their whiskers wouldn’t be disturbed by high-sided, “cornery”
bowls.
I have two of these bowls, practically brand new, for the
first two respondents who want to see their cats eat with relish. Anyone out
there want to claim one? Or, if you have
two cats with sensitive whiskers, the pair of bowls is yours. Please just let
me know in a comment.
The last word on Monarchs
Finally, a P.S. to the Monarch butterfly
hoopla in the last post. I’ve learned there
can be obstacles to helping butterflies on their way. Soon after sighting
caterpillars on the milkweed plants, I began seeing thick clusters of tiny bright
yellow “things” on the branches. I hoped they were Monarch eggs – but guess
what: eggs don’t have legs and move around.
That would be aphids, as I soon found out, and they’re a
whole other story I won’t get into now. Just know that aphids can be combated to maintain milkweed’s viability for Monarchs, and
I’ve now done my best for this season. Bon
voyage, kids!
Vacation time
Much more to follow here ~ after a belated summer break .
. . .
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