'. . . Act locally': fight against hunts & protect our pets

                                                                                         HSUS pic

On one front this year, enlightened science realized a gigantic breakthrough by carrying out the first-ever fusion reaction that produced more energy than it took to start the reaction itself.  That announcement re-ignited great excitement about the future of carbon-free nuclear energy.

Then, here in NJ, ignoring different branches of science, we’re still slaughtering our black bears, euphemistically referring to “harvesting them” as if that wording would justify the merciless, needless kill of innocent animals.

While we may think and hope globally, we can act locally right now by fighting the barbarism of bear hunts (and others) and assuring our own pets’ well-being.    

Think about New Jersey’s recent weather: long rains, high winds and bitter cold, often preceded by more severe-weather forecasts.

Now think about current and recent weather around the country, from horrific wild fires, floods and tornadoes to the terrible blizzard that some areas are even now digging out from.  Devastation, every which way.

In other words, it’s time to assemble a disaster kit for our families – starting with our pets, who can’t do that for themselves.  Such a move has long been advocated, but now, it seems truly needed, smart and humane. 

If people can’t take care of their pets when disaster suddenly strikes, that could result in further disaster: harm, injury or death to the animals.  Which is why emergency kits should be ready and waiting.  

This time around, I’ll follow my own advice by organizing and stocking kits for Billy and Jersey.  The sad-but-true bottom line is that we can’t count on anyone else to race to our rescue in a disaster, welcome as that move would be.  

So my suggestions for all of us begin with breaking this huge job into smaller parts.  First, round up a big, sturdy container of some kind (not paper) to serve as an emergency kit for pet(s).  Then start filling it with things you can leave there for whatever crisis comes – think canned food (and a can-opener!), bowls, old spoons, paper towels.  Next: water, in good supply, and key medicines.   

After that start, the list could go on and on.  So look online – using search terms like “pets” and “disaster/emergency kit” -- and note ideas from sources like the HSUS, ASPCA and FEMA (also involved in pet rescue, as a result of the 2006 Pet Act that followed the catastrophic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005).

Please, pledge to do this for your family pets.  Make your new year’s resolution now; the time is right!  Aim to get a pet emergency kit together by the end of January 2023, at the very latest.

Resolve!  

‘. . . the [screech] heard round the world’

That would be the UN-restful sounds of Jersey Summers, who continues to make his presence, and voice, felt here.  He’s quite cute but not (yet) cuddlesome, and he’s easy to love – even at 6 am, when his caroling sometimes starts. 

The only way I’ve found to quiet him when he’s on a roll is to “Shhhhhh” him, with a finger to my lips.  He looks startled each time I do that, and goes quiet (temporarily).  Even though Jersey beats both of them at this game, here are a couple other noisy felines.  

·         Chonk the talking cat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32jZpv9yFZc

·         Mia  (ditto):  https://www.thedodo.com/daily-dodo/cat-is-so-loud-shelter-had-to-put-up-sign

Happily boxed in

Billy, boxed

Finally, staying with the subject at hand -- pets and cats -- I’ll close with a timely piece of info recently found online.

“Cats are attracted to cardboard because it’s the perfect texture for scratching, rubbing and chewing.  Because cardboard is soft, it absorbs a cat’s scent, creating a sense of ownership.  That’s why your cat keeps going back to that same old box he loves so much.  It belongs to him!   So re-purpose those holiday cardboard boxes to ensure it’s a very merry time of year for kitty.” 

Wishing the world a humane, healthy and happy 2023!

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Cat tales & talk; rabbit/hare lore & bunny food

Routine errands or appointments can sometimes turn out to be much more “value added” than expected.  That recently happened to me -- twice in one day!

Jersey

First came a vet appointment for Jersey – still a challenge because he’s unwilling to be lifted up and put into his carrier for the drive.  He no doubt remembered his first such trip after joining the family, when he literally fought tooth and nail against being picked up.  (Remember, he had been an outdoor cat, unused to such things.)

After that traumatic time for both of us, I welcomed a vet staffer’s help getting Jersey to his second appointment.  He was sweetly making her acquaintance till she moved to pick him up, precipitating a repeat acrobatic performance: he bounded past her, then flew around the room and raced under a chair. Luckily, the door was closed, he was finally nabbed and “carrier’d,” and off we went.

The surprises started soon after all that when an office staffer told me about the two crated young cats napping near her desk.  They had been “raised by her dog,” she said, literally meaning that in the absence of a mama cat, they had been nursed by her dog, and thrived.  The same dog has also been a many-times mom of puppies.

What a happy story, shades of some I’ve seen in the Dodo (thedodo.com), when animals matter-of-factly pitch in across species to help other animals.  

Ren

At that, another staffer chimed in with a scary tale about a client’s kitten who was exploring the house and came upon a dishwasher with the door opened down – and relieved himself there.  That’s an unenviable cleaning job, even for a washing device. 

During a library visit later that day, I heard about another library patron who has started early to find a new, loving home for her cat before she moves next year where she can’t take him.  In good health and up to date on shots, 4-year-old “Ren” (short for “Renard,” French for “fox” because as a ginger kitten, he looked like a fox cub), the indoor-only cat has not at this point interacted with any other cats or dogs. 

I’ll try for more Ren photos and parent-contact info in case any readers want to see and know more about him.  

So, unusual feline info of all sorts in one day: more than I’d bargained for.   

Speaking of cats – and to them

High-pitched sing-song tones are in for talking to our cats.  The Dodo reported recently on a study indicating that “baby-talk” is a winning way to talk to our babies, who then somehow know we’re talking to them and pay more attention than usual to us.

Flattering to cat parents, researchers noted the cats usually ignore baby-talk, even with their names included, from strangers.  Cats’ own people gain more confidence that their felines know and prefer them over just any baby-talker.      https://tinyurl.com/4n5ctrvr

Bunnies, hares & house rabbit food  

In my recent post about house rabbits, a first-time subject for me, I included as much info as possible – but there were still some research left-overs.  One incidental discovery was the difference between wild rabbits (think: cottontails) and hares.

Hares are usually larger than rabbits, with longer ears and legs.  (If you’re already picturing Bugs Bunny, you’re right: BB is in fact a hare.)  Hares run faster than rabbits, they’re born with fur, their eyes are open and they come into the world ready to hop.  

They prefer eating twigs and plant shoots -- harder substances than wild rabbits’ soft, salady food and they’re generally solitary.  Hares live above ground, whereas most wild rabbits in the US live in dens burrowed by other animals.

https://modernfarmer.com/2017/03/five-differences-rabbits-hares/

I had also found useful tips on food for house rabbits in this Dodo article -- and I now know the bunny pictured is a lop-eared rabbit.     https://tinyurl.com/2rwkfdzr 

                                                                                  Dodo image

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