Forums

Asides


2008/7/2 Cat’s out of the bag in China. BEIJING—Prodded for months by bloggers, officials reveal that photos of tiger in wild were staged; local guide jailed. The photos of the South China tiger taken by a farmer seemed too good to be true. After all, no member of the endangered big cat family had been seen in the wild since the 1960s. More... 0

2008/7/2 Pets suffer from Midwest flooding too. No-kill shelters form vast networks to save dogs and cats for adoption. Lesley Irwin scrolls through 200 pitiable e-mails a day to pick out the lucky dogs and cats she can keep in her Huntley pet shelter, then anguishes over the many she has to turn away. More... 0

2008/7/2 Pet cemetery. Jayne Mansfield. MILWAUKEE—Pet cemetery where sex symbol buried dog closes. Sex symbol Jayne Mansfield was looking for eternal rest for her Chihuahua Gallina when she buried her in a Milwaukee area pet cemetery in 1964. More... 0

2008/6/17 Is Rover coughing? It could be dog flu. Experts urge pet owners to be on the alert now that the disease has been confirmed in Illinois. More... 0

2008/6/2 $24M pet food settlement. CAMDEN, NJ—A judge granted initial approval to a $24 million settlement in which companies that manufactured or sold contaminated pet food would compensate pet owners fro all costs related to the death or illness of their dogs and cats. More... 0

2008/5/22 Man returns dogs’ bones. Transplants of bone marrow, perfected in canine tests, will soon treat their cancers. More... 0

2008/5/22 Belligerent donkey gets out of jail. Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico—A Mexican donkey has been freed from jail after doing time for acting like a jackass. More... 0

2008/5/20 Caw to art! #18. Reminder. Caw to art! is an effort to showcase animals and pets in an ARTFUL manner. More... 0

2008/5/16 Happy endanger species day! Hey, did you know today’s a holiday? That’s right: it’s Endangered Species Day, 5/16/08, a national celebration to spread awareness about all our planet’s wildlife, fish, and plants—including the beloved polar bear—that are threatened with extinction. It’s also a great day to take action to help save them. One of the most important actions of all? Spreading the word. More... 2

2008/5/12 Caw to art! #17. Reminder. Caw to art! is an effort to showcase animals and pets in an ARTFUL manner. More... 0

2008/5/12 Pets on lap while driving may soon be a no-no in Calif. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)—Pull over and put down the dog. A California lawmaker wants to ban motorists from holding pets on their laps while driving and getting caught can net a $35 fine. The bill passed the Assembly on a 44-11 vote on Monday, and heads to the Senate. More... 2

2008/5/12 Australian pokes shark in eye to survive mauling. SYDNEY, Australia (AP)—An Australian swimmer says he survived a mauling by a 16-foot shark by wrestling with the beast, finally getting free by poking it in the eye. More... 0

2008/5/12 $2,500 HSUS reward. Dog killings. The HSUS Offers Reward In Lincoln County, Mont. Dog Killings. The Humane Society of the United States is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for killing at least nine dogs in the Libby, Troy and Eureka areas of Montana over the past five weeks. More... 0

2008/4/8 Caw to art! #16. Reminder. Caw to art! is an effort to showcase animals and pets in an ARTFUL manner. More... 0

2008/4/1 Congressional hearing tomorrow: Kempthorne hides, Center testifies. The Bush administration’s refusal to list the polar bear as an endangered species took a bizarre turn last week when Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne refused to testify at tomorrow’s Senate hearing. More... 0

2008/3/31 Caw to art! #15 alert! Caw to art! is an effort to showcase animals and pets in an ARTFUL manner. A photograph, fine art, a scribble, sculpture. A poem, a monologue, a short story, motion. More... 1

2008/3/17 Dolphin appears to guide whales to sea WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)—Most days, Moko the bottlenosed dolphin swims playfully with humans at a New Zealand beach. But this week, it seems, Moko found his mojo. Witnesses described Wednesday how they saw the dolphin swim up to two stranded whales and guide them to safety. More... 3

2008/3/17 Tiny Iowa town rescinds $5 cat bounty DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)—Cat haters, never mind: The tiny town of Randolph has rescinded a $5 bounty on feral feline. 0

2008/3/17 Nucaraquan’s celebrate mass for dogs. MASAYA, Nicaragua (Reuters)—Hundreds of dogs, many dressed as babies or clowns, were taken to celebrate mass in this Nicaraguan town on Sunday, an annual ritual where the owners pray for their pets to be cured or avoid falling ill. More... 0

2008/2/26 Spay day USA. 2/26. Per the Humane Society (HSUS) there are many activities happening Tuesday, Feb. 26—the 14th annual Spay Day USA! More... 0




World Animal Day Share This


Maukie the cat!

Archive for the 'Stories' Category

Cat haiku.

Posted in Artworks, Humor, Stories on March 27th, 2008 by PM

You never feed me.
Perhaps I’ll sleep on your face.
That will sure show you.

You must scratch me there!
Yes, above my tail!
Behold, elevator butt.

The rule for today:
Touch my tail, I shred your hand.
New rule tomorrow.

In deep sleep hear sound
cat vomit hairball somewhere
will find in morning.

Grace personified.
I leap into the window.
I meant to do that.

Blur of motion, then –
silence, me, a paper bag.
What is so funny?

The mighty hunter
Returns with gifts of plump birds –
your foot just squashed one.

You’re always typing.
Well, let’s see you ignore my
sitting on your hands. Read the rest of this entry »

Bird in my ass.

Posted in Gross, Humor, Stories on February 26th, 2008 by PM

FREDERICK:

A bird flew in my ass today. Yeah. I was sitting down in Central Park, just relaxing and reading the newspaper. I felt fine.

birdman2.jpgbirdman.jpg

Then all of a sudden, SWOOP, right in my ass…a bird. A tiny bird the size of, oh, I don’t know, the size of my palm. Really tiny, really tiny. Just flew right in my butt, without any explanation.

What did I do? I’m getting to that. It’s not everyday that a bird scoops down at a million miles per hour and seeks shelter up in your private region. Am I right?

Let me continue…

I stand up for obvious reasons and I proceed to wiggle my buttocks but nothing. The bird won’t come out and I could feel it’s heartbeat pulsating. Strangest feeling, let me tell you. So I try walking it off…still, nothing. Stubborn bird. I started doing jumping jacks, nothing. I began skipping, nothing. I started running up a hill and back down a hill, nothing. I dropped my draws and dipped my ass into the pond, nothing. I went so far as to climb over a fence and start scraping my bum across the grass, rocks and dirt in order to free the fellow, like a dog scrapes it’s behind on a rug. You’ve seen that right? But still to no avail, nothing. The bird stayed deep inside, clinging to the walls of my darkest of holies. Read the rest of this entry »

Creation.

Posted in Artworks, Caw to art!, Reptiles, Stories on January 3rd, 2008 by Lucia

lucia-turtle1.jpg

They said I’d get turtles if I kept the pieces
of broken streetlights in warm water.
So I put the magic shards in a bucket
in the basement and spent the evening in a vigil.
Down and up the stairs, changing the water
and keeping the powerful fragments
at an encouraging temperature.
I was old enough—ten–to know better,
but hope was stronger than sense.

It got late, time for bed.
The water would get cold during the night.
And that’s when I knew this precarious act
of spontaneous generation wasn’t going to work.
My need for sleep was stronger
than my need for turtles.

Lucia Blinn

Poor little birdie.

Posted in Artworks, Birds, Caw to art!, Humor, Just kids, Stories on January 3rd, 2008 by PM

birdie-meghna.jpg

Poetry and art by Meghna, age 12.

Once a little bird
Fell from the air
Lying near my feet
It was a sight of despair

Seeing it’s poor condition
Pity dwelled in my heart
“Oh dear birdie, don’t worry
For you care, I’ll impart”

I took him gently
In my hands
And carried him over
To my Aunt Mands

Oh sweety, you’ve
Done a great job
I’m sure your Uncle
Would love it after I mob

I’m sure he’d say it’s good
You can come after a while
You and Uncle can eat it
After he comes from his walk of a mile!

More about Meghna.

George Carlin. On aging.

Posted in Humor, Stories, Tips/Info on December 11th, 2007 by PM

This might seem a little off topic but towards the end George mentions “pets” so PM thinks this is right on topic! A dose of year-end wisdom.

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we’re kids? If you’re less than 10 years old, you’re so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

“How old are you?” “I’m four and a half!” You’re never thirty-six and a half. You’re four and a half, going on five! That’s the key!!

You get into your teens, now they can’t hold you back.

You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

“How old are you?” “I’m gonna be 16!” You could be 13, but hey, you’re gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life . . . you BECOME 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!! Read the rest of this entry »

Caw to art! #2

Posted in Artworks, Caw to art!, Stories on November 14th, 2007 by PM

Caw to art! is an effort to showcase pets and animals in an ARTFUL manner. A photograph, fine art, a scribble, sculpture. A poem, a monologue, a short story, motion.

Submissions
Resonant Enigma submits Meh-heh-heh
Tom Varisco Designs submits “Berlin”
Herbert Murrie submits “Birds of Paradise”
Pet Monologues submits Red Wolf: Dog named Balto
Studio@OneZeroCharlie submits Rural Records
vat19.comslashblog submits Curiously Awesome Cat Man (art of cat training)
Movie Cat submits Dan in Real Life
Pet Monologues finds Frootbat Friday at Dragonheartsdomain
Pet Monologues submits WaMu WoOf!
Keir Royale submits Pet don’t always win prizes
Resonant Enigma submits Warm Belly

tomv-belin1.jpg
Berlin
herb-birds1.jpg
Birds of Paradise
frootbat.jpg
Dragonheart

Still steeping…
teapot_ani.gif

…in the meantime. Questions? Comments? Editor’s note: please look at Comment 1 below for more C2a! details…

and while you are curating your submissions don’t forget Friday Ark roster for this weekend. And Carnival of the Cats which goes up every Sunday next hosted by Pet’s Garden Blog this 11/18.

Washed up.

Posted in Death, Reptiles, Stories on November 9th, 2007 by Lucia

by Lucia Blinn

turtle1.jpg
A body on the beach as long as my arms are wide.
Large glassy eyes crossed and staring in disbelief.
A family of round white barnacles
fastened to his hard brown hide.
Yellow marks like graffiti.
Paws outstretched. Tail too.
Poised to crawl but not crawling.
The tough old tortoise was never
meant to be seen like this.
Nor was he meant to be scooped
by the sand patrol who hauled him away
on an otherwise beautiful day.

About the author: Lucia Blinn

TGIF.
Check out the Friday Ark roster for this weekend. And Carnival of the Cats which goes up every Sunday and this weekend hosted by Justin’s Random Thoughts.

Who Was Harvey Krane?

Posted in Bless animals, Death, Mammals, Stories on October 18th, 2007 by Lucia

This post celebrates World Animal Day and Bless the Animals. Follow the links to learn more about PM’s initiative which started on October 4.

Clever doesn’t begin to describe
the canny soul who, for nearly seventeen
years, walked and wagged among us,
affecting the affect of the duke of all dogdom,
a dachshund, but who, in fact,
worked the world like a room and got mail.

Sly his disguise as this most glorious
of canines; peerless, flawless, albeit
not immune to vanity–that ravishing red coat.

The question remains: Who was Harvey?
Moses back with a bark?
The Babe without a bat?
Gandhi with a growl?
MR. PRESLEY?

Come on, Harvey, speak!
We know you’re up there emailing.

Written by Lucia Blinn

Snakes in your bed.

Posted in Oddly enough, Reptiles, Stories on October 17th, 2007 by Geezer

I admit, when I encounter a pet snake of say 24-36″ inches in length, a lot of thoughts cross my mind. The movie Anaconda for one. But each time, after awhile, the snake grows on me. Not that I would ever get one for a pet. For sure, not now.

boa_tree1.jpg
Emerald tree boa

A story told by a veterinarian:

“This Lady had this kink with exotic animals, and some years ago she bought a boa, and she let the boa slither around the house all the time. There were no problems; every day Snakey had insects for lunch, and when she grew up, some mice… a nice life indeed for a boa.

“However, after a year or so, Snakey started to present an odd behavior. At night, she would crawl besides her master’s bed and stiffen as if she was in pain. The Lady would then try to console her, to no use. The boa kept getting tenser and tenser, until she was rigid as a baseball bat and completely straight. After a few hours, Snakey would relax and slither normally. Read the rest of this entry »

Canine digs. As in luxe hotel.

Posted in Oddly enough, Stories on October 15th, 2007 by PM

While reading one of my fave magazines I stumble upon an article that pet lovers would enjoy. This article was taken out of Wired Magazine and titled “A Canine Hotel May Sound Luxe, but There’s No Place Like Home”

***

Room Z5 is empty except for a faux-suede floor pillow, a 14-inch flatscreen TV, an IP network camera, and a 9-pound miniature pinscher sitting motionless by the steel door. After a few minutes, the pooch gets up, walks across the room, and settles on the pillow, almost covering the white letters that spell out w-a-g. Kitschy dance music wafts in from the hallway. A dog yelps in the background.

wired_hotel.jpg
Illustration by Jessica Hische

Wag is a new pet hotel in San Francisco that promises the ultimate in canine luxury. It has an atmospheric-filtration system that recycles the facility’s air 10 times per hour. Temperature-controlled rooms remain at a comfortable 69 degrees Fahrenheit. The suites ($85 a night) even have “Wag Cams,” accessible from an Internet browser, so that curious or concerned owners can check on their furry companions.

Tonight I’ve booked my dog, Ruby, into Wag. I scheduled her for an in-room belly massage ($12), a moonlit walk on the antibacterial Astroturf rooftop ($15), and room service (one pig’s ear and a bowl of water). This should be a great night—I’ll have the evening off from my dog-parenting duties, and Ruby will make new friends and be pampered by Wag’s experienced staff. Read the rest of this entry »


This site employs the Wavatars plugin by Shamus Young.