Pet Monologues

Cat furniture is typically “catty”, you know the carpeted kind with ramps and boxes. Reminds you of the ape house furniture at the zoo. It does little for that home decor statement if you are into that sort of thing. Here is a pleasant, and good looking solution for the visually inspired.

Kittypods are made of industrial-grade corrugated cardboard, laminated in contours of high-end modern decor. Their earthy hues, texture, and curvy, curious shapes make them equally at home amid rustic or contemporary surroundings.

They are pricey at $250 to $350, but are built to last. And cats love them according to their designer, Elizabeth Paige Smith, a life-long cat lover. Cats love the texture of the cardboard because it’s great for scratching, and they love the shapes, which are great for stretching and hiding both in
and under.

via kittypod.com

movie via recycled pets

Getting a new pet? Investigate the options at your disposal. Maybe consider adopting an older animal. Also do your homework concerning spaying and neutering.

Take care of your pet. Take them to the vet on a regular basis. Don’t raise a pet to be homeless. Whatever option you choose, please be responsible.

Cougar in bedroom kills dog.

IDLEDALE, Colorado (AP) — A mountain lion crept through an open door into a house outside Denver, snatched a Labrador retriever from a bedroom where two people were sleeping and left the dog’s dead body outside, wildlife managers said Tuesday. Read the rest of this entry »

BLACKWOOD, N.J. - A southern New Jersey family will get the 44-pound “Prince Chunk” next week, according to the Camden County Animal Shelter. The shelter won’t disclose the family’s identity to protect it from media attention.

About 500 people applied to adopt the 10-year-old cat who once was called “Powder.” He was found lumbering around Voorhees after his owner lost her home to foreclosure.

Catherine Harr, president of the shelter’s board, said the cat now belongs to a couple with a teenage child. She said they are building a castle to go over Prince Chunk’s litter box.

The adoption comes after a vet gave the cat a clean bill of health - other than his large weight.

EARLIER STORY
BLACKWOOD, N.J. (AP) — A 44-pound cat found lumbering around New Jersey was abandoned by a woman who said her home was foreclosed, an animal shelter official said Thursday.

The porky white cat found Saturday became a local media sensation and was dubbed “Princess Chunk”. But the animal is really a male whose name is Powder.

Jennifer Anderch, director of the Camden County Animal Shelter, said Thursday that the cat’s owner came forward to describe the animal’s background.

Anderch said she’s received hundreds of calls from people seeking to adopt Powder.

The cat appeared Thursday on “Live With Regis and Kelly.” A veterinarian on the show examined it and determine he was indeed a male.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: New Jersey | Australia | Kelly | Guinness World Records | Powder | Camden County Animal Shelter | Chunk | Deborah Wright

“She’s built like a quarterback,” said Deborah Wright, a shelter volunteer and current foster owner of the kitty, before Powder’s gender was determined.

The largest tabby on record weighed 46 pounds, 15 ounces. That cat, who lived in Australia, died in the 1980s. The Guinness World Records has since dropped the category, fearing cat owners might harm their animals in an attempt to break the record.

Wright plans to speak with a veterinarian to put Chunk on a diet. For now, Chunk’s diet consists of dry and wet cat food.

“I’m about to put a leash on her and walk her,” said Wright. “She could pass for a dog!”

via associated press (AP)

Stumbled upon.

Aquarium toilet
Add a little life to your bathroom with this live aquarium. The fully functioning tank fits American Standard bowls. Custom bowl installation is available.

3/8″ acrylic tank
1.6 gpf. (federal standard)
22″ x 14″ x 9″ deep

Designer: Oliver Beckert

email us for ordering information: obeckert (at) yahoo (dot) com

8 weeks for shipping
Fish and aquarium components sold separately.

Rocking horse toilet.
A little of topic but think of saddle, i.e., riding a horse.

This concept challenges the traditional form of the toilet or “throne” by toying with the nostalgic familiarity of the rocking horse. However, the inclusion of foot pegs provides real health benefits by raising the knees above the waist, which facilitates a thorough expulsion of waste.

Designer: Perry Dixon email: desdix (at) yahoo (dot) com

A baby moose was in distress in a creek. A man got him out of the creek and tried to find the mother and send him on his way, but eventually the moose stumbled back into the creek and was rescued again. The baby moose followed the man home.

The man has only a small cabin so he took the moose to another neighbour, who took these photos. They took the moose the next day to a woman who looks after wild animals and she put it in a pen with a
rescued fawn.

Though summer is upon us and there are many good summer tips to keep your pet out of harms way, here is year-round advice that can save a life.

An emergency situations calls for staying calm and making quick decisions. What should you do? Knowledge is power, so take the steps right now to learn how to handle an emergency. In addition to the first aid kit you have for home, camping, have a fully stocked pet first-aid kit (see below) know where the nearest 24-hour emergency pet clinic is. It could mean the difference between life and death. And act cautiously—animals in severe pain or fear may bite.

CAR ACCIDENTS
A pet that has been hit by a car needs to see a vet immediately. Internal bleeding is common, and outward signs of distress may not show for several hours. Also, puncture wounds that close rapidly can cause life-threatening infections later on. Enlist someone’s help in moving the animal by sliding a heavy towel beneath it. To avoid being bitten, tie a strip of cloth over your dog’s nose, or cover your cat’s face with a coat.

BLEEDING
Using direct pressure, apply a clean, dry cloth to the wound. If blood soaks through the first layer of fabric, add more so you don’t disrupt any clots that may be forming. Use a tourniquet only as a last resort, and make it just tight enough to significantly reduce the flow of blood. Loosen it every five minutes, and don’t keep it on for longer than 20 minutes. Transport your pet to the vet as soon as possible. Read the rest of this entry »

Another sustainable product. Make that pet product. Make that dog product. Here’s why it’s a good idea. In the US, our dogs produce enough waste to fill an 800-foot-tall football field every year - not the most glamorous image. And scooping all that poop into petroleum-based plastic bags not only leaches toxic chemicals as the whole package slowly breaks down (for thousands of years) in a landfill, but preserves what needn’t be preserved.

Leaving scat on the ground isn’t an eco-friendly option either, as 20-30% of all pollutants in waterways can be attributed to canine waste.

Solution: use a biodegradable bag. The Business Bags from Spike are made from corn, and the company recently worked with a domestic company to devise an entirely homegrown product. One of our ecofabulous ladies can attest that they decompose in the promised 45 days. Keep in mind; not much biodegrades in a landfill. Business Bags are a simple, great option for people with municipal composting. For the rest of you, check DIY composting here.

For the political poop visit dogs 4 democrats featuring the “Mission Accomplished” bag.

via ecofabulous

On average, caring for a cat costs $1500 annually and a dog $2000.

With the U.S. economy currently on very shaky ground the falloff is tighter family budgets or worse, completely new business models for family households. In an effort to help keep households together, including family pets, let’s talk about possibly surrendering your pet to a shelter, how to pinch pennies on pet-care, and, a philosophic POV on saving animals.

Downsizing the family to make ends meet.

If you feel that you really can no longer afford your pet please consider finding another family for your pet first. If you can’t find a foster home then take the animal to a shelter, don’t abandon your animal. Here’s a story that was in the Chicago Tribune several weeks ago…

More strays linked to once-happy homes.
The sad stories have been all over the news. Pet owners who have fallen on hard times are coming into shelters and reluctantly, sometimes tearfully, surrendering their animals. Read the rest of this entry »

swine n. , pl. swine . Any of various omnivorous, even-toed ungulates of the family Suidae, including pigs, hogs, and boars, having a stout body.

nellie, a hampshire from indiana is a clone

clone “offspring” pork chop from indiana

acorn-fed iberico pig in eastern spain

a proper carving jamonero with hoof properly up

chow time

Top two photos from Wired magazine [wired 15.11] discussing cloning. “The other other white meat”—it looks the same, it cooks the same, it tastes the same. but this pig, a Hampshire from Indiana name Nelly, is a clone. And cloned bacon? It may already be at your supermarket. The second photo deck copy reads “My fist-size chop is glazed in a sugary, thick-as-molasses marinade. It tastes better than anything I’ve had at a restaurant—moist, succulent, and wonderfully tender.” Read the rest of this entry »