Important factors to consider for the protection of all family members

In response to the recent spike in pet food recalls, the ASPCA®’s (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) Animal Poison Control Center has some suggestions on how to best keep two-legged and four-legged family members safe:

1. Do your research. Salmonella is the contaminant that appears to be the cause of concern during this most recent round of pet food recalls.

The most important thing for pet owners to do if they suspect their dog’s food has been contaminated is to stop feeding their pet the recalled food immediately. If the pet shows signs of illness after eating a recalled pet food, a trip to the vet should be first on the list of to-dos, and then the food manufacturer should be notified.

*** Pet owners can identify the recalled foods by visiting the FDA’s website at www.fda.gov. ***

2. Know the signs. While healthy adult dogs are relatively resistant to illness from Salmonella bacteria, pets with health issues (such as young puppies, elderly and pregnant dogs that could have compromised immune systems) may be at greater risk for becoming ill. Dogs who are affected by Salmonella may exhibit symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, fever, lethargy, and drooling or panting—an indication of nausea. *In severe cases, the bacterium may spread throughout the body resulting in death.

3. Clean is key. Salmonella isn’t only dangerous to the pet eating the food, but could also affect the pet parent serving the food. Salmonella can be spread through direct contact with the affected product and animal feces, so exposure should be avoided. The best way to protect family members, including other animals in the home, is to thoroughly wash your hands (or paws) after any dealings with the product or feces. In addition, all bowls, utensils and surfaces that may have come in contact with contaminated food should be washed using hot soapy water and rinsed thoroughly or sanitized in the dishwasher.

For more information about the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center and potential pet toxins, visit www.aspca.org/apcc.

Look at those white-gloved paws and that fuzzy belly… this kitty is Klondike. He is 11-years-young and lives with his mom, Brianna in Minong, Wisconsin.

They are the winners of Honorable Mention in the Iams Senior Plus, Play Young, Stay Young Contest which is happening on Facebook right now!

Isn’t Klondike a cutie? Here is the essay that won then the Honorable Mention:

“He loves to run after his little brother Jack. When I put my hand under a blanket he goes nuts. Whenever I open the door to go outside he thinks he can run outside. He is a baby at heart too. He goes nuts on feathers. I have a bird feeder outside the window and his big blue eyes just light up when he sees a bird. He thinks he can get them. After he uses the bathroom he runs around the house and makes weird noises. He is one big weirdo. And that is how my cat Klondike stays young.”

Do you have a cat or dog who refuses to act his age? If you do, enter him/her in the Iams contest!! It’s awesome and you can win premium pet food!

IAMS started the contest recently, and it goes ‘til June 3rd. It’s on their Facebook page.

“Play Young, Stay Young” goes as follows:

* Each week, for 8 weeks, the team at Iams will pick one cat and one dog winner (11 years or older – “super senior pets”) based on a photo and a 100-word essay submission from pet parents.

1. It’s super easy to enter! They’re seeking pets that essentially refuse to act their age – pets who are older but still act younger. For example, Benny is 12 but still roaches around on his back like a puppy after he gets his dinner every night!

2. Each winning animal will receive a year’s supply of Iams Senior Plus dog food! That is a lot of dog food!!

3. So are you stoked about this contest or what? Are you reading this, saying I MUST enter this contest … so how do I do it?

4. It’s easy-go here to the IAMS Facebook page

Did you know that an estimated 1 million dogs are named primary beneficiary in their owner’s wills?

Or that cat owners will spend nearly $5,000 on treats over the course of their cat’s lifetime?

Did you know that food costs are the biggest expense for most pets?

Me neither.

I learned it in this awesome infographic from the Silicon Valley Humane Society and Mint!

“It takes a lot more than love, treats, and toys to give your pet a happy life,” says Beth Ward, Chief Operating Officer at Humane Society Silicon Valley. “If you really love your pets or you’re thinking of adopting one, then you need to be aware of the hard costs involved.” (This quote is from the MintLife article.)

This infographic is about the lifetime costs of owning a pet.

Personally, I think it should be hung in every single rescue organization in the US. It’s effective in conveying that owning a pet isn’t just a companionship thing – it’s a financial thing, too.

According to MintLife, she continues, “Many cats and dogs can live for 20 years or more. Keeping them alive, happy, and healthy for the duration of their life requires a sustained commitment. It takes good financial planning.”

From the Best Friends Animal Society website and Facebook page:

Last year, the Back in Black adoption event was introduced to showcase black dogs and cats and give them the best chance at being adopted. And over 900 pets found homes!

This year, we’re back with Back in Black 2.

Our goal is to find good homes for 1,000 or more pets in black this May.

Right now, thousands of wonderful animals are waiting to be adopted at shelters and rescue groups nationwide. And every day, 9,000 pets are killed in shelters because they don’t have a home.

Best Friends and our No More Homeless Pets® Network Partners are committed to saving them. Join us!

Click here to find adoptable black pets near you.

Erasing myths about black dogs and cats

Even though they make wonderful pets with great personalities, black dogs and cats are often overlooked for adoption, but why? After all, the color of a pet’s fur has no relationship to their ability to provide unconditional love, companionship and devotion. Here are a couple of theories:

• Bad photos hinder “love at first sight.” Black dogs and cats are harder to photograph because their eyes are close to the color of their fur and their facial expressions and personalities don’t always shine through in pictures. That’s a real disadvantage since many adopters “meet” their new best friends online.
• Superstitions! There are negative stereotypes about black cats and dogs that simply aren’t true. Just ask anyone who loves their beautiful black pet! They’ll tell you about all the wonderful qualities their pets possess and that they wouldn’t trade them for anything.

What are you waiting for? Change the future—and the world—for homeless pets in black today. 

There are 129 No More Homeless Pets® Network partners with adoptable black cats and dogs participating across 37 states.  Click on a state below to find local groups. Click on the group to visit their website for more event details.

Alabama | Arizona | Alaska | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio | Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming | US Virgin Islands

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals® (ASPCA) has announced the creation of a Legal Advocacy department to increase legal protections for animals across the country. The department will provide “second chair” legal support through the coordination of legal and other expert services vital to the effective handling of animal cruelty prosecutions, as well as conduct selective, affirmative civil litigation in cases with the potential to effect substantial change in animal protection laws nationwide. The team will also provide legislative analysis and bill drafting expertise to the ASPCA’s Government Relations department.

The Legal Advocacy department will be led by Stacy Wolf, who adds this position to her current role as vice president and chief counsel of the ASPCA’s Humane Law Enforcement department.

Wolf, who was a career public defense attorney before joining the organization’s Legislative Affairs department in 1998, was responsible for spearheading the passage of New York’s felony animal cruelty law, dog shelter law, exotic pets ban, veterinary reporting law, and dangerous dog law.

Ms. Wolf also served as legislative chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Special Committee on Animals and the Law.

“The formation of the Legal Advocacy department is an essential step toward fulfilling the ASPCA’s mission of providing effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States,” said Matt Bershadker, senior vice president of the ASPCA’s Anti-Cruelty Group. “Stacy has a wealth of animal law experience and possesses the necessary tools to implement significant legal change for the benefit of animals.”

Wolf has already appointed two people to the department: Jennifer Chin, who will serve as Legal Advocacy counsel; and Sandy Christiansen, who will serve as director of case development.

“I am thrilled to have Jennifer and Sandy join the ASPCA in this capacity,” said Wolf. “Their exceptional backgrounds are unique, yet complimentary, and both will play a vital role in helping to shape stronger animal welfare laws through the judicial system.”

Chin will provide second chair legal assistance to prosecutors handling animal cruelty cases across the country; assist in affirmative civil litigation cases brought by the department on behalf of the ASPCA; and provide legislative analysis for the ASPCA’s Government Relations department. Chin comes to the ASPCA from the United States Attorney’s Office in Newark, N.J., where she served as Assistant United States Attorney since 2008 specializing in criminal appellate work. She worked on complex civil litigation at two private law firms prior to her time at the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Christiansen will focus on affirmative outreach to identify and develop potential litigation opportunities; working with prosecutors and investigators on Legal Advocacy cases; and conducting legal research and legislative analysis. Prior to joining the ASPCA, Christiansen was the president and CEO of the Spartanburg Humane Society in Spartanburg, S.C. since 2005. In this role, he was responsible for supervising a staff of 41 employees and helping to grow such programs as humane education, anti-cruelty initiatives, behavior and training, and animal transport. During his 19 years working for the welfare of animals, Christiansen has also gained extensive experience in conducting cruelty and animal fighting investigations.

The Legal Advocacy department is part of the ASPCA’s Anti-Cruelty Group, which is also comprised of Humane Law Enforcement, Field Investigations and Response, Anti-Cruelty Behavior, Strategy and Campaigns, Forensic Sciences, and Anti-Cruelty Projects.

About the ASPCA®

Founded in 1866, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) is the first humane organization established in the Americas and serves as the nation’s leading voice for animal welfare. One million supporters strong, the ASPCA’s mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, the ASPCA is a national leader in the areas of anti-cruelty, community outreach and animal health services. The ASPCA, which is headquartered in New York City, offers a wide range of programs, including a mobile clinic outreach initiative, its own humane law enforcement team, and a groundbreaking veterinary forensics team and mobile animal CSI unit. For more information, please visit www.aspca.org.

To become a fan of the ASPCA on Facebook, go to http://www.facebook.com/aspca. To follow the ASPCA on Twitter, go to http://www.twitter.com/aspca.

What if saving a pet’s life was as easy as visiting your Facebook profile or posting something to it…?

A new, unique, online Facebook application – Share a Pic, Save a Pet allows you to help save the lives of the nearly 8 million homeless pets in the U.S. today to drive public awareness and increase adoptions through social media!

Thousands of healthy, loving pets are in need of adoption right now, and you can help!

How?

Donate your Facebook page to a four-legged friend finding a forever home with Share a Pic, Save a Pet.

It’s quite fun to play around, test it out, and share these guys on your profile – you never know who may be looking or who may be wanting to adopt.

Created by non-profit PetSmart Charities and powered by Adopt-A-Pet.com, the first-of-its-kind Facebook application transforms individual profiles to alert your friends, family and followers about adoptable pets in your own community that need lifelong, loving homes, giving Facebook users an exclusive way to ‘donate’ their profile to showcase homeless pets in the community.

How to Use Share a Pic, Save a Pet

1. Go to http://apps.facebook.com/shareapic-saveapet/

2. Input your ZIP code.

3. Select up to 10 adoptable dogs or cats to showcase on your profile by breed, color, size and gender.

4. Adopt-a-Pet.com’s nationwide shelter database enables the application to populate your Facebook profile with photos of local pets available for adoption and links to local animal-welfare organizations where the pets available for adoption. These pictures are shared directly to your Friends’ news feeds and on your Facebook timeline!

We tried it on our personal Facebook page and its fun and functional both – your friends will catch on in no time and undoubtedly be doing the same.

Just imagine the lives we could save if everyone puts up ten pets every day for one month?!?

So check out Adopt-A-Pet.com’s Share a Pic, Save a Pet now – and get to sharing!

Hairballs: The Inherent, Ever-Interesting Absurdity.

Your cat wakes you up in the middle of the night retching, perhaps mid-vomit or gag.  What the hell was he doing you ask?  As you fully awake the next day, realizing you weren’t dreaming, unfortunately, you see the answer; a wet hairy gross remnant of his midnight madness, the infamous hairball.

Most cat-owners know by now that hairballs are just common for cats (if you don’t – you do now); they also know that they’re surely an inconvenience for the owners who is now questioning what they just stepped right on… or right in…. or carefully around…

Often new and even some old-hat cat owners turn to our good friend Google, feverishly searching “hairballs,” “long haired cat hairballs,” or even “hairball cat” (yes “hairball cat” gets nearly 15k searches in Google a month!) and the like, seeking answers on fixing this sticky-icky pasty problem.

Fortunately, today, April 27^th, 2012 is National Hairball Awareness Day — and Hill’s wants to help us all increase awareness about this all too common condition.

Hill’s, as you might not know, has foods focused around helping cat owners overcome the difficulty of hairballs. But they also have a plethora of other to offer for National Hairball Awareness Month! More on these things in a minute…

AND WE HAVE A HILL’S HAIRBALL CONTROL BAG of FOOD GIVEAWAY FOR TEN LUCKY READERS TO TOO! (See bottom of post)

First, a few things to point out.

Hill’s offered me these interesting points/facts about cats and hairballs:

• Hairballs are normal for cats – particularly those who have trouble moving hair down the GI tract.
• Cats ingest quite a bit of hair because their tongues are covered in tiny barbs (papillae) that act like brushes when they clean.
• This hair builds up in their system until it is expelled, which is when the owner finds it. May I add that this is usually by hearing it come up or by finding it next to their pillow (ahem, Sasha).
• Indoor cats that get bored may groom themselves more often which can result in morehairballs. (Ahem Tater.)
  

  Kitty Bath {Flickr}

• Hairball activity can be more active in the spring and fall- when shedding is at its peak. (Ahem, Maxwell…)
• Brushing your cat helps remove excess fur, and decrease hairballs: brushing once a day may be often enough for long haired cats, 1-3 times a week for short haired cats.
• When a hairball occurs, hair often does not come up alone; any food in your cat’s system may come up too, causing an even bigger mess. (Many of you have probably realized this “engrossing” [get it?] fact on your own, but thanks Hill’s – we love you.)

Most cats spend up to 30% of their time grooming themselves and in the process up to 2/3 of what a cat sheds can be ingested.  Even though it’s a natural part of your cat’s life, there are still plenty of ways to help minimize hairballs.

Sasha Bathing! LOL

The first way to combat the “hairball battle” is to get in the habit of grooming your kitty daily.  This will remove a majority of the excess fur so what they do ingest will pass through with no problem.

The second is to ensure your cat is eating a food with a perfect balance of fatty acids. Fatty acids are the fundamental building blocks for healthy skin and coat. HILL’S HAS MANY IDEAL FOODS TO TACKLE THIS – I AM GIVING SOME AWAY (see bottom).

With the right nutrition and good grooming habits, your cat can celebrate national hairball day free of the horrible hairball hell we all go through!

Hill’s Specials and Other Fun for Hairball Awareness:

• Hairball Sweepstakes on Hill’s Facebook Page – Monday, April 23 – Friday, May 4, 2012
  • To celebrate National Hairball Awareness Day on April 27, 2012, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, makers of Science Diet® and Prescription Diet® brand pet foods, is giving away terrific prizes between April 23 and May 4^th.
  • Prizes will include a free bag of one of Hill’s® Science Diet® Hairball Control products that can help avoid hairballs in just 30 days and a $20 PETCO gift card.
  • Head over to Hill’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/HillsPetUS to sign up.
  • Deals on ALL Hill’s® Science Diet® Foods for both Dogs and Cats
    • Look for the PETCO banner ad on the Hairball Battle site and click for a $3 coupon good toward any          Hill’s® Science Diet® Hairball Control product.
    • $3 off coupon good on all Science Diet foods for both dogs and cats at http://www.HillsPet.com/UniqueNutrition (Live starting May 1, 2012)
    • Hill’s® Science Diet® and petMD offer cat owners food, nutrition resources and a chance to win $2,500 in pet retailer Gift Cards – see official press release below.  http://www.petmd.com/cat/mybowl
    • Additional Special Offers from Hill’s http://www.hillspet.com/products/products-special-offers.html
    • 30 Days of Hairball Tips starting Monday, April 23 – Wednesday, May 23, 2012
      • Join the fun and ask your readers to submit their own tips for “battling hairballs”! This is sure to be fun and entertaining…and educational for your readers.
      • Here’s a link to our Facebook polling our readers to tell us about their experience and what works for them. http://www.facebook.com/223700263326/posts/10150944999263327

*** Don’t forget to play the funny-as-hell Hill’s Hairball Battle Game on Facebook and invite friends! You can choose from characters like Mattie, Shaggy, Hack, Knotty and Harry and throw furballs at your friends! Hee Hee!

Hairball Battle Creatures!

** AND ENTER THE “HILL’S HAIRBALL HELL HAIRBALL CONTROL FOOD GIVEAWAY” on ThoughtsFurPaws.com RIGHT NOW!

Send me a picture of your kitty pre- and post-brush, OR leave a comment HERE OR on the THOUGHTSFURPAWS FACEBOOK PAGE on why you should get one of TEN BAGS of HILL’S HAIRBALL CONTROL (and there may even be MORE WINNERS!!! It’s a surprise!) ThoughtsFurPaws.com admins, of course, are throwing in kitty toys to this giveaway, so be sure you send your photos to thoughtsfurpaws@gmail.com or leave a story/comment here on on our Facebook page.

As I said before, did you know that an average cat will consume over 173 grams of hair a year?

You can help stop this madness – stop the coughing…, the near-choking…, the lovely hair-filled vomit-like residue that comes up, and that horrible gut-wrenching noise that our kittehs make when they are going through such ill norms of kitty-cat life…

…How?

Amy Smart with REAL Cat Hair!

FURMINATE YOUR CAT!

And celebrate National Hairball Awareness Day with me today and take an oath to regularly brush Fluffy and Muffy.

To celebrate today, I made Amy Smart (the actress) out of cat hair for a group contest (I lost but it’s okay b/c it goes to show how much hair comes off one cat in one SWIPE…) See picture to right of Amy Smart…

I also used her because I got to meet her at an ASPCA event  – see picture to left…

Amy Smart and I at ASPCA Event

Furminator teamed up with a bunch of pet bloggers this year to raise awareness of the importance of brushing your cats. And before I share my story or picture, I want to let you know

I’m GIVING AWAY ONE MEDIUM-SIZED CAT FURMINATOR in honor of today!

How do you win?

Well tell me your cat’s craziest, zaniest hairball story; or submit a pic of the most hair you can get off of him OR a pic of what a hairy mess he currently is to thoughtsfurpaws@gmail.com (I promise the Furminator will increase that amount of hair…).

Contest runs through NEXT FRIDAY ONLY and entries won’t be accepted after 6 pm EST. ThoughtsFurPaws.com Admins will announce the winner next Friday night around 9 pm EST, maybe a bit earlier! So send us your fur pictures or a picture of the furry mess your cat is in – whatever you think is best. We want to see some cat hair people!!

So anyhow, I ran my own little test with the Furminator tool.

** It increased the hair that I got off Maxwell in one day by half (versus just a joe-average-cat brush bought at PetSmart for $4.99).

Maxwell’s undercoat was coming out with the Furminator, which didn’t happen with the regular brush, and his little behind was SO SO soft after I finished brushing him (which took an hour thank you very much because he kept wanting to bite the tool, or my hand. Finally I subdued him with his Pickle-Tickle toy, which we got courtesy Gracey the Tiniest Tiger – Thanks Grace!)

(Gracey also told us that the #1 condition reported by 35 percent of cat-owning households is hairballs!)

Anyhow, you really gotta see it to believe it so I challenge all of you to purchase your own Furminator.

YOUR CAT WILL LOVE YOU FOR IT.

They are so much lighter, airier, and they breathe easier knowing they’re shedding less and looking better, too!

I swear Mad Maxwell was swaggering around here like a damn cougar after he got brushed – showing off his handsome new self… (even though he almost took my hand off at one point- he LOVED the end result).

Do you know what Maxwell does NOW when he sees the Furminator? He starts his motor up – loud.

And he rubs his face against it and sometimes will start the brushing session FOR me.

Enter the Furminator Giveaway at ThoughtsFurPaws@gmail.com! And don’t forget to brush your kitty to save him from swallowing that unsavory stuff!

The month of April brings lots of fun stuff from Hill’s!

Did you know that National Hairball Awareness Day is…uh hum, “coming up” on April 27???

It’s sure to not only be informational but lots of fun!

Hill’s will be featuring the Hairball Battle Game on their Facebook page, there will be a video that talks about the amount of hair your cat consumes just grooming itself (starring Roady, a Hill’s’ employee kitty) and more!

Enter now online for your chance to win a gift basket for your special cat. **Gift basket will include a free bag of Hill’s® Science Diet® Hairball Control cat food and a $20 Petco gift card!

Roady the Hill's Hairball Spokescat!

Roady is here to help me tell everyone about the amount of cat hair he (as an average cat – albeit, he’s NOT average wink wink) will consume over a year’s time simply grooming himself.

Did you know an average cat will actually consume 173 grams of hair over a year???!!!

Take a peek at the video to see just how much cat hair that is!

Remember to play the Hairball Battle Game and Happy Hairball Awareness Month!

Also, stay tuned on ThoughtsFurPaws for a Hill’s Science Diet pet food giveaway!

In two days, I will be announcing the Hill’s pet food giveaway contest!

It’s SHOW YOUR DIVA DAY in honor of a very beloved, very cute, very loving, and much missed kitty…. Sweet Praline.

In the words of her owner:

“Sweet Praline was a part of my life for almost 16 years and she helped me through a divorce, earning a Ph.D., losing a job, 13 surgeries, and helped me smile every day. It would be so easy to try and reminisce about that day one year ago, but I want to celebrate her life.”

So instead of crying and sobbing and carrying on… the mother of Sweet Praline (who, by the way, is just as sweet as her late cat), is hosting Show Your Diva Day.

Here are some pics to celebrate! WE MISS YOU SWEET PRALINE!