Score one for the cats!

Here's today's story, from Associated Press.

KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) — The famed six-toed cats at Ernest Hemingway’s island home aren’t going anywhere.

The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum announced Thursday it reached an agreement with the federal government that lets the 50 or so cats continue roaming the grounds, ending a five-year battle that could have resulted in them being removed or caged.

The cats descend from a cat named “Snowball” given to the novelist in 1935 and freely wander the grounds of the Spanish colonial house. All the cats carry the gene for six toes, but not all show the trait.

The home is where the Nobel prize-winning author wrote “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “To Have and Have Not” and is one of the most popular visitor attractions in the Florida Keys.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the agreement. It had threatened to fine the museum $200 per day per cat — about $10,000 — saying it didn’t have the proper animal exhibition license and couldn’t qualify for one, primarily because the animals weren’t enclosed.

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We all know that cats have an amazing ability to find their way back home. Here is an incredible story of a feline that needed a little human-type help -- but was able to hang on out there on her own for almost a year until she could get back to her family half way across the country.
Photo of Sukie from the family.

From: chicagotribune.com

Long, strange trip for curious cat ends in Brookfield
Suburban woman reunites pet with N.C. family
By Ted Gregory
Chicago Tribune reporter
10:41 PM CDT, August 20, 2008

Sukie the cat has returned to her home in North Carolina, which isn't all that extraordinary, considering she's an indoor-outdoor cat. Except for this: She disappeared in August 2007 and was found a couple of weeks ago 622 miles from home, brushing against the legs of cat lover Tricia Roman in Brookfield.

The mystery of how Sukie ended up in Brookfield remains. Only she and the person who provided her transportation know for sure. One can't talk. The other can't be found.

The best guess is that Sukie, a black-and-white feline of about 8 pounds and far too friendly a disposition, was scooped up and spirited away last August while meandering around the neighborhood in Carrboro, N.C.

The next reported Sukie sighting was Aug. 5 by Roman as she stood in front of her house, scanning for damage from storms a night earlier.

"I look to my right, and there is this little cat sitting on my next-door neighbor's steps," Roman said. "I gave it a little whistle and she came to me."

Sukie, in fine health, flopped on her side and sprawled at Roman's feet. She ate the food Roman put out for her. Then Roman had to leave for her job as a legal assistant in Lisle.

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Guest blogging today is Kavita Varma-White, Sun-Sentinel assistant Lifestyle editor.

Update: Yesterday we heard about 18-year-old Bubba pending crosscountry journey from Fort Lauderdale to Seattle. Read it here.

I am sad to report that... Bubba has made it to Seattle!

Just kidding. In fact I don't think I've loved that cat more than I do today. (Could be because he is now 3,000 miles away.) He proved to be the trooper we knew he would be.

The kids and I took Brian and Bubba to Fort Lauderdale airport, where Brian checked in without incident. The airline didn't even ask for the required pet certificate he had paid the vet $75 to get. Our big concern was getting Bubba through security, as we were worried that he wouldn't come out of his softpack carrier without a (cat) fight.

With the security line pretty empty, Brian talked to a helpful TSA employee. "He's a mean cat and probably won't come out of the bag. Should I just put him through the x-ray machine?"
"You have to get him out of the bag," the TSA employee said, "Or you won't have a cat anymore." (Here I pause to wonder about all the times I have put food in my bags which are x-rayed; and then I give the food to my kids to eat.)

They led them to a side room that was quieter than the terminal, and Brian was able to extract Bubba, who shielded himself by keeping his head hidden in Brian's armpit. The bag was scanned and Bubba went back in. In was on to 'Catlanta', where fortunately the layover was short. Brian said Bubba seemed to prefer the airplane journey to the chaos of the terminal. Other than some soft meowing when they were about an hour from Seattle, he was quiet.

Once at the new house, Brian set up the litter box and Bubba went immediately. Considering he's 18, you've gotta acknowledge his impressive kidney function! He ate his food, drank water and proceeded to inspect every inch of the house. Apparently he slept on a perch in the master bedroom, where he had full view of Brian and the windows, where a gentle rain fell.

Welcome to the Pacific Northwest, Bubba.

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Guest blogging today is Kavita Varma-White, Sun-Sentinel assistant Lifestyle editor.

We are in the process of moving across the country.

I call it a process because it has become a four-month odyssey, that started with my husband Brian leaving for a new job in mid-February. My kids and I are to join him later this summer.

Today, God, the FAA and the TSA willing, our 18-year-old cat Bubba is flying in coach class from Fort Lauderdale to Seattle.

Let me correct that. It's not really "our" cat. It is Brian's cat, who predates my 15-year-long relationship with my husband. That cat has hated me since day One. His demeanor toward me has always been one of indifference on good days, outright meanness (isn't hissing mean?) on most days. When my kids came along, they were treated the same way, even though they (unlike me) always wanted to just love and pet him.

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Because South Florida is home to so many gorgeous pets, we'll occasionally post photos of some of our favorites. Meet Jazz Siambalirags who lives in Oakland Park.

Jazz is a one-year-old purebred Ragdoll. Her coat pattern is called Seal Tortoise - Mitted. Her mother was Seal (dark brown) and her father was Flame (orange). She will continue to get darker mottled colors, but her Mitted feet will always be white.

She's shown here with her collection of jazz recordings.

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Got so caught up in the Oakland Park barking dog case yesterday that some serious global animal news slipped by me…
Japan has named Hello Kitty to an ambassador post!

That cute little be-bowed kitten's iconic face is well-known to us stateside, as it's stamped on lunch boxes, kid's clothing and all sorts of stuff made overseas -- where most of our kids' toys come from. Ms. Kitty's new role, however, will be to say hello to tourists from neaby China and Hong Kong.

The girl even has a new multi-million dollar musical in the works: "Hello Kitty's Dream Light Fantasy," due to tour the US over the next three years. And you thought it was tough to get your kid a ticket to Hannah Montana.

Here's the AP story, plus a photo of Mademoiselle Ambasador looking pretty in pink. Next stop: the U.N.

HELLO KITTY NAMED JAPAN’S TOURISM AMBASSADOR
From Associated Press
May 19, 2008

TOKYO - Hello Kitty, Japan's ubiquitous ambassador of cute, has built up an impressive resume over the years. Global marketing phenom. Fashion diva. Pop culture icon.
Now the moonfaced feline can add "government envoy" to the list.

Japan's tourism ministry on Monday named Hello Kitty as its choice to represent the country in China and Hong Kong, two places where she is wildly popular among kids and young women.

Officials hope tapping into that fan base will lead to a bigger flow of tourists into Japan and push the country closer to the goal of attracting 10 million overseas visitors every year under the "Visit Japan" campaign.

Last year the number of foreign tourists traveling to Japan hit a record high of 8.35 million, up 60 percent since the government began the marketing effort in 2003.

Arrivals from China and Hong Kong, who accounted for 16.5 percent of visitors to Japan last year, are poised this year to become the second-largest group of tourists after South Koreans.

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Happy Friday!

No cutie pie calendar kitties for me! I like my cats, well, catty. Which is why I LOVE this thing by Corey "Mr. Safety" Williams, a Los Angeles-area independent video producer inspired by his newly adopted cat. It's a paean to all things feline: Watch Sparta drink out of the toliet, stalk Corey through the halls of their apartment, and practically unhinge his jaw, like a python, trying to stick Corey's entire hand inside his mouth.

Oh, and the song is a total head spin.
"Hey Little Sparta, what's with all the fight?
Little bitty kitty wanna bite, bite, bite."

Keep reading for the surprising back story about Sparta.

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This very touching story, from the Orlando Sentinel's Animal Crazy blog, definitely is worth sharing. What an amazing coincidence that these two lives intersected at exactly the right time.

ORLANDO COUPLE SAVE KITTEN

The already hectic household of Orlando artists Peter and Kathy Forster gotten even more hectic in April when they took in a kitten that would have surely perished without their intervention.

Peter Forster was visiting a paint-supply store when an employee pointed to "some type of wretched creature that looked as if it had just been run over" next to Forsters' car.

He described it as "no longer than my thumb, unidentifiable because of the black substance covering it. It lay sprawled out on the blacktop, bloody and not able to move .. .. . When I picked it up, I discovered it was a newborn kitten, just minutes old."

He rushed to an animal shelter, where he was told the kitten would have to be put down and would not even make it to his home. Undaunted, Forster got some Pedialyte and soy milk and built a homemade incubator. He and his wife began the grueling process of playing surrogate mama. They must get up several times a night to feed their baby. The other day brought a scare.

"I went to wake him for his 1 a.m. feeding and he wouldn't wake," Forster reports. "Then I rolled him over and he flopped as though he died. I picked him up and he was limp like a dead kitten would be. Kathy and I were both frantic. We massaged him and he came back to life."

Forster reports the kitten is now in good health and parasite-free. They named him Trishna, translated roughly to "clinging" as Buddha's second noble truth because "he clung onto our clothes and life." The Forsters have no regrets about the expense and lost sleep.

"There is a special communication you get with a little guy like this," Peter writes "The biggest reward is the way we look into each other's eyes."

Eyes that just opened recently for the first time.

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From the folks at Petlane come 9 myths about cats.

1. Fat cats are not more prone to getting diabetes.
TRUTH: Although any cat may contract diabetes, fat cats are more susceptible to contracting this disease.

2. Cats cannot be trained to scratch on appropriate scratching surfaces.
TRUTH: There are some great products and methods to help keep a cat away from particular surfaces. With patience, most of the time a cat can be trained away from scratching an unwanted surface.

3. Physical punishment is a good way to teach a cat to behave.
TRUTH: Cats do not respond to physical punishment at all. They will not associate a behavior with punishment. They will, however, associate you with something bad. Some cats will respond to treats as positive reinforcement.

4. Senior cats do not like to play.
TRUTH: Older cats appreciate play time just as much as younger cats. They may not react as energetically, but they do enjoy it and need it.

5. The belief that indoor cats do not get bored.
TRUTH: Indoor cats do not receive the stimulation their indoor/outdoor counterparts do. They are much more reliant on their human companions for stimulation through play. Playing with your cat for short bursts about 10 minutes at a time several times a day will make your companion a happier, healthier and more social being.

6. Declawing is just like trimming a cat's nails.
TRUTH: Declawing is nothing like trimming a cat's nails. Declawing is not a "simple," single surgery, but rather 10 separate amputations of the third phalanx up to the last joint of each toe. A graphic comparison in human terms would be the cutting off of a person's finger at the last joint of each finger. Although most cats do survive this procedure unharmed, there are some very serious side effects that can occur and be permanent.

7. A house does not need to be cat-proofed.
TRUTH: Cats will explore every nook and cranny of their home. If you have fragile items a cat might break keep them out of reach. Also be aware of any plants you may have that could be poisionous. Cats do like to munch on plants from time to time.

8. All cats are alike, so it doesn't matter what type of cat we get.
TRUTH: No two cats are alike. It is important you understand the basic traits of any particular breed before acquiring a cat. Some cats are cuddly, some independent, some actually a bit more like a dog. Within a breed, each cat has his or her own special behavior. Be sure to spend some quality time with your cat or kitten before you decide to adopt it.

9. Cats don't use their litter boxes because they are angry.
TRUTH: 99 per cent of the time when a cat doesn't use his or her litter box, it is because the litter is dirty, it is the wrong kind of litter or the cat is ill. Checking with the Vet right away is the safest course of action.

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SSS! regular TJ asked earlier this week: Is pet loss and grief to heavy a topic for blogging?

"Not an upbeat subject but an important one," she wrote. "So many people think they aren’t allowed to grieve the death of their pets, and are so desperate for understanding during this tough time.”

I agree completely. TJ also packed so much information and good links into her note that I am going to put it out over several posts.

First, here's Animals in Our Heart, a Web site sponsored by Teresa Wagner, a pet loss support counselor. Wagner does seminars and consultations but also has some free articles online. “It talks about spiritual connections between humans and animals, pet grief and support,” TJ wrote. "If you visit the site, turn on your speakers, because the music on the homepage is BEAUTIFUL. It’s by Richard Shulman, a great musician.”

The site also has pet bereavement cards, books on pet loss -- and these incredibly cool pet prayer flags. I plan to buy a string for my backyard, where Sputnik and Cinnamon lay side by side. I miss you guys but will remember you always.

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Oreo McCain from Bideawee.org

Still wondering whether the vote you cast in the Jan. 29 presidential primary will ever count? You have another chance.

Bideawee, one of the oldest humane organizations, offers an opportunity to vote for First Pet.

Should the White House be occupied by feline Oreo McCain? Or canine Seamus Clinton? Or, a dog to be acquired later by Barack Obama?

Help decide who will succeed Barney and Mrs. Beasley.
Let your Pet Choice be heard!

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