Franny's Cats Blog

Puck, pictured here, suffered the latter fate. Although her owners left food outdoors for her, the crows quite often helped themselves and left little for her. By the time Leona entered her life, in Leona's words,

She was an angry, unhappy, and confused cat -- alternately purring (for the food) then hissing and scratching and being a general "piss ant" as my sister used to say.

Obviously there’s no time to organise an event but there are lots of things you can do to mark the day that take no planning. Here are just a few ideas which will make a difference and can be achieved very easily: play with your pets; make a donation to your favourite animal charity; walk an elderly neighbours dog; donate some food or volunteer at a local shelter; sponsor an animal; make a pledge for World Animal Day (see menu bar left) or send your friends and family a World Animal Day E-Card to raise awareness of World Animal Day (link below).

Sadie is beautiful, in the unique ways that black cats have. Her eyes are lustrous and her black coat is shining with health. Rachel's devotion to Sadie is evident in every word she wrote. Sadie's photo will also appear in the 2008 Black Cats Picture Gallery

My cat of the week photos are selected from general photo submittals. Although October is devoted to black cats, all cat photos may be submitted any time of the year. The acceptance will depend on two factors:

1. They must be of an acceptable quality and size.
2. They must be accompanied by ALL the information requested in the Photo Submittal Guidelines.

   More 2008 Cat Pictures of the Week.

I have a question about the microchip since I am considering doing this for my cats. If she was microchipped the owner’s name was surely listed even if the address was out of date. Couldn’t the new people living at the address pass on info such as the landlord or realtor to the vet’s office to find them? Or perhaps a google search for them? It just seems odd that in this day of technology an out of date address would prevent the kitty from being reunited with her people. I ask these things because I want to determine if the microchip service is worth the money. I would be devastated to lose one of my “kids.”

To answer your question more succinctly, "No, a microchip isn't worth the cost unless you keep all the information current with the service, including changes of address."

Here's a good example: Dr. Janet Crosby, About.com Veterinary Medicine Guide just posted the story of a dog who was found a year after his disappearance, thanks to his microchip . Of course, had his owners moved in the meantime without notifying the microchip service, this dog might be in the same situation Betsy found herself in.

More on Lost Cats and Microchipping

All Cats Need an Identity
My Cat Ran Away: Finding Lost Cats

I was immediately drawn to Mo's photo - he's a striking tuxedo cat, and frankly, "life on the seas with a cat in a 42' boat was very appealing to me, since at one time my husband and I had considered something similar. Congratulations to Harriet Lewis and her husband and bon voyage to Mo.
_{Photo Credit: © Harriet Lewis}

As always, you may submit your own cat photos by following the Photo Submittal Guidelines.

The Good

Anonymous Ohio cat lovers have enabled the Summit Animal Coalition to establish a mobile veterinary clinic in Lakemore. The $50,000 donation, on top of a $300,000 donation in 2006, have made it possible for hundreds of cats to be spayed or neutered, Since September 2 alone, more than 500 cats have been altered, according to the Ohio.com article. Failure to spay and neuter is the single most cause for the huge crunch in animal shelter overflow, so this project will pay off eventually for the Summit county shelter.

The Bad

Armed with a search warrant, Two SPCA officers, two Delta police officers, and two outside veterinarians visited the Forgotten Felines animal rescue and seized almost 50 cats. Forgotten Felines is apparently a one-person rescue group, and includes the farm home of Penny March, and an enclosed barn. Two kittens deemed beyond hope were euthanized on the site and the 49 seized cats are now receiving veterinary care. Approximately 150 cats remain in the barn, and the SPCA has issued orders to have the remaining cats examined by a vet within 24 hours.

According to the Delta Optimist article, the SPCA will continue to work with March, to help ameliorate this situation. SPCA spokesperson Lorie Chortyk was quoted as saying,

"This is a rescue group... we always want rescue groups to succeed," she said. "We'll continue to work with Forgotten Felines... we have for a number of years, we want them to succeed."

The Truly Ugly

Cat owners in the U.K. fear a copycat killer, as nine cats in Weston-super-Mare have died from anti-freeze poisoning in recent weeks, according to Sky News. Prior to that, 19 cats died the same way in Bridgewater, Summerset. The distance between the two towns leads authorities to suspect a copycat killer.

Customs vary in different parts of the world. In the U.K., it is generally believed that it is cruel to keep cats indoors, while in the U.S., the trend has grown toward keeping cats inside, for their protection, and for the protection of wildlife. At the very least, the only positive spin I can put on this piece of news is a reminder to keep anti-freeze out of the reach of cats (which should be doable if you keep them inside your home.)

_{Odi, the Scholarly Cat
Photo Credit: © Aysenur Eren}

More Wordless Wednesday

About Cats WW Archives
Wordless Wednesday on About.com
Wordless Wednesday Web Site

September is a month of variety in both climate and activities. It is still warm enough for summer activities, while cooler evenings bring a hint of fall. It is a perfect month from celebrating a variety of cat breeds, and we dedicate the September Cats Picture Calendar to photos of a number of pedigreed cats of several breeds. Pictured here is Exotic Shorthair Kitten, Gizmo.
_{Photo Credit: © Melissa Niven}

We'll soon be moving on with Black Cat Month pictures, and I already have a goodly number of submittals. You may submit your own black cat photos using the Photo Submittal Guidelines.

Give your Tonk plenty of activity toys, and work out with them regularly to keep them from being bored. A bored Tonk can be a mischievous Tonk, so if you are gone long hours, you might want to consider two of these splendid cats.
_{Nutmeg, Female Tonk Photo Credit: © Keith Kelly}

More About the Tonkinese Cat

Read the Profile
CFA Breed Profile