A Nightmare Moment Down the Street

I was driving to work one Friday morning two weeks ago, and only yards from my house on my own street I felt a bump under my car. I froze and looked in my rear view mirror to see an orange cat flailing in the road behind me. It quickly ran across the street into a neighbor’s yard, and a nauseous feeling swelled in my stomach. 

A cat had literally ran underneath my car—I didn’t see it and I didn’t even have time react and try to slow down, much less avoid it. Luckily I wasn’t going very fast, since it’s a narrow residential road, but I immediately felt tears well up in my eyes because I didn’t know if the cat was okay or not. A million things were running through my mind. Where is the cat now? Oh, no, I hope I can find it! What vet will I take it to? It's Friday, so our staff vet and vet techs wouldn’t be at work that day so I’d have to see if a local vet would help me. Who does the cat belong to? I work at a humane society and commit every day to helping animals—how could I, of all people, have just hit a cat?!

I stopped my car on the street and jumped out to try to find the cat. Two ladies were on their morning walks close by, so I asked if they’d seen where the cat went. One didn't respond and walked away unphased, while the other showed me where she saw it. She frustrated me because she didn’t seem to think it was that big of a deal to find it, which made me angry. She said, “You’re so sweet--I can’t believe you actually stopped!” I thought, who wouldn’t stop? But I also knew the answer to that. Not everyone feels as passionate about the well-being of animals, nor would some people know what to do if they did stop.

The Little Things that Make Us Smile, Again and Again and...

Helping me prepare for a presentation last year.

One of the volunteers at my workplace wrote a great story about his recent volunteer experience, and it made me realize how much I’ve been neglecting my own blog! I love my job and helping animals in various ways at work, but sometimes I overlook the little experiences that I can write about in my personal “animal life” that captures the very reason why I devote the majority of my professional and volunteer life to helping animals who aren’t as fortunate as those in loving homes (yet!).

Just as I sat down and started writing this, Cleo (one of my two cats) got in my lap between me and my laptop and forced me to take an early break while she made biscuits. Now she’s just sitting up against my side, content while I type. I love the little funny, cute moments every day like this that make me stop and smile. I definitely won’t be allowed to forget to spend time with either of my cats each day, because I wouldn’t want to but also because they wouldn’t dare let me! Let me take you through a typical day in my life with two cats (my boyfriend is pretty darn great too, but unfortunately for him, my blog isn’t about boyfriends):

You'd believe how beautiful her eyes are by her photos...

When my alarm goes off in the morning, I tend to snooze a couple times before I actually get up. But it’s easy not to sleep through the snoozes, because as soon as the first alarm goes off, Cleo is chirping at me and takes her position on my chest laying facing me until I pet her for a bit and then get up. If I’m too sleepy and don’t pet her quickly enough, she head butts my hands and pets herself until I get the point. I am then followed to the bathroom where I start getting ready for the day, and she stays by my side during my whole morning routine (we have it all down to a science without realizing it). She even lays in front of the tub while I shower, which I’m pretty sure isn’t typical of cat behavior.  Stormy stays sitting close by, staring at me with her big green eyes and using her loud raspy meow to get my attention, making sure that I don’t forget to feed them while I am getting my own lunch ready for the day.  Once I start making my lunch, Cleo takes her cue and jumps up on the table by the window and sits patiently waiting for me to open the blinds so she can assess the morning happenings in our back yard. When I leave to go to work, I can usually look up as I drive away and watch her seeing me off for the day. I’m so used to my morning cat routine that sometimes I forget how cute it really is, but I definitely get a few smiles in from them before going to work.

Reasons to Adopt Adult Shelter Pets

I stumbled upon this while doing some research on adoption events at work yesterday. It's the PetExpo's top 10 reasons to adopt an adult shelter dog, and most of them can transition to be reasons to adopt an adult shelter cat, as well. (I've combined some of them that are similarly themed). I always support adopting based on the pet, rather than the pet's age!:

1. Adopting an adult dog means that they can wait much longer to go potty during the day, so there's less chance of accidents while you're away at work. Also, most adoptable dogs are potty-trained, either by the rescue, foster parent or previous owners.

2. You don't have to go through the puppy stage where there will be lots of chewing... on whatever they can get their mouths on! You also won't have to worry about the chewing phase affecting your human kids, as puppies tend to be more mouthy with their playing (while they learn not to be). Most adult dogs will have outgrown these pesky puppy habits.

3. Puppies can be demanding during all hours of the night, but adult dogs will generally sleep through the night. They can also have lots of work waiting for you in the form of messes when you come home, which most adult dogs will spare you of.

Article: Mind Readers

A coworker recently shared this newspaper clipping with me at a meeting:

"A British researcher has confirmed what pet owners have long suspected--that animals can actually sense when their masters are coming home. Rupert Sheldrake, former director of cell biochemistry at Cambridge University, reported that 46 percent of the dogs he studied began preparing for their owners' return up to an hour before they got home, even if they worked odd shifts.

The animals usually became agitated and went to the window to watch for their owners' return. Some cats and other pets showed similar psychic bonds with their masters, said Sheldrake, who collected 1,500 case studies from around the world. One myna bird would begin shouting, 'Robbie's coming home,' when its owner was returning from a trip."
This article is from September 6, 1996 (newspaper and author unknown). 

Many of us can relate to our pets greeting us when we get home as if they knew we were on our way, whether it be from the sounds of our cars or a psychic feeling as this article suggests. One of my cats greets me at the door most days (unless she's soaking up some serious sun or in a deep catnap), but she doesn't go to the door when neighbors come in the house. Maybe it's the way I walk up to the door or the specific sound of my keys jingling--I'll never know! But it's definitely always a nice feeling to be greeted by a furry friend after a long day.

I Found a Stray… Now What?

It’s happened to too many of us—we come across a stray animal clearly in need of a new home, scoop it up, and take it home to decide the next step. But then what? Below are some ideas that you can share with friends and family who will inevitably face the same scenario. Unfortunately, there’s no quick fix for these situations, but there are definitely some things you can do with a little effort to find your stray a new forever home!

Is it really a stray?

The first step is to decide whether the animal you’ve found is truly a stray or if it’s just been lost by its owner. Check to see if it’s wearing a collar and if the collar has tags with contact information. If it’s not wearing a collar, it may be microchipped. A quick visit to a veterinarian office or animal shelter will connect you with someone who can scan the animal for a microchip, and provide you with information to contact the owner if it does indeed have a chip.

It’s a good idea to post “found pet” flyers in your area and to post a found listing on petfinder.com, craigslist.com, and/or online newspaper classifieds. You can also call local animal shelters and report a missing pet, which they will put on file in case the owner contacts them and to check for a match in their missing pet files. Put yourself in the position of your pet getting loose and not being able to find it or know whether it’s safe or not—you would want to check around and hope that someone made some effort to help reunite you. This is not always the case, especially when an overly-neglected animal is found, but it’s just good practice to try. 

*A note about posting found flyers: Sadly not all people have the best of intentions and use found posters to go pet-shopping. I suggest only putting general details about the animal. If someone calls about the posting, ask them to provide you with distinguishing markers or behavioral characteristics to be sure it’s really their lost pet. I would also ask for a photo to compare.

Stormy: The stray who meowed at our door in 2010.

Provide medical treatment and grooming

Ok, so you’re convinced the animal is a stray. How is its medical condition? If it’s in your financial power, I suggest taking it to the vet for a checkup and vaccinations. If the animal isn’t spayed or neutered, go ahead and get that done as well. You want to find the animal a new home in the best condition possible, and having it checked is going to help you find it a home much faster. And spaying/neutering it will ensure that the number of stray animals in your area will decrease.

It’s also smart to take it to the vet if you have other animals. It may have parasites or other treatable but contagious medical condition that could be spread to your pets.

*There are many low-cost spay/neuter programs that also offer low-cost vaccines. Contact your local animal rescues to find out where the nearest low-cost spay/neuter center is located. Some vets and groomers will also give a rescue discount for cases such as these.

Grooming the animal will make it clean while it’s in your care and will make it much more appealing to potential adopters. Give it a bath, clean its ears, clip its nails, and give it a good brushing. You may need help with this from a groomer, depending on the animal’s temperament and your own grooming experience.

Steps to finding a forever home

If you can’t keep the animal as your own pet for whatever reason, you’ve got to get out there and find it a new home. This is the hard part, but it can be done—just be patient!

Steve Schuman Art: Pet Portraits

While walking through shops in Savannah's City Market this past weekend, I came across an artist in one of the shops who I fell in love with. His wonderfully quirky wife (wearing huge rhinestone cat earrings) told me and my boyfriend all about her husband's work. Steve Schuman uses only oil paints to create incredibly colorful pet portraits, among other subjects and media. All of his artwork available in the A.T. Hun Art Gallery are of his own pets or pets of family, extending into the hundreds! The mascot of Schuman's section of the gallery is Rocky, whose large portrait hangs above the other artwork.


Schuman's lithograph prints are available in the A.T. Hun Gallery or online for $60, and the paintings run from a couple hundred dollars into the thousands. I believe custom pet portraits are also available upon request.

Please visit Steve Schuman's website to see more of his fabulous pet portraits and other artwork--you will not be disappointed!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! What a beautiful day to celebrate our wonderful moms!

Here are a just few fun ways to celebrate moms who have pet "children" today:

• In addition to a paper card (or to substitute a paper card and save a tree), many animal-related organizations offer cute holiday e-cards, such as the World Wildlife Fund. 
• Give a card to your pet parents from the pets, signed with their names and paw prints.
• Make a paw print ceramic tile for the garden or to hang on the wall. You can usually find these kits at any crafts store. (Be sure to clean the pets' paws immediately after so they don't ingest any of the materials.)
• Create a certificate for the "Best Pet Mom of the Year" along with coupons from you for 5 pet-sitting days (very useful for vacation-time planning!).
• A cat or dog (or other animal species) necklace, bracelet, or keychain is a great gift for the pet mom, such as ones available in the HSUS online store.
• Make a donation to your pet mom's favorite animal-related organization in her name.
• And of course, flowers always brighten the day!

Is Your Pet Prepared?

It’s springtime now and we’re seeing more natural disasters in the news, like the storms, tornadoes, and flooding in the South today. We take time to prepare ourselves for emergency situations, like stocking up on food, water, and flashlights, but is your pet prepared too?

A “disaster” doesn’t necessarily mean just a huge event—you should be prepared for events that you may not normally think about when you hear this word, such as power outages, ice storms, tornadoes, fires, and other natural or man-made emergency situations.

Remember to never leave your pets behind in an emergency situation, even if you think it’ll only be for a short time. Things can change quickly in a disaster and you want your pets with you at all times in case something unexpected happens.

Your pet disaster kit should include:

1.      At least one week’s supply of food and water for each pet, including separate bowls for food and water. Rotate the food and water every few months to ensure their freshness. If your pet eats canned food, be sure to include a can-opener if you don’t use pop-top cans.

2.      A collar, identification tag, and leash for each pet. Also, make sure each of your pets is micro-chipped--it’s an extra precaution to prove that your pet belongs to you if you become separated or if your pet’s collar or tag comes off. (It’s a good idea to have you pets micro-chipped and wear collars with tags on a regular basis in case they get lost.)

3.       A carrier or crate for each pet. Try to get your pets comfortable with their carriers and crates so that getting them out of the house quickly, if necessary, doesn’t become a problem in a hectic situation. Include a blanket or bedding in each crate for comfort and warmth, as well.

4.      Medications and treatments (if applicable), a pet first aid kit, and medical records/documentation in a waterproof container. Keep copies of updated medical records, including rabies certificates, to prove that your animal is up-to-date and to prove that it’s taking any medications that may need to be refilled. If you need to stay in a pet-friendly temporary shelter, you will need likely to prove that your pets are up-to-date on vaccinations. This documentation can also be proof of ownership.

5.      Photos of your pets and photos of you with your pets. If you get separated from your pets, you should be able to prove not only that it’s the same animal in your photo but that you are indeed the owner. Also, be sure the photo of each pet shows the entire animal and any unique features that will help identify an animal, especially those that can easily be confused (like a black cat or yellow lab). Including more than one photo with your records is a good idea, and be sure to update photos if your pet is very young.