THE SCRATCHING POST - Winter, 2004
Art Show: Internet Spam Cats
Issue 17 - By Barbara Stanley home2cats@aol.com
Home2Cats, P. O. Box 752671, Memphis, TN 38175-2671
Do you remember this classic Jumbo Spam Cat?
(Please click on the small picture above to see the BIG picture!)
Mews You Can Use:
Your Cat's Tongue
Your cat’s rough, tough, and muscular tongue serves many functions.
One function is grooming, which many of us have been the recipients of at 3 AM. It’s hard to sleep with wet rough sandpaper being applied to your face! The ‘sandpaper’ texture is the result of a host of knobs called papillae on the surface of your cat’s tongue.
At the tongue’s center the papillae form backward-facing hooks which provide your cat’s tongue with that sandpaper texture. These hooks are an excellent tool that your cat needs for self-grooming and for waking you up at 3 AM. The strength of these hooks also helps your cat hold prey or food.
There are mushroom-shaped papillae at the tip and sides of the tongue and cup shaped papillae located at the back. These two sets of taste buds gives your cat a keener sense of taste than a dog.
Your cat’s tongue not only reacts to the flavor of food but also the texture, temperature and the feel. You have probably noticed all the different shapes and sizes of dry cat food. It’s not all just a cute marketing technique.Most pet food companies have researched to find the shape, size and texture that cats prefer. Being carnivores, our feline friends have a preference for food at room temperature and their sense of taste is geared towards identifying protein and fat.
It’s hard to believe that when your cat sticks its nose up in the air over a particular food, it may not just be taste but the temperature, shape and/or feel of it! I guess that’s why we affectionately refer to them as ‘finicky felines.’
Uh-Oh! These guys were caught in the act!
From The Cat's Clawset:
When In Rome
In Italy it is illegal to put to death a companion animal. Italy is far ahead of the United States in refusing to euthanize healthy dogs and cats.
Also, a Roman law stipulates that cats cannot be displaced from land where they were born. Rome loves cats.
There are approximately 500 cats at the Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary in Rome. These cats roam and bask in the sun on archaeological ruins near the site where Julius Caesar was stabbed to death.
Visitors of the ruins are surprised to see cats resting on top of the columns. The sanctuary benefits from the visitors to the ruins as most do not leave without giving a donation.
Cat Tail's Profile:
By Beth & Dallas SharpName: Kilo
Alias: Key Man (Key to Our Hearts)
Alias: M&M (Mama's Man)
Kilo came into our lives on September 3, 2003. We feed a feral colony and that night when we arrived, Kilo was lying at the food bowls. He was about 4 months old, very hungry, and seemed unable to use his back legs. Our first thought was maybe a broken back or something of that nature.
Since our vet clinic was closed we took him to the Animal Emergency Center. It was determined there were no broken bones so the thoughts were possibly FIP or some type of trauma. We did find that night he weighed in at 2.2 pounds. Since 2.2 is the metric conversion to kilograms, he became Kilo.
We spent the next 2 months trying to make sense of the extreme highs and lows we saw in our Key Man. The extreme lows came to be known as "crashes". When Key Man crashed he became a drooling kitten unable to move himself around.
Dr. Jo Cochran suggested that we visit Dr. Terry Dew who is a Board Certified Master Surgeon. We visited with Dr. Dew feeling that we were surely dealing with some sort of back trauma. We even scheduled an appointment for the following week to have a Myelogram run.
Before we could keep that appointment, Kilo had his worst crash. Not only was he unable to move around but his vision was also gone. We rushed him to the Animal Emergency Center and that Sunday changed everything. The blood work indicated abnormally low liver values.
We then went back to Dr. Dew with that new information. Dr. Dew felt that based on the new information we were dealing with a Porto systemic shunt. This is a rare condition in cats. It's basically a blood vessel that should have closed at birth and doesn’t and subsequently allows toxins to flow into the body system direct rather than direct them to the liver.
Dr. Dew suggested surgery to place an amberoid ring on that vessel to shut it off. The ring closes over a period of 36 hours. The hope was the liver would accept the change.
We could see improvement within 48 hours, but were on pins and needles until we got the confirmation on December 26th that all liver values were back within normal ranges.
We have a healthy, active adolescent with normal vision. Kilo is running, challenging his jumping ability and chasing his brothers and sisters. We believe he is our miracle child. He comes to snuggle every day before we get up. Kilo has the largest kitty motor we've ever heard and a heart to match. He gives more love and joy than can be described. He knows his life was saved and savors every minute of it.
We thank the Doctors and staff at Park Avenue Animal Clinic and the Animal Emergency Center for everything they have done and all the love they have shown Kilo. We are so thankful to be a part of this happy ending and new beginning.
Taking a little nap ...
Animal and People Recognition:
While losing a companion is one of life's greatest sorrows, never having one is to miss out on years of loving companionship.
In Memory of Animals:
Marlowe
Beloved cat of Cynthia Nisbet.
--Sidney & Robb NisbetRed
In memory of my beloved boy.
--Pam MageeDudley
Beloved pet and companion of Dorothy Bohnet.
--Steve & Conita GrisbySammi
--Kimbrough & Susan GregorySammi
A wonderful black kitty who lived with Susan & Kimbrough Gregory.
--Dick & Nancy CochranSammi
--Laurin GregoryDroolie
--Miya NakaoMeow Meow
--Miya Nakao
In Honor of Animals:
Wooly Bear and Christie
--Rebecca Wood
In Memory of People:
Ted Cartledge
65th Birthday Remembrance
--Ruth Blann Cartledge
A Word From Home (2Cats):
Buster "Bo" Stanley
One of Home2Cats goals is to never have any of its rescued animals homeless again. Our adoption contract gives us first option if the adoption family is unable to keep the pet for any reason. Such is the case for Buster a.k.a. Bo. Bo was one of the two dogs we rescued last March. Daisy’s and Buster ‘Bo’s’ story was told in our spring 2003 issue of The Scratching Post.
Bo was adopted by what we thought was going to be his ‘forever’ home. The family decided to move to Louisiana and the plans did not include Bo. Bo returned to Home2Cats December 17th.
We are searching for a permanent home for this lovable guy. Bo is a Labrador/Pit Bull Mix and is approximately 2 years old. Bo is a very intelligent sweet dog, house-trained and also very playful. He is affectionate and loves to give kisses. Bo is heartworm negative, neutered and current on vaccinations.
At adoption days he has been very calm around other dogs and people. Since we do not know how Bo was handled as a pup or how he became a stray, he should be placed in a home without children.
*
Valentine's Day Update: Good news! Bo has finally found a permanent home. He is now part of the Stanley family, which includes two other dogs, Daisy and Clancy. Clancy was unavailable for comment.
Ahhh ... Too cute!
Curious Cat World:
A Celebration of Internet Spam Cats!
These are the guys who surprise us, entertain us, and make us laugh. We tape them up in our cubicles and share them with our friends. Where do they come from? Nobody knows! Yes, they waste space and time, but they're irresistible. Enjoy! --dlh
On-Going Projects:
Home2Cats is now on Petfinder.Com:
Looking to adopt a cat or kitten? Check out our current pet list and our adoption day calendar on Home2Cats home page on petfinder.com under shelters/organizations. You may also access our home page directly by http://www.petfinder.org/shelters/TN159.html
Home2Cats, Memphis | Newsletters | Photos | Lynx
Please send email to: home2cats@aol.com
Or write to: Home 2 Cats
P. O. Box 752671
Memphis, TN 38175-2671And, as always, our sincere thanks for images from:
Microsoft Office: Design Gallery Live
*NaNcY*'s Cat Animation Gallery
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This page was last updated 12/31/10.
