Fine. Put a collar on me.

Now, Pugs and I are indoor cats but sometimes the lure of the outdoors is tempting (Bugs! Birds! Smells!). What if we got out and wandered too far and the staff couldn’t find us? Yipes.

We’re microchipped but, while that is great, ID tags are even better because they are immediately visible and most people will call the number on a tag if they find a wandering pet.

This topic is VERY important so I wanted to share with you that Arm & Hammer and North Shore Animal League, the largest no-kill rescue in the world, have teamed up on their “Tag a Cat, Save a Life!” program to raise awareness about the importance of tags. And, through the purchase of any two Arm & Hammer litters, staff can redeem an ID tag for their cat boss. You can learn more here.

I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to chat with Joanne Yohannan from North Shore about the subject of lost kittehs. She tells me that tagging can truly mean the difference between life and (gulp!) death in an overcrowded shelter. Even if a cat is microchipped, it could take some time for it to be scanned, the information could be outdated, etc. With a tag, voila! The information is right there.

After learning this, Pugs and I demanded ID tags ASAP. I am not thrilled about wearing a collar but even less thrilled about landing back in a shelter someday. Staff may be lazy but they do love us so we certainly don’t want to get lost!

Joanne also gave me four critical tips for what to do if your cat (or dog for that matter) gets lost.

• Search like crazy the first 24 hours and search a 3-mile radius. Bring a cat carrier and stinky food in case the cat is scared.
• Make posters! Post them everywhere – and do this immediately. Keep an updated photo of your kitteh on hand (my staff would have no problem with this).
• File a lost cat report with animal control. Don’t wait for them to call you if they find your baby. They may have good intentions but they are dealing with a lot of animals. YOU have to be proactive.
• Go to your local shelters, rescues and animal control every day or two to check if your cat or dog is there. Go to a few in your surrounding area. Also, it’s better to physically go and look, not just call.

Please help me remind people about the importance of tagging their pets. This is one easy way to reduce homeless pets…keep them from becoming homeless!

For more reading on this topic check out this great article by my pal Sharon Peters at USA Today about her experience with ID tags.

Carrie Ann and Dr. Katrina

This weekend’s episode is going to be very fun.

Carrie Ann Inaba, celebrity judge from ABC’s Dancing With the Stars, is a huge cat lover. Carrie and her boyfriend Jesse live with five cats. FIVE! I don’t mind sharing my house with Pugsley but adding three others to the mix? UH UH, no way, no how. But I digress.

As you can imagine, it’s quite an interesting environment over at Carrie Ann and Jesse’s house so they called on Dr. Katrina to come and help them. This weekend, Carrie Ann and herd will be appearing on Purina Cat Chow’s Housecat Housecall TV show on Saturday at 10:30am E/P on Animal Planet. You can watch a preview of the show here.

If you haven’t watched the show, you should. It’s good stuff. As I mentioned in my last post about this, anything that helps those hoomans better understand us is a win-win in my book!

I have a Season Two DVD to give away to one of you lucky readers. Leave a comment below, telling me what you wish your hooman staff would better understand about you and I’ll do a drawing on Friday at Noon EST.

Mwah!

R

Jen's good boy Bosco

Well, our friend Jen at Hartz has stepped up in a major way and is offering 65 lucky shelters a generous donation of a pallet (about 1,000 units) of natural meat treats. WOW!

Here is what Jen wrote to us:

“Bosco and I would like to help. To make it even easier for folks to participate, Hartz would like to donate a pallet (about 1,000 units/700 lbs) of our yummy natural meat treats which are packed with glucosamine and chondroitin to your local shelter. We’ll even deliver the pallet.

Mmmmm

Here’s how to participate:

Step 1) Contact your local shelter
Step 2) If they are willing to take the product, email Jen their contact information
Step 3) Post your pic to Be the Change for Pets! Facebook page.

OKAY GUYS! Call your local shelter or rescue now and see if they are interested in this donation. Then, email Jen with your shelter’s information!

That is all you need to do. Yes, that’s right. But hurry, the offer is for the first 65 organizations! Go for it!

You can email my staff if you have any questions too. Go Be the Change for Pets!

xo

Enjoy!

Hide Perch and Go customer

The box (a specially coated/durable cardboard) also converts to a cat carrier—with each cat’s own familiar smells—that adopters can use to take the cat home. Studies have shown these boxes reduce stress (and therefore, illness) in both the shelter and the cat’s new home.

I had the chance to catch up with one of the shelters that uses these programs to learn more about how they benefit the kittehs. Let me tell you, WE NEED TO GET MORE BOXES TO SHELTERS!

Justin Gallick, from the Pima Animal Care Center in Phoenix told me what a difference the Hide, Perch and Go boxes make to his resident cats. The Pima Animal Care Center works with 28,000 animals a year. WOW. So Justin certainly knows his stuff. He said he’s seen a significant difference in the attitudes of the cats who have access to their own Hide, Perch and Go boxes. “They’re more mellow from the beginning,” he said. “When they first arrive and they are scared and timid, this gives them a comfort zone.”

Justin said that the boxes increase the size of the living space each cat has. This makes sense. They have the cage floor but when you add a box like this you provide a great little hideaway place and something the cat can sit on top. It’s like a super deluxe condo!

The ultimate idea of the boxes to make sure that kittehs are more comfortable in the shelter setting, are less stressed and therefore, more adoptable. Also, stressed out cats mean sick cats! And Justin says Upper Respiratory Infection is a big problem in shelters. The Hide, Perch and Go boxes definitely help cut down on the stress and, as a result this and other illnesses. Healthy, happy cats are adoptable cats!

Justin couldn’t say enough great things about the boxes. He sighed when I asked him if all of his cats get boxes. As with most organizations, he explained, Pima Animal Care Center is always working with a limited budget. On paper, the boxes are considered a luxury. But Justin considers them a necessity. “This can definitely make a difference in the number of adoptions,” he added. “We’re working hard to get more of the boxes in.”

GUYS! WE HAVE TO HELP PETFINDER GET MORE BOXES TO THE KITTEHS! Each box costs about $3. Can you help me raise money to buy more boxes? This is a great, direct way to impact our furry friends who need homes.

Can you give just $3? If so, please donate here. What if we all gave $3 and purchased a box for one cat? Imagine the difference that will make in the cat’s comfort and well being? Imagine.

Please dig into your sofas and change purses for your latte money and help us get more boxes. Pugs and I, and cats everywhere will thank you!

Mwah!

Staff Being the Change with Linda and Cupcake

You all probably know that, in addition to managing my fundraising career and Pugsley’s sleeping career, our staff is also one of the founders of BlogPaws, a community of pet bloggers who do a lot of great things for pets.

Their special initiative, Be the Change for Pets, is designed to inspire people to take action, no matter how large or small, to help pets in their communities and worldwide. The latest in the Be the Change efforts is the Dog Days of Summer Pet Food and Supplies Drive.

The idea is to make a food or supply donation (cash is good too!) to your local shelter or rescue organization, and post a photo and report of your activities on their Facebook page. They’ll track your efforts and share our collective impact worldwide! It will be fun! Remember, even a tiny bit helps. Every piece of kibble feeds a hungry furry belly.  But be sure to call your local organization first to find out what they need. Some use only a specific brand.

The drive runs from August 19-31, 2010.

Today, my staff headed to the Humane Society of Charlotte to drop off supplies, gift cards and a little extra green stuff she had in her purse, too.

Will you join us?

Scratching basket = ruckus. Relaxing in basket = non ruckus.

A sure fire wake up tactic is something the staff calls “ruckus.” Ruckus comes in a number of forms. Today, ruckus consisted of playing in piles of crunchy plastic bags on the chair. SO FUN. And so very effective too!

Other things that qualify as ruckus:

-Batting at blinds
-Chasing Pugsley “like a herd of damn elephants” through the house
-Playing with Chapstick on the bathroom floor
-Batting at glasses on the bedside table
-YEOWLING
-Scratching at baskets

What does your staff consider “ruckus?” Please share!

Dr. Katrina and furiend

Still, a lot of people aren’t prepared for the, um, eccentricities of the feline species. As a result, the human staff doesn’t know how to deal with issues that arise and lots of times, my misunderstood compadres end up looking for a new home. Sigh.

So helping humans understand cats is high on my priority list. Anything that can keep kittehs from being abandoned due to (often times) resolvable issues is a win in my book.

That’s why I totally heart Animal Planet’s Housecat Housecall. The series (sponsored by Purina Cat Chow) is a reality-based cat TV show that helps cat staff learn how to better understand their genius feline companions.

The show, which airs on Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. E/P, with encores on Sundays at 8:00 a.m. E/P on Animal Planet, is hosted by popular TV personality and Australian veterinarian Dr. Katrina Warren. Each week, Dr. Katrina visits cat-managed homes, observes the cats in their natural environments and recommends actionable solutions to the staff to help them ultimately live more connected lives with their cats. This season features a diverse group of cat lovers including Carrie Ann Inaba, one of the judges from Dancing with the Stars.

I had the opportunity to chat with Dr. Katrina about some of the common issues (ahem, misunderstandings!) between cats and their staff. Some of the biggest things she told me that humans struggle with are:

Scratching furniture – I don’t do this (someone declawed me before I came to my forever home. Can you believe that?) but the PUGMAN sure does. Dr. Katrina says to “redirect” the scratching by offering an alternative to the things you don’t want scratched.

Cat relations in multi-cat households – Oh, hullo! Is it any surprise this is an issue? Believe me, I was not happy when Pug came to live with us but over time we became BFFs. Dr. Katrina says it’s important to give each cat his own resources – food, litterbox, bed, etc. I totally agree with this.

Meowing – So, I guess meowing too much bothers some humans. Heh, heh, why do you think meowmeowmeowmeow works so well as a wake up tactic? But Dr. Katrina told me that excessive meowing may indicate the cat wants attention and that the staff needs to set aside time to play with and entertain the resident cats. YES! I like this chick!

Good stuff. And there is plenty more on the show. So be sure to tune in! And kittehs, please tell me if you staff starts to get a clue!

Jillian with Harley (left) and Seven. Photo courtesy of PeoplePets.com, credit: Alison Dyer

Too many stars fall short in this area and go out and get a cute new pure bred puppy, thus influencing countless fans to go out and do the same, thus perpetuating the puppy mill problem. Honestly, my opinion of celebrities who do this goes down substantially. And I can say that because it’s MY blog. So there.

Jillian and her rescue horse, Buzz. Photo courtesy of PeoplePets.com, credit: Alison Dyer

Today’s PeoplePets.com has a gallery of Jillian with Harley, a Shih Tzu mix, Seven, an Italian Greyhound mix and a beautiful five-year-old rescue horse named Buzz.

He started this trend last week with “Cats Are Okay Too” featuring Pimp from Your Daily Cute.

Go kittehs! Thanks, Scoop!