Friskey: The Cat That Was To Be My First Heartbreak

Friskey...The First Heartbreak In My Life
May 19, 1968-July 5, 1975

I'm not really writing this in any particular order, but since I have already mentioned about Friskey, I thought I would relate what was to be my first heartbreak. Friskey came into my life on May 19, 1968, some six years after our very first cat Babette. He was a silver tabby cat who grew quite enormous. Uh, no, he wasn't fat...LOL. Just a gosh darn big cat. While large and maybe intimidating, he had the heart and love of a teddy bear, and one could never ask for a more gentle creature than he.

Since we didn't have that many cats at the time, when my grandmother, mother and myself would go away on vacations, usually to the Lancaster, Pa area, we took the cats with us. In fact the picture of him I have here, was taken on just such a trip and at the time we usually stayed at the Howard Johnson's that was there.

Sadly, Friskey was to only live about seven years and to this day I blame whatever happened while he was at the vet. The nearby vet we started taking our cats to, beginning with Babette, we had trusted completely, and never questioned his "professional" services. I would later, many years later find out that other people had had their own horror stories with this vet.

It was during the last week of June of 1975. At the time I was away for a few days visiting a friend, and when I came back home, Friskey wasn't there. My grandmother explained that one day, while I had been away, and my mother was working at the time, suddenly Friskey had some kind of health problem, but not knowing what was wrong, took him to our vet. The vet we trusted and had by now been going to for many years.

The vet kept Friskey there for nearly a week. When we asked if we could see him, the vet refused saying it would upset Friskey. At the time, we didn't realize how wrong this was. If you have a pet with a vet due to a health problem, one has the right to see their pet...we didn't know this, and like I said, since we trusted the vet, we thought he knew best. Finally, we had enough of it, and demanded to have our cat back as no one was telling us, what was wrong with Friskey. You have to remember, this was long before anyone thought of suing even a vet for any kind of malpractice.

He, the vet agreed to let us take Friskey home...No explanations what was wrong, no medications were given to us...nothing. Also since he was in his traveling case, we didn't notice anything suspicious until we got home. Once home and out of his carrier case, it was only then that we noticed his one leg was all bandaged up. Like what the hell was this?? Again, the vet offered no explanation when we called to find out what was what.

Friskey of course wasn't getting any better, only worse. His one leg that was bandaged up became weaker and we then took him to another veterinary place...one that was open 24/7, even holidays and had a noted good reputation. The news wasn't good. After the vet examined Friskey he told us that the leg had gangrene. Like how the hell did that happen? There had been nothing wrong with his leg when my grandmother took him to that first vet, and he certainly didn't give us any medications to combat any severe infections.

The vet gave us two options. The one was that Friskey's leg would be amputated, and he would then need physical therapy to get him used to walking on three legs...all at a cost I might add that was astronomical. The second option, as you can guess was the more difficult one...to have him put down. Neither my grandmother or mother could deal with the idea of putting him down, and left the decision solely up to me. Gee, thanks, like I really wanted to make such a lousy decision...but the two of them just couldn't give the word to have it done.

But what could we do? We just didn't have the money for the first option...it was way too expensive. I remember so vividly...being outside the exam room with my mother and grandmother...our tears were flowing uncontrollably...but it was me who had to give the final okay to put him down. That happened July 5, 1975, and Friskey is buried at the Wantaugh, Long Island Bide a Wee Cemetery. He was the first cat in my life to go to Rainbow Bridge...and one day, when it is time for me to pass from this world, I can meet him again, as I hope to meet all my "babies"

Originally written June 13, 2008

ARTICLE: A VERY SPECIAL VALENTINE'S TO SOMEONE I LOVE SO DEAR

Image~©MELANIE NEER~Personal Photo of My Pyewacket (June 17, 2001-April 19, 2010)

Originally Written February 16, 2012)

A Valentine's Day dedication of love from a very different perspective, and dedicated to those who have loved their pets who have passed on and still miss them in their lives and who understand that it's "not just a cat or dog"

I just needed and wanted to let you know, that here it is Valentine's Day,
I wanted you to know just how much I have loved you
and have always loved you from the moment I met you.

I wanted you to know how special you were in my life.
I loved all the times I cuddled up next to you, while you were lying in bed
and trying to read, yet being selfish and I didn't want you to read, since I wanted your love and attention solely on me...yes I was selfish, but that's how much I loved you.

I wanted you to know how special you were in my life.
All those times I would cuddle up next to you on the sofa, while watching TV,
feeling safe and secure with you since I knew you loved me,
and I loved you...oh how I loved you and still do.

I wanted you to know how special you were in my life.
And especially now I want you to know how special you were in my life
And yes, oh yes, I DO know how much you loved me, since I know you still grieve for me.

I wanted you to know how special you were in my life.
I felt your pain and anguish, that day, that day, that took you and myself
away from us forever.

I wanted you to know how special you were in my life.
That day that took us apart.
I felt your anguish that day.
When you realized I was gone,
You cradled me to your bosom like a baby and rocked me back and forth.
And in anguish and with tears, calling out my name over and over again,
Still not believing I was gone from your life.

I wanted you to know how special you were in my life.
You may not see me now.
You may not hear me anymore now.
You may not feel my cuddles anymore now.
But I'm still here.
I'm still with you and will always be in your heart.

On this Valentine's Day
I just wanted you to know....

I still love you and will be with you always.

Love all my love,
Pyewacket

©Melanie Neer~I dedicate this to all who have pets no longer in their lives and still feel the pain of their passing.

ARTICLE: What Is Crossposting And Does It Really Help?

Image~©Melanie Neer~Composite photo of "Dot", whom I renamed Ouija whom I adopted

Originally written May 9, 2013 for Bubblews, a website that no longer exists

I spend a lot of my time over at Facebook everyday crossposting the urgent pets that need to be saved/rescued/adopted/fostered from shelters, particularly the high kill shelters.

For those of you not familiar with just what crossposting is, let me explain. Facebook has become perhaps the greatest social networking website in order to "crosspost" urgent shelter pets. Over at Facebook, there are hundreds, if not thousands of pages or groups that on a daily basis post the urgent cats and dogs that are on "death row" and scheduled to be "euthanized" (a nice and polite way of saying killed). The "race" is on in which animal activists, advocates and rescuers share these posts by "crossposting", not only sharing the posts on their own profile walls, but on other pages and groups dedicated to saving the lives of shelter pets.

Some people can't understand the process though and wonder what good it does. I once came across the profile wall of a fellow crossposter, and underneath the posting was a comment made by one of her friends. She requested that the person, my friend, to stop sharing and "tagging" urgent cats on her wall. She said I live in Alabama, how can I possible help save a cat in a Georgia shelter. She just plain didn't get it, for you see, you may never know if you have someone on your friends list that IS in the area and can save the particular pet(s).

This indeed was something that personally happened not too long ago. I was lurking around on a friend's profile wall who is a tireless crossposter and who happens to be in Canada, nonetheless even though he's in Canada he posts the urgent cats from nearly all states of the USA. Late one night as I looked at his wall I came across one particular cat named Prince and was on "death row" scheduled to be killed the next day. The cat was in a high kill shelter in Florida. I decided to share the posting of Prince on my wall…and I'm from the NYC area mind you. Only a few moments passed, when one of my friends chimed in…she wanted to save the cat. Where was she? Yes you guessed…she lived nearby that particular shelter. You might say the race was on, time was ticking. Rather frantic emails and messages went back and forth between me, my friend and representatives of that shelter. Since it was well beyond business hours, one couldn't simply call the shelter. Bottom line though, it worked, the cat Prince was saved instead of killed and was adopted.

Sadly it doesn't always work, as too many shelter pets are still killed off each and everyday, but with crossposting is that glimmer of hope, that yes, many ARE saved. So if you're over at Facebook, and wonder why you have some friends who are maniacs about posting urgent pets and what good it does, tell that to that pet who was saved from death row, and perhaps consider crossposting urgent pets yourself. You never know…YOU just might have a friend on your list at Facebook that can help save a life.

I would also like to add, that there are scores of pets even in the no-kill shelters nationwide that also need to be crossposted as well, as many of these shelters can often be overwhelmed with pets needing rescue and adoption. It was by crossposting that I came upon a black cat and at first merely cosponsored him by sending money to the shelter that would go toward his vet and neuter fees. I was to later go one step further, and yes, adopted him.

The photo I include here is a composite of my black cat Ouija (his shelter name was Dot) whom I adopted via the Grayson County Humane Society in KY and was transported to me all the way to my home on December 1, 2012 here in the NYC area.

ARTICLE: The Bittersweet Moments Our Pets Show Us: Just One Demonstration of Unconditional Love a Pet Gave Me

Image~©MELANIE NEER~Personal photo of Tippy

Originally published February 8, 2011 on Associated Content/Yahoo.voices website which no longer exists

ABSTRACT: Our pets don't ask much from us, they don't judge us but accept us for who we are no matter what and know the meaning of Unconditional love CONTENT: I think many of us who have pets realize the wonderful unconditional love they have for us. They don't judge us, they don't really ask for much yet are capable of showing their love and affection to us without asking for anything much in return. They know the true meaning of unconditional love, something we humans could learn from.

I was talking about one of my cats over at Facebook. As many of my friends may know, my cat Pyewacket passed on April 19th 2010, yet this isn't about him but about one of my cats that I had years and years ago. Her name was Tippy. You might say I rescued her. It was on a warm May day, many, many years ago in 1983. I was at home and at one point, I looked out the window and saw a circle of kids tossing around a very young tiger-striped kitten as if it were a football. Enraged doesn't quite explain how I felt. I zoomed out of my apt. and went straight over to those kids and demanded they hand over the kitten to me; no doubt they must have thought I was a looney tunes and one kid had even said to me "It's just a cat." I cuddled the very scared kitten close to me and took her home.

Despite her ordeal of being treated like a mere object she didn't seem to fear me or her new surroundings considering the fact that I also had about five other cats at the time, and she quickly made herself at home. I named her Tippy since even though she was a tiger-striped cat, at the very tip of her tail was the color of an orange tabby...thus the name "Tippy"

Tippy became one of my cuddle bugs and velcro cat. She would hop on my bed to keep me company while I slept, and even gave me her version of a back message. All this attention she gave me unfortunately seemed to spark the jealousy of another cat named Bobbie. He began to antagonize her, bully her, wanted to fight her all the time, it was like a world war going on day in and day out. She began turning into a scared and timid cat and she felt her only safe place where Bobbie wouldn't bother her was to hop up into a cabinet over the refrigerator. She was to remain there for years and years after never coming down. I would have to place her food on top of the fridge and hoist up the litter pan for her to do her business. She just plain wouldn't come down.

Then one day in 1996 I was sitting in the living room when a movement attracted me from my peripheral vision. Looking directly to the "movement" my jaw dropped as I saw Tippy walking around the living room like she was the Queen of Sheba and unafraid of being bullied. At any moment I expected Bobbie to resort to bullying her again but he didn't. This should have maybe raised alarms, but I was just so happy to see her out and about again. She even resumed hopping up on my bed, giving me her back rubs, just as if nothing happened those years she stuck herself in the cabinet and not coming down from her "sanctuary".

About two weeks passed by after her initial daring day of her escape from her sanctuary , and Tippy remained feeling secure about being out and not afraid of Bobbie, and continued to snuggle up on my bed while I slept . Then one morning, I woke up and saw Tippy lying on the floor near the foot of my bed. I got up and went over to her to pet her thinking she was merely asleep, but no, she was still, lifeless....she had passed on. It was as if though, in her last moments of her life she wanted to be near me and why she was where she was on the floor at the foot of my bed.

I'm sure those of us who are pet owners have our own stories to tell of a pet or pets, who demonstrated their unconditional and trusting love for us even in their final moments of life. The story of Tippy is just one of many for me and I will always remember until my own final day.

ARTICLE: Close Encounters Of The Paranormal Kind: Part Three

Originally published June 22, 2013 on the Bubblews website which no longer exists. I've update this articles and also give additions to this original article

Image~©Melanie Neer~Personal image of my "Samhain" altar

This is the third in a series of articles I'm writing about my past "paranormal" experiences. I invite you to read the first two of which I give a link at the end of this article.

As I previously explained in both prior articles, the mystical, metaphysical and paranormal realms were never strange to me as I grew up in such beliefs due to my way ahead. with it great grandmother. Whenever I had experienced my own paranormal occurrences to me they were normal; they never frightened nor scared me in the least. There was one experience however that was, well, a bit strange even to me. I have to confess I rarely talk about this incident since I can't help thinking that if I did, I could expect a truck with men in white coats coming after me and fitting me in a jacket….But here goes…going to reveal it now.

It was something that took place four years ago and on Halloween night…uh, perfect setting, no? What people don't realize about Halloween is that it's actually based on old Celtic pagan and wicca beliefs and is called Samhain. It is one of the known festivals celebrated by neo-pagans and wiccans of today and is considered our New Year. I say "our" since yes folks, I follow the pagan/wicca path myself.

With Samhain is the belief that the veil between worlds is the thinnest and that the spirits of the dead can visit the living. Such a concept is not only a belief among neo-pagans or wiccans but is also observed and celebrated in other cultures, particularly among people of Hispanic origins, especially in Mexico. In this case the day is known as El Dia De Los Muertos (Day Of The Dead), which by the way has its origins from pre-Columbian times. Many people may be familiar with how the image of the skull predominates El Dia De Los Muertos. Is it no wonder then with our "modern" Halloween that ghosts, ghouls, goblins and skeletons are associated with the holiday itself?

In either case, whether it's a celebration of Samhain, El Dia De Los Muertos or Halloween, it is by no means a "morbid" celebration, but a fond remembrance of those who passed on before us. Since I am of the pagan/wicca path, I too celebrate Halloween/Samhain in my own special way and have a special ritual that I do and have done so ever since I first started following the pagan/wiccan path some twelve years ago.

On this particular Halloween/Samhain in 2009, some nine years ago, I became very reflective, not so much with wanting to honor family members who had passed on, but for some reason I had become rather melancholy with my cats of my past who had left my life. So on Halloween night, I set up my altar that I have in my bedroom, which consists of three candles, my statue of the Ancient Egyptian feline goddess Bast (rather appropriate), my Egyptian type incense holder, and a variety of other items that had special meaning to me. I also decorated my altar with a bouquet of Chrysanthemums, and also with Halloween themed items, such as small pumpkins, fall leaves, and Halloween type candy. Then I went one step further, I opened up a can of cat food and placed it on a plate and placed the plate on my altar.

After my little ceremony, I left the bedroom with the incense still burning and the candles lit and went into the living room area and decided to get some work done in front of my computer. My computer desk is right next to my sofa and I noticed that both my cats that I had at that time, Pyewacket and Kissy were sound, sound asleep on the sofa; they were clearly in full view all the time that I was in front of the computer. At one point while sitting in front of the computer I remembered a book I had in my bedroom that I wanted and decided to get it. Once in the bedroom, I passed by my altar to retrieve the book. As I passed the altar again to go back into the living room, I looked down at the altar and that's when I noticed something. Something was missing. Can you guess? Yes, the plate of cat food was completely empty, not a morsel was on it. Since I can see the living room from my bedroom I still noticed both cats sound asleep, so there was no way either of them could have come into the bedroom and eaten the food.

Perhaps when I think of it, that experience really isn't so odd. I've talked with other pet owners who have had their own "encounters" of pets who had passed on and who have "visited" them; such as seeing a shadowy movement in their peripheral vision, hearing sounds, to even feeling the presence of a former pet hopping on their bed and snuggling up with them as they sleep.

There have been documented cases of people experiencing "encounters" with the spirits of pets, especially with cats. One such good read and of which I highly recommend is Dusty Rainbolt's "Ghost Cats: Human Encounters With Feline Spirits"

Have any of you experienced the presence of a former pet?

Update:

In this article I had mentioned about having two cats at that time, Pyewacket and Kissy. Sadly and very unexpectedly, Pyewacket passed on April 19, 2010. Then on September 1, 2015, my 15 year old Kissy passed on. Not long after Kissy passed on you might say I was given a "sign". I've read countless accounts that often when a "loved" one has passed on, be it a human or pet, they will give a "sign" and sometimes this can be in the form of a feather…yes a feather. Only a week had passed with Kissy's death and I was cleaning my floor, when I noticed something. Yes a small light grey bird's wing feather. The color of the feather was in itself very significant since my Kissy was a grey-stripped tiger cat. Also, there was no reasonable explanation how that feather could have gotten into my place as I have window screens on all my windows.

As you can and might guess, I continue my special "Samhain" ritual in remembrance of former cats that have passed on. I include the urns and a photo of both Pyewacket and Kissy on my altar. It's not unusual to observe something. I include a photo I had taken at one such ritual. See anything? One can clearly see a sort of purple mist in the photo that was by no means apparent by the naked eye, yet shows up in the photo. Coincidence?

To this day, not only I, but my present black cat Ouija "senses" a presence of former cats passed on, as there are times when Ouija stares and stares at one particular spot somewhere and there clearly is nothing that can be seen.

My first article about my "paranormal" experiences:

https://melneer.blogspot.com/2018/04/article-close-encounters-of-paranormal.html

https://melneer.blogspot.com/2018/04/article-close-encounters-of-paranormal.html

My second article about my "paranormal" experiences:

https://melneer.blogspot.com/2018/04/article-close-encounters-of-paranormal_27.html

https://melneer.blogspot.com/2018/04/article-close-encounters-of-paranormal_27.html

ARTICLE: Pet Food Banks and Donating Pet Food Freely: Making a Difference for Pets in These Hard Economic Times

©IMAGE SOURCE~MELANIE NEER

PHOTO OF MY CABINET STORED WITH CAT FOOD

Article was originally published on Associated Content (Yahoo.voices) May 13, 2009 a website that no longer exists

ABSTRACT: More and more people are feeling the economic pinch, and unfortunately many have had to decide whether or not to keep their beloved pet.

CONTENT: Everyone knows that with the current economic crises that has been going on for sometime now times are tough for just about everyone. Left and right, people are losing their homes due to foreclosure, or are laid off from work and the food money budget just doesn't seem to stretch as it used to. And while, at least for now, gas prices have gone down considerably, people aren't using their cars as often as they used to, and many have given up on the idea of such luxuries as taking a vacation, and will opt for the new concept of the "staycation".

Unfortunately, it's not only people suffering in these economic times, but the family pet as well. People who have been laid off from work are finding it harder and harder to keep their beloved pet and will often give up their pet to a shelter, not because they are heartless or cruel, but they just plain cannot afford their pets anymore. Probably the hardest hit group of people are the disabled or elderly, in which quite often their pets are their only companion, yet since both groups of people live on fixed incomes they are finding it harder and harder to feed their pet.

I first heard of this story awhile ago of one person, that is Tom Wargo, who is making a difference. Eight years ago, Tom Wargo found a stray dog on a construction site where he worked and of whom he named Daffy. Being the pet lover he is, he kept Daffy, despite the high costs involved as it turned out Daffy was diabetic and not only had to have special prescription type dog food, but medications such as insulin. Being a die-hard pet lover all his life, Tom Wargo had already been donating pet food to his local church for some eleven years. Then when Daffy came along and due to the recognition of the high cost of keeping his own dog, he realized other pet owners might have been feeling the economic pinch of keeping a pet, and then expanded the idea of setting up his own pet food bank for all in need of pet food and supplies. Thus in September of 2008 in his hometown of Lawrenceville, Georgia the first pet food bank was created and called Daffy's Pet Soup Kitchen One can see a wonderful video story all about Tom Wargo and his wonderful concept in the pet food soup kitchen here Daffy's Pet Soup Kitchen became so popular he realized that one pet soup kitchen wasn't enough, and more and more pet food banks were opened up in other areas of Georgia. His pet soup kitchen concept is now expanding nationwide. One of the requirements Mr. Wargo has set up with his pet food bank program is the idea of pay it forward, that is, when a pet owner comes by for free pet food, they have to reciprocate and pay it forward, usually by donating their time several hours a month either at the food pantry by helping in distributing the pet food to people or some other worthy charitable organization.

As I began to research more and more however, I realized that Tom Wargo wasn't the only one who has had the idea of establishing pet food banks. In fact, pet food banks are quite literally springing up all over the country. Some of these pet food banks are incorporated in normal food banks designed to help people in need of extra food, such as the South County Outreach food pantry in Lake Forest, California, in which Dr. Jim Gardner started by donating pet food there. Other pet food banks are solely and only pet food banks running with the same concept as Tom Wargo's one. Even the well known Meals on Wheels Association of America, known for distributing food for needy senior citizens has also incorporated donating pet food via their We All Love Our Pets.

One of the most amazing stories about how people are helping pets is the story of a little girl, named Mimi Ausland, who lives in Bend, Oregon. At the mere age of nine, having always been a pet lover, she wanted to work at her local animal shelter, but being so young she could only volunteer her time. She witnessed first hand the hardship her local shelter had in getting pet food donations to feed the shelter's dogs, who by no fault of their own, where often given up by their pet owners due to the foreclosure crises. Wanting to do more to help out, Amy, with the help of her father, came up with the idea of developing a website called Freekibble.com This website has trivia questions about dogs and cats that people can answer on a daily basis, and for every question, even if guessed wrong, 10 pieces of dry pet food kibble is donated, by special arrangement of Castor & Pollux pet food not only toward Amy's nearby shelter, but other pet shelters as well. One can see a few videos about this remarkable girl and how she came up with her concept here. One can sign up at the Freekibble website to get daily email reminders to go to the site, answer the trivia questions of the day, and feel good that by answering the questions, right or wrong, you are helping in a worthy cause in helping pets at shelters. Lastly, I have to mention briefly another website where, by clicking on a banner one will also help out in donating pet food at shelters, and this is The Animal Rescue Site and again, as with the Freekibble website, one can sign up to get daily email reminders to click the banner.

Do you know a pet owner or are you yourself feeling the economic pinch during these times and are having hardships and concerns about feeding a beloved pet companion and hate the idea that you may have to give up that pet ? If so, simply do a google search for a pet food bank and include the location of where you are at, and chances are you'll discover one near you. If not, go to Tom Wargo's Daffy Pet Soup Kitchen site, which does list a phone number, and while the main kitchen is based in Georgia, they might be able to help you find such a pet food soup kitchen in your area. Also, do you yourself want to help out by donating pet food, without spending a cent? Then go to the Freekibble website and answer those trivia questions, or The Animal Rescue Site and you'll have the satisfaction, that in a small way, you too are helping shelter pets in need with donated food.

Daffy's Pet Food Bank

Daffy's Pet Food Bank

Video Story About Daffy's Pet Food Bank

More articles about Pet Food Banks

Food Pantries

Articles About Free Kibble

Freekibble Website

The Disposable Mind-Set Too Often Includes Pets

The Disposable Mind-Set Too Often Includes Pets

Originally published on May 5, 2013 for Yahoo.Voices, a website that no longer exists.

IMAGE SOURCE~PERSONAL PHOTO~Me as a baby with the family dog Candy, a Beagle

We seem to be living in an age where everything seems disposable, to be gotten rid of if it doesn't serve our purpose or is useful to us anymore. Perhaps only fifteen or twenty years ago, if one's TV went on the blink for whatever reason, instead of throwing it out, one would've called a TV repairman to fix it; the same could also be said for stereo systems and appliances. Decades ago if one bought furniture, it was often considered an investment of sorts and one kept it for nearly one's lifetime; one may even have handed some of the furniture down to relatives. Now however, instead of getting an item repaired or handing it down, we dispose of it to get a new and improved version of it.

Sadly and tragically, no longer are only inanimate items tossed away like so much garbage, but pets are as well; they have become disposable. I do a lot of crossposting of urgent pets needing to be rescued over at Facebook and I'm aware of the alarmingly high rate of pets being surrendered. Each and every single day, nationwide, pets are surrendered into shelters, particularly high kill municipal shelters. High kill shelters have an open admission surrender policy; these high kill shelters are obligated to take in any and all pets for whatever reason the owner gives. Quite frankly, some of the reasons an owner gives are poor excuses and to my mind a betrayal of trust that the pet may have had with the owner particularly if that owner had the pet for many years.

Here are some of the reasons, which I find rather lame, for why people get rid of their pets:

1). "New Baby": 
I really have no idea why people think they need to "dispose" of their pet due to a new baby coming into the family. While I've had cats nearly all my life ever since I was five years old, prior to that, my folks were dog people, and consequently there was a dog, named Candy. When I came into the world, it never crossed their minds to get rid of the dog. In fact I have a rare photo of myself as a baby; I'm not even a year old, and there I am sitting on the living room floor and right next to me was Candy who was a beagle. I in fact include a photo of me as a baby with Candy here in this article.

2). "Allergies": 
Yes, people can be allergic to pets, but what I can't understand is why people surrender pets into shelters due to allergies after having the pet for eight or more years. And guess what folks? Yes I have allergies. Also, when my grandmother was still alive and living with my mother and myself, she developed asthma. Her doctor recommended getting rid of the four cats we had at the time, and what was her response? She got rid of the doctor instead. So yes, she had asthma however she was able to control it via medications.

3). "Moving": 
People move for a variety of reasons: perhaps to upgrade to a better living space, foreclosure, or even eviction, yet why does one feel it necessary to surrender a pet or leave it behind due to "moving"? Often I hear that the excuse is that the new place a person is moving to won't allow pets. Well, like duh? If a person truly views their pet as a family member, shouldn't they go out of their way to find a place that does accept pets?

In most cases with moving there is a known time factor involved, and yes even in cases of foreclosure or eviction, it's usually not like one has to move pronto overnight. Some of the saddest cases are the "foreclosure" pets…pets abandoned and left behind. I came across one such case while crossposting urgent cats on Facebook. The former owners left their orange tabby cat behind, the cat mind you was 18 years old! The new tenants upon moving in found the cat and took it to a shelter, a high kill shelter I might add. Diligent crossposting between us all over at Facebook began for "Ginger". In Ginger's case she was lucky as someone was willing to adopt her for the remainder of her "senior" years. But not all stories end happily ever after and in many cases the cat (or dog) will be "euthanized". Would people "abandon" their human children for the moving excuse if children weren't allowed in a new place? I don't think so, they would go out of their way to find a place that did accept children, so why do people feel it's all right to abandon their pet(s)?

4). No Pets Allowed: 
Yes many landlords will have a no pet clause in their lease or he/she may all of a sudden decide no pets allowed even if previously pets were allowed, however there are some loopholes people need to know about. In many cases, despite a no pet clause, if the pet owner has had the pet for at least three months, the landlord can't take legal action or demand the pet owner to give up their pet, so it's wise for people to know the specific pet laws that are in a pet owner's favor and not the landlords.

5). "No Time": 
Are people so busy in their lives that they don't have time for their pet? If they can make time for their human children, and other family obligations, then in my opinion so should they for their pets.

6). "Too Old": 
I can't think of a bigger sense of betrayal to a pet than when a pet owner surrenders their pet to a shelter due to the pet being old, and especially if that pet owner then wants to get a new puppy or kitten since the "old" pet is no longer cute and cuddly. I came across one such a case only the other night while doing my crossposting over at Facebook. The cat's name was Lola and was two years old, but the owner had only adopted the cat five months ago. Now the owner was surrendering Lola to a high kill shelter. In the "evaluation/questionnaire" asked of the owner why he was surrendering Lola, the person stated, "too big getting a kitten". The cat was only two years old and the person thought it too big and old? Two years old is still practically a kitten in itself! Thankfully since I was tracking to see the fate of Lola, I found out that she was rescued. Of course, there's the other extreme where the pet is say ten, fifteen, or more years old and the owner wants a "new and improved" version. It's when I come across cases like this, I'm sorry, but I hope karma bites the person in the butt and when that person is old gets "dumped" somewhere and abandoned.

7). "Personal Problems" 
While there can be many types of personal problems involved, one of the biggest personal problems excuse cited is this scenario. A person has a pet, and may have had the pet for many years, but then a new "love" interest comes into their life. This new love interest pulls a either it's me or the pet threat. Since the idiot, and yes, I'm thinking the person is an idiot to be so blinded by love for the person, that person will stupidly give up the pet, and yes, it is stupid. Sorry, but if a new love interest came into my life, I would practically do a police interrogation and one of the first questions I would ask, "Do you like animals/pets?" If that person said no, well, let's put it this way, I would show the person to the door and say au revoir. (Update from original article: There actually was one case that still comes to mind to this day. I was busy coming across the urgent cats needing to be rescued from a high kill shelter. One such cat was listed that the reason for the surrender of his girlfriend's cat was due to the fact that he didn't like the color of the cat...a black cat. SAY WHAT? Is love so "blind"? I sure wouldn't put up with that crap.)

8). "Owner Sick, Hospitalized, or Death" 
Here is were careful planning needs to be done in the event a pet owner becomes sick, hospitalized or passes away and needs to make some kind of arrangements before something happens. Many of the pets that are dumped into shelters due to the pet owner getting sick, needing extended hospitalization or perhaps even placed in a hospice or nursing home, and/or possible death, and the main problem may lie when the pet owner's relatives, friends or other family members don't want to be burdened with the pet(s), so they dump it in a shelter. Pet owners should find a person willing to take care of their pet in the event of their getting sick and/or hospitalized, and in the case of the owner's death have very clear instructions about the fate of their pet(s).

To help with making such arrangements, there are two forms one can download. One is a Pet Guardian Form where it can be filled out and one can clearly state who is to take charge of their pet upon their demise. The other form is a Pet Profile, this is a form where one can fill out all the particulars of the pet involved, such as stating whether the pet is spayed/neutered, microchipped, age, breed, etc.

I have links to these forms below:

Pet Guardian Form

http://www.gotcats.org/guardian.html

Pet Profile Form

http://www.gotcats.org/PetProfile.html

What I have personally done is I have several copies of each form and was able to print photos of each cat directly on each form…one copy I have right in full view on my computer desk, while another is on my hallway bookcase shelf, also in plain view. With each set of forms I also have contact info of people to contact/call in case something happens to me. I also carry around on my person when I go out that contact listing.

There are several other "excuses" people will often give for surrendering or abandoning their pets, but the above that I mention are the seemingly more common reasons.

Day in and day out as I spend hour upon hour crossposting the urgent pets that need to be saved and rescued over at Facebook, especially from high kill shelters, I have to admit to being puzzled as to why people have gotten the mind set that pets are disposable, to be gotten rid of as if they were so much garbage. Animals do have feelings just as we humans do, they are living, breathing souls just as we are. They can and do demonstrate many of the emotions we humans feel. They can feel pain, can demonstrate sadness or grief (as in cases where their owner or fellow companion animal dies), they can also demonstrate joy as well.

If a person does decide to adopt a pet, that person needs to realize that they are obligated and responsible to take care of that pet for its entire life. People must wake up to the fact that pets are not disposable commodities. What's really pathetic is that many pet owners probably don't even realize what fate may be in store for that pet they now no longer want and dumped off at a shelter; if people think that their former pet is going to have a happily ever after story, and their pet will be adopted again, they must realize that isn't always the case.

Yes, while many of these surrendered pets particularly in high kill shelters are saved and rescued, the vast majority aren't and are euthanized, a nice way of saying killed, worse yet, not all shelter pets in high kill shelters are killed off by lethal injection, but by shoving these unwanted pets into a gas chamber where they die a slow and agonizing death. Everyday thousands, yes thousands of shelter pets are killed nationwide. In order to stop the needless killing of healthy pets that wind up in shelters, pet owners must view their pet as a family member and take care of that pet forever.

ARTICLE: I Do So Hope Rainbow Bridge Really Exists

IMAGE SOURCE~lovecats.com

Originally published May 10, 2013 Bubblews, a website that no longer exists

For those of you who are pet lovers, and who have had pets and perhaps still do, there probably is nothing more gut-wrenching than when one of our pets passes on. To we pet owners, they aren't "just" pets, they are part of our family, our "children", and it doesn't matter what kind of pet you have, be it cat, dog, bird, mice, gerbil, hamster, we still feel grief, perhaps in some cases one may experience more grief over a pet's loss than family or relatives. I only say that latter part, since in most cases, with the passing of a family member or relative, we might be prepared for it.

Our pets on the other hand don't live as long as we do, perhaps only a fraction of our own lives and years. Also is the case where a pet might be diagnosed with some illness we may feel completely helpless…are we doing enough for them, did we do enough for them, and then of course there is that agonizing decision we may face to put our pet down to end their suffering. Then there maybe the complete shock of a pet dying suddenly and out of the blue that had no health problems, as what happened to my black cat Pyewacket.

I've had cats since I was five years old, I've also have had pet mice and birds... I'm now 57. As you can imagine I've had a lot of "deaths" in the family. Many of us who are pet owners hope that when it comes time for our own passing that we will be re-united with our animal "children" again.

Some years ago, I came across the now very famous Rainbow Bridge poem which many are familiar with which speaks of a special place where all pets go to, sort of an animal heaven. All the pets are happy there, they have no more pain from illness, and play with one another. But all the pets anxiously wait and wait, and wait. They wait for the time that their beloved owner comes and join them there at the Bridge.

I do so hope when my time comes and I pass on that I will meet up with all my pets, and I can assure you, I'll be mobbed!

If you've never read the poem, I share it here. Have tissues handy, it's a tearjerker.

The Rainbow Bridge Poem:

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.

There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.

There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor.

Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance.

His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers.

Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again.

The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet,

so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together.... 

Author unknown...

https://rainbowsbridge.com/poem.htm

ARTICLE: ANIMALS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF MY LIFE

IMAGE SOURCE~©MELANIE NEER~PERSONAL PHOTOS

First photo=Me and Candy~September 1956

Second photo=Me and Babette~My first cat

I think the title of this article is self-explanatory, as yes indeed, animals have always been a part of my life in one way or another. I often tell people that I've had cats ever since I was five, when back then my mother adopted a "tuxedo cat" from a shelter and it was a Christmas present to me. But in actuality, it goes further back than that, and was I quite literally surrounded by pets ever since I was in my mother's womb.

My father's side of the family were dog people, so consequently my parents therefore had a dog, in fact, there is a rare photo of me where I'm not even a year old, and there I am sitting on the floor and right next to me is a beagle dog, who was named Candy. You can see from the photo I include here that the date of the photo is Sep. '56. Obviously, my mother nor my father even dreamed of getting rid of Candy due to my arrival in the world. I say that, since I'm a crossposter over at Facebook in which I share posts of urgent pets needing to be rescued, especially from kill shelters, and one of the "excuses" people now make to get rid of a pet is due to "new baby". Why one even thinks to get rid of a pet due to this excuse I'll never know, and it's just one of many "lame" excuses people make to surrender their pets in shelters.

I also have a rare photo of me when I was about eight years old (also included here) with that tuxedo cat my mother adopted for me of whom we named Babette. (OMG--that goofy grin/smile of mine…ekk). She lived all through my elementary, junior high, high school and even my college years. When she eventually did pass on it was like a major part of my life had died.

It wasn't only cats though for the vast majority of my life that I've had. I've also had pet birds and a mouse…uh, yes folks a mouse. I'm obviously not squeamish or phobic about them. Around the 1980s I took a home study course from the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. For a "lark" (no pun intended), I placed the decal of Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology on my mail box. I thought the average person would't even know what ornithology meant. I was wrong! For some reason people then viewed me as a bird "expert" so during those years past I rehabilitated baby sparrows that neighborhood kids would find and bring to me. Once they were old enough I was able to release back into the wild again. Due to my experience with those baby birds I then later got a pet bird, a grey-cheeked parakeet, whom I named "Cheeky". And yes, at the time, I had cats, but I'll tell you, that bird was THE boss; if the cats annoyed her, she'd let out a raucous squawk.

I think one of the beauties my folks instilled into me throughout my life was to have a great love for animals, all animals I might add. To this day I'm still of course an animal lover. I'm currently "owned" by two cats, Kissy and Ouija. My love for animals does however make me scratch my head in wonder how anyone could harm animals, as on a nearly daily basis, I hear of horrific animal abuse. I ask myself what brings people to harm an innocent animal life in such a manner? And that my folks is probably why as an animal lover, activist and advocate, why I'm the voice for the voiceless.

UPDATE: My 15 year old cat Kissy sadly passed on September 1,2015

Article: Ah…The Life Of The Pampered Pet

IMAGE SOURCE~©MELANIE NEER~PERSONAL PHOTOS

Kissy is the first photo and the second photo is of Ouija

Article was originally published June 22, 2013 for Bubblews, a website that no longer exists

If there's any true validity of the concept of reincarnation, then I definitely want to come back as a pet in my next lifetime and have the lifestyle similar to my two pampered cats Kissy and Ouija.

To many pet owners, a dog or cat is not "just" a dog or cat, but a member of the family, their child, and as such quite often the pet will enjoy a life of luxury; we humans should have it so good. The good vast majority of pet owners will put their pets needs ahead of their own, making sure their pet is comfortable and taken care of. In today's economy, money might be tight, but pet owners will go out of their way to make sure their pet has enough to eat, their medical needs taken care of and so forth. This is so true as in the case of my two cats.

I'm not one of those people who upon awakening, leaps out of bed with a song in my heart and raring to go. Yes, I'm a grump and that morning cup of coffee is calling me. But do I indulge and think of my own needs first? Of course not! I stumble out of bed and head straight to the kitchen, closely followed by my two cats behind me. I don't fix that desperately needed coffee, but instead I open cans of cat food and "serve" breakfast to my two cats first…then I also rinse out their water bowl and give them fresh cold water to drink.

My next task is to clean up the litter pan which I do even before I tend to my own bathroom needs. Okay so now the kitties are fed, given fresh water and their litter pan clean…NOW I tend to my own needs and make that coffee and fix up a breakfast for myself. After their morning "repast" Kissy and Ouija will often go back and take a snooze. Now I have one cozy cat bed, and a makeshift bed I made out of a cardboard box with one of my old pillows in it…do they snooze in them? Of course not! Ouija will often sprawl himself full length on the sofa which inhibits me from sitting on the sofa and heaven forbid I disturb him, and Kissy will often cuddle up on my bed. Oh and of course I don't dare straighten up my bed, not unless I want to receive "the look"--only a pet owner will understand what I mean by that.

After my breakfast I start either doing chores or park myself in front to get some work done. Somewhere along the line, one of my cats thinks I've spent enough time in front of the computer, will hop up on the computer desk and "demand" attention, usually by sitting right in front of the computer monitor so I can't see a blasted thing, or by head-bonking my hand which makes me nearly drop my mouse. So what do I do? Stop everything and pay attention of course!

Ah, the pets toys! I think my cats have more "toys" to play with than I ever had as a kid, the toys are all over the place, and yes, I frequently trip over them. I also have the daily duty of retrieving toys that have been batted under the sofa, the bureau, the entertainment center..lets put it this way, I get part of my daily exercise workout just by doing this.

Before you know it, time has quickly passed and it's feeding time again and my two cats will give me a "look" signifying that they are about to pass out with hunger at any minute. And of course I feed them even before I might have my own dinner.

Now lets zoom up for when it's finally time for me to go to bed. Both cats like to keep me company while I sleep and each has their own designated spot they like to go to. They get themselves all nice and cozy while struggle try to find a spot on my bed to sleep, bottom line,I often sleep like a pretzel, and yes, of course, I don't dare disturb them…not if I want to get "the look" again.

So are my cats pampered brats? Of course they are, and you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way!

Photo Source:

1). My own photos composite of Kissy and Ouija ©Melanie Neer

UPDATE: Sadly my cat Kissy who was 15 years old passed on September 1, 2015

Article: A New Arrival In My Life

IMAGE SOURCE~©MELANIE NEER~PERSONAL PHOTO

Composite photo of "Ouija"

This article was originally written for the Bubblews website on May 7, 2013, which no longer exists

The very first article I wrote here at Bubblews was about the grief I felt with the passing of my black cat Pyewacket three years ago. I've had cats since I was five years old, and have loved them all, but some pets stick in our hearts more and have a more special meaning to our lives. In the case of Pyewacket, he seemed to have come into my life when it was the most turbulent, it was almost as if his arrival in my life at that particular time was to act as a helper during those years.

Deep inside I knew I wanted to adopt another cat, specifically a black cat, as throughout my life, on and off, I've had black cats. I never had any superstitions about black cats, especially about them being bad luck, if anything I considered them good luck and had a unique quality all their own. Still, as much as I longed to get another black cat, I just couldn't bring myself to do so. I still had my Kissy, a grey tabby and she became "queen" of the domain for nearly three years.

Then beginning last year I was starting to have what could only be described as "panicky" thoughts. Those rather dumb thoughts that circulate in one's mind over and over again. You see I was realizing that Kissy was getting on in years, she's 13 years old. And yes, I'm hoping and praying she has many, many more years of life with me, but that panicky thought came that, OMG, what if I wake up one day and found she was gone from my life. When Pyewacket died I feel into a deep depression and was almost non-functional, so the idea that Kissy might pass on would be too much for me to bear.

Then around October of last year, there was an on-line auction with the Grayson County Humane Society in Leitchfield, KY over at Facebook. There were a variety of items one could bid on, but there was also the opportunity to be a cosponsor for one of the cats at their shelter. I came across one such cat, named "Dot"…he was primarily black but with a white "dot" on his chest, so I chose him to cosponsor along with two other people. Time moved on and I thought to myself, well why not take it to the next level? Why not, instead of just being a cosponsor, why not adopt him?

It took about a month in the making. I filled out the on-line application and crossed my fingers that my application for adoption went through and was accepted. It was. Now came the tricky part. I couldn't have him right away, as transportation had to be arranged as the Grayson County Humane Society, and thus "Dot" was in KY…I'm here in the NYC area. But yes, transportation was arranged for not only Dot but for several other pets who were being transported to their new forever homes as far as Maine!

On December 1, 2012, Dot officially came to my home. Kissy who is timid and will hide when strangers are about and she did indeed hide when the transporter came to my place…Kissy had no idea what she was in for. Lindsey the transporter let Dot out of the carrier and he came trotting right over to me as if we were old buddies and had been in my life all along. I was hoping that Lindsey could have stayed a bit longer, but she had to start the trek back to KY. So now it was just me and Dot, and of course, Kissy. Dot began investigating all over the place as if to check it out, in fact he explored the bedroom and hopped on my bed…LOL..this cat was taking over the joint!

I soon discovered that Dot didn't just have a white dot on his chest, but also some white on his "armpits" area and white on the lower part of his stomach. I also realized I really didn't care for his shelter name, I wanted something different. I was thinking of renaming him Shadow, but already had had a Shadow in years past, then thought of Salem, nope, then Binx, as in the name of the boy in the movie Hocus Pocus that had been turned into a black cat; nope, didn't care for that either. I was even tempted to maybe call him Pyewacket II…that idea quickly dissolved. About two nights after Dot had come into my life, it hit me. I was drifting off to sleep and the word Ouija struck me…this, Dot became Ouija.

Ouija isn't exactly a "kitten", I'm figuring he's about a year old already, but he sure as heck has kitten energy and definitely keeps me on my toes; he follows me around like a puppy dog, is very, very affectionate and loves to keep me company while I'm sleeping.

How does my Kissy take to Ouija? Uh, not too well. Even though some months have passed, she continues to hiss and growl at him, and maybe even swat him on the head when he comes near her. I often feel sorry for Ouija since I sense since he sees another kitty in the house he simply wants to play with her. I can at least be thankful that there hasn't been WWIII here, and sometimes I even catch them side by side eating from the same plate of food, even though I have two separate plates for them. I've come to the realization that the two of them aren't going to be cuddle bugs.

The photo I include here is Ouija the very first day he came to me on December 1st.

UPDATE: Sadly on Septmeber 1, 2015, my other cat Kissy did indeed pass on. She was 15 years old. I used to name her "picklepuss" due to the way she never took to Ouija. I sure miss that "picklepuss" though. Composite Photo of Kissy

ARTICLE: Flame Retardant Chemical May Prove To Be Highly Toxic To Our Pets

IMAGE SOURCE: ©MELANIE NEER~PERSONAL PHOTO

This article was originally written May 17, 2013 at Bubblews, a website that no longer exists.

Beginning around the 1970s a chemical flame retardant was added to vitally everything in our home environment; the idea being that by adding this chemical could greatly reduce the chance of a fire quickly going out of control, the chemical slowed the process down if a fire occurred in one's home. The chemical was added to virtually everything from the foam padding in beds, sofas, electrical wiring and appliances, electronics (including our cell phones), even clothing. Great idea right? Wrong!!

There have been ongoing studies that are linking the connection and showing that cats, especially indoor only cats, are being greatly affected by this flame retardant chemical, it's downright killing them and an alarming growing rate. It affects cats by triggering off hyperthyroidism in which while cats may demonstrate ravenous appetites, and instead of gaining weight, actually waste away until they die. How ironic and pathetically sad. Here we are, those of us keeping our cats indoors to keep them safe, not allowing them to go outdoors as we want to protect them from the dangers of being outdoor cats; that is the possibility of them being run over by a car, or pick up diseases and instead a danger may exist right in one's home and prove deadly to our feline friends. I'm also wondering if those nice expensive cat condos and cozy beds we get for our cats may also have this flame retardant chemical. Of course, it may not be only cats affected by the chemical, but we humans as well, and especially children. Also, how many of you when you get a new set of bed sheets or towels have noticed a rather strange smell to them? I only did recently get new bed sheets and don't ask how many times I had to wash them first before I could use them. Bottom line, our homes are ticking toxic time bombs to our pets, children and ourselves.

Unfortunately, this isn't the only incident where we may be endangering the health and lives of our cats. It's been long known how deadly flea and tick products can be; many cats exposed to flea/tick products can suffer permanent neurological disorders, even death. Another danger to cats are simple household cleaners, especially anything that contains the chemical phenol, and again can also trigger neurological problems and possible death as well. The real irony is that the USA's EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has KNOWN about the dangers of of these chemicals for decades, yet have they banned them? NO!

Other articles related to this issue:

Flame Retardant Article

Flame Retardant Article 2

If you wish to read up on the dangers of flea/tick products and household cleaners, I wrote extensive articles about both.

My article about the dangers of flea/tick products:

Flea/Tick Products

My article about the dangers of household cleaners:

Dangers of Household Cleaners

ARTICLE: MOVIE REVIEW: HACHI (based on a true story)

This article originally appeared both on Yahoo.voices and Bubblews which no longer exists)

If it hadn't been for Facebook and my involvement with animal issues, I may never have come across the whole story of Hachiko, an Akita dog of which the 2009 movie is based on.

First let me share a bit about the story of Hachiko itself. Back in 1924, a Professor named Hidesaburo Ueno who taught at the University of Tokyo. It was in that year, he took in an akita dog and named him Hachiko. The dog was completely loyal to Professor Ueno, so much so, that a routine seemingly began where the dog would patiently wait every single day at the Shibuya Train Station, waiting for his master to come home from the University. But then one day in May of 1925, the Professor didn't. he had suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage and passed on.

The story doesn't end there however. From 1925 up until 1935, Hachiko continued his patient wait at the train station for his master to come home. The story of Hachiko's loyalty toward his master didn't go unnoticed, and the story started to circulate and made public. Even before his passing, a statue of Hachiko was erected in his honor at the Shibuya Train Station, in 1934. A year later on March 8, 1935 passed away and a ceremonial funeral was heldat the station.

Now for the movie version.

The 2009 movie the story is "Americanized" with Richard Gere playing the role of Professor Parker Wilson, who one night, when coming home from the University that he teaches, finds an abandoned Akita puppy roaming the train station. The dog almost immediately seems attracted to the Professor and of course, Professor Parker feels sympathy for this lost, abandoned puppy. At first he tries everything possible to find a home for the puppy, especially since he knows his wife Cate (played by Joan Allen) wouldn't be too keen on the idea of having a pet in the home. For a good part of the beginning of the movie, you might say it's a sheer battle between the Professor and his wife and in keeping the puppy. Well, as you can guess, the puppy does stay and is named Hachi.

A close bond occurs between the Professor and Hachi, and true to the original story, Hachi develops a routine where he goes to the train station and patiently waits for the professor to come home, and like the original story, as you can guess, one night the Professor suffers a cerebral hemorrhage and passes on. Also true to the original story, Hachi waits, and waits, and waits for ten years for his master to come home.

I'm not going to kid you, while watching this movie, one definitely needs a box of tissues nearby. I think what gets a person the most is the demonstration of loyalty and devotion that this dog exhibits to his master. I'm not going to spoil things by giving the entire plot away but the ending of the movie is truly bittersweet, and yes, tissue time again.

For the record however, this demonstration of the loyalty of a dog to his master, even after death is by no means the first recorded incident. There is also the true story of Greyfriar's Bobby, which was made "famous" by the 1961 Disney movie of the same name, and was one of my childhood favorite movies that I had watched. In this case, the story takes place in 1865 in Edinburgh, Scotland and of a Skye Terrier owned by a shepherd who passed on, and after his master's death, kept vigil watch and slept on the grave of his master in the Greyfriar's churchyard. Like Hachiko, there is also a statue in Bobby's honor. More recently is the story of Huachi, a dog of mixed breed in Bolivia and had been owned by a student who tragically died in an accident. In similar fashion to Bobby and Hachiko, Huachi waits for his master to return.

The movie Hachi is definitely one of those must see movies, particularly if one is an animal lover. The movie and the original story that it is based on clearly demonstrates that animals do indeed show feelings, emotions, joy, pain, depression and grief, and as the former movie critics, Siskel and Ebert would have said, I give this movie two thumbs up. Just remember those tissues!

For a little more background of the true story of Hachiko one can read all about it here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachikō

Hachikō

There are also a good number of books that have been written about Hachiko and if you're interested they can be purchased over at Amazon.com

1). Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog by Pamela S. Turner

2). Hachiko Waits by Lesléa Newman and Machiyo Kodaira

3). Hachiko: The True Story of The Royal Dogs of Japan and One Faithful Akita by Julie Chrystyn

4). Hach-Ko: The Samurai Dog by Shizuko O. Koster

5). Hachi: The Truth of The Life and Legen of the Most Famous Dog in Japan by Mayumi Itoh

The official Greyfriar's Bobby website:

http://www.greyfriarsbobby.co.uk

Greyfriar's Bobby

Story of Huachi of Bolivia:

http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2014/01/after-five-years-dog-continues-to-wait-for-diseased-owner/

Huachi of Bolivia

Image source:

http://www.moviecape.com/product_info.php?products_id=5665

ARTICLE: Pets As Christmas Gifts: Good Idea Or Not?

(Originally published on Bubblews~December 22, 2013)

Bubblews Article

With the Christmas season upon us there probably is not a better way to express the idea of giving than to adopt a shelter pet and give the gift of life to that pet; this is especially true when adopting a pet in a high kill shelter. Whether a shelter pet is from a high kill shelter or a no-kill shelter, both types of shelters are overwhelmed and crammed with unwanted pets and by adopting a pet, especially during this time one is giving a chance for a new life, new home to that shelter pet. However! Is it a good idea or not?

The Pros:

I've had cats ever since I was five years old, in fact, my very first cat, a "tuxedo" cat, that is a black and white cat and named Babette, was adopted by my mother and yes, given to me as a Christmas gift. Babette became my animal companion and was to live throughout my elementary school years, junior high, high school and even college. I came from a background of people who were "pet" people and knew responsibility in taking care of pets. Since I was introduced to a pet at such an early age, I too learned the responsibility of having a pet and was to have many pets afterwards. To this day, I have two cats, the most recent is Ouija, a cat I adopted from the Grayson County Humane Society, a no-kill shelter all the way in Kentucky and was transported to me. I adopted him and he came into my life on December 1, 2012, so in effect, he was my Christmas present.

As I've indicated, whether pets are in a no-kill shelter or high kill shelters, both types of shelters are overwhelmed with too many pets and not enough people adopting them. The sad statistics for high kill shelters is that as many as one-hundred pets can be killed weekly in one high-kill shelter alone, multiply that by each and every high-kill shelters nationwide, it's not hard to understand that up to three to four million, yes, million cats and dogs are "euthanized" every year. (1)

Therefore by adopting a pet, especially from a high kill shelter at anytime of the year, one is indeed saving a life, and one can't help thinking what better time of the year to save a shelter pet's life than at the Holiday/Christmas time? So yes, adopting a pet at this time of the year and as a "gift" can be a true miracle, especially for that pet. What better way to celebrate Christmas?

The Cons:

There are of course the cons to the concept of adopting a pet as a gift for Christmas and it all has to do with how responsible the adopter and/or recipient of the pet is. The adopter has to realize, that when adopting a pet from a shelter and as a "gift" we're talking about a living creature with feelings and emotions; the pet isn't a disposable or returnable item or commodity.

I hate to say it, but to my mind, pet shelters can often be at fault as well as far as the concept of giving a pet as a gift during the holiday season. So many shelters, whether high-kill or no-kill, are always overwhelmed with too many pets in their shelters and not enough people interested in adopting a pet. What happens then is that during this time of the year, shelters will lower adoption fees, much in the same sense stores will do to entice people to buy commodities and therefore will have spectacular sales for their electronics, shoes, and so forth.

There's a big difference however; one can return an item that was given as a gift such as clothing if it's not the right size or color, but one shouldn't have the same mind-set with a pet; unfortunately this has become a sad fact, that yes indeed, many shelter pets adopted during the Christmas season are sooner or later often returned for a variety of reasons. Those reasons can be anywhere from that cuddly puppy or kitten is now grown and has lost it's "cute appeal, to perhaps the recipient of the "gift" pet not realizing the responsibilities and costs involved with owning a pet.

Bottom line: If one is thinking of adopting a pet as a gift, one needs to give real serious thought of what's involved. This is a living, breathing animal; a life, an addition to the family, and therefore, should be a member of the family for the remainder of the pet's life and not to be gotten rid of when no longer convenient.

Sources:

Shelter Pet Statistics: (1) http://www.humanesociety.org/animal_community/resources/qa/common_questions_on_shelters.html

Shelter Pet Statistics

IMAGE SOURCE~©DESIGN BY MELANIE NEER VIA PHOTOSHOP

Article: Natural And Alternative Means Of Healing For Pets: Holistic, Homeopathic And Naturopathic

Originally published and posted in Bubblews~July 22, 2014 HERE

Just as many people are turning to alternative means of health and healing, so are pets owners. I've never been a great fan of the medical profession to begin with and I've gotten that viewpoint no doubt from my great-grandmother who was a nurse, for the most part thought doctors were idiots, was a walking encyclopedia of natural remedies, never took anything stronger than aspirin, and lived to be 98; I can only hope I can live that long!

Now I'm not saying one should completely forsake and dismiss the medical profession altogether , whether for humans or for pets, but I think a good number of people are getting a bit more wary. You no doubt, when watching TV for instance, will see those commercials about some medication that is good for a specific medical problem, and then of course the announcer starts rattling about the potential side effects and to tell your doctor if you get certain side effects that could be detrimental, or in extreme cases life-threatening. I sit back and listen to all this and think to myself, just why on earth would a person want to take this?

Also, another point. Just because a medication has been FDA "approved" does not mean the medication entirely safe in other regards. By this I mean, not all side effects are recognized at first and can often trigger other health problems later on that were not known when they were initially tested. A good example is the cholesterol lowering medication Lipitor now linked to triggering off Diabetes in women.

You may wonder why I'm bringing all this up; quite simple. What is one of the questions a doctor will ask you as a patient when he or she is prescribing a medication? Are you allergic to it? This has to be one of those like duh moments. How can one tell if one is allergic to a medication if one has never had it before? One has to consider this with pets as well. Many of the medications designed for humans are also prescribed for pets, just at a much lower dosage.

Just as we humans may suffer from side effects of medications or may be allergic to them, so can pets, but there's a big difference. If we start experiencing what could be detrimental side effects from a medication, we at least can say something about it, pets can't until perhaps unfortunately too late.

I had a horrific experience in the past with one of my cats many, many years ago back around the late 1970s. One of my younger cats had developed a mild URI (Upper Respiratory Infection). No real big deal, right? It's a condition that is very treatable with antibiotics. So I went to the vet, he examined her and gave me a common penicillin type antibiotic, Amoxicillin. In the past, a few of my other cats would also have URI and would give them the same medication without a problem. So I came home and prepared the Amoxicillin and proceeded to give her the medication. Within minutes she started having not only horrific seizures but worse, passed on. Do you have any idea how guilty I felt? Here I was trying to help my young cat but instead due to the medication in which she had a rare and fatal reaction, she died from it.

IMPORTANT: Before I continue on, once again, I'm not saying one should completely forgo any medications for pets, just be wary, and perhaps investigate more holistic means of healing.

Not long after this horrific incident occurred, I started looking into a more holistic means of healing for my cats. In fact, it was back in the 1980s I happen to come across the book, The Natural Cat: The Comprehensive Guide to Optimum Care by Anitra Frazier. Let's put it this way, it has virtually become a "bible" for me in helping and healing my cats in a more natural, holistic way. Think of and name the potential and possible health condition a cat may face, and Ms. Frazier has fantastic suggestions how to heal and heal naturally. I might add, she also doesn't completely ignore veterinary help.

Well, many years have passed, and yes from time to time I do still rely on veterinary care, but before racing to a vet, I now attempt alternative means of healing and with great success I might add. There are numerous books out there for one to explore about natural alternative means for healing not only cats, but dogs, of course top on the list should be Anitra Frazier's book. I include a listing of just some of the books available. Do a google search under holistic and/or natural healing for cats, or dogs or pets in general for a more comprehensive listing.

Also, with such "alternative" means of healing pets, there are of course, homeopathic/naturopathic medications one can buy to give pets and I've included the websites of just two places where one can get such natural remedies; again, one can do a google search for more websites where one can obtain such natural medications. Be prepared though, these medications can be quite pricey.

Listing of just a few suggested books on alternative health and healing for pets:

The Natural Cat: The Comprehensive Guide to Optimum Care http://www.amazon.com/The-Natural-Cat-Comprehensive-Optimum/dp/0452289750/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1ZDACARP7ZVEEM67KDTE

The Natural Cat: The Comprehensive Guide to Optimum Care

Veterinarians Guide to Natural Remedies for Dogs : Safe and Effective Alternative Treatments and Healing Techniques from the Nations Top Holistic Veterinarians

http://www.amazon.com/Veterinarians-Guide-Natural-Remedies-Dogs/dp/0609803727

Veterinarians Guide to Natural Remedies for Dogs

Veterinarians Guide to Natural Remedies for Cats : Safe and Effective Alternative Treatments and Healing Techniques from the Nations Top Holistic Veterinarians http://www.amazon.com/Veterinarians-Guide-Natural-Remedies-Cats/dp/0609803735/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=12MHZDFM4QN7DMDW0SEC

Veterinarians Guide to Natural Remedies for Cats

The Nature of Animal Healing : The Definitive Holistic Medicine Guide to Caring for Your Dog and Cat

http://www.amazon.com/The-Nature-Animal-Healing-Definitive/dp/0345439198/ref=pd_sim_b_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=19FDMXHP7JA4KV7KV1PA

The Nature of Animal Healing

The Complete Guide to Holistic Cat Care: An Illustrated Handbook

http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Guide-Holistic-Care/dp/1592535666/ref=pd_sim_b_7?ie=UTF8&refRID=1WJ3FY0PARN96C0BMG6E

The Complete Guide to Holistic Cat Care

Listing of Homeopathic and Natural Medications For Pets:

Pet Alive Website For Homeopathic Medications

http://www.nativeremedies.com/petalive/

Pet Alive Website

Only Natural Pet Website:

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/dogs/

Only Natural Pet Website

Disclaimer: I am not a veterinarian, but am passing on this information based on some of my own personal experiences.

ARTICLE: Pet Toy Safety: Just How Safe Are Some of Those Pet Toys?

First Published at Bubblews~April 11, 2014

Bubblews Article

Image source~Internet images of Typical Pet Toys

ABSTRACT: If one has a pet, one should be a conscientious consumer about some of the potential hazards that can exist in some pet toys especially pet toys made in China.

CONTENT:

If you're a pet owner, no doubt you pamper your pet with a variety of cute toys that will allow your cat(s) or dog(s) a chance for them to play and perhaps even give them exercise, but just how safe are some of those toys? My question came to mind as I've been seeing a good number of my on-line friends talk about buying the seemingly new pet toy craze: that is the Crinkle Ball Toy. But my question of safety factors for pet toys isn't limited to the Crinkle Ball, but other pet toys as well.

One of the real problems as I see it, while one may hear of numerous recalls for products targeted for children on TV media news, one will rarely hear of recalls for products for pets. We are also more aware of foods for human consumption that are recalled, but with a few exceptions, we hardly ever hear of any massive pet food recalls. To be knowledgeable of recalls of any kind of pet products, be it toys or food, one has to turn to the internet.

Think of all the children's products that have been recalled in the past few years of toys found containing lead paint to a good number of strollers that have had defects in them. There is a seemingly common denominator and factor involved when it comes to products made for both children and pets, and that is the vast majority of them are made in China where safety standards are less diligent.

Now let me to explore and bring up some issues and concerns about pet toys.

Back in 2008, I very vividly remember hearing the story about a dog owner who had bought a popular chew toy, called the Pimple Ball With Bell and made Four Paws, Inc. While playing with this ball, somehow the dog's tongue got caught into the hole of the ball and despite efforts for the owner to remove the ball, the owner wasn't able to as the dog's tongue quickly became swollen. The owner took the dog to a vet to have the ball removed, however, even with the ball surgically removed, the dog's tongue continued to swell and the tongue eventually had to be amputated. You can read the whole story here.

One very popular toy for cats is known as the Lattice Plastic Ball with a Jingle Bell. Many years ago as a treat for my cats around Christmas time I bought a large Christmas stocking filled with a variety of cat toys, one of them being a few of those Lattice type balls. I refrained from giving my cats this type of toy as right away I saw a potential hazard. The lattice plastic part of the ball was rather flimsy and could easily be broken. I also saw a potential danger of that jingle bell, that if the plastic part of the ball was broken, a cat could possibly swallow that jingle bell, not to mention the plastic part of that ball as well. What did I do? Simple, I threw them all out.

Before I go on, I wish to mention something about those jingle bells. A pet owner may notice that those small jingle type bells seem to appear in or on a lot of pet toys. I suppose the idea behind having them included is to attract the attention of the pet, but in my mind they should be eliminated as there is too much of a risk of that jingle bell being accidentally swallowed by a pet. A good while ago, I had bought a mouse-shaped toy filled with catnip. Dangling from the tail part which was made out of string was, yes, a jingle bell. Not only did I cut off the bell, but the tail part of the toy. My advice then that if you do get a pet toy that has one of those shiny metal jingle bells is to cut them off!

Feather toys also seem to be popular for pets however, I question the safety factor of these toys as well. Yes some of those feather toys are "cute" and often brightly colored to attract the attention of a pet. However feathers are easily torn apart, and there is the risk of the feather being swallowed, and what about the safety factor of the dyes used to make those feathers so colorful? I mention the later as I often have made crafts that call for feathers, usually the "marabou" type of feathers, and yes they are brightly dyed. In handling the feathers that are dyed red, blue or yellow, some of the dye comes off on my hands. Needless to say, I keep the feathers I use for my crafts sealed up and stored in a container so there's no potential of my cats getting to those feathers.

Beware of any pet toys that are made of "fur", yes real fur. Some years ago I bought a mini-condo for my two cats. With the condo was a mouse shaped toy and yes made of real fur, not only that, but the fur was dyed a sickly orange color. The irony of any pet toy made out of fur is that it can be made from any type of fur bearing animal such as rabbits, but more horrifying believe it or not, possibly made from dog or cat fur from the Chinese fur trade where cats and dogs are skinned alive. If you don't believe me, google "Cats and Dogs Skinned Alive In China"; it will absolutely repulse you.

Rawhide Dog Chew toys can also be suspect in their safety factor as well since many are treated with a whole array of toxic chemicals, including FD&C Red 40, which is a known carcinogen, sodium benzoate, arsenic, formaldehyde. Chemical "concoctions" isn't limited to rawhide type dog chews, but two years ago a toy called Snuggling Furry Friend, and sold by Petco also contained Trimethyl Benzene, Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead and Naphthalene. One can read more about rawhide dog chew toys and about the Snuggling Furry Friend toys in the articles I provide in my Sources section.

Now to discuss those Crinkle Ball Toys which I've been wondering about for awhile and are increasingly becoming more popular. All those Crinkle Ball Toys are made from Mylar which is a shiny plastic. I can't help thinking that such plastic I can be easily ripped apart when a cat plays with them and perhaps chews on them, so once again here we have a potential choking hazard. Also, these Crinkle Balls come in a bright, dazzling array of colors to make them more attractive; attractive for whom I don't know, certainly not the pet but more for the owner. I went on a search to see if anything has yet been mentioned about the safety factor of these Crinkle Ball Toys and came across a posting by a cat owner on the Pet360 website. The owner mentions how when one of these Crinkle Ball Toys fell into her cat's water bowl, the water had turned red from the dye of the ball. She then suspects that her cat drank this water laced with the red dye from the toy as she found vomit nearby the water dish.You can read the entire posting here: http://community.pet360.com/t5/Whole-Cat-Health-Wellness/Are-Crinkle-Ball-Toys-Safe-For-Cats-Or-Not/td-p/45091

So what is a pet owner to do? Naturally we want to pamper our pets with toys for them to play with. But for the safety of your pet, refrain from buying pet toys made in China where standards and quality of materials used are suspect. Do some research in buying toys for your pets. There are plenty of pet toy manufacturers right here in the USA. To find such toys, google "Natural or Organic Pet Toys" and you'll be surprised by how many websites come up. One of my favorite natural toys to buy for my cats are anyone of the products made by Yeowww and a lot are sold over at Amazon.com.

Lastly, your pets are your "children", don't you want them to be safe? All I can say is to be a conscientious consumer. Research, research, research!

Sources:

Dog Chew Toy

http://consumerist.com/2008/08/21/owner-calls-for-chew-toy-recall-after-dogs-injury-results-in-tongue-amputation/

Rawhide Chew Toys

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2013/03/07/the-risk-of-rawhide-chew-toys/

http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/dog_toys.html

Dog Toys

http://thebark.com/content/beware-lead-and-toxic-dog-toys

http://www.petsitusa.com/blog/?p=4843

Crinkle Toys

http://community.pet360.com/t5/Whole-Cat-Health-Wellness/Are-Crinkle-Ball-Toys-Safe-For-Cats-Or-Not/td-p/45091

Massive Recall of Children's Toys From China Due to Lead

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/20254745/ns/business-consumer_news/t/mattel-issues-new-massive-china-toy-recall/#.U0iVpaVsr1w

Natural or Organic USA Made Pet Toys:

Purrfect Play Website:
http://purrfectplay.com

Only Natural Pet:
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/dogs/

Image Source~My own photo of a Yeowwwy Catnip Toy