Post-Traumatic Stress in Pets

Unfortunately, reuniting pets with their owners (or finding new homes for them) is only the first step to getting things back to normal after a disaster like Hurricane Katrina. Like human victims, they'll be going through emotional trauma that requires extra care.

• Kim Campbell Thornton, MSNBC. 2005 SEP 15. Pets vulnerable to post-traumatic stress, too. MSNBC.com.

On a related note, Audubon Nature Institute's website reports that most of their animals survived Hurricane Katrina, but that they need donations to "feed, house and provide veterinary care for New Orleans’ rare and endangered wildlife." The Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species are the researchers that have been cloning wildcats in order to ensure the survival of the species.

Katrina survivor Miss Kitty reunited with her person

Bill Harris says his cat, Miss Kitty, saved his life during hurricane Katrina. He was then separated from her when rescuers refused to go back into his flooded condo for her. Through the extraordinary efforts of Noah's Wish volunteers and a couple of MSNBC reporters, Miss Kitty was found and reunited with Bill. Read the story as it unfolds on MSNBC's Katrina Blog by Mike Brunker:

• 2005 SEP 05. THE AMAZING STORY OF BILL HARRIS OF SLIDELL, LA.
• 2005 SEP 07. LOOKING FOR MISS KITTY.
  
• 2005 SEP 07. SAVING THE PETS, ONE BY ONE.
• 2005 SEP 07. 'MISS KITTY? ARE YOU THERE?'.
• 2005 SEP 08. A 'MIRACLE,' BUT IS IT TOO LATE?.
• 2005 SEP 09. JOY FOR ONE HURRICANE SURVIVOR.
• 2005 SEP 09. REUNION AND RELIEF.
  
• 2005 SEP 09. HELLO, MISS KITTY!.
  
• 2005 SEP 10. MISS KITTY’S CELEBRITY TOUR.
  
• 2005 SEP 10. FINALLY, MISS KITTY REUNION VIDEO.

Cat's in the pink despite color change

There's a story that has been picked up by several UK media outlets about a once-white cat who came home pink one afternoon. I'm sure the only reason this has become such big news is the cute pictures. He looks a bit like he's been dipped in Easter egg coloring, or more likely, rolled around in a slightly damp red towel on his walk around the neighborhood. (The story's popularity might also have to do with the funny headlines possible. Check out Google's list of pink cat stories to find some I don't think would be used in more conservative US newspapers.) Check out the different stories because they each have different cute photos of him:

• 2005 SEP 05. Cat in the pink over new colour. BBC News, UK.


• Richard Savill. 2005 SEP 05. The cat that turned pink. Telegraph.co.uk, UK.


• Author. 2005 SEP 06. White cat turns pink. Ananova, UK.

Leave a comment: Why do you think Brumas turned pink?

Humane Society and Others Help Pets in Hurricane Aftermath

The Humane Society of the United States is one of the animal welfare organizations that has sent volunteers into the areas hit by Hurricane Katrina in order to rescue pets that had to be abandoned by their owners. They are getting phone calls from frantic pet owners who left their cats and dogs in attics and other locations they thought they'd be safe in for a few days when they were evacuated. Some people, of course, never evacuated because they refused to leave their pets behind. Others have had to make the painful choice whether to euthanize their pets or leave them to starve to death.

Read more about it:

• 2005 SEP 04. HSUS Disaster Teams Reach Stranded Pets in New Orleans by Bernie Unti, HSUS.


• 2005 SEP 03. Rescue Teams Reach Gulfport, Galvanizing HSUS Animal Relief Efforts by Bernie Unti, HSUS.


• Anita Manning, USA Today. 2005 SEP 03. Animal welfare groups rescue abandoned pets. USA Today.


• AP. 2005 SEP 04. Evacuees anguished at leaving pets behind. Yahoo News.


• 
  Contribute to the Humane Society of the United States' (HSUS) Disaster Relief Fund

Lion attacks up 300 percent in 15 years

The lions in Tanzania have an increasingly smaller area to roam freely and fewer and fewer wild animals to prey upon because of the growing human population there. I suppose it should be expected that the result is more people attacked by lions, but I'm afraid this struggle between the two competing species can only end badly.

• AP. 18 AUG 2005. Lion attacks up 300 percent in 15 years. CNN.com.

Whoops! My Bad.

Yikes! Sorry to all the subscribers to this site's newsletter who were sent a bunch of random-looking links yesterday. I had been playing with this new bookmarking site I found, del.icio.us, and was experimenting with adding it's links to our newsletter feed. I had changed my mind about doing that and started adding personal links to my del.icio.us account instead, but forgot to change the newsletter before it went out, personal links and all. So, again, sorry for the confusion.

A bit off topic from Cat News, but if there are any Siamese-lovers out there, here are some of my personal links that went out that you might actually be interested in:

• SiamesePhotos.com - This is one of my websites. It'll be going through some sort of redesign in the near future.
• An alternate way to share photos of and discuss Siamese if you are a member of flickr is a group I just started there: Siamese Photos at flickr
• I've uploaded a bunch of my cat photos to flickr at: Photos from Meezer Master
• I also started a discussion group: Google Groups - Siamese Photos

As you can see I've been experimenting with some different ways of making this website and its Siamese Photos sister site better. Leave a comment if you have suggestions.

-Jackie Johnston