Furry Grim Reaper?

There's an AP story out of Providence, R.I., about a cat who lives in a nursing home that may be able to predict which of the residents there are about to die. (There's also an NBC News video segment on Oscar and a photo gallery of him at the Boston Globe.) According to Dr. David M. Dosa in a New England Journal of Medicine article, the cat cuddles up to them in their final hours. Although it's rather freaky if true, I hope that I have a feline companion curled up next to me in my final hours. Of course, maybe these residents are just the ones who are deathly allergic to cats!

Cats Adopting Puppies

I read two stories on MSNBC today about mama cats who adopted puppies:

• A nursing mama cat in Pennsilvania took in the neighbor's pug puppy when the runt was rejected by its own mother. Hopefully, someone will bottle-feed the puppy because it'll get too big to get its nourishment from the mother cat; not to mention put her kittens at risk of not getting enough. But, this is a very heart-warming story of cross-species neighborly love with a cute photo.
• This one's a bit more odd: A woman in Brazil claims that her cat gave birth to both kittens and puppies! They're running tests on the "puppies," but I'm sure they'll turn out to be 100% dog. No doubt, like the first story, they're also neighborhood puppies adopted by this mama cat. To me, it's just interesting that this woman's claim that her cat was impregnated by a dog is not being dismissed out of hand as impossible. UPDATE: Tests prove puppies aren't part cat.

If you are thinking of a new puppy
then consider dog adoption while
you are choosing a dog before
buying from a pet shop.

CSI: Meowmi

If you’re a CSI fan, you’ll like this Washington Post story about a Virginia woman who used DNA evidence to confirm that a neighborhood dog killed her pet cat. Aside from this sad story of the unfortunate consequences of a pet owner who thinks it’s safe to let their cats outside—she’s since learned her lesson and keeps the rest of her cats inside—is the information about the California lab that processes animal DNA. Animal owners have used the lab in similar cases to finger cat-killing dogs, and others to confirm that Rover is indeed the roadkill they found. Ranchers have used the lab to ID stolen cattle using DNA. (This makes me wonder if ranchers are trading their branding irons for cheek swabbing kits.) And the lab helped find a murderer who had the bad luck to step in dog doo at the crime scene. I don’t know about you, but I think the CSI producers have another show here!

Look into pet health insurance to ensure the future health
of your dog or cat. Learning about pet medical insurance
and the benefits of pet insurance can be a great asset.
You can also get a pet insurance quote to see how
affordable pet insurance is.

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.

Cloned wildcats may keep endangered species going

This story is interesting because cloning may end up being the way many endangered species are eventually saved. But, if you check out the location of the people cloning these wildcats, you'll notice they are based in New Orleans. I really hope that the people and animals at the Audubon Nature Institute's Research Center are OK in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Yesterday, when I looked at their website it came up fine. Today I get an error message.

• 2005 Aug 22. In breakthrough, cloned wildcats prove ability to reproduce. AFP.
• Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species: Cloning Main Page.

Hypoallergenic kittens for sale

Allerca, a California-based biotechnology company, is taking orders for it's genetically engineered kittens. These $3,500 British Shorthair kittens will be modified so they do not produce the protein that causes some people to have allergic reactions.

With 17 percent of the population allergic to cats, I think this is a wonderful scientific breakthrough. However, I know there are many who may be concerned about the safety or ethical issues involved. Speak out! Share your opinion by posting a comment below or voting in the poll on the right.

• 2004 Oct 24. Genetically modified cats for sale. CNN.
• More about the company: Allerca Lifestyle Pets.
• Who's allergic to what: 2005 Aug 17. Most Americans have allergies. Reuters.
  

Project aims to save cheetahs in Iran

Finally! A story out of the Middle East that doesn't have to do with war, weapons of mass destruction, oil, religion or terrorists. How nice! Unfortunately, the four-year project to try to prevent the extinction of the Asiatic cheetah, of which there are only about 50 left in the central plateau of Iran, sounds like it's got its work cut out for it.

• Peter Zahler. 2005 Aug 28. Footprints in the snow. Wildlife Conservation Magazine, NY, USA.
• More news about endangered wild cats: 2005 Aug 28. Tigers hang tough. Wildlife Conservation Magazine, NY, USA.

Cat's treatment may be cure for cancer

Is a cheap, common jet fuel additive, hydrazine sulfate, capable of curing cancer? It seems to have worked for a cat named Elwood who lived eight years longer than expected after being treated with it.

• Hart Seely. 2005 Aug 29. Does cat's drug offer a cure for cancer?. Post-Standard, Syracuse, NY, USA.

Plague in Pet Cats Links

Here are some links to stories and more information about how pet cats get the plague, things you can do to protect your cats and the recent cases of cats with plague:

• PLAGUE IN CATS
  A well-researched article about how cats get the plague, what the signs are, what the treatment for it is and how to avoid the disease in cats.
• State Health Department Issues Warning about Plague in Pet Cats
  California Department of Health's news release about recent cases of plague in cats.
  
• Cat owners warned about plague risk from wild rodents
  An AP story about the recent cases of plague in pet cats in California.

Cat in the Civil War Cannon Legend Debunked?

USS Monitor gun turret being pulled out of the Atlantic Ocean
on Aug. 5, 2002, for the first time in 140 years. (Credit: NOAA)

There's an Associated Press story that has been picked up by several newspapers concerning a Civil War legend involving a sinking ship and a black cat that may or may not have been put into a cannon by a superstitious sailor. You can see it on CNN here:

No sign of legendary cat in Monitor cannon

Scripps Howard News Service has another story about it here:

Research on USS Monitor probably disproves cat story

But the most complete story is from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration who are the ones claiming to have debunked the myth. Their story is at:

USS MONITOR RESEARCHERS DEBUNK 142-YEAR-OLD LEGEND OF 'CAT IN THE CANNON'

It wasn't until I read the NOAA story's complete quote from the sailor that I realized he wasn't trying to harm the cat but save it, keep it dry, maybe get it to stop yowling. At the time, he thought the ship still had a chance, maybe a better one if he helped them stick to a sailor's superstition against killing cats. (Too bad more people don't believe in that one.)

Personally, I think the legend could still be true even though they didn't find any cat bones in the recovered cannon. Cats aren't crazy about being stuck places. It could have gotten out before the ship sank. (And hopefully it safely cat-paddled to shore and took up with some nice land lubbers.)