Toyz, Toyz, and More Toyz!

Hai, Furriends!

Dis is Tigger heer!  I sneekeeyed in when no one wuz lookin!  Mom haz been so furry bizzy writing articles day gives her sum green paperz dat our bloggie dooties has bin neglecktid fur a long time! (I hopes you likes dis color--it matches mai furz!)

We haz missed all our furriends boff heer on da CB and at da Twitter Pawties.  Den Jiggy gots a big hed on accounta he went to skool to learn "gud inglish" to be da 'spokes-cat.'  Boo, hiss at him!  Now he finks he iz all dat!

Well, I am heer to tell yous all how to make sum furry fun toyz iffen your beans haz no green papers!  Iz funz an easy, an Meowmy haz made us a bunches of dem!

One:
Furst, have yur beans save up all da empty rollz frum der litterbox room. Dese iz fun to play wif in many ways.  Our meowmy fixed up a bunch of dem on a string, an she pulls it down da hall.  Iz just like chasing a worm or sumpin. 

Just have your beans take a long string, almost as tall as dey are, and run it inside da rollz.  At da end you will be chasin, dey should poke 2 holes in da side of da roll, and stick da string out one an back in da odder, den tie a knot to da rest of da string.  Tape da string inside, offur da knot--dey kin use wide tape like fur closin' up boxes--den, put da next roll on da string, and stick da string to da insides of da rollz wif da tape. Do this fur each roll.  Uses abowt 7 or 8 rollz.  Dey kin leaf part of da string stickin owt da top, and tie a loop fur dem to pull it wif.  We luvs dis toy!

Two:
If it iz neer da howlidays, (or sum bean's birfday), dey kin save up da plastic spools frum da ribbon.  Deez are funz all by demselves!  Dey roll reely gud, and fur a long time.  Da beans only has to set da spool up on edge, and gives it a push.  Will roll alla way down da hall, wif kittehs in purrsooot!  Iz gud fur starting a game of THoE.

Three:

Boxes!  Kittehs, do not let yur beans throw away purrrfecktly gud boxes!  We all knows us kittehs luvs boxes!  We don't effen haff to fit inside da box!  Da challenge of tryin' to git in iz haff da funz! Our sisfur, Soot (who now lives offer da RB) luved to try an stuff herself into tissue boxes!  She wuz so silly!  Heer iz anodder example:  Lookit dis bideo of da famus cat, "Maru" tryin' to git into an impossible box!

Four:

Anyfings wif strings espeshully shiny ribbon strings, is fun to chase.  Da beans can easy tie dem or tape dem to a stick or a great big paper rolly fing, like dey gets wif dat gift wrappin' paper!  Is grate funz, just tape or pokey holez to tie da strings or ribbons to one end, and put enuf down thru da paper toob so it sticks owt da end abowt a tail length.  Den, yur beans kin wave ta toob arownd, an you kin jump at da string, an see how hi you kin jump.  If dere iz more dan one kitteh in yur howse, it iz a gud contest!

Dis toy kin also be used as a sneeky-up toy, if yur beans keep it owt of yur sight, 'cept fur da ribbon, which dey kin wiggle..den, when youz go to pownce on it, dey kin pull da ribbon up inside, an you kin stick ur paw in to try an find it. 

Five:

Iffen your beans haz any old leather wallets dey is abowt to throw away, meow yur head off, and don't let dem!  You need dis toy!  You kin nom on it, bunny-kick it, carry it in your mouth, and if yur beans really luvs you, dey can sprinkle da inside wif NIP! (Just be sure dey takes owt any plastic window parts dat mite cut you, or zippers dat mite hurt your teeth.)

Dat is sum of my suggeschuns.  And a word of warning: as temting as it mite be, purrlease stay away frum your meowmy's hair ties, and those paper clip and rubber band thingees you may find in da beans baffroom or in der desk.  Dese iz furry dangerus fings fur kittehs, an not toyz.

As fun as it iz to make toyz owt of wot looks like nuffing, dere are a lot of gate toyz to be had as well as lots of odder nice kitteh stuffs iffen your beans haz any of dos pesky green papers dey all seems to fuss offur.

Heer iz a link to a sooper place to order all kinds of fings fur us kittehs.  (Oh, okay..dey haz woofie stuffs, too--but we furgives dem fur dat, on accownt of dey is so nice!)

So, purrlease also bisit our furriends at Nip and Bones fur grate toys, grooming, traveling and all kinds of fings.  Dey haz furry fast shipping, an all da toyz an stuffs iz purrsonally tested an inspected by Chief Kit, Baby Patches!  I'm sure many of you knows her frum da CB, da Facey-Book or Twitter!  (We allus keeps a linky to der shop offur to da left in da sidebar, so you kin find it anytime.)

Stand Up, Speak Up for the Animals!

Today’s post is for a very special cause, as part of the “Blog the Change for Animals” challenge.  Our topic is the sorry state of the nation’s so-called animal shelters.  Too many animals entrusted to these facilities suffer everything from inadequate care to being killed outright--(so I have published in blood red type).

“Euthanasia,” they call it.  Euthanasia, as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary is as follows:

 

 “The act or practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness or an incurable condition, as by lethal injection or the suspension of extraordinary medical treatment.”  (Emphases mine.)

There is nothing ethical about the reasons for killing animals at the very facilities responsible for their temporary care until a permanent home can be found.  Instead, they are concerned only with their bottom line, and available space.  They do not discriminate overmuch about which animals are chosen to be killed.  In some cases, it could be older or ill animals, but it is far more likely to be perfectly healthy adult animals or baby animals just beginning their journey of life.  They are not 'suffering from terminal illnesses or incurable conditions.'

Instead of focusing their efforts on education, adoption, spaying and neutering of family pets and TNR (trap/neuter/release) programs for feral populations (especially cats), these places would rather collect and kill. 

It is a shameful practice, and reduces to nearly insignificant numbers the equally horrific tales of individuals committing animal abuse and causing extreme harm and death.  However, there is a conspiracy of silence in the media:  only individuals perpetrating cruelty upon animals are exposed and held accountable under the laws of the land.

The ultimate irony lies in the very names these agencies give themselves:  “American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals” (ASPCA);  “Humane Society of the United States” (HSUS); and local branches of the ASPCA, going by the shortened “SPCA” label.  Happily,  a few shelters are beginning to get the word, and are adopting out more pets than they kill, but the numbers are still skewed too far toward the high-kill shelters.

Even more shocking are the recent reports coming out about the so-called animal rights group, “People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).  PETA also operates a supposed shelter, but has managed to adopt out  only 8 animals of the many thousands it took in during 2009, the last year for which figures are available as of this writing.  The rest, they killed!  Check out that story here: http://petakillsanimals.com/ 

This is not a pretty subject, and there is no way to dress it up to appease those easily shocked or sickened.  In fact, it is that very shock and horror that is needed to create a massive cry of outrage from the public at large.  It is unconscionable that the great majority of these organizations run on volunteer labor and monetary donations from the public.  They get the donations by running bleeding-heart campaigns in the media, convincing animal lovers to open their wallets, and then betray the trust by acting contrarily to the advertising on which they waste the donations.  Before you donate, please do research on the organization asking for your hard-earned dollars.

The statistics speak for themselves:  the facilities that like to call themselves shelters are in fact, themselves directly responsible for the wanton slaughter of over four million dogs and cats annually.  Four million!  Yes, a four followed by six zeroes! 4,000,000! Annually! It’s a huge number, and it must come to a stop.  They are murderers, plain and simple.

Even in instances where rescue groups have offered to pull the animal and find it a home, and physical rehabilitation if needed, the animals were quickly put down instead of being turned over to the rescues.  This happens more often than you would think, and speaks of horrible, sadistic, evil people who kill for the sheer sick pleasure it must give them.

There are laws proposed such as this one dubbed "Oreo's Law," to force the shelters to live up to their names, yet the bills are getting tabled by political pressure from these very same organizations.  What can you or I do to help stem this bloody tide and turn  the screws on these powerful lobbies?  Nathan Winograd’s No Kill Nation is a good place to start (http://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/). The link to "Oreo's Law," mentioned above, is found from a link on this site.

    

At his website you will find links to the various laws being proposed, and a comprehensive detailing of the problems being faced with convincing the directors of these agencies who are interested in protecting only their salaries, and not the animals with whose lives they’ve been entrusted.

You can start the ball rolling by calling attention to this blog post.  Share it on Face Book, Tweet, Digg, StumbleUpon, e-mail or whatever other means you may use to spread the word.  Working together, we can do this.

Thank you, from the bottom of all the "anipal's" hearts, thank you!

Read Mom's related post here: http://hubpages.com/hub/Human-Rights-vs-Animal-Rights-Is-There-a-Difference

Signed,  Jigsaw Puzzle, Esq.,
Spokescat for the Talk With The Paws crew
(Tigger, Munchkin, Jigsaw Puzzle and Patches)

 

Jigsaw Puzzle Makes an Announcement

This is Jigsaw Puzzle speaking.  Mom said I had to go to school to learn "proper English" if I wanted to be the Spokescat.  That is why I've been missing and not posting for a while. 

 I begin with a serious post.  Watch for it tomorrow, Jan. 15th,  2011.

Last Minute Chrissymouse post

Hai, Furriends!

   We knows we haz been missin' frum da CB for sum time, now.  Meowmy haz been furry bizzy writin' articles fur green paperz, so we got our bloggy rights tooken away fur a while.

  Iz now Chrissymouse eve, and Meowmy purromised us we could put up our pickchurs.  Blogger haz been actin' up, an not lettin' us put dem where we wants dem on da page, so purrlease 'scuse da goofy arrangement.  In no particoolar order, then, here iz our meowliday pickchurs:

Dis is me, Jigsaw Puzzle, wif da Sandyclaws suit.  I finks I wuz being purrty good.

Dis is Patches on her 2nd try.  she came owt da bestest, meowmy said!  Humph!

Dis iz me agin.  Yu kin see I iz not purrleased at having to pose agin when I thot I wuz fine in da furst pickchur!

Munckin looks furry disgusted, don't you finks?

Dis wuz Patches' second try...a little bit closer.  She just woked up, so sat still better.

Take One--Tigger wuz strugglin and haff da hat iz owta da pickchur!

Now he haz da hat haff off hims head an not lookin at da flashy box, but yu kin see da jingle collar

Chrissymouse eve--Sandyclaws arrives in sleigh

 

Munchkin says, "All did meowliday snoopervisin' is furry hard werks!"

Finally dad managed to point da Tigger at da flashy box.  Da hat iz still not rite, but it wuz kinda too small for him..

 

 

How to Give Your Pet a Pill, by Meowmy

Today, a little humor…we allow mom to use our bloggie.

HOW TO GIVE YOUR PET A PILL

Dogs:

1)  Hide the pill in some canned food, a piece of cheese, chunk of hot dog, glob of margarine, or any other kind of food.  Offer it to the dog, (who is prancing about in eager anticipation),  and watch as he swallows it whole and wants more.  You are done.  Repeat for all remaining doses.

Cats:

1)  Hide the pill in a piece of cheese, soft treat, or anything else the cat likes.  Watch as he      thoughtfully chews it and swallows.

2)  At the next dose, watch the cat now refuse to eat his former favorite treat.  Add the pill to a different food.  Watch as the cat sniffs the food, and tries to bury it.

3)  Attempt to place the pill directly into the cat’s mouth.

4)  Discard soggy pill.  Fetch bandages for your fingers.  Call your doctor to see if your tetanus shot is  current.

5)  Get fresh pill.  Get a towel, and try to wrap the cat to hold it still.  Remove pill from your ear, and fetch bandages for your arms.

6)  Ask for assistance.  Have helper get cat down from on top of china cabinet.  Both of you wrap cat in towel to immobilize him.  Retrieve pill from folds of towel.  Call your insurance to see if your  friend is covered for multiple scratches.

7)  Sneak up on the cat from behind, blocking his rearward escape with your feet.  Reach over his  head, covering his eyes, and pry open his mouth.  Get bandages for the fingers of your other  hand.

8)  Spend half an hour looking for the cat.  Use push-broom to shove him out from under the exact center of your bed.  Repeat a dozen times, as the cat runs to the opposite side and scoots to the same hiding place.  He loves this new game!

9)   Decide to wait until the cat is asleep to sneak up and deliver the pill on the sly.  Wake up from your own nap to find the cat wide awake and staring at you with an evil eye.

10)  Crush the pill and add it to the cat’s water.

11)  Take cat to vet for dehydration after he’s refused to drink the contaminated water.  While there, tell the vet to just give the cat an injection of the medicine.

12)  Go home and pour yourself a good stiff drink.

Finicky Furriday

Hai, pals--

  Wouldn't you finks da mom should respect naptime?  I mean, we sure appurrciate a nice, clean litter box and all, but mai goodness...she sure makes a lot of thumpin' bumpin' and bangin' abowt it.

  We wuz all nappin' havin' nice catnip and mousie dreams, and all of a sudden, all dis racket.  Well, of course we hadda go see wot wuz goin' on to make so much noise.

  Der wuz mom, scootin' and shovin, and bumpin' our boxes into a bag...and den she tooked dem owtside...so da door kept on openin' and closin' ...

  We finks it iz furry rude of her to be so noisy abowt it and wakes us all up.  Don't you finks da litter should just be quietly just there nice & clean alla time?


Signed, Jigsaw Puzzle

Our Beans Are in Trubble Agin!

OMC!!  Or mebee we should say, "Our beans are still in trubble." Dis iz so sad.  Mom and Dad iz furry upset at da noos on da TV.  Some fools are sayin' dat "da recesshun iz offur.."  Mom and Dad iz sayin,' "How kin WE tell??!!"  We iz gettin' further & further behinds on da bills, orderz iz not comin' in, nuffin iz sellin' in Mom's Etsy store, an we just don' know what to do!


Dad iz disabled;  da beans say dat wot you git fur a disability paymint iz a joke--but not a funny one.   Mom haz tried to find a job, but no one iz hiring in our area...or else they is gilty of what she calls "age discriminashun," or, they insist you gotta be able to speaks in Spanish too!  Mewf!  We haz been purromised dat no matter what happens, we still haz a home wif dem, but iz still furry skeery...an iz not yet meowl-o-ween, so fings not sposed to be skeery!


Dad told Mom dat she better put up da "purrleese help" thingee agin.  Mom did not wanna do it, cuz she sez it's embarrassin' to haff to ask peeps fur money.  Mom haz now reached da age where she kin apply fur her 'social seekurity' (woteffur dat iz), but she won't prolly git any munny until sumtime in Novemburr.. meanwhile, da lectrics, water, and phone iz abowt to be shut off, an da insurince gonna git cancelled...iffen dey don't make paymints by Octfurr 10th.  On top of dat, da taxes on da howse is a year past due, an now da noo bill for next year iz heer!   OMC!


So, as much as wee and mom hates, hates, hates to ask agin,  we need sum more helps from our furriends.  We know times iz bad fur effurryone, so iz dubble awful to haff to ask.

We iz usin' da Pay Pal donashun button agin.  Mom iz so embarrissed to ask.  She feels speshully bad cuz she haz been goin' so crazy tryin to write articles and stuffs to try an make sum money, dat we has not been bloggin or bisiting, and so she really did not wanna ask after such derelicshun of our bloggin dooties.


Fanks you so furry much, furriends.  We really appurrciates any helps you kin offur.  Da button iz on da top left kollum.