Iams Expands Recall

We received this information from P&G Pet Care to help communicate it to pet owners, we are just going to post what they sent because it is important.

************************************


Earlier this week (Sunday 7/25/10) you may remember that P&G Pet Care announced a voluntary recall of two lots of Iams Veterinary Formulas Feline Renal. We are expanding this recall to include all Iams Veterinary Formula Diets (dry), Eukanuba Naturally Wild, Eukanuba Pure, and Eukanuba Sensitive Skin. I am including images of the affected products with this email

Any other Iams or Eukanuba cat/dog diets, biscuits/treats or supplements are NOT included in this recall. Below is the press release for your information.


July 30, 2010

P&G Expands Voluntary Limited Recall of Specialized Dry Pet Foods Due to Possible Health Risk


CINCINNATI, July 30, 2010 – The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) (NYSE:PG) is voluntarily expanding its recall to include veterinary and some specialized dry pet food as a precautionary measure because it has the potential to be contaminated with salmonella. No salmonella-related illnesses have been reported.

The following dry pet food products are included:

For each Product name listed below --

ALL UPC CODES ARE INCLUDED!

BEST BY DATES -- 01Jul10 – 01Dec11

Iams Veterinary Dry Formula -- All dry sizes and varieties 

Eukanuba Naturally Wild -- All dry sizes and varieties --

Eukanuba Pure -- All dry sizes and varieties

Eukanuba Custom Care Sensitive Skin -- All dry sizes 

The affected products are sold in veterinary clinics and specialty pet retailers throughout the United States and Canada. No canned food, biscuits/treats or supplements are affected by this announcement. A full listing of UPC codes can be found at www.iams.com.



These products are made in a single, specialized facility. In cooperation with FDA, P&G determined that some products made at this facility have the potential for salmonella contamination. As a precautionary measure, P&G is recalling all products made at this facility.



Consumers who have purchased the specific dry pet foods listed should discard them. People handling dry pet food can become infected with Salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with surfaces exposed to this product. Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.



Pets with Salmonella infections may have decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, pets may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.



For further information or a product replacement or refund call P&G toll-free at 877-340-8823 (Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM EST).

Buddy on Butterflies

I'm Buddy. I know you porbably don't think of hounds as being sensitive -- just noisy -- but I'd like to introduce our video for today. The metamorphosis of a Monarch Butterfly. 

Cyndi, Cotton and Merci -- the female furries -- want to know what it would take for me to metamorphosis into a shy, quiet guy who only eats out of his own bowl and doesn't have to announce to the world every time someone walks down the sidewalk, closes a car door, the phone rings, or we leave the house.  Well, tell me, if I don't make the announcements, how will the neighbors hear the news? 

Enjoy the time lapse photography video.  It's absolutely amazing. (If the video or link gets lost trying to find its way home, give it a few seconds and try again.)


Lifecycle of the Monarch Butterfly from Duncan Scott on Vimeo.

If the video doesn't play, click here. 

We've been snoozing on our new area carpet (Jan's birthday present to herself for us) while Jan sits in our new blogging chair (we furries just did a review on it) and posts her collectables for sale so we Funny Farmers can lounge by the pool and munch on salmon patties and sip niptinis or tuna sunrises. (In our dreams!) These items have been stored for a number of years, most of them never used.  She's not finished but we hope you will take a few minutes to stop by and browse. And invite your friends. Jan's Funny Farm Fair

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

Our New Blogging Chair

Hi, Cyndi here. I'm going to introduce our new office chair.  It arrived a couple of weeks ago and Jan assembled it.  We've already told you how Jan is ... is ... well, don't give her assembly directions and tools unless you're looking for entertainment. 

She checked that all the parts were in the box. She couldn't find the screws -- 3 to connect the back and the seat and one for each arm rest -- but it turned out they were already inserted.  Just remove and reattach when necessary.  So she proceeded to step one.  Only she wasn't sure about the 5 photos (no directions, only photos).  She emailed for help and was given a website to view assembly steps.

It was a little better.  But she had wrestled the heavy pieces around obstacles to drape over the back of the couch for easier accessibility.  On the way, she cleared a desk, knocked over a TV stand piled with papers and books --  It was a bit tricky going back and forth through the mess to read the online directions.  When she finished, the living room looked like Sam's tail had gone berserk -- everything possible was on the floor. The chair was together but the screws to the back and the arm rests were loose.  Jan just couldn't tighten them properly.  She suggests two humans for assembly.  One to wrestle the chair and tighten the screws -- preferable a well-muscled male human.  The other -- likely a female human  to pick up the mess the male human makes -- to supervise.

When we stopped laughing -- and only after Mr. Doug finally came by and tightened the screws properly -- it was time to test the chair.  This is our part in the assembly.

Cameron: Just a minute, Cyndi. I'm checking it out right now. I think the chair needs to be moved closer to the desk so I can reach the keyboard..

Percy: Jan, what's with the burgundy chair? I'm the main typist here. Why isn't it green to match my eyes?

Rusty: Hey, this chair is very comfortable. And the seat is big enough for a mancat my size to sit comfortably. But it's hard to see the monitor from this angle.

Cotton:  Rusty, why don't you turn around and face the desk?

Rusty:Because there's an upset Percy there.

Percy: Rusty, you're sitting in my chair.

Rusty: But you didn't like the color, Percy, and it is my turn to test it.

Percy: I changed my mind.  The chair matches the drapes and the new rug.  And my black stripes go with any color. But the next chair is going to be green!

Merci: It's about time I get a turn. Buddy, can you give the chair a push for me? I think it rolled backward when I jumped on it.

Buddy: Sure. Sam, lend me your nose. Together, we can move this so Merci can be more comfortable.

Sam: Okay, but it's my turn next.

Buddy: Here, I'll help you down. Is it my turn yet?

Merci: No, you promised Sam he's next. Sam! Sam, wake up!

Sam: zzzzzzzzzz.

We think the new office chair is terrific. It has several adjustment features so each of us can be comfortable. Jan loves it, says it's so comfortable to sit in. And it's a heavy, sturdy chair, so it should last. Since Jan spends so many hours sitting in it, she thinks her opinion matters. But this is our journal, so her opinion only matters when it agrees with ours. We agree with her today, although we can't attest to it being heavy, since we haven't destroyed the living room carrying it around. We'll take her word for that. Sturdy? Well, it supports Jan and she outweighs Sam.

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

Red Clay and Hairball Barf

Look what Jan surprised us with for her birthday! Yep, you read that right. She saved her birthday present and spent it on us. She was going to buy groceries with it, but she decided we're special needs furries. Isn't that sweet, she thinks we're special.

What do you mean you don't know what it is? It's a carpet. To cover the area where we furries snooze most often.

You might -- or might not -- remember Jan's trials and errors with covering this unsealed wood floor that is splintering from the humidity. Well, you certainly remember our post on the splinter under her fingernail. Dr. Buddy was quite helpful in removing it.  The splinter, not the fingernail.

Jan tried several types of carpet in here, including indoor/outdoor, but none of them worked. She finally gave up. But when she was putting the new chair together for our next review, she turned it on it's "face" and when she set it upright again, the material was coated with very small splinters. That scared her because we all sprawl on the floor. When her brother was here he turned the chair over to tighten the screws and the same thing happened.

This time Jan went to a carpet place and checked out linoleum and carpet remnants. She checked the weight of both and there was no way she could get either out of the car and carry it, or lay it by herself.  She decided on a thick area rug. It went from tailgate to dashboard and was a struggle to carry up the steps.  Not for us.  We just watched.

Here's Sam testing the new carpet.

Jan says we'll have it tracked with red clay and stained with hairball barf in no time.  We say we'll just make it look homey.  And if we run out of groceries next month, we can always eat the rug. Surely carpet is on the list of approved fiber sources for furries.

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

Cameron is Six

We asked Jan how old Cameron is. She looked at the calendar and said 2004. Cameron fell off the back of the couch at that news. Cotton helped him up and said, Don't worry, Cameron, I'm the oldest and I'm nowhere near that ancient. Let me check the calendar myself. Good thing she did. 2004 is the year Cameron was born, not his age.

Cameron, we are glad you moved in and decided to stay.

Happy 6th Birthday, Cameron!

We look forward to celebrating many more birthdays together.

(s) Cotton, Merci, Cyndi, Percy, Buddy, Rusty & Sam
Oh, and Jan

If you haven't read about the Iams Vet Feline Renal RX recall, check out our post here.

Iams Vet Feline Renal Recall

P&G Recalls Two Lots of Prescription Renal Diet Cat Food

The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) (NYSE: PG), is voluntarily recalling two specific lots of its prescription renal dry cat food as a precautionary measure, as it has the potential to be contaminated with salmonella.
http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/pg-recalls-two-lots-of-prescription-renal-diet-cat-food.html

Product Name	Lot Code	UPC Code
Iams Veterinary Formulas Feline Renal 5.5 lbs	01384174B4	0 19014 21405 1
Iams Veterinary Formulas Feline Renal 5.5 lbs	01384174B2	0 19014 21405 1

Psychedelic Power

Last night Jan's brother added another fan to our computer to try to help the overheating problem with the power supply.  She kept checking to be sure both fans were working and the air output didn't feel any hotter than usual, neither was the temperature on a little program monitoring it.  But when she left the room for a few minutes, she returned to a black monitor screen and no computer.  And, oh, did the back of the computer stink!  It was dead.  She was terrified the hard drive had overheated too.

This morning she used the laptop to send a message to let folks know we would be missing for a while because Mr. Doug is working this weekend and it would be at least Tuesday before he would even be able to look at the computer. All the current files and photos she needed to work with were on the PC.. 

Well, did we ever get a surprise!  See, we're not only back up but we're psychedelic now, both inside and out.  This is a partial view of the back of our PC.

Yes, Mr. Doug not only came by after a long, hard day at work, but he saved the day with a power supply he purchased a while back for another computer.  We are so blessed to have Mr. Doug's help! 

We know some of you were praying about the situation and that one of you was busy working on something else to help us.  We appreciate all of you.  Jan was so discouraged she didn't sleep last night. 

Jan's going to be busy printing, categorizing and saving the more recent files that she feared she'd lost, so we might not be posting regularly for a bit, but you've probably gotten used to that with us. .

Have a purring and tail wagging Sunday. 

Purrs for Delilah, Auction, Photos

Unless you're a new blogger, you know Dr Tweety, Delilah, Maximillian, Iris & Auntie Stinkie -- the Fab Five. They haven't been blogging regularly for a while because their dad had serious health problems. (He's doing better.) But they are not forgotten!

Delilah tore her cruciate ligament completely and has to have a $1600 operation in August to repair it. Without it, she will never walk right again.

We'll let their mom tell you more about it --

It is a complete cranial cruciate ligament rupture of her left rear knee joint. She is limping pretty badly and on some powerful oral anti-inflammatory meds. She's a trooper though, and has lost 3/4 of a pound on her new prescription diet. Everyone is pretty proud of our garden girl. She can sit under her favorite tomato plant but is tempted to crash through the flower beds after swallowtail butterflies... not good for her knee however.

Right now I am most worried about Delilah coming through the surgery without complications. She also has a seizure disorder, so I worry about her getting through anesthesia. We have already been charged $400. to run tests on her liver and kidney function and for her visit with a visiting "big city" orthopedic doc who has the skills to do this surgery. We live rural, so our regular vet doesn't do the repair. Hopefully she will regain 90-95 percent of her movement with the surgery. She's only five, so it makes sense. Otherwise she would eventually need a little cart just to walk. The knee is just "flopping."

We have to keep her confined for eight weeks following. And, keep her from jumping onto things and going up or down stairs! Now talk about herding cats! We're debating how we are going to do this. Baby gates,small pens, removing furniture. Everyone (including us) sleeping on the floor?????

What we could use help with is reassurance and advice from others in the CB and cats who have had this surgery and what their experience has been like.

So, we hope one or more of you can offer a little advice on how to keep Delilah safe for an eight week confinement in a lively cat household and/or this type of injury/surgery.

We Funny Farmers send lots of warm purrs and gentle tail wags for Delilah to have a successful surgery and recuperation!

We'd like to remind you a new auction  begins today.

This auction promises to have something for everyone thanks to our wonderful furries that have donated items for you to bid on. All money raised will help Maxie pay for his vet bills. These bills were incurred due to a vet that made a horrible mistake. Our photo contest for Maxie was a great success with many photos being submitted and many voting for their favorite photos. The winners of the summer photo contest will be announced on July 25. The winners in each category, there are four, will be given gifts custom picked by me, Gracie. Head over to the auction blog and see what great items are waiting for you. Again, thanks to all who have helped with their donations of money or items. Gracie, Head Auctioneer.

So stop by the Furriends of the CB Auction and check out the new donations for Maxie's vet bills.


When we decided on the spur of the moment yesterday to post the list of entries in our photo contest to make it easier for readers to view them, we made a big oopsie! We updated yesterday's post but many of you had already visited and missed the two links we forgot to include. So we are re-posting them for your convenience. We assure you, though, that they were not omitted from the drawing!  Again, thanks to all of you who participated in the photo contest. 

Ben from Hansel's blog

Princess Isis, Ben's cousin

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

PS -- We had this all ready to auto post, but we came across some news on Maxie we'd like to share with you regarding the dentist who did the cleaning.  Maxie is the kitty who went in for a dental cleaning and went home with a life threatening esophagus problem.   You can read the update here.

Merci, Furriends and Photos

On this date in 2003, Jan adopted Merci from the local animal shelter. This is also Merci's "official" birthday. She's either 8 or 9 years young today.

Happy Barkday & Gotcha Day, Merci!

We look forward to many more years and walks together.

We voted in the Furriends of the CB Auction photo contest to raise funds for Sweet Praline.(Oops.  Praline, thanks for leaving the comment to remind us.  This CB contest is to raise money for Maxie!) Have you voted yet? The voting ends July 22nd. Guess what day this is? You guessed it! There are 4 photo categories: Cats Real; Cats virtual; Dog Real; Dog Virtual. Vote here.

We wanted to be able to list the entries in our Summer Fun with Pet Humans photo contest yesterday but we were so late getting it posted we had to skip it.  As it was we barely published the winner's name on the day we said we would.  Yep, 11:59 pm yesterday. How's that for squeaking under the wire?  If you missed it, you can read it here.

Anyway, we thought we would make it easier for you to view them by posting the links to the photos on Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul Flickr site. There were some of you who intended to enter and just didn't manage it.  There is so much going on it's hard to keep up or to remember everything.  But we hope you will be able to enter the next ... whatever it turns out to be.

These were the entries, listed in order of submission.  

Fenris

Artemesia

Scylla

Socks

Peepers the goat

Life with Dogs

Ben from Hansel's blog

Princess Isis, Ben's cousin

We were rushing to do this list and Ben and Isis were omitted. We have added them here and will re-post the two of them tomorrow so those who missed their photos can view them.  We apologize.  But we assure you, they were NOT left out of the drawing!

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

The Winner Is

We apologize for being late in posting the winner's name of the Summer Fun with Pet Humans photo contest sponsored by Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul. Technically, we are posting this on the correct day, but just barely.

Jan wrote the names of the participants on pieces of paper and put them on a plate for our expert Sam to draw the winner.

And the winner is.....  (sorry for the poor quality, we pulled this photo from a short video)

Fenris of Alasandra, the Cats & a Dog. Fenris wins a Sony Cyber Shot digital camera and the photo will be placed on the Chicken Soup ... site.

Many thanks to the furries who entered the contest. You can view the entries by visiting the comments of our original post and clicking on the links to the photos. If you would just like to browse through CSftPLS photos from various contests, click here.. 

And thank you Chicken Soup ..... 

Any opinions expressed are strictly our own and we have not been paid to run the contest.

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

Only 6 Hours Left

Only 6 hours left to enter our Summer fun with Humans photo contest.  Click here for information and to leave the url of your photo after you email it. --  http://jansfunnyfarm.blogspot.com/2010/07/summer-fun-with-pet-humans.html

Now go find a photo to enter.  The prize is a digital camera. 

Last Call for Entries

Today is the last day to submit your entry in our Summer Fun with Pet Humans contest, sponsored by Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul. Have you furries taken your humans to a BBQ, the river to swim or fish or go for a boat ride ... What kind of fun are you and your humans having this summer?

The contest ends at midnight EDT tonight, Monday, July 19. You can find the details on our original contest post here. We will draw the winning name tomorrow and post it.

Thoughts Fur Paws sent us an interesting link to nominate blogs for The Petties. You can vote for your choice for Best Pet Blog, Best Dog Blog, Best Cat Blog and Best Cause Related Blog. Stop by and nominate the blogs of your choice. Click for The Petties.

And don't forget to drop by the CB auction site where Gracie the head auctioneer is calling for votes -- one vote for each of the 4 categories. Each entry gave a donation to help with Maxie's vet bill. Stop by and cast your votes. Vote here.

Jan is hogging the computer again but we do our best to get around to your blogs, even if we don't get to leave a comment.

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

.

Woofie Temptations

Hi, This is Sam with today's post on the new box the kitties have to play in. After Jan empties it, of course.

Percy: It was full of interesting things. And see, we got Temptations.  What did you get, Sam?

Hey, Jan, the kitties get Temptations. Where are the woofie Temptations?

Cyndi: Here, let me check. Sorry, Sam, there are no woofie Tempations in the box. But there are treats for you. See, some movies on DVDs.  You like to watch movies.

Maybe we woofies didn't get any treats, but we do get to share something we really need. See, if we can figure out how to use it, we can use it to blog and to earn millions of pennies so we can buy kitty and woofie treats.

A very generous blogger donated a used laptop to us. It's freshly loaded and ready to go. All we have to do is figure out how to hook it up and use it. And we're not going to ask Jan to help us. She's still trying to figure out how to open it. Okay, that's a slight exaggeration, but she's afraid to open it because it's full of butterflies. No, come to think of it, she said the butterflies are in her stomach. Her only experiences with Vista go back over a year ago. On the other paw, we furries haven't had any experience at all with Vista.  This should be an interesting learning experience.

For some reason Jan is really happy to see the array of t-shirts and other items that cushioned our new laptop as it traveled. I spent the afternoon guarding the box. For this, I should at least get a handful of Temptations, don't you think? (I'm a big guy!) But, noooooo! Cats only. Sigh!

We're not going to embarrass our friend by naming her but we certainly appreciate everything she sent. And we're thankful for the others who offered in different ways to help our computer situation. You all know who you are.

Well, we all hope you will remember to submit your entry to our Summer Fun with Pet Humans photo contest. It ends midnight EDT. The prize is a digital camera from Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul. What do you enjoy doing with your human in the summer? Lazing by the pool? Playing catch? Helping dig in the garden? Boating ... napping ... riding in the car ... Take a photo and visit this post for details and to leave a comment when you've entered. Have fun and good luck.

And ... oh, gotta go.  I hear Jan rattling the woofie treat bag in the kitchen. Bye.

Stories and Photo Contests

We usually prefer to write -- or rewrite -- our own stories but since our PC is doing its own thing whenever it suits it, we are going to copy, paste and move on as quickly as possible. You might have noticed we haven't posted in a few days. Or not. But that's why. So hang onto your hats, umbrella, sunshades or whatever.

1) Purina, Kroger and animal lover Trista Sutter, from ABC’s “The Bachelorette,” have teamed up to launch the third-annual “Tales for the Pet Lover’s Heart” campaign, celebrating the unique bond between people and their pets, while donating funds to animal welfare organizations nationwide. Together Purina and the Kroger family of stores will donate $150,000 to animal welfare organizations in 2010 as part of the “Tales for the Pet Lover’s Heart” campaign and will recognize the outstanding efforts of animal welfare organizations nationwide. The campaign will conclude with a television special showcasing the unique people-pet relationship.

More information can be found at www.TalesForThePetLoversHeart.com.

And if you're on Facebook, stop by their FB page.

2) Love meow is having a share your favorite rescue stories giveaway contest. Stop by and check it out too.

3) Be sure to enter Gracie's photo contest to help with Maxie's vet bill. You can enter either the real or virtual photo category. Furriends of the CB Auctions.

4) Don't forget to enter our Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul Summer Fun with Pet Humans photo contest. Click here to review the rules. You might be the winner of a digital camera. The contest ends next Monday midnight and the winner's name will be drawn and posted Tuesday.

Now we're going to run before our computer realizes we're actually accomplishing something today. :)

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

Summer Fun with Pet Humans

I'm Cyndi  and I have some exciting news.


Summer is here and Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul wants to encourage readers to enjoy the summer with their friends, family and pets! The summer is in full force, and enjoying BBQ’s for good food and great company is an essential part of it.

We have partnered up with CSPLS to host another photo contest.  The theme is Summer BBQ, but since all of your families don't BBQ at home -- and we figure you aren't invited to their friends' BBQs -- we are broadening the theme to Summer Fun with Pet Humans.  Some of you take your families on hikes, others get to play on the beach, a few get to go boating, maybe stay at a cabin......  We are a blended family, so we cats notice these are not activities we normally get to participate in.  In fact, many families don't have funds or paid vacation time to go anywhere. Some of you kitties help your humans plant and tend a garden.  Some dogs like to play frisbee on the front lawn.  (Croquet any pet?) What kind of summer fun activities do you furries get to participate in with your humans?

You do not need to have a blog to enter.  You pets just need to have a human.


This photo contest is going to be a little different than the Pets and Children contest. This time they would like you to send your photo entry to the address in the instructions below to post on the Chicken Soup Flickr site; You can also publish it on your blog, of course, but it won't be entered unless you email the photo to the address in the instructions.. (We suggest you add a watermark or small text at the bottom of the photo with your blog address. If you don't have a blog, add your name in small print. That's what we would do.)

Open to US Residents only.  Real photos only, no virtual photos.

Photo Contest Entry Instruction --

1. To enter, e-mail your photo to casts44story@photos.flickr.com. Put the photo title in the Subject Line and the photo caption in the e-mail body. Include your name. your human's name. and if you're a blogger, your blog address in the body of the email.  We repeat, you do not have to be a blogger to participate. This is about pets and their humans having summer fun, not about blogging.

2. Visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/chickensoupforthepetloverssoul/ and click on your photo to get the custom URL (the URL of the page that has only your photo on it).

3. Copy and paste the URL of your photo in the comments section of this blog post to enter the contest! (If you've done a post on it, we'd love to read your post, so be sure to also leave the url of your post.)

The contest will end at midnight EDT on Monday, July 19.  This gives you several days plus a weekend to take fun photos and enter. We will draw a winner on Tuesday, July 20.  We'll post the winner's name the same day.

The prize is a digital camera, plus the winner's photo will also be placed on the Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul site

The Chicken Soup link is at the beginning of this post.  You can also visit CSPLS on Facebook for more information on the brand.

We look forward to seeing your entries.

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

CSN and Love Story

Hey, it's Cotton. While the others discuss whose turn it is to post, I'll just tell you about our exciting news.

We can't wait to pop corn and watch Jan put something new together. We're still undecided over whether to sell tickets. We discussed more choices than Cameron can count (Cameron counts on his toes). Sam wanted dining room furniture so he can eat his toys at the table, but he was outvoted.  We considered getting Jan some new shoes, a bag or luggage, but this time it will be something we can all share -- including Jan.

We decided we should get Jan an office chair. We think Jan should give us our own office to go with the chair, but she says we have to share with her. Anyway, Percy still does much of our typing but now that we occasionally take turns hosting our posts, we have all come to realize the old chair really needs to be replaced before Sam loses his cool and eats it. Last time it was his turn to post, he was typing away very carefully with his XL paws and suddenly the chair seat dropped.  He had to retype his post and he was not a happy woofie.

You might remember our post on Jan assembling a cat tree for us kitties.We have a lot of fun with it and Merci has taken to sleeping on the bottom occasionally too.

We enjoyed the story of the faithful stork who returns each year to his disabled mate so they can raise a new family.  If you haven't read it yet, we think you will enjoy it too.  "Stork Travels 8000 Miles to be Reunited ..."

Don't you just love a good love story? Sigh!

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

A Finger and Delta Society

Today we have two subjects that just kind of fell together. We actually think this post title should be "A Finger for ..." but Jan says we have to be polite.

Anyway, we were kind of confused to read this article on The Delta Society, a non profit that runs a Therapy Animal (Pet Partner) Program that trains pets owners to visit nursing homes and hospitals with their pet. After banning a raw diet and kicking out all therapy pets who eat one, they have now turned the remaining partner teams into a walking advertisement for Purina Pet Food. Yes, they are now partnered with Purina Pet Foods and it says so on every vest. Does this seem right to any readers? It seems just too "coincidental" to us. Are they going to require all dogs in their program to eat Purina foods next? 

You can read the article "This is Nuts" here.

The Delta Society's raw protein diet policy can be found here.

And in case you're wondering about the title, we do have a finger for you. This one.

This finger -- obviously not human -- suddenly appeared on our living room floor after we dogs took Jan on her Thursday evening walk. Jan is scratching her head wondering where it came from. Did Sam pick it up and carry it home without her noticing? It would have fit in his mouth.

Did he find AND EAT one of the large leather work gloves a neighbor gave her and she has around here -- somewhere? She can't find them but she's sure the gloves were not anywhere he could reach.  Work gloves are behind the cat litter box barricade or in a plastic storage container with a lid.  (Oh, Jan doesn't remember this yet but the gloves the neighbor gave her were rubber, not leather.  He used to work at an ice cream plant.)

But Sam is one of those dogs who eats just about anything -- plastic, material, paper, stuffed toys .... Jan tries to keep things away from him but you all know how we kitties love to shove everything onto the floor so we can make more room and be comfortable.

So Jan is concerned. Wondering whether she should worry again.(That's a separate story.) But Sam's not talking. So Jan watches him and worries anyway.

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

PS: The photo contest to help Maxie with his vet bills is open to kitties AND woofies.  Be sure to stop by and enter.

Percy is 6

Hi, This is Percy. Today is his 6th birthday.

We're not having a party, just a post to let him know we remember his day. We were going to post this last night but Jan was tired and said we had to shut down. We think the real reason is because when she was chasing a spider, she tried to kill it with a shoe and the spider fell down on to the keyboard below and disappeared between the keys. No way did Jan want to type after that. And that meant we couldn't either.

But we love our brother Percy. Merci thinks he's special because she rescued him from the mill when he was just a baby. We all want to wish him a ...

Happy 6th Birthday, Percy!

Hyperactive Contortionist

Since this post is about me, I think I should be the one to write it. I'm Buddy and I'm here to tell you when I have an itch, I scratch it -- one way or another!

It all started in May when I got my annual spring itch. I scratched. I chewed. I drove Jan crazy trying to make me "comfortable." Then Jan started following on Twitter the company that makes the Trimline Veterinary Soft Collar. She liked what she read about their product so she offered to test the product on me and post about it. In no time she had me in a collar.

You can see how happy I was to be wearing it. Well, maybe happy isn't the word. How about comfortable? It's soft and flexible, doesn't interfere with my zzzzzs at all. I can even jump onto Jan's high bed without getting tangled up in the collar and falling like I did when she tried one of the stiff collars on me.  And Jan was thrilled because I stopped chewing on myself and and it was so easy to clean -- just throw it in the washing machine with the laundry. 

Zzzzzzzz.

Do not listen to Sam. I was NOT crying in this photo. I was yawning. See, I have plenty of room to open wide and howl if I so desire. I can even head-butt Sam without hurting myself if he keeps giving me a hard time.

Okay, Jan, why isn't Sam wearing one of these too?

Hahaha. Now the collar's on Sam. It kind of matches his one blue eye, doesn't it!

Here I am wearing my crown ... um, collar and watching the squirrels in the back yard. One of my favorite pastimes when the weather is nice.(This was taken in May, before Georgia turned into a sauna.)

This is my very favorite pastime. Eating. See, I have no problem sticking my face in the bowl to lick it clean. Hey, Jan, I'm available to wash dishes!

See, the collar was okay and I tried to be good. But by the second day I couldn't stand it any longer.I had to scratch my itch! And so I did. I turned, stretched and chewed.

Jan was disappointed, but determined. She put both collars on me but I still stretched and chewed.

So she called the company and this is what she learned from Albert Benbaset the owner of the Trimline Company:

In 8 years they have sold over 2 million collars in the US, Canada & overseas -- Europe, Japan, Australia, etc.

At a veterinarian conference, Albert was told the collar will work with every dog or cat not hyperactive or a contortionist. It will cover 99% of dogs. No problem with cats.

The collar offers total free movement. But the head must be entirely inside the cone. If the snout sticks out, there can be a problem. The collar is adjustable. It should be tied so your human can put her/his fingers through tightly. If the collar is loose, it will slide down your neck.

Well, Jan tried tying my collar tighter and I continued to chew on my backside if and when I wanted to. She put the collar on Sam and took him outside to play fetch. The collar stayed put. She switched it to me, tying it the same way, and in no time it had slid down my neck.

As Albert reminded Jan during their chat, this is mainly a RECOVERY collar. I wasn't recovering. I was active and healthy. But I itched. And we all know how demanding an itch can be. Especially for us "hyperactive contortionists." (Jan is so glad she finally has a label for me.)

I didn't mind wearing it and I would recommend it for a kitty or doggy. Because any animal recovering from surgery wouldn't have my energy level and wouldn't be able to stretch so far either. This is so much more comfortable than a "cone!"

There is a different price for wholesale (vet) and retail (pet parent). Here are the prices for each:

4” for kittens and puppies Vet price: $5.80 Retail price: $ 11

5½” for cats and small dogs Vet price: $5.90 Retail price: $12

6½” for small to medium dogs Vet price: $8.40 Retail price: $15

8” for medium to large dogs Vet price: $11.20 Retail price: $20

9½” for large dogs Vet price: $12.60 Retail price: $24

Available for purchase at all distributers or trimlineinc.com. For ordering details, call toll free: 800-371-0216 or visit trimlineinc.com.

No pets were harmed in the testing of this collar and neither Jan nor I were paid for this review.

I'm going to go rest now. After 2 1/2 hours working on this post and just as I finished, our browser, email and Windows XP decided to start a fist fight again. We lost and Jan had to shut down the computer. We're only up long enough to get this posted. (Paws crossed!)

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

Photo Contest for Maxie

This announcement on the photo contest for Maxie is from our friend Gracie -- with a few changes from jff. Visit the Furriends of the CB Auction site for more details.

The photo contest fundraiser to help Mom Laura with Maxie's vet bill has been extended until July 17 at midnight! We have added two new themes to be included with the contest: The Lazy Crazy Days of Summer and The Dog Days of Summer. The original theme is July 4 Celebration and you can still enter this theme if you want. 

There are two categories, real and virtual. Photos in the real categories cannot have any photo shopping done to them.

We are asking our doggie friends to join in on the fun so be sure to help spread the word. The doggie photos will be separate from the kitties.

The winners will be chosen by voting done by you on July 18-22. The winners will be given a prize tailored to them picked out by Gracie! The prizes will be purchased new from Pet Smart. $10.00 worth of stuff could be yours. The winners in the real and virtual categories will be announced on July 25.

A week long auction will take place with one super fantastic item up for bidding, July 23-31. Get creative with the camera and put your folks to work.

(s) Gracie, Head Auctioneer & Fundraiser

Have fun entering the contest, every kitty and woofie. All it takes is a photo for one of the categories and a donation of any amount to Maxie's vet fund.

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

White Rescue Update

We love to tell a story, especially one you won't hear elsewhere. Kind of like Paul Harvey's "The Rest of the Story."  There are probably more branches to the rescue of the black cat, but this is the only one we have personal knowledge of.

Last Wednesday we posted a story about a black cat in a Georgia shelter that Sparkle and ML had emailed and asked if we might possibly help save. Her euthanasia date was Thursday, July 1. If you missed that post you can read the story here.

Carolyn of All CATS (All Creatures are Truly Special) got in touch with us Wednesday and volunteered to go "bail her out." When she called the shelter, she learned the cat was on hold and the new owner was to return at 3 pm to pick her up. (We had no idea the "adopter" was Bobbi of Cats~Goats~Quotes and that the cat would be going to a new home in Arizona.) They told her of a white cat that had the same euthanasia date as the black one. So Carolyn said she would pick the white one up Thursday, and in case the new owner of the black cat didn't return (they often don't), Carolyn would also pick up her.

The fact that a second cat was being rescued was exciting news to many of you. And to us. However, we need to tell you that Carolyn did not go to the shelter Thursday and pick up the white cat.

We don't think Carolyn would mind if we tell this in her own words:

You know me too well. I took not only the white female, but all 5 of her kittens. Since they are 12 weeks old, they cost me $65.00 dollars each, but I couldn't leave her babies. Doesn't matter if I eat bread and crackers for a month, they are worth it. There is also a Siamese there that will be up for adoption in 5 days. I intend to get her, too. She is old, but very loving and healthy. My name is the only one on her adoption list, so I feel confident I will get her. I have promised to pay for her care while she is there, so hopefully she won't get sick in the meantime.

Today, Monday, the kittens will be going to their new homes. Yes, the kittens all have new homes already. The white cat and also the Siamese when she's available for adoption will be Carolyn's. They won't be shelter cats.

So, Sparkle, you did not pound the keyboard in vain. The black cat was pulled before the deadline and as a spin-off, 6 other felines that we are aware of were also rescued in time. The Siamese will make 7.


Oh, Carolyn asked, Do you think it would be OK to name the white cat "Sparkles"? It actually suits her, with her sparkling blue eyes.

We think that sounds like the perfect name for the rescued white cat.

We've never met Carolyn in person but we've been aware of her rescue work for a number of years. We've posted on her and All CATS a number of times, especially during the aftermath of Katrina when Carolyn and her son volunteered their time to rescue stranded/abandoned animals.  Like most rescues, every dollar donated helps to provide food, shelter, vet care, heat in winter, cooling in summer, kennels, etc. for the animals.  If you can spare a dollar or two, it would really help.  Click on the Donate button.  

Carolyn isn't aware we're making this request.. But we know any rescue can always use help. And it does help the animals. 

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

Happy Fourth of July

In the United States we celebrate July 4th as Independence Day. So, America,

Today, we would like to share this video of Orson Wells on the history of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," written by Julia Ward Howe.  We found it interesting and hope you will too.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Whether or not you live in the United States, we wish you a purring and tail wagging day. There is always reason to celebrate, even if it's just that you're alive.

PS -- We didn't get to publish until late afternoon Saturday', so if you haven't read our post on the young girl who is finally home after a fairly recent heart transplant, click here for "Penny's Heart."  It's a story you don't want to miss. :)

Penny's Heart Update

For those of you who were unable to view the video of Penny's Heart because the video was deleted Friday, we have good news. The video was taken down to make some changes and has been posted at a new address. So we are rewriting and republishing this post.

We hope you will take a few minutes to watch this. It is a teary but happy story. We are sad for the family who made the unselfish decision to donate their dying child's heart so another might live. It was a brave thing to do.

Penny is a young girl who became very sick while visiting family out of state and had to spend the next several months in a California hospital. Her mother stayed in CA with her and her dad commuted on weekends. She needed a heart transplant to survive.

She is now home with her family. The transplant was successful but the risk of rejection is still high. We hope you will read Penny's story. It's short and succinct. A link to her site is below the video.

One of Jan's friends knows Penny and her parents (who have graciously allowed us to share this documentary with you) and he has been updating Jan on Penny's progress. We know this story will touch you.



If the video doesn't play, click here.


For Penny's story, visit Save A Penny.



Eeeeek!  We made a new post and deleted the old one, not thinking that we also deleted all your nice comments that Penny's family might enjoy reading.  :(  :(  :(  :(  :(  :(  :(  :(  We're all sad.  And sorry.