Daisy the Curly Cat is raising her paw for a good cause and we are too!

Daisy the Curly Cat: I am raising my paw for a good cause!

Daisy is raising her paw for a very good cause, having your cats (we think you should have your dogs spayed & neutered too for the same reasons) spayed and neutered. She list some excellent reasons to do so.

• To help control cat overpopulation: There are many, many, many cats around the country without a home. This makes me very sad. (It makes us sad too. Our cat Mommy was a feral/stray cat, we can only imagine what a hard life she had. When a mean person poisoned her we were lucky that some people with the Spay & Neuter Alliance came found us. And Mrs. Sherry called our Mommy and she came got us and gave us our forever home. We were only 4 weeks old)
• Health benefits: A spayed female cat has lower risk of developing certain conditions like mammary cancer and uterine diseases. Neutering a male cat can reduce the risk of prostate and testicular cancer.
• Reduce unwanted behaviors: Cats that have not been spayed or neutered are more likely to mark their territory by spraying urine. This seems a little bit rude! Also, having your cat spayed or neutered will remove their "urges" and make them happier
  

We want to raise our paws for some good causes too.

Some of us (like Sockie~Pooh) are very lazy about raising our paws. Sockie~Pooh wants to remind everyone about the importance of pet (and people) food safety. We never want another pet to die, like Whiskers, because of contaminated pet food.

Scylla is an energetic paw raiser, especially when she is on the wrong side of a door.

Since we like to play outside so much the environment is very important to us. So we (Scylla & Charybdis) want to champion an environmental cause. We just have to pick one, there are a lot to choose from. We are going to each champion our own cause. Scylla is going to champion endangered plants & wildlife and Charybdis is championing clean water.
Charybdis is another lazy paw raiser (I guess it is the thought that counts).

Click here to go to a website that tells how you can help endangered plants and animals. Here are a few ideas, we got from the website.

Make Space For Our Wildlife (Our Butterfly Garden does this)

• Make a Butterfly Garden, directions are here.

• Build a birdfeeder and establish a birdbath for the neighborhood birds.
• Plant a tree and build a birdhouse in your backyard.
• Start composting in your backyard garden or on your balcony. It eliminates the need for chemical fertilizers which are harmful to animals and humans, and it benefits your plants!
• Ask your parents not to use harmful chemicals in your garden or home.
• If you can, plant native plants instead of non-native or introduced ones in your garden. You don’t want seeds from introduced plants escaping into the bush. Native grasses, flowers, shrubs and trees are more likely to attract native birds, butterflies and other insects, and maybe even some threatened species.

This website tells you How to Clean Up Our Water, you can also learn more about wildlife and wildlands at this site.

Why Whiskers Died

News for cats and dogs - Lab Reports Acetaminophen, Melamine In Special Kitty Cat Food

Pet Food Recall ~ Bravo

Bravo! Raw Diet has announced a recall of certain varieties of its poultry products for pets. Here is the press release dated September 18 that is on their website:

Bravo! announces a voluntary recall of select tubes of three of its poultry products for cats and dogs. The pet food is being recalled because two of the products have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes, while the other product has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

Pet Food Recall ~ Acetaminophen found in pet food

Grieving cat owner Don Earl of Port Townsend, Washington, told us he paid ExperTox to analyze those brands of pet food. He said the samples tested were the same lots and styles of food that he fed his cat, Chuckles, before she died in January 2007 after eating the Pet Pride food.

ConsumerAffairs.com confirmed those samples of cat food tested positive for acetaminophen. They also tested positive for the chemical cyanuric acid -- commonly used in pool chlorination.

Read the rest of the article at Consumer Affairs.

Pet Food Recall ~ FDA blocks Nutro Products

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in July blocked more than 100 Nutro Products -- various styles and flavors of its dog and cat food -- from entering the United States.

ConsumerAffairs.com learned the FDA took that action at the Port of Los Angeles -- and listed Nutro’s pet food on its Import Refusal Report -- because the products appeared to contain poisonous substances and unsafe additives.

Pet Food Recall ~ The food? Or just the labels?

Gina reassures us in her post The food? Or just the labels?

It was a dumb thing for Menu Foods and Wal-Mart to do. With consumer confidence at an all time low anything associated with the pet food recall, including unused pouches, should have been destroyed.

Special Kitty Cat Food is not the only pet food with the laminated labels over the old label. There are several brands of pet food, including some dog food - that have the new labels. Menu Foods has a list of the recalled items with the production dates and product code numbers listed on its website.

Is Wal-Mart Deliberately Selling Poisoned Pet Food?

Sheri McComber says four of her cats got sick after eating Special Kitty brand cat food. She checked the labels on the food and found they were listed on the product recall. She said, "This was done on purpose."

We found dozens of the pouches just like the one's McComber had at the Clanton Wal-Mart. At first glance, the product code checks out as safe. If you peel it off, you'll find another product code. I compared those numbers to the ones on the recall list on the FDA'S Web site. Sure enough, it's on the list. With the stickers over the product code, the items went through. However, I left one on the stickers off. When the cashier scanned the label on the package, it said do not sell and she would not let me purchase it.

Read the entire story at WSFA TV Montgomery, AL

Pet food safety tips

CNN offers Pet food safety tips.

Wal-Mart finds melamine in pet treats

Christie Keith post how Wal-Mart finds melamine in pet treats.

This underscores that we can not trust anything from China. After listening to them blather on and on about how they are cleaning up their act, how consumers who wish to avoid products from China are racist ect. they are still sending melamine laced pet food to America.

Wal-Mart still hasn't issued a recall for the contaminated treats so be double sure to check the product before feeding any treats to your pet.

Pet Food Alert for Dog Lovers

Gina explains about The no recall recall
Is this going to be the trend of the future? Don’t recall products, just quietly remove them and hope no one notices? That way, people will keep buying and not become outraged.

I applaud them for getting the dog treats off the shelves, but the public should have been notified so those people who had already bought the dog treats would know NOT to give them to their pets.

Pet Food Recall ~ Does the FDA have something to hide?

A grieving cat owner has filed action in federal court to force the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to “perform its duty” and investigate other toxins -- besides melamine -- as the culprit in this year’s massive pet food recall.

Don Earl of Port Townsend, Washington, also wants the court to order the

FDA to stop what he considers “all activities (by the agency) involving the destruction of critical pet food evidence.”

consumer affairs.com

At this point I still cringe whenever I give the kittens and Sockie~Pooh catfood. We still miss Whiskers every day and I am dedicated to making sure that those responsible for his death pay and that this horrible event will never be repeated. Our pets deserve food that is safe to eat. Heck we deserve people food that is safe to eat, but at least with people food they don't dilly-dally around about issuing a recall.

Unprecedented for courts to award money for grief over losing a pet

Even though the lawsuit seeks damages for mental anguish, professor Buxbaum told us, it would be unprecedented for courts to award money for grief over losing a pet.

Pet food recall ~ They couldn't be more wrong ~Xenophobia at heart of product panic in US

From The China Daily, Debasish Roy Chowdhury whines, But the product scares and recalls the US media seems fixated on are the ones from China. It is the faulty tires, toothpaste, pet food, seafood and toys with a China connection that are making all the news, with cover stories, editorials and television programs harping on how China's "substandard" manufacturing methods are putting American consumers at risk, how the factory to the world is actually one big sham, and proffering ways to keep off products with any trace of China.

Chowdhury completely ignores the fact that the Chinese deliberately introduced Melamine into our pets food in order to spike profits. It wasn't an accident, they deliberately poisoned our pets resulting in the deaths of thousands of pets. That is what most Americans are angry about. That our pets were sacrificed to the "Gods of Profit" and that it was a deliberate and cruel act that showed a wanton disregard for the health of the pets and people who consumed the Melamine spiked gluten. And BTW it is Menu Foods that is being sued by pet owners, a fact the Chinese seem to ignore in their rush to claim that the problem is xenophobia not their products.

Then why pick on China? In a way China is paying the price for its success.
It is difficult to ignore the xenophobic, and even racist, overtones in the attacks against China. When the products are made in the US, it is just the company that is in focus. When they are found to have a China connection, even if it is an American company getting its products made in China, it is the country that takes the lashes. As if the company has no obligation toward quality control.

Because you killed our pets!!!!!

And because you did it deliberately, this was in The New York Times (April 30, 2007)

“ Many companies buy melamine scrap to make animal feed, such as fish feed,” said Ji Denghui, general manager of the Fujian Sanming Dinghui Chemical Company, which sells melamine. “I don’t know if there’s a regulation on it. Probably not. No law or regulation says ‘don’t do it,’ so everyone’s doing it. The laws in China are like that, aren’t they? If there’s no accident, there won’t be any regulation.”

Excuse me but refusing to buy products from a country that allows poison to be put into food isn't xenophobic or racist, it's good common sense and I refuse to apologize for it.

Pet Food Recall ~ The Uncounted Victims

From USA Today

The number of dogs and cats killed by contaminated pet food recalled this year will probably never be known, the Food and Drug Administration says.

The FDA received a record 18,000 consumer calls after the largest pet-food recall ever started in mid-March. Officials said in May about half alleged a pet death.

I know many people who tried to call, but were unable to get through to the FDA. I was able to get through but I was originally told to return the unopened pouches of food to the retailer I purchased them from or to discard them. Weeks later after I had already gotten rid of the food the FDA called back. The identification numbers of the pouches I had provided were on the recall list and could I please send them in ...............................

I don't suppose anyone will ever officially count Whiskers. He died a week before the recall, before anyone knew................................

Dog Food Anyone?

Read Human food recall expanded to include pet food at Daily Kos. Apparently they manufacture pet food at the same plant that manufactures the human food. Hope they don't get the labels mixed up.

Not Enough

Chinese regulators said today that they had revoked the licenses of three companies that had exported mislabeled drug ingredients and tainted pet food ingredients to the United States and other parts of the world.

Well it's about time. The tainted pet food that claimed Whiskers' life was recalled in MARCH and they knew there were problems with it before that.

And after initially criticizing the United States Food and Drug Administration for banning Chinese toothpaste made with diethylene glycol, saying the chemical ingredient was entirely safe to consume, Beijing regulators reversed course, announcing recently that diethylene glycol would soon be banned from use in Chinese made toothpaste.

I seem to recall the idiots said the same thing about the melamine they were poisoning our pets with.

In this case it's to little to late, thousands of pets are dead because of the Chinese manufactures GREED and the Chinese governments negligence. I will never knowingly buy anything from China again.

HT: The New York Times China Closes 3 Plants on Safety Concerns

Pet Food Recall ~ After killing our pets the Chinese warn the U.S. against smear attacks

The official statement from China said that problematic U.S. imports from China, including the poisoned pet food, toy trains with lead paint, and toothpaste made with antifreeze were “isolated cases” and “hardly avoidable” due to the rapidly growing bilateral trade between our countries.

BS, maybe if they taught ethics it would have been a no brainer. You don't but POISON in pet food in order to increase your profits. For the Chinese to issue this statement shows how unethical they are.

China warned the United States on Thursday against “groundless smear attacks” against Chinese products and said it was working responsibly to address concerns over a spate of recent food safety scares.

Groundless smear attacks???? They deliberately put melamine in wheat gluten which led to the death of my beloved Whiskers and many other beloved pets.

Are we simply blowing things up over here, or is China trying to keep everything on the hush hush? It’s far easier to poison, injure, and kill people if they don’t know it’s going to happen.

We are not blowing things up over here. We are trying to protect our pets (that the Chinese killed for profit) and our families.

HT China Wants A Silent Recall Process

Thursday Thirteen ~ The Whiskers Edition

Thirteen Things about Whisker Whiskers was a Hemingway Cat. Whiskers used his paws like hands and could open my cabinet doors. Whiskers loved my electric throw, so he got his very own for Christmas 2006. Whiskers loved sitting in my lap, when I was sitting in my chair n a half or on the couch. Whiskers loved sleeping in my bed. Whiskers was Shining Celebi's cat, but he loved all of us. Shining Celebi got Whiskers when he was 6 years old, he was 18 when Whiskers died. We had Whiskers for 11 years. Whiskers loved sleeping in Shining Celebi's bed next to the huge cat pillow that looks just like Whiskers. Whiskers liked watching the humming birds with me, while sitting in the jungle gym. Whiskers never scratched or bit anyone, even when the kids were little and pulled his tail. We all love Whiskers and we still miss him very much. Whiskers died March 9th, 2007 after eating Special Kitty Pouch Cat Food.

Natural Balance Reimburses Pet Owner For Pet Food Recall Vet Bills

Read all about it at Itchmo.

Once the claim got to their insurance company, things changed a bit. Even though all my pets survived, the insurance company was going to pay the “replacement value” of the pets only, which was about 6% of my total bills. Natural Balance called me to explain that they would reimburse me for the balance of the vet bills out of their own pockets. They fulfilled that promise, and I have received a check from Natural Balance and one from the insurance company. It took a few months, however, Natural Balance did the right thing.

Pet Food Recall ~ From Itchmo

Do read the whole post, but I just had to comment on this.

The deaths of dozens of dogs and cats nationwide have been linked to imported pet food containing Chinese wheat gluten tainted with the chemical melamine. (Emphasis ours.)

How many times have dozens of reputable sources said it’s not dozens, but thousands of deaths? Oregon alone reported dozens of deaths. Dan Caterinicchia, we are sorely disappointed in your ability to Google. And it’s not just melamine, or just wheat gluten. Tsk. Tsk.

Every time some idiot reporter implies that it was only a dozen dogs and cats who died I want to throw up. It was THOUSANDS and to imply otherwise is insulting to the THOUSANDS of owners who are still grieving the loss of their pets.

More than 5 million people visited a Web site dedicated to the issue in April alone and consumers appear to trust the agency’s information since its recall pages routinely top searches done using Google Inc.’s engine, Arbesfeld said.

Trust! I don't think so the FDA is the same agency that knew products were contaminated but refused to give pet owners the names of the products so we could avoid buying them and feeding them to our innocent pets. We had to wait for the companies to decide to do the 'right thing' and voluntarily recall their products. So NO I don't trust the FDA to protect me or my pets.