Pet Seeks Owner

As you may know from one of my previous posts, I believe that rescuing a pet is pretty much the only way to go. I decided to expand on that topic today and talk about some of the options you have if you're interested in adopting a new pet.

• Since I'm writing this blog in Fort Collins, Colo., I think it is only fitting to start out with our local animal shelter. The Larimer County Humane Society always has a plethorea of amazing cats and dogs available for adoption. They also have some small animals like rodents, birds, and the occasional iguana or duck.


• March is adopt a guinea pig month so, as a shout-out to one of my favorite animals, I would like to mention Cavy Care Inc., an all-guinea pig rescue in Aurora. I have adopted guinea pigs from here before and they do a wonderful job running this out of a private residence. They really know their stuff.
  
• If you're looking for a pet in Denver, the Denver Dumb Friends League is a great shelter with several locations around Denver. They always have a large selection of wonderful pets looking for homes.


• To find other shelters across Colorado, Muttcats.com offers a list of the shelters in Colorado and what they specialize in. You are also able to search other states.


• Finally, one of the easiest way to search for the right pet for you is through Petfinder.com. They list all animals that match your needs in a search that orders pets starting with those that are closest to you. This site also has a lot of literature to get you ready for your new pet.

(Picture courtesy of flickr.com)

I Can Haz Lolcats?

Since the start of this blog, I have had a topic in mind that brings me great joy that I would like to share. I feel that now is a good time to present it.

As silly as it sounds, when I'm feeling down, my day is brightened by Lolcats.

What, you may ask, are Lolcats? Simply, they are pictures of cats that make you lol. More specifically, they are pictures of cats in dubious situations with witty captions added on to enhance your lol.

Here is an example:

You can find an extensive collection of other amusing pictures at Icanhascheezburger.com. Icanhascheezburger.com is the website that started the craze when it went up in early 2007, according to Wikipedia.org.

Lolcats isn't limited to just cats. Pictures of rodents, birds, and other random animals pop up every so often. Ihasahotdog.com was created after the popularity of the lolcats to give loldogs a home.

As I mentioned before, all of these pictures are captioned, whether they be kitty, dog, or another variety. However, the lolcats have a language all their own. It's best described as poorly spelled, shortened English (as seen in the picture above). To help you brush up on your lolspeak at the Definitive Lolcats Glossary website.

Let me know how you like these sites!

(Picture courtesy of Icanhascheezburger.com)

Beauty is in the Eye of the Rat

I've always felt that the love of a pet is something that makes people feel wealthy. But how often do pets actually make you some money?

In the case of Tony Blair, a Norwegian rat, he has made his owner, Helena Seget, a profit off of his "works of art." His art includes pictures of half-eaten avocados, gnawed power cords and ceramic tiles with his paw prints. He has even branched into the food business by selling "Tony Blair Noodles."

Everything that Tony has done has been through the help of Seget. Her website shows her work and his work is displayed under 'projects.'

Tony's work first gained attention when Seget posted pictures of his work on The Saatchi Gallery website. His picture received several hundred online votes during a contest that the gallery held.

Once Tony's career took off, Seget started a blog for Tony. It can be found at Tony Blair-Artist Rat. After reading a few of the entries, I found his entries endearing and the photos are very cute. My favorite has to be a picture of his tail sticking out from under a comforter.

According to CNN.com, some of Tony's work goes for as much as 1,800 pounds. Sounds impressive in pounds and even more so in dollars: that's $3,500. I wouldn't complain about cleaning up after a rat with that much capital.

By the way, I would recommend watching the video at CNN.com because it's very cute...especially at the end where Tony slips off the table. I laughed...does that make me a bad person?

(Picture courtesy of helenaseget.com)

Spring Break '08...For Pets

For the past few days, I have been packing to prepare for my Spring Break trip to Mexico. So far, things have been going smoothly...except for the fact that Cali, my cat, has named my suitcase her new bed. I won't be taking her, but I will have enough cat hair in my suitcase that I'll be able to build a new cat.

I am sure, however, that I am not the first pet owner to experience a pet's dismay when you pack to leave. Most pets just become extremely affectionate but some pets suffer from separation anxiety.

Luckily for pet owners, pets have more options than just staying at home or going to a kennel. Now pets can stay at their very own hotels.

PetSmart has created the PetSmart PetHotel which offers kennels that aren't just metal and concrete. Dogs have a play area and cats have a plethora of feather toys to entertain them.

If your pet needs a more luxurious stay, hotels like The Barkley Pet Hotel & Day Spa offer accommodations that humans would be jealous of. There is a park area with private kennels or the executive kennels located poolside (shown at left). Cats have Kitty City where they can watch tropical fish and birds from their rooms.

Another convenience is hotels located near the airport to allow pet owners to drop their pets off at a stylish pet hotel without missing their flight or going out of their way. USAToday.com has reported on these hotels, explaining that only a few cities have pet hotels near airport but cities like Denver are looking to build their own.

So, before you leave for Spring Break, check for a pet hotel near you so your pet can enjoy the relaxation that you're enjoying.

(Photo courtesy of thebarkleypethotel.com)

More Cat-toons

You may recall that several posts ago, I posted a cartoon made by Simon Tofield. Well, much to my excitement, Tofield has created another video that commiserates with cat owners.

This time, the cartoon centers around that time of the day when your cat decides that he or she wants to come in after exploring the great backyard. However, I have seen few cat owners that have a built in kitty-door. As a result, we have one impatient cat trying to get in.

After watching these cartoons, I really feel that Tofield has a good grasp on what it is to own a cat. I hope one day to see a picture of the cat that these cartoons are based on.

Enjoy:

(Video hosted by YouTube.com)

Relief for Pained Pets

Living in Colorado, I rarely feel like I am surrounded by cutting edge research or in a center of high fashion. Today is one of those rare times where I feel that Colorado is at the fore-front of something good.

I came across an article on USAToday.com that tells the story of a German shepherd from Littleton named Maggie. Maggie showed signs of being arthritic even as a pup. By the time she was 11, she could barely move and it was evident that every step was a struggle.

Maggie's owner, Francine Hammer, wanted to do something to help her, so she did her research and came across a vet in Colorado Springs that practices a treatment involving stem cells.

For this treatment, a sample of stem cells is taken from the animal’s fat and is then sent to the Vet-Stem lab. The lab then returns the isolated stem cells in a syringe which are injected into the animal's joints and the healing process begins. The treatment costs about $2,000 to $2,500.

There have been mixed feelings about this treatment. Naturally, people are concerned due to the huge debate already occurring about stem cell use in humans. On the other hand, the potential to help ailing pets has owners interested. So far, the results have been quite positive as it seems most pets experience some improvement.

According to the article, 25 states don't have any vets trained for this procedure. I personally am happy to know that Colorado is among the half of the states that offer access to this treatment. I feel that it is beneficial and being able to help pets in pain is worth it.

(Picture courtesy of Vet-Stem.com)

Crafty Cages

If you have ever owned a guinea pig or a rabbit, you know that a decent-sized cage to house your pet could cost anywhere from $60-$100.

However, if you know of the latest and greatest way to make your own cage, you'll only end up paying $35 or $40. These customizable cages are called cubes and coroplast cages (c&c cages). They are even easy to assemble.

All you need to make your own c&c cage are...cubes and coroplast. The cubes I keep referring to are wire cubes that can be snapped together with plastic connectors that are most often assembled to make shelving. You can find these cubes at Wal-Mart. To get the coroplast, you can head to a sign store like Fastsigns to buy a sheet. Finally, you'll need cable ties, glue and scissors.

When you put the cage together, you can make it look however you want. Need it to fit in a corner? Want it to have multiple levels with ramps? You can make your cage fit your needs:

I've used this style of cage for my guinea pigs in the past and I love it. I would imagine that this style of cage would work for rabbits, chinchillas, and hedgehogs. I wouldn't recommend it for ferrets, though, since they tend to be sneaky and would probably figure out a way to get out.

Probably the best site I've seen about c&c cages is at CavyCages.com. All the information you need to make a c&c cage is here in addition to some great photos of these cages.

Gone are the days of pet store cages that are too small. Now, our small pets will have comfortable homes.

(Picture courtesy of CavyCages.com)