All Pets Album, Hosted by Feisty and Terracatta

You have a great relationship with your birds and I am sure they reciprocate. I understand they are very intelligent and live long lives. Thanks for sharing and we'd love to see photos.

I've had birds in my life for the last 20+ years. A more rewarding companion animal (for me) doesn't exist. Cockatiels, Paarrots. They're low maintenance, have no (or very few) health issues, talk to you in your own language, don't need to be walked, train easily and are great company.

Soon as I learn how I'll post pictures of ly lil girl Randi (a miniature macaw) she's 7 now but was two weeks old when I started hand feeding her from a breeder near Phoenix AZ (where I live).

Be advised, if you have not received a notice from ThirdAge, that all Chat and Homepages will no longer be part of ThirdAge. They will be removed from the site.

I posted some free sites for homepages earlier and I hope that you have taken advantage of them. If you need the reference again:

http://members.shaw.ca/high5/01freehomepages.html

I am glad he got a new kitten friend.

Some 800 cats in China are looking for new homes after being rescued by animal activists in July. The cats were headed by truck to a market in southern China to be sold as food; cat meat is considered a delicacy there. Duo Zriong, a veteran cat rescuer in Shanghai, initially called police to try and stop the truck. As news of the standoff spread online, other cat lovers mobilized. Activists pooled their money to raise $1,320., enough to buy the animals from the commercial company that raised them for slaughter. All of the rescued cats were put up for adoption.

Michigan Tails

Sheltered Animals campaign in NY

Dear ASPCA Members and Supporters:

I wanted to let you know personally that we have just announced that the ASPCA is currently assisting in the federal investigation against Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and three other individuals, who were indicted on July 17 by a federal grand jury in a Virginia dog fighting venture.

At this time, we cannot offer any additional details in order to protect the integrity of this investigation and the ongoing criminal process.

We have also posted new educational materials on animal cruelty at www.aspca.org/cruelty. We’ll be regularly updating this section, so I hope you will bookmark it and visit often. You will find a wealth of information here on animal cruelty, as well as a look at the reprehensible world of dog fighting.

Thank you very much for your support of the ASPCA. It is what enables us to pursue our 141-year-old mission, which is as crucial today as when we were founded in 1866—to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals. Every day, we come one step closer to being a humane community. We could not do it without you.

Sincerely,

Ed Sayres
President and CEO

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- St Charles, Missouri -- April 19, 2007 --

Royal
Canin USA is announcing today that the company has determined there is a melamine derivative in the rice protein concentrate in some of its dry pet food products.

Although Royal Canin USA has no confirmed cases of illness in pets,
we have decided to voluntarily remove all of our dry pet food products containing rice protein concentrate. We are taking this proactive stance to avoid any confusion for our customers about which Royal Canin USA products are safe and which products may be affected.

"We are as passionate about the health and happiness of our
customers' pets as we are of our own,so we are committed to taking the steps necessary to ensure this
never happens again," said Olivier Amice, President and CEO of Royal Canin USA.

Heal and Soothe

Some music made for pets claims to actually have healing and stress-relieving powers. The company Healing Touch for Animals produces and sells a music CD, “Healing Music for Animals & Their People” According to the company. “The sound travels through the body promoting a movement of expansion and contraction that helps release blockages held within the body.” They feel that this music is a tool that can be used to assist both animals and people with relaxation techniques. In this way, the body is better able to relax and regulate the immune system which can encourage self-healing.

Some people, such as Lisa Crigger, owner of City Dog USA in North Carolina swear by it. Crigger states, “As a doggie daycare owner, we are constantly trying to find ways to de-stress and calm the dogs. We have always played soft music at nap time but after switching to the HTA CD, even the “hard core” dogs (i.e., stress barkers) seemed to relax.” Maybe it will work for your stressed out pooch too.

Healing Touch for Animals warns that in order for the music to work for humans as well, you must separate your normal consciousness and musical expectations regarding traditional music. You must bring yourself to a place of awareness, like meditation and absorb the relaxation and healing potential.

Veterinarian Tested Music

The Los Angeles based company Pets Love Music also has a series of CDs for dogs and cats, “Cat Dreams” volumes 1 and 2 as well as “Dog Dreams” volumes 1 and 2. These CDs feature 50 minutes of original compositions by Marco Missinato. The music has been tested by veterinarians as part of a healing and recovery program. Tracy Acosta, veterinarian and owner of Biloxi Animal Hospital feels the music makes a difference. Acosta says, “My staff and I…truly believe that our patients (dogs and cats) benefit from the peaceful tone that the music provides.”

Just for Cats

It seems that everyone is looking for music that appeals to four-legged members of the family. An Austrian animal psychologist , Dr. Herman Bubna-Littitz found with research that cats seem to love male-voice choirs as well as the double bass and the oboe. Armed with this information he produced the first CD of music specifically for the discerning feline. More than 10,000 copies have already been sold in Austria.

Maybe if the music is right for your cat or dog it will work for you as well. If you are sharing the music with your favorite cat or dog, it is best that you keep the sound at lower volumes. Animals are sensitive to sound. Watch to make sure your dog or cat isn't moving away from the music. If they are, lower the volume. Find some music for your pets and spend a quiet evening. What a great way to relax!

Dear Animal Advocates,

Great news! On March 26, 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act by a landslide vote of 368-39! Thanks to all who called and wrote to their representatives to encourage support of this important legislation that will appropriately penalize people who engage in the brutal “sport” of animal fighting. Now more than ever, it is crucial that you contact your senators and urge them to support this bill so it will become law!

What You Can Do

- Please visit the ASPCA Advocacy Center to send a letter to your senators urging them to support S 261.

- If you prefer to send hand-written letters to your senators, please click here to read about the act in greater depth and find contact information for your legislators.

Thank you so much for supporting the ASPCA and our nation’s animals. We are their voice!

Check the bags and cans for gluten. Nutro and Science Diet dry foods have corn gluten, not wheat gluten. Read the ingredients on the bas or cans and if it has gluten, make sure it is corn gluten and not wheat.

If you've been feeding dry that is made with corn gluten, you're pet is safe.

Waiting for the official notice at 1pm today.

Just a quick update on Menue Foods Co. petfood recall.

The recall now covers dog food sold throughout North America under 51 brands and cat food sold under 40 brands, including Iams, Nutro and Eukanuba.

The recall involves Ontario-based Menu Foods' "cuts and gravy" style cat and dog food packaged from Dec. 3 to March 6. The wet food, which consists of chunks of meat in gravy, is packaged in cans and small foil pouches. The food was sold under numerous brand names — 40 cat food brands and 51 dog food brands as of Monday.

The brand names of the affected foods are here.

So far it looks like dry food is OK.

Don't forget that this is an early start to DST. Most of the computers and other electronics will not auto change so make sure you go to Display and Clock in your computers to change the time on Sunday. Don't forget your cameras if they have a time set.

This used to be the worst time of the year for me but since I retired it won't really matter that much.