The year 2002 had its ups and downs in general, but there have been a few victories for people who share a passion for cats. The fight for reducing homelessness among cats hasn't yet been won, but progress is being made in a number of areas. There have also been some "good news stories" for individual cats, and as cat lovers know, "victory for one is victory for all."
Animal lovers across the U.S. rejoiced when the USPS finally published the long-awaited Spay and Neuter stamps, featuring "Samantha," a brown tabby kitten, and "Kirby," a darling pup. It is hoped that frequent use of these stamps will encourage more and more pet owners to spay and neuter their own cats and dogs.
A vaccine against Feline Immunodeficiency Virus was approved for sale to veterinarians. The incidence of FIV is said to be approximately 2% of cats in the U.S. and 25% worldwide, but anyone who has lost a cat to this disease will wish the vaccine had been available years ago. There are still some issues to be worked out, but it's a good start toward reducing the threat of FIV in at-risk cats.
In California, Maddie's Fund concluded a three year project with over 200,000 cats and dogs spayed and neutered, exceeding their original goal. In Utah, adoptions are up 31% and deaths of healthy pets are down by 38%, thanks to the No More Homeless Pets coalition. Maddie's "Big Fix for Alabama" saw 18,319 dogs and cats spayed & neutered. New projects have also been funded in Texas and Georgia.
A reporter who grew up with cats in the home went way beyond the call of duty by rushing little Sunny to a veterinary hospital and paying for surgery out of his own pocket. Sunny had fallen six stories from an open window, and suffered a broken leg, fractured jaw and internal injuries, but he will recover and is happily back at home with his owners, thanks to good Samaritan Rob Artigo.
Blackie had a three-month adventure, but nearly succumbed to cold weather until he was rescued by a guardian angel who just happened to be related to someone who knew of someone else who had lost a black cat. That someone was a 90 year old woman who is happily nursing Blackie back to health.
A U.S. resident was so fond of her cat she couldn't leave him home when she visited Egypt in October. Unfortunately, she had to leave him in Egypt when he was lost at the airport. Undaunted, she returned to Egypt in December to continue her search, and kitty was found by an airport worker, who refused a cash award. Presumably both cat and woman are now safely home again.
Despite all previous beliefs to the contrary, Georgia allergists have concluded from a study, that children regularly exposed to cats and dogs from birth to seven years, had roughly half the chance of later developing allergies than children with no pets in the household. The result of the study was exactly opposite what the doctors had expected.
The BAD news is that Westy was set on fire and thrown out of a car window by two teenage boys who each received a one-night jail sentence and a fine of $500. The GOOD news is that Westy and his adoptive "mother" became lobbyists for stronger legislation against animal cruelty, and successfully saw the passage of a new bill which stiffens penalties for this type of crime, making it a felony.
Little Wade came into Dr. Ken's clinic as a 4 1/2 week old kitten dying of flea anemia. He was given a blood transfusion which saved his life but which unexpectedly produced blood clots, blocking blood flow to his ear and front leg, which were amputated. Wade was fostered by Cats Forum member Jeff, and now lives in a forever home with two veterinary students. A real happy ending for a sweetie!
A study by a Cornell graduate student seems to show that cats have over the years learned to analyze people, with the end result that they can manipulate us readily by changing the timbre and urgency of their "meows." We've learned to feed, pet, or leave alone on command. I suppose the next logical step will be for humans to teach cats to come when called.
