2008 Year of the Cat in Review

In other news, I Buy Strays dot com received notoriety by offering to buy stray cats and dogs to sell for research. As disgusting as this appears, the site is still in business, still making money on advertisements. The current thought, as Urban Legends Guide David Emery surmised, is that the site is a hoax, intended to bring attention to the passage of the Class B provisions of the Farm Bill

Justice is finally being partly served, with an indictment against ChemNutra and company owners Sally Quing Miller, a Chinese national, and her husband, Stephen S. Miller, charging 13 counts of adulterated food into interstate commerce, and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

On the local scene, Ferdie was voted 2007 Cat of the Year.

Watch this amazing story of Tiger Lily, Jersey, Solid, and Piper unravel to an ending that had to be pre-destined, but was only made possible by people who cared to make a difference.

Earlier in the month another "feel good" story took place with Chucky's Happy Ending

Betsy was found "living rough" on the streets of London. A kind woman who had been feeding her was concrned about her health and took her to London's only cat-only veterinary clinic. Betsy had been microchipped several years before, but her original owners had apparently moved and never updated the information on the chip. A worldwide call went out: Do you Know This Cat? in the hopes the owner could be found to reclaim Betsy.

In the area of despicable news, Atlanta police searched for a woman who threw a kitten out of the window of her speeding car. The woman had brought a cage full of kittens to the Atlanta shelter and was upset when she was told the shelter was full. Another case of the "throwaway" mentality of some people.

In the good news area, a cat missing for a year from North Carolina was found in Illinois and returned to his owner. Microchipping saved the day again.

On the home front, a kitten named Weebles won the Q1 Semi-finals vote for Cat of the Year.

The battle between the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum and the federal government, ended with an agreement issuing the museum an "animal exhibition license" which will allow the 50 cats there to roam the grounds.

In 2006, after the feds threatened to impose a $200/day per cat fine ($10,000/day), the museum took the battle to Federal Court, asking for a ruling. In 2007, the museum won a small battle, in the form of an exemption by the Key West City Commission from a law limiting the number of cats per household to four. The latest ruling signifies the end of a six-year fight between the Hemingway House and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It's been a long time coming.

In other happy news, Betsy found a new home! (See July's Story)

Despite the legends and superstition surrounding black cats, there is a cult of followers who adore these glossy parlour panthers. This has nothing to do with witchcraft. On the other hand, October is not a particularly safe month for black cats, and care must be taken to ensure their safety. We celebrate black cats in a big way on About.com, with photo galleries and other amusing activities.

In other news, the first Internet Pet 'Net Adoption Event, with over 20 participating pet web sites, was a great success.

A $24M settlement was okayed for pet food recall victims