Category Archives: Special Days

Space Exploration, Special Days

Apollo 11 Day

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Buzz Aldrin (and friend) stand at attention for the American flag

“Space, the final frontier.” Nobody could say it better than Gene Roddenberry long before mankind went to the moon.

Today is the 45th anniversary of the day Americans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set foot on the Moon. Michael Collins held down the fort and stayed with the command module.

I remember my Mom, Dad and I huddling around our black and white television the moment when when the lunar set down. I held my breath as Armstrong called out the lander’s elevation. And finally, he spoke those immortal words, “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.” We cheered and applauded. Man was on the Moon.

My brother’s inlaws were on the cutting edge of technology in those days. They had a color television. Knowing that Art’s teenage sister had an intense interest in everything space, the Richeys invited Mom, Dad and me over to their  to watch man walk on the moon on their new color TV. How cool was that!

So six-and-a-half hours after the Eagle set down, Mom, Dad and I were glued to the Richey’s television watching Armstrong descend the ladder and step down on the surface of the moon. Ironically it was being broadcast in beautiful black and white. It didn’t matter. I was watching history.

Then came one of the most quoted (or is it misquoted) phrases ever uttered. “One small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind.”

They say “Punctuation saves lives.” The perfect example, “Let’s eat Grandma.” or “Let’s eat, Grandma.” Likewise adding a simple “a” to the quote makes so much more sense.” It’s hard to remember your lines when the whole world is hanging on your words and you’re worried about the possibility of  sinking six feet in lunar dust.

When the remote camera broadcast the launch of the module from the surface of the moon, I once again held my breath. Would they make it? Of course, we know they did. They returned to Earth four days later heroes.

apollo 11
Our heroes: Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin.

I loved the image of the lone footprint in the lunar dust. I got chills when I looked at the photo of Buzz Aldrin standing at attention in front of the American flag. (Most people think the stunning photos of an astronaut on the Moon was Armstrong, they weren’t. Sadly there aren’t any good photographs of Neil on the Moon because he had the camera most of the time. But Aldrin’s presence is certainly well documented.)

Several years later I stood in line for three hours in order to gaze upon a moon rock for 30 seconds. Several armed guards stood nearby. I remember thinking, “Yup. That’s a rock.” Despite its plain appearance, it was a rock that came from the Moon. Wow!  I was looking at one of the most expensive, one of the most valuable stones on earth.

Now I don’t believe the conspiracy theorists who think the Moon landing was faked, but when I closely examined the famous shot of the footprint in the dust, I found what could have been pawprints. Although  neither astronauts or scientist have found evidence of life on the Moon, I wonder if the Man in the Moon, might really be the Cat in the Moon. Either that or maybe the Moon had been previously visited by a more intelligent race.

Special Days, Uncategorized

National POW/MIA Recognition Day

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HOMECOMING
Former POW and United States Air Force Capt. Darrel Edwin Pyle appears shortly after his release by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi on 12 Feb 1973. Pyle was captured on 13 Jun 1966.

Darrel Pyle photo 4When I was in high school and the Vietnam War blazed, I ordered a POW bracelet to honor and  remember an American prisoner of war. It was a simple stainless steel strip engraved with a POWs name and the date he was captured. You were supposed to wear it until your guy came home.

POW bracelet
Jerry Singleton\’s POW bracelet

My POW was a young pilot named Capt. Darrell Pyle who was held captive for seven years. Pyle was in the very first group of prisoners to be released on 12 Feb 1973. I placed a blue star sticker on my bracelet to indicate my POW had returned safely home.  I continued to wear Pyle’s bracelet for several years to remember those who  were still missing in action.  I only removed when it I feared it would break in half from wear.

Although I never got to meet Darrel Pyle, I had the honor of interviewing another Hanoi Hilton alumni, Jerry Singleton, in 1995. During that interview I learned the real horror of what these brave people went though. Jerry informed me that Major Darrel Pyle died in an aviation accident less than two years after his release.

Rest in peace, Major Pyle. Thank you for your sacrifice. And thank you Jerry Singleton. We are grateful.

HOMECOMING
Former POW and U.S. Air Force CPT Darrel Edwin Pyle, wife Karen, son and an escort look over the giant C-5 Galaxy aircraft on the flight line.

PowerNetwork.org says about Pyle’s capture: “On June 13, 1966, while on an armed reconnaissance mission in the southern part of North Vietnam, the F4C Phantom fighter bomber was hit by anti-aircraft fire and became uncontrollable. Both ejected, but Lurie ejected from low altitude (about 350 feet at 450 knots), and sustained a compression fracture of the spine. The DRV used Plye, the Systems Operator and Lurie as a traveling show until 29 June when they arrived in Hanoi and were thrown into Hoa Lo prison, more commonly known as the Hanoi Hilton.\r\n\r\nThe day was February 12, 1973. The location was Gia Lam Airport, North Vietnam.

The sky was broken to overcast and the air was chilled by the winds which swept down from China. I sat in a bus beside a bombed-out hangar and watched a plane taxiing toward the runway. The plane was a 141 and had big letters which said, “UNITED STATES AIR FORCE.” I was crying. Before the plane could take off another 141 broke through the overcast and roared over my head. My plane – my chariot had come to take me home.

Sadly Darell Pyle was killed in a plane crash in Alaska only a year-and-a-half after he returned home. Here’s the account of his tragic death less than two years later in the Anchorage Times, 29 Dec 1974

“27 Dec 1974: Maj Darrell Pyle died when his Piper PA-18 crashed around noon at Six Mile Lake, Elmendorf AFB. His nine year old son, Philip, survived with minor injuries.”

Darrel Pyle arrival
Former POW and U.S. Air Force CPT Darrel Edwin Pyle is greeted by MGEN John Gonge, Commander 22nd Air Force and BGEN Ralph Saunders after his arrival from Clark Air Base, Philippines.

The fuel tank in the plane ruptured on impact causing minor fires. Major Pyle was recovered from the wreckage and taken to the Elmendorf AFB Hospital where he died of injuries sustained in the crash. His son was treated for cuts and bruises and released.

“He was born on 24 April 1940 in Long Beach, CA; graduated from Compton High School, Compton, CA, in 1958; and the University of Arizona and joined the Air Force in 1963.\r\nHe had rowed down the Amazon River and spent time in the jungles of Ecuador. While in captivity, he dream ed of coming to Alaska.

“He was assigned to the 43rd Tactical Fighter Squadron as an F-4E pilot. Major Pyle had been awarded the Legion of Merit, the Silver Star with oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star with V device with oak lead cluster and a second oak leaf cluster to the Air Force Commendation Medal. He was cited for his resistance to more than 40 days of extreme physical and mental torture. He had written a book about his POW experiences. The publisher, however, wanted more details on his torture, which he did not want to go into again, and it was never published. The 3rd Wing Headquarters Building is named after Major Pyle.

HOMECOMING
Former POW and U.S. Air Force CPT Darrel Edwin Pyle, wife Karen, son and an escort look over the giant C-5 Galaxy aircraft on the flight line in February 1973.

If you are interested in more information on heroic Major Pyle, visit TogetherWeServed.com,

 

 

 

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Odd News, Patron Saint, Special Days, Uncategorized

St. Gertrude, Patron Saint of Cats and Cat Lovers

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Talk to St. Gertrude if you’re having problems with your cats.

PicMonkey CollageDear Einstein,

My humans tell me that St. Patrick’s Day is a big celebration because some guy chased the snakes out of Ireland. That’s nothing. Thanks to me, there’s not a snake or a lizard or rat in my neighborhood. They don’t dare come out. We need a cat saint day. Instead of drinking green beer, kitties can hold catnip parties in my honor. It can be the day of St. Fluffy.

Just remember, I’m not fat, I’m…

Fluffy

 

Greatest respect to Fluffy, hunter among hunters.

While I’m all for having a special cat saint, becoming a saint is a lengthy process that requires a lot of paperwork, and most of them die horrible early deaths. Being an energy efficient creature, I bet you’re not interested in reinventing the hamster wheel. Besides, there’s already a two-legged saint for we kitties and cat-lovers, St. Gertrude of Nivelles.

Her special day happens to be on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17. She’s the patron saint of gardeners, travelers, widows, recently deceased people, the sick, the poor and the mentally ill. People call upon Gertrude for protection from mice and rats, fever, insanity and mental illness.

When humans paint pictures of St. Gertrude, she’s usually holding a staff with a mouse on it. Maybe that was her way of always having snack food around. A lot of icons show her holding one our feline brothers.

gertrudeSt. Gertrude, who was born in 626 A.D. in Landen, Belgium, was never known to be a crazy cat lady, but her writings confirm that, as the abbess at the Benedictine Monastery at Nivelles, she kept kitties to control the four-legged rodent population.

Don’t most Mickeys have four legs, you ask? Not in Gertrude’s book. She looked at lost human souls as mice, and made it her mission to pray for them to get them out of Purgatory.

One the other paw, bread baked in her ovens and made with the water from her special well was said to repel mice and rats. Other contemporary accounts said she prayed for the mice to go away and they did. So Gertrude was known for her association with mice, although she wasn’t a fan of them overrunning her place. And cats and mice go together like saints and Heaven. So she became the patroness of cats and cat lovers.

Humans also call upon Gertrude for safe travel. One legend said a large sea monster threatened to capsize some pilgrims’ ship. When they called upon St. Gertrude for protection, the creature fled. So next time you end up in the carrier on the way to the vet’s office, you can meow to Gertrude for safe passage. (In the sense of full disclosure, she’s never been much help once I actually arrive at the clinic.)

Her patronage of gardeners and herbalists would also extend to growers of catnip and catmint. Nothing makes a kitty happier than to dig in freshly tilled soil, so, in the spirit of sharing the labor, we kitties honor St. Gertrude by fertilizing the neighbor’s flower bed.

Gertrude of Nivelles is also the patron of the insane and people who are unhinged, so she’s the perfect intercessor for our brothers and sister who are stuck in hoarder homes, and a protector of merely eccentric crazy cat ladies (and dudes.)

Next time your human pulls out the carrier, and you cry out in protest, make it count by yelling for St. Gertrude. She might be able to postpone your trip with a well-placed sea monster on the hood of your humans’ car.

Patron Saint, Rescue, Special Days, Uncategorized

Martin de Porres Patron Saint of Treks & Vets

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St. Martin de Porres

st martin de porres iconPatron Saint of Veterinarians, Rescuers, People of Color, Television, Hair Dressers & Trekkies

What do veterinarians, people of color, Trekkies and hairdressers have in common? In times of need they can all call upon St. Martin de Porres. He is one of the coolest saints around. The Dominican brother is recognized as the first black saint from the Americas.

Officially, he’s the patron saint of barbers, hair stylists, innkeepers, Mexico, black people, people of mixed race, Peru, poor people, public education, public health, and television (yes, the boob tube). He stands for interracial and social justice and racial harmony. (Certainly use his intercession with today’s racial strife.) People also invoke his name for protection from rats. Unofficially he represents veterinarians, Trekkies, holistic healers and people who are bullied.

Juan Martin de Porres was born 435 years ago today, on Dec. 9, 1579, in Lima, Peru. He was the illegitimate son of a woman of color (a freed Panamanian slave) named Ana Velázquez and the Spanish knight, Don Juan de Porres. Papa never married his baby mamma, and wasn’t proud that little Martin inherited his mother’s dark complexion. The “nobleman” abandoned his family three years later, after the birth of their daughter, Juana. What a guy! After Dad disappeared, poor Ana struggled to feed her kids by taking in laundry. Eventually Don Juan stepped up and sent his son to a primary school for a couple of years, after which 12-year-old Martin apprenticed as a barber.

As a trainee, he learned more than how to coif a mullet and sculpt a soul patch. In those days, barbers’ finely honed blades also opened veins for cozy sessions of bloodletting. Martin learned to perform surgeries, dig out ingrown toenails, lance boils, set bones, dress wounds, treat disease and compound medicine from herbs. The training gave him the ability to care for the sick and destitute without charging a fee.

martin de porresJust like Mr. Spock, St. Martin de Porres was able to be several places at once.

When he turned 15, Martin entered the Holy Rosary Dominican Priory in his hometown. At that time, Peruvian law prohibited descendants of Africans and Indians from becoming full members of religious orders. So Martin wore the monastery’s habit and performed worked in the infirmary as a barber-surgeon as well working on the farm and performing menial tasks in the kitchen and laundry.

In and outside the convent, Martin became known for his miraculous cures; he treated noblemen and slaves alike without regard for their race or social status.

When he turned 24, Martin took charge of the friary’s infirmary, where he worked until he died. He opened a children’s hospital for kids living in the slums and the Orphanage of the Holy Cross. Eventually the Dominicans ignored the racial restriction and allowed Martin to take vows as a Dominican brother.

 

A Real Dr. Doolittle

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERASt. Martin’s compassion wasn’t restricted to humans. He was a 16th-century Dr. Doolittle, with the ability to communicate with animals. Like St. Francis, Martin treated animals as if they were brothers and sisters. Only a Hannibal Lecter would chow down on his family, so Martin never ate meat. Centuries ahead of his time, the barber-turned-veterinarian treated sick and injured cats and dogs at his animal hospital set up at his sister’s home in the country. He also founded a shelter for stray pets.

While officially St. James the Greater, St. Eligius and St. Blaise are the patron saints of veterinarians, people with sick kitties and poopy pooches might want to have a conversation with Martin de Porres. After all, this guy was a practicing vet.

Of mice and Martin

Even potentially plague-carrying vermin benefited from St. Martin’s mercy. A mischief of mice set up housekeeping in the priory’s linen wardrobe. (And we know, nothing conveys the concept of “holy” like altar linens covered in mouse poop.) The monks wanted to poison the furry invaders, but St. Martin had other plans. Reminiscent of St. Francis’ negotiations with the killer wolf of Gubio, Martin simply promised not to promote the mice to Glory if they would relocate to a little den at the end of the garden. Martin even offered to cater their meals. Then, in a Peruvian version of the Pied Piper, he led Mickey’s cousins to their new digs. The mice stayed away from the linens, and Martin kept his part of the bargain.

Beam me up, Marty

spock cat gifMartin is the official patron saint of television and (appointed by me) unofficial saint of Trekkies. Stick with me on this.

While Martin wanted to serve as a missionary, this was not to be. But stories persisted describing Martin visiting those in need through bi-location (meaning he could safely fold clothes in the laundry in Peru while treating a patient in Algeria).

Five centuries before Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott was a gleam in Gene Roddenberry’s eye, Martin managed to transport himself around the globe. The word “television” means “vision from afar” in Greek. A man who bi-locates certainly represents that concept.

You might wonder if being in two places at the same time has something to do with those herbs he learned to compound in barber school. Probably not. The claims of his visitations came from the people he helped. Even though Martin never left Lima, people said the saint appeared to them in Algeria, China, France, Japan, Mexico and the Philippines.

Locked doors couldn’t keep Martin from caring for the sick. During an epidemic, sixty novice friars living in a locked section of the convent fell ill. Several of them reported seeing Martin pass through locked doors like Captain Kirk in the “Tholian Web.” These claims were even verified by monastery superiors.

In icons, St. Martin is usually depicted along with a cat, dog, and a mouse eating from the same bowl. He’s also associated with a broom (because of his love of manual labor), a crucifix, a rosary and/or a heart.

Nov. 3, 1639, Martin teleported from his corporeal body for the final time. He died of quatrain fever at his beloved Rosary Convent at the age of 59. The man who was rejected by society, and even his own father, was carried to his resting place by church prelates and noblemen. He was canonized by Pope John XXIII in 1962.

So next time you go to the vet, feel bullied, or watch a rerun of Star Trek, you might have a conversation with St. Martin de Porres. After all, he communicated with animals and bilocated to exotic places. He’s not likely to let a little thing like a grave come between him and someone in need.

If you want to learn more about this amazing man, visit Saint Martin de Porres – Patron of Social Justice.

Special Days, Uncategorized

Cat Halloween Costumes–Or 4 Ways to Embarrass Your Pet

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By Jeffy Jeffy Bad Boy Cat Halloween Costumes Cat Halloween Costumes

Halloween is a scary time for cats. Yes there are horrible wackos out there who want to do unspeakable things to kitties, but there’s also a threat closer to home—namely, home. It’s time for kitty costumes. All over the country cat (and dog owners) are purr-using the internet looking for “adorable” cat Halloween costumes for their future-formerly dignified pets. In an attempt to combat this, kitties use the computer keyboard as a treadmill hoping to block access to online costume markets. Unfortunately that strategy didn’t work at my house. The human still managed to get a hold of contraband pet clothing from PetKrewe.com and so the embarrassment begins.

I admit, unlike the other members of the household,  I was too young and naïve to realize what was happening. The other kitties hid (which run did not save them from humiliation). One minute I was happily hanging out, the next I was shanghaied and inducted into the navy.

Since my dignity is now resides in the bottom of the trashcan beneath yesterday’s litter clumps, I may as well come out of the costume closet.

One final note: No cats were harmed in the taking of these photographs, we were, however, abased and embarrassed.  I wasn’t a fan of the hats at first, but after a lot of treats I finally got used to them. The human posted these shots cuz they’re funnier. (All the costumes below came from PetKrewe.com except for the prisoner costume. They cost around $15.95. There’s info about the costumes at PetKrewe.com)

Hello Sailor

As they ask in the military, “With all due respect, are you crazy?” I have to admit, I look hot in Pet Krewe navy dress whites for cats and small dogs. Although officers might gripe that I’m out of uniform, I didn’t mind the Anchors Away look once we lost the hat.

Hopefully I’ll get less time time for good behavior

Somehow this innocent mug of mine wound up with the name Jeffy Jeffy Bad Boy. So the human decided I should model this little ditty because of my propensity to get into things she says I shouldn’t. I look good in stripes, don’t you think? This Lighthouse prison costume for cats and small dogs comes with a hat (which I refused to wear.) It costs under $10.

It’s a pirate’s life for me Cat Halloween Costumes

Yo ho, or is it “yoohoo”? Burt the dog works this striking Pet Krewe pirate ensemble complete with hooked hands and a pirate hat. It comes in small, medium and large sizes. Just add your own eye patch.

I’m not lion; it’s the mane event

Cats are actually related to the King of the Jungle, not dogs, but Burt sports a lion’s mane that could make a canine want to purr. The Velcro™-style strap holds secure. Doesn’t it make you want to kiss his nose…or not. Available in small sizes for kitties and medium and large dogs.

Burt is rocking this cat / small dog hood from Pet Krewe.

Pet Krewe had a cute shot of their kitty.

 

The photo the human took of of me in this made me look like an ax murderer, so we used the Pet Krewe lion kitty instead.

 

 

 

 

Just for Fun, Special Days, Tornado, Uncategorized

Shark Week Special: #Sharknado & Sharks on a Train, for Real #Sharkweek

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tornado leopard sharkIn a few weeks ago scifi fans, tornado aficionados and shark lovers will watch the final Sharknado movie, The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time will air on August 19 on the Syfy channel. The original movie, Sharknado, about a tornado that dropped voracious sharks down on the citizens of Los Angeles, was released during Shark Week of 2013.

It appears that the writers of Sharknado may have based the movie on an actual event. In October 2012 a two-pound leopard shark fell to earth, landing alive and still wiggling on the 12th tee of San Juan Hills Golf Club in San Juan Capistrano, CA.

sharks on a trainThere were no witnesses to the sharknado drop and weather was clear. However the rescuing golf course marshall believes that the small shark was dropped by a bird because it had a pair of puncture wounds. The course marshall put the shark in a bucket of water and released it back into the ocean.

The golf-loving leopard shark isn’t the only isn’t the only charcharinid known to use public facilities. As with the Sharknado movies, we move from California to New York City where a lemon shark didn’t so much inspire a B movie, but reenacted one. Many of us have seen the less than classic bad movie, Snakes on a Plane. But how many of us have seen Sharks on a Train? That wasn’t a rhetorical question. According to the Metropolitan Transit Authority in New York City, at least a few.

While weird goings on New York subways aren’t a new development, this might be the one of the most bizarre. Last August, during the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, riders aboard a Queens-bound train reported that unpleasant odor in one particular car. The unpleasant aroma wasn’t an unwashed human, but a three-foot-long dead shark left under a subway seat.

Sharks on a train tooSeveral cell phone death photos (similar to the ones of dearly departed family members in the 19th century—ewww) were taken of the piscine. Some prankster sent the deceased shark off to his great reward with mementos that any New Yorker would have appreciate, a MTA card (not sure if there was any credit left), a can of Red Bull and a cigarette.

The Mustelus canis, more commonly known as a dusky smooth-hound or smooth dogfish, measured about three feet long. When the train reached the Astoria/Ditmars Boulevard station, a supervisor pronounced it DOA, put it in a trash bag and threw it away. Not much of a sendoff. A spokesman at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said they don’t know how the shark ended up on the train.

Sharks on a Train. Coming to a track near you.

Special Days, Uncategorized

Today is January 22 Answer Your Cat’s Question Day

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAHere are my cats’ top eight questions.

When are you going to feed me? I fed you five minutes ago.

When are you going to feed me? I fed you seven minutes ago.

When are you going to feed me? I fed you eight minutes ago

Am I adopted? Yes, but you are my real child by another mother.

Why can’t we sell the dog for medical experiments? Because it’s too dangerous to place “for sale” ads on Craig’s List..

Why are your legs so weird? Humans were the prototype. God had perfected His design by the time He got around to making cats.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWhy did you throw away the gift that I brought you? There aren’t any rodent recipes in the Mediterranean Diet cookbook.

Why do you wash everything I mark? Precision marking is an art form you know. Yellow clashes with the living room décor.

Why won’t you open the door? Again?

Special Days

The Christmas Legend of the Tabby and Baby Jesus

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Baby Jesus and the tabby cat art

Many years ago I heard the Christmas legend of the tabby cat and the baby Jesus on Paul Harvey’s “The Rest of the Story.” It’s such a sweet story. I like to imagine my Siamese-mix tabby, Sam, a gentle kitty who welcomed all newcomers to our home, jumping up into the cold bed of hay and snuggling with the Christ child.

Merry Christmas to everyone. Thank you for being my friends.

Dusty Rainbolt:

Sam_ and baby jesus IMG_7792
If my tabby, Sam, had been there, he would have kept the Baby warm.

And so it came to pass that a husband and wife journeyed to the small town of Bethlehem, as the king had decreed that all the people stand to be counted in the small towns and teeming cities from whence they came. The journey was long and hard for both, but especially for the young wife, who was very near to bringing her child into the world.

When they at last reached the crowded and noisy town, the expectant father searched for an inn where they could rest and where the child could safely be born. But at every door, he was told there was no available room. Finally, one innkeeper, though having no space left in his inn, took pity on them and offered them shelter in the small stable used by his animals.

It was there that the child was born, surrounded by beasts of the field. As the night’s cold grew, the baby fretted and cried while his parents pondered how to make him comfortable. His father tried stuffing straw into the open places in the walls, and his mother tried warming him with her meager wrappings. But still, the baby cried on.

All the while, a tiny kitten watched from the corner. “Of course the little baby is cold,” she thought. “It has no fur to keep it warm! I will give it mine, and I will lullaby-purr it to sleep.”

The little cat jumped into the manger where the baby lay. There, she quietly gave her humble gift of warmth and love, gently stretching out her thin, fragile little body over the baby’s, careful to cover all but the infant’s face. The crying was soon replaced by soft purrs and coos, and slowly, the infant smiled.

As Mary, the new mother, witnessed this gift to her child, she touched the little cat’s forehead.

“Thank you, Little Tabby, for your gift of love and warmth. As a sign of my grateful blessing, you and all your descendants will forevermore carry my initial on your forehead.”

And to this day, tabby cats are known by the remarkable “M” on their foreheads, and by their extraordinary gifts of love, so gently given.

Merry Christmas. And in the words of Charles Dickens’ Tiny Tim, “Merry Christmas to all; God bless us, everyone”

Tell me about your favorite cat Christmas memories in the comments below.

Cat safety, Special Days

Fourth of July Cat Safety Tips

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Cat safety should be a 24/7/365 job, but more pets disappear around the July 4th holiday than any other time of year, even Halloween.
Cat safety should be a 24/7/365 job, but more pets disappear around the July 4th holiday than any other time of year, even Halloween.

Independence Day Cat Safety

Almost everyone loves the Fourth of July! Who doesn’t look forward to all the patriotism, picnics, barbecue, beer and fireworks? Cat Safety

Unfortunately your cat doesn’t share your enthusiasm for the July 4th celebration. Our pets have a whole different perspective. What we love most about the holiday, the fabulous fireworks and neighborhood firecrackers, may seem to cats and dogs like the alien invasion from science fiction movie, Independence Day, where humans (and pets) once again face a violent and noisy end of the world. It’s up to you to pay attention to cat safety and keep your kitty calm and safe on Independence Day and out of claws of hostile aliens.

Cats and Dogs Invade Animal Shelters

Staff at animal shelters across the country also brace themselves for an Independence Day invasion. Not an invasion of killer crabs or shape shifters Martians, but panicky pooches and pusses who disappeared fleeing the noise.

With all the chaos occurring over the holiday weekend, it shouldn’t be surprising that more pets disappear around the July 4th holiday than any other time of year, even Halloween. Loud noises from fireworks may sound like thunder or an explosion to terrified pets—so frightening so they bolt from the yard to escape the perceived threat. According to the American Animal Hospital Association, July 5 is the busiest day of the year for animal shelters. Animal shelters across the country actually report a 30 percent increase in lost pets reported between July 4 and July 6. Sadly, only 14 percent of those pets ever return to their families.

In addition to explosions and party chaos, wandering pets can fall prey to malicious lowlife. Nine years ago, Zeki, a kitten from Dallas, almost became one of those tragic statistics. Abandoned when her family moved away, she was captured on July 4th by some wacko and mutilated with a hunting knife. Zeki survived and was rescued and eventually found a loving home, but many panicked pets fleeing the flashes and kabooms disappear without a trace.

July 4th Cat Safety Tips

Regardless of your Independence Day plans, keep your pets safe and happy by taking seven simple precautions:

  • Make sure pets wear ID, even indoor pets. However, collars and tags can become lost. In addition to name tags, microchip your cat and keep your contact information current with the microchip registry. In the event your cat and his tags go AWOL, a microchip will give him his last best hope of returning home.
  • Before the weekend arrives, bring your outside cats inside so they can’t run away in a panic.
  • During parties and firework displays, put cats in a calm a bathroom or other escape-proof room. A frightened cat allowed to wander the house may dart out of the door to escape the pandemonium. Set out food and water bowls, litter box and favorite toys. Put a “Do Not Enter” sign on the door to prevent guests from accidentally releasing the kraken (kitty.) Keep pets inside the entire weekend just to be safe.
  • Use pheromone products that mimic the cat’s own friendly pheromones. Synthetic pheromones such as Comfort Zone® with Feliway®, Comfort Zone® with Feliway® Multicat, and Sentry Calming Spray for Cats and the Sentry Calming Collar may help your cat cope more effectively with loud noises, house guests and other stressful situations.
  • Play soothing music, white noise or cat videos to mask the sound of fireworks. Even better, offer music specifically composed or arranged to calm kitties such as Music For Cats or Through a Cat’s Ear. Start the sound therapy before the guests arrive or the fireworks start.
  • Calming vests. Swaddling apparel such as a Thundershirt or CalmCat shirt may reduce anxiety in cats.
  • Take action immediately if your cat goes missing. As soon as you realize your cat can’t be found, contact your local animal control facility and your cat’s microchip registry. Put up lost cat flyers. Always visit the animal shelter and eyeball all the cats. The person taking your report may not make the connection between your cat and your description of your cat.

Did we leave anything out? Have you lost a cat over the Fourth of July? Tell us about it in the comment section below.

Cat safety should be a 24/7/365 job, but more pets disappear around the July 4th holiday than any other time of year, even Halloween.
Cat safety should be a 24/7/365 job, but more pets disappear around the July 4th holiday than any other time of year, even Halloween.

About Dusty Rainbolt

Author Dusty Rainbolt is an award-winning veterinary journalist according to her answering machine. She is an associate certified cat behavior consultant and member of International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, as well as past president of the Cat Writers’ Association. Her books, columns, reviews and articles have been honored with more than 50 writing awards including three-time recipient of Friskies Writer of the Year. Her just-released award-winning cat behavior book, Cat Scene Investigator: Solve Your Cat’s Litter Box Mystery, is the consummate guide for dealing with a cat who sidesteps his/her appointed toilet. CSI, which provides science-based methods for determining the medical or behavioral causes of feline inappropriate elimination, teaches cat parents to view their cat’s litter box avoidance through the eyes of a detective to determine the cause and, ultimately, the remedy.

Behavior, New Research, Special Days, Uncategorized

Spring Forward with Cats—The Daylight Savings Time Dilemma

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Weems S. Hutto
George dreads those late dinners after Daylight Savings Time makes us spring forward.

 

Oh joy. It’s spring. That means allergy season is upon us. Worse still, the second Sunday in March (this Sunday morning) prompts us mindless lemmings to “spring forward” into Daylight Savings Time. A few hours later my alarm clock will roust me from my bed kicking and screaming. It’s like having jet lag without the benefit of a trip. I guess you can tell I’m not a fan of the twice a year time change.

Daylight Savings Time is Hazardous to Your Health

While most of us love that extra hour of sleep we gain when the clocks fall back in November, our bodies never quite make the adjustment to the springtime sleep deprivation jump.

Research shows the time change may actually create health problems. According to a 2014 study  published in the medical journal Open Heart, on the Monday following the change to Daylight Savings Time, the number of heart attacks increase by 24 percent over a normal Monday. There’s also an increase in suicide risk for vulnerable individuals. An Australian study concluded that male suicides increase in the weeks following Daylight Savings Time. A 2009 study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that, on the Monday after we spring forward, workers were more frequently injured than on a normal Monday. Also those injuries were more serious.

(Please Texas Legislature, get rid of this plague on Texans.)

Whining Session Over

Alright, I’m done complaining.  My point is: there are real issues for people who have to alter their schedule to accommodate the time change. Humans are ruled by a circadian rhythm, our biological clock. When Daylight Savings Time disrupts your body’s natural schedule, you can experience anxiety. As it turns out, your cat and dog can, too.

The internal clocks of wild animals are ruled by natural sunlight, and the rising and setting of the sun. As a survival mechanism free-roaming cats are creatures of habit. They live by a strict time schedule throughout the day to prevent unfortunate encounters with adversaries. Indoor cats still rigidly cling to that need for a predictable schedule.

Fluffy’s daily schedule is inextricably linked to yours: feeding time, playtime, clean litter box time and bedtime. Since he can’t hunt for food, he’s concerned about when you get up to feed him, and when you get home…to feed him. If you arbitrarily start rising an hour earlier, he wonders, “What the rat?”

After all, the sun still rises and sets according to Fluffy’s Solar Standard Time. If you’re late returning from work (according to his internal clock), he may fear he’ll starve, and that’s stressful.

Reducing Fluffy’s Stress

Cats hate when we spring forward
Feeding Time

Instead of changing his schedule all at once, transition to the new routine over a week or so. Wake-up time 10 or 15 minutes earlier every couple of days. Between now and Sunday, feed Fluffy a few minutes sooner until he’s eating at the new feeding time. Or, slowly do away with a fixed dinnertime altogether. Vary it by 15 or 20 minutes either way. This will also help reduce stress later if you get caught in traffic or stop to have dinner with a friend.

Instead of a regular dinner hour, offer your kitty food puzzles. He can eat whenever hungry rather than dwelling on the fact that your 60 minutes late. He’ll get used to working for his food. Food balls also reduce stress, boredom and destructive behaviors.

Medication

If your cat takes medicine, call your your vet about changing the time you pill him. Most of the time, a one-hour change won’t cause a problem. That may not be true of cats who need insulin injections or seizure meds. Early doses of insulin could lead to low blood sugar levels. Insulin administration is based on Fluffy’s mealtime and should be given every 12 hours, so ask Doc about mealtime too. She can give you instructions about easing into a new schedule.

Litter Box Maintenance

We all want a clean bathroom. Since you’ll arrive home an hour later than usual, the litter box will go unflushed even longer, give it a quick scoop before you leave for work and again when you get home. Both Fluffy and your carpet will appreciate.

Snuggle Time

Let’s face it, Daylight Savings Time isn’t the end of the world for even the most sensitive of kitties. But giving Fluffy a little extra attention during that irritating transitionperiod will probably make adjusting easier for both of you.

How does the transition to Daylight Saving Time affect your cat? What do you  do to help him? Tell me about it in the comment section below.

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About Dusty Rainbolt

Author Dusty Rainbolt is an award-winning veterinary journalist according to her answering machine. She is an associate certified cat behavior consultant and member of International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, as well as past president of the Cat Writers’ Association. Her books, columns, reviews and articles have been honored with more than 50 writing awards including three-time recipient of Friskies Writer of the Year. Her just-released cat behavior book, Cat Scene Investigator: Solve Your Cat’s Litter Box Mystery, is the consummate guide for dealing with a cat who sidesteps his/her appointed toilet. CSI, which provides science-based methods for determining the medical or behavioral causes of feline inappropriate elimination, teaches cat parents to view their cat’s litter box avoidance through the eyes of a detective to determine the cause and, ultimately, the remedy.