Blink If You Love Me!

 It has always been a "trade secret" that you can communicate with your cat by blinking slowly. In fact,
veterinarians I know have use slow blinking to put stressed cats, and feral cats at ease before treatment. The first time I tried it with my cat, I was amazed at how the cat and I just took turns blinking and mirroring each others' blinks!

Recently, Science Reports has published a systematic investigative study "The role of cat eye narrowing movements in cat–human communication" where they discuss their methodology and conclusion suggesting "that slow blink sequences may function as a form of positive emotional communication between cats and humans". It is further suggested that eye narrowing in cats is akin to a human smile versus the actual smile of Alice in Wonderlands' Cheshire cat.  

This information may, in the future, be a tool to inform people as to the emotional welfare of a cat in a variety of environments. 

Try it! You'll like it!

Tiger in Bronx Zoo Tests Positive for Covid-19

courtesy wikimedia commons

A tiger at the Bronx zoo tested positive for Covid-19. It is believed that one of the zookeepers transmitted the disease to the tiger. It is also being reported that the zookeeper was an asymptomatic carrier. Do not freak out. It is not a secret that animals can become infected with some human diseases. The issue is that there is no indication that a cat or dog can infect humans with Covid-19. The dog or cat, even if becoming infected appears to be a dead-end host.

Zoos all over are putting protocols in place, most of which echo those that your spcaLA has been sharing with you all along to keep yourselves and our pets safe. Additionally, spcaLA has been collaborating with veterinarians, infectious disease experts and representatives from around the world to share vital information and current best practices with our constituents and other shelter professionals.



It bears repeating here:

Guidance for Pet Owners

Pets are members of the family, and just like human family members, spcaLA urges pet owners to protect pets. If dog parks are still open in your area, spcaLA urges pet parents to avoid them.

• Maintain good hygiene practices by washing hands thoroughly with soap and water after touching pets, in keeping with CDC guidelines.
• Do not allow your dogs to play with other dogs or meet people during daily walks. Keep a six-foot distance between your dog and others, just as you would with other people.
• Curb your dog’s interest in sniffing excrement of other animals, or picking up refuse on the ground.
• Before you come inside from a walk, wipe your dog’s paws with a sudsy solution of pet shampoo and water. When finished, discard the wipe and thoroughly rinse your pet’s paws with water to remove soap residue. If you have them available, you may consider having your dog wear shoes, socks, or booties outdoors.
• Keep your cats and other pets safely indoors. If you are unable to confine your cat, follow the wipe down procedures indicated above.
• Do not use Lysol wipes, bleach, or other harsh chemicals on your pets. Ask your veterinarian for additional safe options to clean your pet’s paws.

Guidance for Animal Care Facilities

• Protect your staff and volunteers. Determine and implement your shelter’s intake procedures, which should apply to returning fosters and other clients, as well as stray and surrendered pets.
• Protect the community. Determine and implement your shelter’s procedures prior to placing animals in adoption, foster, or returning them to their owners.
• Pet boarding and daycare facilities, many of whom are open and caring for the pets of medical, grocery, sanitation, food delivery, and other essential workers, should take care to develop and implement intake and return procedures.
• Protocols for incoming and outgoing animals may include bathing (paying special attention to the areas most frequently petted by people), a period of isolation, and other actions. Further consideration should be made as to PPE for staff and procedures to accept or return animals to the public while maintaining safe social distance.

We will continue to monitor the science and refer you to reputable sites for information . Please see the Center for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization, American Veterinary Medical Association, and World Organization for Animal Health.

Please stay safe!

The "Rats" at Los Angeles City Hall

Los Angeles City Hall is infested with rats. The four-legged furry ones to be clear. 

Rats, opossums, and cats carry the fleas that spread typhus, which is a zoonotic illness. Typhus has manifested itself all over Los Angeles County   and has been ignored for years. Pleas by vector control, health officials and even your  spcaLA were ignored. 

When a city attorney contracted typhus, City Hall officials began scurrying around to find blame in carpets, the homeless population, cats, opossums, and anything that could be blamed besides City Hall itself.  

It is interesting that cats are often blamed for the spread of typhus. Because, we also have a homeless cat problem. . . exacerbated by City Hall.  

Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz, chair of the Personnel and Animal Welfare council committee, and some of his cronies, for years, have been systematically loosening restrictions that have contributed to the problem, including, increasing the number of cats permitted as pets, zoning restrictions where animals can be "stored" en masse, turning a blind eye on animal hoarders, and accepting the fairy tale that cats are better off on the street-all for the sake of pretending that the shelter population has decreased and L.A. is no-kill. These neglected cats, unsupervised colonies, and hoarding populations are often infested with fleas, rodents, and other predatory bugs and animal opportunists. Basic treatments for flea control, ear mites, skin conditions, and other diseases are lacking, and unavailable to such cats. Despite his rhetoric as an animal welfare champion, I have yet to see Koretz do something that was in the best interests of animals.

Now that the rats have found the big cheese, so to speak, let me say this:

I see a correlation between homeless cats and homeless people in Los Angeles, and it’s not typhus. Both groups are vulnerable, in need of real solutions, and, as yet, have been failed.  Neither cats nor people can be cared for in convenient soundbites.

The problem of the Downtown Los Angeles Typhus outbreak must be dealt with at its roots. Specifically, by providing real aid to our homeless neighbors and not treating cats like wildlife.

What is the mayor doing to help the homeless population? They are susceptible to disease and are at risk because the rodent, feces, trash or flea problem on the streets has not been addressed. Where are the funds to help them and, if funds exists, why are they not being spent for their designated purpose? If trash is a problem, what can be done about that?

When our government not only condones but also contributes to companion animals and people living in the streets, something is wrong. People must fight to stay alive while enduring weather, disease, hunger, heartbreak and other indignities. Animals are suffering. Blaming them, does not address the original sin of this problem, which is - we are careless about caring for our vulnerable populations.

While they change their carpets at City Hall, they should take the opportunity to see what was swept under the rugs and fix it.

“If the solution to a problem creates another problem, then it is better to call it a ‘Circular Problem’! Say, the pied piper of Hamelin has freed the city from the rats, but he has caused serious water pollution by leaving the rats into the river where they have died, rotten and mixed up with the water! Apparently, the problem of the city is solved but water gets polluted and another problem arises. So, it is a ‘Circular Problem’!” 
― Md. Ziaul Haque

Secret Cat Adoption Tip Inside!

Some of you have expressed concern with a tweet from Hill's® touting the advantages of purebred cats. In fact, they have a similar statement regarding purebred dogs,

It is critical to know that purebred animals can come with their own set of "purebred problems", including major health and temperament defects. This is exacerbated if the source of your pet is a puppy or kitten mill where earnings and not responsible breeding is the driving business goal. It is also important to realize that breed is more predictive of appearance than anything else.

Shelters around the world are coping with an excess of animals who need loving homes. To that end we must adopt from the existing supply of homeless pets rather than to create a demand for unscrupulous breeders to fulfil. Additionally, about 25% of shelter populations are, in fact, purebreds. It is therefore possible, with patience, to get a specific type of dog or cat without contributing to our pet overpopulation problem.

I have reached out to Hill's and was assured that they would make some changes in their materials. They do spend a lot of corporate capital working with shelters and I am confident that we will be pleased with the results. When they do I will gladly share it with you.

Finally, here are some spcaLA faqs for adopting a pet.

PSSST: Here is my secret for success when adopting a cat: Sit in our cattery, wait for a cat to pick you- and voila - done!!

The Devil is in the Details not the Shelter

courtesy spcaLA

The latest salvo to reduce euthanasia in animal shelters is to increase the number of pets legally allowed in households. The theory is to increase output thereby reducing the population inside and presto - problem solved. Though spcaLA neither tolerates even one pet per household who is not properly cared for nor worries about those with an excess number of pets who are, the issue is one of responsible pet ownership, the maximum number of which varies in conjunction with the available resources of the adopters. In other words - some can handle 10 while others should not be allowed even 1.

That said, it is critical to understand the source of the problem before crafting a solution. Unregulated breeding, lack of sterilization and irresponsible owners cause pet overpopulation and high euthanasia rates in this country - not the shelters. The question, therefore, is whether increasing the number of pets per household will help. In a perfect humane world the answer is yes. Not so much in ours. First, this fix does not address the need to reduce the number of animals coming into shelters. Therefore, there will always be more unwanted pets than homes for them. Second, lack of pre-adoption screening, record numbers of pets being turned in due to economic pressures, and those unable to adequately care for the animals they have, suggests potential quality of life worries. For example, one might take 5 cats out of the shelter to "save" them only to leave them outside to be hit by cars. Or one might take 5 dogs but cannot really afford the food and veterinary care for them so they suffer slowly until they die or are rescued by us and returned to the shelter.

Glib sounding solutions - have more pets, leave cats in the street like wildlife, and refuse to take owned pets, without studying whether they address the root of the problem are simply catch phrases to politicians and catnip to the uninformed who seek credit and comfort in presenting an illusory fix to a tragic problem. We must legitimately stop the influx of animals in the first place by eliminating puppy mills, reporting back yard breeders, adopting from shelters, sterilizing along with ensuring pets are safe at home, wearing identification and retained for his/her natural life.

If not – do we increase the limit to 10 next year?

When Was the Last Time I Asked the Government to do Nothing?

courtesy Google images

In 1999, an animal shelter mandate known as the “Hayden Bill” was enacted, among other things, to increase holding periods for stray cats and dogs in shelters, create behavior assessments for cats appearing to be feral, and to extend these holding periods to pocket pets as well. In exchange for performing these additional “mandates”, the state was required to reimburse cities and counties for these extra costs.

Against the landscape of a poor economy, these mandates have been suspended as a cost savings measure since 2009. Now, in his FY 2012-13 Budget, Governor Jerry Brown has proposed to permanently repeal them. Many of you have been subjected to hysterical calls for action and misinformed assertions by the media and concerned citizens that animals will be euthanized en masse upon repeal of these sections of the law. I am sure most of you didn’t know that California shelters have been struggling to operate without being reimbursed for these suspended mandates for the past few years.

Your spcaLA, and its president, who also serves as the legislative chair of the State Humane Association of California (SHAC), have been working closely with Sacramento to protect the remaining language in the law and to ensure that minimum holding periods be added back into the bill text. California Animal Directors Association (CACDA) has also been part of these negotiations. SHAC represents the collective voice of California’s humane societies and societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals (SPCAs), while CACDA represents the municipal shelters in California. 

That said. I strongly urge that the governor maintain the status quo and not permanently repeal these mandates. I remain confident that our economy will eventually improve and enable these protections for our pets to revive as well. 

The stewardship of our stray, abused and unwanted pets should be a priority in this state – the first to be funded and the last to be cut. Sadly that is not the case.

Please call ((916) 445-2841) and/or email our governor and tell him that we are sure he will turn California’s economy around and to not repeal these mandates.

Israel Bans Cat Declawing

Israel has joined the list of over 20 countries to ban cat declawing. Unless performed within the narrow medical necessity exemptions, the procedure has been declared, by Israel's legislature, to be a crime, punishable by up to 1 year in jail and a fine of up to $20,000. Countries on the list include England, Norway, France and Portugal. The practice is legal in the United States and Canada.

Declawing is primarily an elective surgery, known as an onychectomy, which eliminates the claws by amputating part of the toes. It would be analogous to cutting ones fingers off at the top knuckle. It is not a manicure.  The procedure is painful, can affect the cat's behavior permanently, and will render the cat defenseless should he/she leave the house.

Absent a medical, non "elective" need to perform the surgery, such as a the presence of a tumor,  the removal of which would still be limited to the affected toe(s), an onychectomy is usually requested so a pet cat will not scratch, ruin furniture or require weekly nail trimmings. Some justify the procedure by asserting that more cats would be euthanized as families simply don't want to deal with the claws and would not adopt the cats.

Providing a cat with designated scratching areas, capping their claws with glue on soft nail tips, and learning how to keep nails trim are all humane and practical alternatives to elective surgery.

Finally, choosing fabrics and floors that are stylish, pet friendly, resist and camouflage hair and scratches allows for matching the decor to the cat rather than surgically altering the cat to match the decor. Additionally, decorating with pets in mind will ultimately reduce stress and foster a lasting bond between the humans and their companion animals.


Article first published as Israel Bans Cat Declawing on Technorati.

He Walked into my Cat-House and Placed iPads on the Floor

A man walked into my cat-house and placed his iPad on the floor.

The purpose of the visit was to film an episode of a program about cats. They came to spcaLA (not affiliated with any other spca as there is no national/umbrella spca) to film in our luxurious cage free indoor outdoor catteries. Part of the program called for a segment involving cats playing the iPad game - "GameForCats". Essentially, a mouse, butterfly or laser dot moves around the screen and chirps if touched. The cat earns points for each successful touch. 

I could do nothing but cringe as I thought about claws, scratches, spray, and hair  balls, all attacking the iPad. There were, after all, about 20 cats lounging in that area. I couldn't watch.

Then it happened. Groups of cats surrounded the tablet. Some began to swat at the moving targets and some just leaned in their heads and nodded furiously as the others played. One enterprising cat sat on the iPad and racked up zillions of points each time the mouse, butterfly or red dot moved under him. Of course, we began yelling "unfair" and tried to explain to the cat that playing that way could be considered cheating! The cats however, ignored us and continued to pat the iPad when the targets came out from under the offending cat.

Notwithstanding one bossy cat who didn't want to share and caused some hurt feelings the event was quite successful. There was no damage to the iPad and the bruised feelings were quickly addressed and assuaged.

I learned, just in time for the holidays, that an iPad can be the perfect gift for the cat who has everything, and the perfect donation for the cat in a shelter who is homeless and has nothing.

Article first published as My Cat Needs an iPad on Technorati

Pot Pain Patch for Pets Coming Soon

A Seattle company has developed a marijuana pain patch for use on dogs, cats and horses suffering from arthritis, cancer, and other chronic pain. The company, Medical Marijuana Delivery Systems (MMDS), acquired a patent for the patch which was developed in 2000 by Walter Cristobal of the Santa Ana Pueblo Tribe of New Mexico. According to Culture Magazine, Mr. Cristobal created a marijuana skin patch to ease his mother's arthritis discomfort and was ultimately awarded a patent.

This patch allows the trans-cutaneous (through the skin) delivery of the marijuana instead of the traditional smoking, inhaling or eating of the drug and as an alternative to traditional pain medication.

The patch will be sold under the trademark Tertacan, and should be available in the United States by the end of this year. Jim Alekson, a spokesperson for MMDS, called the pot patch a "mellow alternative to traditional pharmaceutical painkillers, which have proven harmful, sometimes fatal in animals". The patch will also be available for humans.

Many state laws will have to be amended to allow the purchase of medical marijuana, to allow veterinarians to legally prescribe it, and to allow people who are legally allowed to have medical marijuana to give it to their pets.

Clearly, proper prescribing and dosing are critical, as is the case with any pain patch issued for humans and animals, and abuse can be quite serious.  Pets have had serious reactions to pot accidentally ingested or deliberately given to them as a prank. Reactions can include listlessness, uncoordinated physical movements, disorientation, incontinence and other symptoms consistent with the toxicity of an overdose. Most state laws consider illegally providing, or negligently allowing a pet access to pot a crime.

Don't try this at home yet.

Article first published as A Medicinal Pot Patch For Pets Coming Soon on Technorati

Exposing Infants to Pets May Reduce Allergies

Allergies to pets are often cited as the reason that pets are returned to shelters or prohibited from the home in the first place. Though people develop allergic reactions to the pet's saliva or dander, other allergens such as dust, pollen, or mold will lodge in the pet's coat thereby exacerbating other allergies not specific to the pet. Despite this, 70% of American households have a dog or cat and 10 million people suffer from pet allergies. Clearly, pets are either banned or borne.

A study, published in Clinical & Experimental Allergy, followed 566 boys and girls from Detroit from birth to age 18, and monitored their allergic sensitivity throughout their lifetime exposure to dogs and cats. The findings suggested that infants younger than one year who lived with pets were less likely to develop allergies than children who acquired them later in life.  Specifically, boys and girls exposed to cats during infancy were 50% less likely to be allergic to them later, and the same was true of boys and dogs. Oddly, this was not found to be true with girls and dogs. Even odder, was the finding that boys and girls born via cesarean-section were 67% less likely to be sensitive to dogs than those with dogs during the first year of their life! All of this notwithstanding, these conclusions seem to debunk the long held notion that exposing a baby to a pet could trigger an allergic reaction and render the children more susceptible to allergies in later years.

Ganesa Wegienka, PhD, of the Department of Biostatistics and Research Epidemiology at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit said:  “This research provides further evidence that experiences in the first year of life are associated with health status later in life, and that early life pet exposure does not put most children at risk of being sensitized to these animals later in life.”

However, if allergies are a problem there are some things that can be done to make the afflicted more comfortable such as washing the pet frequently, eliminating carpets, using HEPA air filters, vacuuming frequently, and not allowing the pet to sleep with the sufferer.

Finally, there is no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog. All dogs have saliva and skin. This "magical fix" received national attention when President Obama, rejected the idea of adopting a shelter dog in favor of an "allergy free" pure bred portuguese water dog as one of his daughters suffered from allergies. Some dog breeds simply shed less hair and dander but will activate allergy or asthma attacks in the susceptible. Such dog breeds include some terriers, poodles, schnauzers, water dogs, malteses and spaniels. Light colored female cats produce less allergen as well as some breeds such as the long haired siamese, the oriental short hair and some hairless cats. 

Many of these animals can be found in shelters and rescue groups at affordable prices providing relief for the homeless pet and the allergy sufferer.

Article first published as Exposing Infants to Pets May Reduce Allergies on Technorati.

Palm Trees, Snow-capped Mountains, Unwanted Pets Lay Dying: The New California Landscape?

Google Images

I was talking to a colleague today about the condition and care of shelter animals and whether it has improved, worsened or stayed the same over the past 10 years. She asked me, what law I would pass to improve the plight of shelter animals if I had a magic wand. Notwithstanding my personal opinion that we already have too many redundant, ineffective and poorly written laws, I don't believe there is such a legal fix. I would rather use a wand to make everyone a humane, responsible pet caretaker and a model of good citizenship. Common sense, morality, and empathy can't be legislated, forced or enforced.  People, shelter managers and civic leaders will either understand the need to feed, clean and provide necessary veterinary services to animals in their care, or they won't. They will either see it as morally right, or they won't. They will understand that once assuming the responsibility of caring for animals, they must provide the basics no matter what, or they won't.  They will ensure that animals are free from suffering, an essential mandate, not to be sacrificed to budget cuts and bean counter manipulations. They will know with absolute certainty that a pet in their care will still be hungry when the stock market tanks, will still ache from broken bones when the city can't pay its debts, and will still grieve for lost loved ones when municipal budgets are cut. 

Government animal control services are usually always at the bottom of the list of city, county and state priorities. It is customarily the first budget cut and the last to be restored. Public shelters are overcrowded, understaffed and lack the resources to provide even the minimum of care, but are expected to perform as if money was no object, and private shelters are fighting to stay alive in these disastrous economic times. But animals get hungry and need doctors whether or not budgets are properly funded or donations received.

My wand would awaken the realization in government officials that if they are going to assume responsibility for animal control they must act responsibly and fund it so there are sufficient resources to go around. Omitting to care for an animal that there is a duty to care for is a crime in California and most states.

My colleague pointed out that the Supreme Court just ordered 46,000 prisoners to be freed from California jails as the overcrowded conditions are not suitable for the criminals. Either the prisons need to be expanded and funded or the inmates must be let out. It is an interesting thought. If an entity can't properly care for a living thing they need to allow someone else to do so. Unfortunately, animals are considered property and can't compel such action, unless, of course shelters simply refused to take in any more than they could care for. How would that play out? My colleague and I agree that the onus of affording proper services should be placed on the government entities responsible rather than constantly blaming shelters for things beyond their control. Would animals gather in packs on the street scrounging for food? Would rabies and other zoonotic diseases become a public health danger? Would feces and injured animals in the streets become part of the California landscape? Would dog fights occur for survival rather than for profit?

My wand would scribe a "no vacancy" sign on all the shelters that were at a capacity after which the standard of care would be compromised if more pets were accepted (not necessarily equal to the number of cages) and shout the question - what would happen if every shelter united in this kind of strike?

Abstinence Didn’t Work For Her – It Won’t For Your Pet Either

Already a single parent, Kitty came to us moody, feeling fat, and ready to pop out quintuplets. She and her children joined the hundreds of others coming to spcaLA with thousands more on the way. It upsets me when a dog, cat or bunny fret to me that they are surprised by the discovery of an unwanted pregnancy. The only thing left to do was to ask the pets to please sign an abstinence agreement in order to be part of the solution. Alas, they are no more successful than the rest of us in sticking to it.  Please - help me help them.

As long as the number of unwanted pets entering a shelter is more frequent and greater than the number leaving via adoption or reunion with their people -  there will be a pet overpopulation problem. In fact, millions of healthy wonderful pets are euthanized in this country for lack of time and space. It can take a while to find the right family. A while, is a luxury many animals don't have.

Spaying and neutering is neither the panacea nor the ultimate solution to the problem, but it is a necessary component. (Responsible owners, effective animal control services, identification tags and chips, and most important, the will of the communities to work together are needed to address the issue.) Despite mandatory sterilization laws of one sort or another this crucial step toward saving lives is still not happening.

Please spay and neuter, or sponsor the spay/neuter of an animal, because abstinence doesn’t work for your pet either.