IGP’s help sought in missing cats case

Hundreds of pet lovers and animal rights activists will rally outside Bukit Aman this evening to seek Inspector-General of Police, Ismail Omar’s, assistance in recovering 100 missing cats that could be fighting for their lives. The cats are among the hundreds that were left under the care of Petknode, an animal boarding facility in

Damansara Damai, over the week-long Hari Raya Aidilfitri break. The owners returned over the past weekend to discover that their pets had been abandoned for nine days without food or water, and were covered in their own waste. Thirteen of the 300 rescued cats are dead and many more are missing.

Petknode owners, Yushairi Khairuddin and Shahrul Azuwan Adanan, were brought in for questioning on Sunday evening but were released just hours later without being charged. And now they are refusing to reveal the whereabouts of the 100 more missing cats. To make matters worse Sharul’s family reportedly cleaned out the Petknode premises and destroyed the evidence last night.

Over 100 activists and owners stormed the Damansara Damai police station late yesterday evening to demand that the police take immediate action in finding the missing felines and persecuting the duo. Fingers have also been pointing at the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) which has taken over the case.

But lawyer and PKR vice-president N Surendran told FMT that although the DVS is investigating the cruelty charge, the police are still responsible for investigating the missing cats case. “The police are working on some leads but the problem is that the culprits have been released,” he said after joining the group at the police station last night.

“When DVS took over the investigations the police washed their hands off the case and now the men are free to do whatever they want. The two should have been held further.”He added that the distraught group is demanding that the duo be charged with cheating and theft which carry a heavier penalty than a cruelty charge.

“But the Criminal Investigation Department has yet to classify it as such so I hope they do it soon,” he said. “This is a clear cut case of cheating and theft, and we want to see these monsters behind bars.”
“We also want the police to devote their full resources into locating the missing cats hence why we’re trying to meet the IGP later. It’s a race against time to save the cats which may be starving to death.”
Surendran further expressed dissatisfaction with the police for failing to take swift action when the issue first broke on Sunday morning.

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Shelters struggle to care for dogs and cats in peak months

We thought it might be funny to have a “Vacancy/No Vacancy” neon sign that we could hang out front, letting people know our status of cage availability for new animals coming to the shelter. We wondered if it would make a difference.

Spring and Summer time signals kitten season plus an over-abundance of stray dogs and puppies. Shelters can’t handle the increased volume and it seems like everyone makes decisions in June, July and August to move to places that won’t allow pets or they decide that they can no longer handle pet responsibilities. Or, they decide the outside cat for which they have taken responsibility over months or years needs to go because it keeps having kittens or they are tired of it and it must go now; they can’t wait.

At this time of year we struggle to find the funds to take care of the little ones who are brought to us, we struggle to find the space to put them, and we struggle to control our emotions when they are too sick or too wild. We adopt out two animals and ten more come in. This June and July our cat intake has increased by 38% and dogs by 22%. It feels like we are bailing out a sinking boat without fixing the leak.

Animal shelters did not create the pet over-population problem but we are asked to clean up the mess created by society. That is why we all preach spay/neuter. It is hard to make a case for spay/neuter with people who are only captivated by the cuteness of kittens and puppies and do not understand the consequences of having so many of them. There are also those people who can’t afford to get their pets fixed or think that the stray cat having kittens in their neighborhood isn’t their problem. On the other hand, it would be repugnant for us to show pictures of sick, suffering and dead animals we deal with every kitten/cat season. But, consider this: the mortality rate of kittens born in the wild is estimated to be 50-75% before reaching six months of age and in many shelters it is 80-90%. Spay/Neuter can avoid misery on so many levels.

The Lynchburg Humane Society is committed to fixing the leak- this is another reason we preach spay/neuter and have our new City Cat Fix program where we are providing free spay/neuter services and a rabies shot for outdoor cats.

But spay/neuter isn’t the only thing we preach. It is just as important for owners to be responsible for their pets especially during this very busy time. We do ask owners to wait and to bring their pet in when we have space through our appointment system. We are here to help owners and we offer services such as behavior support and assistance with re-homing their pets, but the Lynchburg Humane Society does not feel we or any other shelter should take in an owned pet just to euthanize another for space reasons.

So, we ask for patience as we work with you to bring your pet in responsibly when we have the space to accommodate it. Of course not everyone can wait and we always bring those in that can’t but for those that are not in dire straits we ask for you to be honest and do what is right for your pet and the others in our shelters. Please continue to work with us to become part of the solution because we know most people want what is best for their pet.

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Cat Care and Grooming

Most cats are surely clever of cleaning themselves. Proper cat care and grooming is essential in order to avoid fleas and ticks making their home on your cat. You need to purchase proper cat care and grooming tools in order to make your activity a lot easier and more important. You will need a brush and comb set, scissors and a cat glove. Conserving the hair neat is one way to keep your cat in good condition.

The best way to achieve the desired results is to comb and trim the hair on a regular basis. use a brush with a number of tiny pins for tidying up your cat's coat. For easier brushing, make sure the head is comparatively small. Brushing your cat in the direction of hair growth is the correct process. If you don't do this, you may receive plenty of scratches from your angry cat.

An important part of cat care and grooming is that you have to give them a bath from time to time. Select a shampoo made for cats that will produce a admirable lather. It should also make your cat more agreeable by stopping dry, chafed skin.

Making certain that your cat doesn't get matted, knotty hair is another vital part of cat care. If your cat's hair is long, trim it on a regular basis using proper grooming tools along with a comb. Your cat has delicate skin, so take care not to cut or scratch it by mistake.

Not only will shedding be diminished, but brushing will be less difficult and smoother via the use of cat grooming gloves. Find a pair that can be washed in the machine. You can also use it to get cat hair out of your upholstery and carpet. The difference between a well-groomed, healthy cat and one with tangled, matted hair can be the proper equipment. The tools you use for cat care and grooming should be utilized in a way that makes the experience calm and pleasant for your cat.

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Coffee drinkers get a purr with their buzz in Seoul

Sure, Oh Yoo-jin wanted a cup of coffee, but what the 24-year-old university student really wanted to do was commune with the residents of her tiny neighborhood cafe the cats. On a recent afternoon, Oh and her boyfriend shared the brightly lighted cafe with a dozen felines. There were cats lounging on the windowsills, curiously nosing customers' coffee cups or taking leisurely strolls past the register.

That's the point of Seoul's newest cat cafe: Why just caffeinate when you can indulge with a purring tabby or Russian gray on your lap? "Mom-and-pop cafes are everywhere and there's a Starbucks on just about every corner in Seoul, but this is different," Oh said as she petted a cat whose coloring matched her leopard-print blouse.

In South Korea's capital, which in recent years has felt the buzz of the coffeehouse craze, entrepreneurs know that it's not enough just to serve up drinks and scones. If you want to stay in business, you've got to separate yourself from the crowd.

So, many have turned to cafes that invite parents to relax while their children romp in supervised play areas, or where English, Mandarin or any other language but Korean is the requisite tongue.

There are cafes where customers can bake a cake, get their hair and nails done, have their fortunes read, or just marvel at hundreds of Barbie dolls.

Want a little unconditional love with your morning coffee and paper? You can head to cafes where dogs of all breeds and sizes are available for petting and friendship. At other coffeehouses, customers play board games such as Monopoly and Scrabble, compete in quiz contests and even dress up in costumes.

One university cafe features statues of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy and Woodstock.

"We offer the complete Peanuts experience," manager Hur Su-ji said, sniffing at the green Starbucks coffeehouse logo across the street. "And we do OK."

Unlike coffeehouses in other cultures, many of Seoul's themed caffeine cafes are bereft of customers in the morning. It's only in the evening that the crowds come out. But in Kwon Hyuk-jin's Cat Cafe, the customers come as soon as he opens his doors at 1 p.m. A cat lover, Kwon saw the success that a friend had introducing cats and coffee drinkers and opened his own business last month.

"Some customers come for the coffee, but most come for the cats," he said as one large tabby nosed a coffee grinder behind him. "A lot of women lead their boyfriends here by the hand."One woman, an artist, comes in each day to do paintings of the animals. Another is so fascinated by the concept that she often lingers until closing time, Kwon said.

Most tables include a lint roller. Customers are required to remove their shoes and pass through a safety door to guard against cat escapes. The Cat Cafe has rules: Don't wake up sleeping cats or grab a passing feline. You can't feed the residents, and the menu also politely asks, "Please don't tap the cats' behind.""This is a place where you can make friends with the cats," a sign reads. "However, cats are not toys."

Two friends sat on the floor and played with several rambunctious kittens. "I like Randall, the gray cat. He's a very special animal," college student Kim Joo-young said. Her friend, Choi Hee-eun, who lives with her parents, wants her own cat but her mother is against the idea. "In Korea, some of the old-timers still believe that cats bring bad luck," she said.

But there seems to be little bad karma at the Cat Cafe. At a window table, near a box that housed a sleeping kitten, Oh Yoo-jin and her boyfriend looked pretty much at peace. "I like this environment," said boyfriend Lee Ho, sneaking a glance at Oh. "And who knows, one day I could see myself actually proposing here."

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Famed Fat Cat 'Prince Chunk' Dies at 10

An enormously fat cat named Prince Chunk who became famous when he was found wandering in New Jersey after his owner lost her home to foreclosure has died. Prince Chunk's adoptive owner, Vince Damiani of Blackwood, said the white tabby died in his sleep Sunday. He was about 10 years old. Damiani said a veterinarian had diagnosed the cat with heart disease.

Prince Chunk skyrocketed to fame in August 2008 after the Camden County Animal Shelter, which took him in, reported that he weighed 44 pounds, just shy of a world record. Damiani believes that estimate may have been somewhat exaggerated. He said Prince Chunk weighed 22 pounds when he brought the cat home from the shelter. He soon became a media sensation, appearing on "Good Morning America," "Live with Regis and Kelly," the covers of the New York tabloids and in People magazine. The Damiani family was chosen from among 500 applicants to adopt him.

The pet's plight inspired the Damianis to establish the Prince Chunk Foundation, a nonprofit that helps financially distressed pet owners keep their animals. The foundation operates in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and California. Its mission is to prevent animal homelessness by providing temporary assistance to dog and cat owners, including free emergency vet care and pet food, Damiani said.

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