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.

Read Full Entry

Thanksgiving safety tips for pets -- What not to feed your dog or cat this holiday

This Thanksgiving, fight the urge to feed Fido your leftovers. Your pup may whimper for table scraps but they could cause him serious harm. "Thanksgiving can be a hazardous holiday for our pets," said Dr. Ron DeHaven, chief executive officer of the American Veterinary Medical Association. "Our pets simply can't handle fatty foods as well as we can.”

You can feed your dog a bite or two of turkey but make sure it’s well-cooked to avoid choking and salmonella risks, the ASPCA advises. But be careful. Too much fatty turkey skin and gravy can cause pancreatitis, a serious inflammation that can turn a happy Thanksgiving dinner into an emergency run to the vet’s clinic.

Sorry, no stuffing. Herbs, such as sage, contains essential oils that can cause stomach upset and more serious health problems in both dogs and cats. Onions and raisins are also a no-no. Keep dogs and cats away from chocolate, nuts, alcohol and raw bread dough. Make sure you tie your garbage bags tight to keep hungry paws away. If your leftovers go south, your dog will suffer the consequences of spoiled food: gastrointestinal upset, vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms of food poisoning.

No bones, please. Cooked turkey bones are fragile and hollow and can cause serious internal injury to your dog. It's best to keep your dog on his regular schedule, advises the North Shore Animal League. Walk him and feed him the way you normally would to avoid problems.

Read Full Entry

Cat Owners Follow Similar Careers

We’ve all heard people claim to be either a dog person or a cat person, and this pet preference is supposed to provide insight into their personality. But does the type of animal you own say anything about your career path? According to nationwide survey released last week by Careerbuilder.com, it does.

The online survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, looked at dog, cat and other pet ownership in relation to a person’s chosen profession, compensation and job satisfaction. More than 2,300 U.S. workers with cats, dogs and other pets were polled for the survey.

It found that workers with dogs were more likely to hold senior management positions, such as a CEO or senior vice president. Workers with snakes or other reptiles were more likely to earn six figures, and bird owners were more likely to be satisfied with their jobs, according to the survey.

In terms of career paths, the survey found that owners of certain pets were more likely to report being drawn to certain professions. Specifically:

• Dog owners were more likely to be professors, nurses, information technology professionals, military professionals and entertainers;

• Cat owners were more likely to be physicians, real estate agents, lab technicians, machine operators and personal caretakers;

• Fish owners were more likely to be human resources professionals, financial professionals, hotel and leisure professionals, farming/fishing/forestry professionals and transportation professionals;

• Bird owners were more likely to be advertising professionals, sales reps, construction workers and administrative professionals; and

• Reptile owners were more likely to be engineers, social workers, marketing and public relations professionals, editors or writers and police officers.

Read Full Entry

Holiday Travel with Pets

With the holiday season on our doorstep, many people are already in the process of making travel plans to visit family and friends. Some folks are eager to get away, in search of a warmer climate, or perhaps even to a fancy winter wonderland, for that much needed vacation. But what are those pet pawrents doing who cannot bear the thought of traveling without their beloved fur companions, leaving them at a boarding facility or at home with a pet-sitter.

So I found it fascinating to read a survey recently, done by PetRelocation.com, (the leading pet travel and transportation service provider) of more than 7,000 pet owners worldwide. In their first annual survey, Pet Relocation found that sixty-three percent of pet owners say that during the holidays they travel at least 50 miles with their pets. Additionally, 85 percent of the respondents said that the distance they are willing to travel over the holidays is greatly influenced by their pets, but a greater number of pet owners (57 percent) said that their travel plans are not influenced at all.

It was no surprise to me that dogs were significantly in the majority of the pets folks plan to take with them on holiday. And while both species are considered as family members, since most cats are prone to greater travel-related stress than their canine cousins, this may account for this finding. 71 percent of folks traveling with their pets during the holidays choose to remain in their home state during the holidays, while 28 percent plan to be traveling out of state.

During the holiday season, 45 percent of pet owners surveyed spend between $50-$100 on pet-related products and services with an 85 percent majority taking holiday trips with their pets for a week or less. The remainder of pet owners traveling with pets responded their trips can stretch out for two weeks. What arrangements are you making to travel with your pets over the holiday season? Leave a comment and share them with us.

Read Full Entry

Pete's Pets dinos stay put

The dinosaurs are staying. They are not up for adoption, for auction or for sale. Since closing Pete's Pets on Cerrillos Road in 2008, longtime owner Pete Sanders says he has received more than 100 phone calls from people interested in buying the two plastic sculptures of Tyrannosaurus rex on top of the building, which was recently purchased by the city for a homeless shelter.

Getting rid of the 70-pound displays was not negotiable, Sanders said, because they are simply part of the building. "They've been modified. The tails have been cut off and they've got holes in them to set them in place," Sanders said. "And they seem pretty comfortable up there."Plus, the approximately 8-foot-tall figures were always treated with special care, he said. Lois Owens, a Santa Fe resident, is one of those coveting a T. rex.

"I have always loved dinosaurs. It's like I'm 7 instead of 57," Owens said via e-mail. "The possibility of a large dinosaur for the yard would be the ultimate!"

The Santa Fe Children's Museum also inquired about them, said Terri Rodriguez, city of Santa Fe Youth and Family Services Division director. Since the city plans on keeping them, the museum got a pond and pump that was in the building instead, she said.

The Rev. Ken Semon, rector of the Church of the Holy Faith and chairman of the Interfaith Community Shelter Group that operates the homeless shelter, said the dinosaurs serve as a landmark for those who ride the public bus there.

"We tell people we are at the sign of the dinosaurs," he said. Vahid Mojarrab, lead architect for the building's renovation in April, said that no exterior alterations will be made and that he plans to leave the dinos exactly where they are. Knowing that makes Sanders happy, especially because both tyrannosaurids have a long history. One came from Los Angeles more than 15 years ago and sat outside Pete's Pets in Santa Fe.

A second lived on the roof of Sanders' Los Alamos store. He and other businesses were constantly in trouble with the city, which prohibited rooftop advertising. In 1999, someone decapitated T. rex and made off with his head. Even though someone in the community offered a $1,000 reward for its return, it never turned up.

Sanders ended up buying a replacement in 2000; when he closed the Los Alamos store in 2004, he moved the figure to Santa Fe. "We dragged them in and out of the store. We called it dino dancing," Sanders said.

Eventually they were moved to the roof and drew lots of attention. "People stopped by to take pictures of them," Sanders said. "We decorated them for Christmas; they had Easter baskets for Easter. We always treated them as if they had a personality."

Read Full Entry

Pets can power greater fitness

A national fitness program to be announced today by Mars Petcare suggests looking no further than the family pooch. The Power of Pets, which aims to get families and pets walking and playing together, makes its debut this month at YMCAs in five cities: Brooklyn, N.Y.; Chicago; Washington, D.C.; Nashville; and Portland, Ore.

"Healthy lifestyles are about nurturing the spirit, mind and body -- and pets certainly play a role in that," says Ted Cornelius, executive director of the YMCA of Middle Tennessee. "We encourage families to play together every day, and incorporating the family pet is a great way to make everyone more active." Programs will include owner-dog yoga, obstacle course events and Frisbee contests.

Mars Petcare, through its Waltham Center for Pet Nutrition, is a major sponsor of research on the benefits of human-animal interaction. Recent studies show children who have pets are more active, and seniors who walk dogs are healthier than seniors who rely on human partners for exercise.

"With obesity levels rising and health levels falling, we want to, ... help address those very serious issues," says Waltham's Karyl Hurley. "Walking or playing with a pet doesn't feel like 'exercise.' ... You might find excuses not to make it to the gym, but you will make sure your dog goes for a walk."Having a pet does help people be more active, suggests the company's survey of 1,000 owners: # 39 percent of pet owners say ensuring their pet is active has made them more active. # 64 percent of dog owners prefer to exercise with their pet than alone.

Read Full Entry

Can pets help keep you healthy?

People have lots of reasons for owning pets. A small but growing body of research suggests that owning or interacting with animals may have the added benefit of improving your health. People and animals have a long history of living together and bonding. Perhaps the oldest evidence of this special relationship was discovered in Israel where a 12,000-year-old human skeleton was buried with its hand resting on the skeleton of a 6-month-old wolf pup.

Today animal companions are more popular than ever. The pet population nationwide has been growing dramatically for nearly a half century, from about 40 million pet cats and dogs in 1967 to more than 160 million in 2006. About two-thirds of U.S. households now own at least one pet.

Researchers have only recently begun to explore this wonderful relationship and what its health benefits might be. The general belief is that there are health benefits to owning pets, both in terms of psychological growth and development, as well as physical health benefits.

Some of the largest and most well-designed studies in this field suggest that four-legged friends can help to improve our cardiovascular health. One study looked at 421 adults who’d suffered heart attacks. A year later, the scientists found, dog owners were significantly more likely to still be alive than were those who did not own dogs, regardless of the severity of the heart attack.

Another study looked at 240 married couples. Those who owned a pet were found to have lower heart rates and blood pressure, whether at rest or when undergoing stressful tests, than those without pets. Pet owners also seemed to have milder responses and quicker recovery from stress when they were with their pets than with a spouse or friend.

Several studies have shown that dog owners may get more exercise and other health benefits than the rest of us. One study looked at more than 2,000 adults and found that dog owners who regularly walked their dogs were more physically active and less likely to be obese than those who didn’t own or walk a dog.

Another study followed more than 2,500 older adults, ages 71-82, for 3 years. Those who regularly walked their dogs walked faster and for longer time periods each week than others who didn’t walk regularly. Older dog walkers also had greater mobility inside their homes than others in the study.

Man’s best friend may help you make more human friends, too. Several studies have shown that walking with a dog leads to more conversations and helps you stay socially connected. Studies have shown that people who have more social relationships tend to live longer and are less likely to show mental and physical declines as they grow older. It’s hard to walk a dog and not have someone talk to you or interact with you, compared to walking alone.

Other research suggests that pet ownership may hold special benefits during childhood. When children are asked who they talk to when they get upset, a lot of times their first answer is their pet. This points to the importance of pets as a source of comfort and developing empathy. Therapists and researchers have reported that children with autism are sometimes better able to interact with pets, and this may help in their interactions with people.

Several research teams are examining the potential benefits of bringing specially trained animals into clinical settings. These animal-assisted therapies are increasingly offered in hospitals and nursing homes nationwide. Although there is little solid scientific evidence confirming the value of this type of therapy, clinicians who watch patients interacting with animals say they can clearly see benefits, including improved mood and reduced anxiety.

A difference is noted in many patients when the dog is at their bedside. The dogs add a bit of normalcy to a difficult situation. The dog will sit calmly, and the patients don’t have to talk to anyone. They can just pet. This may help with some of the suffering.

Read Full Entry