Black Cat Musings

Ok, it’s October. Halloween is almost here. And what do people involved in animal welfare think about during this time of year? Black cats, of course.

Black cats have gotten a bad rap throughout history. In most places, they have been victims of superstitions and negative preconceptions. We’ve had it pounded into our brains that they’re bad luck and associated with witchcraft and the occult. And if that isn’t enough, they are one of the animals most likely to be euthanized in shelters. They are very frequently overlooked at adoption events or shelters. They don’t stand out in cages, they often have indistinguishable features, they can be considered “plain” when compared to other cats.

I live with a black cat. One of the best decisions I ever made was 12 years ago when I adopted her. She had been a victim of animal abuse - someone set her on fire. Her injuries were extensive but she received good veterinary care and survived. When she was strong enough, I took her home, named her Salem and she’s been part of my family ever since. She limps and has scars and is missing parts of her ears, but she is beautiful to me. She’s happy and sassy and I love her more than words can say.

But what does any of this have to do with October and Halloween?

At a recent staff meeting, my co-workers and I had a conversation about whether or not black cats should be adopted out in October. There are many shelters and rescue groups who suspend adoptions of black cats (and some even all cats!) for fear they will be tortured. Others continue adoptions as normal. There are mixed feelings on the subject here at NMHPU.

Suspending adoptions. The conventional wisdom is that this is necessary to protect them from bad people with evil intent, specifically satanic cultists who use them for ritualistic killings. But is the concept that they face more dangers at Halloween time real or just urban legend?

I did an informal internet search, and everything I read stated that there are NO statistics to back up claims that incidences of satanic rituals involving black cats go up at Halloween.

The truth of the matter is that animal abuse occurs ALL YEAR. It’s not a seasonal occurrence; it’s an everyday reality for many animals. And satanic cults are not the ones responsible for the majority of the torture – it’s pranksters, trouble-makers, budding psychopaths and people who have no respect for life. And cats do indeed face danger from such people at Halloween, as well as every other day of their lives.

What other stresses and dangers do black, and all other, cats face at Halloween?

1.People who adopt them to use them as costume accessories and “living decorations,” and then return them after the holiday. (This one surprised me! Who would think to do such a thing??)

2.Noise and commotion

Point #1 is enough to make one feel adoptions should be suspended! That added to the potential threat of animal abusers makes you want to suspend adoptions of black cats forever! However, I really don’t think this is necessary as long as agencies have a solid screening process for adopters. Being thorough in screening should ensure the animals go to good homes. There ARE good homes out there, and you don’t want any cat to miss out on being seen by a great adopter. Plus, denying adoptions only gives the public the wrong idea about black cats – possibly reinforcing stereotypes – and not letting people see how lovable they are.

But when you get right down to it, the best thing you can do to protect your cats from Halloween dangers and stresses is to KEEP THEM INSIDE. At NMHPU, we believe pet cats should be inside all of the time. When they live indoors, they are safe from cars, fights with other cats, attacks by dogs and predators, people with bad intentions, getting lost...….the list goes on and on. If your cats are safely indoors, you don’t have to worry about any of these factors in October, or any other time of the year.

Salem was set on fire in October. Who did this horrific thing to her? Was it part of a satanic ritual? Was it teenage boys being bad? Was it someone on the path to becoming a human murderer? Did her abuse have anything to do with Halloween, or was it just a coincidence that it happened during that time of year?

I will never know.

What I do know is that come Halloween weekend, Salem will be inside with her favorite person – warm and safe and loved. Something I wish for all of the cats out there, whatever color they may be.

Danielle Slaughter
Fundraising and Event Director

P.S. We have many wonderful black cats in our adoptions program! Carlos loves to play fetch (he brings back the ball!)! Alice is young and petite and cuddly. And there are many more… Check them out at our Adoptions page!

Meet Erin Olsen, our new adoptions coordinator!

MY EVOLUTION TO EMPLOYMENT

Seven months ago, I was feeling pretty bummed about life. I'd been moping around after being laid off my marketing job three months earlier, and I finally decided I should snap out of it and do something with my sudden increase in free time. So, I signed up to volunteer with No More Homeless Pets in Utah.

It started as a way to get my "dog fix," since I didn't have a pet of my own. I found myself helping out at weekend adoption events and at GCP, where dogs in our program await their foster homes. One shift turned into two and three per week, and every weekend I was making time to help at adoptions. Not even two months in, I was asked to join the Canine Casino Night event committee.

I started meeting all sorts of great people, all enthusiastic about giving every ounce of time, love, and commitment to the No More Homeless Pets in Utah animals. That enthusiasm is so contagious, and my time commitments and responsibilities with No More Homeless Pets grew. Spring Super Adoption, Strut Your Mutt, Canine Casino Night—you name it, I was there, ready to help anywhere I was needed.

And then I suddenly noticed Carmella. One of No More Homeless Pets in Utah's tougher dogs to handle, Carmella had been in the adoptions program for over a year and a half. Her gregarious personality had always intimidated me at adoption events, but I started to notice a sort of depression set in with her. So, I decided to steal her for a day from GCP and take her on a hike to cheer her up. She hasn't been back there since.

An hour after the hike, Carmella was curled up on my couch, and I was pondering ways to seek approval to keep her there indefinitely. And suddenly, I was a dog foster mom. Carmella goes everywhere with me I can possibly take her - the cool tiled laundromat is one of her favorite destinations. She also loves camping and has explored Goblin Valley State Park, Capitol Reef National Park, and Moab over the last two months.

After almost four months of touting my foster dog around, I realized she and I were very comfortable with our companionship, and I decided to make my home permanent for her. While serving as a Dog Tent Captain at the Fall Super Adoption, I adopted Carmella and relieved several long-time volunteers and NMHPU staff from the mutual wonder of "How much longer will Carmella have to wait for her forever home?"

She has found it. And I have found mine: This evolution of volunteer work, experiential learning in event leadership and fundraising capacities, foster care experience, and now proud adoptive dog motherhood has led me to find a new position of employment and my "forever home" as part of the No More Homeless Pets in Utah team. I am so grateful to have been chosen to serve as the new Adoptions Coordinator. I've already met so many wonderful staff members and volunteers, and look forward to getting to know many more as we all work toward our mission to end the euthanasia of cats and dogs in Utah. I'm ready to work hard and Save Them All!

It's time to create an animal-themed playlist!

We play a lot of music at our office. You'll hear everything from The Smiths to Stevie Wonder coming out of our speakers. Surrounded by both music and animals every day, I've started thinking about my favorite animal songs. It didn't take long to create an animal-themed playlist.

These songs will be the perfect way to start your own animal playlist!

"I Love My Dog" by Cat Stevens
"Monkey Gone To Heaven" by Pixies
"Black Eyed Dog" by Nick Drake
"Paper Tiger" by Spoon
"Dog" by Ben Folds
"Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran
"Stray Cat Strut" by Stray Cats
"17 Pink Sugar Elephants" cover by Mates of States
"The Wolves (Act 1 & 2)" by Bon Iver
"Stray Dog Freedom" by Bright Eyes
"Portions For Foxes" by Rilo Kiley

But it's not enough to stop here. What are your favorite animal themed/titled songs? Leave a comment so we can build a collaborative playlist full of everyone's favorites!

Lydia Beuning
Office Administrator

Feeding a feral cat colony

When I learned about my friend moving a few hours away, I was sad. When she approached me about taking care of her feral colony, I felt honored. Now, I am now a proud caretaker of six feral cats.

Ferals are cats that are free roaming and do not want to live with humans. I have such a respect for these resourceful felines who form bonds with other cats in their situation, establish a hierarchy, and adapt to their ever changing environment. Caretakers are the people that help their community cats, or ferals, by humanely trapping the cats in the colony, bringing them to a veterinarian to neuter or spay and vaccinate the cats, and then return the cats to the colony to live their natural lives. This practice is called TNR, Trap-Neuter-Return, and sometimes TNRM, with the “M” standing for “maintain.”

I look at this opportunity, my own colony, as a great way to help these cats in our community. I hope to be a great guardian-- putting out food and water, shelter for the weather extremes, humanely catching any sick or injured cats for veterinary care when necessary, and fixing any newcomers that happen to absorb into the colony.

Last weekend I brought my morning coffee, my binoculars, and my camera to catch sight of my new charges. One was eager enough to chow on the wet food that he even welcomed my touch. What an extraordinary gift! The others waited warily in the bushes until I sat a safe distance of ten feet away, then they cautiously approached the food all the while keeping a watchful eye on what I was up to. I felt like I was on a safari of sorts, but the kind of shots I took was from a camera and taking in my subjects through my binoculars.

It was a great way to spend a Saturday morning, and I look forward to many more such mornings as I learn more about my feral colony!

Autumn Wagner
Adoption Program Director

Name our kittens and win a prize!

These five adorable little girls have just come into the No More Homeless Pets in Utah adoption program, along with their lovely mom, Jessica. Now they’re moving onto the next chapter in their lives: finding their forever homes. But how in the world can they do that without names?

They are all as cute as they can be, and each one has a unique personality and needs a special name that suits her. We need to name them before they go to the vet to be spayed in September. That’s a big task, so we decided to ask you to help us by holding a contest to find the best five names for these little ones.

Now’s the time to use your creativity! When these kittens get old enough to go to adoptions, a cute and appropriate name will help catch a potential adopter’s interest and give each little one a chance to find that perfect home. So get creative and send us your best five names, and we'll reward with a prize! (See the Contest Rules below for instructions.)

PRIZE

One prize will be awarded to the person who submits the winning 5 names. That prize consists of a gift basket full of treats for your kitties, including a gift certificate to the Dog’s Meow pet food store AND a $50 Dining Certificate to La Caille for you!

THE KITTENS

Because the kittens don't have names yet, we can only identify them by numbers. You can find photos of the individual kittens on our Facebook page.

Kitten #1 is a black and white tuxedo with white paws and white whiskers. She has a front foot deformity but she’s always one of the first ones to climb out of the cage and take off. She's a big lover and likes to be picked up and snuggled. She's the first one to win everyone’s heart!

Kitten #2 is a black and white tuxedo with a white chin, toes, whiskers and eyebrows. She is the shyest and tends to hang out in the cage more than the others do. She also has the roundest tummy – probably because she’s the first one to get to mom! She loves to play with her sisters and comes out of the cage to chase them around. She likes to be petted and will probably be a real lap cat.

Kitten #3 is a mackerel tabby with white tummy, legs and face. She is definitely the hungriest and follows her poor mom everywhere looking for a free meal. She’s very sweet and has been the first one to be playful. She is also the fastest one, and loves to run!

Kitten #4 is a ticked tabby with bowed legs. She is the most active. She’s also the loudest! She zooms around, squeaking the whole time, exploring the whole room. But she’s extra cuddly and is the most curious about people. She’s a little lover!

Kitten #5 is a ticked tabby with normal front legs and the cutest spotted tummy of them all. She is the smallest, but despite that, she’s usually the one who picks the fights! She’s really curious about people and will climb into the nearest lap. But then she'll suddenly she realizes where she is and off she goes.

Now that you've been introduced, it's time for you to give these kittens the best names you can think of!

CONTEST RULES
1. Each entry must contain a name for each of the five kittens and must identify which name goes with which kitten.
2. Each name must be an acceptable name for a human female.
3. Names that are currently being used for our adoptable cats are not eligible. You can find a list of those names on our website by going to our Adoptable Pets list.
4. Only email entries will be accepted. Send your entries to: Cassandra@utahpets.org. Include “Kitten Naming Contest” in the subject of your email. Please include your full name and contact information.
5. All entries must be submitted by midnight on September 1, 2010.
6. The winner will be notified by email on September 6, 2010. The prizes can be picked up at our office, 8029 S. 700 East, during regular working hours after that date.
7. You may submit as many entries as you want. Each set of 5 names will be treated as one entry.
8. No More Homeless Pets in Utah reserves the right to use any name submitted for adoptable animals in the future.
9. Employees of No More Homeless Pets in Utah are not eligible.

Our FIV friends deserve a home, too!

Last month I found myself taking in another poor kitty who had been tossed aside and abandoned by society. Lucky, a severely matted cream and tan long haired kitty with large sad eyes, had started coming around my home.

He was nearly starved to death when we came across him, and had a terribly swollen and infected paw with a huge gash in it. Finally, after several attempts to get close to him, he gave in and let us pick him up. After a bath and several extensive grooming sessions, a soft adorable cat had appeared.

Shortly after, I had his paw doctored up and got with getting neutered, vaccinated, micro chipped, and tested for diseases. He did test positive for FIV, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus , which wasn't a surprise since FIV is mainly transmitted between cats sexually, or through deep bites. Lucky had a lot of open wounds and also wasn't fixed, so I had suspected that he might be infected.

Since my goal for Lucky was to find him a loving home of his own, I knew that testing positive might be an obstacle. People might be a little scared off, as at one point I was. Years ago, when we lived downtown, my husband and I took in a small ragged little tabby who was desperately in need of a home. Although at the time we were not technically allowed to have another pet, I could not resist any longer and had to take him in. He jumped into my arms, and we were best friends from then on! He was so small we just naturally started calling him Tiny. I wanted to get him checked before mixing him into our other cats, so I took him to the closest animal clinic.

They tested him for FIV, and his test was positive. I knew nothing about the virus, and at first the diagnosis sounded a little scary. The vet there made it sound like Tiny was going to have an awful existence and the humane thing to do would be to euthanize him there on the spot. That seemed rash, so I wanted to get a second opinion. Soon after, I took Tiny to another animal clinic. They had confirmed that he was infected, but our new vet was hopeful and put my concerns to rest. She explained things to me.

People cannot get it, and as far as my other cats that were at home they would be fine as long as they were all fixed, since that lowers a cat’s desire to fight. If for some reason there was any fighting going on, there would be a slim chance of someone else getting it. But it would be hard, as there would have to be a deep wound involved, and a lot of blood shared. My new vet said that she had feline patients who were healthy and living with FIV for years. The FIV negative cats were never infected and everyone seemed to get along. With relief, we took him in. We were so glad we did!

Although at first glance he was not the most attractive cat, he was abnormally huggy and it didn't take long for him to charm anyone who came over for a visit. Soon our friends and family quickly became fans of our sweet little alley cat! He became a special favorite with my nieces. They would even dress him up and he would sit there and happily participate. We knew his immune system was more delicate, so we always kept a close eye on him, although he really didn't need any special treatment. He live with us, a healthy and happy cat, for over 8 years.

But then one day during the Spring Super Adoption of 2008, he suddenly started to get weak and hid under the bathroom sink. I took him into my vet to get examined, but his health was sadly deteriorating quickly. He peacefully died early that next morning.

Although that weekend, I had helped hundreds of other animals find homes, my heart was broken and I could only think about him. I was so glad we had given him a chance and that he had 8 full years to live his short but meaningful life. Ever since then, every time I see that corner of the patio where he liked to sun bathe, a little part of me imagines him there, and I miss him. He loved sitting under the potted plants that we put out every summer.

I am so glad our vet told us to give our Tiny a chance and a loving home. He brought do much joy to our lives and I can't imagine not giving him a chance.

If you’re considering adopting a cat, I encourage you to not overlook the wonderful FIV kitties that are available. We have some especially wonderful cats up for adoption in our program, such as Frankie, who are just waiting to give you lots of love—just like Tiny gave to us!

Maranda Hawkes
Volunteer Coordinator

Meet Jeanie, the tiniest kitten at NMHPU!

Jeanie is one of the newest additions to our adoptions program--and the youngest kitten in our program. She's not yet for adoption because she's only one week old, but she's already seeking her forever home.

We found Jeanie at a feral colony when she was only one day old. Her mom and her
littermates were nowhere to be found, and this tiny kitten--barely bigger than a mouse!--was crying out for help. Her eyes and ears were still shut tight when we picked her up, and she was clearly hungry. We quickly got Jeanie to a foster home experienced with newborn kittens, and she'll be staying there until she is old enough to be adopted.

As you can see from her photos, she's one of the cutest kittens you'll find, with an adorable skunk-like stripe down her face.

So you can follow Jeanie's progress, we'll be posting her photos and updates in future blog entries--and also have a Jeanie photo album on our Facebook page!