7 Fascinating Facts About Polydactyl Cats
Polydactyl cats are simply cats with extra toes. The name comes from the Greek word for “many fingers”. The extra toes have led to multiple nicknames like “mitten cats”, “boxing cats”, “snowshoe cats”, “thumb cats”, “Hemingway cats”, and the list goes on. No matter what name you call them their paws are a little different and by different, I mean adorable. A typical cat has 18 total toes on their front and back paws, five on each front paw and four on the backs. However,...
Creating a Healthier World for Our Pets
Meet 14-year-old entrepreneur Ava Dorsey, whose dream to make healthy pet treats has grown into a USDA-certified organic baked treat company called Ava’s Pet Palace. Ava started her business out of her love and passion for animals, as well as wanting to spend more time with her pets, including the family dog, Rock. She noticed that a lot of the treats Rock ate had some unhealthy ingredients — not to mention a very long ingredient list. To solve this problem, she started developing treat recipes that were completely organic and...
Wain is the Oldest Wombat in Captivity Says Guinness World Records
Japan and everybody else around the world celebrate Guinness World Records’ announcement about Wain’s being the oldest wombat in captivity ever! At 32 years old, Wain is still in good health despite his age being equivalent to 100 years in humans. Photo: Instagram Video/Guinness World Records “Although he was seen by a vet in the past a couple of times, he never got sick in the past few years,” the Satsukiyama Zoo told Guinness World Records in a statement. “We don’t know why this is, but this nature-filled...
Maddie’s Weekly Roundup: Pet support services, National Call update and more!
Happy Monday! Below is a brief roundup of resources added over the past week. Implement pet support services with this free courseLooking to add more pet support services for your community? Maddie’s® University’s free, self-paced course, Pet Support Services, is for you! By offering pet support services, you will help keep pets with their families and out of your shelter. Pet Support Services programs are not hard to implement; you can start by retraining your current… Learn More The Best Friends National...
Rescue Mink is So Fond of Swimming and Diving for His Toys at His Own Pool in His New Forever Home
Nico, that is this mink’s name. He, fortunately, escaped from a mink farm and was found by a Good Samaritan. He came into Megan’s life and the two became the best buddies. Photo: YouTube/The Dodo According to Megan, she strived to win Nico’s trust first by sitting and talking with him along with a toy monkey. Then, she started to pet him and Nico responded positively to her touch. From then on, Nico would always wait for her to come home from work so they could play together. They have their own funny version of tug-of-war,...
Girl Rescues an Elusive Calf with Cleverness and Loving Patience
How much time are you willing to spend to catch and rescue an escaped animal which does not even belong to your farm? This girl spent more than two months just to rescue a cow that escaped from a local meat farm when it was three months old. Photo: YouTube/The Dodo It was her boss who first noticed the calf, mixing with their horses. The girl received a picture of it and thought of ways to capture the calf and turn it over to a sanctuary where it could receive proper care. This calf really needed help because even if it mixed with their...
New York To Ban The Sale Of Dogs, Cats, And Rabbits In Pet Stores
Animal activists are praising the New York State Legislature for passing the Puppy Mill Pipeline Bill, legislation that will end the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits in pet stores throughout the state of New York. According to a press release issued by the ASPCA, the bill was pushed by assembly member Linda B. Rosenthal and Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris. If the bill passes the assembly and is signed into law by the governor, it will likely stop the flow of puppy mill dogs being brought to New York. Photo: flickr/Mark Hillary...
Mischievous Cats Start Years-Long Rivalry With Security Guard
A security guard at the Onomichi City Museum of Art in Hiroshima, Japan has been faced with a friendly rivalry between himself and two of the neighborhood cats. Each morning, the guard arrives to work and is greeted by Ken-chan, a black cat, and Go-chan, an orange tabby cat. The two felines attempt to slip through the sliding glass doors when they’re opened for the day, and the guard has to corral the cats and carry them back outside. Photo: Twitter/@bijutsu1 It’s a lighthearted rivalry that’s all in good fun and it’s...
Family Adopts Puppy That Was Rescued From A Locked Bird Cage
Dog rescues aren’t always easy, but they’re always worth it. When a dog or puppy gets a new chance at life and makes a beautiful transformation, all the effort and heartbreak the rescuers went through pays off. Rescuers with the Dog Rescue Shelter in Mladenovac, Serbia recently shared some good news about one of their rescue puppies. The dog, Mini, went viral after she was found locked in a bird cage. She was exposed to the elements and had little space to run or play. Photo: YouTube/Dog Rescue Shelter Mladenovac, Serbia It was a...
Adorable Senior Cat Won’t Calm Down Unless They Turn On Her Favorite Cartoons
You know how humans used to worship cats on a whole other level than we still do right now? I mean, aren’t we all just suckers for cat videos, you know what I mean? Our story for today is about an internet famous cat called Ella. And Ella specializes in watching TV. And she demands to see her cartoons and expects her human to turn on her TV whenever she pleases. PHOTO: Instagram/ellawatchestv_ The instagram account ellawatchestv_ has over 64k followers and their TikTok account has over a whopping 634k followers. Although the account...
Top 5 ways your dog or cat can help you de-stress
There’s no getting around the fact we’re living in stressful times. But the good news is that our dogs and cats can help significantly lower our stress levels — check out the top five ways they do it! To say the past couple of years have been stressful is an understatement. And as COVID-19 continues to afflict the whole world, that stress isn’t letting up much. On the plus side, a study done by Washington State University shows that interacting with animals markedly reduces stress in humans. Whether you’re always...
CBD for pet anxiety and behavior
Find out why CBD is the Swiss army knife of herbal supplements for anxiety and behavior issues in dogs and cats. CBD-dominant cannabis, commonly known to us as “hemp”, is good for many different issues commonly affecting our dogs and cats. But the single most important reason why animal parents seek out CBD is its ability to calm an overactive nervous system. From excessive fears and anxieties that affect a dog or cat’s behavior, to extreme nervous system over-activity such as epileptic seizures, CBD has proven very helpful....
Cat Lover Called to Help Stray Kitten That is ‘Hard to Handle’
This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Submit your own rescue story here. Your story just might be the next to be featured on our blog! Four years ago in mid-December, I saw a friend pleading on Facebook for someone to help him at a local McDonald’s. There were little kittens living in freezing temperatures and being hit by cars in the parking lot. I couldn’t not help. I dragged my then boyfriend out of the house and immediately drove to the restaurant. We got there and realized there were countless cats...
URGENT HEAT HELP – Friday Update
Jun 10, 2022 The weather is forecasted to be brutally hot this weekend, starting at 100 degrees today and going up to 104 tomorrow. Even though the heat is bad enough, we know that this could get much worse if there are any power outages. The more we do TODAY, the more likely we are to stay on top of any catastrophic changes that may arise without warning. You can help us get the resources we need to stay ahead of the danger by giving NOW. By making a gift today, you immediately help us keep animals safe. But there are several more ways you...
Ear Cropping Is Illegal In Most Countries, But Not In The U.S.
Ear cropping is an elective surgery currently implemented in approximately 20 dog breeds, including Dobermans, Great Danes, Boxers and more. According to Tier 1 Veterinary Medical Center, this procedure can involve the surgical removal of most to all of the flappy portion of the ear. Contrary to popular misconception, ear cropping does not improve a dog’s hearing or prevent ear infections, American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) reports. Ear cropping is an elective surgery currently implemented in approximately 20 dog breeds,...
How to help your pup with separation anxiety
Separation anxiety is on the rise with many pet owners returning to work. Here are some tips on how to help your pup stay calm while you’re away. Separation anxiety in dogs was on the rise pre-pandemic and today is likely the most common behavior problem. As some are dashing back to the office, no one is giving adopted “pandemic puppies” a heads up in advance; the sudden change has begun to manifest in even more reports of separation anxiety. What is separation anxiety? Separation anxiety is essentially a panic attack. As...
URGENT HEAT HELP – Act Now
Jun 10, 2022 The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for the Austin area, with temperatures expected to reach dangerous and deadly levels. With forecasted highs above 105 degrees Saturday and Sunday, we are activating emergency measures to keep our animals safe in the extreme weather conditions. At this time we are also urgently asking for your help! As important members of the APA! community, we are committed to keeping you aware of our preparedness plans, top priorities, and what we need most to continue our lifesaving...
Must-Know Travel Tips
Traveling with your dog can be an enriching experience for both of you — as long as you prepare well in advance to ensure that your journey is as safe and stress-free as it can be. Should your dog travel with you? Before you start working on any vacation plans, ask yourself if your dog is the traveling kind. Some dogs are much happier staying at home with a friend, family member or dog sitter, while others enjoy going to their own doggie hotels to play with canine friends as you enjoy some much-needed time away. There is no harm in...
New Study Shows That Otters Learn From Each Other to Overcome Challenges
When we find ourselves facing something new, we often turn to those around us to get a feel for what we’re doing. It turns out that otters do the same thing, Researchers at the University of Exeter wanted to learn how Asian short-clawed otters overcome foraging challenges. To do so, they gave the animals puzzle boxes with familiar food, as well as unfamiliar natural prey. The study, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, was undertaken with otters at Newquay Zoo and the Tamar Otter and Wildlife Centre. PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK /...
URGENT HEAT HELP – What We Need and What To Know
Jun 09, 2022 With upcoming forecasted highs of 105+ degrees, it is much hotter much sooner than we would expect right now! With the strain the extreme heat puts on our animals, staff, facilities, the power grid, and pets in our community, we have activated emergency preparations and need your help. What We Need Now: Foster, Adopt or Foster-to-Adopt Help us get animals into cool homes before a potential heat emergency by visiting our Town Lake location between noon and 6 p.m. to foster or adopt. We also have foster-to-adopt options...
