Jenny Hart, Travel Writer & Cat Mom
September 24, 2019
Tabitha Kucera, Chirrups & Chatter Cat Behavior Consulting and Education
October 1, 2019
This week, I’m sharing a round-up of some recent cat-related news stories that you might have missed.
Town in Australia is Limiting the Number of Cats in a Home to Two!
I just don’t understand why people think that limiting the number of cats in a home is going to help improve the quality of life for cats. Australia just keeps getting worse and worse for cats, unfortunately. It really struck me that there is nothing in the Newsweek article about sterilization—free or otherwise.
ARF Club is Now Fundraising TV
Online Cat Conference past presenter and sponsor Sandy Rees has been making big changes to her ARF Club membership program. The club was originally formed to assist small animal welfare organizations in fundraising efficiently for their organizations. Sandy has now transformed ARF Club into Fundraising TV. She and her team provide some great educational videos that will inspire you to get out there and raise that next thousand or ten thousand dollars. Find out more at Sandy’s website.
Michigan Declares Itself a No-Kill State
Michigan’s live release rate is 90% or over for all reporting organizations. Delaware is the only other state to make this claim. While I am a huge fan of the no-kill movement, I am also a fan of the well-being of all cats and dogs within the community. Michigan Pet Fund Alliance (MFPA) has been a big promoter of TNR and community cat programs, so I know that the lives of community cats in parts of Michigan have gotten a lot better—but you know me … I think that there is always more work to be done. That said, this live release rate and the state’s declaration of no-kill status are great successes that should be celebrated. Congratulations are definitely in order for the hard work that MPFA has done to make this happen. (Check out my interview with Deborah Schutt, co-founder of MPFA, in CCP Episode 100.)
On the Medical Front…
To Vax or Not Vax Your Cat?
We’ve all seen the stories about the measles vaccinations issues around the country for children, but now this conversation seems to be trending into the pet world as well, as this article from CNN discusses. I do believe there is a time and place for vaccines for our cats, but I also feel like we sometimes tend to over-vaccinate our cats. This seems to be a hot topic in Great Britain. What do you do with your kitties?
Vaccine for Cat Allergies
As you may have read here a couple weeks ago, a Zurich company has been working on finding a vaccine that will prevent cats from causing allergic reactions in people. I really hope there won’t be side effects. Read the People article and let us know what you think.
That wraps up the news for now, but I will periodically cover stories that I think everyone would benefit from hearing about. If you have a story that you want me to consider sharing, feel free to email me at stacy@communitycatspodcast.com.
