snip it, clip it, and tip it

governor doyle signed a proclamation making february 23rd wisconsin spay day to curb euthanasia numbers and help get our shelters back to doing their primary job, re-homing animals.

local vets and groups in the area will be offering reduced fee spays and neuters throughout february and march.

for more info:
friends of ferals' spayathons
dchs' snap
shelter from the storm's spay me

chips

if you've thought about microchipping your kitty but just haven't gotten around to it yet, now's your chance. get it done this sunday, jan. 10th, at the dchs west-side adoption center and have some peace of mind. the best part? cost is only 15 bucks.

it's not an awesome police badge, but it can save your pet's life.

meet duke

this happy cat is a one-of-a-kind creamsicle with a bit of a sad backstory: duke was hit by a car and lost part of his jaw, after which he was surrendered to dchs. he is fully recuperated and doing fine, bouncing off the walls, eating like a madman and occasionally sticking his tongue out at us for fun.

if you're looking for a young cat with lots of energy and a goofball personality, this is your guy.

contact the happy cat club of madison for more info or stop into the monroe st. store to meet him.

new leadership at the wisconsin humane society

the wisconsin humane society has selected anne reed, a milwaukee-based lawyer, to head up their board of directors. while she does not have any direct experience in animal welfare she has been on the boards of many other non-profit groups and worked in the legal system for over twenty years. hmmmm....sounds somewhat similar to another lawyer/animal welfare advocate we know (hint: look at yesterday's post.)

hopefully she can lead the group in a new direction and make progress towards a no kill wisconsin.

in other humane society news, here are the dane county humane society's official stats for the month of october. since it's the season of giving thanks, let's all be thankful that the euthanasia numbers are way down from previous years. but that should not stop us from pushing the fight to save every last one of them.

dchs gets some dough

the dane county humane society has received a $50,000 grant from the aspca to help cover costs from last spring's seizure of animals from the thyme and sage ranch.

we're curious where the money is going and whether any of it will be used to help save the cats already there.

in other local news, one of the lead vets at dchs has had her home-insurance canceled. why? because she rescued a rottweiler. more breed-specific targeting that is hurting more than helping.

happy cat spotlight: squeekie! this laid-back guy (pictured above) is about three years old and front-paw declawed. he enjoys spending time with other kitties and lounging around enjoying the finer things in life. come down to the monroe st. store and give him some loving.

my fair kitteh - dottie doolittle

straight off the runways of japan, designer clothes for your cats! that white blouse and red skirt would look just darling on our lovely lucy.

in local dog news:

the dane county humane society is asking potential adopters to give pit bulls a chance. at a time when breed bans are a hot-button issue it's comforting to hear local animal behaviorist patricia mcconnell put things into perspective, "every dog should be evaluated as an individual. breed is so irrelevant so often."

good news for fast dogs, the last of the five greyhound parks in the state is closing at the end of the year. yep. six dog deaths in three months will do that to ya.

look at the world from more than one angle

isthmus story on 'off-limits' places in town - denied access to dchs euthanasia room. just because we can't see it doesn't mean it's not there.

the fastest human alive is as fast as a house cat. neat-o!

tax-payer money is going to help defend the florida cat killer in the upcoming trial.

'certified pre-owned cats' - even in animal rescue it's all about the marketing.

here's an update on two of the vick pits seized back in 2007. looks like both will be moving on to new, better lives soon!

dottie begins her transformation into dottie-bot 2000

yesterday our little calico princess got microchippped. it was a relatively quick and painless procedure where a small chip, the size of a grain of rice, was inserted under the skin between her shoulder blades. while she didn't really enjoy it we think even dottie would feel good about the peace of mind the chip will bring to us. now, should she ever go off a wandering and end up in a shelter somewhere, a quick scan of her back will reveal the chip number which will lead the shelter workers to us. we had the chip implanted down at the dane county humane society where they take walk-in appointments during regular business hours.

if you have not had your pet chipped we definitely recommend it, and here's why:

a cat and his owner were recently reunited after three years. the miracle that brought them back together? that's right. a microchip!

nine years and 1,000 miles separated a dog, muffy, from her owner. they were only reunited when an aspca worker scanned muffy and located the information on her chip.

have questions? the hsus has answers.

leesha can haz hom now?

happy cats, leesha and mr. d,j., are still hanging out, looking for new homes. what are you waiting for?

update: d.j. has just been adopted! good luck in your new life, buddy!

ghost update! if you missed the news friday night don't worry, the piece is up on channel 3000's website. we spoke with happy cat today, where ghost is in foster care, and it sounds like he's doing much better. his initial checkup put him at near 7 weeks old, dehydrated and under-nourished. it appears he had been surviving off of bird seeds and whatever water he could get from rain. today, he's running around like any kitten would: playing and jumping and without a care in the world. it will be a few weeks more until he reaches two pounds and can be neutered and after that he'll be up for adoption. stay tuned for more updates on the famous little guy!

any time you surrender a cat to a kill shelter there is no guarantee it will be adopted. likewise, adding a pet to your family means you are responsible for its health. sad story all around.

now, time for a joke - "the story of adam and eve's pets"

meet leesha!

we have a new adoptable cat at monroe st., miss leesha. she enjoys going outside, having her coat brushed and the company of other kitties. contact happy cat for more details.

the crazy pair of dogs who wandered into the mineral point store the other day have been picked up from the shelter. let's hope they don't go on any more journeys.

animal freak shows are still in existence? who would even go to one of those?

"i'm looking for a bling collar. as you can tell, he's got to have bling." what can we say? people love their pets!

this is so sad. please be careful when bringing a new baby home - our pets don't innately understand babies.

it's furry friday! w00t

in a bit of obvious news most cats and dogs don't enjoy being dressed up as 80s calypso players or odd-looking southern pollsters.

looking to update a dog or cat on the west side? the dane county humane society has opened a new adoption center on d'onofrio drive right by pedro's. now you can "make mex-i-can" and save a life all in the same trip!

since we actually had some sun in the last week it's time to consider uv protection for your pets.

this story sounds a lot like that of pepper, our current happy cat resident at monroe, only pepper hasn't found his happy ending yet.

this video of a cat rescue and sanctuary in california is both inspiring and heart-warming. if only all cats could be loved like that.

meet foxy!

make room in your hearts for the newest addition to the happy cat crew - miss foxy! she is a beautiful, little 9-month old, medium-haired tri-color calico. since she is still a kitten, her favorite activities include exploring small spaces, climbing to the top of anything and everything, purring and, eventually, sleeping. her only real dislikes are loud noises, so a normal to quiet home would be best for her. if you would like to meet foxy just stop into our monroe st. store or contact the happy cat club of madison for more info.

in other good news, everyone's favorite crazy, little guy, zero, has been adopted! he is now living it up in his new digs and having fun playing with his new siblings, two cats and a dog.

as always, we wish zero and his new guardians the best of luck in their new life together.

t-n-r 101 this saturday!

just a brief reminder that the intro to t-n-r seminar is this saturday at the dane county humane society! it's time to get the ball rolling on becoming a no kill madison and we can't do it without you!

details:
when - April 25th
what time - 2-4pm
where - dchs - 5132 voges rd., madison

be there or be square!

madison t-n-r

interested in t-n-r but don't know much about it? ever thought of helping out with local trap-neuter-return programs but are not sure how to get started? then the upcoming presentation at the dane county humane society is for you. dane country friends of ferals, shelter from the storm and the humane society have teamed up to give the program a much-needed boost and encourage volunteers to get out there and help manage our local feral populations. remember, it takes a village to raise a child, and it takes a wonderful city of cat-lovers to go no kill.

details:
when - April 25th, 2-4pm
where - dchs - 5132 voges rd., madison
this event is free and open to anyone with a willing heart


now, for a laugh check out this consumer reports piece on pet food and how there's no real difference between grocery store brands and "the more expensive" stuff. shyeah right! the real guffaw comes at the end when the vets (all but one received support from pet food manufacturers!) mention what they feed their own pets.

trappin' kittehs

want to be on bob barker's good side and help control the pet population? then start trapping! to rent a trap contact dane county friends of ferals or the dane county humane society.