primate research debate

last night's debate on the ethics of non-human primate research at the uw was interesting but went nowhere. kinda like congress and health care reform, only more civil.

some highlights:
rick bogle of alliance for animals - "we are going to die. we can't fool ourselves into thinking that by experimenting on animals that we are going to find some magic bullet to make us immortal."

paul kaufman, uw chair of ophthalmics dept. - "if you're going to argue we're all equal, then this discussion is over. There's no reason to go on. but in fact there are differences. ... if you say an animal shares some characteristics with humans, that doesn't make them human beings."

in the end, we are monkeys, too. monkeys testing on monkeys. dance monkey dance.

nikki madcat, fe-9 cop

madison's K-9 patrol unit is now the largest in Wisconsin with six dogs. we even have our own trainer.

so when are they going to add a Fe-9 unit? cat cops could be pretty useful. nikki would play "bad cop" to lucy's "good cop."

what's shakin?

did anyone feel the earthquake last night? since it happened around 4am most of us were asleep.

maybe your cats noticed? some scientists say animals, like carp fish, can predict earthquakes as much as 2 weeks in advance while cats and dogs seem to notice them within a few hours.

let us know if your furrkids were behaving strangely by posting on our facebook wall.

ethics

last week's animal welfare charges at the uw have led to more discussion on animal testing. this week it's the university's all animal care and use committee finding on campus primate research to be ethical.

"we currently allow research that causes harm and premature death."

not everyone in madison agrees.

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.

in the news...

guy calls 911, makes up complaint about cat, lands in jail...but he did it all for love. awwww....

typical british emergency supply kit: candles, soup, cat litter, and lots of porridge.

madison dogs find the darndest things, don't they?

angel dog saves human brother from big cat attack.

animal research in madison

the uw-madison got some unwanted attention recently when federal animal welfare inspectors cited the university's animal research department with 20 violations .

"one major finding is that in five studies, UW-Madison researchers did not show that they tried to find an alternative to painful experiments on animals."

click here to watch a local news piece on this story featuring alliance for animals co-director, rick bogle.

igor's second chance

remember the bullmastiff, igor, who was spared the death sentence in 2008? it's been a year since he went to live at the happily ever after animal sanctuary in green bay and seems to be loving his new digs.

igor's personal victory saved his tail but it may also affect future 'dangerous dog' legislation and brings up the important question of punitive euthanasia and whether it is ever the right choice when there are other, no kill, alternatives.

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.

lolephants

"So help me Hanna, had I hit that elephant, not swerved, it would have knocked it off its legs, and it would have landed right on top of us," he said. "We'd have been history." - this is not dialog from an upcoming comedy.

it turns out that male sabre-toothed tigers weren't as mad, bad and dangerous to know as we all thought. especially when compared with those american lions (not the kind from detroit).

animal friendships are always adorable, but when you get a horse and a cat, or a chicken and a dog teaming up together it's even more super-duper cute.

now get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather! play in a pile of leaves, take a nap in the sunshine and maybe even eat a few treats.

a pit and a kit

when dog's best friend is a cat: another happy tale of pet rescue and friendship that spans species.

watch out, minneapolis! the kitty-litter-pail bank robber is on the loose and scooping up yer moneys!

kitty got stuck! we hope this pole-cat isn't acrophobic!

in goofy local news, the "cheese lady" is going to carve a 1,000 pound bucky badger out of cheddar. combine cheese and football? why not?

malls of america, get with the program! service animals aren't just dogs anymore, they're ferrets, too!

making up is hard to do

this video of a fighting couple has taken over the interwebs. looks like they need to have a little make-up session like morty and lucy.


this is just another very good reason to have a cat, they let you know when something weird is going on, whether it be a bug on the carpet or a creep in your living room. if kitty's acting strange, take notice; they're more observant than we are.


it hasn't been a good week for the dogs of madison:


coyote alert! west-siders be on the lookout for coyotes. they are getting hungry and very brave.


madison police shot a dog that was described as "angry and aggressive" during a current drug-raid.

october can only mean one thing...

...dogtoberfest! if you love dogs, beer and 80s musical act 'the go-gos' you had better head on over to capital brewery saturday, october 10th. seriously, though. jane wiedlin? crazy!

a new york man is facing a year in jail for freeing a cat from a raccoon trap after it had been stuck there for two days. poor kitty.

nike is coming under some heat for providing admitted-dog-killer michael vick with athletic wear. though they have not officially endorsed him, the free gear certainly doesn't look good to us.

you simply must click through this slide-show of photos from buffy the cat's website. she's such a good sport for letting her guardians dress her up and pose her like that. what a doll! buffy the dentist is our fav.

get out your party shirts!

the annual willy street fair is coming up this weekend. celebrate the end of summer with all the fun and craziness of DJs, parades, food vendors and miss gabby madcat, herself!

warning! nicotine can poison pets. keep cats off drugs! ....unless it's catnip.

yesterday's news, the recycled-paper litter people, are holding a contest to see how good pet owners really are. bonus - they will plant a tree for every entry they get! so even if you're not captain planet go ahead and enter.

happy cat spotlight: felix. this lil' guy is a six-month old with all the adorable energy of the cutest baby kittens. if you want a cuddle bug and a goofball be sure to stop into the west side store and say hello.

save the date!

it's that crazy time of year again when the streets are filled with returning students, fall leaves and drag queens. of course that means the Willy St. Fair is just around the corner! this year's events are scheduled for the weekend of sept. 19th and 20th with the big parade on sunday. come on down and enjoy the festivities with gabby and the rest of the madcat crew and enter the raffle for a chance to win a new cat tree.

today is labor day, the last day of summer. while some may be a little mournful about the impending lack of sunshine and warmth the dogs sure are enjoying themselves over at goodman pool.

san francisco has made the news again for being a pet-friendly city, this time it's for a proposed ban on declawing. surprisingly, there has been opposition coming from an unlikely source - the san francisco aspca. their argument is that more cats will be given up if fed-up owners are not allowed the option to declaw. where do you stand on the argument?

nikki pre-partied a little too hard

if you're into food, rockin' music and toasting the winners of the isthmus' "madison's favorites" poll then come on down to the king street block party this saturday evening. we'll be there so don't be square!

"It was his home, and he'd stroll down the bar as if he owned the place, stopping now and then to lap a patron's drink. He napped in drum kits before shows and zipped through pulsating crowds during performances, unfazed by headbanging volume." - a chicago bar mourns the loss of their beloved pub kittty.

decoding the secrets of human genetics by way of dog hair. yes, that stuff that clings to your pants and couches is also the stuff that dreams are made of.

the dane county humane society is in the news again, this time it's for the alleged mis-treatment of seized chickens from a local fighting ring.

ocd and geds

a big thank you to nature's variety for donating a bunch of food that has been allocated to local rescue groups and the humane society! a lot of cats are going to be eating well for awhile.

guess we aren't the only ones with issues - dogs and cats with ocd.

higher purrning - cat gets online ged! what a smartie pants!

when your furrkids prefer someone else - featuring the story of a madison woman!

pets can be victims of domestic violence, too, and it's never ok.

everything is treatable with no kill

a paraplegic cat learns to walk for the first time....at a no kill cat sanctuary. right on!

local man arrested for stealing his brother's bike back spends night in jail worrying about his cat. poor luka is still missing. aren't police supposed to help people?

interesting idea for t-n-r, call the exterminator! don't worry, it's a friendly "green" exterminator.

here's a slideshow on animals having fun. we all know how cats have fun - pushing things off of counter tops!

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"