In Tucson Arizona yesterday, a cat saved his owner from a fiery death by jumping atop him and waking him up when the smoke detector went off. The owner called 911 and evacuated the house, ushering his cats to safety. Watch the video for details.
If you live in the greater Phoenix area, there’s a cat-themed art show this weekend that you won’t want to miss. Profits go to help 4 Paws Rescue. Here’s the scoop:
Sun Cities 4 Paws Rescue will have its seventh annual Feline Divine Cat Art Show in Peoria AZ from noon to 4 p.m. Nov. 14 and 15.
The art of more than 50 Valley artists working in a variety of mediums will be featured. All works of art are for sale, with the profits going to help the animals at 4 Paws Rescue. 4 Paws provides a shelter for more than 250 cats.
The event takes place at the 4 Paws Shelter where the cats live and play in large, open rooms in a cage-free environment. The show includes oil paintings, watercolor, photography, rock-paintings, pottery, needlework and jewelry. There is something for every budget and taste. There will also be a raffle for deluxe cat gift baskets, and refreshments will be served.
4 Paws Shelter is at 10807 N. 96th Ave., two blocks west of Loop 101, and two blocks north of Peoria Avenue.
For information, call Pat Sherman, 623-386-3031 or 623-340-6477; or Debbie Fletcher, 623-561-6278.
Heather Allen of Halo Animal Rescue says she has never seen anything quite like this in her fifteen year career of saving animals. The chihuahua pup’s mom died while giving birth, leaving the pup needing a source of nourishment… fast!
Allen called Animal Control looking for nursing mothers. The only thing Animal Control had available was a black cat with four kits about the same size as the Chihuahua pup.
They dropped the pup in with the littermates, and so far, so good. Whoever eventually adopts the pup might even find that he’s litter trained!
“RV” (pictured at right), a four-year-old long-haired calico cat in Seattle, was flown to Tucson yesterday and reunited with her owner, Ken Gold. RV had been missing for nine months.
The story began in July 2008, when RV’s owner prepared to relocate from Seattle to Tucson. Despite delaying his departure for a day to search for the missing cat, RV was nowhere to be found and did not return. As a result, Gold had to move without her and rely on the cat’s own instincts for survival and a HomeAgain microchip implanted by RV’s veterinarian when hoping for a safe return.
Nearly nine months later, a Seattle resident found RV and called the King County Animal Care and Control. After quickly locating the cat’s HomeAgain microchip, Sgt. Brenda Dyrdahl, acting shelter supervisor, said they were able to locate RV in the database, reach out to the owner and begin the process of reuniting the cat with her family. Gold had made a point of updating his contact information through the HomeAgain service.
“We find using microchips extremely valuable in our line of work,” said Dyrdahl. “This is the perfect example of why a pet owner should consider using this type of service and keep their contact information up to date. Microchipping doesn’t locate every animal, but it keeps hope alive and makes miracles happen.”
“This is a great example of why it is so important to have two forms of identification on your cat at all times,” interim director for King County Animal Care and Control, Nancy McKenney added. “If your pet wears an ID tag, a license, and has a microchip, the chances of having your pet return home are exponentially greater than if they were wearing just one form of identification or none at all.”
So in addition to having a microchip like HomeAgain’s, which allows you to keep your contact info current, it’s important to have an ID tag that provides current contact information for you should your pet go missing and you move or are displaced from your home. Created in partnership with the American Red Cross, Together Tag is an ID Tag and pet recovery service rolled into one, and perfectly complements microchipping.
As both a cat lover and avid birder, it’s difficult for me to reconcile the not-so-peaceful coexistence of birds and cats. In Gilbert, Arizona, at the Riparian Preserve Water Ranch, bird lovers are demanding that a feral colony — whose numbers have exploded as the economy has imploded — be terminated. Don Bloom, caretaker to the colony’s 40 or more cats, feels differently, as described by azcentral.com:
Donald Bloom climbs a little hill in the Riparian Preserve Water Ranch, dragging a cart of food on squeaky wheels. “Sawyer!” he calls out. “Freckles! Ginseng!” As he parks the cart beneath a mesquite tree in the embankment and takes out the food, a dozen cats of all hues and temperaments scamper toward him from the undergrowth.
They could well be his pets, but they are mostly abandoned domestic cats dumped by their owners in the Gilbert preserve.
“People have been releasing animals in the preserve – it’s a major problem,” Bloom said. “The cats are pretty friendly, but the feral cats take a longer time to be domesticated.”
The animals are as much the victims of the economy as their onetime human masters. Foreclosures and job losses are prompting many people to abandon the cats in the preserve, especially with shelters filled to the brim.
They’re also dumping other domesticated creatures, including geese, ducks, roosters, tortoises, rabbits, doves, even goldfish.
It’s a tough situation. Desert Rivers Audubon claims the cats kill an average of two birds per day (this seems extraordinarily high to me) and are destroying the habitat. Bird lovers want the cats removed.
But removal means almost certain death. The Arizona Humane Society refuses to take the cats. An alternative is to trap and remove them to the county (Maricopa County Animal Care and Control) which will euthanize them or “arrange adoption according to the temperament of the cat.” In a shelter with limited resources, adoption is extremely unlikely.
Meanwhile, Bloom is convinced that his population stabilizing program, recommended by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, is the best way to help both the cats and birds.
The daily feeding keeps the territorial cats in one area of the 110-acre preserve, and helps keep them domesticated. Only newborn kittens are feral.
“Cats will stay in and not expend energy if they have food coming to them,” he said.
Funds are low for the group and volunteers are scarce. But Bloom plods on.
“I’m trying to undo the injustice to these animals,” he said. “I’m trying to give them a second chance at life because domesticated animals belong with humans.”
Mr Bloom, thank you for your dedication. We hope bird and cat lovers can reach accord soon.
The Bealey family in Glendale, Arizona recently became temporary foster parents for a puppy when her owner went to the hospital to give birth. The puppy — Pretty — quickly bonded with the Bealey’s cat, who had recently delivered a litter of kittens.
Pretty quickly acclimated to her new environment and adoptive family, cuddling with the cat and feeding with her newborn kits.
The Bealeys are surprised to see the cat and dog getting along so famously, and are concerned that the cat might become too attached to Pretty, who will soon be back with her owner.
In Phoenix, a cat owner named Michael is frustrated in not being able to get assistance in rescuing his cat Brutis, who’s been stuck in a neighbor’s tree for 8 days.
Brutis escaped from Michael a week ago last Sunday. He’s a strictly indoor cat. When Michael finally located Brutis, the cat was stuck in the branches of the tree, two stories from the ground. Michael’s been working non-stop since then to extricate Brutis. So far, he’s tried hosing the cat out with water (not recommended, btw) and tempting him with food. (Mike, Jeter Harris recommends Bumble Bee Solid White Albacore Tuna in water as the most effective cat bait.) He cannot leave food at the base of the tree, however, because it’s on the neighbor’s property.
The neighbor — a police officer — is refusing access to his property, and consequently, no one can get up the tree to help the cat down. Mike contacted Animal Control, but they said they don’t handle cats due to limited resources. The Humane Society attempted a rescue, but their ladders were too short.
Citizens for North Phoenix Strays attempted a rescue on Monday, and were nearly shot off the property. ABC15 reported:
On Monday, Toni Smith and Terry Toman of the Citizens for North Phoenix Strays made another attempt to get Brutis out of the tree.
“There’s some friction here between these neighbors and I said I could care less about the people I just want to go up and get the cat,” said Smith.
Smith and Toman said they chose to go behind the home on a public sidewalk and lean a 25-foot ladder against his back wall.
In this way they figured they were not on his property.
Just as they were about to get the cat, Smith said, “This guy comes barreling out of his house, flashed his gun and his badge, and started screaming and freaking out.”
Toman added, “It’s a little overkill”.
We tried to speak with the officer to get his side of the story on what happened Monday afternoon and he asked us to call Police.
The Phoenix Police Department said their officer has a right to defend his property.
Michael’s afraid that as Brutis weakens, he may eventually fall out and hurt himself.
This story was reported by ABC15.com, in Phoenix, and I read the comments on the story, a couple of which made my blood run cold:
JAHOOH
“just shoot the darn thing… there are millions running the street and in the human society… no loss right?”
charliedog1
2 Votes
“that is why there are rifles. . . it is a freaking cat, get a life, or get a dog. . .”
Silverlegacyga
1 Vote
“its a cat who cares its eating birds in the tree it will come down when it wants… there are billions of cats missing homes go get a new one.”
What a brutal bunch of cretins!
Be safe, Brutis! We hope we’ll be able to report a happy ending to this story!
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UPDATE! And here we have our happy ending! Brutis was rescued this morning by a group of police officers. Here’s the update from ABC15.com:
Late Tuesday morning, Michael said six police officers arrived at the home and rescued the cat using a ladder.
Michael said Brutis is a bit tired, scared and skinnier, but by all accounts appears okay.
Sgt. Thompson said Phoenix Police don’t normally rescue cats from trees, but said calls to the Police Chief’s office prompted the move to get the cat down from the tree.
Michael said he has no hard feelings for the people who own the tree the cat was stuck in, he’s just glad to have Brutis safely home.
“RV” (pictured at right), a four-year-old long-haired calico cat in Seattle, was flown to Tucson yesterday and reunited with her owner, Ken Gold. RV had been missing for nine months.
“Sawyer!” he calls out. “Freckles! Ginseng!” As he parks the cart beneath a mesquite tree in the embankment and takes out the food, a dozen cats of all hues and temperaments scamper toward him from the undergrowth.
The Bealey family in Glendale, Arizona recently became temporary foster parents for a puppy when her owner went to the hospital to give birth. The puppy — Pretty — quickly bonded with the Bealey’s cat, who had recently delivered a litter of kittens. 
