Competitive cats duke it out Sunday

The Game Show Network — not Animal Planet or even ESPN — is showing the 19th Annual CFA International Cat Show Sunday at 7 p.m.

Called "Cat-Minster," the program features a behind-the-scenes look at competitive cat shows, followed by the championship event itself.

According to the GSN website, in addition to the "Best of Show" award, there will be a feline agility course. That should be worth the price of admission!

Watch and learn, Kate, watch and learn.

The event will spotlight 41 different breeds and over 700 cats from the U.S., Asia, Canada, Europe and South America.

Check out the cats and judges here.

My TiVo says the competition will be replayed April 7 at noon.

Danish kitties

OK, I've always been a fan of Shakespeare, but this is intriguing. "Hamlet" interpreted by cats must be close to definitive, right?

To be or not to be, that is the purr, meow, hiss.

Paging Doggie Howser in MD

A Maryland woman claims that her golden retriever gave her the lifesaving Heimlich maneuver -- or was it the Heimlick maneuver?

Read it here.

More pet food recall information

From the people at the Dutchess County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Hyde Park, N.Y.: They advise pet owners to check recently purchased pet food products on a daily basis against the Menu Foods recall list.

The DCSPCA has put together a list of pet food companies that indicate they have no affiliation with Menu Foods. You can download the list here or visit their website.

Sit — Stay ... in your own home

Last year, pet owners spent $38.4 billion on their companion animals, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, Inc. More than $2.7 billion was spent in pet services, and the organization is predicting that figure to grow by 8 percent for 2007.

A new pet-sitting business in Red Hook is hoping some of that money will be thrown its way.

According to their press release, We Let the Dogs Out! is a professional service that allows Northern Dutchess County pet owners to leave their household pet or pets in their own home.

They visit on a daily basis to feed, water and care for the pets, even bringing in newspapers and mail. They will also water houseplants.

Interviews are required for all new clients.

During the months of May and June, clients will receive a 10 percent discount off the total fee.

For additional information or to make a reservation, call 845-758-6891.

In Dog We Trust

When Kate and I were living in Sharon, Conn., we used to walk over to Jack's package store after all the important morning "business" was done to pick up a Poughkeepsie Journal. Jack's store got a couple of copies every day; the Journal didn't deliver to Connecticut; I was a steady customer since I worked from home most days.

Well, Jack -- who is the unofficial "mayor" of Sharon, a volunteer firefighter and a hell of nice guy -- kept a box of dog biscuits under the counter. He would see us walking up the street and have the biscuit ready as soon as Kate and I entered the store.

She always plopped her paws up on the counter in eager anticipation of a morning treat. We used to joke that Kate had him well trained.

Does your dog or cat or whatever have you well trained?

Or is it something more sinister?

According to the folks at Obey the Purebreed, there may be a revolution approaching.

Sure, they want you to buy T-shirts, bumper stickers and posters, but, come on. A chihuahua as a dictator? Something with that small a brain can't rise to a position of power ... can it?

Possible cause of pet-food related deaths

ABC News is reporting that rat poison could be to blame for the recent pet-food deaths.

Read the news item here. (The article's been updated since the press conference in Albany.)

Recall command

The Food and Drug Administration has confirmed that 13 cats and one dog have died that ate the "cuts and gravy" style of food manufactured by Menu Foods of Canada, according to the Associated Press.

The plants, located in Emporia, Kan., and Pennsauken, N.J., are being inspected by the FDA — a remarkable fact, reported by the Chicago Tribune, because the federal agency incredibly has no oversight in the manufacturing of pet foods.

The investigation is still focusing on wheat gluten — misidentified as a protein source, because the body cannot utilize it as protein; it is strictly a carbohydrate. Menu Foods, according to Stephen Sundlof, the FDA's top vet, fed the now-suspect wet food to 25 cats and 15 dogs during quarterly taste-test trials. Nine cats died.

Sundlof said that Menu Foods has confirmed that four cats and one dog — belonging to consumers — have died.

I caught a rebroadcast of Cat Chat this morning on Martha Stewart's Sirius channel. The host, Tracie Hotchner, put together a document on the recall, laying out the facts are they are known. She urges people to stay calm and watch as the story unfolds. The PDF is 13 pages but worth the read.

Hotchner offers some common sense guidelines:

1. If your cat or dog did not eat any of recalled foods, you shouldn't be worrying.
2. If any of the foods are in your pantry, don't open them.
3. If your cat or dog did eat any of the foods in the past days or weeks and has any signs of not being well — see No. 5 — go right to the vet or emergency facility.
4. If your cat or dog was exposed to the foods and seems fine but you are worried, make an appointment with your vet to put your mind at ease.
5. Signs of kidney failure include lethargy, vomiting, weakness, lack of appetite and a dramatic increase in drinking water or urinating.

This story is still unfolding.

Unkindest "cuts and gravy"

The horror story about the cats and dogs dying of renal failure because they ate "cuts and gravy" style food manufactured by Menu Foods of Canada continues.

A veterinarian interviewed by ABC News tonight estimated that over 200 animals have died, though the Associated Press is saying at least 16.

So far, three lawsuits have been filed against Menu Foods by pet owners who claim their animals got sick or died after eating recalled food.

The Animal Medical Center on Manhattan's East Side has tested 143 dogs and cats for renal failure since Saturday. The AP said that 10 were confirmed to be diet-related, and one cat died.

The Food and Drug Administration has sent inspectors to Menu Food plants in New Jersey and Kansas. Wheat gluten has been identified as a possible source of contamination. It is used to thicken the pet food gravy.

Click here for FDA pet food recall information.

A complete list of the recalled products along with product codes, descriptions and production dates was available from the Menu Foods Web site. The company also designated two phone numbers that pet owners could call for information — (866) 463-6738 and (866) 895-2708.

It's astonishing to me that a single company can manufacturer and distribute the same product in more than 90 different guises -- including slapping premium-brand labels like Iams or Eukanuba on them. Why buy Iams when Wal-Mart is selling the same thing?

I am so glad that my dog eats dry food.

If you get a chance, check out "Food Pets Die For: Shocking Facts about Pet Food," by Ann N. Martin (NewSage Press, 1997). I heard an interview with Martin and, I tell you, it was appalling. Check the ingredients of your pet's food. You might be surprised.

I wish the people who had suffered the loss of a beloved companion animal my deepest sympathies. And good luck with the lawsuits.

Unfortunately, the courts have, to date, only viewed pets as possessions with no more value than what you paid for them.

That is wrong.

The very first post

I have a dog. Dogs are the superior pet. I’m sure others might take issue with that statement. But it’s a fact.

At least to me it is.

That said, this blog is here for you and me to talk about all kinds of pets: cats, ferrets, rabbits, fish, turtles, gerbils, you name it. Even dogs.

Let’s get the formalities out of the way. I’m a reporter for the Poughkeepsie Journal. My beat is covering the eastern part of Dutchess County. But enough about me. Let’s get to what’s important – and what brings us here.

My dog is named Kate. After Kate Hepburn. It’s the cheekbones. Kate is a (best guess) 12-year-old (even more of a guess) boxer/shepherd mix, who is (absolute certainty!) a sweetheart and the best dog in the whole wide world.

I know people have had pets as a part of their lives probably since the first time a caveman dropped a bit of roast mastodon on the ground and a wild four-footed furry creature snapped it up and wagged its tail in thanks.

But even after over 11 years of coexistence under a number of different roofs, I still look at my dog and marvel at the fact that I’m sharing my home with another species.

And another species that is entirely dependent on me. Some have said it’s like having a 2-year-old child who never grows up. I say it’s more like having a 2-year-old who never stops shedding.