The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : February 2017 The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : February 2017

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Tekirdag, Turkey – Woman Makes Ladder to Help Homeless Cats Come in Out of the Cold


To say that Şebnem Ilhan is a cat lover would be something of an understatement. Not only has she opened her heart to stray cats living around the neighborhood — she's opened her home as well.

And she even devised an adorable way to invite them on in.

Ilhan works as a dentist in the town of Tekirdag, Turkey, where winter has been particularly chilly this year. Fearing that homeless cats would suffer being stuck out in the cold, she decided to make it easy for them to find refuge through her window.

But how would they make it up there? Ilhan had that part covered.
"I made the ladder so the cats can come into my comfortable house," she said.

Ilhan said that she was a little worried at first that her neighbors might not take kindly to the little stairway for cats leading in to her home, so she added some extra ornamentation.

"I thought if I put some flower pots there, it wouldn't bother anyone," she said. But the reception has been overwhelmingly positive — especially among the countless kitties who have taken advantage of her offer of a warm place to rest.

The 'cat ladder' is just one of the ways Ilhan has worked to make a difference for needy pets. She also volunteers her time to see that stray dogs and cats throughout her city are cared for as well.

"I wish no animal is hungry or thirsty, just happy," she said. "This world is not just for people."










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Monday, February 27, 2017

This Hunter Waged a War on Feral Cats: Now He Says He Has Become the Target of Attacks


For years, Sam Wood has been a proponent of hunting and killing invasive species, such as wild hogs, that can threaten the native ecosystems. His Facebook page is filled with photos showing the 48-year-old outdoorsman taking down sparrows and starlings, pigeons and rats.

But Wood’s most recent mark seems to have made him the target, feral cats.

It started earlier this month, when the Wisconsin resident shared a stock photo of a cat in a trap.

“Some may find this offensive but the truth is feral cats are a huge problem,” he wrote online. “I know this post will cause some backlash from the Disney educated but by putting the truth out there and not hiding we can educate some folks.

“Back in the 80’s we used to get $5 for a cat hide. Buyers had pallets of cat hides. The hides were used as trim on leather gloves. Some trappers targeted cats year round which helped the environment tremendously and it also gave them gas money and they used the meat for bait. Now we have bunny huggers that want to protect cats. They refuse to educate themselves as to the true impact of what they are doing and saying.”

In an interview, Wood said he sets up traps near his home in Wild Rose, a small town in central Wisconsin, to catch raccoons and other small animals to sell on the fur market. But sometimes, he said, he inadvertently catches feral cats.

To read more on this story, click here: This Hunter Waged a War on Feral Cats: Now He Says He Has Become the Target of Attacks

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Take a Look at These Beautiful Cats in Cute Sleeping Positions


Everyone loves a really great nap, and no one loves napping more than cats. But these cats take it to a whole new level. Watch and learn. This is how it’s done.









Meet the Buddha cat, expert practitioner of the Awkward Crouch Under the Table pose. 




                             Dust bunny or tiny grey kitten? Hard to say



                                        This cat’s nap game is strong.




                                  Perfect, pocket-sized pussycat.



Falling asleep while watching over the neighborhood is a professional hazard for many guard cats. Luckily it looks pretty quiet out there.




                                       Winning at hide and seek!



                        This cat’s commitment to napping is admirable.



Who’s going to go looking for the cat in a rain gutter? Guaranteed peace and solitude. Well played, cat.



          Fastest way to dry your cat after a bath. Definitely try this at home.




                  Imitation has always been the sincerest form of flattery.



                This cat will be awake and full of energy in thirty minutes.




                                                      No words …




                               Oh, the weather outside is frightfull…



                                               I can do acrobats!




Those pink paws. That satisfied smile. The way he melts into the glass. Bliss!




                                           I need a bigger pillow!



       You can always count on cats to find the warmest spot in the house.



                      You will never be more relaxed than this cat.




                                    Guess the heat lamp is working.




                  Best use of an UGG boot in the history of everything.



                                                 So damn close



It doesn’t matter how badly you want to play one of those video games, there’s no way you’re moving this cutie.



                       Safest, cleanest, warmest cat bed ever. #gooddog




             You just never know when you’re going to run out of steam.




                           If it (barely) fits, that’s good enough for this cat.




         They probably have a perfectly awesome cat bed …. but this is better.



                   He probably got worn out playing “Cat Scratch Fever.”



Everyone has their own napping style. These two are displaying a couple of very popular variations.




          That time you conked out right as you were about to catch a butterfly.



               Cats: defying the laws of physics, one railing at a time.




                                     The best “dog bed” EVER.




All new moms understand the depth of this cat’s exhaustion. And, sadly, this nap probably only lasted a few minutes.




                                  Vertically challenged napping.
     



This cat probably has a dozen wonderful store bought toys. But, of course, it’s the cardboard box that gets played with so hard that he fell asleep while he was still playing with it.




We’re just trying to imagine how this happened. Did they all go in at once? Did the white one get in first? Or last? And is there another cat coming that will make the white one pop out entirely?




If this cat had a margarita beside him, he’d be living all of our vacation dreams. 

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Sunday, February 26, 2017

U.S. Rep. Steve King is Being Accused of Supporting Dog Fighting and Being an Animal Hater: Voice Your Outrage


U.S. Rep. Steve King is picking a fight with the Humane Society of the United States.

On Jan. 29, the congressman from western Iowa tweeted the following: “The Humane Society of the United States, I have long referred to as the vegan lobby, is raising money again. Objective: animals = 2 people.”

This tweet triggered a flurry of responses from people accusing King of supporting dog fighting and being an animal hater. That, in turn, prompted King to emphatically state that he does not support dog fighting. Then he added one ill-advised suggestion: “You can check my record.”

But we already know what his record show right? – Read below:

His explanation for this baffling statement? Since humans are allowed to fight, why not allow dogs as well? ‘It’s wrong to rate animals above human being’ King opinatined during an interview at a town hall.

"There is something wrong with society to make it a crime to watch dog fighting, but there is no law that bans somebody to watch people fight". An audio recording of his statement can be listened to below in the video.


If we take King’s statements into account, then society should be allowing animals to enroll in university and get pets to pay their taxes.

The fundamental difference between humans and animals is that humans have a choice. If a person wants to be a professional boxer, for instance, he is entering a bout fully aware of what he is doing. It is his choice. Dogs are certainly not asked if they are willing to bite each other until they die just so humans can be entertained. Those dogs are defenseless, they are MADE to do this against their will! Unfortunately, Mr. King has a lot to catch up. I have also learned that this is not the first time Congressman King has sparked outrage in the animal rights community.

  • In February 2010, King tweeted that he chased and shot a raccoon because the helpless animal had tried to get into his house during a powerful storm.
  • In July 2012, King strongly opposed the McGovern amendment (in connection to the 1012 farm bill) that would have established penalties for knowingly attending an animal fight and for bringing underage children to such events.
  • King was also one of the members that voted against an upgrade of penalties for transporting fighting animals across state lines in 2007.


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Saturday, February 25, 2017

Brooklyn Woman Convicted of Hoarding Rabbits Could Actually Be Too Crazy for Jail


The Brooklyn woman convicted of hoarding rabbits could actually be crazy enough to avoid jail.

Obsessed animal lover Dorota Trec underwent a court-ordered psychiatric exam Wednesday – two months after she was found guilty of abusing 100 rabbits that lived outside her Gowanus home in a trial at which she acted as her own lawyer.

The official results will be released later in February, but Trec, who faces up to two years behind bars, hinted that she won’t be doing hard time.

“I think this is leading to not putting me in prison,” Trec, 36, said outside the Brooklyn Supreme courtroom.

She believes she’ll instead be ordered to “come for treatment [by] a psychologist.”

Trec, who was charged with mistreating 125 of the furballs, represented herself during the wacky three-week jury trial.

The Polish-born bunny breeder said the person who evaluated her “was very surprised I did the case myself and that the same person who goes for an evaluation is allowed to do [a] trial.”

Earlier this month, Judge Curtis Farber said he was worried about “serious mental health issues” and ordered Trec to undergo the psych exam before he handed down his sentence.

“I am trying very hard to think of an appropriate sentence in your case,” he told her at the Jan. 13 hearing.

“I am not sick,” Trec shouted to the judge. “I am a very intelligent person.”

In December, the ASPCA came to seize 45 bunnies of the 90 Trec had from her yard. She claims she’s been trying to give the remaining furry creatures away ever since.

“I am always going to have animals around. Who can stop me? They will have to put me in jail,” Trec said Wednesday. “If [Judge Farber] puts me in prison, I will continue to work on plans” to build a bunny sanctuary.

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Exotic Pets Could Soon Be Banned in Arlington County, Virginia


Pet lions and crocodiles could soon become illegal in Arlington, Virginia.

Surprised they aren't already? Turns out, many D.C.-area jurisdictions ban exotic or wild animals as pets -- but Arlington isn't one of them. Yet.

Now the Arlington County Board is considering whether to hold a public hearing on whether to ban keeping these animals as pets.

"Under current County Code, Arlington bars the keeping of pigs, fowl and poisonous reptiles. But there's nothing now on the books to prevent residents from raising a lion, monkey or even a crocodile," Arlington officials said in a press release Friday.

The change would also prohibit the keeping of wolves, raccoons, lynxes, alligators, tarantulas, hedgehogs and sugar gliders. Non-poisonous snakes or other reptiles longer than four feet would also be banned.

However, there would be an exception for some exotic pets already owned by residents. Those pet owners would be able to keep their animals if they register them with animal control, officials said.

Officials said the ban would aim to prevent humans from getting hurt and animals from being mistreated.

Arlington officials said in their release that D.C., Fairfax, Prince William and Montgomery counties all already have similar laws on the books.
During a board meeting Saturday, Arlington County Board members will consider a request to advertise a March 18 public hearing on the issue.
Arlington residents will also be able to comment several other ways:
By using Arlington's online CiviComment tool.

Mail or hand-deliver comments to: Arlington County Department of Human Services, Attn: Lyn Hainge, 2100 Washington Blvd., Second Floor, Arlington, VA 22204.

Speak at the (proposed) public hearing, which would be held March 18 at 8:30 a.m. in the County Board Room (2100 Clarendon Blvd., third floor, Arlington).
Email comments to animals@arlingtonva.us.

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Some People Remove Their Cats’ Claws: One State May Soon Call That Animal Cruelty


In 1952, the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association published a letter to the editor from a Chicago veterinarian named A.G. Misener, who described a surgery his practice had been performing on cats: the removal of their front claws.

“This is a relatively simple surgical procedure,” Misener wrote, “and, we believe, a practical measure.”

That letter was the genesis of what Minnesota veterinarian Ron Gaskin, who considers himself a historian of cat declawing, calls a “Chicago urban legend” — a surgery that was dreamed up in one clinic and ended up being adopted by practitioners across the United States.

“It was never investigated for long-term safety, or whether it generated pain later on in life,” Gaskin said of declawing’s origins. “It was never researched that way.”

To read more on this story, click here: Some People Remove Their Cats Claws One State May Soon Call That Animal Cruelty


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Rabbit Hoarder, Dorota Trec Gets 45 Days in Jail for Animal Cruelty


Dorota Trec was sentenced Friday in Brooklyn Criminal Court after she was convicted in November of abusing some 100 rabbits she kept in a squalid yard in the Gowanus section.

She had faced up to two years incarceration.

Judge Curtis Farber told Trec that she can’t keep any pets for five years and must undergo psychiatric treatment.

If she violates those terms, she faces a year behind bars.

She also has to pay the ASPCA more than $20,000 for veterinary treatment for the bunnies.




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