The U.S. Postal Service will deliver smiles to cat lovers
later this year thanks to new First-Class Forever stamps that pay tribute to
our friends with fur, fins and feathers.
Among a group of 20 stamps of popular pets who looked into
the lens of Eric Isselée are two photos that celebrates the beauty of our pals
who purr.
Cats have acted as muses (or should that be mewses?) for
postal art since 1887, when Germany issued a stamp which featured a feline
sporting a fish in his mouth. Possibly the first cat to appear with a pet
parent on a stamp, in 1930 the silhouette of a small black kitten named Patsy
starred on a stamp from Italy which honored Charles Lindbergh’s historic flight
in the Spirit of St. Louis. U.S. cat lovers had to wait until 1972 for a feline
to show up on a stamp, according to the book Planet Cat: A Cat-Alog.
Along with the cat and kitten stamps, the upcoming booklet
of First-Class Forever postage also includes such popular companion animals as
puppies and dogs, parrots and parakeets, rabbits, horses, fish, mice, gerbils
guinea pigs and hamsters, geckos, hermit grabs, corn snakes, iguanas and
tortoises.
Pets will be issued as Forever stamps, which are always
equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce price.
Last year, 5,767 postal carriers were bitten by dogs, up
from 5,581 in 2013, and the most attacks happened in warm and sunny Los
Angeles, Houston and San Diego, said Linda DeCarlo, manager of safety for the
U.S. Postal Service. None of the bites caused deaths.
The cities' weather draws pets and people outside and doors
and windows get left open, DeCarlo said. The slight rise in bites also stems
from the popularity of online shopping because postal workers must bring
packages to front doors instead of street-side mailboxes, DeCarlo said.
But the biggest victims are children and senior citizens,
who can be overpowered by dogs. Of the 4.5 million people bitten every year,
more than half are kids, said Dr. Jose Arce, an American Veterinary Medical
Association board member.
Bites kill about 16 people a year. Besides the
postal-worker totals, specific numbers on dog bites are lacking because few
people seek treatment. And no one tracks bites by breed.
National Dog Bite Prevention Week starts Sunday, and this
year's programs launched Thursday. Because children are the most vulnerable and
easily injured, the American Veterinary Medical Association will focus on
teaching kids how to deal with dogs.
What NOT To Do
Stare into a dog's eyes.
Tease a dog.
Approach one that's chained up or injured.
Touch a dog you don't know that's off a leash.
Run or scream if one charges.
Play with a dog while it's eating.
Touch one while it's sleeping.
Get close to one that's nursing puppies.
Leave a small child alone with a dog, even if it's the
family pet.
What TO Do
Ask an owner before petting a dog you don't know.
Let the dog sniff your closed fist before touching it.
Freeze if a dog runs toward you.
Socialize puppies so they are comfortable around people and
other animals.
Use a leash in public.
How Parents Can Help
When the mail arrives, place your pet in a closed room so
it can't go through a window or screen door to possibly attack the carrier.
Tell children not to take mail from the carrier in front of the dog because the
animal could see it as threatening.
Also, teach children to treat dogs with respect and avoid
rough or aggressive play.
What Kids Can Watch
The veterinary group made YouTube videos describing
miscommunication between dogs and kids. A new short will be released each day
through the week. One gap is that most pooches don't like to be hugged. That
helps explain why two-thirds of young victims get bites on the head or neck,
according to the American Humane Association.
Where Bites Happened
Last year, 74 postal-carrier bites were reported in Los
Angeles, followed by Houston with 62 and San Diego with 47, DeCarlo said.
The LA tally rose from 61 bites in 2013, when Houston was
No. 1 with 63. San Diego moved up a notch from two years ago, when 53 postal
workers were bitten.
The Postal Service didn't break down the severity of
injuries, but 1,540 bites kept employees from work for at least a day after the
attack, DeCarlo said.
Insurance Payouts
Bites and other dog-related injuries cost insurers $530
million last year, about a third of their paid claims, the Insurance
Information Institute said.
The number of dog-bite claims decreased 4.7 percent from
2013, but the average cost per claim rose by 15 percent because of higher
medical costs and settlements. The average claim in 2014 was $32,072, up from
$27,862.
