Jake Perry’s Cats Often Live More Than 30 Years: The Secret to Feline Longevity

Jake Perry’s cats live the good life. And they live it for a long time. One of Perry’s felines—Granpa Rexs Allen, who lived to be 34—broke the Guinness World Record for oldest cat in 1998. Seven years later, his kitty Crème Puff topped that record, living to be 38. Plenty more of his cats have made it to at least 30, while, on average, cats live to be 12 to 15 years old.

In a profile in Atlas Obscura, Christina Couch writes that she first met Perry when he fixed her bathtub in 2012. It was then that he shared some of his secrets for feline longevity:

A breakfast of eggs, turkey bacon, broccoli and coffee … with cream

A splash of red wine to “circulate the arteries”

Stimulation by way of nature documentaries screened in his garage-turned-theater

Lots of love and attention

The regimen, says Perry’s vet, “is not what they taught us in school.” He speculates the diuretic effects of the caffeine may help kidney function, though Couch notes that the science behind Perry’s regimen is “shaky at best.” And an animal nutrition expert cautions that caffeine and alcohol can be harmful.

Perry, 85, recently beat pancreatic cancer himself, and he still has a cat: Jean Claude Van Damme, age 19. These days, however, the title of the oldest living cat belongs to one named Corduroy, KTVZ reports. The 26-year-old Main coon mix lives in Sisters, Ore.

“I really think the key to (Corduroy’s) longevity is, I’ve always allowed him to be a cat,” says his owner. “We’ve kept his claws (and) it’s allowed him to go outside and defend himself and also hunt.” Read more about Perry and his pets HERE.

Three-Month-Old Abused/Abandoned Pit Bull Puppy Needs Your Help With His Surgery: Please Share His Story

Pickles is just three months old, and already life is an uphill battle for him.  Not only has he suffered abuse at the hands of some horrible humans, but was dumped on the side of the road and left for dead as well.  After being rescued, doctors discovered a heart condition that requires immediate surgery for him to survive, and grow up to be trained as a therapy dog.

 Some good Samaritans came across Pickles after he was abandoned.  They weren’t sure just what to do with the poor little guy, so they called Nikki Johnson.  Johnson has fostered a great deal of dogs over the past few years, and knows just what to do in these situations.

“I had sent the information to my boyfriend and said I think we could potentially foster this guy,” said Johnson.  “He won’t take long to find a home, he’s a puppy, super cute.”

  

Johnson immediately noticed signs of abuse on Pickles.  There was scarring where his ears had been cut, forcing him to have to wear a special hat while in the rain to protect him.

“They only cut the ears off to make them look mean.  That’s why they do that to pit bulls,” said Johnson.

One would figure the little guy to be terrified of people because of what he was put through.  However, Johnsons says that’s not really the case.  In fact, she believes that he could become an amazing therapy dog if trained properly.

“I think anybody would be terrified of people if you were held down as a child and your ears cut off,” said Johnson.  “But he loves everybody.”

  

Johnson took Pickles in to see the doctors, and that’s when his heart condition was discovered.  He has stage 5 pulmonic stenosis, which is potentially fatal.  Vanessa Rangel-Miller also has a dog with the same medical condition as Pickles, and knows all too well the dangers it comes along with.

  

“He was already abused, left by the side of the road,” said Rangel-Miller.  “Then we find out that there’s even more, that he has medical conditions.”

She is trying to spread the word about Pickles and his condition, reaching out to the community for help with getting him cared for.  She also strongly believes that Pickles could be a great therapy dog.  His sweet and loving temperament would be just right.

“This dog has the potential to really help a lot of other people and a lot of other kids, and I’d like to do anything I can to make that happen,” said Rangel-Miller.

Johnson is very thankful for the help in reaching out to the community.  She’s amazed that so many people already have helped out with Pickles’ care.  If you’d like to see more about Pickles, watch his progress or donate to the cause, you can check out his special Facebook page, click HERE. 

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All the Missing Horses: What Happened to the Wild Horses Tom Davis Bought From the Gov’t?

Update, Oct. 26, 2015: Three years ago, we revealed that the federal government, which is supposed to protect wild horses, was instead selling them to an advocate of horse slaughter. It wasn't clear what happened to the horses after that. Now it is: a government report has found that 1,700 protected horses were killed.

The Bureau of Land Management faced a crisis this spring.

The agency protects and manages herds of wild horses that still roam the American West, rounding up thousands of them each year to keep populations stable.

But by March, government pens and pastures were nearly full. Efforts to find new storage space had fallen flat. So had most attempts to persuade members of the public to adopt horses. Without a way to relieve the pressure, the agency faced a gridlock that would invite lawsuits and potentially cause long-term damage to the range.

So the BLM did something it has done increasingly over the last few years. It turned to a little-known Colorado livestock hauler named Tom Davis who was willing to buy hundreds of horses at a time, sight unseen, for $10 a head.

The BLM has sold Davis at least 1,700 wild horses and burros since 2009, agency records show -- 70 percent of the animals purchased through its sale program.

Like all buyers, Davis signs contracts promising that animals bought from the program will not be slaughtered and insists he finds them good homes.

But Davis is a longtime advocate of horse slaughter. By his own account, he has ducked Colorado law to move animals across state lines and will not say where they end up. He continues to buy wild horses for slaughter from Indian reservations, which are not protected by the same laws. And since 2010, he has been seeking investors for a slaughterhouse of his own.

 "Hell, some of the finest meat you will ever eat is a fat yearling colt," he said. "What is wrong with taking all those BLM horses they got all fat and shiny and setting up a kill plant?"

Animal welfare advocates fear that horses bought by Davis are being sent to the killing floor.

To read more on this story, click here: All the Missing Horses: What Happened to the Wild Horses Tom Davis Bought From the Gov’t?

Washington, DC - Looking to Add a Furry Member to Your Family? Adoption Fee Only $20.16 at the Washington Humane Society – December 19 - 24

Have you been thinking about adding a furry member to your family?

Open your heart and home to a furry friend this holiday season! From December 19-24, it's just $20.16 to adopt!!

Find our adoptable animals at www.washhumane.org/adopt ‪#‎AdoptDC ‪#‎AdoptWHS

*Standard adoption procedures apply

From the Author:

I know first hand that the Washington Humane Society has some of the most adorable animals available for adoption.

I took advantage of one of their events back in September 2013. I adopted my adorable Jonas, a Shih Tzu/Yorkie mix, at 9-months-old for only $21. Best $21… I have ever spent!

Get a head start and take a look at some on the animals available now….Available Animals 

If you are not looking for a cat or dog, they also have other small animals available for adoption.

Please share with family, friends and co-workers!

Why You Should Not Scare Cats with Cucumbers: Startling Cats Can Cause Them to Injure Themselves or Become Chronically Stressed

There is a new viral craze that has hit the internet and apparently there are some people who think this is adorable. It’s nothing more than low-grade animal cruelty.  National Geographic reports that we should not be scaring our cats with cucumbers.

According to Upvoted, the first cat-scared-by-cucumber video appears to have been uploaded in May and went viral by July or so. Countless others followed, to the point where Reddit has an entire Cucumbers Scaring Cats community. The idea behind these videos is that if you put a cucumber behind a cat, it'll freak out when it sees it. But experts say that's bad for the cats, with some calling the videos "cruel" and "despicable," National Geographic reports.

"If you cause stress to an animal, that's probably not a good thing," animal behaviorist Jill Goldman tells National Geographic. "If you do it for laughs, it makes me question your humanity." She says startling cats can cause them to injure themselves or become chronically stressed. But why exactly are cats scared of cucumbers? Goldman says it's simply a natural reaction to seeing an object where they aren't used to seeing it. A number of animal experts tell Upvoted it could also be because cats associate the cucumbers with snakes, and their brains—like the brains of all mammals—are reportedly predisposed to fear snakes. Veterinary behaviorist Dr. Katherine Houpt says that's unlikely, as cats hunt snakes in the wild. Regardless, she agrees: Stop scaring your cats with cucumbers.

Remember Precious, the Dog that Stood Guard Over Her Injured Owner During House Fire? She is Up for Adoption: Please Share Her Story

A loyal pit bull who stood guard over her injured owner is up for adoption after the family who took her in found they were unable to care for her.

The dog, Precious, guarded her unconscious owner after fire broke out at their Landover Hills, Maryland, home earlier this month. Precious stood guard over her even after fire crews arrived at the home — but she ended up at an animal shelter with her puppy, Molly, because of Prince George's County's ban on their breed.

The next day, Precious and Molly found a new home with their owner's sister, Megan Sanchez, who lives in Montgomery County.

"She just wanted to protect her mommy; that's all," Sanchez said about Precious. "And her house."

But Sanchez and her family soon found they were unable to care for Precious or her puppy. They were able to rehome Molly, but Precious was left without a family. That's when a friend contacted Jessica Stuby and her organization, Babes 4 Bullies, for help.

Stuby said Precious has been amazing companion since she began fostering her.

"She's doing great. She's actually at work with me. She's been a wonderful companion," Stuby said.

Precious suffered from smoke inhalation as a result of the fire and also had fleas. Stuby said she wants to give Precious time to recuperate and will focus on finding her a home in the new year.

On Dec. 2, Precious made headlines for her act of devotion. In fact, firefighters said they had trouble getting to her owner — who was hurt in the fire and lying unconscious on the front lawn — because the loyal dog was standing over her.

Firefighters tried to call Precious away, but she wouldn't budge and acted aggressively when they approached. They eventually deployed a powder fire extinguisher in her direction, causing Precious to run away and giving them time to get the woman onto a stretcher.

Stuby hopes Precious' story will help change the law that kept her from returning to her owner.

"I think the main important goal isn't to rehome, but that her story can change people's mind about the breed," Stuby said. "She's not just an amazing dog — this breed is an amazing breed."

For more information on Precious, contact Babes 4 Bullies at info@babes4bullies.com

You may be interested in reading:

A Dog Belonging to the Victim of a House Fire Stood Guard Over His Injured Owner: Fire Officials Say the Man is Expected to be Okay

Loyal Pit Bull Who Refused to Leave Unconscious Owner’s Side After Fire, Finds a New Home

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