An Overweight Cat Was Rescued from a Foreclosed Home in Sea Isle City, New Jersey

An overweight" cat was rescued last week from a home in Sea Isle City, New Jersey.  Shelter officials told the Press of Atlantic City that when animal control officers found Sprinkles, she was so obese that she couldn't roll over or properly groom herself. At four-years-old, she's weighs approximately 33 pounds…three times her average weight.

"Whatever position she’s in, she can barely move,” Stacy Olandt, a volunteer at the S.O.S. Sea Isle City Cats Shelter, who took Sprinkles.

Local sheriff's deputies found the pretty kitty in shabby condition. She was covered in fleas and mites, suffered from an infection and had "the paws of a 9-pound cat and the body of a 33-pound cat," S.O.S. employee Mary Devery told the New York Daily News.

Her weight is reportedly equivalent to a 700 pound human who should weigh 180 pounds.

Now, that she is getting a full makeover, she'll reportedly undergo a strict diet of four cans of cat food per day, and shelter workers hope she'll lose a pound each month until she reaches her target weight of about 10 pounds, Press of Atlantic City reports. She'll also need a tummy tuck so her excess skin doesn't drag on the floor.

The Daily News reports:

Sprinkles was a little standoffish at first and barely moved but now she seems to be adapting well to her new home. Devery said she is walking round and is friendly to everyone, but because of her girth is unable to climb stairs. Her size also prohibited her from properly grooming herself and Sprinkles entered with infections and a flea infestation.

"She's doing great. She's moving around and she's as friendly as can be," Devery said. "She's purring a lot. She's a very happy girl."

It wasn't immediately clear why she was left in the house, or how she got as big as she is, but you can apply to adopt Sprinkles or other cats from the S.O.S. shelter's adoption page.

If you are interested in adopting Sprinkles, or other cats from the S.O.S. Shelter, visit their adoption page at: S.O.S. Sea Isle City Cats, Inc.

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14-Year-Old Boy with Asperger Syndrome Gets a Shelter Dog…and Hugs His Mom for the First Time

 A Los Angeles mother watched her young son Joey struggle in uncommon ways. In kindergarten, he got suspended from school six times for behavior he couldn't control. Sitting still was torture for him, and sometimes he couldn't resist hitting himself.

His diagnosis at age 7 with Asperger syndrome, a disorder on the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum, rocked Granados' world. Even more challenging was Joey's loathing of physical contact. Granados wanted to hug, kiss and cuddle her son, but she never could. Years went by, and it seemed she never would.

Then, a few months ago, a new friend entered Joey's life. This friend, named Roxy, had fur, four legs, a tail and a goofy disposition, and she made Joey so happy that he did something unthinkable: He gave his mom a big, spontaneous kiss on the cheek.

"I get emotional thinking about it," Granados told TODAY.com. "For all those years, he wouldn't hold my hand, he wouldn't hug me — it was all part of the autism — but this dog has taught him how to give and show affection. He holds my hand now! He hugs me! The first time I got a kiss on the cheek was when Roxy came home."

Joey, now 14, said his new dog has made everything easier for him.

"I didn't have too many friends growing up, but then we got Roxy and I've been able to make friends ever since," Joey said. "At home, I've been able to hold my mom's hand, kiss her, hug her and do a lot of things that I hadn't been able to do growing up.

"She's opened up my heart."

A little more than a year ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released estimates showing that one in 68 U.S. children has an autism diagnosis. Autism is nearly five times more common among boys than girls; one in 42 boys has it.

"Over the past 10 years, we've seen a 100 percent increase of autism," said Lisa Goring, an executive vice president with the advocacy organization Autism Speaks. Goring said one reason for the spike is growing awareness of the developmental disorder, which is resulting in more people being diagnosed.

But that alone doesn't explain the startling rise. "We know there's a genetic component, but there's also an environmental trigger," Goring said. "We don't know what that environmental trigger is."

No two autism cases are quite the same. Joey, for example, is a math whiz who can solve complex puzzles in minutes and recite a book from memory after reading it once. His mother knows Joey will be able to drive a car, hold down a job and live on his own someday.

"Learning is the easiest thing for him — it's the social situations that are difficult," said Granados, 36, a single mother of three boys. "He has a hard time reading social cues or facial expressions, and there's awkwardness around making friends. Before Roxy, he wouldn't even play or get along with his two little brothers."

A photo on the Internet led Joey to his new best friend. Joey had been asking his mom for a dog, and she saw that the Best Friends Pet Adoption & Spay/Neuter Center in Los Angeles was planning an event where a shelter dog could be adopted for $10.

"We were looking through pictures online, and Roxy's picture made us fall in love with her," Granados recalled.

Granados and Joey arrived at Best Friends at 7 a.m. on the big day. Within minutes, sparks flew.

"As soon as Roxy met Joey, she totally ignored me and his mother," said adoptions specialist Denise Landaverde. "Amanda was happily surprised to see Roxy go straight to Joey and watch them play together. It just sealed the deal for her."

Roxy is a soft gray pit bull with floppy ears and a playful personality. Granados confessed that she was nervous at first because she had heard bad things about pit bulls. But Roxy's immediate connection with Joey made her melt.

"She is literally his best friend," Granados said. "He can be in the foulest mood, and she comes along and it's like a light. She doesn't care about his differences — there's no judgment with her — she just loves him."

Joey agreed. "If I've been having a bad day, Roxy can hear a tone in my voice," he said. "She runs up to me to give me a giant hug and lick me to death and do almost anything she can to make me happy."

Encouraging study results

Research about the effects of companion animals on kids with autism is limited, but heartening. A 2014 study revealed that pet dogs can give children with autism much-needed companionship and help them learn responsibility. And a 2013 study showed children with autism were more likely to talk, laugh, make eye contact and show other positive social behaviors in the presence of guinea pigs than in the presence of toys.

Still, dogs are not a cure-all, cautioned Dr. Rolanda Maxim, director of developmental pediatrics at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine. Maxim started a dog therapy clinic to help children with autism, and she's seen it do wonders for kids — with some caveats.

"It won't work if the child is very aggressive to animals, does not like dogs or is afraid of or allergic to dogs," Maxim noted. "Special connections can happen, but the child needs the opportunity to meet and choose the dog, and the dog also has to like the child."

That's precisely what happened between Joey and Roxy — and Joey's mom has a theory about why.

"Kids with autism are looked at differently and misunderstood, and so are pit bulls," Granados said. "I think that's why they've bonded!"

Joey said he's just grateful to have Roxy in his life: "It's amazing to have a friend like this."

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Most Common Triggers That Induced Seizures in Cats

The United Kingdom-based charity International Cat Care reached out to veterinary specialists after receiving surprising complaints from cat owners: Their feline companions were apparently having seizures in response to high-pitched sounds.

A study of these cats revealed that the sound-induced seizures were more common in older cats, and the most common triggers were crinkling tinfoil, hitting a ceramic bowl with a metal spoon and tapping glass.

Mark Lowrie and Laurent Garosi, veterinary neurologists at Davies Veterinary Specialists in England, and Robert Harvey, a molecular neuroscientist and geneticist at the University College London School of Pharmacy, decided to survey cat owners about the phenomenon, which has been dubbed "Tom and Jerry syndrome," after the cartoon character Tom, who often responds to startling sounds with involuntary jerks. [Feline Fun: 10 Surprising Facts About Cats]

Hundreds of cat owners from around the world replied that they had noticed their cats were having seizures in response to certain types of sounds. Most owners' vets didn't know what was causing the seizures and didn't believe a sound had been the trigger.

In a study published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, the researchers looked at data from 96 cats, including the type of seizure, how long it lasted and what sound appeared to trigger it. They found that some cats — like some humans — suffer from seizures caused by sound, known as "audiogenic reflex seizures." In the cats, certain sounds triggered absence (or nonconvulsive) seizures; myoclonic seizures, characterized by brief muscle jerks; or generalized tonic-clonic seizures, in which the animal loses consciousness and its body stiffens and jerks for several minutes.

Both pedigree and nonpedigree cats can have these seizures, but they were most common in Birman-breed cats. Seizures were also more common in cats ages 10 to 19, and the average age of onset was 15 years, the researchers said.

The sounds that triggered the seizures ran the gamut, including crinkling tinfoil (82 cats), a metal spoon clanking on a ceramic food bowl (79 cats), chinking or tapping glass (72 cats), crinkling paper or plastic bags (71 cats), computer keyboard or mouse sounds (61 cats), jingling coins or keys (59 cats), hammering a nail (38 cats) and the clicking of an owner's tongue (24 cats). Less commonly, cellphone ringing, Velcro peeling or a walk across a wooden floor with bare feet could trigger the kitty seizures.

Owners could sometimes prevent the seizures by avoiding these sounds, but that wasn't always possible. Louder sounds also seemed to make the seizures more intense.

The researchers have identified this cat version of sound-triggered seizures as feline audiogenic reflex seizures, or FARS for short. Future work will focus on the genetic basis of the disorder and how to treat it.

The epilepsy medication levetiracetam can be an effective treatment for managing FARS, and could "completely rid" a cat of sound-induced seizures, the researchers said.

"How wonderful to be able to go back to those worried owners who came to us for help with a problem previously unrecognized by the veterinary profession with not only an explanation for their cats' behaviors, but a way to help them as well," Claire Bessant, chief executive of International Cat Care, said in a statement.

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The Latest Trend Among Dog Owners in Taiwan, Looks Just as Funny as it Sounds – Square and Round Dog Haircuts

It may look absurd, but a bizarre new dog grooming trend is beginning to take shape in Taiwan.

The craze involves having your pet pooch shaped into a sphere or a square - with the desired effect being a more eye-grabbing and clean-cut look.

The latest trend among dog owners in Taiwan looks just as funny as it sounds – square and round dog haircuts! Dogs, typically Poodles, are having the fur on their heads sculpted into perfect circles or squares, and the results are posted online in what might be the first “my dog has a rounder head than yours” competition ever.

The first records of dog grooming in the West are from the Elizabethan era (16th c.), but the French were the first to really embrace it. The Poodle was the official dog of the French court in the 1700’s, where dog-only salons also sculpted their fur in wild and extreme ways.

In a method reminiscent of Edward Scissorhands's trimming of a hedge, canine hairdressers in the Taiwanese capital Taipei are giving particularly furry customers outlandish makeovers.

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The FDA Has Announced a Recall for a Nylabone Puppy Starter Kit That May be Contaminated with Salmonella

Routine testing by the Nylabone company found Salmonella present in one of these kits, and you shouldn’t take a chance on them. If your dog has consumed a Nylabone affected by this recall, you should definitely call your vet.

Salmonella is a bacteria that can affect dogs, cats, and humans with dangerous symptoms.  Watch for the signs! If your puppy has been exposed, keep an eye on her for fever, lethargy, diarrhea and vomiting, dehydration, and shock. For that matter, keep an eye on yourself and anyone who has handled the treat or the dog for similar symptoms.

The affected Nylabones are a 1.69 oz. package specifically for puppies, like the one pictured below, and have been distributed across the U.S. and in Canada. The package will be marked as Lot #21935, UPC 0-18214-81291-3, and an expiration date of 3/22/18. The Puppy Starter Kit should not be used at any cost, and you can take it back to the store you bought it from for a full refund.

  

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A Woman Made a Terrifying Discovery Last Week Outside a Goodwill Center: She Found a Box with Three Puppies Trapped Inside, Cruelly Marked 'Stuffed Animals'

A woman made a terrifying discovery last week outside a Goodwill center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, when she came across a box with three puppies trapped inside.

The box, labeled "stuffed animals," was taped shut and found by the concerned citizen on the afternoon of April 18th, said Jamie Lampman, executive director of the McKamey Animal Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

"As they got in the car they saw the box moving," Lampman said. "It was taped pretty solid. When they popped a hole in the box, all the noses popped out. They were covered in urine and it was about 83 to 85 degrees that day."

The puppies, who are all estimated to be 9 to 12-weeks-old, were immediately brought to the shelter by the woman.

Leslie Stokes, an animal service officer who's investigating the case, said that she's relying on tips from the public to eventually prosecute those responsible.

"We have dozens of leads coming in from Tennessee and Georgia," Stokes said. "It happened in the middle of the day, so someone had to see something. We are trying to get surveillance video from someone at Goodwill to see if there were any cars that pulled in."

Despite the horror they endured, Green said the puppies' health statuses are improving.

"They were pretty dehydrated and haven’t had a lot of nutrition, but they are flourishing," she said. "Within 48 hours they started to act like puppies again. They’ve really stolen a lot of hearts."

The three female puppies, who were given the names Greta Garbo, Bette Davis, and Marilyn Monroe, have already been requested for adoption by many.

"We've been calling them 'the Goodwill' puppies," Green said.

A representative of Chattanooga Goodwill Industries, Inc. released the following statement to ABC News regarding the incident.

“Chattanooga Goodwill Industries is grateful for the quick thinking and reaction of a “good Samaritan” who noticed and rescued the three puppies that were recently placed in a taped-up box and left on a sidewalk in the near vicinity of one of our donation center trailers. And we are thankful that McKamey Animal Care Center was able to take in and care for the puppies.

The attendant on duty that day was not approached or contacted by the woman who found the box or by the McKamey Animal Care Center. The attendant was unaware of the situation since the box was not found in the immediate area of the donation trailer. It is the policy of Chattanooga Goodwill Industries that one’s immediate supervisor be contacted if an animal is left at any of our donation sites.”

There's currently a reward for $4,000 to whomever can lead the McKamey Animal Center and or the Chattanoga Police to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for abandoning the puppies.

To donate to the cause, visit McKamey Animal Center  FOLLOW US!

Adorable Green Sea Turtle Photobombs a Group of Friends Vacationing Near the Apo Island

Tourist Diovani de Jesus was busy taking a photo with his friends near the Apo Island in the Philippines when a green sea turtle popped up and looked askance at the camera.

“We were posing for a group photo at Apo Island when this sea turtle surfaced to breathe and photobombed!' de Jesus wrote in his blog.

Green sea turtles, which are endangered, are one of the largest sea turtles and are named for the greenish color of their cartilage and fat, not their shells. Green turtles are found in tropical and subtropical waters and lmigrate long distances between feeding grounds and the beaches from where they hatched. They come to Apo Island to feed, which has one of the world's best-known community-managed Marine Protected Areas.

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For the First Time in 100 Years, Baby Pinzón Giant Tortoises Have Hatched on the Galapagos Islands

For the first time in 100 years, baby Pinzón giant tortoises have hatched on the Galapagos Islands. Their births represent a small step forward for the vulnerable species.

On an expedition to Pinzón Island in 1970, scientists found only 19 adult tortoises. Conservationists transferred those tortoises to Santa Cruz Island, where they began a captive breeding program, before returning the young tortoises back to Pinzón Island.

Forty-four years after the expedition, a group of conservationists discovered six young Pinzón hatchlings on Pinzón Island in December.

Dr. James Gibbs, one of the conservationists who visited Pinzón in December, tells Mashable: "This discovery is testament to the dedication and hard work of the Galapagos National Park Service over the last 40 years in rescuing several tortoise species from the point of extinction and putting them back on the path to a strong, albeit slow but steady, recovery."

Danny Rueda, who manages conservation and restoration of ecosystems in the Galapagos, told the Associated Press that there are currently 650 juvenile and adult tortoises on the island.

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