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Thursday, May 30, 2019

Famous Cat Lovers In History


People have loved–and even worshipped cats–since the beginning of time. We know Cleopatra of Ancient Egypt and her love affair with cats. In fact, the term “cat eyeliner” was another thing she was famous for. But there are a number of cat lovers throughout history that you may not know. Here we will take a look at some of the most famous cat lovers throughout history. Let’s see how many you already knew!

Many of us know the 16th President of the United States for his untimely death and Gettysburg Address. But what you don’t know is that this impressive man was also a crazy cat lover! And better yet, Lincoln was the first president to bring cats to the White House.

To read more on this story, click here; Famous Cat Lovers In History


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Nearly Extinct Pink Dolphin Gives Birth To Pink Calf


Rare pink dolphin mom gave birth to a cute baby dolphin. People call her Pinky, and the animal has been spotted in the Calcasiey river in Louisiana. The pink calf was there, too.

The pink mammal became popular 12 years ago. Captain Erik Rue was the first to spot her.  The video of Pinky and her baby was posted on Pinky’s Facebook page. The dolphins were swimming in front of a big boat in the Calcasieu Ship Channel.

According to experts, Pinky is a Rare River Dolphin who got the pink color from a rare genetic mutation. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed river dolphins as endangered. It’s population is decreasing.


The birth of the calf gives us hope that calves have inherited their mother’s genetic mutation which would help in the effort of increasing the population of rare species.

To read more on this story, click here: Nearly Extinct Pink Dolphin Gives Birth To Pink Calf

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Is Your Dog Depressed?


A once perky pooch may now be listless and withdrawn. Or a dog who previously had the tolerance and patience of Job might have turned aggressive, snapping at the kids or destroying furniture.

Could these be signs of depression?

“It’s hard to know for sure because we can’t ask what they’re feeling, and have no tests to specifically gauge depression in dogs,” says Bonnie Beaver, DVM, of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists and a professor at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. “That’s why it’s important to see a vet whenever your dog experiences any sudden change in behavior — to rule out a possible medical condition ranging from GI upset to cancer. But certainly, there are situations where depression seems to be the only explanation.”

Leading the list, perhaps to no surprise, is loss of a family member. “We definitely can say we see depression in dogs when there’s a death of a person or another pet in that household, or someone moves out,” notes John Ciribassi, DVM, of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior and co-editor of the book Decoding Your Dog.

To read more on this story, click here: Is Your Dog Depressed?

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Man Caught Smuggling Nearly 5,000 Leeches In Luggage


A Niagara Falls, Ont., man has been fined $15,000 after he was caught flying into Canada with a suitcase full of leeches.

Ippolit Bodounov tried to smuggle 4,788 live, medicinal leeches in his carry-on luggage on Oct. 17, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). He'd just flown from Russia to Toronto's Pearson International Airport.

Bodounov carried the leeches in a large reusable grocery bag, said Gerry Brunet, operations manager of ECCC's wildlife enforcement directorate, based in Burlington, Ont. Within that bag were 10 smaller, dampened cloth bags.

A dog working with border agents smelled the leeches, Brunet said. 

"This is our first large-scale illegal leech import," he said, though the ministry sees a lot of illegally imported reptiles, turtles, tortoises and snakes. 

The ministry sent the leeches to the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, where Sebastian Kvist, curator of invertebrate zoology, identified them as Hirudo verbana, a threatened medicinal leech.

To read more on this story, click here: Man Caught Smuggling Nearly 5,000 Leeches In Luggage


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Teach Your Dog To Be Home Alone


Number one canine problem behavior is “home alone.” Don’t panic if someone tells you that your dog suffers from separation anxiety. It’s probably not the case. Anxiety is a serious disorder and most dogs don’t have any anxiety when left alone. They are either under-stimulated and burn their surplus energy by wrecking the furniture, they’re having fun and don’t know that it is wrong to destroy human possessions, or the owners have not taught them the desired routines when left home alone.





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Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Feral Cat Colony Crisis Pits Environmentalists Against Humane Groups


'This is unacceptable behavior for dog owners. Why is it OK for cats?' asks Grant Sizemore, a conservation biologist with the American Bird Conservancy.


UPPER MARLBORO, Md. — Marian Parker pulled her small Hyundai into the parking lot of an Upper Marlboro, Md. strip mall and started her daily mission.

In the cluttered back seat, rested an empty cat cage, several bags of dry pet food, and cases of 22-ounce 'Paws and Claws Turkey and Giblets' dinner cans.

Parker comes daily to feed a colony of about 20 feral cats.

The animals live in a trash-filled, muddy, no-man’s land in the forest behind the shopping center along the banks of the Western Branch near the busy intersection of Routes 301 and 4.

Parker and others have set out overturned plastic storage tubs filled with flea-infested straw in the muddy woods to shelter the cats. Holes are cut in the plastic for the cats to enter.

To read more on this story, click here: Feral Cat Colony Crisis Pits Environmentalists Against Humane Groups


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Octopus Sucked Onto Woman's Face And Wouldn't Let Go As She Tried To Eat It Alive


A young Chinese video blogger known as 'seaside girl Little Seven' recently announced plans to eat a live octopus on her live-stream. However when she lifted the squirming animal up to her mouth, it fought back, planting slimy tentacles against her cheeks. With the creature's suckers stuck to her skin, the woman squealed in pain, and struggled to free herself from its grip.

A 50-second clip from the livestream was published on Kuaishou, China's popular short video platform. The footage begins with the octopus stuck to the girl's face. "Look how hard it's sucking," she remarks, according to The Daily Mail's translation. When the pain sharply increases, she freaks out and cries, squealing "Painful!" and "I can't remove it!"

To read more on this story, click here: Octopus Sucked Onto Woman's Face And Wouldn't Let Go As She Tried To Eat It Alive

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Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Why Do Dogs Sniff Each Other’s Butts?


Every dog owner knows that dogs sniff each other’s butts.  It probably isn’t the most pleasant sight to witness, but it’s just a dog’s way of life.  There are a few reasons why dogs sniff each other’s butts and it really boils down to their sense of smell and communication.

Dogs smell each other when they first meet

When two people meet, they evaluate body language, facial expressions and tone of voice to quickly assess each other.  When two dogs meet, they don’t say hello or shake hands like we do, but they will gather lots of information from each other’s body language. When two dogs meet, they usually walk in circles while scrutinizing each other’s demeanor and posture. Are their ears back? Is their tail wagging?

Dogs use their acute sense of smell to get a an assessment of the dog they’re meeting

Dogs use their keen sense of smell, along with a visual assessment, to get vital information about a new canine acquaintance. The chemical aromas identify gender and mood, and can even communicate what a dog likes to eat. By simply smelling, a dog can determine if a new friend is male or female, happy or aggressive, healthy or ill. Dogs get a general idea about each other with a quick sniff, but get more detailed information by getting up close and personal and that’s where the butts play a part.

The video below, from the “American Chemical Society’s Reactions series” explains this whole butt smelling communication!

To read more on this story, click here: Why Do Dogs Sniff Each Other’s Butts?

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