In 50 years, Billie Eilish will be turning 69 years old, technology will likely be unrecognizable, and the world may have lost ⅓ of all its plant and animal species. A new study has found that warming temperatures will likely cause hundreds of species to go extinct. Researchers at the University of Arizona analyzed 538 plant and animal species from around the world, 44% of which already faced local extinctions in at least one area in the world. What they discovered is that the areas that suffered from species extinctions had "larger and faster changes in hottest yearly temperatures than those without." To read more on this story, click here:⅓ Of Animal And Plant Species Might Go Extinct Due To Climate Change
Eating one’s own stool, a behavior also known as coprophagia, is common in dogs but very rare in cats. Dogs are notorious for eating things that humans find extremely distasteful, stool included. However cats do not normally eat their own stool, and when they do this type of behavior could be a sign of an underlying mental problem. Cats that have been severely abused or kept in extremely unsanitary conditions with little food or water may have picked up the practice of coprophagia as a survival mechanism. Even though the cat is now in a safe place, it may still feel like it is necessary to eat its own stool. Young cats and kittens may also develop coprophagia from a type of mental disorder. Cats are prone to developing mental disorders, such as obsessive compulsive disorder, and coprophagia in cats could be a manifestation of some type of mental disorder. Kittens may also confuse their own stool with food, and it may take them awhile to realize that their stool is not food. If our cat is eating its own stool, have your cat examined by a veterinarian to ensure first that no medical conditions are causing the behavior. Keeping the litter boxes clean, and making sure that your cat feels safe and secure in its environment, may help to reduce further incidences of coprophagia. Did you know that mother cats eat kittens feces while kittens are suckling on the mother? It's perfectly normal and quite safe in that a mother cat licks her kittens' bottoms while and just after a kitten has nursed on her. They do this to stimulate the kitten to wee and poop as kittens don't have an automatic nerve self stimulus to do so until they are about 3 - 4 weeks old. If the mother cat does not do this the kitten will stop feeding, get very poorly, get blood poisoning and die. The mother cat swallows her kittens' defecation at this time to keep her nursing nest clean. The kittens' wee and poop at this age are so small that it's almost undetectable.
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Mexico City, Mexico - The Chapultepec zoo in Mexico City says that Xin Xin and Shuan Shuan are the only giant pandas in the world not owned by China. They were born in captivity in Mexico and although they have Chinese names, "they belong to Mexico," said Rafael Tinajero, a manager at the zoo. They are the main attractions at the Chapultepec zoo in Mexico City, and what makes them unique is that they are not owned by China. Many young pandas born abroad in captivity are later repatriated to China, where the species originates. But Xin Xin and Shuan Shuan, with their plump bodies and tender expressions, will be staying put. They are the last in the line of a panda couple -- Ying Ying and Pe Pe -- loaned to Mexico by the Chinese government in 1975. Since 1980, China has operated a different policy in which it only lends pandas for a short time and in return for a payment towards wild panda conservation efforts. The panda is considered a vulnerable species. As Ying Ying and Pe Pe arrived in Mexico before China changed its policy, Xin Xin and Shuan Shuan will stay in Mexico. "With that, Mexico became the first country outside of China to have had a successful natural reproduction of pandas outside their natural habitat, in captivity conditions," said Tinajero. He said eight more pandas were born in Mexico between 1980 and 1990 but only four of those survived. Giant pandas typically live until about 20 in the wild and 30 in captivity. They average around 100-115 kilograms (220-250 pounds) and adults stand between 1.2 to 1.9 meters (4-6 feet) tall. Males can weigh as much as 160 kilograms.
WAUCHULA, Fla. (AP) — A orangutan named Sandra, who was granted legal personhood by a judge in Argentina and later found a new home in Florida, celebrated her 34th birthday on Valentine's Day with a special new primate friend. Patti Ragan, director of the Center for Great Apes in Wauchula, Florida, says Sandra “has adjusted beautifully to her life at the sanctuary” and has befriended Jethro, a 31-year-old male orangutan. Prior to coming to Florida, Sandra had lived alone in a Buenos Aires zoo. Sandra was a bit shy when she arrived at the Florida center, which is home to 22 orangutans. To read more on this story, click here:Orangutan Granted 'Personhood' Turns 34, Makes New Friend
The study claims the turtles themselves were estimated to weigh 2,500 pounds, which is almost 100 times the weight of its closing living relative. About five to ten million years ago, giant turtles lived in freshwater swamps in South America. Researchers recently found shells of the extinct turtles called Stupendemys. The massive shells reach nearly 10 feet in length. The study claims the turtles themselves were estimated to weigh 2,500 pounds, which is almost 100 times the weight of its closing living relative, the big-headed Amazon river turtle. To read more on this story, click here:Researchers Discover Biggest Turtle That Ever Lived Had 10 Foot Shell, Horns
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I guess I was lucky. I never had this problem. My dogs where shih tzu, and shed very little. My brother’s cat…now that’s a different story! The cat had his own chair…and you knew not to sit in it. I used to tease my brother and ask if he had two cats! He tried everything and finally got a hand vacuum cleaner that seemed to work for him. When we think of pets that shed hair, we think of dogs and cats. Dogs: Shedding is a natural process for a dog. Shedding allows a new coat to come in, however, it can be different amongst different breeds of dogs, some with a longer coat may shed more often, while some with a shorter coat may shed little. The point of shedding is to get rid of the current fur coat and allow a new one to grow in its place. It is important that dogs shed because it keeps the hair healthy, when a new coat comes through it is getting rid of the old coat which usually contains dirt and is generally quite unhealthy. Cats: This is a normal event in the life of a cat and it is largely influenced by daylight. There is a word for this phenomenon: photoperiod. The number of hours a cat is exposed to sunlight in a day (photoperiod) triggers the shedding process. It is more noticeable in outdoor cats in the spring and fall. Did you know that Chinchillas, Rabbits and Horses shed? Chinchillas - All chinchillas shed year-round, with increased fur loss during spring and summers. Shedding hair tends to drop off chinchillas with thinner coats, so they only require infrequent combing. Rabbits - Rabbits shed every 3 months. Every alternate time they'll have a light shedding that may not be very noticeable. Next they'll have a heavy shedding that you will not be able to escape. Bald spots on rabbits are quite common when they are shedding. Horses - Just like dogs and other animals, horses shed because of temperature change. Horses shed so that their body feels comfortable during the hot months. Tips to get hair off of furniture:
Pet hair clings to furnishing because of static electricity, so you want to break the static bond.
Good Housekeeping says a handy tool to get hair off upholstered furniture: rubber gloves. Put on a clean pair, dampen, and run your hands over cushions (for silk, use dry gloves).
Heloise says, We love our messy and oh-so hairy pets. They seem to leave hair everywhere, mainly on our furniture. You can prevent much of this by brushing/combing and washing pets regularly. However, if you see hairy remains on your couch or chairs, here are several ways to remove it. Wipe a lightly dampened clean sponge over it to lift off. You also can swipe the rubber bottom (sole) of a tennis sneaker to lift up hair or roll a couple of lengths of tape around your hand (sticky side out) to pick up small amounts of hair.
Here is a trick that I heard of, but have never tried. Lightly spray water on the furniture to break the static cling, then vacuum. Not too much, you don’t want to soak your vacuum cleaner bag.
Use a damp sponge and the hair pulls right off. You have to make sure it is not really wet.
If it's not an extreme amount... I've used tape...real good sticky tape... wrap it around your hand with the sticky side "out"...and start patting the furniture.... tape picks up the animal hair! Might have to use this a few times to get it all... Also a good "fun" way to get the kids to help!
Vacuum, vacuum vacuum - at least 2 times a day.
All shedding problems can be helped by regular grooming. If you think your animal is shedding excessively, take him or her to the vet. It can be a symptom of some underlying health problem, such as a thyroid imbalance.
The Mayor of Denver has vetoed a vote to repeal the city's long-standing pit bull ban. Mayor Michael Hancock said on Friday in a letter to City Council that after hearing from thousands of residents on the issue and carefully considering the matter, he could not "in good conscience support this legislation." The Denver City Council on Monday voted to amend a code that banned pit bulls entirely from the Colorado capital. The amendment passed 7-4. The ban has been in place for some 30 years. Hancock said he spoke to experts in veterinary care and animal control to get a better understanding of what the change could have meant for the city. "At the end of the day, I must ask whether passage of this ordinance would make our homes and neighborhoods safer or pose an increased risk to public safety? I have concluded that it would pose an increased risk," his letter read. To read more on this story, click here:Pit Bull Ban in Denver Remains After Mayor Vetoes Vote to Repeal
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BEIJING (AP) — China cracked down on the sale of exotic species after an outbreak of a new virus in 2002 was linked to markets selling live animals. The germ turned out to be a coronavirus that caused SARS. The ban was later lifted, and the animals reappeared. Now another coronavirus is spreading through China, so far killing 1,380 people and sickening more than 64,000 — eight times the number sickened by SARS. The suspected origin? The same type of market. With more than 60 million people under lockdown in more than a dozen Chinese cities, the new outbreak is prompting calls to permanently ban the sale of wildlife, which many say is being fueled by a limited group of wealthy people who consider the animals delicacies. The spreading illness also serves as a grim reminder that how animals are handled anywhere can endanger people everywhere. To read more on this story, click here:Virus Renews Safety Concerns About Slaughtering Wild Animals
It is one of Canada’s stealthiest predators, so spotting a single lynx is rare enough for travelers in the country’s hinterland. But a driver in the western province of Manitoba recently managed to capture on video an entire family of the wild cats as they crossed the road. Shaun Kirchmann was travelling along Highway 6 from Grand Rapids to Winnipeg, when a silhouette close to the tree line caught his eye. The Manitoba Hydro employee pulled over to the side of the road, hopeful the shape he had spotted would move closer into view. Moose and deer are common sights along much of the country’s highway systems, and wolves and coyotes can occasionally be seen too. But Kirchmann was shocked as a mother lynx and her five kittens emerged from the trees, cautiously padding through the snow towards the highway. “It was one, two, three … I just kept seeing heads poke out of the bushes and I was just stunned. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s a family of lynx.’ But I’d never heard of this many lynx being together,” Kirchmann told CBC News. The wild cats, known for their distinctive black-tipped ears, spend much of their life hidden in thick forest, and are rarely seen in groups, making Kirchmann’s sighting all the more special. Manitoba Hydro shared Kirchmann’s video on Facebook, racking up more than 5,600 views. “Caution: cat crossing. Our employee Shaun Kirchmann filmed this lynx litter on the highway to Grand Rapids after he saw a bunch of little heads peeking from the trees,” said the company. Canadian lynx, which are larger than bobcats, have a large range throughout the country. Their diet consists mainly of snowshoe hare, which has white fur in the winter and brown during the spring and summer. Population numbers remain healthy for the lynx in Canada, but it is considered a threatened species much of the United States, the result of excessive trapping and timber harvest.
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LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — A Florida city shut down a section of a lake Thursday after receiving reports of swarming snakes. Turns out, the slithery creatures were just celebrating Valentine's Day a little early. The Lakeland Parks & Recreation department wrote on its Facebook page that a group of non-venomous water snakes congregated to mate near a traffic roundabout. It included one photo of the lake shoreline, and a closeup shot of a brown snake nestled in leaves. To read more on this story, click here:Mating Snakes Prompt Closure of Part of Florida Park
WHAT HUMAN FOOD CAN CATS EAT, AND WHAT NOT TO FEED CATS Thinking about giving your kitty some of the extras off your plate? Make sure you know what foods are okay for your cat, and which aren’t. With help from CityLeash & Pet360, we’ve compiled this list of foods that are and aren’t okay to feed your cat. Remember, each cat is different and may need different food or diet requirements, so you should contact your veterinarian before changing their diet. WHAT CAN CATS EAT? PROTEINS THAT ARE SAFE FOR CATS Cats are obligate carnivores, which means that they need meat to live. Meat is a great source of protein for your cat. However, too much fat can give your cat a stomachache, so make sure to trim off any excess fatty portions beforehand and to cook all meat thoroughly before you feed it to your cat*. To read more on this story, click here:Human Food For Cats: A Basic Guide
Some basic skills of an office employee include the ability to organize office supplies, answer phones, and work a computer – office kittens Debit and Credit have all of those skills – almost. ‘Hired’ by the finance/IT department of a transportation company in Ohio, the rescue kittens were employed not for their natural ability to play with boxes but to boost office morale. The adorable brother and sister have managed not only to delight their office but the entire internet. Introduced on Reddit by one of their fellow employees, the sweet kitties were caught on camera hiding under and wrestling with an empty box lid. Understandably people wanted to see more of their hijinx. Debit and Credit now have their own Instagram account with 6.2k followers. To read more on this story, click here:Company Adopts 2 Office Kittens, Debit And Credit, To Boost Employee Morale, Succeeds Perfectly (21 Pics)
“Never Declaw a Cat. It’s an Amputation, Not a Manicure.” (TMU) — Classic rock icon Ozzy Osbourne is featured in a new PETA advertisement urging people to not declaw their cats and suggesting that the procedure is like a partial amputation. In the advertisement, Ozzy is depicted with his fingers cut off along with a tagline that reads, “Never Declaw a Cat. It’s an Amputation, Not a Manicure.” To read more on this story, click here:Ozzy Osbourne Appears in New Ad to Discourage Cat Declawing
Dogs are a life-long commitment, plain and simple. Currently, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are launching an investigation following an incident where their defensive tackle, Rakeem Nunez-Roches’ dog was picked up on the side of a busy Florida road. Nunez-Roches, who had been known to breed Pit Bull breed dogs, was alleged to have abandoned the Cane Corso. The poor dog was discovered sitting alone on the road for 36 hours – exhausted and starving. Several people attempted to coax the scared dog into their vehicles but ultimately were unsuccessful. Marianna Montague, a volunteer with Cane Corso Rescue, was finally managed to get the dog and bring her to the Hillsborough County Animal Services, where she was scanned for a chip. That is when they found out that she belonged to Nunez-Roches.
