From our home to yours...

Be sure to turn off the music on your right. We promise that you will love every minute of this little video!

One - imPAWtant - word...

PLEASE don't forget our FURends who need us - PLEASE

Our economy is horrible. Many of us are without a job and worry about how we'll pay next month's bills. It's difficult to imagine how we will care for ourselves, let alone give to charity. But, it doesn't take money to make someone's Christmas brighter, warmer or better. Volunteer at your local animal shelter. Donate a bag of kitty litter (generic). Take a shelter dog for a walk. Brush a shelter kitty and listen to it's gentle purr. Many shelters allow pets up for adoption to spend the holidays with a 'foster family'.

I've barely touched on the many things we can do for animals that are less fortunate than ours. PLEASE don't forget them - they need you more at this time of year when many do not have adequate shelter and need extra kibble to generate the body heat that will keep them alive throughout the cold, winter months.

PURRecious GINGER JASPER needs the POWER of the PAW

We must all gather 'round dear Ginger Jasper to hold him close with the POWER of the PAW.

☺Happy Thanksgiving to all of our FURends far and wide☺

Re-cycle, re-use, re-purpose, re-l♥ve

Help outside kitties stay warm and cozy this winter!

Winter is just around the corner. Do you know of an outside kitty that could use a little paw-up to keep warm when the cold winds blow? Do you have a feral kitty living in your yard? You feed him and love him but he just won't come inside - no matter how bad the weather gets? Do you know of a rescue that is supporting a feral colony?

I don't think I've ever come upon anything as useful and as clever as these winter homes for kitties. If you belong to a rescue group wouldn't it be fun to have a 'work bee' one evening and make a bunch of these for the homeless kitties you know? They'd also be a super fund-raiser for an animal charitable group.

For those of us that are not handy or don't know anyone that is handy with power tools this is a fast, easy and cheap way to help the homeless kitties make it through the winter.

Fast and functional, this is an innovative idea, costing around $30.00, less if you can find some pieces in yard sales and second-hand shops. Finding one plastic bin to fit inside another is the most challenging part of this project. One container should fit inside the other with room still left for polystyrene.

The inner box is an 18 gallon Rubbermaid 'Roughneck Tote' - Lowe's part number: 44894 - cost $5.00. The outer box is a 35 gallon Rubbermaid 'Latching Tote' that is a bit more difficult to find - Lowe's part number: 212261 - cost $15.00. In addition, 1 inch polystyrene sheets - cost of about $10.00 for a total of about $30.00 depending on your product sources.

If you have difficulty cutting the durable plastic, blew hot air from a hairdryer on the area where you wish to cut. The plastic will 'cut like butter'.

For additional warmth from the winter winds, consider surrounding the shelter with bails of straw. Homes insulated with 18 inch wide bails of straw can save up to 75% on heating & cooling costs. Just think what that could do for the cats!

Place shelters where they will be protected from wind and snow drifts -- particularly those without protective flaps over the door(s) -- otherwise snow could blow in and bury or trap the cats. If there are fixed objects, such as buildings in your feral cat shelter area, pay attention to the way the winds tend to circulate, and place the shelters where there is the least amount of blowing & drifting snow. This could be a lifesaver, particularly for those who endure extreme winter weather, where roads may be impassable for 1-2 days.

Depending on predators and other animals or hazards in your area, some cats may not use shelters unless there are two exits -- one for them to sneak out should another unwanted animal enter. Consider an emergency exit with a flap that opens from the inside only.

Happy building! I know that the outside kitties will be so thankful for their cozy homes.

Autumn in northern Michigan - food for the ♥ and soul

We interrupt our blog FUR a public service announcement

♥Ooo la-la, French kittens having the time of their lives♥

You have probably forgotten more of your high school French than you remember but you won't need a translator for you to smile and fall in l♥ve with these adorable kittens. What a clever commercial. (Be sure to turn off my music to the right on my sidebar to completely enjoy this sweet video.)

♥Let's all stand up and give a few head-butts to ML♥

For all she does and all she gives, we hope that this weekend ML will sip a little 'nip, listen to a few purrs, circle in her favorite blankie, enjoy a few head-butts and relax.

WE DID IT! We are imPAWtant and THEY know it!

We did it, fellow canines and felines and tweeters and crawlers. WE DID IT! NYC transit has recognized (something that we always knew) that we are imPAWtant to our famblies. Read the LAST LINE!

♥The sweet Miss Peach has completed her Circle of Life♥

We haven't been bloggin' much this summer and know that we have missed mucho news. Tonight momma went to visit some bloggys and found out that darling Miss Peach has completed her Circle of Life. No words can justly tell of our sadness when we heard of her passing. It's not good-bye, Miss Peach, it's, "...see you again."

The beautiful and gentle Miss Peach

Short, sweet and to the point. DO IT!

If you read nothing else today, READ THIS and DO SOMETHING!

Gracie a 16 year old feral cat being forced from the only home shes known needs your help, be a voice for the voiceless!
by SICAW (Staten Island Council For Animal Welfare Inc.) on Thursday, July 14, 2011 at 12:48am

SHARE THIS STORY WITH EVERYONE YOU KNOW!

This is an emergency.

A cat has been living – outdoors – on the campus of Snug Harbor Cultural Center, the jewel of the cultural community of Staten Island, for 16 years. She is herself the daughter of a cat who lived and died on the Snug Harbor campus.
Years ago, some of the tenants of the Harbor paid to have her spayed, vaccinated, etc., and they have been feeding her and paying for necessary veterinary care ever since. They named her “Gracie.”

Gracie is rarely seen during the day, and when approached tends to run away. Nobody has complained about her presence on the campus in 16 years. And we all know that a 16 year old feral cat does not have too many winters left in her; nor can she be domesticated at this point in her life.

Sadly, the management of Snug Harbor has decided, out of the goodness of their hearts, that Gracie must go, and this week they hosed down her hiding place and threw away her food and water bowls. The concerned tenants are terrified that they will trap Gracie and deliver this old, feral cat to CACC, where she will almost certainly be put down – or that they will drive Gracie away from the only home she has ever known. If they do, at her advanced age she will certainly be lost, bewildered, and unable to fend for herself, and will likely starve to death.

WE NEED LETTERS TO THE ADVANCE, COMPLAINING ABOUT SNUG HARBOR’S CRUELTY TO AN OLD, HARMLESS CAT. WE NEED YOU TO GET YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS TO WRITE, TOO. AND YOU MUST SEND A COPY TO THE CEO OF SNUG HARBOR, LYNN KELLY.

ALSO, CALL & EMAIL LYNN KELLY, at 718 425-3501, her email is lkelly@snug-harbor.org

LET HER KNOW THAT YOU ARE GOING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE HARBOR’S CRUELTY ON YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE, AND ON TWITTER. THREATEN NEVER TO COME TO ANOTHER EVENT AT THE HARBOR, AND THREATEN TO WRITE LETTERS TO OUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER, THE STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE.

CONTACT THE STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE

You can also contact NY1 News, the run a Staten Island specific report and let them know the cruelty happening at Snug Harbor!

CONTACT NY1 NEWS

Thank you to every one who gives a voice to Gracie! Together we can ensure that old Gracie gets to live out the rest of her life in peace and dignity.

Original Message from Lila Levey