Pet BULLETIN
‘Mews and Yips’ from the Central Aroostook Humane Society
Special to the Star-Herald
1. Your colleagues no longer ask how your weekend was. Instead they ask how your cats are doing.
2. People at work have stopped offering you their lint brushes. They realize it’s hopeless anyway.
3. When you get your latest roll of film developed, there’s not a single human being in the pictures.
4. You have more cats than the local pet store and there are several kitty litter boxes in every room of your apartment.
5. Your personal motto is: “You can never have enough cats.”
6. You buy more than 60 pounds of cat litter a month.
7. You’d rather watch hours of boring infomercials than disturb the cat sleeping on the remote.
8. You choose your friends based on how well your cats like them.
9. The only time you leave your apartment is to feed the stray cats in the neighborhood.
10. You introduce your cats by name to the pizza delivery guy.
I think I am in trouble!!
Cats are amazing animals, but they multiply quickly and finding them wonderful, responsible forever homes is somewhat difficult, considering their numbers. That is why it is so very important to encourage people to have their cats altered. An unspayed female cat, her mate and all of their offspring, producing two litters per year, with 2.8 surviving kittens per litter can total: 1 year, 12; 2 years, 67; 3 years, 376; 4 years, 2,107; 5 years, 11,801; 6 years, 66,088; 7 years, 370,092; 8 years, 2,072,514; 9 years, 11,606,077 (catnet.stanford).
That is alarming. Unfortunately, most responsible homes already have a number of cats already and contrary to the saying, “One can never have too many cats,” yes you can. It is called being a hoarder.
What is animal hoarding?
Animal hoarding is a complex and intricate public health and community issue. Its effects are far-reaching and encompass mental health, animal welfare and public safety concerns.
The following criteria are used to define animal hoarding:
• More than the typical number of companion animals.
• Inability to provide even minimal standards of nutrition, sanitation, shelter and veterinary care, with this neglect often resulting in starvation, illness and death.
• Denial of the inability to provide this minimum care and the impact of that failure on the animals, the household and human occupants of the dwelling.
This definition comes from the Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium, an independent group of academic researchers based in Massachusetts. The full definition and more info can be found at http://www.tufts.edu/vet/cfa/hoarding/index.html.
I have seen the devastating results of animal hoarding firsthand when I assisted our State Humane Agent in removing cats and dogs from one home. There was a trail through the house, wide enough to walk through, slime consisting of fecal matter, urine and various other substances covered the beautiful hardwood floors. The air in the house was strong with the smell of cat urine, so strong it burned my nose. Cats where everywhere. They didn’t ask to live like this, yet without intervention, there was no escape. If you suspect that someone is hoarding animals and the animals’ quality of life is in danger, please contact your local animal control agent or the State Humane Agent. You can report suspected hoarding or animal abuse/neglect directly to Animal Welfare at (207) 287-3846.
Yesterday was such a beautiful day, my daughter and I decided to take a walk across our fields, and yup, you guessed it, we took the dogs with us, five dogs to be exact. It was beautiful out and they put on twice the miles that we did. I could almost see them smiling as they ran across the snow, happy to be out running. I will tell you, everyone who went on the journey was pooped! But we all had a lot of fun. Isn’t that what having pets in our lives is all about? If you can’t enjoy them, why have them?
If you are looking for a “friend for life,” please visit the Central Aroostook Humane Society. We are open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, or give us a call at 764-3441. You can also visit us online at www.centralaroostookhumanesociey.org.
If you would like to schedule a visit of the Humane Society with your group, give us a call and we will give you the grand tour. We also have educational programs and will come directly to your classroom or organization and you can hear firsthand about the work we do and we can answer any questions you may have.
Please have your pets spayed or neutered.
Photo courtesy of Christine Robinson
Colby Ouellette, of Presque Isle, recently made a donation to the Central Aroostook Humane Society. This is the second year he’s helped the shelter.
Photo courtesy of Christine Robinson
DONATION — Bill Urban, member of the Central Aroostook Humane Society board of directors, presents Board President Chris Robinson with a donation from the Social Security Administration’s Presque Isle office.