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Sunday, August 31, 2014

LABOR DAY WEEKEND

It's the Sunday of Labor Day Weekend 2014, the unofficial end of summer. Where did this summer go? It seems as if it just started and fall is almost upon us. Well, there's still some time for fun in the sun and now is as good a time as any to remind everyone to pay particular attention to family pets during the remaining summer activities.

Keep an eye on your pets.  Keep them away from people food, don't let guests pester them. If you're taking them with you, keep them on leash, in the shade, hydrated and if you're near  a lake or the ocean never let them out of your sight.

Practice common sense and you will enjoy Labor Day weekend without incident.

(courtesy Wilsoninfo.com)

Friday, August 29, 2014

A VISIT FROM PORCH GUY

Porch Guy comes and goes; we can never predict what days or times he will show up. Some days he'll drop by as many as four times. Sometimes he doesn't come by at all.

Lately he's been around a lot. Artie took some terrific pictures of him. Here they are:

Posing handsomely.

Bored with the entire proceedings.

Just put out the wet food so I can get on with my meal!

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE OPOSSUM KIND

During the past month we've had two close encounters involving baby opossums.

Mid-afternoon about a month ago, I had fruit and vegetable scraps to add to my compost bin so I bundled the scraps and headed to the back yard. Once the future compost was deposited in the bin and the lid secured, I decided to check the drain under our porch to make sure it was clear of leaves and twigs because rain was forecast for the following day. As I approached the porch I could see a form underneath. At first, I was shocked to see a rat but a second look told me it was a young possum. It was dead with a big chunk bitten out of the poor thing. I figured one of the cats got it since it was 'rat-sized'

We removed it for disposal when Artie came home from work. Both of us were a bit sad because we know they're basically harmless and they 'clean up' after the cats and other wild life. Life returned to normal for about three weeks.

Annie's been particularly annoying about going on the porch after dark and lately even more so. One night last week she was very insistent about going out so Artie decided to do the honors; she usually bothers me. All of a sudden there was a commotion. Artie was yelling and I rushed outside imagining the worst. There on the corner of our porch railing was another young
opossum. Annie was hopping around crying and wining, trying to get close to him.

The possum was barely moving but he did turn to face Annie giving his best grimace and a loud hiss. Annie took the opportunity to stick her nose in his mouth to get a good sniff. We both freaked! After much corralling and yelling we managed to get Annie inside. The little guy continued to cling to the porch railing for awhile before scampering down the steps off into the foliage to disappear into the night.

Annie wanted to play! This is a big problem with her because she will approach any animal she sees. We were never afraid for the possum rather for her safety. Opossums are generally docile putting on a good show to protect themselves but Annie is our baby; we are always concerned.

Our visitor was the same size. (courtesy of Wikipedia)

Monday, August 25, 2014

BACK ON THE JOB

Thanks to Orphée for letting everyone know why I haven't been posting. Maybe someday Annie will fill in for Mom as well. Anyway, I'm well mended now and back on the look out for interesting items to blog about.

I'm finishing up The World According To Bob by James Bowen. It's the sequel to A Street Cat Named Bob.

Check my Good Reads page  in the next few days for my review.

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

ORPHEE SUBBING FOR MOM

Mom hurt her lower leg, ankle and knee awhile back making it hard for her to take care of me, my sister Annie and my friends outside. When she isn't hobbling around trying to get some chores done, she spends her time in my recliner with her leg propped up on pillows. The pillows are a bit inconvenient but I do manage to find a comfortable spot on her lap anyway!

I thought I'd fill in for Mom since she hasn't kept up with her blog recently. My sister would never do this; she just spends her days sleeping on the couch. I guess that's what you do when you get old. All my outside family members are doing fine except we lost one a week back. Artie found him dead in the street, hit by a car. That's life on the streets of Brooklyn; it's not easy when you're a cat.

My pal Porch Guy comes by on a regular basis. In fact, a few weeks ago he decided to hang out on the ledge of the window Mom leaves open on cool nights. My chair is right there so we hung out together separated by the screen. It was about three in the morning and I guess my talking woke Mom up because she came to see what was going on. When she saw Porch Guy on the ledge she spoke to us a moment then went back to bed. Mom's good that way.

Her leg seems a bit better today. Hopefully she will be back to posting on a regular basis quite soon. I sure hope so; I'm not interested in doing this for a living! Now if you will excuse me, I'm going back to sleep under Mom's bedspread, it's the only place to be.

I never get off the bed even when it's time to change the bedding!

Sunday, August 3, 2014

NEIGHBORHOOD CATS

It's way past time for me to blog about the organization I belong to, Neighborhood Cats. My first introduction to Neighborhood Cats was through my friend Terri who introduced me to someone at the Mayor's Alliance for Animals. He told me all about Neighborhood Cats.

After some discussion Artie and I decided to take a TNR (trap, neuter and return) Class given by Neighborhood Cats at the ASPCA's executive offices located in midtown Manhattan where we met Meredith and Lois, fellow members and TNR instructors.

Not only does our group have TNR classes but their website carries loads of information and news pertaining to all things feral and stray around the country and the world. I constantly receive email alerts of ear-tipped cats brought into shelters as the group attempts to locate their colonies and caretakers or relocate them to new colonies if necessary.

There are so many unwanted cats in need consider lending a helping hand either by joining or donating to Neighborhood Cats or any other rescue organization of your choice. Check out the Neighborhood Cats website http://www.neighborhoodcats.org/ or Google feral cats for other organizations and get involved.

NC
                                                     (Neighborhood Cats official logo)

Friday, August 1, 2014

A TALE OF OUR CITY

A few days back, a pit bull was thrown from the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE) in Greenpoint Brooklyn. Kind-hearted, dog-loving Brooklynites rushed to care for the injured pooch who was bleeding from the mouth. The Good Samaritans gave the dog water then drove him to Veterinary Emergency & Referral Group in Cobble Hill (VERG, where Annie has her Ophthalmologist and Oncologist appointments). 

The incident has been all over the news since it happened 6:30 PM Tuesday. The pittie is adorable and by all accounts possessed of a sweet personality. He suffered a broken leg and collapsed lung from his 30 ft. plunge. Police at the 94th Precinct investigated and tonight's news gave us the real facts as they emerged.

Wookie slipped his collar running at full speed away from his owner, Oliver Rivera. After calling shelters he came across a news article about a dog thrown from the BQE. He then called VERG. Wookie was reunited with his owner but needed to stay a bit longer in the hospital. Meanwhile a tips number was given for anyone with information about what happened to contact the police.

A young woman who was in a taxi on the BQE and witnessed the incident came forward to describe seeing an agitated dog running on the BQE when suddenly the dog jumped over the railing. No one threw him from the expressway. This tale has a happy ending. Man and dog are reunited, no cruelty happened, miraculously, Wookie survived his fall with minor injuries and as usual Brooklynites (New Yorkers) proved how we all come together when one of us is in need.

It was just another day in New York City; just another day in Brooklyn.
    
Pitbull tossed from expressway reunited with owner
Wookie with helpiing hands at Verg. (Photo by Angel Chevrestt)