Hoping Sassafras is found one day. The owners will have to move on until then because constant worry and mourning isn't the right way to live any life. - Author Janette Noelle Dean, In Defense of Cats!
#1 - Tue Sep 13, 2011 9:01 PM EDTI can't believe I'm actually saying/typing this, but the cat in the pictures from this article is actually a "tortie" (i.e. tortoise shell coloring), not a calico. I'm by no means a cat lover, but even I know that.
Always great to read a happy ending story, after all depresing ones I read or hear
We would be in so much misery if one of our cats was lost, that we make special efforts not to let that happen. They are well trained to their yard (they did the training themselves) and come and go on command (provided they intended to do such in the first place). Though anything that we have asked them to do, they have agreed that it was a reasonable request and they comply.
Seriously, they are our family. We protect them because they are our children.
Never, ever, leave an animal in a car unattended. In summer, temps can reach 135 in a matter of minutes.
Animals are part of a person's family. " as you do to the least of his creatures, you also do unto him " Saint Francis.
I'm sure that cats aren't particularly fond of PDK either.
One would think so, mozzie. Ironically, though, most cats love me . . . go figure. Also, I'd like to qualify that I don't necessarily dislike cats; I'm just more of a dog person. Peace.
Somebody should develope a microchip that can archive the animal's location - say hour-by-hour. Not broadcast for real time information, but just stored for readout after the animal was located. It could help clear up a lot of mystery.
No worries, mozzie. Relative to some of the other things said/implied about me on Newsvine, "un-loved-by-cats" is pretty innocuous ;) But I appreciate your message nonetheless.
PDK, this is a calico cat. Calicos are three-colored felines.
Tortoiseshell cats are not necessarily tri-colored, but instead may be bi-colored (orange and black) in a tightly mottled pattern. Tri-colored tortoiseshells are often called tortie-and-whites, and are also a type of calico (think squares and rectangles - a square is always a rectangle, but a rectangle isn't always a square). This is very similar to the brindle coloration found in dogs.
The girl pictured here is a rather lovely calico. Note the firm presence of all three colors - orange, black, and white, and the very large patches of color.
I appreciate the education, hwilson, and shall humbly defer to your clearly superior feline knowledge.
Upon re-reading, I realized my post sounded horribly pretentious, and I apologize for that.
I am a repository of usually useless and occasionally esoteric pet-related knowledge, and get into lecture mode when I'm tired. =|
Hahaha - not a problem, hwilson. I didn't take it that way at all, and did sincerely appreciate the education. But thanks for the note. :)
Several are stil searching for a Bearded Collie named Sir in South Dakota. He is much loved by the Beardie community! He's been missing for almost a year.
#2 - Wed Sep 14, 2011 8:41 AM EDTA missing pet sits like a stone in the heart of those that love them. Sassafras may turn up soon, in a few years, or never; nobody can tell. But pet owners, please, here are some tips to help keep your furry family member with you always:
#3 - Wed Sep 14, 2011 10:31 AM EDTExcellent points, alive'.
I always train my dogs to wait until they are given the 'ok' to go out or in any and all doors.
Obviously, the danger is running out. But I want the wait to be indelibly stamped on their psyche.
Willow probably fell in with an unscrupulous Tom who fed her a line about making it big in New York. It's a story as old as that city. Promise "em the moon then use and abuse 'em and cast 'em aside. Females always fall for the images of glamour.
Mac: I was thinking the same thing. Just another sad story of a bad cat leading a trusting young feline into a life of sin and debauchery. She probably had to live by her wits, always running, never sure if the person she approached was trustworthy or not, living on the edges of society until one day, she came upon a kindly older couple, they were pensioners, living on a fixed income but they had plenty of love and catfood to offer and she finally got over her fears and began to learn to live and love again.
you forgot what is likely the best positive proof of identity...dog's DNA stored on file. Microchips can become dislodged and scratched out (or removed by unscrupulous people). DNA never changes and an exact match can be made every time. Several companies are doing this DNA data storage for pets lost-and-found. One nearby where I live is called the DNA World Pet Registry. It has everything from dogs to cats to even livestock animals.
How do I know this? I was one of the first of my friends to have it done, cost $30 (that's on top of the microchip and tattoo my dog has) and it worked when my dog ran away. The company gives a dog tag with a 1-800-number and the website printed on it. The person who found my dog just called the number and the company contacted me! The guy said it was much easier because he didn't have to take my dog to the vet to scan the microchip...all he had to do was pick up the phone.
We've all heard stories about pets returning after incredible journeys that span months, even years. I hope Sassafras is one of those stories with a happy ending.
#4 - Wed Sep 14, 2011 11:05 AM EDTA microchip is an amazing feature, and something pet owners did not have some years ago. I think everyone who has a pet should have their pet microchipped. Take advantage, it will come in handy if your pet strays.
#5 - Wed Sep 14, 2011 12:37 PM EDTand remember, the finder is an important part of making the microchip work. If ever you find a lost pet take them directly to a vet or shelter, they will scan for a microchip free of charge. I see so many ads on craigslist "found pet, can't keep free to good home". I think this happens to a lot of lost pets with good intentions, just not enough knowledge of the microchip procedure. I went and had the dog I adopted off cl scanned because the finder had not!
p.s. I have also found several pets with microchips that were not registered, so were in no way helpful :(
Yep, and the microchip is 25-35$. If u can't afford the chip, don't want to get the chip....whatever.......You probably don't need to get a pet! Our four "pets" are like members of or family. And, send in the info to register the chip! Our local pound in LA, Our local vet, and a pound in Texas where we got one of our dogs, also have the microchip info. Not just the chip company. That is a beautiful cat!!
OMG guys, My Beagle is micro chipped and Beagles are escape artists they have this nose problem they follow it. My dog got loose twice and the micro chip and tag I had on his collar brought him to me, I adopted my Beagle at www.beaglesandbuddies.com he is pure angel but he is also very very smart so he can get into trouble.
If you have a pet get them micro chipped and have the yellow id chip tag on their collar.
That way any vet can scan them and anyone finding them can call the 1800 number to notify them of your lost pet.
Microchips are great until they become dislodged or scratched out. The only real proof of identity is DNA storage. It's a brand new service costing about $30, by DNA World Pet Registry, I know because I had my adopted dog's DNA stored and when she ran away, it worked perfectly for lost-and-found.
The person who found my dog just called the phone number on the tag. The company contacted me. The guy didn't even have to bring Shelby to the vet to have her microchip scanned (even though she has all three - DNA, microchip, and tattoo). Worked like a charm, well worth the $30.
It would take one hell of a "scratch" to remove a microchip! Without a scanner to pinpoint the location, that's more like exploratory surgery. And if someone's doing that, the DNA record isn't going to help you, because you are NOT getting your dog back.
I've watched animals be chipped numerous times while preparing them for adoption at the shelter. It is a fairly deep injection with a very wide needle. The chip may - rarely - migrate through the muscle a few inches. This is pretty uncommon, although it does happen. That's why the animal shelter scans the whole back and shoulders of the animal when checking for chips. The chip isn't going to magically fall out or get casually dislodged.
I'm not saying don't store your pet's DNA. It could be useful. But, please don't state falsehoods about another, more widely available tool for pet recovery.
My parents found a dog wondering their neighborhood that had been missing for 6 months and because of the micro-chip he had, they were able to return him to his owners! He had traveled across town from where he lived. You just never know when/where they may turn up! Hopefully Sass will be found and returned home!
#6 - Wed Sep 14, 2011 4:00 PM EDTChances of being on the news if you're missing:
white woman: 100%
white male: 75%
dog: 25%
minority: SCREWED!
#7 - Wed Sep 14, 2011 4:26 PM EDTWay to stir it up Mike
BUT - in St Louis the odds are the same for all humans without regard to minority status. Never hear about pets here.
lol couldn't help it. Have to have a sense of humor when there's so many missing people out there that aren't getting this sort of attention, but the beagle sure is!
St. Louis is a nice place..good, kind people so I'd believe that!
There is a grey/black stripped cat approx. 2 years old at Petsmart in Glen Carbon, IL right now that is micro-chipped, but not registered. Poor Cat. If I didn't have five already, I would adopt it too.
Couldn't fit this in the short comments : We lived in a grand, safe neighborhood and my Siamese cat always hovered near the doors so I was initially shocked when he went missing. I searched 'til I was ready to collapse. I put ads in the paper. I left information w/ a description with animal control. Nothing. I was devastated.
6+ months later, animal control called with a phone number for someone who thought they had my cat. I listened to the description but it didn't fit. Thank God the person was wise enough to turn it around. She said "you describe your cat". I hadn't even finished when she said I'd given a perfect description of the cat she had.
He was too far from home across too many busy streets to have gotten there by himself. The woman lived in a trailer park where lots of university students rentaled, it was the end of the spring semester. We decided he'd been cat-napped and then put out when whomever had him went home or moved away.
I was too over-joyed to have him home to give any thought to how he disappeared. Now, many years later, I think what sort of selfish, arrogant person steals a beloved companion animal? I can only hope that person eventually grew up and was remorseful for what they'd done.
#8 - Thu Sep 15, 2011 3:08 AM EDTAre you sure they just didn't find him missing and took him in. I know a lot of people who do that with animals. Don't assume the worst. He might have gotten out himself from those said students and got lost again only to be found by the person finding him.
I love it. Willow is a real "cool" cat. A real pretty one too. It's amazing what she might have been through and where she had gone. I love cats, have always had a cat.
#9 - Thu Sep 15, 2011 5:54 AM EDTI love dogs more than cats but I feel very sad when I see cats abandoned in the streets. We domesticated them and they cannot take care of themselves therefore we have to be responsible. What a shame for DEVELOPED countries to ABANDON these creatures in the streets!
#10 - Thu Sep 15, 2011 7:18 AM EDTAs a cat love (I dig dogs too) I will tell you if a cat has all its claws most of the time they can servive if they do not get ran over or some heartless crewl human finds them and does mean things (it happens all the time young boys are the worst). I do not promote letting cats go wild just saying they are pretty resorceful more so then dogs. Dogs are far more dependent.
Years ago a friend gave me his cat, as he was moving. The cat had been a house cat, and I attempted to keep it indoors also. Somehow though it escaped. I looked for it with no luck, and was afraid to tell my friend that his cat had gone awol. Three weeks later, someone called me to tell me that the cat had gone back to its OLD house, which was on the other side of town! How does a house cat that lived indoors, figure out how to navigate unfamiliar streets, knowing no landmarks, until it gets home? I find this amazing. Kitty is living with my friend again. She obviously preferred him to me.
#11 - Thu Sep 15, 2011 7:21 AM EDTNever, Miko is my Son, Buddy, Friend. He is 100% loyal to me so how else could I be toward him. I would search until I find him. No one else would know how to give him the very special care that I give him.
He was electronically chipped when I bought him and he never goes out unless he is on a leash so I have protected him and I doubt if he will ever be lost.
#12 - Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:48 AM EDTthat cat traveled 1,600 miles to get away from that house and now we are returning him. he should have gone somewhere where the extradition laws are more vague than new york.
its good to read a happy story every now and then though.
" Remember to have your pets spayed and neutered and microchipped". - Bob Barker and someone else.
#13 - Thu Sep 15, 2011 10:02 AM EDTThe answer to the poll question is "Forever"
However, I feel certain they meant "never give up".
#14 - Thu Sep 15, 2011 10:17 AM EDTmy family once had a cat, We lived on a farm the cat went missing not to be seen for OVER TEN YEARS and came back complety BLIND in both eyes the vet did say that he was healthy at the time he was 18yr old when he came home to a difffent house on the other side of the road. This has been at least 15yrs ago and i still remember when my dad came inside with the cat i really did not remeber that cat all that well since i was really young like 3 or 4 when the cat left, but i will never forget how he made it back home! and was able to enjoy the cat durnig his last yrs. this is one reson to NEVER give up on a pets home comming u never know where they are at they can me munch closer that u think and may even bt on there way back home
#15 - Thu Sep 15, 2011 10:34 AM EDTI would never stop looking and would spend whatever it took, to get them back. Even if it meant I had to borrow the money. My pets are my family, they love me and I love them. My husband would totally agree with all I have said. We are animal nuts!!!
#16 - Thu Sep 15, 2011 10:37 AM EDTbetter wake up on the animal loving thing, would you feed your animals before you ate knowing you wouldn't have anything and you could not shart the food with anyone?
Pets are animals not kids. I miss my pets dearly when they go missing, but life must go on. I just wish pet owners would realize pets are animals so vets will quit charging $300 for teeth cleaning and other outrageous prices. I know soon enough I will not have anymore pets simply because of "pet Insurance". I am appalled at people who think Pet Insurance is a necessary evil similar to medical insurance. What did medical insurance do to the price of healthcare? Don't you think the same will happen to your vet bill?
#17 - Thu Sep 15, 2011 10:45 AM EDTWhy do you pay $300 to get your pet's teeth clean? If you don't do it, what is your beef? BTW, pets are people.
Probably hopped onto the underside of a pickup truck and sat on the spare tire. I had a cat that did just that and rode twenty miles. He finally jumped out inside the man's garage.
#18 - Thu Sep 15, 2011 10:46 AM EDTReminds me of this ditty from Garrison Keillor ...
h tt p // w w w.youtube.com/watch?v=QhJt3i3UKWk.
#19 - Thu Sep 15, 2011 11:06 AM EDTI had a cat that would move in with the neighbor for a few days, letting them feed it, before returning when the mood struck it. I think some of them had even gone out and bought things for it. They would come by and say 'Is that your cat?, It's been living with us'. I never knew what to say.
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It depends on each person's endurance level and their other loved ones who need their time and attention, too. The new microchips are great