The Pet Pundit

Category Archives: Humane Education

May 29 0 comments

Study shows majority of pet cats neutered

dandy-lion A new study in the Journal of the American Veterinary Association reports that the vast majority — at least 80% — of pet cats in U.S. households are neutered, with middle-to higher-income households reporting rates of over 90%.

The peer-reviewed study, based on data collected for the national nonprofit organization Alley Cat Allies by Harris Interactive, and analyzed by Alley Cat Allies using a rigorous statistical approach, is the first nationally representative study to thoroughly examine household income as it relates to the neuter status of pet cats.

The study found that family income was the strongest predictor of whether house cats are neutered. In households earning $35,000 or more annually, 93% of cats were neutered, compared to 51% of cats in households earning less than $35,000.

“Up until now, there has been a lot of speculation that income is a barrier for neuter in lower-income families, but now we have a scientific study establishing that this is the case nationally,” commented Becky Robinson, president of Alley Cat Allies.

“It is also critical to point out that household cats represent only part of the total U.S. cat population,” said Wendy Anderson, director of law and policy for Alley Cat Allies and a co-author of the study. “Previous research has shown there may be just as many stray and feral cats in the U.S. as pet cats, and most of these cats are intact and breeding. We need to enact smart policies and programs that expand the availability of low-cost, high-volume spay and neuter services, not only to serve lower-income pet owners, but to provide services for feral cats as well.”

The study concluded that there are approximately 82.4 million pet cats in the United States, living in a total of 36.8 million households. One third of these households reported adopting at least one of their cats as a stray.

Click here for additional information about the study, including a link to the article abstract and related images.

Feb 23 0 comments

Humane Education

A look at how “Animals Make Us Human”

grandin-animals A person with autism, Dr. Temple Grandin , a Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University, has become famous in the animal world for her ability to understand the nature of how animals think. She says autism makes her a visual thinker and believes animals see the world in the same way.

The proof, they say, is in the pudding. Grandin has been instrumental in designing more humane slaugherhouses and understands the need for the industry to pay attention to details that can cause fear and panic in livestock.

“Cattle is a prey species that scares easily,” she says. “And I can really relate to that.”

Indeed, in seeing the world as animals do, she helps bridge the gap between abstract ideas and practical applications of working with animals. In a short video, she explains how something as simple as a chain left dangling can frighten cattle from approaching a food trough. “Animals are hyper-sensitive to details,” says Grandin. “People tend to ignore detail. The autistic brains sees all the details. Animals have sensory-based memories. Sensory-based memories are more detailed than word-based memories.”

Because of her insight, Grandin can anticipate some of the visual cues that will lead livestock to the panic and fear. Not just theory, her work has proven extremely accurate out in the field. She really does understand how their minds work.

All of her books on animals are insightful and a must read for anyone wanting to better understand the animal psyche. Her latest book with Catherine Johnson, Animals Make Us Human, explores the emotional life of house pets, zoo animals, and farm animals.

Listen to NPR interview.

Listen to CBC Radio interview.

Jan 28 0 comments

Dogs, Humane Education

100 people cited for chaining their dogs

In Macon, Georgia, 100 dog owners were cited for chaining their dogs outside. And I say hooray to the city for boldy enforcing its chained dog ordinance.

Last year, Macon passed an ordinance outlawing the chaining of dogs and cats and gave pet owners sufficient time to build runs or fences to secure their pets. Pet owners may only tether their pets if they are supervising them outside; they can not leave their dogs outside on a chain, unattended. But it seems many residents ignored the new ordinance and Macon officials decided to show residents they meant business.

No dog should be left chained outside. Chaining a dog or cat outside should be forbidden in all 50 states.

Chained dogs lead a dismal life. People put them outside and often forget about them. The dogs suffer because they are restricted to a few feet of space. They often can’t reach food or water or shelter and in some cases, are forced to walk around in their own feces because they are kept on such a short chain. They are isolated from their families, and the lack of socialization creates fearful dogs that overreact to perceived threats. They can become extremely territorial and aggressive towards intruders, including other animals and children. Sadly, their unnatural lives create circumstances that lead to dangerous bites and attacks.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, chained dogs are three times more likely to bite than unchained dogs and more than five times likely to bite children. Perhaps children feel safer approaching a chained dog, thinking they can’t get hurt. But this is never the case.

Chained dogs are at more risk of getting hurt also. Dogs have strangled themselves (warning, pictures are graphic) when their tether gets tangled or caught on an object. They are more likely to be attacked by animals entering their yards or taunted by cruel people. They are often left sitting unprotected in extreme temperatures as well as rain, hail, wind, and storms throughout the entire year.

Could life be any more miserable for a dog; a social creature that thrives on living with its pack — it’s human family?

Several cities in the U.S. prohibit tethering altogether. In some cities, there is a one hour limit on tethering; prohibitions against tethering during the day and in extreme weather; and no tethering unless an owner is present and needs to tether the dog to perform a task. I like Macon’s ordinance — no tethering of pets unless you are present. This allows someone to bring the dog outside while they wash the car, but forbids the careless and cruel practice of leaving dogs on a tether or chain indefinitely.

We know what a dog needs to be a healthy, socialable companion animal, especially in an urban environment. Dogs are social creatures that need to feel they are part of the family. Chaining a dog (or cat) should be forbidden in all 50 states.

Jan 23 1 comments

Humane Education, Pets, Videos

CPR (and oxygen masks) can save pet’s lives

Scared and frightened, pets often hide when a fire breaks out, making it difficult for rescuers to find them in a burning home. While more than 40,000 pets die annually in house fires, even more are saved thanks to the heroic efforts of firefighters.

Firefighters now know to look for pets these days, and in the process of rescuing them from under beds and couches, they often have to perform the same life-saving techniques as they do on people — CPR and mouth-to mouth resuscitation. Some fire stations now even carry on their firetrucks specially-designed oxygen masks just for pets since they often need immediate fresh oxygen to recover from smoke inhalation.

While it may sound gross or even difficult to do, mouth-to-mouth and pet CPR are actually easy to learn. As a former Pet CPR instructor, I found a video (above) that will take you step-by-step through the process. Learn how to find your pet’s pulse, how to perfom mouth-to-mouth, and where to find your pet’s heart for CPR.

If you want more hands-on training, contact your local American Red Cross about their Pet CPR classes. You never know when you might be first on the scene.

Jan 19 1 comments

Humane Education, Pets

What does “no-kill” really mean when it comes to pet overpopulation?

The phrase “no-kill” has been bantered about in many communities as the end goal in the game of tackling pet overpopulation. Few people, however, know what the term really means. Most people think it means the halting of all euthanasia of dogs and cats for good, but it’s meaning is quite different than that, depending on whether you are talking about a “no-kill shelter” or a ”no-kill community.”

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Let’s start with a “no-kill shelter.” A no-kill shelter makes policy to not kill unwanted animals. In order to have this policy, the shelter does not accept every homeless pet that comes through its door. They turn pets away when there is no space to house them. They may also be selective in the animals they accept so as not to have to euthanize any of them. In fact, if they take in an unadoptable animal, they are committed to keeping that pet for its entire life if they can’t find a home, rather than euthanize it.

Thankfully, they can do this wonderful work because there are shelters in the community with an open door policy, which means a shelter accepts all unwanted animals. But open door shelters are in the undesirable position of having to euthanize because there is not enough room to house them all. Sadly, they are portrayed as the bad guys.

A “no-kill community” is different from a “no-kill shelter” because it actually involves euthanasia. As defined by the Maddie’s Fund, an organization dedicated to creating no-kill communities in the United States, a no-kill community is “a place where all healthy/adoptable and treatable animals are saved and where only non-rehabilitatable animals are euthanized.” (Of course, there are no-kill shelters that follow this definition and therefore do euthanize some pets.)

So officially, a no-kill community does not halt euthanasia; it only reserves it for those animals that are untreatable and unadoptable, most often because of aggression. It makes sense, but most people don’t realize what it means when they first encounter the term.

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