Petopia

Human Encounters with Ghost Cats

This could be a fascinating topic at any time, but it seems especially appropriate reading for Halloween. Curl up with your kitty, a cup of hot cider and this book: Ghost Cats: Human Encounters with Feline Spirits. This book is "A mezmerizing collection of strange and unexplainable encounters between human and feline." The reviewers at Amazon give this book a four-and-half-star rating -- high praise indeed. This could be a thrilling read for any ghost lover but I imagine cat lovers will be most satisfied. 

Cat people have spent enough time with their felines to know that they seem to possess powers (insights?) that we don't fully understand. But if you're wondering if cats have to power to visit us from the grave, you'll enjoy these tales of cats who continue to amaze their people post burial. The ghost cat tales include: the chilling "Demon Cat of the Nation's Capitol," the delightful "Phantom Litter Box" and the touching "Poor Puss" of Stonehenge. The author explains the signs of a haunting and also offers reasons why your little kitty may choose to "come back."

Anyone have their own personal ghost cat story to share? 

Rescue Ink: Tattooed Men on a Mission to Rescue Animals

It's been a year and a half since I wrote Rescue Ink: Tattooed Men Add Spice to Animal Rescue. They are still a bunch of tattooed motorcycle-riding tough guys on a mission to save animals in danger. These tough guys get tough on fighting animal abuse and neglect. As they say: "We're not a gang, vigilantes or a social organization, but we do have that certain 'in your face' style when it comes to animal abusers." They've always been a very active group and these guys are now busier than ever.

While they acknowledge they can't rescue all the animals, they do what they can rescuing one at a time. They estimate that:

In the last couple of years, Rescue Ink has saved thousands of dogs, cats, birds, horses, even pigs and chickens. Some are hands-on operations, like the “cat house” with more than 150 felines in residence, or the pig rescuer who needed help corralling a couple of enraged sows. Other efforts raise awareness, from anti-puppymill marches to caravans to help overwhelmed shelters.

Read some of Rescue Ink success stories here. Rescue Ink now has their own television program, Rescue Ink Unleashed on National Geographic Fridays 10pm and they recently published a book: Rescue Ink: How Ten Guys Saved Countless Dogs and Cats, Twelve Horses, Five Pigs, One Duck,and a Few Turtles which has gotten great reviews from readers at Amazon.

These tough guys with a heart are a delight. Good job and keep going!

Pugnation: Where Photographs of Adorable Pugs Rule

I've recently fallen in love with pugs and I've discovered that I'm not alone. Their adorable faces and quirky personalities are delighting countless people. Witness the million people who have viewed the popular YouTube Video: Three Pugs Tilting Heads and the very popular photo: Is This Pug the Saddest Dog in the World? So I was thrilled to have the opportunity to receive a review copy of Jim Dratfield's new book Pugnation: The Bark Is Back! Jim is a professional photographer who offers photo commissions of other people's pets around the country and has authored ten books including Pug Shots.

The first thing I noticed when I picked up the book was the feel of the cover. Although I have recently taken to reading most of my books on my Kindle, I do at times miss the tactile experience of holding a printed book in my hands. The paper stock covering the outside of this book feels like suede, a bit like the fine, glossy coat of a pug maybe. Is this just a coincidence?

Of course the real delight comes when you open the book and start viewing the spectacular photos. Are pugs the perfect subjects? With their large eyes, wrinkled foreheads and squished snouts, pugs' faces are very expressive. Their expressions can be arresting, inscrutable, or humorous, but they're always memorable. Known to be playful, charming, clever, and sociable, pugs must also be quite a challenge to pose. Who knows what happened behind the scenes to capture these shots, but there must be lots of funny stories to tell. Well, the photographer is not sharing the stories but he does put funny, clever captions with his photos. For example, a photo of two dogs in wedding attire is captioned "Leashed!"

This is a fine book that pug lovers will drool over. Pugnation would also make a great gift for any animal lover. I'd love to have a pug of my own but my cat would never allow it. So I'll have to keep my pug love to myself and enjoy them vicariously through this book. I'll just keep it on my coffee table. Occasionally I'll reach out, pet the cover and enjoy viewing the photos inside.

What To Do About Deer That Eat All Your Plants: The Hidden Life of Deer?

Our house is among the woods on a mountaintop in the Northeastern U.S. Over the last 20 years I have witnessed the progressive encroachment of the deer on our "landscaping." I have to put landscaping in quotes because really we don't have much of it. We have planted a few bushes and trees and a number of perennial plants during our time here and, looking around, I note that there's not much of it left. As the deer have become progressively hungrier and bolder, their paths of wandering have moved from the surrounding woods right up to our deck (which, so far, they have not stepped up on). Our days of gardening ended years ago when we realized that keeping the deer from eating everything would require installing a very tall chain link fence, something we didn't want to do.

Deer deterrents that have been recommended to me over the years have included powders (of various composition and which need to be re-sprinkled after every rain) hanging bars of soap among the plants and shrubs, etc. The only thing that I have tried that works is wrapping my prized lilac bush in bird netting which I constantly have to adjust for growth and lawn mower accidents. That lilac bush is the one plant remaining that I rescued from almost death after the deer devoured most of it. I was rewarded with lots of beautiful and fragrant lilac flowers last spring.

As they become more desperate their appetites have become less selective and plants that used to flourish in the area are no longer to be found. The thing that I miss most is the abundance of day lilies that used to grow wild beside the mountain road, all along the two miles leading up to our house. We also had a big bunch of them next to our deck -- what a delight it was to see all these bright orange lilies all summer. They've all been gone for several years now and I had almost forgotten them until I traveled through a nearby area where they still appear along the roadside. It saddens me that future generations will not enjoy their pleasure. Who knows what else will be gone in the next few years -- the mountain laurel that blooms all through the woods each spring that, so far, the deer don't eat?

These thoughts all came to mind when I recently saw this article: New 'Hidden Life' in dogged pursuit of deer about a book.  It's about the book: The Hidden Life of Deer: Lessons from the Natural World written by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas (author of The Hidden Life Of Dogs). In the article Ms. Thomas is described as "a deer-hugger, plants be damned." She notes that from the deer's perspective it's their habitat that is being encroached upon. They are forced to wander into humans' yards to look for food.

She recommends coyote urine as a deer deterrent (not something I am willing to try). I don't have the answer to how to balance the deer versus human needs. In general I have surrendered to the deer, letting them eat what they wish. Despite the book's title, in "my world" the deer aren't so hidden -- they're right there at my back door, eating. I have just one "line in the sand" and that is the bird netting that I wrap around my lilac bush. It's one plant I hope to be able to enjoy for at least a few more years.

Pets At Work: Dog Charms Shop Visitors

French Word A Day is one of my favorite blogs. But just as I know that watching the Food Network is not going to make me into a cook, I don't delude myself by thinking that Kristin Espinasse is going to manage to teach me what my college French teacher couldn't, namely how to speak French.

Still, I enjoy reading about her experiences living as an American in France and I love her photography. In this post she writes about the French word bagatelle and the accompanying photo was taken in her local fleuriste, "Jardin et Bagatelles." The great photo shows a cute dog who looks like he's a real charmer. Having a pet in a shop adds lots of life and warmth, I think. I was recently in my local hardware store and loved seeing a big cat curled up on top of the cash register -- it made me smile.

Take a look at bagatelle to see the photo and take a look around her blog -- I think you'll find lots to like, even if you can't learn French.
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Kristin's book: Words in a French Life: Lessons in Love and Language from the South of France.

Photographing Your Pet Like An Expert

We all love taking photos of our pets but, like any photographic subject, it takes experience, skill and talent to get a great pose that shows off the dog or cat to his best advantage. So I loved this article, Expert Tips on Photographing Your Pets. This is a great way to quickly learn a few things you can do to improve your photos. The article discusses best lens to use, best technical specifications, best angle to capture your pet, how to snap a moving subject, how to get an animal to cooperate and give you his attention, and how to get a beautiful composition. There's lots of great photographic advice in the article. If you'd like to visit the expert's site and samples of her photos, visit Li Ward at Fat Orange Cat Studio -- you'll find lots of inspiration.

If you follow these tips and get a great shot you'd like to share, just send me an email.
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Recommended reading:
Professional Techniques for Pet and Animal Photography
If Only You Knew How Much I Smell You: True Portraits of Dogs
Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera

Pet Projects for Knitters

Pet Projects: The Animal Knits Bible offers a collection of 33 absolutely adorable patterns. There is something for every knitting skill level from beginner to expert and something for most any pet. The projects include dog coats and collars, a horse blanket, a hamster house, a bird feeder --  rabbits, cats, rats, turtles are also covered. The book is beautifully illustrated, has lots of humor, and all rave reviews.

There are photos included of finished projects to provide inspiration. You're sure to be knitting and "in stitches" in no time. If this inspires you to make something, send in a photo and share. Get the book at a discount from Amazon -- Pet Projects: The Animal Knits Bible.

Why Paint Cats, Theory and Ethics (and Spoof)

I recently received an email with the following text:

Imagine doing this to your cat! 

I never thought it would go this far??? What else is new....  Poor cats.... I didn't even  know they did this!!!! Time to grab the neighbor's cat and get busy!!

 Some of the paint jobs cost $15,000 and had to be repeated every 3 months as the cat's hair grows out. Must be nice to have $60,000 a year just to keep your cat  painted!! 

And people wonder why cats sometimes attack their owners!!

This was accompanied by about a dozen photos of cats painted in the most amazing ways (several thumbnails shown here).

The origin of this "tale" goes back to a 1994 coffee table book Why Cats Paint: A Theory of Feline Aesthetics (focus: cats as painters). While the book was a spoof, many took it at face value. This happened again in 2002 when they released Why Paint Cats: The Ethics of Feline Aesthetics (focus: cats as canvases). The book is filled with cats "painted" with the most complex, fantastic, whimsical designs. The photos are weird and yet irresistible. Some cats are photographed with their owner, all come with an interesting story.

While anyone who takes a serious look at the book realizes that no cats were actually painted, the authors of the book never admit to using computer imaging. Rather than commenting on production techniques, the authors prefer that their work encourages discussion and provokes people to question their ethics. Do cat owners have the right to reinvent their cat as a work of art? What do you think?
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More feline fun: Bad Cat: 244 Not-So-Pretty Kitties And Cats Gone Bad

Christian the Lion: New Book, Story Behind the YouTube Sensation

This book, A Lion Called Christian: The True Story of the Remarkable Bond between Two Friends and a Lion, offers the full story behind the two-minute YouTube film clip that became an international phenomenon. I wrote about this unusual friendship in Christian the Lion: YouTube Video Stars, Where are They Now? The post also has the video of their famous reunion. In brief the story is: 

In 1969, on a whim, John Rendall and Ace Bourke bought a lion cub from London's Harrods and named him Christian. They were two young recent college graduates and they had great fun going about London with their lion cub who lived with them in a posh pad on Kings Road. The three of them developed a close, warm and loving relationship.

But in time the 35 pound cub grew to 185 pounds and his days as a house pet were coming to an end. Too many exotic pet owners at this stage tend to "dispose" of them in some convenient fashion. But to the credit of Rendall and Bourke they looked for a better solution and got an introduction to George Adamson (he and his wife, Joy, raised an orphaned cub Elsa who became the subject of book and the movie "Born Free"). Adamson was able to successfully rehabilitate Christian into the wild in Africa. A year later Rendall and Bourke decided to visit Africa and find Christian -- the YouTube hit video (seen by millions) shows this reunion.

This story was originally published in 1971 and has now been revised and updated with lots of photographs. It's a unique example of a special human-animal bonding with a joyful, uplifting ending and, I imagine, the book will be a bestseller.
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Of related interest is this 1966 family classic tale of Adamson and his wife Joy and their three orphaned lion cubs: Born Free, the DVD.