Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Bad Cat Stats?
No, the cats aren't bad, the statistics are, at least according to Wall Street Journal Numbers Guy Carl Bialik. At the urging of my friend and well-known pet columnist Gina Spadafori, he took a look at the theory that one unspayed cat and her offspring could produce 420,000 kittens over a 7-year period. That's probably a little high, experts say. Taking kitten mortality and other factors into account, the real number is probably closer to 5,000. Phew! We'd be buried in cats, otherwise. Not that that's a bad thing...well, except that all those cats in laps combined with global warming would make for an awfully hot planet. And it doesn't mean that pet overpopulation isn't a problem, just that more realistic numbers make the solution seem more attainable.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Animal News
Lots to read about on the animal front recently. In addition to the hype on the hypoallergenic kitties, there are more grrs about the dog whisperer, a pet-related museum exhibit, an opinion piece on animal intelligence, and rampaging elephants in Africa.
The cats bred by Allerca, a San Diego company, carry a mutant gene that prevents the cats' glands from producing the protein that causes allergies in people. The company screens prospective buyers to ensure that they'll give the $4,000 cats a good home, but no reporters have asked yet if the company will take the cats back if the relationship doesn't work out. I'll try to cover that in my column next month: the truth about hypoallergenic cats and dogs.
Whether they're televangelists or trainers, I've always had a problem with people who say that their way is the only way. Unfortunately, that very machismo is what attracts editors and producers, who then give those people a platform to spout their theories, right or wrong or somewhere in between. One of those people who claim to know it all is Cesar Millan, better known as the dog whisperer. His show and book have dog trainers and behaviorists nationwide frothing with rage. In the New York Times, Mark Derr describes him as a charming, one-man wrecking ball. Esquire's Curtis Pesmen talks to canine experts about Millan's methods in the October 2006 issue. Their opinions? Not complimentary. Millan might make for good TV, but he's not necessarily good for dogs and their people. Slate writer Emily Yoffe had good luck with his techniques, but that said, she was dealing with a fairly easygoing Beagle that didn't require too much effort to be directed back onto the straight and narrow.
The University of South Carolina's Pets in America website covers such subjects as the history of pets, veterinary care, pet food, and more. For kids, there are puzzles, coloring pages and games. A traveling exhibit will visit museums in Michigan, Massachusetts, Delaware and Florida. See the website for tour dates.
As a diver, I have a special interest in marine life. Two of my favorite experiences have been watching with delight as a pod of dolphin sped past underwater and jumping into the open ocean to spend time with a dolphin that was riding the wake of the Nauti-Cat on Grand Cayman's East End. Since the time of the Greeks, people have remarked on dolphin intelligence, but apparently that's unnerving to some people. Renowned psychologist Frans de Waal looks at a South African scientist's speculation that the intelligence of dolphins and other cetaceans is overrated. For years, scientists have shied away from any affirmation of animal emotions or intelligence. Why is that, de Waal wonders. Does it really threaten the human ego to admit that other animals--and yes, we are animals--have those attributes? Sadly, the answer is too often yes.
They're not pets, but elephants are among the most intelligent, emotional and long-lived creatures with whom we share the planet. It's distressing, then, that poaching and human encroachment on their territory is leading to the destruction of their society. Elephant aggression toward people and other animals such as rhinos is increasing, and the outlook isn't pretty. Read it and weep.
The cats bred by Allerca, a San Diego company, carry a mutant gene that prevents the cats' glands from producing the protein that causes allergies in people. The company screens prospective buyers to ensure that they'll give the $4,000 cats a good home, but no reporters have asked yet if the company will take the cats back if the relationship doesn't work out. I'll try to cover that in my column next month: the truth about hypoallergenic cats and dogs.
Whether they're televangelists or trainers, I've always had a problem with people who say that their way is the only way. Unfortunately, that very machismo is what attracts editors and producers, who then give those people a platform to spout their theories, right or wrong or somewhere in between. One of those people who claim to know it all is Cesar Millan, better known as the dog whisperer. His show and book have dog trainers and behaviorists nationwide frothing with rage. In the New York Times, Mark Derr describes him as a charming, one-man wrecking ball. Esquire's Curtis Pesmen talks to canine experts about Millan's methods in the October 2006 issue. Their opinions? Not complimentary. Millan might make for good TV, but he's not necessarily good for dogs and their people. Slate writer Emily Yoffe had good luck with his techniques, but that said, she was dealing with a fairly easygoing Beagle that didn't require too much effort to be directed back onto the straight and narrow.
The University of South Carolina's Pets in America website covers such subjects as the history of pets, veterinary care, pet food, and more. For kids, there are puzzles, coloring pages and games. A traveling exhibit will visit museums in Michigan, Massachusetts, Delaware and Florida. See the website for tour dates.
As a diver, I have a special interest in marine life. Two of my favorite experiences have been watching with delight as a pod of dolphin sped past underwater and jumping into the open ocean to spend time with a dolphin that was riding the wake of the Nauti-Cat on Grand Cayman's East End. Since the time of the Greeks, people have remarked on dolphin intelligence, but apparently that's unnerving to some people. Renowned psychologist Frans de Waal looks at a South African scientist's speculation that the intelligence of dolphins and other cetaceans is overrated. For years, scientists have shied away from any affirmation of animal emotions or intelligence. Why is that, de Waal wonders. Does it really threaten the human ego to admit that other animals--and yes, we are animals--have those attributes? Sadly, the answer is too often yes.
They're not pets, but elephants are among the most intelligent, emotional and long-lived creatures with whom we share the planet. It's distressing, then, that poaching and human encroachment on their territory is leading to the destruction of their society. Elephant aggression toward people and other animals such as rhinos is increasing, and the outlook isn't pretty. Read it and weep.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Travels With the Girls
When we travel, we've always tried to take our dogs with us whenever possible. Over the years, our various dogs have visited San Francisco, Seattle, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Carmel, Kansas City, Vancouver and Tenaya Lodge just outside Yosemite. They've ridden in cars and flown on airplanes. At Tenaya, Bella went on a hayride in a horse-drawn wagon. Darcy had the most mileage, having flown from Ireland to New York, then New York to Los Angeles (in business class, baby!) when she was a puppy.
On rare occasions, the dogs can't go with us. When we had our greyhound, I never minded boarding her because I reasoned that she was used to kennel life. For short trips, the Cavaliers stayed at the vet's office, where they were royally spoiled. But for trips of longer than a week, I wanted better for them--so we began the habit of driving them 7 hours north to the Bay Area to stay with Bella's breeder. I'm sure people thought we were crazy, but it made me happy. They were in a home, with people they knew and other dogs to play with, and I never worried that they wouldn't get the best of care.
It was cost-effective too. Even with the price of gas inching up, it was still cheaper than a kennel stay to drive them up to Joanne and either turn right around and drive back or spend the night and fly to our destination from San Francisco instead of LAX. The cost of boarding three small dogs was $108 per day, and that wasn't even boarding them at fancy places like these. At those rates, boarding the girls for a typical trip of 16 days would have cost $1,728--enough to pay for a whole nother trip. No thanks! So we'll keep taking them with us or driving them north. Thank dog for Sirius satellite and books on CD...
On rare occasions, the dogs can't go with us. When we had our greyhound, I never minded boarding her because I reasoned that she was used to kennel life. For short trips, the Cavaliers stayed at the vet's office, where they were royally spoiled. But for trips of longer than a week, I wanted better for them--so we began the habit of driving them 7 hours north to the Bay Area to stay with Bella's breeder. I'm sure people thought we were crazy, but it made me happy. They were in a home, with people they knew and other dogs to play with, and I never worried that they wouldn't get the best of care.
It was cost-effective too. Even with the price of gas inching up, it was still cheaper than a kennel stay to drive them up to Joanne and either turn right around and drive back or spend the night and fly to our destination from San Francisco instead of LAX. The cost of boarding three small dogs was $108 per day, and that wasn't even boarding them at fancy places like these. At those rates, boarding the girls for a typical trip of 16 days would have cost $1,728--enough to pay for a whole nother trip. No thanks! So we'll keep taking them with us or driving them north. Thank dog for Sirius satellite and books on CD...
Nothing To Sneeze At
The holy grail of catdom may be at hand. Scientists have bred cats that they say do not carry the gene that causes feline fur, saliva and skin to produce allergic reactions.
Want one? Don't cough up a hairball when you hear the price. Instead, be prepared to cough up $3,950--and spend time on a waiting list until a kitten is available. But for people who love cats but not the red eyes, sneezing and asthma they can induce, the hypoallergenic kittens are, well, priceless.
Want one? Don't cough up a hairball when you hear the price. Instead, be prepared to cough up $3,950--and spend time on a waiting list until a kitten is available. But for people who love cats but not the red eyes, sneezing and asthma they can induce, the hypoallergenic kittens are, well, priceless.
Friday, September 22, 2006
In Search of Cynophobes
I'm looking for sources to interview for a column on overcoming a fear of dogs. One of the places Google took me to was the Food and Drug Administration, which has an article on phobias. At the end it lists organizations that can help. Why does it not surprise me that a group called Phobics Anonymous only has a PO Box and a phone number?
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Water By Poochi
In his usual incisive, insightful way, SFGate.com columnist Mark Morford skewers what is not really the latest in pet culture overload--designer drinking water for dogs and cats. He writes:
As if quenching his sheer dumb animal thirst at the garden hose wasn't enough to make your dog blissfully happy. As if a world teeming with roughly 1 billion unclassifiable odors wasn't already a wondrous canine olfactory buffet. Did you know that dogs have over 200 million scent cells? And that humans have a mere 5 million? The last thing dogs need is for their water to smell like synthetic cow. I'm just guessing.
The reason I say it's not really the latest is because I remember when it first came out--some time in the mid '80s. Along with pet cologne formulated to make dogs smell like their Giorgio-wearing mistresses and clothing that went beyond the basic sweater. It just has taken 20 years for all those prescient businesspeople to build marketshare and develop a "need" for their products.
And it hasn't all been bad. That was also when the pet health food market began to stir. That's been a good thing. Dogs and cats have a much wider variety of healthier foods available to them today, although their people still tend to overfeed and underexercise them. I still remember the horrified expressions of a group of pet food marketers when I predicted--a dozen or so years ago--that homemade, or at least fresh, pet food was the coming thing.
Was I a visionary? Nah. Partly I was just making it up off the top of my head, based on the rise of dog bakeries at the time, but it seemed like a possibility. And when it comes to what people will do for their dogs and cats, you can't discount anything.
As if quenching his sheer dumb animal thirst at the garden hose wasn't enough to make your dog blissfully happy. As if a world teeming with roughly 1 billion unclassifiable odors wasn't already a wondrous canine olfactory buffet. Did you know that dogs have over 200 million scent cells? And that humans have a mere 5 million? The last thing dogs need is for their water to smell like synthetic cow. I'm just guessing.
The reason I say it's not really the latest is because I remember when it first came out--some time in the mid '80s. Along with pet cologne formulated to make dogs smell like their Giorgio-wearing mistresses and clothing that went beyond the basic sweater. It just has taken 20 years for all those prescient businesspeople to build marketshare and develop a "need" for their products.
And it hasn't all been bad. That was also when the pet health food market began to stir. That's been a good thing. Dogs and cats have a much wider variety of healthier foods available to them today, although their people still tend to overfeed and underexercise them. I still remember the horrified expressions of a group of pet food marketers when I predicted--a dozen or so years ago--that homemade, or at least fresh, pet food was the coming thing.
Was I a visionary? Nah. Partly I was just making it up off the top of my head, based on the rise of dog bakeries at the time, but it seemed like a possibility. And when it comes to what people will do for their dogs and cats, you can't discount anything.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Keep Kids Healthier. Get a Pet.
A new study shows that kids who have pets tend to suffer less from stomach bugs. Apparently, the frequent exposure to low levels of pathogenic organisms strengthens the immune system and makes it less likely to succumb to gastroenteritis. I guess that's true. I was sick all the time as a kid, but rarely from stomach upset. And to this day I have a cast-iron stomach--knock on wood. Now I'm counting on Bella and Twyla to keep me free of heart disease. As much petting as they demand (and get), I should have the heart of a 20-year-old.
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