On The Prowl
The item below may be of interest to some readers of OUR CATS, as I know that many of you also keep/breed dogs too. Pet theft is something that worries all pet owners and this seems to be a step towards finding some solutions - Nick
Dog theft summit planned for autumn
THE LEADING canine theft lobby group Dog Theft Action has received considerable support for its campaign against dog theft in recent months. The lobby group, set up in January, has been invited to attend meetings with representatives from organisations involved in the canine world who are extremely concerned about the current situation as dog theft escalates rapidly. DTA is convinced that the way forward is to ask these organisations to lead the way in finding a solution to this aspect of law and order that has gone unnoticed and unmonitored for so long.
DTA Co-ordinator Margaret Nawrockyi told OUR DOGS: “This support has encouraged us to plan a meeting of DTA co-ordinators and advisors together with invited representatives of the agencies who can have a major impact on this multi-faceted issue. The agenda for this meeting will focus on dog theft and explore ways and means to tackle this problem.
“DTA hopes to raise the profile of dog theft throughout the UK and encourage central and local government and the police to treat it with the seriousness it deserves. The meeting will be hosted by the Kennel Club at their headquarters in Clarges St., London on 15 November 2005 and will be chaired by Government Whip Ian Cawsey MP the former Chairman of the all party Animal Welfare Group who maintains a keen interest in animal welfare and dog theft.”
The DTA advisors include Nick Mays and Robert Killick of OUR DOGS, Chrissie Smith of Dog World, Crufts presenter and journalist Peter Purves, Neil Ewart of Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, Allen Parton and Endal of Canine Partners, MPs Ian Cawsey, Caroline Spelman, John Mann and Andrew Rosindell, Ryan O’Meara, Editor of K9 Magazine, DTA technical advisor Melanie Myhill and dog warden Brian Milligan, who was also a founder member of DTA.
Invitations have also been sent to the Kennel Club, Pet Log, Dogs Trust, Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, British Veterinary Association, National Dog Wardens Association, Association of Chief Police Officers and the Association of Police Authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Nawrockyi added: “This is an unprecedented opportunity for these agencies to look for an effective solution to this problem that affects so many people in the country.”
DTA SYMPOSIUM
DOG THEFT ACTION are also pleased to announce that their first symposium will take place on Saturday, 1 October 2005. The setting for this prestigious event will be Edmondscote Manor, Leamington Spa, by kind permission of the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and will be hosted by GDBA breeder manager Neil Ewart.
Speakers will include Nick Mays; Chief Reporter OUR DOGS Newspaper, Steve O’Brien; National Dog Wardens Association, Peter Purves; commentator, journalist and broadcaster, Robert Killick; columnist OUR DOGS and Dogs Today and Allen Parton and his much admired Canine Partner, Endal. Tickets are priced at £15, including a buffet lunch. The programme will start at 10pm and full details are available from DTA and will appear in subsequent issues of OUR DOGS.
We very much hope that our first symposium will be well supported by people from all aspects of the canine world. We believe that our audience will benefit from the shared knowledge and experience of our speakers as well as being amused and entertained. All enquiries regarding the programme and tickets please contact 01652 688089 or admin@dogtheftaction.info
* For full details of the DTA symposium, please contact: Margaret Nawrockyi. Tel: 01652 688089 or e-mail: info@hopefulastrid.com
Beast of a cat fools villagers
REPORTS of alien Big Cats (ABCs) stalking the British countryside continue to be made - some with more accuracy than others - the identity of the ‘beast’ that has stalked a remote moorland community can finally be revealed. He was revealed as Sebastian, one of Britain’s fattest cats - but a domestic mog nonetheless.
There have been regular sightings of a mysterious big cat near the village of East Ogwell in Devon, but it appears that the animal was Sebastian, a tom owned by local Mike Healy. Sebastian weighs two-stone and dwarfs most other domestic cats.
Mr Healy said: “The only time he’s a danger is when he lies on you”.
There is, however, good evidence that at least some of the ABCs spotted (or striped) may be hybrids of domestic cats and Asiatic Jungle Cats (Felis chaus). It is believed that a number of specimens of Felix chaus may have escaped from captivity or may have even been deliberately released into the wild by collectors in the late 1970s, when the Dangerous Wild Animals Act became law, requiring that such animals should be licensed. The Jungle Cats then inter-bred with feral or farm cats, producing offspring that are larger than usual.
One such cat was ‘Jasper’, an obvious hybrid from the Midlands, whose mother was an ordinary farm cat and whose father was most likely a mysterious ‘ABC’ seen lurking in the area. Jasper was much larger than normal cats and his fur bore many similarities to Jungle Cats.
Half of cats love catnip... and half don’t
HAVE YOU ever met a cat that doesn’t go crazy over catnip? As it turns out, half of the cats in the world don’t respond to it at all, according to recent research in America… although it’s something that cat fanciers the world over have known for quite some time but haven’t had a scientific study to back their observations up.
Catnip sensitivity is inherited, according to Carolyn M. McDaniel, a vet based at the Feline Health Centre at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York State, USA. A kitten with only one catnip-sensitive parent has a one-in-two chance of developing the sensitivity; if both parents have the sensitivity, the chances rise to at least three in four, she says.
There is a chemical cause for the response to catnip (Nepeta cataria), says McDaniel.
Nepetalactone is one of several compounds known to set off the characteristic set of behaviours associated with exposure to catnip. These behaviours generally start with sniffing, licking and chewing, followed by head shaking, body and head rubbing, and then repeated head-over-heels rolling, as the cat literally gets ‘high’ on the odour. While neurologists don’t yet have a thorough knowledge of why catnip works in some felines, they generally agree that a cat receives the necessary stimuli from receptors in its nose and mouth, she says.
McDaniel offers a useful tip for cat owners whose cats do like catnip: Store catnip in your freezer to preserve its potency. Nepetalactone is volatile and will degrade over time otherwise.
