Story Kiss of life
The New Zealand Herald carried the following story, towards the end of last month:

A Queensland woman brought her beloved cat Ally back from the dead with the kiss of life. And despite receiving a bite for her troubles, Kelly Johns said she would do it again - cat breath and all.

Ms Johns said the life and death situation occurred when the garage door closed on her 14-year-old Ally’s neck. “Ally ran to get out of the garage and the garage door, which is remote-controlled, locked on his neck and the switch wouldn’t work,” she said. “I had walked into the house so I didn’t know, but my son Matthew went back into the garage and saw him and came back screaming hysterically. We tried to get the door up while the cat wriggled in his death throes - from the inside of the garage you could only see his wriggling body”.

Ms Johns said by the time they managed to release the garage door from the feline’s neck, he had clearly stopped breathing. I turned his head and put my mouth over his mouth and nose and gave him a few baby breathes,” she said. “I then massaged his heart with my two fingers.” She said after about 60 seconds, she heard Ally make a ‘gurgling sound’, before coming to. And her reward? “He sank his teeth into my hand and locked his jaw but it didn’t stop me - I got a neighbour to come over and blow two more breaths into his nose over my hand.

His breath wasn’t that bad - I’d do it again. I also wrapped him in a blanket and nursed him in front of the heater for a few hours to ward off shock - he is pretty good now but he was wobbly on his legs the next day.”

Ms Johns headed to hospital soon after the drama for a course of antibiotics. Her husband Stephen, who is a Queensland Ambulance Service paramedic, taught the CPR training course she attended late last year. “He was pretty impressed because he taught me ... if I can use it on the cat,

I can use it on humans,” Ms Johns laughed.

Coming of Age
OUR CATS is pleased to be supporting the North West Cat Club’s celebrations in September, as it will be their 21st Championship show. As you will see on page ….there are lots of special prizes on offer for exhibitors and even for the trade stands. You can send off for a schedule or pick one up from the OUR CATS stand at the Lincoln or Gwynedd shows.

Royal Canin Top Exhibit & Top Breeders Competitions
The vouchers for your free 2kg bag of food have been sent out. Please let me know if yours has not yet arrived. There are new entries still coming in for this great new competition, which both Royal Canin and OUR CATS are delighted about.

The Cat Opener!
We all know just how good our cats are at getting into a bag of food, a cupboard, a refrigerator or just about anywhere.

Well, I could not resist sharing my discovery of this gadget, the invention of which, made the newspaper headlines in the Detroit Free press newspaper recently. Robert Mazur spent several years creating the gadget, which is designed to be a tool for opening medicine bottles, soup cans and plastic packaging.

Aptly named the ‘Purrfect Opener’ is in the shape of a cat. Robert invented the tool in 1998 while a graduate student at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and this year he saw the manufacture and production of his invention, come to fruition.

National Cruelty-Free Week (4-10 July 2005)
This issue will be in circulation during National Cruelty-Free Week and I am more than happy to publish the following BUAV press release:

“Did you know that cosmetics testing on animals still goes on, even though 88% of the British public want a see a ban on animal testing for cosmetics and toiletries in the EU1? But last year 30,000 animals were used. BUAV’s 3rd National Cruelty-Free Week, aims to inform consumers that animals are still used for testing cosmetics and household products.

It also aims to help them avoid products that have been animal tested by encouraging them to look out for the BUAV (British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection) rabbit and stars logo that ensures that neither the products nor their ingredients have been tested on animals. Although cosmetics animal testing no longer occurs in the UK, every year thousands of animals continue to die in European laboratories in tests for products like shampoo and make-up, which are imported and sold in this country.

 

And tests for household products continue here. Although a product may say “Not tested on animals”, this could mean that the final product has not been tested on animals, whilst the ingredients may have been. Some companies claim “We don’t test on animals”, and although this might be accurate, it could mean that they commissioning people to test on their behalf.

These, often confusing, product claims mean that it’s up to shoppers to actively identify which products genuinely are cruelty-free by looking for the rabbit and stars logo on the packaging or downloading the BUAV pocket guide, “The Little Book of Cruelty-Free”, that lists cruelty-free cosmetics manufacturers, from contact links below. Lauren Bates, Corporate Relations Manager from the BUAV says,
“Consumer demand for products that have not been tested on animals is increasing, but the range of rabbit logos and product claims on labeling is extremely confusing, and most people believe the manufacturer’s statement at face value.

The best way therefore to avoid animal tested beauty and household products is to buy from companies whose products carry the BUAV’s rabbit and stars logo or who are featured in our free ‘Little Book of Cruelty-Free’.

If you’re shocked your current brand isn’t featured on the list, why not swap? The Body Shop, who were the first international cosmetics retailer to be endorsed under the Humane Cosmetic Standard offer free make-overs and skin consultations all year round. Why don’t you pop along during National Cruelty-Free Week, so you can try before you buy?”

To find your nearest participating branch of The Body Shop, please call 01903 844 554.
According to a poll commissioned by the RSPCA and the BUAV in 1999.

In 1997, (the last year that cosmetics animal testing was permitted in the UK), Home Office figures showed that there were 1,319 animal tests of cosmetics in ingredients and finished products conducted in Britain with an estimated 30,000 animals used within the EU.

Comprehensive figures are not available despite member states having a legal obligation to provide figures.

BUAV is the world’s leading organisation campaigning against animal experimentation. We oppose all violence to animals as well as humans, and believe that animals are entitled to respect and compassion, which animal experiments deny them. Our aim is to achieve lasting change by challenging attitudes and behaviour towards animals. We do this in the following ways:

Peacefully campaigning and lobbying to change laws and government policies.
Challenging negative perceptions around animal rights.

Providing information on and raising awareness of animal experimentation. For more information about the BUAV, Tel: 020 7700 4888.
www.buav.org/gocrueltyfree