Warning: Lost pets up by 30% at 4th of July!

Reposted from last year because we think it's that important...!

Volunteering: by the Numbers

This week is National Volunteer Week, so we thought it was a good time to take a look at a few stats here in the U.S. Some of these you may know, and some may surprise you.

There are over five thousand animal shelters in the U.S., ranging from city and county-run to private 501c3 organizations. From open intake (e.g. high kill) to no-kill.

Overall, of the 5 million pets who enter the shelter system in any given year,
more than half of these never make it out alive.

Volunteering
Reaches New Low

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, we are at an eleven-year low for the number of people willing to donate their time and energies to help out.
 

The average shelter has far more than just 50 animals, so you can imagine the amount of manpower it takes to let a dog out to go potty just twice a day, or a cat to have his litterbox changed and to be given fresh water.

And what about socializing these poor, frightened animals? Or the countless hours spent fostering litters of kittens and puppies in private homes?

All this takes time, effort, energy and dedication.

For all of you who volunteer at your local shelter, this week has been set aside to honor your many unsung efforts on behalf of shelter pets.

From us to you...thank you. Thank you. THANK YOU.

***

A Tuesday Teaser

So what exactly do you think "natural" means on the labels of your pet's food?
We hope it doesn't mean this:
 
 
_____________
Sources:

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics stated: "The volunteer rate declined by 1.1 percentage points to 25.4 percent for the year ending in September 2013, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. About 62.6 million people volunteered through or for an organization at least once between September 2012 and September 2013. The volunteer rate in 2013 was the lowest it has been since the supplement was first administered in 2002."

US Bureau of Labor Statistics
Statisticbrain
US News & World Report

Infographic: The True Cost of Pets

Not long after we scheduled last Monday's post withe the great dog cost calculator "app," we were approached by Help U Cover, a British company that specializes in insurance policies that "fills the gaps other insurance leaves behind". They have created a more comprehensive pet cost estimator we felt was worth sharing.

And for those of you wondering how the British pound converts to other currencies ...
As of a few days ago, it looked like this:

1 British Pound Sterling =  1.55 US Dollars  = 1.68 Australian Dollars = 1.16 Euros

Thanks to Help U Cover for this infographic.
'The true cost of Pets' by helpucover

Infographic: What does your pet say about you?

We found this infographic interesting, though it's a tad bit dog-centric.
And we also have to object to cats being more lifestyle driven than personality driven.

And only for introverted readers, too. Hey, what about Jackson Galaxy? He's openly said he's out to smash the typical cat person stereotype. Isn't this infographic perpetuating that myth?

We are huge supporters of the Meet Your Match program sponsored by the ASPCA - a program we use at Wayside Waifs to match a cat's personality with that of the human looking to adopt.
For more info on this hugely successful program, please visit the ASPCA's page here.

And tell us what you think about this infographic. Do you think it reflects pets and owners accurately?

What Does Your Pet Say About You? Infographic by PetPremium.com

Are you an obsessed pet owner?

No, we haven't forgotten what day this is. Just bear with us - it really is a Medical Monday!

Mike, over at the UK's National Office for Animal health (NOAH) emailed us last Thursday with this cool new infographic they created.

Yes, it's fun & interesting, but read to the bottom and you'll see why we say it actually makes sense for this to be a Medical Monday post.  :-)



Our Weird & Wonderful Pet Obsessions! – An infographic by Pet Health Info

***

Did you see that last part, in pink? At BlogPaws last week, it was mentioned that incidents of both parvo and feline leukemia have increased in our pets significantly over the past few years.

Now, vaccinations are a touchy subject. And here in the U.S., there is great debate on whether or not an indoor-only cat, for example, should be vaccinated annually for rabies and feline leukemia when some formulations of these vaccines have been known to cause cancerous tumors to appear at the site of the injection.

And there is discussion in the veterinary community about whether or not we're over-vaccinating our pets.

We've seen how deadly parvo and FeLV can be in dogs and cats. You cannot volunteer at a shelter anywhere and not be exposed to it, to some degree! And we also recognize that most U.S. cities have laws requiring rabies vaccination in household pets. Yet we want to share with you this article on Petfinder's website that alerts you to the potential side effects vaccines can have on your pet.

There is no perfect solution.

Consider this: often the only reason a veterinarian will see a cat is because his owner brings him in for his annual rabies shot. And because cats operate in stealth mode where illnesses are concerned, it might be the only opportunity your vet will have to catch a potentially life-threatening illness before it reaches critical mass.

Bottom line: we want you to be aware of the statistics, that certain diseases easily preventable by vaccine such as parvo and feline leukemia are on the rise, and we want you to be aware of the risks. And then we urge you to discuss vaccination with your veterinarian and make the decision you feel is best for your pet.

Whatever you do, please don't forego annual exams - especially in the case of cats who all too often successfully mask such diseases as kidney failure. If caught early, diseases like these are manageable and you will be able to enjoy the love and companionship of your pet for many years to come.

Infographic: The Truth about Shelter Cats

***

We're so sorry we've not been visiting for a few days. Our mom's been busy organizing a very special event to benefit six area shelters and animal resource organizations in Kansas City ... and it's been devouring her every spare moment. 

She promises she'll have time for us tomorrow!

If you want to see what she's been up to, click on our new Cat Mojo page up top (or click here)  

From Woof to Squeak

Graphic artist Christine Park created this fascinating infographic that she gave us permission to share with you.

It's called "From Woof to Squeak" and it details the animals that are the top 10 most popular pets in the U.S.
Please click to biggify.

Cool, huh?

Thanks for letting us share this, Christine!!

Infographic: Indoor Cats vs. Outdoor Cats

We know some cats who were formerly feral have a very hard time acclimating to life indoors. That's why so many shelters we know and respect have Barn Cat Programs. 

But the infographic below is why we personally believe that if your cat is happy indoors, it's far safer and better for their health. 

This illustration shows associative aging of an outdoor cat vs. an indoor cat, with the outer brown rings being the equivalent in human years. 

According to the author of the Cat Owner's Manual (published by Quirk Books), the shortened life span of an outdoor cat becomes increasingly apparent after age 2.

Although we agree in principle with this concept, we do wonder what they based this data on...?

Pets on Social Media Infographic

You may have seen this bopping around the internet recently. We're excited to share it because it features a friend of ours, the famous Romeo The Cat. Romeo is well known for his tireless work to raise awareness - and funds! - for animal welfare.

Take a look: not only is it a fun infographic, it's informative, too. Created by SPANA, an international animal charity based in London that is dedicated to looking out for the care of working animals worldwide.

 Social Petworking Stars

Pet Obesity Infographic

This is such an important topic - in fact, it's what tomorrow's Monday Medical post is all about.
And after viewing this infographic, we just might have a few surprise bits of info for you, as well as a good discussion on how to combat it.

Infographic via Pet365, an online pet store in the U.K.

Monday Medical: Driving With Fido

Does this count as a Monday Medical? We think it does, simply because of the potential medical consequences associated with not heeding the advice of this infographic.

I'll never forget the graphic display on the interstate that I saw years ago - a consequence of a dog riding loose in the back of a pickup. I won't share the details. Just know it's burned indelibly in my memory.

And since the day before Thanksgiving consistently ranks as the busiest travel day of the year in the U.S., we thought this was an appropriate time to discuss.

Via: TakePart.com

Save a Pet, Save your Life!

This infographic was created by Carlton Hobbs, LLC and NowSourcing, and it's worth sharing.

We agree - saving a pet is the healthy way to go!

We want to reiterate that last point. Many wonderful, deserving animals are sitting in shelters right now, waiting for someone to give them a home. Please adopt if you can. And if you can't...?

Those shelters need you.

Think about it this way: if a shelter houses 100 dogs - no, say they only have 50....
Have you considered the number of man-hours a day it takes, just to give each poor dog a 30 minute potty break and leg stretch outside?

That's 25 man-hours, the equivalent of three 8-hour work days, each day. And that's not taking into consideration other tasks like feeding, cleaning and medical care, plus other maintenance. The same goes for shelter cats. If they get even 30 minutes of socialization time a day, those hours add up.

Shelters depend upon volunteers like you to keep them afloat. So if you can't adopt, please consider volunteering. Do it for that sweet, deserving animal trapped in that cage who desperately longs for his forever home.

8 Myths About Animals

We knew #1, but some of these were new to us!

UPDATE: Misconception junction as been merged with the site Today I Found Out. Check it out - they have some fascinating info to share!

Infographic: Cities that spend the most on pets

Recently Mike Dang wrote an article for bundle.com on the top pet spending cities in the U.S. by month.

How do you, personally, rank? Do you know? We hit the top - and that's even per kitty!

click on this image to be directed to a high resolution view at bundle.com

Monday Medical Infographic: Deaf Pets

Since last week was Deaf Pet Awareness week, we decided to move our post on avocados to next Monday, and share this infographic from Trupanion Insurance with you instead.

Of course, we might be a tad bit prejudiced because of Maxwell...but we found it fascinating.

 

Click here to enlarge image.

Thanks to Trupanion Insurance and visual.ly for the infographic!
We did find it interesting that they didn't include instructions on how to teach your pet the word "no," (gee, we wonder why...*snicker*) so here's a short youtube video that shows you how.

Cats vs. Dogs Infographic

Thanks to Veterinary Technician Schools for this interesting infographic. 

"Which pet is superior?" the web site asks. "Cat owners are smarter. Dog owners are healthier.
Cats can take care of themselves for longer than 24 hours. Dogs are always excited to see you.

"There are pros and cons to both cats and dogs, and in this infographic, we attempt to answer the age-old question: which is the better pet?"


Courtesy of: Veterinarytechnicianschools.com

Monday Medical: Infographic - Snake Bites in Pets

Murdoch University in Western Australia created this very helpful infographic on how to detect snakebite in your pet.

Normally, we city folk wouldn't be too interested in this, but a news report broke a few weeks ago about a boy bitten by a rattlesnake in one of our suburbs. Yikes!

Having grown up around rattlers and other poisonous critters in Texas, I understand how critical education and preparedness are for snakebite survival. When I was a kid, one of our cats was bitten by a rattler. And survived it. It's because we - and our vet - knew what to do.

Frito, a floofy orange tabby boy, was rushed to the vet and given antivenin. It wasn't a pretty recovery - he lost all his fur and the top layer of skin down the side of his body where he was bitten. But it eventually all grew back and he recovered fully.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Click here to view the full image - used with permission - originally posted on http://snakebites.murdoch.edu.au

Infographic: Woof vs. Meow

This cool infographic was created for Hunch.com to visually describe the data they have gathered on the differences between cat owners and dog owners. 

By their own admission, correlation does not imply causation. But they found it interesting. And so do we. Especially after the study released by Bristol University that cat owners are smarter than dog owners. 

Just meowin'. 

Click on the image to be directed to Hunch.com's site and to see an enlarged view of the infographic.

Cat Diabetes Mini Infographic... & Smokey The Cat

We thought Purina's mini infographic on cat diabetes was interesting.

On their Facebook page last month they wrote:

"In the last four years, diabetes rates have increased by nearly 16 percent among cats, while the national average for the price of gas has increased by only 11 percent and the price of stamps by only 7 percent."

Not a good trend! It's our understanding that obesity and diet are the two biggest contributors to feline diabetes.

We're grain-free over here. I know this is a sensitive topic for some, but I found it interesting that some studies show  a low carbohydrate diet can significantly reduce - and sometimes even eliminate - insulin dependence in cats.

This shouldn't be a surprise, since I'm told the same is true for many humans suffering from Type II Diabetes.

We also practice portion control (no free feeding!). And we attempt to work in a daily play time with Da Bird or the Neko Flier (not always successful with that, based on our schedules).

Whew. We sincerely hope that's one less thing we'll have to worry about as the fur-kids get older!

***

We wanted to let you know about a Major Travesty being visited upon us over here:
 

We're being abandoned. Again.

Yes, and Mother's been working such late hours this past week that I'm sure she forgot to schedule my mani/pedi... *sigh*

Papa says Momma's running around like her hair's on fire or something.
But don't worry. I'm on it.

Please forgive us - we haven't been visiting as much lately as we'd like. 

Mom's production team had 8 business days to create 47 videos ("all hands on deck!")...and she's just a bit wild-eyed right now.

She'll be back next Friday and promises to help us catch up with you! 
In the meantime...we'd love it if you kept us company while she's gone!

Oh My Cat! Our Own Infographic!

Thanks to BlogPaws, we've discovered Visual.ly's new infographic tool.

Just by logging into your twitter account at Visual.ly's Twitter Infographic Page, you, too, can have your own! (Or you can face-off with another tweep ...how fun!)

Here's how we stack up: