'Toon Tuesdays

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Toon Tuesdays feature cat & dog cartoons made by the peeps over at Shoebox Greetings (a tiny little division of Hallmark) - where our mom works, too!

HumaneWatch reports on HSUS spending

Today we join bloggers worldwide to Blog the Change for Animals.

Why did we choose this infographic today? Because next week is National Volunteer Week and this graphic points out the very critical role that volunteers play in their local shelters.

Truly, the care of our shelter animals cannot be done without the effort of volunteers - and you can see in part why this is so in the graphic below.

HumaneWatch published this back in November 2012 when the HSUS released their 2012 tax info. And since today is Tax Day in the U.S., we thought it was timely.

We're not saying the HSUS isn't doing some good somewhere. (and we're also not saying we support the HSUS either!) We are simply pointing out that their efforts are not directly impacting your local shelter financially.  Those shelters depend on you.

Used with permission.

According to HumaneWatch, only 1% of the Humane Society's budget helps local pet shelters. HumaneWatch also encourages you to donate locally.

Birthday Bash!

Happy Easy Sunday everyone! Please join us for cake and games!

Maxie's own birthday cake, made from canned cat food!

Please join us for a slice

Maxwell assures us all it's scrumptious (perfect for yesterday's photohunt!)

Momma got me this fab treat ball from Mollie & Alfie. Anyone up for some bocce ball on the lawn?

Thank you for all your many well wishes. It's been wonderful, turning three!

Nellie made me this amazing birthday poem card:

And Texas, Kitshka and Milou sent this great birthday card: To view, click here.

Many thanks, dear friends!

We'll keep the comment-a-thon going until Wordless Wednesday, where you'll get to see what really happened at Maxwell's party.  (My, my. Isn't Faraday noticeably absent in these photos...)

Thanks for stopping by!

** Please let us know if you have any difficulty commenting by emailing us at tonkstail(at)gmail.com - we just changed our settings to help a few people out! Thanks! **

Happy Birthday Maxwell!

Happy #3, you big handsome guy!

From mom: You're my sweet boy, thoughtful and kindhearted.
We're so happy we adopted you November of 2010.

Maxie's Baby Picture

In honor of Maxwell's birthday, we're holding a commentathon.

For every unique visitor comment, we'll be donating 50 cents toward the fundraiser that benefits six local shelters and a spay/neuter clinic here in Kanass City as we seek to make our town completely No-Kill.

And be sure to check back later today for party pics - and Maxwell's birthday cake! 

That post will be part of the commentathon too :-)

(Oh, and Maxwell...because you're so thoughtful, you'll forgive me for not making a video invitation to your "cat mitzvah" party -  like this one -  ten years from today. Right? ...Maxie...?)

Thank you so much to Savannah for making this lovely birthday card for our boy!

Incriminating Evidence

We did mention that tomorrow was Maxwell's brithday, not Faraday's.
Right?

"Tsk, tsk!"

"Seriously, Mommy. The mail these days...!"

Oh, and we're going to host a commentathon tomorrow in honor of Maxwell's birthday.

For every unique visitor to either of the 2 posts we have scheduled for tomorrow, we'll give 50 cents toward the fundraiser mommy's working on: it will benefit six different shelters and spay/neuter clinics in Kansas City that wish to see our town become No Kill!

The first post goes live at 7 AM CST, and the second one will go up as soon as Mommy gets back with Maxie's birthday cake and can load birthday photos (sometime tomorrow afternoon).

Caturday Physics: The Watched Pot

NEWSFLASH! Maxwell Seeks to Disprove Theory that Watched Pot Never Boils

And for those of you on the Photo Hunt... pomegranate molasses is scrumptious.

(he was escorted off the island immediately after photo was snapped)

Please swing by tomorrow and wish our boy Happy #3!

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We're also participating in the Weekend Cat Blogging blog hop...

...and the Saturday Pet Blogger Hop, hosted by Baby Patches, Life with Dogs and Two Little Cavaliers.

I am Maxwell's Cat Parent

I am a Cat Parent - and since Maxwell's birthday is this Sunday, I'm sharing his story. This is our entry in today's blog hop for the Petfinder "I am a Cat Parent" campaign.

This was originally published as an article on less adoptable cats in September of 2011, and edited for today's post. [Sadly, many consider deaf cats to be less adoptable. That is their loss!]

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I'm sometimes asked, "what's it like to live with a deaf cat?" My favorite answer comes from another deaf cat owner, who replied, "It's no different, really. I yell 'no!' and he ignores me just like the others do."

We noticed Maxwell was deaf on his first day with us when he failed to react in any way to the vacuum cleaner. As a test, my husband slowly advanced the machine right up to his nose, where he curiously sniffed it and turned away. The vet confirmed it the next day.

Those first months were especially hard on me, as I had to be the 'bad guy,' administering those hated ear drops twice a day. I was also the one who took him to countless vet visits, and ultimately his surgery. I worried this would affect our ability to bond and that he'd associate me with nothing but unpleasantness. I'll be forever grateful that this didn't happen!

Deaf cats fall squarely under “less adoptable.” But why?

I think in part it's a concern over excessive medical bills.

But deafness isn't a disease; it's a physiological condition. Unless complicated by infection, deafness does not require medical care. In Maxie's case, he has no eardrum. Nothing we can do about it – he was born that way.

Another reason people may shy away from adopting a deaf cat is fear of the unknown or discomfort around an animal that is 'different.' Perhaps they worry such a pet might be less responsive, but that's not the case. With the loss of one sense, the others become more highly developed. 

Max doesn't really have a meow - he never could hear to develop one. But he is exceptionally perceptive, the first to notice you when you come in the room. And he's very tactile as well, the only cat of our three who uses his paws to open, lift or carry.

He'll venture down into the basement to choose a trinket off my husband's workbench, carry it in his mouth up to our bathtub, and then drop it, just for the joy of watching it careen off the sides.


How does one treat a deaf cat? The answer: same as any other – with a few very important exceptions.

First and foremost, a deaf cat should never be let outside. With one of their most important defense mechanisms gone, deaf cats are at greater risk.

Second, a deaf cat is easily startled. So when you approach – especially when sleeping – be sure to create a vibration by tapping on a surface or create motion by sitting a short distance away on a sofa or bed. Such movement will give him fair warning that someone is near. 

Third, never hit a deaf cat (not even a light bop on the nose in reprimand). Since they can't hear, they can't distinguish between a stern tone of voice and a loving one. All they will come to know is that human hands hit cats, so they'll associate them with painful, unpleasant things. Instead, use hand signals or facial expressions to reinforce your training.

Max is exceptionally trusting, affectionate and innocent, and I'm more protective of him than I am our other two. 

He brings us such joy. It's hard to imagine anyone not falling insanely in love with this big sweetheart. 

He has so much love to give, and I cannot imagine life without him.

I am proud to be Maxwell's Cat Parent.