Fangs on Friday

A new series of photos for 2014, inspired by our Fearless Feline, Maxwell. 

This one's a classic, and has a place of honor in our inaugural month for this new series!

We interrupt this Thursday with a very special Kitten

Meet Drew. He has a big heart. Quite literally!

Drew is a cuddly, playful little boy with tons of love to give. He also has an enlarged heart. Drew may not have as long a life as other cats, but he's ready to pack it full of fun and tender moments and great memories. In our book, that makes him a special gives cat, not a special needs cat.



We're looking for a special someone who has a heart as big as Drew's.

Are you the one?

Thursday Trivia: Reindeer Games

We thought it was the perfect time of year for this one (okay, so maybe a week or two late, but not that far off!).

We know it probably won't surprise many of you to hear that the Urban Dictionary calls a reindeer game a 'fun activity enjoyed by members of a clique that causes those not included in the “inner circle” to feel inadequate or left out.'

The origin of the phrase is pretty recent, and refers to the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Much maligned because he was different from his peers (the other reindeer), Rudolph's tale about an outsider whose differences end up saving Christmas has become a part of American culture.

"Rudolph" by emily.bluestar
via Flickr Creative Commons

In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find an American who hasn’t bumped into this Christmas critter in one form or another. Whether it was the classic holiday TV special, the song heard on the radio, or any number of plush versions sporting that famed red nose, Rudolph has permeated our culture since his invention in 1939.

Replica of original book published
by Montgomery Ward, 1939
courtesy Coco Mault, Flickr

But did you know he was the creation of a department store chain? Yep, a Jewish advertising copywriter who worked for Montgomery Ward in Chicago, named Robert May, invented him.

Rudolph was created at the request of May’s manager, who wanted to offer a “cheery Christmas book” to shoppers that year.

His only request was that an animal be the star of the book. May chose a deer because his 4-year-old daughter Barbara had become fascinated by them from her visits to the Chicago Zoo.

Shoppers immediately fell in love, and over 2 million copies were distributed that year.

And it was May’s brother-in-law who was responsible for giving us the classic tune.

Johnny Marks was no stranger to music. He was a radio producer and songwriter who saw the popularity of the story and asked May if he could put it to music. And in 1949 he did. The song, sung by Gene Autry, hit #1 in the charts Christmas week of that year. It was a phenomenal success, and is the highest-selling holiday tune to date - with the exception of “White Christmas.”

The TV special narrated by Burl Ives first aired in December of 1964, and is the longest running Christmas TV special in history.

The phrase “reindeer games” got a fresh infusion into our culture with the release of a movie by the same title in 2000, starring Ben Affleck and Gary Sinise.

And then of course there are countless reindeer games played upon (or should we say preyed upon?) our hapless pets on an annual basis.

Not Amused. By Kerri Lee Smith, Flickr.

And you need look no further than our very own blogger Glogirly to see what we mean. Not that Allie doesn’t totally applaud Katie’s very own reindeer game – she wishes she would have thought of something similar to pull on Faraday!

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Sources:
The History Channel: Rudolph origin 
Washington Post Answer Sheet: The History of Rudolph
Rudolph song 
Rudolph TV Special 
Johnny Marks 
Robert May 
TIME: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Beloved Holiday Songs 

Wednesday Water Study

Maxwell, endlessly fascinated by water.

Faraday: *shocked look* Dood, you're...getting WET!"

Endlessly!

Join the Wednesday Pet Blogger Hop by clicking HERE and be sure to visit other bloggers HERE!

Wednesday's Waif: Patches

Baby it's cold outside. 

Wouldn't you like a cat to snuggle up with, to keep warm?

Meet Patches, a gorgeous Tortoiseshell girl, awaiting her forever home at Allie's Alma mater:

"Pleased to meet you! My name is Patches. Can you guess why? 

I'm a gorgeous medium hair tortoiseshell with amazingly soft fur and beautiful golden eyes. My previous person was unable to care for me, so I'm here at Wayside, waiting for my forever person or people to walk in and fall in love with me. 

So exciting! I'm a friendly girl with a great purr, and I love attention and being petted. I'll let you know how much I'm enjoying it by giving you some good head butts! I'm playful, too, especially with toys I can bat at. My previous person said I'm an affectionate lap cat who likes kids and gets along with other cats. 

My Felineality is Sidekick. That means I'm a people-oriented cat who is moderately brave in new situations. While I will want to spend most of my time with you, I also have an independent streak and am capable of entertaining myself. 

Do I sound like the girl for you? Come meet me, pretty please! 

Love, Patches"

Funny But No: Got a Winter Cold?

"Funny, But No"  
 
Yes, that's actually what the Shoebox team has been calling these rejects for the (many) years our mom has worked there. "Funny, but no" is a legend around Hallmark. So we thought we'd add some of these "rejects" into the 'Toon Tuesday rotation.

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Toon Tuesdays feature animal (and sometimes human) humor created by the peeps over at Shoebox Greetings (a tiny little division of Hallmark) - where our mom works, too!

Monday Medical: Tail vaccine followup

Back in November we shared with you a breaking news story about a potential new vaccine protocol for cats.

This study examined the pros and cons of a vaccine administered toward the end of a cat's tail.

It was a novel approach and I really liked the general concept, since as many as 1 in 1,000 cats vaccinated will develop a cancerous tumor known as a fibrosarcoma.

(You can read more about fibrosarcomas and the tail vaccine study here.)

Should a vaccine-associated sarcoma (VAS) develop, a tail amputation might give a cat a much greater chance of survival than if it were delivered behind the shoulder blades or in a lower limb.

Dr. Sara Huber with one
of her 4-legged patients

But I wanted to know what animal practitioners thought of this idea. So I asked Dr. Sara Huber, one of the veterinarians at Leawood Plaza Animal Hospital, what her opinion was of the study's results.

Dr. Huber: "I think that the research is definitely promising. However, one study does not a protocol make.

"I base my vaccination protocols on the recommendations put in place by the AAFP. They base their recommendations on a large body of research and come to a consensus based on this research and what is best for the welfare of the pet.

"In theory, vaccination at the caudal third of the tail makes perfect sense. If a tumor were to develop, a tail amputation can be done quickly, easily, and with relatively little pain to the pet."

It does sound promising. But is it too soon to jump on the bandwagon? Knowledgeable friends and bloggers have expressed concern that misdelivered vaccine injections might end up in the nerve branch of the tail's spine.

I would imagine that would be painful for your pet. Plus, what kind of danger might that pose to a cat? 

We love the elegant curve of Maxwell's tail.
Still, we'd amputate in a heartbeat if it meant we could keep him alive.

As of now, these questions - as well as long term side effects of tail vaccines - have yet to be addressed.

Sara does find it promising that they seemed to get less of a reaction to vaccination in the tail than the distal hind limb. But she also finds it somewhat hard to believe.

Faraday agrees: vets are
SCARY. (But Dr. H is NICE)

"The study included 'only cats that were tame'," she told me, "which truthfully is not really representative of the average cat at the vet. They are frightened and stressed out and many of them do not just agree to sit quietly and accept a physical and vaccines.

"And I can't say I blame them! Its scary being put in a box and thrown in a vehicle and poked and prodded!

"I imagine that there will be a lot of vaccines going through the skin and ending up on the table. I personally would like to see more evidence based research on this topic prior to completely changing my protocol."


Sara also reminded me that "a discussion on sarcomas has to involve adjuvanted vs. non-adjuvanted vaccine." An adjuvant is a chemical added to a vaccine, oftentimes in an attempt to either stabilize the vaccine, increase its shelf-life, or increase the immune response in the one being vaccinated. Adjuvants have been identified as cancer-causing in cats. And they're not limited to vaccine injections, either. Some recently developed injectible flea repellents with adjuvants have been associated with cancer as well.

Sara argues that "with the greater options of non-adjuvanted vaccines available to us, we are able to reduce the risk of a chronic inflammatory reaction from the adjuvant and hopefully lower the chance of developing an injection site sarcoma while still adequately protecting our patients from disease."

Still, she concluded, "vaccine associated sarcomas are horrible. It is a topic that I think is very important to discuss with clients when designing a vaccine protocol for their specific pet."

We agree - and pray that research will continue until VAS becomes a topic found only in veterinary history books.

Monday Medical Disclaimer: 
I am not a veterinarian, and the information provided here is not intended in any way as a substitute for professional veterinary care. Nor should it be used to self-diagnose for your pet. This information is for educational purposes and to provide you with reputable documentation you can use to pose informed questions of your own to the veterinarian of your choice.