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| Jackson Galaxy at CatFest |
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| Somali cat at CatFest |
I had a great opportunity to visit a shelter in Denver called the Dumb Friends League (www.ddfl.org). Despite the unusual name they had a great event called CatFest. As some of you in the shelter world realize, cats can be harder to adopt. Sometimes their value goes unnoticed. Many people considered cats to be too independent and not as fun as dogs. So NOT TRUEI live in a state that loves dogs so cats can get the short-end of the stick.
CatFest had all sorts for fun activities including face painting, games, booths that focus on kitty comfort. They also had tables about fostering cats, cat behavior and how to play with your cat. I really enjoyed the purebred cat room. It's interesting to see the different exotic breeds like the Somali cat pictured above.
This event also had Jackson Galaxy as the special guest which was a huge draw. Jackson Galaxy is a cat behaviorist with his own show on Animal Planet (check out his website http://jacksongalaxy.com/). He helps owners solve behavior issues in their cats.
Behavior issues such as housesoiling is often why so many cats make it back to the shelter. People don't realize that many things can disrupt a cats behavior to cause them to housesoil. Especially if the condition is not medical. Anything from perfumes, not cleaning the littler box enough or bringing in a baby can cause a cat to housesoil. The one thing to know is that with diligence cat behavior can be corrected. Visit your local shelters website to learn more about animal behavior. Most sites will have a section to help your pet adjust to it's new home.
I hope as a Vegan you take the time to donate money and your time to local animal shelters. I know many vegans will focus on farm and aquatic animals, but all animals deserve our undivided attention. Shelters provide so many services to care for homeless and abandoned pets. You can quibble all you want, but a shelter is a shelter whether it is "No Kill" or "Open Admission." They both need your help! I'll come back to a discussion of NO Kill vs. Open Admission at a later date. Their differences may open your mind in unexpected ways.
Visit your animal shelter today! Share the love and donate supplies or money or time. It will be worth it!
Peace, Vegan Girl
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