For animal lovers

[MRD]

My daughter is trying to talk us into getting a cat. After reading all your stories and seeing pictures, I do realize I have missed being owned by a cat.
But with 3 dogs and cat allergies, I just don't think we need a cat although secretly I would love to have one.

Are there cats that are less allergy problematic than others? I know If and that's a BIG if, we get one, it will NOT be a long haired cat. But was wondering if there are any hypo allergenic kitties out there. I would go to the shelter if we do get one. Again, big IF.
I can see my 3 dogs and a cat. Rosie and Bogie have not got much cat experience and Waldo likes to chase the neigborhood ones.
OK, just realized that my having a cat in this house would be too much of an uproar.
I need to live in the country on about 20 acres so we can have more animals.
This house is too small for 3 adults and 3 dogs, so no more kitty thinking.

[veejer]

I am the only one that sees the irony in the Bass Pro Shop running out the local wild animals????

mrd, I see it all the time. Grrrrrrrrr. I am not happy about all of this development.

[MRD]

I have one pooped doggie. Took Bogie by himself (he's so good by himself) downtown for coffee and a walk in the park. We basically had the huge park to ourselves, so I took him off the leash and he had a blast. He never runs off, stays right with me. We waded in the river and he had so much fun splashing around the rocks and playing. He explored and you could just tell he was in dog heaven. The other 2 are mad now and have ignored us since we got home. But Waldo can't ride in the car and Rosie instigates Bogie into misbehaving, so it was nice to just take him. I've always been able to take him by himself and have fun and not worry about him as he is such a good boy when the others aren't around. He's been sacked out ever since we got home though.

mrd, I see it all the time. Grrrrrrrrr. I am not happy about all of this development.

One of the reasons we left Florida was the huge unregulated growth and development going on. It was horrible, irresponsible, water was becoming a problem (in 20 years if Florida doesn't go underwater from global warming, it will be the newest desert as the water situation there is already critical and with a booming population there isn't going to be enough water for all the new development. They've been on water restrictions there for years now already) And the clear cutting of trees for subdivisions.
Florida's new governor appointed all developers to the state fish and game commission and the enviromental agencies. Hmmm? Do you think those guys are really going to care about the enviroment and the impact of development on fish and game? It's like letting the fox guard the henhouse.
Now SC is experiencing growth, but they are at least trying really hard to regulate it and stop clear cutting (bulldozing down every living thing and putting up houses and 2 foot tall trees to replace the mature growth that once was on the site). And there are already groups in place trying to keep some areas unspoiled. But big developers with deep pockets are getting their way because city governments are only seeing the money and not the impact.

[misskitty]

Good wishes to YangYang and her new baby panda!! I wish them good health and long life!

Vienna Welcomes Surprise Panda Love Child

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The first baby panda born in European captivity in a quarter century came into the world in Vienna on Thursday. He's not cute yet, but Knut's reign as Europe's favorite bear may be numbered.

Move over Knut! It's time to meet the new star on the European baby bear circuit.

Weighing in at just 100 grams (3.5 ounces), only 10 centimeters long and as yet without a name, the most recent ursine wonder -- born on Thursday in the Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna -- is the first baby panda to be born in a European zoo since 1982.

Berlin's famous polar bear though, has a bit of time to get used to the idea of being shoved unceremoniously out of the spotlight. The new giant panda -- born to Yang Yang, who is on loan from China -- has no hair and likely won't start crawling for another four months. Zookeepers won't even know its gender for about three weeks.

Still, the zoo is ecstatic about the new arrival. And it came as something of a surprise. An ultrasound on Yang Yang at the beginning of the month had revealed no signs of pregnancy. A few days ago, keepers started getting suspicious as the seven-year-old panda began building a nest -- though it wasn't the first time she had done so. Then, on Thursday, a surveillance camera began detecting squeals coming from Yang Yang's enclosure.

Of particular note, Yang Yang was naturally impregnated rather than being artificially inseminated as giant pandas often are in captivity. Indeed, zoos have often resorted to showing often-reticent pandas ursine porn films to try to get them in the mood.

ang Yang, whose name means "Sunshine" in Chinese, seems to be off to a good start, having accepted her newborn. It is not uncommon for animals in captivity to reject offspring -- as happened to Knut, who was famously raised by keeper Thomas Dörflein. The Viennese zoo has an incubator and artificial milk ready in case Yang Yang changes her mind.

Still, there are challenges ahead. Only about 60 percent of baby pandas survive their first year. The officials at the Vienna zoo, however, are likely to do all they can to help Yang Yang out.

Knut, after all, doubled attendance at the Berlin zoo since he made his first public appearance in March. Schönbrunn is no doubt hoping its newest addition will do the same for them.

http://www.spiegleonline.com

[Newfherder]

mrd, I see it all the time. Grrrrrrrrr. I am not happy about all of this development.

A subdivision is a place where the streets are named for the trees they tore out--old surveying adage

[MRD]

A subdivision is a place where the streets are named for the trees they tore out--old surveying adage

You got that right. And then they name the subdivision something like:
The Oaks or Pine View and then there aren't any Oaks or Pines.


My hometown which is over 100 years old has streets named Oak, Magnolia, Pine, Hickory, etc. But since these are old streets, most have trees. Or they did before Hurricane Charley.

[just1paul]

BACK to our furry ones here!

I just had occaision to weigh JOEY , my BOY is now 18 pounds. and there is nothing FLABBY- I swear if he punches me it will HURT!

[Gutmutter]

Is there a cat in there somewhere? It looks like a pillow!

[just1paul]

a BIG FLUFFY HARD pillow

[Newfherder]

Are you sure that it's muscle, and not that his skin is stretched to its very limit?