October 2012

The TRUE life of a barn cat

The sole survivor of someone's "happily ever after" fantasy

A few weeks ago, people started saying they'd seen a kitten at the barn where I board my horses.  I didn't think much of it until about a week later, when I found a kitten in bad shape in a horse's stall.  It was mewing frantically as I rounded the corner, and when I spotted it, it was struggling to get up.  The horse's hind foot was hardly an inch in front of the kitten's body.

I ran into the stall to rescue the kitten, but soon after I picked it up, it went into a nearly comatose state.  It was barely breathing, its eyes were crossed and unresponsive, and the only sign that it was still alive was the feeble protest it sometimes made by opening and closing its mouth when I moved it around.  It was pretty clear the poor thing had been stepped on -- and only just before I arrived on the scene, too, if the frantic cries that drew me were any indication.

Tuxedo Stan is running for mayor

This candiate is promoting a local spay/neuter program.

Right on the heels of learning about Stubbs, the Cat Mayor of Talkeetna, now comes this story from the chilly depths of Canada. Tuxedo Stan is a 3-year-old long haired tuxedo cat who is running for Mayor of Halifax on the Tuxedo Party platform. Tuxedo Stan, a former stray himself, is hoping to "raise awareness about the stray cat problem in Halifax."

Tuxedo Stan's campaign is advocating a city-sponsored spay, neuter, and adoption program. Unfortunately, the city of Halifax is facing a huge issue with stray cats numbering in the thousands living on the streets. 
 
Municipal law actually bans animals from running for office, which means that Tuxedo Stan is a long shot candidate indeed. He is a true maverick, campaigning tirelessly in the hopes of catching the attention and imagination of Halifax residents. And once he has their attention, Tuxedo Stan hopes to convince them to spay or neuter their pets.