Pet Health

Gabrielle was surrendered to the Humane Society by a well-meaning but not very well-equipped “cat lover” who had acquired 24 cats. We are helping her find homes for most of them, one by one. Gabrielle, as you can see, is a beautiful young tortie, as friendly and laid back as can be.

It was only in January this year that the Unites States Department of Agriculture agreed to a new rule requiring that farms raising animals for the “USDA Organic” label meet certain minimum standards of animal care. Known as the organic animal welfare rule, it was to be the first comprehensive on-farm federal protection for animals in American history. But that was January. This week, new leadership at USDA announced that they will delay implementation of the rule until November – or possibly never.

Cooper is a handsome “gentleman” of a cat. He was rescued in Mexico just a few days ago and seems to have been living outside for a while as his ears show some “wear and tear” around the edges. But boy is he glad to be inside and safe.

I don’t know whether this is a pet question or a gardening question but now that spring is “almost” here, I can see the spots on my lawn where my dogs go out to pee and boy are they ugly! And they will stay ugly all summer and get worse. Is there anything I can do to prevent those spots or at least deal with them better.

This week is Black Cat Appreciation (and Adoption) Week at the Oswego County Humane Society. Meet Tango and Cash (Johnny). Please contact the OCHS office during business hours at 315-207-1070 or via email anytime to [email protected] for information on adopting these two cuties.

Last week, I discovered four tiny kitten in my garage on one of those sunny days. I picked them up, brought them inside and called the Humane Society. They asked me a few questions, then they told me not to try to feed them and to return them to exactly where I found them and wait a few hours to see if the mother came back.

Trouble (with a capital T) is aptly named, but in a good way. He is a handsome young boy, lively, affectionate and totally playful. He likes to head butt his foster mom while he purrs his little heart out. He loves the other cats where he lives and he really needs to go to a home that has other cats for him to play with.

What exactly do dog control officers do anyway? I am so frustrated with the one for our town. Last year I called him about a stray cat and he said, “I don’t handle cats. Call the Humane Society.” I called him a few days ago about a dog that I think may be abused. I’m not sure what is going on and I asked him to check into it. He said, “I don’t do animal cruelty. Call the police.”

Meet Lady, a sweet, laid-back, friendly and pretty girl who spent most of the winter, we think, trying to survive in an old camper. Imagine how happy she is to be inside with a nice warm bed of her own. She gets along fine with our other office cats and likes lots of attention.