consolejockey

They compiled some video, they wrote a song, they put it on YouTube.

More songs by the same guy.

This is just an FYI for all the cat and dog people out there, there’s been a wet (canned/pouched/etc.) pet food recall for many brands of cat and dog food. Some of these brands include Iams, Nutro, Eukanuba and a whole lot more. Info can be found here:

http://www.menufoods.com/recall/

Not to be a fear monger, but this genuinely worries me:

SEC. 802. DEFINITION OF DOMESTIC TERRORISM
‘(5) the term ‘domestic terrorism’ means activities that–

‘(A) involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State;

‘(B) appear to be intended–

‘(i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;

‘(ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or

‘(iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and

‘(C) occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States.’.

Vague enough for you?
More information from the ALCU

This combined with the also disturbingly vague Federal Animal Enterprise Protection Act really starts to make me worry. Seven people were thrown in jail last year for just running a web site that protested and encouraged protest against an animal testing lab, based on this Act.

The likelihood of me or anyone else who engages in activism (be it civil rights or animal rights) being charged as a terrorist in near future just increased to an uncomfortable level.

Carol, of Angels in Fur Cat Rescue, Simon’s former home, emailed me a few corrections about Feline Leukemia after reading my post. I know a lot of people who have cats and would find this information useful:

“False positives” on the in-office test for FeLV are not actually rare - they are common. Moreover, they are technically not “false”, as they accurately detect the presence of the virus in the cat’s blood. But a positive result on the in-office test does not mean the cat will necessarily develop a persistent infection with the virus. In fact, according to some veterinarians, 60% - 80% of cats with a healthy immune system who are exposed to the FeLV virus will develop antibodies that prevent the progression of the infection (for example, see: http://www.acfacats.com/felv.htm). That means the “false positive” rate on the ELISA test can be as high as 80%. (But again, I would argue that the term “false positive” is not really appropriate here.)

When Lucas had a positive test result, I made the error with him that I think Nancy also made with Simon, and that was not to either: (1) retest him immediately using a different test called an IFA test (indirect immunofluorescent antibody assay) that has to be sent to a veterinary diagnostic lab; or (2) retest him via the in-office ELISA test (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) in 6 - 8 weeks.

What I have learned since then is that an otherwise healthy adult cat who tests positive for FeLV via the in-office ELISA test should ALWAYS be retested in one or both of these two ways to confirm that the FeLV infection is persistent and not transient, because the majority of healthy adult cats who test positive using the ELISA test shortly after being exposed to the virus are able to mount an effective immune response against it. Weeks later, these cats will test as virus-free.

A very good pamphlet on feline leukemia that includes a description of the differences between the in-office ELISA test and the IFA test, and why both are needed, is available at http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/felv.html.

I’ve got a new house mate. His name is Simon, and as you can see, he is a Siamese mix. He’s 5 years old and is about the nicest cat I’ve ever met.

Not too long ago, the idea of welcoming another cat into my life would have been unthinkable. Izzy’s death hit me really hard. I can’t say I’m over it even now. But a chain of events that started three years ago lead to me taking in this chubby ball of friendly fur.

It began three years ago with Nancy finding Simon wandering around her then boyfriend’s apartment complex, abandoned by his previous owners. Nancy really wanted to adopt Simon, but after a trip to the vet, Simon was diagnosed as being positive for Feline Leukemia. Nancy already had a cat at this point, and unlike the human variety of Leukemia, Feline Leukemia is a virus and can be spread to other cats. So she had to find a home for Simon. After much searching Nancy did find a home for Simon, with a woman who ran a cat rescue operation and has a cat sanctuary in her west Austin home. The woman Nancy found also had a Feline Leukemia positive cat that she was looking for a companion for, named Lukas.

For three years Simon lived more or less in quarantine with his best pal, Lukas. Then, quite suddenly, Lukas died, but not of Leukemia, of other health complications. Simon then went into a state of depression. He was devastated by the loss of his long time friend. He ate less and wanted nothing to do with the other cats at the sanctuary, which he was now allowed to interact with.

The Veterinarian who examined Lukas determined he did not have Leukemia and never did. So Simon was retested, and it was found that he didn’t have Leukemia either. False positives are rare but not unheard of with testing for Feline Leukemia. This meant that Simon was suitable for adoption. After much searching through old records and calling contacts, the woman who runs the sanctuary managed to track Nancy down and offered to let her adopt Simon.

Nancy had since adopted another cat, making her one bedroom apartment pretty much at cat capacity with two cats. But she still wanted to stay in contact with Simon. Over the years she had always wondered what happened to Simon. After three years she assumed he had no doubt succumbed to his disease. To hear he was alive and well (and a little over weight) was more than a pleasant surprise. She immediately called me and convinced me I had to adopt him.

Since Izzy died I’ve been in a cloud of gray and my house has felt very empty. Especially now that I’m working from home. I had a choice, I could continue to stare sadly at the hole in my life that Izzy’s passing had left, or I could try and move on. Simon lost his friend, I lost mine, it seemed only natural that we should keep each other company and help each other heal.

Today was my first day with Simon. He’s at my house on a trial basis. Assuming he and I get along and he likes living with me, it will be permanent. I also need to have him tested again for Leukemia just to make sure his last test wasn’t a false negative. But given his health and age, it’s unlikely he has it.

So, everyone, meet Simon.

I’m not really sure how I feel about this. It could be a sign of the Apocalypse. It’s one thing for dogs and cats to be living together, it’s a whole one step beyond that for dogs and cats to be scuba diving together.

I saw this, you might have seen it too. There are a lot of pets, along with all the people, that have been displaced because of Hurricane Katrina. On the off chance you can put up a dog or cat for a while, check out these links:

http://austinhumanesociety.org/

http://news8austin.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=144967

Izzy is trying to tell me something. He’s sitting next to my keyboard, staring at me. He looks like he’s expecting something. Now he’s raised his paw, and is waving it in my direction. He’s batting at my hands now, as if I have something that belongs to him, and won’t give it back. He’s kind of meowing, but more like growling at me. Now he’s up on his back legs, his front paws out like a bear standing to make a threating display? What is it Izzy? Timmy fall in a well? You pushed Timmy down a well? After stealing his lunch money? Good job, I never liked that kid.