Cindy-Lou Dale

The final deceipt: Says Stuan Stevenson, a member of the EU parliament, “I doubt there are any pet farms still operating in the EU; following the exposure by Humane Society International and myself of pet farms in Belgium and the consequent material we passed to the European Commission, there was so much publicity and such public outrage that I expect all pet farms either closed down or went completely underground. In the current climate it would be almost impossible for such establishments to function without attracting aggressive attention from the media or the public. But no-one can ever be entirely certain. There are some evil people around.” While most people are appalled and anguished at the way in which cats and dogs are bred, stolen, transported, abused and killed for their pelts, they’ll  hopefully realise there to be no difference between this and the barbaric slaughter of the other 40-million animals who die for our vanity every year. This is the reality of the fur trade. There is no conscience, no morals, the only governance is greed.

The Manx Cat Sancturay, Isle of Man: Whilst Sue was shoo-shooing a rescue turkey, Cedric, from the feline quarters I did a quick reconnoiter and discovered a little brown hen dozing in a cat’s basket in a dim corner; she opened one beady eye and considered me for a moment, then puffed her feathers and settled back down again. Evidently I held no threat to her.

Why cats paint: Some domestic cats are able to make marks using paint which biologists prefer to explain away as an inborn form of territorial marking behavior, yet more recent evidence shows that some of these marks are aesthetically motivated and are genuine works of art.

Pet Passport: Remember to always consider your pet’s welfare before your own companionship needs. Will she benefit from a long-haul vacation to Europe with you or would she be less traumatized at a kennel or cattery?

Asiatic Black Bears: Bear farming involves crudely extracting bear bile from the gall bladders of live bears, housed in 'crush' cages. Extraction takes place either through a steel catheter being implanted into the abdomen or a permanent hole being created in the belly, allowing the bile to drip freely into bowls placed below their cages. The bile is collected twice a day, prior to meal times, as this is when the density and viscosity of the bile is at its highest.

Cats in the arts: It’s a way for cat owners to enter into a more interesting and meaningful relationship with their cats. Once they've danced with their cat you often find they'll speak of feeling that their cat is now a far more significant part of their world and some say they've entered into a kind of spiritual partnership.

Cats of distinction: When Theodore Roosevelt called for his “Slippers” he was in fact referring to his cat. “Socks” was the First Cat of the Clinton family and Sir Winston Churchill owned an orange tabby named Jock who slept with Sir Winston every night and was taken to all the wartime cabinet meetings.

Constitution on Animal Rights: We have no legislation to protect animals in laboratories. The anti-cruelty law loopholes and the encouragement of self-policing ‘ethics’ committees’ means that there is no effective regulation, supervision or debate around the use of animals in biomedical research or testing facilities. Substituting legislation with a voluntary code protects laboratories from public scrutiny. Indeed, the code appears to have been devised to prevent access by people involved in unethical research. 

Animal Laboratories: go to political genre page

Chacma Baboon near extinction: Apartheid is in the past and so are the fences that keep wild animals in and people out. However, due to encroaching urban development in the tranquil mountains of the Cape Peninsula, the Charma baboons' are nearing extinction.

And the Oscar goes to: Minnie was watching Misty in wide-eyed admiration as he ate grass. She was clearly receiving a beginners’ guide to projectile vomiting as soon enough Minnie tried it, but her first attempt did not stay down nearly as long as Misty’s.