Newsletter - September 2021
Growing up GWLAH
Meet Sawyer! At seven weeks old, this little guy has been growing up Greenwood Lake from the get-go.
When technician/mom Michelle Jarvis acquired him, Sawyer was only, at most, a few days old. That meant sleepless nights for her and round-the-clock feedings for him.
"He was a slow starter," she said. "But he's doing really well! He's eating normally and starting to play like a normal cat."
Joking that Sawyer was going to be "Team Bottle for life," Michelle said that the little bottle baby (finally!) recently transitioned to eating canned food on his own.
Having raised, by her own estimate, close to a dozen kittens, Michelle said that Sawyer is "special."
"He hits all his marks," she said of his development. "He just hits them a week or two later than we think he's going to hit them."
Because he came to her so young, Michelle said she doesn't think Sawyer had very much, if any, time with his mother, who would have taught him a few things about being a cat.
But, with the help of his other feline housemates, and time, he's getting there.
A recent milestone was his first time playing with a paper bag, although he wasn't entirely sure what to do with it.
"Gabriel was like, 'Let me show you how to do this bag thing. You're not doing it right,'" Michelle said of one of the other cats at home.
All the hard work of raising a bottle baby pays off in the long run, Michelle said.
"It's very special when they're hand raised," she said. "They're a special kind of pet."
Adopt, Don't Shop
Celebrated on the third Saturday of September, Puppy Mill Awareness Day - September 18 this year - aims to draw attention to the awful conditions dogs in puppy mills face and the importance of adopting from overcrowded shelters.
While there is nothing wrong with purchasing a puppy from a reputable breeder, most of the puppies sold in pet stores come from puppy mills.
Buying pet store animals means, not only supporting the cruel puppy mill industry, but also taking a home away from one of the millions of unwanted shelter animals euthanized each year due to lack of space.
Puppy mills often produce animals with serious health problems because of the inbreeding and filthy conditions common to the industry. This frequently results in expensive vet bills.
Pet stores also do not generally socialize their animals, which can result in behavior problems.
Whenever possible, try to adopt, not shop for your next furry family member. There are scores of animals languishing in shelters for lack of a loving home that would make a wonderful addition to your family.
Won't you help them find their forever home?
World Rabies Day
September 28 was World Rabies Day, which is dedicated to action and awareness about rabies prevention, according to the Global Alliance for Rabies Control.
The focus this year was on facts about rabies and dispelling any myths or misconceptions.
Facts are the only way to beat fake news, so help share accurate facts and ensure that decisions about rabies control are based on the correct, and most up-to-date, information.
By sharing facts about the benefits of vaccinating your pets against rabies, and by ensuring that exposed people receive post-exposure treatment, we can dispel any myths about rabies vaccination to ensure that everyone is protected, and the disease is eliminated.
