Most of the cats that were located had not gone far from their homes. Indoor-only cats were found 128 feet from home, on average, and indoor-outdoor cats 985 feet from home (although this distinction was not significant).
For all the cats (indoors, indoor-outdoor, outdoors), the house’s median distance was 164 feet, and 75% of cats were located within 1600 feet.
This means that if your cat is missing, you should search very precisely close to home. Being cats, you will not be astonished to discover that some of those found turned up waiting by the door to be let in.
Cats were often found in nearby hiding places such as hiding in a yard, in bushes, under decks, or inside sheds. Cats that were considered prying were the most likely to be found in a neighbor’s house. Most lost cars are near you.
A physical search for the cat was most likely to be successful, and this included searching the yard and surrounding area, calling the cat while looking for it, asking neighbors if they had seen the cat and would keep an eye out for it or help search, and walking around during the day looking for the cat.
The most triumphant advertising tactics were putting up posters and distributing flyers about the cat.
Although many people called their local shelter about their missing cat in this study, it was not a common way for them to be reunited (fewer than 2%).
It’s also worth considering the strategies people use if they find a lost pet.
It seems many people will not take the animal to a local shelter/animal control because of fears of euthanasia. Instead, the tactics they use to find owners include advertisements in the newspaper, walking around the neighborhood, and putting up signs.
Social media has grown considerably since this survey was done and is likely a much more significant factor these days. Still, it is essential to remember that some owners may not be reached by this method as not everyone uses social media.
Remember to think about what it feels like for your cat and the kinds of places where they might hide.
Cats have flexible spines, and their collar bone is not connected to other bones so that they can squeeze into narrow gaps.
If they are timid and shy, be quiet when searching so that you won’t startle them. Also, think about what happened before them disappearing if it gives any clues as to where they might be.
If your cat has just run out of the door, don’t chase them.
Keep them insight and try to persuade them to come to you; this may involve getting low down, calling them, not looking directly at them (which can be scary to a cat), and reaching your hand or a finger out to see if they will come up to you.
Shaking the treat packet may also help.
An indoors-only cat will want to get home again, so make sure they have a clear path back indoors and don’t get in their way.
Many lost cats come home by themselves.
If you are not sure where your cat is, search carefully inside the house if they are under furniture, in a wardrobe, in the basement, or some other hiding place. Cats can get into some surprising places, especially if they are fearful and new to your home.
A friend had a cat hide inside a box-spring mattress. Similarly, they may be able to get inside your settee, open cupboard doors or drawers (which may shut behind them), hide in small gaps behind furniture, get in behind the washing machine or fridge, hide behind books on shelves, or curl up underneath your clean linen.
The most successful strategy is searching on foot. Most cats are found close to home and search very (very) carefully in the immediate area.
Look in places where a scared cat might hide, such as in bushes, in sheds, under decks. Remember to look up too, since cats like high places and might be hiding in the branches of a tree or on the roof of a shop or shed.
It’s a good idea to search at a quiet time of day.
After dark, you can search with a flashlight. You might see the light reflect from their eyes. When searching, take a treat packet with you and shake it from time to time, but remember a scared cat may not dare to come out to you.
If your kit is indoor-only, you could put their litter box out close to the point where they left. The idea is that cats have excellent noses and will be able to smell it. They may find it reassuring, come back to use it, or wait nearby. However,
if your cat has outdoor access, there seems little point in doing this as they will be used to toileting outside anyway, and the smell may only bring other cats into the area to investigate.
Make a hiding place right by the door. A cardboard box turned upside down, and with a hole cut out to make an entrance will do. Put some of your cat’s bedding inside it.
You’re providing somewhere for your cat to hide if they come back when you aren’t there to let them in. You can put food and water nearby too (but be aware that this may attract rodents and other animals).
Remember to listen in case you hear your cat meowing. If you have a baby monitor, you could leave it outside the front door in case you hear a meow. If you have a trail cam, set it up so that you will see if your cat is in your yard (or your neighbor’s yard, with permission).
Speak to neighbors and ask if they have seen your cat. Ask them to check hiding places on their property carefully, or if they will let you search their yard for your cat.
If you find your cat in a tree and believe them to be stuck, call local arborists to find one who will go up to get your cat. Sometimes shelters or community cat organizations keep a list of arborists willing to rescue cats from trees.
Make ‘lost cat’ flyers with your cat’s photo on them and put them up in the neighborhood where people will see them, such as near community mailboxes or on utility poles. Include your phone number so that people can contact you if they see your cat, but don’t put your name and address for security reasons.
Post your ‘lost cat’ flyer to social media too. Make the post public so that it is shareable and share it with any missing pets and neighborhood groups in your area. Again, don’t post your address.
Call your vet and tell them your cat is missing. You might be able to put up a flyer at their office too.
Visit your local animal shelter and animal control in case someone has taken your cat there. Some will take details of missing cats to keep on file.
If you have recently moved house, you should also search back at your old address, as there have been cases of cats going back to where they used to live.
If you want to put out a trap for your cat, your local shelter, community cat rescue, or animal control may be able to assist.
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Above all, keep searching close to home (very close to home for an indoors-only cat). This is the most important thing to do. When you find your cat, remember to update social media postings and take down the flyers you put up in the neighborhood.
Tips to Help Find a Lost Cat
Start Looking Early
Start Looking Close By
Talk to Your Neighbours
Think Like Your Cat
Put Up Posters
Look When It’s Dark and Quiet
Set Up a Baby Monitor
Use Facebook and Other Social Media
Think Positively
Don’t Give Up
If you think your cat is hiding nearby, you can try putting out some strong-smelling fish when it gets dark.
Do it concurrently every night, then try to keep watch from a distance to see if your cat will venture out to eat it.
When he is starving enough, he will venture out when he feels secure, generally under night cover.
Indoor cats that have escaped are very likely to be hiding near your house.
They have panicked and gone into survival mode, so they are probably hiding within a three-house radius.
They are too frightened to move and will likely not respond to your calls. They are hiding in silence not to attract any predators; they are following their survival instinct.
When any cat is hurt or scared, they are likely to go into hiding and not respond to your calls. You have to remember that cats don’t think like humans.
Even though they may recognize your voice, they may not respond to it because their ancestor instincts tell them its safer to remain quiet so as not to attract any attention.
Look When It’s Dark and Calm
If your cat is lost or sneaking, it may be waiting until it’s dark to come out and search for food.
Therefore, it is best to try and wait until late at night when the roads are quiet to look for your cat.
At this time, your cat is more likely to hear your calls and to respond. Remember to stop from time to time and listen to your cat.
INFANTS EXPOSED TO DOGS LESS LIKELY TO DEVELOP ALLERGIC DISEASES
Research at the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health has shown that babies exposed to dogs are less likely to develop allergic diseases.
A beloved cat or dog is as much a part of the family as many kids as Mom, Dad, brother, or sister.
But for others, a furry pet means wheezing, eczema, rhinitis, or other allergic reactions.
At first, it would seem logical to keep children at risk for allergies away from household pets.
But an investigation conducted at the UW Department of Pediatrics found the opposite true.
Exposure to dogs in infancy—especially around birth—can influence children’s immune development and reduce the likelihood of certain allergic diseases.
NEWBORN EXPOSURE IS THE KEY
The research study, led by Department of Pediatrics Professors Robert Lemanske, MD, and James Gern, MD, evaluated 275 children who had at least one parent with respiratory allergies or asthma.
Each year for three years, investigators asked whether the family had a dog at home, whether the children had symptoms of atopic dermatitis (AD; a type of eczema) and wheezing, and checked for immune responses in the children’s blood.
The results?
Children who had a dog at home as newborns were much less likely to have AD (12% versus 27%) and wheezing (19% versus 36%) by their third birthday.
Early exposure, it seems, is the key—children who got a dog after birth did not seem to have the same health benefits.
INFLUENCING IMMUNE DEVELOPMENT
The reasons for this further merit exploration.
Investigators think that exposure to dogs may contribute to a critical step in a child’s rapidly developing immune system—an action that may occur shortly after birth.
Will future research shed light, so to speak, on this immunologic mechanism? UW researchers hope so.
A better understanding of the process could lead to better allergy prevention strategies for children.
And that would help parents breathe more easily, too.
You may have learned of people microchipping their pets, but have you microchipped your own? According to recent studies, over 12 million pets in the U.S. are reported lost or stolen every year, and more than 8.5 million animals end up in shelters around the United States.
Many of these are pets that have lost their way from home. They are scared. It is a national crisis; on average, only two to three percent of dogs that enter sanctuaries are microchipped. The statistic is even worse for our beloved felines, as less than one percent of those entering shelters are microchipped. This raises the likelihood that once a pet is lost, it might never be rejoined with its family, which is why microchipping is indispensable.
We can’t tell you how many tragic stories we have heard over the years from people who wished they had microchipped their precious animals while they had the chance.
One in three pets will get lost during their lifetime, and 9 out of 10 don’t return home. Should your pet become lost, he must have proper identification to increase the chances of being returned to you.
Though collars and ID tags can be helpful, they aren’t always a reliable form of identification since they can easily fall off or become hard to read over time, leaving your beloved pet among the other unidentified lost strays at shelters. The use of microchips can easily prevent this.
COMMON MOTIVES PETS GET LOST
Many pets become lost because they escape from the backyard or run outside when a gate opens. This is notably true during celebrations were crashing noises, social gatherings, and unfamiliar faces are familiar. Even during storms, many pets can become scared and run away during these circumstances in an attempt to flee the commotion.
Other everyday situations where pets go missing include contingencies such as house fires and vehicle accidents. A pet with a microchip is more likely to make it back home than one without this identification.
WHAT IS A MICROCHIP?
A microchip is a very advanced piece of technology. Microchips are radio-frequency identification transponders encased in a small amount of bioglass and injected under the skin. These microchips are incredibly tiny, no larger than a grain of rice, and are encoded with identification numbers that can help you reunite with your pet should he become lost.
Animal shelters and veterinary hospitals usually carry various scanners that will read most microchips. It is standard practice to scan every new animal to see if the pet has a microchip at many veterinary and shelter facilities. This helps ensure a lost pet is returned to its owner. It is important to note that this is standard practice for most facilities in the United States, but if you travel to another country, you should be aware that their scanners might not be able to read your microchip. Talk with your veterinarian if you plan to be traveling to discuss alternative ways to equip your pet with the proper identification.
REGISTER AND UPDATE
It is important to note that a microchip will only be effective if it is registered and contains up-to-date contact information. When you microchip your pet, the vet will give you information to register the microchip with a nationwide registry. You will then be asked to record the microchip and include your most up-to-date contact information. Suppose you do not register and input your information. In that case, the microchip is essentially useless as the microchip will not be connected with information to help your pet be returned to you. If your information changes, be sure to update your pet’s profile immediately.
WHAT IF I LOSE THE INFORMATION ABOUT MY PET’S MICROCHIP?
It is important to note that we do not recommend putting in another microchip as the frequencies could interfere. If you lose the information associated with your pet’s microchip, let us know. We can scan your pet’s microchip and assist you with getting the information you need to update your pet’s records.
CAN A MICROCHIP HELP TO TRACK MY PET IF THEY BECOME LOST?
No. A microchip is not a GPS device that can track your pet if they become lost. It is only used to provide an identification number encoded with your contact information. Pet parents should not be concerned about their privacy as the scanner is only used if your pet is found without you and will only contain the contact information you choose to provide.
Though equally important, a microchip does not replace a collar and ID tag. Instead, a microchip provides your pet with permanent identification should he become separated from you. Microchips help to return thousands of pets home. To learn more about microchipping or schedule an appointment, please get in touch with your local shelter.
WHAT IF I FIND A LOST PET?
Think, you had taken the care of microchipping your pet only to have them disappear from your home and be found by somebody who decided to keep them! Animal control, veterinarians, and even some pet supply stores can scan to check for a chip. Still, any found pet should always be reported to your local shelter in an attempt to reunite with the animal’s owner. There are many local missing pet Facebook groups, and you can always utilize sites like Next Door to notify your neighborhood that you have found a stray animal. As much as you might fall in love with a cat who showed up at your door or a puppy who appeared in your yard, you must follow all the steps to try to get them back to their family first.
THE COSTS OF MICROCHIPPING A PET
Microchipping is a moderately inexpensive procedure, particularly considering the benefits associated.
If you have the procedure performed by your veterinarian, it will most likely cost you between $40 and $50. However, some of that will probably be due to the cost of an office visit, so you might be able to save money if you have the chip inserted while you’re there for another reason, such as a regular checkup.
Also, if you adopt from an animal shelter, your pet may already be chipped. That will save you some cash. Still, you must switch the registration information with the microchipping company, so you are contacted instead of the previous guardian.
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ —Peace 4 Animals, World Animal News (WAN), and Farm Sanctuary are once again encouraging people to make the compassionate choice for the holidays by adopting a turkey rather than eating one for Thanksgiving dinner.
Peace 4 Animals & WAN Promote A Plant-Based Diet & Support Farm Sanctuary With The ‘Save A Life This Thanksgiving, Adopt A Turkey’ Billboard Campaign In Los Angeles
“We began the ‘Save A Life This Thanksgiving, Adopt A Turkey’ billboard campaign after realizing that something needed to be done to raise awareness about the estimated 46 million turkeys who are killed in the United States for Thanksgiving alone each year,” said Katie Cleary, Founder and President of Peace 4 Animals and World Animal News. “Taking action to save the lives of animals is the most important thing that we can do to create positive change for ourselves, our planet, and of course, for the animals. This campaign in partnership with Farm Sanctuary sends a clear message to choose compassion on your plate and change the way we’re conditioned to think about farm animals in this country; to actually make a connection to who we are eating.”
The 2020 ‘Save A Life This Thanksgiving Adopt A Turkey’ billboard is strategically located on the highly-trafficked 710 Long Beach Freeway near the Imperial Highway exit in the city of Lynwood in Los Angeles County.
“If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s the importance of empathy and that our choices impact the lives of others,” said Farm Sanctuary President and Co-Founder Gene Baur. “If we can celebrate a more joyous ‘turkey day’ without causing unnecessary killing and suffering, why wouldn’t we? By widening our circle of compassion to include one of the most abused creatures on the planet, we can prevent the enormous harm that factory farming causes people and other animals.”
For only $35.00, anyone from anywhere around the world can sponsor a turkey that was saved by Farm Sanctuary. The rescued turkeys are given a new life at one of the organization’s sanctuaries located in Watkins Glen, New York, or Los Angeles, California.
Venus “The Champion,” Ferris “The Hotshot,” Tutu “The Charmer,” Sandy “The Sweetheart,” and Jackie “The Queen” are among Farm Sanctuary’s adoptable turkeys this year. The fee to adopt the flock is only $150.00.
“Thanksgiving and turkeys have become synonymous, but sadly, not in a way that celebrates them. At Farm Sanctuary, we’re trying to change that,” stated Farm Sanctuary’s CEO, Megan Watkins. “By highlighting the unique personalities of these birds, while also exposing the abuse that they face in an unjust food system, we inspire people to start new compassionate traditions, like adopting a rescued turkey for Thanksgiving instead of eating one.”
Farm Sanctuary will send everyone who adopts a turkey an adoption certificate that reminds people that turkeys are living, feeling beings, who deserve to be treated with kindness and compassion.
“Spreading awareness about the benefits of a plant-based diet is among the many critical issues WAN and Peace 4 Animals strive to address on a daily basis, and we welcome the opportunity to support other like-minded organizations such as Farm Sanctuary to amplify this important message,” shared Cleary. “It is more important than ever to spread compassion this year. Adopting a turkey instead of eating one on Thanksgiving is a life-changing step in the right direction towards a more compassionate world.”
Please join Peace 4 Animals, WAN, and Farm Sanctuary in making this Thanksgiving a compassionate one for ALL by sponsoring a TurkeyHERE!
For further information or to schedule a time to speak with said Katie Cleary, Founder and President of Peace 4 Animals and World Animal News, please contact Lauren Lewis at 259317@email4pr.com or (818) 970-0052
People are so ready to get back to life, forgetting that in 1918 the second wave of the Spanish Flu reportedly killed 20-50 million. The first wave only killed 3-5 million. History does indeed repeat.
The horrific scale of the 1918 influenza pandemic—known as the “Spanish flu”—is hard to fathom. The virus infected 500 million people worldwide and killed an estimated 20 million to 50 million victims—that’s more than all of the soldiers and civilians died during World War I consolidated.
While the global pandemic lasted for twenty-four months, a significant amount of deaths were packed into three exceptionally rough months in the autumn of 1918. Annalists now accept that the deadly sharpness of the Spanish Flu’s “second wave” was caused by a mutated virus dispersed by wartime company actions.
When the Spanish Flu first appeared in early March 1918, it had all the hallmarks of the seasonal Flu, albeit a profoundly transmissible, infectious contagious, dangerous, and destructive strain. One of the first recorded cases was Albert Gitchell, a U.S. Army cook at Camp Funston in Kansas, who was hospitalized with a 104-degree fever. The virus expanded swiftly through the Army base, home to 54,000 troops. By the end of the month, 1,100 soldiers had been hospitalized, and 38 had fallen after contracting pneumonia.
As U.S. troops stationed en masse for the war effort in Europe, they carried the Spanish Flu with them. Throughout April and May of 1918, the virus flowed like wildfire through England, France, Spain, and Italy. A predicted three-quarter of the French military was tainted in the spring of 1918 and as many as half of British troops. Yet the first wave of the virus didn’t appear to be particularly deadly, with symptoms like high fever and malaise usually lasting only three days. According to restricted public health data from the time, fatality rates were related to annual Flu.
Historians believe that the fast spread of Spanish Flu in the fall of 1918 was somewhat to impute on public health officials opposed to imposing quarantines during wartime. In Britain, for example, a government official named Arthur Newsholme understood full well that a strict private lockdown was the most reliable way to fight the scope of the profoundly infectious virus. But he wouldn’t jeopardize damaging the battle manufacturers by keeping munitions industry artisans and other noncombatants homely.
According to many researchers, “the constant needs of warfare proved to incur [the] risk of spreading disease” and encouraged Britons to “carry on” during the pandemic.
A severe nursing shortage further thwarted the public health answer to the crisis in the United States as thousands of nurses had been deployed to military camps and the front lines. The deficit was worsened by the American Red Cross’s refusal to use trained African American nurses until the worst of the pandemic had already passed.
1918 Pandemic (H1N1 virus)
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The 1918 influenza pandemic was the most severe pandemic in recent history. It was caused by an H1N1 virus with genes of avian origin. Although there is no universal consensus regarding where the virus originated, it spread worldwide from 1918-1919. In the United States, it was first identified in military personnel in spring 1918. It is estimated that about 500 million people or one-third of the world’s population became infected with this virus. The number of deaths was estimated to be at least 50 million worldwide with about 675,000 occurring in the United States.
Mortality was high in people younger than 5 years old, 20-40 years old, and 65 years and older. The high mortality in healthy people, including those in the 20-40 year age group, was a unique feature of this pandemic. While the 1918 H1N1 virus has been synthesized and evaluated, the properties that made it so devastating are not well understood. With no vaccine to protect against influenza infection and no antibiotics to treat secondary bacterial infections that can be associated with influenza infections, control efforts worldwide were limited to non-pharmaceutical interventions such as isolation, quarantine, good personal hygiene, use of disinfectants, and limitations of public gatherings, which were applied unevenly.
