just 'cus - chewbacca on a squirrel fighting nazis

this is exactly what the world needs right now. 

a walking carpet with a crossbow.   maybe he could use that fur to soak up all the oil. 

happy saturday, madpeeps.

oil spill threatens lake michigan

the enbridge pipeline breached on monday spilling 800,000 gallons of oil into the kalamazoo river.  animals and waterfowl have been covered in oil and if containment efforts are not stepped up it could seep into lake michigan.


this is really big news.  why are we not hearing about it more?

iams prescription cat food recalled

we don't sell any iams but we know people out there use it.  just to be safe, here's the info.


the affected bags are 5.5lb Feline Renal formula with lot numbers of 1384174B4 0 and 1384174B2 0.  the upc code is 1901421405.

how a dog drinks - surprisingly civilized

who knew they were so delicately folding the water into their mouths like that?   craziness.  check out this video of a bulldog shaking off, too. it's straight out of inception.  mind-blowing.

movin on up

'tis the season for moving in madison.  leases and u-hauls and packing, oh my.
 

cats love routine, so moving houses or apartments can be a nightmare for them. follow the jump for tips to ease the transition.

gabby's green paw

check out gabby's catnip garden!  while we get coffee breaks she goes outside for a little nomnom pick-me-up.  

if you ask nicely gabby might even share some with you.  just make sure you give her a good chin-scratch or two in return.

now if only there was a beernip plant....

take the jump for more 'nip pics.

meet link

meet link, madcat west's newest happycat - or should we say, happykitten. this handsome man is about 18 weeks old and loves people, cats and just about every toy in the store.

check out more pics of link after the jump!

update on emmi

looks like the recent rescue vs. owner custody battle is over.  emmi stays put. 

just yesterday her previous owners dropped their claim to her and settled out of court with shelter from the storm.

emmi's foster family plans to adopt her immediately.

so, what do you guys think?  is this the right end to the story?

delaware rocks!

in case you missed it....

yesterday the state of delaware signed into law the biggest legislation toward no kill in history.  the law not only mandates cooperation between shelters and rescues but also makes convenience killing illegal.  w00t!

wayne and garth better change that whole "delaware" bit now.

cats and dogs have a voice in mass.

"to take the voice of an animal would be the equivalent of taking a person's voice or a person's ability to communicate"

massachusetts agrees. they recently banned devocalization surgery, a procedure which cuts or removes an animal's vocal cords, rendering them permanently unable to bark or meow. it can also cause serious health problems - not to mention your pet would no longer be able to alert you if something is wrong.

anyone who breaks the law for non-medical reasons may be punished by fines and up to five years in prison.

batmaaaaaan!

because you've always wanted to hear a pug scream/bark along to the batman theme song, here ya go:

goose meeting recap

the first "neighborhood" meeting between the new goose czar and members of no madison goose kill was held last night.  doesn't sound like any real progress has been made to avoid a future roundup.  in fact it seems all madison geese have been made targets now.

check out the group's facebook page for more details on what exactly went down and what you can do to help.

say wha?! - weird cat news

nicholas cage revealed on letterman the other night that he once took mushrooms with his cat.  and by the way he tells it the cat would often open the fridge and help himself to munchies.  say wha?!

it's straight out of anchorman - "a whole wheel of cheese?!"

i'll bet lewis will stick to the 'nip from now on or else he may start hallucinating stuff like this.

nyc vs. delaware - what's going on with sheltering?

with the tabling of oreo's law until next year the shelter system of new york city has descended into chaos.  any steps toward no kill have been nullified by the same bureaucratic BS that have made US shelters the number one killer of cats for decades.

meanwhile, the state of delaware just passed a bill that will put them on the quick path to no kill - making euthanasia a last resort of any animal that can not be treated, adopted out, or transfered to a rescue. big news and a cause for hope.

so what's wrong with nyc?

a kitty riding a tortoise

why? because it's awesome! also, see the tortoise-riding cockatiel and turtle-riding frog. apparently riding reptiles is all the rage these days.

uw animal research cited again

seven months after the university was cited with 20 animal welfare violations a return inspection by the USDA finds 6 repeat-violations, from expired medication to unnecessarily painful tests.

with possible fines of up to $10,000 per day the university is going to scramble to get themselves out of this one.

yet, the testing goes on... because "monkeys are not us."

what the trucking duck?

how awesome is this story about a minneapolis truck driver and his fowl best friend?

the funniest part is that the duck is named frank.  we'd have named him quackers mcfeatheredbottom.  it sounds more distinguished.

maybe our truck driver, nick, could use a new copilot?

super-reflex kitteh

holy cow! i haven't seen a cat move that fast since I opened the food cupboard this morning.

hoarding, rescue, and the fate of a dog named emmi

what happens when you're charged with mistreatment of animals, have all of your pets taken away, cop a plea to get 4 of them back and then the people fostering your dog won't give it back?  we're about to find out.

this is obviously a case where the couple were in over their heads but is hoarding the same as intentional cruelty?  what do you guys think?

and what happened to all those other charges?  child neglect is pretty serious to be dropped so quickly.

no more dogs at willy st. fair?

alderman mike verveer has proposed a city ordinance that would make all events requiring street-use permits off-limits to all dogs.

the farmer's market is already a no-dog zone but this new ordinance would include other quintessential madtown events like the willy street fair.

then who would we give our free porkies to?

judging by the story's comments section this is going to be a hot-button issue for awhile.

what do you guys think?

interview with the carnivore

both funny and sad. he just wants some blue sky and sunshine. and real meat. lots of meat.


kind of makes you think about zoos and all those animals, no?

cat burglar goes on panty raid

hey brits, lock up yer unmentionables. oscar the klepto has a knack for stealing knickers. wouldn't you love trying to explain that one to your neighbors?

what's the weirdest thing your pet has stolen?

san fran ban on sale of live animals

san francisco is considering a ban on the sale of live animals through retail stores, including hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, birds, mogwai, etc. fish are not included (neither are batteries).

it's a push to keep small animals from ending up at the city shelters after the cuteness has worn off.

what do you guys think?  another step toward achieving a no kill community?  or going too far?

for the record, we don't sell pets and we're doing all right.

geese peace 2.0

did you see the story on the current state of the warner park geese situation?  the city's gone all science-y now.

things are about to get interesting again as members from all concerned parties are to meet with the parks commission on july 20th to discuss "further options."

oh yeah, and there's some drama, too.  follow the story at the no madison goose kill facebook page.  it's small town politics at its juiciest.

the octopus oracle

have you guys been following paul's world cup predictions?

he's been right every time and today he settled on spain to take it all.  sorry, netherlands, but paul's just not that into you.


aren't octopuses (octopi?) great?  they're like the squishy, tentacled cats of the sea.

kitteh dream science

what does morty dream of when he takes a little morty snooze?

13-lined ground squirrels?

it's possible - scientists believe that cats dream exactly the same way as humans do because the hippocampus - a part of the brain involved in memory - is wired the same in all mammals. pretty cool huh?

do your cats dream? hit the jump for another video of morty's dream spasms!

shoulder ridin'

talk about alternative modes of transportation. these madcatters have got it figured out! they recently swung by monroe street driving their hooman vehicles.

they're energy efficient, offer purr-gonomic support, and they pay for teh kitteh treets.

every madkitteh should have one!

though i'm pretty sure dottie would just steer me straight to the nearest source of ice cream.

dog person? cat person? or AT-AT person?

because every little kid always wanted one.  (just keep away from ewoks.  they're surprisingly destructive.)

woman denied cat for living in rough area of town

believe it or not.  while cats die in shelters every day due to the old myth of "not enough homes," an elderly woman in england was denied a cat by the very rescue group trying to adopt them out.

the reason?  the woman lived in a bad area.

what's worse -  the slight possibility of a cat being hurt by neighborhood kids or a cat sitting in a shelter cage with a good chance of being euthanized?

happy 4th!

happy 4th of july, y'all!

jug art

check it out! madcatter alex has been leaving his awesome handiwork on a number of refillable litter jugs.

haven't you always wanted to be immortalized on a jug full of cat litter? beats the alternative - the program is aimed at keeping the plastic out of landfills.

hit the jump for more jug art!

true chews!

you want it, you got it.

american-made chicken fillet chews.  real meat, real flavor, made from real american chickens that love apple pie and fire works just as much as you do.

it's good stuff.

happy birthday, gabby!

willy street's own gabby "wabby" madcat turns 9 years old today.  she's almost a tween!  let's hope the bieber fever stays away for at least another year.

now it's time for some cake and ice cream and a new catnip banana.

how do you celebrate your kittehs birfday?