FL bill makes it easier to save "dangerous dogs"

a bill recently introduced in florida legislature is seeking to change the definition of "dangerous dogs" to make it easier for people to adopt dogs who've been involved in dog fighting.

the bill will allow animal shelters to decide on a case by case basis if the dog can be rehabilitated and eventually adopted. the move stems from the amazing story of 47 dogs seized from michael vick and are now making a huge difference in hundreds of lives.

hear that, hsus and peta? even the state of florida thinks that seized fighting dogs can be rehabilitated. why don't you?

local dog takes a polar plunge

poor luna, the local labradoodle.  she fell through the thin ice on lake mendota yesterday and had to be pulled out by rescuers.  must have been the lab part of her looking for a good swim....in march...in icy water.

this isn't the first time a dog has been rescued from ice.  remember lucky?

remember to stay off the ice, folks.  leave that to the ducks, geese and other amphibious creatures.

this week in weird animal news - missing cobras and robot birds

the bronx zoo's egyptian cobra went missing sometime last friday.  since then it's been tweeting jokes and inquiring about vegan restaurants.  want to follow her (or maybe even find her)?  @BronxZoosCobra already has over 30,000 followers.

and in awesome robot news....we now have a bird-bot that actually flies and soars like a real bird!  none of that wind-up owl from clash of the titans.  this thing looks legit.  i want one!

groundbreaking no kill legislation introduced in TX

a new bill introduced in texas legislature would "abolish the gas chamber, ban 'convenience killing' (when there are empty cages), mandate collaboration by requiring shelters to work with non-profit rescue organizations, mandate transparency by requiring shelters to report how many animals they kill and more."

wow. just wow.

it is based on model legislation written by the no kill advocacy center. similar practices have resulted in a 92% save rate in some communities. this is a giant step forward for a no kill nation.

fun with feathers.

peacock feathers. cheap, effective, and saves many a finger from excited cats. check out these vids of madcats gone wild:


mebbe we should put those peacock feathers
in a different spot...

dottie loves feathers. check out that tail action!

way to go... utah?

yeah that's right. utah. they recently said thanks but no thanks to a bill that would allow the shooting of feral cats (sound familiar?). a TNR bill has been introduced in its place.

who knew utah could be so progressive?

(gabby did.  she knows all.)

get the shed out

it's officially spring!  trees are budding, ice is melting and the couch is growing fur.  our pets are blowing out their winter coats and that means it's time to pick up our weapons:  grooming tools.

we've got furminators, shedding blades, slickers, combs, de-matting tools, bath wipes, scaredy cuts, fish oils and everything else you'll need to keep the hair at bay.  (sorry, no flowbees.)

and don't forget the lint-roller!

call him ishmael?

vilas zoo's little lion man needs a name. you can vote here for one of 5 options (leo pold being the best) on madison.com through april 11th.  it's too bad "madcat" isn't an option.  he'd make a great store-cat.

prepare to be (super) mooned

look to the skies, madcatters!  the moon is doing some crazy perigee thing where it will look 14% bigger.

nasa's page has a bunch of science-y explanation but all you really need to know is that tonight is the night to make "full moon" jokes.

Q: how does a man on the moon get his haircut?
A: eclipse it!

cat with amazing rescue story now looking for a good home

in december, a cat was found in janesville dangling from a powerline by her tail. the poor girl hung there for at least an hour before she could be rescued.

now the appropriately-named spark is in the care of dane county friends of ferals and looking for a forever home. could it be yours?

happy st. whosits day!

hope you're wearing green today, people.  or morty might have to pinch ya!

in honor of the green man, himself, here are 33 pictures of angry st. patrick's day cats.  don't they look thrilled?


have a fun, green-beer-fueled day, every one!

tashirojima - japan's cat island

japan, home of maru, land of robots and cat islands, we've all been thinking of you.

out of the sadness comes some good news:  the residents, both people and cats, of tashirojima island are safe and efforts are underway to airlift food and supplies to keep everyone fed and healthy.

we wish much luck to everyone affected.  and lots of waves from maneki neko.

vote for magic, DCHS's first FIV+ adoptee

the animal rescue site is hosting a new beginnings story contest and one of madison's very own kittehs is a finalist!

magic was the first FIV+ cat to be adopted out of the dane county humane society (back in 2009).  he is the face of no kill in our community - a cat who would be put down in most shelters.

let's all vote for magic and prove that all cats deserve a second chance.

git out yer pooper scoopers, madtown

with all that dang snow finally melting, the city's spring dog park clean-up will be held march 26. fun!

at least it means spring is almost here! stop by for your dog park permit and maybe a new toy or two.

adopt this cat (before I do)

bitty is the latest happy cat to grace our west side store.  she is around 6 years old and gorgeous as all get out.

morty has a bit of a crush and we don't blame him.


her personality is that of a very loving, confident and curious lady.  it was difficult to capture her beauty in pictures because she was so excited to be here in kitty paradise. 

come to the mineral point road location to meet her or contact happy cat, but prepare to fall in love.  she's a real doll.

cats with thumbs - the horror!

UK milk commercials are awesome.

cat ladders are cool

whether you agree with letting kitties outside or not you have to admit that these are pretty neat.

we all know cats are going to do whatever they want whenever they want so we might as well just go with the flow.

gotta love the basket lift and the elevator.

this is winning - charlie sheen lolcat rants

you cant's escape it.  charlie sheen is everywhere.  must be the tiger blood coursing through his veins.  or that he's an F-18.  whatever it is,  it's bitchin'.

even the lolcats are winning.

thank you, charlie.  we needed a laugh.

maru tries new hairstyles

okay so i might be slightly maru obsessed, but this vid is awesome. check out maru as she contemplates a new 'do:

new food - dave's is here!

all of you grain-free-feeding madcatters out there are going to have another brand to chose from, dave's pet food.

these bad boys come in beef, chicken, turkey and a whole bunch of yummy tuna and seafood flavors.  

the west-side store cats have been loving 'em, but then miss nikki has never met a tuna she didn't like. 

paper+catnip=awesome

this just in from the files of "why didn't i think of that?" are catnip scented papers. really. like a post-it soaked in catnip, it fulfills cats' love for catnip and crinkly papers. plus your lil junkie gets all the buzz without the mess.

they are also non-toxic if your cat starts to chew on them, like fiona madcat in this clip:

"oops! my bad."

wellness is pulling some of their canned cat food due to a few lots having inadequate levels of vitamin b1, thiamine. 

all other wellness products are still a-ok and as nom-worthy as always.



the affected lots are:

• all wellness and core cat cans dated 14April13 through 30Sep13
• all chicken and herring cans dated 10Nov13 through 17Nov13

any affected cans may be returned to our stores for credit or exchanged with unaffected lots.

if you have any questions for wellness you can reach them at 1-877-227-9587