Thanks to Stan for these most interesting contributions
THE ADVANTAGES OF ADOPTING
A DOG OR CAT
By: Stanley Popovich
There are many advantages to adopting a dog or cat. Adopting
a pet can be a great way to reduce our every day stresses and
anxieties. In addition, there are many other reasons why adopting
a dog or cat can be important in your life.
For instance, pets can help us to relax and help us to focus on
the good things in our lives. This can be very helpful when we
are overwhelmed by the stresses and anxieties of our lives. Playing
with our pets can help reduce our fears and anxieties in any situation.
Pets can get our minds off of our problems. A person could do
an activity with their pet or other animals that will give them
a fresh perspective on things. Spending time with animals will
get your mind off of the problem and give you the energy to do
other things. Most importantly, playing with animals will give
you the self-confidence that you can cope and that you can get
through a stressful day.
Spending time with a pet can reduce loneliness and can be a great
source of companionship. A pet can help us to feel better. Also
many people talk to their pets and this can help us to get their
problems out in the open. Animals can be of good company to all
of us and can prevent the fear of being alone during our troubles.
Taking care of dog or cat can be a great way to increase our happiness
and self-confidence. There are many animals out there who could
benefit from your time and talents. Doing something that will
help your pet or other animals can give you a source of pride
and accomplishment.
Pets are 100 percent faithful and will be by your side through
the good and bad times. Everybody deals with anxieties, stresses
and other life problems, and it is during those times when you
need someone by your side to talk too. People in our lives come
and go, but your pet will never leave you regardless how bad your
problems may be.
There are also many different breeds of dogs and cats we can choose
from which can accommodate our life styles. If you want a certain
type of pet that will suite your life style, all you have to do
is talk to a pet expert or a veterinarian. These people will
work with you to determine what type of dog to get that will fit
in with your household.
By adopting a pet, you will be saving a life; a life of an animal
that could very well become your best friend. A pet will love
you unconditionally during his or her lifetime. Don’t let
a few obstacles prevent you from gaining a faithful companion
in your life. Adopting a pet can be beneficial to your health
and be one of the best things that you can do in your life.
BIOGRAPHY:
Stan Popovich is the author of "A Layman's Guide to Managing
Fear Using Psychology, Christianity and Non Resistant Methods"
- an easy to read book that presents a general overview of techniques
that are effective in managing persistent fears and anxieties.
For additional information go to: http://www.managingfear.com/
DON’T ABUSE YOUR PETS OR OTHER ANIMALS WHEN YOUR STRESSED
By: Stanley Popovich
Everybody deals with stress and anxiety, however some people sometimes take it out on their pets. Instead of taking your problems and frustrations out on your pets or other animals, here is a list of techniques that a person can use to help manage their stress, anxieties, and fears.
When facing a current or upcoming task that overwhelms you with anxiety, the first thing you can do is to break the task into a series of smaller steps. For example, changing careers can be a stressful situation. In order to help manage this task, try to divide this goal into a series of smaller steps and do each of these tasks one at a time. Completing these smaller tasks one at a time will make the stress more manageable and increases your chances of success. This is a lot more effective then taking your frustrations out on your pet.
Sometimes, we get stressed
when everything happens all at once. Instead of taking it out
on your dog or cat, a person should take a deep breathe and try
to find something to do for a
few minutes to get your mind off of the problem. A person could
take a walk, listen to some music, read the newspaper or do an
activity that will give them a fresh perspective on things. This
mental timeout can help you refocus on your current situation.
In dealing with your anxieties, a person should learn to take it one day at a time. Instead of focusing on exaggerated assumptions that may or may not happen, focus on the present and take it one day at a time.
Sometimes, it helps to be able to talk to someone about our stressful situations. Talking to a trusted friend, counselor, or clergyman can not only make us feel better, but they might be able to give you additional advice and insights on how to deal with your current problem. This is a lot more effective than yelling at your dog or cat.
It is not easy to deal
with our stressful problems, however taking our frustrations out
on your pets or other people will not make the problem go away.
When things are not going right, try to remember to treat your
pet in the way you would want to be treated.
BIOGRAPHY:
Stan Popovich is the author of "A Layman's Guide to Managing
Fear Using Psychology, Christianity and Non Resistant Methods"
- an easy to read book that presents a general overview of techniques
that are effective in managing persistent fears and anxieties.
For additional information go to: http://www.managingfear.com/
The Feral cat page - have you got a story to share................. Ferals are very special cats with so much to give - most unassuming, underated, most - at times - abused, rejected and despised. Please email with your experience of a particular feral cat - or a story you would like us to print - poem, etc. email to jancis@harvey24.go-plus.net
the story of a wonderful feral who came to live with us.
Fatima's Story :
Since writing this true and lovely story - Fatima died Peacefully on Easter Saturday 2003 - only the day before she was playing in the garden with a toy hedgehog and looked so healthy. Next day she just went to sleep and is buried in the garden. We loved her so much and she became so tame. I was once told that it was a mistake to try and keep her in a domestic situation. However, she spent so much time in the house all the previous winter, was first for breakfast, fish, and all the meals and became the most domesticated and loving cat ever. We miss her terribly and will never forget her. This is her story:
Fatima being stroked by
Maureen at Fish time
I first met Fatima in July 1998 -
Her story starts when Fatima
and her sister Bessie where left in a Cambridgeshire village in
the early nineties when a couple moved away from the village leaving
Bessie and Fatima. These two sisters took up garden residence
with Mr. Beeton - seen here with Minnie. 
they were never spayed and had lots of kittens
over the years. I first met Fatima in July 1998, when I had a
call one day to go and pick up some black kittens from Mr. Beeton.
We had never met, but we chatted about all these kittens who were
born and taken in, fostered, etc. and I couldn't help feeling
that the mum cats must be tired out from endless rounds of babies
and the winter ones especially who sometimes never made it through
the cold days and nights. I suggested that we get a humane trap,
catch the cats, neuter and spay them and return them to Mr. Beeton.
He was so agreeable and together we set about the task. Fatima
was heavily pregnant at the time, so we concentrated on the ones
who were able to be taken to the vets. All the cats were very
wild apart from Minnie and Daisy, whom Mr. Beeton referred to
as 'those what live in the house'. Fatima was totally feral in
every way and when I returned in October 1998 she was no longer
pregnant and her two babies were just as wild and feral as she
was and running around the garden - the days were getting very
cold and the kittens needed warmth and comfort as they had watery
eyes and already starting to show signs of cat flu. I set the
trap, and two hours later, the mother - Fatima had got herself
nicely trapped and she was taken to the vets for spaying and was
released back into the wilds of the woods around Mr. Beeton, as
to try and confine her, I was told, would have driven her crazy.
I took the two babies home, Barney and Lucy -
Barney (when he was still wild) 
and Lucy..........
I continued to visit Mr. Beeton over the years, and take him food for the cats and always be on hand for any emergencies - until he became ill and it was advised that the task of feeding the cats would not be beneficial to his health. He reluctantly asked me to take on Daisy and Minnie -'the two what live in the house' - and they came home with me to reside with Barney and Lucy - now very tame.
Fatima remained a dilemma, as she would never tame down................. or would she. It was a nightmare decision, but we trapped her and brought her back to Kentford and put her in the garden pen. Over the months she began to appear and one summer evening she called to her babies - one by one, they went to visit her in her pen and very slowly we began opening the door of the pen. Each day she came out for a while, always returning to the pen for the night. It seemed a magical time.
Fatima in her pen with
the door open.
The summer of 2002, she has spent the entire time in the garden and her pen is now used to rescue other cats. Her nights were spent either on the bookshelf with the heat of a table lamp on her head, or on the ottoman in the hall or on one chair or another. She never ventured out of the house by night. She was first in line for breakfast each morning - she snored loudly each night. Fatima lived with us for nearly two years. It was been a wonderful learning curve for us all, including Fatima - apart from the fact, that so far, we could not pick her up, she was virtually domesticated. I was advised by a colleague that to take her to a home situation would be a mistake. Well, ask Fatima what she thinks about it..................... It is wonderful to know that her last years were in comfort, away from the cold winter winds. It can be done - if you had asked her what she thought about the changes. She loved it all, and loved to be with her children again. Mr. Beeton came to visit her, and Daisy and Minnie, and still visits dear little Minnie - since the wonderful Daisy died just before Christmas 2004. They are still really his cats - he knows it and so do they....................when I think of a remark from a friend of mine who saw Fatima the year before she became tame .............. this friend runs one of the biggest rescue centres in the country and deals regularly with ferals --- 'she is the worst feral I have ever seen'
Fatima in the kitchen March 2003
Whatever people may say about not being able to tame feral cats, I think this story illustrates that it is possible - however, you need to go at the pace of the feral, which can require quite a lot of patience, a great deal of understanding and loads of TLC
WHAT IS A FERAL CAT ?
A cat who is lost or abandoned and has reverted to a homeless state. If not neutered, successive generations soon result. Pregnant cats and kittens particularly have a constant struggle for survival in a hostile environment. Dedicated "carers" and "feeders" do much to help, but are insufficient in numbers and resources.
WHERE ARE THEY FOUND ?
In derelict/deserted buildings, industrial and commercial premises, farms, hospitals, nurseries, school grounds, similar open sites.
WHAT CAN BE DONE TO HELP ?
1. Promote the concept "CONTROL
NOT KILLING"
Control by trapping, neutering, inoculation, re-homing if possible.
As suitable
homes are often unavailable many will have to be returned to their
sites in the
care of "feeders" and "carers".
2. Support groups who are concerned and involved with the welfare
of feral cats
(as set out above). These methods have proved successful. With
the provision
of regular, adequate food and shelter, cats can have reasonably
good lives and
retain their talent for rodent catching.
Mass destruction is not only inhumane, but leaves a vacuum into
which other
cats, many unneutered, will move, and the sad cycle of events
soon
re-commences. - click here for Newmarket
Cats index page
WORKING CATS
"SLAVES OR HAPPY HEALTHY WORKERS"
It is often believed, mistakenly, that only towns and cities have "non-domestic" cat colonies. Unfortunately, many similar groups are in rural and suburban areas. The problems they create, the hazards that may affect them vary according to location and the numbers involved. However, a programme of feeding, trapping, neutering and after-care will solve the majority of these.