Fiat Lux

Bear really loves flopping down on my laptop when I work. Endearing, but not when I am trying to get something done!

He might be expressing his opinion about how much work I’ve been doing lately…. fortunately I ended the week with a fairly empty in-box (for a change).

Share This

One of Tommy’s regular napping spots is on top of the couch cushions. Yesterday, Bear decided to join him up there.

Share This

Bear, playing Guardian of the Cable Box. I really need to put that stuff away (or throw it out) one of these days.

Share This

Haven’t done one of these in a while!

Our big boy Gimi just loves to roll over and show his belly! He’s actually lost a little weight since we changed their diet last year, but even so he tips the scales at some 15 pounds.

Share This

Peace on Earth, good will towards napping kitties!

We’ve enjoyed a quiet few days at home and will be heading out to see some friends a little later on. I hope everyone else is having a good day too.

Share This

Tommy, open-mouthed at having to pose yet again for the camera.

Share This

As I tried to get my aunt’s dog Woolie to sit still for a photo, Dad successfully managed to fire off a shot of the both of us. I had no such luck.

Share This

Gimi Grooming

Gimi’s a big boy (OK, I’ll admit it, he’s FAT), so he doesn’t do too well grooming himself. Still, it’s funny to watch him try.

Share This

Rainy day, “fall really is here” edition.

The days are noticeably shorter by now, and for once, the rainy season seems to be kicking in early. Nights are colder, and the cats are spending more time cuddling with us and each other.

Share This

As someone who spent 3+ years as a volunteer for the SF SPCA, I am a strong supporter of no kill shelters. There’s a great piece in the SF Chronicle today that addresses some of the issues around why there aren’t more no kill shelters in the US. Here’s an excerpt. Go read the rest:

“If a community is still killing the majority of shelter animals, it is because the local SPCA, humane society, or animal control shelter has fundamentally failed in its mission,” he writes. “And this failure is nothing more than a failure of leadership. The buck stops with the shelter’s director.”

Redemption makes the case that bad shelter management leads to overcrowding, which is then confused with pet overpopulation. Instead of warehousing and killing animals, shelters, he says, should be using proven, innovative programs to find those homes he says are out there.

[snip]

“If … motherless kittens are killed because the shelter doesn’t have a comprehensive foster care program, that’s not pet overpopulation. That’s the lack of a foster care program.

“If adoptions are low because people are getting those dogs and cats from other places, because the shelter isn’t doing outside adoptions (adoptions done off the shelter premises), that’s a failure to do outside adoptions, not pet overpopulation.

And yes, I’m aware that calling a shelter “no kill” is somewhat of a misnomer. Incurably ill or incurably aggressive animals are put down even in no kill shelters, and I’m completely OK with that. It’s the killing of otherwise adoptable animals that I have an issue with.

Share This