April 14, 2012 – Judges, Lorraine Rivard and Gary Veach, use their expertise to critique pedigree cats and kittens at this year’s Delaware River Cats Club cat show held in Hammonton, NJ.
Legislators Crack Down on Puppy Mills and Pet Adoption Centers Step in To Take Their Place
In Ocean County, a group of lawmakers have recently introduced a bill to help eliminate the sale of cats and dogs in from puppy mills, according to local news source. The Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MCSPCA) has responded to the shut down of pet shops selling dogs and cats from puppy mills by opening pet adoption centers in their place.
The recent bill has been made in response to the poor conditions in which puppy mills breed their animals, and often the animals are found to be sick. The MCSPCA plans to open a second Homeward Bound Adoption Center at the Freehold Raceway Mall on April 26th at 10:00am. The grand opening celebration will have giveaways for the first adopters. Be sure to come and show your support!
Interview with CFA cat show judge Sharon Roy
Sharon Roy at the Delaware River Cat Club cat show in Hammonton, NJ
Sharon Roy, a Cat Fancier’s Association (CFA) cat show judge from New Hampshire discusses what it takes to be a judge in CFA shows, as well as how she critique pedigree show cats compared to housebreed cats. This weekend she was judging for the Delaware River Cats Club in Hammonton New Jersey, Saturday April 14.
Cat Show in Hammonton this Weekend will Benefit Two Animal Nonprofits
The Cat Fancier’s Association (CFA) will be holding two cat shows this weekend from 9:00am-3:30pm at the Rollway Skating Rink on 131 S. Second Road in Hammonton. On Saturday, April 14, the Delaware River Cats Club will be hosting the show, and on Sunday, April 15, the Club Felin Fleur de Lys from Canada will be hosting the show. The CFA excepts 225 cats each day.
According to Hammonton News, both shows will benefit and raise funds for ZPGABC, the Zero Population Growth All-Breed Club, one of the first spay/neuter programs for feral cats in New Jersey, and the Cumberland County SPCA.
Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors 65 and older, and $4 for children. Click here for a printable $1 off coupon. Attendees who bring a can of cat food for the Cumberland County SPCA will also receive $1 off admission.
New Jersey Pet Psychic Catherine Ferguson: Legitimate Columnist or Self-Promoting Scammer?
This is Catherine Ferguson, a pet psychic based in Jersey City, in an interview conducted by Newsweek. Although she is based in New Jersey, she does the majority of her psychic consultations via email or snail mail, so any pet owners owner can contact her through her website to arrange a consultation.
Starting in June 2011, Catherine Ferguson has been maintaining a column on the Jersey Journal, Hudson County’s daily online news source on www.nj.com. Approximately twice a month she answers one pet owner’s question about their beloved cat or dog, in which she posts to the NJ new source’s website accompanied with the question asked and picture of the pet.
The whole operation looks like a complete scam. On both her website and column Ferguson offers consultations to pet owners, in which she claims that she can determine, through telepathy, what your pet is thinking, or what they were like in past lives. These services aren’t exactly cheap, and she charges $25 for a 150 word consultation email or letter, $60 for a 30 minute phone call, and $90 for a 60 minute consultation are her office.
In other words, Ferguson charges her customers nearly $2 for every 10 words she writes and for each minute she talks about information that no one can definitively confirm nor deny the accuracy of.
In her most recent addition to the Jersey Journal, Catherine discusses a cat named Waffles, who had been recently adopted from the Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge, Inc. in Oakland, NJ. The new owners are curious about Waffle’s past, both in this life and in previous ones. Ferguson writes, “Waffles would like for you to reflect on her status as an adult cat endowed with wisdom. She feels you are treating her like a kitten, like a cute, fluffy being, whereas she sees herself as fully grown.”
Things get really weird when Ferguson begins to examine Waffles’s past lives.”Waffles did indeed have an unusual past life. Between 1830 and 1850, she was a performer in a traveling circus. Part of her work involved the tightrope and acrobatics,” she speculates. The craziest part, to me, is that Ferguson claims that she can extract all this information from a brief explanation and a single photograph of the cat.
Like me, many people aren’t buying it, and some people, such as this blogger, are even outraged. He argues that such speculations do not belong in a legitimate news source, because publishing them promotes a fraudulent service to readers while simultaneously depriving them of useful information.
Ferguson is in the position to make up whatever bogus story she chooses with zero fear of it ever really being disputed. Animals can’t speak for themselves, and only another person with telepathic powers could deny or confirm Ferguson’s readings, which still leaves the rest of the ‘ungifted’ population in uncertainty.
ASPCA Rachael Ray 100k challenge update: Qualifying Heat Contenders Announced
The ASPCA has announced the 108 shelters that are to compete in the Qualifying Heat of the ASPCA Rachael Ray 100k Challenge. Only one shelter from New Jersey, the Eleventh Hour Rescue in Randolph, will be competing this year, however right over the bridge in Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania SPCA will also be competing.
From April 5 to April 16 the competing shelters will call upon their supporters to vote for them online. Only 50 of the 108 organizations will become official contestants in the challenge, so it’s crucial for shelters to get the word out and gather as much support as possible. The winners will be announced on Tuesday, April 17.
ASPCA teams up with Rachael Ray for 2012 100k Challenge
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Attention all animal shelters in New Jersey! The ASPCA is teaming up with Rachael Ray for its third-annual 100k Challenge, and the application period is just around the corner! For those who haven’t heard of it, the 100k Challenge is a nationwide contest that helps animals shelters develop innovative ways to engage their communities and find more loving homes for sheltered cats and dogs.
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Throughout the months of August, September, and October fifty shelters from across the country will compete to save at least 300 more cats and dogs than they did during the same months last year. At the end of the challenge, the ASPCA and Rachael Ray will award the shelter with the greatest increase in lives saved $100,000, and the runner up will receive $25,000. The shelter with the best community engagement will receive $25,000, and $5,000 will be granted to each shelter that does the best in their division.
The real and most rewarding incentive, according to ASPCA VP, Bert Throughton, is saving lives. “That’s the biggest reason to participate, and the only one that should matter.” -
Applications will be accepted online this upcoming Tuesday, March 13 at noon, EST. The ASPCA encourages applicants to act fast, because the will stop accepting submissions at midnight, March 15, or once they have received 150 applications-whichever comes first.
New Jersey had two participants in the contest last year, from the Northeast division, Animal Welfare Association in Voorhees, and the Monmouth County SPCA in Eatontown. Below, is the AWA’s commercial for the challenge, which aired on Animal Planet last year.
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AWA Commercial
Freehold NJ – The National Norwegian Forest Cat Breed Club Show
The National Norwegian Forest Cat Breed Club Show held on February 25 & 26 at the Freehold Armory Plaza in Freehold, NJ.
Q & A with Gloucester County College Animal Advocates’ Melissa Norbeck
Fur Free Friday At Burlington Coat Factory
Q: What is the Gloucester County College Animal Advocate’s club mission?
A: Our mission is to raise awareness about animal cruelty, improve the lives of animals, show there are alternatives to the cruel methods being used, raise money for various animal charities, and much more.
Q: What items are you collecting for the collection drive, and when does it end?
A: We are holding the collection drive until April 30th. Items, such as food, toys, blankets, newspapers, towels, kitty litter, cleaning supplies, and much more can be put in any of the five green bins located around campus.
Q: What other events and actitivities has the club been involved in?
A: Since we began in September of 2010, we have held collection drives and donated numerous items to local animal shelters; protested Ringling Bros. Circus where the animals are beaten, poked, electrocuted, and chained their whole lives; protested “No-fur” in which animals, like dogs and cats, are crammed in crates then skinned alive; adopted a Wolf (the money helps fight legislations to stop aerial killing); adopted a Monk Seal (the money funds their protection and helps pass acts to assist the seals); donated money to help end The Canadian Seal Hunt; donated money to The Sea Shepherd to help end Whaling; and donated money to Peta for the numerous materials they have given us to help spread the word.
Q: Why is it important for people to get involved with this cause?
A: Although every little bit we do helps, we need stricter animal cruelty laws. People need to know that harming an animal is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. In order to accomplish our goals, we need people to help. We can make a difference in the lives of those who cannot help themselves!
Q: What other upcoming events does the club have planned?
A: We are selling pretzels in the College Center on Tuesday, February 28th starting about 9:30, so students can stop by and show their support by buying a pretzel Also, we will be having some type of Spring demonstration outside of the college when the weather gets warmer, and we will also hold a move night soon. If students would like to help with any of our activities, they can email me at mnorbec1@gccnj.edu. Also be sure to check out our facebook page, and our blog.
Are feral cats a problem in your neighborhood?
In New Jersey, the Animal Welfare Association has adopted the TNR program, or Trap-Neuter-Release, in order to alleviate the feral cat problem in towns across the state. Other states and regions have vouched for this program, but will it work in New Jersey?
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What To Do About Feral Cats
What To Do About Feral Cats From removing food sources to euthanasia, just about everything’s been done to manage feral cat colonies. But… -
The Human Society defines the problem and how TNR is the humane and effective way to solve it.
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Animal Welfare Association Offers Free Spay/Neuter for Cats | Camden County, NJ
Animal Welfare Association Saving Lives with Free Spay/Neuter for Cats in Local Communities January 2012-Thanks to a generous two-year gr… -
New Jersey has already enacted many methods to promote and educate locals about the TNR program.
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“THE ALLEY CAT ALLY: Trap Neuter Return movement helping Toronto’s large feral cat population toronto.cityandpress.com/n…
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The program goes as far as Toronto, Canada. Their TNR program has made significant improvements in Toronto’s feral cat populations.
For more information about the program, check out The Animal Welfare Association of NJ’S FREE FERAL CAT/TNR WORKSHOP, held on the third Wednesday of every month. clinic@awanj.org.
The South Jersey Meow 