Vote for Best of Indy

We voted! Good luck everyone!!

*sigh* Not voting here.

Not much for cat people to vote for... Cats are so overlooked and undervalued. The HSUS article "The State of the Cat" is right on.

Best Dog Park: I have cats.

Best Dog Trainer: Again... cats.

Best Overnight Boarding/Doggie Daycare: Not a good location for cats.

Best Dog Walking/Sitting: Cats that actually walk on leashes are rare.

Best Dog Bakery: No cat goodies? *sigh*

Best Pet-Friendly Bar/Restaurant: Cats in restaurants... *snicker*

Best Groomer: They're all short hair.

Best Agility Instructor: Cats are naturally agile, no instruction needed.

Best Pet Photographer: Anyone who can get a clear shot of the wild Alvin.

Best Pet Boutique: They carry cat goods?

Best Dog Toy: Cats play with toys too... why no option for them??

I agree. Why don't you get the cats folks here to all email and get a new category for next year?

Tell us, oh wise Catherder, what some of the "cat"egories should be?

Boarding facilities for cats? Need to keep the cats separate from the dogs... can't hear them, etc. Has someone on site 24hrs so that I could possibly board a senior w/ medical issues?

In that vein... cat sitter?

Cat toys?

Cat furniture?

Cat treats?

Someone who'd make treats for cats? Not many options out there... especially if the cat has joint issues. Try finding treats with 'glucosamine' for cats, not much available without resorting to Cosequin (sp?). TONS of options for dogs.

Boutique? How about a place one could get fun cat stuff... like along the lines of the Marley Cat tents. Fancy beds, nicer carriers -- someone who'd carry a fuller line of "Sherpa" products.

Walk into any pet store... notice the dog products are EVERYWHERE, in easy to find locations... cat stuff is tucked into a back corner.

And so on... Cats tend to be viewed as much more "disposable" than dogs. Dogs are part of a "pack", people get all upset when a dog is running loose. While cats are viewed as objects, allowed to roam free and when they die, oh well... we'll get another one. This type of marginal ownership is OK for cats, but would never be acceptable for dogs.

This attitude needs to CHANGE!!

Even check out the statue (find a pic online) out in front of Denver's "Dumb Friends League". Notice the dogs are all over the boy, the cat sits separate. They're supposed to be a progressive group... yet, that statue tends to send a completely opposite message!

Anyone who wants a copy of the PDF file I have of the article, I can send it...

P.S. Don't get me started on stuff like this: http://www.indypaws.com/post/index/20713

Seems that people are concerned about saving dogs... but it's OK for cats to die. Similar situation for the Marion (city in northern IN) animal shelter. Dogs were quickly rescued, how many of the cats have/had to die due to lack of anyone's help?

You are so right! I was emailing the person who took the pics for the Marion Shelter, and I asked about the cats. She said they had like 80 of them! From the pics and the press, I thought maybe they had placed all the cats because they were hardly mentioned! I thought about trying to take in a few, but my stream of fosters has been so steady, I haven't had the room/resources to take in any more.

On another note, you so need to open a store for cats! If I hit the lottery, I will fund it and you can run it!

I actually know several people who would help out a cat-specific store... unfortunately most don't live in IN!

This was a topic a while back in a small online group that I'm a part of, one of the posters had written a book called "The World is your Litterbox", it's a how-to manual for cats, written "by a cat". He had a hard time getting it published initially because "no one would want a cat book". WELL! He finally got it published and it sold out on Amazon.com within just a couple of days.

Guess there's no demand for cat stuff then huh?

Anyhoo... I haven't fostered for a while, due to sick cats of my own and Spokes having stress issues (didn't know if fostering was adding to her stress), pulling out her fur, etc... so I stopped to try and get things here stabilized. I WISH I had a bigger place with real spare rooms, but it's just a 1 br townhouse and hard to keep the parties totally separate.

Because my cat enjoys training so much, I decided to start teaching cat classes. We'll be working on most of the same behaviors we work on with the dogs.

Think of this as a step in the right direction. Also, cats can even be registered to do therapy work just like the dogs are!

Oooo... Sarcasm?

There really are therapy cats:

http://www.petsandpeople.org/cat-ther.htm
http://www.purrballs.com/ownership/therapy.html
http://www.nsalamerica.org/how_we_help/spot/
http://www.sniksnak.com/therapy.html
http://www.cahs-lansing.org/services/pet-therapy.html

Just to name a few...

I have been trying to train my foster Mama Cat! I hold a treat above her, say up, and she will stand up to get it! I think that's pretty cool!! The first time I tried that, she gave me the "you're not serious?" look! :)

Oh, I really believe a cat store would rake in the dough! There isn't anything like that around here! I would love to quit my job and start one. We could bake treats all day, sell toys, have adoptable cats from one of the rescues! We could do Yoga classes with Cats!!! I really need to hit the lottery or find a rich husband! I'm tired of wasting my life in a cube, when I could be doing something cool!!

You are doing something cool.

Agreed!