A two-faced “Janus” cat had entered the Guinness World Records at 12 years old, for being the longest living cat of his kind. Frank and Louie’s condition is a birth abnormality, and most cats born that way do not live long.The record holding cat is doing well and living in the area near Worcester MA with his pet-mom Marty, who has a background in veterinary medicine. Marty was working at Tufts Veterinary Medical School when she got Frank and Louis, who was brought in at one day old to be euthanized.

Frank and Louie the cat was born with two faces, two mouths, two noses, three eyes — and lots of doubts about his future.

Now, 12 years after Marty Stevens rescued him from being euthanized because of his condition, the exotic blue-eyed rag doll cat is not only thriving, but has also made it into the 2012 edition of Guinness World Records as the longest-surviving member of a group known as Janus cats, named for a Roman god with two faces.

“Every day is kind of a blessing; being 12 and normal life expectancy when they have this condition is one to four days,” Stevens said, stroking Frank and Louie’s soft fur as he sat on her lap purring. “So, he’s ahead of the game; every day I just thank God I still have him.”

Frank and Louie’s breeder had taken him to the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, where Stevens was working at the time, to be euthanized when he was just a day old. Stevens offered to take him home, but experts told her not to get her hopes up.
Janus cats almost never survive, and most have congenital defects, including a cleft palate that makes it difficult for them to nurse and often causes them to slowly starve or get milk in their lungs and die of pneumonia. The condition is the result of a genetic defect that triggers excessive production of a certain kind of protein.

But Frank and Louie did not suffer from most of the common Janus problems. Stevens used feeding tubes to nourish him for three months, hoping that would also save him from the danger of choking on food going down two mouths.

It turned out she didn’t have to worry about him choking, because Frank and Louie used just one of his mouths to eat.

“The condition itself is very rare, and I think that the fact that this cat became an adult, a healthy adult, is remarkable,” said Dr. Armelle deLaforcade, an associate professor at Cummings and head of the emergency services section.

Colleagues at the veterinary hospital told Stevens that trying to raise Frank and Louie might not be good for him — or her.

Still, she “stood firm and stood by the cat, and I’m really glad she did because this cat really has fewer problems than many cats that have very normal anatomies,” deLaforcade said.

Frank and Louie’s two faces have a complicated relationship. Both noses work, but one mouth does not have a lower jaw and isn’t connected to his one esophagus, so he can’t eat with it. Stevens discovered that only after the cat got an MRI later in life.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/09/30/house-cat-with-2-faces-lives-12-years-sets-record/#ixzz1hT0NQXIY

Ostensibly nothing has changed – Wednesday might just be bad dream, a crazy memory, or a lesson learned.  That’s how lucky we were.

I look at Siena, my dainty 11-month old calico, moving in her cat ways around the house with absolutely no difficulty, and THAT is what seems like a dream. I still have to make myself remember she is NOT a ghost, not just a memory moving through the space, but flesh and blood and consciousness, still utterly herself, still very much here, still very much alive.

While holding her, feeling the warmth of her body, the strength of her affection and the deep bond between pet and owner, I also feel how very thin the boundary is between what IS right now at this moment and what might have been, the short distance between one eventuality and another, between having her here in my arms, safe and miraculously healthy, and having her somewhere else, or maybe not anywhere at all any more.

***

I had come back from the market on Wednesday afternoon and the cats, Siena and Napoli, were restless.  It was a beautiful day so I let them out on the balcony to get some fresh air.  They eventually fell asleep in the shade and I went back inside briefly to get my computer and a few notebooks.  A minute or two later Napoli came in to find me.  I knew in that moment something was wrong; I could tell from his face, his body language.  I had the strange contradictory feeling of immediately sensing what had happened, while not believing it could be possible.

Siena, Napoli’s sister, was no longer asleep on the balcony.  After a thorough search it became clear she was no longer in the apartment at all.

The story is continued here: After the Fall – This Version of The Story

Apparently the mother had delivered her litter somewhere in the bushes next to the credit union. The employees kept watch over them and when the mother went away for more than a day, they even attempted to feed them.  But one little black and white rascal wasn’t eating. I knew that if someone didn’t take her, who would be willing to hand-feed her every couple of hours, she wouldn’t make it—even at a no-kill shelter. So, I plotted with the employee to go out to the car with me so that I could show my husband the kittens.

As I approached my husband, and he was able to recognize what was coming out, you could see him bracing for the inevitable request. Before I could even make it to his open window he delivered a firm “No.”

The rest of the story… What the Cat Taught

I was walking around the neighborhood on Halloween looking at all of the decorations, when I heard a kitten crying. I followed the meowing and there was this terrified, beautiful yellow-white kitten hiding on the wheel well of a car! I chased it to the back yard of a neighbor but couldn’t catch it. The neighbor was nice enough to trap the kitten and called me when he had her in a cage. She had been abandoned so we took her home & named her Bianca. After a couple of months I noticed that “she” may be a “he”. After a visit to the vet, we confirmed that “she” was a boy! We re-named her Benito. He is such a blessing. He has taken over the house and gives all of my other 3 rescue cats a run for their money. Life wouldn’t be the same without Beni!

Link: The Animal Rescue Site

Link: Tails of Love – AARP Magazine – Lifestyle

Early Spring floods in 2007 had inundated the flat neighborhoods and farms around the eastern Indiana house of the Keesling family. Their home’s basement had taken on some 30,000 gallons of water, and a gasoline pump had been set up to empty it. After the family went to bed, a crack in the pump’s venting system caused carbon monoxide to pour into the home’s heat ducts.

Cathy Keesling had closed all the windows in the house, save one on the first floor where Winnie, the gray-and-black-striped cat the family had rescued from a barn years before, was sleeping. When deadly gas filled the house, Cathy’s teenage son, Michael, fell unconscious in the hallway. Cathy and her husband, Eric, were slowly sinking into unconsciousness as well. Winnie had been breathing the clear night air, so she was the only living creature in the house that could tell something was wrong. But rather than escaping through the open window, Winnie raced over to Cathy.

“Winnie was pulling my hair and yowling in my ear,” Cathy recalls of her normally mellow cat’s unusual behavior. “I would wake up and pass out again. Every time I passed out, Winnie would wake me up again.”

Cathy managed to rouse herself and dial 911, but the gas knocked her out before she could tell the operator what was going on. The dispatcher sent out a state trooper and sheriff’s deputies, who dragged the family onto the porch and into the fresh air. A firefighter found Winnie in a closet.

Everyone recovered after many hours in the hospital, where the dire nature of their situation became clear. “The deputy sheriff told me that if Winnie had waited five more minutes to get us up, we’d all be dead,” Cathy Keesling says. “I’m so proud of her.

“I guess because we saved her life, she saved ours.”

“The deputy sheriff told me that if Winnie had waited five more minutes to wake us up, we’d all be dead.”
—Cathy Keesling

For more stories: Tails of Love – AARP Magazine – Lifestyle

Four-year-old Charley, a West Highland white terrier in Atlanta, is not a search-and-rescue dog. In fact, when Charley made his lifesaving rescue last year, his owner wasn’t even aware that anyone needed help. One August day the little dog began urgently pacing and barking to be let out of the house. Owner Frances Gippert clicked Charley’s leash onto his collar and opened the front door. He dragged her away from their usual route and toward a yard three doors away, where Roy Monie lay semiconscious and badly bruised. Monie had fallen off a ladder and had suffered a brain hemorrhage. If Charley hadn’t found him—no one knows how—so that Gippert could call 911, Monie likely would have died. Since then, Monie and his family have embraced Gippert, who had lost both parents and her sister to cancer. Last year they all celebrated Christmas together. “This whole process has been very emotionally moving for me,” says Gippert, who was working from home after a difficult divorce. “It has changed my life. I just wanted to stay in my house, me and Charley,” she says. “Roy didn’t let that happen.”

Link: PawNation

Sandy LaPierre, cat owner, told Paw Nation, “When my landlord Dennie Fitzgerald kicked the door down, it scared Smoka and she panicked and ran under the bed.” The year-and-a-half-old cat, Smoka, who had her name long before the fire, has been with LaPierre since she was a six-week old kitten.

According to Fitzgerald, the building, constructed in 1890 with solid oak beams, burned for six hours and collapsed. “Five gas lines erupted,” he said. “The fire department had to use 30,000 gallons of water on it to put the fire out.”

“I thought she was gone,” LaPierre said of her cat. “I couldn’t hardly eat or sleep. I had people out looking for her.”

Nothing, it seemed, could have survived a fire of that magnitude.

But 26 days later on September 4th, workers from Stark Wrecking Company were sifting through the rubble, when they made a stunning discovery, reports the Middletown Journal. “I was running the backhoe,” Clarence Witte recounted to Paw Nation, “when my cousin hollered that there was a cat. I figured it was a burnt, dead cat, but I looked out the window and saw the cat’s eyes, which were just as big as saucers.” The cat had been buried under 16 feet of debris and was lying still. “That backhoe weighs 40,000 pounds, so I don’t how why it didn’t get squished,” Witte said.

Working carefully by hand, workers dug the cat out and laid it on top of the rubble. “Its body was stiff,” said Witte. “The only thing moving was its head.” But the cat started “limbering up” and began moving around. Workers called Fitzgerald, who had an employee take Smoka away in a pet carrier, then called LaPierre.

“I dropped everything when Dennie [Fitzgerald] called and I went down to see her,” LaPierre said. “It was incredible. I cried when I saw her. Smoka heard my voice and started meowing.”

via David Wilson

The Cat House on the Kings is California’s largest no-cage, no-kill, lifetime cat sanctuary and adoption center located on 12 acres along the Kings River in Parlier, California, which is in the central San Joaquin Valley, southeast of Fresno.

The Cat House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, receives no government or public funding, and relies entirely on donations from the public to carry out its mission.

Since its founding 17 years ago, The Cat House on the Kings has saved over 18,000 cats and 5,000 dogs (not counting the 40,000 animals we have spayed and neutered!) and currently cares for more than 700 cats and kittens in a unique, cage-free environment!

Mission

At The Cat House, our mission is to:

• provide a no-cage, no-kill sanctuary for feral and abandoned cats and kittens for the State of California, primarily serving the Central Valley;
• facilitate the adoption of cats (primarily), dogs and other rescued animals into safe, loving, healthy and permanent homes;
• educate the public on how to become directly involved in improving the quality of animal welfare;
• offer low cost spay and neuter referrals.

via www.wimp.com

A pet cat has caught the same bus regularly for four years.

Link: Telegraph.co.uk

Link: Dilbert.com – My Cat

Soon after I started cartooning, about 19 years ago, I got my first pet, a kitten. I named her Sarah, after an editor who gave me my big break in cartooning.

I found the kitten from an ad in the paper. A local woman’s cat had a small litter in need of homes. They were little tuxedo cats, mostly black with white paws and mixed faces. The woman put them on her sofa as sort of a line up from which I could choose. Three of the cats ignored me, walking to one end and playing amongst themselves. The fourth stared me straight in the eyes and approached. She selected me. Or at least that is how it felt. She made me feel special from the first second I knew her, and I hoped to return the favor.

Sarah bonded with me immediately. When I whistled, she would come running, climb on my chest in the Sphynx position and begin purring. She was a one-human cat. Rarely could another touch her without risking bloodshed.

Other cats came and went as my living situation changed. Sarah didn’t care for any of them. She loved me intensely, and in her view no cat or human could compete. In time she became my office cat, to better avoid all creatures that were not me.

Every day since 1990 she competed with my work. When I picked up a pen, or lately a stylus, she would come running, yelling in cat language that I should pick her up and give her my full attention. She was my forced work break, and there were many. She was my only company for most of my day. Cartooning is a lonely art, but I was never alone.

Recently her tiny body started to shut down. But it never stopped her enthusiasm in seeing me. She dragged her arthritic body over to me every time I entered the room, even if I had only been gone for a second. She never failed to purr. I loved her intensely.

In the past month she had been letting me know the end was approaching. Maybe it was the way she moved or just some sort of animal ESP. I just knew. And so I spent as much time as I could with her, extra petting, in just the ways she trained me. Recent visits to the vet confirmed that there was no cure for old. We tried to enjoy the time we had.

Yesterday all of her systems reached their limits. The vet explained the options to my wife and me. I asked the vet what she would do in this situation if it were her cat. She wisely refused to say. I asked my wife. She wisely refused to say. This was my decision, and Sarah’s. That is how it had to be. I looked at Sarah and asked her if she was ready. Her eyes told me she was, but the pain of uncertainty was unbearable.

Sarah had a history with the vet. Her chart had a big warning: She’s a biter, and she has all of her claws. No one touched this cat safely but me. She was a vet’s nightmare. And so the vet explained how this would come down. If Sarah allowed her leg to be shaved, and the injection to go in, without fighting, this would be the best alternative. Otherwise they would have to use some sort of cat gas chamber. That option seemed unthinkable. But it would be worse to try one method, fail, and go to the second. Again, it was my decision. And I was in no frame of mind to make decisions.

I opted for the injection, and hoped for the best. Sarah still had some fight left in her, as we learned minutes ago while the vet checked her vitals. But somehow she knew this was different. She knew it was time. After 19 years of fighting veterinarians, she let the vet shave her leg without the least resistance. And in so doing, she told me I made the right decision. I looked in her eyes as the life drained out of them. I was devastated.

But today I am happy, even more than usual. I think about how much Sarah enriched my life and I am grateful. I think about how much I learned from my relationship with her, and even from her passing, and I am thankful for it all. Today everyone in my life seems more precious. I’ll always carry Sarah with me, and I know I am better for it.

 

Natasha and Max
Submitted by Candysse of Alta Loma, CA

A bearded collie named Max and Natasha, a once-feral feline, have struck up a relationship that seems to rely as much on Max’s perpetually moving tail—a great cat toy—as it does on the patience of his old soul. According to Candysse, the two unlikely companions are often caught snuggled up and grooming each other.

Piper and Pumpkin
Submitted by Tamara of Mason, OH

Piper, a miniature pinscher, previously shared her home with a 10-year-old shar-pei who was too elderly to play. “When my shar-pei passed on, I brought Pumpkin into our home,” Tamara remembers. “At first, I thought Piper wanted to eat him! Now they are so cute together. Piper chases Pumpkin, Pumpkin chases Piper, and then they fall asleep next to each other.”

Mischief and Ginger
Submitted by Sarah of Draper, UT

When Mischief joined the Farr family, this sweet, snuggly feline charmed more than just the humans. “On days when nobody was home, we left our German shepherd, Ginger, in the house to watch over Mischief,” says Sarah. Ginger immediately fell in love, and Mischief repaid his canine friend by licking her. “He had to give up that project, though, as it was way too much dog for one kitten to clean.”

Can you believe it?

Link: Gimundo.com: Stray Cats Keep Lost Child Safe

Recently, a police woman discovered a one-year-old boy lying by a canal in Misiones, Argentina. But, even though his parents weren’t nearby, he wasn’t exactly alone: “The boy was lying at the bottom of a gutter. There were all these cats on top of him licking him because he was really dirty,” the policewoman, Alicia Lorena Lindgvist, told the Telegraph.

“When I walked over they became really protective and spat at me. They were keeping the boy warm while he slept.”

The cats had been keeping the child alive, bringing him scraps of food that they’d collected, and protecting him from danger. “The cats knew he was fragile and needed protecting.” said Lindgvist.

Police soon discovered the boy’s father, a homeless man, who said that the baby had wandered off while he was collecting cardboard to sell. He claimed that his son had always had a close bond with cats around the area.

Talk about big-hearted! The Cat House on the Kings is an amazing place. Here is a summary of what they do from their website.

“The Cat House on the Kings is California’s largest no-cage, no-kill, lifetime cat sanctuary and adoption center located on 12 acres along the Kings River in Parlier, California, which is in the central San Joaquin Valley, southeast of Fresno.

Since its founding 16 years ago, The Cat House on the Kings has saved over 16,000 cats and 4,000 dogs (not counting the 40,000 animals we have spayed and neutered!) and currently cares for more than 700 cats and kittens in a unique, cage-free environment!”

I have an office cat, Sarah. She’s a scrawny little tuxedo cat, about 18-years old. Sarah hates it when I try to work. I mean she really, really hates it. As soon as I enter the office she starts screaming at me. It’s not a polite meow. It’s more like a baby banshee being attacked by a porcupine. The noise penetrates my entire body. I’m almost certain it causes internal bleeding. This screaming lasts from the time I come to work until I leave.

Sometimes she punctuates the shrieking by puking on my carpet, destroying any documents she can reach with her arthritic leaping ability, and grunting out WMD in the cat box. Only one thing can stop this cycle. I must lift her up and pet her in just the way she likes. Any deviation from the recommended petting pattern means bloodshed.

You might wonder why I haven’t thrown her through a double-paned window in all these years. That’s because I haven’t told you about the licking.

Click here for the rest of the story…

Slide show courtesy of AARP Bulletin Today.
Photo of Ellie May the blind and deaf cocker spaniel courtesy of Rolling Dog Ranch Animal Sanctuary.

Two men, Anthony Bourke and John Rendall, found him there and immediately fell in love with him and determined to buy him. They scraped together the money and brought the little lion home when he was only a few weeks old.

Tony and John dedicated themselves to giving Christian the best life they could, and the bond that developed between them is a joy to behold. Christian was a remarkable lion, obviously very intelligent and loving, and gentle to everyone, both human and animal.

Here’s young Christian giving a hug.

As he grew, Christian began to need bigger facilities than Tony and John could provide. Thanks to a chance meeting with Bill Travers (who had starred in the movie Born Free), they hit upon the idea of sending Christian to Africa to live as a wild lion.

When a year had passed, Tony and John came to Africa to see Christian. Christian’s wonderful relationship with Tony and John caused the other lions in the pride to accept and be at peace with them as well.

via Scott Williams

Gracie May took a trip she didn’t mean to take. Seth Levy unknowingly packed her up along with his clothes while preparing for a trip from his home in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida to Dallas, Texas. Gracie survived being dumped onto a baggage conveyor belt, tossed into the belly of the plane and traveled through airport security undetected. Then came another unexpected twist. An unwitting passenger, Robert Carter, mistook Seth’s bag for his own. When Carter got home and opened the bag he got a hissing, growling suprise. Carter admitted he “screamed like a girl” when Gracie sprang from his suitcase. (Who wouldn’t??) Gracie dove under the bed. (Who wouldn’t??)

While Carter was getting the shock of his life, Kelly Levy was frantically searching for her missing cat. Gracie May was missing from her usual post at the bottom of the stairs when Kelly returned from dropping Seth off at the airport. Having been spayed only a few days prior, Kelly was really worried. After being unable to find her for several hours she papered the neighborhood with “Missing Cat” flyers.

After lots of coaxing, Robert was able to convince Gracie May to come out from her hiding place. He had considered keeping her until he noticed she wore a collar bearing the Levy’s phone number. Then, it was Kelly’s turn to get a big suprise. “Hi, you’re not going to believe this, but I am calling from Fort Worth, Texas, and I accidentally picked up your husband’s luggage. And when I opened the luggage, a cat jumped out,” said Robert to a shocked and relieved Kelly.

Kelly immediately sent a text-message to her husband who was in a seminar at the time. “The cat is in Dallas.” A stunned Seth made contact with Robert and arranged to pick up Gracie May at the airport on his way home a day or two later. Gracie May flew home in a pet carrier this time.

I’ll bet Seth will be checking his bags for feline stowaways when he travels from now on. Of course, Gracie May may have no interest in future air travel, either!

Photo courtesy of msnbc.com