The cats at Hotel Grand Ashok

I got a call yesterday from the management of Hotel Grand Ashok. There are about 20 cats in the hotel. The hotel does not want these cats there and asked me what had to be done to remove them.I told them to write a letter to CUPA requesting for help.

I also spoke to CUPA and they said that they would help as soon as they got the letter from HGA. Once the letter is received by CUPA, volunteers are needed. We will have to go to the hotel, see for ourselves the situation there, count the cats, see how friendly they are etc. Once they have all been taken by CUPA they will be sterilised, vaccinated etc. Then the real challenge begins. How do we relocate cats who have been used to hotel food? Where do we relocate them? Will anyone come forward to adopt some? If not, where do 20 cats go? Also we have to remember that 20 extra cats will stretch the resources of CUPA and any help financial or otherwise will be welcome.

Kittens and Dogs want homes..fast!

CUPA has kittens and dogs (adults) for adoption

The kittens have been vaccinated, de-wormed and kept in a clean separate area in the cattery. They are between 2-4 months and are in excellent health. So go good people, bring them home!

Also there is a 2 year old cocker spaniel, black, with all his papers and vaccination records. His owners had to leave the country, which is why he is in CUPA. He is in excellent health so run and take him before he gets some shelter infection.

A cream labrador, 2 years, fat and friendly wants a home too.....

CUPA Kittens - Pre Adoptive Care - Volunteers, please!

From now on CUPA will identify healthy kittens, and give them all the necessary vaccinations and medicines before they are adopted. However, not all the kittens who come to CUPA will get this treatment. This is because they are too many coming in and there is no space for all of them, and some are, sadly, too weak and sick.

JP and I will offer pre-adoption facilities for those kittens who are adopted, but need that transition period from CUPA to a home. Many times kittens die because the new owners, despite doing their best, cannot save them from infections. Our hope is that, with our experience in nursing very sick kittens, we can help them survive the transition ailments, as well as shelter infections, and deliver a chubby, healthy kitter to its foster home.

Still, we can only take in a maximum of 5 kittens at a time. We need more volunteers to help with this, otherwise many more kittens will die.

Homeopathic Medicines for Animals - redux

I am pasting below an old post that Yasmine made in our cat blog. If you are an animal lover and it is possible, please carry with you a homeopathy kit all the time. the tubes are small and can easily fit in your purse or in your backpack.

Always be careful while approaching stray animals. If you are not sure about the animal being friendly, just mix it in water and make sure they lap it up. or hide it in a treat so they can gobble it up. Homeopathy medications come in small sugar pellet that has been coated with a very diluted version of the medicine.

always check re dosage/potency if you do administer these first aid medications.

I will keep updating on this subject as and when I learn more about it.

Yasmine on catsofbangalore

Sujatha Karanth of DIYA (Do it yourself Activists) has come up with excellent homeopathic medicines for animals that everyone can use. I try to carry a bag of them with me wherever I go.
1.Injury 30 -for cuts, wounds etc. Give twice a day or more depending on the extent.
2.Gunpowder30-for deep wounds.
3.Shock -To help an animal in shock, treat fear etc.
4.Hypericum 30 or above -For spinal injuries, paralysis of the hind legs etc..start as soon as possible for best results. It works...lame animals begin to walk again!
5.Sulphur 30-For all skin related problems
6.Camphor 30 -to treat maggot infested wounds.
7.Hekla Lava- for gum infections.
8. Arnica-For pain.
9. Cinna 6x-for deworming.

The medicines can be mixed in the water bowl of the cats and/or mixed in the food. If your cat allows, with shredding your hands, you can hold them and toss a few of the pills into their mouth and hold shut for a few seconds....if you succeed, tell me how you did it!!

Potency can be increased depending on the extent of the trauma/disease etc...

Harish Homeo House on Bowring Hospital road is the place I go to.It is really good.

Introducing Tinkoo!!

Vinay's new pup!!

Vinay says:

He is one energetic, non-exhautive bundle of energy!
plays frm 6 in the morning to till 10 in the nite...

Got him vaccinated yesterday...may be bcoz of that he was dull today morning...but by afternoon he was all fine..

He weighs 5 Kgs now...doc said he has calcium deficiency.. so got tablets and a syrup...

Isnt he a darling..

Congrats, Vinay! Dont forget to give us regular updates!

Pups come in all colours!

A lovely batch of pups looking for homes in CUPA. Check them out when you visit this Saturday, which happens to be an adoption day all year round at Cupa Shelter, UAS Campus, Opp RT Nagar Traffic police Station, Hebbal.

snowflake gets press...

here...

Awwwwwwwwww...

altho' obviously they dont know where Snowflake is staying now!


Abandoned Labrador finds loving ‘mom’ with help from a networking site for pet lovers

Snowflake, a one-year-old Labrador, who was abandoned on the streets of Bangalore, has a new home in Chennai, thanks not just due to help from people in Mumbai and Bangalore, but also a website called petnopolis.com.

Snowflake was found on the streets of Bangalore a week ago by a street urchin, and was picked up by Natasha Diddee, a dog lover.

Diddee brought the dog home and began the search for its owner. When that didn’t happen, she began a search for adoptive parents.

Scraps were posted on the website petnopolis.com, a networking site for pet lovers. Burges Dandiwalla, one of the founders of the website from Mumbai, started looking out for prospective owners.

Members on the website from down south were sent scraps (called Shoutpads) and finally managed to get a person from Chennai (name withheld on request), who was willing to adopt Snowflake.

“Snowflake was found in a very sorry state, as it was bitten by stray dogs. It appeared to have been abandoned or lost when it was first spotted. The dog is with us now. The new owner, from Chennai, will be flying in within two days to pick her up.”

Said Dandiwalla, “Initially we did fine him a home, but the person backed out on the family’s insistence. Finally, a girl from Chennai has agreed to adopt Snowflake. We are happy the pup has found a home.”

Feeding dogs: Some dos and don'ts

Please please read this as it can be life saving for your pooches;

• Chocolates are a BIG NO NO pls.
  
• Dogs should not be fed with too much of fish as that can cause vitamin A toxicity, which affects muscles and bones.
• Avoid tomatoes as they can cause tremors and abnormal heart rhythms.
• Grapes or raisins given even in a small amount can damage their kidneys.
• Oily food like French fries and pizzas can cause inflammation of the pancreas.
• Food containing onions or garlic can damage red blood cells and lead to anaemia. It can even lead to liver damage.
• And lastly feeding your dogs raw eggs can decrease the absorption of Vitamin B.

The best option is a broth with roti, 3-4 vegetables like carrots and gourd and daal.

Source: www.ibnlive.com

Shirley's Wellness Cafe

I found this good resource on holistic treatment for animals > Shirley's Wellness Cafe

Homo proponit, sed Deus disponit : Man proposes, but God disposes

Never has this phrase held such truth in my life.

I was browsing the "Dog Lovers of Bangalore" community on Orkut when I came across an urgent plea. I clicked on the link more out of curiosity than anything else.... and lo and behold, I saw her... the pictures of this dog were taken by a girl called Shilpa, who is studying to be a doctor in Russia. She was here for her vacations and saw this dog on her street -either abandoned or lost, alone and clearly very very scared. She asked around if anyone had a dog missing but no one seemed to. She was going back to study in a couple of weeks and her family wanted her to place this dog as soon as possible as they already had a pet dog at home who wasn’t happy with this new addition.

Something in this dog’s eyes just spoke to me. I knew the moment I saw her that I had to make sure she would be ok… I called Shilpa, got directions and my father, who was visiting, and I were at her place in a heartbeat.Since Shilpa’s house dog wouldn’t let this dog enter the house, they had put her just outside their door, on a mat, trying to keep her as warm as possible.We went armed with some treats, knowing that the best way to gain trust was to feed an animal. We found out, we could have done without.We weren't prepared for the outburst of love and excitement this dog showered on us. From the moment she saw us, she wagged her tail like there was a turbo engine attached to it and looked at uswith limp yet adoring eyes. We were sold.

I realized that time was of the essence. The dog catchers in Bangalore were closing in so I decided to bring her to my home till we found a permanent home for her.I would be damned if I let another helpless dog die without getting a fair chance.

The hunt was on! First, I had to decide on a name… I don’t know why but the first thing that popped in my mind when I saw her was “Snowflake” She was as pure and silent as that.I posted on our blog and then the waiting game began… A day later, I realized that our blog was sadly not one of the better read… so I decided to post it on a more visible site….. that’s when petnopolis came into the picture.Burges, one of the founding members of Petnopolis took a personal interest and together, over two days and nights, we went through each of the 50 odd responses with a fine toothed comb.I commend this guy for his dedication and persistence. He shared my belief that Snowflake needed a home that would not only provide shelter and food but oodles of love and cuddles.We called the people we had short listed but nothing seemed to fit… either they were not true dog lovers or their plan was to convert a pure breed female Labrador like Snowflake into a puppy machine or their living conditions didn’t match what Snowflake was used to. She was a year old so she had some habits which would be hard to break…like eating non veg for example.

Three days of hunting went by and I was beginning to lose hope when suddenly, I got call from this girl who sounded like she was as crazy about dogs as I was. I liked her instantly.She lives in Chennai and was travelling so she requested me to keep Snowflake for a week after which she would drive down and get her. She explained that she lived in a large house with a lot of space and Snowflake would have a five year old Cocker Spaniel for company. She fed her dog non-veg food and the house also had access to the beach! It sounded like a match made in heaven!Both Burges and I heaved a sigh of relief and decided that this was ideal for Snowflake.

Snowflake is with me this week while she waits for her new mom to come get her. She has taken over every nook and cranny of the house and is almost unrecognizable! From the gaunt, scared dog to the tigress of Cunningham Road – this snowflake has indeed settled.

Here are updated pictures of her new, albeit temporary, life:

GETTING HER PRE-BREAKFAST CUDDLES FROM MY DAD

SLEEPING WITH HER FAVOURITE POSSESSION

NOON NAP...OR WAS IT EVENING... OR..? WHO CARES?? I NAP WHEN I WANT

NEXT GENERATION INDIAN CRICKET TEAM PROSPECT

Chocolate Lab needs a home!

this came to us from the folks at petnopolis.com.

"BUDDY" A 3 YEAR OLD CHOCOLATE LAB IS UP FOR ADOPTION INTO A LOVING HOME IN PUNE.
HIS OWNERS ARE MOVING TO THE UK FOR FURTHER STUDIES AND DOGS ARE NOT ALLOWED ON THE CAMPUS SO THEY CAN'T TAKE HIM.....

BUDDY IS PRESENTLY IN PUNE AND IF YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO CAN PROVIDE A STABLE AND CARING PLACE FOR BUDDY TO LIVE PLEASE CONTACT VINITA KHERDEKAR- 09822693347.

We got Pups!!!

Ok, girls..let's come up with some names!








"Whatever you do, DO NOT name me Socks"



Little Wolf


Special Needs
Sujaya says: " The last picture of the Pug comes under the "Special Needs Category". His hind is paralised. CUPA is trying to fix up wheels for him so he can walk in the future. "



All Photos taken by Sujaya on August 03, 2007.

Some care tips for Blind dogs

Though I have never owned a dog that needed special care but I had done some survey some time back when I was considering adopting Sunshine.

So here I am dedicating a blog to Sunshine and helping many other Sunshines in the process.

Most dogs adjust well to blindness at a later part of their lives and lead happy near-normal lives. All they need is a lot of love, some help in the form of training and lots of patience in their owners. Give him/her time to adjust and gain confidence and not before long you will be amazed at what a blind dog can do.

Some tips on how to train blind dogs:

1. Learning to vocalize him is the most important thing. A couple examples would be:
• WATCH - When he goes to bump into something it makes him stop and veer away.
• STEP - He knows he's at the steps and starts feeling and smelling for them.
• JUMP - He knows it's ok to jump off the couch or when he's at the top step.
2. Throwing rugs and mats around help him. A blind dog feels them with his feet. Have his bowls on a welcome mat and have rugs leading to the front door. When they get disoriented they go to the rugs and starts over again. (This is from a real life experience.)
3. There are days when the dog will get confused and loses his confidence. The worst thing you can do is pamper and baby them (I know it's hard not too!)
4. If you start carrying them around or bringing things to them, you'll be doing it permanently. Every time a blind dog does something right-no matter how small- he should get a GOOD BOY! You can see how proud the dog will be of himself.
5. How to find water: Or another suggestion is to scent the mat you put the water dish on. Some fragrances listed were floral, citrus, herbal, woody scents. Also air fresheners, body deodorants, and furniture polishes.
6. When you take him for a walk. Try tying a bell to your shoe. J.
7. When you are teaching him anything try using toys that make a constant noise which will focus his attention.

Some important points (Dont’s):

1. Don't re-arrange your furniture if your pet is mostly indoors. If your pet is an outdoor pet, don't plan major landscape projects!

2. If you have a hot tub or pool, a cover or barrier is necessary. Your pet could fall into the water, not find the sides and drown.

3. Don't let your pet play in traffic. If you have an outdoor pet and no fence, please check into an "invisible fence".

4. If you live in a house or an apartment with a balcony, be sure that your pet cannot walk between the vertical supports and fall to the ground. If necessary, plexiglass should be applied or the vertical supports modified to prevent your pet from getting through.

5. Feed your pet and keep its water dish in exactly the same place each and every day. Also, try to have your pet sleep in the same area on a routine basis. These areas will then become reference sites if your pet becomes disoriented.

6. Until your pet learns about stairs, you will need to place a barrier to prevent him/her from falling down the stairs. The same is true for stair landings.

7. Most clients remark that going up and down stairs is the most difficult of all things to "re-learn". Be patient, your pet is trying to do its best.

The Saint Within Us...

I was born and raised in Chennai. My college education was spent in the glorious campus of Stella Maris College. They called it 'Cloisters'. My mother studied here, my aunts studied here and on my first day of college, I found out that my classroom was the very same room occupied by my mother when she was a student. She remembered the two old Irish nuns who were spending the rest of their retired lives in 'The Cloisters'.

SMC is mainly a Catholic institution for the education of Catholics although students subscribed Wto all kinds of religions and some of us, like me, none at all. The sprawling campus had several buildings and they still managed to preserve the greenery. At the back, the dorms, chapel and the nun's quarters were hidden. One of the newer buildings was for the Fine Arts Dept. It was named after St.Francis of Assisi.

St.Francis was very special to SMC. The college is under the direction of the Society of Franciscan Missionaries of Mary and St.Francis is our Patron Saint. I loved St.Francis and even though there was no pressure to subscribe to the Catholicism, we were exposed to Catholic Doctrine and it's texts. For that, I am grateful. You see, St.Francis quickly became a real person to me inside my head (yes, i am crazy and i hear voices inside my head..certifiable) and I carried a little bit of St.Francis with me when I left Stell Maris.


It is said that one day while Francis was traveling with some companions they happened upon a place in the road where birds filled the trees on either side. Francis told his companions to “wait for me while I go to preach to my sisters the birds.” The birds surrounded him, drawn by the power of his voice, and not one of them flew away. Francis spoke to them:

My sister birds, you owe much to God, and you must always and in everyplace give praise to Him; for He has given you freedom to wing through the sky and He has clothed you…you neither sow nor reap, and God feeds you and gives you rivers and fountains for your thirst, and mountains and valleys for shelter, and tall trees for your nests. And although you neither know how to spin or weave, God dresses you and your children, for the Creator loves you greatly and He blesses you abundantly. Therefore… always seek to praise God.

The front of the building had a relief of St.Francis surrounded by birds and a dog. Only, I found out later that it wasnt a dog. It's a wolf and there is a story behind it. The story comes from Fioretti di San Francesco or Little Flowers of St.Francis. Composed of 53 chapters, this 14th century work has little anecdotes and stories from the life of St.Francis. One of them made a strong impact on me and I think we need to spread this little story at this time.

When St.Francis was living in the city of Gubbio, there was much turmoil and grief amongst the people. A wolf was creating havoc and killing people and small animals that people of Gubbio kept in their homes. St.Francis along with a few companions from the village sought the wolf to make peace.

After a while, his companions fled because of fear, but St.Francis trudged on. When he saw the wolf, he commanded the wolf to stop causing grief for the people of Gubbio. The wolf with it's feriocious reputation and much feared bloodthird lay down at the feet of St.Francis.

St.Francis addressed the wolf... “Brother Wolf, you do much harm in these parts and you have done great evil…” said St.Francis. “All these people accuse you and curse you…But brother wolf, I would like to make peace between you and the people.”

Then St.Francis lead the wolf into the village and he informed the village folk about the pact he had made with the wolf on their behalf. He told them the wolf's evil was caused by hunger and that they had an obligation to feed the wolf. In return, the wolf will no longer harm the village folk or their animals.

And man and animal lived in harmony. Alas, we have no St.Francis among us now and the bloodthirsty human beings are culling innocent, friendly canines on the street. Dogs who have descended from the wolves themselves have noone to speak for them and noone to protect them. Where are you, St.Francis?



I ask every animal lover out there to be St.Francis. Inside everyone of you resides St.Francis and with him, compassion and wisdom. Make a pact on behalf of the canines that are being hounded and chased by humans. The wolf of Gubbio 'did evil out of hunger' and the people who have designs to harm the strays of our street have no reason or justification to do so. It wont be an easy negotiation, but we have to do it. It has to be done because it is the right thing to do.

Vegetarian Dogs

After Snowflake/Vinay's predicament, I asked a few of my friends who have vegetarian pets to give their insights/tips. I think we can place Snowflake in a home that can give her a meat based diet..no problem there..so she doesnt have to worry about changing her food habits now after so many years of meat munching...but this is mostly for future reference to those who want to raise pups as vegetarians..I suppose it is easier when they are trained from the time they were pups to dine on veggie food..

Here is one from Lekha of Bangalore who has a 10 year old Black Lab who is entirely vegetarian!!

I am cutting and pasting her mail entirely..

(begin mail)
[..]
deciding to get sophy to become veg was suggested by the vet who delivered her and her siblings - in his experience, he said that veg dogs have far less problems relating to worm infestations, skin problems, odour, digestion, considering the way meat is stored and cooked in india. it may be more difficult if one is changing the diet of a dog that's already been used to non-veg to veg but not vice versa!

dogs are not strictly carnivores - unlike cats. they can and do eat and relish a variety of food, so it's not going against their nature to restrict pets' diet to veg.

regarding the diet specifically, we have to ensure that she gets plenty of water - apparently a veg diet tends to produce more alkalinity in the urine, which in turn can cause urinary tract infections and kidney stone problems - so we keep giving her liquids in various forms (though it's a pain in some ways - she's pissing all the time!) like diluted milk, buttermilk, tea.

it's important to vary the veg diet - esp the lentils/legumes - and check whether they are properly digested - some of them pass thru the tract undigested - mashing them is important.

so also vegetables - like us, they have their likes/dislikes - and it's better to introduce veggies one at a time so that you know what their preferences are - include leafy veggies too. as a dessert you can give carrot sticks or something crunchy to get the teeth clean.

we use the same rice that we eat ourselves - some dogs cannot bear the stink of less expensive varieties of rice - if you're giving chapaties sometimes, make sure they're soaked in water while mixing into the dal/veg - our dog tends to wolf down chapaties and starts a big naatak of coughing and retching after that!

not too much milk - but when she was a pup, we substituted with complan or horlicks (not choc flavour) - biscuits and bread are treats.
[..]
(end mail)

also, here are some of her insights in a different communication to someone else..

(begin)
yeah, i do have a vegetarian dog - she is a black labrador - ten years old this month. our vet recommended that we keep her on a veg diet though her mom was fed meat, but since i'm vegetarian this has worked well for us, though initially we all went through some soul-searching - is it cruel to deprive a dog of its natural food etc.

what we give her is two large meals - one at about 10 and one at about 6.
she doesn't drink as much water as she should so i mix cup of watery, milky, sugary tea into a full bowl of water and give her two biscuits/a bun at 6 a.m. and 4 p.m.

her morning meal is about 2 liters of rava kanji with milk and a vitamin supplement and a calcium tablet and lately a tsp of something called "glossy coat" - some kind of oleogineous stuff. i know some friends who add a spoonful of vegetable oil in the food too.

the night meal is a big bowl of 1 cup rice/1/2 cup dal or soya flakes and 1 cup mixed vegetables (anything including bhindi, palak and karela) cooked with a pinch of turmeric, mixed with a cup of curd - i add the vitamin/calcium/glossy coat too. after she's done with this, i give her some carrot sticks or chunks of papaya, banana or chikoo which she adores. the carrot helps to keep her teeth clean.

she gets a little bored with this after a few months so i switch the rava (sooji) to ragi and add a little spicy sambar or sabji i've made for myself.
she's very particular about the quality of rice - so i give her the same that we eat.

besides this she shamelessly begs for scraps when we're at the table and keeps a sharp ear for sounds like the fridge or kitchen cabinets opening - she sleeps in my room and angles herself so that she can spot people in the mirror that faces the bedroom door - so she gets bits and pieces of toast, chapati, idli, dosa, cake or halwa too. when my kids were younger she was permanently stationed under the table and their plates became suspiciously clean very quickly. on one memorable occasion my daughter declared in a voice choked with emotion. "ma, you're so mean .... you just see, in your next birth you'll be born as sophy and sophy will be born as you and she WON'T GIVE YOU ANY ICE-CREAM"

no chocolate, not too much salty/spicy stuff, bread only when she's a little under the weather, a boiled egg sometimes. i don't think she will refuse non-veg if she's given it, but this has turned out fine.
(end)

I think it should be easier if there is a chart of sorts that lists all the necessary components and that way, it should be easy to mix and match for variety. A list of supplements too. It seems that dogs eat pretty much what we do..and probably better food considering that it is more balanced than our pizzas/burgers/french fries/ice cream/chocolate diets!

Dogs and Eye Problems

I met sunshine_n_fleurs who works for Poncho, the Spaniel, through Petnopolis(btw, if you havent joined petnopolis....where have you bee?) sent me the following..

This one is for you, Sunshine..

eta: and oh..sunshine_n_fleurs is now Snowflake's new mommy..:)

(begin sunshine_n_fleurs' mail)

We all love and have dogs. But purebred dogs unlike mixed breeds are predisposed to specific genetic disorders. Like a Cocker Spaniel for instance is susceptible to dry eye, cataract and glaucoma. Would it have changed the way we feel...NO WAY! But would we have liked to be equipped with this knowledge beforehand. Yes only so we’d know what to expect and look out for.

In case of an eye problem a verbal description of the eye can never convey the nature or severity of the problem. It’s advisable to take your dog to a Specialist in Veterinary Ophthalmology for any of the following conditions:

* Red eye
* If he’s squinting, pawing or rubbing his eye.
* Watery eyes
* Cloudy Eyes
* Blood in or around the eye.
* Sudden Vision Loss
* Dilated pupil or swollen eye.

A few eye problems that some breeds are genetically predisposed to:

GLAUCOMA:
Breeds – Cocker Spaniels, Terriers, Poodles, Beagles & Basset Hounds
Symptoms: Cloudy pupils, Large Pupils and redness
*A dog with glaucoma needs to have the same emergency status as a dog hit by a car. Delay in treating glaucoma could lead to permanent blindness.

CHERRY EYE:
Breeds – Spaniels, Beagles, Poodles, Mastiffs, Basset Hounds, Bull Dogs, Lhasa Apso, Pugs and Pekingese
Symptoms: A red looking bump growing out of the corner of the eye.

CATARACTS:
Breeds– Spaniels, Labradors, Poodles, Retrievers, Beagles, Terriers, Pekingese, Dachshunds n German Shepherd’s.
Symptoms: Cloudy white appearance.

DRY EYE:
Breeds– Cocker Spaniel, Pug, Lhasa Apso.
Symptoms: redness, cloudy dull cornea, sticky yellow discharge.

ENTROPION:
Breeds-Spaniels, Golden Retrievers, Great Danes, Pomeranians, Poodles, Pugs, Rottweilers n St Bernards
Symptoms: Blood shot eyes, Discharge, Squinting

ECTROPION:
Breeds: Labradors, Rottweilers n St Bernards
Symptom: Permanently watery eye.

RETINAL ATROPHY:
Breeds: Spaniels, Boxers, Dachshunds, English Setter, German Shepherds, Poodles
Symptoms: Decrease in vision during the night. In some dogs lens of the eye may appear opaque or cloudy.

CHRONIC SUPERFICIAL KERATITIS:
Breeds – German Shepherds
Symptoms: Pigmented Cornea.

In case you’d like a list of genetically common disorders specific to your breed do click on the link http://www.raot.org/information/genetic.htm