The explosive cat overpopulation is a problem everywhere, but in Halifax, it’s taken a new twist. Stan, the Tuxedo Cat, is running for mayor, not to get elected, but to raise awareness and money for a Spay Day for low-income families. Stan’s owner says the problem is so bad, that there are literally thousands of cats living in the streets, and is hoping to establish a city-sponsored cat care program that would include spay/neuter.

It appears that cats can’t hold office in Halifax, but what a novel idea – have a poster cat getting a lot of publicity working to set up a city-sponsored spay/neuter program. Kudos to Stan’s owner. There should be more cat advocates just like him. For more on this, click on the story below:

Hizzoner? Canadian Cat Runs for Mayor
Newser
“We have an explosion of cats,” Stan’s owner, a retired vet, told CTV last week. “We have literally hundreds, thousands of cats living in the streets.” Tuxedo Stan and his team want a city-sponsored cat care program that would include spaying and …

There’s work to unify the patchwork of laws governing owning big cats. Senator John Kerry (D-MA) recently introduced S.3547, the Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act, aimed at prohibiting private possession and breeding of captive big cats in the United States. The House version of the bill was introduced by U.S. Reps. Buck McKeon (R-CA) and Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) last March.

This came on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the Zanesville, Ohio animal massacre, a horrific event where the owner of a backyard collection of tigers, lions and other exotic wildlife, committed suicide after freeing the animals from their cages. Local police were forced to shoot and kill nearly 50 animals – 38 of them big cats. For more on this, follow the two links below.

Animal Attraction: Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act Introduced
KHOU (blog)
U.S. Senator John Kerry (D-MA) recently introduced S.3547, the Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act, aimed at prohibiting private possession and breeding of captive big cats in the United States. The House version of the bill was introduced by U.S …

Ohio Big Cat Restrictions: Zanesville Animal Escape Addressed By Sheriff
Huffington Post
ZANESVILLE, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio sheriff who oversaw the response to an exotic animal release is visiting Washington to support a federal bill that would restrict the private ownership and breeding of lions, tigers and other big cats. The Zanesville …

There’s lots more in the news, from cat books, authors and even your pet’s blood pressure being elevated when going to the vet, stressful for pets and their people. For more on this week’s news, check out the links below.

Watertown taking local cat hoarder to court
Boston.com
Kristel Bennett, Watertown’s chief environmental health officer, said the town has been keeping tabs on Newsome and her home since this May after finding 14 cats in her home – nine cats above the Watertown animal ordinance limit of five cats per dwelling.

Chile’s Pacific paradise endangered by goats, cats
KHOU
ROBINSON CRUSOE ISLAND, Chile (AP) — It’s still a natural paradise far out in the Pacific, with thick jungles and stunningly steep and verdant slopes climbing out of the sea. But much of the splendor in the tiny Chilean islands that likely inspired …

‘Cat Tale’ and ‘Red Cat Blue Cat‘
New York Times
One book features three cat friends. The other is about two cat rivals. One offers inspired nonsense. The other deals with a (relatively) realistic situation. But with eye-poppingly bright and friendly illustrations, winning stories and clever …

Kiara, World’s First Liliger, Born At Russian Zoo (VIDEO)
Huffington Post
The practice of breeding hybrid cats, such as Bengal Cats and Stone Cougars, has been criticized in the past as being “irresponsible” and potentially dangerous, especially when the animals are kept as pets. “In a nutshell, it is an irresponsible thing …

‘Queen of Cats‘ earned her title the hard way
Chicago Tribune
“Today we understand so much more about cat behavior,” says certified cat behavior consultant Pam Johnson-Bennett, “but still, cat behaviors are labeled. The cat piddles in front of you, and so many owners still say, ‘the cat is stupid,’ or ‘the cat …

Books about cats by Jackson Galaxy, Celia Haddon and Bob Tarte
Washington Post
Cats don’t do heartwarming. If a feline were able to read LOLcats, the retribution would be swift, just and terrible. I type this with the marks of new-cat ownership all over my arms. We’d been feeding a stray that my big cat brought home when a storm …

Big Cat Rescue plans dorm for people to care for its animals
Tbo.com
The new acreage is large enough to accommodate other improvements, including a 6-acre tiger enclosure to include an existing pond where the cats “can swim and chase fish,” Baskin said. “My favorite thing about the internship program is they come to …

**Culture Clash: Of Cats, Birds and Conservation
KQED QUEST (blog)
Domestic bliss: Born under a bush in Guerneville, this once feral cat now enjoys the comforts of home. Patience, dedication, and gentle handling can transform a frightened, suspicious feral cat into a trusting, loving companion. (Photo: Barry Bergman) …

TNR is one answer to Pinellas’ feral cat problem, but advocates face some …
Tampabay.com
Several times a week, the women load their vehicles with traps and go looking for wild cats that have become a nuisance in places like Gulfport and Kenwood and Pinellas Park. Then they take the animals to low-cost clinics around Tampa Bay and get them …

Big cat hunt declared over by Victorian Government due to lack of evidence
Herald Sun
Agriculture Minister Peter Walsh said the study, conducted in Melbourne offices on past evidence rather than in the field, said there was nothing to substantiate claims big cats existed in the state. “No big cat has ever been detected in a formal …

**Domestic cats are one of the worst invaders, threatening 16 endangered species …
CBS News
(LiveScience) Whether they escaped from zoos or accompanied migrating nomads, invasive species from giant Himalayan bats and porcupines to house mice now account for 22 percent of mammals in Europe, a new study finds. If bats and marine mammals

Controlling all those cats
Philadelphia Inquirer
Their population is increasing so much that many deem the cats a public health nuisance, for both humans and other pets. They can carry fleas, parasites, and deadly diseases, such as rabies. And they’re at the mercy of weather, animal attacks, vehicles …

Two Cats Euthanized After Amateur Declawing
Washington City Paper (blog)
Two cats were found in D.C. in May with some horrific injuries, and the alleged culprit was charged last weekend, according to a Washington Humane Society press release (emphasis added): The kittens were taken immediately to a local emergency animal …

Too many cats
The Warwick Advertiser
WARWICK — The cat population, 185 at last count, who are housed in the Warwick Valley Humane Society’s animal shelter, is at crisis level. “We need the community’s support,” pleads Suzyn Barron, president of the Society. “We are drowning in cats and ..

9 cats die, 2 others rescued in Orlando house fire
Sacramento Bee
Firefighters were able to rescue two other cats early Saturday morning. They were treated for smoke inhalation. Officials say a smoke detector alerted the homeowner – who lived with the eleven cats – to the fire. The homeowner was able to escape uninjured.

Friskies wants to make your cat a meow-vie star in their latest nationwide …
CultureMap Austin
In August, Minneapolis cat owner Will Braden took home the 2012 grand prize at the Internet Cat Film Festival for his creation, Henri 2, Paw de Deux. For his stunning piece of genre work, Braden nabbed The Golden Kitty Award over 10,000 other …

Dogs, Cats and Blood Pressure
WebMD (blog)
When you visit the doctor, before the physician comes into an examination room, a nurse measures your weight, temperature and blood pressure. When your pet goes to the veterinarian, the nurse comes in to take his weight and temperature, but not blood

Dogs and cats okay, but horses at risk for West Nile Virus
San Antonio Express (blog)
Is West Nile a problem for our dogs and cats too? According to clinicians at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, the answer is no. They are at a low risk for the disease and do not require vaccinations. However, the same is …

Cat helps save man’s life
WLFI.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (CNN/WKMG) – They say cats have nine lives and in this case, a cat gave his owner a second chance at life. Jennifer Chap says she was working in her home office when Buddy, her cat, started misbehaving. When she picked Buddy up and …

Cat in condo? OK. Companion dog? No way
Minneapolis Star Tribune
The age-old question of which is better, cats or dogs, has landed in federal court in Minneapolis. The unusual issue has provoked a big legal fight between a disabled Minneapolis woman and the board overseeing a condominium where she’s been a …

Pet cat who was shot down in the street: Toby left in agony and lost a leg …
Daily Mail
Police are hunting a thug who gunned down a pet cat in the street and left it with such severe injuries that its front leg had to be amputated. The brute shot eight-year-old Toby with an air rifle from a range of up to 50 feet while he was hunting …

Crowded Anne Arundel animal shelter pleads for reprieve
Baltimore Sun
Or anything else adoptable that finds its way into Anne Arundel County Animal Control. “We, unfortunately, sometimes have to perform euthanasia,” said Small, who runs the county shelter. She nuzzled a gray short-hair cat named Chile, a five-month …