In 9 years, 2 cats (and their babies) can generate more than 11,000,000 kittens

In 9 years, 2 cats (and their babies) can generate more than 11,000,000 kittens, according to the Greenville Humane Society. That's a lot of kitty!

How is that possible, you ask? Well, cats will have approximately 3 litters per year, if not spayed, with about 4 kittens per litter. So that's 12 new cats, which could potentially each create 12 new cats, and each one of them 12 more cats and on and on and on...


Eeek! Make it stop!

Unless you are some kind of cat lady, the thought of 11,000,000 uncontrolled cats roaming the neighborhood is not an attractive one (I have frequently expressed my feelings on cats).

How can you prevent 11,000,000 cats from being generated over 9 years? As Bob Barker always said...



If you have adopted a pet that is not spayed or neutered, contact the shelter you adopted it from to find out about discounts. If you purchased your pet, contact your vet. If you live in the area, try mine.

A morsel of chocolate will not kill your dog

A morsel of chocolate will not kill your dog, but larger quantities can be deadly. It isn't really the chocolate that is bad for the dog, it is a stimulant found in cocoa beans called theobromine, which can also be found in cola beverages, tea and acai berries.

Theobromine is tolerable for humans, but for dogs can cause poisoning, even death, because they are unable to metabolize it, and it can remain in the bloodstream for up to 20 hours. Symptoms of theobromine poisoning include vomiting and diarrhea, restlessness, hyperactivity, muscle twitching and frequent urination.

It is very important to not give in to your dog, no matter how much they beg, whine, whimper and look up at you with those big (green devil) eyes for chocolate.

Just say NO

Dogs are affected differently by different kinds of chocolate. For example, here is how much of the following chocolates it would take to poison Chloe, my 20 lb Jack Russell-Beagle mix...

• White chocolate - 250 lbs would cause signs of poisoning
• Milk chocolate/Semi-sweet - 1 lb or 4 - 6 candy bars would be poisonous
• Sweet cocoa - 1/3 lb would be poisonous
• Baking chocolate - 2 oz would be poisonous

If you suspect your dog (or cat, bird, horse etc.) is showing signs of theobromine poisoning, take it for medical care immediately. Some websites offer tips on how to care for a poisoned animal, but personally, I'd rather leave it to the professionals. If you are looking for emergency animal care in NE NJ, I would recommend Animal Emergency & Referral Associates (love them), otherwise check your local Google search.

Other human foods that are bad for dogs include avocado, macadamia nuts, onions, grapes, raisins, garlic, foods high in fat, salt or artificial sweeteners, and alcoholic beverages...

Oops.

For more info on dog and cat care visit Pet Place.

A catfish has approximately 100,000 taste buds

A catfish has approximately 100,000 taste buds -- on the outside of its body. Humans only have around 10,000 and they are all on our tongues. According to Holly Flax they have these taste buds because they taste good. I refuse to accept that as an answer as I don't like fish (unless its paper thin and deeply fried, and there must be tartar sauce) or cats (no exceptions, sorry LJ).

Throw it back!

Not only are they great at taste testing, but catfish can grow to enormous sizes. The largest catfish ever caught was the giant Mekong catfish, caught in Thailand on May 1, 2005.

I will never go swimming in Thailand. Not with Loch Ness in the water.

For more information on catfishies, click here.


This post was inspired by a Keanu Reeves movie that involved the ocean, subsequently leading me to fish facts.

Romans are the reason a broken mirror means seven years bad luck

Romans are the reason a broken mirror means seven years bad luck. Romans were the first to invent glass mirrors. They believed that the mirror had the power to take a part of your soul and therefore if your appearance in the mirror was damaged, say, by breaking the mirror, then you would be as well.

Romans also believed the soul was renewed every seven years. So if you were to break a mirror, and your soul was damaged, then in seven years you would be cool beans again.

Sucks...

Personally, I am VERY superstitious. I don't pick up unlucky pennies (pennies that are tails up), I don't walk under ladders, and I get very uncomfortable when a black cat crosses my path (I don't like cats to begin with). All of these mean bad luck, but only a broken mirror means SEVEN years. Supposedly, the only thing you can do once you have broken such mirror is to wait seven hours to clean the broken glass up (not really safe) and then bury the pieces at night (glass, night, digging? Also unsafe, but so is seven years of being cursed).

Some people are just asking for it...

For more information on superstition, click here.


Thanks to the mirror I mounted on my wall for falling and inspiring this post. Thankfully, it didn't break. Maybe that is seven years good luck...hmmm.