Today is National Feral Cat Day and we here at The Tiniest Tiger’s Conservation Cub Club care for all cats big and small. Our Friends at Alley Cat Allies work hard to help our feral cousins and they also try to help humans learn the truth about our outdoor cats. Here are some of the facts from our friends at Alley Cat Allies.
– Francis of Assisi
Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. It is also appropriately and perhaps because of St. Francis that we celebrate World Animal Day.
This day, in many ways, is like every other day for most of us, meaning that we love and care for animals every day. But today, let’s try to do one extra thing to help out an animal in need.
Maybe you could say a little prayer, or drop off a bag of food or a toy at a shelter, write a letter in protest of the mistreatment of animals, or help spread the word about one of our cousins in need. Maybe you just scoop up your little loved one and take a little extra time today to express your love and appreciation for your friendship.
And maybe you can do the same to your fellow humans today too. Just be a little bit more patient, kind and understanding.
I know I want to be more like Francis.
So today and every other day, I will continue to try.
“Start by doing what is necessary, then do what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible”
-Francis of Assisi
Iams Home 4 the Holidays, one of the world’s largest pet adoption programs, kicks off its annual adoption drive today in partnership with Helen Woodward Animal Center, with the goal of finding homes for 1.5 million orphaned pets. Now in its 13th year, the program, which runs from October 1, 2011 through January 3, 2012, has helped 5.8 million pets find loving homes all around the world.
Iams and Helen Woodward Animal Center are teaming up again this year with more than 3,500 animal organizations worldwide to encourage pet adoption. In addition, Iams will also donate 5 million meals to animals in need at adoption and rescue centers through its Bags 4 Bowls program.
While finding loving homes for orphaned pets is critical and the core of the program, the campaign is also designed to provide shelters and rescue centers with much needed food donations. With the help of consumers, the Iams Bags 4 Bowls program aims to donate 5 million meals to animals housed in participating organizations.
Today over 175 P&G Pet Care employees will head to the Humane Society of Greater Dayton to spend the day
painting, landscaping, adding agility equipment for the Community Dog Park, and adding climbing areas & perches for cats and even cabinets for “pocket pets! This is especially exciting for me because this is an animal center not too far from me!
Today is also the “One Day. 10,000 Bowls” donation campaign!
Starting at 8 am this morning, 9.22.2011, for every like and comment on the pictures posted on the following pages:
P&G Pet Care will donate 1 bowl of food to the Humane Society of Greater Dayton, up to 10,000 bowls. The donation will be a mix of Eukanuba, Iams, and Innova Pet Foods.
Don’t forget about Twitter! 1 bowl will be donated to the Humane Society of Greater Dayton (up to 10,000 bowls) for each tweet that mentions ONE or ALL of these accounts:
AND uses the hashtag #ShelterMakeOver: Here is an easy one:
1 Day. 10,000 bowls~ Use #ShelterMakeover & mention @Iams @Eukanuba or @InnovaPet = 1 bowl food donated to @HSDayton 9.22.11 only! RT
Thank you everyone for helping feed our cousins in need!
This special day gives us an opportunity for not only nations and organizations, but also individuals to create
Today is International Peace Day. Please think peaceful thoughts and be kind today and everyday.
practical acts of peace. This day was established by a United Nations resolution in 1981 to coincide with the opening of the General Assembly. The very first Peace Day was celebrated in September 1982.
With the creation of the International Day of Peace, the United Nations pledged to devote itself to worldwide peace and to encourage all of mankind to work in cooperation to seek peace. Here is the premise for Peace Day:
“Peace Day should be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples. This day will serve as a reminder to all peoples that our organization, with all its limitations, is a living instrument in the service of peace and should serve all of us here within the organization as a constantly pealing bell reminding us that our permanent commitment, above all interests or differences of any kind, is to peace.”
A few weeks ago, my mom and Flat Gracey, my stunt double, had the privilege of meeting Mike Arms, president of
Helen Woodward Animal Center
the Helen Woodward Animal Center in San Diego. The Helen Woodward Animal Center is an amazing, private, non-profit organization dedicated to saving the lives of animals.
You might recognize the name from our participation in the Iams Home 4 the Holidays! Last year our small paws united to provide 32,375 meals for our cousins in need! The Helen Woodward Animal Center has partnered with Iams to make the Home 4 the Holidays a worldwide movement! Get ready to pounce again this year
Mike Arms is a super smart big hearted animal lover and is leading the way by setting the bar for animal centers. Notice that he does not use the word animal shelter, he uses the word animal center. The Helen Woodward Animal Center is an all-inclusive “center” that provides for the community’s animals, people and education of children.
Our friend Jane at Petfinder.com told me about a very important week starting today, September 17, 2011. This week is Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable Pet Week.
“This post is my entry into the BlogPaws Blog Carnival Contest sponsored by BISSELL Homecare, Inc.”
When I was a teeny tiny kitten, some mean people didn’t want me, so they drove to the local Dog Pound and
I was put in the drop box even though it said NO CATS!
plunked me down in the drop box, even though the sign said NO CATS! I don’t have a very clear memory of this, because I was so young I wasn’t even weaned. I remember being super cold and shivering inside that dark and smelly drop box.
The dog warden at the time was very nice. His eyes popped when he opened the drawer and found me inside. He didn’t have the heart to put me back out in the wet snow, where it was even colder, so he picked me up and told me he might lose his job over allowing me to stay, but then he said that would be alright too. His wife had told him to try to find another job because they already had taken home most of the dogs that were brought to the dog pound. He said he was just too kind-hearted for the job the county wanted him to do. He dried me off with a towel and placed me down in a big cage with a cold cement floor. He apologized for not having any cat chow, and then he said that I looked too small to eat it anyway. He scratched me behind my ears and said maybe someone will come here soon and take you home with them. Then he added, I sure hope so for both of our sakes.
The Dog Pound where I was found.
I don’t know how much time went by, but the sun was still out when my soon to be mom and dad came into the dog pound. They were helping a friend look for his missing dog. While my dad looked through all the cages, my mom saw me sleeping all alone in the cage and she said to the dog warden, “Oh my! Is this your kitten?” He said no, but that kitten can be yours. That would keep both the kitten and me from getting into more trouble. My mom smiled and she reached down and scooped me up. She looked into my eyes and said, “Hi sweetheart. Would you like to come home with us?” I melted into her arms. She tucked me inside her coat before my dad came back with no luck at finding their friend’s dog.
My dad said, “Well who is this?” and my mom answered, “This is our new kitten. What do you think?” And my dad said, “Well, you couldn’t get any cuter than that, could you?” Super Hurrah! I was going to a home.
Friends, I have something very serious to talk about with you. It is the water crisis in Kenya.
Imagine being super thirsty. Then imagine that you can’t just go to the faucet, the fountain or reach for a bottle of
water. Imagine that you are tired and feeling desperate because there is no water for you and that you might have to walk for hours and even a couple of days to reach a water source. Imagine you have small children dependent upon you in this desert, with no food or water and you have to walk for days in search of relief.
Take a moment and try to Imagine
There is a water crisis in the Horn of Africa.
Right now an estimated 10.7 million people in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya are trying to survive the worst drought in 60 years. Families are forced to walk as long as 30 days to find food and water. Herds of livestock, the primary livelihood for many of these families, have perished in the drought.
Mike Arms Iams Hero Award Given to Austin Humane Society
Mike Arms is one of my heroes. He is a super smart big hearted animal lover that has led the way by setting the bar for the highest of standards for animal centers. As president of the Helen Woodward Animal Center in San Diego, Mike has been at the forefront of changing the lives of animals for the better through his tireless efforts and passion.
For the past 12 years Iams has joined forces with Mike Arms and the Helen Woodward Animal Center for the annual adoption campaign to help raise awareness of orphaned animals in need of forever homes around the world. The program has created increased public awareness about orphaned animals, increased the number of pet adoptions, lowered euthanasia rates and is educating record numbers of people in the humane treatment of animals. He is the founder of the Iams Home 4 the Holidays pet adoption program that our The Tiniest Tiger community supports with our own annual Iams Home 4 the Holidays comment-athon.
So it is fitting that on Monday, October 10, The Iams Company and Mike Arms, presented the first annual Hero Award in recognition of Austin Humane Society’s extraordinary relief efforts in the Austin/Bastrop wildfiress in September of this year.
Mike Arms. President, Helen Woodward Animal Center, Frences Jonon, Executive Director, Austin Humane Society, Michel Brousset, Marketing Director, Iams North America
Austin Humane Society led the way in coordinating the disaster relief efforts for the animals displaced in the Austin/Bastrop counties as a result of the recent Texas wildfires. This widespread disaster destroyed over 1,400 homes in the Central Texas area. The Austin Humane Society helped create a temporary triage unit in the Austin and Bastrop areas providing food, refuge, and medical care for the displaced animals.
Thank you to Austin Humane Society for their dedicated service to enhancing the quality of life for animals and their families. Truly our heroes and deserving of the first ever Mike Arms-Iams Hero Award. Super Hurrah!