Royal Canin Summer Pet Food Drive: 40,000 Pounds In 40 Days Challenge!

The Royal Canin 40 Day Challenge is on!

From now (June 17) through July 26, their goal is to donate 1,000 pounds of pet food each day – ultimately donating 40,000 pounds at the end of 40 days to Banfield Charitable Trust. 

To help accomplish this herculean task, they're asking the public to visit their Facebook page to participate in daily challenges, which include reading and sharing stories like the one below, of pet owners who have directly benefitted from pet food assistance programs. 

The summer pet food drive will ultimately help keep pets and their people together, because no one should have to give up their beloved companion because they can no longer afford to feed them. 


Rich 

After health problems forced Rich into an early retirement, he found himself struggling to care for his two cats, Mr. Rain and Ms. Misty. Luckily, thanks to Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society and its Pet Aid program, he is able to keep his kitties at home, where they belong.

Rich hadn't intended to retire anytime soon, but health issues forced him to stop working. In 2008, he adopted two kittens who had come from a home where 75 cats lived in pretty bad conditions. One of Rich's friends provided foster care for the surviving kittens from that home,  and after frequent visits, Rich became attached to two kittens in particular, Mr. Rain and Ms. Misty. "I'd never had a pet before. When I saw them in foster care I decided to adopt them. Then illness changed my life. Now I'm around the house most of the time and the cats keep me company."

Unable to work, Rich turned to the local survival center for help and was afraid his financial situation might force him to give up Mr. Rain and Ms. Misty. "It was tough enough to stretch the money to cover food, housing and medical care for myself. When I added in the cost of pet food, it looked almost impossible to keep my cats."

But then Rich learned about one of the survival center's community partners - Dakin Humane Society - and its Pet Food Aid program that provides food for client families' animals. Rich was glad to hear about the service because he was faced with making ends meet on a suddenly limited income. "Once a month my son drives me over to pick up food for me and my cats. That extra help lets me keep Mr. Rain and Ms. Misty at home."

Last year, Dakin Humane Society provided over 45,000 pounds of pet food to partner service agencies throughout the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts to help keep companion animals in their homes.

Visit the Royal Canin Facebook page (facebook.com/royalcanin.us) today through July 26th, to find out how you can help provide pet food for people like Rich so he can keep his cats, Mr. Rain and Ms. Misty. Their goal is to donate 40,000 pounds of food in 40 days with the help of Banfield Charitable Trust.

Royal Canin Summer Pet Food Drive: 40,000 Pounds In 40 Days Challenge!

Twitter Adds LOLcat Language Option, Because Cats Use The Internet Too

Happeh Fridai! U can nao change ur language 2 lolcat in Settings. Hope u liek it. twitter.com/settings twitter.com/twitter/status…
— Twitter (@twitter) February 8, 2013

Many already consider LOLspeak to be the official language of the internet, and Twitter just added muscle to that claim by introducing the feline dialect to their list of supported languages. In an announcement made earlier this afternoon via kitten, the social network revealed that users can now update to LOLCATZ language through their settings page, to view the site from a cat's perspective.


Yes, it's true!

So what does it all mean? The Home icon becomes "Hum" and Discover changes to "Discovr", while more obvious modifications include "VIEW MAH PROFILE PUJ", "EXPAN. KTHX.", and "Direct Messujs KTHXBYE!". 



The language update is still in beta, and may be subtle -- but comes as a relief to millions of cats in the Twittersphere, who no longer have to waste time figuring out "hoo 2 follow" and where to check their "interacshuns" before compozin a new tweet.

Via @Twitter / Mashable

Twitter Adds LOLcat Language Option, Because Cats Use The Internet Too

100,000 Facebook Likes Lead To New Cat For Social Media Savvy Siblings

Hey Facebook!

Forget tears and temper tantrums! One social media savvy pair of siblings from Newton, Mass., turned to the internet to make their cat adoption dreams come true.

7-year-old Remi, and his 1-year-old sis Evelyn, pled with their parents for a kitty, to no avail. Hoping to placate the kids, their dad, Dan Urbano, came up with a proposition he was certain would fail: If a picture of them asking for a cat reached 1,000 likes on Facebook, the feline would be theirs. 

Eager to see the social experiment in action, their mom, Marisa, posted the picture on Nov. 7 with a sign that read: "Hey Facebook! My sister and I really want a cat! My Papa promises we can get one if we can get 1000 LIKES! Please like this picture! Thank you!"

Obviously, the irresistible combination of children and cats was more than the internet could handle, and within hours, the duo met and surpassed their goal by over a hundred thousand responses (the post currently stands at 110,000+ likes and 100,000+ shares).


Welcome Home Hairyette Pawturr!

The results aren't a surprise to anyone except for the Urbanos, who obviously missed the memo that the internet is made of cats. Fortunately, Papa Urbano remained true to his word, and the family visited Gifford Cat Shelter this past Saturday to pick up their new kitty, Hairyette Pawturr. 

Via ABC News / Images: Facebook (Marisa Papile Urbano)

100,000 Facebook Likes Lead To New Cat For Social Media Savvy Siblings

Experienced Office Cat Turns To LinkedIn For Employment Opportunities

Pierre

If you're a cat looking for a job in today's rough economic climate, what better place to expose your skills to a huge network of professionals than with a profile on LinkedIn? Mercury News reports that Pierre, a 7-year-old tuxedo cat from Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) in Walnut Creek, CA, just might be the first feline to utilize the social networking site to find his next gig.

The social media-savvy kitty came to ARF in 2010, weighing in at an unhealthy 40 pounds. Thanks to a steady routine of diet and exercise, the tenacious tuxie has dropped 13 pounds, and is now ready to expand his possibilities outside of the shelter. When volunteers realized that Pierre was happiest in an open workplace environment, they decided to upload his resume to LinkedIn to try and find the purrfect placement for the real life business cat.



Pierre's profile reads in part, "Experienced office cat with larger-than-life personality seeks full-time, long-term position. Ideal work environment includes carpeted office or home office with windows, laid-back style, and feline-loving coworkers. (Pierre is also willing to overcome his workaholic tendencies for the right HOME environment!)"

The A-CAT-emy of Feline Sciences graduate also boasts an impressive list of skills and expertise that include four-paw typing, client greeting, staff and volunteer training, motivational speaking, and paperweight. He is looking for an employer who will provide head and cheek rubs, an employee exercise plan, and a generous nap package.

If you are someone you know is interested in taking on a hard working, professional office cat with 7+ years of experience, check out Pierre's Adopt-a-Pet profile, or contact ARF for more information.

Via Mercury News / LinkedIn (Pierre Cat)

Experienced Office Cat Turns To LinkedIn For Employment Opportunities

5-Week-Old Kitten Saved By Good Samaritans And Social Media

(Click here to watch if video doesn't load)

Every day I see new social media updates and Facebook pages popping up with fundraisers and pleas to help save sick or injured cats, or sharing inspirational stories of cats who have been rescued and have had to overcome great odds to survive. Recent stories in which online communities have successfully come to aid of cats in need are the case of the missing deaf kitty who was reunited with its owner through Twitter, and a cat named Trooper, who had his leg and tail removed after being found stuck to a patch of ice. The cat's story raised thousands of followers (and dollars) through Facebook, and even got him recognized by a rock band of the same name.

I was also really touched recently when one of my readers who lives in California told me that he found out about Maloos, the Iranian special needs cat who was brought to San Francisco for medical treatment, from reading about him here on Catsparella. Cristian even went so far as to visit the cat at Animal Care & Control San Francisco and shared (on Facebook, natch), "Even after everything the poor guy has been through (having his leg amputated, having a bullet in his nose), he's the sweetest little guy. Thank you for letting your readers know about him. Together we can help find this wonderful little fella a loving home."

Jade

The latest social media success story started with a thoughtless act of cruelty that could have very easily ended in tragedy. Angela and Carrie Russell were traveling down a busy highway in Tysons Corner, Va. last week when they saw a tiny, black kitten who had been thrown out of a car laying helplessly in the middle of the road. The quick thinking sisters rescued the black cat, who they later named Jade, and brought her to the vet where they discovered she had a badly broken pelvis, but was otherwise in good shape.

Unwilling to see the 5-week-old kitten euthanized because of a treatable injury, Carrie started the Help Save Jade Facebook page in order to raise money for the kitten's costly surgery. In just a few days, they were able to raise $900 through a ChipIn page, and found themselves overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers who were moved by the kitten's story. Fortunately, Jade's most recent check-up revealed that she will not need the surgery after all, and her pelvic bones will be allowed to fuse back together as she grows. The vet feels that Jade will always walk with a limp, but will otherwise grow up to be a healthy cat.

They are now going to keep a close eye on her as the break heals, and have offered to either return the money that was donated, or give it to the two animal organizations that helped save her life, including the Jarrettsville Veterinary Center who provided her with free care, and RedRover.org, a non-profit organization designed to bring animals from crisis to care.

In the meantime, Carrie plans to continue posting updates on Jade's progress, and in one of her most recent Facebook postings explains just how important the power of the social media was in saving the little cat's life:

"(All of you) SAVED Jade's life!!! If we hadn't had the support and encouragement to get the word out about Jade, we wouldn't have met the vet who was able to help (she found out about Jade through a tweet of the Help Save Jade Facebook page). If we hadn't gotten so many assurances from personal donors and two major organizations, that we could all find a way to pay for her treatment together, we would have had no choice but to give Jade up to a shelter, in hopes that they could save her, but most likely she would have been put to sleep. It's the outstanding community support that helped us fight for Jade's life, without it we couldn't have kept calling and searching for options or surgeons/vets willing to help! Again, it was the instant support that gave us courage to not take the first no's for an answer, and to keep caring for Jade when the big "E" word was a common response to her case. Thank you :) (many times over)."

Via WUSA9.com / Facebook (Help Save Jade)

5-Week-Old Kitten Saved By Good Samaritans And Social Media