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Congratulations to the below members who won a StartSampling t-shirt for simply reading the article “Support your local Humane Society” posted on July 29, 2008!!!!!
Shelley from New York
Cindy from California
Marcia from California
Ellen from North Carolina
From time to time we have sweepstakes on different sections of our site. Sometimes they are announced, sometimes they are not. So, remember to check all around, because you never know where we are going to be having a sweepstakes or give away!
Congratulations Shelley, Cindy, Marcia and Ellen and thanks for reading the article!
These curly kitties made there début in 1982 at the farm house of Richard and Linda Koehl in north-central Oregon. A regular farm cat gave birth to six kittens. The Koehl’s noticed that one of the six kittens were different and thought it was sick and would not survive. However, not only was the kitten not sick, it was the first of a new breed of cats.
Now these curly kitties can be found across the world and are loved for their loving personalities. These cats love to be around people and are known to be very affectionate and loving. If you are looking for a lap cat, this is the cat for you.
Their distinctive curly hair looks like it will be high maintenance, however the opposite is true. The less you do, the better their fur as too much grooming or brushing causes them to get frizzy. Hummm, I thought woman were the only ones that had that problem! To make their fur “show ready” they can be spritzed with water and then scrunched.
LaPerm’s like their people to be around. So, if you work a lot of hours, maybe this isn’t the best cat. You can get two cats so they can keep each other company, but LaPerm’s do best with a lot of human interaction.
I would love to hear from anyone who has a LaPerm.
Hi! My name is Wooster and I am looking for a family to love! Right now I live at the Humane Society in Downers Grove, IL and I would love to show you how sweet I am. I used to have a family, but they had to give me up. They gave me to some friends who lived on a farm. Well, I’m not much of a farm cat and was caught wandering around looking for a family and they brought me to the shelter. The people here are really nice and they take really good care of me, but I really want to find a family to call my very own.
I am very sweet and try to show everyone that comes in just how special I am. I’ll pour on all my manners, roll over so you can pet my belly, and even “talk” to you. If you come in to visit me, I’m sure I can make you fall in love with me. Please let me try. I really want to go home!
Hmmm, a little about me, I’m glad you asked! I am looking for a family that has older kids. I really like the older kids, you know about 12 and up. I find the smaller kids just a little 
confusing for me. I am 9 1/2 years old, but don’t underestimate me, it is all in how old you feel and I don’t feel a day over 4 years old! I love to play and be brushed. I will give you a lot of company so you never feel alone (I know how bad that feels). I won’t give you away no matter what anyone says! I am good with other cats and I even kind of like dogs. Okay, well I like dogs, just don’t tell the other cats. I am very playful and sweet. I will make a very good pet for you and I will treat you like the best human any cat has ever had!
Please stop by and see me. After you get to know me, I know you will love me and I will love you too!
See ya soon!
Wooster is a very sweet and playful cat in need of adoption. After meeting and spending 
some time with Wooster I thought it would be a great idea to feature Wooster in the new “Pet of the Week” segment. If a StartSampling member adopts Wooster, I will give you $50.00 in Restaurant Gift Certificates (check our FTM program for details and participating locations) and a StartSampling t-shirt. All you need to do to claim your prize is go to the West Suburban Humane Society at 1901 W. Ogden Ave. in Downers Grove, IL 60515, phone number 630-960-9600, and meet with one of their adoption specialist to adopt Wooster. Then click here to let me know you adopted Wooster and I will ship your prizes out to you. It couldn’t be easier and I would love to see Wooster go to a good home. I know we have a member out there that would be a perfect match for Wooster!
If you work for a Humane Society and would like to feature a dog or cat in the Pet of the Week section, please click here to contact me.
Between natural disasters and tough economic times our pet population is suffering and needs your help! We all remember hurricane Katrina that left so many pets in need of help and adoption. Next came the flooding in the central United States, which again left many pets in need. Add to that difficult economic times, where families are forced to give their pets away because they can’t afford to feed them or they are forced to move into a place that does not allow pets and all of this adds up to the Humane Society’s over-population of pets that need adoption. If you have room in your house and heart, please visit your local Humane Society to see if you can rescue a pet in need. You will find a wide variety of dogs and cats to choose from and the Humane Society is very good and trying to match the right pet with the right family. Puppies and kittens normally get adopted fairly quickly. But there are now older pets living at the Humane Society than ever before. These are older pets that, through no fault of their own, are now living in cages for the first time in their lives and wondering what they did wrong and why their family left them.
If you can’t adopt a pet, there are other ways to support your local Humane Society. You can donate your time as help is always needed and welcomed. You can donate money to help support your local center. You can also donate much needed supplies to help the Humane Society provide care for all the pets waiting for adoption. Below is a list of some of the supplies that are needed.
Paper towels
Food (call your local Humane Society to find out what kind of food)
KMR (kitten milk replacement)
Small baby bottles and nipples
Dog and cat toys (washable and indestructible)
Cat litter (not scoopable littler)
Stamps
Garbage bags (13 and 30 gallon sizes)
6” paper plates
Lint traps
Please go visit your local Humane Society and take a tour of the center. As you walk around the center I am sure you will find the perfect dog or cat to take home and love. There are so many loving pets available that the biggest problem will be deciding which one to take home!
Click here for more information on the Humane Society of the United States.
To help support the Humane Society and bring awareness of the over-population of the centers, please click here after reading this article to be entered into a sweepstakes to win a StartSampling t-shirt.
If you have ever watched a cat knead (usually your stomach) you will notice the content, loving expression on their face. But why do cats do this? When a cat kneads, he is in touch with his kitten instincts as kittens knead their mother’s nipples to stimulate the “let down” reflex so that her milk will flow for the kitten to suckle on. This is why your cat will appear very relaxed and contented when he is kneading you. This process gives your cat a feeling of comfort and warmth, which is why they usually lay down and take a nap afterwards.
If kneading is uncomfortable for you, you may want to keep an extra towel around to give you a little extra padding when your cat feels the need to knead.
As you look around stores and yards you will see more and more gourd bird houses. You can find them at almost any store that sells bird houses or you can make your own, which can be a great project to do with the kids to get them involved in birding.
Preparing the gourd
Soak the gourd for 30 minutes in hot, soapy water. Then scrub the gourd until it is completely clean using a scrub brush or a dull knife.
Next you need to mark where the entrance hole is going to be. To do this hold the gourd by the stem and let it hang naturally. Mark a center point along the most outermost part of the curve so the hole faces straight out, rather than tilled up to the sky or down to the ground. The entrance hole can be easily drilled using a hole saw or a keyhole saw.
Use the below guide for help with the gourd and hole size.
Wren – gourd size 6 inches, entrance hole size 1 inch
Chickadee – gourd size 8 inches, entrance hole size 1 1/8 inches
Tufted Titmouse – gourd size 8 inches, entrance hole size 1 1/4 inches
Downy Woodpecker – gourd size 8 inches, entrance hole size 1 1/4 inches
White Breasted Nuthatch – gourd size 8 inches, entrance hole size 1 1/4 inches
Bluebird – gourd size 8 inches, entrance hole size 1 1/2 inches
Hairy Woodpecker – gourd size 12 inches, entrance hole 1 5/8 inches
Crested Flycatcher – gourd size 8 inches, entrance hole 2 inches
Purple Martin – gourd size 10 inches, entrance hole size 2 1/2 inches
Flicker – gourd size 16 inches, entrance hole size 2 1/2 inches
Note: the gourd walls should be at least 1/4 inch thick so the bird house is not too warm.
Next drill two or three 1/4 inch holes in the bottom of the gourd for drainage. Then drill two set sets of holes about 2 inches from the neck for ventilation and hanging.
Then clean out the inside of the gourd by scraping out the seeds from the inside. You can also pour water inside the gourd to make sure all the dust and loose pieces have been removed.
Dip the entire gourd into a wood preservative for 15 minutes. Many people use deck sealants as the preservative. Remove the gourd from the sealant and hang it up to dry for a few days. The gourd must be completely dry before starting the next step.
Next sand the gourd to make it nice and smooth. Then paint the gourd with an oil-based paint (water based paint will peel) making sure not to cover up the drainage or ventilation holes. Decorate the gourd any way you want
.
When the gourd is completely dried, you are ready to hang it out for your birds.
The kids will love watching birds move into the house that they helped make and what a lovely addition to the yard!
Many of us love feeding birds, but with feeding the birds comes unwanted pests and birds. While all birds are welcomed at my feeders, many people don’t like to feed the sparrows, morning doves, and black birds. In addition to that you find that you are now attracting squirrels, raccoons, chipmunks, rabbits, mice and deer. So, what do you do if you had not intended on feeding the entire neighborhood? Here are a few tricks you can try.
Keep birdseed off the ground
Change the type of bird seed you use
Stop feeding certain foods for a while
Move your feeders to a new location
Stop feeding for a while
You can also try an enclosed feeder so the smaller birds can get through the cage, but not the larger ones. You may also want to try moving your feeders away from branches which will make it harder for the squirrels and raccoons to get to the food.
When all else fails, maybe it is time to sit back and just enjoy the variety of guest your feeders attract.
Congratulations to the below members who won a StartSampling t-shirt for simply reading the article “Support your local Humane Society” posted on July 29, 2008!!!!!
