Thursday, June 18, 2015 - Page 4

Rock Port Cat Ranch celebrating

Adopt-A-Shelter-Cat Month
The Rock Port Cat Ranch
is urging all cat lovers to
take part in the National
Adopt-A-Shelter-Cat Month
campaign by giving a furry
feline a loving home! Located at 20027 220th Street
(by way of J Hwy.), the Cat
Ranch houses anywhere
from around 60 to 100 cats
and currently even has bunnies, all looking for wonderful homes to call their own!
The animal shelter is holding an open house from 1
to 4 p.m. June 26-28, 2015.
It is hoped that during this
time, the many animals still
waiting to find homes will
be picked to be someones
special companion. If unable
to attend the open house
during the set hours, the
animals can also be viewed
by appointment by calling
660-744-6686 (leave a message and your call will be returned). Potential adopters
must be 18 years of age or
older and provide a current
photo ID (drivers license
or state ID card). The Rock
Port Cat Ranch reserves the
right to refuse any adoption.
Started as a memorial
to founder Marie Hurtigs
mother-in-law, Elsie Hurtig, who died in 2010, and
her husband, Robert Hurtig,
who passed shortly after,
the Rock Port Cat Ranch
serves and protects hundreds of cats a year. The
Great Missouri River Flood
of 2011 had a disastrous effect on cats and their families, rapidly increasing the
number of cats that needed
help. Within a matter of
weeks, hundreds of cats arrived at the shelters door.
Since then, the shelter has
seen a steady flow of kittens and cats being taken
in and adopted out. Sadly,
there are many abandoned
and neglected cats in the
area who need tender loving care and a chance to
find someone who will step
up and give them the home
theyve always dreamed of
having. The shelter is full
of EXTREMELY AFFECTIONATE cats ranging in
age from newborn to around
15 years old. All cats besides
the babies and nursing mamas are spayed and neutered. They are all litterbox
trained and many of them

are already declawed, get

along with other cats and
dogs, and of course, people!
There is a variety of colors
- black and gray tabbies,
orange and white tabbies,
buff colored tabbies, calicos,
dilute calicos, torties, gray,
gray and white, black and
white, and black. These cats
are so precious and deserve
to be in loving homes!
Any and all help is greatly appreciated. The shelter
not only needs to find loving
homes for all its animals,
but it also needs to continue
to provide food, litter, vet
care, and love to those still
waiting. The shelter is a
501-c3 non-profit organization, so any and all donations are greatly appreciated. The shelter is currently
trying to also raise funds for
a new building, as the current one is an old farmhouse
which has seen better days.
Monetary donations may be
mailed to the Cat Ranch,
20027 220th St. Rock Port,
MO 64482 or donated online with the shelters PayPal deposit account (visit
www.rockportcatranch.com
to learn how to donate online). Money can also be
directly deposited into the
Cat Ranch Fund at Citizens
Bank in Rock Port. Receipts
for tax purposes are provided upon request. Besides
monetary and supply donations, the Cat Ranch is also
looking for volunteers. Volunteers of all ages are en-

couraged to come hold and

play with the cats and help
feed and water them, as well
as clean their cages and living quarters, do paperwork,
and make cat toys. If you are
not a cat person, volunteers
are also needed to help mow
and trim the trees, rake and
burn leaves, and maintain
the upkeep of the facility.
There are so many ways
to help animals in need.
Posting a Facebook status
or Tweeting that June is
National Adopt-A-ShelterCat Month - Adopt from The
Rock Port Cat Ranch helps.
Even better is sharing cat
posts and pictures from the
Rock Port Cat Ranch Facebook page (see photo album
Adopt Us!!) or volunteer
Megan McAdams Facebook
page (see photo album The
Rock Port Cat Ranch). To
the next generation, your
friends and family, pass on
an understanding of the importance of pet care, neutering and spaying, committing
to your pet, and volunteering and adoption. Talk to
your kids, nieces, nephews,
grandchildren, and others
about the responsibilities of
owning and loving a pet and
the importantance of keeping animals in loving homes
and off the streets or out of
shelters. Sign-up to foster a
kitten or a cat (keeping it in
your own home until a permanent one can be found).
Fostering is not only very
rewarding, but it saves millions of animals lives each
year!
Remember to Adopt Dont Shop! Buying a pet
from a breeder or a pet shop
who gets them from breeders can easily cost $500 to

$1,000 or more. Adoption

costs at shelters range from
$10 to $300, depending on
whether the pet comes from
the city shelter or a rescue
group that has spent money on boarding, vets, and
grooming. A pet purchased
from a pet store is a complete unknown. When you
adopt, especially from a
rescue group or shelter, you
know what you are getting
because the group has a history on the animal. If you
adopt, you get your choice
of any age. Though puppies
and kittens are cute and
cuddly, they can also be a
handful. An adult or older
pet may be a better fit for
you. For example, adopting
an adult dog whos already
housetrained and knows basic cues is often much easier
than adopting a puppy, who
must be taught these things.
You get just as much love (if
not more) from an adopted
pet. An adopted pet is every
bit as loving, intelligent and
loyal as a purchased pet,
and sometimes even more
so because they have been
through so much and realize
how lucky they are to be in
a loving home again or for
the first time. And most importantly, when you adopt
a pet, you are saving a life.
When you buy a pet, you not
only deny a homeless pet a
home, you are supporting
an industry that thrives on
short-changing the welfare
of animals.
Please take a moment
to remember these things,
share them with others, and
do your part to help local
pets in need, wherever you
may be.

Pet Talk: Keeping Fido

safe in the summer heat

Many people take advantage of the warm weather to

enjoy the outdoors. However,
when spending time outside
in the heat, extra precautions need to be taken to ensure your pets safety.
Dr. Mark Stickney, clinical associate professor at
the Texas A&M College of
Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, says that
humans are not the only
ones who need to be cautious
when outside in higher than
average temperatures. Animals do things they normally wouldnt do to stay cool,
which is an important thing
to remember when outside,
Stickney said. If they are all
riled up and having a good
time, they may forget how
hot it is, so it is important to
always monitor them.
Anytime you are outdoors
or doing something active
during the summer, it is
important for you and your
pets to take plenty of breaks.
Although you may be used
to handling the heat and
are aware when you need to
stop and rest, your pet, especially if they have a thick
coat, may not fare as well.
Keep in mind that if youre
thirsty, your pet is most
likely thirsty, Stickney said.
Animals need plenty of access to fresh water. You can
even try putting ice cubes in
it to make it colder and more
refreshing.
However, the warm summer temperatures dont
mean you shouldnt participate in outdoor activities
with your pets. If you and
Fido enjoy long walks to the
neighborhood park, for example, just be sure that he
has access to plenty of water

throughout your trip. Bringing along a water bottle and

bowl for him to drink from is
always a good idea.
Also keep in mind that
pavement can get very hot
in the summer, Stickney
said. If your dogs dont have
thick foot pads, they could
develop burns on their feet.
Letting them walk on the
grass instead of the concrete
can help keep their foot pads
from blistering.
Any summertime activity
that involves the water is
good. Getting adequate exercise, while also being able
to cool off in the water, is a
perfect outdoor activity for
Fido. However, keep in mind
that they will still need to
have clean drinking water
available, as well as a shady
place to rest once out of the
water. Swimming for a long
time can be draining on a
dog not used to that type of
physical exertion.
If your pet does accidentally overdo it in the
sun, there are signs you can
watch out for, Stickney said.
Panting, unresponsiveness,
red whites of their eyes, and
bright reddish gums can
mean that your dog is overheated and needs a break.
If you notice that your dog is
beginning to exhibit any of
these symptoms, stop activity immediately and allow
them to get a drink and cool
off indoors or in the shade.
Overall, be smart and
safe with your pets.
Pet Talk is a service of the
College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences,
Texas A&M University. Stories can be viewed on the
web at vetmed.tamu.edu/
pettalk.

Two young dogs looking for homes

ROCK PORT CAT RANCH VOLUNTEER - Brianna Maxwell cuddles a kitten who was
found living in a boat with her siblings in rural Atchison County. Her and her siblings are
all now in loving homes.
(Photo By Megan McAdams)

The Rock Port Cat Ranch

20027 220th Street (by way of J Hwy.)
is holding an OPEN HOUSE
Friday-Sunday, June 26-28,
1-4 p.m. or by appointment
660-744-6686. All cats adopted
these three days are $10 each.
We currently have bunnies, too!

These
two
dogs,
a 10
week
old
male
lab/
hound
mix
and a 1 year old poodle mix, are at the
Tarkio Dog Pound. Both are intact males,
not house trained, and are up-to-date on
shots. These boys are very sweet! To adopt,
call 660-623-0562 or 816-262-1443.