NATURE on PBS

Did anyone happen to catch the recent episode of PBS's program
"Nature" that was all about cats? The episode title is "Extraordinary
Cats"

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/excats/index.html

They were apparently trying to "explain" why cats are the way they
are, but the explanation amounted to "cats do what they want, when
they want, and tolerate everyone else" ^_^


The segments included:

about "Reebok", a cat in Weymouth, England. The Coker family say
Reebok bonded with their young daughter while she was still in the
womb. Reebok was apparently very attentive to Mrs Coker until the
little one arrived, then transferred her attention to the baby,
including sleeping outside the baby's bedroom door like a guardian.
When the little girl was 9 months old, Reebok woke the adults in the
middle of the night - the little girl was suddenly taken ill with a
high fever and gasping for breath (diagnosed as a severe ear
infection)! Mr and Mrs Coker said they don't understand why Reebok did
what he did (knowing the little girl was in trouble and getting help
for her), that he demonstrated some sort of 6th sense. Reebok was
nominated for an Arthur Award, granted to pets for valiant behavior.


about "Sooty", a cat whose family had recently moved from Swansea to
Bath, England, about 100 miles away, taking Sooty to Bath with them.
One evening shortly after the move, Sooty went out for the evening and
didn't return. Sooty had particularly liked one of the family
daughters, who had stayed in Swansea to finish the school year. Six
months later, Sooty turned up on the girl's doorstep in Swansea. The
kicker is that the girl didn't live at the same house Sooty knew -
Sooty had found the girl's new apartment, a place she'd never been
before!


about a possible relationship between animal behavior and the onset of
earthquakes. Cats have been observed to become more agitated and
frightened, attempting to find places to burrow and hide, getting
fearful and panicky in the days before an earthquake. A different
research study has noted that advertisements for missing pets more
than double in the days before an earthquake. This segment included a
small bit about a geologist who forecast 1989's Loma Prieta (World
Series) Quake in the San Francisco based on lunar and solar
gravitational pulls (he said). The segment's narration wondered if
cats pick up on movements in the earth's crust or magnetic fields.


about "Maggie, the Dog-Testing Cat". At the Humane Society of
Pasadena, California, dogs have to pass the "Maggie Test" before they
can be adopted. Maggie is the society's resident feline. Dogs about to
be adopted are introduced to her, and their reaction to her, and her's
to them, apparently give people an indication about how the dog will
get along in its new household if that household includes cats.


about a partnership between the Pitchess Detention Center in Los
Angeles County, California (for men convicted of things like robbery,
probation violation, and possession), and the Castaic Animal Shelter,
a local animal shelter. Every day a truck carrying new arrivals at the
shelter arrives at the jail. One of the (apparently several)
educational programs for the inmates involves working with these new
arrivals (under direction of people from the shelter) - bathing them,
brushing them, trimming nails, doing treatments for fleas and ticks
and such - basically basic grooming, treatment for parasites, and
calming the animals. The program is thought to provide a second chance
to both man and beast - the inmates do gain some real job skill (I
guess working with animals does lead to job opportunity), and the
kitties are made "more placeable" for adoption. The adoption rate at
this particular shelter is said to be "significantly higher" than
average since this program began.


about "Killer", the resident cat in the Homicide Division of the
LAPD's Van Nuys office.


about Carol Wilbourn (who has a column in Cat Fancy magazine), a cat
psychologist/therapist in New York City


about Tippi Hedren and her Shambala big cat sanctuary

http://www.shambala.org/


about a nursing home in New York state that has a program to bring
animals back into people's lives, and give people something to care
for. They have birds (in cages) and cats, and the cats are free to
roam (unless a particular resident does not want the cat in their
room). This segment mentioned how the cats seem to know when someone
wants or needs some special attention and will go to them.


about "Scarlett", a Booklyn cat who was badly burned while rescuing
her kittens from a 4-alarm fire. A firefighter heard the kittens
mewing, found 3 kittens in an alley next to the burning building. Then
he found 2 more kittens, and then their badly burned mother. He
brought them to the Animal League's medical center. After Scarlett
healed, she was reintroduced to her kittens and took up where she left
off as a good momma.




Yes, I thought it was really interesting!



Jeanne Hedge, as directed by Natasha

http://www.jhedge.com

On Tue, 25 May 2004 13:15:01 -0500, Jeanne Hedge
yodeled:

Did anyone happen to catch the recent episode of PBS's program
"Nature" that was all about cats? The episode title is "Extraordinary
Cats"

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/excats/index.html

They were apparently trying to "explain" why cats are the way they
are, but the explanation amounted to "cats do what they want, when
they want, and tolerate everyone else" ^_^


Yes, it's been on a couple of times before. I have no objection to
looking at pretty kitties and hearing them praised, of course.

But I did think it was dangerously outdated with those old "cat who
walks by himself" and "cats are really wild" cliches that make people
think cats can take care of themselves, or are disposable. It didn't
mention at all the huge problems of cat overpopulation, ferals,
strays, shelter overcrowding, the need for spaying and neutering.

I mean they showed a cat who "works" in a dog shelter discovering
which dogs are are cat-friendly, and mentioned how instrumental this
is in getting doggies adopted who might otherwise be euthanized. But
not a word about all the kitties out there headed for the same fate.

Theresa
My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com
alt.tv.frasier FAQ: http://www.im-listening.net/FAQ/

On Tue, 25 May 2004 13:15:01 -0500, Jeanne Hedge
yodeled:

Did anyone happen to catch the recent episode of PBS's program
"Nature" that was all about cats? The episode title is "Extraordinary
Cats"

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/excats/index.html

They were apparently trying to "explain" why cats are the way they
are, but the explanation amounted to "cats do what they want, when
they want, and tolerate everyone else" ^_^


Yes, it's been on a couple of times before. I have no objection to
looking at pretty kitties and hearing them praised, of course.

But I did think it was dangerously outdated with those old "cat who
walks by himself" and "cats are really wild" cliches that make people
think cats can take care of themselves, or are disposable. It didn't
mention at all the huge problems of cat overpopulation, ferals,
strays, shelter overcrowding, the need for spaying and neutering.

I mean they showed a cat who "works" in a dog shelter discovering
which dogs are are cat-friendly, and mentioned how instrumental this
is in getting doggies adopted who might otherwise be euthanized. But
not a word about all the kitties out there headed for the same fate.

Theresa
My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com
alt.tv.frasier FAQ: http://www.im-listening.net/FAQ/

On Tue, 25 May 2004 13:15:01 -0500, Jeanne Hedge
yodeled:

Did anyone happen to catch the recent episode of PBS's program
"Nature" that was all about cats? The episode title is "Extraordinary
Cats"

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/excats/index.html

They were apparently trying to "explain" why cats are the way they
are, but the explanation amounted to "cats do what they want, when
they want, and tolerate everyone else" ^_^


Yes, it's been on a couple of times before. I have no objection to
looking at pretty kitties and hearing them praised, of course.

But I did think it was dangerously outdated with those old "cat who
walks by himself" and "cats are really wild" cliches that make people
think cats can take care of themselves, or are disposable. It didn't
mention at all the huge problems of cat overpopulation, ferals,
strays, shelter overcrowding, the need for spaying and neutering.

I mean they showed a cat who "works" in a dog shelter discovering
which dogs are are cat-friendly, and mentioned how instrumental this
is in getting doggies adopted who might otherwise be euthanized. But
not a word about all the kitties out there headed for the same fate.

Theresa
My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com
alt.tv.frasier FAQ: http://www.im-listening.net/FAQ/

On Tue, 25 May 2004 13:15:01 -0500, Jeanne Hedge
yodeled:

(snip)


PS

about "Scarlett", a Booklyn cat who was badly burned while rescuing
her kittens from a 4-alarm fire. A firefighter heard the kittens
mewing, found 3 kittens in an alley next to the burning building. Then
he found 2 more kittens, and then their badly burned mother. He
brought them to the Animal League's medical center. After Scarlett
healed, she was reintroduced to her kittens and took up where she left
off as a good momma.

BTW, Scarlet is a celebrity here. After her kittens were adopted, and
her burns healed, she was spayed, and adopted to a home where she is
the rather chubby queen of the castle.

Theresa
My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com
alt.tv.frasier FAQ: http://www.im-listening.net/FAQ/

On Tue, 25 May 2004 13:15:01 -0500, Jeanne Hedge
yodeled:

(snip)


PS

about "Scarlett", a Booklyn cat who was badly burned while rescuing
her kittens from a 4-alarm fire. A firefighter heard the kittens
mewing, found 3 kittens in an alley next to the burning building. Then
he found 2 more kittens, and then their badly burned mother. He
brought them to the Animal League's medical center. After Scarlett
healed, she was reintroduced to her kittens and took up where she left
off as a good momma.

BTW, Scarlet is a celebrity here. After her kittens were adopted, and
her burns healed, she was spayed, and adopted to a home where she is
the rather chubby queen of the castle.

Theresa
My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com
alt.tv.frasier FAQ: http://www.im-listening.net/FAQ/

On Tue, 25 May 2004 13:15:01 -0500, Jeanne Hedge
yodeled:

(snip)


PS

about "Scarlett", a Booklyn cat who was badly burned while rescuing
her kittens from a 4-alarm fire. A firefighter heard the kittens
mewing, found 3 kittens in an alley next to the burning building. Then
he found 2 more kittens, and then their badly burned mother. He
brought them to the Animal League's medical center. After Scarlett
healed, she was reintroduced to her kittens and took up where she left
off as a good momma.

BTW, Scarlet is a celebrity here. After her kittens were adopted, and
her burns healed, she was spayed, and adopted to a home where she is
the rather chubby queen of the castle.

Theresa
My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com
alt.tv.frasier FAQ: http://www.im-listening.net/FAQ/