This soldier, I realized, must have had friends at home and in his regiment; yet he lay there deserted by all except his dog. I looked on, unmoved, at battles which decided the future of nations. Tearless, I had given orders which brought death to thousands. Yet here I was stirred, profoundly stirred, stirred to tears. And by what? By the grief of one dog.
— Napoleon Bonaparte, quoted in Mémorial de Sainte-Hélène by Cases De Las
Category: Columnists
This category is for a columns page that shows all the columnists posts.
Animals and Poison Ivy
Animals don’t usually get poison ivy. However, the active ingredient, urushiol, is highly allergenic to most humans.
Non-primate species can roll in poison ivy and at most get some irritation. This means that cats and dogs can transfer the oil onto their humans without getting contact dermatitis themselves.
Mangoes, cashews and pistachios are popular foods that contain urushiol.
Mangoes: The oily skin, rind, tree sap, and leaves of the mango plant contain urushiol. Only the flesh is safe to eat. It’s not advisable to bite into an unpeeled mango.
Cashews: Raw cashew nut shells are coated in caustic oils similar to urushiol. This is why cashews are never sold in their shells. Cashews are a superfood and very popular in vegan recipes. They must be roasted to neutralize the toxin before you eat them. Unfortunately, the shells are removed by hand, and the workers get terrible burns.
Pistachios: Pistachio shells can contain trace amounts of urushiol, though usually not enough to trigger an allergic reaction.
Urushiol is not a universal poison. Different species tolerate it very differently. A chipmunk may eat poison ivy without a reaction, a cat may carry it home on its fur, and a human may break out in hives after an unnoticed contact. Nature sometimes spares the who walks in the leaves and punishes the person who pets it.
As an aside, this difference is Why Animal Testing is Illogical.
Alfie Ted and Family Visit Colorado!
Hi friends!
It is I, Alfie Ted, and I wanted to share with you about our recent trip to Colorado!
We went to Colorado Springs to visit Boy’s dad who has been ill. It was a brief trip because it was all that we could manage. We left Friday, stayed Saturday and Sunday, then drove home on Monday. Girl only takes one or two of us out of the house at a time… But this time it was all hands on deck! It was me (Alfie), Ralphie, Peanut, Max, and Hoodie Bear… But we later discovered that our hugmate from Victory in the Valley had smuggled himself into the suitcase!!
We stayed at a hotel that sort of sounds like a cult. It’s called Soul Community Planet. It was decent except that on Sunday they didn’t have AC or running water!!
They had painted rocks around the campus.
We also discovered that compared to where we live, in Kansas, Colorado leaves A LOT to be desired in the convenience store category!! We went to multiple gas stations hoping to find one of our favorite sodas, but we struck out several times.
On Sunday, we went to the Garden of the Gods. It’s an amazing park with free admission. It’s huge and the views are phenomenal.
Here are some photos we took. The fountain with the painted rocks was our hotel. The other mountain photos are from Garden of the Gods..
The two photos with Colorado signs are from the Colorado Visitors Center. The absence of a picture with the genuine Colorado sign left us delighted to locate the ones shown.
It’s been a while since we took a trip, and it’s been ages since we went to Colorado. So this was a much-needed trip.
Big hugs!
Alfie Ted
Suddenly They Were Here
By Angel Alma
You wait and wait, and one morning you’ll notice it. Chirps and shouts, cries, songs, all the typical tunes of migratory birds. They are eager to announce their arrival and declare: “This is my territory.”
Some species arrive overnight, like fieldfares. Mum usually walks a certain route to listen until she can hear them from the woods.
Often, one hears birds before seeing them. For example, a Pied Wagtail mum heard chirping when she was sitting by the river. Check the surroundings, and soon the bird was jumping on a stone trying to catch insects above the water surface.
Honkers, as we kitties call geese, Mum heard during her walks through the fields. “Honk Honk”, she looked up and saw the typical formations fly over. Goosebumps!
Perhaps the most significant arrivals every spring in Finland are chaffinches, singing loudly near homes and gardens. It may be THE early bird most Finnish people recognize. Curiously, most individuals claim familiarity solely with magpies, craws, seagulls, and cuckoos. Not every paw needs to be a birdwatcher; just enjoy the performance. But if you are interested in learning more, YouTube and phone apps can help.
In a few weeks, fresh voices will join the concert. Loud gulls fly above roofs, as they have learned to nest inland. High houses are like seaside cliffs.
Mum loves the day when she hears the first swifts. Several, then more, launched skyward. They arrived this year on May twenty-third, the same date as the prior year, which proved rather amusing.
Later in June, the soundscape changes. Nesting is in full swing, and you hear more and more warning sounds. Parents warn the chicks about approaching humans, dogs, squirrels, us cats, and bigger birds. When gull chicks jump from the nest, often onto the asphalt, shouting is constant. Humans need to beware of their hats, as the bird parents attack to defend their offspring.
We’ve installed special materials on the roof to safeguard our elderly residents. It’s paste you can buy from garden centers. Birds see it shining and avoid it. Other houses use flickering lights to tell gulls are not welcome.
You need to take the warnings seriously. A while ago, a woman was taking a phone pic of an Ural Owl. The bird was warning, of course, and suddenly pecked the woman’s eye. A trip to the hospital, a lesson learned, plus a story in a newspaper.
In July, the soundscape changes again. It’s calmer and more silent, and female Curlews leave. Dads are taking care of the kids until they are ready to survive on their own.
Summer hasn’t ended, despite our jokes about Finland’s brief summer with minimal snow.
Quote: Heinlein on Cats
You don’t own a cat, he is a free citizen. Take dogs; dogs are friendly and fun and loyal. But slaves. Not their fault, they’ve been bred for it. But slavery makes me queasy, even in animals.
― Robert A Heinlein, Farham’s Freehold
Badger Article 5
Badgers cubs
Cubs having snuggled down in the sett since February, it is time from May to venture above ground
Badger cubs in the UK are typically born in February. They spend their first eight to ten weeks underground in a safe sett, only emerging above ground for the first time in late spring, usually around mid-to-late April or May.
Here is how they grow and develop:
Birth (February): Cubs are born blind, weigh between 75 g and 130 g, and have fine white fur.
5–7 Weeks: Their eyes open for the first time.
8–10 Weeks: Cubs peek above ground from the sett entrances.
12 Weeks: The mother weans them and they learn to forage alongside her.
5–16 Weeks: They are mostly independent and can forage alone.
In the UK, badger cub mortality is extremely high, with an average of 50% to 66% of cubs dying in their first year. Only one out of every three cubs typically survives to reach one year of age.
Primary Causes of Mortality
Starvation and Climate: Lack of food availability is the primary natural driver of cub deaths. Drought years significantly decrease the survival rate, as it severely limits their major food source (earthworms).
Road Traffic Accidents: Badgers are habitual creatures, and roads built across ancient paths lead to major casualties. UK roads kill over 50,000 badgers of all age groups every year, and these accidents leave many dependent cubs orphaned.
Predation: While adult badgers have no natural predators in the UK, young cubs can occasionally fall prey to foxes
The local badger group, on which Mummy is on the committee, has orphaned cubs to look after each year. Experienced members hand-rear them. Once strong, they relocate to the wildlife hospital, joining others within a larger enclosure.
The badger group then always tries to find somewhere suitable to build an artificial badger sett to release the cubs together. The badgers receive food support initially, but then they return to the wild and their own sett. They often then build their own outlier setts in the area.
We’re back!
Good evening everyone! It’s Bart from TJ and Bart! How are you?
Dis is TJ. We know it’s been a while since you heard from us. But we are back now!
Bart: Yeah, we were on vacation.
TJ, Bart, we’re dogs. Life is a vacation.
Bart: Yeah, but dis was an official one
TJ: Oh? What makes it an official one?
Bart: We sleep more!
TJ: Dat makes sense!
Bart: Anyway, Anipal Times readers, no more vacations! We will have a new column every week!
TJ: We got lots to say! About how humans like to put heartworm pills in dose pill pockets!
Bart: We know what dat’s about! That topic will wait for another time.
TJ: Also, we are going to talk about why we doggos don’t want to walk when it is wet outside.
Bart: We need to be patient with our humans, but stwange they can’t figure that one out
TJ: What else should we write about?
Bart: Well, July 4th is next month, so we can talk about how we hate fireworks.
TJ: Good idea! Fireworks suck!
Bart: Why do hoomans like loud things? No sense!
TJ: No sense at all. Anyway, Anipal Times readers, you can see we have great things to write about!
Bart: Yes! It’s good to be back. Tell us about something you wants us to write about!
TJ: Yes, we will read your ideas in between naps! Until next time!
Quote: William S. Burroughs on Cats
Evidence indicates that cats were first tamed in Egypt. The Egyptians stored grain, which attracted rodents, which attracted cats. (No evidence that such a thing happened with the Mayans, though a number of wild cats are native to the area.) I don’t think this is accurate. It is certainly not the whole story. Cats didn’t start as mousers. Weasels and snakes and dogs are more efficient as rodent-control agents. I postulate that cats started as psychic companions, as Familiars, and have never deviated from this function.
— William S. Burroughs, “The Cat Inside“
Quote: Mark Twain On Cats
When a man loves cats, I am his friend and comrade, without further introduction.
— Mark Twain, source unspecified.
LEAVE IT
Hello everyone!
I have received a rather interesting quandary from a pal. Let’s say their name is Fred. So let’s investigate this dilemma and try to help him.
So dear Fred tells me ….
“I am always finding interesting food stuffs whilst out and about, such as pavement sausage rolls, McD bags with leftovers, bread rolls etc. and although my human says LEAVE IT, the foodstuffs are telling me otherwise. I can hear them each calling me. EAT ME, I AM YUMMY, DO IT YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO. Obs that calling is much louder than any human and makes far more sense to me and so I don’t leave it and often take it. I receive reprimands or sulking, called a “Bad Boy,” when I know this isn’t true. I don’t understand. Can you help me, Uncle Bob?”
So let’s think about this: we know food found is food to eat, that smell is important, and that any pavement sausage rolls are merely a gift from the universe, right?
So morally, you Fred are merely acting with sincerity and enthusiasm.
Humans cannot grasp this idea, unfortunately. Still, we ought to contemplate their viewpoint, recognizing they might hold valid points.
Let us ponder these matters and investigate. Many, err “delicacies” we furs find outdoors can make us seriously ill — fur example, cooked bones, raisins, chocolate, mouldy food, onions, xylitol, wrappers, spoiled meat, and dog furbid intentional nasty things deliberately left out by evil hoos.
Humans ruin these exciting finds and adventures with phrases like “blockages” and “visit to the vet,” and “pooing and sicking like a wrong en” or similar words to the same effect – but they have a point. None of us really want to be poorly or go to the vet unnecessarily, do we?
So for us, I would say that the true quandary we ask ourselves is:
“Do I follow my instincts?””Or trust the anxious human holding the lead?”
One might wisely consider:
If the food is indoors and offered lovingly, eat immediately.If the food is outdoors and suspiciously available, perhaps consult the human oracle first.
Or, to put it more simply:
Dog logic: “Finders keepers.”
Human logic: “Please don’t eat bin food.”
Truth: the human is probably saving your stomach and your dignity (no fur wants to be seen pooing and frowing up, right)?
The hardest part for us furs is that “LEAVE IT” feels deeply unreasonable in the moment and often feels more like a challenge. That smell creates urgency and excitement and calls us to act fast.
We often struggle with impulse control outdoors since scavenging is instinctive, rewarding, and self-reinforcing.
So I say, is it:
Morally evil? Absolutely not.
Understandable? Entirely.
Wise? Regrettably, often not.
So, so take away let’s say that OUR GREATEST VIRTUE MAY BE TO LEARN THAT BOT EVERY INTERESTING SMELL OR FOUND FOOD STUFF IS A GOOD LIFE CHOICE AND TO PERHAPS TRUST OUR HUMANS ON THIS AS THEY HAVE OUR BEST INTERESTS.
What do you think, pals? Are you facing the same dilemma?
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