The work has finally slowed down...after a week and a half of craziness!
So, you are probably wondering...what is with the black cat pictures. For me, it is for awareness of what happens to these poor things this time of year. If you have a black cat, or a tortishell cat for that matter (these are the ones that are mostly black with orange and cream colored spots), please consider keeping them indoors in the coming weeks. Due to superstitions and sick beliefs, these poor things are often captured and abused this time of year...some even killed. They are NOT...I repeat NOT...bad luck as many care to believe. Nor do they have any evil powers. They are simply the result of a gene...an albino gene to be exact that has the reverse effect on cats (underneath the black hair, their skin is actually white, unlike other cats who's skin is some shade of the hair that grows from that spot). One of my kitties is a black cat, and she is the biggest sweetheart out of the whole bunch!! I would hate for anything ill to happen to her simply because of some crazy belief some people have!
Why does this also apply to tortishell cats? Because they are "Halloween" colored...so I don't trust what people may do to them, either. I have two of those, one happens to be the mother of the black cat and the other is a daughter of the black cat.
Oh...and another little fact you may not know. My black cat has a Siamese-looking sister. Believe it or not, the SAME gene that causes a cat to be black also causes a cat to be pointed (i.e., have a Siamese appearance). This is also an albino gene...just a different mutation of the gene where the cats are born completely white and their hair changes color based on body temperature (cooler parts of the body, such as the tail, face, and ears). Additionally, you will notice that in most cases, the pupil of their eye is red, rather than the iris, which is normally blue with this gene. In black cats, the iris is orange (which is why only black cats have orange eyes).
So there is your cat service message and bit o' knowledge for today! And as Bob Barker used to say...please help control the cat population, and get your cats spayed or neutered. There are too many of these precious babies in shelters that only end up being euthanized when homes cannot be found, and countless others living wild having difficulties finding food. Also, if you are looking for a cat, please consider adoption, and try to keep pairs together. Cats need a companion when you are gone to the office. :)