“Therapet” Henry Opens Minds and Heals Hearts

By Julia Williams

Today I would like to introduce you to Henry, an extraordinary and inspiring “celebri-cat” who was recently named the ASPCA Cat of the Year for 2010. Henry is a three-legged cat who opens people’s eyes and minds, as well as their hearts. He received this special award because of his transformational work teaching tolerance, resiliency and courage, as well as for his healing work with disabled children, wounded veterans and their families, Hurricane Katrina survivors and Haitian earthquake amputees.

Some might say that Henry’s incredible journey from unassuming stray to remarkable healer was accidental, but I really don’t think it was. I don’t necessarily believe in the saying, “everything has a purpose,” but Henry’s life story seems guided by more than chance.

The stray tabby kitten was discovered at Cathy Conheim’s California home one day, with a severe leg injury. Cathy, despite being a devoted “dog person” who actually disliked cats, not only rushed Henry to her vet, but chose amputation over euthanasia. This conscious choice to save Henry’s life and take him into her home was just the start of the amazing events yet to unfold.

Henry adapted quickly to his new life with just three legs, which inspired Conheim to send an email to 20 friends describing his triumphant tale of survival and courage in the face of adversity. As often happens in this internet age, the email was forwarded by countless thousands of people around the world who were moved by Henry’s story.

Conheim realized then that Henry’s purpose was to be a “therapet” who could impart healing through storytelling. The plucky three-legged cat could serve as inspiration for humans struggling to come to terms with their own disability or tragic life circumstances, and he could also help others understand and feel compassion for the disabled. You see, Henry had found his way into the home of two healers – a psychotherapist and a doctor – and they believed he was destined to join the family profession.

“He's here to teach us how to deal with our misfortunes. All of us have problems, but Henry says you can't be defined by them. You're defined by your response to your problems. He is a hopeful symbol of beating the odds,” said Conheim.”

Indeed he is. With Henry as her inspiration, Conheim wrote two books, Henry’s World, a Three-Legged Cat’s View of Human Absurdity and What’s the Matter with Henry? The True Tale of a Three-Legged Cat, both of which were published to raise money for less fortunate animals. Henry has his own website, www.henrysworld.org, through which he serves as a “therapet” responding to more than 33,000 letters to date.

“Humans talk from their heart when they talk to a pet, which is why Henry has had such an impact,” said Conheim. “What's fascinating to me as a therapist is what I can accomplish through Henry that I can't do in my office, because he has the voice of a child and the innocence of an animal,” she explained.

A national nonprofit, First Book, distributed What's the Matter with Henry? to children displaced by Hurricane Katrina, and to children of military families dealing with deployment-related emotional and physical trauma. More recently, it was translated into Creole to help Haitian earthquake victims and amputees.

Conheim wrote a third book, What About Me? I'm Here Too!, to address the emotional issues experienced by healthy siblings of chronically ill children, who often feel invisible and ignored. Told through the voice of Henry’s “sibling,” Dolly the dog, it helps children learn how to develop resilience and express their feelings.

According to Conheim, Henry's evolving mission is “to raise money for animals in need, while also teaching humans to turn obstacles into opportunities, bullies into buddies and to create an emotional vocabulary for health.” One of Henry’s many goals as a therapet is to start a national conversation around healing and the difficult issues of life’s disappointments.

Despite being a bona fide celebri-cat, six-year-old Henry enjoys normal feline activities like bird-watching from his indoor perch, stalking sunbeams and having his belly rubbed and ears scratched. If you’d like to learn more about Henry and his important healing work, or to order books, dolls and cards, visit his website, henrysworld.org.

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What’s Nora the Piano Playing Cat up to Now?

By Julia Williams

Nearly everyone with internet access and a pulse has heard of Nora, the piano playing cat who took YouTube by storm in 2007. Considering that the video has been viewed almost 17 million times to date, I’m guessing most of you have seen it at least once. But did you also know that the piano cat has gone on to become quite the celebrity kitty? It’s true – and Nora’s popularity and busy schedule could rival that of most A-list human stars!

The talented piano cat has come a long way since being rescued from the street and adopted from a shelter by a piano teacher named Betsy Alexander, and her fame is well deserved. If you’ve watched any of the videos of Nora playing the piano (currently, there are four) you have to agree that this cat’s ability to tickle the ivories is impressive. Oh sure, any kitty can walk on a piano and plink out a few notes. Nora, however, sits primly on the piano bench and uses both paws to play. There’s a subtlety to her movements and she appears to be pressing the different keys with total deliberation. The piano cat also does this head roll thing which is remarkably similar to what humans do with their hands to create rolling chords.

In the three years since her YouTube debut, the self-proclaimed “musical diva” has become an internationally known pianist and bona fide media darling. She’s been featured on numerous television shows, including CNN, The Today Show, Animal Planet, Martha Stewart, ABC Early Show, Inside Edition, Jon Stewart, VH1, ABC and NBC News, Conan and Ellen. She’s also been featured on radio shows, online pet magazines and in print (People, Tails Pet Magazine, England’s Pianist magazine). Nora also received a signed photo from Billy Joel inscribed “To the piano cat from the piano man” and a bust of Bach from Martha Stewart.

Not content to rest on her laurels (or I should say, her paws), Nora the piano cat has been busy writing books and creating numerous merchandising opportunities too. Her literary works include a children’s book called My Story: A Picture Book, and Nora The Piano Cat's Guide To Becoming A Good Musician. There is a DVD titled Nora The Piano Cat: Now with CATcerto for 2010, and a calendar, Nora The Piano Cat With Sound 2010 Wall Calendar. All of these are available on Amazon, and Nora fans can even download an mp3 album with 11 songs, from Litterbox Boogie to All About Me-ow. She also recently finished writing another book that is awaiting publication, titled Nora's Guide to a Happy Life…or How to Make Every Day a Catnip Day.

The piano cat has her own blog, “Nora’s Mews,” her own website, and she has over 1500 followers on Twitter. There is a neat new IPhone App that provides a direct link to Nora’s blog, her YouTube videos and her Tweets, all from your iPhone or iPod Touch devices. Now you can keep up with all the latest Nora happenings no matter where you are (and I just know you want to, right?). For extreme piano cat fans, there are t-shirts, hoodies, tote bag, mugs, posters, journals, cards, mousepads and more, all featuring adorable images of Nora.

As if the piano cat’s resume wasn’t already longer than most professional musicians twice her age, last year Nora received two prestigious awards. In October, the piano playing tabby received the ASPCA Cat of the Year Award, and in November she received the Westchester Cat Shows Cat of the Year award. She also appeared via a live video feed at “Shelter Aid,” a fundraising event for shelters and rescue groups.

The piano cat has really improved over the years from that first original video, “Nora: Practice Makes Purr-fect” to her most recent performance, “CATcerto - Composed & Conducted by Mindaugas Piecaitis.” Watching this latest video gave me goose bumps, because it certainly sounded like all of Nora’s notes harmonized with the orchestra. It must be all that practicing the piano cat does. In a recent email to me, her caretaker Betsy wrote “Nora continues to play the piano quite a bit. When I was teaching on Saturday, she was with me playing on and off from 10:30 AM until 4:00 PM without any naps.”

It seems, however, that Nora the piano cat may have developed a wee bit of celebrity “catitude” along with her fame. Betsy said “Nora has gotten more possessive of ‘her’ piano and bit me rather hard when I picked her up and moved her from the bench so I could teach an adult student on that piano. Then she sat at the other piano glaring at my student for her entire lesson.”

Nora darling, I think you are a most sublime feline. Perhaps you could come by sometime and teach my three cats how to do something (anything!) besides sleep all day?

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Chocolate Toxicity in Pets: Symptoms & Precautions

By Linda Cole

Halloween is once again at our doorstep. Trick or treaters will begin tapping on doors to collect the goodies we have to offer. Among the caramel apples, popcorn balls and tasty treats of this spooky holiday will be chocolate candy bars, brownies or other special goodies made with chocolate. We devour tons of chocolate each year, but just a small amount can be deadly for our dogs and cats. Why is chocolate so toxic to pets?

Pets do have a sweet tooth. That's why outside pets are attracted to spilled antifreeze on someone's driveway and can become poisoned from licking even a small amount. Pets think they should be able to eat everything we eat. It's hard to ignore their begging, bright eyes asking for (or demanding) a bite of whatever we are eating. When it comes to chocolate, even one bite can leave them begging for more.

Once pets, especially dogs, have tasted chocolate, they will develop a craving for it. The best thing to do is just not give your pet chocolate, period. Not only is chocolate toxic for pets, it can be fatal if they eat too much, and chocolate poisoning is more common than you may think. The ASPCA Poison Control Center and vets across the country see a spike in calls from worried pet owners during holidays like Halloween, Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day and Mother's Day.

It's important for children to understand that sharing their Halloween chocolate treats with their dog or cat can make the pet extremely sick. A little chocolate won't hurt most dogs or cats; however, it's always better to be safe than sorry. Avoid any risk to your pet by not giving them any chocolate to begin with.

The amount of chocolate considered to be too much depends on the health, age, weight and size of your pet. The smaller the animal, the smaller amount of chocolate it takes to poison them. An older pet who is out of shape or has underlying illnesses could be affected by a very small amount of chocolate. It also depends on the type of chocolate; darker chocolate is more deadly. Dogs are more likely to be affected because they seem to be able to search and find chocolate better than cats, but cats can also be poisoned.

Theobromine is a natural stimulate found in the cocoa bean. This is what's poisonous to pets. It affects the central nervous system and heart muscles, and it also increases urination. Caffeine is also present in chocolate although not in high concentrations like Theobromine.

Chocolate toxicity in pets is a serious health issue. If you suspect your pet may have eaten too much chocolate, call your vet immediately. Symptoms of chocolate toxicity in pets will begin within 12 hours or less and include:

* Being excited, nervous, shaking, hyperactive

* Diarrhea or vomiting

* Drinking a lot of water or increased urination, which is caused by too much Theobromine in their system.

* Muscle spasms or seizures

Most of us have a variety of chocolate in the house for baking purposes or eating. Dry cocoa powder tops the list of chocolate that is most dangerous for our pets, followed by Bakers chocolate (unsweetened), cocoa bean mulch, semisweet chocolate chips, sweet dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate. When evaluating chocolate toxicity in pets, it's important to know what type of chocolate was ingested, and how much.

If your Siberian Husky or Lab eats a small chocolate candy bar, they will probably not be affected as long as they are healthy to begin with. A cat or Chihuahua grabbing a chocolate chip that fell on the floor should be fine, but when it comes to chocolate and pets, it best to just say no.

After the kids return home with their bags of Halloween goodies and everything is spread out on the table so you can survey their haul, please remember to make sure Halloween is safe for all members of your family. Chocolate is great in our tummies, but pets are better off with a healthy, chocolate-free snack made just for them.

My cats beg just as much as my dogs do, and it's hard to deny any of them a small bite of whatever I may be eating. For me, the choice is easy when it comes to chocolate. It's just not worth the risk. Besides, by not sharing, it leaves more for me!

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Why Donate to the ASPCA and Local Shelters?

By Linda Cole

Pet owners understand the cost associated with caring for their pet or pets. Food, vaccinations, flea control, toys, beds and medical assistance when needed – it all adds up far too quickly sometimes. Shelters deal with financial challenges every day. Regardless of whether our economy is up or down, abandoned and lost pets who have found their way to any shelter need the continued generosity of others for food, shelter and medical care. “No kill” shelters are located in most states, and costs can be staggering. Fortunately, pet food companies like CANIDAE donate food to shelters to help out. However, most shelters still rely on the generosity of individuals who can donate money to help pay for everyday expenses, medical treatments and medications for those animals who are sick.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) was founded in 1866 to fight for the rights of animals, both domesticated and wild. It is the oldest and first organization of its kind that gives animals a voice and has continued to fight for stricter laws against abuse and cruelty against all animals. They also share their resources with shelters throughout the United States.

We have a small local shelter that no longer accepts unwanted or stray pets simply because of a small yearly budget and not enough space. Our shelter helps local residents pay for spaying and neutering so money is extremely tight for them. They do receive donations of food, which is a big help, and they are passionate about promoting spaying and neutering to help reduce the number of kittens and puppies born that may become the next generation of homeless pets. Most no kill shelters and the ASPCA actively promote and educate the public on the importance of responsible pet ownership to help people understand why they should alter their pet. In order to help our shelter, which is at full capacity, a handful of us try to take in pets needing a home. Sometimes it's only for a short period until that pet can be placed in a new home, but usually we become their new caretakers. So I understand the cost associated with caring for multiple pets.

Money isn't the only way you can donate to the ASPCA or local shelters. You can help out by giving your local shelter time. You could be asked to help with office work, organize donation campaigns, groom pets, unload donations of pet food, exercise dogs, play with pets, clean cages or even be a foster parent for a pet needing some TLC after an illness or surgery. Time is just as important and appreciated as money if you can't make a cash donation. Shelters depend on volunteers to help stretch their yearly budgets.

The ASPCA is at the forefront in the fight against animal cruelty. Stricter laws imposed on those who are found guilty of being cruel to pets are largely due to the work done by the ASPCA and other organizations. Shutting down puppy mills is a never ending fight and the ASPCA is doing everything in their power to educate people on how to spot a puppy mill and help get them shut down.

Why donate to the ASPCA and local shelters? Because they need as much help as they can get to give lost or abandoned pets a temporary home until a responsible and loving home can be found. The work these organizations perform on a daily basis has saved the lives of countless pets and will continue to do so as long as we continue to support them in their passionate cause of saving as many lives as possible. Cats and dogs don't ask us for a lot. Yet they give us everything they have in the form of unconditional love. The least we can do for them is help out the organizations who have dedicated their lives to help unwanted and abandoned pets have a safe, warm home of their own, whether it be temporary or permanent.

Please donate what you can, whenever you can –money, your time or both if possible. The life that you save with a donation could be your own pet if he/she were to ever become lost. Visit the ASPCA website for more information or to make a donation.

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