Conference misery::feline_v1

Try advertising at local Vets offices.  Some of them have corkboards that
you can use for such purposes.   You could put a picture of the cat along
with your request for a good home.   

Also, I've seen mentioned in this notes file a "no-kill" shelter.  I don't
remember where it is or what note it was.  Maybe someone does??

Don't they allow cats in Australia?

I believe the North Shore Animal Shelter (somewhere in Mass) has a
no-kill policy - at least, that's what they keep telling me on all
the literature they send me. I haven't been there, or heard anything
about conditions at the shelter, but if you can't find a new home
for your pet before you have to leave, it might do.

(I believe Australia, like Great Britain, has very strict quarantine
laws, so pet owners are faced with the option of visiting their pets
in "stir" for six months, or leaving them behind. Is that the case?)

-b

Well, you all missed out on the chance to get a really nice cat. We'd been
considering getting a third cat, and decided to make it Thumbs. Erick and Zorro
are still getting used to the idea; but given that all parties have made it
through 24 hours in the same house without mishap, we expect everyone to get
along famously within a few days.

Australia requires a year-long quarantine on animals. (We had a friend who could
have gone to Australia once, but decided not to go on account of her cat.) 

One reason Britain is so strict is that the island is still free of rabies
and they'd like to keep it that way. Does Australia have a specific reason
quarantining cats, or is it just general paranoia?

Val & Jon

   Another place with nasty quarantines is Hawaii.  We went there on our 
honeymoon and they are very strict about any kind or animals or *plants*.
Partly becasue they are rabies free so far.  Partly because they are trying 
to retain the natural environment as much as possible.  Some plants have 
been introduced that are natural dominators in this kind of environment.
Already, many plants and animals are extinct or in danger because of the 
competition caused by foreign creatures.
   Hawaii's quarantine is 6 months.  If we were ever in a position to 
retire to Hawaii, we would probably not do it because we'll always have cats
and I can't see either forcing the 6 month prison sentence on them or leaving
them behind.  (Although if I *had* to go somewhere and had to choose between 
the two, I know that Pip would stay in the states.  Judgin from his reaction
to cages at vet-like places like the place we boarded him at for 4 hours 
when we were bug-spraying the house, he'd would either die before the 
time was up or he'd be the meanest son-of-a-bitch you've ever seen when he 
got out.  No humor intended here.  Cinnamon would also stay since he reacts
to stress very poorly.  The others would be so hard to decide!  I think Sammy
would hate to be parted from me and Gandalf would hate to be parted from 
Gary.  Merry might do OK either way.  Nazzie is still too young for me to tell,
but think he would also miss me.  But even knowing that they wouldn't want to
be parted from us, it would still be so hard to condemn them to a cage for so
long!)
   Well enough rambling.
tlh

I think that the reason is that Australia depends so heavily on its sheep
market, and officials are afraid of introducing any type of animal 
disease into the herds.  New Zealand is the same way about this, except even
tougher.  Friend of ours just moved there and had to give away their dog 
because the option was leaving him in quarentine for a year in Great 
Britain before they could even take him into New Zealand.  (They live
in the states, so they would have had to ship the dog to Britian first.)

Oh well, I think the laws are a bit much, but in any case, I'm really glad that
Thumbsy has a new home!

denise