I was busy in the other room when I heard (what sounded like) sweep, sweep, sweep. The kids are getting older and being more responsible. Wow that’s nice. But the sound continued for longer than was reasonable for my kids to be sweeping anything. And really… who am I kidding? My kids don’t really sweep so much. They are blind to messes that need sweeping.

So what could it be? I called out my daughter’s name. My son’s name. No replies. Hmmm. Suspicious quietness.

So I go off to investigate, and find this.

Yes? You called?

'scuse me - I'm busy.

(This was toilet paper roll #2. Quincy had already done in toilet paper roll #1.)

Still got work to do on this one.

Kittens are a lot of work!

Quincy is getting bigger by the day. He is alternatively a wild attacker of my yarn and knitting needles (sigh) or an irresistible cuddly mass of purrrrrs.

Today he found a nice little nook to nap in. Convenient, but… standard warnings apply if Argos breaks wind.

Quincy finds the perfect spot. Maybe.

Mutual discovery

Quincy wins out.

A few weeks ago I wrote about my pets’ sleeping arrangements. Everyone has their special sleeping place. Now young Quincy must find where he fits in. He has apparently learned a thing or two from Barnie, as evidenced here.

Remember this?

Now we find this:

Argos was a little put out, but figured he could overtake the little guy.

So Quincy moves on and takes over Barnie’s Cat Mat.

Barnie rolls with it. He takes over the new dog mat.

But as usual… they all end up together anyway.

I was reading DrV’s post on pawcurious today and realized it is once again Blog the Change day. She writes about fire safety for animals; a great read. The Blog the Change site was born in part through DrV and her co-panelists at the April 2010 Blogpaws event during their “Be The Change” session. The Blog The Change event is held 4 times a year for people to blog about their favorite cause, inspiring others and ultimately helping animals.

From the Blog the Change web site:

“Blog the Change takes place on the 15th of January, April, July and October annually.  Have a blog?  Write about a cause near and dear to your heart. Inspire your audience to get involved!”

My cause: help pets in hot cars
Pets die every day after being left in the car “for just a few minutes” or in some cases, accidentally forgotten in the car. It is a rare dog that can honk the horn to save himself. Even days that are not that hot out can heat up a car in minutes. Add to that your dog’s excitement, barking and activity, and heatstroke and death aren’t far away.

Heatstroke is not pretty. In this video, ABC News was at a Philadelphia veterinary hospital as the veterinary team worked hard to save a dog suffering from heatstroke. If you can get the pet through the initial crisis, that is step one. Next, it is important to monitor closely for organ failure over the next several days.

This is from my About.com site and illustrates how horrible it is to watch a pet die in a hot car.

(This took place in the Detroit, MI area…not a particularly hot day, maybe 70 degrees. The black Mercedes sedan was parked in full-sun, with one window cracked about an inch.) About 15 years ago, I saw a German Shepherd locked in a car…he was in obvious distress, he was vomiting, frothy drool from his mouth, visibly wet from sweating. I went into the store where the vehicle was parked, asked them to page whomever owned the vehicle; no response. The store owner called the police, who came…smashed the car window but, sadly, it was too late…the dog had passed away in the few moments it took for me to get help. To this day, I regret my decision to try and find the owner…wishing I’d smashed the window myself! When the owner returned from an adjacent shopping center, she was furious at the police for breaking her window…! I will never forget this…

—Reenthequeen | Read more entries

It’s not always easy
I have taken some flak for urging people to be an advocate for pets in hot cars. People say “mind your own business” and that it was only “for a few minutes” anyway. There have been many, many studies proving that it only takes a few minutes to heat up a car to 120F and higher. I would love to see these people in their car on a warm day (I would crack the windows open a little) while I left “for a few minutes.”

Help is here
One of my favorite sites of all time is My Dog Is Cool and they provide free flyers that you can print out and leave on cars. BUT if it is a hot day with animals inside the car, I would recommend calling your local animal authorities or police first. I was pleased to see that in my community this year, the animal control organizations posted notices in the paper saying that they are on patrol for animals left in cars, and to please call them. I have programmed their number in my cell phone. It is important to also note the type of car and license plate, too.

Please share: What do YOU do to help pets in cars?

Related:
Be The Change … it isn’t just one day
new post on about.com:
Danger Zone: Pets Left in Hot Cars

I wasn’t sure how Barnie would react to this new little guy, Quincy. Barnie is a huge cat, and loves to be physical and rambunctious with the dogs and humans in the house. He is always gentle, but he is big.

Turns out, they became fast friends. I am a little amazed at Barnie’s patience and gentleness with a kitten that won’t. give. up. Seeing this, I love Barnie even more (is this possible?) and I think Barnie is going to be a great role model.

I recently found them lounging together in Argos‘ favorite bed. Here Barnie teaches the new guy a very important lesson; another variation of the steadfast cat rule of what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is mine.

More about Quincy
Quincy is a Bengal cat. He was a gift from the family of a friend we love very  much who has been dealt a difficult hand lately. Quincy was a much-considered gift and given with lots of love and kindness. He is a great fit for our busy family, and Barnie loves having a buddy.