Gothic Kittens Even Worse Than They Sound

Hey, look, gothic kittens!

Three kittens with ear, neck and tail piercings were removed from a home by humane officers on Wednesday.

One of the officers from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Luzerne County said the pierced kittens were being sold as “gothic kittens” on an Internet auction site. [...]

“She (the homeowner) thought it was a great idea (to pierce kittens),” Morrison said.

Morrison said charges are likely to be filed against the homeowner. A dog inside the home was also found with pierced ears, Morrison said.

A dog with pierced ears, too? Man, are doggy tattoos far behind? Let’s hope not.

Pierced kittens removed from home [Times Leader]

Puppies 4 Jack Kelly!

Just when you think Jack Kelly can’t work this “I’m the candidate who likes puppies the most!” shtick any harder, he goes and films a campaign video contained almost entirely of cute puppies and kittens.

And Jon Saidel — also holding a puppydog — thinks you should use one of your five City Council At-Large votes to the candidate that hates foy grass and loves four-legged and two-legged creatures. But what about spiders, Jack? How do you feel about eight-legged freaks?

Campaign Commercial 1 [YouTube]
Yesterday: Jack Kelly Unsure Of How Many Legs Ducks Have

Snake Outwits Bristol Authorities

Bristol Borough officials were looking for a 9 1/2-foot snake, and on Wednesday somebody captured one under a cardboard box. Unfortunately, this was somehow the wrong snake — it was albino — and so the snake that has been eating kittens is still on the loose.

The dark-colored fanged fugitive still at large - and we do mean large - became a reptile of interest after a headless stray cat was found under a house last week.

The next day the carcass was gone, and neighbors said a cat that had seven kittens under the house now has only four.

Earlier this week, a pigeon was put in a metal trap by animal control officers from Bristol borough and Bristol Township. The trap was tripped and the bird’s wing clipped, but whatever was responsible got away.

Attempts to find the snake in the crawl space - and smoke it out - were also unsuccessful.

Anyone who sees the snake is asked to call 911.

Ha ha! This is the smartest snake in the world. Pretty soon it’s going to be elected mayor of Bristol and enact a kitten breeding plan (so it can eat all the kittens it wants).

Bristol finds one huge snake, seeks another [Inquirer]
[Photo via cadmanof50s, licensed via Creative Commons]

A Real Life Sex Kitten

In today’s Steve & Mia, the anonymous sex Q&A written by two Daily News staffers, a question — actually, a follow-up question — comes in about neighbors who have bedroom habits that are, shall we say, a bit loud.

My wife and I had the same problem as your writer in last week’s column - thin walls, neighbor who didn’t care that we could hear everything (and who sounded so weird that the first time we heard her, we raced through our apartment thinking one of our cats was screaming for help).

Now that has got to be a girl you want to spend time in bed with. What does she shout, “Meow”?

Steve and Mia | Look like a zero if he asks for her number? [Daily News]
Photo from The Daily Kitten

As Regular As A Deer Running

We interrupt this election coverage to bring you this, the greatest commercial ever:

I think this commercial needs to be flagged for illegal use of cuteness to advertise a laxative.

Leftovers: Here, Kitty, Kitty

• Someone dumped a bunch of purebred kittens in South Jersey, and now these wittle wittle guys are up for adoption! Yes, this was basically just an excuse to post a photo of a kitty, to shush the people who complain I’m only about puppies.

• Albert Yee posts about PhillyCarShare’s pimp our ride contest, where people can get to design a wrap that’ll be going around one of the cars for a month. A commenter on the post: “Did no-one in your office think that using the word ‘pimp’ to mean ‘prettify’ might be offensive to those campaigning for ‘pimp’ not to mean ‘bring a woman into the country illegally, make her sell sex to pay off debt bondage, hook her on drugs, make her see ten or twenty men a night, and brutalise her to keep her compliant’?” Uh, wait, wouldn’t using “pimp” to mean “prettify” be not having it mean that long definition she came up with? Right? [dragonballyee]

• Phils great Johnny Callison died today at the age of 67. The story also notes that Callison merchandise will be in hot demand any day now. Indeed. [KYW 1060]

• Hello! David Grasso is proposing a $315 million complex that includes a Whole Foods and a five-star hotel! (And another store, possibly a major electronics chain.) The Whole Foods is supposed to be “taking the experience of coming to a food store to a new level.” Boy, how can you wait? [Inky]

• The Rock Paper Scissors Keystone Classic is this Saturday, with a top prize of $850! Eight-hundred-and-fifty bucks, for playing Rock Paper Scissors! C’mon, you know you want to. [Northeast RPS Champs]

Keeping You Up To Date On ‘Cats v. Birds’

A letter in today’s Daily News:

I applaud the Daily News efforts to remind us of the need for caring homes for homeless cats. ¶ I am so glad I don’t live next to Ms. Makiver, an obvious cat-hater. As a responsible cat owner, I don’t understand someone who claims to love birds but blames felines for the declining bird population. I’m surprised she is not blaming cats for the near-extinction of the American bald eagle some years back.

An obvious cat-hater!

Letters | Save the cats [Daily News]
July 10: The Dark Side Of Kitten Adoption
July 14: The Kitten Adoption War Continues

The Kitten Adoption War Continues

On Monday, the Daily News printed a letter asking people not to adopt kittens because they kill blue jays and cardinals and other sports teams.

Today, the rebuttal:

Why blame it on the cats when there’s other predators like Falcons, hawks, bald eagles and snakes that eat small birds.

Not to mention the idiots who shoot them, chemical pollution and oil spills, the wild weather that kills thousands of birds across the country.

There’s nothing humane about pets being put to death. Remember, pets are for life.

So, remember, people: Don’t adopt falcons, hawks, bald eagles, chemical pollution, oil spills or wild weather.

Letters | The OTHER bird-killers [Daily News]
Monday: The Dark Side Of Kitten Adoption

The Dark Side Of Kitten Adoption

Today’s Daily News contains, perhaps, the most evil letter in the history of newspapers:

IT’S BAD enough local TV stations are promoting the adoption of PACCA’s cats due to their population explosion - now the DN is at it, too.

I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like our wild birds, and I do, too: cardinals, robins, mockingbirds, warblers, etc. In addition to being pretty, and in some cases musical, they eat tons of insects. But cats are the No. 1 reason America’s garden birds are in steep decline, way ahead of pollution and collisions with high-rise glass windows.

Everyone knows people who have cats with bell collars or who are declawed - and they still bring home their bird trophies, plus smaller animals like voles and young opossums.

Palm Beach has had a huge problem for years with feral cats taking out its wild birds, including larger ones like herons, egrets and spoonbills.

The biggest service you can do is let all these “harmless” cats remain unadopted at the shelters until their humane demise.

Yes, if you’re wondering, this letter just celebrated the murder of kittens.

For birds’ sake, please don’t adopt those cats [Daily News, 1st letter]
Photo by eye_of_einstein

Kittens! For A Dollar!

As we move into summer, it also becomes kitten season, which means the city’s shelters will be overcrowded with kitties. But it’s not even cute, since if it gets too crowded, kittens have to be put down.

But here’s what is cute: PACCA is selling kittens for a dollar.

The neutering fee is usually $75, but to spur adoptions it’s been reduced this weekend. If you’re interested in getting a kitten (for a dollar!) you can call PACCA at 215-685-9058.

PACCA selling cats, kittens for $1 to ease overcrowding [Daily News]
Photo by Blue Lotus, licensed via Creative Commons