Dogs & Cats Meet in Cyberspace!

New York, NY – Attention all dog and cat lovers, the American Kennel Club (AKC) and the Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) – invite you to log on to www.meetthebreeds.com to learn more about dogs and cats.

The site is a comprehensive one-stop-shop for all things dog and cat, and is inspired by the upcoming Meet the Breeds™ event that will be held October 17 & 18, 2009 in New York City.

For those of us who can't be in New York for the main event, we can still participate in cyberspace!

The Meet The Breeds website features:

Meet the Dog and Cat Breeds – Learn about 160 dog breeds and 41 cat breeds.
Meet the Breeds Game from ZooToo – Test your breed knowledge and compete for the top score. Each round asks you to choose the correct dog breed from three choices.
Declare your Pet Preference! – Are you a doggy devotee or a feline follower? Weigh in on this centuries-old debate by taking our definitive one-question survey and tell us why dogs or cats are your preferred pet.
Virtual Sticker Downloads for your Social Media Pages – Choose your favorite breed and download a virtual sticker to your Facebook or MySpace page, Web site or blog.
Meet the Breeds Blog from AOL’s Paw Nation – Follow the latest news, learn about who will be attending and get in on all the behind-the-scenes action at the Meet the Breeds event.

“If you’re crazy for cats or passionate about pooches you cannot miss Meet the Breeds both online or in person,” said AKC spokesperson Gina DiNardo. “Both meetthebreeds.com and the event itself present an entertaining way for friends and families to enjoy quality time together while learning how to become responsible pet owners.”

The Search for the Top Ten Dog-Friendly Cities in America

To celebrate the joyful life people share with their dogs, Beneful(R) Brand Dog Food recently launched an interactive, online destination where dog lovers can find and share everyday adventures with their dogs. WagWorld.com

WagWorld offers visitors the opportunity to find new dog-friendly places to visit, add their favorite places to go with their dogs, write reviews, upload pictures of themselves with their dog and pass along their favorite posts to friends and family.

In celebration of the WagWorld launch, Beneful announced its search for the Top 10 Togetherful Cities in America, the dog-friendly locations where dog owners and their dogs can enjoy daily adventures together.

Dog owners are invited to visit WagWorld to "buzz" about their favorite dog-friendly places. The 10 cities with the most activity on WagWorld.com, including postings, reviews and photo uploads, between July 27 and September 27 will make the list of Top 10 Togetherful Cities in America that will be announced in October 2009.

"Dog lovers know that life truly is better together with their four-legged friends. Our dogs are our best friends and help make every day full of play and adventure," said Matt Ferch, Beneful(R) assistant brand manager. "We created WagWorld to celebrate the relationship between dog owners and their best buddies and to provide them with a place where they can discover and
share dog-friendly places wherever their adventures may take them."

Supersized cat gets a second chance

Killing with kindness?

Like many dogs and cats who are surrendered to shelters across North America each year, Alice, an eight-year-old domestic short-haired cat, was given up because her owners could no longer give her the care she needed.

Unlike a family move, financial constraints or allergies, however, Alice's owners were not prepared to combat the effects of obesity... the cat weighed an alarming 24 pounds! In their effort to care for Alice they were overfeeding her... to the point where they were practically killing her with kindness.

Alice was surrendered to the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(RISPCA) by her owners, who said they felt it was cute to have a cat that was so large – until she became unable to care for herself.

Because of Alice's obesity, she had difficulty moving and began excessively soiling her surroundings. She had a loving and caring demeanor but found it difficult to walk more than three feet at a time before she would need to stop and rest. Because of her lack of mobility, she was also fearful of other cats and tried to hide if she felt scared. In addition to her lack of casual movement, Alice required extra grooming maintenance because she could not reach many areas to clean herself.

Watch a video about Alice's ordeal.