Friday, April 24, 2009

Defending God's Creatures

Recently a disgruntled neighbor captured our cat and encouraged a citation. I was issued a citation for one of our cats "Running at Large". This feud has been going on since we moved 3 years ago and were graciously greeted by this neighbor with "your cat is running in our yard and I will trap your cat if you don't contain it...and you need to put it in a cage." We now own an underground invisible fence which attempts to contain our cats to our back yard through warning beeps on a collar followed by a brief shock if they continue through the line. It has proven effective for one of our cats...but unfortunately Kenya the one who was trapped learned a way to beat the system. We have done all within our power to be a good neighbor, repairing any damage our cat may have caused and giving her chicken wire to protect her garden and still she maliciously entices Kenya to her yard with tuna to trap him. Knowing her intent we feared that she would capture our cat and remove their collars so they would be abandoned at the pound and euthanized; we micro-chipped our cats.

Please help support our cause to fight the city on the "running at large" law being applied to domestic, immunized, spayed/neutered cats.

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Trapping cats in violation of an “Animal Running at Large”(code 5-1-10) does the following:

-Control Disease throughout the animal/cat population
Problems with this argument:

  1. Immunized cats do not spread disease
  2. Domestic cats keep feral or wild cats at bay. (Example our street in Orem.)
  3. Control the rodent population which carry diseases especially harmful to humans
    Make bird population stronger, killing slow/sick birds (which can also spread disease to humans; particularly with the bird flu scare which may spread to local birds)
  4. Some cats also help control the insect population

-Controls the cat population
Problems with this argument:

  1. Cat that are Neutered & Spayed as kittens will never reproduce
  2. They help control population by scaring away reproducing males & female in heat, and feral cats
  3. 5-6-1. Allowable Number of Dogs and Cats. (Already controls the domestic pet population)

-Helps protects neighbors and their property
Problems with this argument:

  1. There are other laws that protect neighbors & owners from the nuisances or harm of domesticated cats which allow rights for the animal and it's owner & and resolve problems in a more peaceful manor:
    5-1-11. Sanitation. (making an owner responsible for their pets defecation)
    5-4-2. Control of rabies and rabid animals.
    5-4-3. Quarantine and disposition of biting or rabid animals.
    5-1-9. Nuisance animals.
    (opening up the situation to an objective investigations...not 1 sided)

-Encourages cats to be contained
Problems with this argument:

  1. Cat by nature stock and evade making it nearly impossible to contain them
  2. The Benefits of rodent control and disease prevention for the surrounding neighborhood far outweigh the cons (See 1. Exceptions)
  3. There are no leash law for cats
  4. Con: Caged cats become untrusting and feral…becoming unadoptable…leading to euthanizing to animal (Causing psychological trauma that could otherwise be prevented is abusive)
  5. A cat cannot be trapped without baiting a trap
    -Tuna or chicken is the encouraged bait
    -This attracts the cats by their amazing sense of smell to coerced onto a neighbor’s property having an adverse affect of a neighbor wishing to keep away from their yard

-Entices a feuding Neighbor to kidnap another neighbor's family pet
Problems with this argument:

  1. 5-1-3. Cruelty to animals prohibited. States: It shall be unlawful for any person to maliciously secret or impound an animal belonging to another person.


In Closing:

The legal trapping of a known neighbor’s pets (using the Animal at Large citation) is in violation of Animal Cruelty and Animal Nuisance laws of Orem City. It allows for just one side of a situation. Neighborhood feuds with neighbors pet should take the proper channels of the Nuisance law allowing for both sides to be heard and the protecting of rights for the animals, owners.
(A complaint about another’s neighbors pet… should be handled by a formal complaint under the Nuisance Law of the Orem City Animal Control Municipal code.)

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Happy Earth Day!


Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. ~John Muir

Friday, April 3, 2009

Poor Man's Acai Diet/Cleanse

So I've seen a bunch of things about the NEW acai diet cleanse. Sure they offer free trials of the products but when doing some research...pretty much any diet pill that promises energy has some form of caffeine and usually at high doses. Not real energy just drug induced energy. I guess I say this because I've personally seen the effects of caffeine intake in high amounts (not chocolate). It is addicting and whether it be from soda or Green Tea it isn't good for you. I'll get off my preacher box now. I researched the ingredients from the Famous Acai Berry coupled with Colon detox and with that information and information from Fit for Life a book that when followed has delivered every time with weight loss and increased energy; and come up with the poor man's version, that will offer the same results as the FAD diet.

For Weight Loss and Detox:

Fruit only until Noon.

Drink a Homemade 100% Fruit only smoothie
-or-eat whole fruits (I prefer the smoothie, it's my food fast :) )

Example Smoothie Combinations (serves 1):

8 oz. 100% Cranberry Juice
Handful of Froz. Blackberries
Strawberries (Fresh or Froz.)
1 ripe banana

8oz 100% Apple Raspberry Juice
handful of froz. peaches
1 ripe banana

8oz. 100% White or Concord Grape Juice
Handful of Froz. Strawberries

8oz. 100% Orange Juice
Handful of Froz. Strawberries
1 ripe Banana

Essentially the combinations are endless just blend them up in a blender. (Sean & I recently invested in a middle to higher end model with a smoothie dispense spout and we love it!)

Just keep in mind a few essentials:

-8oz of 100% Juice
Cranberry is a fav because of it's tartness and it's UT (urinary tract) benefits :)

-a handful of raw fruit

*berries are great in any season and can be purchased froz. plus they are high in antioxidants *bananas help smooth your smoothie and help fill you up
*add some papaya to help with the cleansing but make sure you are near a bathroom :)

So that's it, simple, truly natural, and effective.

Caution: the first few days you start this your stomach may be upset and you might need frequent trips to the bathroom (eating a banana will help with the stomach uncomfort) just stick with it after a few days your body will adjust and your digestive tract will become more regular.

To help aide in the cleansing I recommend Fiber choice tablet once a day. They taste great and
don't bloat your stomach.