Vampire-Like Animals do Exist!

It’s getting close to that spooky time of the year and Maggie and I thought we would share some real life vampire-like animals with you. Top on our list are the bats that drink blood, the hairy-legged vampire bat, the white-winged vampire bat and the vampire bat. Pictured here is the vampire bat. The hairy-legged vampire and the white-winged vampire only prey on birds while the vampire bat seeks out cattle, horses, livestock and humans. Its bite isn’t dangerous however it can spread rabies. Four children in Peru died this year after vampire bats initiated a rabies outbreak among the local Awajun tribe.
Mags wanted to show you this video on how the vampire bats can sneak up on you, so watch out piggy!
Video -Vampire Bats

“I really hate ticks!” ~ Mags, they stick to you and seem to suck the blood right out. They are capable of drinking blood that is 600 times their weight! Thank goodness Sam & I don’t see them out here much because they prefer wooded areas near water. One bite from a tick won’t turn you into a vampire but they can spread illnesses like Lyme disease. If you have a tick remove it quickly, grab with tweezers and make sure you have its head, keep it for a few days just in case you get sick.

“Look at these crazy long fish that are extremely scary.” ~ Sammy, the Lampreys are ancient fish that look like something from outer-space. Adult lampreys latch onto their prey with their hook-shaped teeth and gulp down the victim’s blood. They live in fresh and salty water worldwide, but only attack humans if they are starved. Check out this crazy up-close video on this fish and be careful when you scuba dive.
Video-Lampreys

Who’s Your Boss Baby?

Tomorrow October 17th is “National Boss’s Day”

Maggie and I know who are bosses are and have our dead mice ready as presents. Our humans love dead mice or scorpions as gifts!

“National Boss’s Day” was enacted by Patricia Bays Haroski in 1958. Patricia was a secretary for State Farm and forgot the birthday of her boss!!! A big no, no with humans! She declared October 8th as boss’s day not realizing that her boss’s actual birthday was October 16th. In 1962 the Governor of Illinois Otto Kerner believed that boss’s day was a fantastic idea and backed Patricia’s original registration by officially proclaiming the day.

This nice holiday has been criticized in the U.S. and mocked as a Hallmark Holiday. However Hallmark did not offer a Bosses’ Day card for sale until 1979!

Other countries such as Australia, South Africa, United Kingdom, Ireland and India observe “National Bosses’ Day”. In fact, in India the bosses give their employees gifts on this holiday!

So Maggie and I ask, who’s your boss? You don't have to give them dead mice, but make sure you are extra especially good to them on Bosses’ Day!
Remember to Hug your animals!
Mags & Sammy

Wash Me Please

Maggie and I have heard from our dog and cat friends, many scary stories of being dunked in water and scrubbed down. We also know from experience on how you humans like to wash us. So Maggie & I are here to give you tips on this, because we know that you are going to wash us anyway!

Tip ONE: For your safety please trim our nails. Try to be fast about it and don’t cut into our quick (the part containing nerves and blood vessels) this hurts!

Tip TWO: Choose a time when we have less energy, maybe play with us before bathing to tire us out!

Tip THREE: Brush us before hand so less hair ends up in the drain!

Tip FOUR: Make sure that there are rubber mats down for both you and us. We don’t want anyone slipping, you humans are heavy and you can crush us!

Tip FIVE: Above all please make sure the water is lukewarm and comfortable. Please not too hot or cold that is not acceptable.

Tip SIX: Rinse carefully, do not dump the water on our heads, it could get into our eyes and ears. With a cup or hand sprayer make sure all the access suds are off. Take a washcloth gently to our face.

TIP SEVEN: Please wrap us in a big soft towel when done. The blow-dryer terrifies Maggie and I think the gentle rubbing with the towel is a nice touch. Afterwards you can wrap me up like I am in a cocoon that is so cozy.

We agree that the reasons dogs and cats should be bathed once a week or once every 2 weeks are; we can get dirty playing outside, our skin itches and gets irritated, we could have fleas or ticks, this helps keep allergens down for humans and we just feel better when we are clean.

Please Remember to Hug your Animals!
Maggie & Sam

Tennis Balls as Mice Homes Really?

Maggie and I were watching the U.S. Tennis Open, we love the brightly colored green tennis balls. We didn’t realize they had so many uses! We knew the tennis balls from the U.S. Tournament are donated to community and youth projects.
We didn’t know that the Wimbledon tennis balls are donated to help protect Britain’s smallest mammal the endangered harvest mice. This mouse weighs in at only 6 grams and has a tail that is able to grasp and handle objects with ease. This little guy is endangered because its habitat is being taken away by urban development and farming. Now instead of having homes out of shredded grass halfway up a reed, they have a home in tennis balls on a metal pole! Here they are safe from birds of prey and weasels. Maggie and I feel that the humans are really trying to save this species and we are happy about that.
The other portion of the tennis balls from Wimbledon are donated to schools in Japan, where they are used for sports and art projects. They are also used to quiet tables and chair legs in schools for the deaf!
So Maggie and I have learned that tennis balls are not just pretty on the outside they have a lot to offer everyone.
Don’t forget to Hug your animals!
Maggie & Sammy

Rescue Dog Teams are Remembered on 9/11

Sam and I were watching and learning a lot about September 11th, this week. One of the interesting things we learned is that there will be a ceremony to honor the dogs and their handlers who came to the World Trade Center to lead the search and recovery missions. This link shows pictures of some of those teams. Many of the dogs which worked in the aftermath of the attack are old and retired now. They will be honored today with their humans at Liberty State Park a fitting tribute for their incredible service.

Sam and I were stunned to learn that one trained search and rescue dog is as effective as ten trained humans in locating a missing person! Dogs have a keen sense of smell and can pick up on an individual’s scent from a distance. This work is extremely stressful and some dogs need to have live finds after finding bodies at a recovery site. Many handlers will have people hide in another area in order to renew the search spirit in their canine partner.

Sharon L. Peters from the U.S.A. wrote this very touching story on the “Rescue-dog teams are unsung heroes of 9/11”.
Don’t forget to Hug your Animals
Maggie and Sam

Labor Day History is Important to Remember

Maggie and I found through various reliable resources on the Internet that the first big Labor Day was observed in the United State on September 5, 1882 by the Central Labor Union of New York. President Grover Cleveland declared it a federal holiday in 1894 following the deaths of some workers who were killed by the U.S. military protesting their working conditions. Children, women and men worked long hours and their working conditions were less than satisfactory. In many cases there were tragic deaths and injuries. Labor Unions formed two main types of groups to protect the workers. Craft unions (skilled laborers) and industrial unions (laborers in the same industry regardless of their skill) were the groups. They both fought to shorten the hours, have better working conditions and fairer wages for the workers.

Even with the progress the workers made on changing thier environment, it took the Great Depression to end child labor across the nation. Adults were so desperate for jobs that they would work for the same wages as children. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938 which placed limitations on child labor.

This special day is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of the American workers. It is a yearly tribute to the accomplishments workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of this country.

So Maggie and I say, you go take that Cat-Nap you have earned it humans!

We discovered "The blood and sweat behind Labor Day" by Kenneth Davis, we thought you might find it interesting.

Don't forget to Hug your Animals
Maggie & Sam

Friday August 26th is National Dog Day

Maggie and I want to share some interesting insight on National Dog Day. This fine holiday was founded in 2004 by Colleen Paige, a celebrity pet lifestyle expert and huge animal welfare advocate. Colleen also founded National Cat Day in 2005, 1 year after National Dog Day (what is up with that Colleen, why dogs first)? National Cat Day is celebrated on October 29th, (mark your calendar humans)!

National Dog Day is important because it honors dogs for all the work, loyalty and love they give humans on a daily basis. When needed they rescue, help and guard their friends and family. In other words along with us cats they are the perfect companions!

This day also gives humans the opportunity to give back. It reminds them that there are countless dogs that need a home or need to be rescued from abuse.

For more on this much needed holiday please check out this link National Dog Day. For more information on the amazing animal advocate Colleen, check out this link on Colleen Paige

Don't forget to Hug your Animals,

Maggie & Sammy

An Elephant Resort of Sorts!

In Zambia there is an Mfuwe Lodge that was built on an elephant’s migration trail. Even though the lodge is in the way the elephants remembered that a mango grove is on the other side. They have no problem walking through the lodge to get to the fruit.

There is always a barrier in between the tourists and the elephants. The staff makes sure that humans are at a safe distance. Maggie and I think it is wonderful that the elephants seem at peace with the current surroundings and people. The head elephant leader is named Wonky Tusk! This group of elephants comes every November and they stay four to six weeks to gorge on mango's. Andy Hogg the lodge director says “This is the only place in the world where elephants freely get so close to humans.” Attached is a link that will take you directly to the lodges website, if you are intrigued by this story as we were please check it out! http://bushcampcompany.com/mfuwe_lodge.php

Don’t forget to hug your Animals!

Maggie & Sam

Do you have a third eyelid?

Sam and I know that we have a third eyelid and that humans don’t! However we did not know that there were quite a few animals that have a third eyelid! Animals such as the polar bear, shark and aardvark are just a few. Sam and I thought that you might understand how the third eyelid is used by our below examples of the bird, llama and camel.

Birds have three eyelids; one upper, one lower and a nictitating membrane between the two eyelids. This membrane is operates like our tear duct does. It cleans and protects the bird’s eye. It is transparent, so that the bird’s vision is not impaired. Some veterinarians think that the third eyelid covers the bird’s eye when they are flying. In other words it’s like they are wearing birdie goggles to prevent dry eyes!

Both the llama and the camel have a third eyelid. The membrane keeps the sand out, yet they are able to see through the lid. Therefore both the Llama and Camel can literally see through a sandstorm!

This informative link from Wikipedia will also show you some interesting insight and pictures of the third eyelid!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nictitating_membrane

Remember to Hug your Animals,

Maggie & Sam

National Friendship Day Sunday August 7th, 2011

Friendship Day is this Sunday August 7th, 2011. Believe it or not this holiday has been around for a long time. Many countries around the world celebrate Friendship Day, usually on July 30th or the 1st Sunday in August. Friendship Day originated from Joyce Hall, the founder of Hallmark Cards in 1919. The greeting card National Association promoted this holiday in the 1920’s but the consumers did not go for it. They felt that it was a commercial gimmick just to promote the buying of greeting cards. By the 1940’s the holiday pretty much was non existent in the U.S.

However in other countries such as Paraguay and Asia the holiday flourished and was adopted by other countries. Today Friendship Day is celebrated by a number of countries around the world.

Mags and I think this is a fantastic holiday because you should always be thankful you have friends. If you are a member of Maggie and Sam’s Adventures check out their Friendship Cards. If you can’t hug or call someone send a card it’s a great way to stay connected!

Remember to Hug your Animals!

Mags & Sammy

It's all in the way you Shamu!

Maggie and I love watching the Killer Whale’s jump in and out of the ocean. They are incredibly smart and remind us a lot of our friends the dolphins. They are truly magnificent. Maggie surfing the Internet learned that a water park called Sea World has a famous Killer Whale called Shamu. I like the fact that the name means (She+Namu = Shamu). Apparently there have been a lot of Killer Whales called Shamu.

The original Shamu was captured in 1965 Puget Sound, Washington, and brought to the Sea World in California. She was the 4th Killer Whale to be captured and she was the 1st to survive 13th months of captivity. She did a lot of tricks and water shows up until her death in August 23, 1971 from septicemia, (deadly infection that gets worse fast. It can arise from infections throughout the body). Before her death they retired her from performing after she refused to let go of a Sea World Employee who was riding her during a show. Maggie and I agree that we wouldn’t really want anyone riding on our backs, we empathize with Shamu!

The first Killer Whale to be born in captivity happened at Sea World in 1985, they named her Kalina. Since then there have been more than 20 killer whales born at Sea World parks.

Pictured here is the original Shamu, god bless her!

Hug your animals

Maggie & Sammy

How Fast Can You Run?

Did you know that the average house cat can run up to thirty miles an hour? That is about as fast as the average bear! No I am not kidding even a rabbit can run faster than Maggie and myself! What a relief that I can still catch an elephant or Three Toe Sloth. At least we are faster than humans. Check out this interesting chart from infoplease.com

Domesticated dogs average 18-30 mphs. There are exceptions such as the Greyhound and Regal Saluki dogs which can reach speeds of 40 -45 mphs! Their relatives the African wild dog can run 50mph.

Our relatives the big cats can really kick butt. The Cheetah which is the fastest land animal has been clocked at speeds over 70 mphs! So impressive. Maggie and I love this following video we found on You Tube on the top fastest animals. Tell us what you think! Check out the red fox, he is just flat out fun to watch.

Hug your Animals!
Maggies and Sammy

We are Proud to Be American Kitties

It is July 4th, 2011 Sam and I would like share some really fascinating, interesting facts on American History.

Did you know that the first representative assembly in North American was established in Jamestown, Virginia on July 3oth, 1619?

Did you know an amazing girl, Eliz Lucas at the age of 16 cultivated what became South Carolina’s second-largest crop, Indigo?

Did you know that Pennsylvania was created over a debt owed? King Charles the II owed William Penn 16,000 British pounds. Penn was a converted Quaker (a religious group persecuted in England for their beliefs). Instead of the money Penn asked of the land in between Maryland and New York. The king agreed and Pennsylvania was established.

Sam and I found these above fascinating facts from the article Stephanie Pappas, Senior Writer for “Live Science” wrote. Please check out this website to learn many more intriguing facts about our history.

Also Remember today when going to see fireworks or if you yourself are setting off fireworks, that your animals are in a safe place. Loud noises and unexpected explosions can be frightening to animals that don't know whats going on!

Hug your Animals

Mags & Sammy

Can’t you see Our Window Birdie?

Sam and I have been noticing that a few birds (we are not going to name names have been flying into the windows we look out of. We are very concerned and wanted to know why? With the help of our humans we looked up some interesting information and wanted to share it with you!

Birds tend to fly into the glass because they see it as open and clear (not because they are crazy)! They might also be trying to fly from a predator and they see reflections of the trees, and the sky and they still think they are outdoors. Birds think that their own reflection is another bird and they have a territorial reaction. That is why sometimes birds hit their beak hard on the glass.

Let’s work together to keep these birds from hitting the windows. Put a fake statue of an owl near your window, the birds will believe it is a predator. Attach opaque or Mylar tape to the windows. Also decals work well. Sam and I think that if you leave your windows a little dirty (not filthy, but a little dirty) it will eliminate the reflective glare the birds see. Sometimes Sam and I put our noses on the glass to cause a mark!

If you find an injured bird that can’t recover right away, gently put the bird into your mouth and carry it to your nearest human. Be careful when you pick it up not to put a hole in it with your teeth. Your human should place it in a small open box on a towel. Give the bird a couple of hours if it does not seem well call your local wildlife rehabilitation center. For those of you in Arizona click onto one of the following websites for assistance. Adobe Wildlife Center or Arizona Game & Fish Department

Remember we all must work together it is a crazy world out there!
Maggie & Sammy

Your Cat is Fat!

My humans took me to the vet the other week and he told them I was overweight. He also gave my humans some interesting information on healthy snacks. Mags and I actually like the alternatives and suggest that maybe your cat or dog will like them too!

Say No to feeding us these;

(1) Potato Chip = ½ Hamburger or (1) 2oz chocolate bar
(1) 1oz of Cheddar Cheese = 3 ½ Hamburgers or (4) 2 oz chocolate bars
(1) cup of Milk = 4 ½ Hamburgers or (5) 2 oz chocolate bars

Say Yes to feeding us these;

Believe it or not we will eat fresh carrots, apples and green beans. So try feeding us 1/4th a cup of these vegetables.

Avoid giving us unhealthy snacks and table scraps and try feeding us vegetables. Vegetables and apples make us feel better.

Thank YOU and remember to Hug your animals,

Love Sammy and Mags

What’s up with whiskers?

A few people have asked Maggie and me what’s up with our whiskers and why do we need them? Okay here are the feline facts.
Our whiskers are large, stiff hair that is twice the thickness of ordinary hairs. They are embedded much deeper into our skin and have many nerve endings. They tell us if we are about to touch something or if there is a change in the air pressure. Whiskers aid with navigation and sensation. The length of our whiskers lets us know if we can fit through an opening. If our whiskers don’t touch the sides of an open space, it tells us we can’t fit! DON’T EVER TRIM OUR WHISKERS. The cat’s body determines the length of the whiskers. If you trim our whiskers we won’t be able to accurately gage openings.
We normally have around a dozen whiskers in four rows on each upper lip and a few on each cheek. There are some over our eyes, on the chin and elbows.
Humans please don’t be worried if we lose our whiskers from time to time, its normal, they grow back.
Don’t forget to hug your animals
Sammy and Mags

The Vet and Sweaty Paws

Sam and I were kidnapped and taken to the vet this Saturday. It was not a pleasant experience at all. Don’t get me wrong the people working there are so nice but who likes to have a stick (thermometer) stuck, you all know where, not me, not Sam? Sam was told he was fat!!! LOL, I like how our humans said he is a Main Coon and big boned. Right he is 4 lbs overweight! Me, well my weight was perfect a little bit on the slender side but I am a girl.

The main reason I wanted to blog today was to let everyone know that when we cats and dogs get nervous we sweat. Our sweat glands are located in the pads of our paws. So when we are being transported to the vet don’t be surprised if we leave wet paw prints on any surface!

It has also come to the attention of Sam and I that some of our Dog friend’s paws are being burned. Their owners are taking them on walks on asphalt here in Arizona when it is hot. Humans please realize that it is starting to get hot as early as 8am and asphalt and concrete retain heat. Before taking your dog or cat with you on a walk take your shoes off and step barefoot on whatever surface you will be taking your pet on, grass, sidewalk, dirt trail, asphalt. If it is too hot for your foot it is too hot for ours!

Remember to Hug your Animals

Maggie and Sam

"Soaked"

Okay Maggie and Sam are excited because they have another picture for Illustration Fridays' word of the week. This weeks topic is Soaked. You can also check out what their complete drawing looks like on their website. Take a look at their Birthday Wish Card.

Have a fun week everyone and stay dry.
Mags & Sam

Why We Purr

Our humans are always asking us why we purr? Sam and I aren't entirely sure. We just know that it feels good or we wouldn't do it! Also this is one way that we try to communicate to you humans and each other.

Perfect Harmony - We form positive vibrations that harmonize together. It is very soothing and a nice way to communicate. For us it usually means we feel good. It could also mean;

I Am A Sweet Maggie or Sam or maybe we just want Reassurance - If I am in a good mood I purr to Sam to let him know all is good and I don't feel threatened. Sometimes when I don't feel well I purr because it comforts me.

Researchers have found that purring might speed up healing especially if a cat's bone is broken. The positive vibrations help to strengthen the muscles and bones.

For Sam and I purring is mystical and we don't know all the reasons why we purr we just like to! Sam and I would like to thank Erica Keener a Maggie and Sam's Adventures Member for sending this fascinating information on purring to us. We like this article please check it out at How and Why Cats Purr.

Safari

Sammy and I suggested that this week's topic for Illustration Friday be Safari. They picked our idea! So here is our drawing of what the word Safari means to us. We believe that life is like a Safari adventure and that your friends and family help you along the way! Check out the other artists interpretation of Safari.

Remember always Hug your Animals

Maggie & Sam