"You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you." -John Bunyan 

There's nothing better than helping others but in these economic times it can be harder than ever to give. As you know, Mt. Tabor Veterinary Care supports many very giving organizations such as Feral Cat Coalition, Cat Adoption Team, Animal Aid, Pixie Project, Portland Animal Welfare Team and the Oregon Humane Society to name a few.  We have a few upcoming opportunities for cat lovers to help out some of our favorite organizaitons. Some of these opportunities have a tight deadline and others will be open ended for opportunities to support throughout the year. 

1. Feral Cat Coalition Annual Furball Raffle - Deadline 5/2

The Furball event is this weekend on Saturday, May 2nd. I love this event and it is a fun party where you can dress up to the theme (this year Cat-anooga Choo Choo), snack, drink and bid on items in the silent and live auction. We are participating this year by selling Raffle Tickets for a $500 and 2-$250 Visa Cards. Tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20. Tickets will be picked up Saturday morning so get down to the clinic quick if you'd like to enter to win and support a worthy cause.

2. CAT Food Drive - Ongoing

Cat Adoption Team is collecting food for cats in need. With people losing their jobs and budgets tightening some people are faced with the difficulty of being unable to feed their furry friends. CAT is looking for donations of unopened bags of dry food to distribute to families. We are so thankful to Salty's Dog and Cat Shop for bringing by an armload of food for our donation bin to get us started. Coming to the clinic and forgot to grab some food to donate? We have maintenance diets available for purchase.  

We also accept open bags of food to donate to Feral Cat Caregivers and leftover medication to offer to homeless pets in our community. 

3. Empty Cat Food Can Collection - Deadline 5/12

Ok this is something everyone with a cat can participate in! Portland Center Stage called and asked us to save 3 and 5.5 oz empty cans of cat food for an upcoming show. Your kitty's food cans can be famous! Please bring by your empty and cleaned cat food cans (labels on or off - whichever is easier). We will be collecting cans until the 12th. 

We are so grateful to have such generous clients that care about helping others and are happy to give you the opportunity to participate in some fun events for cats. Please feel free to contact us with any questions. 503.200.5555.

Other upcoming events -

Oscar Albert Paws and Sip - Tuesday 5/19: Does your dog have a green paw?

Mt. Tabor Veterinary Care Open House - Saturday 6/13 : Meet Dr. Krissy Bussmann - our second doctor!

Michael and I spent the better part of last week getting ready for the Northwest Pet and Companion Fair. Michael was outside building walls after dark. We spent hours putting together handouts and having them printed the same night. We made lists of things to bring and gathered what we needed. Ben, our nurse Katie's boyfriend was kind enough to help move the heavy walls and help set up the night before at the expo center. Unfortunately the beautiful walls that Michael built fell over in the truck and our furniture managed to punch some unsightly holes in the walls. Sigh. But not to be deterred Michael hung pictures in strategic places and our booth looked like a little piece of the clinic. 

Michael and the hole in the wall

All of our staff participated in the fair by manning the booth, petting dogs and answering quesitons. We offered free consultations and all of us did a few. We had so much fun talking to people about their dogs. Dogs came by dressed up and our favorites were the dogs in hats. We had a bowl of water out which was VERY popular and a basket full of STAM peanut butter and blueberry treats that we handed out like crazy. We were situated in the best spot and got to watch kittens play all day. I'm not sure what could be better. Except maybe moving the whole thing outside to enjoy the beautiful weather we had this weekend.

Dr. Kristin Sulis waiting at the desk	Nurse Katie enjoying the booth

We enjoyed reconnecting with friends we hadn't seen in awhile - vendors, volunteers and attendees. 

	Beagles with hats are the best!

Latest Update: to keep you up to date on what's happening with the fight against puppy mills - Washington State passed thier Anti Puppy Mill Bill this week and it's heading to the governor's desk for signing! Yay for the dogs!

Upside down pug having a great time

Come spend this weekend with us at the NW Pet and Companion Fair. It will be a fun event with demonstrations, adoptions from our favorite agencies, and lots of family fun. You are even encouraged to bring your dog too! 

We will be closed for our normal Saturday hours this weekend as we are taking most of our furniture to set up a mini version of MTVC at the Fair. Michael will be tending the real clinic during normal business hours if you need to pick up any food or prescriptions.

Stop by and pick up coupons anytime for discounted admission at the clinic. We look forward to seeing you there! 

News Flash! HB 2470, the Anti Puppy Mill Bill passed the House! Last stop - the floor of the Senate. I'll keep you posted.

Spring is such a lovely time of year. I enjoyed the nice weather we had at the beginning of the week – even if it was spent at the side of I-5 for a few hours – and I love seeing all of the flowering trees throughout the neighborhood.  The thing I don’t like about spring is the beautiful displays of Easter Lilies in all of the grocery stores. All I can see is kitty toxin! I want to pass out warning flyers that read DO NOT BUY IF YOU HAVE CATS.

Easter Lilies are toxic to cats (although the toxic principle is unknown) and  all parts of the plant are toxic. The horrible thing about Easter Lilies is that cats love when new plants come into the home, they are curious and are apt to take a taste.  Ingestion of Easter Lilies by cats can cause vomiting, inappetence,  lethargy, kidney failure and even death. Dogs and horses are not affected by these decorative plants.

Please enjoy the displays in the grocery store or at church but don’t bring these dangerous decorations into your home if you have cats. And if you don’t have cats but are thinking of purchasing one for a friend, please be sure they don’t have cats too!

HB2470-9 Update! The House is voting on the bill on Tuesday! If you haven't had a chance yet please take the time to contact your representative and urge them to vote YES! on HB 2470-9. To find out who your representative is please click here. I appreciate you helping the puppies and keeping puppy mills out of Oregon!

I went down to Salem last Monday to testify again in front of the House Committee on the Anti-Puppy Mill Bill and was headed down there again today until my car overheated and I was left stranded at the side of I-5 hanging out in the nice weather. No matter - turns out the Committee voted on the bill and in a vote of 7-3 decided to send the Bill on to the House for a vote! They recommended the dash 9 amendment which included the 50 dog cap. 

Inside the Capitol Building in Salem

Today they were deciding on which amendment to vote on ( dash 9 - with the 50 dog cap or dash 10 - without the cap). So it's a good day for puppies in Oregon. The dash 9 amendment is going to the house floor! So now it's your turn. What can you do to end puppy mills in Oregon? You can contact your state representative and let them know your thoughts on HB 2470.  To find out your Oregon state representative and their contact information click here. From what I understand, a written, signed letter is the best but calling or emailing can also help. Please be sure to put "vote yes on HB 2470" in the subject line.  

Stop Puppy Mills

Testifying in front of the committee has been an amazing experience. Sitting in the overflow room watching the hearing on the big screen tv in a room full of people both for and against was so interesting. You'd hear the murmurs on both sides as the person said something agreeable (or disagreeable) and I kept wondering if things were going to get out of hand. I could only relate it to a room full of school kids with no monitor or teacher present. We were all adult and friendly - no fights, no spitballs and comments were kept to the issue at hand - never personal. The other thing I realized is that politics are...well, politics and this arena is not for the faint at heart or the fair minded. There is a lot of posturing and adamant stances on both sides and for me that was difficult. I guess I'm a pragmatist - all sides are against puppy mills so why can't we get together and make a bill that makes them illegal in Oregon? Why does this become a contest of posturing and trying to place the bill in a light that will get it defeated so the opposition no longer has to deal with it?  

Anti Puppy Mill rally on the steps

I am so grateful to everyone that has commented on my previous blog about HB 2470 - including points of view in opposition. I still contend that the responsible breeders in Oregon already meet the standards outlined in the bill and with the 50 intact breeding age (2 year old) dog cap they will not be adversely affected by the bill. I long for the day when no puppies have to suffer for a profit.  

My original sticker from testifying against Puppy Mills

Check out the Nightline Video on Puppy Mills