Pets cannot fend for themselves, a street-smart feral cat or dog hardened by living in contact with nature may have a better chance of taking care of itself in a situation but pets that are used to having food and shelter at their disposal are totally helpless and just cannot fend for themselves.

It is our duty under every conceivable law of man and God to be there for our pets at all times and more so when a natural calamity strikes. In fact, not just our own pets, as animal lovers we should try and make things easy for all animals that may get affected in case a natural calamity strikes.

Here are certain things to keep in mind so that you are prepared to take care of your pet during the period of a disaster and the days that follow.

First and foremost, always factor in your pets when you are preparing a disaster management plan. If you are forced to evacuate, see than you know about hotels, evacuation shelters, pet shelters that will accept your pet. This is information that has to be available with you beforehand. It is a very good idea to display a prominent notice visible to rescue squads telling them that there are pets in your house. Hygiene and sanitation are issues when floods or fires occur. Keep your pets inoculated and vaccinated against preventable conditions that their breed is susceptible to. Rescue shelters will also ask for proof of vaccination before accepting your pet. Get yourself and your family photographed with your pet, it will help to establish ownership should the need arise or if the animal gets lost.

Stock adequate supplies of pet food and also a proper first aid kit for pets. You should have a couple of strong leashes handy. You will need a pet carrier to transport the animal to a shelter, if required. Keep wire and bolt cutters handy. You should also know how to lift and carry jittery animals. It is a good idea to cover them with a blanket first.

During the disaster you have to be there for your pet. Comfort it. See that the unavoidable commotions that will come with rain or flood do not disorient the animal. Very importantly, don’t let the animal wander out on its own. Keep it at home but not confined and chained. Give it space and make sure that you can reach it quickly should you have to evacuate on short notice. Be gentle and patient with the animal. Dogs and cats can get confused and this may lead to overly defensive or aggressive behavior. They don’t really know how to react. We have to be there for them. Once the event is over, try to get them back to their normal routine in as gentle a manner as possible.

If you stay in a place prone to fires, then keep your residential are clear of dead brush and dried grass. Keep a fire extinguisher at home. You should also know how to perform CPR. If you stay where flood waters can rise fast during a storm surge, do not make the mistake of leaving your pet tied to a post. The safe thing to do is to evacuate at the first alarm. There is absolutely no sense in trying out your luck against nature’s fury. The stakes are simply too high.

Our website makes it easy for anyone with an internet connection to find descriptions and pictures of adoptable animals by location, breed, gender, age, size, and color. Over 9,000 shelters posts pets on our website displaying over 130,000 pets available for adoption at any given time. We also help volunteers connect with shelters, and currently host over 14,000 people listed in our volunteer database for shelters.
What Makes Adopt-a-Pet.com Unique:
- On our website, people can use something we call “Search Saver.” This feature will notify users by e-mail when a particular pet of their specifications in available for adoption. For example, I can tell “Search Saver” where I live, and what type of breed I am looking for. When that animal is available, I am notified the next time a pet matching my search is added on Adopt-a-Pet.com.

- As of this summer we have now made it easy for our visitors to find pets and then recommend them to friends and family via Facebook, Twitter and other social applications. We are calling the idea “Social Petworking.” Here is how it works; once you have searched and found a pet in need, on the pet details page simply hover over the button labeled “SHARE,” there you can send the pet details page to any of your friends. For more information visit this page http://www.adoptapet.com/socialpetworking/signup.
- In addition to dogs and cats, we now feature all kinds of pets for adoption, including rabbits, farm animals, ferrets, hamsters and other small animals, horses, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and even fish. This was a major initiative that took many months to research and program into the site, and it is being well-received within the shelter community.

- By teaming up with the renowned street-artist Shepard Fairey, who designed the iconic Obama “Hope” image, we have available a number of stylish ways to promote pet adoption. Shepard was able to translate his work with Obama to an image that can be used to represent pet adoption support. Merchandise can be found at HYPERLINK “http://www.muttslikeme.com”www.muttslikeme.com

- We have begun blogging and created a Twitter Page along with a Facebook Page. Our blog is located at HYPERLINK “http://blog.adoptapet.com/”http://blog.adoptapet.com/, there you can join our Facebook Group, or follow us on Twitter. Blog Highlights:
Adopt-a-Pet.com has recently begun blogging, and every week we publish posts from two separate columns. On Tuesday we blog about pet care tips, and on Fridays we do our best to find heartwarming stories about adopted pets all over the country. Here are a few highlights from our blog:

10 Ways To Help Homeless Pet, Even If You Can’t Adopt
What To Ask Your Veterinarian
Good News In Pet Adoption – A Weekly Post
10 Things To Consider Before Adopting

Often we need information on the go; when we are on the move. iPhone owners can avail a number of very helpful applications that can make life easier for them and their beloved pets.

1) Off Leash – A wonderful application that lets you find the location of up to 5 parks in your vicinity where your pet dog does not have to be on leash. The application throws up the information once you have entered your area zip code. What’s more, it will even map out the route to a park you select. A useful application for dog owners that travel and need to give their pet some good hard exercise periodically.

2) Pet Notebook – The pet notebook is a handy organizer that can carry useful information on your pet or pets. It also features a cool image gallery that stores all those sweet photos of your pets that can always get a conversation started. The data that you feed is easy to edit and arrange. You can fill in pet details, memorable landmark events, appointments with vets, registration information, and importantly any medications that the pet needs to take. The app can store the vet’s address and guide you to the location by connecting to Google maps.

3) All Pets Radio – This application connects you to the popular All Pets Radio station via your iPhone. Learn about pet care and listen to interesting news that is pet- and animal-related.

4) Diagnostic Imaging Atlas – A comprehensive atlas that contains information on normal physiology of animals and various pathologies. A great tool for both veterinary practitioners and lay pet owners. Use this tool to brush up your knowledge on what is possibly ailing your pet before you take it to the vet.

5) PawTrotter – PawTrotter is like an exhaustive Yellow Pages for pets. It is a very useful application that pet owners who also happen to be iPhone owners would do well to have on their phones. Look up pet-friendly hotels, the most reliable vets in an area, pet sitters with good ratings, and a lot more.

6) Petfinder – There’s a very strong element of altruism about this app. With this app you can search and review more than 290,000 pets from over 13,000 shelters and rescue groups. That is a big database. It is a novel idea that works for both pet owners and potential pet owners. You can get directions to the pet shelter as well as their telephone numbers and email ids via this app.

7) Pet Acoustics – This app is fun and perhaps a little decadent. Animals are sensitive to sounds that are beyond human listening capabilities. With this app, you can play music that has been particularly designed to smooth the frazzled nerves of your pet dog, cat, horse after a hard day at the vet’s place or if the animal is feeling low because of a stomach bug.

Rate My Puppy – An application that lets you show off your pet’s cutest poses to others using this app. You can rate their pets, make friends with other pet-owners, participate in contests and do much more. A nice interactive application that can help you create and preserve memories.

9) Cat Symptoms – A must-have for cat owners. You just don’t know when you may have to refer this one. There are hundred of cat health articles that are neatly categorized. You can also search by keyword. With these articles serving as a guideline, you are well-prepared to take care of your pet and if necessary ask the vet relevant questions.

Take a good look at your kitten, maybe for a couple of days. What are its most obvious endearing traits? Do its hazel eyes tempt you to name it…ahem Hazel? Or does it have a gait that could do justice to names like Queenie, Princess, Miss Royalty and such names. Does it show an early predilection to laziness, sloth, and a love for food? If so, then how about calling her Lazybones, Slacker, Chompers, Feeders, etc

Basically, the idea is that you use your imagination to come up with a name that your pet cat wants you to use. Okay, that’s stretching it a little too far. But you get the idea; don’t get stuck on Ginger and Tabby or worse, calling it Spot. If your cat ever finds out that you gave it a dog-name, it won’t forgive you

Research beyond the top ten names for 2010.

One reason why cats make such popular pets is that they have personality. They pack a lot of attitude in that small frame. If it is your cat’s attitude that is its standout feature then maybe you can call her Sassy. If it is the type that can shrug off a mishap and come to you for an ear-scratch minutes after being chased by the neighbor’s dog then maybe you can call it Happy. If it makes you feel good and cheery then maybe she is the Sunshine of your life.
If you’re the literary sort of if your cat looks cool wearing reading glasses then there is a plethora of names to select from. Here are a few names for your consideration – Puss from Puss in Boots; Tess from Tesss of the D’Urbervilles – okay, so Tess in this story wasn’t a cat but a pure lady, so what – treat your cat like a lady, and start by giving her a name that makes her feel that way. Lady Jane was a cat in a Charles Dickens story; Cheshire is a name drawn from the Cheshire Cat made famous by Lewis Carroll – a good name for your kitty if you detect that it wears a sly grin most of the time.

There was a time when cats were considered to have divine connections; there is a nice list of names to select from if you too feel that there is something otherworldly about your kitty – for example, Minerva, Cassandra and Aphrodite have a nice classical ring to them.

There are many other sources of ideas for you, politicians, artists, cartoon characters, food items, cat names in different languages, actors, precious stones, flowers, fruits, and many more thoughts that you can come up with.

The top 10 female cat names for 2010

The best thing to do, however; is to give the pet a name that suits its personality and importantly is not too long. Cats respond best to short and sweet names. You can draw inspiration from their breed, any pet name you’ve always wanted to use, body characteristics such as long ears or different colored eyes, chubbiness, etc.

If it’s a nice, healthy, outgoing, aggressive, mouse-hunting tom that you’ve got, one that raises an eyebrow when a stranger calls its name and unsheathes a claw if the person tries to get too close then maybe you can call it Action, Beans coz’ it’s full of beans and energetic, Badger, Bomber, Boss, Crunch, Chew, Fang, Flash, Ghost, Striker and so on.

If you have brought home a small breed, a wee kitten that will grow up to be an adorable male cat with saucer eyes and dainty paws, a roly-poly kitty that looks like the ball of wool it plays with then you’re spoilt for choices. There are many creative names out there such as Baby Doll, Bat Cat, Biscuit, Chubs, Cream, Celia, Doodlebug, Elf, Flopsy, Fern, Furball, Gypsy, Honey and many more.

If there is something about your cat that strikes you as a standout feature or the tom cat has certain endearing or exasperating traits, then too you have several naming choices. Here are some examples to set you thinking. Boom-Boom for your male cat with impressive vocal chords, Jabba the Hutt or Gremlin if it reminds you of these popular characters, Hobo – if it is happiest outside home stalking birds and coming home only to eat, Karma if it is a lucky stray that you chose. Remember it is his good karma as well as yours that has brought the two of you together. And here’s a nice creative one for a Chinese breed – Chairman Meow (Mao)

The most popular male cat names in America for 2010 , are Bandit, Blackie,Charlie,Felix,Fritz,Jingles,Morris
Rebel, Scout and Tom.

Other potential ideas for names for your tom cat include names of famous fictional felines in books, comics, cartoons, real life personalities, technology, the universe, food items, etc.

wwltv.com

NEW ORLEANS – The National Weather Service has issued a Heat Advisory for the area today from 9am-6pm. Temperatures are expected to rise to the mid 90’s by this afternoon and the heat index may reach as high as 120o. The Louisiana SPCA (LA/SPCA) advises residents to ensure pets are kept cool.

Pet Owners should take the following precautions:

If your pet is outside during the day: provide protection from the sun and plenty of fresh water. Older, short muzzle and overweight dogs are more likely to overheat during hot weather. You can provide a wading pool to aid in cooling.

Leaving your pet in a parked car can be a deadly mistake. The temperature inside a car can reach 120 degrees in a few minutes. Even partially open windows won’t protect your pet from heatstroke.

Exercise your dog in the morning or evening when temperatures and pavement are cool. Paw pads can get injured from the hot pavement and melted tar can get stuck to pad and hair. Pets need exercise but do it in the cooler hours of the day.

Dogs in truck beds can suffer injury or heat stroke. If you cannot touch the hot truck bed with your bare hand, your dog should not be on the hot metal. Debris from the road damages eyes.

Know the Warning Signs: symptoms of overheating in pets include excessive panting or difficulty breathing, increased heart and respiratory rate, drooling, mild weakness, stupor or even collapse. They can also include seizures, bloody diarrhea and vomit along with an elevated body temperature of over 104 degrees. Animals with flat faces, like Pugs and Persian cats, are more susceptible to heat stroke since they cannot pant as effectively. These pets, along with the elderly, the overweight, and those with heart or lung diseases, should be kept cool in air-conditioned rooms as much as possible.

Heat Stroke: if your pet is suffering from any of the above symptoms transport him/her to your vet or an emergency clinic immediately. Affects from heat stroke can be long lasting and deadly

A California company is recalling one of its varieties of dry dog food sold in Oregon that tested positive for salmonella.

Natural Balance Pet Foods, Inc., of Pacoima, Calif., said it is pulling its 5-pound and 28-pound bags of Sweet Potato & Chicken dry dog food after a random test by the Food and Drug Administration turned up the bacteria, which can make both people and pets sick. Only bags with a best-by date of June 17 are affected.

Besides Oregon, the recalled product was sold in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

The company said no illnesses have been reported in connection with the product. Dogs sickened by salmonella can become lethargic, have decreased appetites, fever and abdominal pain. They can also develop gastrointestinal symptoms, such as diarrhea and vomiting.

The company can be reached at 800-829-4493.

– Lynne Terry

Barack Obama

* Bo – Portuguese Water Dog

George W. Bush

* Spot “Spotty” Fetcher (Mar 17, 1989 – Feb 21, 2004) – female English Springer Spaniel named after Scott Fletcher; Puppy of Millie; Euthanized after suffering a series of strokes.
* Barney – Scottish Terrier
* Miss Beazley (b. Oct 28, 2004) – Scottish Terrier; Nicknamed “Beazley Weazley”; 2005 birthday gift from George to his wife.
* India “Willie” – cat (b.1990-d.January 4, 2009)
* Ofelia – Longhorn cow (lives at Bush’s Crawford ranch)

Bill Clinton

* Socks – Chelsea’s cat (b.March 1989-d. February 20, 2009)
* Buddy – Bill’s chocolate Labrador Retriever (b.1997-Jan 2, 2002)

George H. W. Bush

* Millie – Springer Spaniel
* Ranger – one of Millie’s puppies[5][6]

Ronald Reagan

* Lucky – Bouvier des Flandres[7][8][9]
* Rex – Cavalier King Charles Spaniel [9][10]
* Victory – Golden Retriever [8][9]
* Peggy – Irish Setter [8][9]
* Taca – Siberian Husky [8][9]
* Fuzzy – Belgian sheepdog [8][9]
* Horses at Rancho del Cielo

Jimmy Carter

* Grits – Border Collie[6][11]; Given to his daughter Amy by her teacher, but quickly returned.[12]
* Lewis Brown – Afghan Hound[13]
* Misty Malarky Ying Yang, daughter Amy Carter’s pet – Siamese cat[14]

Gerald Ford

* Liberty – Golden Retriever[6]
* Misty – (Liberty’s puppy born in the White House)
* Shan – Siamese cat[15]

Richard Nixon

* Vicki – Poodle [6][16]
* Pasha – Terrier [6][16]
* King Timahoe – Irish Setter [6][16][17]
* Checkers – Cocker Spaniel (note: Checkers died while Nixon was vice-president, before becoming president, but had played a major role in his electoral career)

Lyndon B. Johnson

* Him and Her – beagles [6][18][19]
* Edgar- beagle [6][18][19]
* Blanco – white Collie [6][18][19]
* Freckles – Beagle [6]
* Yuki – mongrel [6][18][19]
* Hamsters and lovebirds[20]

John F. Kennedy

* Gaullie – Poodle[21]
* Charlie – Welsh Terrier [6]
* Tom Kitten – cat[22]
* Robin – canary[22]
* Bluebell and Marybelle – parakeets[22]
* Macaroni – pony [23]
* Tex and Leprechaun – ponies[22]
* Debbie and Billie – hamsters[22]
* Pushinka – mutt (gift of Russian premier, puppy of Soviet space dog Strelka)
* Shannon – Irish Cocker Spaniel [6]
* Wolf – (mutt, possibly part Wolfhound and Schnauzer)
* Clipper – German Shepherd[24]
* Butterfly, White Tips, Blackie, and Streaker – (offspring of Pushinka and Charlie)[6]
* Zsa Zsa – a rabbit
* Sardar – horse[25]

Dwight D. Eisenhower

* Heidi – Weimaraner [6]

Harry S. Truman

* Feller – Cocker Spaniel [1] [6]
* Mike – Irish Setter [6]

Franklin D. Roosevelt

* Fala – Scottish Terrier
* Majora – German Shepherd [6]
* Meggie – Scottish Terrier [6]
* Winks – Llewellyn Setter [6]
* Tiny – Old English Sheepdog [6]
* President – Great Dane [6]
* Blaze – Bullmastiff [6]

Herbert Hoover

* King Tut Belgian Shepherd[6][26]
* Pat – German Shepherd[6]
* Big Ben and Sonnie – Fox Terriers [27][28]
* Glen – Scotch Collie [27]
* Yukonan – Eskimo dog [27]
* Patrick – Irish Wolfhound [6]
* Eaglehurst Gillette – Setter [6]
* Weejie – Norwegian Elkhound [6]
* 2 Alligators

Calvin Coolidge

* Rob Roy and Prudence Prim – White collies [27]
* Peter Pan – Terrier [27]
* Paul Pry – Airedale Terrier [27]
* Calamity Jane – Shetland Sheepdog [27]
* Tiny Tim and Blackberry – Chow Chows [27]
* Ruby Rouch – Collie [27]
* Boston Beans – Bulldog [27]
* King Cole – German shepherd [27]
* Palo Alto – Bird dog [27]
* Bessie – Collie
* Rebecca and Horace – Raccoons [14]
* Ebeneezer – Donkey
* Nip and Tuck – Canaries
* Enoch – Goose
* Smoky – Bobcat
* Tiger – cat
* Tax Reduction and Budget Bureau – lion cubs
* Billy – Pygmy hippo
* A Wallaby
* A Duiker (a very small antelope)
* A black bear

Warren G. Harding

* Laddie Boy – Airedale Terrier[27]
* Old Boy – Bulldog [27]

Woodrow Wilson

* Davie – Airedale Terrier [27]
* Old Ike – Ram
* Puffins – Cat
* Mountain Boy – Greyhound
* Bruce – Bull Terrier
* songbirds
* sheep

William Howard Taft

* Caruso – Dog
* Mooly Wooly and Pauline Wayne – Cows

Theodore Roosevelt

* Pete – Bull Terrier [27]
* Skip – Rat Terrier [27]
* Jack and Peter – Terriers [27]
* Blackjack – Manchester Terrier
* Manchu – Pekingese [27]
* Rollo – Saint Bernard
* Sailor Boy – Chesapeake Bay Retriever [27]
* Tom Quartz and Slippers – Cats
* Emily Spinach – Garter snake
* Algonquin – Pony
* Maude – Pig
* Josiah – Badger
* Jonathan – Piebald rat
* Dr. Johnson, Bishop Doane, Fighting Bob Evans, and Father O’Grady – Guinea pigs
* Baron Spreckle – Hen
* Eli Yale – Macaw
* Fedelity – Pony
* Gem and Susan – Dogs
* A one-legged rooster

William McKinley

* Washington Post – Yellow-headed Mexican parrot
* Valeriano Weyler and Enrique DeLome – Angora kittens
* Roosters

Benjamin Harrison

* Whiskers – Goat
* Dash – Collie [27]
* Mr. Reciprocity and Mr. Protection – Opossums

Grover Cleveland

* poodle [27]
* mockingbirds

Chester A. Arthur

* No record of any pets

James A. Garfield

* Kit – Horse
* Veto – Dog

Rutherford B. Hayes

* Dot – Cocker Spaniel [27]
* Hector – Newfoundland [27]
* Duke – English Mastiff [27]
* Grim – Greyhound [27]
* Juno and Shep – Hunting dogs
* Jet – Dog
* Piccolomini – Cat
* Miss Pussy – Siamese Cat

Ulysses S. Grant

* Butcher Boy, Cincinnatus (a gift from the citizens of Cincinnati, Ohio), Egypt, Jeff Davis (his wartime mount), Jennie, Julia, Mary and St. Louis – Horses
* Billy Button and Reb – Ponies
* Faithful – Newfoundland [27]
* Rosie – Dog

Andrew Johnson

* Fed white mice he found in his bedroom

Abraham Lincoln

* Nanny and Nanko – goats
* Jack – Turkey
* Fido – Dog [27]
* Jip – Dog [27]
* Horse
* Rabbit

James Buchanan

* Lara – Newfoundland
* Punch – Toy Terrier
* Eagle

Franklin Pierce

* Seven miniature Oriental dogs
* Two birds from Japan

Millard Fillmore

* Mason and Dixon – Ponies

Zachary Taylor

* Old Whitey – Horse

James K. Polk

* Horse

John Tyler

* Le Beau – Italian Greyhound [27]
* Johnny Ty – Canary
* The General – Horse

William Henry Harrison

* Sukey – Cow
* Goat

Martin Van Buren

* Briefly owned two tiger cubs

Andrew Jackson

* Pol – parrot (taught to swear)
* Fighting cocks
* Bolivia, Emily, Lady Nashville, Sam Patches and Truxton – Horses

John Quincy Adams

* American Alligator
* Silkworms

James Monroe

* Spaniel [27]

James Madison

* Macaw – Parrot

Thomas Jefferson

* Dick, Mockingbird
* Buzzy and unknown – Briards (dogs) [27]
* 2 Bear Cubs
* Caractacus – Horse

John Adams

* Juno and Satan – Dogs
* Cleopatra – Horse

George Washington

* Sweet Lips, Scentwell and Vulcan – American Staghounds
* Drunkard, Taster, Tipler and Tipsy – Black and Tan Coonhounds [27]
* Royal Gift – Donkey
* Nelson – Horse

SANTA CRUZ — After seeing her dog hanging from outside a car window in May, a Santa Cruz woman used CPR to save its life.

Janet Rosenberg, a real estate broker in Santa Cruz County, used the technique of doing chest compressions and breathing into the animal’s nose to bring it back from the brink of death.

“I ran screaming to the car,” Rosenberg said about seeing Pearl, her Italian greyhound, hanging by the neck on a tether that was supposed to keep her secure inside the car.

One month later, Pearl is back to enjoying a normal life of frolicking in a large backyard, and Rosenberg is trying to spread the word that CPR is not just for humans.

Rosenberg often has Pearl in the car with her, in a harness designed specifically to hook dogs into an existing seat belt. While a client was touring a home aroundnoon May 15, Rosenberg said she ducked out to check on Pearl and found her hanging from the window. As a former hospital employee who had learned CPR, Rosenberg unhooked the dog from the harness, put her in the back seat and began doing mouth-to-mouth breathing, covering Pearl’s nose and mouth with hers.

“A couple of times I stopped, and just thought she was gone,” Rosenberg said.

But eventually, Pearl’s legs began to twitch and she began to pant.

Rosenberg put Pearl in the front seat and sped to the closest veterinary clinic in Soquel while continuing compressions. At the Animal Hospital of Soquel, Pearl’s eyes were pointed

in opposite directions, but the CPR was a success.

Pearl was lucky. According to the Veterinary Information Network, CPR on pets is often unsuccessful.

“I was sure they were going to come back and tell me that she had died,” Rosenberg said.

After a follow-up at another emergency veterinary clinic, veterinarians released Pearl, Rosenberg said. At Chanticleer Veterinary Hospital a few days later, Pearl was still acting normally, she said.

Jennifer Condreay, Pearl’s regular veterinarian, checked for signs of brain damage and eye injuries, and said, “I would not have known had Rosenberg not told me about it.”

Condreay said dogs are safer in kennels than in restraints. Rosenberg said she no longer tethers Pearl to the car, and brings her inside the office.

“She is my best friend,” Rosenberg said of her shelter adoptee. “I brought her home and the rest is history.”

if you go
upcoming Pet
first aid classes
WHERE: American Red Cross, 2960 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz
WHEN: 9 a.m. to noon June 26, 6-9. p.m. July 8, and 6-9 p.m. Aug. 12.
information: Contact Santa Cruz chapter of the Red Cross at http://bit.ly/dgBnun

Cats are beautiful, gracious, sinewy, attractive, and also timid, incredibly curious, and often a little dumb. All these qualities have invariably led to cats having a presence in our popular culture. Whether it is real life, animation, novels, fairy-tales, or poetry we have examples of feline icons that continue to please us just as they offered pleasure to the generation before us.

1) Puss in Boots – Puss in Boots started life in the imagination of a French fairytale writer in the 1690s and a good 300 odd years later caught the fancy of Hollywood and etched its name as an animation immortal and Shrek’s wiseguy swashbuckling sword-wielding smart-talking partner-in-adventures. Puss in Boots has been one of the most popular fairytale characters ever. Children the world over adore it and know its story just as they know the tales of Cinderella and Snow White.

2) Felix the Cat – Before Garfield, Tom from Tom and Jerry, and Sylvester Cat, there was one cat that had caught the imagination of the world and it ruled the roost during the silent era cartoons. This was Felix. Such was and is the popularity of Felix the Cat that it still features on a wide variety of merchandise such as clothes, bags, badges, toys, etc inspite of no serious effort at new Felix films for the last 80 years. Otto Messmer is credited with having created this cat with a black body, handlebar tail, and a wide grin. This guy was the cat equivalent of Charlie Chaplin in antics and popularity.

3) Thomas “Tom” Cat – One half of the evergreen and super popular Tom and Jerry, this cat is perhaps the closest to what tom cats are like in real life. A little dumb, mice catchers, havoc wreakers, a little chivalrous, at time helpless, but always adorable. Tom is easily one of the most recognizable cartoon characters, nay fictional characters of all time. Whether a kid or an adult, he or she is more likely to recognize Tom rather than any Shakespearean character. With Jerry, his slapstick antics have warmed many a heart for around three generations.

4) Canadian Parliamentary Cats – These guys are for real and a very lucky bunch. This lot lives in and around the property of the Canadian parliamentary buildings. Their upkeep costs around $6k per annum and the funds are totally dependent on donations from animal lovers from all over Canada. Canadians have taken warmly to the feline denizens of Parliament Hill in Ottawa. There is a six-member team that has been established to take care of not only the cats but also the raccoons and squirrels that have benefited from the space and freedom provided to the cats. The cats, on their part, pay back by keeping the rodent population in check and by simply being cats.

5) Heathcliff – A wisecracking anti-establishment cat that has been around since 1973 and very soon will have a film to its name with a voice over from Tom Hanks, no less. That’s a cool leap even if you already have more than a 1000 comic strips syndicated in newspapers worldwide. What’s Heathcliff’s claim to fame? Well, he’s sassy, chases female cats, gets into trouble, and at the end of it refuses to learn his lessons.

6) Garfield – This overweight, lazy, pizza-munching feline holds the record for being the most syndicated cartoon character in the world. Add to that full-length films and animated TV series and you want to ask what this cat does to deserve such love. Well, he does what most men want to do, avoid Mondays and diets, be ready with a quip, be cool, and be their own boss. He strikes a blow for cats all over the world every time he gets the better of Odie, Jon’s pet dog, and that happens almost all the time. His takes on Jon being a social misfit and forever pining for the love of Liz, Garfield’s vet.

7) Cheshire Cat – We have all heard the phrase “grinning like a Cheshire Cat”. Indeed, those of us blessed with a toothy gummy grin must have received comparisons with the Cheshire Cat’s grin. This cat has had quite an impact on popular culture, finding its way to the coat of arms of illustrious families, church carvings, political cartoons, television, merchandise, etc. Although Louis Carroll made the character famous as the wackiest in a book full of wacky characters – “Alice in Wonderland”; the origins of the phrase are shrouded in mystery. This feline probably takes the honors for being the most influential of all cats in popular culture.