Feedback on new cover please

[BookCat]

I so desperately wanted to avoid this indoor/outdoor cat debate and stay on the subject of DOGS. The reason being that I'm in the UK, where the norm is to let cats out (city and country) during the day, but keep them in at night.

I've had heated debates on other areas of the internet: youtube, US cat sites etc in which it's clear that the hazards, norms and fears are different in the UK and US. We have far fewer predator animals here, and cats hunt far less than many people think. In the UK most cats die from illnesses such as kidney failure, FLV (especially in unvaccinated cats) and cancer, rather than the dangers of outside. But I do understand that coyotes and the attitudes of people present a greater danger in the US.

Let's get back to the dogs. Generally, dogs are not free-roaming animals, so can only be "taken from the streets of Chicago" if there is no person there to protect them. City dogs are always on leashes, so how can this "dognap" occur in the novel? The plot confuses me. And dogs can be dangerous to anyone they don't like. Puzzling.

Sorry to hear of your experience, Hitch. In my experience, if cats become feral they form colonies based around a dominant female. They provide well for each other. Their main enemy is cold weather and mankind, though I've seen cases where people have been feeding the local ferals. But generally, they raid bins.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by BookCat

I so desperately wanted to avoid this indoor/outdoor cat debate and stay on the subject of DOGS. The reason being that I'm in the UK, where the norm is to let cats out (city and country) during the day, but keep them in at night.

I've had heated debates on other areas of the internet: youtube, US cat sites etc in which it's clear that the hazards, norms and fears are different in the UK and US. We have far fewer predator animals here, and cats hunt far less than many people think. In the UK most cats die from illnesses such as kidney failure, FLV (especially in unvaccinated cats) and cancer, rather than the dangers of outside. But I do understand that coyotes and the attitudes of people present a greater danger in the US.

Let's get back to the dogs. Generally, dogs are not free-roaming animals, so can only be "taken from the streets of Chicago" if there is no person there to protect them. City dogs are always on leashes, so how can this "dognap" occur in the novel? The plot confuses me. And dogs can be dangerous to anyone they don't like. Puzzling.

Sorry to hear of your experience, Hitch. In my experience, if cats become feral they form colonies based around a dominant female. They provide well for each other. Their main enemy is cold weather and mankind, though I've seen cases where people have been feeding the local ferals. But generally, they raid bins.

I actually had a dog kidnapped. Matter of fact every dog that was in a fenced yard right off of highway 50 from McClave, CO to at least Holly CO were kidnapped one morning. Including 2 dogs that had just been let outside to do their business. The earliest was taken around 6 and the last one reported missing was before 730. Those were the two let outside dogs and the people lived on the opposite ends. We never did find out if the dognappings went farther.

Some people in the US have outside dogs. Some are in fences. Others are allowed to free roam. A few just escape. Not many outside dogs (at least not where I live are kept chained up when they are in a fenced yard.

Even if a dog was on a chain or tether, how hard do you think it would be to unhook the tether or unhook a collar? They aren't locked.

Don't get me wrong. I have seen or heard of dogs being padlocked. Their owners usually wind up in cages.

Although with some dogs, you do have to make sure the ring holding the leash cannot be straightened. Otherwise they might straighten it, escape and decide to try to catch their own turkey dinner. He also had a harness not a collar because when he was younger, he would fly out the door, hit the end of his leash and jerk up.

So to me the story is very plausible.

Must ask, where did you get the idea that city dogs are always on leashes? Most are when they are attached to a human. Some aren't.

As to your comment about dangerous dogs, sometimes.
Fritzi didn't like dad but she was never violent towards him. Of course, she might have figured out the cat can inflict more pain and get away easier.
As to other people, if you came through the house, Fritzi would leave you alone, but don't leave your beer on the fence rail or it would be gone. If you tried to go through the gate leading to the backyard, Fritzi would attack. It didn't matter how many times you had been over or if we were in the backyard.

Of course, on that one some humans had to learn the hard way because "you children don't know what you are talking about". Then the whispers were which one of us goes and finds a parent while the other makes sure Fritzi doesn’t actually hurt this guy.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by BookCat

I so desperately wanted to avoid this indoor/outdoor cat debate and stay on the subject of DOGS. The reason being that I'm in the UK, where the norm is to let cats out (city and country) during the day, but keep them in at night.

I didn't know anyone here was debating. I simply stated that where I live, we cannot have small outside animals of ANY kind, dog or cat. I'm continuously heartbroken by the Lost Pet signs on my mailboxes, and they're almost always small dogs.

I've had heated debates on other areas of the internet: youtube, US cat sites etc in which it's clear that the hazards, norms and fears are different in the UK and US. We have far fewer predator animals here, and cats hunt far less than many people think. In the UK most cats die from illnesses such as kidney failure, FLV (especially in unvaccinated cats) and cancer, rather than the dangers of outside. But I do understand that coyotes and the attitudes of people present a greater danger in the US.

I fortunately haven't been involved in any of those. Honestly, given the attitudes of many humans--from any country--I try to stay away from all animal debates. It's hard enough living where I do, and seeing the "lost" posters up all the time.

Let's get back to the dogs. Generally, dogs are not free-roaming animals, so can only be "taken from the streets of Chicago" if there is no person there to protect them. City dogs are always on leashes, so how can this "dognap" occur in the novel? The plot confuses me. And dogs can be dangerous to anyone they don't like. Puzzling.

I see. Yes, in a big city like NYC, or perhaps London, the vast majority of dogs are on leashes. But some places, like Arizona's Phoenix, have large swaths of residential areas within their city/municipal boundaries, and there are MANY dogs that run free. (Typically because their owners are too lazy to get them proper exercise, but that's another discussion.)

Sorry to hear of your experience, Hitch. In my experience, if cats become feral they form colonies based around a dominant female. They provide well for each other. Their main enemy is cold weather and mankind, though I've seen cases where people have been feeding the local ferals. But generally, they raid bins.

We certainly don't have any ferals where I live, for the same reasons that we don't have outdoor pets under about 50-60lbs. But I have friends who live in the suburbs who have feral cat problems, and that is another heartbreaker.

Too many stupid or uncaring people, too many unhomed pets. It's always the same. I don't know how rescuers that do it full-time can handle it; I couldn't. I'd end up "The Cat Lady," or Pet Lady, with hundreds of animals.


Hitch

[BookCat]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

I actually had a dog kidnapped. Matter of fact every dog that was in a fenced yard right off of highway 50 from McClave, CO to at least Holly CO were kidnapped one morning. Including 2 dogs that had just been let outside to do their business. The earliest was taken around 6 and the last one reported missing was before 730. Those were the two let outside dogs and the people lived on the opposite ends. We never did find out if the dognappings went farther.

Some people in the US have outside dogs. Some are in fences. Others are allowed to free roam. A few just escape. Not many outside dogs (at least not where I live are kept chained up when they are in a fenced yard.

Even if a dog was on a chain or tether, how hard do you think it would be to unhook the tether or unhook a collar? They aren't locked.

Don't get me wrong. I have seen or heard of dogs being padlocked. Their owners usually wind up in cages.

Although with some dogs, you do have to make sure the ring holding the leash cannot be straightened. Otherwise they might straighten it, escape and decide to try to catch their own turkey dinner. He also had a harness not a collar because when he was younger, he would fly out the door, hit the end of his leash and jerk up.

So to me the story is very plausible.

Must ask, where did you get the idea that city dogs are always on leashes? Most are when they are attached to a human. Some aren't.

As to your comment about dangerous dogs, sometimes.
Fritzi didn't like dad but she was never violent towards him. Of course, she might have figured out the cat can inflict more pain and get away easier.
As to other people, if you came through the house, Fritzi would leave you alone, but don't leave your beer on the fence rail or it would be gone. If you tried to go through the gate leading to the backyard, Fritzi would attack. It didn't matter how many times you had been over or if we were in the backyard.

Of course, on that one some humans had to learn the hard way because "you children don't know what you are talking about". Then the whispers were which one of us goes and finds a parent while the other makes sure Fritzi doesn’t actually hurt this guy.

Yes, even here dogs are stolen from their gardens. We have slightly different housing: most people live in houses of various kinds, rather than apartments. If someone kept a dog chained up, a nosey neighbour would report them to the RSPCA who would assess the situation and either give them advice or take the dog. I had a visit after I'd rescued a feral colony of 8 during a cold winter, their story is in the details to this video of them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Flg8q7l70UQ&t=336s
Someone local complained that I had lots of cats and thought I was hoarding. The RSPCA woman who visited actually helped me with lots of food for them and a cat play tree (which they tore to pieces).

In most areas of the UK it's illegal to have a dog off a leash in public areas. If you live in the countryside dogs are let off leashes for a short time (apart from working dogs) but will be shot if they bother sheep.
We have the often-complained-about Dangerous Dogs Act, which names certain breeds of dogs who must be muzzled in public because they are considered killers. It was a badly thought out Act.

I assumed similar laws pertained to the US, obviously wrongly.

[BookCat]

Hitch: free roaming dogs are almost never seen in the UK; someone will always pick up a dog without a visible owner and take it to the police (dogs are a police matter here, you even have to report an RTA involving one).

The ferals I spoke of were numerous in an area which was 95% student. The students would adopt kittens, not neuter/spay them, then abandon them at the end of the academic year. Result: lots of ferals.
After a few years I noticed the pattern changed, instead of adopting kittens they would adopt one of the local ferals for term time, leaving the residents to feed them for the rest of the year. Once it had got to this stage I only rescued those who really needed it.
(Two of the cats I have now: Lucy and Cydric, mother and son, were nesting in my verandah, I fed them but took them to the vet when they developed cat 'flu. They were too wild to home, so I kept them.)

I've never had difficulty giving cats away provided I'd done all the home checks, a thorough check on the prospective peoples, and felt sure the cats were going to a good home. One of the home checks I did was at "pusscat heaven": a beautiful house on the edge of a field; they already had a few blissfully happy cats. They took three of my ferals: if you watch the vid, they had the twins and one of the adults. I kept in touch for a while and recieved email pics of them all snuggled on a bed with their other cats.

Sorry, got carried away.
PS I did become a Crazy Cat Lady for a while!

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by BookCat

Yes, even here dogs are stolen from their gardens. We have slightly different housing: most people live in houses of various kinds, rather than apartments. If someone kept a dog chained up, a nosey neighbour would report them to the RSPCA who would assess the situation and either give them advice or take the dog. I had a visit after I'd rescued a feral colony of 8 during a cold winter, their story is in the details to this video of them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Flg8q7l70UQ&t=336s
Someone local complained that I had lots of cats and thought I was hoarding. The RSPCA woman who visited actually helped me with lots of food for them and a cat play tree (which they tore to pieces).

In most areas of the UK it's illegal to have a dog off a leash in public areas. If you live in the countryside dogs are let off leashes for a short time (apart from working dogs) but will be shot if they bother sheep.
We have the often-complained-about Dangerous Dogs Act, which names certain breeds of dogs who must be muzzled in public because they are considered killers. It was a badly thought out Act.

I assumed similar laws pertained to the US, obviously wrongly.

Similar laws yes. Do people pay attention to them NO.
If your dog is running loose and you tell animal control it escaped, no penalties unless the animal harms a human.

Most people live in houses in the US too. Most apartments you cannot own a dog over 20 lbs because they have to be kept inside because most apartment complexes do not have individually fenced yards.

Oh I just noticed something. You said the UK had leash laws. Does one law like your Dangerous Dog Act apply to the entire UK?

No the US as a whole has no animal laws. That is up to the individual states.
Matter of fact, that applies to most things.
It has just been in the last 30 years that all the states have the same drinking age. Though every state regulates how alcohol is sold and in some states like Texas, the individual counties can decide whether they want to sell alcohol, then if a city/town in that county decides they don't want to sell alcohol that is up to them. Example : if I want a small bottle (airline size) of vodka, I can either go to a convenience store in New Mexico, not sure the hours or buy a larger bottle from 9 to 9 Monday through Saturday at a dedicated liquor store in Texas.
Marriage is another area that varies from state to state.

There are actually very few federal laws that apply across the board. Usually the feds only get involved if the crime crosses state lines.

[Catlady]

I believe most U.S. cities have leash laws, requiring dogs who are taken out in public to be on a leash, except in designated park areas and dog runs.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Catlady

I believe most U.S. cities have leash laws, requiring dogs who are taken out in public to be on a leash, except in designated park areas and dog runs.

Yes, they do. Do people pay attention to them No. There is not much enforcement either. I think in our town, there might be 2 animal control officers. Note we have over 100,000 people. Loose animals are not a police concern here unless said animal hurts someone.

Now the one place that the leash laws are fully in effect and enforced are most state parks and federal lands.
Note: The game wardens/park rangers will make you leave if you violate the leash laws.
One semi celebrity thought he was above that law. He found out otherwise, the second time he let his dog run wild. Warn once, then evict.

[doubleshuffle]

Originally Posted by duke313131

Hello,

I'm seeking help. When I send a book from Calibre to my Kindle device via email, it always fails. I've entered the email addresses correctly on amazon.com and calibre. Any advice?

Yes. Post your question in the calibre subforum.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by BookCat

Hitch: free roaming dogs are almost never seen in the UK; someone will always pick up a dog without a visible owner and take it to the police (dogs are a police matter here, you even have to report an RTA involving one).

The ferals I spoke of were numerous in an area which was 95% student. The students would adopt kittens, not neuter/spay them, then abandon them at the end of the academic year. Result: lots of ferals.
After a few years I noticed the pattern changed, instead of adopting kittens they would adopt one of the local ferals for term time, leaving the residents to feed them for the rest of the year. Once it had got to this stage I only rescued those who really needed it.
(Two of the cats I have now: Lucy and Cydric, mother and son, were nesting in my verandah, I fed them but took them to the vet when they developed cat 'flu. They were too wild to home, so I kept them.)

I've never had difficulty giving cats away provided I'd done all the home checks, a thorough check on the prospective peoples, and felt sure the cats were going to a good home. One of the home checks I did was at "pusscat heaven": a beautiful house on the edge of a field; they already had a few blissfully happy cats. They took three of my ferals: if you watch the vid, they had the twins and one of the adults. I kept in touch for a while and recieved email pics of them all snuggled on a bed with their other cats.

Sorry, got carried away.
PS I did become a Crazy Cat Lady for a while!

Seriously, you're awesome. I wish I could, but...I couldn't even bring myself to breed my champion mare, (that's a lady horse, for those of you not in the horse world), despite all the good horses that should have come from that, because I couldn't deal with the idea of selling one of her offspring and then finding out that it was mistreated, or worse. Killed for insurance. (High performance horses OFTEN do not have long, happy, carefree retirements, unfortunately.) Given that her babies would, in all probability, fall into that category, I felt that the likelihood of happy horse lives would be, maybe, 50/50. Even the well-intentioned buyers, oftentimes buy performance animals for which they are WOEFULLY overhorsed, and then you have a ruined horse, that has an unhappy fate. Like beaten dogs, it only takes one bad owner to set up a disastrous ending for a horse.

Spoiler:

(n.b.: ironically, she was killed in a barn accident. An effing stupid barn accident, too, and of course, then I was crushed that I had no offspring to carry on her superb genetics. Oh, well....THE horse. That once-in-a-lifetime horse, the one that actually can go all the way; was fully expected, by other people, not merely me, and well on the path, to be an Olympic horse...and she died in a stupid, stupid barn accident. Man, fate is cruel. And that was it for me. After a lifetime of horses, that one just put the stake in my heart, and I just stopped having horses. )

I never had any mad desire to breed companion animals, just because there are hundreds of thousands that need homes. Mixed or purebred, doesn't matter, they need homes. Shouldn't add to the animal population, if you can't be 10000% sure that you know precisely where the animals will go, and that they shan't be bred, either. (The woman from whom we obtained our adult female and the male kitten has a pretty-strict, no-breeding policy for the kitties she sells as companion, not show or breeding, animals, and you are REQUIRED to provide proof of neutering within X weeks of the time that the baby comes home with you. We share a Vet, so I didn't have to--he just told her--but that's an excellent policy.)

And, god, you think I'm bad, Mr. H would NEVER let me adopt out a rescue to a forever home. LOL. NEVER.

Hitch

[AnotherCat]

Here in NZ it is very much as BookCat describes for the UK for cats and dogs.

Dogs can be off a leash only in prescribed exercise areas in urban areas (and those may be limited to certain times of the year or of the day) and in the country if caught worrying farm animals can be legally shot. Most cats are free to go outside; we have no land mammals here of any danger to cats or dogs, cat's (and sometimes dogs) biggest danger is road traffic. Nor do we have any small native land mammals to be in danger from cats (unlike Australia, for example). We have 3 cats, the 2 pedigrees have lived inside since kittens and know no better, the other was rescued at around 3 months age and was used to being outside and we let her do so when she wants.

Regarding stray cats, including those in colonies, they are treated here very much the same as BookCat describes for the UK but if they are trapped they are also microchipped before release. If the trapped cat(s) has a "minder" it may also have one ear clipped (about 1cm removed from the tip) so if it is trapped or complained about as being a stray it is left to go free as known to be in "care". A stray cat that has become a household pet friendly to its owners but unfriendly to strangers may also have an ear clipped so that it will be left alone - such cats will be neutered, microchipped and ear clipped for just a nominal cost to the adopter.

[Catlady]

Reputable rescues here require neutering--usually they have the cats microchipped and neutered before adopting them out; if a cat is adopted before neutering, the adopter is required to have the cat neutered. The adopter is also required to sign a contract agreeing not to have the cat declawed, and if the adopter can't keep the cat, it has to be returned to the rescue.

The first time I adopted through a rescue, I was surprised at the red tape--I had to provide references and answer questions about my home environment, and I had to agree to a home visit. And of course I had to pay an adoption fee.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by BookCat

We have far fewer predator animals here, and cats hunt far less than many people think. In the UK most cats die from illnesses such as kidney failure, FLV (especially in unvaccinated cats) and cancer, rather than the dangers of outside.

FLV is a danger of being outside.

[AnotherCat]

Originally Posted by meeera

FLV is a danger of being outside.

Yes I agree, especially for young cats.

It does depend where one is though; for example, FLV exists in NZ but our vet has never seen a case in our region and so recommends not bothering vaccinating for it (the vaccine being unreliable in any event).

But it can be a real danger and ultimately fatal.

[BookCat]

On the issue of FLV, most domestic cats are vaccinated against it, though the virus isn't infectious in the way that 'flu is. It requires the exchange of bodily fluid, as in mating or fighting. Neutered/spayed cats are less likely to become involved in fights or naughties (although I have a neutered male and spayed female who occasionally 'mate' - strangely he never tries the same thing with his mother.)

As to UK laws, most apply to the whole of the UK, although Scotland has autonomy in certain areas. We're just too small to have separate laws for each county.

I had lots of help with the rescues: Cats Protection gave me neuter/spay vouchers which covered the entire cost. This was because they were feral cats and they encouraged the neutering of them. They were a great help. The cats were always neutered/spayed before going to their forever homes. Oh, the scratches I got trying to get the little 'darlings' into carrying cages!

The vet I used didn't agree with ear-tipping for some odd reason; as I wasn't intending to release the cats this wasn't too much of a problem. The group in the video seemed easier to socialise (though I did have one stupid man who came, with his wife, to see them, who ignored my "do not touch them!" and got scratched for his pains. He walked out complaining about me keeping wild animals; I had warned him, and the details on CatChat stated explicitly that they were feral!)

Lucy's group were very wild. She's happy to live with me, but still runs and hides if I try to touch her. Cydric likes being fussed but won't let me cuddle him. Victoria has her affectionate moments, but she came from the group in the video.

Hitch, so sorry to hear about your horse. I did all the cross-questioning of potential owners that you speak of, and visited their homes. Many people wanted to adopt the ginger twins, but only one couple seemed worthy of them, and they took one of the adults also. I would ask for a donation, rather than 'sell' the cats. I hate the idea of trading in animals.

One of the kittens went to a friend - I still see the now-adult cat sometimes - she had him checked for FIV before taking him, he was negative, as were any of the others who were checked.

I've never had a dog. I'm a bit frightened of them; even though I've dealt with ferocious feral cats (she says, looking at the soppy balls of fur sleeping next to her!)