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Last month we had a pretty robust discussion here on this blog about removing claws from kitties. The subject was in the news again this week, but in Southern California, not here in Southwestern Virginia.

The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved an ordinance banning cat declawing.

A similar ordinance was also approved in Beverly Hills and is being considered in Santa Monica and San Francisco. All of these cities are way behind West Hollywood, which banned the practice in 2003.

L.A.'s ordinance will take effect before Jan. 1, 2010, when the state will begin banning cities from regulating the practice of veterinary medicine. Violations will be misdemeanors.

What do you think, local readers? Would such a measure pass here in the Roanoke Valley?

(photo from wikimedia commons)

Meowza! We have a winner. A bit delayed in the annoucement, but nonetheless...

The commenter claiming the prize "Cat Lover's Daily Companion" is...Other John.

Other John wrote:

"Cats are great because they are fur-covered hot water bottles that help keep you warm during a cold winter's night! Also, they are part of the green energy movement as evidenced by their solar-power collection needs on the floor wherever the sun is shining brightest. They are fashion-conscious when it comes to coordinating white and orange fur on the darkest of pants and suits, wanting to jazz up that important business meeting you have in the morning with some color. And possibly most importantly, they are the world's most reliable alarm clocks, as their stomachs keep time better than the most expensive Rolex, and unlike the watch, they lack a snooze button so it's impossible to oversleep!"

Other John is a frequent commenter and a certified kitty slave. Other John: Please send an e-mail to pets@roanoke.com with your mailing address and the book is on it's way.

A very, very close second was Sharron Smith, wrote wrote:

"I am a dog person: I am unable to explain how I ended up with four cats and no dog. My life is littered with unused scratching posts, cat thrones with a view, litter boxes tucked in secluded recesses, and an assortment of feathery/squeaky items that clog my vacuum. I devote more time to the selection of cat food than I do to the selection of husband food. I receive birthday and holiday gifts with cat pictures, paw prints, and "purrfectly" witty sayings. We now have cat ornaments for the Christmas tree: last year we received a gift basket of cookies that had two bags of cat treats tucked inside. I often wonder what life would be like if I were a cat person."

The race was so close that if Sharron will also send an e-mail to pets@roanoke.com with her mailing address another lovely book may just find it's way to her mailbox.

Tails up to everyone for participating.

I hope everyone got out and celebrated End-of-the-Hateful-Political-Campaign-Ads-and-Robocalls Season by voting for the candidates that annoy you the least. I know I certainly did.

And now that the election is almost over, let's move on to more important issues: Cats.

Last week I made my own campaign promise to give lovers of kitties a chance to exercise their First Amendment rights after I gave away the book "Why Dogs are Better than Cats" book.

So, feline fans, let's hear it.

Type a short, witty comment about why cats rule and otherwise rock your world, and you can win a copy of "Cat Lover's Daily Companion: 365 Days of Insight and Guidance for Living a Joyful Life with Your Cat" by Kristen Hampshire, Iris Bass and Lori Paximadis.

The book is loaded with photos, information and fun facts about felines. The text covers a wide varitey of kitty cunundrums including choosing the right food and litter, explanations of cats' body language and what to do when kitty misses the box. I am really tempted to keep this one because it's great reference material.

So hit me with your best shot folks. What's so doggone great about cats? All comments entered until Friday at 10 a.m. will be considered, when a panel of feline-loving newsies will help me pick the very best one.

I've noticed that, despite the thesis of the book I gave away this week, that the blog has been dominated by felines and their devoted fans.  Cats will eventually reclaim the earth, mark my words.

Here's one last adorable photo. Meet lil bit, whose name is intentionally in lower case letters because pet mom Liz said when she adopted the kitten she was too small to handle capital letters.

Everyone have a safe holiday and a great weekend.

Diane Novak, local crusader and advocate for homeless cats, contacted me late yesterday and said she needed to find a placement PRONTO for eight semi-feral-but-fixed-and-vaccinated kitties living in a home in Southwest Roanoke.

I do not have many more details than that, but if you know of anyone who would be interested in a couple of barn cat buddies, now would be a great time to move on that. To read more about the program, click here.

Diane said the situation is rather dire and she really needs to place these cats ASAP. Contact her at diane@reikipets.com 

(File photo. Cats pictured are not the actual kitties that need rescued.)

Blog reader Wendy sent us this haunting photo of her cat, Prince Leo. Spoooooooky!

Reader Skip sent this picture of his calico kitty, Beeker (LOVE that name, by the way) blending into the autumn colors. Can you find her?

Remember Abby? Blog reader Sandy adopted this adorable feral kitten earlier this year. On top is a picture of Abby when she first came to live with Sandy, and below is a picture of Abby now, more than half way to being a grown-up kitty and ready to play what will surely be her annual role as the very best Halloween decoration ever.

Abby would like to remind everyone to have a safe and happy Halloween this Saturday. Remember to keep the candy, especially chocolate and gum, far away from nosy pet noses. Be careful to keep the pets away when opening the door to those spooky trick-or-treaters. And if you dress your pet in a costume, make sure she or he can move easily in it and doesn't get too hot.

And take pictures and e-mail them to pets@roanoke.com.

And if you are coming back to the Wag for the first time this week, check out the entry two posts below for details on winning a great book. Keep those dog vs. kitty comments coming folks.

 This spooky little snapshot was sent in from Eric:

"This one is of my boy Tigger when he was a kitten. When I hit the shutter release button on my digital camera he looked very normal. This is what came out. I guess the flash got to him."

Sure, it was just the flash. He's not plotting anything with that wicked smile. BWAHAHAHAHA!

Have a hairy-scary weekend, pet people. The Wag is back with the latest news on pets and furry-events on Monday.

I have been a negligent blogger lately. In addition to the blog and column, I am also the office manager and this is the time of year we work on budget. Ugh.

So I leave you this morning with a photo: This is Thai, who was sneaking up on me this morning and apparently auditioning for the role of Zombie Kitty. I swear I heard him hiss, "BRAINZ NOM NOM NOM!"

But that could have been me thinking about budget numbers. Eating my brainz. Nom nom nom.

If you have any spoooooky photos of your pets, e-mail them to pets@roanoke.com.