New Tails and Tidbits

*Words from the* Whisker Walk
Volume 8 August 11, 2008
Whisker Walk stop 8 - Burlington That's a whopper! Whisker Walk Day 8 takes us to the famed Tall Tales Trail in Burlington. The trail is actually a number of plaques on area businesses commemorating many of the award-winning lies collected since 1929 by the Burlington Liars Club. The Liars Club was started by two local reporters who made up a story about a lying contest between the city's fire and police departments. According to the story, the judges were going to award the prize, when they asked the police chief if he wanted to compete. His reply: "Me? Why, I never told a lie in my life." He was instantly pronounced the winner. The fictitious story inspired the real Liars Club, which collects hundreds of lies a year and announces an annual winner. Note to Barak Obama, John McCain, etc. -- don't bother sending in your entry; the Burlington Liars Club considers politicians professional liars, and thus ineligible for the prize. Note from Whisker Walk commentator Maggie: I never jump on the kitchen counters when my people aren't home . . . Information sources: "Weird Wisconsin" by Linda S. Godfrey and Richard D. Hendricks.	Cat's Pajamas Trivia Talk the talk while you are walking the walk with our Cat's Pajamas trivia. Trivia Question: Our Whisker Walk commentator, Maggie, is named after a character in what Tennessee Williams play? E-mail your answer to jmaager@foxvalleypets.org Put "trivia answer" in the subject line. A winner will be chosen at random from the correct responses. The winner will receive a $10 gift card to Tom's Drive In. You must be a registered participant in the Whisker Walk or a donor to one of our Whisker Walk fundraising pages to play. Winners will be notified after the walk finishes on September 15. Thanks for playing! Yesterday's question and answer: Q. Calico and tortoiseshell cats all have this trait in common. A. They are all female! The genes that govern a cat's color pattern are tied to the X and Y chromosomes, the same chromosomes that determine the cat's sex. Once in a while a male cat is born with a calico or tortoiseshell coat, but they are almost always sterile.
What does your donation do? Your $75 donation to the Whisker Walk will pay for the water to clean the animals' kennels, cages and bedding for one week. Donate online now! Thank you!	Hey Whisker Walkers! Do you have a great story to share about your FVHA alumni cat? Please send it to jmaager@foxvalleypets.org. Perhaps we can use it next year in our Words from the Whisker Walk!
*Shelter Alumni Spencer* "Bombproof" kitty meets his (love) match in house of kids Cats are surrendered to Fox Valley Humane for a huge variety of reasons. Spencer, along with his two brothers, came to the shelter because his owner was going to jail. While this bit of history might sound a little ominous, Spencer and his brothers were the exact opposite of what this seemed to suggest: they were neutered, vaccinated, well-cared for, super-social cats. They had also obviously been around children. When a family with young kids came to the shelter looking for another cat to add to their household, the shelter staff steered them toward Spencer. Cats who've been around kids develop one of two personalities, the staff member said: they hide and want nothing to do with them or they become "bombproof." Spencer is "bombproof." Loving and affectionate, the cincher was when the 4-year-old boy picked him up (in his very 4-year-old way) and Spencer purred. Spencer now enjoys an excess of preschooler/toddler hugs, kisses, cuddles and more. And he's still purring.
Whisker Walk miles covered today: 366 Total miles "walked": 1,537