Post by Brooke on Jan 21, 2004 18:22:19 GMT -5
September 21, 2003
Unconditional love and care keep these long-lived pets going
By ELAINE ROSE Staff Writer, (609) 272-7215, E-Mail
Press of Atlantic City
Laura Fermonte of Margate got a cat as a second birthday present. She and King grew up together, through good times and bad. Now Fermonte is 19, and King is 18.
Fermonte is convinced that love is what kept her kitty going for all those years.
"We make sure King gets the attention he needs and plenty of petting," wrote Fermonte, one of several dozen people to respond to The Press of Atlantic City's call for owners of long-lived pets. "King is not just a pet to our family, he is a member."
Whether their pets were 18, 20 or 22 years old, or a relatively young 13 or 14, many southern New Jersey pet owners said unconditional love is what keeps their pets healthy.
Veterinarians recommend dogs and cats be spayed or neutered and given regular check-ups and vaccinations to ensure a long, healthy life. Keep cats indoors and give dogs lots of exercise. Most suggest feeding commercial pet food only, but some say a few healthy table scraps are OK.
Lydia Crompton of Mays Landing said she followed most of the professional advice.
Crompton got White Fang in 1979, and got married seven years later. Her husband never forced her to choose between him and the cat, figuring it had only a few years left. He was wrong. White Fang died in 2000 at age 22.
Crompton said she made toys for White Fang and played fetch with plastic bracelets. Of course, the animal went to the veterinarian every year for its exam and shots.
Some southern New Jersey residents learned that if they took in a stray, it would reward them with many years of love.
Timothy Simpkins of Bridgeton found a dog on Laurel Street in November 1985. She had scabs from bite wounds, and weighed only 17 pounds. He took the little pooch in for a meal and a bath, and named it Mandy after a Barry Manilow song.
The veterinarian told Simpkins that Mandy was pregnant and had a heart murmur, Simpkins wrote. He guessed Mandy was 2 or 3, and gave her a few more years to live.
Simpkins said he took Mandy to the park once a week, and let her chase the squirrels. She got a can of dog food every day, along with turkey breast mixed into her kibble.
The vet was wrong about Mandy's life expectancy. She's still around and about 20 or 21 years old, Simpkins said. He has to carry her outside every day to do her business, but she still devours her dinner with gusto.
Rusty and Mittens were born April 6, 1984, and abandoned shortly thereafter, wrote Doris Haack of Upper Township. She took the littermates in when they were 2 months old, had them "fixed" and declawed and kept them indoors. The kitties died in May, about four weeks apart. They were 19.
"I think their long lives can be attributed to lots of loving care, good food and company for each other," Haack wrote.
Franky just showed up at the Kerbeck car dealership in Atlantic City 16 years ago, wrote Dawn Weber. Franky joined customers while they bought their cars and sat in on employee meetings. Sometimes he prowled at night, but was always there to greet the staff when they opened in the morning.
Now Franky is about 18 and a diabetic. Two women in the shop give him insulin twice a day, and his roaming days are over, Weber wrote.
"Over the years, many customers wanted to take Franky home, but he is home," Weber wrote.
Some have attitude
Pam VanMeter of Cape May Court House said her husband took a tiny kitten from a friend who was giving them away. They named it Kiwi for its orange color. That was 20 years ago.
Kiwi has lost some muscle tone and hearing in his old age, but he still wakes her up every morning and meows for breakfast, VanMeter wrote. Kiwi also stands his ground with their 80-pound bulldog.
"There is no secret to his longevity," VanMeter wrote. "He's just got attitude that won't quit."
Suzi was 15 when boy thingy and Nancy Waddell of Ocean City adopted her from Greyhound Friends of New Jersey. She died in April at age 20.
"We can't help but feel that she gave way more to us than we gave to her," Nancy Waddell wrote. "She enjoyed her life with us. That's what kept her going."
Uggy the toy poodle "just forgot to die," wrote Linda Astick of Brigantine about her 19-year-old dog. She got Uggy as a 6-week-old puppy in 1984, and her children played with the dog. Now it's the grandchildren who keep Uggy active.
"During her last vet visit, he asked what my secret was to her longevity," Astick wrote. "I replied it was all the table food he said not to give her. Her diet consists of beef, rice, veggies (raw and cooked), chocolate and lots of ice cream."
Duke belonged to a friend when Mike Timberlake of Hamilton Township met him in 1983, and they all went hunting together. After 10 years, the friend gave him the beagle.
Duke was never allowed inside, but had a well-constructed doghouse, Timberlake wrote. His wife prepared him good meals. Duke died last winter at 21, and is probably chasing rabbits in heaven.
Something in the water
Ginger Babe is a 19-year-old Shih Tsu who also eats well. Her "mom," Rose McGinty of Oceanville, Galloway Township, makes her a human-quality stew of chicken gizzards and hearts, with celery, onion, garlic, barley, carrots and egg noodles. Sometimes she gets liver and onions.
"She doesn't like dog food, and this way I know what she is getting," wrote McGinty.
London broil, chicken, vegetables and pasta, along with some vitamins, make up the diet of Daisy, a nearly 19-year-old dog who lives with Dee Evangelisti in Somers Point.
Evangelisti adopted Daisy at age 6 from the Ocean City Humane Society. Despite a bout of mammary cancer, losing her hearing and sight in one eye, Daisy still enjoys a daily walk around the block and running in the back yard, Evangelisti said.
Another present for a toddler lasted longer than expected. Lou Meyerowitz of Ventnor wrote that he and his wife bought two goldfish for their granddaughter's second birthday in 1994. The next morning, one of the fish was dead. Little Emily named the survivor Goo Goo.
Emily is now 11, and comes to visit Goo Goo, who at age 9, is still swimming, Meyerowitz wrote. He outgrew his small fishbowl and needed bigger quarters, and the family sings and talks to him.
So why did this fish live so long? Meyerowitz had one answer:
"Ventnor water, of course!"
To e-mail Elaine Rose at The Press:
ERose@pressofac.com
Unconditional love and care keep these long-lived pets going
By ELAINE ROSE Staff Writer, (609) 272-7215, E-Mail
Press of Atlantic City
Laura Fermonte of Margate got a cat as a second birthday present. She and King grew up together, through good times and bad. Now Fermonte is 19, and King is 18.
Fermonte is convinced that love is what kept her kitty going for all those years.
"We make sure King gets the attention he needs and plenty of petting," wrote Fermonte, one of several dozen people to respond to The Press of Atlantic City's call for owners of long-lived pets. "King is not just a pet to our family, he is a member."
Whether their pets were 18, 20 or 22 years old, or a relatively young 13 or 14, many southern New Jersey pet owners said unconditional love is what keeps their pets healthy.
Veterinarians recommend dogs and cats be spayed or neutered and given regular check-ups and vaccinations to ensure a long, healthy life. Keep cats indoors and give dogs lots of exercise. Most suggest feeding commercial pet food only, but some say a few healthy table scraps are OK.
Lydia Crompton of Mays Landing said she followed most of the professional advice.
Crompton got White Fang in 1979, and got married seven years later. Her husband never forced her to choose between him and the cat, figuring it had only a few years left. He was wrong. White Fang died in 2000 at age 22.
Crompton said she made toys for White Fang and played fetch with plastic bracelets. Of course, the animal went to the veterinarian every year for its exam and shots.
Some southern New Jersey residents learned that if they took in a stray, it would reward them with many years of love.
Timothy Simpkins of Bridgeton found a dog on Laurel Street in November 1985. She had scabs from bite wounds, and weighed only 17 pounds. He took the little pooch in for a meal and a bath, and named it Mandy after a Barry Manilow song.
The veterinarian told Simpkins that Mandy was pregnant and had a heart murmur, Simpkins wrote. He guessed Mandy was 2 or 3, and gave her a few more years to live.
Simpkins said he took Mandy to the park once a week, and let her chase the squirrels. She got a can of dog food every day, along with turkey breast mixed into her kibble.
The vet was wrong about Mandy's life expectancy. She's still around and about 20 or 21 years old, Simpkins said. He has to carry her outside every day to do her business, but she still devours her dinner with gusto.
Rusty and Mittens were born April 6, 1984, and abandoned shortly thereafter, wrote Doris Haack of Upper Township. She took the littermates in when they were 2 months old, had them "fixed" and declawed and kept them indoors. The kitties died in May, about four weeks apart. They were 19.
"I think their long lives can be attributed to lots of loving care, good food and company for each other," Haack wrote.
Franky just showed up at the Kerbeck car dealership in Atlantic City 16 years ago, wrote Dawn Weber. Franky joined customers while they bought their cars and sat in on employee meetings. Sometimes he prowled at night, but was always there to greet the staff when they opened in the morning.
Now Franky is about 18 and a diabetic. Two women in the shop give him insulin twice a day, and his roaming days are over, Weber wrote.
"Over the years, many customers wanted to take Franky home, but he is home," Weber wrote.
Some have attitude
Pam VanMeter of Cape May Court House said her husband took a tiny kitten from a friend who was giving them away. They named it Kiwi for its orange color. That was 20 years ago.
Kiwi has lost some muscle tone and hearing in his old age, but he still wakes her up every morning and meows for breakfast, VanMeter wrote. Kiwi also stands his ground with their 80-pound bulldog.
"There is no secret to his longevity," VanMeter wrote. "He's just got attitude that won't quit."
Suzi was 15 when boy thingy and Nancy Waddell of Ocean City adopted her from Greyhound Friends of New Jersey. She died in April at age 20.
"We can't help but feel that she gave way more to us than we gave to her," Nancy Waddell wrote. "She enjoyed her life with us. That's what kept her going."
Uggy the toy poodle "just forgot to die," wrote Linda Astick of Brigantine about her 19-year-old dog. She got Uggy as a 6-week-old puppy in 1984, and her children played with the dog. Now it's the grandchildren who keep Uggy active.
"During her last vet visit, he asked what my secret was to her longevity," Astick wrote. "I replied it was all the table food he said not to give her. Her diet consists of beef, rice, veggies (raw and cooked), chocolate and lots of ice cream."
Duke belonged to a friend when Mike Timberlake of Hamilton Township met him in 1983, and they all went hunting together. After 10 years, the friend gave him the beagle.
Duke was never allowed inside, but had a well-constructed doghouse, Timberlake wrote. His wife prepared him good meals. Duke died last winter at 21, and is probably chasing rabbits in heaven.
Something in the water
Ginger Babe is a 19-year-old Shih Tsu who also eats well. Her "mom," Rose McGinty of Oceanville, Galloway Township, makes her a human-quality stew of chicken gizzards and hearts, with celery, onion, garlic, barley, carrots and egg noodles. Sometimes she gets liver and onions.
"She doesn't like dog food, and this way I know what she is getting," wrote McGinty.
London broil, chicken, vegetables and pasta, along with some vitamins, make up the diet of Daisy, a nearly 19-year-old dog who lives with Dee Evangelisti in Somers Point.
Evangelisti adopted Daisy at age 6 from the Ocean City Humane Society. Despite a bout of mammary cancer, losing her hearing and sight in one eye, Daisy still enjoys a daily walk around the block and running in the back yard, Evangelisti said.
Another present for a toddler lasted longer than expected. Lou Meyerowitz of Ventnor wrote that he and his wife bought two goldfish for their granddaughter's second birthday in 1994. The next morning, one of the fish was dead. Little Emily named the survivor Goo Goo.
Emily is now 11, and comes to visit Goo Goo, who at age 9, is still swimming, Meyerowitz wrote. He outgrew his small fishbowl and needed bigger quarters, and the family sings and talks to him.
So why did this fish live so long? Meyerowitz had one answer:
"Ventnor water, of course!"
To e-mail Elaine Rose at The Press:
ERose@pressofac.com