Happening Now…

Rest in Peace—CC (for Copy Cat or Carbon Copy), the first successfully cloned cat, was born in 2001 and died March 2, 2020, according to the Houston Chronicle. She gave birth to three kittens when she was 5 years old. Texas A&M University cloned CC with Genetic Savings & Clone Inc.

More “No Sales”—The Star Tribune says bills are underway in Minnesota to restrict the sale of dogs and cats at pet stores. California, Maryland, and New York have worked on similar laws.

Shelters Overwhelmed—The ASPCA established a $5 million COVID-19 Relief & Recovery Initiative. The funds will be distributed to animal welfare organizations overwhelmed by the unprecedented number of animals being turned in to local shelters due to the coronavirus, according to JAVMA News.

Cornell Research Grant—The Winn Feline Foundation awarded $25,000 to Gary R. Whittaker, PhD, professor of virology at Cornell University, to study the mechanism of action of doxycycline in inhibiting feline infectious peritonitis virus. Over $304,000 was awarded to 44 grant proposals for 2020.

Smart Momma—A veterinary clinic in Istanbul, Turkey, was surprised to see a stray cat rushing toward them in the emergency area. She had a sick kitten in her mouth. The veterinarians immediately reacted, helping the kitten, while momma kitty watched. Both momma and kitty were given food and comfort and are expected to be fine.

Food, Please—According to Simplemost, a woman bent down to pet a stray cat in Piedras Negras, Mexico. The cat responded by going to the door of a nearby convenience store, clearly “asking” her to open the door. Once in the store, the cat went right to the cat food and scratched at the bag he wanted. He got both the food and a new home. The woman adopted him and named him Conejo.n