Friday, November 8, 2013

Cat Protection Society Open day & Sculptures by the Sea & Links

Hero was rescued by the Cat Protection Society. He has three legs, but doesn't let that stop him - he is perfectly capable of throwing everything off my desk (here he is caught in the act!).
If you're looking for something awesome and animal oriented to do this weekend, the Cat Protection Society is holding an open-house from 11-2pm. You can come and listen to talks by CPS staff, pick their brains about the ins-and-outs of feline behaviour, and even hear a talk on feline health. 

Its also a very good opportunity to meet some of the residents and consider opening your heart and home to a new cat. Or two. You can tour the cattery, see first-hand how the cats are cared for, and go into the draw to win some very cool feline-oriented prizes (for more info click here).

Phil attending Sculptures by the Sea - attracting as much attention as the sculptures.
If you're looking for inspiration for a canine-oriented activity, consider visiting Sculptures by the Sea. To avoid crowds, Phil and I recommend getting there are the crack of dawn or as close to as possible to it. The exhibition ends on Sunday. It is always held at an awkward time of year - those around me are either studying for exams, or madly marking exams, but you still have to make time to walk the dog and you might as well walk him through the most spectacular outdoor art gallery on the planet!

Mornings: they hurt less when you're surrounded by extraordinary natural beauty.
And if you are neither studying for nor marking exams over the weekend, why not do both? 

For the lizard-oriented, the Centre for Veterinary Education is hosting an upcoming webinar by South Penrith Veterinary Clinic veterinarian Robert Johnson (readers might know him as the vet who performed the incredible caesarion on the pink-tongued skink). He will be covering everything from how to look like a lizard vet (this could be read in several ways and part of me hopes it involves sequins and fake scales), to common species and conditions, diagnostics, medicating lizards, anaesthesia and surgery. The webinar runs on November 21. For more details and registration click here.


Spike the lizard. An appropriate name given that spectacular armour, don't you think?
VMD Technology posted this guide to negative pressure wound therapy which I found helpful. 
Finally, this post has been doing the rounds of the internet (be careful before you click - it is a bit gross). I have a strong stomach but there's possibly no way I could contemplate actually ingesting these "anatomically accurate" cakes. The hydronephrotic kidney is exceptional, but having met some of these in real life I wouldn't be tempted to have a nibble on anything that remotely resembled one!