One of the privileges of maintaining a blog is the ability to refer to other works that express my thoughts on a subject at least as well as I could. In that spirit, I endorse the following article by Don Gwillim of the Christian Vegetarian Association UK, courtesy of all-creatures.org:

Is a Vegan Lifestyle God’s Will for Humankind?

Representative Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) is sponsoring a bill before the House of Representatives to amend the Internal Service Code in favor of pet owners. H.R. 3501 — the Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years (HAPPY) Act — provides for tax deductions up to $3,500 for pet care, including veterinary services.

This difficult economic environment has affected domestic animals and their caretakers in particularly cruel ways. Pets that have been part of human society throughout our recorded history are being abandoned to overcrowded shelters; or worse, left in vacant apartments and foreclosed homes. Shelter adoptions have declined as people are reluctant to take on the expenses of responsible pet ownership, such as spaying/neutering and vaccinations. H.R. 3501 would help reverse this hardship, by relieving the associated costs of pet ownership and reducing the burdens on shelters, including the municipal ones already funded by tax dollars.

The text of the bill is available at OpenCongress.

Please consider signing this petition in favor of the HAPPY Act.

Update: A correspondent in the comments informs me that The Pet Exemption Mission is the official website. Thanks, Sharon!

I was intending to write a piece about being vegan during the holidays, but I’ve been preoccupied with a feline situation this week. In the meantime, enjoy one of my favorite bits of computer humor:

Know Your System Administrator

In case you’re wondering, I was a Technical Thug during my I.T. career, with occasional hints of Maniac.

The litter box hutch is (mostly) done, now that I’ve added a carpeted ramp and splash guards for the wall-facing edges.

The ramp is made from two sections of old plywood and wrapped in cut pieces of a spare area rug. It’s attached to the top platform with a standard door hinge, which allows us to lift the ramp for easier access to the rear litter box. If any of our cats prefer steps, they can improvise with our stockpile of boxed litter. The splash guards are aspen plywood sections cut to 12″ high.

It’s been great watching the cats use this. They can jump from the top platform to our dresser and the other cat furniture, circumnavigating the whole room without ever using the floor.

I take a little time out from my household projects to note this remarkable convergence of two of my passions — cats and computers.

IBM Builds Biggest Cat Brain Ever

I especially like the line about “progenitor of a race of robo-cats”. If they’re going to the trouble of denying it, you know some evil genius must have suggested it.

This would be a good occasion to develop a new programming language just for this simulation. “LOLcat” could notify us of syntax errors by saying “Ur doin’ it wrong”. It could literally jump to a subroutine, sometimes with comical results. “Dumping core” could be described as “coughing up a hairball”.

The problem: Multiple cats requiring multiple litter boxes. Limited floor space.

The solution: Think vertically, like a cat.

I built this litter box hutch yesterday. Although I don’t have the equipment or experience for serious woodworking, this simple design serves its purpose and the cats seem to enjoy using both levels. The platforms are solid aspen and the top level has proven sturdy enough to hold several litter boxes and cats. It’s a work in progress — soon I’ll add “splash” guards for the back and left sides, sisal rope wound around and stapled to the front posts for scratching, and possibly bottom legs and extra crossbeams. I’d like to add a stairway and/or ramp, more for entertainment than necessity. At 30″ tall, the upper platform is well within hopping distance of even our oldest cats.

Working with boards and beams, saws and drills, it occurred to me yesterday that I’ve spent more than twenty years building and repairing abstractions — computer commands, scripts, specifications or manuals; then sentences, paragraphs, articles or proposals. This isn’t the first time I’ve build a solid object, by far, but it’s been too long since I’ve felt the satisfaction that comes from creating a physical thing. I think I’ll make more sophisticated woodworking an ongoing project. Already I have ideas for other hutches, ramps, stairs and beds.

Cats must be entertained, after all.

NOTE: Here’s a later post with updates and a better picture.