Kudos to a kind kiddo for her generous donation

Treasure McNeil just celebrated her birthday and asked for donations for the humane society rather than gifts for herself. Thanks a bunch, Treasure, for thinking of the animals. We appreciate you!

When you come to the Humane Society of Central Arizona, you walk through the front door and are greeted by some very friendly cats. We’d like to think we have them trained as our greeters, but we all know people don’t train cats, they train us.

Cats are amazing creatures. They can be so loving and kind. They can also cure the blues with their funny antics and playful behaviors. Cats are good for the soul. They are nurturers.

Having a cat as a pet is likely not as high maintenance as having a dog. A cat doesn’t need to go out multiple times a day to go potty. They won’t hog the entire bed at night while they cuddle with you. They don’t require frequent walks or trips to the dog park to play ball. Don’t get me wrong, dogs are wonderful, too, but sometimes a cat is a better choice for someone who may not have enough time to give a dog.

Cats are great pets to have if you work a 9 to 5 job. They will be excited to see you when you get home. After dinner, it will be time to curl up with you while you read or watch TV. Sounds like the good life to me.

If you’re ready to consider bringing a cat into your home and heart, come by the shelter and meet some of our cuddly kitties. Now, lets get to some Fun Feline Facts.

• One female cat and her offspring, left to breed at will, can produce 420,000 kittens in just seven years. That is a lot of unwanted cats which is why spaying and neutering is so important.

• The first animated cat was Krazy Kat, a cartoon strip drawn by George Herriman that made the transition from paper to film in 1916. Other popular animated cats include, Felix the cat, Garfield and Tom from Tom and Jerry. The first full-length feature film with a feline star was “Gay Puree,” made in the 1960s. Judy Garland was the voice of Mewsette, the star of the film.

• Although a kitten is blind at birth, the touch receptors in the nose are already developed, and touching noses helps a kitten make contact with his mother. This practice of nose touching remains a friendly greeting for other cats (and humans) throughout a cat’s life. Here at HSCAZ we often approach a new cat that comes in this same way.

• The orange gene that results in the tortoiseshell coat pattern is linked to the gene that determines a cat’s sex. This means nearly all tortoiseshell cats are female, and the rare male tortie is usually sterile.

Home Cinema @ The Digital Fix - Classic Musicals from the Dream ...

Warner Home Video have announced the Region 1 DVD release of Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory Volume 2 for 24th July 2007. This collection of seven newly-remastered favorites from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s Golden Era features the DVD debuts of The Pirate , That’s Dancing , and Words and Music along with two new to DVD Double Feature discs: a pair of Mario Lanza/Kathryn Grayson musicals -- That Midnight Kiss and Toast of New York , and two Fred Astaire favorites -- Royal Wedding/ Belle of New York . Following last year’s successful Volume 1 (reviewed here ) this second collection of the fabled studio’s vintage musicals features some of the most memorable numbers by the greatest stars of the genre, top lined by the Hollywood musical’s golden trio of immortal legends –- Judy Garland, Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. Landmark numbers include Fred Astaire dancing on the ceiling and with a coat rack, Gene Kelly’s “Be a Clown,” and Judy Garland belting out “Johnny One Note.” The talents of Mickey Rooney, Jane Powell, Lena Horne, Ray Bolger and many more stars are also showcased. Each feature film has been meticulously restored and remastered from its original elements and complemented with new featurettes, commentaries, rare outtake musical numbers, radio interviews, audio only bonus outtakes and vintage cartoons. The titles will be available individually for $19.97 SRP, the 2-disc Double Features will sell for $24.98 SRP and the seven-disc collection will sell for $59.92 SRP. A treasure trove of fun awaits when a Caribbean beauty (Judy Garland) with a mad crush on a legendary pirate meets a vagabond actor (Gene Kelly) who poses as the scoundrel. Vincente Minnelli, who was married to Garland at the time, directs, bringing his uncanny skill with color and design to this joyous romp set to Cole Porter tunes. Mixing tremulous girlishness with hellcat hilarity, Garland was never better as a comedienne. Parodying the rakish style of Fairbanks and Barrymore, Kelly duels, dupes and dances with buccaneer bravado. All by itself, his Be a Clown (danced with the Nicholas Brothers and reprised with Garland) is reason enough to love the film.

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