The “world’s greatest cat benefactor” is Italy’s Albertina Di Mascio.

This 70-year-old woman gives up almost all of her and her husband’s entire monthly retirement check to care for stray cats in the area.

“If I didn’t have the cats, I’d be at home all the time. Instead they keep me in good health,” Di Mascio said. “It’s an addiction, caring for so many animals.”

This lover of cats wakes up early every morning and prepares water, cat food, and milk before going on her daily rounds to feed at least 120 stray cats in the north Milan quarters of Niguarda and Greco, Italy. She cares for all of the cats by herself. She takes sixty cans of cat food, two quarts of milk, and fifteen quarts of water, and six pounds of cat biscuits with her.

She purchases so much cat food that a wholesale company now delivers it to her own door twice a month.

It all began 15 years ago when her daughter brought a stray cat home. Di Mascio then found other cats in the basement and in the neighborhood. People started to tell her where there were more stray cats. As she started to care for the stray cats in the area, she saw that their health improved. The cats are all beautiful and healthy now because of Di Mascio’s efforts and hard work.

Di Mascio spends so much of their retirement money on feeding the cats that there is not much left for her and her husband. She said her and her husband live on bread, tomatoes, tuna, and watermelon. The rest of the money goes on cat food.

She and her husband don’t mind giving up luxuries, and she said that is why she is healthier for it.

Di Mascio also has 30 cats of her own at their house.

Source: Axcess News

A grassroots effort by pet owners in Texas seeks modification of existing law to allow senior and sick pets to forego state-mandated rabies vaccinations.

A petition recently presented to the Texas Department of Health Services, Zoonosis Control Department asks the Department to give attending veterinarians discretion in assessing the risk of rabies exposure versus the risk of an adverse or potentially fatal reaction to a rabies vaccine.

Supporters of the proposed change in policy hope that companion animals will qualify for an exemption if they previously submitted to at least two rabies shots and suffered adverse reactions, or if they are prone to reactions, or are in the care of a licensed veterinarian for a chronic or acute illness. The exemption would not excuse pet owners from licensing their pets according to local ordinances, but it would allow them to protect the animal’s health and remain in compliance with state law.

The Texas Department of Public Health adopted a 3-year interval between rabies vaccinations for dogs and one year for cats in 2003, bringing state law into accord with recommendations to curb unnecessary vaccinations made by many veterinary medical schools and professional associations. However, the final decision about the interval for rabies booster shots has been left to each individual community.

Many Texas counties and cities still require annual rabies vaccinations, regardless of the condition of the animal. No provision has been made for companion animals with acute or chronic health issues being treated by a licensed veterinarian.

All rabies vaccines licensed by the USDA specify on their label, “For administration to healthy dogs and cats.”

Pamela Picard, a Texas pet owner who launched the petition declared, “To require re-vaccination when a booster shot will put the patient’s life at risk in direct contradiction to the manufacturer’s labeling is state-sanctioned malpractice. A pet owner should not have to choose between endangering an animal’s health and obeying the law.”

Many veterinary services, grooming and boarding services, trains and airlines require proof of a current rabies vaccination. This forces Texas pet owners to obey the current law or risk denial of services and/or possible seizure of their pet by animal control authorities.

Dr. Bob Rogers, D.V.M. a Houston, TX veterinarian who is providing the science to support the need for a rabies exemption, believes that granting this exemption poses little risk to any community.

By contrast, the consequences of repeated vaccinations for an animal in a compromised state of health can be serious. Veterinarians worldwide cite an epidemic of common problems that they believe are linked to vaccines, including ear or skin conditions, chronic discharges, itching and behavior problems.

The proposed rule change will be published for public comment later this year. For more information, visit Pet Wellness Update or Critter Advocacy.

HEART SURGEON RELATES ASTOUNDING ACCOUNT OF A RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD

The audience of 120 doctors from 50 countries sat in stunned silence as a renowned heart doctor produced evidence of how, after he had prayed for a patient who had died and was being prepared for the morgue, was brought back to life after prayer.

Dr. Chauncey W. Crandall IV, who serves at the Palm Beach Cardiovascular Clinic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, made his dramatic presentation at the 4th Annual World Christian Doctors Network Conference in Miami, Florida. He produced dramatic evidence that was shown on the screen and then, afterwards, agreed to tell the story to Assist News Service in an interview with Dan Wooding. The following is the interview as conducted by Dan:

Dr. Crandall began by saying that the dramatic incident took place almost a year ago in West Palm Beach, Florida. "We had a fifty-three year old man who came to the emergency room with a massive heart attack and actually his heart had stopped," he said. "The medical people had worked on him for over forty minutes in the emergency room and then declared him dead. "They called me in to evaluate the patient towards the end of his treatment where they had unsuccessfully tried to revive him.  

The nurse was preparing his body to be taken down to the morgue when the Holy Spirit told me to 'turn around and pray for that man.' When the Holy Spirit talks to you, you have to respond. It's sometimes a quiet voice and this was a quiet voice and to honour the Lord I did turn around and I went to the side of that stretcher where his body was being prepared.

"There was no life in the man. His face and feet and arms were completely black with death and I sat next to his body and I prayed, 'Lord, Father; how am I going to pray for this man? He's dead. What can I do?' All of a sudden, these words came out of my mouth, 'Father, God, I cry out for the soul of this man if he does not know You as his Lord and Saviour, please raise him from the dead right now in Jesus name.

"It was amazing as a couple of minutes later, we were looking at the monitor and all of a sudden a heart beat showed up. It was a perfect beat; a normal beat; and then after a couple more minutes, he started moving and then his fingers were moving and then his toes began moving and then he started mumbling words. "There was a nurse in the room-she wasn't a Believer-and she screamed out and said 'Doctor Crandall, what have you done to this patient?' And I said, 'All I've done is cry out for his soul in Jesus name.'

"We quickly rushed the gentleman down to the intensive care unit, and the hospital was by now buzzing about the fact that a dead man had been brought back to life. After a couple of days he woke up. He had an amazing story to tell after I had asked him, 'Where have you been and where were you on that day that you had that massive heart attack? You were gone and we prayed you back to life in Jesus name.'  

"He said, 'Doctor Crandall, it's the most amazing thing. I was in a dark room and there was no light. It was complete darkness and I felt I was in a casket and I kept repeating that I was so disappointed.' He said the disappointment came from the fact that none of his family, friends or colleagues, had come to visit him. Then he told me, 'All of a sudden, these men came in and they wrapped me up and they threw me in the trash.'  

"Dan, he was in hell that day and as he told me that story, I cried out, 'Lord, this gentleman needs to accept You as Lord and Saviour.' I then explained the salvation message to this man as he sat in that bed and I held his hand and I cried out, 'Father God, in the name of Jesus, I pray that this man accepts you as his Lord and Saviour right here in the intensive care unit.' He held out his hand and accepted Christ as his Saviour with tears rolling down from his eyes and now he's a child of God. "I told him, 'You never have to be thrown in the trash into total darkness now. The life of Christ is in you and the light of the kingdom of Heaven is on you now."

I asked Dr. Crandall if there had been any brain damage to the patient. "No there was no brain damage at all; his brain was completely normal," he said. "I was most concerned about his hands because his fingers were completely black and he had some numbness in his fingers and his feet, but now that is totally resolved."

I asked Dr. Crandall if he could give the name of the man and he said he couldn't as the patient had requested that it would not be revealed. "All I can say is that he was fifty-three years old and he was a car mechanic," he said. "He had a family who were Believers, but he left them twenty years ago because he didn't believe in the Lord. His family continued to pray for twenty years for his salvation, and his ex-wife was on her hands and knees praying for the salvation of her ex-husband, who came to know the Lord that very day".

I concluded the interview by asking Dr. Crandall what he would like to say to doctors who do not believe in supernatural healing."I would just like to say to my colleagues and physicians out there, that the Lord is real. We've seen many miracles and we pray for our patients daily. There is not one week that goes by that we don't see a mighty miracle in our office. The people need this; they need the power of Christ in their life and they need the power of Christ for healing.

"I would just encourage my fellow doctors to get involved in a church, meet with a minister, and attend a healing service run by people that believe in the power of Jesus Christ. We love our colleagues in medicine-we pray for them."

Source: Assist News/Christian Doctors Network

DISCOVERY OF HUGE UNDERGROUND LAKE IN DARFUR COULD BRING END TO CONFLICT

According to geologist Farouk El-Baz, director of the Boston University Centre for Remote Sensing, a huge underground lake (the size of Lake Erie) has been found in Sudan's Darfur region which could help end the conflict in the arid region, and with the agreement of the Sudanese government, as many as 1,000 wells could be drilled in the region.  

"Much of the unrest in Darfur and the misery is due to water shortages," El-Baz told Associated Press. "Access to fresh water is essential for refugee survival, will help the peace process, and provides the necessary resources for the much needed economic development in Darfur."The discovery is "very significant", Hafiz Muhamad from the lobby group Justice Africa said. "The root cause of the conflict is resources-drought and desertification in North Darfur." 

Source: BBC Focus on Africa